Xu Chunliang raised a toast to Wu Ruiying: "Sister Wu, I toast to you."

Wu Ruiying was caught off guard and clumsily reached for her wine glass, accidentally tipping it over and spilling the wine everywhere.

Pan Hongwei said, "Director Wu is feeling nervous."

Yu Xiangdong added, "What makes Director Wu so tense?" This guy had a habit of making bawdy jokes when he drank.

He Qiweng pretended not to hear. Wu Ruiying, being an old friend of Yu Xiangdong’s, shot him a glance and said, "Old Yu, you’re really letting loose tonight. Should I call your wife to reel you back in a bit?"

Yu Xiangdong said, "Now that you mention it, I’m feeling a bit tense. My wife is definitely a tiger, and if she gets mad, she’ll come right at me with scissors."

Everyone laughed. Yu Xiangdong was indispensable at such gatherings; he was great at lightening the mood.

Pan Hongwei said, "I really admire Section Chief Yu."

Yu Xiangdong, a bit puzzled, asked, "What do you admire about me?"

"Your courage is impressive, fighting tigers bare-handed. How else do you expect to get a tiger cub without entering its den?"

Everyone at the table laughed. Although there were women present, both Wu Ruiying and Tang Mingmei were used to such banter and could take a joke.

Wu Fajun had intended to discuss the resumption of work with Xu Chunliang during this occasion, but Xu Chunliang shut him down with a single sentence about not discussing work while drinking. As a result, the dinner turned entirely into a social gathering. Wu Fajun observed everyone’s behavior and concluded that the so-called rectification team was just for show, achieving nothing substantial. They were good for eating and drinking but were not to be relied upon for real progress.

Wu Fajun himself couldn’t play a significant role. The initiative lay with Xu Chunliang and the Hu Shan Town Government but not with Huanyan Health. The so-called rectification was merely a facade to account to the local government.

From the current state of affairs, the storm had mostly passed, at least on the Huanyan side. The public’s focus was entirely on Da Heng, and no one was paying attention to the elderly woman’s death at the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital construction site anymore.

As the banquet drew to a close, Wu Fajun raised his glass to drink with He Qiweng and again broached the topic of resuming work: "Secretary He, you see our rectification work is almost finished, and the construction party has acknowledged their mistakes."

Ding Si heard himself being mentioned by Wu Fajun and looked up at him. Even now, he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. However, he had outstanding payments at Changxing to consider, so this time he could only accept the penalty. For him, this was already a good outcome, all thanks to Xu Chunliang, not Wu Fajun.

He Qiweng said, "Regarding this matter, Secretary Qin has given instructions. We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation, and if the conditions for resuming work are met, we will certainly help you restart soon."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "There’s no such thing as a pure social dinner; President Wu invited us with ulterior motives tonight."

Wu Fajun laughed, "That’s my mistake; I forgot not to discuss work while drinking. I owe everyone a drink."

Xu Chunliang said, "Since we’re talking about it, I’ll just lay it all out for you. The town’s attitude is to penalize where penalties are due but also to support where support is needed. The overall principle is to minimize delays to your project schedule."

Yu Xiangdong said, "I told you, we’re all on the same side. There’s nothing that can’t be discussed."

Wu Fajun thought to himself, "You know nothing. You try to cozy up to Xu Chunliang as if he’s one of us, but he may not actually consider you one of his."

Xu Chunliang said, "You have indeed taken some measures, and the construction side has made improvements, but let’s be honest here. Isn’t there some negligence on Huanyan’s leadership side regarding this matter?"

Wu Fajun said, "That’s not true. Our leadership is taking this incident very seriously, which is why we quickly formed this rectification team. Town Mayor Xu, you must know these are the key people from Changxing."

Xu Chunliang squinted slightly, pretending to be three parts drunk: "President Wu, saying that to others is one thing, but saying it to me doesn’t seem entirely sincere, does it?"

Wu Fajun was stunned. Xu Chunliang seemed to be challenging him. Was Xu Chunliang dissatisfied with Changxing or with him personally?

"Town Mayor Xu, I’m a straightforward person. I say whatever comes to my mind."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m not talking about you; I’m talking about how several days have passed since the incident, yet no one from Huanyan Health has made a statement, and the leadership at Changxing Hospital hasn’t expressed anything either. Do they think the issue isn’t significant enough or that our Hu Shan Town Government isn’t worth their respect?"

Everyone present was stunned. Did Xu Chunliang drink too much? Why was he saying this?

Tang Mingmei knew Xu Chunliang’s drinking capacity; he surely wasn’t drunk. Xu Chunliang was expressing his dissatisfaction with Huanyan in this manner.

Xu Chunliang had never been one to repay enmity with kindness. After the fight incident, Huanyan Health didn’t even give him a chance to explain before unhesitatingly removing him from all his positions.

On the Changxing side, Zhao Feiyang was also ready to discipline him.

Nothing stays hidden unless one keeps it hidden; since you dared to start this, don’t blame me for continuing it.

