Chapter 22
"Don't...it's so wet! Look, the water's already soaked your pants. Be careful, they'll all get wet."
"Yes, yes, push against the gap first before inserting it, otherwise it won't go in."
"Push harder! Is it all the way in? Not all the way in yet! Push harder! It needs to be inserted all the way in."
"Slippery? Wear gloves." Lin Langyi enthusiastically handed over a pair of disposable gloves. "I told you to wear gloves. It's always difficult to operate the first time."
Yuan Chuyu, dressed in a sharp suit and tie, looking every bit the business elite, with his Patek Philippe watch still on his wrist, should have been sitting on a leather cushion in a well-air-conditioned conference room, listening to his subordinates report on work progress—
But at this moment, he was arranged to open clams on the riverbank, with a cute little yellow four-cornered stool under him and a huge sun umbrella that Lin Langyi had specially prepared for him above his head.
He held a wet pearl oyster that he had just pulled from the river in one hand and a long, thin knife in the other. Scattered around his feet were a bunch of things such as clam pliers, tweezers, and a bucket. His face showed an unusual look of bewilderment.
He arrived at the agreed location fifteen minutes early today, intending to wait in the car for a while to avoid inconveniencing Lin Langyi. However, Lin Langyi, dressed in short sleeves and shorts, was already waiting for him at the security booth in the parking lot.
Lin Langyi wore a rainbow-striped short-sleeved top, denim shorts, and flip-flops, looking incredibly youthful and vibrant. However, upon seeing Yuan Chuyu's trousers, shirt, and leather shoes, she immediately began to shake her head.
"Your clothes... never mind, I'll put a raincoat on you later."
For the first time in his life, Yuan Chuyu put on that kind of thin, plastic-like floating raincoat. In a daze, he felt like he had become a large round table at a wedding banquet in an old-fashioned rural area, and the disposable tablecloth on that table was also made of this kind of material.
Although this type of raincoat is lightweight, it is not very breathable. Yuan Chuyu's obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in, and he stubbornly straightened every crease of the raincoat. Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes, and a girl darted in front of him like a bamboo shoot that suddenly sprouted after the rain. She stood on tiptoe and helped him straighten the wrinkled part of his head.
The pleasant scent of her shampoo lingered on her, and she only stepped back a few paces with satisfaction when she saw that his raincoat had completely covered his hair.
Yuan Chuyu lowered his head slightly, paused for two seconds, then reached out and tugged at the hood of the raincoat that was already on his forehead. He paused for a moment, then tugged at it again.
The group headed straight for the pond. A few days ago, the Lin family received the first round of financing from Yingyuan. Yuan Chuyu not only did not raise the interest rate, but also balanced the equity and debt ratio in the investment plan, so that Lin Langyi's equity would not be dispersed or the company's debt ratio would be too high. He can be called a business philanthropist.
Lin Langyi was naturally extremely grateful. She had already made preparations to ensure that Yuan Chuyu would return in high spirits, and immediately invited him to join her on the same boat.
The ship was rather slender, but it could easily seat three or four people. Lin Langyi was considering whether to call the project manager along when Yuan Chuyu pointed to the side with his subordinates: "You guys take that powerboat?"
Who would want to be on the same ship as the boss? Especially since the ship that Yuan Chuyu was referring to was brand new. His subordinates all expressed their eagerness to join him.
Turning his head, Yuan Chuyu asked Lin Langyi for her opinion: "Could we ride in one of those old-fashioned hand-cranked boats? I think it would be more comfortable."
Lin Langyi made a "hmm" sound. She originally planned to let Yuan Chuyu ride in an internal combustion engine boat that didn't require any effort, just like taking a leader down for an inspection. Comfort was obviously the most important thing.
But to everyone's surprise, Yuan Chuyu was the kind of person who worked hard and wanted to row a boat. Lin Langyi suddenly felt like she had just finished preparing for an inspection by her superiors, only to be suddenly asked to go to another place where she hadn't prepared at all.
But she was fine with it, only giving a heads-up beforehand: "However, this kind of ship will take longer."
