Chapter 271: Something's Off!

Chapter 271: Something's Off!

Zhang Lin was genuinely surprised and taken aback. After all, this was his alma mater.

Xinhua University had sent him an invitation to join their notable alumni event.

The question was, why would the university send him an invitation? And why would they send it to Senior Lin?

"????" Zhang Lin sent a string of question marks to Senior Lin, expressing his confusion: "Why would the school invite me? And have you relay it?"

Lin Muxue sent a smiley face and countered, "Mr. Zhang, do you really think there wouldn't be any school staff in the elite alumni group?"

"At the time, they sent me a message in that group, and everyone knew I had added you and later joined the Liyuan Farm."

"Moreover, those alumni are all top-notch people, not fools. They all knew you were the owner of the Liyuan Farm."

"But they are different from ordinary alumni; they all know their limits and wouldn't bring it up."

"I think the school wanted to send this invitation to you personally but was afraid of being too forward and getting rejected, so they asked me to relay it."

"Of course, the main reason is that I was part of the student council in the past, involved in publicity, and had a good relationship with some teachers."

Zhang Lin understood. To be honest, he had no ill feelings toward his alma mater.

After all, he had spent four years living and studying there.

Although some of his classmates were nauseating, he had learned a lot at the university and broadened his horizons.

These were things he needed to remember.

In the past, the school would never have thought of inviting him, as he didn't have the qualifications.

But now, things were different. The Liyuan Farm had given him that qualification.

The school might even feel proud of the Liyuan Farm's existence.

However, he had no experience with such events and, to be honest, didn't particularly enjoy attending them.

"Can I choose not to go?" Zhang Lin asked.

Lin Muxue replied, "Of course, you can. But this is the 70th anniversary celebration of the university. If you don't have any major commitments, it would be nice to attend."

"Chen Xin and I will also be going. It can be a relaxing trip, Mr. Zhang. You can't always stay cooped up on the farm, right?"

Zhang Lin thought about it and agreed. It could indeed be a trip to revisit old places.

It would also be a good way to relax.

Besides, having Senior Lin and others along would make the journey more enjoyable. If he were to go alone, he probably wouldn't go at all.

Lin Muxue replied, "Alright, I'll go fetch the package and bring the invitation to you. That way, we can set off tomorrow."

Liu Xian was already leading Chu Linyuan toward the center of the Bougainvillea garden.

The more Chu Linyuan and the people from Xia City looked at the Bougainvillea, the more astonished they became.

Finally, Chu Linyuan couldn't hold back and said, "Liu Xian, Mr. Zhang, let's discuss the collaboration details. The bid for the Bougainvillea landscape project is yours, no doubt about it."

"Mr. Zhang, may we use your farm's meeting room?" Liu Xian immediately asked.

Zhang Lin smiled and said, "It's already prepared. We can go straight there."

The group headed to the farm's office center and entered the meeting room.

After everyone was seated, the discussions began.

The main topics were the renovation timeline, the cost, and the relevant restrictions.

For example, if they took on the cityscape renovation project for Xia City, they couldn't undertake similar projects in other cities for a year.

Of course, Xia City would have to provide compensation, which was 300 million yuan.

This meant that if they wanted to sell more Bougainvillea, they could only sell them to other farm and landscape companies for creating flower fields or as small potted plants to tourists visiting Xia City.

On this point, the cooperative haggled for a while before reluctantly agreeing.

In reality, the cooperative didn't have much room to negotiate.

Firstly, the 300 million yuan would almost cover their 500 million yuan investment.

Secondly, their initial production would be very limited. After completing the project for Xia City, they likely wouldn't have enough surplus to satisfy other cities, at most just their own city, You City.

So, this agreement would have no impact on the farm.

The haggling was mainly to get more compensation from the other side.

Additionally, they discussed the renovation costs, transportation, and the price per Bougainvillea plant.

The cooperative quoted three times the price of ordinary Bougainvillea.

At the beginning, this price was acceptable.

As the project expanded, they would gradually lower the price.

The collaboration discussions continued until late in the afternoon, and the agreement was finalized.

If everything went smoothly, the pure profit from this collaboration would be around 1 billion yuan.

Don't think this profit figure is high. For the cityscape renovation project in Xia City, it was a massive undertaking.

