Chapter 41: Cashing in on the bet to pave the way for her
Zhou Lin wandered the outskirts of the city for two days. His lips chafed from the wind and sun, and his brow furrowed ever deeper. He found suitable plots of land, but they were all too expensive or too remote for easy transportation.
He knew that every penny Su Hexi earned was hard-earned and soaked with her blood, sweat, and he wished he could break every penny into two halves to spend.
On the evening of the third day, he stood at the village entrance, looking at the sloping land that was deserted because it was close to the road, with only a few weeds growing here and there. This land was his family's private plot.
An idea gradually became clear and firm in his mind.
In the evening, he returned to the Zhou family's old house, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was a bit depressing.
Everyone knows that Zhou Lin and Su Hexi are divorced, and no one wants to talk about Zhou Lin's pain.
Zhou Lin finished his last mouthful of rice, put down his chopsticks, and spoke in a low but clear voice: "Mom, Zhisheng, Lan Yin, I want to divide up our private plot of land at the village entrance."
Wang Huixian raised her eyes. "Why are you suddenly dividing the land? What do you want that kind of land for? It's far from the canal, there are a lot of rocks, and the harvest has always been poor."
"It's not farming." Zhou Lin paused, "Xiaoxi...her company wants to build a building, and the location and size of that piece of land are suitable."
After these words were spoken, there was a moment of silence at the dinner table.
Wang Huixian looked at him and sighed softly. When their son returned from his divorce, he hadn't said anything, but they knew it all too well: he still had feelings for Su Hexi, the beautiful, capable, yet elusive woman. Now that he was divorced, he was working even harder for her.
Zhou Lanyin said indignantly: "Brother, is Su Hexi the only woman in this world? You are divorced now and have nothing to do with her anymore. You can pursue your own happiness again..."
"Brother, if you want the land, just take it. It's lying idle anyway!" Zhou Zhisheng interrupted Zhou Lanyin hastily. Zhou Lin was a stubborn person. Zhou Lanyin's words not only failed to enlighten Zhou Lin, but made him feel more depressed and uncomfortable.
He looked at Zhou Lin and said, "Brother, if you want that piece of land, just take it. I don't have time to take care of the farm work right now anyway. The factory is going to promote me to workshop director soon, in charge of an entire production line, so I will have even less time in the future."
He is now doing very well in the county steel mill and is about to be promoted. He is in high spirits and there is a hint of pride in his tone.
Zhou Lin was genuinely happy for his brother, "Good job! Do a good job!"
"Don't worry, bro. I'll definitely do my best now that I have this great opportunity!" Then, with some genuine regret, he said, "Brother, actually, when it comes to ability, you're much better than me. If you hadn't left the factory because of... I wouldn't be the director now."
Zhou Lin's hand paused imperceptibly. Under the dim light, his angular profile showed no emotion. He was silent for a moment, then said in a rough voice, "Let's not talk about the past anymore."
He didn't want to hear these ifs. He never regretted the choices he made, especially for Su Hexi.
Seeing that her youngest son had no objection and her eldest son was determined, the mother stopped trying to stop him. The land was thus divided among Zhou Lin.
The next day, Zhou Lin took Su Hexi to look at the land.
Looking around Su Hexi, it is not too far from the city, the roadside is wide, and transportation will be convenient in the future. It is indeed a good place.
"Okay, let's do it here. Start moving as soon as possible." Su Hexi made the decision decisively and decided on the location.
After the land problem was solved, Su Hexi immediately turned around and went to another "battlefield", the office of the director of the Red Star Factory.
Tang Yuelin sat behind his large desk, looking at Su Hexi, who had come uninvited. She was even more dazzling than before, not because of her clothes, but because of the self-confidence that emanated from her, the confidence that she possessed in her own career. It made his heart itch, mixed with a bit of frustration and resentment from losing the bet.
"Director Tang, I'm here to cash in my bet." Su Hexi went straight to the point without any greetings.
Tang Yuelin leaned back in his chair, pointing his finger at the table: "Speak."
He wanted to see what this woman wanted.
"My company building is about to begin construction. I need you to mobilize all your connections and relationships to ensure that everything from the allocation of building materials to the various approval procedures goes smoothly." Su Hexi's eyes were sharp. "Also, I'm willing to accept the loss. Please cooperate with me openly in the future, honor the bet and help me, and don't secretly put any obstacles in my way or those around me. Otherwise, I, Su Hexi, will not be easily messed with!"
Tang Yuelin looked at her fearless and even warning eyes, and the desire to conquer and the sense of frustration in his heart became stronger.
He suppressed her until she had nothing and almost became homeless, but she did not give up. Instead, she made a comeback that caught him off guard.
He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing an ambiguous smile. "Alright, I'll accept defeat. I, Tang Yuelin, keep my word. I will take good care of your building."
He deliberately emphasized the word "well", and only he knew the reluctance in it.
With Tang Yuelin's "all-out" support, the previously anticipated approval bottlenecks and building materials problems were indeed solved.
Although Zhou Lin was taciturn, he had strong execution ability. He quickly started leveling the land and laying the foundation on the construction site. The construction of the "Xi" brand company building finally started in full swing.
Su Hexi looked at the construction site that was beginning to take shape, but what he was thinking about in his mind was the crucial battle before the upcoming Spring Festival, "Red Fire Show".
She called Zhou Lin into the makeshift shed and pointed at the blueprints. "Zhou Lin, the project schedule needs to be adjusted. Concentrate all your resources and manpower. Within two months, complete the company's imposing gate and the main structure of the runway inside the show venue! Even if it's just a construction site outside, the inside must be presentable and capable of supporting a perfect show! We can continue with the rest of the expansion after the show is over."
Zhou Lin looked at the blueprint, then looked up at the unquestionable determination and burning career ambition in Su Hexi's eyes. Without any doubt or objection, he nodded solemnly: "Okay."
From that day on, Zhou Lin practically lived on the construction site. He coordinated the workers, dispatched materials, and personally monitored every key step.
The lights on the construction site were bright, working day and night. He outlasted all the other workers, the bloodshot in his eyes growing thicker, the stubble on his chin turning blue. He was like a string stretched to the utmost, silently and resolutely determined to make all of Su Hexi's requests a reality.
He wanted to build the first step towards her dream as quickly as possible on that originally barren land.
On Su Hexi's side, the requirements for selecting models are also stricter. She requires fat models to lose weight, and those who do not meet the height requirements cannot be models and can be transferred to logistics.
After a screening, only two out of twenty models were qualified, and the others who were eliminated were very dissatisfied.
"Coach Su, how could you not keep your word? We were all determined to follow you, and we even signed a guarantee contract. Now that you've made money and become famous, you don't want us anymore! How can you be such a person? You're just going to throw us away after using us!"
"That's right! Coach Su, what you did is so unfair! Before, you didn't have the money to pay us, so we didn't push you. We waited until you made some money before we got paid. Now you say you don't want us anymore! Have you forgotten your roots now that you've made some money?"
"Who would dare to work with a boss like you who uses people and then throws them away?"
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