Faced with Chen Bin’s blunt words, He Beibei’s cheeks instantly turned bright red.
But even so, she still put on a fearless demeanor.
"Tch, if we hadn’t lived together before, do you think I’d be scared of you?"
After saying that, she mumbled softly to herself again.
"At worst, I’ll just make you take responsibility later."
Chen Bin didn’t hear clearly and asked, "What did you just say?"
He Beibei didn’t bother responding at all. Instead, she ran straight to He Chaoping.
"Dad, I want to transfer schools, I want to go to a new school!"
Chen Bin sighed and could only follow behind her.
When they returned to He Chaoping’s house, Zheng Najiao prepared a special meal just for He Beibei.
As He Beibei ate, He Chaoping and his wife started discussing the transfer matter with Chen Bin.
Zheng Najiao began, "Xiao Chen, if Beibei goes to school in Dragon Mountain County, I definitely can’t be at ease with her living alone. If she stays with you, it might trouble you to have your driver take her to and from school every day."
"No problem, that’s just a small thing!"
He Chaoping immediately chimed in, "As for any of Beibei’s expenses, keep a clear account. I’ll settle everything with you at the end of each month."
"No need, it’s just her going to school every day. It really doesn’t cost much."
"That won’t do. We’re already grateful for your help with Beibei. How can we let you spend extra money?"
"How about this, we’ll talk about the money later. Leave the transfer process to me. After all, my workplace is pretty close to Dragon Mountain County."
Hearing this, He Chaoping nodded his head.
"Alright, that works!"
After settling everything concerning He Beibei, Chen Bin left.
Meanwhile, Zheng Najiao pulled He Chaoping into their room and whispered.
"Do you think our Beibei might run into trouble in Dragon Mountain County?"
He Chaoping dismissively shook his head.
"What trouble can possibly happen with Chen Bin there? Last time I was hospitalized, didn’t Xiao Chen take good care of Beibei? Plus, her grades improved tremendously during that time."
"I trust Chen Bin’s work, of course. But the two of them are only five or six years apart in age. If they spend time together every day, and something happens... then what?"
Hearing this, He Chaoping began to ponder seriously.
A while ago, He Beibei had been trying to get Chen Bin’s phone number, but he hadn’t given it to her.
Unexpectedly, the little girl had found Qinghe Town’s number online and called there instead.
However, at that time, Chen Bin was on a business trip and didn’t answer.
If Beibei could be so preoccupied with Chen Bin, maybe the two of them really could develop feelings over time.
It might even be possible that special emotions had already arisen between them.
Noticing that He Chaoping hadn’t said a word, Zheng Najiao continued speaking.
"How about I go stay in Dragon Mountain County with our daughter? I’ll ask for medical leave from school."
Although she thought academics were important, her daughter was even more so.
Zheng Najiao couldn’t bear the thought of letting He Beibei cross boundaries too early.
After some thought, He Chaoping eventually still shook his head.
"From my perspective, Chen Bin is someone with boundaries. He won’t do anything inappropriate with Beibei. Besides, even if something did happen, wouldn’t you be happy to have him as your son-in-law?"
"If they truly loved each other, of course, I’d be happy. But Beibei’s still so young. When the time comes..."
"Alright, stop overthinking it! Maybe we’ve just been too strict with Beibei, which makes her not want to stay with us. If her grades improve, let her stick with Chen Bin for now. We shouldn’t meddle too much."
Back in Tianhai, Chen Bin went directly to Xu Tai’s house.
When he saw Xu Tai, he immediately reported on the business trip to Shanghai.
He also laid out his ideas for opening a food factory.
Xu Tai asked, "What does the county say about the food factory idea?"
"The secretary of the County Committee and the County Magistrate both think the project is good, but it still needs to be brought up at the County Committee Standing Meeting for discussion. That said, I think this project probably won’t go through."
"The County Magistrate backs the Town Mayor, and the Town Mayor constantly opposes me. Even during this business trip to Shanghai, they each sent someone to keep an eye on me. So, there’s a good chance this factory idea won’t work out."
"If the food factory is a no-go, what’s your next step?"
"There’s no choice. I’ll just have to look for another opportunity."
Nodding, Xu Tai seemed pleased with this mindset.
"That’s right. To achieve great things, you first need to have the right attitude. If a small setback has you sighing in defeat, then you’re not cut out for this."
Then, Chen Bin brought up He Beibei’s school transfer.
"He Beibei? That’s He Chaoping’s daughter, right?"
"Yeah, how do you know?"
Xu Tai didn’t explain much and just nodded slightly.
"Alright, no point in asking too much. I can help with this, but I want to introduce you to someone."
That statement made Chen Bin’s heart sink.
Xu Tai had arranged a marriage for his daughter before, which caused Xu Ruoxuan to end up divorced.
Now he wanted to set Chen Bin up with someone? Who knows what kind of harpy or monster this would be?
Swallowing nervously, Chen Bin tentatively asked, "Who are you planning to introduce me to?"
"Cao Sanjin’s daughter, Cao Chenxi!"
Though Chen Bin had never met Cao Chenxi, he instinctively felt she must be unattractive.
After all, Cao Sanjin was the renowned Municipal Party Secretary. If his daughter were remarkable, why would she need an introduction?
Seeing Chen Bin’s silence, Xu Tai asked sternly, "What? You’re not willing to let me introduce someone to you?"
Chen Bin definitely wasn’t willing, but he didn’t dare say so outright.
He could only stammer anxiously, "Of course not. It’s just a bit sudden. I wasn’t prepared."
"Actually, Cao Chenxi is adopted. But she’s been raised by Cao Sanjin and his wife since she was little, so there’s almost no difference from a biological child."
Nodding vaguely, Chen Bin didn’t say a word.
Xu Tai continued, "Cao Chenxi may not match up to you, but you need to understand—Cao Sanjin might one day rise to become one of the top three leaders in Yanxi Province. If you marry his daughter, you could save yourself twenty years of effort."
Having said this, Xu Tai sipped his tea and advised earnestly.
"You should know by now that I’ve always treated you like family. Everything I do is for your benefit. In politics, you must realize the importance of having someone above you."
"But marriage is a lifelong matter. I just don’t want to..."
Before Chen Bin could finish, Xu Tai interrupted with a wave of his hand.
"You need to understand—there’s no such thing as having it all in life. If you marry Cao Chenxi, Cao Sanjin will become your strongest supporter. As for love? It’s insignificant next to power!"
Xu Tai’s words deeply struck Chen Bin.
But even so, he still wouldn’t give up on his determination to marry Zhao Xinmei.
After leaving Xu Tai’s house, Chen Bin immediately contacted Xu Ruoxuan.
Xu Ruoxuan was at home babysitting her child. Before heading over, Chen Bin deliberately bought some gifts that little girls would like.
The doorbell rang, and a soft voice came from inside.
The door opened, and a delicate, adorable little girl appeared before Chen Bin.
She looked about five or six years old, wearing pajamas featuring Chibi Maruko-chan.
Her big, curious eyes stared up at Chen Bin.
"Uncle, who are you looking for?"