Chen Cheng looked back at the large bed behind him, "You’ve discovered this as well?"
"You’re not in Kaiyang?"
"It’s an hour’s drive from Kaiyang." Chen Cheng leaned against the window and recounted the evening’s events to Wen Shulin in detail.
Wen Shulin’s brows furrowed after listening.
"You need to be careful," she reminded him. "From what you say, Luo Ziyang will definitely make a move."
She picked up her phone, speaking to herself, "The smaller the place, the trickier the devils."
"Isn’t that the truth?"
Chen Cheng sighed, "Now I fully understand why Mr. Jin didn’t let me work on the front end before."
"The front end is where you ask people for favors; the back end is where people ask you for favors," Wen Shulin said gravely. "Money, power, and sex are always intertwined."
She asked further, "What’s your plan now?"
Chen Cheng sat up straight, "To nail this deal, there’s no way around Luo Ziyang."
"So, are you planning to let Xiao Hai offer herself?"
"If I really had that intention, I wouldn’t have changed hotels overnight," Chen Cheng admitted freely. "Missing out on a couple of percentages just means less profit, but I don’t like that kind of approach."
"So, what do you want to do?" Wen Shulin asked, knowing Chen Cheng, he must already have a plan in mind.
"I’m thinking of doing the opposite."
Chen Cheng nodded, "Luo Ziyang is the one approving the funds, so I’ll go find the person who initiated the project."
Wen Shulin realized instantly; Chen Cheng intended to go to the county magistrate.
"Directly approaching the leader is not impossible." Wen Shulin thought for a moment. "Do you have a connection?"
Chen Cheng smiled confidently, "Connections are made by walking the path."
Wen Shulin was familiar with that smile, "Stop beating around the bush, out with it."
"In the data Mr. Jin gave me, there’s information about Cao County." Chen Cheng walked over to the bedside, took out that file, flipped the camera, and turned to the page about Cao Yue. "He likes to play badminton and goes to the city gym at a set time every week to play. I plan to meet him there."
Wen Shulin looked at the information Chen Cheng showed, "Playing to their interests is a good start to making contact."
She asked again, "Then how do you plan to talk to him?"
"I’ll lay my cards on the table, there’s no need to hide anything."
"That’s right, these leaders are different from Luo Ziyang, they won’t haggle with you. Showing full sincerity will earn you favor."
Wen Shulin nodded slightly, "Still, I must remind you to be cautious in all matters and to gauge the situation carefully; their thoughts are much more complex than those of businessmen."
"I understand," Chen Cheng nodded. "I’ll be careful."
Wen Shulin leaned back in her chair, "Let me take a look."
"To see if there’s a woman in your room."
"Unfortunately, she just left," Chen Cheng replied.
Wen Shulin gave Chen Cheng a sidelong glance, "I can tell there’s none, judging by your setup."
Wen Shulin raised an eyebrow, pretending to undo a button on her shirt, "Then, should I..."
"Don’t! Stop right there!"
Chen Cheng immediately interrupted, "Scratching over the shoe brings less relief than a real encounter."
Wen Shulin smiled, "Just teasing you, I don’t have time to indulge you."
She picked up her phone, "Get some rest, you’ve got an early start tomorrow."
"Yeah, you too," Chen Cheng responded. "Aren’t you going back?"
"Soon. I’ll head back after reviewing these two projects," Wen Shulin said with a light smile. "Goodnight."
After finally finishing the three video calls, Chen Cheng heaved a sigh of relief.
He hadn’t yet had the chance to enjoy Qianzhou’s hot springs, but the warmth shown by Xiao Meier, Wen Shulin, and Hoshino Mika warmed him from head to toe.
Lying on the bed, he mused, "Qianzhou isn’t cold at all!"