In other words, after transforming Xia City, the costs would be fully recovered, and there would be a substantial profit.

After that, the cooperative’s development would be purely profitable, and naturally, they would need to expand their customer base.

The signing of the contract marked the official start of the collaboration.

In the coming days, the cooperative would focus on transplanting and cultivating the young bougainvillea plants.

That night, the cooperative hosted Chu Linyuan and his team at the farm’s restaurant.

The delicious food provided a unique experience for the guests, who genuinely enjoyed the meal.

"Mr. Zhang, it’s hard to believe that someone your age could create such a well-known farm online," Chu Linyuan said, his eyes wide with admiration and respect.

"Minister Chu, you flatter me. It’s all down to good luck," Zhang Lin smiled and replied.

Chu Linyuan shook his head. "Heh, with the quality of Liyuan Farm, I don’t believe it’s just luck. But it’s rare to find someone so humble at such a young age. Mr. Zhang, have you considered expanding to Xia City? We can offer the best talent and business incentives."

This statement immediately put Liu Xian on edge.

He had come to discuss a partnership, not to poach people.

And Xia City had a real chance of luring Zhang Lin away, given its status as an international metropolis.

Zhang Lin was taken aback by the directness, but he realized that Chu Linyuan’s position was higher than Liu Xian’s, so he was less restrained.

However, he politely declined. "Minister Chu, Liyuan Farm’s success is largely due to You City’s support. I’m well aware of my own capabilities, and I appreciate your kind offer."

This was a clear refusal.

Chu Linyuan laughed, not taking it to heart. He had only asked casually and didn’t really expect a positive response.

He turned to Liu Xian and remarked, "Your You City is indeed very lucky."

"Yes, yes!" Liu Xian nodded quickly, relieved that Zhang Lin had declined.

Chu Linyuan had dined at the best restaurants in Xia City, but none had been as delicious as this.

Thus, the hospitality left them thoroughly satisfied.

After the meal, they set off from You City and returned to Xia City that night.

The two cities were not far apart, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive, allowing them to return in time for work the next day.

After the meal, Zhang Lin returned to the office center, where Lin Muxue was waiting for him.

Seeing him, she handed him an invitation and said, "Give me your ID, and I’ll book your flight ticket."

Zhang Lin nodded, took the invitation, and handed his ID to Lin Muxue.

The next day, Lin Muxue, Chen Xin, and Lin Muxue’s sister, Lin Waner, were already waiting for him.

Lin Waner was not a student at Xinhua University, but Chen Xin, a renowned alumnus in the legal profession, had been invited. Lin Waner was just along for the ride.

Of course, the real reason they were willing to go was that Chen Xin had joined Liyuan Farm, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been invited as a partner in a prestigious law firm.

Lin Waner was smiling and clinging to Chen Xin’s arm, making quite a handsome couple.

"Let’s go," Lin Muxue said, seeing him arrive.

The group climbed into Zhang Lin’s Mercedes S-Class, which comfortably fit all four of them for the trip to Ming City’s airport.

After a long wait at the airport, they boarded the flight to Xinhua City.

They had chosen good seats, which made the several-hour flight from Ming City to Xinhua City much more comfortable.

Chen Xin naturally sat with his girlfriend, Lin Waner, while Zhang Lin and Lin Muxue sat together.

As the plane took off, Zhang Lin pulled out a downloaded novel to read, but soon felt drowsy.

He always became incredibly sleepy during long flights and soon drifted off to sleep.

For him, flying was a pleasant experience; he would sleep through the entire journey. If something like a crash were to happen, he would likely go in his sleep, the easiest and most peaceful way to go.

However, the plane inevitably encountered turbulence, and his head tilted, resting on Lin Muxue’s shoulder.

Lin Muxue’s shoulder was not broad, and his head slid down, seemingly resting on a sensitive area.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she instinctively wanted to wake him, but seeing how deeply he was sleeping, she sighed and let him be.

After all, it wasn’t like she would lose a piece of herself.

So, the flight was somewhat torturous for her, especially with the warm breath he exhaled, which made her body react in strange ways.

When the plane landed, Zhang Lin woke up, realizing he was resting on something very soft. He was startled.

Something was off.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end