The Song and Dance Special featuring Liu Yong and Tian Yueyue, with the strong support of Wu Mengyue, has smoothly entered the final countdown stage of the performance. The entire program’s arrangement is already mature, and other logistical aspects of the performance are being managed by relevant professional companies. It can be said that everything is ready, waiting only for the signal from General Manager Wu.

    This matter sounds a bit strange. Isn’t the performance date predetermined? In the contracts between Wu Mengyue and Liu Yong, Tian Yueyue, it is explicitly stipulated that the timing will be determined separately by the investor, Party A, based on market operation conditions, as well as negotiations with relevant professional companies and agents.

    After a period of intense rehearsal and coordination, both Tian Yueyue and Liu Yong’s entire performance program was deemed “OK.” However, even after receiving the “OK,” the exact opening date for the performance was still uncertain. As a result, Tian Yueyue had to return to the Jinling Art College under the escort of Liu Yong. Meanwhile, Liu Yong continued to go back to Moon City to finalize the last details with Wu Mengyue and other relevant parties regarding the “Moonlit Melodies” song and dance special.

    One night, as they lay beside each other, Wu Mengyue finally brought it up. She asked Liu Yong to arrange a dinner for her father at the Moon City Hotel, so they could meet. And if they could coordinate beforehand to have Liuchengyan become an advisor for the Moon City Hotel, everything would be perfect. Mr. Liu Yong, pleasedon’t worry – this advisory role would be kept private. Only you, me, and Liu Yong would know about it. No one else would be aware, so you can rest assured.

    Lying beside Liu Yong, Wu Mengyue wasn’t idle. A certain part of her body was still moving ceaselessly.

    In the current situation, Liu Yong and his father can’t really have a conversation.

    Lamenting his son’s decision to pursue a career in the arts, Liu Chengyin has always carried a sense of regret. He feels that he has not fulfilled his grandfather’s wish to bring honor to the family name, and he perceives this as his own failure in filial piety, falling short of the deep affection and teachings his grandfather had bestowed upon him since childhood. Ironically, Liu Chengyin himself received a formal higher education and is a university graduate, having followed a conventional academic path. Currently holding the position of Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee in a prefecture-level city, he is a prominent leader. However, he remains strongly influenced by traditional values due to his upbringing. As the saying goes, early education leaves a lasting impact. Emerging from Xianghe, his grandfather’s guidance and teachings from a young age, coupled with being the first university student from Xianghe Village, have left an indelible mark of honor for himself, his grandfather, and the Liu family, deeply imprinted in his mind.

    Unlike his own upbringing in Xianghe, Liu Yong, who grew up in a city by the Yangtze River known as Qingjiang, seems to lack something, perhaps the pursuit of “raising the torch to seek my destiny” from his ancestors. Is it the sentiment of “sorrow for the world and compassion for people,” the empathy for society and concern for the people’s well-being? Liu Chengyin couldn’t quite articulate it in the moment. He feels as if there’s a “distance” or a “disconnect” between himself and Liu Yong. This kind of distance has hindered genuine communication and exchange between the father and son, creating a barrier to meaningful conversation. When Liu Yong was young, Liu Chengyin often took him to worship at the graves of their ancestors, especially at the tomb of Liu Yong’s great-grandfather, almost without fail each year on the Qingming Festival. He hoped that his son could inherit the legacy of their forebears, enter a career in government service, and bring honor to the family name. Now, it seems that Liu Chengyin’s wishes are about to be dashed, as his son has chosen a career that is far removed from the path of government service: performing arts.

    Not to mention that Liu Yong currently cannot even have a meaningful conversation with his father, Liu Chengyin. Even if they could engage in a conversation, it’s currently beyond the realm of possibility for Liu Chengyin to dine at the Moon City Grand Hotel with Wu Mengyue, let alone discuss any matters related to being a “consultant.”

    It’s not that a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee carries an excessive air of importance or grandiosity, making it difficult for them to dine at a hotel or interact with the hotel owner. That’s not the case. During this period, Liu Chengyin has been deeply involved in the city’s new rural development efforts, especially the consolidation of towns and townships in the four districts and two counties. Building upon the initial pilot projects, these efforts have been successfully extended throughout the city. The workload has been substantial, and unexpected conflicts and issues have surfaced. Liu Chengyin believes that he has dedicated considerable effort, immersing himself in rural areas to gain insight into grassroots realities. He has made pragmatic adjustments to the pilot projects in various towns and townships, while imposing strict demands on the overall deployment of this work across the cities and districts. His approach involves detailed plans, clear allocation of responsibilities, adherence to steps, and a steady and cautious advancement.

