It was a simple question, casually phrased, as though he were merely asking about a subordinate’s personal life. Yet Zhou Heng’s eyelid twitched at the side.
Was his governor really going to be this direct?
Song Nanxing was also taken aback, but he didn’t think much of it.
After all, the news of Shi Yan kneeling, proposing, and clinging to Qiao Yimian outside the television station a few days ago had already spread to department after department and become old news.
Not only Qiao Yimian—even Song Nanxing himself had been subjected to all kinds of curious looks from strangers.
It wasn’t surprising that the story had somehow reached the governor’s ears.
Qiao Yimian, however, was puzzled by his question for several seconds.
She raised her eyes and met Li Yao’s gaze, but there was no discernible emotion in those long, deep-set eyes.
It really did seem as though he’d simply asked on a whim.
Thinking about their several encounters and interactions, an absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Qiao Yimian’s mind.
Instead of answering directly, she smiled and asked in return, “If I don’t, are you going to introduce someone to me, Governor?”
Li Yao’s gaze deepened. Before he could say anything, the young woman added playfully,
“But I’m still young. I don’t want to date yet. Men would only slow down my writing. Isn’t building my career much more satisfying?”
Li Yao: “…”
Zhou Heng: “…”
Song Nanxing: *Mm. Sis is absolutely right!*
After several encounters, Qiao Yimian was no longer as cautious around this stern and serious governor as she had been at first.
She felt that although he appeared cold on the surface, there was still some warmth underneath.
Whether a person was broad-minded or not could often be seen from their words and actions.
He had been willing to rush forward without hesitation to rescue complete strangers when they were in danger.
Naturally, he wouldn’t nitpick over a young woman’s tactful rejection either.
She guessed that the governor simply liked her well enough and wanted to introduce her to someone. Perhaps one of his nephews, a relative, or one of his unmarried subordinates needed help sorting out their personal life, and she happened to be a suitable candidate.
She couldn’t wait until he actually said it out loud before turning him down. It was better to nip the idea in the bud.
In fact, quite a few officials liked playing matchmaker.
There had been a senior editor at her newspaper who often asked about her relationship status and occasionally expressed his “regret.”
“If Xiao Qiao doesn’t have a boyfriend, I’d absolutely introduce you to my son!”
Perhaps the governor had the same idea.
As for the possibility that he himself might be interested in her, Qiao Yimian never even considered it.
After all, his family background, status, and abilities were all right there. How could someone like him possibly take an interest in a nobody like her?
Besides… at his age, he was probably already married. For all she knew, he might even have children running around by now.
Qiao Yimian’s thoughts were simple, and so were her words.
But after hearing her answer, Li Yao slowly let out a breath.
The tiny flame in his heart had only just flickered with a few sparks before being doused with a bucket of ice water.
He was chilled through, inside and out.
“Reporter Qiao’s dedication to her career is truly admirable. That’s very good.”
Zhou Heng had been by Li Yao’s side for quite some time and could pick up on certain obvious nuances in his tone.
The governor was never stingy with praise, but it was rare to hear him praise someone while sounding so disappointed at the same time.
Like just now…
Zhou Heng cautiously glanced at Li Yao. His expression remained calm, giving away nothing unusual, but Zhou Heng couldn’t help thinking more deeply about it.
After some consideration, he carefully suggested, “You’ve finished dinner, right? Why don’t we head back together? We can chat along the way. I quite enjoy talking with Reporter Song.”
Song Nanxing’s eyes lit up, and he looked eager to agree.
But then he saw Qiao Yimian smile politely and decline once again.
“Thank you both for the invitation, but we’ve already booked a car. The driver should be here soon.”
Song Nanxing didn’t understand why Qiao Yimian had refused, but he had always listened to her. So he immediately followed her lead.
“Yes, thank you, Governor. Goodbye, Governor.”
Li Yao glanced at the two of them and said nothing more. He simply nodded and walked away.
