Chapter 22: Chapter 22: I’ll Support You
Money in hand, peace of mind.
Of course, Jiang Miao didn’t just let the money sit there; he used it to expand production.
For instance, he bought a five-story self-built house in Salt Town Village to serve as a seed laboratory. He also purchased a good amount of high-quality experimental equipment to build a relatively high-spec lab.
This laboratory alone cost nearly 20 million.
In addition to that, he invested in Nanhu Farm, planning to put 3 million into its 146 acres of vegetable plots and paddy fields.
Then there were employee salaries, performance bonuses, and so on.
After all, if he didn’t spend the money, his net profit would be too high, and he would end up losing 35% to personal income tax. That would be counterproductive.
He planned to keep a net profit of only around 60 million.
Therefore, he had to spend about 40 million before the end of the year. So far, he had spent 20 million on the seed lab, 3 million on Nanhu Farm, and would probably pay out 5 million in year-end bonuses. Another 5 million could be spent on miscellaneous things, which still left a 7 million quota to be filled.
Inside his container home at Nanhu Farm, Jiang Miao pondered how to spend the remaining 7 million.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered someone, quickly grabbed his phone, and found a phone number that had been collecting dust for a long time.
RING... RING...
"Hello... Ah Miao? Is that you?"
"It’s me, Shuya. How have you been?"
"I’m okay." The voice on the other end of the line was a little hesitant.
"Are you still working on your PhD?"
"Yeah."
"Come help me. I need you."
"Don’t joke around..."
"I’m serious."
"..." The other side fell silent.
"Why?"
"Shuya! You should know about your advisor’s situation. He isn’t an ideal mentor. I know that over the past few years, your papers..."
"But to just give up like this... I can’t accept it..."
"A degree isn’t everything. I know you love researching fungi, but does getting that diploma automatically make you the world’s leading expert in the field?"
"But what else can I do!" Her voice rose, laced with helplessness and pain.
"I’ll support you."
"You..."
"I’m serious. Come to Hailufeng! There’s no obstacle in life that can’t be overcome. You shouldn’t be shackled by that diploma."
"I... I..." Clearly, the decision to give up her PhD was one of the hardest choices she had ever faced in her life.
"Don’t hesitate. This isn’t like you."
"Fine. I’ll buy a ticket and come over right now. If you’re tricking me, I’ll give you five little terrors to raise."
"Deal."
「Three days later.」
Shanmei High-speed Railway Station.
Jiang Miao stood with Ke Yong not far from the passenger exit.
"Boss, the train is here."
"I know." Jiang Miao took a sip of mineral water.
A short while later, a girl with short hair and a fresh, clean face appeared, pulling a suitcase as she slowly walked out of the exit.
Even with her tan, nothing could hide her beauty—not the manufactured, high-tech beauty popular today, but a classical and simple kind of charm.
A few drivers soliciting passengers were about to approach her.
Jiang Miao immediately stepped forward and took her suitcase. "Long time no see, Shuya."
"You’ve changed a bit from before." Lin Shuya sized him up. Although he had the same tan and facial features as in college, Jiang Miao’s whole aura had changed dramatically.
In college, he was green and naive, always speaking with a hint of hesitation.
Now, however, he was full of confidence, as if he had the world in his grasp.
She, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Confident in college, she was now questioning her life after starting her PhD.
The parking lot.
Lin Shuya looked at the pickup truck in front of them. "You still like pickup trucks as much as ever."
"I’m a consistent person."
"I wish I could be consistent too, but unfortunately, we don’t always get to decide our own lives."
Ke Yong drove while the two of them chatted in the back seat.
"Looks like you’ve done well for yourself these past few years. From now on, I’ll be relying on you to support me."
"If I could, I’d be willing to support you for a lifetime, Ya!"
As they spoke, she leaned her head on Jiang Miao’s shoulder, and tears began to fall uncontrollably. She sobbed as she recounted her experiences over the past few years.
Her advisor had taken several of her high-quality papers, essentially making her work for free, all while refusing to let her graduate.
At the same time, there was trouble at home. Her family was from Yangcheng Panyu and had six resettlement apartments they could rent out. Unfortunately, her parents had passed away from illness in ’22, and her two older brothers had become enemies fighting over the inheritance. They were still in court.
Thankfully, her parents had the foresight to transfer one of the apartments into her name while she was in college. Otherwise, she would have certainly been dragged into the lawsuit.
Seeing how her brothers were behaving, she wanted no part in their affairs. After renting out her apartment, she rarely returned to Yangcheng.
The loss of both parents, combined with the double pressure from her family and her studies, had left Lin Shuya feeling like she could barely breathe.
Jiang Miao’s invitation was like a ray of light, re-illuminating her bleak life.
After crying for over ten minutes, she seemed to have cried herself out and fell asleep on his shoulder.
Jiang Miao took the opportunity to check his appraisal panel.
’There are no major issues, just an endocrine disorder, likely caused by anxiety. It can be fixed with some proper care and rest.’
Ten minutes later.
The car slowly pulled up in front of a villa-style, self-built house in Nanhu Village. This was the one he had bought for himself. Next door were the small villas for his brother-in-law’s family and his parents.
"We’re here."
"Huh..." Lin Shuya woke up groggily. "Are we here?"
She opened the car door, took a breath of fresh air, and noticed a faint, salty smell. "Are we near the sea?"
"The beach is about two hundred meters behind the house." Jiang Miao took the suitcase from the trunk. "Let’s go!"
Lin Shuya followed him inside.
The previous owner of this three-story house had sold it to Jiang Miao after his business in Peng City failed. The four adjacent houses had also belonged to the same person and were bought up by Jiang Miao at the same time.
The house’s decor was decent, so he didn’t renovate, only replacing the furniture, appliances, and some decorations.
On the second floor, Jiang Miao placed Lin Shuya’s suitcase in the master bedroom.
She didn’t object. After all, during their college days, they had already done everything a couple would do. If Lin Shuya hadn’t decided to pursue a PhD against Jiang Miao’s wishes, they would have been married long ago.
"Get some rest. I’ll take you out to explore the city tonight."
"Okay." Lin Shuya took off her jeans and jacket, changed into a set of pajamas, and flopped straight onto the bed. She was clearly exhausted.
Jiang Miao didn’t leave. Instead, he sat on the rocking chair on the master bedroom’s balcony, playing with his phone and enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
The company’s affairs were managed by various departments, so there was no need for him to be at the office all day.
As the sun began to set, Lin Shuya, who had slept for four hours, stretched lazily and saw Jiang Miao playing on his phone on the balcony.
She slid open the door. "Aren’t you going to take me out?"
"Let’s go!" Jiang Miao put his phone away.
"I’m going to brush my teeth. Where’s the bathroom?"
"The master bedroom has its own bathroom. It’s over here..."
Lin Shuya took an electric toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel from her suitcase.
A dozen or so minutes later, she had changed into a new outfit: light pink jeans, a blue long-sleeved turtleneck sweater, and flat leather shoes. She applied a touch of light red lipstick; Shuya wasn’t in the habit of wearing heavy makeup.
Jiang Miao wheeled an electric scooter out of the garage.
Lin Shuya got on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Meanwhile, Ke Yong, not daring to be a third wheel, could only follow slowly in the pickup truck a few dozen meters behind them.
The little electric scooter ambled along the town road.
The early December evening wind was cool with a hint of dryness.
