TNSFC – Chapter 86

“It seems you haven’t gained weight, you’re still very thin.”

Gu Shanxue looked up, her gaze quickly sweeping over Que Yining’s collarbone, avoiding a certain conspicuous comparison.

She still appeared calm and composed, but her eyes hesitated to meet Que Yining’s.

“There really is, feel it if you don’t believe me.”

Que Yining took Gu Shanxue’s hand, not placing it on her chest, of course, but letting her touch her soft stomach.

“Did you feel a little bit of flesh? I was very thin before.”

When Que Yining transmigrated into the original owner’s body, the original owner was actually a bit chubby. Fortunately, it wasn’t very noticeable in winter back then. Que Yining’s persistent exercise had kept her figure in its best state, but now it was like going back to square one overnight.

Gu Shanxue subconsciously squeezed it, a smile she herself hadn’t noticed appearing on her face.

“This is good too, quite cute.”

The soft flesh was comfortable to pinch. Gu Shanxue didn’t think there was anything wrong with it; besides, she thought Que Yining was quite thin, and maintaining health was most important.

“Don’t diet for now, eating well is more important. Are you going back to the study?”

Gu Shanxue changed the subject, her gaze fixed on Que Yining’s eyes, not shifting downwards at all.

Seeing her shyness, Que Yining didn’t tease her further and raised her hand to button up her clothes.

Her slender, pale fingertips pressed against the white buttons, the clothing gradually concealing the spring scenery. After buttoning up, her fingers traced along her fair neck, causing the person unconsciously drawn to the movement to suddenly sober up.

Even such a simple act of buttoning her clothes, Que Yining could make it extremely alluring.

Gu Shanxue secretly took a deep breath and pushed Que Yining into the study.

At three in the afternoon, they left on time.

“Do you want to rest for a bit first? It might take an hour and a half to reach the destination.”

“It sounds quite remote, but the scenery should be nice.”

Que Yining felt increasingly puzzled about the departure time. If the drive was this long, then Gu Shanxue choosing to leave at three o’clock was indeed quite late.

“It’s very good, and it’s within the development planning area. The local customs tourism there has been designated as a key project, and a high-speed rail might be built soon.”

Gu Shanxue took out a small booklet and placed it in front of Que Yining.

Que Yining flipped through it. The geographical location and scenery indeed looked good. If changes were made before development, the subsequent returns would be very considerable.

Que Yining flipped the booklet in her hand towards the back again and saw a map of the area around Lu Su City at the end. Several points were marked on it, connected by horizontal lines.

These places were either under development or in planning, revealing Gu Shanxue’s business ambitions.

When Que Yining had previously encountered Gu Shanxue’s influence, she had sensed that Gu Shanxue must have been preparing for a long time. Some things couldn’t be developed overnight.

She wasn’t yet on the same level as Gu Shanxue and wasn’t very clear about what Gu Shanxue was doing, but this didn’t prevent her from talking with Gu Shanxue and helping her strategize.

No one can be successful all the time. Que Yining had fallen into many traps before, and those failures had become lessons learned. She didn’t want Gu Shanxue to stumble on these same issues.

Although they were both businesswomen, different industries are like different mountains. Gu Shanxue’s companies covered many industries, but her main focus was the internet. She wasn’t very familiar with real estate and tourism, so she had made many preparations before starting. However, after talking with Que Yining, she realized there were still areas she hadn’t paid attention to, and her expression became more focused.

She didn’t wonder why Que Yining understood these things. After all, since she had known Que Yining, Que Yining had always been an outstanding person in her heart. She had only heard the past rumors and hadn’t connected them to the person she knew.

Because it was difficult to connect them, the person others described to her and the person she interacted with and knew seemed like two different people. However, she only believed what she saw with her own eyes and what she felt.

Gu Shanxue took out her tablet to jot down some ideas. Seeing she was busy, Que Yining didn’t disturb her, took out her own phone, and continued to look at the information Que Hanyi had sent her.

Que Yining had originally wanted to show Que Hanyi the evidence she had collected, but she was a little worried about his internet security, so she asked Xie Yanhuai to go to the Que residence first to check the security of Que Hanyi’s computer.

Que Hanyi trusted her, and the information he provided was very detailed.

After reading the information, Que Yining felt the situation was relatively optimistic.

In Lu Su City, the concept of clanship was actually quite deep-rooted. The Que family was such a family business. After Que Hanyi founded it, various relatives had helped a lot, investing and becoming shareholders. Currently, Que family members constituted the majority of shareholders and held significant say. If something happened, those relatives would basically side with Que Hanyi. Moreover, Que Linyang hadn’t yet fully obtained the shares Que Hanyi held, making it very difficult for Que Linyang to encroach upon them.

No wonder in the book, Que Linyang had to go to great lengths to eliminate the entire Que family to gain absolute control.

Although the situation was optimistic, it wasn’t simple. While under the concept of clanship, these relatives were unlikely to side with an outsider, nothing was absolute. Que Yining felt that among these shareholders, there must be people colluding with Que Linyang; otherwise, Que Linyang wouldn’t have been able to do certain things so smoothly.

After Que Yining had mostly finished reading the documents, she closed her eyes and rested for a while.

