When Qin Chuan and Li Ya arrived at the county government office, Ye Qingping was engrossed in his work.
Old acquaintance Wang Ping'an stood nearby.
Upon seeing Ye Meiyun and Qin Chuan push open the door, Wang Ping'an's eyes lit up. Simultaneously, Ye Qingping, who was working, also looked up.
"Oh my, no wonder I saw two magpies chirping incessantly at my doorstep early this morning. It turns out we have distinguished guests visiting!"
"Boss Qin is here, please, have a seat! Please!"
Seeing Qin Chuan, Ye Qingping's face lit up with immense surprise, and he quickly gestured for him to sit.
"Ping'an, quickly bring out that box of Biluochun tea I've been saving."
"Certainly, Secretary!"
Wang Ping'an nodded with a smile.
"Secretary Ye, Brother Ping'an, there's no need to go to such trouble. We're practically family."
Qin Chuan said politely.
"Ah, but we must have this Biluochun. How else can it be worthy of a great boss like you?"
"You're truly different now. A humble secretary like me wouldn't dare be negligent. Meeting you is harder than meeting someone from the provincial committee! Now that we finally have the chance, how can I be remiss?"
Ye Qingping bantered.
Qin Chuan gave a wry smile, "Secretary Ye, please stop teasing me. I'm just a small businessman, messing around all day to barely make a living. I can't compare to you powerful people!"
Ye Qingping squinted, "You still call yourself a small businessman? If word of that got out, don't you think you'd be beaten to a pulp?"
"You kid, how old are you this year? Twenty-four, right? Tell me, what kind of empire have you built? Your net worth is at least seventy to eighty million, if not a hundred million!"
"With such achievements, even some leaders from the provincial committee would have to be courteous to you."
Qin Chuan smiled shyly.
Ye Qingping was not wrong. With his current wealth, ordinary leaders would treat him with respect and enthusiasm.
Recently, this had been happening constantly. Many leaders, who were considered unattainable by ordinary people, had personally invited him to dinner, all to build connections and encourage him to invest more in Longcheng.
This was the most direct manifestation of a business growing large. Historically, politics and business had always been a symbiotic relationship. Perhaps for many, power was supreme.
Qin Chuan didn't deny this, but once a business grew significantly, the situation would change considerably.
At the very least, not just any random person would dare to dictate terms to him. Instead, many officials would curry favor with him and entertain him, all for a simple reason: their political achievements.
"I always felt you were shrewd in business, but I truly never expected you to build your enterprise to such a scale in such a short time!"
Ye Qingping exclaimed with emotion.
Ye Meiyun, sitting beside him, also chimed in, "You can say that again. Even several official media outlets in the capital have proactively reported on his products and achievements!"
Ye Qingping nodded, his eyes filled with reminiscence, "I still remember when I first met you, you were just a fledgling businessman. Back then, you'd scheme with me for every little bit of profit..."
Hearing Ye Qingping's words, everyone present chuckled.
"He certainly did. Back then, he'd follow me around every day, begging for help with all sorts of matters."
Wang Ping'an also chimed in with a laugh.
Qin Chuan chuckled, "I was poor back then. No startup capital, I'd stretch every penny to its limit."
"However, I have always kept your great kindness in my heart. I will never forget it in this lifetime."
"Haha, that's music to my ears!"
Ye Qingping roared with laughter, very pleased with Qin Chuan's words. He glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost lunchtime. Let's go, lunch is on me. We'll have a good sit-down."
This lunch was attended only by Qin Chuan, Ye Qingping, Ye Meiyun, and Wang Ping'an.
The atmosphere during the meal was exceptionally harmonious, and the four of them discussed many things.
Qin Chuan learned from Ye Qingping that his term as county party secretary would likely end in less than two years, and he would return to the capital due to some family matters.
Qin Chuan was not surprised by this. Although he didn't know the full extent of the Ye family's background, Ye Qingping's appointment to Yongnan County was merely a transitional phase, often referred to as a "gilding" process.
