The pushover offended a top-tier boss

The annual development meeting of Binshi New Area was held in the conference room on the eighth floor.

Early in the morning, all the leaders of various departments were dressed in suits and ties, ready for action.

However, the meeting was long and did not go very smoothly.

Even Chen Zheng could sense his elder brother's low spirits and the tense atmosphere in the meeting.

Zhou Huaijin sat in the main seat, wearing a dark gray shirt, with a serious expression.

"Secretary, the construction progress of the central building is in line with expectations, and the main structure is expected to be completed by the end of this year." The director of the Housing and Construction Bureau reported, holding documents in his hand. "Overall decoration will begin next year."

"Starting this year, the Central Building project will be suspended."

Zhou Huaijin raised his hand, interrupting him.

The conference table fell silent for a moment.

A commotion erupted. Several people exchanged glances.

"Secretary, this project has already been launched—" someone said.

"Given the current market environment and economic development, what's the point of building this skyscraper besides wasting money and manpower?" Zhou Huaijin asked him.

"Once completed, it will become the tallest building in our country, a new landmark in Bin City, and an important achievement during your term of office—" someone said.

"I don't need these superficial projects." Zhou Huaijin's voice deepened, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "And you don't need to bother praising me. How much of the annual financial data is inflated? How much have you inflated the GDP growth rate in your reports? Just to make it look good when you report to your superiors every year? How many years has Binzhou's economy not developed?"

He paused for a moment; the conference room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

"Aren't you guys even a little bit guilty?"

No one answered.

"Binzhou's top priority for the next three years is to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship," Zhou Huaijin said calmly. "Secondly, we will focus on developing projects that improve people's livelihoods. The construction of the long-delayed Metro Lines 10 and 11 must be accelerated. Transportation drives regional development, and the high-speed rail station should be connected to surrounding provinces and cities as soon as possible to promote tourism."

Someone finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Secretary, the investment in subways and high-speed railways is huge, and the construction period is long. It will take at least three years to see results."

"Moreover, once such a project is launched, the subsequent maintenance, operation, and supporting facilities will be a long-term financial burden."

"Yes," someone echoed. "Such a large project, Secretary, please be cautious."

"Please, Secretary, do not act arbitrarily; please listen to the opinions of each department."

Zhou Huaijin leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people who were speaking.

"The people have raised you; remember that."

"If an official doesn't understand this saying, then his career is over."

His voice wasn't loud, but the imposing aura he exuded made the air in the conference room seem to freeze.

No one spoke anymore.

In the corridor, several people from various bureaus and commissions walked in twos and threes. Some spoke in hushed tones, some remained silent, and some hurried toward the elevator.

"Today's going to be... truly ruthless."

"That's right, the central building project was shut down just like that, even after so much money was invested in it—"

"Shh, keep your voice down."

"I think so too. Vanity projects are not as important as livelihood projects. Ordinary people don't rely on high-rise buildings for their livelihood."

"That's what they say, but what about this administration's record—"

When Ye Zhenzhen returned to the government compound in the Bureau of Culture and Tourism's special car, it was already 2:30 pm.

She carried a small basket of strawberries, pushed open the office door, and sensed that something was off.

At this time of day, people would usually be chatting, drinking coffee, or finishing up work in small groups. Chen Zheng would wander around, sometimes running up to the seventh floor to visit other people, sometimes sitting at his desk scrolling through his phone. Secretary Lin would be going in and out with documents, occasionally whispering a few words to someone in the hallway.

Today, everyone sat quietly at their workstations, deliberately keeping their typing sounds low. Chen Zheng leaned back in his chair, not daring to be too flamboyant. When he saw Ye Zhenzhen come in, he winked at her and then gestured towards the end of the corridor with his lip.

"What's wrong?" Ye Zhenzhen lowered her voice, put down the strawberry basket in her hand, and leaned over.

"Shh—" Chen Zheng's voice was very low, "Big brother was furious in the meeting today. Those bureau chiefs were so angry they turned green."

"Huh?" Ye Zhenzhen was taken aback.

