"Chen Yang!" Su He called out crisply, running over lightly and looking at Chen Yang with surprise, asking, "What are you doing here?"
Chen Yang took off his Ray-Ban sunglasses and casually hung them on his t-shirt collar, a faint smile on his face as he asked in return:
"Silly girl, why can't I be here? You're all allowed to come here for a group photo shoot, but I'm not allowed to come here all alone to relax?"
After saying that, Chen Yang's eyes widened, revealing an exaggerated expression, and he said:
"What a coincidence! Even coming here to relax, I run into you. Beautiful lady, it seems we're quite destined..."
Su He gave Chen Yang a coquettish glare, feeling sweet inside, but laughing and scolding him:
"Who are you? I don't want to be destined to meet you!"
Chen Yang reached out and ruffled Su He's hair, causing Su He to cry out in surprise. Chen Yang chuckled and said,
"This little girl has quite the nerve!"
Su He playfully stuck out her tongue and giggled.
Not far away, Shen Tu Fan watched this scene coldly, his face so dark it seemed like it would drip water. His fists clenched, his teeth grinding, and he glared at Chen Yang with hatred.
Ever since the incident at the calligraphy and painting club, Shen Tu Fan had been constantly humiliated by Chen Yang. Especially on the soccer field, he had been knocked unconscious by a ball Chen Yang hit him with, and before leaving, he had been thoroughly humiliated by Chen Yang over the car issue—a disgrace in Shen Tu Fan's eyes.
Since starting university, Shen Tu Fan had attracted the attention of many girls with his good looks, considerable talent in calligraphy and painting, and a good family background, almost always successful in love. However, he had repeatedly failed in his pursuit of Su He, which Shen Tu Fan believed was all due to Chen Yang's interference.
Originally, he had planned to use Yan Huiming to deal with Chen Yang, but instead of seeing Chen Yang get his comeuppance, he received news that Yan Huiming had suddenly and unexpectedly gone to study in England. Of course, Yan Huiming, having been slinked out of China, certainly wouldn't publicize it, so Shen Tu Fan didn't know the real reason for his departure. He even secretly cursed Chen Yang's luck; if Yan Huiming had left a few months later, Chen Yang would definitely have been in serious trouble.
Shen Tu Fan had also meticulously planned this calligraphy and painting club field trip, hoping to get closer to Su He through the activity. He never expected that upon arriving, he would see Chen Yang following him like a shadow, which naturally made him very unhappy.
"Boss, what's going on? Who's that guy next to Su He, the school beauty?" Hu Qing asked, leaning forward.
Shen Tu Fan snorted coldly and said,
"A very annoying fly!"
Hu Qing's eyes darted around, and he leaned close to Shen Tu Fan's ear, whispering,
"Boss, should I shoo this fly away? I still have some influence at Qiankun Resort!"
Shen Tu Fan's eyes lit up. This field trip was supposedly organized by Shen Tu Fan, but in reality, many things were coordinated by his loyal follower, Hu Qing, especially the accommodation for over forty people. It was Hu Qing who arranged it. Because Hu Qing's uncle was the resort's general manager, booking rooms was easily arranged, and at the lowest internal rate; otherwise, the sponsorship fees Shen Tu Fan had secured wouldn't even cover the accommodation.
Chen Yang was coming along and would definitely be staying at the resort. With Hu Qing's uncle's connection, dealing with him would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? Thinking this, Shen Tu Fan's face showed a satisfied expression. He patted Hu Qing's shoulder encouragingly and said,
"Hu Qing, as long as you can humiliate Su He in front of him once and then kick him out of the resort, I'll definitely thank you properly later!"
After saying that, Shen Tu Fan leaned closer and whispered,
"I'll have my uncle keep an eye on your nomination for outstanding student leader."
Hu Qing was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, saying,
"Thank you, boss! Hehe! Then... I'll go call Su He over first. It's not good to do it in public! Besides, it's a group activity of our calligraphy and painting club; how can she leave the group without reason?"
Shen Tu Fan's smile became even more amiable, and he nodded slightly. He thought to himself that he hadn't realized before that Hu Qing was quite perceptive; it seemed he could cultivate him more in the future.
Having received Shen Tu Fan's approval, Hu Qing immediately puffed out his chest and strode forward. Hu Qing coughed lightly, drawing the attention of Chen Yang and Su He. Then, forcing a smile, Hu Qing said seriously,
"Su He, the students are checking in together. The club president asked me to come and invite you back!"
As Hu Qing spoke, he glanced sideways at Chen Yang, but didn't greet him at all, deliberately ignoring him. Su He looked at Chen Yang, wanting to ask for his opinion. Chen Yang chuckled and said,
"Go ahead! I'll go get a room too. We'll call each other later!"
