The evening crowd at the mess hall was sparse, but the presence of Yun Yao, such a beautiful woman, especially with her soft, graceful figure that immediately caught the men's eyes, drew in far more diners than usual. Could a girl from the Art Department at Longteng University be ordinary? I had heard whispers that Yun Yao’s dancing was indescribably beautiful; though I hadn’t seen it, her slender, perfectly shaped silhouette was proof enough it wasn't an exaggeration. More men came for dinner because of her, and rumors circulated that Commissioner Zhou would also be dining, giving everyone hope for a chance to socialize with a superior—who knew, maybe they’d catch his eye and land a position directly in the provincial government system.

With the influx of people, the Fat Cook became completely overwhelmed. Thankfully, Yun Yao helped him serve the food. However, he soon noticed a problem: the dishes were running low. If he didn’t start cooking immediately, Commissioner Zhou might arrive to find nothing but cold plates.

“Little Zhao, come over here and cover this window for a bit, I need to get back to the stove,” the Fat Cook called out to me. I was supposed to be washing vegetables and tending the boiler—my usual lot. Now, suddenly, I’d been upgraded to serving meals. Was this a promotion?

These guys were really giving me the cold shoulder. The other window was jammed solid, but only a few elderly, frail aunties were coming to my station. Did the steamed buns Yun Yao handed out taste significantly better?

Whoosh. The lively, noisy cafeteria suddenly settled into an orderly queue. I was idly watching Yun Yao hustle when a food tray was slid into my window. “Excuse me, one serving of dish, two steamed buns, please.”

It was a slightly inauthentic Beijing accent, strange since nobody around here spoke like that. I looked up. Who was it? My brother-in-law, Zhou Qiang! I peered out from the serving window, and sure enough, he was holding his tray inside, looking back. Our eyes met squarely.

“Uh… what…” Zhou Qiang stammered, struggling to figure out what to call me. Technically, I was the savior of his family, so he should address me with respect. But firstly, I had forbidden him from doing so, and secondly, I was now his brother-in-law, which meant he should respect me. From a professional standpoint, I was covertly his superior—he followed the arrangements made by my wife, Qiqi, and she followed mine. But out in the open, I was the cook, and he was the Commissioner. How should he address me?

“Stop dawdling! Hurry up and serve Commissioner Zhou!” Secretary Ma’s face, heavy and dark as a storm cloud, appeared at the edge of the window. When he saw it was me serving food, his lungs nearly burst with anger. Seeing the awkward silence between the two men, Secretary Ma thought, This guy is going to cause trouble for me again!

He grabbed Secretary Liu next to him and quickly instructed, “Notify the County Public Security Bureau immediately. Have officers come and detain this little Huizi temporarily. Don't let him go until the Commissioner leaves Liangshan County for the day!”

I scooped a spoonful of vegetables, deliberately picking out two pieces of meat for the dish, then added two buns and handed them to Zhou Qiang. “Brother, I didn't expect the Commissioner to be you. If you’re free after dinner, come down to the boiler room behind me for a while; we can catch up.”

In the end, I decided to listen to Zhou Ni and dutifully call him ‘Brother.’ Zhou Ni had said she was mine, and I was hers, so if she called Zhou Qiang ‘Brother,’ I had to do the same. Zhou Qiang knew it wasn't convenient to talk here. He took the food, nodded silently, and turned to find a seat in the dining hall.

With the partition wall and the small serving window, coupled with the general hubbub of people moving about the restaurant, Secretary Ma didn't quite catch the word ‘Brother.’ He misheard it as ‘Buddy’—calling the Commissioner ‘Buddy’ was something only I in all of Liangshan County would dare attempt.

Smack! A food tray clattered against the serving window. Secretary Ma’s long face appeared right in front of me. “Zhao Qian! You just wait! How dare you speak so casually to Commissioner Zhou, calling him ‘Buddy’! No matter where you go, you stir up trouble. You’ll be spending time in the detention center at the Public Security Bureau shortly!”

I picked the piece of meat I had scooped back out of the food tray and placed it aside. “Secretary Ma, I don’t believe you have the authority to arrest me. Be careful I don't report your actions to the Commissioner! We’re buddies!”

Secretary Ma scoffed and snapped at Secretary Liu, “Watch him! If he dares step out of this work area, hold him down even if you have to kill him!”

