NOVPUBHearing the furious questioning from Director Qi, Wang Li was also filled with nervousness and unease. She quickly said, "Director Qi, I had already asked for leave from Director Liu before, and it was after his approval that I got off work."
Director Qi let out a heavy snort, "Who exactly is the Party Secretary of this hospital? Should you be listening to him, or to me? Do you still want to work here?"
Director Qi’s voice carried a tone of anger.
Even without putting her phone on speaker, Wang Li’s words clearly reached both Chen Nan and Lu Yuanyang’s ears.
"Give you half an hour to get back here, or don’t bother coming back ever again!"
Hearing this.
A touch of displeasure flashed in Lu Yuanyang’s eyes, and he took Wang Li’s phone, speaking indifferently, "Hello Director Qi, this is Lu Yuanyang."
"Wang Li is my junior, and we are having dinner together. May I request leave on her behalf?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The other end of the phone went silent, followed by a voice filled with panic, "I’m sorry, Secretary Lu, I did not know that Minister Wang was dining with you."
Director Qi was completely flabbergasted.
He never imagined Wang Li was dining with Lu Yuanyang.
Although there were rumors in the hospital that someone powerful was backing Wang Li.
But who could have thought, it would be the City Party Secretary?
"Then let’s leave it at that!" Lu Yuanyang hung up the phone and then showed a kindly smile, returning the phone to Wang Li, "It’s okay, I’ve already asked for your leave."
Wang Li’s face turned red with excitement.
Because she knew.
Lu Yuanyang was not just helping her take leave.
But he was giving her the backbone to stand tall in the hospital.
She believed that after this incident, Director Qi certainly wouldn’t dare to trouble her again.
"Wait, it’s already off-duty time, why is Director Qi asking you to come back to work at the hospital?" Lu Yuanyang quickly realized there was an issue and his eyes were filled with suspicion.
Wang Li explained, "Ever since Director Zhang was investigated, Director Qi has become the Party Secretary of the hospital. During this period, all the leadership at the hospital had to do forced overtime to study party and government discipline."
Li Yao chimed in, "Director Qi was suppressed in the hospital for several years, and now that he has come into power, he surely wants to assert his authority."
"However, although he seems a little smug about his success, he is actually a good comrade who can withstand tests."
"He was suppressed before because he refused to collude with the pharmaceutical companies."
Lu Yuanyang shook his head in disagreement, "Even if he can withstand tests, it’s not right to sacrifice the off-duty time of other comrades for studying party and government discipline. This kind of impact is too negative."
Li Yao said, "I understand."
Changing the subject, Chen Nan said, "Today we came for a barbecue, let’s not talk about work."
Lu Yuanyang smiled, "I’ll be the chef today, and let you all taste my cooking skills," as he said that, he moved a stool in front of the barbecue grill where the charcoal had already started burning.
"I’m thinking, let me do the grilling!" Chen Nan volunteered proactively, picking up some salt next to him and sprinkling it evenly over the charcoal.
"What’s that for?" Lu Yuanyang asked, puzzled.
Chen Nan smiled, "You don’t know? When barbecuing, sprinkling some salt can prevent grease from dripping onto the charcoal and causing flare-ups."
Lu Yuanyang laughed as well, "I’ve learned another life hack."
"Actually, even if you don’t add salt, once the charcoal burns down to a certain point, even if grease drips, it won’t flare up," Chen Nan casually remarked, then began to slowly grill the meat over the fire.
Of course, besides the grilled meats, Li Yao also prepared some cold dishes and braised snacks for the drinks.
The sun set in the west.
The surface of the lake was also dyed golden red by the setting sun.
As the breeze blew, ripples shimmered across the lake, creating a breathtaking scene.
The four sat together, eating barbecue and braised snacks, drinking, and enjoying the cool lake breeze — it couldn’t be more pleasant.
At last.
Li Yao broke the comfortable atmosphere, cautiously looking at Chen Nan, "Mr. Chen, inviting us here today couldn’t possibly just be about drinking, could it?"
As soon as he said this.
Lu Yuanyang immediately gave him a cold look, blaming him for asking too many questions.
Although he too wanted to know the purpose behind Chen Nan inviting him to a wild picnic by Nan Lake, he was evidently much more composed than Li Yao.
He didn’t want to ask about that incident.
Because he knew.
When the time was right, Chen Nan would naturally reveal the mystery.
Li Yao also realized his own slip of the tongue, his face showing an embarrassed smile.
Chen Nan displayed a meaningful smile, "Brother Li, penalize yourself with two drinks!"
"Okay!"
Li Yao immediately filled his cup and downed two drinks in succession. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Using disposable plastic cups, the two drinks together must have amounted to about half a pound; even though Li Yao was no lightweight drinker, he still felt unwell after finishing them.
His cheeks were red like a monkey’s butt.
However.
He didn’t dare to say much more.
"Can Uncle Lu swim?" Chen Nan abruptly asked.
Lu Yuanyang, not understanding why Chen Nan would ask such a question, still replied, "I learned to swim while going down to the countryside." Saying this, a slight smile inadvertently appeared on his face.
Although he held a low position back then, with not much power in his hands,
those were the best experiences and memories of his life.
Even though he had become the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Jizhou, he was really unhappy now.
Chen Nan smacked his lips, "I tried to learn swimming as well, but after several attempts, I never managed to learn."
Li Yao joked with a smile, "Drink a few more mouthfuls of water, and you’ll learn."
Chen Nan couldn’t help nodding, "Makes sense."
Just at this moment.
A surprised voice came from afar, "Wang Li? You slut, you’re actually here?"
Hearing the voice.
Chen Nan and the others couldn’t help but look in the direction of the sound, displeasure written in everyone’s eyes.
They saw Wang Li’s ex-boyfriend, Li Xiang, walking over with a playful expression.
He was drunk, his face flushed red, his eyes shining with a provocative light.
"Li Xiang, show some respect," Wang Li said furiously, never expecting to encounter Li Xiang here, and even less expecting him to be so rude.
Li Xiang noticed Chen Nan, a cold smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, "Oh, this guy’s here too!"
"It turns out to be a wasted effort to search far and wide for something that’s actually close at hand, I’ve actually been meaning to find you."
Chen Nan rose to his feet with a smile that was not really a smile, "What do you want with me?"
Li Xiang scoffed mightily, his face showing an arrogant demeanor, "Nothing much, just wanted to let you see how you got dumped."
With that, he locked his gaze on Wang Li, smiling, "You should know, I’ve already become a member of the Organization Department, haven’t you?"
"Even though my current position isn’t high, I know a few big shots."
"Believe it or not, just one word from me could get you fired from your job?"
