Officialdom: The beautiful leader took me to the top

Having sent out the signal and achieved its goal, Li Ying didn't linger any longer and immediately stood up, saying, "In that case, I won't disturb you any longer as you recover, brother."

“I’ve been busy with some business matters these past few days, and my older brother and sister-in-law are also unavailable.”

"I'll be done with my work in a couple of days, and my older brother will be discharged from the hospital by then."

“At that time, I will host the event. We will find a restaurant in Tianzhou to celebrate with my elder brother. It will also serve as my formal apology.”

Mr. Li waved his hands repeatedly, "Xiao Li, it's fine to talk things out, there's no need to take it so seriously."

“Our Li family is not the kind of family that holds grudges, and we will not hold a grudge about what happened today.”

"Regardless of what happened today, we will treat Xiao Song the same way we treated him before, and we will treat him the same way we will in the future. You don't need to worry about that at all!"

When it was time to leave, Li's mother personally saw him out of the ward.

Mr. Li also instructed Song Ci to make sure she sent the person back.

At the elevator entrance, Song Ci said, "Mom, you should go back now and take good care of Dad."

"Li Dong went to his new job today, so he might be a bit busy."

"If anything happens at the hospital, please call me immediately, and I'll be there anytime!"

We entered the elevator and remained silent the entire way.

It wasn't until she was back in the car that Song Ci suddenly turned her head.

Li Ying noticed the sharpness in Song Ci's eyes, but her expression remained unchanged. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Song Ci asked directly, "What secret reasons are you hiding from me for doing this today?"

Li Ying countered, "What secret could I possibly have? I just see that you and Li Dong are truly in love, and I want to try to accept Li Dong."

"Although I still think Li Dong is not good enough for you, and I feel that it would be a disservice for you to become a daughter-in-law in the Li family."

"But no matter what, you are still my daughter, and everything I do is for your own good."

"For your sake, I can give Li Dong a chance and give him some time to grow."

"After all, I can't possibly turn my own daughter away just for Li Dong's sake, can I?"

"After all I've done for you today, you still don't believe me?"

"Xiao Ci, if that's really what you think, it will break my heart..."

Song Ci stared into Li Ying's eyes, trying to find a trace of lying on the other's face.

Unfortunately, she was too unfamiliar with this mother, nor with her past, and had no way of judging how credible her words were.

Song Ci replied firmly, "I don't believe it!"

Li Ying retorted, "Then what do I have to do for you to believe me?"

Song Ci shook her head. "No matter what you do, I won't believe you, so I'm warning you."

"I don't care why you're here to apologize today, or what you're trying to achieve."

"If you dare to harm the Li family through this matter, or if you want to turn my marriage with Li Dong into a transaction, Li Ying, don't blame me for taking you down with me!"

Li Ying spoke earnestly, even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were particularly clear in the dim light inside the car, "Xiao Ci, you are still too young."

"I don't know how the Song family raised you, but I want to tell you that in the adult world, mutual destruction is always the most foolish choice!"

"No one is worth sacrificing yourself for, including Li Dong."

"Whether you believe it or not, I've come to the Li family today to apologize, and I genuinely want to give you and Li Dong a chance!"

"If it's alright, could we have lunch together?"

Song Ci was about to refuse as was her habit, when Li Ying said, "We haven't eaten together since we returned to China."

"Every time we meet, we either have a big argument or a small one."

"Regarding what happened today, whether you think I have ulterior motives or that I harbor malicious intentions or not."

"At the very least, I've given them a way out, and I've done what I could."

"I don't ask for anything else, just give me a chance to have lunch together, okay?"

Song Ci hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Li Ying, I hope you won't break your promise!"

On the mine.

Li Dong took a brief walk around the mine, not venturing into the deeper parts. After all, the mining area was complex and involved safety in production, and there were many places he, as the stationed police officer, was not authorized to go to.

Li Dong wandered around the factory area, including warehouses, workshops, and the employees' club.

On the one hand, it's to familiarize myself with the environment, and on the other hand, it's because I haven't been to the mine for many years and want to reminisce.

As expected, after walking a few steps, I felt someone following me.

It's obvious without even guessing that it must be someone from the security department.

Because someone was following him, Li Dong hardly saw anyone along the way, let alone anyone he knew.

Even if they occasionally caught a glimpse of each other, the other person would immediately avoid eye contact.

Li Dong knew that someone at the mine probably didn't want him to have too much contact with the frontline workers.

Moreover, people had already been informed not to talk to them too much.

Therefore, it's clear that he couldn't possibly gain anything in just one day.

Looking at the time, it was almost noon. Just as Li Dong was about to return to the police station, someone suddenly called out to him, "Li Dong!"

The speaker was a girl with a clear, crisp voice, her voice a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Clearly, the other party seemed somewhat unsure whether he was Li Dong.

Li Dong turned his head and recognized the other person.

Su Xiaotang was also an old neighbor on the street.

The daughter of Uncle Su, who lives on the east side of the old street, lives just a few rooms away from his old house.

Back then, Su Xiaotang was so beautiful; she was the most dazzling jewel on the entire street.

Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled egg, and her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescent moons when she smiled, with two shallow dimples that exuded a lively charm.

Everyone in the neighborhood praised her for her good looks.

It has been several years since the two sides last met.

After six months of work experience, Li Dong behaved quite confidently and poisedly. "Su Xiaotang?"

Su Xiaotang was a little shy, and when she saw Li Dong, she seemed not to recognize him.

After some hesitation, he finally called out, "Brother Dong..."

This "Brother Dong" also brought back memories of the past for Li Dong.

The two had a special relationship; in fact, they were betrothed when they were children.

It wasn't a formal affair; there was no banquet, and no betrothal gifts were given.

It was something that was agreed upon verbally by both fathers at a dinner table years ago, when they were both in high spirits.

At that time, both Li's father and Su Xiaotang's father worked in the mine.

They also shared similar interests and became good friends.

As time went by, the two families started seeing each other more often.

It just so happened that both Li's mother and Su Xiaotang's mother were pregnant at the same time, so they mentioned it briefly at the dinner table.

If the baby is a boy or a girl, then arrange a marriage between the two families, which would be considered a double blessing.

Li Dong was born two months earlier, followed closely by Su Xiaotang.

If it weren't for that accident back then, their life trajectories would probably have been intertwined long ago!