She glanced furtively at the closed office door at the end of the corridor, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

She decided to avoid going against the grain for the time being.

But just as he sat down, his phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from Lin Rui: "Teacher Ye, the boss finished his meeting this morning and hasn't eaten a single bite."

Ye Zhenzhen stared at the line of words, stunned for a moment.

Why aren't you eating?

Lin Rui sent another message: "The meeting didn't go well today, and he's in a bad mood. Could you try to talk to him? Maybe he'll listen to you."

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the words "Perhaps I can listen to you" and felt a mix of emotions.

she?

But she still stood up and went to the cafeteria to get the lunch that had been kept warm.

She took a deep breath, gently knocked on the door, and then slowly pushed it open a crack, peeking out half her head.

"Boss, Secretary Lin said you haven't eaten yet."

Hearing the noise, Zhou Huaijin looked up and glanced at her.

His gaze fell on her face, paused for a moment, and his tone was somewhat displeased.

"So you know how to come back?"

Ye Zhenzhen felt a little guilty. She put on a flattering smile.

"I rushed back as soon as I finished my work."

He placed the food on the table, opened the lid, and took out the dishes one by one. He then took out a strawberry from the basket and held it to his mouth.

"Try this, these are strawberries from Nanjing, freshly picked from a greenhouse, they're so sweet." Her eyes sparkled, as if she were presenting a treasure.

Zhou Huaijin stared at the bright red strawberry without opening his mouth.

Ye Zhenzhen pushed the strawberry forward again, the tip of the strawberry almost touching his lips.

He reluctantly opened his mouth and took a bite. It was sweet with a hint of refreshing sourness.

"Isn't it delicious?" Ye Zhenzhen's lips curled up, and she handed over another cherry tomato. "And this one, it's sweet and sour, very appetizing. They were all picked fresh from the greenhouse today, very fresh."

"We did a live stream to help farmers today, and guess how many we sold? Three thousand orders! It was so popular that we had to take it down temporarily, and we're already booked to ship until next weekend."

Zhou Huaijin watched her beaming face and his lips twitched slightly.

"It seems this Yang Guanyu is quite capable." His voice was calm, making it impossible to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult.

Ye Zhenzhen quickly chimed in, "That's all because you promoted him. If it weren't for your discerning eye, who would even know who County Chief Yang is?"

Ye Zhenzhen felt her emotional intelligence had skyrocketed after hearing those words.

She picked up the rice and chopsticks again and held them in front of him: "Eat something, how can your body hold up if you don't eat?"

"What will we do if you collapse?"

Hmph, she's just all sweet talk.

Zhou Huaijin opened his mouth and ate the spoonful of rice that was offered to him.

"Eat some more, eat some more. Eating on an empty stomach can easily cause low blood sugar."

Ye Zhenzhen picked up another piece of pork rib.

"You need to take vitamins too, have some vegetables, open your mouth."

Ye Zhenzhen is like a kindergarten teacher coaxing a child to eat.

With his patient feeding, Zhou Huaijin finally ate some food.

Sigh, it's like serving a prince; I have to be coaxed to eat.

"I'm not eating anymore." Zhou Huaijin turned her head away.

"Then let me give you a massage." Ye Zhenzhen went around behind the chair and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Secretary Lin said you had a meeting all afternoon," she said while pressing the button. "You didn't eat much today. I'll cook dinner after get off work. There's half a chicken left from last time, so I'll make chicken soup, braised pork with rice, and smoked fish—"

"Oh right, the leftover rice can be used to make salmon sushi! There's still half a piece of salmon left from the last order."

Zhou Huaijin closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

Listening to her happily chatter on and on.

The hand was limp and weak, but the pressure on the temple was just right, rubbing it in circles.

There's also a sweet fragrance enveloping you.

The resentment in my heart gradually subsided.

He grabbed that hand.

Before Ye Zhenzhen could react, she was pulled away by a force.

She lost her balance and was pulled from behind the chair to the front, falling sideways into his arms.

Before she could react, a hand was already around her waist, firmly gripping her waist.