But Liu Jun didn’t take Song Yunhui’s reminder too much to heart. He was already conscientiously applying the emission standards he had learned in Germany with strict requirements. The industrial zone should set him as a benchmark—he didn’t need to worry. He gave Song Yunhui a detailed introduction to the environmental protection measures configured for his casting workshop. By comparison, Donghai Group’s environmental protection was the workload and complexity of an entire department—Song Yunhui naturally understood what Liu Jun was doing. But Song Yunhui strangely saw Liu Jun drill into the car to fumble for something. This GOLF was two-door, making it quite difficult to get things from the back seat. So Song Yin watched her father grin mischievously and boldly but softly whispered in her father’s ear to expose: “Gift-giving again?”

Liu Jun laboriously extracted a glossy CD and handed it to Song Yunhui with both hands. “Piano solo I recorded in a professional recording studio. The production isn’t bad, the playing is just so-so, haha. Manager Song, please listen for fun.”

Song Yunhui laughed when he heard this. “Talented! I like this.” He handed the CD to his daughter to play in the car. “Not resting on weekends?”

“Time has been tight recently—can’t spare any time. Dongdong just called to tease me. He’s playing with my beach motorcycle that I modified into a pocket rocket for surfing. Several high-decibel screams were coming through the phone.”

Upon hearing this, Song Yin pulled at Song Yunhui’s arm, shouting, “Daddy, daddy.” Song Yunhui had no choice but to take one more helpless look at the R&D center construction site, whose specific layout he still hadn’t figured out. After asking for the address where Shen Huadong was playing with the beach motorcycle, he took his children off to play. Liu Jun was surprised watching Song Yunhui’s attitude as a model father, finding it extremely interesting. Before getting in the car, Liu Jun asked why Liang Sishen hadn’t come out to play today. Song Yunhui said Liang Sishen had been invited by her good friend Ren Xia’er to provide moral support—women naturally manage domestic trivialities.

Thus, another piece was added to Liu Jun’s mental puzzle regarding Yang Xun’s divorce incident. People always unknowingly care about their perceived enemies.

The newly appointed Municipal Party Secretary Cao was indeed, as Song Yunhui had said, someone with real ideas. Upon taking office, he didn’t first light three fires but instead intensively went to grassroots levels for visits and research, obtaining first-hand materials. Liu Jun was soon favored by an unknown department and arranged to receive Secretary Cao for research. The director of the industrial zone management committee immediately came personally to Liu Jun to coordinate their stories, hoping Liu Jun would talk more about key points regarding the industrial zone’s support for enterprises and how it enabled Tengfei Company to achieve real takeoff in just four short years. Liu Jun hated receiving officials, but this kind of reception work wasn’t up to him. His enterprise with strict access controls was wide open in officials’ eyes—that they were willing to visit was giving Tengfei tremendous face, just like the old Minister Li back then. But he couldn’t receive officials for nothing. He took the opportunity to quickly find several approval materials for the new construction site that had been dragged out by relevant departments, hoping the management committee director would truly provide support and get those damned stamps approved.

Thus, before Secretary Cao’s research visit had even taken place, it had already been transformed by the executors below into a small transaction. And even if the industrial zone management committee director hadn’t come down in advance to give notice, Liu Jun was no longer the same as in the past and wouldn’t be foolish enough to catch the rarely descending Secretary Cao to file complaints, making Secretary Cao stage an on-site office drama. Because Liu Jun had suffered before, in his first year attending foreign investment enterprise association meetings, he didn’t understand the gravity then. Hearing the leaders on stage passionately incite, he believed it was true, so he named names, pointing out unreasonable procedures and executors he encountered when doing business in government offices. Soon, Liu Jun tasted the bitter consequences. Those with black-and-white regulations that he had named treated him with cold indifference. But most matters couldn’t be found in black and white, so Liu Jun experienced the world’s most superb ball-passing techniques. When he was kicked like a ball from one office to another like a perpetual motion machine, endlessly repeating, Liu Jun comprehended three truths: first, what officials say publicly can’t be taken seriously; second, never publicly criticize officials; third, China’s football elites are deeply hidden in government offices.

