Chapter Fifty-Eight: A Night of Labor

After dinner, the three of them left the hotel, with Peng Dongli settling the bill.

“I’ll call a car,” Tian Wenyuan said, eager to experience the convenience of mobile payment.

Soon, a vehicle pulled up in front of them. The three climbed in, Tian Wenyuan entered their destination, and the car sped toward the Northern Group headquarters.

In less than half an hour, they arrived at the towering headquarters building and stepped out.

At night, the Northern Group building glowed with blue lights on its exterior, making it appear from afar like a blue planet resting in the city.

They entered through the main door, where several security robots checked their IDs. After verifying everything, they were allowed through.

Riding the elevator up to the ninety-fifth floor, each found their own room.

“Tomorrow morning at seven, we’ll meet in the restaurant on the seventy-fifth floor,” Peng Dongli said.

“Alright,” responded the others.

They exchanged goodnights and went into their respective rooms.

Back in his room, Zhang Mingyang immediately undressed and tossed his clothes into the washing machine. He opened his suitcase and took out a fresh set of clothes, preparing for a shower.

“Beep beep…”

Just as he was about to enter the bathroom, his communicator rang. He hurried to the bedside to pick it up.

“Teacher?” It was Lin Guangming calling.

“Hello, Teacher, are you still awake?”

On the other end, a familiar voice responded, “Mingyang, how are you? Have you arrived?”

Zhang Mingyang replied quickly, “I’m here, and I’ve had some unexpected gains.”

“Oh? What unexpected gains?”

Zhang Mingyang recounted the day’s events to his teacher.

As he listened, Lin Guangming laughed, “Good, since you’re all from the same school, that makes things easier. When you return, you must introduce them to me.”

Zhang Mingyang promised, “I’ll definitely introduce them to you. Both of my senior brothers are wonderful people and have taken good care of me.”

Hearing his disciple’s laughter, Lin Guangming could already sense the camaraderie among the three. He added earnestly, “Mingyang, remember not to focus solely on having fun while you’re out. There are things you need to learn. Also, build a good relationship with your senior brothers and learn from them. At the very least, they both have jobs and plenty of social and work experience. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to consult them.”

Zhang Mingyang readily agreed, assuring his teacher he would learn diligently and seek guidance from his senior brothers.

They chatted for a while, but Lin Guangming had a night shift to attend, so he ended the call.

Setting the communicator aside, Zhang Mingyang rushed into the bathroom for a shower.

Ten minutes later, wrapped in a bath towel, he emerged and slipped into bed.

It was already past nine o’clock. Zhang Mingyang turned on the television to catch up on the news, then drifted off to sleep.

…

“Beep beep…”

At seven in the morning, the alarm roused Zhang Mingyang from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes and crawled out of bed.

He walked to the window and drew the curtains, letting the morning scenery of Xiping fill his view. The blue sky, scattered white clouds, and the distant sun all heralded the start of a new day in the city.

Stretching lazily toward the city below, Zhang Mingyang entered the bathroom to wash up and groom himself, preparing to greet the day.

Once everything was in order, he glanced at the clock—half past seven. There was still half an hour before their scheduled meeting.

“Well, I’ll go wait for them first. It’s better for the junior to wait than to keep the seniors waiting.”

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Looking to the right, he saw Tian Wenyuan, just about to leave his room.

“Senior Tian, you’re up early!”

Tian Wenyuan, still yawning, turned at the greeting, “Hey, little brother, you’re up early too.”

As they spoke, another door across the hall opened. Peng Dongli stepped out, seeing the two, “You’re both up early.”

“Good morning, Senior Peng,” Zhang Mingyang greeted.

“Old Peng, you look like you haven’t slept.”

“Huh?”

Peng Dongli hurriedly rubbed his face and stammered, “I slept, slept quite well.”

Tian Wenyuan approached him and sniffed his clothes. Then he patted Peng Dongli’s shoulder and said earnestly, “I understand, I truly do. You don’t have it easy!”

With that, he walked alone toward the elevator.

Watching Tian Wenyuan leave, Peng Dongli looked around in confusion, “What do you understand anyway!” Zhang Mingyang stepped up, eyeing Peng Dongli’s face. “Senior, your dark circles…”

“Dark circles?”

Peng Dongli quickly pulled out his phone, switched to the camera, and realized just how severe they were.

Before he could respond, Zhang Mingyang nodded knowingly and walked away.

“You two are turning the world upside down!”

…

On the seventy-fifth floor, Tian Wenyuan and Zhang Mingyang ordered breakfast and began eating. It wasn’t until they had nearly finished that Peng Dongli arrived.

“Senior Tian, why hasn’t Senior Peng come yet?”

Tian Wenyuan, sipping the last of his rice porridge, replied, “He was up all night and didn’t sleep. With those dark circles, he’s probably fixing his makeup.”

Just as he finished speaking, Peng Dongli stepped out of the elevator and quickly walked over.

“Senior Peng, breakfast is served. I hope it suits your taste,” Zhang Mingyang said.

Peng Dongli glanced at the meal and replied, “Thanks, little brother. Looks good.” With that, he started eating.

“See, the dark circles are gone.”

Indeed, the foundation had concealed Peng Dongli’s dark circles.

Peng Dongli looked at Tian Wenyuan and whispered, “How did you know?”

Tian Wenyuan waved his thinning hair and replied, “Two people living apart for a long time finally meet—of course they’ll go at it for three hundred rounds. Besides, look at you…”

Before he finished, Peng Dongli stuffed a fried dough stick into Tian Wenyuan’s mouth.

“Can’t you keep your voice down? You act like you want everyone to know. Most people here know me. If they all hear this, how am I supposed to face them?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep it down.”

Pulling out the dough stick, Tian Wenyuan resumed eating.

“Senior Peng, when are we heading out today?” Zhang Mingyang quickly changed the subject.

Peng Dongli shot him a grateful look and replied, “We’ll leave after breakfast. We’ll take the helicopter from the rooftop to the airport. You don’t need to bring your luggage—someone will deliver it for you.”

The mention of the helicopter made Zhang Mingyang excited. “Senior Peng, we’re visiting the assembly plant today. Should we bring any equipment?”

Peng Dongli answered, “No need. The materials for the units have already been sent to the base for testing. This inspection is mostly to check the progress of the construction.”