Qin Fang immediately showed a bitter smile on his face. Although he felt that the middle-aged man in front of him looked familiar, he never associated him with Secretary Tang, let alone imagined that this high-ranking official would not only be without his official car but even without a secretary...

Now, knowing that this middle-aged man was none other than Tang Feifei's father, Ninghai's top authority, Secretary Tang, he finally realized—wasn't that familiar feeling because he looked like someone he knew?

Tang Cheng was his son and looked very much like Secretary Tang!

Tang Yongming was his brother, and the two siblings also bore a strong resemblance to each other...

Qin Fang knew both of these men quite well, so how could he not find Secretary Tang's appearance familiar? But he just couldn't recall it in the moment.

"Xiao Qin, not bad!"

Secretary Tang seemed very amiable and didn't show any dissatisfaction toward Qin Fang. On the contrary, he was very pleased with Qin Fang's actions, deeming every response from him to be quite good.

"What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to thank me..."

Seeing Qin Fang standing there dumbfounded, Tang Feifei immediately nudged him and reminded him with a coquettish tone.

"Er... Thank you, Secretary Tang!"

Qin Fang then came back to his senses and expressed his thanks awkwardly.

"Thank me for what? I'm your first customer today, and I'm eating and drinking for free! I should be the one thanking you... Haha!"

Secretary Tang appeared very affable and gently patted Qin Fang's shoulder, laughing as he spoke.

"It's an honor for Fang Feixue to have you come to our restaurant to dine! It's like a live advertisement. Not to mention eating and drinking for free, technically we should be paying you advertising fees..."

Finding the city's Party Secretary to be so affable and approachable, Qin Fang also became less restrained, and his speech flowed much more freely and naturally.

This pleased Secretary Tang very much; Qin Fang was neither servile nor overbearing, polite and measured—a promising material indeed!

"Dad, let's go inside. Today you're definitely going to have a taste of Fang Feixue's specialty dishes! Qin Fang, why are you still standing there? Go to the kitchen and get Wen Yi to prepare well... No, better still, you should take care of it personally!"

Hearing her father's satisfaction with her beau, Tang Feifei was naturally the happiest. Although her family had never explicitly opposed her relationship with Qin Fang, neither had they expressly approved of it, even Tang Cheng's attitude was merely non-obstructive, while also continuously testing Qin Fang.

Now things were looking up; her father's approval was akin to giving his blessing. This meant her relationship with Qin Fang was now completely legitimate. She couldn't express how happy she was inside and naturally wanted to properly thank her father.

"Xiao Qin can cook too? Seems like he's not too bad at it?"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Tang became interested and asked with a chuckle. He was already clued in on Qin Fang's background and knew that Qin Fang had started out from a ramen stall, but being adept at making ramen didn't necessarily mean one was equally skilled in cooking other dishes, hence the question.

"It's alright," replied Qin Fang, modestly.

"What do you mean 'alright'? Do you need to be so modest with my dad? Dad, let me tell you, our restaurant's head chef is Qin Fang's disciple, who had just recently completed his apprenticeship... In reality, after only a few months of learning, she already surpassed the teacher who has been working here for decades in skill, yet she's still not as good as what Qin Fang makes..."

As a daughter, she naturally sang praises of her beau non-stop in front of her father, though it was the truth. However, from Secretary Tang's parental perspective, it seemed a bit of an exaggeration.

In the meantime, they had already walked into the Fang Feixue restaurant. The atmosphere inside had just begun to recover a bit, but at this moment, it quieted down once again.

"Secretary Tang!"

"It's Secretary Tang..."

"Secretary Tang is here..."

When they saw Secretary Tang enter, everyone was stunned, especially the police officers like Li Qiming, who promptly stood up all at once.

Ye Heng and the other bureau directors were no exception; they not only stood up but also approached Secretary Tang to greet him.

Tang Cheng, Ning Weiqiang, and Li Rui, the three young masters, were no exception. Outside, they were known as the three young masters of Ninghai, but in front of Secretary Tang, they were just juniors, with Tang Cheng being Secretary Tang's own son.

"Dad!"

"Uncle Tang!"

"Secretary Tang…"

Three people, three different forms of address, yet they also represented three different levels of intimacy.

The several bureau chiefs, including Ye Heng, found it difficult to speak up, after all, they were subordinates, and their relationship with Secretary Tang could never be as close as Tang Cheng, his biological son.

"You're all here, it seems Xiao Qin has quite the gathering today…"

Secretary Tang merely glanced lightly, assessing almost everyone present with a simple remark.

However, his words made everyone feel a chill, especially the officials, who were scared to death, fearing that Secretary Tang might say something that would put them in an awkward position.

"Haha, don't take it too seriously. I'm not here today in my capacity as the Party Secretary. I've come purely as a regular customer to enjoy a meal with my family. Carry on with your work!"

Fortunately, Secretary Tang's words were just that, and he soon showed a faint smile, affectionately stroking Tang Feifei's sleek, black hair—his precious daughter. Although she was attending university in Ninghai, his busy work schedule rarely afforded him the chance to dine with his son and daughter.

"Secretary Tang is right. We are just here to support Xiao Qin and wouldn't dare interrupt Secretary Tang's meal with his family…"

Although the situation was somewhat awkward, ultimately, it was Ye Heng who stepped up and said something.

By now, everyone in Ninghai's official circles knew that Ye Heng was Secretary Tang's protege, so it was more appropriate for him to say this. It wouldn't have seemed right even if Ning Weiqiang had said it.

"Old Ye, I won't keep you… Xiao Cheng, Feifei, Xiao Qin, Yu Mo, Weiqiang, Li Rui, and a few young friends, let's all go inside!"

Secretary Tang greeted them briefly and quickly gathered the people around him, including Li Rui, leading them to the private room Qin Fang had prepared.

As expected, Qin Fang took the lead, guiding them as a host, opening doors and clearing the way until they were all settled. Only then did Qin Fang take his leave to personally cook their dishes.

"This Boss Qin is really something else!"

"Even Secretary Tang personally came over, that kind of face is not small!"

"Yeah, I've heard that Secretary Tang never attends such banquets…"

"Didn't you see just now? Secretary Tang's daughter was holding hands with Boss Qin. They are a couple…"

"Boss Qin is Secretary Tang's son-in-law? No wonder…"

The crowd buzzed with conversation. These people were not of high status, mostly just small-time affluent individuals, chattering back and forth, and they quickly concluded that Qin Fang was Secretary Tang's son-in-law.

And this conclusion was passed around from person to person until the initial speculation became an affirmation and, ultimately, a fact recognized by everyone, including Xiao Liang and Ye Xiang.

In no time at all, everyone accepted this as fact.

Only Tiger and his group really knew the truth. However, after hearing people talk, and with Secretary Tang's apparent acceptance of Qin Fang that day, they too came to believe it.

Perhaps Qin Fang was not yet officially the son-in-law, but it was a fact that he and Tang Feifei were in a romantic relationship; at the very least, he was the son-in-law-to-be, with only their young ages limiting the young couple.

Insiders were unaware of these shifts in belief, and by the time they found out, rumors had already turned into fact. However, they didn't make any effort to clarify since the Tang Family Members were very approving of Qin Fang.

Secretary Tang felt that way, Tang Cheng did as well, and so did the Tang Family Third Son Tang Yongming. Even the head of the Tang Family, the Director of National Security Tang Yongchen, felt this way. Otherwise, how could Qin Fang possibly have National Security credentials, a gun, and a gun permit?

This too was another aspect of the Tang Family's approval of Qin Fang. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and support me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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