Chapter 202: Reunions in the Southern City

Xu Chen and his group finished their meal and paid up, with each person’s share heading towards two hundred yuan, making the total nearly eight hundred.

Wu Feifei said generously, “This one’s on me.”

Xu Chen laughed and replied, “Thanks a lot, Miss Wu!”

They stepped out of the restaurant as the sky was growing dark.

Fang Jun took a call and told Xu Chen,

“The hotel’s all booked up.”

The room, of course, was meant for Xie Bingran.

Xie Bingran had originally been staying with the provincial team at the Yangcheng Sports University guesthouse, which wasn’t far from where Xu Chen was at Tianhe Tower.

But the provincial team was checking out the next day, so Xu Chen planned to have Xie Bingran move to Tianhe Tower with him—only to find no rooms available.

Xu Chen was about to speak when Fang Jun jumped in:

“Let Bing Ge crash with me. I’ve got two beds.

She might not mind, if that’s okay.”

Suddenly, Huang Qianqian said,

“Come stay at our place! I’ll sleep on the floor and let Bing Ge have my bed!”

Xu Chen: “……”

……

……

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up outside the Yangcheng Sports Stadium activity center.

Xu Chen got out of the passenger seat and spotted Xie Bingran sitting alone by the flower bed, hugging a brown backpack.

The light was fading, and the lamps hadn’t come on yet.

There she sat by herself, giving Xu Chen a sense of lonely vulnerability.

Bing Ge was lost in thought when she turned her head and saw Xu Chen.

She stood up and hurried over to him.

As they met, Xu Chen studied Xie Bingran and noticed her eyes were a bit red.

“What happened?”

“Huh?”

“It looks like you’ve been crying…”

Xie Bingran avoided his gaze: “No, I haven’t…”

“Did someone bully you?”

Xie Bingran shook her head:

“Really, no one did.”

Xu Chen: “Oh, right—who’d dare mess with Bing Ge?”

Xie Bingran lowered her head:

“I just wanted to see you sooner.”

“……”

Xu Chen: “Let’s go. We’ll head back to downtown and find you another hotel.”

Xie Bingran: “Okay.”

Xu Chen: “But you’ll have to share with Coach Fang for now—looks like no rooms are left.”

Xie Bingran: “That’s fine.”

……

They got to the car and found Wu Feifei in the passenger seat, with Fang Jun and Huang Qianqian in the very back.

The middle row’s two seats were left open for Xu Chen and Bing Ge.

Xu Chen smiled and said, “Thanks!”

They climbed in, shut the doors, and the car eased away, soon hitting smooth highway speed.

After a long day, everyone felt worn out.

In the back, Fang Jun and Huang Qianqian quickly dozed off, leaning against each other.

Xu Chen was tired too. He glanced at Xie Bingran and saw her watching him.

“What’s up?” Xu Chen whispered.

Xie Bingran looked away slightly: “Nothing.”

Xu Chen smiled: “Get some rest. It’s at least half an hour more—I’m beat too.”

Xie Bingran: “Okay.”

Xu Chen shifted closer, leaned in, and buckled Xie Bingran’s seatbelt for her.

Xie Bingran pressed back against the seat, her body suddenly tense.

Xu Chen didn’t seem to notice anything off.

He yawned, fastened his own belt, reclined his seat a bit, and closed his eyes…

Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes and studied Xu Chen’s profile.

He’d always been good-looking.

Back in middle school as desk mates, she’d thought so—especially from this angle…

Xie Bingran reached out with her right hand and quietly grabbed the edge of Xu Chen’s sleeve.

She held on lightly, but firmly.

I’ve lost you once already—I can’t let that happen again…

Thinking that, Xie Bingran closed her eyes and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.

……

……

Once they entered downtown, traffic slowed them down for a bit.

Everyone woke up yawning, feeling a little refreshed.

Xie Bingran stirred at the noise and opened her eyes.

She saw Xu Chen sitting beside her, holding his phone and replying to messages.

Glancing down, she realized her right hand was still clutching his sleeve.

Xie Bingran felt a flash of embarrassment and quietly pulled her hand away, wondering if Xu Chen had noticed…

Xu Chen was still chatting with Director Feng Siliang.

He was reviewing news drafts from the city media that Feng Siliang had sent over.

The articles covered Xie Bingran’s victory, with some praise for the city’s sports programs and the nurturing of athletes, plus motivational words from various leaders.

It was all standard stuff, written by professional reporters, so no major issues.

Still, Xu Chen went through it carefully and suggested a few minor tweaks.

After all, they’d received funding from the city, and the publicity department’s Secretary Xia had asked for his input, so he put in the effort.

……

The Buick GL8 dropped them off at Xie Bingran’s hotel first. She ran up to grab her luggage—a standard black suitcase issued by the national team.

The others couldn’t help but envy it:

“That’s a national team suitcase—I want one!”

