Chapter 25: A Good Boy Must Be Snatched!

After lunch, Tang Ye parted ways with Gu Wenqin.

Around three o'clock that afternoon, Tang Ye stood at the door of the hospital room, carrying a crate of milk and a fruit basket, and knocked.

Grandma Yao was recovering well. Her eyes were closed, and a radio sat on the bedside table, playing the melodic strains of local opera.

Sitting beside the bed was a girl of about twenty, peeling an apple. Her skin was exceptionally fair, as if carved from mutton-fat jade. She had a petite face, arched eyebrows, a delicate nose and mouth, and a slender figure that was nonetheless well-proportioned in all the right places.

Hearing the knock, Grandma Yao opened her eyes, a look of pleasant surprise crossing her face. "Xiao Tang, you're here? Qingqing, this is Tang Ye, the one I mentioned to you."

Qingqing looked Tang Ye up and down. She hadn't expected the blind date her grandmother had suggested to be so handsome. Unlike the civil servants she usually knew, he was tall and dashing, looking more like a male lead from an idol drama.

Qingqing’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she took the initiative to pour Tang Ye a glass of water.

Taking the glass, Tang Ye said thank you. After taking a sip, he asked with concern, "I checked on your situation with my father; the surgery went very smoothly. I’ve been wanting to come see you, but I’ve been too busy lately. Seeing that you’re in such good spirits, I’m finally relieved."

Grandma Yao smiled. "This time, I owe it to your quick reaction, or I wouldn't be recovering so well. Let me introduce you—this is my granddaughter, Qingqing. She’s your junior at the same university, a freshman studying law."

Tang Ye smiled and nodded at Qingqing. "It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Qingqing said, "I heard from my parents that it was thanks to your quick thinking that Grandma was saved. I’ve been wanting to thank you in person."

Tang Ye smiled at her. "It was just a coincidence; please, don't be so formal." With that, he turned to Grandma Yao. "You’ve just recovered from a major illness and need plenty of rest, so I won’t disturb you further."

Seeing Tang Ye stand up to leave, Grandma Yao nudged Qingqing. "Go see him out for me."

As Qingqing walked with Tang Ye, her usual carefree demeanor turned uncharacteristically sentimental. "My parents have been busy since I was little, so I always lived with my grandparents until I left for high school. After my grandfather passed away, Grandma was always very lonely. I’ve heard her talk about you—you often kept her company."

"You should come back to see her often."

"Once she’s discharged this time, I’m going to rent an apartment near my school so I can take care of her."

"Taking Grandma to college with you? That’s quite a good idea."

Qingqing paused, then beamed. "You’re actually quite witty!"

Tang Ye suddenly stopped and teased, "Do you have any coins? If not, I can lend you one! The bus won't let you on without a coin."

Qingqing was slightly stunned; before she knew it, she had followed Tang Ye all the way out of the hospital.

She laughed awkwardly. "Look at me being so scatterbrained. I only meant to walk you to the bus stop."

Tang Ye found the girl’s personality quite cute.

"Shall we exchange contact information?"

"Sure!" Qingqing readily gave him her QQ number.

"The bus is here!"

Seeing the bus approaching in the distance, he hurried toward the stop. After boarding and paying the fare, he waved at Qingqing.

"Goodbye!"

The QQ friend request was accepted quickly.

Entering her profile, he discovered she was a quite literary girl. She posted diary entries and reflections, her writing fresh, fluid, and delicate.

"Tao is fifteen years older than me. In this relationship, his age and experience were his advantages. I fell in love with his maturity at first, only to realize in the end that I had fallen for his hypocrisy."

"A woman in love will constantly make excuses for the other person. Even when hurt again and again, she tries hard to explain it away as just another misunderstanding."

"I was abandoned by him once again in that cramped, rented room—the place in shambles, me scarred and broken—and he left so cruelly to find another woman."

"I always try to burn for others with my own passion, but he is different. He enjoys the rush of the moment, then cools down rapidly and slips away unscathed."

"He is kneeling before me again, begging for my forgiveness. Don't be moved by a man’s pathetic display; the cigarette burn on him at this moment might be on you the next."

"I have told myself more than once that he is a cold, slick, and selfish man. In his eyes, I am just a doll he can manipulate at will."

"I am tired of this life. I fell in love with someone who will never belong to me. Perhaps I should leave this cruel world."

It was written in a Hamlet-esque style.

Judging by the text, the girl had fallen for a much older male teacher. The teacher was married, and the girl couldn't let go.

Seeing the last sentence, Tang Ye wondered to himself if she might actually be suicidal. After thinking for a moment, he left a message: "I didn't realize your emotional experience was so rich."

Qingqing replied quickly: "Stories written for others to read are rarely personal experiences."

Tang Ye left another message: "Your imagination is powerful, and your writing is so infectious—I was stunned reading it!"

Qingqing couldn't help but laugh.

Grandma Yao looked at her granddaughter curiously. "What’s so funny?"