Secretary Cao came to Tengfei Company for research on an afternoon after two consecutive weeks of clear weather. Liu Jun originally thought that, following Minister Li’s precedent, Secretary Cao would have to start after his afternoon nap, arriving at Tengfei at least around three or four o’clock. Unexpectedly, before one o’clock in the afternoon, someone notified Liu Jun to prepare—Secretary Cao’s group had arrived at another company in the industrial zone, with Tengfei as the next stop. Liu Jun was in the workshop and quickly notified everyone to work with peace of mind, not to panic, just answer any questions asked. Then he walked out of the workshop and saw a large red banner already hung at the entrance of the administrative building, surrounded by ivy. He smiled and went to the entrance to wait. Regardless of what he thought inside, the proper attitude needed to be displayed fully. Soon, he saw a group of people pointing and gesturing as they came winding along under the blazing afternoon sun, without keeping Liu Jun waiting long. Liu Jun couldn’t help thinking again of Song Yunhui’s assessment—this Secretary Cao was someone with real ideas.

Upon entering, Secretary Cao grasped Liu Jun’s hand and repeatedly said, “A different world within.” Liu Jun looked around—indeed, whether the company’s walls or workshop walls were all covered with lush green vines that had grown to an average height of two meters over four years. Even though the roadside trees were still small with trunks thinner than a child’s arm, unable to provide green shade, looking around upon entering revealed full green everywhere, with rooftops like islands floating in a green ocean—truly a different world from the blazing summer outside the walls. Since meeting required pleasantries, Liu Jun sent over a flattery: “I’m used to seeing it every day. Only when reminded by the Secretary do I realize it looks cool.”

Secretary Cao smiled: “If there were a good rain, it would look even greener.”

Liu Jun was about to respond when he saw the industrial zone management committee director’s face stiffen. He then realized that all the tree leaves in the entire industrial zone were covered with a thin layer of dust after several clear days, and inside, Tengfei was no exception. Any observant person could see that the particulate matter content in this area’s air was too high. He immediately became a true gentleman who observes chess without speaking—county magistrates can’t compare to current managers.

But regarding the factory aspects, Secretary Cao was a layman, asking boundlessly macro questions that Liu Jun often didn’t know how to answer properly. Fortunately, the Secretary’s entourage always responded together, making the scene lively. After looking around, Secretary Cao was quite satisfied, gave Liu Jun some good encouragement, got into the car that had been waiting at the entrance for a long time, and left.

As the sun set, Liu Jun looked at the management committee director, who was still waving but with heavy eyes. After the convoy turned the corner, the director suddenly turned around, walked to the wall, grabbed a handful of leaves, and rubbed them—his sweat-wet palm immediately became filthy. “Sharp eyes,” the director muttered softly. But when the director looked up and saw someone nearby, he immediately put on the dignified smile Liu Jun was familiar with, as if suddenly enlightened, spreading both hands for Liu Jun to see: “Look, look, the Secretary has eagle eyes. I walk back and forth here every day without noticing, but as soon as the Secretary came, he discovered this big oversight. What kind of dust do you think this is? After just a few days without rain, the leaves are this dirty.”

Liu Jun was amazed. Secretary Cao had long since disappeared, yet this director was still being obsequious—truly embodying that old saying: one level of official rank can crush someone to death. He said with a serious face: “There are many freight trucks in the industrial zone—can’t be helped. Director, please come inside for tea and a rest?”

“Right, right, freight trucks everywhere. What do freight trucks burn? Diesel! That’s nothing but black smoke and noxious fumes.” But the director’s eyes knowingly looked at a foundry not far away that had temporarily ceased operations due to the Secretary’s visit. No one was a fool—even laypeople could see the problems from the tree leaves.

After repeated deliberation, Jiali finally made an appointment with Liu Jun to discuss the landscaping design plan. Liu Jun arrived as agreed, but it was the busy man Qian Hongming who opened the door for him. He said with wonder, “You’re resting today? How rare.”

Qian Hongming’s left hand habitually touched his mouth corner, then immediately pulled away, smiling: “It’s Jiali’s birthday. Do you think I should be here?”

