Not only was Wang Guangping’s attitude cold, but Ran Shuyu also seemed to have grown somewhat distant.

Xia Ziyu was extremely angry.

Regarding the Wang couple’s return to the city, though she hadn’t contributed labor, she had spent money – several thousand yuan in total. Now they wanted to abandon her after using her help, but they’d have to see if she, Xia Ziyu, would allow it.

If it were Xia Xiaolan in this situation, faced with such ungrateful future in-laws, she would have run as far away as possible, thankful for escaping such a trap. But Xia Ziyu was entirely different. She was very tolerant and willing to endure and act. No matter how angry she felt inside, she showed nothing on her face, seemingly unaware of Wang Guangping and Ran Shuyu’s coldness. Her attitude remained unchanged from her first visit.

She not only busied herself running errands for them but also brought them many gifts, including two sets of new clothes.

“You should leave behind the old clothes from the farm. With new clothes, Uncle and Auntie can have a fresh start in your new life,” she suggested.

Wang Guangping glanced at her, unmoved while wearing his old clothes.

Building Hua shouldn’t have found such a girlfriend – her vision was too limited and would be of no help to the Wang family!

Did he enjoy wearing patched-up old clothes?

But if he returned to the city in new clothes, how could he let others see the true conditions of his reformation at the farm? If he didn’t seize this opportunity to gain sympathy, returning looking pristine, others might think he and his wife had been enjoying themselves at the Heilongjiang farm.

“Dad, Ziyu means well. She’s put in a lot of effort to help you and Mom return to the city,” Wang Jianhua couldn’t bear to see Xia Ziyu being treated coldly and spoke up in her defense.

This statement hit a nerve with Wang Guangping. The fact that he needed help from a rural girl like Xia Ziyu to return to the city made him cough heavily twice. He thought that after several years without proper guidance, Jianhua still lacked astuteness.

While other people’s daughters weren’t his concern, his son was his flesh and blood and needed proper teaching.

Ran Shuyu finally took Xia Ziyu’s arm again and clarified the situation, essentially teaching Wang Jianhua while making Xia Ziyu blush deeply:

“Uncle, I’m sorry, I almost hindered your situation…”

Xia Ziyu truly hadn’t known!

She had never encountered such high-level intricacies before, and with no one explaining things clearly, she couldn’t have figured it out on her own. However, this embarrassing incident didn’t discourage her enthusiasm for marrying Wang Jianhua – if anything, it made her more eager.

This small setback meant nothing to her. After marrying Wang Jianhua and living in such an environment, she was confident she would understand everything Ran Shuyu knew now. After all, her ability to enter university proved she was more intelligent than the average person.

Once Wang Guangping and Ran Shuyu left, it was clear they would never return to this godforsaken place. As soon as the documents were issued, others at the farm who couldn’t return to the city began trying to ingratiate themselves with Ran Shuyu. Some even came to report work matters to Wang Guangping, though heaven knew what work they could report when Wang Guangping’s city position wasn’t even confirmed yet, and these people spent their days working on the farm.

“Guangping, don’t forget about us.”

“Comrade Guangping, I was truly wronged. Now that you’re returning to the city, could you report our situation to the higher-ups?”

Wang Guangping responded with empty pleasantries.

He had no interest in dealing with these useless people. Though his body remained in the countryside, his heart had already traversed mountains and seas, returning to the power circles of Beijing!

…

Xia Xiaolan knew nothing about the Wang family’s affairs.

Wang Guangping’s reinstatement and return to the city meant little to her, though it would affect her plans to deal with Wang Jianhua.

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t concern herself with that now. She was frequently traveling between Shenzhen and Guangzhou’s lamp factories, finally securing supply sources from both. By this time, Liu Fen had also arrived in Guangzhou. This time, Liu Fen didn’t need to “enter” secretly – Xia Xiaolan had already obtained a border pass for her, allowing her to enter the Special Economic Zone legally.

Liu Fen didn’t dare bring the admission notice with her.

What if it got lost along the way?

When she arrived, the municipal government guesthouse was undergoing final inspection after renovation. The renovation payment had already been made, and the guesthouse was being cleaned for leadership inspection. Now everyone believed ‘Yuan Hui’ had close ties with Tang Hongen, so both officially and privately, Liu Yong had to be invited to such occasions.

Liu Yong wanted to bring Xia Xiaolan along, and since Liu Fen had arrived in the Special Zone, she joined them as well.

The municipal government guesthouse was another successful project by ‘Yuan Hui,’ and to date, it was their most impressive work.

Decorating Blue Phoenix, Kang Wei, and Shao Guangrong’s homes were small projects in comparison. The guesthouse was different – a renovation project worth over a million yuan, completed by ‘Yuan Hui,’ a shell company. Their former competitors all wanted to see the results.

The guesthouse restaurant had also begun operations. When Xia Xiaolan arrived with Liu Yong, representatives from various companies including Hong Kong Tianzhen Decoration, Huajian Group, Nantong First Construction, and others were already present. Liu Tianquan, Tianzhen’s boss, had come personally – though they hadn’t won the project, they couldn’t let their relationship with the Special Zone government grow distant.

The guesthouse renovation turned out remarkably well. ‘Yuan Hui,’ such a small company, had actually completed the project. From winning the bid to finishing the renovation, Liu Yong had taken just two months, perfectly embodying the “Shenzhen speed.”

Liu Tianquan came to investigate. There were rumors about ‘Yuan Hui’s’ close relationship with Tang Hongen, and Liu Tianquan couldn’t sleep well at night without understanding the background of this suddenly emerging small company. When Liu Yong appeared, he was thin and small, but the young woman accompanying him caught Liu Tianquan’s attention.

He had seen many beautiful girls on the mainland and had mistresses in Shenzhen.

But Xia Xiaolan’s beauty still stunned the worldly Liu Tianquan: Even the Miss Hong Kong pageant couldn’t produce such beauty!

“Mr. Liu, pleased to meet you! I’m Liu Tianquan from Tianzhen Decoration – we share the same surname!”

Liu Yong was still examining the guesthouse restaurant’s final furnishings when he was suddenly grabbed by a fat man shaking his hand, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Liu Tianquan was overly enthusiastic, quickly explaining his identity, and Liu Yong naturally couldn’t cold-shoulder him. Liu Yong knew exactly how much money he had, and he couldn’t understand why Tianzhen’s big boss would try to get close to him.

Though Liu Tianquan was lecherous, he wouldn’t act foolishly in such a setting. He was fat and spoke Mandarin with a heavy accent, but he was skilled at making connections through conversation.

Within twenty minutes, Xia Xiaolan heard this Hong Kong boss discussing cooperation with Liu Yong, now calling him “Brother Liu.”

Liu Tianquan wanted to collaborate with Liu Yong on the “Nanhai Hotel” renovation project:

“Brother Liu, your company’s design work is excellent, we have a foundation for cooperation…”

In his heart, Liu Tianquan thought: The design is worth nothing – what’s the real relationship between Mayor Tang and Liu Yong?