Crossing the Ferry

Lin Mo felt a sense of comfort as he looked at the familiar street scenes.

A comfort zone is called a comfort zone for a reason—because it's comfortable.

Many people tout the idea of stepping out of your comfort zone, but those who say it often overlook one fact: sometimes, once you leave, you might not make it back.

Lin Mo wasn't worried about that problem, though.

He could turn the entire globe into his own comfort zone.

The shadows of trees outside the car window flashed by frame by frame. Lin Mo withdrew his gaze, turned his head to glance at Chu Lintian who was driving, and casually asked, "Any trouble lately?"

"No."

Chu Lintian changed lanes, her tone relaxed. "After teaming up with Jiang Chengshan to take over the Zhou Group, things have been going pretty smoothly overall."

For major local enterprises, there's always some measure of policy support at the government level.

The reasoning is simple—big conglomerates are major taxpayers, so local authorities are naturally willing to offer conveniences in areas like approval processes and land planning.

Of course, once such conveniences go too far, they tend to breed the kind of backroom deals between power and money.

That's exactly how the former Jiang Beihe operated.

After Chu Lintian took over the group, just cleaning up the mess Jiang Beihe left behind was a headache in itself.

Thankfully, when Jiang Beihe turned himself in, he confessed to quite a few of the shady dealings. Once the abscess was lanced, it was easier to deal with rather than having to peel away layer by layer herself.

After absorbing the Zhou Group's assets and market share, the overall picture stabilized and moved upward.

Chu Lintian wasn't exactly expanding aggressively these days, but she had solid foundations and was advancing steadily.

Big conglomerates all have stable revenue streams. As long as the person at the helm doesn't court disaster or act recklessly, major problems are unlikely.

To borrow a phrase from imperial dynasties, Chu Lintian was like a consolidating monarch maintaining the realm.

After hearing her out, Lin Mo nodded and didn't ask further.

What he cared about wasn't really the business side of things.

Chu Lintian had previously been subjected to some underhanded harassment. The case was closed, but Lin Mo knew in his heart that the person who took the fall was just a scapegoat—still, they probably wouldn't dare make another move.

Once he completely rooted out the spy network lurking in Yangcheng, all those dirty tricks would naturally surface.

The car made two turns and quickly arrived at the alley near that private restaurant.

These were all familiar places.

After parking the car, Lin Mo pushed open the door and stepped out, rolling his shoulders.

Chu Lintian walked ahead and knocked on the door.

Chen Yunli opened it again.

Plain-colored long gown, hair neatly tied up, with a composed and understated aura—just like the first time they'd met.

Someone like her was naturally suited to be the owner of a private restaurant. Neither overly warm nor cold, striking the balance just right.

"Miss Chu, welcome."

"Hello, Boss Chen."

Chen Yunli's gaze shifted past Chu Lintian and landed on Lin Mo behind her.

She recognized him, gave a polite nod, and didn't disturb him with unnecessary pleasantries.

Lin Mo nodded back.

"Would you like to sit down and rest for a bit? The menu and ingredients prepared for today can be reviewed first."

"Sure, the others haven't arrived yet, so no rush."

Chen Yunli led the way, crossing the front corridor.

Once they were seated in the main hall, Chen Yunli asked, "What would you two like to drink?"

"Roselle tea, please," Chu Lintian said after a moment's thought. "I've been into it lately."

Chen Yunli turned to Lin Mo.

"Cola. The canned kind."

Chu Lintian shot him a sideways glance.

"Bottled doesn't have enough fizz," Lin Mo added, completely unabashed.

Ordering cola at a private restaurant—and specifying canned—was the kind of thing only he would do.

"Very well, please wait a moment."

Chen Yunli showed no change in expression. "Very well, please bear with us."

Once she was out of earshot, Chu Lintian lowered her voice: "Should we give Boss Chen a heads-up? Since..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Lin Mo smiled and shook his head: "No need for that. This is my welcome-back dinner, isn't it? It won't escalate into anything big. Probably just... a light warning."

As for who was being warned, that remained to be seen.

Chu Lintian saw how unconcerned he was and stopped pressing the issue.

They hadn't been sitting long when the doorbell rang.

Lin Mo took a sip of his cola without lifting his head. "Auntie Zheng and Qing Cheng are here."

Chu Lintian was already used to his knack for knowing things ahead of time, so she got up to greet them.

Sure enough, in came Auntie Zheng and Ning Qingcheng.

As a middle school student, Ning Qingcheng got out of school earlier, after all.

Chu Lintian had already arranged for a car to pick them up.

The two walked into the main hall, and Lin Mo stood up on his own initiative.

"Auntie Zheng, Qing Cheng."

Auntie Zheng smiled so wide that crow's feet formed at the corners of her eyes. She hurried over, looked him up and down, and said, "Xiao Mo, you're back! I heard from Yu Ling that you took first place abroad? Amazing!"

With that, Auntie Zheng gave him a thumbs up.

The genuine delight in her expression was like a parent whose kid had scored full marks.

Lin Mo felt a bit sheepish from the praise but humbly replied, "Just some luck, really."

Auntie Zheng then reached out and squeezed Lin Mo's arm, asking with slight concern:

"How come you look a bit thinner? Did you not eat well in Korea? There's nothing good to eat in a place like that."

"It's fine. At the hotel, I didn't just eat Korean food."

Ning Qingcheng followed behind Auntie Zheng, schoolbag still on, glanced at Lin Mo, and bounced over.

"Bro, where's my gift!"

"What gift? Didn't I already give you one last time? A huge gift!"

Lin Mo was referring to the Skysplitter Arrow.

Ning Qingcheng blinked. "Not that kind. I mean skincare products."

Born into the Ning family, Ning Qingcheng had the best of everything—food, lodging, and belongings.

She knew full well about skincare products.

"Oh, that kind. I did buy quite a bit. I'll give them to you when we get home."

"Awesome!"

Satisfied with the answer, Ning Qingcheng found a seat on her own, set her bag aside, and started flipping through the menu on the table.

After Auntie Zheng sat down, the conversation drifted to everyday topics.

She asked a couple of questions about how Lin Mo had fared in Korea but didn't press for too many details.

Ning Qingcheng finished flipping through the menu and suddenly looked up: "Bro, is kimchi from Korea any good?"

"Meh."

"Did you bring any back?"

"...No. That stuff is made in Shandong. If you want some, I'll have my friend send you a couple of bags."

"Huh? Really? I thought kimchi was a Korean thing."

"This tiny place—where would they have room to grow vegetables? It's all imported."

In private company, Lin Mo basically let the sarcasm fly.

Before long, the other two groups of guests also arrived.