“Oh no, I shouldn’t have come—no, I shouldn’t have come empty-handed.”

“Hehe, Jiali is displaying several days of work results on her birthday, so you can only say good things, not bad ones.”

Liu Jun hadn’t expected Jiali to be much help anyway, so he naturally agreed at once: “Of course, do Jiali’s plans even need to be questioned?”

The two men smiled at each other, and only then did Qian Hongming step aside. Liu Jun entered the foyer and was immediately stunned—blueprints covered the entire floor, while Jiali sat proudly kneeling in the middle of the blueprints, holding Xiao Suihua, smiling at Liu Jun. “I’ve roughly mastered the three plans you brought. Considering both cost and aesthetics, I have a new proposal.”

“How is it?” Qian Hongming quietly asked beside Liu Jun.

“Unexpected.”

“So, do you still need to worry about her? Jiali’s inner world is incredibly rich.”

“Yang Xun’s wife Ren Xia’er is said to be accomplished in everything. She took her child to America for education, left her husband for over a year, and now proposes divorce. Yang Xun is frantic. Distance doesn’t create beauty in marriage; distance is simply pure distance.”

Qian Hongming smiled and pushed Liu Jun inside without responding. Only after entering did he say to Jiali, “See, brothers always have endless things to talk about when they meet.”

Liu Jun also said with a grin: “I’m reporting that Hongming just told me: brothers are like limbs, wives like clothes—seeing limbs brings special affection.”

Jiali just smiled, while Qian Hongming pointed to a watercolor painting on the drawing board: “Liu Jun, look at the effect drawing Jiali hastily produced—roughly like this. We’re not professional; as long as you can understand it, that’s fine.”

Liu Jun was amazed. He had been running to construction sites almost daily recently and knew the new R&D center’s layout like the back of his hand. Looking at the effect drawing, he could tell this was proportionally scaled down. Though it was an artistically processed watercolor painting, the orientation was precise, and every plant and tree was depicted clearly, convenient for calculating costs. When Jiali explained her draft by comparing it with the landscaping company’s proposal blueprints, Liu Jun easily understood and readily accepted this plan with lower costs and more natural effects. During this time, at most, there were some local modifications based on his requirements. Jiali took the brush, painted over areas in white, then added colors, quickly completing changes. Liu Jun greatly appreciated Jiali’s explanations for each landscape section—some derived from Tang poetry and Song lyrics, some taken from passages of classic articles. Jiali had covered ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign sources comprehensively. With these explanations as a foundation, Liu Jun felt the R&D center’s landscaping seemed to become a kind of culture. He had Jiali simply go all the way and also come up with names for each building, saving their group of engineering students from running from Building No. 1 to Building No. 2 in such beautiful scenery, which would spoil the atmosphere.

Qian Hongming, in good husband mode, patiently accompanied them throughout, timely providing Jiali with just the right support while taking proper care of Xiao Suihua. Anyone seeing this would think it was an extremely perfect family. But precisely because Liu Jun already knew the truth, he felt Qian Hongming’s behavior was so fake, fake to the point of being full of telltale signs… Perhaps Qian Hongming himself wasn’t clear that he kept raising his left hand back to his mouth corner with unusually high frequency. As Qian Hongming’s brother, he could see clearly—so shouldn’t Jiali, as Qian Hongming’s wife, see even more clearly? Moreover, Jiali was such an intelligent and sensitive person.

Liu Jun collected the blueprints and smiled: “I’ll talk with the landscaping company tomorrow and recommend Jiali strongly.”

Jiali smiled with pursed lips, while Qian Hongming said, “Don’t find work for her. She’s recently absorbed in the Avatamsaka Sutra from Mahayana Buddhism, even learning Sanskrit for this, trying to understand what those prajna and pineapple terms mean. If it weren’t for your matter, she wouldn’t pay attention at all.”

Liu Jun was so shocked his eyes popped out. Even if he guessed a hundred times, he couldn’t have guessed Jiali was busy with these things. He had a birthday dinner at the Qian home, and immediately after leaving, he eagerly told Cui Bingbing everything that happened that evening. Of course, he didn’t forget to proudly show off his piano solo CD downstairs at the Qian building.