Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Confirmation

After parting ways in the restaurant, Songyu went to the front desk to exchange shifts with someone else so they could come to eat.

She remained busy until 10 p.m. when her shift finally ended, barely managing to get a rough handle on the tasks she was responsible for. The finer details would need to be sorted out over the next two or three days.

Fortunately, it was a quiet day; otherwise, given her current situation, Songyu wasn’t confident she could complete her work smoothly.

Stepping outside the hotel, the streetlights cast a soft, amber glow. Songyu looked up, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the sight, staring for a long moment.

“Songyu, what are you daydreaming about?” Songxiang had parked her bike by the roadside and jogged over to gently nudge her older sister.

She had timed her arrival perfectly to pick her up, but Songyu had just stood there by the hotel entrance, looking up at some unknown point, not even hearing her soft call.

If not for the imposing grandeur of the Immortal Spring Hotel, Songxiang would have shouted out by now!

Startled back to reality, Songyu gave a sheepish smile. Even seeing Songxiang’s somewhat reproachful expression, her youthful and radiant face made it endearingly cute in Songyu’s eyes.

Taking her sister’s hand, she said with a hint of boldness, “Let’s go home now.”

Songxiang was helpless. Had her sister’s mind been unsettled by the demolition news? Was that why her behavior today was so unusual?

Though she thought this, her pace did not slow even a bit.

The two sisters took turns riding the bike, reaching home even faster than when they had come in the afternoon.

Upon entering the An household, Songyu immediately noticed almost everyone was already in the living room.

She had been somewhat surprised but then, recalling the bombshell she had dropped on the family at noon, her eyes brightened.

Without even putting down her canvas bag, she moved to pull out a chair to sit.

Meanwhile, Songyue, who had just returned from evening study, briefly greeted the family after washing up but seemed like a wandering spirit as she drifted back to her room.

With only a few months left until the college entrance exam, having just endured two full test papers this evening, she had no room left for curiosity.

The family was well aware of the pressures on exam candidates.

Moreover, the topic they were about to discuss was not suitable for everyone to hear.

So they all moved quietly to the sisters’ small room, exchanging greetings.

Seeing that it was indeed late, An Jianping recounted what he had seen in the village earlier that day.

Then, lowering his voice, he said, “Although we can’t yet confirm the authenticity of the news, Jianmin and I took a walk around the new district and believe there is a strong possibility of another logistics center being built.”

“The new district’s factories are almost certainly under construction, but most of the office buildings and fences are still unfinished.”

“However, when we visited, we saw that nearly every factory was busy making preparations.”

“Some factories already had quite a few people working inside.”

“Almost all vehicles coming and going were trucks.”

“The newly built two-lane road felt very spacious when we arrived, but even a single truck made the road feel quite narrow.”

And this was before production had officially started.

The family exchanged glances, imagining what would happen once production began.

“Tomorrow, except for Xiaoyu, we’re all off work. We’ll try to gather more information.” An Songlin said, pursing his lips before continuing, “I’ll also take Xuan Ying to visit the area.”

“Don’t go poking around recklessly!” An Jianping shook his head, directly rejecting his son’s suggestion. “I’ll go talk to Old Lu to get a feel for things.”

“Such matters aren’t easy to get news about these days.”

“Besides...”

At this point, An Jianping’s mood grew complicated.

At first, hearing the news from his daughter, he had been extremely excited, solely intent on verifying its truth.

But after a calm afternoon, he felt somewhat lost.

Using this information to quietly build up their family’s fortune was certainly beneficial.

Yet, strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely just or commendable.

Seeing the family’s hopeful faces waiting for him to continue, An Jianping reluctantly suppressed his mixed feelings.

“Whatever we do, it will leave traces.”

“If the demolition news is false, then so be it. But if it’s true, there will be quite a few things we must do next.”

“Acquiring wealth through such means requires a low profile.”

An Jianping’s words left the others momentarily stunned.

Before they could ponder further, he spoke again:

“Boss, you... and Xiao Xuan, alright, just do as you said.”

“As for Ah Yu, Ah Xiang, and Lizhu, you should stick to your original routines—work if you have work, rest if you have rest.”

“Also, I think the factories in the new district will be operational soon.”

“I’ve already spoken with your uncle; he’ll keep an eye on the situation there.”

“When most of the factories start production, we should be able to tell how much demand there is for a logistics hub.”

Those named exchanged glances and obediently nodded.

The next day, as Songlin had said, he took his fiancée Xuan Ying to the new district.

But his main purpose was to take her back to his hometown.

They even had a good experience at a well-run rural inn in the village.

Meanwhile, Songyu continued her steady routine of work and life with the others.

Several days passed until it was finally Songyu’s turn to have a day off.

Only then did the family’s investigation bear fruit.

When they gathered again, their excitement had only grown.

An Jianping looked at his second daughter with satisfaction before affirming to the others:

“I confirmed with Old Lu that recently a businessman from Hong Kong has been staying on the top floor of the hotel.”

“I heard his business in Hong Kong is huge.”

“After moving inland, he’s developing in more than one city.”

“This time he came to Shuncheng because the factories in Nancheng were no longer sufficient.”

“Fortunately, Shuncheng isn’t too far from Nancheng, making it convenient for him to establish a new factory.”

“He actually visited quite a few times over the past year.”

“Recently, since the new factory is nearly ready, he’s been staying at your hotel for half a month.”

“By the way, I heard he not only built factories in the new district but also constructed some kind of design building.”

“It’s one of the tallest buildings in the new district.”