Chapter 146: Frankly, Making Time for You

As the two men spoke and looked up, they spotted Gu Xu and Bian Changxi. The tall, burly man paused, then broke into a delighted grin. “Captain Gu, Miss Bian! What a coincidence to run into you here. What brings you two here?”

This muscular man was none other than Brother Leopard. Bian Changxi hadn’t seen him in quite a while and was a bit surprised by his tone—it sounded like he was pretty familiar with Gu Xu.

Sure enough, Gu Xu, who rarely showed much emotion to outsiders, actually smiled a little. “Director Li, working?” He turned to explain to Bian Changxi, “Last time I was able to get to Jiandai Tunnel in time, it was all thanks to Director Li’s tip-off.”

Bian Changxi was genuinely surprised.

“Captain Gu, please don’t call me ‘Director’—I only got to where I am today thanks to your support. Just call me Xiao Li or Brother Leopard, anything but ‘Director’. That day I went to Jiandai Tunnel on business, and just happened to hear about Miss Bian. If I’d known it really was her, I would’ve risked everything to save her first.” Li Bao—nicknamed Cheetah, or Brother Leopard—humbly waved it off, though inwardly he was cursing his luck.

Why did I have to run into Gu Xu at this exact moment?

The guy next to him, Daishan, was a third-tier ice-type ability user from the mountain area. If nothing went wrong, this guy was definitely going places. Yesterday, their leader had gone to the administration hall again, trying to get everyone from the mountain village moved into the base. Li Bao had overheard this and started scheming.

A third-tier ability user, and a powerful ice type at that—the base would definitely want to recruit him. And with six or seven thousand villagers always hanging around outside the base, it was becoming a problem. The higher-ups had already achieved their goal of teaching them a lesson, so now they’d probably take this opportunity to let them in. Why not do them a favor while he was at it?

So he took the initiative, volunteered for the job, and came to talk to them, analyzing the situation and even assigning them a steel procurement mission that no one else wanted, but would benefit the base. If they managed to bring back even a couple of steel plates, the base would have a reason to let them in.

He’d gain a solid personal favor and a decent official achievement—a win-win.

But running into Gu Xu complicated things. These mountain folks were always eager to connect with someone powerful. If they got in touch with Gu Xu, what would happen to his own plans? With a few words from Gu Xu, these people could be living in high-rise apartments in no time, while he’d be stuck processing paperwork for a week.

That’s why he was cursing his luck.

But then again, Gu Xu was a straight shooter. Last time, after Li Bao tipped him off about Bian Changxi, Gu Xu had come to thank him that very night, and the next day had pulled some strings for him. By the third day, Li Bao had landed the deputy director position at the External Management Committee, transforming overnight into a real power player. It was like a pie falling from the sky.

He was genuinely grateful for Gu Xu’s reciprocation, and deeply impressed by his efficiency and influence. After all, personnel changes in the base’s management system weren’t something outsiders could easily meddle in. For Gu Xu to secure such a position for him while simultaneously going toe-to-toe with the base’s bigwigs spoke volumes.

Thinking this, Li Bao decided not to play any games with Gu Xu. Smiling, he introduced, “We’re just discussing things with the External Management Committee about relocating the Daicun villagers into the base. I’m mainly in charge of this project right now, so I came to go over some key points. This here is Daishan, a third-tier ice-type ability user. Daishan, this is the famous Captain Gu Xu.”

He didn’t mention that Gu Xu was the top leader in Jiangcheng, though everyone knew it. Since Gu Xu had come into power midstream and hadn’t been officially recognized by the base yet, it was better left unsaid.

Daishan and his companions’ eyes lit up instantly, looking at Gu Xu with near-reverence. Daishan stammered, “Captain Gu! Hello, hello. Everyone’s always talking about you—I really admire you.”

Gu Xu smiled and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.” Daishan quickly wiped his hands on his clothes and shook hands with both hands. “Looks like you’re heading out somewhere?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re off to get that steel…”

Daishan wasn’t much of a talker, so Li Bao picked up the thread. “As you know, Captain Gu, if they can make a contribution to the base, they’ll get better treatment once they’re inside. So they picked a mission to go to the Hongri Wholesale Market on the west side to bring back some steel.”

Gu Xu nodded, glancing at the group. There were seven or eight of them, but aside from Daishan, the rest were only first-tier ability users—not very strong. He asked, “Do you have a vehicle? The market’s a ways from here. Walking would be a waste of time. Since we’ve run into each other, I can have someone bring you two cars.”

“No need, no need, we can walk,” they replied.

Suddenly, Bian Changxi said, “No need to have someone bring cars—we’ve got some right here, don’t we?”

With a wave of her hand, two trucks appeared out of thin air in the open space, leaving Daishan and the others wide-eyed with amazement. Even Li Bao’s eyebrows twitched.

Bian Changxi winked at Gu Xu. These trucks were the ones that had blocked the entrance to the Bian family’s house—Qiu Yun had gotten them, and Bian Changxi had put them away and forgotten to return them. Technically, they still belonged to Gu Xu.

Gu Xu said, “That’s perfect. Don’t refuse—safety comes first. You’re carrying the hopes of all your fellow villagers.”

Looking back, they saw a crowd of people from Daicun Mountain watching anxiously. One of Daishan’s more quick-witted companions said, “Well, then, we’ll shamelessly borrow the trucks for now.”

With vehicles sorted and the sun already high, what were they waiting for? Everyone excitedly climbed aboard. Gu Xu and Bian Changxi exchanged a glance, then headed to the roadside. Bian Changxi summoned a nearly-new Toyota SUV she’d gotten in Longyue Town. Gu Xu drove, while Bian Changxi lounged in the passenger seat, and they led the way.

Their first stop was, of course, West Avenue. With Gu Xu’s status, they didn’t even have to pay the toll. Bian Changxi, sipping her milk, complained, “If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have bothered taking this mission. The whole point was to save on tolls and commissions, but with you here, it’s all free. Your face is better than any pass.”

Gu Xu chuckled. “Then why didn’t you ask me to come with you?”

“You’re always so busy.”

“No matter how busy I am, I’ll always make time for you.” Gu Xu’s sudden words made the car fall silent. Bian Changxi froze, sneaking a glance at his serious, handsome profile, almost thinking she’d imagined it.

Why did it feel like… he’d come just for her today?

No, no, that’s way too narcissistic.

Thanks to Guomao CBE for the safety charm!

Thanks to hull1977 for the pink ticket!

So tired, can’t keep going—this chapter is only 2,000 words, but with this, the three-day, three-chapter-a-day challenge is complete (please ignore the 2k here). Tomorrow, I’ll go back to two chapters a day. Of course, I haven’t forgotten my promise to add a chapter to celebrate Rain Palace becoming the book’s first helm master—that’ll be fulfilled soon, just not tomorrow. Let me relax a bit tomorrow. Good night, everyone~~"