"Haha, President Xu, does having a lady as beautiful as Miss Stille for your sweetheart put you under a lot of pressure?" Kennard asked with a quiet chuckle, looking at the wry smile still lingering on Xu Yi's face.
Xu Yi glanced at him, let out a breath, and sighed. "I'd say we're in the same boat. With such a pretty, lively younger sister, you must be under plenty of pressure yourself."
"Pretty and lively?" The muscles in Kennard's face twitched, and his smile turned wry as well. "I can accept 'pretty,' but as for 'lively'... I'd rather Sophia weren't quite so lively."
The two exchanged a look and burst out laughing together.
That brief exchange alone seemed to bring them much closer.
After their laughter subsided, Kennard asked seriously, "President Xu, why are you so concerned about regulating the Sandy River? However you look at it, this shouldn't have anything to do with you or the Xinfei Merchant Guild, should it?"
"On the surface, it doesn't. But Kennard, have you considered the benefits of regulating the Sandy River?" Xu Yi asked in return.
"The benefits?" Kennard pondered for a moment, then frowned. "What benefits are there besides preventing floods?"
"No, preventing floods is just a basic requirement. The real benefit is that, once the Sandy River is properly regulated, river transport can play a much greater role," Xu Yi replied.
"River transport?" Kennard's brow furrowed further. "President Xu, are you doing this because you saw what happened to President Porter and wanted to help?"
"That's part of it. The real reason is that Bunta City genuinely needs river transport now," Xu Yi said. "Kennard, the Walmart Merchant Guild deals in general retail. What's the most important factor for it?"
"Well..." Kennard hesitated. "Having an adequate supply of goods, I