Don’t think that just because the spotlight is on Da Heng now, you at Huanyan can easily weather this crisis. That depends on my mood; coming up with a so-called rectification team, putting on a superficial show, and then trying to brush it off won’t be that easy.

Wu Fajun said, "Town Mayor Xu, do you mean..."

Xu Chunliang replied, "After just a few drinks, President Wu, don’t play dumb. You’re just an employee, and you can’t be held accountable for this incident with Huanyan Health. We’re not asking for much, just for the responsible parties to come forward and solve the problem. Has that happened yet? We want the person in charge of safety regulation to take responsibility. Who is your safety director? You?"

Wu Fajun shook his head. He was even less informed about the situation than Xu Chunliang. Zhao Feiyang had sent him to put out the fire.

Xu Chunliang’s anger wasn’t directed at him but at Zhao Feiyang and his wife. However, Xu Chunliang showed no mercy in his words, which made Wu Fajun doubt whether Xu Chunliang felt any gratitude for helping him out previously.

Xu Chunliang said, "These are the most basic conditions, yet none of you have met them."

He Qiweng sighed inwardly; Xu Chunliang was truly bold. Initially, everyone thought he might consider past ties and go easy on Huanyan, but it turns out there’s no need to worry about that. Xu Chunliang clearly holds a grudge against Huanyan!

Xu Chunliang said to He Qiweng, "Secretary He, all good things must come to an end; we should also head out."

He Qiweng said, "Yes, it’s time to wrap up. Everyone should rest early; we have to work overtime tomorrow."

With that, others didn’t feel like lingering either.

Xu Chunliang arranged for Ding Si to send off He Qiweng, but he didn’t leave immediately, intending to speak a few words with Tang Mingmei alone.

Tang Mingmei felt it might be inappropriate, but then she recalled an old saying: as long as you’re upright, it doesn’t matter about shadows. Besides, if the young man isn’t worried, why should she be?

Wu Fajun went along with it, letting Tang Mingmei represent everyone to see Xu Chunliang off.

Xu Chunliang was currently staying in the government dormitory, specifically assigned to the room Mei Ru Xue used to stay in.

Tang Mingmei accompanied him out of the cafeteria, smiling, "Why didn’t you have Ding Si drive you?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m staying at the town government dormitory, while Secretary He lives in the faculty building of Shiliang Middle School, and his wife is a vice-principal there."

Tang Mingmei said, "So you’re not too far from each other."

Xu Chunliang said, "I just wanted to have a few words with Sister Tang."

Tang Mingmei glanced at him and said, "What couldn’t be said at the dinner table?"

Xu Chunliang stopped walking, smiling, "Some things just can’t be discussed over dinner, like matters concerning my dad."

Upon hearing Xu Jiaxuan mentioned, Tang Mingmei blushed, "Don’t misunderstand; your dad and I are just ordinary friends."

Xu Chunliang said, "I haven’t even asked about that, so why are you in a hurry to explain?"

Tang Mingmei, with a flushed face, snapped, "You’re quite the smooth talker, aren’t you? I didn’t know you were his son until I met him that day."

Xu Chunliang said, "My dad is quite a mysterious person. From what I’ve heard, you two dated when you were young?"

No matter how open-minded Tang Mingmei was, she felt a bit awkward discussing her past relationships with someone of the younger generation, especially since Xu Chunliang was the son of an old flame. However, the facts couldn’t be denied, so Tang Mingmei said, "It was more than twenty years ago. I was only seventeen and in nursing school, unclear about feelings. We dated for less than three months in total, then he left without a word, and I haven’t seen him since."

Xu Chunliang sighed inwardly, thinking, Xu Jiaxuan, how could you treat an innocent girl like that? Tang Mingmei’s lifetime of misfortune was probably caused by you, and it seems likely that my unreliable dad was Tang Mingmei’s first man.

Tang Mingmei said, "Your dad was a good man, quite charming. Reflecting on it now, I didn’t know anything about him: his background, his job, nothing."

Xu Chunliang joked, "Were you that easy to fool back then?"

Tang Mingmei sighed, "Your dad had a unique charisma that was very attractive to the opposite sex." Then she glanced at Xu Chunliang and laughed, "You resemble him a bit. I felt a sense of familiarity when I first met you. Now I understand why."

Xu Chunliang said, "Don’t compare me to him."

Tang Mingmei said, "The other day I saw you two seemed to get along very well."

"Sometimes you can’t trust what you see; it’s all an illusion. He’s the one trying to curry favor with me."

Tang Mingmei laughed, "He’s quite proud of you..." Then she realized she had slipped, essentially admitting they had been in contact afterward.

Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Tang, do you know what job my dad used to do?"

Tang Mingmei shook her head, "No, from what I saw at the time, he seemed quite idle, generous and affluent. We didn’t spend much time together, my impression was that he was quite elusive, suddenly disappearing and reappearing. I even suspected he might be a spy."