NOVPUBUpon hearing Lu Yuanyang’s words, a violent tremor shot through Li Yao’s heart, revealing a look of horror in his eyes. He suppressed his excitement, "I understand, I understand everything!"
"Not only do I understand ’the light boat had passed the ten thousand heavy mountains’."
"But I also understand why Mr. Chen wished you to ’soar like a great roc, rising high into the sky, and climb directly up for ninety thousand li’ when he was grilling chicken wings for you."
"Because he had calculated Mr. Yang’s grandson’s drowning incident."
"That’s precisely why Mr. Chen arranged for us to go camping at Nan Lake."
"It was so that you could come forward at the critical moment to create this good karma."
"You are already the secretary of the Jizhou City Committee, and to risk your life to save someone is in itself worthy of people’s admiration and praise, not to mention that the person you saved was Mr. Yang’s grandson."
"As long as the plan encountered no hitches, you were sure to win Mr. Yang’s favor."
"As a result, you would definitely be able to secure your seat as the secretary of the City Committee."
"Moreover, no one in the entire province would dare to touch you."
At this point, Li Yao suddenly slapped his forehead, "And, and, although Mr. Chen is a hermit, he is very open-minded and straightforward. He couldn’t possibly punish me with two drinks just because I said one extra sentence."
"His purpose in doing so was to make it impossible for me to dive in and save someone at the critical moment."
Li Yao felt a thick layer of goosebumps rise on his skin as he mentioned this.
If Chen Nan hadn’t penalized him with those two drinks.
At the critical moment, he would never have allowed Lu Yuanyang to take the risk and go into the lake to save someone.
If that were the case, he would have definitely ruined Chen Nan’s plan.
"Mr. Chen is truly a godly figure!" Lu Yuanyang was full of shock, "If all this hadn’t happened to me, I would never believe such an absurd thing even if you killed me!"
With that thought, he picked up his phone and sent Chen Nan a text message.
The content was simple: Thank you!
------
Elsewhere.
After having a car fling with Wang Li at Nan Lake, Chen Nan took her back to Splendid Futures.
He called over Xu Lu and they started a small game of ’one dragon playing with two phoenixes’.
This was very enjoyable for him.
After the deed was done.
He finally saw the text message from Lu Yuanyang, and a shallow smile spread across his face.
He knew that Lu Yuanyang’s position in Jizhou had been solidified.
Even if someone wanted to make a move against Lu Yuanyang, they would have to consider the consequences of offending Mr. Yang.
------
In the following days, Chen Nan was constantly busy with intense review.
Even when the other two [National Tea] stores opened, he did not attend the openings.
All the work was personally taken care of by Xu Lu.
The business of the three [National Tea] stores was booming.
The net profits each day were over a hundred and fifty thousand, which was certainly not a small sum.
Beyond that.
Xu Lu had also spent a significant sum to rent an entire office floor in Jizhou’s core area, turning it into an image store for [National Tea]. Although the interior was still being renovated, the exterior hung many paintings with elements of traditional Chinese zodiac culture.
These paintings came from the hands of Niu Xiangxiu, created with boundless imagination and unconventionality, becoming a beautiful spectacle that attracted many young people to come for pictures and check-ins.
Not only that, but National Tea also refreshed their product packaging, featuring not only the zodiac paintings but also works themed around the twenty-four solar terms.
Frankly, National Tea’s product packaging incorporated many cultural elements of Chinese civilization, and it was well-received by young people, also sparking quite a buzz online.
There were even calls from people in other areas, hoping that [National Tea] could expand to their cities.
Chen Nan’s business layout naturally covered the entire country.
However, you have to eat one bite at a time.
Things should not be rushed.
Don’t stride too far, or your balls might get snagged.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, the annual college entrance examination arrived once again.
Like a familiar yet solemn old friend, it came as expected.
Every year at this time, the air seems to be filled with a tense yet expectant atmosphere, the scent of countless dreams and hopes intertwined.
In the campus, trees provided a shady canopy, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows.
The students, who had once buried themselves in their studies in the classrooms, were now brimming with anticipation and nervousness, preparing to face this significant challenge in their life.
They were like warriors about to go into battle, having gone through lengthy hardening and training, now standing at the crossroads of fate, waiting for the signal to charge.
On the streets, the traffic was bustling, and people’s steps seemed even more hurried than usual.
The concerned looks from the parents, the encouraging words from the teachers, and the mutual support and blessings among classmates all converged into a formidable force surrounding each candidate.
The college entrance examination, a stage that bears the dreams of many youths, had once again lifted its curtain, waiting for students to shine brightly in their own right.
The examination lasted for three days.
After finishing the last test, Chen Nan emerged from the bustling campus with one hand behind his back and a smile on his face.
Parents had already gathered in large numbers at the school gates.
They all awaited with eager faces for their children to emerge from the battlefield.
Chen Nan might not have had parents,
but his aunt, Bai Zhi, dressed up in her qipao, had been there every day, not budging from the school entrance, waiting for his triumphant return.
"Looks like you did well on the tests!"
Seeing the confident smile on Chen Nan’s face, Bai Zhi also laughed, her stunningly beautiful face blooming with a breathtaking smile.
"Modesty aside, top five maybe!" Chen Nan replied with a laugh. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
He had felt enormous pressure before the exam.
But once he entered the examination room, the anxiety and unease in his heart vanished.
Because he had encountered all those topics on the test paper before.
Nevertheless,
he never let his guard down, steadfastly maintaining a correct and meticulous attitude until the last moment of the final test.
Intimately linking arms with Chen Nan, Bai Zhi walked towards the distance, her voice tenderly expressing, "If you manage to get into the top five of the school, your dad would certainly be laughing in heaven!"
Chen Nan grinned broadly and responded, "I meant top five in the whole province!"
Upon hearing this,
Bai Zhi’s pupils shuddered dramatically, and then she rolled her eyes at Chen Nan, chiding him without good humor, "Why didn’t you claim the top spot in the province then?"
Chen Nan chuckled and said, "One must remain modest in life."
"Let’s not talk about this. Take me to where you’ve been living," Bai Zhi changed the subject, speaking softly, "You’ve finished the college entrance exams, so according to our earlier agreement, you have to move back and live with me."
Chen Nan couldn’t help but say, "Aunt Xiangxiu, I’ve actually gotten used to living alone; could you please let me stay outside?"
Chen Nan wasn’t lying.
Having lived in the mountains for two years, he had already grown accustomed to solitude.
He enjoyed the loneliness of the feeling ’one eats till full while the whole family is not hungry’.
Besides,
If he moved back to live with his aunt, he was genuinely afraid that one day, something untoward would happen, something inappropriate.
Of course,
there was a third reason.
If he were to move back in with his aunt, how could he still have the chance to enjoy the company of his close female friends?
Bai Zhi looked Chen Nan up and down as if she hadn’t expected him to resist moving back home so much.
Regaining her composure, a meaningful smile flashed across her face, "Tell me, did you get yourself a girlfriend out there?"