"It's alright." Yuan Chuyu smiled slightly. "I have all day today. I've been wanting to come to Yingshan Lake for a while now... Do you have anything else planned for today?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Langyi immediately felt a sense of being valued: "No, you are the most important."
This statement seemed to come out of nowhere, and Yuan Chuyu couldn't help but purse his lips, a faint smile appearing on his face.
The two chose a paddle boat. Lin Langyi boarded the boat first. She was used to using a long pole. After supporting herself on the hull, she jumped onto the boat in two steps, and the bottom of the boat immediately rippled gently.
Just as Yuan Chuyu was about to lift his leg behind her, a fair hand reached out in front of him.
A crisp voice reached his ears: "Take your time getting on the boat."
He lowered his eyes to stare at her hand, slowly covered it, held it, and gently enveloped it with his palm before boarding the boat.
The boat rocked slightly, and his body swayed along with it. The hand in his palm gripped him tightly, as if afraid he would fall, and did not let go until he sat down.
"Don't be afraid." Lin Langyi told him to sit in the center of the boat, and then he stood in the center as well. With a push of the long pole, the boat slowly moved away from the shore.
Yuan Chuyu was tall and slender with long limbs. When he sat on the boat, his long legs would take up a lot of space if he stretched them out, so he propped his legs up and did not look around at the water environment. He just stared intently at Lin Langyi rowing the boat.
Before they had even paddled more than ten meters, he considerately asked, "Are you tired? Should I take over?"
Lin Langyi was just feeling energetic and had nowhere to vent, so he immediately waved his hand and said it was a piece of cake: "I grew up by the water. I've been running around and playing on these kinds of boats since I was very young. I'm also very good at rowing!"
The two avoided areas crowded with tourists on the open day and rowed towards the fishing nets with strings of buoys. With practiced ease, she used a long pole to lift a net and hook it into the boat. There were seven or eight river clams between every two buoys.
She invited, "Come on, let's have a lucky draw. You can choose yourself. A little tip: it's better to choose something a bit chubby."
Yuan Chuyu picked out two, and the two of them changed positions and picked up more and more. Lin Langyi reminded him: "The prices are clearly marked. Small ones are 10 yuan, medium ones are 25 yuan, and large ones are 40 yuan each. We distinguish the waters according to the years of breeding... Yes, the ones you are picking up now are all 40 yuan."
He grunted in agreement, behaving like a wealthy young master, and showed no intention of stopping, continuing to pick out a few more and throw them into the bucket with great gusto.
Lin Langyi's rowing duties were taken over early on, and she only needed to sit on the boat and enjoy the breeze.
Yuan Chuyu placed the oars flat on his knees, his right wrist gently twisting and manipulating them, effortlessly controlling the boat's speed and direction. Occasionally, he would use the oars to flick the water, his left hand picking a few things out of the net, and he even had the leisure to chat with her.
"Has anything been done about the previous incident of diseased clams being maliciously released into the water?"
Lin Langyi rested her chin on her hands and sighed, "We called the police. They took the people back for questioning, but there was no direct evidence to prove that they released it. They only said that the pearl oysters in their waters were sick, and they didn't acknowledge the disease in our waters. They said it was spread through the water cycle of evaporation and rainfall... Nonsense."
"They've been released?"
"Yes, they were just released not long ago, and a few days ago they came to our door again asking if we wanted to buy their pond. They were openly and covertly provoking and threatening us, and we couldn't agree on a price."
Yuan Chuyu pondered, "It's better to buy it now and solve the problem once and for all. Besides, the development of Yingshan Lake will definitely be earth-shattering in the future. Your aquaculture ponds will never be enough. It's best to acquire it now while the economy is down."
"Yes, but the price is just outrageous."
Yuan Chuyu lowered the oars, and the two of them had already rowed to a sparsely populated area, so they let the boat drift slowly.
He carefully chose his words, saying, "If they need something from you, they might be willing to lower the price on their own initiative."
Lin Langyi looked up at him.
He maintained his usual calm expression, his irises covered by a layer of light reflected from the water's surface, yet his pupils remained pitch black.
He looked at her gently and said slowly, "He was just released, and he must have a lot of grievances against you."