Su He nodded obediently, gave Chen Yang a sweet smile, and then followed Hu Qing back to the calligraphy and painting club. Not far away, Shen Tu Fan gave Chen Yang a deep look, then turned away.
As Shen Tu Fan turned away, Chen Yang's cold gaze fell upon him, a disdainful smile appearing on his face. In Chen Yang's eyes, Shen Tu Fan was nothing more than a clown, but the fact that this clown kept appearing in his sight was certainly not a pleasant thing.
Chen Yang opened the back seat, casually slung his simple backpack over his shoulder, and strolled towards the main building where the resort's service desk was located.
After Fang Hongda took office in Southeast Province, Pingdan Island successfully obtained State Council approval to establish a comprehensive experimental zone. Pingdan was also upgraded from the first county under Rongcheng to a provincial-level unit on par with Rongcheng. As a benchmark in Southeast Province, the Pingdan Experimental Zone received substantial financial and policy support, and its development in the past two years has been very rapid.
The favorable policies naturally attracted many investors, and related industries began to spring up like mushrooms after rain, with industries such as real estate and tourism developing quite rapidly. Qiankun Resort was developed against this backdrop. Located near one of Pingdan's best beaches, it covers nearly 500 acres and is a huge complex offering a one-stop shop for dining, entertainment, and leisure.
The main building is the 28-story Qiankun Hotel, surrounded by a variety of facilities of all sizes, including a dedicated horse farm, golf course, beach, a seaside amusement park, and stilted houses reminiscent of the Maldives.
Chen Yang entered the lobby of the Qiankun Hotel and saw the members of the calligraphy and painting club already checked in and heading towards the elevator. Su He was being pulled along by Fang Jing through the crowd. Hu Qing wore a smug expression; the receptionist had been exceptionally respectful to him, the boss's nephew, during the check-in process, making Hu Qing feel incredibly proud in front of his classmates.
Chen Yang walked towards the reception desk. He had booked a small villa by phone beforehand. Since he was out for a relaxing getaway, he wanted to stay comfortably. In his previous life, Chen Yang had always valued quality of life. After his rebirth, he had experienced a period of poverty, but now that he had some savings, he naturally wouldn't skimp on this.
Suddenly, Chen Yang felt a whoosh of wind beside his ear. Almost instinctively, he slumped his shoulder, shifting half a meter to the left and turning around. He saw a burly man with a full beard staring at him in astonishment. His guard immediately relaxed, a smile appearing on his face as he asked with delight,
"Brother Dao? What a coincidence! What are you doing on Pingdan Island?"
This man was none other than Brother Dao, Ning Kuncheng's trusted subordinate. Chen Yang's three trials on Xiamen Island for Ning Qiaoqian's sake had left a deep impression on Brother Dao, especially Chen Yang's bold drinking at the end, which had astonished Brother Dao.
"You're quick on the uptake! You've improved since Xiamen Island!" Brother Dao's surprise hadn't faded. He had initially intended to pat Chen Yang on the shoulder as a greeting, but Chen Yang's reaction was unexpected. Brother Dao had served in the special forces; his skills were among the best in the entire gang. "So-so!" Chen Yang chuckled smugly. He'd been training diligently every day, and his physical functions had essentially returned to their pre-life levels.
Chen Yang then asked,
"Brother Dao, you still haven't told me. Why aren't you being your local tyrant in Luda City? What are you doing here on Pingdan Island? Trying to steal territory?"
Chen Yang and Brother Dao got along quite well, so their conversation was much more casual, and they started joking around.
"This crappy territory? I wouldn't even take it if it were given to me!" Brother Dao glared, saying with a hint of disdain. "If Brother Kun hadn't sent me to inspect the resort, I wouldn't bother coming to this godforsaken place!"
Brother Dao's words weren't entirely an exaggeration. Pingdan Island's development had only just begun, and compared to the established tourist city of Luda City, it was indeed lagging behind. Its facilities were far behind, and construction was everywhere on the island, making the environment less than impressive.
"Qiankun Resort…" Chen Yang muttered to himself, then suddenly realized, "Wow! So this is also Uncle Ning's property! Right! I should have realized it sooner. In Southeast Province, besides Uncle Ning, who else would dare to use Qiankun as the name of their resort?"
"Of course!" Brother Dao replied matter-of-factly, his words brimming with unparalleled domineering arrogance. Ning Kuncheng's strength certainly justified such arrogance. Brother Dao then asked, "By the way, what brings you to Pingdan Island? Did Miss come?"
Brother Dao's question about Ning Qiaoqian made Chen Yang feel a little guilty, but quickly, Chen Yang's eyes lit up, and he thought of a perfect excuse. He grinned and said, "It's because Sister Qian was busy. Otherwise, she would have come herself…"