Chapter 296: Homecoming Ties

On the 30th, there were still classes, but nearly a third of the students had taken leave.

Xu Chen finished his class around 4 p.m. and headed to the South Gate on Chifeng Road with his backpack.

He sent a message to Sun Aimi, then went to the burger shop next to the school’s south gate to buy some fried chicken and popcorn chicken.

“Boss!” Sun Aimi smiled as she walked over, with Gu Xinxi following behind.

“Teacher Xu Chen!” Gu Xinxi greeted with a smile.

The two girls each carried a small suitcase, while Xu Chen had just his backpack.

They had shipped the bulky items back home, so they didn’t need to bring too many clothes or anything else.

Xu Chen smiled and said, “Let’s grab a quick bite and then hit the road!”

Wu Yue had booked them evening flights, so they had plenty of time.

The three of them ate something simple in the shop before heading out to hail a cab.

It was the day before the National Day holiday, so the roads were a bit congested.

But the traffic department had anticipated this and deployed a lot of officers to maintain order; it only backed up a little at the highway entrances, but overall it was smooth.

Both Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi were from the south, and this was their first trip to Shandong Province.

Especially for Sun Aimi, it was her first time north of the Yangtze River, and she couldn’t hide her excitement.

The two young women had similar builds, with round faces that had a bit of baby fat, making them look like real sisters.

In terms of personality, Sun Aimi was a designer at heart, still a bit naive and childish, often wearing a cute, spacey expression.

Gu Xinxi was once Guo Liang’s apprentice and worked in sales; though a year younger than Sun Aimi, she was much more mature in dealing with people and had high emotional intelligence.

She hadn’t formally accepted the invitation from ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ yet, but both sides knew it was pretty much settled.

During the trip, Gu Xinxi showed great emotional intelligence, taking good care of Xu Chen, her future ‘boss’.

Xu Chen wasn’t used to being fussed over like that, but since Gu Xinxi was so eager, he didn’t say much.

…

…

The plane landed at the Provincial Capital Airport, close to 10 p.m.

As the three stepped out of the exit, they spotted Li Rui right away.

“Brother Chen!”

Li Rui grinned widely and rushed over to help Xu Chen with his bag.

Xu Chen said, “Just help them with their suitcases!”

Li Rui chuckled and took the two girls’ luggage.

Xu Chen then introduced them:

“This is Li Rui, my good buddy and also Bing Ge’s good buddy.

This is Sun Aimi, and this is Gu Xinxi…”

The three exchanged polite greetings.

Xu Chen deliberately described Li Rui as a good friend of both him and Bing Ge to avoid Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi thinking of him just as a driver…

Li Rui led the trio to the parking garage and loaded the luggage into the trunk.

Xu Chen noticed that Li Rui was driving the company’s Nissan Teana, which he had used for a while before leaving Tiancheng.

Once everyone was settled in the car, Li Rui released the handbrake and drove off.

“Where’s my dad?”

Li Rui replied, “President Xu has a dinner engagement tonight; Fang Tao drove him there.”

Xu Chen smiled, “So Fang Tao finally passed his driver’s test?”

Li Rui said, “Fang Tao got through, but Cheng Yong failed the third subject again.”

Xu Chen added, “Bing Ge brought some cigarettes from Osaka; I’ll give them to you tomorrow.”

Talking about Bing Ge, Li Rui’s excitement was obvious.

But he just murmured, “Bing Ge’s really something…”

“Are you heading back to the town tonight, Brother Chen?”

Xu Chen replied, “It’s too late; I’ll crash at the company tonight. I already told my dad.”

…

Nearly two hours later, the car arrived in Tiancheng from the Provincial Capital Airport.

With the National Day holiday, the highways were still a bit jammed.

The two young women sat quietly in the back, their excitement about traveling far from home still showing.

Li Rui drove them to the hotel first.

The hotel was arranged by Wu Yue, right next to the Jinfeng Business Tower.

Xu Chen and Li Rui helped carry the luggage and got the two young women settled in.

“Thanks, boss!”

Xu Chen smiled and said, “Get some rest; I’ll take you out for breakfast in the morning.

Tomorrow’s still a holiday, so no specific tasks.”

…

After settling the two, Xu Chen had Li Rui drive back first.

Xu Zhiquan was still at his dinner, and Li Rui worried Fang Tao couldn’t handle it alone, so he headed over.

Tonight’s gathering involved important contacts and clients from ‘Chenxin Nurseries’.

Right now, ‘Chenfeng Technology’ is in a phase of heavy investment, with cash flow supported entirely by the nursery business.

