I'll Take Care of You

With money in hand, there was no panic in his heart.

Of course, Jiang Miao did not leave the money sitting idle. He used it to expand production.

For example, he bought a five-story self-built house in Yan Cun Village to serve as the Seed Laboratory, purchased quite a bit of quality experimental equipment, and set up a laboratory with relatively high specifications.

That laboratory alone cost nearly 20 million.

Besides that, there was the investment in South Lake Farm. For its 146 mu of vegetable fields and paddies, he planned to invest 3 million.

There were also employee salaries, performance bonuses, and so on.

After all, if he did not spend the money and his net profit became too high, 35% would be deducted as personal income tax anyway. That would be more trouble than it was worth.

He planned to keep only around 60 million in net profit.

Therefore, before the end of this year, he had to spend roughly 40 million. So far, 20 million had been spent on the Seed Laboratory, 3 million on South Lake Farm, around 5 million would be set aside for year-end bonuses, and another 5 million could go toward miscellaneous expenses. That still left 7 million to spend.

Inside the container house at South Lake Farm, Jiang Miao pondered how to spend those 7 million.

Then inspiration struck. He thought of someone and hurriedly picked up his phone, digging out a long-forgotten number.

Beep, beep...

"Hello... A Miao? Is that you?"

"It's me, Shu Ya. Have you been well lately?"

"Not bad." The voice on the other end sounded hesitant.

"Are you still doing your doctorate?"

"Yeah!"

"Come help me! I need you."

"Don't joke around..."

"I'm serious."

"..." The other end fell silent.

"Why?"

"Shu Ya! You should know what your advisor is like. He isn't an ideal advisor. I know that over the past few years, your papers..."

"But if I give up like this, I can't accept it..."

"A degree doesn't represent everything. I know you love researching fungi. Does getting that diploma mean you'll become a leading authority in the field of fungi?"

"But what can I do?" Her voice rose slightly, mixed with helplessness and pain.

"I'll take care of you."

"You..."

"I mean it. Come to Hai Lu Feng! There's no hurdle in life that can't be crossed. You shouldn't be bound by that diploma."

"I... I..." Clearly, deciding to give up her doctorate was one of the hardest choices of her life.

"Stop hesitating. This isn't like you."

"Fine. I'll buy a ticket and come over right now. If you're lying to me, I'll give birth to five Huagu Longs for you."

"Okay."

Three days later.

Shanmei High-Speed Rail Station.

Jiang Miao stood with Ke Yong not far from the passenger exit.

"Boss, the train has arrived."

"I know." Jiang Miao took a sip of mineral water.

Before long, a short-haired young woman with a fresh, clean appearance slowly emerged from the passenger exit, pulling a suitcase behind her.

Even the wheat-colored tan on her face could not conceal her beauty. It was not the artificially manufactured beauty so popular nowadays, but a classical, unadorned sort of beauty.

Several drivers looking for passengers were about to approach her.

Jiang Miao immediately stepped forward and took her suitcase. "Long time no see, Shu Ya."

"You're a little different from before." Lin Shuya looked him over. He still had the same wheat-colored complexion and the same face he had in university, but Jiang Miao's bearing had changed tremendously.

Back in university, he had been green and naive, always speaking with a hint of hesitation.

Now, he was full of confidence, as if everything were under his control.

She, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She had been brimming with confidence in university, only to begin doubting her entire life after starting her doctorate.

The parking lot.

Lin Shuya looked at the pickup truck before her. "You still like pickup trucks as much as ever."

"I've always been consistent."

"I want to be consistent too, but unfortunately, sometimes we can't decide our own lives."

Ke Yong drove while the two of them chatted in the back seat.

"Looks like you've made it big these past few years. I'll have to rely on you to support me from now on."

"If I could, I'd be willing to take care of you for the rest of my life, Ya!"

As they spoke, she leaned against Jiang Miao's shoulder. Tears slipped down her face uncontrollably as she sobbed and recounted everything she had gone through over the past few years.

Her advisor had taken several of her high-quality papers, making her work for him for nothing while refusing to let her graduate.

At the same time, there had been conflicts in her family. Her family was from Panyu, Guangzhou, and they had six resettlement apartments that could be rented out. Unfortunately, her parents had passed away from illness in 2022. Her two older brothers had turned against each other over the inheritance and were still in court.

Fortunately, her parents had been farsighted. While she was in university, they had transferred one apartment into her name in advance. Otherwise, she certainly would have been dragged into this lawsuit as well.

After seeing how her two brothers behaved, she had no desire to get involved in their affairs. After renting out the apartment, she rarely returned to Guangzhou.

The loss of both her parents, combined with the double pressure of family and academics, had nearly crushed Lin Shuya to the point where she could not breathe.

This invitation from Jiang Miao was like a ray of light, illuminating her darkened life once again.

After crying for more than ten minutes, she seemed to have exhausted herself and fell asleep against his shoulder.

Jiang Miao took the opportunity to check the Appraisal Panel.

The other issues were not serious. It was mainly an endocrine imbalance, likely caused by anxiety. With some careful recuperation, she would be fine.

Another ten minutes passed.

The car slowly stopped in front of a villa-style self-built house in South Lake Village. He had bought it for himself to live in, and next door were small villas for his sister and brother-in-law's family, as well as his parents.

"We're here."

"Uh..." Lin Shuya woke groggily. "Are we here?"

She opened the car door and took a breath of fresh air, catching a faint scent of the sea. "Is this by the coast?"

"The beach is about two hundred meters behind the house." Jiang Miao took the suitcase from the trunk. "Let's go!"

Lin Shuya followed him inside.

The three-story self-built house had been sold to Jiang Miao after its previous owner failed in business in Peng City. The four self-built houses next door also belonged to that man, and Jiang Miao had bought them together.

The house was decently decorated, so it had not been renovated. Only the furniture, appliances, and some decorations had been replaced.

In the master bedroom on the second floor, Jiang Miao placed Lin Shuya's suitcase inside.

She did not resist. After all, they had already done everything there was to do during university. If Lin Shuya had not gone off to pursue a doctorate back then, something Jiang Miao had disagreed with, they would have married long ago.

"Get some rest. I'll take you around the city tonight."

"Okay." Lin Shuya took off her jeans and jacket, changed into pajamas, and lay directly on the bed. She was clearly truly exhausted.

Jiang Miao did not leave. Instead, he sat in the rocking chair on the master bedroom balcony and played on his phone, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

The company's various departments handled its affairs, so there was no need for him to stay at the company all day.

As the sun set, Lin Shuya, who had slept for four hours, stretched lazily and found Jiang Miao playing with his phone on the balcony.

She opened the sliding door. "Didn't you say you were taking me out?"

"Let's go!" Jiang Miao put away his phone.

"I need to brush my teeth. Where's the bathroom?"

"The master bedroom has a bathroom. It's here..."

Lin Shuya took an electric toothbrush and toothpaste from her suitcase, along with a towel.

More than ten minutes later, she had changed into a new outfit: light pink jeans, a blue long-sleeved turtleneck sweater, and flat leather shoes. She had only applied a faint shade of red lipstick. Shu Ya did not usually wear heavy makeup.

Jiang Miao drove an Electric Scooter out of the garage beside them.

Lin Shuya sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Ke Yong, who did not dare act as a third wheel, could only drive the pickup truck and follow slowly several dozen meters behind them.

The Electric Scooter slowly traveled along the rural road.

The evening breeze in early December was cool, carrying a hint of dryness.