Chapter 36: Heading to Jiang-Zhe

Wang Yan had just entered the company when he saw Chen Yu drinking water.

"Sorry for the wait—I just got back from Hong Kong."

Chen Yu immediately stood up and called out, "Boss Wang," then added, "I haven't waited long, it's no problem."

Wang Yan was so drained by those two lines he couldn't believe this guy could ever figure things out.

Was I expressing regret? Who the hell are we even talking about?

Without further nonsense, Wang Yan said, "Come with me."

He brought Chen Yu to his office and sat down on the sofa.

"I only skimmed your resume before; I didn't pay special attention to your family."

Wang Yan asked, "Are you married?"

Chen Yu looked embarrassed: "Uh… I just… just got divorced…"

"What's there to be embarrassed about? I don't know your situation, but based on what I know about you so far, your ex-wife was the one who filed for divorce. And you, probably furious at the time, just agreed right away."

Wang Yan stressed the words "ex-wife."

Chen Yu was stunned by how clearly Wang Yan had seen through him: "Boss Wang, how did you know that?"

Wang Yan smiled confidently but didn't answer, continuing: "Do you regret it?"

Chen Yu stayed silent.

"Don't put on that dead face—your ex-wife can't see it, and I don't want to look at it."

Wang Yan went on: "Marriage, at first, might be about love, but over time, love fades, passion wears off, and you're no longer each other's everything—you've got bills, groceries, daily grind."

"How many marriages are really dramatic? Most are just quiet, ordinary lives."

"I'm not mocking you—you're one of those people."

"Most women don't want drama, but they also don't want utter dullness."

"You want a stable life—not a funny person, not someone talkative, and your life must be boring."

"So obviously, over time, conflicts arise. Small ones pile up, affection gets used up, and it's over—just like you and your ex-wife."

Chen Yu looked as if he'd just had an epiphany, hopeful: "Boss Wang, you're absolutely right—so is there any way to win her back?"

Hearing this, Wang Yan wanted to kick the bastard to death—don't doubt it, Old Wang had the strength.

I paid you fifty grand to come here for what? You're asking me how to win her back? Didn't you even catch the emphasis I put on "ex-wife"?

Suppressing the urge to kick him, Wang Yan said with a sly tone: "Why bother winning her back?"

"A failed marriage—even if you reconcile—leaves a thorn in you, always pricking."

"A broken mirror is hard to mend. Think about it—could you ever be like you were before?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment—it was true—but something felt off. He hesitated and nodded at Wang Yan.

"The past can't be reclaimed, Chen Yu. What you want to win back isn't cautious, polite, testing each other later on—it's the daily warmth you had before."

"Do you agree with me?"

Chen Yu still wasn't sure, but out of respect for his boss, he hesitated again and nodded.

This wasn't working—Wang Yan continued: "Besides, you'll be working here. In the beginning, you'll definitely have to work overtime; later, you might even have to travel worldwide—less time together will only make it worse."

This time Chen Yu nodded in full agreement—it was true.

"So since you've already let go, why not let go completely? Hesitation isn't the way of a real man. Why not look elsewhere? My offer to you isn't low—enjoy life. Maybe then you'll find someone better suited."

Chen Yu was lost in thought, doubting himself. He thought Wang Yan had some point, but not all of it. It was messy—he couldn't figure out what to do.

"Enough thinking. Let's get to the real matter."

Wang Yan cut him off after a moment. People's minds don't change easily—if they did, he wouldn't be worth much. Wang Yan talked about the glittering world outside, but Chen Yu had never experienced it—how could he believe? So first, give him a little medicine. Later, when he sees it for himself, Wang Yan could convince him again.

Chen Yu snapped back to attention, looking at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan said: "The company will be ready in about a week. For now, just follow along."

Chen Yu nodded.

"Once it's ready, I'll hand it over to you—go ahead boldly, don't hesitate."

"I have only one requirement: you're from TV, you know how to handle the boundaries, right?"

This couldn't be ignored. If Chen Yu, clueless, published something sensitive and accidentally exposed someone, it'd be trouble. Chen Yu was the company's boss, but more importantly—he worked for Wang Yan. If anything went wrong, they'd come after Wang Yan. He wasn't afraid of them—but he hated the hassle. Those bastards were unbearable.

"Boss Wang, rest assured—I guarantee no problems."

Promises like this were basically the same as farting—he'd said plenty himself.

"Enough with the empty talk. I want to see results, not hear promises."

Wang Yan said to the awkward Chen Yu: "That's all. Did you bring your ID, bank card, everything?"

"I've got everything."

"Go handle your onboarding later. I'll transfer your salary now. I'm calculating it as a full year—consider it an advance bonus."

Chen Yu was overwhelmed, speechless: "Boss Wang, I… really…"

"Stop. You can't even speak properly. I understand your meaning—don't thank me with words. I'm waiting for your results."

Seeing him about to blurt out more heartfelt nonsense, Wang Yan cut him off: "By the way, I forgot to mention—you like photography, right?"

