Qiao Yimian hurried over to open the door. To her surprise, it was Wu Song.
“Reporter Qiao, the rain is too heavy, so this afternoon’s schedule has been temporarily canceled. But please stay at the hotel if you can. If the rain stops, we’ll let you know if there are any new arrangements.”
Qiao Yimian nodded. “Okay.”
With rain this heavy, there was no way she could go out anyway.
“There’s one more thing. The governor asked me to bring this to you.”
Only then did Qiao Yimian notice the tray in Wu Song’s hands. A silver half-dome food cover sat over it.
“What’s this?”
Wu Song didn’t answer. He simply smiled, placed the tray in her hands, then nodded and left.
Qiao Yimian returned to her room, set the tray on the dining table, and lifted the cover.
It was a plate of yam topped with sweet osmanthus sauce.
The delicate sweetness of the osmanthus sauce immediately filled her senses.
Qiao Yimian pressed her lips together.
Wasn’t this high-ranking official a little too thoughtful?
She was more than flattered now.
She was starting to feel a little pressured…
Outside the window, the rain drummed relentlessly, as though pounding against the door to her heart, trying to break through the barrier and claim this little corner of warmth and softness.
Inside, however, the faint fragrance of osmanthus drifted through the room, peaceful and soothing. That bright wall around her heart seemed capable of keeping out every storm.
After a few seconds of silent struggle between the two, Qiao Yimian finally made her decision—
She would enjoy the food first.
Whatever the governor had in mind—whether he wanted to introduce her to a nephew or a sister’s son—she could deal with it when the time came.
There was no way she could carry the plate of yam to the governor right now and tell him to stop treating her specially.
That would just be asking for trouble.
After quickly sorting out her thoughts, Qiao Yimian happily enjoyed her dessert without another worry.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, showing no sign of stopping.
She simply opened her laptop and logged into her social media account.
After Yu Wan had “taken” her internship position at the TV station, Qiao Yimian had eventually opened an account on another platform. She usually posted reflections on her interviews, little personal essays, or even drawings she had made.
Whenever she had some free time, she would update it with a new post. Even if she only had two or three sentences to say, she would write them down.
After two years of maintaining the account, she had accumulated quite a few followers.
Qiao Yimian found a good angle and took a photo of the osmanthus-glazed yam to use as an illustration, then added a caption:
> [Spring rain drizzling, today’s schedule canceled. Luckily, I have dessert to keep me company. How wonderful.]
After editing the post, she hit send.
Before long, a stream of comments appeared.
> [Wow, this is so poetic! Listening to the rain and admiring the “flowers”—the only thing missing is me keeping you company!]
> [Sis, you’re making me hungry… I want some so badly, sob sob~]
> [My mouth is open. Please feed me!]
Qiao Yimian smiled as she read through the comments, replying to them one by one until one particular comment caught her attention.
Amid all the whining, cuteness, and playful begging, this one stood out sharply.
> [Eat too much dessert and you’ll get a toothache.]
Qiao Yimian was about to type a reply when she glanced at the commenter’s profile picture and froze.
The avatar looked remarkably similar to the governor’s.
Both showed nothing but a vast, still sea.
Her fingers stopped moving.
She couldn’t quite believe that the governor would follow her account. She had never shown her face there, and none of her friends or coworkers in real life knew about the account.
Could it just be a coincidence?
The governor’s calm, composed gaze surfaced in her mind, and suddenly, that comment seemed to transform into his voice, echoing in her ears.
Qiao Yimian rubbed her nose and automatically ignored the comment without replying.
She logged out of the social media account and opened a document instead, finishing an article she had been working on for the past two days.
The tapping of the keyboard blended harmoniously with the rain outside.
The sound was almost hypnotic.
Before long, sleepiness quietly crept over her.
The rain was still pouring and clearly wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.
Qiao Yimian simply laid her head on the desk and closed her eyes for a while.
The steady roar of rain became the perfect lullaby, gently lulling her into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the rain had eased, and the sky was gradually clearing.
Qiao Yimian stretched and checked the time.
It was already past four.
Most government offices were probably close to the end of their workday, so there likely wouldn’t be any more activities scheduled for the afternoon.
She was wondering whether she should take advantage of the break in the rain and go outside for some fresh air when a WeChat notification sounded.
It was a message from the governor.
> [Come downstairs.]
Qiao Yimian didn’t think much of it. She assumed an impromptu activity had been added to the schedule, so she quickly replied, [Got it], then packed her things and headed out with her camera bag.
When she reached the lobby on the first floor, Li Yao was standing by the entrance, one hand in his pocket, his tall, straight back facing her.
Qiao Yimian hurried over and greeted him first.
Li Yao turned around and was about to respond when he noticed the faint crease on her cheek.
A smile immediately appeared in his eyes.
“Sleep well?”
Seeing the girl’s slightly dazed expression, he pointed gently at his own cheek.
“You have a mark there.”
Qiao Yimian quickly pulled out her phone and checked her reflection on the screen.
Before leaving, she had simply tied her hair into a ponytail without bothering to look in a mirror. Now that she checked, there really was a crease on her cheek.
Qiao Yimian rubbed at it in embarrassment.
Li Yao watched her vigorously rubbing her face until her fair skin turned red and couldn’t help reminding her, “It wasn’t that noticeable before. If you keep rubbing it, it’ll only become more obvious.”
Qiao Yimian: “…”
You could’ve said that earlier.
Seeing the flash of resentment in her eyes, the amusement in Li Yao’s eyes deepened.
