Seeing Xin Ying speaking sweet nothings in a serious tone, Lin Leyao's face flushed red. She cupped her burning face in her hands and smiled shyly, "Then you can do it."
Seeing how adorable this person was, Xin Ying finally couldn't help but smile happily.
The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up the video call to rest.
Xin Ying kissed the screen and reminded her, "Remember to get plenty of rest and don't stay up late."
Lin Leyao obediently replied, "Okay."
With a "beep", the video call ended.
At this moment in S City, in the president's office of Huanning Group, Xin Ying sat in the quiet office, lost in thought. The documents on her desk had long been dealt with, but she stayed at the company until night fell and she was unwilling to go home because Lin Leyao was not there. She did not want to go back to face an empty room.
She had been sitting in the office for a long time when suddenly her computer screen beeped.
Xin Ying opened WeChat and saw a set of photos sent by the other party.
The photo was taken recently. As night fell, a large expanse of lush green lawn, after a week of work by a group of people, already resembled 80% of the renderings shown in the plan.
Tiny yet resilient blades of grass, a beautiful and magnificent sea of flowers, a gentle and ethereal breeze, and twinkling and dazzling stars—all things are witnessing the birth of a vow of love.
Thousands of kilometers away, Lin Leyao was already fast asleep. Little did she know that a surprise, seemingly far away yet actually very close, was about to unfold in this world.
Xin Ying told her in the video that she would come over in the last two days of the charity project, but the day after the video call ended, Xin Ying boarded a plane to Yunnan.
After arriving in Yunnan, she went straight to the resort hotel that had been arranged in advance and didn't leave the hotel for the entire day.
Xin Ying didn't tell Lin Leyao about any of her actions, so Lin Leyao, who lived in a small town in Yunnan Province, was unaware that her beloved was happily busy not far away from her.
Tonight, Lin Leyao and Xin Ying, having noticed nothing amiss, continued their video call as usual.
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Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-05-18 22:00:42 and 2022-05-20 20:29:43!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 55157345 (1 landmine);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 108
Xin Ying came to Yunnan alone. Apart from Kong Anqing and a few secretaries, no one else in the company knew that she had come to Yunnan, and even the Xin family did not know her whereabouts.
On the day she arrived in Yunnan, Xin Ying stayed in the resort and did not go out. In her resort room, the planner and her team were communicating with her face to face.
They chatted until evening, when it got dark, before a photo she received on her phone disturbed her thoughts.
Xin Hailan, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared in S City on the same day she left.
Xin Ying was furious because Xin Hailan disappeared from the airport, and she and Xin Boliang made a harsh statement that they would not care about Xin Hailan.
During this time, Xin Ying did indeed not pay attention to Xin Hailan's disappearance, just as she had said before. She did not care where Xin Hailan went, who helped her leave, or whether she had contacted her family.
This time, the eldest brother and father also acted out of character. After learning that Xin Hailan was living well and was not in danger, they, like Xin Ying, turned a blind eye to the matter and let Xin Hailan stay outside for more than a month without bringing her back.
Xin Ying knew that this was her elder brother and father expressing their stance to her.
Xin Hailan deliberately chose the day Xin Ying took her to the airport to make a scene. This was a slap in the face to Xin Ying. Although they, as elders, felt sorry for Xin Hailan because she hadn't been home for more than ten years and had given her a lot of love, the sins her father had committed in the past meant that Xin Hailan could never have any feelings for Xin Ying in this lifetime.
They will immediately abandon Xin Hailan once she does something outrageous.
However, there were always people in the family who secretly contacted Xin Hailan. After Xin Hailan had been gone for a month, one of these people finally couldn't resist and brought her back.
Dai Jiaozhi, who doesn't usually like to go out, took Xin Hailan to several stores that were always full of expensive but unavailable items and bought a lot of things on the day Xin Hailan returned.
Xin Hailan was secretly brought back by Dai Jiaozhi without the old man's knowledge, so even if the child returned to S City, she could not live in the Xin residence. The old lady arranged a house outside for Xin Hailan to live in during this period. Perhaps feeling indebted to Xin Hailan, Dai Jiaozhi bought many things for her little granddaughter.
The photo Xin Ying received was of Dai Jiaozhi taking Xin Hailan shopping in a store.
