Faced with Ma Juan’s sudden sharp rebuke, Feng Lei froze slightly.
He knew she was a "little chili pepper," but didn’t expect her to be this fiery.
However, this was exactly the kind of woman he liked.
"Hello, beautiful. Just now I was only taking a scenery photo, I didn’t—"
"I’ll say it one more time—hand over your phone to me, or I’ll call the police!"
Hearing her threat to call the police, Feng Lei panicked immediately and scrambled to pick up his phone, finding the photo he had just taken.
"Alright, I’ll delete it right in front of you. That should be acceptable, right?"
Ma Juan didn’t respond; she simply snatched the phone.
After thoroughly checking it and confirming the photo had indeed been completely deleted, she let out a cold grunt with palpable irritation.
Watching her receding figure, Feng Lei licked his lips.
His eyes flickered with a strong sense of possessiveness.
He had grown accustomed to those submissive women; Ma Juan, whether in looks or personality, was exactly his type.
Such women should be brought home and properly "tamed."
That very afternoon, Feng Lei obtained all of Ma Juan’s personal information.
Being a man of action, once he set his sights on something, he pursued it immediately.
He drove straight to Ma Juan’s small liquor store and initiated contact as a customer.
Later, he went as far as to confess his feelings outright.
Feng Lei was confident that, given his family background, Ma Juan would throw herself into his arms eagerly.
To his surprise, she firmly stated she had a boyfriend and asked Feng Lei not to approach her again in the future.
But Feng Lei simply ignored her words; from then on, he visited Ma Juan whenever he had the chance.
He also frequently brought unsolicited small gifts, believing he was being considerate.
Ma Juan was deeply frustrated by all of this.
She even contemplated venting to Chen Bin several times.
But after weighing things over and over, she ultimately decided not to.
After all, Feng Lei came from a wealthy family, while Chen Bin wasn’t even in the same league.
Moreover, Ma Juan believed that as long as she remained unmoved, Feng Lei would eventually give up once he realized the futility of his efforts.
Unbeknownst to her, half a month passed by, and the stone monument in Qingshi County was finally carved and completed.
After inscribing the characters, Wang Jun headed to the city for a meeting.
Before leaving, he told Chen Bin they would return home together that evening.
However, when Chen Bin stayed in the office past everyone else’s departure, Wang Jun was still nowhere to be seen.
He tried calling, but the line only showed no response.
Just as his confusion grew deeper, the office phone suddenly rang.
As soon as he picked up, an utterly shocking piece of news hit him.
Wang Jun, while returning to the county after his meeting in the city, had been struck and killed by a large truck.
His body was now at the city’s funeral home, and Chen Bin, as his secretary, needed to go to the traffic police department to confirm and identify it.
Chen Bin’s hand loosened, and the receiver fell heavily onto the desk.
He only felt a buzz in his head, his legs weakening, and directly collapsed into the chair.
It was a long while before he could gather his thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, he quickly headed downstairs to hail a taxi and hurried toward the funeral home.
On the way, memories of his time with Wang Jun flooded back, leaving him filled with mixed emotions.
Once he arrived, he immediately identified himself.
The staff led him to a body nearby.
When the white cloth was lifted, it revealed Wang Jun’s pallid face.
Chen Bin felt a sharp pang in his chest, struggled to take a deep breath, and finally rasped.
"Yes, he is Wang Jun, the County Committee Secretary of Qingshi County!"
Just then, a series of hurried high heels striking the floor echoed.
Chen Bin turned his head and saw it was Zhao Xinmei, his godmother.
As soon as she caught sight of Wang Jun’s corpse, her entire body shuddered, and she collapsed straight to the ground.
Startled, Chen Bin rushed over to help her up.
But Zhao Xinmei had already fainted.
Not long after, the city hospital’s emergency vehicle arrived and took Zhao Xinmei away.
After examination, it was concluded that Zhao Xinmei had no serious issues; her fainting was due to extreme emotional distress.
However, her fall earlier had disturbed her pregnancy, and she now needed several days of bed rest.
"What? She’s pregnant?"
As Chen Bin reeled in shock, Xu Tai, acting on Cao Sanjin’s orders, arrived at the hospital to visit Zhao Xinmei.
Upon learning of her pregnancy complications, he immediately sought out the doctor and issued a command.
"This is Secretary Wang’s only heir—no matter what, you must ensure the fetus survives!"
"The patient has only suffered pregnancy instability and just needs two days of rest, there isn’t really a need—"
Before the doctor could finish his sentence, Xu Tai interrupted again.
"Do you not understand what I’m saying? The child in her womb must be safeguarded against any risks. Use only the best medications; all expenses will be covered by the government!"
Seeing that Xu Tai carried an aura unlike that of ordinary people and spoke with such authority, the doctor hastily nodded in agreement.
He quickly prescribed some medications to stabilize the pregnancy and even assigned two intensive care nurses to give Zhao Xinmei special attention.
Once everything was dealt with, Xu Tai immediately called Cao Sanjin to report the situation.
While shocked, Cao Sanjin ordered Xu Tai to represent the city committee in handling Wang Jun’s funeral arrangements.
Soon after, Xu Tai and Chen Bin headed for Qingshi County.
On the way, Xu Tai instructed the county leadership to gather everyone.
As soon as they entered the meeting room, Xu Tai established a funeral committee.
He served as chairman, with Yang Lin as vice-chairman.
The other officials were assigned as members.
The group worked together to discuss how Wang Jun’s funeral could be handled.
By the next day, after all preparations had been completed, the memorial service was held.
Dragging her exhausted body, Zhao Xinmei attended the service.
In addition to her, Wang Jun’s relatives and over a hundred citizens of Qingshi County spontaneously gathered at the scene.
Cao Sanjin also led all the city committee members to attend.
During the service, Cao Sanjin fully recognized Wang Jun’s contributions to Qingshi County.
He stressed that had it not been for Wang Jun, Qingshi County wouldn’t have developed so rapidly.
Beneath the stage, applause thundered through the crowd.
After the body was cremated, the ashes were transported to the cemetery for burial.
Thus, Wang Jun’s affairs came to a hasty conclusion.
When the new workweek began on Monday, Chen Bin requested a week’s leave from the County Committee.
Seeing Zhao Xinmei’s poor emotional state, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.
Lying in bed, Zhao Xinmei silently reflected on her years with Wang Jun, from their meeting to their marriage.
Although she had long stopped loving the man, he was still her husband and a symbol of her youth.
In mourning his death, Zhao Xinmei gently rubbed her stomach, her radiant face glowing with the light of maternal tenderness.
Yes, she was now carrying new life.
But to honor Wang Jun’s memory and avoid suspicion from others,
Zhao Xinmei resolved that the child would live on as Wang Jun’s offspring.
As she envisioned her future life ahead, Chen Bin suddenly walked into the room.
"Mom, now that godfather is gone, why don’t you marry me? I’ll give you and the child a complete home."