Chapter 8.2: How Is He?

　　Given how stunningly his identification photo turned out, one could only imagine the breathtaking beauty he exuded in person.

　　It was no wonder CEO Lin kept his spouse so well hidden, never once bringing him to any social events; he must have feared that others might covet his beauty.

　　Lin Feng delicately held the thin paper, his eyes tracing every detail of the air ticket. To his surprise, Su Ling had booked a flight not only to City A but also to City D after his arrival in City H.

　　Gesturing toward the flights to City A and D, he inquired, “Are there any records of him boarding these flights?”

　　Xu Yunzhuo answered, “Yes, there are.”

　　His eyebrows shot up in disbelief, as he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw Madam Lin’s boarding passes. Both tickets were for City A and D, with just a half-hour gap between flights! Clearly, Madam Lin had anticipated that CEO Lin would be on his trail and laid a clever trap to mislead him. Now, Xu Yunzhuo was left scratching his head, uncertain whether he was still in City H or had slipped away to City A or D.

　　Setting the paper down, Lin Feng reached for Su Ling’s phone and pressed the power button. The screen lit up, but without the password or his fingerprint, it could not be unlocked.

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　　“Yyeyx’p rbsdl dwxcla,” Dw Zwdgbws ekpnzsple, “byp clld rasvlnvle cu yd yehydnle yehydnle nwpvsxla plahknl rypposae¹ R’x dsv vss pwal obyv vbl ywvbsa kp alqlaakdt vs, cwv R alnjsd vbyv kv’p y rypposae plv wr cu vbl nwpvsxla plahknl sa vbl wpla vblxplzhlp vs yee yd yeekvksdyz zyula sq plnwakvu obld ynnlppkdt pldpkvkhl ynnswdv kdqsaxyvksd sa xyjkdt prlnkqkn nbydtlp vs vbl plvvkdtp yppsnkyvle okvb vbyv rbsdl dwxcla. , obknb kp obu vbl PD plahknl nldvla alqwplp vs rakdv bkp nyzz zstp.”

　　Ju dso, bl nswze dsv blzr cwv cl kxralpple cu Yyeyx’p nyznwzyvle lzwpkhldlpp. Tkp oblalycswvp pllxle vs elqu yzz yvvlxrvp yv vaynjkdt. Eyp bl vawzu plv sd ekhsankdt bkx?

　　Qakrrle cu y caklq rydt sq twkzv, Dw Zwdgbws vldvyvkhlzu rasrsple, “UOX Nkd, rlabyrp… ol pbswze nsdpkela svbla xlvbsep?”

　　Bdela vbl olktbv sq Nkd Wldt’p rldlvayvkdt tygl, Dw Zwdgbws qlzv y nbkzz awd esod bkp cynj. Gqvla y raszsdtle pkzldnl, bl pkxrzu pvyvle, “Mbyv okzz dsv cl aliwkale qsa vbl vkxl clkdt.”

　　Tyhkdt blyae vbkp, Dw Zwdgbws iwklvzu blyhle y pktb sq alzklq. Rd vawvb, bl byacsale ds qsdedlpp qsa alpsavkdt vs wdlvbknyz xlydp vs tyvbla kdqsaxyvksd. Fwnb xlvbsep oswze sdzu kdnwa elcvp yde zlyhl bkx hwzdlayczl vs zlhlaytl, obknb bl ralqlaale vs yhske yzvstlvbla.

　　“Illr yd lul sd Ukvu T,” Nkd Wldt saelale.

　　Dw Zwdgbws’p qynl qzknjlale okvb qzllvkdt pwarakpl. “UOX Nkd, es usw alyzzu vbkdj vbl xyeyx kp pvkzz kd Ukvu T?”

　　“Yx.” Nkd Wldt plv vbl rbsdl esod, vbld pydj cynj kdvs vbl psqv rkzzso yde nzsple bkp lulp vs alpv.

　　Noticing the fatigue etched on CEO Lin’s face, Xu Yunzhuo knew it was time to depart. Just as he reached the door, a thought struck him. “Regarding City H,” he began, “I recall Minister Lin had purchased some land there at an auction last year.”

　　Minister Lin, who went by the name Lin Zhiyuan, was the head of the company’s real estate development project, as well as CEO Lin’s elder cousin.
　　As a second-tier city² China has 613 cities which are usually divided into 4 tiers. Different organizations define a tier using a number of factors but they always fall within the following 3 main categories: GDP, Politics, and Population. You can read more about it here: https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-city-tier-classification-defined/ , City H lagged far behind the infrastructure and development in City S. Thus, the notion of spending twenty billion yuan³ CNY 20,000,000,000 is approximately US $2,815,400,000. to purchase a piece of land there at an auction was undeniably thought-provoking.

　　With a barely perceptible gesture, Lin Feng conveyed his grasp of the situation to Xu Yunzhuo.

　　Without further conveyance, Xu Yunzhuo stepped out of the ward, the door softly clicking shut behind him.

_______

　　Stone Creek Village

　　After fifteen days of intense harvesting, the tea yield from Mountain Phoenix reached an impressive 9,870 catty. With beaming smiles and hearts full of elation, the three tea merchants settled their final payments and departed with the tea-picking team.

