The Rebuilt Network of Relationships

"What is it?" Xia Xiang was a bit surprised to hear Xiao Jia's pleasant voice over the phone. "Can't I call you if there's nothing?" Xiao Jia's tone sounded a bit coquettish. Realizing her tone, she coughed and then asked, "When are you coming back?" "Nothing much, I won't be going back to the company today." Xiao Jia's voice carried a hint of disappointment, "Alright, you drank a lot yesterday, take a good rest. Bye!" A strange phone call, Xia Xiang shook his head and decided not to think about it anymore.

After returning, Xia Xiang had a good sleep. The next day, as soon as he arrived at the company, Xiao Jia called him into the inner office. She was biting her lip, her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears, exuding an indescribable charm and allure.

Xia Xiang was startled, "What's wrong, Xiao Jia? Are you sick again?"

Xiao Jia was furious, "You're the one who's sick! What kind of eyes do you have? Can't you see how alluring I am, trying to melt your cold heart with my pure gaze?"

Xia Xiang reached out and felt Xiao Jia's forehead, "No fever. Did you eat something that didn't agree with you? Why are you so scary!"

Xiao Jia, extremely angry, laughed instead, "Fine, I give up, I won't try anymore. Let me be direct, are you not planning to work on the book with me?"

Xia Xiang chuckled and stopped fooling around, "I've been busy lately, no time."

Xiao Jia's expression darkened, "Forget it, I won't force you. It's your loss for not making money, but don't blame me later. Can I ask you for a favor, though?"

Xiao Jia had dressed up specially today. She wore a light yellow dress that reached just above her knees, with a purple ribbon tied around her slim waist, making her look both beautiful and dynamic. Her feet were in green sandals, and her toenails were painted a bright red, accentuating her fair and attractive feet. A red string was tied around her ankle, with a small silver bell attached, adding a charming touch.

Her youthful face was lightly powdered, her small, perky nose exuded confidence, and her slightly pursed lips curved upwards. Her features were exquisite, like a painting. Especially her long eyelashes, which fluttered like a doll's, were both captivating and evocative. Having known Xiao Jia for almost half a year, Xia Xiang still marveled at her beauty. Some women were naturally stunning, and Xiao Jia only needed to stand there, blink a few times, and countless people would be captivated.

Looking at her slender neck and moderately sized chest, Xia Xiang sighed. The only pity was that Xiao Jia's every move was overly seductive. No matter who she talked to, it always felt like she was deliberately enticing them. Such a beauty, luckily, came to the company right after graduation. The company was small, and the relationships were simple. If she were out in the world, who knows what trouble she might cause.

"Go ahead, say what you need. I'll do my best," Xia Xiang suppressed his wandering thoughts and said.

"It's not a big deal, I just need to borrow some money from you." Xiao Jia's eyes sparkled, and she stood with her chest high, seemingly excited.

"How much?" Xia Xiang's gaze lingered on a certain prominent part for three seconds before he looked away. He knew he couldn't afford any trouble, including romantic entanglements.

"If you have a thousand, lend me a thousand; if you have ten thousand, lend me ten thousand. How much do you have?" Xiao Jia giggled, not being polite at all.

Xia Xiang thought for a moment. He wasn't a big spender, but with his modest income, he hadn't saved much. Fortunately, he still had the ten thousand yuan his father gave him when he graduated, which he hadn't used. He originally intended to use it as a gift for Director Cao, but Cao refused to accept it, so he kept it.

In 1998, college graduates had to go through a placement process to keep their personnel records in Yan City. Xia Xiang couldn't find a receiving unit, but his father, who lived in Dancheng, had a colleague named Cao Yongwang, the brother of Cao Yongguo, the director of the Provincial Construction Bureau. His father used this connection to reach out to Cao Yongguo. As a provincial bureau director and a high-ranking official, Cao Yongguo, perhaps because of his brother, was very approachable and readily agreed to help.

Soon, Cao Yongguo personally went to the Third Construction Company and arranged for Xia Xiang's personnel records to be placed there. Although Xia Xiang was later transferred to the company, he remained grateful to Cao Yongguo. Without Cao's help, he wouldn't have been able to keep his personnel records and household registration in Yan City. Before he graduated, he heard that staying in the provincial capital required spending three million yuan just for the household registration. Cao Yongguo had solved both his household registration and job in one fell swoop.

In his previous life, Xia Xiang stayed away from the political arena, feeling that his status was too different from Cao Yongguo's. After initially visiting Cao's home with some fruits and alcohol, they lost contact. However, he always followed Cao Yongguo's career. Soon after Gao Chengsong took office, Cao Yongguo was transferred from the Construction Bureau to the Provincial Surveying and Mapping Bureau as its director. Although the Construction Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Urban Planning Commission, it had leadership over nearly a hundred construction companies across the province. The Provincial Surveying and Mapping Bureau, however, had no subordinate institutions in local cities, significantly reducing its power. This transfer, though seemingly lateral, was actually a demotion to a less important department.

