The Beauties Help Me Become the No.1 Official

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Calm Before the Storm

As noon approached, the winding road leading to the village had just opened to traffic.

After having breakfast with Chang Wanyun, Lin Fan drove toward the village, while Chang Wanyun, sitting in the passenger seat, silently held Lin Fan’s hand as if she were a girl experiencing her first crush, afraid he might leave.

"Ding-a-ling..."

Just as the car reached the summit of the hill, Lin Fan’s phone rang, displaying Zhang Caini’s number. Lin Fan pressed the answer button and asked with a smile, "How come you have time to call me again?"

"People from above are coming, and Old Zhu has to go receive them. He has no time to care for me. It seems they are here for preliminary research regarding Lotus Town, so let’s have dinner together after work tonight."

With Zhang Caini, Lin Fan had complete tabs on Zhu Defu’s every move.

"I’m afraid I won’t be free today; my dad was injured by the village head, and I’m already on my way home."

Lin Fan roughly shared the news he had heard from Chang Wanyun with Zhang Caini.

"Knowing you work in the government, they still dare to attack your dad? Does your village head no longer want his job?"

Zhang Caini asked incredulously.

"What does working in the government matter? Everyone knows I’m just a minor, inconsequential civil servant; I can’t stir up anything significant. Our village head has backing from the townspeople, what can I possibly do to him?"

Lin Fan sighed. Working in the government also varies from person to person, and his type was the most powerless, so the village head, Cai Kui, never took him seriously and would often mock him at every encounter.

"You must be joking; you have your sister covering for you now. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll make a call soon, and naturally, someone will come to support you."

Zhang Caini spoke confidently with an authoritative air, her knowledge of how to manage people ensuring Zhu Defu had introduced her to certain subordinates. She knew exactly whom to contact in such situations.

"Alright, then I’ll thank you, sister."

Lin Fan smiled, knowing that having connections indeed made a difference; it seemed he needed to hold on tightly to Zhu Defu’s support.

"Don’t be so formal with me. I’ll transfer one hundred thousand yuan to you shortly; consider it for buying some supplements since I can’t visit your uncle."

Zhang Caini’s laugh was hearty.

"That’s way too much!"

In the rural areas, people also followed a tradition of giving small gifts; typically, they gave fifty or one hundred yuan, but a starting amount of one hundred thousand yuan made Lin Fan somewhat nervous.

"That little money means nothing; you’ll be earning lots as well in the future. Don’t refuse it, as ultimately, as long as you rise, I can retrieve much more. Just consider this a little token of my affection."

After quickly arranging everything, Zhang Caini hung up the call. Simultaneously, the transfer of one hundred thousand yuan appeared in Lin’s WeChat, making Lin Fan sigh as he realized that an entire year of his hard work equaled barely one-third of what she could give in a single gesture.

With Zhang Caini’s support, a new light shone in Lin Fan’s eyes. He had initially planned to tolerate the situation temporarily and seek revenge after being officially reassigned, but it seemed that was no longer necessary.

The car smoothly navigated the winding mountain road and returned to Victory Village. When the vehicle entered the village, it immediately attracted the attention of the locals; although many families in this little mountain village owned cars, most were domestic, and a foreign-licensed VW sedan like this was a rarity. However, Lin Fan didn’t show off and simply parked the car in front of Chang Wanyun’s house.

"I’ll head home first."

Chang Wanyun’s cheeks were flushed as she looked at Lin Fan, her eyes filled with longing desire. However, the shy girl dared not do anything too forward in the village. She opened the car door and quickly walked towards the yard, while Lin Fan pressed the gas pedal and drove towards a dilapidated courtyard at the village’s end.

Because Lin Fan worked in the city, his parents refused to build a house no matter what. They said that Lin Fan was a city person now, so even if many two-story houses were built in the village, their home remained the three rooms from the1980s. However, thanks to the hard work of his parents, the house was old but not decrepit.

Lin Fan, having parked the car, stepped into the middle room. Upon entering, there was the kitchen with two rooms on each side. His parents had always lived in the room on the left. When Lin Fan pushed open the inner room door, he saw his father lying on the kang, his right leg wrapped with wood sticks and gauze. Seeing Lin Fan enter, he was startled.

"Why have you come back?"

"How could I not come back when you’re like this?"

Lin Fan looked at his father’s wrinkled face with pain. Such a method of bandaging could hardly be effective.

"That damn old woman, why bother you to come all the way for such a trifle? That’s it, I’m fine. You go back to work. Oh, and I found two wild Lingzhi mushrooms. Take them back and give them to your boss. Do your job well and don’t trouble your boss."

His father stubbornly waved his hand. Throughout Lin Fan’s life, father and son seldom spoke, but his father always supported him silently with his unspoken love.

"Go back? I’m taking you to the County Hospital for an X-ray now."

Lin Fan was frustrated as he walked to the kang but was forcefully pushed away by his father.

"I’ve been mountain running all my life, do you think I don’t know my own injuries? You’ve only been eating for a few years, do you need to teach me? That’s enough, you better leave. Oh, and ask your mother to pack up the eggs laid by the old hens at home, take them back and boil them for Huizhen. These are pure local eggs. Don’t city people always say they’re good?"

"I broke up with her!"

Lin Fan’s heart tightened. A few days ago, he had brought Li Huizhen home for a visit. That day, his parents were overjoyed and busied themselves preparing a table full of dishes, but Li Huizhen, who was always complaining, urged Lin Fan to return soon after sitting for a bit. Even so, his parents were still full of praise.

"You silly boy, are you messing around again? She’s such a nice girl, how could you just break up like that?"

Hearing this, his father’s face immediately darkened.

"Didn’t you see? She looks down on our family."

Lin Fan sighed. Since that visit, their relationship hadn’t been as close as before. noveldrama

"She’s now an anchor on the TV station. It’s normal for her to be unaccustomed to rural life. After you get married in the city, just minimise your visits. That girl is good, you better go win her back."

His father’s words stung Lin Fan’s heart like steel needles. But before he could respond, a voice came from outside the door.

"You think he doesn’t want to? She’s the one who looks down on him. No matter how good his education is, a poor boy can’t change his fate."

The door was pushed open, and the village chief, Cai Kui, walked in with a cold face, his gaze towards Lin Fan filled with disdain.

Seeing Cai Kui, Lin Fan clenched his fists. From a young age, he had always looked down on him, especially since Lin Fan’s grades were better than his son’s, which annoyed Cai Kui immensely, and he always found ways to trouble Lin Fan. Today, it was time for him to pay for his past actions.