Luckily, the first ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ electric car is about to roll off the line, and ‘Chenfeng Technology’ is on the verge of a breakthrough.

Xu Chen wandered over to the Jinfeng Business Tower office on his own.

After being away from home for a month, the temperature had noticeably dropped; just wearing a T-shirt, he felt a bit of chill.

As he was about to go upstairs, he felt a pang of hunger.

After thinking it over, he called Sun Aimi:

“Are you hungry? Want me to take you out for some late-night snacks?”

…

Ten minutes later, Xu Chen brought the two young women to a nearby mutton soup shop that was still open.

A big pot of steaming mutton arrived, giving the two southern girls a real eye-opener.

They never imagined food could be prepared in such a hearty way…

After each had a piece of mutton and a sip of the soup, their eyes lit up with delight.

“What kind of magic is this? It’s way too good!”

“No gamey taste at all; this broth is so fresh!”

As Xu Chen sipped the soup, he felt a wave of nostalgia.

The cafeterias at Tonghai University and the restaurants in Shanghai were great, but tasting hometown flavors, even just street-side mutton soup, excited his taste buds more.

The taste of home.

…

…

The next day, in the morning.

Jinfeng Business Tower, 8th-floor office.

Xu Chen was still half-asleep when he heard noises in the outer office and groggily got up.

Stepping out, he saw Fang Jun and Wu Yue.

“You’re staying at the company?” Fang Jun asked.

Xu Chen yawned, “It was too late last night; going back to town would’ve been a hassle. My dad ended up sleeping at the hotel where they dined…”

Wu Yue said a bit awkwardly, “Did we wake you?”

Xu Chen smiled, “Not at all.”

As he spoke, he headed to the reception room.

Three large boxes sat by the reception room door.

Xu Chen glanced at the labels on the boxes and opened one; it was the one shipped from Osaka.

Inside were items Xie Bingran had bought for Xu Zhiquan, like sake, cigarettes for Li Rui and the others, and cosmetics for the two sisters.

In no time, Xu Chen came out with two gift boxes:

“These are for you two sisters!”

Fang Jun took them without hesitation, her expression neutral, and handed one to Wu Yue:

“I helped pick this one.”

Xu Chen said, “…”

Wu Yue laughed, “Thanks for picking it out, Sister Fang Jun, and thanks for buying it, little President Xu!”

Xu Chen asked, “Calling you both here today isn’t messing up your holiday, right?”

Fang Jun replied flatly, “Not at all; Wu Yue and I were planning to go out anyway. Bringing those two along is fine.”

Xu Chen had called Fang Jun and Wu Yue to have them show Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi around Tiancheng.

Xu Chen went back to the reception room, opened another large box, and pulled out a box of Shanghai pastries.

“These are from Shanghai; you two should try them!”

Opening the box revealed delicate treats like butterfly crisps, crabapple cakes, and osmanthus cakes.

Fang Jun glanced at Wu Yue, “You drive later.”

Wu Yue said, “Huh?”

Fang Jun added, “I want to have a drink with these.”

Xu Chen said, “…”

…

…

Xu Chen messaged Sun Aimi, and soon after, the two young women came over from the hotel.

“This is one of East Morning Star Co.’s office locations; it started as our seedling company and handles some business negotiations here…”

Fang Jun and Wu Yue came out of the reception room, and Xu Chen smiled as he introduced the four young women.

Fang Jun had met them before in Shanghai and Yangcheng, so they exchanged smiles and greetings.

The four of them were around the same age, and they quickly got familiar with each other.

Wu Yue was a bit older, while Fang Jun, Sun Aimi, and Gu Xinxi were similar in age.

Xu Chen smiled and said, “No agenda today; Wu Yue and Fang Jun can show you two around Tiancheng and have some fun.

Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the Morning Wind Park for a tour and check out the electric car production line…”

He turned to Gu Xinxi:

“Your master is on holiday today, so you’ll see him at the park tomorrow.”

Gu Xinxi smiled sweetly, “Sounds great!”

…

The four young women chatted for a bit, snacked on the treats, and then discussed heading downstairs.

Fang Jun walked up to Xu Chen and handed him a set of car keys:

“Leave that Teana for you; I’ll take my own car.”

Xu Chen said innocently, “Thanks, Sister Fang Jun!”

Fang Jun said flatly, “Are you going to the Provincial Capital to see Bing Ge?”

Xu Chen replied, “Yeah, early on the 4th.”

Fang Jun said, “I want to go too!”

Xu Chen answered, “No problem, but it’s a tight schedule; just a quick meet-up.”

Fang Jun said, “That’s fine; I just want to check out the Provincial Capital.”

