77: Chapter 77 Rare Moments

Su Yun smiled at the driver and pulled her suitcase quickly toward the Passat.

She noticed it was a government vehicle, with "Bishi Town Government" printed on the car door.

Xiao Bei got out of the car to take the luggage. His fingers accidentally brushed against the back of Su Yun's hand, and both of them flinched as if struck by static electricity.

"Why so early? Didn't we say three o'clock?"

He glanced at his watch; it was only two-twenty.

"I wanted to surprise you."

Su Yun slid into the passenger seat and tossed her backpack onto the back seat. "Besides, I need to familiarize myself with the environment beforehand so I can conduct the interview well tomorrow."

The car pulled away from the station. Su Yun rolled down the window, letting the breeze, carrying the scent of locust flowers, blow in.

She squinted, taking in this small town that felt both strange and familiar—strange because it was her first time here, and familiar because she had heard Xiao Bei describe every blade of grass and tree here during their phone calls.

"Should we go to the guesthouse to drop off your luggage first?"

Xiao Bei asked, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, though he caught glimpses of Su Yun's profile in his peripheral vision.

"No rush."

Su Yun turned to look at him. "Take me for a tour instead. Let me see the place where you live and work every day."

The corners of Xiao Bei's mouth lifted slightly. He turned the steering wheel and pulled onto a bustling street.

"This is the busiest commercial street in Bishi Town. It's not as grand as the malls in the city, but it has everything you could need."

The street was lined with various small shops; next to a hardware store was a clothing store, and further down was a restaurant with a sign that read "Authentic Lanzhou Ramen."

Pedestrians bustled by. A few who recognized Xiao Bei's car stopped to nod in greeting. Su Yun noticed that Xiao Bei would lightly honk the horn in response every time.

"They really respect you, don't they?"

Su Yun said.

Xiao Bei shook his head. "It's fear. After Town Mayor Ding Degui and Town Mayor Sun Jiaming fell from power, they're all afraid of being the next one."

He paused, then added, "But this is for the best, at least the administrative orders are flowing smoothly now."

The car drove past the Town Government compound without stopping and continued toward the outskirts of the town.

The road gradually narrowed, and the buildings on either side became sparser, eventually giving way to open fields.

"Where are we going?"

Su Yun asked curiously.

"I'm taking you to see something different."

Xiao Bei smiled mysteriously. The car turned onto a dirt road, and after bumping along for a few minutes, it stopped beside a small grove of trees.

"We're here."

After getting out of the car, Su Yun discovered a small river hidden behind the grove. The water was crystal clear, shimmering with ripples under the sunlight.

The bank was a soft, white sandy beach, with several large rocks scattered about like natural benches.

"This is..."

Su Yun widened her eyes in surprise.

"It's an upstream tributary of the Bishi River; the locals call it the 'Jade Belt River'."

Xiao Bei took a canvas bag out of the trunk. "I occasionally come here to fish. It's peaceful."

He led Su Yun to a flat rock by the river to sit down, pulled two bottles of mineral water from the canvas bag, and handed one to Su Yun.

"You can drink the water here directly; it's much sweeter than the tap water in town."

Su Yun took the water, her fingertips brushing against Xiao Bei's hand, sparking another subtle sensation of electric shock.

She hurriedly unscrewed the cap and took a sip; it was indeed crisp and sweet.

"How did you find this place?"

"My liaison, Secretary He Mingxuan, brought me here once."

Xiao Bei looked out over the river. "Once, when we were working overtime until the early hours, he said he wanted to take me to a place where I could relax, and this was it."

He smiled. "That night, we drank all the beer in the car, and our heads were still aching during the meeting the next day."

Su Yun laughed too, imagining the usually meticulous Secretary Xiao drunk.

She took off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the fine sand. The cool sensation from the soles of her feet was so comfortable that she squinted her eyes.

"You can't find a place like this in the city."

"Do you like it?"

Xiao Bei asked, his gaze falling on her fair ankles.

"Mm."

Su Yun nodded, then suddenly pointed at the river. "Look! Fish!"

Xiao Bei looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, a few silvery little fish were swimming in the shallows.

His eyes lit up. He took off his leather shoes and socks and rolled up his pant legs.

"Wait here, I'll show you my skills."

"What are you going to do?"

Su Yun watched him in surprise.

"Catching fish. It was my specialty when I was a kid."

Xiao Bei was already wading into the water, the river reaching his calves. "My grandfather was a fisherman; he taught me the trick of catching fish with my bare hands."

Su Yun watched him with skepticism as he crouched down and slowly extended his hands into the water.

The sunlight cast his shadow onto the riverbed, overlapping with the shadows of the fish. Suddenly, Xiao Bei slammed his hands together, and water splashed everywhere.

"I caught one!"

He excitedly held up a small, thrashing fish. Its scales shimmered in the sunlight, and water droplets slid down his arms.

Su Yun couldn't help but clap. "That's amazing!"

She took out her phone. "Don't move, let me take a photo of you."

Xiao Bei cooperatively struck an exaggerated victory pose, smiling like a big boy—a stark contrast to the serious Town Party Secretary he was on most days.

Su Yun snapped a few photos, thinking that this side of Xiao Bei was probably something only visible here.

Over the next two hours, Xiao Bei caught four fish, while Su Yun gathered some dry branches on the bank.

When the sun began to set, Xiao Bei built a small fire in the clearing by the river. He cleaned the fish with the small knife he carried, sprinkled them with salt and chili powder, and roasted them over the fire.

"I didn't expect you to have this skill."

Su Yun sat cross-legged by the fire, watching Xiao Bei skillfully turn the roasting fish.

"I practiced this often when I went on picnics with my classmates back in college."

Xiao Bei handed her a roasted fish. "Careful, it's hot."

Su Yun blew on it and took a careful bite. The fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a faint smoky flavor.

"Delicious!"

She praised it sincerely, then noticed Xiao Bei looking at her with a smile. Her face heated up, and she lowered her head to continue eating the fish.

As the sky grew darker, the fire became the only source of light, dancing across their faces.

Su Yun talked about the embarrassing things that happened when she first became a reporter, and Xiao Bei shared the funny mistakes he made during his first trip to the countryside. Their laughter rang out clearly in the quiet riverside, occasionally startling a few night birds.

"Oh, right."

Su Yun suddenly remembered something. "Chairman Lin Shicheng actually has another purpose for coming this time."

Xiao Bei's hand, which was turning the fish, paused. "What purpose?"

"He didn't say it explicitly, but I heard..."

Su Yun lowered her voice. "He's been trying to get close to Mayor Qin recently."

Xiao Bei's gaze instantly sharpened. "Is that information reliable?"

"I'm not sure, it's just something people in the circle are gossiping about."

Su Yun hesitated for a moment. "Xiao Bei, you need to be careful. Chairman Lin Shicheng is not a simple businessman; he has deep connections in both political and business circles."

The fire crackled, illuminating Xiao Bei's grave profile.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "Thank you for the warning, but tomorrow's inspection must proceed. It's too important for Bishi Town."

Su Yun nodded and said no more. The two finished the remaining fish in silence as the fire gradually died down, leaving only a pile of dark red embers.

"It's getting late. I'll drive you back to the guesthouse."

...