Chapter Thirty-Three: A Sudden Change of Plans

Fan Tiantian’s first reaction upon seeing Wu You was surprise, and her second was confusion.

She had seen Wu You before—he had been treated as an honored guest by Zhou Peng at the auction, and afterward her father told her that the young man was the seller of the luminous pearl. Was he somehow connected to the Wu family? Come to think of it, his surname was also Wu.

Wu You was the first to speak.

“Who are you, and what business do you have at my doorstep?”

So he truly was the owner of this place. No wonder Liu Weiliang hadn’t been able to secure this plot of land. Fan Tiantian’s eyes flickered with calculation as her thoughts raced.

She took the initiative to approach Wu You, extending her hand with a polite smile. “Hello, Mr. Wu. My name is Fan Tiantian, assistant to the president of Shengtian Group.”

At the mention of Shengtian, Wu You’s expression darkened slightly, but he maintained his composure—one cannot refuse a friendly gesture, especially from such a beautiful woman. He shook her hand briefly.

“Hello, I’m Wu You.” He couldn’t help but notice her hand was soft.

“So, President Fan, what brings you here today? Is it still about the demolition and relocation of my family’s land?”

Fan Tiantian smiled radiantly. “Mr. Wu, just now we saw no one in the garden, so we didn’t come in. Now that you’re back, aren’t you going to invite us inside?”

Wu You glanced at her entourage. “Alright, come in.”

Bai Yanxi had actually been home the whole time. When someone knocked and shouted earlier, he hadn’t bothered to respond, being absorbed in his study of medicine and tending the herb garden behind the house. Thus, the place seemed deserted to Fan Tiantian and her group, so he simply left the garden to admire the unique flower-covered archway.

When the main gate opened, the fan covering Bai Yanxi’s face slipped off as he lay on his recliner.

“So, the boy Wu is back? I’d just lain down for a bit. Those people behind you must be the ones who caused all the ruckus at the door.”

Fan Tiantian’s female secretary couldn’t help but quip, “If you were home, why didn’t you open the door?”

“Just because someone’s home, must they open the door? And who are you, anyway?” The old man ignored them entirely, picking up his fallen fan and placing it back over his face.

“You—” The secretary wanted to argue, but Fan Tiantian stopped her with a gesture.

“Mr. Wu, today I’m here on behalf of Shengtian Group to apologize to you and the Wu family. Previously, Liu Weiliang was in charge of the eco-club project, and there were some misunderstandings between us.”

“I’ve discovered that your father Wu Jianguo’s car accident was orchestrated by Liu Weiliang. I will do my utmost to find the perpetrator and turn them over to the authorities.”

As she spoke, Fan Tiantian looked Wu You directly in the eyes. “And Liu Weiliang has received what he deserves, hasn’t he, Mr. Wu?”

Wu You met her gaze unflinchingly. “Thank you, President Fan. As for Liu Weiliang, perhaps he’d done too much wrong in his life—karma caught up to him.”

“So President Fan came here just to say these things today?”

Fan Tiantian smiled. “Aren’t you going to offer us some tea, Mr. Wu? We’ve been waiting a long time.”

Wu You raised an eyebrow but said nothing, heading to the kitchen to retrieve a kettle of hot water, five cups, and a packet of cheap tea leaves. He set them down on the living room table.

“Sorry for the lack of hospitality. If you want tea, help yourselves. If you want to sit, there are benches by the table—so you won’t have to accuse me of not inviting you to sit.”

Fan Tiantian was momentarily taken aback, forcing a slightly awkward smile. “You’re joking, Mr. Wu.”

“I’m not joking. By the way, our homegrown vegetables are quite good, and the chickens behind the house are fresh. Why not stay for dinner, President Fan?”

“Alright, alright, it seems you’re not very welcoming, Mr. Wu, so I won’t beat around the bush. The main reason I’m here is to apologize to your family and clarify something.”

She gave Wu You a mysterious smile. “Shengtian has decided to abandon its development plans for the eco-club here at Xugou Village. As for the demolition agreements signed with the other villagers, since they haven’t been implemented, they are now void.”

Wu You was stunned by this, and the people beside Fan Tiantian all looked at her in shock.

Wu You looked at the group’s mixed expressions. “President Fan, what do you mean by this?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“By the way, Mr. Wu, is that archway covered in roses? Where can I buy one?” Fan Tiantian showed keen interest in the thorny vine.

“It’s not a rose, just a flower that looks similar. As for where to buy one, I don’t know. I stumbled upon it by chance and never expected it to grow so large.”

“Could I have some seeds, then?” Fan Tiantian pressed.

Wu You spread his hands. “Sorry, for some reason this vine never produces seeds. But if you want to take a cutting to propagate, I have no objection.”

Fan Tiantian looked disappointed. “No seeds? Then never mind about the cuttings.”

Wu You chuckled inwardly. Even if she took a cutting, he could make it wither overnight; by the next morning, she’d only find a pot of dead vines.

The Shengtian group, under Fan Tiantian’s lead, managed to linger in Wu You’s home for nearly two hours before finally taking their leave.

…

On the way back, Fan Tiantian’s secretary asked in confusion, “President Fan, didn’t you come today to confront the Wu family about the demolition? Why did you change your mind after meeting him?”

Fan Tiantian laughed. “Because I just felt like changing it!”

“But the company has already spent tens of millions on this project,” the secretary protested.

“Apply to the district construction bureau to cancel the filing. Recover as much of the deposit as we can. A good chunk of those millions ended up in Liu Weiliang’s pocket anyway. You think I can’t claw it back if the project gets scrapped? Hah!” Fan Tiantian replied breezily.

She turned to gaze out the window at the passing scenery. Wu You, just who are you, really?

…

Wu You, too, was pondering Fan Tiantian’s intentions. Judging from her team’s reactions, it was clear that she hadn’t come here simply to apologize or announce Shengtian’s withdrawal. These businesspeople were always profit-driven—they wouldn’t willingly take a loss. But since he couldn’t figure out her reasons for now, and since it was ultimately to his benefit, Wu You decided not to dwell on it.

However, while Wu You was unhurried, someone else was getting anxious.

Director Liu Ming from the XS District Construction Bureau was growing restless, holding the phone in disbelief.

“What? Shengtian is pulling out of the project? But Director Shi just called me this morning to say he’d greenlighted your project. Comrade, you’ve already paid the deposit—how can you just walk away? What? You don’t care about the deposit?”

No matter how Liu Ming pleaded, Shengtian’s answer was the same: they were withdrawing.

Bang!

Liu Ming slammed the phone down hard.

“Out of nowhere—what the hell is this?”

This time, Liu Ming was truly anxious. The municipal party committee had given the city’s construction bureau a major greening task, which the bureau had distributed down to each district. XS District was already large, and as the industrial hub of Qiantang, his share of the responsibility was heavier than most. With established projects and Shengtian’s eco-resort, he would have just met the target.

Compared to other districts, his numbers would look decent, and at the very least, he wouldn’t be singled out for criticism.

But now, Shengtian’s withdrawal had slashed sixty percent of his quota—this was a disaster.

If Director Shi at the city bureau couldn’t meet his targets, he certainly wouldn’t let Liu Ming off easily either.

There were still six months left. He’d have to come up with a plan.