    Indeed, Liu Chengyin made the decision to accelerate the overall process after witnessing the success of pilot projects in various cities and districts. Could it be that he was driven by impatience to achieve quick results? Perhaps the desire to make a significant contribution to his career led to some rash decisions. During the merger process of Xinglin Town and Xinghua Township into Shuangxing Town, a situation arose where tens of thousands of residents from both areas blocked a highway, causing a major traffic disruption on an interprovincial highway connecting central and northern parts of the province to the southern region. Emotions ran high, resulting in the burning of numerous police vehicles and physical assaults on government officials, including police officers, who were performing their duties. The leaders from the two merged areas were trapped in their vehicles for over ten hours without even the freedom to step out for a restroom break. Foreign media extensively covered this incident, portraying it as a spontaneous uprising in the Moon City region and demanding the overthrow of the local government.

    Now, the situation has escalated significantly. Senior leaders have issued “important instructions,” urging a high level of attention, conflict resolution, proper handling, containment of the incident, and maintenance of stability. The Moon City Party Committee and Municipal Government acted swiftly, forming an “Emergency Response Leadership Group for the Handling of the Shuangxing Town Sudden Group Incident,” with Liu Chengyin, the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, as the group leader. They stationed themselves in Shuangxing Town.

    Additionally, over a thousand police officers were dispatched to the area, under the command and coordination of Deputy Secretary Liu, in order to promptly address any new developments and maintain normal production and life order in the local community, safeguarding the safety of people’s lives and property.

    After conducting an on-site investigation, Liu Chengyin uncovered the underlying causes of this severe and disruptive group incident. It turned out that in Xinghua Township, there was a rural junior highschool known throughout the city for its “quality education.” As the leader in charge of rural affairs at the municipal level, Liu Chengyin was not only aware of this but had also praised their “quality education” approach during the citywide rural work conference. However, over the years, this school had used the pretext of “quality education” to massively enroll fee- paying students from other areas, resulting in the formation of a “fee-charging black hole.” With the demand for town and township consolidation, the authorities required this “prestigious school” to relocate. The school principal, feeling guilty about the “fee-charging black hole,” feared exposure. To divert attention from the school’s real issues, rumors were spread claiming that the original choice for the location of the Shuangxing Town government was Xinghua Township because of the presence of this “prestigious school.” However, the current decision by the Shuangxing Town Party Secretary to place the town government in Xinglin Town was allegedly due to undisclosed “secrets” related to real estate development in Xinglin Town. This situation was linked to safeguarding the interests of certain developers and also involved corruption issues.

    The issues concerning developer interests and corruption have left a negative impression on the local population. Particularly when it comes to corruption, whether it’s officials involved or government corruption, the sentiment of the ordinary people is crystal clear: they abhor it. Therefore, when some uninformed citizens heard about allegations of favoritism and corruption in the decision-making process for the location of the Shuangxing Town government, their emotions ran high. The result was an uproar among the local populace, fueled by those with ulterior motives. They started chanting slogans like “Down with corrupt officials!” and “Punish corruption!” demanding justice for the people of Xinghua Township from higher authorities.

    The citizens of Xinghua Township initiated protests, vehemently demanding the removal of corrupt officials and the punishment of corruption. Simultaneously,they strongly demanded the relocation of the Shuangxing Town government back to the original location of the Xinghua Township government. Once this news spread, the residents of Xinglin Town also became agitated. They organized their own protests, insisting on the strict implementation of the initial merger plan, maintaining the stability of the Shuangxing Town government’s location in Xinglin Town, and calling for severe punishment of those who spread rumors and incited disturbances.

    As a result, differing opinions emerged among the residents of the two areas, leading to divisions and inevitable arguments. Some individuals who were not thinking rationally became physically aggressive, resulting in clashes between groups of people. There were instances of impulsive actions that led to physical confrontations between different groups of citizens.

    Liu Chengyin has gone without proper rest for several consecutive days and nights.

    Various opinions surged towards him like a tide, as the leader of this “leadership group,” demanding to meet him in person to voice their concerns. At this moment, Shuangxing Town resembled a vast stage where a diverse array of individuals and roles took the spotlight, presenting a mixture of strategies and tactics. There were those who used words and those who resorted to force, various enticements of personal gain, as well as threats and intimidation. This situation put to the test the insight, judgment, and resilience of Liu Chengyin and his colleagues in the leadership group.

