Chapter 427: Chapter 392: Friendship Is Precious, but Opportunity Is Rarer—For Huang Jun, Both Can Be Cast Aside

Wan Zhenhong pushed open the door to his office and stepped over the threshold.

As soon as he looked up...

His gaze inadvertently caught sight of the door to the director’s office slowly opening in the distance.

The next second...

Xin Jinghui’s signature Mediterranean hairstyle came into view, his smooth scalp gleaming under the corridor lights, nearly blinding Wan Zhenhong’s 24K titanium-plated dog eyes.

Just as Wan Zhenhong was hesitating about whether to say hello...

He saw Xin Jinghui glance in the direction of his deputy director’s office.

Then...

Xin Jinghui immediately caught sight of Wan Zhenhong’s slightly graying hair.

Their eyes met!

In an instant, a subtle tension filled the air.

Wan Zhenhong couldn’t help but feel a touch of doubt.

He looked up, down, left, and right, whichever way he looked, it seemed to him that Old Xin’s actions were extraordinarily cautious, and his demeanor somewhat unnatural...

Hmm?

What on earth is Old Xin up to?

Could it be that he’s wary of someone?

Is he wary of me?

It’s not his fault for thinking this way, Xin Jinghui’s subconscious actions were just too obvious.

Speaking of which.

Why would Old Xin be wary of him?

Could it be... Old Xin also wants to see the director?

As for what for?

Of course, he wants to volunteer to deliver the evaluation results to Dorami Kindergarten?

But on second thought.

Wan Zhenhong figured he might be overthinking it.

After all, he and Xin Jinghui have a deep revolutionary friendship. If there were something important, Xin Jinghui would definitely give him the heads-up first.

So yeah!

Don’t jump to conclusions, just observe in the shadows...

As soon as Xin Jinghui recognized Wan Zhenhong, his heart skipped a beat, and a flash of undisguisable panic crossed his eyes.

Oh no~

Why’s Old Wan coming out too?

Could it be that he’s also thinking the same thing as me—wanting to offer his services to the director?

Hmm...

He should be overthinking it...

Old Wan may be an old fox, but he doesn’t have many mischievous tricks up his sleeve.

Speaking of which.

Should he tell Old Wan his intentions?

But thinking about it, having one more person volunteering might reduce his chances significantly, or even snatch the opportunity, leaving it to Wan Zhenhong.

After all, delivering an evaluation document doesn’t need two people...

Moreover, too many volunteers might make the director suspicious.

Especially since, after Huang Jun’s frequent trending last week, rumors have been spreading within the education bureau that "Dorami Kindergarten has delicious meals." Both he and Wan Zhenhong have been trying hard to suppress these rumors, insisting that Dorami Kindergarten’s meals are just average and not as delicious as online claims, barely suppressing everyone’s curiosity.

So yeah!

Amid such scrutiny, it’s crucial to keep a low profile to avoid others noticing anything.

Plus, with the principle of "don’t make others suffer when you can’t suffer yourself," he could only apologize to Wan Zhenhong.

What?

They have a revolutionary friendship?!

Hmm.

Let’s just say, friendship is indeed valuable, but opportunities are rare. For Huang Jun’s sake, both can be sacrificed...

To hide his true intentions, Xin Jinghui adjusted his expression, showing a warm smile, and proactively greeted Wan Zhenhong: "Old Wan..."

"Hey~"

Wan Zhenhong smiled slightly, tentatively asked: "Old Xin, where are you headed?"

Xin Jinghui shrugged, and casually replied: "Just heading to the restroom to take care of something important."

Really?

Wan Zhenhong furrowed his brows slightly, a touch of doubt in his heart, his gaze like a searchlight, locked onto Xin Jinghui’s face, trying to catch a hint from his expression.

But Xin Jinghui’s face remained calm and unruffled, showing no signs of panic, which made Wan Zhenhong start to doubt his intuition.

Hmm.

Could he have misunderstood his old friend’s intentions?

That must be it!

He understands Old Xin well enough to know that he’s always been loyal and sincere, with no second thoughts towards him.

Thinking this way, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt.

Guilt for betraying Old Xin’s friendship.

But for the sake of his own cravings, he could only wrong Old Xin for now.

The least he could do was treat him to a meal next time and properly apologize.

To avoid giving himself away, he quickly returned to normal, teasing as usual with a smile: "Old Xin, aren’t you dodging work with that statement?"

Xin Jinghui replied with a smile: "Old Wan, what about you?"

Wan Zhenhong offered an excuse: "I’m just out for some fresh air, taking a smoke, relaxing my tense nerves."

As he spoke, he patted his pocket, making a gesture of pulling out a cigarette.

"Zhenhong, you really should cut back on smoking, it’s not good for your health," Xin Jinghui reminded him with his usual concern.

Wan Zhenhong nodded in response: "Don’t worry, I’ll be careful."

"Alright! You handle it." Xin Jinghui said, wearily as if he had said all he needed to, "I’ll head to the restroom first, see you at the cafeteria at noon to chat more..."

"Alright, no problem!"

Wan Zhenhong watched as Xin Jinghui’s figure gradually disappeared in the direction of the men’s restroom before he sprang into action, changing his course and briskly heading towards the director’s office.

But just as he was about to reach the office door, an unexpected event occurred—he bumped head-on into someone who was in a hurry.

