Free Web NovelChapter 706: Chapter 676: Smooth Sailing
Zhou Yi Wu angrily said, "Aren’t I doing this for Renhe Hall? He’s bullying us right on our doorstep, I can’t just act like a coward!"
Zhou Yiwen flicked cigarette ash out of the car window and said, "Your focus shouldn’t be on him right now. Go back and handle the divorce paperwork first, and remind those friends of yours to keep their mouths shut. If word gets out, it will only damage our interests."
Zhou Yi Wu said, "I’m worried that Xu Chunliang might say something."
Zhou Yiwen meaningfully replied, "What is meant to happen will happen sooner or later, be prepared for the worst."
Zhou Yi Wu said, "By the way, try not to let Elder Zhou know about this, I don’t want him to be upset."
Zhou Yiwen said, "You seem to care about him quite a bit."
Zhou Yi Wu said, "After all, he did raise us."
Zhou Yiwen laughed for a while before stopping, "After all, we’re adopted, there’s no blood relation, do you really think Xu Chunliang is asking him for things from Huichun Hall?"
Zhou Yi Wu was startled, for he had seen Xu Chunliang ask their father for things with his own eyes, could it have been wrong?
Zhou Yiwen said, "Don’t oversimplify Elder Zhou’s intentions, his actions over the years clearly indicate he’s wary of us. I found out that this isn’t the first time he’s met Xu Chunliang."
Zhou Yi Wu gasped, "Are you saying, Elder Zhou and Xu Chunliang are teaming up to put on a show for us?"
Zhou Yiwen said, "We can’t rule out that possibility."
"Impossible, the enmity between Elder Zhou and Huichun Hall runs deep, how could he join forces with Xu Chunliang."
"The enmity is just his own words, only he knows what really happened between them back then. If he hated Huichun Hall so much, why set a rule that Renhe Hall can’t open a branch in Dongzhou?"
Zhou Yi Wu nodded, Renhe Hall’s first foray into Dongzhou happened after they took over, and it wasn’t an official branch, just Zhou Yisheng entering Changxing Hospital as a relative to sell Renhe Hall’s products, Elder Zhou never said anything about it. Of course, in the end, Zhou Yisheng ended up losing everything, leaving with nothing.
Zhou Yi Wu said softly, "What you said does make me think something’s off."
Zhou Yiwen said, "We don’t have blood ties with him after all, he has quite a lot of good things in his hands, and he might not pass them down to us in the future."
Zhou Yi Wu angrily said, "If he won’t pass it to us, who else but Xu Chunliang, why?"
Zhou Yiwen said, "I would like to know what’s going through his mind too."
Zhou Yi Wu said, "Why don’t we hire a private detective to investigate him?"
Zhou Yiwen laughed, he had actually already started doing that, shook his head and said, "No need for that."
The next morning, Xu Chunliang woke up to a call from Liang Xin, asking if he had left Jizhou yet. Upon hearing that he was still at the hotel, she asked if he could come to the command center, as Director Lu was very interested in his two proposals. If possible, they could sign a preliminary agreement today.
This was great news for Xu Chunliang, as he thought it would take some time to get a result, but he didn’t expect such efficiency from Jizhou. It seemed that Lu Yunqi was putting in a lot of effort into this matter, especially since he was caught in a compromising situation by Xu Chunliang earlier.
Xu Chunliang arranged to meet Liang Xin at Lu Yunqi’s office at 10 a.m.
This time, Xu Chunliang’s reception at the command center was noticeably different from before. The security guard at the gate recognized him from afar and quickly opened the automatic gates for him, which seemed a bit exaggerated, but there was no other way, as this guy was quite formidable and any narrower gate wouldn’t have accommodated him.
When Xu Chunliang arrived in the lobby of the office building, Liang Xin was already standing there waiting for him, with a flattering smile on her face, "Director Xu, you’re really punctual."
Xu Chunliang said, "Not only am I punctual, I also keep my promises."
Liang Xin thought to herself, hoping he would keep his promise and not reveal her and Lu Yunqi’s secret, but upon reconsideration, she realized that Xu Chunliang hadn’t actually made any promises in this regard.
While taking the elevator upstairs, they ran into Sun Changyin, the Director of the Jizhou Culture and Tourism Bureau, who was also the first leader of the command center. Although he had an office at the command center, he rarely came, and Lu Yunqi was responsible for the work there.
Liang Xin quickly greeted him, and Sun Changyin smiled at her and glanced at Xu Chunliang. To avoid any misunderstanding, Liang Xin introduced him, "Director Xiao, this is Director Xu from Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau’s national-level resort project command center."
In reality, Xu Chunliang hadn’t received any official correspondence yet, and was currently just a deputy section chief of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, seconded to be the deputy mayor of Hu Shan Town for specific tasks.
Xiao Changyin is a modest man, and he greeted warmly: "Director Xu, welcome to Jizhou." He reached out his hand to Xu Chunliang, who extended both hands to shake his, showing respect for the leader.
Xiao Changyin said, "I remember you, your performance of Farewell My Concubine was quite impressive." Xiao Changyin also attended the national cultural and tourism conference held at Taiming Lake, where Xu Chunliang and Su Qing’s performance of Farewell My Concubine left a deep impression on the attendees. It can be said that Dongzhou made a name for itself in front of its peers nationwide.
