The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 203: First Love, the One Who Once Pained My Heart!

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: First Love, the One Who Once Pained My Heart!

"Sworn sister?"

Zhao Mei furrowed her brows, wondering what was the deal with taking on a sworn sister.

Shouldn’t Xu Qianli be threatening to sleep with her to get a promotion, instead of asking her to recognize a sworn sister?

Not just Zhao Mei was confused, Ge Pingping was filled with question marks too.

Xu Qianli hadn’t given her any heads up, she had no idea he would do this.

Speaking of which, why on earth was Xu Qianli arranging for her and Zhao Mei to become sisters?

Wasn’t he supposed to help his father, Ge Changhong, reestablish his prestige in Jiang City’s political circles and put Lan Qianrong in her place? Why did he go and pull this move?

Could it be that becoming Zhao Mei’s sworn sister would help her father gain prestige?

That couldn’t be it, right?

Xu Qianli then launched into his explanation.

"Minister Zhao, the reason I’m asking you for this favor is, firstly, because Pingping truly admires you."

"Secondly, there is also a bit of selfishness involved. Our Secretary Ge’s situation in Jiang City has always been quite awkward. It was manageable when the former County Magistrate was still around, but recently, he’s been relentlessly challenged and suppressed by Zhang Kuisan and Lan Qianrong; it’s gotten to the point where he is gasping for breath."

"He is due to retire next year, and now he’s caught in this mess. If it continues like this, he will lose all his dignity. When he steps down, it will be in such a dismal and pathetic state that he’ll spend the rest of his life unable to face anyone."

"So, I was hoping to bask in your light, Minister Zhao, to give him a bit more face, to stand tall, and not be trampled underfoot."

"Minister Zhao, please, do me this kindness."

"If you help me out with this, I swear to heaven, I will never bother you again."

Xu Qianli made his offer, implying that as long as Zhao Mei helped him out this time, he would certainly not use certain things to get her to do his bidding in the future.

In his view, such a trivial matter; Zhao Mei had no reason to refuse.

Zhao Mei fell silent.

If Xu Qianli had made some excessive demands, it would have been one thing, but the favor he was asking for was simple and easy, and didn’t go against any principles.

Despite holding a big gun in his hand, he was using it to do something as trivial as swat a mosquito, catching Zhao Mei completely off guard.

What... what was he up to?

Unable to fathom Xu Qianli’s intentions or guess his thoughts, Zhao Mei was indecisive and unsure how to respond.

Xu Qianli threw a meaningful glance at Ge Pingping, who got the hint and quickly reached out to hold Zhao Mei’s hand.

"Sister Zhao, I’ve truly admired your elegance for so long..."

Ge Pingping launched into a flurry of compliments, praising Zhao Mei sky-high and expressing her admiration, imploring Zhao Mei to agree to take her as her sworn sister, threatening to go without food for three days if she refused.

Zhao Mei couldn’t figure out Xu Qianli, but Ge Pingping’s flattery amused her, and she smiled, saying, "You’re such a sweet girl, willing to be my sister, I’m more than happy. Alright, from today onwards, we two are sisters. If anyone bullies you, just tell me."

Though she was still puzzled by Xu Qianli, Zhao Mei agreed for the time being since the request didn’t bother her much.

She would agree first, see what Xu Qianli was up to, and take it from there.

Ge Pingping was overjoyed and quickly gave Xu Qianli a look, signaling him to step aside.

Xu Qianli thought to himself, now that you’ve got a sworn sister, you’ve forgotten about your man, but never mind, I’ll go have a smoke.

Xu Qianli stepped out of the coffee shop and fished out a cigarette to light up.

As he smoked, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, and the cigarette fell from his mouth to the ground.

He saw in a car stopped at the red light at the intersection a face so familiar he could never forget it in his lifetime.

His first love, his ex-girlfriend... Chu Qingyu!

The moment he spotted Chu Qingyu, Xu Qianli recognized her instantly.

She had matured a lot over the years and was still so beautiful.

No, she was even more radiant and stunning than before, so dazzlingly beautiful it was beyond description.

After a few years, there she was, sitting in the passenger seat of a car worth over ten million, and from Xu Qianli’s angle, he couldn’t make out the driver.

The wonderful college days, the sweet first love, which was also the cruelest, bubbled back into his consciousness, causing Xu Qianli’s heart indescribable pain and melancholy.

He once thought he’d never see her again in this lifetime, yet here she was in such an unexpected moment.

There was not a hint of the joy of reunion after a long separation in Xu Qianli’s heart, just pain and sorrow, and without approaching her, he took one last look and silently turned away.

In the past, he had wanted countless times to find her, to ask why she broke up with him, what he had done wrong, why she was so cruel?

After years of life’s lessons, and particularly the ups and downs of the past two months, Xu Qianli had finally learned to let go.

Although he couldn’t let go of that first love, nor forget the pain that pierced his heart, he knew that the relationship was gone.

A man must let go of what should be let go, no matter how painful, reluctant, or resentful, it must be done!

The moment Xu Qianli turned to leave, the car door suddenly opened, and Chu Qingyu rushed towards him without a care.

But after only a few steps, a woman’s voice came from the car, "Miss, don’t forget your status. With your status, there’s no possibility between you and him. If you were really with him, you could only hurt him, even to the point of his death!"

Hearing these words, Chu Qingyu halted in her tracks, and the tears she had been holding back fell uncontrollably before she finally turned and returned to the car.

Xu Qianli quickly made his way back to the coffee shop, acting as if nothing had happened. He saw Ge Pingping and Zhao Mei, within such a short time, behaving as close as real sisters.

Seeing Xu Qianli’s return, Ge Pingping hurriedly waved at him.

"Xu Qianli, why did you take so long?"

"You must come and listen to this, my sister said she would take me out later, will you join us?"

Xu Qianli replied, "I would like to join, but I have some things to do, so I won’t disturb you two sisters."

Ge Pingping asked, "What’s the matter?"

"It’s nothing major, just suddenly felt like I needed to find a quiet place by myself, just for a little while, then I’ll come pick you up."

Xu Qianli forced a smile, trying to seem alright, but it was ineffective, as he couldn’t hide his heartache.

Ge Pingping, who was oblivious, didn’t pay much attention to Xu Qianli, really believing he was fine.

Zhao Mei was completely different. She was over a decade older than Ge Pingping, with a lot of life experience, and she saw right through Xu Qianli’s suppressed extreme pain.

Looking at him like that, the mature Zhao Mei felt as if her heart had been pierced and her sympathy overflowed.

"Xu Qianli, have you encountered something?"

"If there’s anything, just say it. If I can help, I will definitely lend a hand for Pingping’s sake."