A grey heron suddenly stopped flapping its wings with a "whoosh," paused at the bow of the boat for two seconds, then shook its wings again and flew to the water in the distance.
Lin Langyi stared into his eyes, her mind perfectly clear. She acted immediately, taking out her phone to send a few messages before casually putting the phone away.
Yuan Chuyu tapped his leg a few times with his index finger, then stopped. The two of them seemed to be speaking in cryptic language, but both knew what they were talking about. He suggested, "I can be the bait, or do you have a better candidate?"
Lin Langyi's eyes widened: "How can I let you go? What if something happens to you?"
He gently lowered his eyelashes: "So you went to see Cheng Yanjin?"
"No." Lin Langyi shook her head, smiling mischievously. "I have an excellent candidate."
The two stopped talking there. Lin Lang noticed that the buckets next to his legs were already full of spoils. He turned the pole and was about to turn around.
The boat suddenly swayed slightly, and the solid feeling of stepping on it was magnified countless times on the boat. Before she could turn around, her hand, which was holding the pole, was grabbed two inches down.
Yuan Chuyu stood sideways behind her, his hand reaching around to hold the pole, almost encircling her in his arms. He didn't touch her at all, yet her scent seemed to linger everywhere.
He frowned slightly and asked, "I've never used this kind of pole to row before. Could you teach me?"
The two stood at one end of the boat, which was slightly tilted up. Lin Langyi had only taken one step when her elbow bumped into his ribs.
Instead of rubbing her chest where she had been bumped, he wrapped her elbow in his palm, using it as a cushion, and said, "Be careful."
As soon as she regained her balance, he immediately let go of her hand as if nothing had happened, without any hesitation, as if he was genuinely just being considerate and worried that she might lose her balance or hurt her arm.
"No problem." Lin Langyi was focused on being the best customer today. She could tell from his paddling posture that he knew how to play. She thought that since he had a foundation, learning this pole vaulting technique would be a piece of cake.
She stepped aside with high spirits, first teaching him face-to-face, then putting the pole into his palm so he could feel it for himself.
As soon as she let go, the pole in Yuan Chuyu's hand went out of control, and the boat rocked and began to spin in place.
“That’s not how it is,” Lin Langyi said, and together they controlled the pole, and the boat continued to move forward for another ten meters.
“I only feel at ease when you’re holding me,” he said, looking troubled. “I get flustered again as soon as you let go.”
"Could you hold my hand so I can feel the direction and force of the force?" His plastic raincoat made him look completely harmless, like a little white flower. "I used to watch videos that taught pronunciation and articulation. The teachers would have the students touch their Adam's apples to feel the vibration."
"Great idea," Lin Langyi agreed enthusiastically.
She tried it out and found that Yuan Chuyu had broad and upright shoulders, so she couldn't stand behind him and reach her arm over him to teach him. So she stood half-sideways in front of him, placed her hand on the back of his well-defined knuckles, gripped it tightly, and led him to submerge the long pole underwater until it touched the bottom. Then she gently rotated her wrist and together they pushed the pole.
The boat slowly changed direction, and ripples spread across the water, shattering the reflections of the two people who seemed to be embracing each other.
She was completely absorbed and unknowingly walked into his arms. His spotless leather shoes rested quietly against her heels, like a dormant creature. He was very close to her, and his shadow fell over them. They didn't say a word for a long time.
He studied for a long time, but still fell short.
Lin Langyi thought to himself that even he had things he wasn't good at. Yuan Chuyu spoke up at just the right moment, blaming himself: "I was prejudiced and always unconsciously used the old way of using a paddle to exert force, which is why I learned it this way."
Lin Langyi turned her head to make amends: "It's okay, you've already learned quite quickly in such a short time."
When she turned her head, she realized that she had unknowingly been completely encircled in his arms, so close that a strand of her long hair was caught on his chest when she turned her head.
She hurriedly smoothed her hair, but the friction caused static electricity, and no matter how many times she tried to straighten it, it would drift towards him.
Yuan Chuyu suddenly raised his hand, pinched the unruly strand of black hair between his index and middle fingers, and gently combed it from top to bottom. At the same time, he stepped back and left her.
He smiled slightly, seemingly not taking what had just happened to heart at all, and suggested, "Shall we go back to the shore? Let me see what good things we can find today."
