Henglu Village

The next day, Wang Yan returned home after getting some exercise.

Sometimes, when you knew you had something important to do the next day, you naturally woke up on time.

As soon as he opened the door, Wang Yan saw that Xu Ziyan had, for once, gotten up without being dragged out of bed. Full of energy, the boy was running around the room.

Yesterday, he'd bragged to all the other kids at kindergarten, showing off to his heart's content.

When he saw Wang Yan come in, Xu Ziyan scampered over. "Dad, I'm all ready. When are we leaving?"

"We'll go after breakfast."

As he spoke, Xu Ziyan burst into laughter when Wang Yan scooped him up and tossed him into the air. "Come on. Let's go wash up first."

They washed up, playfully horsing around, then ate the loving breakfast Gu Jia had prepared. After tidying up their things, they checked to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

After all the preparations, with Xu Ziyan hopping around and laughing without a moment's peace, and Gu Jia shouting at him, Wang Yan set off in the car, feeling a little nervous.

He'd practiced a lot yesterday and gotten pretty good at it, but he'd never driven on the road before. Now that there were so many cars around, he might have said he didn't care, but he was still a little uneasy.

In fact, things went quite smoothly. Most people probably didn't know much about RVs, but when they saw something that was neither a bus nor a coach, they could tell it wasn't cheap. That earned Wang Yan a little extra patience from the other drivers.

Nobody honked at him for no reason, and he didn't run into anyone trying to stage an accident for insurance money.

Once he got over the initial discomfort, even getting caught in traffic a couple of times, he gradually got used to driving and became more and more confident.

It was rush hour, so traffic was a bit slow, but most people were heading into the city. He was driving out, and once he'd passed the CBD, the traffic eased up.

He didn't take the highway, because there wouldn't be anything to see.

Wang Yan stuck to the national and provincial roads. There were all sorts of cars and electric scooters on the road, along with plenty of pedestrians who ignored the traffic rules. They also wanted to take in the scenery, so with all the stops along the way, they couldn't drive very fast.

Aside from the big trucks and semis that occasionally roared past him, honking mockingly as they went, the trip was pretty pleasant overall.

They drove through Hecheng, Lin'an, and Yuezhou, taking their time to enjoy the scenery, before continuing all the way to Henglu Village in Jianshan Town, Pan'an, Wuzhou.

The route was full of mountains and rivers. The south had no shortage of water—there were lakes and rivers everywhere.

Along the way, they passed Wuzhen, Xitang, West Lake, Thousand Island Lake, Liangzhu Ruins, Lanting, Lu Xun's Former Residence, and countless other historical, cultural, and natural landmarks.

At each place, they paid for a tour guide. After all, no matter how much he could learn from books and videos, he could never know as much as a professional.

Wang Yan paid well, and the guides gave them excellent service. They explained the history in detail, sharing all kinds of interesting historical anecdotes and stories about famous people, and patiently answered questions from the whole family—especially Xu Ziyan, who asked about all sorts of things he didn't know.

The professionals really were on another level. Wang Yan couldn't say he understood everything inside out, but he certainly came away with a clear understanding.

The trip also let Wang Yan experience the rich cultural heritage and beautiful scenery of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was truly a place of outstanding people and natural beauty.

They spent the days stopping along the way to sightsee. Xu Ziyan ran around and played to his heart's content, and kids naturally slept soundly, so bedtime was never a problem. As for Wang Yan and Gu Jia, they made the most of their time together. Being away from home really did make things feel different.

At last, after a leisurely week on the road, the family of three arrived at their destination: Henglu Village, Jianshan Town, Pan'an County, Wuzhou.

The village's old chief had gotten word well in advance and organized a grand welcome for them.

Gu Jia was a little overwhelmed. She hadn't expected the villagers to make such a big fuss over them.

Wang Yan, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease. He understood how the villagers felt.

They simply wanted to make a good impression and keep this source of income around. After forty years of reform, people had more than enough material goods to meet their needs, but the ones enjoying that abundance were still in the minority. There were still plenty of people living in worrying circumstances.