The photo was sent by my fourth brother.
Besides her, the only person in the family who was indifferent to Xin Hailan was her fourth brother. Xin Ying often felt strange. Although her fourth brother was their biological brother, mother and son, uncle and nephew, he was just like her and her sixth brother, the two victims, and was unwilling to accept Xin Hailan.
There are also several other photos of Xin Hailan alone. After Dai Jiaozhi returned to the Xin residence, Xin Hailan didn't stay quietly at home, but instead went out with friends. And this friend was none other than—
Looking at the half-profile photo, Xin Ying recognized the person chatting with Xin Hailan in the coffee shop as Lin Zhipei, who would soon be studying abroad.
Xin Si Nan sent these photos without any text. Xin Ying looked at the photos repeatedly before clicking on the screen and sending a few words.
"knew."
Xin Ying stayed in the capital of Yunnan Province for three days. During those three days, she stayed at the resort and watched the original plan gradually come to fruition.
Lin Leyao called again that evening via video.
Lin Leyao recounted in detail what happened while she was volunteering that day, and Xin Ying watched with a smile as Lin Leyao kept talking about her daily life.
Lin Leyao noticed that Xin Ying was outside. It was already dark outside. A light shone on Xin Ying from a short distance to her side, as if coating her with a halo, making her shine brightly in the quiet and dark night, attracting attention.
The two hadn't seen each other for ten days. Lin Leyao stared intently at Xin Ying's clear and bright face under the light on the screen for a while before she came back to her senses and said, "Are you still out so late? Go home and rest."
Xin Ying turned her head to look at the objects that had been set up on the lawn to her left. All the lights on them were turned on, and the designer and her team members were adjusting them one by one.
White light shone through the star-like crystal, reflecting in exquisite ways and casting a breathtaking glow across half the sky. Flowers swayed in the breeze and wispy silk gauze danced in the crystal galaxy—it was all so incredible yet ambiguously real.
Xin Ying slowly withdrew her gaze, looked at Lin Leyao who was completely unaware of anything in the camera, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go home in a bit."
Lin Leyao had already finished washing up by six o'clock the next morning. Today she didn't need to do volunteer work anymore, but instead went to the nearby mountains to take photos.
Two days ago, relevant local government departments made a special trip to Lin Leyao's home. They hoped that Lin Leyao could shoot a promotional video for the local area free of charge to help promote local agricultural products and help farmers increase their income and become wealthy.
Upon hearing this request, Lin Leyao readily agreed.
The medical aid project visited a small town where local farmers mainly rely on fruit cultivation for income. The main fruit grown here is nectarine, and dozens of miles away, the mountains are covered with peach trees.
A few years ago, there were more than 200 households on the mountain, but in recent years, the villagers have gradually moved to the town at the foot of the mountain.
Although the residents of the mountain have moved down to settle down, every year during the peach harvest season, many people stay on the mountain to guard the orchards, in order to prevent the peaches that have been painstakingly grown from being maliciously destroyed by bad people or wild animals, so that the year's hard work will not yield the deserved harvest.
Xiao Yan took on the role of assistant and accompanied Lin Leyao up the mountain.
These past few days, I've seen Iris and Xin Wenwen, who were previously having conflicts, gradually become closer and more intimate. I don't know why they're avoiding each other again today.
Upon hearing that Lin Leyao was quitting her volunteer job to go to the mountains to film a promotional video, Iris decided to go with Lin Leyao. Xin Wenwen, however, did not go with them and stayed at the hotel alone.
The three of them went up the mountain with staff from the local municipal television station.
We started by shooting in the orchards at low latitudes, and then went to the mountaintop to shoot an aerial view of the orchards.
The video promoting agricultural products was very simple. Lin Leyao finished filming the part at the foot of the mountain in two hours, and then the group was about to go up the mountain.
Taking photos in the mountains is easy, but hiking up the mountain is much more difficult.
The mountain roads are all paved with stone slabs, so cars can't pass through; you can only go up on foot to take pictures.
Today's weather is much hotter than usual. The air feels like it's mixed with sticky glue, covering people's skin and making it hard to breathe.
The TV cameraman, carrying his equipment and panting, said, "It's so hot today, is it going to rain?"
