Zhou Yun let out a sigh of resignation and said, "Forget it, let's wait for two more days until we're done with the busy work and then I'll talk to Ling Xiu about it, I'll try to persuade him."

"By the way, what is the real deal with you and those two girls? Which one is your girlfriend?"

"Sister-in-law, didn't I tell you? One is our accountant, the other is my agent; neither of them is my girlfriend." Ling Zhenfei explained helplessly, but his explanation seemed somewhat feeble.

"Don't lie to me, I've seen the way those two girls look at you. If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

By now, it was already noon, and the dining hall rang the bell for lunch. The sound came from the direction of the dining hall.

The workers all knew the time, and even those working far away would usually return to the village around this time to eat.

Ling Zhenfei had instructed the dining hall to ensure good meals at Xishan Manor since everyone did physical labor. How could they work well if they didn't eat well?

Because of the good, hearty meals, all the workers liked to eat in the dining hall. When it was time to eat, people gradually came out, making Xishan Manor quite lively.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Zhou Yun asked Ling Zhenfei.

Ling Zhenfei replied, "I'm not very hungry right now; I'll wait a little."

Ling Zhenfei waited at the manor, watching happily as the workers returned after eating.

At that moment, Sun Liqing and Zhang Duo finished their meals and left the dining hall. When they saw Ling Zhenfei, they hesitated for a moment, then walked toward him together.

"Boss, why are you sitting here?" Zhang Duo asked in surprise.

"I'm just resting here for a while," Ling Zhenfei answered honestly.

"Good timing, we have something we'd like to discuss with you," Sun Liqing said thoughtfully.

Ling Zhenfei was startled and hurriedly asked, "What is it? Just tell me."

Sun Liqing said, "Here's the thing—the new villagers who started working these past few days, about a dozen of them haven't met our standards. Should we let them go?"

"It's true that those who don't work well should be let go, but these dozen people are from our village, and their coming to Xishan Manor shows their trust in me. Let's do this: you prepare the list, and I will personally talk to them tomorrow.

"Is that necessary, boss? What's there to talk about with them? Those folks are lazy and shouldn't stay at our manor; they don't work and even affect others who do," Zhang Duo said unhappily.

"We should at least give them a chance, do as I said," Ling Zhenfei instructed.

Since they were fellow villagers seen regularly, Ling Zhenfei felt compelled to give them some face.

"Okay, boss, we'll get back to work," they agreed.

Zhang Duo and Sun Liqing left, and Ling Zhenfei went to the office. Chen Qian had just finished his meal and was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the planning map on the wall.

Ling Zhenfei spoke with Chen Qian about forming the group. The Forestry Bureau had already approved it, so Chen was advised to process it quickly to avoid complications.

Chen Qian pulled out several design blueprints for Ling Zhenfei to look at; all of them were about villa renovation styles.

After looking them over, Ling Zhenfei chose a comforting design blueprint that embodied the concept of "harmony between humans and nature," feeling very serene and calming.

After a while, Zhou Yun came to call Ling Zhenfei because people from Fengming Group were about to arrive.

Having agreed to join Zhou Yun for discussions, Ling Zhenfei hurriedly went out and joined her at the entrance.

"How do you plan to handle the discussions?" Zhou Yun asked Ling Zhenfei.

Ling Zhenfei smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, however you think the discussion should go, I'll just watch."

Zhou Yun shook her head and said, "I was planning to hand over Fengming Group to you today, so do whatever you want with it. You are the boss after all; a bit of a boss's aura wouldn't hurt."

Ling Zhenfei nodded, "All right, then leave it to me, but I can't guarantee that the deal will definitely be made."

Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Fengming Group doesn't come with good intentions; nobody can be sure that a deal can definitely be made."

Suddenly, several cars drove into the village, led by a white minivan, followed by several off-road vehicles.

The convoy rapidly approached the entrance of the manor, stopped, and then the car doors opened and several people got out.

These individuals looked like leaders and were probably prominent figures from Fengming Group.

Only after all these people had alighted did the door of the minivan slowly open, and someone was assisted from inside, then a woman stepped out.

Ling Zhenfei was stunned at the moment—he could tell from the expressions of the people that this woman was the chairman of Fengming Group.

He had never imagined that the chairman of Fengming Group would be such a beautiful woman, truly surprising indeed.

The woman was tall and slim, dressed in a white blouse and black suit, tailored very fittingly, which made her look very dignified, yet incredibly beautiful on her.

Very body-hugging, showing off her figure prominently, the entire look made her appear very imposing yet with a distinctly different charisma.

"Hello, I am Zhou Yun, the general manager of Xishan Manor." By this time, Zhou Yun had already stepped forward and reached out her hand.

The other person also extended her hand and shook with Zhou Yun, "Fengming Group's Chairman, Qin Lan."

With a smile on her face, Zhou Yun introduced Ling Zhenfei, "This is Chairman Ling Zhenfei of Xi Shan Group."

Upon hearing that Ling Zhenfei was the chairman, Qin Lan's face showed a slight surprise, because Ling Zhenfei appeared to be only around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, about her age.

Two chairpersons in their twenties, truly a sight to behold.

Ling Zhenfei smiled and extended his hand to Qin Lan, "I didn't expect the chairman of Fengming Group to be such a young and beautiful woman; quite astonishing indeed."

"Chairman Ling isn't bad either," Qin Lan said softly, her expression calm and unflustered.

Zhou Yun let the group inside, thankful that everyone had finished eating, otherwise, the entirety of Xishan Manor would have been a mess.

As they walked inside, Ling Zhenfei kept an eye on what people were saying behind him.

The people of Qin Lan's group were mainly discussing the environment of Xishan Manor, as it was under construction everywhere, situated amidst a construction site.

An additional topic of discussion was their hunger, as it appeared they had not yet eaten.

Hearing their comments, a faint smile emerged in Ling Zhenfei's heart.

Zhou Yun intended to lead Qin Lan and the others to the conference room, but Ling Zhenfei raised his hand and stopped everyone.

Everyone stood stunned, not sure what Ling Zhenfei intended to do.

Ling Zhenfei said with a smile, "Today we are here to discuss business, not in the conference room. I want to offer a different kind of negotiation experience; everyone, please follow me."

Zhou Yun didn't know what Ling Zhenfei had planned, but since she had already decided to let Ling Zhenfei handle this matter, she didn't interfere, instead curious to see what Ling Zhenfei had in mind.

Everyone was amazed upon arriving; Ling Zhenfei had brought them to the staff cafeteria of Xishan Manor.

At that moment, there were only a few people left in the staff cafeteria, including Bai Lin and Xue Bing, who were cleaning up.

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