Chapter 55: The Tavern is Like a Battlefield

Words : 1307 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Tavern is Like a Battlefield "This here is my good brother Lin, who’s about to become the deputy mayor of Lotus Town..." "He’s my close, older friend, and you all should give him your respect..." "Lin is my best brother, everyone should get close and stay close..." Banquet after banquet filled Lin Fan’s life. Each banquet was an intellectual and strategic contest, especially those so-called close friends who had only met a few days ago. But Lin Fan had to go along with it, drinking glass after glass, and switching girls one after another. In just a few days, Lin Fan had nearly met over half of the City’s leaders, no matter if it was the police, traffic police, education, or medical professions—a constant stream of people talking about everything under the sun, discussing impossible things and leaving contact numbers that might not even be used. Now, he truly found himself on the cusp of a storm. He had probably also grasped the logic of navigating through this bureaucracy—a spiral of contacts laid out layer by layer. Some people he only met once, while others he could encounter at several events; however, after a few days, not only did the trunks full of cigarettes and alcohol not get given away, they had actually added up, piling up in the backseat, and as for dining, he hadn’t spent a penny of his own money. "Ah, so tired!" Sitting in the car, Lin Fan stretched lazily. The last few days of socializing were even more tiring than working, hitting up over a dozen top hotels and the city’s best sauna massages, covering all of them. If the first time was out of novelty, the second was out of attachment, by the third time he began to grow numb. Rushing about, he didn’t even have time to enjoy his villa’s hidden delights. But tonight, he had turned down several dinner offers because Bai Xue had called. She was coming to the city for a training session, and with such a beauty knocking on his door, how could he pass up the opportunity? Their chats over the past few days had brought them closer, and this chance to be alone was rare. Perhaps he might even have the chance to win her over. Soon, a pink sedan slowly drove into the hotel courtyard, which was the training venue. As the car stopped, Bai Xue got out, backpack slung over her shoulder, and walked towards Lin Fan’s car with a smile. "You’re here early, I haven’t even checked in yet. Can you wait for me a bit?" Bai Xue, the music teacher, tall and with a youthful radiance in her white dress, her black hair flowing down to her waist, and even though her large sunglasses hid her pretty face, they couldn’t obstruct her cherry-red lips. "Of course, it’s my honor to serve a beauty," Lin Fan replied, smiling at Bai Xue. The allure of such a woman was far greater than any offered by those bathhouses and massages—after all, professionals though they might be, they were communal, far inferior to the safety of a respectable housewife. Most importantly, Lin Fan was genuinely captivated by Bai Xue, and the opportunity to taste her charm was indeed a good one. "See you in a bit then." Bai Xue smiled and turned to walk towards the hotel lobby, while Lin Fan sat in the car, continuing to smoke, watching as she signed in and collected her room key. But just as she was about to leave, a figure appeared in front of her. "Teacher Bai, you’re here early!" Lu Deshui waved his hand with a smile, eyeing Bai Xue covetously. A woman in her early thirties was at her most appealing age, and Bai Xue had both the looks and the figure, along with a born charm that made Lu Deshui even more envious. "Hmm." Bai Xue brushed her bangs behind her ears, not intending to linger, and stepped out to leave, but Lu Deshui blocked her path. "Teacher Bai, don’t rush off. There’s a phone call you need to take a listen to." "What call?" Bai Xue looked at the phone Lu Deshui was handing her with suspicion. "Director Xu’s call. Your husband had to ask him for a favor to get you transferred from the village school to town. Plus, there’s an evaluation next week, and he’s the interviewer. You wouldn’t want to snub him, right?" Lu Deshui was smiling at Bai Xue. On hearing this, she felt she had no choice but to answer the call. "Teacher Bai, I hear you’re the one being sent for training this time. We haven’t met since last time, and now that you’re in the city, we should catch up. A few colleagues and I are dining out; why don’t you join us with Principal Lu? We could discuss the transfer matters as well." On the phone, Director Xu spoke officiously, "You should also know that the bureau is considering cleaning up these transfer issues. We could just sit down and have a proper talk about the interview. If you fail the interview, your temporary transfer would become a problem." "I... understand!" Bai Xue bit her lower lip. She could clearly sense the naked threat in his words—if she didn’t attend this dinner, she’d likely mess up her interview next week and would have to return to her old village school. "Teacher Bai, let’s go then." Lu Deshui was watching Bai Xue with a mocking smile. He had deliberately arranged for her to come to the city for training. The trap was set, and she had fallen into it. He knew exactly what would happen next. "I’ve got a friend waiting outside. I’ll just go speak to him." Bai Xue walked toward the parking lot and soon arrived at Lin Fan’s car. Looking embarrassed, she said, "I’m afraid I won’t be able to have dinner with you. Director Xu from the education bureau called, asking me to join them. He’s my interviewer next week, and if I don’t pass, I’ll have to go back to the village school... So I have to go socialize for a bit. Maybe we can have supper together later?" "This isn’t just about eating. It’s clearly a trap—they’re out to get you. If you go, forget about supper; you probably won’t even need to attend the training anymore. Director Xu is definitely up to no good." Having heard too many strange tales in the past few days, Lin Fan knew this dinner was a setup, and Bai Xue was the real delicacy on the table. "I’ll take care of myself... If worse comes to worst, I just won’t do the job. It’s not like it’s indispensable..." Bai Xue sighed, her face showing her distress. "Alright, I’ll take care of this for you. You only need to do one thing—tell me which private room it is. I’ll be sure to ride my colorful clouds to your rescue." Lin Fan gave a mysterious smile. Such affairs would have been beyond his help in the past, but for the now popular Lin Fan, it didn’t seem to be a big deal. "You really think you’re Sun Wukong, huh?" Bai Xue said with a bitter smile. "I originally intended to interact with you as a regular person, but you’ve seen through that. Fine, I confess, I am Sun Wukong." Lin Fan said, and couldn’t resist scratching his ears and cheeks, which made the downcast Bai Xue laugh despite herself. "But Sun Wukong has his Ruyi Jingu Bang." "I have one too. It’s flexible yet firm, can grow or shrink, and it can bring endless joy. Would you like to take a look?" Lin Fan’s naughty grin elicited an eye roll full of innuendo from Bai Xue, "Get lost!"

Chapter 55: The Tavern is Like a Battlefield

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