The area near the Forbidden City is an extremely sacred place in the hearts of Huaxia people.
When Wang Zhengqiang met him, he didn't ask him to come here—though Wang Zhengqiang spends most of his time working here.
Having Lin Zeping receive him here felt somehow a bit different.
As the car drove through the heavily guarded gate, Luo Ziling subconsciously sat up straight.
The secretary, who had been sitting rather casually, also straightened up and shut his mouth.
After the car stopped in front of a rather old-fashioned gate, the secretary jumped out first, ready to open the door for Luo Ziling.
Unexpectedly, before he could run to Luo Ziling's side, Luo Ziling had already opened the door himself and got out.
"It's fine, I can do it myself!" Luo Ziling smiled at the secretary, then glanced at the car with its special license plate and the simple yet solemn gate in front of him.
"Go on in, the chief is waiting for you in his office!" The secretary made a "please" gesture.
Luo Ziling nodded and followed the secretary inside.
As they walked up the steps, the secretary said in a low voice, "You're the youngest person the chief has ever asked to see alone."
"Looks like I should be deeply honored!" As he replied, Luo Ziling grinned at the secretary.
The secretary gave Luo Ziling a strange look, but didn't say anything.
He did find it strange that this young Luo Ziling didn't seem the least bit intimidated by this place.
After passing through a covered corridor and then crossing a stone bridge over water, Luo Ziling followed the secretary into a pavilion-like building.
The pavilion was surrounded on three sides by water; there was no one standing around, and it felt very quiet.
When they reached the front of the pavilion, the secretary slowed his pace.
"The chief is inside, go on in." the secretary said softly to Luo Ziling, and again made a "please" gesture.
Luo Ziling thanked him, then strode inside.
The secretary did not follow.
When Luo Ziling entered, he saw Lin Zeping sitting there reviewing documents.
Before Luo Ziling could greet him, Lin Zeping, who had looked up and seen him, spoke first: "Ziling, you're here!"
As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward Luo Ziling with a smile, extending his hand from several steps away.
"Hello, Mr. Lin!" Luo Ziling also smiled and reached out to shake Lin Zeping's hand. "It's my first time here, I'm really excited."
"Actually, this place is about the same as next door." Lin Zeping pointed in the direction of the Forbidden City. "There are just a few more little bridges and streams here."
"It's not that different from the imperial palace either!" Luo Ziling grinned. "For an ordinary person to get in here even once is already something rare. To be able to work here all the time—that's really something!"
"It's impossible to work here all the time." Lin Zeping smiled, let go of Luo Ziling's hand, and invited him to sit. "In a few years, I'll definitely be gone."
Luo Ziling knew what topic Lin Zeping wanted to lead into with that last sentence, and deliberately didn't pick it up.
"If I take a photo later and post it in my Moments, would that be a disciplinary violation?" Luo Ziling joked.
"Actually, it'd be fine." Lin Zeping thought Luo Ziling hadn't caught the subtext in his words, so he didn't mind. "Take a couple photos and post them. People will just think it's some garden park."
"Then I really will snap a couple of shots and show off a bit. Later, when I scroll back through my Moments, I'll know what day it was that I came here." After chuckling twice, Luo Ziling immediately got down to business: "I wonder what Mr. Lin has invited me here for today? I came here in fear and trepidation, you know."
Lin Zeping silently cursed Luo Ziling's shamelessness.
This guy, come here in fear and trepidation?
Ghosts would believe that!
"The things you're in charge of now are all very important!" Lin Zeping laughed heartily. "Although they're not directly under my jurisdiction, what you're doing is of great significance and closely tied to our cultural revival, so I still want to know more about it. It just so happened I was free this afternoon, so I asked my secretary to invite you over for a chat."
"Thank you, Mr. Lin, for thinking so highly of me." Luo Ziling smiled. "Good thing you sent someone to pick me up, otherwise I might have been tailed again."
Lin Zeping froze for a moment.
Luo Ziling continued, "I often get followed when I go out. I'm a little nobody with no official position at all, yet I'm getting almost the same treatment as you, Mr. Lin."
Lin Zeping already understood that Luo Ziling was hinting at something.
He laughed out loud and very straightforwardly admitted a certain matter: "My son also sent people to tail you before. You might even have noticed it."
The fact that Lin Zeping actually admitted this caught Luo Ziling off guard; he'd been about to lay on a few more sarcastic remarks.
But he reacted quickly and immediately said, "Good thing I didn't hit back. If your son had gotten hurt, that really would have been a crime."
Lin Zeping hadn't expected Luo Ziling to reproach him with a smile like that. He couldn't help feeling annoyed, but after giving Luo Ziling a couple of looks, he still said with a squinting smile, "My son was being immature, jealous of what you've achieved. Plus, he's always gotten along well with a few of the Chen Family brothers, so he wanted to knock you down a peg. Fortunately, he's realized he was wrong, so he hasn't dared to do anything against you since. I've actually been wanting to talk to you about this for a while. Some misunderstandings have to be cleared up through talking, don't you think?"
Luo Ziling hadn't expected Lin Zeping to be this "frank," so he momentarily wasn't sure how to respond.
He just smiled and teased, "I know, Mr. Lin would certainly disdain doing that kind of sneaky, petty stuff. Back then I even thought someone was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between our two families, to stir up a fight between us, and pinned it on your Lin Family. Looks like I was wrong. But now that we've talked it out, at least the misunderstanding's cleared."
"In extraordinary times, there are bound to be extraordinary actions. I'm sure you understand that, Ziling." Lin Zeping put away his smile and asked seriously, "Were you very angry about what Zhengdong was doing in the shadows before?"
Luo Ziling didn't answer directly. "I've actually never met your son. I don't even know what kind of person he is. I'd guess he's never seen me either; we've never had any dealings. Why would he have a problem with me? Was he trying to help the Chen Family deal with me, or trying to use me to stir things up? But since you've brought it up so openly, Mr. Lin, I won't keep guessing randomly. If there's a chance, I'll have a good chat with your son. I believe after we talk, the thorn in our hearts will be gone."
What Luo Ziling really meant was to let Lin Zeping know that he still had a thorn in his heart right now.
Lin Zeping hadn't expected Luo Ziling to be so unwilling to give him face.
He had already done his utmost to show sincerity, not covering up what happened before, with the goal of putting Luo Ziling at ease.
He hadn't thought Luo Ziling would react like this; it really took him by surprise.
He also understood just how much resentment Luo Ziling must have held against him before today.
He was also glad that he could talk to Luo Ziling in this way today; otherwise, there really would have been trouble.