Met the love during a blind date

Chapter 9 Owe him a meal

"Be careful when you're walking. Being absent-minded can make you fall." Fortunately, the person who came reacted quickly, and they managed to avoid bumping into each other.

But this voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Jiang Xuerong looked up and saw that it was Xie Mingyu, someone she hadn't been in touch with for a long time. She quickly called out, a bit nervously, "Brother Xie."

"Here on business?" Xie Mingyu furrowed his brows. His voice was soft, carrying a hint of frustration and resentment.

"Yeah. I'm here to get a stamp from the office. I've made two trips already and still haven't got it," she said, disheartened.

"How could that be?"

"I've just run into a difficult person," she replied, sighing.

The woman kept her head down. From his angle, he could only see the soft crown of her hair. A cold wind blew a strand of her hair, which brushed across the front of his shirt, as if it had gently touched his heart through his skin.

Glancing at the documents in her hand, he said, "Follow me," and then took the lead with his long strides.

Jiang Xuerong took a moment to understand what he meant before hurrying to catch up. It would be foolish not to take this opportunity.

It was still the same office. As soon as the woman sitting in front of the computer saw him, she stood up eagerly, smiling brightly. "Director Xie, what are your instructions?"

"A friend needs to get a stamp. Please help with it, Sister Li," he said.

"No problem. When will they come?"

The enthusiasm took Jiang Xuerong, who was standing behind Xie Mingyu, by surprise. She had made two trips here and had never seen this woman smile. She had thought the woman was just not the smiling type.

"Give it to me," Xie Mingyu turned his head and said gently.

Jiang Xuerong took a step to the right and handed over the contracts with a sweet smile. "Sorry to trouble you, Sister Li."

A flash of surprise crossed Sister Li's face but disappeared quickly. She went through the materials routinely, then pointed to the registration form on the nearby table. "Please fill this out here, and I'll stamp it for you right away."

Jiang Xuerong complied readily. After receiving the stamped contracts, she thanked the woman politely. "Thank you, Sister Li. There's a new hot pot restaurant nearby. How about we go and try it some day with the office colleagues?"

"Sure, I'll follow the director's arrangements," Sister Li beamed.

After leaving the office and walking to an open area, Jiang Xuerong sincerely thanked him. "Thank you, Director Xie, for your help."

"Don't call me that like they do," he said, sounding a bit displeased.

This left Jiang Xuerong confused. She only knew he worked at the town government, but Yang Jie hadn't specified his position, and she hadn't paid much attention. But wasn't that how Sister Li addressed him?

Seemingly noticing her confusion, Xie Mingyu explained, "I just finished the assessment process, and the official appointment hasn't been announced yet. Sister Li is just being polite."

Jiang Xuerong inwardly groaned. It was all this annoying system of social customs in the workplace. She really found it hard to master this kind of thing.

"Then congratulations on your promotion," she said, choosing a safe response.

"En."

What did that "en" mean? Was he not satisfied?

She pondered for a few seconds. "Anyway, it's almost time to get off work. To show my gratitude, let me treat you to dinner?"

"Do you like inviting people to dinner so much?" Xie Mingyu's expression was hard to read.

Jiang Xuerong was left speechless. What did this guy mean? Wasn't dinner the most common way to express gratitude? Adhering to the principle of "making friends rather than enemies, and having connections in the government makes things easier," she didn't say what was on her mind directly.

Seeing her slightly furrowed brows and tightly pursed pink lips, Xie Mingyu felt a bit better for some reason. He cleared his throat and said, "It's not impossible, but I'll decide the time and place."

He was busy at work, and his off-duty time was not fixed. It was reasonable for him to set the time. And as the guest, it was also reasonable for him to choose the place.

Jiang Xuerong thought about it and then agreed. "Okay, I'll wait for your news."

"En. Do you need a ride back to your unit?"

"No, I still need to go to the District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau. I haven't finished my business yet."

"En."

"Then, goodbye," she waved her hand and turned to walk away. Xie Mingyu watched her graceful figure disappear down the corridor before returning to his office.

Jiang Xuerong rushed to the government affairs center and managed to complete the payment procedures just before the window closed. Then she hurried back to the unit to report. Zhou Hai hadn't left work yet, so she handed him the relevant materials and the invoice. "Director, the procedures are all done. Please arrange someone to handle the reimbursement process next."

Zhou Hai nodded in satisfaction. "Young people are really efficient."

"If there's nothing else, I'll go downstairs to work overtime on the final accounts report," Jiang Xuerong said. She wasn't good at chatting with these old-timers. It was better to say less and make fewer mistakes.

"Okay, go ahead. Thanks for your hard work."

Jiang Xuerong felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. The muscle memory from her college military training almost made her blurt out, "Thank you for your hard work, Director." Fortunately, she managed to stop herself in time.

She gave a polite smile and then quickly left.

Damn it! I really need to go to a certain app and learn some official jargon. Once I master it, I'll be able to chat with them effortlessly for hours.

Busy as she was until the end of the month, her final accounts report was almost completed. After being submitted to the unit's Party group meeting for review, it could be reported to the Finance Bureau. During this time, Xie Mingyu hadn't sent her any messages. Maybe he had forgotten about the dinner she owed him. Should she remind him? Would it bother him?

Touching her wallet, which was empty after paying off the credit card, she decided to wait. She would wait until she got her next month's salary. It was better to have some money on hand. Then, no matter where he chose to go, she could afford it.

The WeChat icon on her computer flashed. It was Lu Xiaoxi. "We're planning to go to Harbin during New Year's Day. Wanna come?"

Jiang Xuerong typed quickly on the keyboard. "Do you need a third wheel? I'm afraid I'd be too bright."

"Sisters are like hands and feet, while men are like clothes. Although I won't run around n***d, I can't abandon my hands and feet either."

"You can invite me, but I know my place. I wouldn't do something as bad as disturbing a couple's time together."

"Come on, come on. Lao Dong's photography skills are at the bottom of the barrel. Without you, I won't be able to get a decent photo."

"Three parts are due to beauty filters, and seven parts are due to photo editing. Go ahead, Pikachu."

"So, how are you going to spend New Year's Day?"

"Just laugh it off."

"You rascal! Don't you plan to go out and have some fun on New Year's Eve, such a meaningful night?"

"Going out with a partner is called celebrating New Year. For someone like me, alone in bed, it's just staying up late."

The other side sent an emoji of someone laughing so hard they're crowing.

"You go ahead. I'll just go home to accompany my parents."

Lu Xiaoxi didn't insist anymore. "Okay, give my regards to Uncle and Aunt."

Just as they finished chatting, the landline on the table rang. It was Zhou Hai.

"Xiao Jiang, the year-end assessment is over. The labor union has decided to hold a knowledge competition for the city's natural resources system to celebrate the New Year. There are a total of 13 teams participating, including the municipal level. Each team has three members. Someone recommended you to be on our bureau's team, and the chairman has agreed. The question bank is with Xiao Wang. Get well-prepared. Don't let the chairman down."

Jiang Xuerong was speechless.

Who the hell is this so-called "helpful person"? I really thank you.

Before she could decline, Zhou Hai had already hung up the phone.