Chapter 139: Does Su Tao Even Appreciate Your Loyalty?
Gu Mingchi’s voice darkened as he replied, “Tan Yong, does it really have to come to this?”
Tan Yong snapped, “You’re the one going against me! Get it straight—I’m giving you a choice!”
Gu Mingchi responded coldly, “No, this isn’t giving me a choice—you’re forcing me. Tan Yong, as a friend, I’ll give you one last piece of advice: There’s no need to make Su Tao your enemy. She has a lot of valuable resources, and water and fuel are just a small part of it. If we maintain a good relationship with her and establish a partnership, on the surface, your business might take a small hit, but in the long run, she can bring us benefits beyond what you can imagine.”
Tan Yong laughed mockingly, “So, you’ve already made up your mind whose side you’re on.”
Gu Mingchi remained silent.
Tan Yong was beyond reasoning at this point. Just the thought of being stepped on by a little girl made his blood boil. His male ego felt completely trampled.
“Gu Mingchi, you better think this through. In Old Station, I can give you 20% of the revenue—every month, that’s over a million. You really think Su Tao will be that generous?”
“And don’t forget, the ability users you’re supporting? They all have jobs and friends here with me. Do you really think they’ll all follow you willingly? Let’s be real—if you let your emotions get the better of you and run off after a woman, you’ll end up losing both your people and your money.”
“Let me put it bluntly—you’re standing by Su Tao so much, but does she even appreciate it?”
That remark hit a nerve with Gu Mingchi.
“Are you looking to die? If not, then mind your own damn business!”
Tan Yong rarely heard this kind of tone from him, which made him a little smug.
“The truth is harsh. We’ll see how things play out. When we launch a sneak attack on Panliu Mountain, we’ll find out if Su Tao is prepared. If she’s not, we’ll pretend nothing ever happened. Whatever good stuff we take, you and I will split it—I’ll never shortchange a brother. But if she is prepared… well, Gu, you’d better watch out for yourself!”
The security team of eight started work the very next day.
At the same time, Su Tao ran into a big headache—they were running out of office space.
The current office building could barely fit six people at most.
Now, they had eight new security personnel, plus six staff members from the plantation who also needed office space.
On top of that, Qian Lin had mentioned wanting to hire more salespeople, making the shortage even worse.
Last night, Su Tao stayed late to observe how Qian Lin and her team worked, and the more she watched, the more she realized she hadn’t been paying enough attention as a boss.
Unlike traditional farming, plant cultivation required constant record-keeping.
With no desks or chairs, employees had to crouch on the ground to write, or even use their colleagues’ backs as makeshift desks.
The newly cultivated seeds also had no proper storage, so they were piled up in the hallway, which was extremely inconvenient.
Building a new office became a top priority.
Su Tao didn’t waste time—construction began that very morning, in broad daylight.
She didn’t even bother hiding her powers anymore—by now, everyone had already seen her raise buildings out of thin air. In a world filled with bizarre abilities, this was nothing shocking.
Su Tao decided to name the current office building “Taoli Building” (Peach & Plum Tower) and the new office building “Taohua Building” (Peach Blossom Tower).
“Taoli Building” symbolized cultivating talent far and wide. “Taohua Building” represented flourishing growth and abundant harvests.
Originally only two stories, Taoli Building was expanded to five floors, each equipped with air conditioning.
The first floor remained the reception area, with a section for Old Mei, who had limited mobility, and a display hall showcasing tenant manuals, photos by Fan Chuanhui, and Ye Xiaqing’s military cap.
Second to fourth floors housed four spacious offices per floor for Su Tao and senior staff like Zhuang Wan, Qi Yunlan, and Qian Rongrong.
Fifth floor was dedicated to the security department, with desks for eight personnel, including four monitoring stations with computers.
Once construction was finished, Meng Xiaobo was thrilled to find he had his own desk:
“I actually have one? Back at the factory, they never gave me a seat since I was always outside handling trouble. Whenever I had free time, I just sat on the stairs and chatted with people.”
Qi Yunlan laughed, “Well, now you have a seat—but no more slacking off!”
Meng Xiaobo nodded enthusiastically.
His girlfriend added sternly, “Be careful with it. If you break it, you’ll be bothering Boss Su for a replacement—and if I find out, you can forget about sleeping in the bed tonight!”
Meng Xiaobo immediately started moving carefully.
Su Tao chuckled and waved to everyone:
“Everything’s ready—head to your workspaces! If you need anything, just let me know. No need to be shy.”
The team thanked her enthusiastically and rushed to their desks, fired up and ready to work.
Su Tao then headed to the greenhouse area to work on Taohua Building.
Since space was limited, it had the same 100-square-meter footprint as Taoli Building.
The two buildings were back-to-back, separated only by the display hall, essentially forming a single office complex.
Taohua Building Layout:
First floor includes a main office space with four desks for technical staff, document shelves for research records. Left side include private offices for Qian Lin & Wu Zhen, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the greenhouse and the right side: Men’s restroom
Second floor includes a shared office space in the center. Right side is the women’s restroom and left side is a small balcony for breaks & fresh air.
Third floor has four small meeting rooms for 2-4 people and two large meeting rooms for 6-8 people. Fourth floor is dedicated seed storage
After finishing, Su Tao’s wallet was nearly empty—and the afternoon had flown by.
Qian Lin urged her to eat, “Boss, it’s 3 PM! At least grab a bite before continuing. We’ll be fine—we won’t fall behind on work.”
Su Tao was exhausted and starving, so she quickly wrapped things up:
“Even if work gets delayed, it’s fine—I just don’t want you all getting sick from overworking in this heat. The new buildings have air conditioning—go settle in. If you need anything, tell me tomorrow. After I eat, I’m heading back to sleep. I’m dead tired.”
Seeing Su Tao completely wiped out, Qian Lin didn’t even bother checking out the new building—she insisted Su Tao go rest.
When she returned later, the employees were already moved in and thrilled.
From the 2nd-floor balcony, Wu Zhen waved down at Qian Lin:
“Manager Qian! Your office is on the first floor, left side, first door! I already checked it out for you—private office, fully furnished, even has a little sofa and a tea table. Boss Su even set up a water dispenser for you!”
