Chapter 171: The Feeling of Being Valued is Wonderful
The words “Old Station” immediately caught Shi Zijin’s attention.
“She’s from the Old Station? Why did she come to Dongyang? What’s her name?”
Cen Tianjiao flipped to the personnel background notes and read aloud:
“Her name is Lian Sha. She claims she came to Dongyang to make a living, saying she couldn’t survive at the Old Station anymore.”
“Does she know Tan Yong?”
Cen Tianjiao shook his head. “According to the records, she doesn’t. She just says she came from the north and was only passing through the Old Station. Why do you ask?”
Shi Zijin smacked him on the back of the head.
“You noticed she was beautiful, and you think Tan Yong wouldn’t? That guy notices every attractive woman. This woman is probably lying. Not only does she likely know Tan Yong, but she’s probably one of his women.”
With that, he took the file from Cen Tianjiao, skimmed through it carefully, and instructed:
“Remove her name from the list for now. Then, send someone to the Old Station to investigate her background.”
Cen Tianjiao scratched his head and said, “We’ve dealt with Tan Yong a few times and passed through the Old Station often, but we’ve never heard of a woman named Lian Sha by his side. The only name that comes up often is someone with the surname Qu.”
Shi Zijin tossed the file back at him.
“Then go check. At a time like this, we can’t afford to ignore any suspicious people.”
*
At long last, Taoli Tower was completed.
Standing four stories tall and covering 600 square meters, it could accommodate at least 80 people working at the same time.
On the day of its unveiling, a crowd of tenants gathered outside. Laughter, cheers, and flashing cameras filled the air.
Gan Hongyu and his good friend Feng An had officially become external hires for Taoyang.
The two of them hadn’t expected to get their own workstations. They watched the Taoyang employees celebrating with envy.
The office environment was truly incredible. Not just in Dongyang—even Changjing might not have such conditions.
Su Tao spotted the two of them and called out,
“You two, go ask Zhuang Wan for the access key to Taoli Tower in a bit, then head upstairs and pick a spot you like. I won’t assign you seats.”
Gan Hongyu was taken aback. “We get workstations too?”
“Of course,” Su Tao said. “There’s plenty of space; two more spots won’t make a difference. Go ahead.”
Gan Hongyu and Feng An exchanged glances before bursting into smiles. “Thank you, Boss.”
The feeling of being valued was truly wonderful.
Meanwhile, Fan Chuanhui roamed from the first floor to the fourth, snapping photos with his camera. He even conducted mini-interviews with employees:
“This is Teacher Qian Rongrong, the youngest employee at Taoyang. Let’s ask her how she feels about moving into her ‘new office’~”
Qian Rongrong, caught on camera, blushed and waved her hands in embarrassment.
“Don’t call me ‘teacher’—it feels great here! It’s spacious, and the floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of light. I can turn my head and see the outside view. And if it gets too hot at noon, I can just pull down the blackout curtains.”
Zhuang Wan peeked into the frame and grinned mischievously, “You mean you pull the curtains down for your afternoon naps.”
Then she gestured toward Fan Chuanhui, signaling, “The evidence is under her desk—a foldable bed. Curtains down, AC on, and Rongrong enjoys her perfect nap.”
Qian Rongrong’s face turned bright red. She quickly glanced at Su Tao, nervous about her reaction.
“I-I only sleep during lunch breaks! The bed stays folded away the rest of the time. I’m not slacking off!”
Saying that, she turned and kicked Zhuang Wan lightly, and the two started playfully bickering.
Fan Chuanhui chuckled and kept recording, capturing these lighthearted moments.
Su Tao couldn’t help but smile at the scene, but the smile quickly faded.
The more wonderful Taoyang became, the more she worried about it being destroyed.
The Bone Wing escape incident loomed over her like a sword, ready to drop at any moment.
Strong. Capable of flight…
Su Tao looked up at the sky above Taoyang. The high walls and electric fences could block threats from the ground, but they were useless against aerial attacks. Otherwise, that homemade bomb wouldn’t have been thrown in so easily before.
If only there were a 360-degree defense system to fully protect Taoyang…
Unfortunately, the system didn’t currently offer such defenses.
At that moment, a system notification suddenly rang in her mind:
[Defense Materials Store can be upgraded to unlock related items. Upgrade requires triggering and completing a hidden quest.]
Su Tao’s eyes widened.
Did this mean there was still a hidden quest she hadn’t activated? And once completed, she could purchase materials for full-range defense?
If that were true, it was an incredible opportunity. Even if Bone Wing did come for Taoyang, she wouldn’t be afraid.
But what exactly was this hidden quest?
Would it be like the Panliu Mountain mission, requiring her to journey far and wide again?
Su Tao sighed. Based on past experience, triggering hidden quests relied entirely on luck—there was no pattern to it.
For now, she’d have to put it aside.
*
That evening, Su Tao received a call from Pei Dong.
“The people from Hekang want to meet you in three days. Will you be available?”
“Sure, after 1 p.m.”
“Alright, let me give you a quick rundown of their background. The leader of the Hekang base is Ji Boda, a man in his forties. Before the apocalypse, he was a police academy instructor—a man with a strong sense of justice.
“He’ll be bringing his son, Ji Caizhe, and his son’s fiancée, along with a few assistants and bodyguards.
“Ji Caizhe… he’s a bit of a loose cannon. You don’t need to interact with him much. If you need to negotiate, talk directly to his father.”
With Pei Dong’s briefing, Su Tao felt prepared. She smiled, “Sister Pei, you’re the best. Do you or your team need anything? Supplies, food? I can send something over. Oh, and by the way, Master Qin from Panliu Mountain has been making some delicious vegetable biscuits lately. They’re nutritious and store well—I’ll pack some for you all.”
Pei Dong’s heart softened. She didn’t stand on ceremony and replied, “Alright, just send a little. The girls will love trying something new.”
*
As soon as she hung up, the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, she found Auntie Kang standing there with a large plastic bag, looking apologetic.
“Boss Su, I’m really sorry to disturb you this late. I feel bad not helping out with your cleaning. So, I went to the farm and waited a few days—got a beef leg bone for your dog. Figured it’d like it.”
Before Su Tao could react, Auntie Kang shoved the massive bone, wrapped in plastic, into her arms and ran off.
Su Tao looked down at the bone, nearly the size of her own forearm, feeling a bit at a loss.
She carried it inside.
On the floor, Xuedao, her dog, had been sleeping soundly. But the moment the scent hit its nose, it stirred—eyes snapping open.
With its tongue lolling out, Xuedao rushed over, drooling as it stared at the giant bone in her arms.
Even White Sesame, the little cat, was drawn over, rolling around at her feet and meowing sweetly.
Su Tao rubbed her forehead, then unwrapped the plastic and gave the bone a quick rinse before tossing it to Xuedao.
The dog jumped up, caught it mid-air, then wagged its tail excitedly as it settled in to gnaw at it.
Su Tao patted its head and murmured, “This was a gift from Auntie Kang, the one who just came by. Next time you see her, be polite, okay?”
The silly dog kept chewing, not knowing if it actually understood her words.
Meanwhile, White Sesame tried to get a taste, but Xuedao flicked it aside with one lick.