The southern economy was well developed, and the people here were much better off than those in the western mountains. They just wanted to do even better.

If they could keep this source of income—or even expand it—their lives would keep improving. Everyone would have something to look forward to and the motivation to work hard.

Wang Yan took the curious Xu Ziyan by the hand and, together with Gu Jia, thanked the old chief and the warmhearted, down-to-earth villagers.

After everyone had introduced themselves, the old chief set out a banquet for the three of them. He invited a few respected elders from the village, along with several younger men who could hold their liquor, to keep them company.

The villagers greeted all three of them warmly, though they focused mainly on Wang Yan. They couldn't exactly go after a woman and a child, so he was the one who had to bear the brunt of it.

Alcohol didn't care whether you were north or south. Who drank tea with a meal?

Wang Yan accepted every toast. Whenever someone raised a glass, he drank, and every so often he returned the favor. The dishes on the table were probably the finest the village had to offer, all hearty fare. Some of them he'd never even heard of, and when he asked, he found out they weren't cheap. Maybe someone had been planning to sell them, but now he was the one enjoying them. It wasn't as if every household had chipped in, either; the village could afford the spread. The old chief had probably gathered up delicacies that were hard to find in the city, and Wang Yan couldn't put on airs and hurt their feelings.

Even the fiercest tiger couldn't take on a pack of wolves. Wang Yan really overdid it this time. He didn't even know how the night ended.

The next day, the body clock he'd built up over all these years was useless. Wang Yan didn't get up until the sun was already high.

There was no one else in the room. He rubbed his aching head, got dressed, and climbed out of bed. Gu Jia had thoughtfully left toiletries and breakfast on the table nearby. The food didn't look like something Gu Jia had made; it was simple, without any fancy touches.

After eating the breakfast as lunch, he washed up and stepped outside.

The sun was high, but Henglu Village sat at a high elevation and was surrounded by mountains, so it didn't feel hot—just intensely sunny.

Wang Yan wandered through the alleys. The whole village had come out to greet them the day before, so everyone had seen them. People he passed greeted him as he went. After asking where the tea factory was, he made his way over at an easy pace.

He hadn't had much of a chance to look around when they arrived yesterday. The villagers had swarmed them and knocked him flat.

Now that he could take a proper look, he saw that the scenery was truly lovely. The bamboo houses and stone buildings lining the alleys were covered in moss, and time had worn the stone steps uneven. It was all brimming with poetic charm. In the morning, with the distant mountains shrouded in mist, children playing, students reading aloud in the school, and neighbors calling out to one another, the scene would be absolutely perfect.

Enjoying the sights along the way, he soon arrived at the tea factory.

Inside, he saw Gu Jia frowning as she listened to one of the staff they'd sent ahead explain something.

When the staffer saw Wang Yan, he stopped talking and greeted him.

Wang Yan nodded to him.

"Are you feeling all right?" Gu Jia asked with concern. She'd watched them drinking and had been worried sick over him. Seeing Wang Yan drink so much, she hadn't thought about what had happened with Xu Huanshan before. After all, Wang Yan had drunk until he was unconscious; she'd just assumed he was saving face and had been in good enough shape to keep going for several more rounds.

Wang Yan shook his head to show he was fine.

Seeing that, Gu Jia didn't say anything else. They were both adults; he knew for himself whether he felt bad. A little concern was enough. She went back to frowning over whatever was on her mind.

If it were something serious, she would either bring it up herself or pretend nothing was wrong and deal with it alone. Gu Jia was clearly waiting for him to show her some concern, and Wang Yan wasn't so oblivious that he couldn't read the signs. Even though he knew what was going on, he still stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you frowning?"

"Tell him," Gu Jia said to the staffer beside her.

"Well, President Wang, the tea factory..."

The staffer rattled off what had happened. It was just like in the show: permits and financial losses. It was all about money, nothing serious.

Wang Yan listened carefully, then waved the staffer away. "Is that all? I can transfer you five million in a bit. Won't that solve everything?"