    Liu Chengyin realized that regardless of where the town government was located, there was indeed an underlying “interest” issue. Decision-makers must effectively manage the shifts in certain interests due to the change in the town government’s location. They need to holistically consider the economic and social development of Shuangxing Town after the merger. This is the fundamental approach to addressing the problem. Necessary and temporary sacrifices of “interests” are also unavoidable. In any administrative reform or adjustment of administrative divisions, “interest” issues are always present. There is no such thing as a flawless solution, and this is equally true in practical work. The key lies in explaining the situation thoroughly to the citizens, ensuring their right to information, participation, and choice. It is crucial to achieve democracy, fairness, and transparency, aiming to gain the understanding and support of the general populace. Especially for the sake of overall and long-term interests, there are times when we, as citizens, might need to sacrifice some local or immediate interests. However, the ultimate goal is always to safeguard the fundamental interests of our people. It’s essential to make this aspect visible and clear to our citizens.

    During the meetings with the colleagues of the “leadership group,” Liu Chengyin repeatedly emphasized the crucial role of effectively managing the thoughts and opinions of the local residents. He stressed the importance of gaining the understanding and support of the vast majority of the community. However, he made it clear that there would be no leniency for those with ulterior motives or who deliberately misled the public or engaged in disorderly conduct.

    The principal of the so-called “prestigious school” was swiftly arrested by the public security authorities due to severe disruption of public order, causing financial losses to the people and his involvement in the “fee-charging black hole.” Legal consequences await him.

    “I never expected Shuangxing Town to have such a beautiful ginkgo forest. Our relevant departments, along with the town Party Committee and government, should promote and showcase it well.” Accompanied by the town government officials, Liu Chengyin conducted a visit to an ancient ginkgo forest. It was deep autumn, and the ginkgo leaves were a vibrant gold color. The branches were adorned with newly formed white ginkgo nuts, their pale yellow hue gently swaying in the autumn breeze.

    The comrades in the town also felt that Secretary Liu had been working tirelessly for the past few days. He attended meetings and discussions day and night, conducted visits and investigations non-stop, and even during moments of intense conflict, he didn’t take a breath. However, they refrained from mentioning the sharp contradictions to him in order to let him catch his breath and take a break. Fortunately, the overall situation had stabilized, and the roots of instability had been uprooted. With proper post-incident work and efforts to comfort the affected citizens, the situation could be smoothly resolved. In light of this, they invited Secretary Liu to come and see the ancient ginkgo forest, as a moment of relaxation and respite.

    Taking a panoramic view of the several hundred acres of ancient ginkgo trees, with their thick trunks and majestic crowns, revealed a diverse array of shapes and forms, each branch telling tales of the ages through its ruggedness. Upon closer observation, the branches laden with ginkgo nuts formed strings upon strings, branches connecting to other branches, trees standing closely beside one another,resulting in a sight of endless ginkgoes. Liu Chengyin turned to those accompanying him and chuckled, “Now, this is what they mean by ‘bearing abundant fruit. ’”

    As Liu Chengyin and his group continued to walk, they ventured deeper into the heart of the ancient ginkgo forest. The thick layer of fallen leaves underfoot emitted a satisfying “crunch-crunch” sound as they walked, soft yet resilient, providing an incredibly pleasant sensation. After rounding a small bend, a body of water came into view before Liu Chengyin’s eyes. One of the accompanying individuals informed him that this was the Ginkgo Fairy Lake. Although not overly large, this body of water held a beautiful legend within its confines.

    According to the legend, the area known as Xinglin was once devoid of any ancient ginkgo forest. It was instead a stretch of land covered in overgrown weeds. People lived near the water, working on this land and living modest yet peaceful lives, free from the hardships of upheaval. One year, a plague struck, and the entire village of Xinglin was engulfed by the epidemic. Every household had sick individuals.

    Outside the village, there was a young man named Chunsheng who made a living by fishing on the lake. Upon learning about the epidemic that had befallen the village, he desperately sought medical help but found no effective remedy. One day, exhausted from his efforts, Chunsheng fell asleep under a large tree. As he slept, a beautiful young woman appeared before him, seemingly drifting on the breeze. She informed him that he could brew a soup from the leaves of the tree he was resting under and give it to the villagers to cure the plague. Chunsheng was elated by this revelation and woke up in high spirits. He gazed at the tree and saw its fan-shaped leaves swaying in the wind, as if beckoning to him. However, the beautiful young woman had vanished without a trace.

