Mr. Hang coughed out a thick phlegm, finally feeling a bit better, took a deep breath and weakly waved his hand, "Third stays, the rest can leave."

In the blink of an eye, only Mr. Hang, Old Mrs. Hang, and Hang Yanzhao remained in the hall.

"Dad..." Hang Yanzhao shrank his body, smiling ingratiatingly, "What do you think we should do next to minimize the losses?"

"A kind mother often spoils the child!" Mr. Hang sighed deeply and looked at Old Mrs. Hang, "If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have become this useless."

Old Mrs. Hang nodded repeatedly, "It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, I used to stop you from disciplining him, that was indeed my mistake.

But Zhaozhao has always been in poor health since he was little, as his mother, it’s natural for me to favor him a bit. Now, this matter, it’s not entirely Zhaozhao’s fault.

If we have to blame someone, blame that Liu Er for being irresponsible, always deceiving our Zhaozhao. Old man, think of a way, let Liu Er take all the blame, can we do that?"

"You..." Mr. Hang looked at his wife, full of helplessness, and after a while, waved his hand listlessly, "Enough, you go back to your room too, Hang Yanzhao, come with me to the study!"

"Dad..." Hang Yanzhao called out, but looked for help towards his mother.

Old Mrs. Hang sneaked a glance at Mr. Hang, then pushed her son, "He’s your real father, he must be doing it for your good, go on."

The mother and son’s little schemes were clear as day to Mr. Hang, who shook his head helplessly and turned back to glare at his dawdling son, "Hurry up!"

"Yes!" Hang Yanzhao quickened his pace, helping Mr. Hang push open the study door, "Dad, please go ahead."

Old Mrs. Hang hesitated outside for a while before returning to her room.

...

Qujing City is a county-level city just as impoverished as Xiangshan City. It is adjacent to Xiangshan City but does not belong to Yu Province, rather to Yunnan Province.

Reviewing documents, Qi Bin wore a deep gray suit and thin-framed glasses, exuding maturity beyond his years. The door was suddenly pushed open and Hang Menglin barged in.

Qi Bin looked up and sighed helplessly, "Captain Hang, could you knock before you come in next time?"

"Mayor, I..." Following Hang Menglin, Secretary Miao Qifeng also looked helpless; how could he have stopped this lady?

"Alright, you can leave." Qi Bin waved his hand, turning his gaze to Hang Menglin, "Captain Hang, what is so urgent? Tell me."

Hang Menglin handed him the document she was holding, "I want to catch this person, sign here!"

Qi Bin looked at it closely, his brows furrowing, "Menglin, this is not a joke. With the strength of your current personnel, this doesn’t seem appropriate.

My suggestion is to wait a bit longer, collect more evidence and report it, ideally seek aid for a surprise attack, what do you think?"

Hearing the change in Qi Bin’s manner of address, Hang Menglin’s eyes quickly filled with a smile, but then her expression turned serious again, "Mayor, I understand, your method is the best.

However, following normal procedures, this matter might not be resolved until a month later. So during this month, how many drugs will enter the market? How many people will be affected?

I can’t wait any longer, please trust me, I’m rushing you to sign because we want a sudden raid when the opponent is completely unprepared. Rest assured, our success rate is above ninety percent."

Qi Bin’s brows remained tightly knit, his fingers habitually tapping lightly on the table, "Let me think about it a bit more, come back in half an hour."

"Alright!" Hang Menglin turned around, walked a few steps, then looked back, "Mayor, you know the reason I’ve been following you wherever you go, please believe me, I’m definitely trustworthy."

"Sister Meng Lin, I know." Qi Bin sighed heavily, "I know how kind you’ve been to me, my hesitation is not because I don’t trust you, but I don’t want you getting into danger."

Hang Menglin snapped her fingers, "Hearing this from you, everything I’ve done is worth it. Alright, I’m heading out, waiting for your update."

As she left, the radiant glow in her eyes made Qi Bin’s heart skip a beat; he stared at the door in a daze for a while before coming back to his senses.

In the past year, Hang Menglin has truly become his most capable assistant.

Last year, he was transferred to Qujing City to serve as Executive Vice Mayor, and it was really a challenging task, without trusted aides, and both the Secretary and Mayor treated him indifferently.

The big bosses are not fond of him, so who dares get close? Therefore, one can only imagine how difficult it was for him to carry out his work.

If it weren’t for Hang Menglin coming after him, clearing the path, he might have already been driven out of this stagnant small city, that’s something that can’t be said.

People’s hearts are made of flesh; asking Hang Menglin to undertake such dangerous tasks, he can’t get past his own conscience, even though he understands that as long as this operation succeeds, he will fully establish himself in Qujing City, but a true man knows what to do and what not to do...

