After hearing Zhou Nuan’s intention, Shi Yan hesitated for a moment.
“Here’s what we can do, Teacher Zhou. I’ll check with my husband first and see when he’s available.”
“No, no need!” Zhou Nuan quickly interrupted, a bit flustered.
“Secretary Shi is far too busy. This matter doesn’t need to trouble him. I can just talk to you.”
“But… he is Xu Zhi’s father, after all,” Shi Yan looked conflicted.
“It’s fine,” Zhou Nuan reassured her. “You usually take care of Xu Zhi, right?”
“That’s true,” Shi Yan admitted.
“However,” Zhou Nuan continued, “he still has some responsibility for Xu Zhi.”
“Mm, that doesn’t matter,” Zhou Nuan decided not to pursue that topic and got straight to business.
“Then let’s schedule it for Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Could you please send me the address?”
They exchanged WeChat contacts, and Shi Yan sent Zhou Nuan the address of Shi Anlan’s residence.
Tuesday evening, after dinner, Zhou Nuan freshened herself up a little.
She rarely wore professional attire, but tonight she donned a business suit, applied light makeup, and tied her hair back, trying to appear mature and composed.
After all, she wasn’t visiting an ordinary household—it was the home of Shi Anlan, Secretary Shi, the second-in-command of Jiangcheng.
Since wearing a business suit made riding her little electric scooter inconvenient, Zhou Nuan booked a ride.
Shi Anlan did not live in the municipal government compound; he lived nearby in “Yu Fu Tianxi.”
Originally, the Jiangcheng municipal government had prepared a residence for him during his term, free of charge. However, regulations limited the apartment to 140 square meters.
Shi Anlan found it too small, and the compound housed many colleagues. He didn’t want all his movements monitored. Thinking about it made him uncomfortable.
So he paid for a large flat in Yu Fu Tianxi, fully decorated and ready to move in.
Other municipal leaders might hesitate to openly buy such a big place, but Shi Anlan didn’t care—everyone knew he wasn’t short on money.
He had considered a standalone villa for convenience with his driver but gave up, as a villa would be too conspicuous and take too long to decorate.
Shi Yan personally came downstairs to pick up Zhou Nuan.
Looking around the luxurious, well-secured community, Zhou Nuan felt a twinge of embarrassment thinking about her own apartment with no greenery.
Perhaps this is the gap between social classes, she thought.
Her thoughts drifted to Jiang Hao. Though she had never been to his home, his mother was the chairman of a company, so their residence likely wasn’t worse than this.
This thought somewhat helped her understand Li Huanying’s actions, and the knot in her heart loosened a bit.
“Teacher Zhou, welcome!” Shi Yan greeted politely.
“Not at all. It’s my duty,” Zhou Nuan smiled in return.
“Is your home far from here?” Shi Yan asked, walking ahead and chatting casually.
“Not far—just under twenty minutes by car.”
“Oh, that’s good. Are you a local?”
“Uh, sort of. My family is from a county below.”
“Oh.”
Soon, they arrived at Shi Anlan’s home.
Stepping into the luxuriously decorated mansion, Zhou Nuan’s nervousness grew.
She sneaked a glance at the living room—luckily, Secretary Shi wasn’t there.
“Xu Zhi, come here. Look who’s here!” Shi Yan handed Zhou Nuan a pair of brand-new slippers and called inside.
The door opened, and Xu Zhi walked out of a room.
“Teacher Zhou?” His face showed disbelief upon seeing her, then brightened as he ran over.
“You’re here?”
“I’m here for a home visit,” Zhou Nuan said, patting the child’s head.
“Please, Teacher Zhou, have a seat!” Shi Yan warmly invited Zhou Nuan onto the leather sofa.
She handed over a cup of rose tea.
“Teacher Zhou, I didn’t know your preference, so I took the liberty of deciding.”
“That’s fine, thank you,” Zhou Nuan replied, thinking how thoughtful Shi Yan was—just like Secretary Shi.
If it had been green tea, she might have worried about staying up all night.
“Teacher Zhou, please have some fruit first,” Shi Yan added, presenting a plate of washed grapes and another with peeled, diced pears and kiwis.
“You don’t need to be so polite!” Zhou Nuan waved her hands.
“No worries, Teacher Zhou. Let’s eat while we talk.”
Faced with such warm hospitality, Zhou Nuan couldn’t refuse. She picked up a piece of kiwi with a toothpick and put it in her mouth.
The sweet and sour flavor spread pleasantly on her tongue, making her throat feel instantly better.
She looked at Xu Zhi and said gently,
“Xu Zhi, Teacher will chat with your cousin for a bit. You go back to your room and do your homework.”
Understanding the implication, Shi Yan said, “Xu Zhi, be good and do your homework.”
“Yes,” Xu Zhi obediently nodded, glancing at Zhou Nuan with reluctance before slowly returning to his room.
“Your cousin…” Zhou Nuan hesitated.
“Hi, Teacher Zhou. Don’t make it so formal. I’m older than you, so just call me Shi Jie,” she said.
“Alright, Shi Jie,” Zhou Nuan agreed. She had found “Xu Zhi’s cousin” a bit awkward to say.
“Well, Shi Jie, I came today mainly to—” Just as she was about to get to the point, a noise came from the doorway.
Instinctively, Zhou Nuan looked up and saw a young man entering, carrying their shoes.
“Oh, your husband’s back,” Shi Yan quickly stood.
“Husband?” Zhou Nuan momentarily froze.
“Yes, Xu Zhi’s father,” Shi Yan explained, welcoming him forward.
“You’re back early, Teacher Zhou just arrived.”
The man finished changing shoes and glanced around the living room.
Zhou Nuan looked up and met his gaze.
Seeing his face, she froze.
So this is Secretary Shi? It wasn’t quite what she imagined.
The man looked barely in his early thirties, tall and upright; a white shirt paired with tailored black pants accentuated his long legs.
His thick, neatly combed hair framed sharp brows, piercing eyes, and high nose with thin lips—a visually striking face.
Looking at him alone, no one would connect him to Jiangcheng’s powerful Secretary Shi.
Yet, his aura of authority and the depth of his dark eyes silently proclaimed his status.
“Se… Secretary Shi,” Zhou Nuan said instinctively, standing, her voice trembling slightly.