Xia Xiaolan caught the unspoken meaning in Liu Yong’s words.

“Uncle, how could that be possible? That’s my career.”

Could career and marriage conflict?

If the Zhou family demanded her business, neither she nor Zhou Cheng could continue their marriage! It wasn’t that money was more important than Zhou Cheng, but rather that she couldn’t afford to deal with such a family… Given her personality, if she had to be controlled and manipulated, Xia Xiaolan would rather fight to the bitter end and stay single for life!

Her uncle’s worries seemed premature now.

Xia Xiaolan mentally reviewed all the Zhou family members she had met.

The decision-makers in the Zhou family weren’t focused on making money. The Zhou family wasn’t enormously wealthy, but they were highly noble and didn’t need much money.

Previously, Jiang Hong had been difficult, but after Zhou Yi’s incident, she had grown closer to Xia Xiaolan.

Others weren’t even worth mentioning.

Liu Yong hummed and hawed, “Just keep your wits about you.”

Politicians were all smooth talkers – Tang Hongen might have sold out Ah Fen, and she might even end up counting money for him.

Xia Xiaolan knew her uncle was unhappy – just the typical “father-in-law” jitters that would pass once he saw her mother living happily.

An elder brother was like a father – back when the matchmaker arranged Liu Fen’s marriage to Xia Dajun, Liu Yong himself had been a troublemaker, how could he judge people properly?

Back then they weren’t looking for a good person, just someone who could provide food.

But for this second marriage, there was a choice, and Liu Yong didn’t want Liu Fen to rush.

Xia Xiaolan linked arms with Li Fengmei:

“Aunt, now that Taotao’s winter break is coming, he can come over, right? Have you decided which primary school he’ll attend next year?”

Li Fengmei was also worried about this.

“I want your uncle to find a good school close to home.”

The “home” Li Fengmei mentioned was the new house in Golden Sand Pool. Liu Yong had already paid for it – the 135-square-meter show flat in Building 1 would be their new home with their son.

More rooms were better – she wanted to bring Taotao’s grandmother to Shenzhen too.

After all, since handing over the Commercial City clothing store to her sister-in-law, her natal family owed her.

Liu Yong’s Yuan Hui also had Li family members working there, so Li Fengmei’s status in her natal family was very high now.

The Li family had long changed their tune, no longer saying she had chosen the wrong person initially.

Xia Xiaolan smiled at Li Fengmei, “For schools near Golden Sand Pool, you should ask Secretary Peng.”

Asking Secretary Peng meant asking Tang Hongen, didn’t it?

Having just become family, asking for favors seemed presumptuous to Li Fengmei.

Xia Xiaolan lowered her voice: “Secretary Peng will help with this, we won’t even need to trouble Uncle Tang.”

Li Fengmei was confused, but Liu Yong sensed something in Xia Xiaolan’s words.

“What do you mean? Don’t speak in riddles to your uncle.”

“Secretary Peng is about to work in Shangbu District, and the Futian Street Office is under Shangbu’s jurisdiction. Golden Sand Pool is in Futian Street – Uncle, don’t you think Secretary Peng can handle this himself?”

Secretary Peng had been showing goodwill, even severely diminishing Sheng Xuan’s face recently. Having received his kindness, Xia Xiaolan naturally needed to respond.

Reciprocity was the proper response.

Liu Yong exclaimed: “…He’s getting promoted?”

Whether it was a promotion would depend on Secretary Peng’s future performance.

If Secretary Peng lacked ability, even having an old leader’s support wouldn’t help.

No longer being Tang Hongen’s secretary, Peng must feel both reluctant and excited, with excitement outweighing reluctance. Xia Xiaolan used Liu Zitao’s school transfer as an opportunity to treat Secretary Peng to dinner with Liu Yong and Li Fengmei.

For such a small matter, Secretary Peng unhesitatingly guaranteed:

“I’ll have it arranged before next year’s school starts. Don’t worry about it!”

The Liu family’s status was different now than before.

Previously they were close to Mayor Tang, now they were truly family.

Take this child who needed to transfer schools – he was Liu Fen’s nephew, wasn’t he also Mayor Tang’s nephew now?

It would be ridiculous for the mayor’s nephew to worry about which school to attend.

Even if the leaders found out, they wouldn’t scold him – ultimately, this was about giving a child a better education.

“Secretary Peng, when do you start your new position?”

Peng smiled warmly, having lost his previous aloofness: “After New Year’s Day.”

New Year’s?

That was just days away.

Xia Xiaolan raised her glass too. With Secretary Peng, she didn’t bother with the formality of using tea instead of alcohol:

“Then here’s to your soaring future!”

Soaring future? Or soaring in Shenzhen?

And his surname Peng happened to match…

However interpreted, it was an auspicious toast, and Secretary Peng drained his glass.

Having accepted Tang Yuanyue’s commission, Xia Xiaolan confirmed the property type with him. Learning it was a hillside villa, she felt somewhat nervous. If structural changes were needed, she really didn’t dare handle it alone – she needed to bring a trusted assistant.

Teacher Mao was capable, but the old man was elderly, and Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to tire him too much.

She wanted to bring Wang Houlin.

When at Guangdong Provincial Construction, Wang Houlin had never been on a business trip to Hong Kong.

Unexpectedly valued so highly by Director Xia, Wang Houlin naturally agreed immediately.

Gong Yang would need to go too – without him, Xia Xiaolan couldn’t draw good renderings.

She wondered if she should improve her art skills; architectural drawings were precise with detailed data, but interior design renderings were another matter entirely.

News of Wang Houlin’s Hong Kong business trip quickly spread through the Guangdong Provincial Construction staff quarters, where his wife and children still lived. Just a few people’s casual bragging made the entire compound aware.

Mao Guosheng also lived in the staff quarters.

Hearing this news, his face darkened.

Even that cripple Wang Houlin could go to Hong Kong?

If he had accepted this job earlier, Wang Houlin wouldn’t have been involved at all!

Golden Sand Pool was selling well, construction was progressing smoothly, and even Zhou Maotong no longer mentioned him working at Qihang… Mao Guosheng had hesitated several times about saying some soft words to Xia Xiaolan, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Hearing that Wang Houlin could go to Hong Kong, Mao Guosheng couldn’t sit still and rushed to Shenzhen the next day.

He paced around in front of Grandma Song until she felt dizzy:

“Guosheng, do you have something to say?”

Mao Guosheng stammered: “Is… is Junior Sister Xia going to Golden Sand Pool today?”

Grandma Song really couldn’t answer that question.

“If you need to find Xiaolan, why don’t you wait at Golden Sand Pool?”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t need to stay in hotels anymore.

Arriving in Shenzhen on Friday nights, she and her mother stayed in Tang Hongen’s apartment in the municipal government quarters. Tang Hongen had shown Liu Fen around, upstairs and downstairs, touring every corner, saying this was Liu Fen and her daughter’s “home” in Shenzhen.

With a home, why stay in hotels?

Grandma Song and Mao Kangshan knew about Liu Fen’s remarriage to the mayor but hadn’t spread the news.

When Mao Guosheng came looking, Grandma Song didn’t let it slip.

Mao Guosheng could only skulk off to wait at Golden Sand Pool.

He waited from morning until afternoon, but Xia Xiaolan never appeared at Golden Sand Pool… Mao Guosheng was dumbfounded – where was she?