Li Jingyi called him here for questioning to see if she could judge from his answers whether this brat was colluding with Secretary Zhang.

After all, the current County Party Committee Office Director was promoted by her, and if Lin Hao were taken away by the city's disciplinary committee, it would be a slap in her face. How could she continue to operate in Wucheng County?

However, from the gaze just now, there was indeed no sign of trouble, and Lin Hao's guiltless calmness also made Li Jingyi secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

How to put it? This man with whom she has a personal relationship, she is still somewhat reluctant to see him get into trouble.

Seeing him teasing her again, Li Jingyi's beautiful eyes flashed with a trace of shyness and she said angrily, "Only a ghost would be reluctant to see you leave! You troublemaker, it's best if you roll away far away!"

"Ms. Jingyi, rest assured, although I've been with Secretary Zhang for more than a year, I have never done anything illegal or against discipline. If I had, the city's disciplinary committee would have taken me away today." Lin Hao assumed a serious expression and assured once again.

"Alright, seeing you're so sincere, I'll believe you for now. If I find out you're lying, you're dead." Li Jingyi warned.

"Ms. Jingyi, you're like my own sister. Even if I lied to the whole world, I wouldn't dare lie to you!" Lin Hao reverted to his cheeky persona.

Li Jingyi rolled her eyes at him and waved him away, saying, "I don't have a scheming brother like you, get lost!"

"Sis, are you getting used to living in building number two? Do you need anything else?" Lin Hao showed no intention of leaving and instead showed concern for her.

Li Jingyi thought for a moment, then said, "The apartment you chose for me is nice, but it lacks some decor. Go buy a few potted plants, and also bring a bouquet of flowers to my office every morning."

"Then I'll send you a bouquet of roses every day." Lin Hao teased with a mischievous smile.

What? Roses?

This guy is doing it on purpose, isn't he?

Li Jingyi glared at him and said, "I don't like roses, I like lilies!"

"Lilies? Sis, do you know the meaning behind lilies? They symbolize eternal love, great love!" Lin Hao looked tenderly at his beautiful sister.

"You little scoundrel, where do you get all these meanings from? Just do as I say, and don't be cheeky in front of me again, or see how I deal with you!" Li Jingyi warned with a stern face.

"Ms. Jingyi, we have been long-time family friends. It's very normal for a younger brother to be playful in front of his sister!" Lin Hao didn't take it to heart and even made a funny face.

Pfft...

Li Jingyi chuckled sweetly, her mood improving significantly, feeling she couldn't handle this younger brother at all.

The issue now is that she had a rendezvous with this troublesome younger brother and, thinking back to that ridiculous night, Li Jingyi surprisingly felt a bit bashful like a young girl.

Since her divorce, Li Jingyi had been focusing wholeheartedly on her work. Unexpectedly, upon arriving in the small Wucheng County, she happened to develop an ill-fated relationship.

After Lin Hao left, he immediately went to buy plants and lilies for his beautiful sister. The most intriguing part was that she gave him a spare key.

After work, Lin Hao received a call from Director Chen Jiawei and drove to Ju Yuan Private Kitchen.

The environment here is elegant, with dishes mainly based on farmhouse cuisine, and the flavors are quite unique.

Upon hearing that Lin Hao was promoted to County Party Committee Office Director, with one call from Director Chen, several directors came, including Education Bureau Director Zhou Chenghua, Investment Promotion Bureau Director, Natural Resources Bureau Director Guo Yanxiang, Industrial and Commercial Bureau Director Wu Jiayao, and National Development and Reform Commission Director Huang Peiqiu.

However, among these people, Director Chen of the Agriculture Bureau had the best relationship with Lin Hao, though the other few directors also had some work-related interactions and connections.

This time, since Secretary Li Jingyi favored Lin Hao, these guys naturally rushed to cozy up to him.

It's the way of the system; when you're thriving, everyone around you is a good friend and brother, but once trouble strikes, they'll immediately distance themselves.

Everyone was praising each other at the dining table, and in private, Lin Hao also talked to Agriculture Bureau Director Chen about Liu Bingcheng and briefly discussed the upcoming county-wide teacher recruitment with Education Bureau Director Zhou.

The two directors were old hands at this with no promises, just said they'd try their best.

The issue with Liu Bingcheng was not a big deal, but to solve Huang Wanling's staffing problem, she had to participate in the public recruitment interview, which involved a lot of under-the-table dealings.

Perhaps hoping to get favors, Lin Hao drank a few more glasses tonight, called a taxi, and headed to the Su Family.

As for his own car, fearing a DUI check, he parked it in the County Party Committee's underground parking garage.

...

Wilton Manor.

This is one of the top three luxurious villa complexes in the entire Wuding County, where the residents are all wealthy and powerful families.

The Su Family is a prestigious family in Wucheng County.

One reason is that Su Dingfang is the County People's Congress Director, and another is that Su Dingping is the General Manager of Zhongheng Group.

The two brothers, one having power and the other having wealth, secured the Su Family a place among the Four Great Clans in Wucheng County.

It is this foundation that made Lin Hao's father choose Su Muyun as his daughter-in-law.

However, fate had other plans. Lin Hao's father Lin Yi died in a car accident, and Secretary Zhang, the big tree they relied on, also fell.

Moreover, a city leader was now captivated by Su Muyun's beauty, and the Su Family immediately wanted to kick Lin Hao out.

As Lin Hao reached the door, he could already hear their loud argument, as if they wanted the neighbors to hear.

For a moment, he didn't know if he should go in or not.

"Old Su, I opposed this marriage from the start, and you said his father was a high-ranking official who could look after our family and that he was honest and straightforward, so we married our daughter to him. Look at him now, he's involved with his superior! You don't care about face, but I do!" Peng Yunyan angrily shouted.

This young stepmother wasn't Su Muyun's biological mother but a stepmother twenty years younger than Old Su. She is only thirty-five, still charming, well-maintained, with a stunning figure.

"Why blame me? Who knew his father was short-lived? If it weren't for the car accident, Lin Hao surely would have been promoted. We just didn't expect Secretary Zhang to get into trouble, dragging him down too." Su Dingfang also looked helpless.

"Mom and Dad, I don't think Lin Hao has any more upward mobility. Isn't that city leader very interested in my sister? Maybe it's better to divorce." Su Muchen interjected.

Peng Yunyan slightly nodded in agreement, "Hmm, you have a point. Having Mu Yun follow this no-future Lin Hao, it might be better to divorce sooner."

"Divorce? You really think he'd agree to a divorce now?" Su Dingfang said coldly.

"Disagree? I doubt it. If he's really hooked up with other women, he'd probably be eager to divorce." Su Muchen laughed coldly.