168: Collaborating with Gu Ling

After Wu Fan dropped Bai Yan off at school, he leisurely finished a cigarette in the car before starting the engine and heading back to the Seaside Villa.

"Meow..." Sticky Rice Ball squatted on the floor, looking up at Wu Fan. Its blue eyes looked a little pitiful.

It hadn't eaten all night; it must be hungry.

Wu Fan cleaned the cat dish, wiped it dry, and then fed it some cat food.

He raised his hand, stroked Nuo Nuo's head, and turned to leave.

Wu Fan drove into the travel agency.

When Chen Lu saw Wu Fan, her eyes lit up. "What brings you here? Why did you leave without saying goodbye last time, and you didn't even take the local specialties."

Wu Fan remembered that fierce battle with Gu Ling, and his ears immediately felt hot.

"Something urgent came up, so I didn't have time to say hello."

Chen Lu made tea while teasing him, "I thought CEO Gu had eaten you alive."

Wu Fan felt inexplicably nervous inside and looked up at Chen Lu.

She was calm and composed, with no particular expression on her face.

Wu Fan stood up and opened the package Han Jiaying had sent.

Inside were some zongzi (rice dumplings), dried mushrooms, chigao (rice cake), puffed rice candy, glutinous rice lotus root, Pinghu preserved eggs, and other items.

They were beautifully packaged, all edible goods.

Wu Fan placed all these items next to Chen Lu. "Take them home to eat. I don't usually like snacks."

Chen Lu looked at them seriously. "Take the chigao and puffed rice candy; Yaoyao will probably like those. I'll take the rest."

She found a bag and packed them for Wu Fan.

"Wu Fan, you couldn't have made a special trip just for these items, could you?"

"Chen Lu, you know me best."

Wu Fan paused, then continued, "I have a project I want to cooperate with the travel agency on."

Chen Lu straightened up. "What project?"

"Yesterday I went to Jiaotou Village and found that the Jiaotou Mountain in the village is exceptionally beautiful, and its geographical location is excellentbit's the perfect place to watch the sunrise."

"If we develop the entire mountain as a tourist attraction, it will definitely be very profitable."

Chen Lu found it difficult to understand why he would choose to invest there.

"But isn't it a bit remote?"

Wu Fan took a sip of tea. "Precisely because it's remote, it's even more worth developing. I envision turning the entire Jiaotou Village into a bed-and-breakfast village and a tourism village."

Chen Lu was very surprised and remained silent for a long time.

She couldn't believe that after only a few days, Wu Fan had suddenly developed such a strong ambition for business.

"Wu Fan, your idea is indeed good, but this kind of investment might involve hundreds of millions, or even billions, of capital. Where will you get the money? Are you planning to attract investment?"

Wu Fan raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "I will figure out the money; you don't need to worry. As long as we can secure this project and complete all the necessary procedures, the rest of the work can be entirely left to me."

Chen Lu was puzzled. "Why do you want to cooperate with CEO Gu? Couldn't you just register your own company?"

Wu Fan waved his hand. "I don't have that much energy to manage it, so I want to cooperate with the travel agency."

"After all, you have the customer base, so you can bring guests to Jiaotou Village, right?"

Chen Lu nodded. "But relying only on our travel agency probably won't be enough, will it?"

Wu Fan put down his teacup. "I understand that. As long as Jiaotou Mountain is developed to be valuable and worth visiting for tourists, other travel agencies will naturally approach me for cooperation. I'm not worried about that at all."

"After all, our island doesn't have many unique attractions, does it?"

Chen Lu nodded thoughtfully.

Gu Ling twisted her shapely bottom and pushed the door open to enter.

She looked very happy when she saw Wu Fan. "Manager Wu, what instructions do you have for us here in the office?"

Wu Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then said, "CEO Gu, what could I possibly instruct you on? I'm just an idle person."

Gu Ling patted his shoulder and giggled.

She was thinking about their last spar. She recalled the scene where she argued to be on top in order to please him.

It was indeed a little steamy.

She felt it was worth it; Wu Fan was powerful, much stronger than Old Man Jin.

An old man is an old man, after all; no matter how much he struggles, he can't make much of a splash anymore.

Seize the day for poetry and wine.

The ancients truly did not deceive people.

The ancients lived a more insightful life.

Chen Lu explained Wu Fan's recent proposal to Gu Ling.

Gu Ling surprisingly agreed readily.

"This is great news. I've been to Jiaotou Mountain once; it is indeed magnificent. How do you plan to develop Jiaotou Mountain? Do you have a vision in mind?"

Wu Fan said, "It's simple. We develop a coastal scenic walkway halfway up the mountain, build a few observation decks for viewing the sunrise over the sea, and then construct a hotel on the summit. That should cover it."

"Of course, we also need to transform the entire Jiaotou Village into a bed-and-breakfast village, gradually improving the supporting facilities. A one-stop tourism service will then naturally fall into place."

When Gu Ling heard this, she blinked her big eyes several times. "Wu Fan, I didn't realize you had already drawn up the blueprints."

Wu Fan smiled. "It's entirely theoretical right now; there is still a long way to go before it's actually implemented."

Gu Ling was somewhat excited. "I am very interested in this project too. Let's work together with one heart."

Wu Fan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, teasing, "Alright, let's do it together."

Gu Ling met his gaze, and her face unintentionally flushed.

She swayed her slender waist and walked toward the door. "Wu Fan, this is a major project. Come to my office so we can chat properly. Since we have this intention, let's move quickly to avoid others seizing the opportunity."

"In recent years, tourism on our island has been booming. As long as we seize this opportunity, it will be difficult not to get rich."

Wu Fan's eyes flashed. "Okay. You go up first; I'll be right there."

Gu Ling gave a soft "Mm" and left.

Her high heels clicked "dong dong dong" as she went upstairs, each step resonating in Wu Fan's heart, stirring up agitation.

Chen Lu quietly reminded him, "Wu Fan, this project sounds perfect, but the investment is huge, and the risk is also very high. You must think it through carefully."

Wu Fan gave her a faint smile. "Xiao Lu, don't worry. I've considered it carefully. This project will definitely make money."

Chen Lu still looked worried. She felt something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint what it was, so she could only nod helplessly.

"You finally have money, so manage the money in your pocket well. Don't invest it all; you need to keep some aside, understand?"

"Don't forget the difficult life you once had, okay?"

After she finished speaking, she smiled faintly.

Wu Fan actually felt an impulse to walk over and hug her.

He really wanted to say, "Thank you."

But ultimately, he didn't.

He stood up, patted his chest, and said, "Xiao Lu, relax. Once this project is settled, I will definitely take you to see the sunrise over the sea. It will be absolutely stunning!"

Chen Lu's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"

She was clearly overjoyed.

This was Wu Fan's first official invitation to her!

Her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

After so many years, Wu Fan was finally going to take her out to have fun!

"It's a promise!"

"Absolutely!"

...