A black Hongqi sedan was parked at the bottom of the steps.
The driver opened the door, hurried over, and handed the car keys to Li Yao before stepping aside.
Li Yao turned to Qiao Yimian.
“Let’s go.”
Qiao Yimian followed him, still confused. It wasn’t until he directly opened the driver’s-side door that she belatedly asked,
“You’re driving yourself?”
Li Yao rested one hand on the roof of the car. His long, elegant fingers lightly tapped against it twice as he smiled and asked,
“What? You don’t trust me?”
“No, it’s just…” Qiao Yimian was at a loss for words.
You’re the governor!
Is it really appropriate for you to drive yourself around?
Li Yao had no idea what she was thinking. He simply smiled again.
“Don’t worry. I’m a good driver. Definitely better than Reporter Song. I won’t be rear-ending anyone for no reason.”
Qiao Yimian: “…”
I’ll thank you on Song Nanxing’s behalf…
Since he had put it that way, she couldn’t very well keep arguing.
She hurriedly opened the rear passenger door.
But just as she was about to get in, she suddenly sensed his gaze.
She looked up.
Li Yao was watching her with an indescribably complicated expression.
Their eyes met over the roof of the car.
Qiao Yimian immediately realized what was wrong.
She quickly closed the rear door and went around to open the front passenger door instead.
How could she be so bold?
The governor was driving, and she had actually dared to sit in the back?
Was she seriously treating him like her chauffeur?
Li Yao watched her hurriedly closing one door and opening another, the amusement in his eyes growing stronger.
Only after she had taken the passenger seat did he get in as well and pull on his seat belt.
Qiao Yimian watched him start the car.
Curious, she turned to look out the window.
The driver was nowhere to be seen.
She couldn’t help asking again, “Governor, are the two of us going out alone?”
Li Yao turned his head to look at her.
With the light behind him, the contours of his face were sharply defined, and his gaze was deep and unreadable.
One hand rested on the steering wheel as he leisurely asked,
“Who else did you want to bring?”
“Oh, no one…”
Qiao Yimian carefully chose her words.
“I just thought everyone was supposed to go out for the inspection together this afternoon, so I was wondering.”
“There are too many people. Whatever they see will be whatever those people want me to see. There’s no point in that.”
Qiao Yimian immediately understood.
The governor was going undercover.
Li Yao sighed, revealing a rare trace of helplessness.
“I’m new here, and everyone around me has their own agenda. If we conduct this inspection according to their arrangements, it’ll be very difficult to see what things are really like.”
He was right.
The governor’s office had brought so many people along this time, and the local authorities had received advance notice. Everything had already been arranged.
If they didn’t change the plan, what they saw would most likely be nothing more than a carefully staged illusion of peace and prosperity.
“Then I guess we really have to thank the rain,” Qiao Yimian remarked.
Fortunately, the sudden downpour had put an end to the original plan.
Li Yao saw what she was thinking and smiled.
“Even without the rain, we wouldn’t have followed the original schedule this afternoon.”
Qiao Yimian blinked.
Looking at the governor’s inscrutable expression, she couldn’t help silently grumbling to herself.
What a… sly old fox.
“Any other questions?”
Li Yao looked at her calmly and patiently.
Qiao Yimian took a slow breath.
After hesitating for several seconds, she finally asked the question she most wanted answered.
“Then why did you bring me?”
She could understand avoiding the officials from Xichu Town.
But several other people from the governor’s office had come along too. And if nothing else, there was always Wu Song.
So why had he specifically chosen to bring an unofficial staff member like her?
Qiao Yimian looked at the man in front of her, her hands tightly clenched in her lap.
Her rational side told her that she shouldn’t ask so directly. If she offended the governor, the consequences might be more than she could handle.
Even if he didn’t get angry, she might receive an answer so awkward that she wouldn’t know how to respond.
But she really couldn’t help herself.
She was genuinely curious.
His repeated “special treatment” of her had increasingly made her feel that something wasn’t quite right.
Unless she got an explanation, she would probably spend the rest of the trip feeling restless and uneasy.
Li Yao’s gaze swept over her tense lips and the complicated expression in her eyes—anxious yet determined.
After thinking for a moment, he asked in return,
“Why do you think?”
Qiao Yimian froze.
*I think you want to introduce me to a boyfriend…*
But she obviously couldn’t say that. It was only her own speculation.
After hesitating for several seconds, she cautiously replied,
“Could it be because I’m more familiar with Chucheng?”
That was the reason Kang Junwen had given her.
She had thought of it just now as well, but the fact that he was taking only her out still seemed difficult to explain.
It was impossible that there wasn’t a single person from Chucheng in the entire governor’s office.
“Mm. That’s one of the reasons.”
Li Yao answered unhurriedly.
“I read the news articles you wrote over the past two years. Some of them dealt with people’s livelihoods. You wrote about those issues very honestly, without letting your emotions bias you. You presented them entirely from an observer’s perspective. That’s very good, and very professional.
“You understand what ordinary people need, and you can see the hardships they face. But you also understand that some problems can’t be solved simply by playing up people’s suffering to win sympathy. You analyze things from a unique perspective and look at everything rationally. That’s why you can tell your readers the most truthful version of a story.”
Li Yao rarely spoke at such length.
After a pause, he looked at Qiao Yimian with a steady, trusting gaze.
“You’re a good reporter who genuinely cares about ordinary people. In an age so driven by material desires, you’ve still managed to hold on to your principles. That’s something I greatly admire.”
He paused again before saying,
“So I believe in you.”