Xu Chen asked, “How’s things at the park?”

Fang Jun replied, “Everyone’s on holiday today.

Tomorrow, Director Yang’s tech team will start overtime, and Guo Liang and I will be there too.”

Xu Chen said, “Thanks for the hard work, Fang Jun.”

Fang Jun added, “Have a drink with me tomorrow, and another one when we get to the Provincial Capital.”

Xu Chen agreed, “Sure!”

Fang Jun clarified, “I mean, drink with me, not just watch me drink!”

Xu Chen laughed, “Didn’t I drink with you in Shanghai? We were hungover and slept in the next day.”

Fang Jun nodded expressionlessly, seeming more satisfied.

…

…

The four young women headed downstairs together, already acting like close friends.

Xu Chen borrowed a cart from the property management and loaded the boxes from Osaka and Shanghai into the car downstairs.

…

Fifteen minutes later, at a hotel downtown.

Xu Chen parked the car and, before getting out, spotted his father Xu Zhiquan standing by the road with a cigarette.

He wore a slightly loose suit and gently patted his belly.

Xu Chen smiled and walked over.

“Dad!”

Xu Zhiquan turned, saw his son, and laughed heartily as he ruffled Xu Chen’s hair and put an arm around his shoulder.

“Come on, let’s get some meat for my boy!”

Knowing Xu Chen would drive over, Old Xu had given Li Rui the day off.

Li Rui often drove for Xu Zhiquan, with late nights and overtime, so it was a rare break.

Luckily, Fang Tao had passed his driver’s test, so they could switch off.

…

The father and son reached the car.

Xu Chen pulled his father Xu Zhiquan to the trunk.

Opening it, Xu Chen took out the sake shipped from Osaka.

It came in an elegant wooden box wrapped in beautiful Japanese patterns.

Ancient-style fonts read ‘Suto Honke’ and ‘Mountains, Rivers, Plants’.

“Xie Bingran got this for you from Osaka; it’s a top-shelf sake worth a few thousand yuan!”

Xu Zhiquan took it with a smile, examining it closely, his face full of emotion:

“After I had you, I told your mom it would’ve been great to have a daughter too.

Girls are wonderful; they know how to care for people!”

Xu Chen looked exasperated, “I take good care of you too!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily, “You both do!”

Old Xu held the bottle reluctantly, glanced at Xu Chen, and said:

“You drive!”

With that, he cradled the bottle and climbed into the passenger seat.

Xu Chen sighed and got into the driver’s seat.

…

Old Xu took his son to a new barbecue spot in the city.

It wasn’t clear if it was Chinese, Japanese, or Korean style, but thin slices of fresh beef and mutton sizzled on the charcoal grill, oil bubbling up.

Xu Chen tried a few pieces and was pleasantly surprised.

Old Xu grinned, “The owner used to do business with me; when that fell through, he opened this barbecue place.

The ingredients are top-notch; he gets the beef and mutton straight from the countryside…”

The father and son enjoyed their meal and chatted about this and that.

Xu Chen shared some daily life from Shanghai, and Old Xu talked about business matters.

Though apart, both were doing well overall.

Xu Zhiquan mentioned another thing.

In mid-last month, leader Wu Yongming took Xu Zhiquan to a economic forum in the Provincial Capital.

He introduced Old Xu to some provincial leaders and promoted East Morning Star Co. and Chenfeng Technology again.

Once Chenfeng Technology grows, it’ll need provincial support, and Wu Yongming’s moves are paving the way.

Old Xu was truly grateful.

Xu Zhiquan recalled something else and said:

“I heard from Secretary Qu Fei that Wu Feifei went to university in Shanghai too…

I overlooked that.”

Xu Chen replied, “Yeah, I only found out after getting to Shanghai; I already treated her to a meal.

Plus, she went to Osaka a few days ago to watch Bing Ge’s match.”

Xu Zhiquan nodded, “Young people should mingle more.

Her dad’s an open-minded leader, and Wu Feifei’s a smart girl.

Your relationship with Ranran is clear now, so no pressure.

You’re a guy; if Wu Feifei runs into trouble in Shanghai, you should help out.”

Xu Chen said, “Don’t worry, Dad; I know what I’m doing.”

Xu Zhiquan added, “I heard from Fang Jun that Ranran’s in the Provincial Capital for National Day?”

Xu Chen confirmed, “Yeah, and I have to head there on the 4th.”

Xu Zhiquan said, “Pass on my regards; I can’t make it with the factory keeping me busy.”

Xu Chen replied, “Sure; she might come see you!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily, “That might be jumping the gun…

Take good care of her and don’t bully her!”