Chapter 340: “The ‘Suspect’ Minister Xu”
Minister Xu also had a sleepless night.
Since they arrived at Taoyang quite late, the Taochi Ranch had already closed for the day. No matter how eager he was, he didn’t have the heart to wake up Tang Huan and her daughter. After all, according to Su Tao, the mother and daughter had been taking care of his daughter recently.
Xu Chang tried to comfort himself—now that he was at Taoyang, he would see her eventually. A few hours wouldn’t make much of a difference.
But despite telling himself that, he tossed and turned until dawn.
As soon as it struck six o’clock, he jumped out of bed without any hesitation for the soft comfort of Taoyang’s luxurious bed. He quickly freshened up, dressed neatly, and called his assistant to head out with him.
His assistant was stunned to see him—Minister Xu seemed twenty years younger, his hair was meticulously combed, and he was even wearing clothes from four or five years ago, back when his daughter was still with him.
“Do you think Hehe will recognize me when she sees me?” Xu Chang suddenly asked, his voice tinged with worry.
The assistant nodded confidently.
Not wanting to disturb Su Tao or Zhuang Wan, the two of them politely stopped a tenant downstairs to ask for directions to the Taochi Ranch.
Minister Xu assumed the ranch was just a part of Taoyang—maybe a half-hour walk or bike ride away.
The tenant gave him a suspicious glance. “You want to go to Taochi? Do you have the white-list access from Boss Su?”
Only those on the white list could freely pass through the portals connecting different areas.
Xu Chang, confused, shook his head with a blank expression.
The tenant shrugged. “Then you’ll have to drive there.”
Xu Chang was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected Taoyang to be so vast that it required a car to reach another section.
Last night, although he was impressed by Taoyang’s advanced infrastructure, the visible area seemed small—smaller than half a district in Changjing.
“Could you give me the exact address? It’s quite urgent. Thank you very much.”
Noticing his anxiety, the tenant kindly sent the address to him.
Xu Chang eagerly checked the address—only to be stunned by the distance the system displayed.
Even driving nonstop, it would take a full day to get there. Was this a mistake?
As the tenant was about to leave, Xu Chang grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry—could you double-check if this address is correct?”
The tenant glanced at the address and nodded. “It’s correct.”
After answering, the tenant suddenly grew suspicious and asked cautiously:
“You’re not a tenant of Taoyang, are you? Before moving in, Miss Meng always gives us a thorough briefing on Taoyang’s basic information. Who brought you here?”
The people of Taoyang were highly vigilant—Director Qi had warned them that, as Taoyang’s reputation grew in the south, it would attract people with ulterior motives. Any suspicious individuals should be reported immediately.
So, the tenant passionately reported Xu Chang to security.
In the end, it was Su Tao who came to collect Minister Xu from the temporary holding room at the security office.
When Director Qi Yunlan learned of Minister Xu’s identity, she was so apologetic she nearly bowed to the ground.
The tenant who reported him was mortified and repeatedly apologized to Minister Xu, even insisting on inviting him and his assistant home for a meal.
Su Tao’s face was bright red with embarrassment. “Uncle Xu, I’m really sorry about this.”
Xu Chang chuckled. “It’s not your fault—I was too impatient. I was the one who said we could wait until the morning, but clearly, I overestimated my patience. I shouldn’t have left without informing you or Manager Zhuang. I should be the one apologizing.”
“But I must say, Taoyang’s security awareness is impressive. Director Qi is doing an excellent job—she’s a rare talent.”
Qi Yunlan dared not accept the praise. “We’re just doing our duty—it’s mostly thanks to the high standards of our tenants.”
The tenant scratched his head shyly.
Seizing the moment, Su Tao properly introduced everyone and gave Minister Xu a brief tour of the office building and the monitoring center.
The more Minister Xu saw, the more surprised he became. The office building had round-the-clock electricity and running water—a huge expense given the energy demands.
Moreover, all office staff had access to a free break room stocked with modern appliances—refrigerators, microwaves, and ice makers. Employees could reheat meals, brew coffee, or chill drinks at their leisure.
In a post-apocalyptic world where resources were scarce, even Changjing couldn’t offer such benefits.
Taoyang was far wealthier than he had imagined.
After the tour, Su Tao suggested taking Minister Xu to meet Alice. She could see how eager he was—any more sightseeing would be unnecessary. There would be plenty of time to learn about Taoyang later.
“I can go by myself,” Minister Xu offered. “It looks far, and you need to head to Dongyang today, right? I won’t trouble you.”
Su Tao smiled. “It is far—but there’s a shortcut.”
She accessed the system and added Minister Xu and his assistant to the portal white list, then led them to Taoyang’s back gate.
Xu Chang was puzzled. Even with a shortcut, driving there would still take more than twenty hours—how much time could they really save?
But when the portal opened, in the blink of an eye, he found himself in a parking lot.
A parking lot? Had they just come here to pick up a car?
Su Tao’s next words left him dumbfounded:
“This is the Taochi Business Center. See that building over there? It’s our business hub for customers ordering our supplies. This entire parking lot is for their use.”
The assistant, incredulous, asked, “This is Taochi?”
When Su Tao nodded, his expression twisted in disbelief. “But the address we found said it would take a whole day of driving! We only walked for a few minutes.”
Xu Chang, quick-witted, glanced back at the portal with a sense of awe. “This… isn’t an ordinary door, is it?”
“Correct—it’s a portal. Under specific conditions, it can ignore physical distance.”
At this revelation, Xu Chang couldn’t stay calm. His mind immediately jumped to a conclusion.
“Old Granny Yu’s handiwork? Did she start contributing to Taoyang already?”
He always associated such extraordinary technology with Granny Yu—after all, even Changjing hadn’t developed true teleportation yet; they still relied on specific ability users.
Su Tao laughed, shaking her head. “What are you thinking? Granny Yu is probably still asleep right now—she hasn’t had time for this.”
That meant Taoyang had developed the portal technology themselves.
Minister Xu’s expression shifted—his view of Taoyang had just reached a whole new level.
