"I think we should just forget it. Someone suited to be your goddaughter definitely wouldn’t be ordinary, I..."
Before Chen Bin could finish speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Moments later, Xie Chujing pushed the door open and entered.
She greeted Huang Ming with a smile, "Godfather."
Chen Bin turned his head and saw that while her figure and appearance were fairly average, she could still be considered a minor beauty.
But having been around women like Zhao Xinmei and Xu Ruoxuan, Chen Bin found her rather unremarkable by comparison.
"Chujing, didn’t you say you wanted to learn how to write last time? This here is the secretary to the County Committee. Anything you want to learn, you can have him teach you."
As Huang Ming said this, he even winked at Xie Chujing.
She, however, was completely bewildered, unsure of what was going on.
Nonetheless, she still politely greeted Chen Bin with a smile.
"Hello, my name is Xie Chujing."
Xie Chujing never anticipated that the County Committee’s secretary would be so young.
And not just young—he was handsome too, which made her feel an instant surge of fondness toward him.
As the saying goes, smiles are hard to strike at, and seeing her warm demeanor, Chen Bin responded with a smile of his own.
"Hello, I’m Chen Bin."
Since everyone was present, Huang Ming gave Xie Chujing a meaningful look.
"Chujing, no matter what you do, it’s always true that a master shows you the door, but cultivation depends on your own effort. How far you succeed ultimately rests on yourself."
"I understand. Thank you for the advice, Godfather."
Chen Bin had intended to decline, but it seemed Huang Ming had everything already planned.
So he turned to Xie Chujing and said, "How about we go to my office to talk? Staying here might disrupt County Magistrate Wang’s work."
"Um..." Xie Chujing hesitated.
Huang Ming immediately chimed in, "Go, just go. Secretary Chen is a talented man—you must learn well from him."
Nodding, Xie Chujing followed Chen Bin to his office.
As soon as they entered the room, Chen Bin poured her a cup of hot water.
She took it and thanked him immediately.
Chen Bin then asked, "You mentioned you enjoy writing—what do you usually like to write about?"
"Well... I just enjoy it as a hobby, so I write whatever comes to mind."
In truth, Xie Chujing wasn’t interested in writing at all.
The whole notion was something Huang Ming had concocted as an excuse, and now she had no choice but to play along.
"So you’re multi-talented then. What kind of books do you usually read?"
"I’ve loved reading since I was young—pretty much every kind of book."
"I see. Does that include some unsuitable-for-children books?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Xie Chujing’s cheeks flushed bright red.
Her whole demeanor became shy and awkward. "I never read those kinds of books—I only read classics like the *Spring and Autumn Annals*."
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Chen Bin suddenly realized she had a certain charm.
He chuckled and said, "You look so nervous; I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously."
Xie Chujing nodded but didn’t say anything.
Then, Chen Bin casually grabbed a newspaper and placed it on the desk.
"Pick an article from here and write a reflection on it. I’ll check your writing style first, and then we’ll discuss more later."
After preparing some paper and pens, Chen Bin left directly.
Xie Chujing stared blankly at everything in front of her, feeling quite annoyed.
What kind of person makes you write reflections during matchmaking? Is he insane?
Meanwhile, outside the office, Chen Bin headed to County Magistrate Wang’s office next door.
Once inside, he recounted everything that had just happened.
After hearing the story, Wang Jun appeared quite astonished.
"What’s Huang Ming’s deal? Could he be trying to make moves on you?"
Chen Bin responded bluntly, "I think this might be a beauty trap, though the quality of this beauty is really underwhelming."
"So what do you think his angle is in approaching you?"
"Most likely related to Xu Ruoxuan. In his eyes, I don’t amount to much."
Wang Jun nodded, finding the explanation plausible.
After all, Huang Ming had been inviting Xu Ruoxuan to meals frequently these days, which clearly meant something.
"So what’s your plan now?"
"I’ll play along with it—that way I can take advantage. After all, it’s not often a woman comes to me voluntarily."
Wang Jun trusted Chen Bin deeply.
He only issued a brief reminder, "Just don’t let it go too far. If you leave yourself vulnerable, it wouldn’t be good."
After leaving Wang Jun’s office, Chen Bin went to Xu Ruoxuan’s.
He retold the whole incident from start to finish.
"That Huang Ming—so annoying!"
With a cold snort, Xu Ruoxuan’s pretty face was filled with displeasure.
Chen Bin then asked, "Can’t help it—who asked you to be so charming? But I just don’t get why he’s so desperate to build a connection with you."
"Probably to curry favor with my dad. What other reason could there be?"
"I don’t think it’s that simple. Considering Huang Ming has the mayor backing him, and the mayor outranks your father."
After thinking for a moment, Xu Ruoxuan nodded slightly, acknowledging his point.
"Could he be angling to get close to my father-in-law?"
Chen Bin asked in confusion, "I recall your father-in-law is a vice-chair of the Provincial People’s Congress, which is essentially a retirement role. What could Huang Ming gain by sucking up to him?"
"You don’t know, do you? My father-in-law used to be the Executive Deputy Governor. If it weren’t for a major mistake, he’d probably be Governor now. His move to the People’s Congress was just temporary to lay low for a while—soon he’ll take on another important post."
"Sounds like he has powerful backing?"
From Chen Bin’s perspective, it was rare for sidelined figures to make a comeback.
According to Xu Ruoxuan, there must be someone influential behind Feng Huzhou.
Xu Ruoxuan explained seriously, "Someone high-ranking—a close sworn brother of my father-in-law—intervened. Without his help, my father-in-law wouldn’t have emerged unscathed from that incident."
Now it clicked for Chen Bin: Feng Huzhou had connections in the Imperial Capital. No wonder Huang Ming was so eager to curry favor.
But thinking it through, Huang Ming’s rank was far too low to interact with such important figures directly.
The mastermind behind all this had to be Wu Liang.
"With a father-in-law like that, aren’t you tempted to capitalize on it too?"
"This is already set in motion. Soon, my father-in-law will get promoted, Li Lu will take his role, and my dad will replace Li Lu."
At this point, Xu Ruoxuan looked at Chen Bin with a serious expression.
"You absolutely cannot tell anyone about this, got it?"
"Don’t worry; you’re my sister—I’d never betray you."
Xu Ruoxuan trusted Chen Bin enough to share these secrets because she saw him as one of her own.
This deeply moved Chen Bin.
Xu Ruoxuan then asked, "Do you think I should with my dad?"
"Of course you should. Huang Ming is tied to Wu Liang, who’s a rival to your dad. Giving him a heads-up would be wise."
Xu Ruoxuan suddenly thought of Xie Chujing and couldn’t help but ask.
"How do you plan to deal with that beauty trap?"
"I’ll deal with it as it comes. Why, are you afraid I’ll end up stolen away?"
"Please, don’t flatter yourself, you big bad guy!"
Then, as if remembering something, Xu Ruoxuan asked again.
"Someone’s been spreading rumors about me and Huang Ming—was that you by any chance?"