When she opened her eyes, the sky outside had already darkened somewhat. She checked the time and found they were almost there.

Que Yining rolled down the window and looked at the scenery outside.

The roads here were smooth, with lush trees lining both sides. The sky was extremely blue, and the air was very good.

“It looks very nice.”

Que Yining sighed softly, and Gu Shanxue nodded gently beside her.

Gu Shanxue looked at the destination not far away, a faint smile playing on her lips.

After getting out of the car, the town mayor warmly welcomed them. After some self-introductions, the mayor began to enthusiastically promote the scenery of his town, briefly discussing the plans.

Because they were accommodating Que Yining, everyone’s pace was not fast.

Gu Shanxue was chatting with the mayor, while Que Yining listened quietly beside them, occasionally tilting her head to look at the scenery on both sides. A cool breeze brushed past her fingertips, harmonizing with the chirping of birds on distant branches.

On the land Gu Shanxue planned to buy to build a resort villa, there was also a small lake. It wasn’t large, the water was very clear, and there were no fish in it. You could see aquatic plants swaying gently at the bottom.

“We also have a springhead here, just behind this spot, a natural mountain spring…”

Seeing Gu Shanxue’s satisfied expression, the mayor spoke with an even broader smile, leading Gu Shanxue further ahead.

After looking around for about half an hour and getting an overview of the area, the sky had darkened. Although there was still a faint glow on the clouds, the cooling temperature announced the arrival of evening.

The mayor enthusiastically invited them to dine at the best restaurant in town, and Gu Shanxue and Que Yining did not decline.

Que Yining got into the car first and saw Gu Shanxue still talking to the mayor about something.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, it’s already prepared.”

The mayor’s cheerful voice came from outside the car. Gu Shanxue got in and closed the door.

The mayor had prepared excellent dishes, but because the guests of honor were two young women, they had tea instead of alcohol, and it wasn’t overly fancy. The dishes on the table weren’t exotic delicacies but mostly local specialties. The mayor had somehow found out Gu Shanxue’s preferences, and the chef had cooked very attentively.

Que Yining picked up a bayberry meatball in front of her, raised an eyebrow when the mayor started to offer her tea, and joined the conversation.

After the meal, the details of the project were more or less finalized. The sky outside had completely darkened, and the streetlights were on, illuminating the small town.

Unlike the bustling noise of Lu Su City, it was peaceful and quiet here.

Que Yining had thought they would be returning to Lu Su City, but unexpectedly, Gu Shanxue didn’t leave just yet. Instead, she pushed her towards a certain place.

The assistants stayed behind. Que Yining looked up at Gu Shanxue and asked with a smile, “Where are you taking me?”

“I said I was taking you out to relax. There’s no hurry to go back. The night view here is very good. The mayor said there’s a place especially good for stargazing, I’ll take you there.”

Gu Shanxue said in a low voice, the gentle evening breeze rustling around her, adding a touch of softness to her voice.

“Okay.”

Que Yining was naturally happy, leaning back relaxedly in her chair, waiting for Gu Shanxue to take her to the destination.

The place the mayor mentioned was the tallest ancient building in town, the Light Tower.

The Light Tower had long stairs and also an old, square lifting device with railings for transporting things.

Gu Shanxue had already tested the safety of this device beforehand. Que Yining supported herself on one leg, and together with Gu Shanxue, they moved the wheelchair inside, and she sat back down.

Gu Shanxue closed the safety railing, pulled the rope, and the lifting device began to operate.

Que Yining watched herself swaying upwards, the feeling somewhat like being in a hot air balloon.

The device slowly climbed to the top of the Light Tower. There were no lights up there, so Gu Shanxue turned on her phone’s flashlight for illumination and pushed Que Yining over.

The copper plates used for placing lamps and candles were covered in rust spots and a thick layer of wax.

“You can indeed see very clearly. The air here is really good.”

Que Yining looked at the numerous stars adorning the sky, somewhat amazed.

“Once it’s developed, we can come often.”

Gu Shanxue stood by her side, looking up at the night sky with her.

“Mhm!”

The small town was very quiet, so the chirping of insects was even clearer in the night. The sky was unclouded, and the stars twinkled together.

Such a clean and clear environment naturally calmed one’s heart.

At exactly seven o’clock, a bell rang in the small town.

“Hmm? Do they announce the time here too?”

Que Yining looked at the exact hour displayed on her wristwatch, somewhat surprised.

Gu Shanxue smiled without answering, but soon Que Yining discovered it wasn’t an announcement of time, but a signal.

Suddenly, fireworks exploded in the sky. The residents of the small town poured out of their homes, and the lanterns on the streets lit up one by one, complementing the fireworks in the sky.

“Why are there fireworks? Is it an event here?”

Que Yining was pleasantly surprised, looking up at Gu Shanxue.

Gu Shanxue nodded, her eyes reflecting Que Yining’s smiling face.

“No wonder you brought me out to relax today. It turns out you brought me to see fireworks, Miss Gu. You hid it very well.”

Que Yining hadn’t addressed her this way in front of Gu Shanxue for a long time. Hearing it now, Gu Shanxue felt completely different than before.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course!”

Gu Shanxue had a smile in her eyes as she gazed at the brilliance in the sky.

That was enough.

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