95 Overwhelmed by the Honor

P.S. It got censored, so I revised it and reposted it. I was already being very careful, and it still ran afoul of the rules. Some of the plot points I had planned had to be painfully removed as well. It looks like I’ll need to be even more cautious from here on out.

“As expected, nothing gets past Mr. Xiao. The public notice will begin tomorrow, and once that period is over, I’ll be honored to accept your invitation.” Fan Jingyu had once again gained a profound appreciation for Xiao Yao’s extraordinary talent for reading people.

The difficulty of his bid for the top post this time had been tremendous. If he had not obtained the information early and made arrangements in advance, his chances of rising to the position would have been almost nonexistent.

To seize this opportunity and advance another step was far too important to him. If he failed this time, then he would have to wait until the next leadership transition three years later before he had another chance at promotion. By then, he would face even more competitors, and the climb would be even harder. Moving from deputy to full office was a tremendous leap; to complete it before the age of fifty already counted as a smooth and successful official career. By then, however, his advantage of youth would be gone, and the difficulty of rising further would only increase.

By catching this opportunity and successfully becoming the acting mayor, his age advantage was brought into even sharper relief, and his chances of taking another step forward in the future had increased greatly. His prospects now were nothing short of bright.

After so much painstaking planning and maneuvering, the day had finally brought him what he wanted. The person he owed the greatest debt to was the young Mr. Xiao standing before him. Without Mr. Xiao’s guidance, he would have missed this rare chance.

Many people knew what a debt Xiao Yao had done him. He could not fail to repay it. Moreover, the road of officialdom was perilous; at certain critical junctures, if he could receive Mr. Xiao’s guidance, it would be no different from having a cheat code. Whether out of gratitude or for his own future development, building a good relationship with Mr. Xiao was essential.

“The matter is already settled and won’t change now. Still, that careful attitude of yours is exactly what should be preserved. I’ll wait until the public notice period is over before inviting you to my home as a guest.” Xiao Yao appreciated Fan Jingyu’s caution very much.

“An invitation from Mr. Xiao is something I could only welcome with open arms. I’ve long wanted to pay a visit to your father and Aunt Bai.” Fan Jingyu’s gaze shifted to Xiao Yao’s father, Xiao Zhenshan, beside him. Seeing the resemblance in their brows and eyes, he said, “You must be Uncle Xiao, then?”

As he shook hands with Fan Jingyu, Xiao Zhenshan hurriedly said, “Oh, no, no, you’re far too polite, Vice Mayor Fan. I’m Xiao Zhenshan. Just call me by my name.”

“You’re probably eight or nine years older than I am. Calling you Uncle is only proper. My own biological uncle is only one year older than me, but a senior is a senior, so I still have to call him uncle.” Fan Jingyu explained with a smile, “I have a very close brother named Tang Tianhao. He always addresses Mr. Xiao as a brother. When we met some time ago, he specifically made me promise that I could only treat Mr. Xiao as an equal and could not take advantage of the relationship. I already agreed to that, so naturally I can’t go back on my word. It’s only a form of address, Uncle Xiao, so please don’t mind it.”

“How can that be acceptable? For someone of Vice Mayor Fan’s standing to address me that way really puts me under tremendous pressure. Why not call me Section Chief Xiao instead?” Xiao Zhenshan suggested.

Being called that by a vice mayor really did put him under enormous pressure. Such a high-ranking official calling him uncle—if he were twenty years older than the other man, that would be one thing. But with only a difference of ten years or so, he truly felt unworthy of such a title.

Of course, age alone was not the real issue; what mattered was the pressure created by the difference in status.

If the other man were just an ordinary person, and moreover his son’s good friend, then being called uncle would be perfectly natural and he would accept it without the slightest discomfort.

But the other man was a vice mayor, and was even about to become acting mayor. That was entirely different. He was merely a junior section chief at the municipal company. Though his mindset had changed greatly during this period, when Fan Jingyu addressed him like that, he could not help but feel flattered and somewhat overwhelmed.

“Section Chief Xiao or Uncle Xiao—either is just a form of address. You can accept it with complete peace of mind. If I were to insist on calling you Section Chief Xiao and refuse to say Uncle Xiao, I’m afraid that when I drink with Mr. Xiao and Tianhao in the future, they’d end up getting me drunk. To avoid making a fool of myself at the table later on, you really should not turn me down.” Fan Jingyu said sincerely.

Xiao Yao also chimed in. “It’s only a form of address. Dad, there’s no need to be so polite with Vice Mayor Fan.”

Then he turned to Fan Jingyu and said, “And you don’t need to call me Mr. Xiao either. It sounds awkward. Just call me by my name.”

Xiao Zhenshan was deeply moved and said again and again, “I’m unworthy of such kindness, truly unworthy.”

Fan Jingyu was even more excited than Xiao Zhenshan. He suddenly felt a kind of honored surprise. This was the first time Xiao Yao had taken the initiative to tell him to call him by name. It was only a change in how they addressed each other, but the meaning behind it was entirely different.

“Mr. Xiao” was an honorific. Including Qin Huali and Ding Songqing, all of them addressed Xiao Yao as Mr. Xiao.

For Xiao Yao to take the initiative and ask him to call him by name clearly meant that he regarded him as a friend. Even if not a particularly close one, it was at least a step nearer than the relationship Xiao Yao had with Qin Huali and the others.

Qin Huali and the rest had flattered him in every possible way, yet their relationship with Xiao Yao remained somewhere between close and distant, only maintaining a veneer of intimacy. Fan Jingyu had done nothing at all, and yet his relationship with Xiao Yao had instead taken a step closer. Naturally, he was delighted.

Xiao Yao had always held a fairly good impression of Fan Jingyu. Fan Jingyu was a capable man, and if such a person could rise to a high position, Xiao Yao would be pleased to see it.

At an occasion like today’s, everyone except the Ji Guangrong family knew him very well. Fan Jingyu was acting very close to him, and if he kept calling him Mr. Xiao, that title would surely strike everyone as somewhat strange. It would be better to let Fan Jingyu address him by name.

Seeing Fan Jingyu so excited, the smile on his face grew even more sincere. “Is Aunt Bai here today as well? Xiao Yao, hurry up and introduce me. I mustn’t be rude.”

Before his son could speak, Bai Yuzhen took the initiative and said, “I’m Bai Yuzhen. Vice Mayor Fan, you’re being far too polite. I truly do not deserve such treatment.”

“So Aunt Bai is actually this young. It seems my address really was a little abrupt. In that case, I’ll call you President Bai from now on.” Men and women had different mindsets; no matter what form of address it was, as long as Xiao Yao understood his attitude, that was enough.

P.S. Thank you all for your recommendation votes. You’ve really come through for me—the ranking has even climbed into the five hundreds.

I’m still revising the later plot, so I can only post this one chapter today. How many chapters tomorrow? Three, or five... are you looking forward to it?