So ten minutes later, he was made to sit on a yellow chick stool and helplessly open clams on the spot.
But soon, he came to enjoy the experience.
Lin Langyi also brought a small stool to help him open the clams.
Large and small, round or irregularly shaped, pure white, orange, purple-gold... the dripping sound fell into the basin, like pearls of all sizes falling onto a jade plate.
“Edison can make earrings, and Baroque can make necklaces,” Lin Langyi explained, then asked, “Would you like to have yours made here?”
Yuan Chuyu reached into the basin and stirred it a few times, making a rustling sound like sand being swept across a beach: "There are quite a lot. I'm thinking of buying two pairs of glass crafts later to put these pearls in. I can also put some artificial flowers on top. They should look very pretty on the bookshelf."
Such artistic taste!
Lin Langyi nodded approvingly. He glanced at her and couldn't help but smile again: "Then I'll trouble our professional Miss Lin to help me check which of these pearls is of the best quality. I'd like to drill a hole in it first so I can make jewelry."
"Just one?" Lin Langyi immediately began to select. "But you're lucky today; you can pick out several high-quality ones."
Yuan Chuyu bowed slightly, his arms casually resting on his knees, and tilted his head to carefully watch Lin Langyi select pearls.
A smile played on his lips as he gazed at her with a tender, dreamlike look, seemingly lost in the glamorous sunlight.
He said, "Well, I only need one."
Among the tourists on the shore, someone's phone rang. The ringtone was an old English song. A languid, distant female voice sang of love with a passionate, self-destructive fervor, reminiscent of a graffiti-covered convertible from the last century, where a handsome, tall young man and a passionate girl with red lips would escape together, driving to a distant place that seemed to connect with the horizon, willing to die for love.
Lin Langyi finally selected six or seven pearls of excellent quality, but finding it difficult to choose, she handed the decision back to Yuan Chuyu.
He lowered his head, carefully selecting the pearls, and casually asked her, "Which one do you like?"
Lin Langyi pointed to a perfectly round, moon-white pearl. Its shape and color were of the highest quality, almost radiating a noble and aloof white light like a sea pearl.
"Actually, the purple one next to it, oh, and this tea gold one, and the teardrop-shaped one are also beautiful... They are all very good. I chose this one purely based on personal aesthetics and what I liked about it."
Yuan Chuyu followed her finger and looked over, then picked out the moonlight white pearl that Lin Langyi had chosen without hesitation: "Then I'll take this one."
"No problem." Lin Langyi wrapped the pearl up. "After drilling the hole, are you going to choose silver jewelry accessories? To make a necklace or something?"
Yuan Chuyu shook his head: "Just need to drill a hole, no need for a silver chain."
"OK."
She led him back to the processing office on the first floor of the company. Several machines were running, and tourists waiting to be processed were directing the customers to indicate what kind of finished product they wanted.
"So busy?" Lin Langyi asked with a smile as she entered the room.
Amidst her busy schedule, the employee replied, "Because there's a temple fair on the night market street in Taimi Port today, many couples are going there for dates, which has boosted our business."
"Oh, no wonder."
Lin Langyi set up a machine herself, cleaned and processed the pearls, and then, according to Yuan Chuyu's requirements, drilled holes that were slightly too large in diameter before putting them into a sealed plastic bag and handing them to him.
Yuan Chuyu carefully put the pearls into his pocket, and when he looked up again, he asked, "I want to put the rest of the pearls in a glass bottle... Is there anywhere nearby where I can buy them?"
Lin Lang thought for a moment, then said with difficulty, "We only have silver jewelry here, like 18k gold chains and gold-plated chains... We don't have any glass crafts."
While busy operating the machine, the employee replied from afar, "Then go to the night market. There are stalls and shops like this everywhere in the night market, just pick one."
Lin Langyi suddenly realized, clapped her hands vigorously, and immediately turned to ask Yuan Chuyu for his opinion.
He seemed quite surprised as well, and when he smiled, a slight puff of eye bags appeared under his eyes, making them look even more charming.
"I'm not very familiar with this area, could you come with me to take a look around?"
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