Chapter 115: A Different Phone Call
After hearing the simple story about Ge Qin, An Tong kissed Li Jing gently on the cheek, then left with an empty bottle and a glass.
As for Li Jing, after recalling everything, he felt calm and leaned against the deck railing, enjoying the night view of Celestial Sea City by himself.
The singing from the second floor, occasionally mixed with cheerful laughter, gave him a sense of comfort and ease.
With National Day soon coming to an end, he had spent a lot of money during this period but also made quite a bit.
Li Jing roughly calculated that he had earned around three million two hundred thousand.
But income was only secondary; the most important thing was that this trip made his parents happy and satisfied.
Just as he was thinking, he received a message from Zhou Shun.
During this period, he had contacted Zhou Shun several times.
As Huang Jun had said, Zhou Shun was generous and straightforward, liked to make friends, and had many acquaintances in Celestial Sea City.
Since Li Jing and Zhou Shun had dinner together, Zhou Shun had been proactive in helping Li Jing whenever he could.
This included introducing a car rental company and this luxury yacht he was currently on.
Originally, Li Jing wanted to rent a yacht for his family for a day's experience, but due to the popularity of National Day, the yachts were available for a maximum of three hours, with the rest of the schedule fully booked. Your support on M|V|L8EMPYR keeps this series going.
In the end, it was through Zhou Shun's connections with a friend that Li Jing managed to get this luxury three-tier yacht for a day.
Seeing the message from Zhou Shun, Li Jing thought it was about the yacht, but he was surprised when Zhou Shun wanted to meet him.
Seeing the message asking, "Is it convenient to call?" Li Jing didn't hesitate and immediately called back.
"Brother Li, sorry to bother you. Are you enjoying the yacht?"
Zhou Shun's hearty voice came through the phone. He didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Recently, there's something I want to see if you're interested in doing."
Li Jing raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"I heard from Huang Jun that you previously worked on construction and landscaping projects, so you should have some resources and connections."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing was intrigued and sat up straight, "Brother Zhou, are you planning a project with me?"
"Not at all." Zhou Shun laughed, "It's just that I have a friend who wants to do a landscaping project for a private garden and wonders if you can do it."
He immediately added, "Brother Li, I know you're not short on money, but this project isn't about making money. It's more about introducing you to this friend, see if you want to make their acquaintance."
"Introducing a friend?" Li Jing became more puzzled.
"To be honest, my friend mentioned it to me, and I want to help him out, but I don't know anyone in this field. So, I thought of you."
Zhou Shun sincerely said, "If you could pull off this project, you might make friends with them, which would be good for you."
"Who is this person?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing wasn't very interested, but he asked out of respect for Zhou Shun.
"Rest assured, if you make friends with this person, it'll definitely benefit you."
Zhou Shun's voice lowered, "Moreover, this garden isn't my friend's; it belongs to his boss. As for this boss..."
He paused and then smiled, "In Celestial Sea City, knowing a few leaders is always advantageous for someone like Brother Li, who has money."
Zhou Shun didn't insist on an immediate agreement, saying, "Brother Li, think about it and let me know within a week. Whether you agree or not, it doesn't matter."
Hanging up the phone, Li Jing leaned back on the yacht and gazed into the distance, thinking to himself.
Leaders…
Li Jing naturally knew that the leader he mentioned wasn't the owner or senior executive of a private company.
Company leaders only deal with employees, but the leader Zhou Shun mentioned was clearly different.
Looking at the luxury yacht he was on, Li Jing thought to himself:
He indeed had a shallow foundation. Despite having money, his social circle was still rather ordinary.
As Zhou Shun said, knowing more people wouldn't be a bad thing.
After these days of interaction, Zhou Shun somewhat understood his financial capability, so the person being introduced shouldn't have too low a status.
But the level probably wouldn't be very high, or else Zhou Shun wouldn't be at this stage.
"Meeting him is fine, I should connect with a higher social circle as well."
After thinking it over, Li Jing looked down and happened to see An Tong and Ge Qin on the lower deck's corridor.
He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
These two, how did they end up chatting…
...
"The night view of Celestial Sea City is really beautiful from here, isn't it?"
After leaving Li Jing, An Tong found Ge Qin standing alone at the yacht's corridor railing.
Upon hearing the voice beside her, Ge Qin was slightly startled. When she saw it was An Tong, her expression instinctively showed a trace of unease, and she nodded softly, without saying more.
Apparently, Ge Qin wasn't in the mood to chat right now.
Li Jing's attitude was still vivid in her mind, causing her frustration and mental blankness.
Normally, upon seeing this, An Tong might have sensibly left without disturbing her, but this time, she seemed not to notice the other's mood, deliberately standing beside her to enjoy the scenery by the riverside.
Seeing this, Ge Qin's eyebrows knit slightly but ultimately said nothing.
Not just in front of Li Jing, Ge Qin always felt an inexplicable sense of inferiority in front of An Tong and Zhang Xinxin.
Seeing Ge Qin was not eager to talk, An Tong proactively spoke again, "How do you find the experience on the yacht? Or rather, how do you find Celestial Sea City?"
Not understanding why the other wanted to chat with her, Ge Qin hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's very prosperous, much more economically developed than our hometown."
An Tong placed her hands on the cold railing, letting the river breeze brush against her face, and smiled, "It seems you really like it here. I'm just like you. I also love Celestial Sea City, so after coming here, I don't want to leave. I don't want to detach myself from this prosperity."
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Ge Qin's eyes. She turned to look at An Tong's exquisite profile, "Aren't you from Celestial Sea City?"
Seeing Ge Qin actively asking, An Tong realized she was finally in the mood for a conversation, so she smiled slightly, "I'm like you, from a small town, but I came to Celestial Sea City to work after graduation and stayed here."
"That sounds nice..."
Ge Qin said with a bit of envy, gazing at the shimmering river below, "If I had to choose again, I would choose to work in Celestial Sea City too…"
"Working in Celestial Sea City isn't as great as you think..."
An Tong looked at her and chuckled, "Coming to Celestial Sea City doesn't guarantee enjoying its prosperity. In fact, what's more likely is that you'll end up working overtime like a horse, watching others enjoy this prosperity."
Seeing the hint of disbelief on Ge Qin's face, An Tong continued, "If it weren't for Li Jing, I'd still be a frugal, hard-working ordinary employee, having nothing to do with luxury restaurants, yachts, or hotels you've experienced these days.
My life would merely be a routine work schedule, and living in a rented room, dealing with daily necessities."
Saying this, An Tong glanced back at the luxurious yacht they were on with some complexity and emotion, "This kind of life, I wouldn't dare to dream about living so lavishly."
Hearing this, Ge Qin's expression finally changed. Thinking about her qualifications and abilities, she suddenly felt that even if she came to Celestial Sea City, she would still be just an ordinary person, perhaps not even as good as An Tong.
"So how did you meet Li Jing?"
Since they started talking, Ge Qin found some confidence to talk to her as an equal.
She paused, her eyes flashing, and continued to ask, "Are you and him really just in an assistant relationship?"