Secretary Liu stood near the serving window with a look of righteous indignation. I chuckled. “Little Liu, don’t be so tense. I have no intention of going out there to cause a scene. By the way, there’s something I don't understand. Why did you try to cook up all that scandalous gossip about Ning Shixuan and me? Where did I ever offend you?”

Secretary Liu’s face flushed but he quickly regained his composure. “A clear conscience fears no accusation. If you hadn’t done those things, why would you fear what people say?”

I weighed the serving spoon in my hand. “You’re right. But let me warn you, your actions have made Xiao Ning extremely uncomfortable. I doubt you’ll ever get a single chance.”

Secretary Liu sneered. “As if you have a chance! A man so poor he needs a woman to buy his bedding—what right do you have to monopolize Xiao Ning?”

“Hey, I’m warning you, I never monopolized Ning. We are just ordinary friends. If you keep spreading lies, be careful I don’t cut your tongue out.”

“Ordinary friends? You think I’m a fool to believe that! Don't think I'm blind. The day we went down to Xiamquan, you two were practically clinging to each other!” Secretary Liu spat out, clearly overwhelmed by jealousy. He wasn't entirely wrong; I had been riding incredibly fast coming back from Xiamquan, and Ning Shixuan had indeed held onto me tightly. Anyone watching would certainly assume there was something going on between us.

I couldn't be bothered to explain. Since few people were coming to the window for food anyway, I tossed the spoon aside and headed back to the boiler room to wait for Zhou Qiang. It had been too long since we last met, and I had many things to resolve. Running into him was perfect timing. Still, I suspected Li Qi might have arranged for him to be here deliberately.

Before Zhou Qiang arrived, two policemen showed up, with Secretary Liu trailing closely behind. He pointed at me. “It’s him. Secretary Ma ordered that this man not be released until Commissioner Zhou leaves. He’s a troublemaker and will bring harm to the good people of Liangshan County.”

The policeman removed his cap. “Brother Qian, what’s going on? Is there some misunderstanding?” It was Chief Ke Dudu.

Secretary Liu had eaten with us before, so he knew Ke Dudu treated me with respect. He quickly interjected, reminding the chief, “Chief Ke, the order came directly from Secretary Ma. If you show favoritism, Secretary Ma will investigate, and you could lose your job! This is a society governed by law, not rule by who can beat whom!”

The last time they dined, Ke Dudu had only praised my skills while going along with Brother Scar’s comments, agreeing to strike up an acquaintance. But the truth was, he had been specifically instructed by Xie Sen. Director Hu Qing of the Shimen Public Security Bureau held considerable influence. Although they merely claimed their conversations were congenial, everyone understood that was a smokescreen; there was likely some unsavory connection involved. Therefore, one should avoid offending the person standing before them if at all possible.

“This… I need to consult with Director Xie first,” Ke Dudu, apparently having recently ‘recharged his brain,’ was acting far more flexibly than before.

Secretary Liu snapped, “Suit yourself. But if anything goes wrong during this period, the Public Security Bureau will take full responsibility.”

I sat up straight in the boiler room. “Little Liu, based on what you’re saying, I sound like a ticking time bomb. Why are all of you so terrified? I’m not going to eat Commissioner Zhou alive.”

Secretary Liu retorted, “You’re not a time bomb, you’re just a stink bomb, a piece of rat droppings!”

“You!” I was about to lose my temper but then I realized—why bother arguing with him? Let him talk. When I’ve transformed Liangshan County into something worthwhile, we’ll see what they have to say then.

“Do you know what good deeds you’ve done? You made five million disappear! Is everyone going to go hungry at the end of the year?” Secretary Liu was so flustered he spoke without thinking. It turned out the poverty alleviation funds were something everyone had a stake in.

Ke Dudu lowered his phone. “Director Xie will be here shortly to explain to Secretary Ma personally. Brother Qian, what’s going on between you two? Everything seemed fine at dinner the other day.”

I replied casually, “We were just fooling around, nothing important.”

“Commissioner Zhou, this is the boiler room—it’s stuffy and hot, not worth looking at. Let’s head back to the hotel. They have air conditioning and TV there. If you feel stifled tonight, we can go check out the night market,” Secretary Ma’s voice drifted in from outside.

“You go back, Secretary Ma,” Zhou Qiang called out. “I’ll just look around. If I need anything, I’ll call you. Go back, go back. I have my own car. Have the driver take me back to the hotel later.”