"Yes, Boss Wang, I dabbled a bit before. Why?"

"Then start a photography column. You're familiar with this—consider it an added responsibility."

Wang Yan continued: "I won't let you work for free. Once you've got the company running smoothly, I'll equip you with a full set of gear. When you're free, go out and shoot."

Chen Yu's face flushed with excitement—reporting news by his own standards, shooting photos in his spare time, no worries about food or money—it felt like his dream life was within reach.

Then Wang Yan called in the subordinate handling acquisitions, introduced him to Chen Yu, and sent him off with the subordinate amid Chen Yu's endless thanks.

Wang Yan arranged a few more things—after all, he was about to move against the Liang family, so he needed to prepare.

After finishing his onboarding, Chen Yu stepped out of the company, looked at his bank balance, and his hands trembled with excitement.

He transferred one hundred thousand to his mother at home and called to tell her. When she asked with concern, he didn't say much, just brushed it off by saying it was a project bonus.

After hanging up, he looked up at the sky beyond Lin Li's towering skyscrapers, "Have I really broken free?" Chen Yu asked himself uncertainly.

He stopped thinking about all that nonsense and strode toward the parking lot.

A better life begins today.

Back home, he had another lavish dinner to celebrate his complete rebirth.

But whenever Chen Yu looked at Zhong Xiaoqin, he thought of what Wang Yan had told him.

This is the added weight of Wang Yan's status—the same words, spoken by a successful person, are taken as golden advice; spoken by someone who's nothing, you'd know they're about to fart the moment they open their mouth.

"Maybe I really should think this through carefully."

Without the earlier joy, distracted, Chen Yu finished the feast.

When immersed in something, time often slips unnoticed—he was lost in his work, unable to pull himself away.

Wang Yan was awakened by the noise outside his office; he checked the time—it was already quitting time.

As he stepped out of his office, before he even saw anyone, he heard repeated "Thank you, Boss Lady."

Hearing that, he knew Gu Jia had arrived—he'd brought her along just to meet people.

Wang Yan had already told Gu Jia before: when he returned, she had to come to the company.

She'd timed it perfectly—right before quitting, so they could pick up Xu Ziyan together afterward.

Up close, he saw Gu Jia with two delivery workers handing out fruit.

Wang Yan's team was small—just a few interns, the rest mostly middle-aged or older employees, all earning well. Though Gu Jia's fruit was high-end, they weren't short on cash. What mattered was the sentiment—this was rarer than fruit.

Gu Jia, indeed, was good at winning people's hearts.

Seeing Wang Yan approach, Gu Jia smiled gently at him, then turned back to keep handing out fruit.

In the meantime, Wang Yan went back to tidy his office; when he came out, Gu Jia had just finished.

He said goodbye to his staff, then took Gu Jia's arm and left.

Gu Jia had come in his A8; Wang Yan took the driver's seat without hesitation.

He started the car and drove toward the kindergarten.

In the car, Gu Jia talked about the past two days; she didn't ask him a single thing about what he'd done in Hong Kong.

Unlike when she was with Xu Huanshan, she didn't meddle in everything. With Wang Yan, she truly had no such urge—why bother? The more she knew, the more it upset her.

They chatted and laughed all the way to the kindergarten to pick up Xu Ziyan.

He hadn't seen them for two days and missed them terribly—he asked questions nonstop in the car. Wang Yan answered patiently and promised to take him out to play next time.

Back home, Wang Yan brought out the gifts he'd carried with him, making both of them happy—letting them know their husband and father thought of them.

As for the many things Zhao Jingyu had bought for him, they wouldn't arrive until tomorrow.

For Gu Jia, he gave a watch, costing over a hundred grand.

For the child, it was simple—he'd bought a toy on a whim at the airport. Just enough to keep Xu Ziyan entertained for a couple days.

True enough, after the gifts were revealed, both were delighted—one kissed him, the other hugged his leg.

Gu Jia prepared dinner; the family ate together, lively and warm.

"By the way, Wang Yan, the tea factory is done—I want to go take a look these next few days," Gu Jia said to Wang Yan, who sat beside her.

If Gu Jia hadn't mentioned it, Wang Yan would've forgotten entirely.

Before he could speak, Xu Ziyan pulled his face out of his bowl, wiped rice grains off his mouth with a casual swipe, and immediately declared: "I'm going too! I'm going too!"

Then his eyes darted around—this wasn't enough. If he didn't ramp it up, they wouldn't respect him.

He threw down his spoon, abandoned his meal, knew begging Gu Jia wouldn't work, so he rushed over, wrapped his arms around Wang Yan's waist, and clung to him, whining.

"Dad, let's go together. You took yourself to Hong Kong without me, and just now in the car you said you'd take me out to play."

True enough—interest is the best teacher; at the mention of play, his speech became perfectly coherent.

Gu Jia watched Xu Ziyan's performance, torn between anger and laughter.

She immediately moved to grab him—she couldn't bring herself to hit him, but she had to scare him a little to teach him a lesson.

