Pu Jian said, "No need for you to knock, I’ll do it myself. When a beautiful woman speaks, I’d be no man if I even frown a little."
Xu Chunliang said, "I admire your courage. Later, I’ll take you to the dental departnt and have your two front teeth pulled out, polished, and turned into earrings for Mo Han."
Mo Han glanced at Pu Jian’s front teeth and couldn’t help but want to laugh. She really admired this guy’s imagination. With teeth like Pu Jian’s, she wouldn’t want them even if they were free.
Pu Jian covered his mouth, "Xu Chunliang, you’re too ruthless. I only have two!"
Mo Han said, "Alright, enough of your duet act. Xu Chunliang, where’s my invitation card?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Only outsiders need that thing. Given our relationship, we don’t need it." He pointed toward the Range Rover and said, "Co on, get in the car, I’ll take you sowhere."
The place Xu Chunliang took them was Weishan Island Winery. Mo Han saw this rundown distillery and couldn’t figure out why he brought her there.
At the east wall, Xu Chunliang leaped up to the top of the wall, and Pu Jian, not wanting to fall behind, scrambled up too.
Mo Han looked up at them, "What are you doing? Climbing people’s walls in broad daylight? Aren’t you afraid they’ll release dogs to bite you?"
Xu Chunliang waved to her from on top of the wall, "Co up, I have sothing good to show you."
Mo Han said, "It’s so high, I can’t climb up."
Xu Chunliang thought to himself, "Who are you trying to fool?" But he didn’t expose her. He reached out his hand, "I’ll pull you up."
Mo Han looked around and then walked over.
Pu Jian deliberately extended his hand too, knowing Mo Han wouldn’t choose his.
Sure enough, Mo Han grabbed Xu Chunliang’s outstretched hand. Xu Chunliang used his arm strength, and without any assistance on her part, he hoisted her up.
Xu Chunliang said, "You too, just standing there motionless. How about a little reaction so I don’t get tired?"
Pu Jian laughed out loud, this little pervert!
Mo Han pretended not to hear; playing dumb is the best way to defuse awkwardness in such situations.
Pu Jian sighed inwardly; that’s the difference. If he had said those words himself, Mo Han might have kicked him right off the wall.
Pu Jian slipped down from the wall first while Xu Chunliang directly jumped down.
Mo Han was still on top of the wall. Xu Chunliang spread his arms and said, "Jump down, I’ll catch you."
Mo Han glared at him, "Get lost!" She also jumped down gently, landing steadily in the winery courtyard.
Pu Jian was dumbfounded. The wall was over two ters high, and he didn’t dare jump straight down. From Mo Han’s graceful movents, it was clear she had good skills and flexibility.
Looking at the desolate courtyard in front of her, Mo Han was a bit puzzled, "Why did you bring here?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Brother Pu, give her an introduction."
Pu Jian nodded, temporarily acting as a tour guide, starting from Zhang Liang’s tales to the Railway Guerrillas, and introducing the three ancient ferntation pits in the craft distillery.
Mo Han walked around the three dilapidated pits, and started to understand what they ant, "You’re coaxing to shell out money to invest and buy this place, right?"
Xu Chunliang laughed, "You’re really smart. I like working with clever people."
Mo Han said, "I’m not interested in partnering with you."
Xu Chunliang said, "Brother Pu!"
Pu Jian imdiately understood, "I’ll go take a look around outside."
After Pu Jian left, Xu Chunliang recounted the affairs involving Chen Qianfan. After listening, Mo Han felt there was indeed sothing fishy here.
Xu Chunliang asked, "Do you know anything about Chen Qianfan?"
Mo Han shook her head, "The students at the Europe Business School are a mixed bag. You can get in with money. I don’t usually handle business on this side."
Xu Chunliang said, "Pu Jian suspects there are treasures beneath these three ancient ferntation pits."
Mo Han said, "Then you should report it to the cultural relics departnt. Digging for treasures on your own is illegal."
Xu Chunliang sighed, "I initially wanted to report it, but one night I accidentally found a piece of dragon bone here."
Mo Han raised an eyebrow, no wonder he ca to her.
Xu Chunliang took out his phone and sent her a picture, actually a rubbings photo Huang Wanglin had shown him before leaving Beijing. The picture had no connection with Weishan Island Winery, but it didn’t stop Xu Chunliang from baiting Mo Han with it.
Mo Han stared at the picture for a long ti.
Xu Chunliang said, "I am good to you, right? When there’s a benefit, I think of you first."
Mo Han asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Xu Chunliang shared his idea for Mo Han to negotiate acquiring Weishan Lake Winery, and to repurpose it as a wine culture industrial park, making it her private property for a certain period. Then they could rightfully redevelop and build it.
Mo Han replied, "Why do I feel like you’re setting up?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Heaven and earth are my witnesses, what benefit do I have from tricking you? I call this resource sharing, and the first person I think of when there’s sothing good is you."
"Would you be that kind-hearted? You’re short on money, right!"
Xu Chunliang said, "How much can this piece of land be worth? I am truly sincere about working with you. Back then I promised you that once there’s news about the dragon bone, I’d inform you imdiately. A gentleman’s word is reliable. Well, since you see it that way, let’s pretend this never happened, and I’ll do it myself!"
