Tianhe Foreign Language University.
Bao Shanshan is sitting in her office working, and the phone in front of her suddenly rings.
After answering, she asks, "Hello, who is this?"
On the other end of the line comes a man's voice, "Is this Minister Bao? I'm Shan Liqiang from the City Committee Propaganda Department."
Bao Shanshan immediately asks, "Minister Shan, what can I do for you?"
"Come to the Tianhe Hotel right after work; there's something I need to discuss with you."
Slightly frowning, Bao Shanshan seems a bit hesitant.
"But..."
"There's no 'but' about it; this is a big matter and can't be delayed."
"Then... okay."
After hanging up, Bao Shanshan falls into a brief moment of hesitation.
Eventually, she takes out her phone and sends a WeChat message.
"Sorry, a leader wants to talk to me tonight, we'll have to watch the movie another time."
After work, Bao Shanshan drives to Tianhe Hotel.
After parking her car, she calls Shan Liqiang.
He replies that there's a traffic jam due to rush hour.
Bao Shanshan doesn't say much and has to stand quietly at the entrance waiting.
It's dinner time, and there are many people coming and going around her.
Just then, a couple slowly walks over from the parking lot.
The man looks about thirty, tall and handsome.
The woman appears petite, probably just in her early twenties.
However, notably, the woman is wearing a crop top, her hair dyed in various colors.
On her exposed arm, there's a tattoo of a blood-stained rose.
Her ten delicate toes are painted with black nail polish, giving off a sense of alluring beauty.
Upon seeing the two, Bao Shanshan immediately turns her body away.
Nonetheless, she still gets noticed by the woman.
"Shanshan! You're here too? Are you waiting for Gan Luo?"
Forcing a smile, Bao Shanshan replies.
"No, I'm waiting for a leader. You two go inside quickly."
"Okay, let's meet up after we get out of the car."
Once inside the restaurant, the man quietly asks, "Do you think Bao Shanshan is waiting for a leader?"
The woman shakes her head, "I don't know, but who she's waiting for doesn't concern us, right?"
"I think she might be meeting another man behind Gan Luo's back."
"She probably wouldn't do that; Shanshan doesn't seem like that type."
"No way, I have to contact Gan Luo to make sure he's not getting cheated."
Gan Luo, Bao Shanshan's boyfriend, immediately heads over after learning her location.
When he arrives at Tianhe Hotel, Bao Shanshan is still standing at the entrance waiting for someone.
To figure out what's going on, Gan Luo decides to hide.
Shortly after, Shan Liqiang briskly walks over from the parking lot.
Seeing Bao Shanshan, he apologizes.
"I'm so sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way."
"No problem, actually I just got here myself."
As they enter the hotel, Gan Luo is left bewildered.
He recalls that Bao Shanshan and Shan Liqiang shouldn't know each other; why are they dining together now?
The more he thinks about it, the more strange it seems, so Gan Luo calls Bao Shanshan.
But after calling twice, it gets hung up directly.
On the last try, her phone is even turned off.
This makes Gan Luo fume with anger.
To avoid alerting anyone, he decides to wait outside.
He plans to see where they go after dinner.
Inside the private room, Shan Liqiang sees Bao Shanshan's phone ring twice and asks curiously.
"Do you have something important to handle?"
She puts the phone in her bag and replies.
"It's nothing, just a spam call. Minister Shan, why did you ask me here?"
Seeing Bao Shanshan being direct, Shan Liqiang doesn't beat around the bush.
He directly asks, "Do you want to work in Tianhai?"
Upon hearing this, Bao Shanshan is completely stunned.
She never expected Shan Liqiang to discuss such a matter with her.
At that moment, his voice rings out again.
"You know, Minister Chen from the Provincial Committee Propaganda Department appreciates you, I think you're talented. If you can go to the provincial level for further nurturing, you can definitely make it big in the future."
"Isn't this... a bit too sudden?"
"Job transfers are not small matters; you can go home and think about it carefully. But I think this opportunity is rare, and only by going to the provincial level can you better showcase your talents."
For Bao Shanshan, this is indeed no small matter, so she nods her head.
"I need to discuss this with my parents to see what they think."
"No problem, if you decide not to go, let me know early so I can give the spot to someone else."
After dinner, they say goodbye and go home.
Gan Luo follows closely behind Bao Shanshan's car.
When Bao Shanshan parks in the community, he immediately gets out and questions her.
"Why didn't you answer my calls just now? Why?!"
Frowning slightly, Bao Shanshan looks somewhat displeased.
"I was having dinner with a leader, why were you repeatedly calling?"
"Shan Liqiang is not from your school; what kind of leader is he?!"
"You were following me?"
"And so what if I was? Tell me what you talked about just now!"
With a cold laugh, Bao Shanshan ignores him, locks the car door, and starts heading upstairs.
However, Gan Luo grabs her wrist furiously and asks again.
"If you don't tell me, you're not allowed to leave today!"
Upon hearing this, Bao Shanshan's stubborn streak comes out.
She firmly shakes off his hand and heads straight upstairs.
"Bao Shanshan! You can't go, you must explain everything to me!"
Gan Luo is about to chase after her but gets stopped by two security guards.
"Hey, you're not from our community; how did you follow a car inside?"
Gan Luo doesn't want to engage with them, intends to continue after Bao Shanshan, but gets held back.
"Young man, trying to attack a resident? Get out of here, or we'll call the police!"
Back home, Bao Shanshan sits on the sofa furiously.
Bao Chili puts down his newspaper, concerned.
"Why are you sulking just after getting home? Did someone bully you? Tell Dad, I'll stand up for you!"
Bao Shanshan initially wants to say something, but upon seeing Ruan Guilan sitting beside her and picking vegetables, she swallows her words.
Returning to her room to change clothes, then sitting next to Bao Chili again.
"Dad, something came up so suddenly, I don't know what to do, and I want to hear your thoughts."
After Bao Shanshan expresses Shan Liqiang's intentions, Bao Chili quickly says.
"If the Minister of the Provincial Committee Propaganda Department favors you, it's a huge opportunity, you must go!"
"I actually thought the same at the time, because staying at the university makes the upward space too narrow. But I don't know, it just felt a bit unreliable."
When facing major events, Bao Shanshan is generally very cautious.
So she doesn't think an opportunity will just fall from the sky.
At this moment, the silent Ruan Guilan chimes in.
"Shanshan, I also find it unreliable. After all, if you go to the provincial level, what happens to Gan Luo?"