A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

After receiving the call, Su Ran and several other staff members quickly went to Wei Changzheng's office.

dong dong dong.

"Please come in."

The group pushed open the door and entered, all saluting Wei Changzheng in unison.

"Section Chief, you wanted to see us?" Su Ran stood ramrod straight.

"Section Chief, who exactly is that person?"

The clerk, Xiao Chen, was impatient and couldn't help but ask first.

Wei Changzheng didn't rush to answer. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then slowly spoke:

"Do you realize how much impact that cover design had?"

The group exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled.

Wei Changzheng put down his cup and glanced at them.

"That cover design alone caused the sales of that gift box to increase sixteenfold compared to the same period in previous years."

There was a moment of silence in the office.

Several people showed expressions of surprise.

They recognized that gift box; it was the kind of pastries the factory gave out every year.

The items are nothing special; you can buy them individually.

Just because the box looks nice?

"This is just the beginning," Wei Changzheng said.

Wei Changzheng relayed the city's level of attention to this matter to several people.

"I'm telling you this."

"I want you to know just how much practical effect and market impact a good design can have."

He paused, his gaze falling on the faces of the group.

"Secondly, I want you to understand how significant it would be for our publicity department's future work if we could facilitate communication and learning with this designer."

Su Ran frowned slightly.

Judging from the section chief's tone, this matter seems quite difficult.

Su Ran spoke, her tone filled with doubt.

"Section Chief, is this designer an expert or teacher from the Academy of Fine Arts?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Changzheng gave a subtle smile but did not answer directly.

"This person," he paused, "you might all know him."

"She is a military dependent in our military region's family compound."

Upon hearing this, the two young staff members next to him exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"What?! Family members of our troops?!"

Su Ran's heart skipped a beat.

A bad feeling suddenly welled up inside me.

"Do we military dependents have such capable people?"

One of the staff members blurted it out without thinking.

In the minds of most of the stationed officers and soldiers, military dependents do not have formal jobs or independent professional status.

At most, some people can help out at the service center or take on some work in the sewing group.

Most of what they do is serve the military and the families of the soldiers.

In their minds, there really are people with such abilities and talents.

Most of them would not choose the path of accompanying the military.

So this news was hard for them to believe.

This was completely beyond their imagination of what "military dependents" meant.

"Who is it, Section Chief? Please tell me!" Officer Xiao Chen couldn't help but ask.

Seeing the shocked expressions on their faces, Wei Changzheng finally stopped beating around the bush and said clearly, word by word:

"Comrade Ye Wenxi, the wife of Battalion Commander Lu Weidong."

boom--!

Su Ran felt as if something suddenly exploded in her mind, and her eardrums were ringing.

Her blood seemed to freeze instantly, then suddenly flowed backward, giving her goosebumps.

The shocking news left her frozen in place.

"What? It's Comrade Xiao Ye?"

"It's her?!"

In stark contrast to the reactions of the two female soldiers beside him, which were purely surprised and even a little excited.

Su Ran's face turned pale instantly, and her lips trembled slightly.

But he couldn't utter a single word.

She just stood there quietly, almost stiffly.

She had spent countless hours under the lamp copying and studying the cover design of that gift box.

While sketching, I mentally summarize its exquisite composition and color matching.

She even fantasized about and simulated it.

If you have the opportunity to speak with this designer.

What professional and insightful questions should I ask?

But when the image of the "designer" she looked up to overlapped with Ye Wenxi's face, which she loathed.

Su Ran felt it was absurd and ridiculous, so much so that she wanted to laugh, but she couldn't utter a single syllable.

My throat felt like it was blocked by something.

Breathing became difficult and sluggish.

Love, career, dignity...

Throughout her life, it seems she never appeared in front of anyone.

They were defeated so thoroughly and silently.

Wei Changzheng and the two female cadres also noticed Su Ran's suddenly pale face.

The group exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

The office fell into an awkward silence.

Wei Changzheng's gaze fell on Su Ran's face again, and his brows gradually furrowed.

He knew that the Su sisters had had conflicts with Ye Wenxi before.

He even spoke with Su Ran on behalf of the organization.

Su Ran was very sincere at the time and quickly admitted her mistake.

In addition, the matter was mainly instigated by her sister, and it didn't have much to do with Su Ran herself.

Therefore, he felt that there shouldn't be any deep-seated resentment between the two of them.

I specifically called Su Ran over today.

I also wanted to see her reaction.

While we're at it, let's see if there's any possibility of easing tensions or even using this opportunity to get closer to each other.

But he had only uttered the three words "Ye Wenxi".

Su Ran's expression turned like this.

This is tantamount to a clear and explicit declaration:

Her feelings for Ye Wenxi are probably far more than just "acquaintances".

That resistance, even hostility.

Can't hide.

Therefore, it is not appropriate for Su Ran to get involved in this matter anymore.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to facilitate communication.

It could also, in turn, affect the progress of the entire task.

Wei Changzheng took a deep breath and said calmly:

"Xiao Su, are you feeling a little unwell?"

"You should go home and rest today. Let Xiao Li and Xiao Chen handle this matter."

Su Ran suddenly raised her head.

She realized she had just lost her composure.

It's too late to make adjustments now.

She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound steady, and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, Section Chief. I haven't been feeling well lately."

"But I really look forward to exchanging ideas and learning from Comrade Ye Wenxi."

"Then I'll be going now."

"Okay, get some rest." Wei Changzheng said gently, but did not try to persuade him to stay any longer.

Su Ran quickly walked out of the office and closed the door behind her.

The moment the door closed, her expression turned completely somber, and her eyes became frighteningly cold.

She neither returned to her office nor her dormitory.

Instead, he went straight to the only public telephone in the family compound that could make outside calls.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Hello, it's me."

Su Ran's voice was low, tense, and cold.

"How many days has it been since I asked you to investigate this matter?"

"Why is there still no progress?"

A slightly hoarse male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I've almost finished investigating and was just about to contact you."

"you say..."

"A person from Liushutun, Sanjiang County. He was adopted by a lame man named Xu Mancang when he was six years old."

"He only has a junior high school education and is nothing special in the village."

"My encounter with Lu Weidong a while ago was because..."

The person on the other end of the phone was sharing information from their investigation.

As Su Ran listened, her heart pounded faster and faster, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the microphone.

"She was sold to human traffickers?!"

She gasped in shock, then quickly covered her mouth and turned her head in alarm to look around.

Fortunately, no one noticed.

"We found all this out from a woman named Liu Shufen and her adoptive father, Xu Mancang," the male voice on the other end of the phone continued.

"What's the key point?" Su Ran asked, steadying her breathing and lowering her voice.

"What did she do to Lu Weidong? Is there any evidence against her?"

She tried to dig out any mistakes Ye Wenxi might have made, or any dishonorable traces, from this past.

"This was not detected."

"Xu Mancang didn't know either, he only knew that Lu Weidong saved her."

"They were also confused about how the two of them got married."

The man on the other end of the phone paused, his tone becoming more serious:

"However, there is an important message."

"What is it?"

Su Ran's heart jumped.

"Two men went to see Xu Mancang a few days ago."

"One of them is suspected to be Lu Weidong himself."