Mo Han said, "I’ll believe you this ti."
Xu Chunliang said, "Chen Qianfan’s group might be difficult to deal with, so if you step in, be ntally prepared."
Mo Han said, "Understood, anyway, you play the good guy and I’ll play the bad guy. I want to see if Chen Qianfan dares to stir up trouble."
Xu Chunliang laughed, "I admire your daring character."
Mo Han said, "Xu Chunliang, Xu Chunliang, I find you both crafty and wicked. Clearly, you want to spoil soone’s good plans but still find a scapegoat and let take the hit for you, not to ntion having invest money. Aren’t you wicked?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Even though I’m not in business, the precondition for resource sharing is shared risk. If you contribute nothing, why should I share such a big secret with you?"
Mo Han slled the scent of distiller’s grain in the air: "Can wine still be produced here?"
Xu Chunliang pointed at Pit No. 1: "It’s said that only this pit is still usable."
Mo Han said, "Wine culture park, you have so many tricks up your sleeve."
Xu Chunliang said, "Chen Qianfan should be coming over soon to negotiate, so strike early. I’ll make the introductions in Hu Shan Town."
Mo Han said, "How do I know the dragon bone you have wasn’t picked up from here? Maybe soone deliberately used a rubbing from elsewhere to lure into a trap."
Xu Chunliang secretly praised Mo Han’s shrewdness, but even though she was clever, she would eventually join the ga because the dragon bone’s allure was too great for her.
Xu Chunliang said, "I didn’t force you. You have the freedom to choose."
Mo Han sighed softly, saying, "Are you planning to have Pu Jian do this?"
Xu Chunliang said, "The fewer people who know about this, the better."
Mo Han said, "If I ever find out you’re tricking behind my back, I won’t let you off."
Xu Chunliang said, "Do as you please."
##
Preparations for the opening ceremony were progressing thodically.
The main venue setup and stage construction were complete. The organizers had obtained weather information for the day of the ceremony in advance from the teorological bureau, confirming clear skies but low temperatures, with a minimum of minus six degrees. The ceremony was scheduled for 11:18 AM, with the real-ti temperature expected to be around four degrees.
The security command and order maintenance within the activity area were Xu Chunliang’s responsibilities, which was a very important task. To this end, Xu Chunliang specifically contacted Li Chengbo, the local police station head, who would endeavor to have police forces in place on the day.
The registration and gift distribution at the event site were overseen by Tan Haiyan.
The task of guiding guests into the venue, coordinating, and hosting the dia on the day of the event was personally managed by Dong Changhao.
Everything was set and ready, just waiting for the opening ceremony to arrive.
On the morning of the groundbreaking ceremony day, large colorful flags had been erected around the outer periphery and along the passageways of the ceremony site. Lantern posts and rainbow arches with banners were set up on the road leading to the event site, warmly celebrating the grand groundbreaking of the Huayuan Group’s Healthy Elderly Care Hospital Project, and welcoming leaders and guests to offer their guidance.
On one side of the rainbow arch was the registration desk, flanked by ceremonial hostesses responsible for registering the leaders. These hostesses, elegantly dressed in red cheongsams, were beautiful nurses carefully selected from Changxing Hospital, temporarily recruited to assist with the event and shivering in the cold wind.
There was quite a discrepancy in the weather forecast, as although it was a sunny day, the wind was strong. Weishan Island is surrounded by lakes, and the lake wind carries a unique damp cold tingling to the bone.
Seeing the situation, Xu Chunliang told the nurses to rest in a room because it was only 8:30 AM and unnecessary for them to be out there so early.
The platform for the groundbreaking ceremony was carpeted in red, with several rows of flowers on both sides adding a touch of vitality.
A drum and gong ensemble was arranged in front of the stage, as suggested by Dong Changhao, to enhance the atmosphere.
Various utility vehicles on the construction site were neatly lined up and adorned with colorful silk and big red flowers on top.
Ahead of the vehicles were placed ceremonial cannons, ready to be fired simultaneously upon completion of the groundbreaking.
The red carpet stretched from the platform to the groundbreaking pit, where a stone tablet adorned with a big red flower and red silk ribbons was placed. Surrounding piles of sand were embedded with groundbreaking shovels, adorned with small red flowers, prepared for the leaders to turn the soil. Each side of the pit was lined with eight luxurious ceremonial cannons, manned by professional operators.
Xu Chunliang and Zhang Haitao led the security team for a patrol around the venue to prevent any unpredictable events during the ceremony. Therefore, the ceremony would be conducted semi-enclosed, with checkpoints at the construction site entrance, and anyone without an invitation was refused entry, making the overall security task not too challenging.
Upon reaching the entrance, Police Chief Li Chengbo arrived with more than ten police officers. Xu Chunliang greeted him with a smile and shook hands: "Mr. Li, you’re here early."
Li Chengbo smiled, "Of course, we must diligently cooperate with Dean Xu’s arrangents."
Xu Chunliang asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, we have!"
Xu Chunliang let Zhang Haitao take them to experience their canteen’s nutritious als.
Li Chengbo let his n go since he had already eaten, but there were many officers who hadn’t had breakfast yet.
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