Upon hearing Commissar Qi’s words of praise, a smile appeared on He Yuan’s face.
It was a smile of genuine delight for his wife.
Of course, he knew he had married a wonderful woman.
But hearing others praise Ji Shuyu made him even happier than receiving compliments himself.
“Thank you, Commissar Qi. I will definitely relay your words to Shuyu when I return. I’m sure she will be very happy to hear them.”
Commissar Qi shook his head helplessly as he looked at the proud smile on He Yuan’s face.
“I’ve never seen you like this—happier about someone praising your wife than about someone praising you.”
“Bring your wife along to our home for a meal when you have time. Your sister-in-law has been wanting to meet her. As you know, your sister-in-law used to be in research too. It’s been years since she’s found someone she can talk to on this island.”
This was the real reason Commissar Qi had sought out He Yuan—he wanted to introduce a new friend to his wife.
Back in the day, his wife had given up her job in the city for him and resolutely followed him to the island.
Now, his wife taught on the island, and over the years, it had been rare for her to encounter someone in the same field.
Commissar Qi himself had once been a standout researcher.
“Of course, I will definitely bring my wife to visit when the time comes.”
After their conversation, Commissar Qi went to get his meal. When He Yuan returned home, he relayed Commissar Qi’s words to Ji Shuyu.
“So, Commissar Qi’s wife is in the same field as me?” Ji Shuyu asked between bites of her meal.
He Yuan nodded.
“Yes, but she resigned from her job to follow Commissar Qi to the island. I’m not sure exactly what she worked on—I heard it was a confidential project.”
He added another serving of food to Ji Shuyu’s bowl, and she nodded.
“I’m quite interested in meeting her, then. Let’s visit them together when the time comes.”
After discussing this matter, He Yuan told Ji Shuyu about Zhao Qiang’s plan.
Ji Shuyu chuckled softly upon hearing it.
“Zhao Qiang’s mind is indeed sharp. His idea aligns with mine. If we want to make Li Cuihua leave, exerting pressure through Zhang Zhiyuan is a good approach.”
At this point, the only woman Zhang Zhiyuan could reach was Li Cuihua.
Although Li Cuihua had some ideas of her own, seeing that Zhang Zhiyuan had no money and was lazy and gluttonous, she was unwilling to be with him.
Compared to Zhang Zhiyuan, she still preferred the idea of remarrying He Jiang.
A couple of days later, while Zhang Zhiyuan was at home pondering where to find temporary work, a man in a suit and leather shoes suddenly walked in.
“You must be Zhang Zhiyuan,” the man said with a southern accent.
He carried a briefcase and looked every bit a successful business owner. Zhang Zhiyuan immediately stood up to greet him.
“That’s me. What can I do for you?”
This man was Lin Zhou, Zhao Qiang’s relative.
After receiving Zhao Qiang’s call the other day, Lin Zhou hadn’t been too keen on taking on the task—it wasn’t exactly a noble endeavor.
But Zhao Qiang explained that he was helping a good friend.
When Lin Zhou learned about He Yuan’s identity, his business acumen kicked in.
If he helped He Yuan, he would owe him a favor. In the future, if any opportunities arose, it would be easier to navigate.
“More friends, more opportunities.”
Lin Zhou was a businessman who never engaged in loss-making ventures.
After some thought, Lin Zhou agreed to help them deal with this Zhang Zhiyuan.
“Here’s the thing,” Lin Zhou said, walking in uninvited and sitting on a relatively clean stool. “I have some connections with your former fishing team captain. He actually felt quite bad about firing you last time.”
Lin Zhou spoke naturally; after years as a businessman traveling all over, he had the demeanor of a boss down pat.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiyuan’s eyes immediately lit up. But upon second thought, he remembered that when he left the fishing team, the captain hadn’t been pleasant about it at all.
The captain had accused him of being lazy and skipping work, saying that keeping him on would ruin the business, which was why he wasn’t allowed to stay.
Besides, it had been so long—why would the captain refer someone to him now?
Although Zhang Zhiyuan was lazy, he wasn’t a fool. Lin Zhou could tell from his expression that he was suspicious.
So without pressing further, Lin Zhou took a business card from his bag and placed it on the table.
“I’m here on the island visiting relatives for a couple of days. Think it over carefully. If you’re not interested, I won’t force you. I’m just repaying a favor, after all.”
With that, Lin Zhou stood up to leave.
At the doorway, he glanced back at Zhang Zhiyuan and added, “A few months working for me would earn you more than a year’s wages here. The business card is legitimate—it has a phone number. You can call anytime and ask for Boss Lin.”
Then, without another word, he left.
His manner indeed seemed like someone simply repaying a favor, which made it all the more believable.
Though still somewhat doubtful, Zhang Zhiyuan immediately picked up the business card after Lin Zhou left.
The card read “Import-Export Foreign Trade Company.” He didn’t understand the rest.
But with the card in hand, Zhang Zhiyuan was tempted.
That Boss Lin had said working for him for a few months would equal a year’s wages here.
He stroked his chin, deep in thought, weighing the credibility of the offer.
That very afternoon, Zhang Zhiyuan went to the supply and marketing cooperative to use the phone and make a call.
A pleasant female voice answered, addressing him respectfully as “Mr. Zhang.”
“Boss Lin? Yes, we do have a Boss Lin here. He seems to have gone to the island on business recently and hasn’t returned yet. If you need to reach him, you can leave a message with me, and I’ll schedule an appointment for you.”
After the reply, Zhang Zhiyuan hurriedly said no, explaining that he was just calling to verify.
After hanging up, all his doubts vanished. This Boss Lin was clearly the real deal.
Zhang Zhiyuan was overjoyed. He never expected a big boss from outside to make a special trip just for him.
Now he wasn’t jobless anymore. He’d see if Li Cuihua would still look down on him.
As he thought of Li Cuihua, he actually ran into her on his way home.
“Cuihua, Cuihua, wait up!” Zhang Zhiyuan called out, jogging to catch up with her.
Perhaps there had been some genuine feelings between them when they were younger, which was why Zhang Zhiyuan still held a torch for her.
Like a peg fitting into a hole.
Li Cuihua never expected that she’d become something like a “white moonlight” in Zhang Zhiyuan’s heart.
“What do you want? I’m in a bad mood right now,” she said.
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