Xu Ziyan saw her move and buried his head in Wang Yan's chest: "Dad! Mom's gonna beat me! Help!"

Wang Yan smiled, stopped Gu Jia, and pulled Xu Ziyan out: "Alright, I've thought about it—we're all going."

"We'll drive—it'll be a chance to see the scenery too."

Xu Ziyan, thrilled by Wang Yan's agreement, screamed and ran around the whole house.

Gu Jia watched the exuberant child and worried his studies would suffer—the round-trip drive would take half a month.

She voiced her concern to Wang Yan: "If we take Ziyan and drive, what about his studies?"

Wang Yan waved his hand: "No problem—he's still so young. Knowledge isn't just in textbooks. Kids should broaden their horizons. For him right now, this experience is more valuable than studying."

He then dropped the subject: "Hey, by the way, where's that tea factory again?"

"In Pan'an, Jiang-Zhe—it's not far."

"Jiang-Zhe? Perfect—we can swing by Lin'an and see Xihu while we're there. Yeah, that's settled."

Wang Yan made the final call: "Tomorrow we'll go shopping, get a motorhome."

Since he'd already decided, Gu Jia said no more. After calming down the exuberant Xu Ziyan, they continued eating, chatting and laughing.

After dinner, the usual warm ritual: putting Xu Ziyan to sleep.

Having tasted the pleasure, after two days of emptiness, Gu Jia felt a bit off.

She gave herself fully—her energy matched their very first time.

The next day, exhausted, Gu Jia woke up.

She instinctively reached beside her—nothing there. She knew Wang Yan had gotten up early to exercise, and silently cursed him a brute.

He'd worn her out so thoroughly, yet still rose early to work out—she was too shy to say more about his physique.

Dragging his body out of bed, he tidied up briefly, then Gu Jia went to make breakfast.

Wang Yan had hired a housekeeper; with such a large house, just cleaning it would take his whole family half a day, too exhausting. So he hired one, mainly for cleaning—Gu Jia didn't let her cook.

Gu Jia stubbornly insisted on winning Wang Yan's stomach; no matter how tired she was, she always cooked for them father and son herself.

With nothing else to do, Wang Yan went for his daily morning run.

This house bordered the Huangpu River; the morning air felt good. He'd run ten kilometers to warm up, then punch out two random sets of forms, stretch a bit, and call it done—just to stay in shape.

Back home, he woke Xu Ziyan; the two washed up. Gu Jia had already made breakfast—her cooking was impeccable. Simplicity was hardest, yet she turned the plainest breakfast into something ornate, and it suited Wang Yan's taste perfectly.

Wang Yan's eating manners were passable—he just wolfed it down. Xu Ziyan copied his father, eating side by side; with his martial training, he also opened his small mouth, snarling fiercely. Their meal turned into a battle.

Gu Jia watched them devouring, beaming with satisfaction.

After breakfast, they dropped off Xu Ziyan at school, then headed to the RV dealership.

Wang Yan didn't understand these things, but he knew one thing: if it was expensive, just buy it.

Wang Yan cut straight to the point: "Don't explain anything to me—I don't get it. Just tell me the price of the most expensive one."

The salesperson immediately understood and without a word, took them straight to the showroom's most ostentatious vehicles.

These vehicles cost tens of millions; hardly anyone bought them.

He glanced around casually—the boss had real clout: several flashy vehicles, including bus-style, off-road, extended trailer models.

Wang Yan inspected each one, then picked the bus-style model.

Twelve meters long, with lateral expansion for more space, plus a small garage. To match the garage, the salesperson arranged a small car too. Inside, they'd divided it into two rooms—one large, one small. Solid wood furniture, genuine leather sofas and seats, all kinds of extras—everything was thoroughly equipped.

Wang Yan mainly wanted the two rooms—one large, one small—otherwise, sharing one big bed with a kid would interfere too much, hinder his performance.

Driving wasn't a problem—the system provided a bus driver's license.

The key issue was he didn't know how to drive; the vehicle was too long to handle.

But no big deal—he learned fast. He'd practice hard today, get used to it. Just make sure he didn't hit anyone—that'd be a sin. The rest? Drive slowly. Minor bumps? Fine—practice yields truth.

Spent over ten million—money made things easy; they registered and picked up the vehicle the same day.

He told Gu Jia to go do her own thing—he didn't want her seeing him fumble while driving, afraid she'd refuse to ride with him.

The rest of the day, Wang Yan practiced driving. His limbs were agile, his senses sharp—he picked it up quickly. The main thing was the feel: the vehicle was too long, blind spots too big. Once he got the feel, that was enough.

Only when he'd practiced enough did Wang Yan realize: he'd played out this cinematic world—what would he do when he returned to reality?

He thought long and hard, but came up with nothing. He'd just take it one step at a time—deal with it when the time came. After all, the famine wasn't even paid off yet.

Since they were leaving tomorrow, Xu Ziyan didn't fuss—he went to sleep early.

Wang Yan and Gu Jia also avoided overexertion, conserving their energy.