Only after they had left did Song Nanxing cautiously ask,
“Sis, why didn’t we ride with them?”
Qiao Yimian thought about it before answering seriously,
“I’m afraid they’ll sell you off.”
Song Nanxing let out an “Ah,” but then Qiao Yimian gave him a mischievous smile. Realizing she was teasing him, he scratched his hair in frustration.
“They’re both officials. They’re not bad people,” Song Nanxing muttered. Then, somewhat puzzled, he added, “For people in our line of work, isn’t it a good thing to know a few officials and maintain a good relationship with them? They invited us themselves. Isn’t that a great opportunity to build a connection?”
Instead of answering, Qiao Yimian asked,
“Don’t you think we’ve been getting a few too many of these ‘great opportunities’ lately?”
Song Nanxing didn’t know that Li Yao had conveniently driven Qiao Yimian to pick up her car, then conveniently driven her back to the hotel, and even invited her to dinner.
But even without knowing all that, her reminder made him realize that this distinguished governor, whom an ordinary person might never encounter even once in their lifetime, really had been crossing paths with them unusually often lately.
And he really had been far too friendly toward them.
“You’re right!”
Only now did Song Nanxing realize it. He nodded solemnly.
“I’m a journalist with professional ethics. I can’t let power corrupt me!”
Qiao Yimian stared at him blankly for two seconds.
“…You don’t have to make yourself sound quite that important.”
Li Yao walked out of the hotel. The evening breeze brushed against him, adding a touch of chill to the air.
There had been an unexpected cold snap over the past two days, making the weather even colder than before.
As Li Yao watched the driver slowly pull the car over, he casually asked Zhou Heng,
“Have you arranged the personnel accompanying me on the research trip?”
Zhou Heng quickly nodded.
“Everything’s arranged. As you requested, I’ll stay in Linchuan to handle the follow-up work, and Secretary Wu will accompany you.”
Li Yao nodded.
After a brief silence, he asked, “What about the television station?”
“I’ve already spoken with Kang Junwen. They should be sending a host-reporter along with you. I heard the female reporter graduated from a prestigious university, has excellent professional skills, and is quite well-liked by the public. She also has a fairly large fan base…”
Li Yao’s gaze stopped.
He turned his head toward Zhou Heng, his expression impossible to read.
“You’re becoming more and more capable.”
“Huh?”
Zhou Heng assumed Li Yao was praising him for being diligent and responsible at work. A smile had barely appeared on his face when he met the governor’s calm, deep eyes and belatedly realized what he’d done.
His scalp instantly went numb.
He seemed to have made a huge mistake…
“I’ll have Kang Junwen change the person immediately!”
Li Yao gave him a long, meaningful look before finally turning his gaze away.
Zhou Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
*Thank God. I nearly got sent to Africa to haul bricks…*
By the time Li Yao returned to his residence, it was completely dark.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s nightscape slowly unfolded before him.
Moonlight traced the outlines of buildings rising and falling in uneven layers, while neon lights flickered like the breathing of the city itself—young and full of vitality.
Li Yao walked over to the writing desk and sat down. From the drawer on his right, he took out a file folder.
These were all the materials about Qiao Yimian that he had recently asked Zhou Heng to collect.
He pulled out the stack of documents.
The first thing he saw was a scanned copy of her employment résumé.
Her photograph in the upper-right corner was exceptionally clear.
The young woman wore light makeup. Her features were delicate, her eyes dark and bright, and when she smiled, two little dimples appeared at the corners of her lips.
Compared with the real person, an ID photo always made her look slightly more mature.
But it was precisely that hint of maturity that made him think of someone from his past.
That was why a fleeting glimpse of her on the highway had left him stunned for two seconds, briefly dragging him back into old memories.
Memories that had been sealed away for years came rushing back, overwhelming him until he could barely breathe.
In the quiet night, Li Yao held the document in his hand and slowly closed his eyes.