Chapter 282: Shen Xin's Inappropriate Behavior

It is said that thieves are always anxious, and since infidelity is tagged with the word "theft," it means those involved in it are also guilty and anxious.

Although Zhou Ming wasn't married at the time, his relationship with Shen Xin wasn't exactly legitimate either. In general terms, it could be considered an affair, which is why the sudden voice startled both Zhou Ming and Shen Xin.

Zhou Ming turned his head and saw Su Han standing there with a look of surprise, observing him and Shen Xin. Although Su Han had not yet spoken, Zhou Ming felt nervous. After all, Su Han was currently the closest person to being his girlfriend, and as someone who had just engaged in an affair, Zhou Ming was understandably uneasy.

"小 Han, what are you doing here? Is there something wrong? I was just about to go out for a late-night snack with Miss Shen." Zhou Ming said, trying to appear nonchalant, but his heart was racing as if he had been caught red-handed by his wife.

Shen Xin also followed Zhou Ming's lead, saying, "Yes, Xiao Han, Mr. Zhou and I were going out for a late-night snack."

Zhou Ming glanced at Shen Xin and noticed her expression was also somewhat awkward. It seemed she felt their relationship was not entirely respectable.

Su Han responded with an "Oh" and said, "I'm here to help Sister Muqing with some materials. Her documents need very detailed items."

"That's understandable. The board in the Port City is a very established institution, unlike the inland regions. For significant investments like the ones in the inland, even Sister Muqing cannot make decisions unilaterally and needs support from other board members. Therefore, these documents need to be very detailed for review by other board members." Shen Xin explained to Su Han.

Su Han nodded as if she understood, and Shen Xin continued, "Since you're here, Xiao Han, I won't disturb you. I'll go have a late-night snack on my own."

With that, Shen Xin hurriedly left. Zhou Ming wanted to stop her but wasn't sure how to begin, but Su Han's next words made Zhou Ming's heart skip a beat. Su Han hesitated for a while before finally frowning and saying to Zhou Ming, "I'm not gossiping behind your back, and you know I'm not that kind of person, but I don't think Miss Shen is as proper as she appears."

"Why do you say that?" Zhou Ming asked, feeling very curious.

Su Han hesitated before deciding to tell Zhou Ming, "Actually, Sister Muqing had asked me to come to her room to get some materials earlier. When I arrived, I heard very embarrassing sounds coming from her room. I've heard that women abroad are very loose, but I didn't expect it to be true. They don't care at all about their chastity. It's broad daylight, and I don't know where she found a man to bring into her room."

Su Han's face turned bright red, and she felt too embarrassed to continue.

At that moment, Zhou Ming had no time to appreciate Su Han's shy and cute appearance. He felt a jolt of anxiety because Su Han's description sounded just like what happened between him and Shen Xin earlier.

Realizing this, Zhou Ming immediately asked, "Xiao Han, did you sneak a peek into Miss Shen's room?"

Su Han quickly explained, "No, I didn't sneak a peek! I only heard those sounds as soon as I entered the room and then ran out. I'm not that kind of shameless woman!"

Zhou Ming breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been overthinking. Even though Su Han wasn't the most assertive girl, she was still very emotional. If she had really discovered something, she wouldn't be so calm now. As for Shen Xin, her inexperienced kissing and the red marks on the bedspread were telling signs.

This thought reassured Zhou Ming. He immediately said to Su Han, "Xiao Han, just keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone else, especially not Sister Muqing."

"Why not?" Su Han asked, puzzled.

"Don't you understand? Sister Muqing and Miss Shen are close. If you tell her, how would she feel? How would she face Miss Shen in the future? Moreover, this is private business, and no one has the right to interfere," Zhou Ming explained.

Su Han nodded and said, "Alright, I understand."

Zhou Ming finally felt relieved. Reflecting on the situation, he realized he had been sweating bullets. Both he and Shen Xin had been too careless, thinking that since Lin Muqing wasn't coming back, there was no chance of being discovered. Thankfully, Su Han was the one who came, and her embarrassment prevented her from listening closely.

Of course, the key was that Su Han and Shen Xin were not very familiar with each other. Otherwise, if Su Han had inquired privately, things could have easily gone wrong. However, since Zhou Ming had explained the situation to Su Han and considering her personality, even if she hadn't agreed, she wouldn't have disclosed anything. As long as Lin Muqing didn't find out, there wouldn't be any major issues.

