Chapter 212: Confused

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: ConfusedOn the morning of the next day, Li Yifei and Xu Yingying arrived together at Lanjia Village. The area of Lanjia Village was quite large, with fifty to sixty natural villages under its jurisdiction. Although it was considered rural, its development had been rapid, especially the central location of the Village Government which was comparable to a small town.

There were also quite a few Township Enterprises in the village, but there were none too large; even those with tens of millions could rank fairly well in Lanjia Village.

During the two years that Ye Yunzhu worked here, the development of Lanjia Village had been impressive. However, for economic growth, investment attraction was a top priority, and whether they could attract large enterprises to develop in the village was a constant concern for Ye Yunzhu.

Now, there was finally an opportunity for a major enterprise to set up in Lanjia Village. Not only did Ye Yunzhu take this seriously, but the entire village was highly attentive. Over the past two days, Ye Yunzhu had been working overtime with the village officials, re

With outsiders present, Ye Yunzhu didn’t find it convenient to talk too much with Yifei. She detailed the village’s situation to Yingying and the various preferential policies they had already decided upon.

Xu Yingying listened attentively and maintained a neutral expression. After Ye Yunzhu finished speaking, Yingying also stated her own demands. After all, she was the one investing and thus held a certain level of initiative. The benefits she could fight for, she naturally tried to secure.

Investment attraction wasn’t like ordinary business cooperation. For Ye Yunzhu, what she needed most was for Xu Yingying to invest there. The village itself would not participate in the investment, so there were no conflicts of interest involved. The main concern for both parties was how much in terms of preferential policies they could provide for Yingying’s factory.

These preferential policies were not something the village could simply offer, but a matter of what the village could negotiate. Things like tax levies, land compensation, and similar matters depended largely on Mayor Ye’s abilities.

As such, the negotiations between the two parties weren’t acrimonious nor heated. The atmosphere remained quite friendly.

In one morning, the parties had tentatively decided on establishing the factory in Lanjia Village, which left Ye Yunzhu feeling excited. She invited Yingying to lunch at midday along with other village officials, and Yifei, naturally, accompanied them.

With Xu Yingying being an attractive woman and a president controlling five hundred million in funds, the local officials couldn’t afford to act superior. Whether she agreed or not was crucial to their bonuses and even future promotions. In short, Xu Yingying was now their God of Wealth.

Therefore, no one dared to pressure Yingying into drinking. The meal was lavish but quick, and in less than an hour, everyone returned to the village to discuss the remaining matters.

In the end, a consensus was basically reached. Xu Yingying agreed to build the factory in Lanjia Village, and Mayor Ye’s administration was to be responsible for the land acquisition. The compensation for the land, naturally, would be handled by Yingying’s company, along with a series of policy supports, including tax reductions.

Li Yifei had been following around like an idle bystander, aside from making small talk with some officials, he had little opportunity to speak about serious matters. However, once the deal was confirmed, as Ye Yunzhu set the arrangements in motion and only Yifei and Yingying were left in her office, Ye Yunzhu shifted her attention to Yifei and said with a smile, "I must say, old classmate, you’ve been a great help this time."

Xu Yingying smiled in return, "Mayor Ye, that’s not quite right to say. Yifei here has helped our company, but it’s also part of his job."

Ye Yunzhu shook her head and replied, "President Xu, now that the matter is settled, I won’t mince words. If it weren’t for Yifei, I really wouldn’t have gone to such lengths as I’m due to transfer after the New Year. By then, I won’t be in the village anymore, and its development won’t be much of my concern. I’m putting in this effort because of Yifei, my old classmate."

Xu Yingying chuckled lightly, "Indeed. I also considered that you were Yifei’s classmate when choosing your village for our factory. Otherwise, our company’s strength would likely earn us the same incentives elsewhere."

Ye Yunzhu laughed heartily, "In that case, Yifei truly deserves great merit. We should both thank him properly."

Xu Yingying nodded, "Yes, I’ve been thinking the same. I’m considering how to reward him properly."

Watching the two chat merrily but with hints of deeper meaning, Li Yifei felt somewhat uncomfortable. With a light laugh, he said, "Look, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t we be heading back now?"

