Chapter 289 - 174: Not Simple

Chapter 289: Chapter 174: Not Simple

"They say a new broom sweeps clean, and I’m no exception. I’ll use this incident as an opportunity to launch an internal audit of the group and sort out some of the company’s internal issues."

"I was hoping we could have dinner tonight and a good chat, but it looks like I won’t have the time. How about we get together after I’m done with this?" Ye Feng asked, looking at Su Chen and the other two.

Su Chen shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s fine. I’m spending the next few days here on West Island with my parents anyway. We can just call each other then."

Hearing this, Ye Feng nodded and turned his gaze to Si Cong and Qin Fen, who were trailing behind. "What about you two?"

He knew a little about Si Cong, and besides, they were all on the same side, so there was no need for formalities. As for Qin Fen, it was purely out of respect for Su Chen. Yangcheng City wasn’t very far from Macau, and he’d heard a thing or two about his family.

’My impression of him is just average, I suppose.’

A flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Si Cong’s eyes when he heard Ye Feng’s question. He quickly said, "We don’t have anything going on either. We’ll come with Su then."

Qin Fen, standing to the side, also nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I’ll give you guys a call after I’ve handled things!"

After speaking, Ye Feng patted Su Chen’s arm and left with his people.

Watching Ye Feng’s departing figure, Su Chen turned to the other two. "So, what’s the plan? You wanna hang out on West Island or head back to Sanya Bay?"

Si Cong and Qin Fen exchanged a glance before replying, "Let’s go back to Sanya Bay."

Su Chen didn’t say anything to that. He knew there wasn’t much to do on West Island; it was more suited for the slow-paced life of middle-aged people, a place to experience fishing culture.

Young people rarely came to West Island to have fun. At most, they’d come to the beach, snap a few photos to post online, and then leave. Most of them preferred to go to Wuzhizhou Island, which was known as the "Maldives of Huaxia" and offered all sorts of exciting water sports.

"Alright." After some small talk, Si Cong and Qin Fen left as well.

Before they left, Su Chen asked Si Cong to arrange for his clothes to be sent over, and to pass a message to Jiang Hui, telling him to go have fun on his own for a few days.

He had just gotten back to the second floor when Chen Shufen called him over.

"Huh? It’s just you? Did everyone else leave?" Chen Shufen asked curiously.

"Yeah. Everything’s settled, so why would they stick around?" Su Chen replied, then looked at Du Furong who was standing nearby. "Auntie Furong, does the guesthouse have any rooms left? Could you get one for me?"

Both Chen Shufen and Du Furong were taken aback by his words. Chen Shufen, in particular, looked at him in surprise. "You’re not going to hang out with your friends?"

Su Chen smiled, walked over to sit beside Chen Shufen, and said cheerfully, "There’ll be plenty of time for that later. I’m planning to spend the next few days having fun with you and Dad!"

Du Furong, standing to the side, remarked with a hint of envy, "Sigh, your son is so considerate. Not like my kid, who only knows how to ask me for money."

Chen Shufen just smiled, not taking the bait, and changed the subject. "Furong, you should still have rooms, right?"

"Yes, we do. It’s the off-season in Sanya right now, so not many people are here. There’s one room left on the second floor, right across the hall from you. You two chat for a bit, I’ll go get the key card!" With that, Du Furong got up and hurried downstairs.

Du Furong was gone and back in a flash, returning in less than a minute with the key card.

She walked right up to Su Chen and handed him the key card.

Su Chen looked at the key card in his hand. ’I haven’t even checked in yet, have I? And she’s just giving me the key card?’

"Auntie Furong, I still haven’t..."

Before Su Chen could finish, Du Furong cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Just stay. With the friendship I have with your mother, you should just treat this place like your own home!"

Seeing Du Furong’s firm expression, Su Chen didn’t press the issue and simply slipped the key card into his pocket.

"Mom, Auntie Furong, I’ll leave you two to chat. I’m going to my room to rest for a bit."

Last night’s marathon had drained a lot of his energy, and with everything that had happened today, Su Chen just wanted to find a place to lie down and get some proper rest.

Seeing the weariness on her son’s face, Chen Shufen’s heart ached for him. She told him to hurry up and rest, and that she’d call him when it was time for dinner.

......

Evening fell, the sun hanging low in the sky.

"What a feast for dinner!" Su Chen smelled the fragrant aroma the moment he came downstairs.

He glanced at the large table in the courtyard, which was already laden with several aromatic seafood dishes!