This incident taught the importance of ensuring everything is foolproof. In the future, if such actions are to be taken, especially in places where other women are present, it's crucial to avoid getting caught.

As Zhou Ming was contemplating, he suddenly noticed Su Han looking at him. He was momentarily stunned as Su Han asked, "Zhou Ming, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking that our mobile communication base station is already in the debugging phase. The highways connecting Lin Yang to Baiyun City and Nanjing City also need to be constructed," Zhou Ming said.

Su Han responded seriously, "Indeed. The traffic situation in Lin Yang is so poor. During the Spring Festival, the Eight Treasure Porridge incident was really stressful for you. If it's not resolved, it will be a significant problem. So, Zhou Ming, you're impressive; you always think ahead of us."

Zhou Ming felt embarrassed by Su Han's praise. After all, he wasn't really thinking ahead but just talking nonsense. It's said that the IQ of people engaged in an affair is comparable to Einstein's, and it seemed true. He used to be a pure and kind-hearted person, but now he could deceive a girl so easily, which made him question if it was progress or regression.

In the end, Su Han dutifully kept the secret and no waves were raised, which relieved both Zhou Ming and Shen Xin.

However, this incident created an obstacle between the two lovers, making them feel a bit uncomfortable during their subsequent meetings.

But that's a story for later. In Nan Hui County, with the stabilization of investment attraction work, all companies, including the Port City company, had confirmed their settlement in the township industrial park. Various construction tasks needed to be put on the agenda.

One noon, Zhou Ming and Nan Hui County Party Secretary Gu Ping went to the Lin Yang Municipal Committee. Secretary Zhao, the municipal committee secretary's assistant, was waiting at the door and led them to a small meeting room where Secretary Chen Da was already present.

As Zhou Ming and Gu Ping entered the room, they smelled cigarette smoke, indicating that Chen Da had been there for a while, possibly after a meeting.

Zhou Ming and Gu Ping sat across from Chen Da, who, as an old acquaintance, got straight to the point without any pleasantries. "Two things. First, regarding the construction of the Nan Hui Township Industrial Park. Since all the merchants have signed contracts and are officially settling here, the construction of the industrial park must be prioritized."

"The construction of the individual factories or other buildings will be handled by the merchants themselves, but the roads in the industrial park need to be built," Chen Da said.

Zhou Ming nodded in agreement. Although the industrial park was centered around Factory 760, the road situation was relatively complete, but that was only for Factory 760. Now that additional factories were being built, and with heavy trucks coming and going, the roads had become bumpy in just over a week.

Such roads were clearly unsuitable for an industrial park, so renovation was inevitable. Zhou Ming had raised this issue with the city, which led to this meeting.

"However, while the roads need to be repaired, the city's finances are tight, and the funds are unavailable. Do you have any good solutions?" Chen Da asked, looking at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming understood Chen Da's hint; he wanted Zhou Ming to come up with a solution. In other words, Chen Da was unwilling to pay for it himself, otherwise, the issue would have been resolved earlier.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ming said, "Secretary Chen, I've always said that anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. The government can indeed provide the funds for road repairs."

Chen Da and Gu Ping looked at Zhou Ming in surprise. "Zhou Ming, do you have a solution?"

"Get a bank loan," Zhou Ming said. "The government has many areas that need funding, and it can't provide so much money all at once. However, banks can provide this money. We can choose to take out a loan from the bank in the name of the government, and we will have the funds to repair the roads."

"Isn't this similar to the way highways are built? Will the road have tolls for charging?" Chen Da asked.

Zhou Ming replied, "The method is similar, but the road should not have tolls. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the merchants. Instead, the funds can be recovered from service fees, management fees, and land transfer

 fees paid by the settling merchants, which can be used to repay the bank loan."

Chen Da was delighted and clapped his hands. "Excellent, Zhou Ming, you're really smart. This way, we can repair the roads and alleviate the financial pressure!"

Zhou Ming smiled. "Yes, and Secretary Chen, to support the settling merchants, you can choose to get the loan from the Nanjiang Development Bank."

As a major shareholder of the Nanjiang Development Bank, Zhou Ming naturally supported it.

Chen Da thought for a moment and then nodded. "No problem. As the first commercial bank to settle in the industrial park, our Lin Yang Municipal Committee and Municipal Government should support it!"

Chen Da paused and continued, "The second matter is regarding the highway connecting Lin Yang and Lingnan Province."