Ultimately, Cao Yongguo retired from the position of Surveying and Mapping Bureau director without further advancement in his career.

Thinking about his past life, Xia Xiang became lost in thought. Xiao Jia, reaching out with her delicate hand, gently pinched his ear and rubbed it, smiling, "Be good, pinching the ear will bring you back to reality."

Xia Xiang, amused, pushed Xiao Jia's hand away, "I'm not a kid, I don't need you to coddle me. I have ten thousand yuan, and I'll lend it all to you."

Xiao Jia jumped with joy, grabbed a piece of paper from the table, scribbled a few lines, and handed it to Xia Xiang, "Here's the IOU, keep it safe. If you lose it, don't blame me for not repaying the debt."

Xia Xiang looked at the IOU and saw that she had already written and signed it, just waiting for him to fill in the amount. Clearly, Xiao Jia had anticipated that he would lend her money, regardless of the amount.

Putting the IOU away, Xia Xiang said, "Wait here, I'll go get the money."

He retrieved the money and returned to the company to give it to Xiao Jia, declining her offer to treat him to lunch. Seeing that Wen Yang wasn't there and Jia He had gone to Beijing with Li Ding Shan, the company was left with just him and Xiao Jia. After staying in the inner office for a while, Xiao Jia came out and told Xia Xiang, "Tell President Li I'll be taking two days off to visit my hometown. You don't need to stay at the company either, since there's nothing to do."

After Xiao Jia left, Xia Xiang called Cao Yongguo, greeted him, and said he wanted to visit. Cao Yongguo, without formalities, said he would be on an inspection trip for a few days and asked Xia Xiang to call him on Saturday, when he could come directly to his house.

Three days later, Li Ding Shan had not yet returned from Beijing. He called to say he might return by Monday. These days, Xia Xiang was alone at the company. Teng Qiang, after being rebuffed last time, hadn't shown up. Wen Yang was also nowhere to be seen.

On Saturday morning, Xia Xiang called Cao Yongguo, who remembered his promise and said he was at home, inviting Xia Xiang to visit. Xia Xiang put down the phone, bought some seasonal fruits, and, remembering that Cao Yongguo loved Jian Nan Chun liquor, he bought a bottle and set off on his bicycle to the Construction Committee dormitory.

Cao Yongguo, despite his high rank, had always worked in the construction sector. His house was allocated by the Construction Committee, not in the famous provincial committee compound on Qing Shui Street, but on Seafood Street.

The Construction Committee dormitory was well-built, using quality materials. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary residential building, but inside, it was a duplex. The dormitory complex was not large, covering about 30 acres, with only five or six buildings, each with a standard layout of two households per floor, but each unit was over 200 square meters.

The houses were nice, but the living environment was a bit poor. Seafood Street was famous for selling seafood, with stalls lining both sides, filled with the clamor of haggling. Xia Xiang, with a bit of dark humor, thought that the leaders living in the Construction Committee dormitory must love seafood. Though it was noisy, buying seafood was incredibly convenient, just a few minutes' walk away.

Cao Yongguo lived on the third floor, the best level. There was a saying: "First and second floors, for the old, weak, and sick. Third and fourth floors, for those with power. Fifth and sixth floors, for young fools..."

The door was opened by Cao Yongguo's daughter, Cao Shuli.

Cao Shuli was a few years younger than Xia Xiang, now a freshman at the same university, making them alumni. In his previous life, Xia Xiang had visited Cao Yongguo's home several times and met Cao Shuli once, but never her brother, Cao Shujun. Cao Shujun, Cao Shuli's younger brother, had, according to Xia Xiang's memory, attended the Military Equipment Academy.

Cao Shuli was tall, almost as tall as Xia Xiang, who was 1.75 meters. Because it was summer, she was wearing a tight-fitting tank top, her chest prominently visible, clearly without a bra. She wore a pair of short pants, revealing healthy, youthful thighs, white and rosy, with a special luster of youth.

Her hair was cut short like a boy's, and her slender face was a refined and elegant beauty.

Cao Shuli remembered Xia Xiang, as she had heard about his achievements when she entered the Architecture College. Xia Xiang, a student of architecture, was known for his excellent writing and had served as the president of the school's literary club, making him a notable figure on campus. So, even though Xia Xiang had only visited once, she remembered his name.

"Xia Xiang, you're here..." Cao Shuli, like a little rabbit with a carrot, jumped into the room, opening the door wide, "Come in, it's hot outside."

As she turned, her short pants, stretched tightly over her round buttocks, made her long, shapely legs, firm and graceful, catch the breath.