　　Taking up the role of the village committee’s accountant, Su Ling’s fingers danced across the calculator, each movement as precise and mesmerizing as a maestro’s hands on strings.

　　Aside from the tractor transportation fees accumulated over the past two weeks, he still had to pay wages to over two hundred villagers. After all, Second Grandfather had hired them to tend the tea plantations, with wages settled at the end of each tea-picking season. As soon as the tea merchants departed yesterday, the throngs of villagers eagerly flocked to the village committee office today, excited to collect their long-awaited earnings.

　　With the village committee keeping a close watch, Su Ling held little to worry about the possibility of fraudulent wage claims. By relying on the recorded hours on the timesheets, calculating each individual’s salary was a breeze.

　　Smartphones have revolutionized life, reaching even the most remote corners of the world. Isolated communities had almost universal access to these devices, enabling them to receive wages directly through WeChat or Alipay. This eliminated the hassle of long trips to the bank to withdraw cash.

　　In years past, it had been Second Master Su who would occupy the office and handle the wage payouts. But this year, an attractive young man took up the mantle, setting hearts aflutter among the young, unwed ladies. As they sat before him awaiting their wages, their faces would bloom with a telltale scarlet hue, and bashful smiles emerged.

　　Su Ling carried out his responsibilities with a measured, impartial demeanor, seemingly unfazed by the infatuated gazes of young women around him. The glint of his wedding ring spoke volumes, proclaiming that his heart was already spoken for.

　　The idea of wearing a wedding ring had never even crossed Su Ling’s mind until recently. After moving from City S to Stone Creek Village, he stashed away the symbol of his previous marriage. But just the other day, a village matchmaker appeared at his doorstep, brimming with enthusiasm to arrange a match for him. Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Su Ling swiftly retrieved the diamond ring from its hiding place and slipped it back onto his finger.

　　Upon learning of his marriage, a shadow of disappointment flickered across her face, followed by discontented mutters as she took her leave.

　　After handing the money to the young woman seated before him, Su Ling called out, “Next. Zhang Cuihua.”

　　The instant Zhang Cuihua heard her name, she shoved the person in front aside and sat across from Su Ling.

　　In a saccharine tone, Zhang Cuihua responded, “I’m Zhang Cuihua, Brother Su.”

　　A subtle twitch of Su Ling’s brow hinted at his reaction, though his expression remained composed as he calmly stated, “Hello, your total wages amount to 3,300 yuan⁴ CNY 3,300 is approximately US $464.18. . Take a look at the hours you have worked, and if everything is correct, please sign here.”

　　Zhang Cuihua could not help but feel slighted when she noticed that Su Ling did not even spare her a single glance. With a disgruntled pout, she snatched the document and began reviewing it. But as her pen hovered over the line, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Eh? This isn’t right! I clocked in the full eight hours every day, so why am I only getting paid for six?”

　　Since the attendance sheet was handed over to Su Ling by the deputy director of the village committee, Su Ling found himself stumped, unable to address Zhang Cuihua’s issue. All he could do was turn to Li Yue’e, the deputy director sitting on the sidelines, for help.

　　Li Yue’e was a woman in her early forties who had poured over a decade of her life into the village committee. Despite having only a high school education, her dedication and hard work earned her a promotion to deputy director three years ago. In this role, one of her main responsibilities was supervising the tea plantation workers.

　　Zhang Cuihua’s probing question visibly rattled Li Yue’e, shattering the deputy director’s composed exterior. She retorted with a hint of agitation and defensiveness creeping into her voice, “What do you mean miscalculated? You go up the mountain at 8 a.m., come down at 11 a.m. for lunch, then head back up at 1:30 p.m. and return at 4:30 p.m. So that adds up to six hours a day. There’s no way it could be wrong!”

　　Zhang Cuihua snapped, “I pack my own lunch every day, so there’s no reason for me to head down the mountain at noon.”

　　Upon hearing that, Li Yue’e cast daggers at her. “Are you implying that I’ve made a mistake in the record?”

　　Squaring her shoulders, Zhang Cuihua fired back defiantly, “You’ve definitely made a mistake! I was up on the mountain for the full eight hours, so how can you justify docking me for two hours?”

　　Zhang Cuihua’s eyes darted down the attendance sheet, landing squarely on Li Guo’s name beneath hers. Instantly, her expression twisted into a blend of disbelief and fury. Whirling towards Li Yue’e, she fired off with accusatory precision, “Hold up, you must have gotten this mixed up. Li Guo’s the one who went down the mountain for lunch, not me.”

　　Waiting patiently in line, Li Guo shot a somewhat astonished glance at Li Yue at the mention of his name. But Embarrassment rapidly gave way to a consuming rage within Li Yue’e, as her wounded pride fueled a volcanic outburst of fury. Incensed, she lashed out at Zhang Cuihua, “What on earth are you insinuating, Zhang Cuihua?”

　　Zhang Cuihua bit her lips as she turned towards Su Ling, her eyes silently imploring him for help.