As a tourist destination with a deep-rooted fishing culture, West Island boasted abundant fish resources. Every day around four or five in the afternoon, many fishermen returning from the sea would sell their fresh catches at the pier.

Du Furong had gone to the pier in the afternoon and bought plenty of good things, like swimming crabs and hairtail fish. She even bought two large lobsters that cost several hundred yuan each.

Just then, his father, Su Zhuyun, who had been nowhere to be seen all afternoon, emerged from the back kitchen carrying a plate of freshly made braised pig’s trotters.

"I was just about to go upstairs and get you, but you woke up on your own!" Su Zhuyun said, placing the braised pig’s trotters on the table. He rubbed his ear with his right hand a few times, clearly having burned himself.

"With the whole courtyard smelling of delicious food, how could I possibly keep sleeping? By the way, Dad, where were you this afternoon? I didn’t see you around," Su Chen said, pulling up a stool and sitting down.

At Su Chen’s question, a rare blush appeared on Su Zhuyun’s face. He said, a little embarrassed, "After you guys left this afternoon, your mom told me to follow, but I got lost. By the time I finally got there, you were all already back."

After saying this, Su Zhuyun seemed to remember something else and pulled a chair over to sit next to Su Chen.

"When I got there, I happened to see a few business elites with ’Ye Clan Audit’ badges on their chests, auditing the diving club’s employees. Was that your doing?"

Su Chen’s pupils contracted slightly at his words. Based on Su Zhuyun’s account, they had only missed each other by about ten minutes. If that was the case, then the Ye Clan’s audit team had moved in the moment they left.

’As expected, people from these prominent clans are no simpletons,’ Su Chen muttered to himself.

It had been less than half an hour from the time Si Cong called Ye Feng to when Ye Feng arrived at the diving club on West Island. In that short period, Ye Feng had already arranged everything.

From dealing with Ah Bu and auditing the Deep Blue Diving Club and its subsidiaries, to compensating Su Chen’s mother—connecting all these dots, Su Chen found the implications terrifying.

This was a classic case of thinking three steps ahead. The fact that the honest-looking Ye Feng possessed such strategic depth didn’t worry Su Chen; on the contrary, he was deeply impressed.

’Thinking about my own methods, they seem so pathetic in comparison to Ye Feng’s.’

"Dinner’s ready!" Chen Shufen’s shout broke Su Chen out of his thoughts. Seeing his mom bring out a plate of braised pork ribs, Su Chen immediately pushed all those thoughts to the back of his mind.

’Why dwell on all that when there’s delicious food to be eaten?’

"Mom, you cooked? Are you feeling okay now?" Su Chen had just noticed that Chen Shufen was wearing an apron, a clear sign that she had been cooking.

"Your mom’s health is rock-solid. A little rest this afternoon was all I needed. Besides, I just stir-fried a couple of dishes, that’s all. Don’t worry!" Chen Shufen was touched. After all, her son was showing concern for her, unlike *someone* sitting next to her, who had disappeared after washing a few vegetables.

Su Zhuyun felt a sudden chill run down his spine and looked up to meet Chen Shufen’s pointed gaze. He gave a sheepish laugh and immediately got up and headed for the back kitchen.

The only people eating were Su Chen’s family of three and Du Furong. During the meal, Su Chen learned that her family was in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, managing their family’s factory. Su Chen didn’t press for details.

"Shufen, after dinner, do you guys want to go beachcombing?" Du Furong asked out of the blue.

"Beachcombing?" Not just Chen Shufen, but Su Chen and Su Zhuyun also looked over with curiosity.

You have to understand, people from the southwestern region have a particular fascination with two things: snow and the ocean. Otherwise, Chen Shufen and her husband wouldn’t have chosen Sanya for their first big trip.

"Yep. The coastal resources here on West Island are pretty good. During the peak season, after the tide goes out around 8 p.m., us guesthouse owners will often organize trips for tourists to go beachcombing and experience the life of a fisherman."

"Let’s go! We can go right after dinner!" Su Chen immediately agreed. He had actually seen some beachcombing videos online from self-proclaimed fishermen and was drawn to the thrill of suddenly finding a big catch.

Su Zhuyun and Chen Shufen also nodded in agreement. They too wanted to experience the fun of beachcombing.

It was still early after dinner, so Du Furong found four complete beachcombing outfits.

Rubber boots, a bucket, a pair of tongs, and a headlamp!

Around seven-thirty, the group of four finally set out. The tide was just starting to recede, so they would arrive at the spot at the perfect time.

Along the way, Su Chen noticed many other people dressed just like them, all heading toward the reef flats.