Later, Xu Chunliang’s impromptu martial arts demonstration was also quite remarkable, making it hard for Xiao Changyin not to remember this young man.
Xu Chunliang said, "Director Xiao, I thought you looked familiar. So that’s where we met, but you were so popular at that time, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you."
Xiao Changyin burst into laughter: "You’re the real star here." He turned to Liang Xin and said, "Take this opportunity, and you all should learn from Xiaoxu. He is very capable!"
Liang Xin nodded, having come to deeply appreciate Xu Chunliang’s abilities, which had even managed to handle Lu Yunqi and her with ease.
When they got off the elevator, Xu Chunliang courteously let Xiao Changyin go first.
Xiao Changyin recalled the matter Lu Yunqi had previously consulted him about and said to Xu Chunliang, "You’re here to sign the cooperation agreement between our two regions, right?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Yes!"
Xiao Changyin said, "Our two cities are so close, and both share the resources of Weishan Lake. We should have strengthened our cooperation long ago. Make sure you have a good discussion this time. If you encounter any difficulties, you can speak directly to Director Lu. If Director Lu can’t solve it, you can come to me."
Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "With your words, Director Xiao, I’m relieved. Director Xiao, on behalf of the Dongzhou City Culture and Tourism Bureau, I’d like to invite you to visit Dongzhou when you have time."
Xiao Changyin said, "I’m planning to go there next week for a meeting in Dongzhou."
Xu Chunliang took the opportunity to exchange contact information with Xiao Changyin, ensuring that Xiao Changyin would contact him when he came to Dongzhou.
Liang Xin watched from the side and realized that Xu Chunliang’s networking skills were truly impressive, no wonder he was entrusted with important responsibilities at such a young age by the Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Because of the interruption by Xiao Changyin, Xu Chunliang arrived five minutes late for his appointment in Lu Yunqi’s office.
He hadn’t even had a chance to speak with Lu Yunqi when he received a call from Zhou Ren. Elder Zhou also asked him if he was still in Jizhou. Upon learning he hadn’t left yet, Zhou Ren invited him to gather at the old house they had visited last time for lunch.
Zhou Ren had been feeling quite restless lately. After making the call, he stood alone in the courtyard of the old house, which hadn’t been maintained for a long time. He shook his head, lacking the energy or motivation, as he realized his time in this world was limited.
He opened the door, and sunlight poured into the room from behind him. The three words Huichun Hall were partly glowing in the sunlight, while the other half remained in shadow.
It’s said that when people grow old, they become more understanding about many things. But Zhou Ren was increasingly troubled by the past. His life was a series of struggles and isolation. He often wondered if he hadn’t sought refuge with his father, he wouldn’t have encountered Xu Changying, and that ill-fated relationship wouldn’t have occurred.
His father died because of him, yet every time he thought of his father, he still felt resentment. Why didn’t his father tell him the truth earlier? It was his father’s selfishness that led to this tragedy.
Zhou Ren gazed at the words Huichun Hall, the place that had carried both his happiness and pain, the place he spent a lifetime trying to forget but couldn’t.
He planned to entrust everything here to Xu Chunliang. After observing his two foster sons, Zhou Ren found that they were ultimately not his own flesh and blood. They were inherently selfish and greedy, and their respect for him was only superficial.
Suddenly, Zhou Ren noticed a curtain on the east side gently swaying, and his heart became alert as he looked around, noticing a toe protruding from under a screen. Zhou Ren grabbed a walking stick from a vase and suddenly lunged forward, raising the stick to strike at the person hiding behind the screen.
The intruder had already noticed and grabbed the walking stick, forcefully pushing Zhou Ren backward. The intruder was strong and vigorous, while Zhou Ren was old and frail, unable to withstand the forceful shove. He lost his balance, stumbled backward, and as he fell, his head collided with the corner of a table, before collapsing limply to the ground.
The intruder, wearing a cap that only revealed a pair of eyes, reacted on impulse. When he saw Zhou Ren fall to the ground, instinct made him want to help, but upon seeing blood gushing from Zhou Ren’s head and the look of terror and guilt in his eyes, he ultimately chose not to stop and decided to leave instead.
Zhou Ren stared intently at the man’s back, determined to etch the shadow into his memory.
The discussion between Xu Chunliang and Lu Yunqi was very pleasant; they signed a preliminary cooperation agreement. During the signing, Xu Chunliang even called Director Fu Guomin of the Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau, allowing him to speak with Lu Yunqi, showcasing Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau’s commitment to the cooperation.
The reason for Lu Yunqi’s diligence this time was his realization that the best way for Xu Chunliang to help him keep a secret was to maintain a good relationship. He wanted Xu Chunliang to realize his usefulness, as long as Xu Chunliang saw his value, he wouldn’t easily destroy this card.
Of course, Lu Yunqi also reconsidered the prospects of cooperation. The two suggestions made by Xu Chunliang actually brought more benefits than drawbacks to Jizhou and presented him with a good opportunity to boost his political achievements. Since it’s mutually beneficial, why not go for it?
Today’s update is a bit late, but it will still be two Chapters. I’ll keep up the effort!
