Chapter Four, An Old Friend Arrives

The person next to him asked, "What happened, Mr. Xu?"

Yang Xuan gazed at the sky with a melancholic expression, tugging at his unruly hair, and thought to himself, Am I not just a good-for-nothing? What kind of resource am I? I don't even take up enough space.

Yang Xuan, accompanied by the office mascot Nao Nao, joyfully announced the itinerary as the leaders of this volunteer quarterly gathering. Everyone was free to form teams, and each team was given a form listing the names of various plants. Each group was to ride bicycles and locate all the plants within two hours, then transcribe the information from the signs onto the back of the form. Finally, there would be a gathering for evaluation, distribution of prizes, a group photo, and a picnic together

I cannot discern your ambitions; I only see the unreasonable allocation of resources

"What are you saying? You go do..." Xu Ji seemed to not recognize her for a moment, staring at the woman two steps away for a while, then suddenly chuckled dryly twice, "You're joking, right?"

Yang Xuan stood in place and sighed, silently wiping away a handful of bitter tears. He casually grabbed the neck of the frantically diving Nao Nao into the chip box and disdainfully said to the clawing little furball: "The 'shu' in 'potato chips' is not the same as the 'shu' in 'mouse', you illiterate."

After a while, he nodded and said: "That's how it is—what about you? What are you doing now? You suddenly disappeared three years ago, and there has been no news of you for such a long time. Which securities company? Or is it venture capital? Private equity?"

Of course, Yang Xuan did not hear it; even the hysterical protests of His Majesty Naonao, who could smell the chips but could not eat them, were blocked out by her headphones.

The man, seemingly oblivious, suddenly quickened his pace to catch up with the sightseeing bus, then forcefully tapped on the window and shouted, "Yang Xuan!"

Yang Xuan pondered with difficulty ... ? ... Is this considered a real industry?

A group of people dressed in casual attire brushed past a sightseeing vehicle. Suddenly, the man at the front stopped in his tracks, turned around sharply, and looked almost incredulously at the person sitting comfortably in the vehicle with his legs crossed: "... Yang Xuan?"

Yang Xuan organized his thoughts and said, "I am a team leader at a volunteer service center. Today is the day of the spring volunteer gathering, and I brought everyone out to have some fun"

Yang Xuan glanced at the business card in his hand, did not take it, but suddenly smiled gently

She spent three years living a life free from worldly disputes, as if she had awakened from a dream. In that dream, the living and the dead were separated by a barrier, and even when an old acquaintance stood before her, she surprisingly could not recall his name for a moment. Especially... in a daze, this caused her to pause involuntarily for a moment. After a while, she continued nonchalantly: "Now I might as well find a job here, and when I grow old and die, I can return to my roots."

It's over, how embarrassing... Yang Xuan thought

Oh. Yang Xuan hurriedly packed up the stall she had set up on the sightseeing bus, stuffed the snacks back into her bag, picked up the cat, and clumsily made her way off the bus with her family in tow

No, people will always change. Yang Xuan thought for a moment and then said, I just suddenly don't want to do it anymore

Xu Ji also smiled, readily putting away his business card, and then he said: "Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to undermine your current workplace. What have you been working on lately? Oh, I have heard that Huzhou has many emerging industries, and organic food supply is indeed a good investment direction."

Xu Ji's footsteps suddenly came to a halt

At that moment, a shadow rushed out, twisting Xu Ji's shoulder. In the blink of an eye, the newcomer, with furrowed brows and wide-open eyes, shouted, "What do you think you are doing under the broad daylight?!"

Are you in Huzhou?" Xu Ji asked repeatedly, "How long have you been in Huzhou? Is it a temporary stay, or do you plan to reside here permanently?

Xu Ji thought for half a day but could not figure out what this "other" was. In the end, he could only make an absurd guess and asked, "You wouldn't have... transitioned to the real economy, would you?"

What on earth is it? Xu Ji suddenly had a foreboding feeling in his heart

A group of young men whistled and shouted, "Team Leader Yang is truly a virtuous and wonderful woman!" as their voices faded into the distance

His Majesty Nao Nao felt very embarrassed, wilted, and covered his face with his paws

Yang Xuankin thought to herself that it would cost her life, yet she still smiled warmly and said, "No, I have already seen Century Park. I will go to the finish line first to prepare lunch for everyone."

The noisy dog paddled through the air, screaming: "Meow, ahh—! You've seen everything, quickly put me down, you female rogue!"

Then she touched her nose and said, "It's nothing, I just remembered... back in the days when we attended classes together, one of the pastimes after class was exchanging business cards."

