Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 1085 Returning to Handong

Qi Tongwei was taken aback for a moment, and subconsciously said, "Then I'll go back and take a shower?"

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at him, said nothing, and then closed the door behind her.

Qi Tongwei scratched his head, unable to figure out what she was thinking. Hesitantly, he reached out and turned the doorknob—the lock opened.

Qi Tongwei excitedly closed the door and left. When he returned, he had finished washing up and was wearing a bathrobe as he tiptoed into the darkness.

The rain had just stopped, leaving behind a lingering, enchanting atmosphere in the room.

Qi Tongwei stroked Yu Xiaoxiao's smooth, jade-like back with his palm, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of earnestness: "Xiaoxiao, come with me."

Yu Xiaoxiao's cheeks were still flushed, her eyelids were half-closed, and her tone was as lazy as a cat basking in the afternoon sun. She hummed softly, "Go? Go where?"

Are you willing to give up your current achievements and glory and take me to a distant land?

Or are you planning to hide me away, keeping me like a caged canary?

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qi Tongwei's heart. He was speechless and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Give up your current status and position?

Absolutely not. He has worked so hard to get to where he is today, and there is still a vast world ahead of him, with a wealth of political ambitions waiting to be realized. How could he let his life's work go to waste for the sake of his love for his children?

Keeping a mistress in a gilded cage? That's even more impossible.

He knew Yu Xiaoxiao's personality well; she wasn't the kind of person who would willingly cower under a man's wing.

She is the newly appointed executive vice mayor of Wenshan, a young female cadre with power in her area. How could she be a little woman who depends on others?

Seeing his long silence, Yu Xiaoxiao suddenly opened her eyes: "Look, you haven't even thought it through yourself."

Qi Tongwei's Adam's apple bobbed, and he still tried to probe, unwilling to give up: "Then...would you be willing to let me keep a mistress in a golden house?"

Yu Xiaoxiao sneered, her tone full of disdain: "What do you think?"

Qi Tongwei sighed, closed his eyes and said nothing more, only his palm continued to gently caress the delicate skin, the warmth under his fingertips could not soothe the bitterness surging in his heart.

The room fell into a brief silence as the night wind rustled the curtains on the balcony.

After a long pause, Yu Xiaoxiao spoke, her voice soft: "Actually, things are fine as they are."

You have your path to success to take, and I have my beliefs to uphold. Let's all strive for our own goals.

After tonight, you will become the youngest vice governor and vice minister, while I will remain in Hanjiang as the vice mayor of Wenshan.

Let's forget each other from now on, and pretend... nothing ever happened.

Qi Tongwei tugged at the corners of his mouth, forcing a bitter smile: "What do you mean by that? You dumped me?"

“We were never ‘together’, so how could you say I was dumped?” Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice remained calm.

Qi Tongwei's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed on, "So what about the future? Do you plan to find someone else?"

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to the side, looking at the deep night outside the window, her tone more determined: "I'm not looking anymore. A woman's life doesn't necessarily mean she has to rely on a man and get married."

Perhaps dedicating one's life to the cause of the Party is even more meaningful than this.

"..."

Qi Tongwei didn't know how to comfort the other person, so he could only hug them tightly and hold them close to his heart.

The stars are few and the sun is bright; dawn breaks on the horizon.

A sliver of pale sunlight peeked through the curtains, falling on the carpet and onto Qi Tongwei's face, waking him up.

In a daze, Qi Tongwei subconsciously touched the side beside him, but the familiar touch disappeared. He suddenly opened his eyes and searched the room.

Yu Xiaoxiao had already stood up, put on her navy blue suit, combed her hair meticulously, and the blush on her face had completely faded. She had once again become the sharp-eyed and imposing mayor of Wenshan.

She stood at the door, clutching her briefcase, and turned around as if sensing something.

Qi Tongwei was propped up on one side as he looked at her, his eyes filled with longing.

"You're leaving already? Aren't you going to see me off?"

"Why add to your sadness?" Yu Xiaoxiao's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"I don't know when we'll meet again after this trip," Qi Tongwei sighed.

"We'll meet again if we're meant to. Alright, I'm off now. Have a safe trip."

Yu Xiaoxiao didn't wait for his reply. She opened the door, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her.

There was no lingering attachment, no turning back.

The soft sound of the door hinges turning was like a sigh, falling into the lingering, soon-to-dissipate beauty of the room.

……

Looking down on Gyeongju from the plane, it is noticeably less bustling than it was four years ago.

The ring road, like a giant silver-gray python, intertwines the new city and the old city into an inseparable whole.

What was once a desolate, overgrown suburban area is now transformed into a cluster of financial office buildings. The glass curtain walls gleam coldly in the sunlight, creating a stark contrast with the gray-tiled, white-walled government compounds of the old city.

Qi Tongwei leaned against the porthole, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the railway station under construction below. He remembered that when he left, this place was a muddy construction site, but now it had become a transportation hub connecting the north and south.

Judging from this limited perspective, the development of Handong does not seem to be as dire as Gao Yuliang described.

The great wave of reform and opening up has been accompanied by struggles, but the principle of development and progress has always remained unchanged.

Being in the middle of the game naturally makes one feel uncomfortable, but only by stepping outside the game can one see things clearly.

Gao Yuliang felt that the stagnation of Handong was probably because they were sitting too high and looking too close. They only saw the ups and downs and the power struggles at the Standing Committee meeting, and thus misjudged the pulse of the land beneath their feet.

It is true that clean governance is the foundation of development, but development itself is the best medicine for restoring order.

Skyscrapers rose up in Handong, and the tax bills of private enterprises increased day by day. These real increases, however, might not be considered achievements in Gao Yuliang's study or in his book "1587, A Year of No Significance".

What he saw was the restlessness among the cadres and the undercurrents during the power transition, but he failed to see that the entrepreneurs who were struggling to survive in the cracks of policy and the migrant workers who had packed their bedding and entered the city had long since carved out an upward path on this land with their wisdom and sweat.

Teacher, oh teacher, I wonder when you will be able to escape the labyrinth of power and see your true self.

Just as he was marveling at this, the conversation of several men and women who looked like cadres sitting next to him drew Qi Tongwei's attention back.

Sitting on the other side by the window, a middle-aged man gazed at the bustling city outside and enthusiastically described the infrastructure achievements of Jingzhou in recent years to his companions, his words revealing his admiration for Zhao Lichun's decisive and efficient style.

"Look at the changes in Jingzhou in recent years. The main roads are basically eight lanes, and high-rise buildings are springing up one after another. With this speed of infrastructure construction, which place can compare?"

It's only because our Governor Zhao has such great courage that most people wouldn't dare to make such bold moves.

"Yes, Governor Zhao is very capable and courageous. He dared to take on both the positions he should and shouldn't have, and he succeeded in all of them. For that alone, we have to admire him."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Someone suddenly asked, "Hey, Lao Li, I heard that Governor Zhao is going to be promoted next year, is that true?"

"I'm pretty sure it's true. He's been the governor for almost eight years now, and there's no way he'll stay in that position next year when the elections are held. He'll either smoothly take over as the provincial party secretary or be transferred to another province."