"Ugh, that's not why I'm upset," Gu Jia said unhappily.

This time, Gu Jia didn't react as badly as she had in the show. She had over ten million in cash alone that she could access.

Wang Yan understood. She was thinking about some of her past actions and ideas, realizing she'd been like a clown while the other woman watched the show with an amused smile. It didn't feel good to realize you'd been played, and Gu Jia was a little embarrassed by it.

"Was it Mrs. Li?" Wang Yan asked, even though he already knew.

Gu Jia nodded emphatically, wearing an expression that said it had indeed been that old witch.

Wang Yan smiled unconcernedly, took out his phone, opened a file, and handed it to Gu Jia.

Gu Jia took the phone without knowing what was going on. She read a couple of lines, then shuddered in shock and dropped it.

Wang Yan reacted quickly and caught it before it hit the ground. The staff still had to consult him about work sometimes. If the phone broke, it could cause all sorts of delays.

"It's up to you what we do. Their family has a little estate, doesn't it? The rest is fine, but it's too big. There's no point in the three of us living there." As he spoke, Wang Yan shook his head, a little regretfully.

Gu Jia was still in shock. It was such a big deal that she couldn't take it all in at once. "Where did you get all this stuff? You just keep it on your phone?"

It was no wonder she'd reacted so strongly. To someone with a bit of money like her, this was the stuff of daydreams. Now she had a trump card in her hands, but she was no more capable than a child wielding a knife. It was a recipe for disaster; she couldn't handle it.

When Wang Yan had first arrived, he'd spent a lot of time and money investigating everyone who had any connection to Gu Jia. He'd uncovered all sorts of scandals.

The file he showed Gu Jia detailed Mrs. Li's illustrious record: bribery, collusion, asset transfers, unfair competition, tax evasion, and a murder case. It also covered various things her son had done, like forcing himself on women, getting them pregnant, abusing his family's influence to bully people, using drugs, and sleeping around. It was a whole mess.

The people involved had no doubt thought they'd covered their tracks perfectly, but anything that happened left traces behind. They might have handled things well, but that was because no one usually looked into them. The only people who could were rivals at their own level, and they were all rotten in their own way. If you had dirt on them, they had dirt on you, too. People at the top knew better. They were always respectful and never caused trouble. People at the bottom didn't have the nerve to do anything. Did they think they could swallow an elephant whole? Unless they were the chosen ones, one stomp from the elephant would finish them off. How many lives did they have to risk acting like that?

Wang Yan was the exception. He really wasn't afraid. If everyone played by the rules, they could compete and see who had the better methods. If someone refused to play by the rules, Wang Yan guaranteed he could make their whole family disappear.

As for whether storing the files on his phone was unsafe, he'd taken simple precautions to stop shady apps from accessing the data. It wasn't as if anyone would usually go out of their way to steal the information on someone's phone. Even if someone did, they'd be on their knees once they saw what was inside. If they tried to blackmail him for money, that would come down to the individual. Human nature was too complicated to predict. If someone reckless exposed them, they'd only have themselves to blame.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me what you want to do," Wang Yan said.

Gu Jia agonized over it for a long time, but eventually she let it go. First, she didn't want to get Wang Yan into trouble. The things in that file were frightening. Second, she knew she was out of her depth, blinded by greed and desperate to get rich. She couldn't blame anyone else.

She sighed and shook her head. "Let's leave it at that. I let greed get the better of me. Forget it."

Wang Yan assumed she was intimidated and afraid, so he stepped forward and held her. "It's all right. Don't overthink it. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. The best-case scenario for that family is prison." He didn't mention the worse possibilities. They were too gruesome to tell Gu Jia, who'd grown up in peaceful times.

"I mean it. I really don't want revenge. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it. Let it go," Gu Jia said, leaning against Wang Yan.

