Su Ling's first reaction when he saw Lin Feng was to quickly lower the brim of his straw hat and turn his back.
Li Dahai stood on tiptoe to take a look, then looked away with disinterest. "Brother Su, are we going back to the village now?"
Lidya Su hummed, got on the electric bike, and kept pressing the brim of his hat with his fingers.
"Hey, are you guys leaving?" the man buying loquats said reluctantly. "Remember, if you change your mind, be sure to call me."
Lidya Su didn't answer. Li Dahai started the car and grinned at him, "Goodbye, uncle."
The car turned and drove away quickly, leaving the parking lot in a short while.
The man stroked his beard and muttered to himself, "Uncle? You actually called me uncle? I'm only 31!"
At the hotel entrance, Lin Feng got out of the car and took a step back. An old man in a Tang suit and a fashionable young man walked out of the car.
"Brother Lin, thank you for giving us a ride." Bai Jincheng looked at Lin Feng with admiration. He had a very good impression of this young man he met on the plane.
"It's just a small favor," Lin Feng replied calmly but politely. Perhaps because the other party was a highly respected master of traditional Chinese painting, on par with Su Ling's teacher Zhang Qianyi, he subsided his aloofness and became more humane.
Wenxi stood obediently beside his grandfather, quietly looking at the tall man with a broken bone sling.
He didn't expect that it would be such a coincidence today that he would be on the same flight with the head of the Lin Group and sit next to each other. He subconsciously greeted him and attracted the other party's attention. After that, his grandfather somehow started chatting with him.
We met briefly in the private room of Feng Yasong Hotel that day, and I felt that the man was cold, serious and even unapproachable. But when I talked with my grandfather on the plane today, he didn't seem as unapproachable as I had imagined.
When his grandfather talked to him about painting, he actually had quite a few insights and obviously had some understanding of Chinese painting. His grandfather was in high spirits and changed his address for him from Mr. Lin to Brother Lin, reducing Wen Xi to the level of a grandson.
So embarrassing!
Apart from being a quiet handsome man, Wen Xi didn't dare to say a word, for fear that if he opened his mouth, he would have to call others "Grandpa".
Xu Yunzhuo stood behind Lin Feng and said respectfully, "Boss Lin, Manager Wei and Manager Han are already waiting upstairs."
Lin Feng said to Bai Jincheng, "Excuse me first."
Bai Jincheng smiled and said, "Brother Lin, just go and do your work. My grandson and I will go to the front desk to register first."
Lin Feng nodded slightly and walked into the hotel with Xu Yunzhuo. Xu Yunzhuo greeted the front desk and took him straight to the elevator. Soon, the elevator reached the top floor and the two arrived at the hotel's only presidential suite.
In the living room, two middle-aged men in suits sat on the sofa, staring at each other, holding handkerchiefs in their hands, wiping the cold sweat on their faces from time to time. When the door was pushed open, the two men suddenly stood up and looked at the intruder nervously.
The case in Liuxian Town actually alarmed the group's top leader. When they received a call from Assistant Xu in the morning, the two department managers were really shocked. They hurriedly sorted out the information and came over nervously waiting to be held accountable.
Lin Feng glanced at the two men sharply, and the other party immediately lowered their heads in sweat.
"Sit down." Lin Feng walked to the sofa and sat down, saying to the two of them, "Explain the situation clearly."
"Thank...thank you, Mr. Lin." The two men sat down tremblingly and began to report the situation in detail.
On the bustling streets, three-wheeled electric vehicles were driving orderly on the non-motorized vehicle lane. Su Ling had already put down his fingers that were pressing on his straw hat, and was staring at the street scene with lifeless eyes.
Li Dahai drove the electric car at a steady speed, turning his head to glance at Su Ling from time to time.
What happened to Brother Su?
After exiting the hotel parking lot, he seemed to exude a melancholy, his voice silent and worrying. Was it because he lost money on those last two boxes of loquats, or was it because he regretted not agreeing to that man's promise to become a star?
The light at the intersection ahead turned red, and Li Dahai braked hurriedly, and both of their bodies leaned forward due to inertia.
Su Ling regained consciousness, touched his face, took out his cell phone and checked the time. It was almost noon.
