Chapter Thirty-Three: Proud Bones?

  The wall clock ticked away, Zhang Qingyun sat alone on the sofa in a dull and tasteless manner. He thought of going to Geng Shuang's place several times, but ultimately didn't have the courage. He silently cursed himself for having a lustful heart but not enough guts, yet he only cursed and took no action.

  "Ding! Ding! Ding!"

  Zhang Qingyun was just about to fall asleep when there was a sudden knock at the door.

  Geng Shuang stood outside the door, wearing a white nightgown that revealed her smooth and delicate neck, with a hint of snow-white skin at the collar, captivating one's heart.

  "Have you taken a bath?" Zhang Qingyun obviously felt his heart beating faster, for the first time feeling that his tongue was somewhat unable to turn.

  "Ah!" Geng Shuang hummed a sound, immediately followed by a gentle smile, which made Zhang Qingyun's head dizzy.

  "Tell me honestly, what did you say to Zhao today?"

  Zhang Qingyun's heart sank, and he secretly thought that this matter was indeed suspicious. In all likelihood, it had something to do with that agreement. As soon as he thought of this, he also put away his playful thoughts and spoke the truth:

  "He suggested I move into the city through connections, but I refused!"

  "Why? Why refuse such a good thing? Do you think it's better in Yongping than in Wude City?"

  Zhang Qingyun secretly shook her head, Geng Shuang had not mixed in the official circles after all. There were many things in the official circles that she still couldn't see through. Things in the official circles weren't that simple. She herself had no background and was now promoted to be the county mayor's secretary, there were already people who were jealous of her. If she rashly entered the city, who knows what would happen?

  Of course, the most important thing is that Zhang Qingyun thinks that Zhao Chuan's relationship is unreliable. In official circles, what is least valuable is righteousness and human feelings, some are just interests. Zhao Chuan's transfer to the city was only to fulfill a promise, and cannot be relied upon. If he were to do so, the probability of falling would be too great, Zhang Qingyun does not think that he is a docile person.

  But it's not suitable to say these things to Geng Shuang, this woman is already clever enough, and if she is instilled with these ideas, Zhang Qingyun really fears that it will trigger her dark side, women are better off being a bit foolish.

  "Brother Zhao told me about some sort of agreement between you two, I don't know the details, but I reckon it's probably related to you rebuilding your family. At that time, our relationship wasn't confirmed, how could I rashly accept such kindness?" Zhang Qingyun said with a straight face, after speaking, he only felt his face burning slightly, thinking to himself if he was being too shameless.

  "What can I say... You're so stubborn! I was trying to help you out of goodwill, but unfortunately...” Geng Shuang shook his head, “What a pity... Zhao Da Ge is a man of his word, once the deadline passes, there won't be another chance like this.”

  Zhang Qingyun's expression changed, and he was suddenly very curious, hastily inquiring about the details of the matter.

  Zhang Qingyun asked, and Geng Shuang was a bit hesitant, after a long time she finally said what had happened.

  It turned out that Geng Shuang and her ex-husband Sun Ke had only been married for five days, and they hadn't even held a wedding banquet when Sun Ke died. To be strict, Sun Ke's death was caused by Zhao Chuan's command mistake, and during his lifetime, he was also one of Zhao Chuan's trusted followers, so at that time, Zhao Chuan still felt some pain.

  As Sun Ke's widow, Qian Shuang naturally received special attention from Zhao Chuan. Qian Shuang's younger brother was enlisted at that time and was promoted after two years of service, gradually becoming one of Zhao Chuan's trusted followers. At the same time, Zhao Chuan also promised Qian Shuang that when she remarried, he would help her new husband find a good job so that they could live a happy life together.

  However, Zhao Chuan, a former soldier, had some strange habits. In order to help Geng Shuang get out of the shadow of her late husband as soon as possible, he gave her a deadline of two years. Within those two years, he required Geng Shuang to rebuild her family; otherwise, their agreement would be invalid! When they first made the agreement in '99, the deadline was approaching, and that's when Geng Shuang brought Zhang Qingyun over.

  "After messing around for half a day, it turned out to be this kind of thing. I said why Ge Shuang was in such a hurry! It turns out that after passing this village, there are no more shops." Zhang Qingyun thought to himself, just as he was about to open his mouth to say a few joking words, he raised his eyes and saw that Ge Shuang's expression was somewhat off."

  "Qingyun, I also know that I'm not worthy of you. I'm a poor soul. When I took you to see Zhao Da Ge, it was just because I didn't want to waste this opportunity. You have talent, but your roots are shallow, so I wanted to help you out. Please don't mind." Geng Shuang said with a somewhat melancholy expression, and her eyes naturally welled up with tears, shining brightly and pitifully.

  Zhang Qingyun was taken aback, this woman's temperament was indeed unpredictable, how could she suddenly change her face after speaking nicely.

  "Geng Jie, I'm being genuine with you, your conditions are so good, I'm already overreaching myself, how can you think like this?"

  Geng Shuang remained silent for a long time before humming and saying, "Is that so? Then why did you tell Zhao Ge that we're just ordinary friends, making me lose face?"

  Zhang Qingyun was speechless, her mind suddenly clear. Before Geng Shuang came just now, she must have called Zhao Chuan, otherwise she wouldn't know so many details. She's come to my room looking for trouble and has gotten the wrong idea.

  "Haha!" Zhang Qingyun laughed loudly and said: "My dear, I see you're angry about this. My foundation is shallow, my background is weak, but I also want to achieve something through my own hard work. Even if I rely on your and Zhao's agreement to gain wealth and honor, I will still have regrets in my heart. That's why I said those words back then, look at what you thought of!"

  Zhang Qingyun said these bold words, and he himself felt a bit hypocritical. This woman really had some acting skills.

  Geng Shuang gazed at Zhang Qingyun for a long time, then suddenly smiled sweetly. Zhang Qingyun finally let out a sigh of relief, it seemed that his "bluff" had taken effect. Even someone as astute as Geng Shuang had been fooled by him.

  "You, you, how can you think like this? Nowadays, who in the official circle doesn't rely on connections? Many people throw out a lot of money just to find some connections, your stubbornness won't do."

  Zhang Qingyun was taken aback and lost her smile, thinking to herself if she was really that innocent. However, she said:

  "I'm not a conservative person, but every time I think of that promise, I feel uneasy in my heart. You are now my girlfriend, mine alone!"

  Geng Shuang's eyebrows rose, and Zhang Qingyun's words were not something she couldn't understand. It turned out that this troublemaker was dissatisfied with the agreement being made because of Sun Ke, and he was jealous. As soon as she thought of this, a warm feeling surged through Geng Shuang's heart, and she felt that she had found such a man, and her life would be without regret.

  Geng Shuang's life was complicated, and she didn't have any feelings for Sun Ke (as will be explained later). Sun Ke's death did not bring her any sorrow, but rather a sense of relief. However, after Sun Ke's death, she put on the hat of a martyr's family member, thinking it would be hard to find someone who understood her. She thought that this life might have no one else to love, but unexpectedly, heaven was kind to her and sent her a Zhang Qingyun.