Invincible Young Master in the City
Chapter 710: 706: Invited to Dance

Chapter 710: Chapter 706: Invited to Dance

After shaking hands with Xue Lingyu, Ye Fan exchanged a few more polite words with her and then continued to greet another standing committee member.

He never intended to become a civil servant to begin with, nor did he have any inclination to grovel or attach himself to others. His hardworking and dedicated approach to his work stemmed purely from his sense of duty and integrity, so he had never thought of connecting with Xue Lingyu.

Xue Lingyu watched Ye Fan’s tall, straight figure recede and felt a tinge of loss.

The last time Ye Fan had sought her help, she rejected him. Soon after, Ye Fan found an even greater ally and easily managed to suppress public opinion. The case was settled, and Ye Fan’s reputation soared. Upon learning of this, she couldn’y help but feel a hint of regret.

Just now, she wanted to draw Ye Fan closer again, to talk to him a bit more, but Ye Fan had turned around to continue greeting other committee members.

She went back to sit in her soft chair and before long, Zhao Lina came over to greet her.

Since both were women, and considering that Zhao Lina, the head of the police department, was rumored to be taking over as the new county standing committee member after the New Year’s shift of the secretary of the county political and legal committee, Xue Lingyu did not mind shaking hands with Zhao Lina.

When they shook hands, they both sized each other up, despite having met and known each other previously.

Xue Lingyu was surprised and then relieved to see Zhao Lina attend the evening party not wearing an evening gown, not even a dress.

Although Zhao Lina was new to the political circle of Mingde County, she had made a lasting impression on everyone with her swift and decisive actions, and her cool, proud demeanor. Ah, and her ample bust.

Xue Lingyu subconsciously glanced at Zhao Lina’s chest. It was indeed large, and even though she wore an outfit with a unisex style that tended to conceal her chest, it still looked larger than Xue Lingyu’s when wearing a dress that accentuated her feminine features.

The next moment, she thought about the rumors that Zhao Lina and Ye Fan did not get along, and how Zhao Lina often suppressed Ye Fan. It made her think, “Maybe I can use this to repair my relationship with Ye Fan.”

Zhao Lina, observing Xue Lingyu dressed up for the party, had seen how Ye Fan greeted Xue Lingyu just moments before. She keenly sensed that Xue Lingyu’s attitude toward Ye Fan was different from others.

The two women exchanged pleasantries with calculated smiles and then parted ways.

At seven o’clock sharp, the celebration party officially began. The secretary of the county committee and the county head took turns to deliver brief speeches with microphones and then the music started. People gradually began to pair up with their elegantly dressed partners and stepped onto the central dance floor to dance.

As most of the peer leaders took to the floor to dance, Ye Fan casually found a sofa to sit on.

Xu Xiangli, who had arrived at the venue earlier than he had, had proactively asked him to dance with her, but he had gently refused her.

Xu Xiangli was one of his subordinates and confidantes, and a young and beautiful woman at that. Dancing intimately with her in such a public setting would likely lead to gossip the next day.

Xu Xiangli understood the implications, so although she was rejected, she wasn’t upset.

Zhao Lina didn’t join in the dancing either. Her choice not to wear a dress was a clear indicator that she did not intend to dance that evening, and the men who had hoped to dance with her before the party promptly abandoned the thought.

However, she did not sit with Ye Fan.

Aside from Ye Fan and Zhao Lina, there were a few others who didn’t go down to dance.

For example, the secretary of the county committee and the county head sat together, talking quietly about something.

There were also quite a number of young men and women with lower-ranking positions who weren’t dancing. After all, the dance floor wasn’t very large, and with the leaders dancing first, it would be foolish for them to vie for space and show off their dance skills.

Xue Lingyu also didn’t go down to dance immediately.

Though she came out in full makeup tonight, with her proud demeanor that made even a handshake seem precious, plus her high position, other men dared not approach her. Besides, it wasn’t the first time she had attended such an event—she traditionally only danced once throughout the evening. As for her partner, it all depended on who was lucky enough.