“Yeah, with the flag on it—it’s so cool!”

Even Xu Chen felt a twinge of envy:

“That thing’s top-notch—you can’t just buy it.”

……

They drove to Tianhe Tower, where Xu Chen, Xie Bingran, and Fang Jun got out.

Xu Chen said to Wu Feifei,

“Thanks again, Miss Wu—not just for the meal, but for the ride too!”

Wu Feifei glanced at Xu Chen, then at Xie Bingran behind him, and narrowed her eyes:

“You two aren’t planning to sneak off for a late-night snack, are you?”

Xu Chen: “Huh?”

Wu Feifei: “I don’t care! I’m coming along!”

From the back seat, Huang Qianqian chimed in: “Me too!”

“……”

Xu Chen: “Sure, let’s go for some clay pot congee later!”

Wu Feifei smiled, satisfied:

“Great, we’ll set a time. We’ll come find you soon!”

Xu Chen: “Go up and relax for a bit to digest. How about ten o’clock?”

Wu Feifei: “Deal.”

……

……

As soon as Xu Chen, Xie Bingran, and Fang Jun entered the hotel lobby, they saw Li Rui, Zhao Feng, and their buddies stand up with smiles.

“Bing Ge!”

“Xu Chen!” ……

They weren’t staying at this hotel—they’d clearly come just to wait for Bing Ge.

Xie Bingran turned to Xu Chen and said,

“You two go on up. I’ll step out for a smoke with them.”

Xu Chen smiled and didn’t argue, heading to the elevators with Fang Jun.

……

They rode up to the eighth floor and walked to the room.

The door to room 806 was open, and smoke wafted out.

Xu Chen looked in and saw his father, Xu Zhiquan, and Yang Congxin sitting inside, chatting.

The two were smoking and discussing something.

“Dad!” Xu Chen called out.

Xu Zhiquan lit up at the sight of his son:

“Come on in! And you too, Coach Fang!”

Inside, the table held some Cantonese-style roasted goose and braised meats, plus a couple of plates of peanuts.

Along with a few bottles of local Pearl River beer…

“This is the life!” Xu Chen said with a laugh.

He sat next to his father on the bed and grabbed a few peanuts to munch on.

Fang Jun kept a straight face but slyly snagged a bottle of beer.

Xu Chen caught the move and just shook his head.

Xu Zhiquan took a drag from his cigarette and said with a smile,

“The four of us make up the core of Chenfeng Technology.

Director Yang, fill them in on the battery supplier visits.”

Yang Congxin smiled and gave a quick overview.

Over the past couple of days, Xu Zhiquan and Yang Congxin had checked out suppliers in Dongguan and Pengcheng. It went smoothly—both had ready battery options.

They were even cheaper than in Jiangsu Province, and prices could drop further once Chenfeng Technology’s orders ramped up.

For the first batch, though, they’d stick with Jiangsu suppliers to handle production line integration and support local interests.

Overall, Chenfeng Technology was getting off to a solid start.

The old factory renovations were underway to prep for the new lines.

Design work for the first vehicle model was in progress with firms from Beijing and the provincial capital, incorporating Xu Chen’s input. They expected results soon…

Xu Zhiquan grabbed a clean glass, poured Xu Chen a beer, and handed it over.

“Here’s to Chenfeng Technology—cheers!”

Yang Congxin grinned and raised his glass, while Fang Jun hesitated before clinking his beer bottle over.

Xu Zhiquan downed his drink and chuckled heartily.

He took another puff and continued,

“Now, about the team—we’ve got a few issues.

On the tech side, it’s mostly Director Yang holding it together.

Once the production lines arrive and experts from Jiangsu come in, Yang needs to form an elite team to absorb all their knowledge and skills!”

Yang Congxin: “Don’t worry, President Xu. I’ve got it covered.

I know the tech folks from the old factory well. A few are solid grads from top universities in mechanical and electrical engineering—they’ll pick it up fast!”

Xu Zhiquan nodded and turned to Xu Chen:

“Taking over Bright Factory was spot-on.

Talents like Director Yang and Coach Fang are hard to find on our own!”

Yang Congxin sighed:

“Bright Factory had a lot of capable people—back in the day, top students fought to join.

But the last seven or eight years, leadership just focused on internal fights instead of progress…”

Xu Zhiquan laughed, patted Yang Congxin on the shoulder, and topped off his glass.

He took a drag and went on,

“Another team issue—we’re short on sales and distribution folks.

I checked with factories in Jiangsu and Zhejiang—they all have dedicated teams for expanding channels.

Bright Factory had a sales team, but they only covered a few towns around Tiancheng and weren’t very effective…”

Xu Chen: “What about Guo Liang?”

Xu Zhiquan: “Guo Liang?”

He thought for a moment, recalling the sharp Guo Liang.

Back when Xu Chen had asked, Xu Zhiquan had called him a ‘real operator’…”