"Dahai, let's have lunch in town before going back."
"Ah? Oh——" Li Dahai responded blankly.
Su Ling turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
Li Dahai scratched the back of his head and said embarrassedly, "I don't have any money."
My main task in coming to town today was to help Brother Su sell loquats, and I never thought about eating in town.
Su Ling patted the pocket of his sportswear and said with a smile: "Brother has money, I'll treat you to a meal. What do you want to eat? Steak or sushi?"
Li Dahai shook his head like a wave drum. Steak? Sushi? I couldn't even imagine it!
Su Ling thought he didn't like it, so he looked around and saw a KFC. He pointed and said, "It seems that the kids all like hamburgers and fried chicken. Let's eat that!"
Li Dahai's eyes lit up when he saw the iconic KFC sign. However, he soon hesitated and asked, "Will it be expensive? Or...how about noodles? Shredded chicken noodles will do."
Su Ling pressed the straw hat on his head, with tenderness in his eyes. "I want to eat, you eat with me."
"...Oh..." Li Dahai licked his lips subconsciously. As soon as the green light came on, he immediately controlled the electric car and drove towards the KFC store.
It was peak lunchtime, and KFC was packed. Su Ling asked Li Dahai to find a seat while he ordered. Li Dahai looked around and found two seats in the corner. He squeezed in, took off his straw hat, and sat down timidly. A middle-aged woman with a child next to him glanced at him with disdain and clutched her bag.
Li Dahai sat there with his hands clenched into fists and placed on his thighs.
Ten minutes later, Su Ling found Li Dahai in the corner with a plate full of food and walked over.
When the middle-aged woman saw another "countryman" with a straw hat, her face became even darker and she almost opened her mouth to drive him away. But when Su Ling took off the straw hat and revealed his handsome face, the words in her throat were swallowed back into her stomach.
"Sorry, I have to share the table with you." Su Ling said to the middle-aged woman politely.
"No...it's okay." The middle-aged woman suddenly became reserved.
Su Ling smiled elegantly and said to Li Dahai: "Go wash your hands first."
"Okay." Li Dahai replied confidently. Su Gege's face was indeed very powerful. This aunt looked like a completely different person. She looked cute and even the hand holding the French fries was curled up into an orchid finger.
It was Li Dahai's first time eating hamburgers, fried chicken, and drinking Coke, and he ate them with gusto and couldn't get enough. He packed up the leftover chicken nuggets and prepared to take them home for his grandparents to try.
After dinner, the two of them left KFC and rode their electric bikes again. Li Dahai thought they could go back to the village immediately, but Su Ling told him to follow the navigation on his phone and go to the admissions office in town.
"Brother Su...why do we have to go to the Admissions Office?" Li Dahai asked uncertainly, with an expression of both anticipation and nervousness on his face.
"I'll help you find out about going to high school." Su Ling said, "I talked to your grandparents the day before yesterday, and they agreed that you can continue your studies."
"Ah—" Li Dahai was surprised. The day before yesterday? How come he didn't know anything about it?
"But..." he hesitated.
"Don't say but, you should go to school at your age." Su Ling stretched out his finger and flicked his forehead. "When the road to the village is repaired, it will be convenient for you to go back and forth. You can choose to go to school as a day student or live in the school."
Li Dahai slowed down the electric bike, looked straight ahead, and felt a sore nose.
Su Ling's eyes were gentle, and he didn't point it out. His thoughts drifted away, and he thought of Lin Feng whom he met at the hotel entrance.
How long had it been since his last business trip? Two months, or three months?
Time flies so fast. It is already the end of May and June is approaching. The year is almost half over.
After leaving S City and going to the countryside, he thought he was calm enough. However, the moment he saw Lin Feng, his suppressed emotions suddenly burst out, his heart ached, and endless grievances arose. He almost had difficulty breathing. If Li Dahai had not spoken, he might not have been able to control himself and rushed over regardless.
After all, he was the only man he loved deeply, and they had lived in love for three years. Even though he was disheartened, he could not break up.
Pinching his brows, Su Ling sighed.
No matter what Lin Feng's purpose was in coming to Liuxian Town, he didn't want to face it now. At least... wait until he learned to let go and calmed down, then go with him to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce certificate.
