4: Chapter 4 Guo Family Banquet

As they were talking, a series of light, quick footsteps sounded from outside the door, immediately followed by a crisp child's voice: "Grandpa! I'm here!"

Before the voice had even faded, a little girl with pigtails rushed in like a little cannonball, diving straight into Elder Guo's arms.

Her cheeks were flushed, and sweat beads hung on her forehead; she had clearly run all the way back, and the bows on her pigtails were crooked.

"Oh my, my little Yaoyao!"

Elder Guo's expression changed in an instant; all the sternness on his face vanished, and with eyes full of doting affection, he picked up the little girl and kissed her on the cheek.

"Why are you running so fast? Be careful not to fall."

Li Dakang saw it clearly; Guo Mingxian, who had just moments ago carried the stern air of a soldier, now had brows and eyes filled with boundless tenderness, his voice even softening by several degrees.

The little girl had a shallow dimple embedded in her right cheek that rippled when she smiled, as if it were filled with pools of sweet water.

Her large, dark, glistening eyes darted over to Li Dakang, and suddenly she slid down from her grandfather's lap, rushing toward him like a little cannonball.

"Big Brother, who are you?"

She tilted her head to ask, the red silk ribbons on her pigtails swaying mischievously with the movement.

"Yaoyao!" a soft reprimand came from the doorway.

Li Dakang looked up and saw a middle-aged couple standing in the entryway with a slender youth.

The man was about forty years old, his hair combed meticulously, his navy blue Zhongshan suit crisp and straight. His entire demeanor exuded the steady composure of someone who had long held a position of authority—the aura cultivated by years of making final decisions at conference tables and governing a region.

At this moment, as the man looked at the little girl, his eyes brimmed with helpless amusement.

"Dad, we've come to see you."

As the man spoke, his gaze landed on Li Dakang, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Li Dakang stood up immediately; he recognized this to be Elder Guo's eldest son, Municipal Party Secretary Guo Zhenhua, the current mayor of Xinying City in Jiang Province.

His experience from his past life climbing through the grassroots levels allowed Li Dakang to instantly capture the blend of authority and approachability in the man's character.

He took two steps forward, leaning slightly as he extended his hand—a sense of propriety he had learned from years of immersion in the officialdom of his past life, showing respect without sycophancy.

"Hello, Uncle Guo."

Municipal Party Secretary Guo Zhenhua shook Li Dakang's hand with a grip that was neither too light nor too heavy—just right. "Dakang?"

He looked him up and down and smiled, "It's been years; you've grown so tall, I almost didn't recognize you."

He then turned to his wife beside him to introduce him, "Xie Xiaomei, this is the second son of Department Chief Li's family."

Xie Xiaomei was wearing a beige knit sweater paired with a navy blue straight skirt, and a pearl silk scarf around her neck made her look gentle and dignified.

Just as she was about to speak, little Yaoyao had already bounced to her side, tugging at her hem and looking up, "Mommy! This Big Brother is so handsome!"

The whole room was amused. Xie Xiaomei lightly patted her daughter's head and scolded playfully, "Mind your manners."

She turned to Li Dakang and smiled, "Don't mind her, Dakang; this child has been spoiled by us."

"Auntie Xie, that's too formal."

Li Dakang bent down and winked at little Yaoyao, "Little sister Yaoyao is so cute; if I had a little sister like her, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams."

Little Yaoyao blushed instantly, hiding behind her mother like a startled little deer, yet she couldn't help but peek out with half her face, the red silk ribbons on her pigtails brushing against the doorframe.

Municipal Party Secretary Guo Zhenhua patted the youth beside him, "Guo Mingming, greet him."

The youth was about seventeen or eighteen, wearing black-rimmed glasses, his white shirt buttoned all the way to the top, even the collar fastened tightly. He awkwardly pushed up his glasses, his voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, "Hello, Brother Dakang."

Li Dakang noticed his hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched into fists—he looked just like the college students who had just arrived at his workplace in his past life, always a bit flustered when facing strangers.

He deliberately leaned in closer and teased in a low voice, "Guo Mingming, do you think I'm too handsome to look at?"

Guo Mingming was stunned for a moment, then burst into a chuckle; his tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and he even forgot to push up his glasses as they slid to the tip of his nose.

"Dakang, that mouth of yours."

Xie Xiaomei shook her head and smiled, "I don't know how many young ladies you've charmed."

"Heaven knows!"

Li Dakang raised three fingers in a vow, "My childhood friends in the capital all say I'm too honest—I don't even dare to hold a girl's hand!"

Municipal Party Secretary Guo Zhenhua was amused into a hearty laugh and patted his shoulder heavily, "You rascal!"

He turned to ask Guo Mingxian, "Dad, have Division Chief Hu Weihang and the others not arrived yet?"

Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

Guo Yue ran out from the kitchen wearing a floral apron to open the door, and a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses walked in, holding the hand of a boy who looked like a middle school student.

The man wore a well-fitted gray suit, and his every gesture carried the cautious thoughtfulness typical of a government cadre; even the way he handed over the shoe covers exuded a just-right politeness.

"Dad, there was traffic on the way, we're late."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Li Dakang and noticeably paused, a flash of inquiry darting through his eyes.

Guo Mingxian waved his hand, "It's fine as long as you're here. Li Dakang, this is your Auntie Guo Yue's husband, Division Chief Hu Weihang; he works at the Provincial Department of Personnel. And this is their son, Xiaobin."