Ouch~

Almost simultaneously, the two let out a muffled groan of pain, followed by apologies in unison: "Sorry!"

Then, again in unison, they reassured each other: "No problem."

Hmm?

This voice, why does it sound so familiar?

Why does it sound so much like Old Xin’s voice?

He paused for a moment, then suddenly lifted his head and found himself locked in eye contact with the person in front of him.

Whoa...

It really is you, Old Xin!

Speaking of which.

Why is Old Xin here?

Whoa...

Could it be that Old Xin found out about his plan?

Wan Zhenhong was instantly so embarrassed that he wished he could dig a three-bedroom apartment on the spot. He had to muster all his strength to resist the urge to turn around and run.

Wait a minute!

If Old Xin specifically came over to the director’s office, could it be that he has the same idea?

Don’t ask why he thinks so.

If asked, it’s because he noticed Old Xin’s body slightly turned away, only to awkwardly pull back.

Clearly, he’s feeling guilty and instinctively wants to run...

At this point...

Wan Zhenhong was certain in his heart that Xin Jinghui’s true intentions for being here aligned perfectly with his, leaving him feeling like his brief pang of guilt just went to waste...

But he didn’t show it. Instead, he tried to stay calm, with a hint of playful smile, and jested: "Old Xin, what are you up to? Didn’t you say you were going to the restroom? How come you ended up at the director’s office door? Don’t tell me there’s a new restroom in there?"

Xin Jinghui felt a bit awkward for a moment, his face flushing slightly. He let out a couple of awkward laughs, then responded with a rhetorical question: "Old Wan, weren’t you going for a smoke? How come you’re having a smoke at the director’s office door? Planning to share one with Director Wei?"

Wan Zhenhong: "..."

He threw a glance at Xin Jinghui, his face showing a hint of sternness: "I’m here to discuss something with Director Wei."

"What a coincidence, I’m here to discuss something with Director Wei too!" Xin Jinghui chuckled lightly.

Wan Zhenhong purposefully asked, probing: "Old Xin, what do you want with Director Wei?"

"Just the thing you’re thinking of..." Xin Jinghui replied cryptically.

Wan Zhenhong: "..."

We promised to be lifelong brothers, but you backstab me for a meal...

Doesn’t your conscience hurt?

At that moment, he felt like their once rock-solid friendship had just crumbled away, shattered to pieces.

With a face expressing "heartache beyond breath," Wan Zhenhong said: "Old Xin, this isn’t right, how could you treat me like this? We’ve been good brothers for years. How about this, I’ll take care of the task of sending the evaluation certificate this time, and next time there’s anything related to Dorami Kindergarten, I won’t compete with you, I’ll even highly recommend you. How does that sound?"

Ha~

Old Wan!

Didn’t see it, did you?

You’re still a "pie in the sky" master...

Xin Jinghui shook his head: "Not so great! We don’t have any work related to Dorami Kindergarten this semester, so your next time sounds pretty far away... Besides, shouldn’t this kind of task be fair competition? We’ve been brothers for so many years, we shouldn’t let this affect our harmony..."

Wan Zhenhong: "..."

Alright!

Got it!

No room for negotiation!

Then let’s rely on our skills!

Wan Zhenhong thought to himself, muttering in his mind, all the while smiling: "Okay, you’re right, Old Xin. I was just joking on a whim. Let’s stick to our usual rules, fair competition, whoever can do it gets the chance."

"Exactly, that’s how it should be! Our friendship won’t be affected by such small matters." Xin Jinghui laughed outwardly, but internally, he was determined to give his all in this competition.

"Yeah, exactly!"

Saying this.

The two exchanged a look, both with a faint sense of rivalry in their eyes, and then simultaneously reached out to knock on the director’s office door.

The next moment...

The sound of knocking echoed through the hallway.

A moment later.

A warm yet authoritative voice came from inside the office: "Come in."

Wan Zhenhong quickly opened the door and entered, with Xin Jinghui following right behind.

Seated inside, going through his paperwork, Wei Guodong looked up to see them both entering together, showing a hint of surprise on his face: "Oh, Vice Director Wan, Director Xin, what brings you both here together?"

Wan Zhenhong replied with a smile: "We just happened to bump into each other at the door, so we came in together."

"Yes, we met at the door and came in together," Xin Jinghui echoed.

Wei Guodong nodded, then straightforwardly asked: "So what brings you to see me?"

"It’s like this, Director Wei..." Wan Zhenhong began to lay down the groundwork: "I wanted to ask if the evaluation results for Dorami Kindergarten have come out yet?"

Who knew that alongside, Xin Jinghui would dive directly to the point: "Director Wei, I’m here to request that the task of delivering Dorami Kindergarten’s evaluation certificate be entrusted to me..."

Wan Zhenhong: "..."

This guy, Old Xin, really is something else!

No sense of sportsmanship!

He gave Xin Jinghui a somewhat dissatisfied glance.

Xin Jinghui felt Wan Zhenhong’s gaze and responded with a look that seemed to say "there are no parents on the battlefield, no brothers at the dinner table, and when it comes to good food, it’s every man for himself."

Wan Zhenhong: "..."

Not backing down, he quickly stated his own stance: "Director Wei, I would also like to request that the task of delivering Dorami Kindergarten’s evaluation certificate be entrusted to me..."