Even though Ye Qingping was somewhat proud, he had to yield to the larger picture.
Holding a position in the capital, even a minor one, was far superior to being in a small county.
"Qin Chuan, when my brother leaves, if the 'Shield Storage Cabinet' project performs well, I'm also considering relocating the factory to a larger city."
Ye Meiyun also spoke.
"Yongnan County is still too small. Transportation is its biggest weakness, which isn't ideal for a company's development."
"Sister Yun, where are you planning to move the factory?"
Qin Chuan asked.
In the "Shield Storage Cabinet" project, Ye Meiyun was the largest shareholder. Of course, the land and factory buildings of Xinhua Electronics Factory belonged to Qin Chuan.
"Longcheng or the capital, or perhaps somewhere in between, like Shicheng City!"
"I'm familiar with these places. Especially Shicheng City, where I have enemies. I want to go back and get revenge!"
Mentioning Shicheng City, a fierce glint appeared in Ye Meiyun's usually gentle eyes. Her second major tribulation in life had occurred there, and even over a year later, she remembered it vividly.
"Speaking of which, I should thank those people. If they hadn't framed me so maliciously, I wouldn't have earned as much money as I have now."
Qin Chuan smiled and said, "It's a blessing in disguise, like the old man on the frontier. But if Sister Yun wants revenge, count me in. I'll help you!"
In the afternoon, Ye Meiyun returned to the electronics factory to continue her work, while Qin Chuan went to the construction site and met up with many of his brothers whom he hadn't seen in days.
Notably, the second phase of the housing development they were building had already begun, with his elder brother Qin Yang, Yao Dong, and Bai Xiaoguang in charge.
Most of the units were already sold out. As for the interior decoration company, managed by Chen Jinyu, it was also developing steadily.
At the sand quarry, with them being the sole supplier of sand for the entire county, it was a monopolistic industry. The profits were self-evident, and Qin Chuan was confident it would bring pleasant surprises during the year-end summary.
That evening, Qin Chuan had dinner with his brothers, the atmosphere lively. After the meal, they wanted to go to a karaoke bar, but Qin Chuan politely declined.
He drove back to his two-story house. After glancing at his own dark room, his gaze fell upon a similarly lit two-story house next door. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over and knocked on the door.
The tightly shut door was soon opened, revealing an elegant and noble beautiful face.
Seeing Qin Chuan standing outside, Ye Meiyun's peach blossom eyes filled with unconcealable surprise. But she quickly took two steps back, fanning her nose with her hand, "You reek of alcohol, how much did you drink? Go take a shower!"
"Should I go back and shower then come over?"
Qin Chuan asked.
"Go back for what? I have a shower here, don't I?"
Ye Meiyun glared, and with a pull, dragged Qin Chuan, who was standing at the door, inside.
Although it was late at night and most of the neighbors were asleep, it was still possible for someone to notice.
"But I don't have any clean clothes!"
Qin Chuan protested.
"I don't believe you. Don't think I don't know you always keep several sets of clothes in your car's trunk."
"Now get going and take a shower!"
Ye Meiyun, abandoning her usual gentle and demure demeanor, adopted a commanding tone.
"I feel like I've walked into a tiger's den..."
Qin Chuan had no choice but to mutter softly as he walked away.
"What did you say?"
Ye Meiyun's voice rose by a third. Qin Chuan quickly ran into the bathroom.
Watching Qin Chuan's disappearing back, Ye Meiyun finally let out a long sigh of relief, then quickly touched her flushed cheeks.
Inside the steamy bathroom, Qin Chuan was enjoying a comfortable shower when, suddenly, the closed bathroom door slowly opened, and a pair of smooth, flawless feet stepped in.
Qin Chuan, who was showering, sensed something was amiss. As soon as he turned his head, he was tightly embraced by a figure as passionate as fire...