Now Wang Yan was sure Gu Jia really didn't want revenge, so he said no more. Sometimes it was better to avoid trouble, and sometimes taking a loss was a blessing. He didn't care either way; the choice was up to Gu Jia. If she wanted to do it, he'd take them down. If she wanted to let it go, then that was that. There was no point going out of his way to make trouble for himself. It was too much hassle, and there was nothing to be gained from it.

With that weight off her mind, Gu Jia perked up again.

It was easy for children to make friends. They'd only arrived yesterday, but Xu Ziyan was already making mud pies with the local kids. Gu Jia found Xu Ziyan covered from head to toe in mud, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him away. The little rascal was still grinning and waving goodbye to his new friends, saying they'd do it again tomorrow.

Gu Jia hadn't wanted to scold him in front of the other children. They'd had different upbringings and lived in different family environments. If she reprimanded Xu Ziyan in front of them, it might hurt their fragile, sensitive feelings.

Of course, when they got home, she still couldn't scold him. Xu Ziyan ran straight behind Wang Yan to hide. Wang Yan didn't mind. When he was a kid, he'd been a bit of an idiot, playing in mud with his own pee. Xu Ziyan was much better than he'd been.

After giving Xu Ziyan a bath and changing his clothes, the family of three went with the old chief to see how tea was made. It would broaden Xu Ziyan's horizons, so he could go back and brag to his kindergarten friends.

They spent the whole afternoon watching the process, from picking the leaves to pan-firing and finally drying the finished tea. Everything was done entirely by hand.

Afterward, the old chief tried to get Wang Yan to drink with him again. This time, Wang Yan wouldn't do it. He wasn't afraid; he just couldn't spend half the day drinking every single day. He was there to enjoy himself, not to become a drunk.

The old chief was a little disappointed, but he didn't push the matter. They put together a few dishes, had a little drink, and called it a night.

After putting Xu Ziyan to bed, Gu Jia lifted the covers and settled into Wang Yan's arms.

Feeling Wang Yan's hand wandering, Gu Jia smiled faintly. "I'm on my period." She felt a little relieved, too. Liking it was one thing, but she couldn't like it all the time. She couldn't take it, either.

Wang Yan reluctantly pulled his hand back. There wasn't much he could do about that. But seeing Gu Jia's cherry lips so close, he leaned in and kissed her. Then he whispered softly in her ear.

When Gu Jia heard what he said, her face immediately turned red. She'd never tried that before.

Unable to resist the big brute's coaxing and pleading, she slowly slipped under the covers.

They stayed in Henglu Village for a week.

Gu Jia was busy every day, planning the tea factory's future production and sales, while the father and son lived in complete comfort.

Xu Ziyan spent all day climbing trees, catching fish, and making mud pies with a group of friends. He was having the time of his life. Wang Yan wandered around every day, looking here and there, and enjoying himself, too.

It wasn't that Wang Yan didn't want to help Gu Jia. If he stepped in, what would Gu Jia do? Besides, it was just a little thing. He could let her work it out herself.

During that time, Xu Huanshan called and asked where Gu Jia had taken Xu Ziyan.

He'd gotten past his honeymoon phase with Lin Youyou and had enjoyed himself enough to remember that he had a son.

As luck would have it, all three of them were together when he called. Xu Ziyan happened to call Wang Yan "Dad," and that one word really stung.

As the whole story of how he and Wang Yan had met flashed through his mind, Xu Huanshan nearly went mad on the other end of the phone. He cursed Gu Jia and Wang Yan, saying that Gu Jia had been the one to betray him first, and going on and on. He said whatever he could to make it hurt.

Wang Yan had sharp ears and heard every word clearly. He didn't care in the slightest. Hell, I might even go head-to-head with Old Cao someday. Who do you think you are?

Gu Jia had nothing to be ashamed of. She didn't care what Xu Huanshan thought, and stayed silent.

Xu Huanshan cursed for a while, but when no one responded, he stopped and hung up in a rage. Once he'd calmed down, he realized it was all done and dusted. No matter what he said, it wouldn't change anything.

Just as Wang Yan had expected, the system notified him the next day that the mission was complete.

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