    Although Chunsheng had found the leaves that could cure the epidemic, he was now far away from home, and he had no idea how many leaves he would need to cure the illness of an entire village. The villagers’ conditions were deteriorating rapidly, and there was no time for Chunsheng to return home and then come back with the leaves. He was in a state of despair. Just then, a voice from the tree reached Chunsheng’s ears, saying, “Why don’t you take me home as your bride?”

    “Ah? Are you the girl I saw in my dream? Where are you? As long as you can cure the villagers’ illness, I’m willing to take you home as my bride,” Chunsheng exclaimed. He realized that the girl appearing in his dreams and now speaking from the tree couldn’t be an ordinary person. Since she wasn’t an ordinary person, taking her home as his wife wouldn’t be a conventional marriage, let alone the possibility of having descendants.

    “I’m right here in front of you. Take a good look.” A gust of wind swept through, causing the branches and leaves of the tree to sway. In a matter of moments, the tree disappeared, and the girl from his dreams stood before Chunsheng, graceful and poised. Her eyes were filled with affection as she gazed at him.

    To dispel any doubts from the young man’s mind, the girl confessed to Chunsheng that she was the Ginkgo Fairy. In a previous life, she was a Buddhist bead left behind during the practice of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. After a millennium of cultivation, she had transformed into a human form. As long as Chunsheng promised not to be entranced by her beauty and not to seek the pleasures of a conventional marriage, she assured him that she would assist him in eradicating the plague and saving the people.

    Upon returning to Xinglin, Chunsheng and his newfound wife diligently used the water from the nearby lake to boil the ginkgo leaves, creating a concoction. They distributed the liquid to every household in the village. In a matter of days, the villagers’ conditions started to stabilize. Chunsheng was overjoyed by the positive results, and the villagers were full of gratitude towards him for his efforts.

    After a few more days, Chunsheng noticed that his wife had started wearing a headscarf whenever she went outside. It wasn’t until he returned home one evening that he realized his wife’s hair was gradually disappearing. The once beautiful woman with flowing locks had transformed into someone with patches of hair loss on her head.

    The Ginkgo Fairy explained to Chunsheng that the ginkgo tree she had transplanted was another form of her own being. Every day, the ginkgo leaves harvested from the tree were equivalent to pulling strands of her own hair.

    His wife’s words made Chunsheng suddenly realize, and he recalled his previous wife’s warning before they returned to Xinglin. His current wife knew what fate awaited her when she returned to Xinglin with Chunsheng, and she had been prepared for it all along. In a moment, Chunsheng embraced his wife tightly, his fingers gently tracing her hair that was no longer smooth and beautiful. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

    His wife kissed Chunsheng with deep affection, telling him that their bond spanned across lifetimes and was now coming to an end in this life. She would soon depart from him, but he only needed to care for the ginkgo tree by the lake. As long as the people of Xinglin lived happily and peacefully, free from the suffering of plagues, her purpose would be fulfilled. She could watch over her husband every day from the branches of the ginkgo tree, ensuring their happiness together. They would have to wait for the next cycle of a thousand years to rekindle their connection.

    As expected, not long after, the village of Xinglin was once again filled with the sounds of joy and laughter, and the plague was driven away. Chunsheng’s wife had exhausted her final trace of spiritual energy, and her form dissolved into nothingness. She left behind only the ginkgo tree by the lake for Chunsheng.

    Upon learning about the Ginkgo Fairy’s story, the villagers gathered under the ginkgo tree. They lit incense, bowed in reverence, and tied red ribbons to the branches of the ginkgo tree as a symbol of remembrance and respect.

    Chunsheng never went fishing again. He spent his days tending to the ginkgo tree, caring for it meticulously. Among the clusters of fan-shaped leaves, every autumn brought forth strings of white fruits. Chunsheng would distribute these fruits to the villagers. Observant villagers noticed that the basket he carried always had a blue floral cloth headscarf that his wife had once worn covering it.

    Several years passed, and Chunsheng had long since passed away. The ginkgo tree by the lake had flourished into a forest of ginkgo trees. People couldn’t forget the kind-hearted Ginkgo Fairy, so they bestowed a beautiful name upon the lake— Ginkgo Fairy Lake.