The staff member walking in front said, "No, the weather forecast didn't show any rain today."
"Weather forecasts aren't actually that accurate."
"Then check the weather now. If it's going to rain, we shouldn't go up the mountain."
Upon hearing this, the cameraman put down his camera, took out his phone to check, and sure enough, the weather forecast showed a sun icon, indicating that today's weather was predicted to be sunny.
Looking at the weather display on his phone, the cameraman had no choice but to accept his fate. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he carried the equipment and continued panting up the mountain.
We started walking from the foot of the mountain at 11:30, and by the time we reached the top, it was already 2:00 PM.
Since everyone hadn't eaten yet, the staff took out the biscuits and self-heating rice they had prepared beforehand and offered them lunch.
Everyone quickly finished lunch, and the originally very hot weather eased up a lot. A gentle breeze blew up from the mountain, bringing a touch of coolness to everyone's faces.
The temperature was perfect for filming, and the staff quickly set up the equipment.
After Lin Leyao finished touching up her makeup, she took her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Xiao Yan. The phone screen lit up briefly, and the weather icon on the screen saver was a string of raindrops.
A white drone hummed as it flew through the sky, and below it, in a lush peach orchard, Lin Leyao strolled leisurely along the path.
The branches were laden with fruit, like pinkish-green gems, swaying gently in the breeze as they passed by.
The temperature dropped significantly, and a gentle breeze blew from time to time. The shooting time on the mountain was very comfortable, and everyone's shooting time on the mountain was much longer than originally planned. It wasn't until everyone noticed that the originally bright sky suddenly darkened by one degree that they finally realized something was wrong.
On the other side of the sky, layers of dark clouds hung very low, as if they were hanging right above people's heads.
Standing atop the mountain, the massive black cloud appeared to be threatening a city, moving towards them with immense pressure.
The staff quickly landed the drone that was flying in the sky, and everyone took shelter in the fruit farmer's house.
The rain comes very quickly at this time of year; as soon as everyone steps inside, the rain starts to fall outside.
The rain was heavy and torrential, and going down the mountain in the rain was extremely dangerous, so everyone simply stayed in the fruit farmer's house and waited for the rain to stop.
The fruit farmers who stayed on the mountain to look after the orchard were an elderly couple. When they saw Lin Leyao and her group come in to take shelter from the rain, the hospitable old lady quickly made hot tea to welcome the guests.
As soon as the rain started, the previously sweltering air vanished instantly, and the temperature dropped several degrees. Because it was too hot down the mountain, several TV station staff members had thrown their jackets down there. Now that the temperature had dropped, they were shivering in the main room.
Judging from the current situation, it will be a long time before the rain stops. Everyone is exhausted and sweaty after a long day. Seeing how disheveled everyone is, the old lady suggested that everyone take a hot bath at home.
The men did not refuse and went to another room to take a shower.
Lin Leyao remained seated inside the main room, while she sat on a small stool by the door watching the rain outside.
Iris, on the other hand, was lively. She stood outside the house and got soaked in the rain, not caring at all. She looked around at the rural building with its distinctive local characteristics.
An hour later, the rain gradually subsided, and the torrential downpour turned into a drizzle.
The air outside was very fresh. Lin Leyao, who had been sitting at the door watching the rain for an hour, couldn't help but get up and go outside.
It was still drizzling outside, but walking in it didn't soak your clothes. The water droplets felt cool and comfortable on your exposed skin.
Standing beside her, Iris couldn't help but ask, "Can we go down the mountain now?"
The old lady standing at the door shook her head repeatedly upon hearing her words: "It can't rain, it can't rain, there's still rain."
A staff member from the TV station said, "Teacher Lin, the rain probably hasn't stopped yet, so we can't go down immediately. Besides, it's already dark outside, and it's quite dangerous to go down the mountain in the dark. Why don't we stay at the local villager's house for the night?"
Lin Leyao knew that it was not suitable to walk on mountain paths when it was raining, so she nodded and said okay.
Although electricity has been provided on the mountain, the old man's farmhouse doesn't have many sockets. There are too many people staying here today, and they need to charge not only their phones but also their filming equipment. The old man has searched all the power strips in the house, but he still can't charge everyone at the same time.