Xu Yingying immediately stood up, "Indeed, it’s getting late. Mayor Ye, Yifei and I will be heading back now."

Ye Yunzhu quickly stood as well, "There’s no rush, is there? I was planning to treat you both to dinner tonight."

Xu Yingying smiled apologetically, "Mayor Ye, there will be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future. Yifei and I have a lot left to do today, so we’ll have to skip dinner."

"President Xu, you’re not just putting me off, are you? There’s never a day when work is completely done, and one evening won’t make much difference, will it?"

Xu Yingying shook her head, "I’m not just being courteous. There’s indeed too much going on at the company right now. If I don’t finish up today, others will be waiting for me tomorrow."

"If that’s the case, I won’t keep you both any longer."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mayor Ye. Once the company starts running smoothly, I’ll definitely treat you right."

"Then it’s settled. I won’t be holding back with President Xu when the time comes, you know."

Ye Yunzhu personally escorted Li Yifei and Xu Yingying outside. Just as Li Yifei and Xu Yingying were about to get in the car, she hurriedly approached Li Yifei, whispered a few words in his ear with a light chuckle, then pushed him into the car.

After the car pulled away from the Village Government, Xu Yingying frowned and asked Li Yifei, "What did Mayor Ye say to you?"

Li Yifei was somewhat speechless. What Ye Yunzhu had whispered to him was, "You jerk, don’t think you can just casually get a girlfriend now that you don’t need me. You still have to get past me."

Of course, Li Yifei couldn’t tell Xu Yingying that. Although he didn’t think he had anything to do with Xu Yingying, she was currently pursuing him. Saying such a thing would definitely make Xu Yingying unhappy.

"She said she’d give me a big red envelope later, so I could make some under-the-table money."

"Really?"

"Of course it’s true. What else do you think she could say to me?"

Xu Yingying pouted and said, "I thought she was setting up a time to meet with you."

Li Yifei let out a laugh and said, "What’s the big deal if old classmates meet up?"

"I can tell it’s not just an old classmates thing with you two, huh, don’t think I can’t see it—you two definitely had something going on before."

Li Yifei shrugged his shoulders and said, "If there was something, then there was. It’s in the past now; let’s not bring it up again."

Xu Yingying didn’t press Li Yifei about Ye Yunzhu any further. Although she lacked experience in romance, she knew that men cared about their pride. Pushing too hard in any situation could backfire. Just letting Li Yifei know that she could see through him was enough.

It had to be said that Xu Yingying, treating the pursuit of Li Yifei as a business, was now handling it very adeptly, no longer feeling as lost as before.

The car hadn’t reached the downtown area when Li Yifei’s phone rang. Glancing at the number, he saw it was Xu Shanshan calling, which made him hesitate.

"What’s up? Is it Mayor Ye calling you?" teased Xu Yingying.

"No, it’s Shanshan."

Xu Yingying’s eyebrows knitted immediately, "What does she want with you now?"

"How would I know?" Li Yifei tossed the phone aside.

"Answer it. I’d like to see what this girl is up to."

Li Yifei shook his head and said, "Better not. She probably doesn’t have anything important to say."

The ringing stopped at that moment, and Xu Yingying hesitated before saying, "If she calls again, just answer it. Let’s see what she really wants. You could also take the opportunity to tell her that you’re with me."

Li Yifei gave a wry smile and said, "President Xu, I need to clarify that. Yes, the two of us are together right now, but that ’together’ is just about our physical presence in the same space, not the emotional kind of ’together’ you’re thinking of."

Xu Yingying tilted her head proudly and said, "I understand what you’re saying, but I’m telling you with certainty that sooner or later, our ’together’ will blend into both meanings."

Li Yifei let out a plaintive cry, "President Xu, can you tell me what you see in me so I can change it, alright?"

"That trick won’t work anymore. I won’t get angry again. No matter how you change, you can’t change my determination to be with you."

Li Yifei was at a loss for words; he couldn’t understand what Xu Yingying saw in him.

And Xu Yingying couldn’t quite say herself at the moment. Ostensibly, it was for her sister Xu Shanshan, but deep down, it might be out of spite, or perhaps, she really had begun to admire Li Yifei.