    “Comrade, your story is truly touching. If more of our Communist Party cadres were like the Ginkgo Fairy, willing to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of the people, even for the sake of merging towns, incidents like the one in Shuangxing Town might not occur!” Lium Chengyin, having received years of Party education, had the ability to discern the political significance even in a folk story. It was indeed impressive to the other comrades accompanying him, making them appreciate his position as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee.

    The higher-level leadership did not absolve itself of responsibility for effectively handling the incident related to the merger of Shuangxing Town. They didn’t allow it to escalate into a worse situation. Instead, they took a comprehensive approach. A provincial commission of inquiry was dispatched to Moon City to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident of the group affecting the merger of Shuangxing Town. Additionally, they conducted a retrospective assessment of the implementation of the town-village merger in Moon City’s new rural development efforts.

    Shifting his focus, Lium Chengyin’s work priorities transitioned from solely advancing the town-village merger across the entire city to cooperating with the provincial commission of inquiry investigating the incident in Shuangxing Town. This included assessing and reflecting on the issues within the town-village merger efforts in Moon City.

    During the meeting of the Municipal Party  Standing Committee, Wen Lianggong criticized Lium Chengyin for the rushed approach in organizing the city-wide town-village merger. He explicitly pointed out that attempting to merge over 200 townships into 90 at once is overly ambitious and involves a vast scope with a large number of personnel. He emphasized the need for an overall plan and phased implementation to ensure stability. Trying to achieve too much too quickly can easily lead to complications. Although the current plan had been discussed by the Municipal Party leadership, it’s fair to say that the previous discussion was not thorough, and many comrades didn’t have the opportunity to express their opinions effectively. Now, it’s crucial to learn profound lessons from the Shuangxing Town incident and make adjustments and improvements to the city-wide town-village merger plan. Drawing from the experiences of other sister cities, a more suitable approach for this merger might involve reducing the number of entities from over 200 to 150. I invite all comrades to share their opinions fully. This is just my personal proposal.

    Mayor Wen’s speech, true to his usual style, maintained his slow pace and gentle tone. However, his remarks about the issues in Deputy Secretary Liu’s work were anything but vague, and one could say they were like a hidden needle in cotton.

    In the Chinese administrative system, the role of a mayor is quite delicate. Within a specific region, one could say the mayor is below one person and above many. In various administrative bodies, particularly within the party and government leadership, only the Party Secretary is the mayor’s superior, while other members of the leadership team are under the mayor’s leadership. This is because the mayor also holds the position of Deputy Party Secretary. However, if the Party Secretary doesn’t approve of the mayor, the mayor, who is under one person, might also be under many. If the Party Secretary bypasses the mayor and takes direct control, a stomp of the foot could lead to demolitions, and a wave of the hand could trigger changes, leaving the mayor with little say. Therefore, conflicts between Party Secretaries and mayors are almost inevitable most of the time. Dear readers, don’t forget, what’s the main duty of a Party Secretary? “Control the people.” This is the skill of “climbing the tree.” Tigers might be fierce and powerful, but after all, they can’t climb trees. Moreover, not every Party Secretary is necessarily just a “cat.”

    The subtlety of the Party Secretary’s skill in “controlling people” lies within the character “ 控 ” (control). When to control whom, how to control, and the intricacies involved are endless and not easily understood without being in the actual situation. Moreover, the “intricacies” are not meant to be known by outsiders. For instance, in the current Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Moon City Municipal Committee Standing Committee, it’s clear that Wen Lianggong holds the advantageous position of the second in command. No matter how extensively you, Li Chengyin, delve into investigating rural areas, study and discuss matters, pilot programs, formulate, adjust, and refine plans, it all seems to be in vain now, as the Shuangxing Town incident has provided a clear interpretation of the work you, Li Chengyin, did earlier. “Foreign media” has extensively covered it, embarrassing us on the international stage. What more is there to say?

    Based on the fact that Comrade Li Chengyin, the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Moon City Municipal Committee, engaged in misconduct during the process of new rural construction, leading to a serious collective incident, the provincial investigation team reported to the Provincial Organization Department and relevant leaders of the Provincial Committee. With their approval, a decision was made to suspend Comrade Li Chengyin for further investigation.

    The term “suspension for investigation” carried a profound meaning for Li Chengyin. Several years ago, when he was still the Party Secretary of Chu County, he had experienced a similar “treatment.” After many years, fate had once again delivered those four words to him: “suspension for investigation.” There was no longer a provincial leader like Elder Shen to speak up for him. There were no more decades of time to squander. He could only extinguish the ambitions he had when he first arrived in Moon City to make a difference. Regarding his career prospects, he felt somewhat disheartened.

