Chapter 34: Repaying the Favor

Having obtained the permit, Chen Feng naturally shared the good news with his family immediately.

They had been under immense pressure these past few days because, in their eyes, this car detailing shop represented the entirety of the brothers' life savings. If it had actually been shut down, their investment of hundreds of thousands would have gone down the drain. Now, hearing Chen Feng say that the matter had been resolved, they were all overjoyed and breathed a massive sigh of relief.

Chen Feng did not go home right away. Taking advantage of the early hour, he went to the mall to buy some fruit and headed to Teacher Zheng's house.

Since it was his first time bringing a gift, he made it somewhat grand. However, since only a few days had passed, there was no need to buy anything expensive again; otherwise, it might actually come across as being overly formal and distant.

Seeing Chen Feng visit again after only a few days, Teacher Zheng and his wife were very happy. They certainly didn't feel the two bags of fruit were too light; instead, it made them feel even closer to him.

After some casual chatting, dinner time arrived. This time, Chen Feng did not decline and naturally stayed to eat with the couple.

Feng Xiaoying did not come over today, but she called during dinner. Upon learning that Chen Feng had come to visit, she took a moment to speak with him and express her gratitude.

By the time they finished eating, it had grown dark, and Chen Feng took his leave. Perhaps because it had been a long time since a student had visited, Teacher Zheng seemed a bit reluctant to see him go.

Upon returning home, Chen Feng inevitably had to explain the situation under his family's questioning. However, he didn't go into too much detail, simply saying that a classmate had helped him settle it.

As he went upstairs to his room, his WeChat chimed.

Picking it up, he saw it was once again a message from Fang Xiaoyue. She had sent a message yesterday afternoon while he was eating at Teacher Zheng's, asking if he was free in the evening.

Chen Feng hadn't replied then, and now she had sent another: [Are you there?]

This time, Chen Feng couldn't very well ignore her.

[Just saw this. I was eating at an elder's house earlier and didn't see my phone.]

[Oh. Well, are you free tonight?]

[I just drove back to Qingpu. I just got home.]

[Alright, then you must be free tomorrow. I'll treat you to lunch tomorrow.]

Chen Feng knew he couldn't dodge it. After all, he did owe her a favor; she had truly intended to help him at the start, even if she ultimately couldn't.

[Let me treat you instead. The usual place from last time.]

[Okay. 12:00 noon. Be there or be square.]

[Okay.]

Having set the time with Fang Xiaoyue, he went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he came out, he saw a WeChat message from Wang Fang.

Since Chen Feng had clearly rejected her last time, Wang Fang hadn't contacted him much.

Opening it, he saw a text message: [How did you get in touch with Fang Xiaoyue? I remember you two didn't even talk in high school.]

Only then did Chen Feng realize that Fang Xiaoyue hadn't told Wang Fang about his situation, though this was understandable. Although the two of them seemed to be on very good terms now, it didn't necessarily mean they shared everything.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Feng replied: [I contacted her because I needed her help with something.]

[Oh. It seems like she's quite interested in you. She asked me a lot of things about you, including your family situation. I told her most of it, I hope you don't mind?]

Chen Feng thought to himself, *You already told her, why are you asking for my opinion?* Still, he typed back: [It's fine. I happen to know her department head, so she might have some misunderstandings about me.]

[Oh, I see. But I should warn you. Fang Xiaoyue is quite difficult to deal with. If you just want to play around and then dump her, that won't work. She's still single because her standards are high, but once she sets her sights on someone, she's incredibly stubborn. Getting rid of her won't be easy.]

This could be considered a... well-meaning warning.

[She's still single?] Chen Feng was somewhat surprised. He had always assumed that even if Fang Xiaoyue wasn't married, she would have a boyfriend. After all, looking at her now, she had a good appearance and temperament, and she was nearly thirty.

[Yeah, didn't you know? She had a boyfriend in college but they broke up, and she's been single ever since. Her family has arranged many blind dates for her, but none have worked out.]

[Oh. I don't have any feelings for her. I'm heading back to Xiuzhou in a few days.]

[But it looks like she has feelings for you. If you have no intention of being with her, don't mess with her. And don't cause trouble for yourself—after all, you're a married man. If you want to have an affair, don't pick a single woman like her; you could find plenty of other women.]

Seeing her final, highly suggestive words, Chen Feng was speechless. It seemed Comrade Wang Fang had some feelings for him after all.

Pretending not to notice the implication, Chen Feng replied: [I have to take a call. Let's leave it at that for now.]

After that, he ignored her.

The next day at noon, Chen Feng arrived at the restaurant shortly after twelve. Fang Xiaoyue was already waiting.

Fang Xiaoyue showed no sign of dissatisfaction regarding his lateness.

Chen Feng called the waiter, and after they both ordered, they sat down to drink tea and chat while waiting for the food.

After some small talk, Fang Xiaoyue got to the point: "Yesterday afternoon, our section chief specifically called me in for a talk. He said he'd help me promote to deputy section chief by the end of the year. Speaking of which, this is all thanks to you."

Hearing this, Chen Feng felt happy for her and said, "What credit do I have? I can only say you were lucky."

Fang Xiaoyue giggled. "It was luck—luck that I met you. Otherwise, I'd have to wait a few more years to get that promotion."

Chen Feng smiled but said nothing. Strictly speaking, she wasn't wrong.

"Can you tell me what your relationship is with our Director Feng?" Fang Xiaoyue asked, her eyes blinking with curiosity.

After a long hesitation, Chen Feng finally revealed: "She is Teacher Zheng's daughter."

"Teacher Zheng?" Fang Xiaoyue's eyes widened. "Our high school homeroom teacher?"

Chen Feng nodded slightly.

Fang Xiaoyue was momentarily stunned into silence, filled with intense regret.

When she graduated from college at twenty-three, she passed the civil service exam and joined her current unit. She had been there for six years and was still stuck in the same position. Some people who had joined after her had already climbed above her.

There were many reasons for this, but in her view, the main reason was that she lacked connections at the top. Otherwise, given her education and ability, she felt she was second to none and shouldn't be held back.

"I didn't originally want to tell you. Do you know why?" Chen Feng asked, staring at her.

Hearing this, Fang Xiaoyue quickly shook off her frustration and said sheepishly, "I haven't visited Teacher Zheng since graduating from high school."

Chen Feng nodded. "That's secondary. The main thing is that Teacher Zheng became paralyzed two years ago. Among our graduating class, only a handful of students have gone to visit him. I am one of them; I just visited a few days ago. However, I was in Xiuzhou for the past few years and didn't know about it. Once I found out upon returning, I went to see him immediately. Since you live locally, did you really not know?"

Chen Feng's words were somewhat blunt. Fang Xiaoyue lowered her head in embarrassment. She had indeed heard about Teacher Zheng's paralysis long ago, but she had never had any intention of visiting.

It was just that she hadn't known before that Feng Xiaoying was Teacher Zheng's daughter; otherwise, would she have needed Chen Feng to tell her?

"The reason I'm telling you this now is because I'm returning to Xiuzhou soon. I won't be able to visit Teacher Zheng frequently. In the future, please visit him often on my behalf; just spending time talking to him would be good. Also, consider it a way to repay your favor."

Chen Feng's words were very direct, but Fang Xiaoyue had no choice but to accept them. However, because of this, the slight romantic tension she had been nurturing in her heart vanished instantly.