Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 23 He’s Really Good at Guessing

Chapter 23: Chapter 23 He’s Really Good at Guessing

I didn’t know Cheng Qiaobei had a magic mouth. Ever since we parted that day, he kept popping up in my head.

Especially with the knee brace he sent me wrapped around my knee—it didn’t feel like tape, it felt like Cheng Qiaobei’s hand.

You’d think he’s bad; he gives you medicine. You’d think he’s good; he toys with He Yunyi and makes him run around. I really don’t get what’s up with him.

To avoid letting him mess with my emotions too much, I volunteered for a field research trip with the technical department.

I had once proposed a wind energy plan, and it just so happens the villages we’re visiting are by the coast and mountains, with plenty of wind power all year round. If we could set up wind power here, we’d be making money from that free wind.

Old technician Chang Jiangang, who’s been working maintenance on transmission lines for almost thirty years, is bringing his apprentice Xue Yang this time. Xue just graduated from the power school and was assigned to the Danjiang Power Supply Company. The young man is hardworking, doesn’t shy from tough work, and catches on quickly when it comes to technical stuff.

Xue Yang drove while Chang Jiangang turned to me from the front passenger seat and said,

"Mr. Chen,"

I said, "Mr. Chang, please don’t call me Mr. Chen. Just call me Little Chen."

Xue Yang looked at the people in the back of the car through the rearview mirror, and Chang Jiangang explained to the apprentice, "When Mr. Chen first came to the institute, he was a cashier in a rural town where I happened to be responsible for the circuit maintenance, and that’s how we met."

I said, "Mr. Chang, I still remember you would bring me fruit from the mountains after you finished with the line repairs."

There were many fruit trees on the mountain, all wild, and no one really took care of them. After fixing the lines, he’d sit on the ground and pick some wild fruits to eat. I had just been assigned to the substation in town. I was a sweet and kind-hearted girl, got along well with everyone, and naturally, people at the institute looked out for me.

Chang Jiangang said, "Back then, you were probably about, what, twenty-four?"

I said, "Twenty-two."

Xue Yang said, "Same as me. I’m twenty-two this year."

I looked at Xue Yang, "Time flies, doesn’t it? In the blink of an eye, I’ve been working for almost three years, nearing four."

Chang Jiangang mused, then said wistfully, "In three more years, I’ll be retired."

Xue Yang said, "Master, don’t retire too soon. There’s still so much I haven’t learned yet."

Chang Jiangang laughed, "You’re so clever; do you even need me to teach you? You’re a college student. What am I? Just an electrician."

"Don’t say that, Master. To really understand technology and solve practical problems, you need someone like you. What I’ve learned is all book knowledge. Sometimes when a problem comes up, it just doesn’t work out."

Xue Yang sighed, "If I could have just half of your skills, I’d be walking sideways in the office."

Chang Jiangang burst out laughing, "You’re flattering me so loudly; aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?"

"Who’d laugh at me, right, Mr. Chen? We’re all in the same boat here." Xue Yang tilted his head toward me.

I liked this atmosphere, it was relaxed and took the edge off my irritable mood.

"Exactly, we’re all power people!"

Just as we were chatting happily, a message from Cheng Qiaobei came through on WeChat, and the smile froze on my face, then quickly faded.

north: How’s your knee?

I replied: Much better.

north: The recovery was pretty fast.

I said: That’s what happens with young people.

north: Your high school classmate didn’t invite me to play ball?

I frowned. He Yunyi invited him to play ball?

I replied: Why would he ask you to play ball and not me?

north: He’s good at basketball. I told him if he ever wanted to play again, he could ask you to arrange it since you have my WeChat.

I typed: If you want to play with him, add his WeChat.

north: He said he left his phone at home and didn’t add me.

The other day, on the court, He Yunyi even sent me photos, telling me which badminton court he was at. Looks like he didn’t want to add Cheng Qiaobei, so he said he didn’t have his phone.

Before I could reply, another message from Cheng Qiaobei came through.

north: I guess he was embarrassed to add me after losing.

I smirked. He was spot on with that guess.

I said: I really don’t know.

north: Do you still have the knee tape? I used some of it, so when I gave it to you, there wasn’t much left.

I had just used the last strip today, and had planned to buy a roll when passing a pharmacy, but forgot.

I replied: Sure. I’m a bit busy now, let’s talk later.

north: Okay.

Looking down at my phone in the car made me a little carsick, so I put it away in my bag.

After driving for over an hour, we arrived at Donggou Town. The substation here wasn’t very big. The office building was about a hundred and sixty or seventy square meters over two floors. There was a payment window on the first floor for older folks who couldn’t use their phones to pay for electricity, and an office used as a meeting room. The second floor was dorms and a shower room, mainly for the male technicians who climbed poles, so there wasn’t any preparation for female staff dorms. Chang Jiangang cleared out a room for me, and he and Xue Yang shared another.

Once I was settled in, they drove off to patrol the lines, while I planned to go to the top of the mountain to take some photos for reference.

It wasn’t far from where I was staying to Qingnv Mountain. Along the way, a local driving a mule cart recognized me. Last Chinese New Year, I’d delivered rice and oil to his home on behalf of the power company. Knowing I was headed to Qingnv Mountain, he insisted on giving me a ride.

I couldn’t refuse his kind offer and plopped myself down in the cart. It jostled with each bump, making the ride unexpectedly fun.

I chatted with the local about the weather here, and he humorously and aptly said,

"Donggou only has wind twice a year, once for six months."

I was amused, "So, the wind blows all year."

He said, "Pretty much. There have been more typhoons these past two years. The last one this way tore off the roofs of quite a few corn cribs, and many greenhouses collapsed. It cost quite a bit of money."

Wind power is great, but wind damage isn’t.

I planned to request a professional wind energy team from higher up for on-site measurements. If the conditions were right for installation, Donggou’s wind power could enormously boost the power generation capacity in Northeast China.

The cart stopped at the foot of the mountain, and the local needed to take a different path, so after saying goodbye, I walked into Qingnv Mountain Park.

It wasn’t originally a tourist spot; a few years ago, the town decided to develop Qingnv Mountain as a place suitable for recreation and exercise, funded by the higher-ups. They laid stone steps and handrails, and even maintained the Qingnv Statue at the top.

Reaching the top took me less than half an hour, where the wind was significantly stronger.

I took a look around. Qingnv Mountain was essentially the highest point in Donggou, with the sea in one direction and mountains on the other three sides, the terrain gentle and views wide open. I took out my phone and snapped photos in every direction. Based on my observations, this spot seemed pretty suitable for installing wind turbines.

I was in the middle of taking photos when Cheng Qiaobei’s call came through.

I answered and placed the phone to my ear, "Hello?"

The wind whooshed through the receiver, and Cheng Qiaobei asked in confusion, "Where are you?"

I said, "I’m on a business trip."