    He thought about his son and the path that Li Yong had chosen in the arts.

    In a luxurious private room at the Moon City Grand Hotel, Wu Mengyue was passionately arranging dishes for Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Liu Chengyin.

    “Please help yourself, Deputy Secretary Liu. Tonight’s gathering is just a small and intimate occasion to express our gratitude for your presence,” Wu Mengyue said while placing a braised carp onto Liu Chengyin’s plate.

    Sitting in the guest of honor seat, Liu Chengyin appeared to have had some drinks,his face slightly flushed. He didn’t pay much attention to the grilled carp that Wu Mengyue had served over. He raised his glass to his son and said, “Come, Liu Yong, let’s raise our glasses to Ms. Wu as well, thanking her for organizing a special performance for you.”

    This gesture from his father made Liang Yong feel a bit special. In his memory,  his father rarely attended any social gatherings with him, let alone raise their glasses  together or even toast on his behalf. Even during meals at home, his father seldom  inquired about his affairs, such as how his studies were going at school. Liang Yong  understood it very well in his heart – his father didn’t hold much esteem for “singing.” Liang Yong’s pursuit of popular music studies at the Jinling School of Arts was  something he never had the chance to discuss with his father.

    Now, unexpectedly, his father was raising his glass to toast the investor of his own singing and dancing performance, Wu Mengyue. Liang Yong hadn’t quite figured out why his father had undergone such a change. He had heard some rumors about his father being suspended for investigation, seemingly related to the recent intense incident in Shuangxing Town. However, he wouldn’t ask his father for details, and his father wouldn’t tell him either.

    “Secretary Liu, this is something Mengyue can’t handle. I see a bright future for Xiao Yong and Yueyue the golden boy and jade girl; these two young people have unlimited potential ahead of them.” Wu Mengyue quickly stood up and raised her wineglass.

    “It seems like General Manager Wu is planning to shift her focus in her endeavors? Well, Tian, no, I’ll call you Yueyue as well. Since you and Yong are working together on a singing and dancing special event, let’s both raise our glasses to General Manager Wu.” Tonight, Lao Yuan had completely shed his demeanor as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. He raised his glass once again, this time towards TianYueyue, who was sitting next to Yong.

    Although Tian Yueyue had visited the Liu family’s small building in Phoenix Court a few times, she had never encountered Yong’s father, her “father-in-law.” Tonight, she had come all the way to the Moon City from Nanjing, taking advantage  of the presence of the director, planners, stage designers, and other experts involved  in the special performanceshe was organizing.

    Caught between Wu Mengyue and Tian Yueyue, with his father present as well, Yong felt a bit uneasy. Before he even had a chance to clink glasses with them, he tilted his head back and downed the contents of his glass in one gulp.

    “Ah, who drinks like that? You didn’t even clink glasses with these two ladies and just downed it. Refill your glass, and let’s have a toast together, four glasses in a harmonious arrangement.” Tonight, Yong’s father, in high spirits, set forth a strict requirement for his son.

    “Yueyue, Uncle also wants to have a special drink with you. I heard from Yong’s mom that you’re a girl from Suzhou. No wonder you look so delicate and beautiful, like a little gem of a family. Great! You’re even better than our local girls of the Moon City!”

    “Uncle Liu, I don’t usually drink, but I’ll finish this glass of red wine. Thank you for your nice words!”

    “Yueyue, let’s both raise our glasses to Dad. Dad, since you like Yueyue so much, I’ll bring her home as your daughter-in-law, how about that?” Yong felt that his father was in a good mood tonight, so he relaxed. He thought to himself that he hadn’t had a chance to explain his relationship with Tian Yueyue to his family, and now was the perfect opportunity. If Dad gives the nod, then it’s a green light for the whole family.”

    “Oh, it looks like you haven’t been honest with your mother? Yueyue, you tell Uncle.”

    Seeing his father ask this question, Yong had a clear idea. He quickly nudged Tian Yueyue, “Hurry, say that you’re willing to be Dad’s daughter-in-law.” After all, he and TianYueyue had been together for quite some time, and as long as the climate was suitable, the seedlings of their love would naturally sprout. At this moment, Yong seemed completely different, as if he had transformed into someone else. It was as if in all his years, he had never been so bold and relaxed in front of his father as he was tonight.

    However, he overlooked the on-site feelings of another woman.