Qingqing quickly made up a story. "There was a dog sleeping by the river; it rolled over, fell in, and became a drowned rat. The way it was splashing in the water was so funny."

Grandma Yao was amused and smiled. "What a silly dog!"

Not long after, her parents arrived.

In front of them, Grandma Yao asked Qingqing, "What do you think of Xiao Tang?"

"Uh, what do you mean, what do I think?" Qingqing was stunned by the question.

"Oh, I mean, do you think you’d get along well?"

Qingqing was caught between laughter and tears. "Grandma, I’m still in school; where would I find the time for romance?"

Other families worried about their daughters dating, but her grandmother was the opposite, busy arranging blind dates all day long.

She kept saying that good boys had to be snatched up quickly. If you weren't careful, someone else would get there first and take them.

Grandma beckoned Qingqing closer, took her wrist, and persuaded her patiently, "Even though you’re still in school, you aren't a child anymore; it’s fine to consider dating. Instead of dating someone at school you don't know well, it’s better to choose a decent person as we suggest. Xiao Tang is several years older than you, he’s considerate, and he’s steady—much more reliable than the people you’d meet randomly at school."

Qingqing looked at her father for help.

Her father glanced at his mother-in-law on the hospital bed and smiled. "While I don't suggest you date too early, Tang Ye is quite good. You could try getting to know him; even if you don't become a couple, you can just be friends."

Qingqing hadn't expected her father to speak so highly of Tang Ye.

She suddenly remembered Lin Ziyang, whom she had met a few days ago.

Lin Ziyang had taken the initiative to exchange contact info with her and would send her messages from time to time.

Lin Ziyang was also her grandmother's savior, but her grandmother and father seemed to approve more of Tang Ye.

Her mother coughed at this moment. "I don't approve! You need to focus on your studies; you might go abroad to study later, and dating this early is a waste of energy. Tang Ye seems like a decent person, but we don't really know his family situation."

Grandma Yao frowned. "Are you questioning my eye for people?"

Her daughter’s lips curled in disdain as she glanced at her husband.

The son-in-law wore an awkward smile.

Qingqing felt the tension sparking between them and smiled bitterly to herself. Her parents' marriage had been arranged by Grandma Yao. Even though her father doted on her mother, her mother always felt she should have pursued a marriage based on freedom.

Qingqing went to the cafeteria with her mother to get food.

The son-in-law stayed in the room to watch over his mother-in-law, feeling a pang of heartache as he looked at her haggard, frail appearance.

He owed his current success to her support.

"Xiao Tang is a very good boy. If you have a chance, you must help him."

"Don't worry, Mom. A kindness received in a time of need should be repaid with a fountain of gratitude. I will see to it."

...

Back in Pinghu, Tang Ye felt unprecedented pressure.

Every time he attended a Party group meeting, Xia Haiqiao would bring up the forty-million target and then sarcastically mock Tang Ye for only knowing how to put on a show without achieving any real results.

Even robbing a bank required preparation; how could investment attraction just happen on command?

Moreover, a total investment of forty million was no small sum.

The production line at Qinge had already started, with the first batch producing two thousand items at a cost of forty thousand yuan. Gu Wenqin was taking samples to the market, but Xu Jie had implemented a blockade, causing every distributor with any real strength to refuse and decline to place bets, which was giving Gu Wenqin a massive headache.

Qinge’s transformation was stuck in the mud!

Investment attraction was making no progress!

With so much pressure mounting, Tang Ye realized that grassroots work was not as simple as it seemed.

However, in some areas, progress was being made.

For instance, his relationship with the town mayor, Chen Zhihua, had grown closer.

Mayor Chen would invite Tang Ye to go fishing with him and even invited him to his home for dinner.

Chen Zhihua’s wife, Wang Ning, taught English at Pinghu Middle School; she was gentle and had a knack for cooking.

When Xu Yiping learned that Chen Zhihua was in close contact with Tang Ye, his mood became quite complex.

He wondered if Chen Zhihua was trying to use Tang Ye’s connections in the city to find an opportunity for a comeback.

On second thought, he felt he was overthinking it.

Tang Ye would only be in Pinghu Town for a year; once his time was up, he would leave on his own.

Pinghu Town had always been, and would always be, under Xu Yiping’s control!

Just as Xu Yiping was preparing to leave work, the red telephone on his desk rang, and the resonant voice of County Magistrate Du Chengfeng came through.

"Yiping, you need to come to the county government tomorrow. A nationally renowned company is coming to Tianling County to choose a site for a factory; you need to prepare for the presentation."

"Which company?" Xu Yiping was caught off guard by the news.

"Ao'ou Electric." Du Chengfeng paused. "Bring Tang Ye with you; he performed very well last time."

He hadn't expected the County Magistrate to specifically request Tang Ye’s attendance.

Clearly, Tang Ye had left a deep impression on the leaders during the city-organized inspection.

Xu Yiping felt as if he had been eating rice and suddenly bit into a mouse dropping—it was stifling!

"Understood, County Magistrate! We will certainly seize the opportunity."