"You don’t agree?"

Nu’an couldn’t accept Qi Bin’s decision, her eyes wide open, "Mayor, this opportunity is truly rare. I’ve made it clear in the materials; one-third of their forces have gone to Xiqing Town. The earliest they can return is tomorrow at dawn. The chance must not be missed, lost opportunities never come again!"

"Opportunities can still arise, but you..." Qi Bin pondered for a moment, gazing seriously at Hang Menglin, "But you, there is only one."

In that second, time seemed to freeze. Hang Menglin looked at Qi Bin in disbelief, feeling her heartbeat stop instantly, then surge wildly as if trying to leap out of her throat. She touched her forehead, using the movement to wipe away the tears with her sleeve, and coughed lightly to mask it: "Qi Bin, are you trying to move a sister to tears with your words?"

Qi Bin stood up, moved to the outer side of the table, placed both hands on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye: "Menglin, for the past year, I’ve kept in my heart everything you’ve done for me.

If I kept pretending not to see it, I wouldn’t be worthy of being called a man. But if I said I’ve fallen for Sister Menglin, I’d be lying.

Honestly, I want you to be with me for a lifetime, as we walk forward, I believe I’ll surely fall in love with you.

Of course, I don’t have a definite answer about how far this road goes. If... if you can accept, let’s inform our families immediately and get married by New Year’s, okay?"

"You... what are you saying, do... do you understand?" Hang Menglin struggled to finish a sentence.

"Before, I was clear about my feelings but didn’t dare or want to think deeply. But just today, when you gave me that material, I’m very sure I can’t miss out on you." Qi Bin exerted some force to pull her into his arms, "Menglin, I’m serious."

Hang Menglin hesitated for a moment: "In your heart, who do you like... is it Luo Ye?"

"Yes!" Qi Bin readily admitted, "I won’t lie to you. From the first time I saw her, I had a good impression of her. I’m very clear that with her, it’s never ever possible, not even the chance to be good friends.

Originally, I thought I would silently keep this feeling buried deep, and at the right age, marry an appropriate wife to set my family’s mind at ease."

"And now?"

"Now?" Qi Bin sighed lightly, "There’s a corner of my heart that will always belong to her, but the rest will belong to you."

For a long time, Hang Menglin gave no response.

Qi Bin released his embrace from Hang Menglin’s arm: "You can think carefully, if you mind, I won’t insist. But no matter what, I won’t agree to this action. If you dare to act on your own, I’ll resign and take responsibility."

"Why would I mind? From the day I decided to run around with you everywhere, I knew the possibility between you and me is almost zero.

Now, you’ve told me something that’s beyond my expectations, but marrying you, that’s really not possible, I..." She paused for a while, trying hard to suppress the bitterness in her heart, Hang Menglin continued, "I’m not worthy of you, Qi Bin. I’ll always stay by your side, but not as your wife."

"What do you take me for?" A flash of anger appeared in Qi Bin’s eyes, "Is that how you see me?"

"Don’t misunderstand!" Hang Menglin shook her hands quickly, "I know you’re a committed person, and what I like is your perseverance. But you are the young leader of the Qi Family, marrying you is really not appropriate for me."

After a slight pause, Qi Bin understood her meaning, stepped forward seriously, looking at her: "We can adopt children."

"We should both think about it again." Hang Menglin bit her lower lip hard, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"I can wait." Qi Bin took a tissue, gently wiping away the bloodstain, "You’re really quite a fool."

These words were like a key unlocking the door to her heart, and all the grievances, endurance, bitterness surged forth. Hang Menglin couldn’t control herself and burst into tears.

"Alright, alright, everything will get better, alright..." Qi Bin lightly patted her, repeatedly comforting her.

Outside, the secretary Miao Qifeng couldn’t help but click his tongue. The always bold and fearless Captain Hang actually has such a feminine moment, he... he... was completely lost for words.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Miao Qifeng quickly went to open the door, looking at the girl outside with a graceful smile, his mind wandered for a moment, and he promptly asked: "Excuse me, you are?"

"My name is Luo Ye, could you please inform Mayor Qi that I have urgent matters to discuss?"

Miao Qifeng hesitated looking at Luo Ye, not knowing what to do.

Connecting the faint sound of crying, Luo Ye roughly understood. If it weren’t for the urgent mission, she would really back off, but now was not the time to consider these things. Thus, she handed her credentials to Miao Qifeng, "Please inform Mayor Qi immediately!"

Seeing the large national emblem on the credentials, Miao Qifeng’s expression immediately turned anxious, "Miss Luo, please wait a moment, I’ll report immediately!"

------

The first part of Nu’an is here, special thanks to ’Eternal Post-rainy Season’ Xiao Yu for the string of rewards, big kisses~~ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)