In the presidential suite of the Hyatt Hotel, the two department managers, exhausted after reporting everything, anxiously awaited the verdict. However, to their surprise, their boss didn't give them a hard time; he simply waved his hand, signaling they could leave.
The two men breathed a sigh of relief, bowed respectfully, and fled out of the room.
Xu Yunzhuo replaced Lin Feng's cup of tea and frowned, saying, "These two are just scapegoats. The real culprit, I think... is still Minister Lin."
Minister Lin, as the person in charge of project development, turned out to be a hands-off boss when forced demolition killed people. He flew abroad overnight, under the pretext of a business trip, but in fact to avoid the limelight. He left the mess behind for his two subordinates to face the relevant departments and reporters like headless flies. Not only did he fail to comfort the family of the deceased in the first place, but he aroused their anger. When the matter became too big to be covered up, he asked the headquarters for help. He was simply unable to accomplish anything and instead caused more trouble than success.
Originally, such a small matter did not require President Lin's personal involvement, but President Lin had been on more business trips this year, and some people were ready to make trouble and had inappropriate thoughts. Since President Lin wanted to rectify the situation, he had to make an example of them.
Lin Feng picked up the teacup, his eyes deep. "First block, then clear; first public, then private."
Xu Yunzhuo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. Mr. Lin's point was: compensation should be paid, fines should be imposed, and accountability should be addressed. First, the source should be addressed, and then the root causes should be traced back, from bottom to top, to catch them all in one fell swoop.
Lin Feng put down the teacup, picked up his phone and opened WeChat.
During the conversation, his phone kept vibrating. The same person had sent him several voice messages. He poked the voice button expressionlessly, and Meng Senze's voice immediately rang out in the living room.
"Lin Feng, I visited my second uncle this morning and asked about Su Ling indirectly. He said they haven't been in touch recently, but Master Zhang Qianyi will be holding an art exhibition in the middle of next month, and Su Ling will definitely go."
The first voice message was about serious matters, and Meng Senze was quite serious, but the tone of the next few messages suddenly changed, and he sounded like he wanted a beating.
"Oh, I'm not saying there aren't any major issues between you and Junior Su. The only thing you lack is communication, especially when you're so pushy you can't even get a fart out of someone like you. It's simply infuriating. If I were Junior Su, I couldn't stand being with you for even a single day, so why would I endure it for three years before filing for a divorce? Of course, I'm not advising you to divorce Junior Su. Marriage, after all, requires two people to work together. One-sided efforts can easily lead to an imbalance, and this imbalance can lead to an imbalance between yin and yang... Uh, you're in a gay marriage, so okay, it means disharmony anyway, you get the idea!"
"Now that it's already happened, you have to learn to make amends, right? After you find Junior Su, you absolutely cannot blame him, let alone be mean to him. Admit your mistake! You must admit your mistake! Whether you realize your mistake or not, listen to me. First, humble yourself and seek forgiveness. When he softens his heart, you can have a good talk. If he doesn't forgive you, it's simple. Use your man's trump card!"
"What's a man's trump card? Dangdangdangdang—washboard!"
"As a responsible man, it's not shameful to kneel down on a washboard before my wife. If I don't have a washboard, a keyboard will do!"
"I've given you an idea. Whether you're willing to listen and do it is up to you!"
"Okay, that's all for today, it's 88~"
After the voice ended, the living room was silent for half a minute.
Xu Yunzhuo's mouth twitched, and he seriously suspected that his boss would kill him to silence him. Why didn't he cleverly leave when Mr. Lin clicked on the first voice message, but instead stood there stupidly and listened to the whole thing?
Washboard?
It’s a pity that the other party could come up with this idea!
How could the CEO of the Lin Group kneel on a washboard?
It’s a fairy tale!
"Yunzhuo." The man on the sofa held his cell phone, his face stern, and called his name coldly.
Xu Yunzhuo's heart trembled, and he replied anxiously, "Yes."
"Go buy a washboard."
! !
Xu Yunzhuo's face crackled.
The author has something to say: Xu Yunzhuo: I'm hallucinating! I'm hallucinating! I must be hallucinating!
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