Finally, a dance came to an end.

About two-thirds of the people were leaving the dance floor with their partners, while the youths who hadn’t gone down before now filled it up again.

Ye Fan was chatting with a young man from the Finance Bureau when the Deputy Chief of the County Junior Court, who had just finished dancing, came over with a chuckle and joined their conversation.

After a couple of sentences, the young man from the Finance Bureau tactfully found an excuse to leave for a dance, allowing Ye Fan and Deputy Chief Jiang Hongyuan to talk at leisure.

The Police Bureau and the Court were closely linked, and Ye Fan had interacted with Jiang Hongyuan on several occasions, so they were somewhat acquainted. Jiang Hongyuan was thirty years old, also considered young and successful. Their age difference wasn’t too significant, and soon they were deep in conversation.

“Chief Ye,” Jiang Hongyuan hinted with his mouth toward Xue Lingyu, who was sitting some ten meters away, revealing a knowing smile, “are you interested in asking Minister Xue for a dance? I’ll give you a heads-up, buddy. Minister Xue is hard to invite to dance—she only dances once a night. There’s a risk of losing face, but there’s also the glory of gaining face. Dancing with Minister Xue is quite a prestigious matter.”

Ye Fan glanced at Xue Lingyu and shook his head with a faint smile, “I’d rather not take that risk. Why don’t you give it a try?”

“I tried last year and was unfortunately rejected,” Jiang Hongyuan laughed.

As they chatted, two young female public servants, meticulously dressed, walked over.

“Chief Ye, Chief Jiang, hello,” the two young female public servants greeted with sweet smiles.

Of the two young and pretty female public servants, the one standing beside Jiang Hongyuan was slightly older and was a married woman; the one next to Ye Fan was younger, still unmarried, and looked at Ye Fan with a face full of anticipation.

Ye Fan and Jiang Hongyuan paused their chat to turn and look at the two female public servants, nodding with smiles as they replied, “Hello.”

“Hehe, may we have the honor of dancing with you?” the slightly older female public servant asked with a smile.

“Sure,” Jiang Hongyuan immediately responded with a smile, as both women were quite attractive.

The slightly older female public servant promptly extended her hand to Jiang Hongyuan. He took her hand, stood up, and turned to Ye Fan with a smile, “Chief Ye, you should dance too.”

With that, he led his partner toward the dance floor without regard for Ye Fan’s response.

The remaining young female public servant looked nervously at Ye Fan with flushed cheeks and called out softly, “Chief Ye…”

She had come over with the slightly older one, aiming for Ye Fan, with the older woman acting as cover.

In Mingde County’s officialdom, aside from Zhao Lina, no one knew that Ye Fan was already married, making him quite the catch—a sought-after bachelor. And it wasn’t just her; several unmarried female public servants were all eagerly preparing behind the scenes, and she was merely the first to make a move.

“Heh, thank you for the invitation. I don’t feel like dancing right now,” Ye Fan said, standing up with a smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry to have bothered you,” the young female public servant replied with a flushed face before turning away.

Not long after Ye Fan was seated, another carefully dressed, unmarried female public servant came by to invite him to dance, but she was also rejected.

After the second female public servant had left, a third young female public servant came up to invite him.

Ye Fan declined all three dance invitations in succession.

Seeing that he was more likely to be invited to dance if he sat alone, Ye Fan joined the conversation with the Director of the Education Bureau and the Head of the County Office, among a few others, to keep a familiar face.

Naturally, Ye Fan’s actions caught Zhao Lina’s eye; she felt slightly relieved and snorted to herself, “At least you know what’s appropriate, not causing trouble with the women!”

Xue Lingyu had also been paying attention to Ye Fan, and she was somewhat intrigued, “He’s rejected three women in a row, and instead chose to chat with some men. Is it that he doesn’t know how to dance, or is he simply modest and doesn’t dance easily?”