There are also small pavilions specifically for tourists to have picnics, as well as pebble paths for hikers to stroll along

Yang Xuan, driven by inertia, took two steps forward before stopping, holding the kitten and looking at him, with a calm and serene expression on his face

Huzhou Century Park is considered a famous large botanical garden in the city. The entire park resembles a forest, where visitors can rent multi-person bicycles and ride around with several friends. In front of each type of plant planted along the roadside on the mountain, there is a small sign displaying its name, characteristics, and related information.

Yang Xuan actually submitted several party plans, some of which she genuinely wanted to attend, while others were just casually written to meet the requirements. Who would have thought that Sister Zhou said the headquarters ultimately decided on the most boring one, as it was the most cost-effective

Yang Xuan gently stroked Nao Nao's fur and asked, "In recent years, due to policy preferences, Huzhou has become an emerging city. So, are you planning to share in the benefits?"

Unfortunately, the female rogue did not grasp the essence at all. She picked up His Majesty the Ruckus and sat down on the park sightseeing car, which had been empty for years—driven by a retired grandpa. The speed was comparable to that of a snail crawling... Playing the cheerful song "The Red Star Shines Brightly" all the way, generally speaking, normal people would treat it as... a characteristic attraction and would not personally ride on it.

This time the deaf person also heard it, Yang Xuan took off his headphones, turned his head to look, and clearly recognized the visitor, pausing for a moment: "You are Xu ... ... "

Xu Ji Yi Le: "I said, Junior Sister, your words are rather harsh. What do you mean by 'sharing a piece of the pie'? Our existence is to reduce market friction and inject more vitality into this market..."

Yang Xuan shrugged and said, "Who knows? Perhaps he is a bit lacking in common sense."

I am originally from Huzhou" After a while, Yang Xuancai said

It seems that either too much time has passed, or she has not engaged in anything that requires thought for a long time. As soon as the name "Xu" was mentioned, the only impression in Yang Xuan's mind was the nickname he had secretly given him a long time ago, which was "Xu Fu Ji." The real name of the other party momentarily escaped his mind.

Xu Ji: "... ..."

Xu Ji immediately took out a business card from his pocket: "This is my business card, you can come find me anytime. Our company is planning to establish a branch in Huzhou soon, if you are willing..."

Yang Xuan said: "Then let it overheat, blow out a bunch of bubbles, make a quick profit and run away. After several years, when the bubbles burst, naturally there will be some foolish people with plenty of money to bear the burden for you."

Xu Ji, how could you forget me? This is so heartless!" The man opened the door of the sightseeing vehicle, "Come down, come down.

Then she nodded to Xu Ji and said, "You, a busy person, probably never come without a purpose, right? I still need to go ahead and prepare the picnic supplies for the children I brought, so I won't disturb you. Please continue with your work."

As a reclusive individual... she actually detests all forms of physical exercise disguised as refreshing activities. Yang Xuan watched a group of young people joyfully hop onto a multi-person bicycle, each pedaling awkwardly and uncoordinatedly as they set off, while she stood in place, grinding her teeth.

Come here, walk with me, tomorrow you will resign from that ridiculous job of yours

From time to time, small groups of strolling tourists would pass by the sightseeing bus, turning their heads to glance at its sole passenger. Yang Xuan was not in a hurry; he stretched lazily, put on his headphones, and in the fresh air of the park, opened a bag of chips provided by the volunteer center, happily crunching on the junk food.

Yang Xuan: "No, nothing else"

Old Xu, Yang Xuan attempted to reason with him, "This matter pertains to each person's aspirations..."

At first glance, she appeared no different from many years ago, but after walking a few steps and observing closely, Xu Ji discovered that many things about her had changed. She looked extremely calm, her slender fingers resting on the neck of the kitten, resembling a figure seated in a painting, waiting for the dust to settle and the years to pass. There was no particularly great expectation, nor any significant emotional fluctuations.

The young men waved to her: "Team Leader Yang, you should choose a group too, come and join us!"

Yang Xuandong paused for a moment and stammered, "I have changed my profession"

Yang Xuan!" Xu Ji, filled with frustration at her inability to understand, called out to her, "In the realm of military strategy, victories and defeats are commonplace. We are living in an era where everything begins. The ideas in your mind are merely from books, derived through models under a multitude of assumptions, which are impossible to realize in the present! Even if we take a step back and say that it is not idealized and is potentially achievable, that would still be many years after our deaths. Why can't you comprehend this and find a way out?"

Xu Ji exclaimed, "What, could it be that he has turned to mergers and acquisitions?"

Xu Ji could hardly bear to see her in such a state of idleness, and he forcefully grabbed her arm, dragging her out.