Chapter 14: Return to Yanjing
Beep beep!
Two off-road vehicles turned a corner and stopped in front of the project office. The driver honked twice.
He Runqi jumped in surprise, quickly cleaned up the chessboard and pieces, and stood nervously by the roadside at attention.
Li Tang, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. He wasn't particularly intimidated by company leadership.
"Li Tang!"
Before the car door even opened, Yang Xueping had spotted Li Tang by the road and called out to him with a wave.
"Hello, Director Yang."
Li Tang stepped forward and greeted her politely, shaking her hand lightly. "What brings you here?"
"The drilling hit gold. I came to take a look and snap a few photos to show the higher-ups," Yang Xueping replied, wearing her usual warm and friendly smile whenever she spoke to Li Tang. "You two were playing chess?"
"Just passing the time."
"Nice. Come on, let's go check out the drill rig."
He Runqi hurried to lead the way. As a new employee, he didn't let his Yanjing Geology University background make him arrogant.
They walked around the mineralized zone. There wasn't anything visually obvious to get excited about—Carlin-type gold wasn't something you could see with the naked eye.
Still, Yang Xueping was in high spirits, surveying everything with enthusiasm. Along the way, she chatted with Li Tang about several technical matters.
On the way back, she finally shifted from technical talk to something more practical. "Given the mineralization in these two boreholes, the Guanling Gold Mine still has huge exploration potential. This is a major achievement. Anyone involved in this project is going to have a shiny badge of honor on their résumé! When the time comes for performance reviews or promotions, this experience will be a big plus."
Having just endured a long-winded technical chat, Li Tang was glad the conversation had turned. "It's all thanks to your leadership, Director Yang. We just followed your direction."
A pretty slick compliment.
Yang laughed. "Would you be interested in staying on this project long-term? When we report the final results to company leadership, your name will be there—it's a perfect start to your career. You've barely joined, still on probation, and already you've made a big contribution. That's not something everyone can claim."
Li Tang could tell she was trying to recruit him.
"Thank you for your support, Director Yang." He thought for a moment and responded cautiously, "As you know, I'm still a probationary employee. Where I end up will depend on where leadership assigns me. Right now, I'm part of the Resource Evaluation Department. If you want me to stay on the Guanling project, I think Minister Liu from our department would approve."
This guy's tongue was coated in oil—so smooth.
The reason Yang was trying so hard to bring him in was to keep the Guanling project's credit from being shared with Qin Jianshe.
If Li Tang became a part of the Exploration Department, then Qin would lose any claim to the achievement.
"Your probation's almost up, right?"
"Yes, very soon."
"Once it ends, you can apply to transfer departments. Experience in multiple departments broadens your perspective and can help with promotions later," Yang advised with a smile.
"Thank you for the guidance, Director Yang." Not wanting to get tangled up in departmental politics, Li Tang quickly changed the subject. "Actually, the new employees like me need to go back to headquarters soon to sign formal contracts. I wanted to request time off to do that."
"No problem," Yang agreed readily. "Just don't lose sight of the project while you're away."
"Boss Liao and Minister Zheng are watching things here closely. Everything is running according to procedure. Honestly, they know more about the drilling operations than I do."
Zheng Shan, who had been walking behind them, chimed in, "Two of our new employees also need to return to headquarters to sign contracts. They've already asked me for time off."
"In that case," Yang said, "the three of you can ride with me back to North P County and catch a flight to the provincial capital tomorrow. From there, you can fly to Yanjing."
Li Tang, He Runqi, and another new employee returned to Yanjing with Yang Xueping.
The bustling airport, glowing neon lights—it all felt like another world compared to the mountain project site.
In the countryside, the locals wore simple clothes and offered warm hospitality. Here, the passersby seemed cold and indifferent.
Outside the airport, Yang got into a company vehicle waiting to pick her up and left alone.
The three young men stood by the road, dragging their luggage, looking a bit lost.
The company hadn't arranged a pickup or accommodation.
Until they signed their contracts, they weren't even considered official employees.
Every year, many fresh graduates wanted to join Wukuang Group. The state-owned enterprise's generous benefits and a chance to settle in Yanjing made it highly attractive.
Most were filtered out during interviews. Some got in but faded out during probation.
The company wasn't particularly warm to new hires.
Maybe recruits assigned to headquarters were treated better, but those from Wukuang Exploration and Development certainly weren't getting any special treatment.
As the trio wondered how to get through the long night, a black Santana sedan pulled up and stopped in front of them.
Liu Kaisheng leaned out from the driver's seat and called, "Get in!"
That was unexpected.
The three of them quickly got into the car. Li Tang took the front passenger seat.
"Director Qin heard you guys were on the same flight as Director Yang. He asked me to pick you up for dinner—welcome you back."
The car sped along the wide city roads and soon pulled up to a restaurant. Inside a private room, Qin Jianshe was already waiting.
"The dishes are all here. I've been waiting forever—any longer and the food would've gone cold," he said, gesturing for everyone to find a seat.
There were only five people, so space was plenty.
They enjoyed a hearty dinner with a little wine. Afterwards, Liu Kaisheng drove the three young men to a hotel near the company and booked two rooms—one single and one double.
When it came time to divide the rooms, Li Tang had the key to the single room but gave it up and shared the double with He Runqi.
Having had a few drinks, He Runqi lay sprawled on the clean hotel bed, still talking non-stop. "Wow, a vice director personally hosted us for dinner. That's next level!"
He bounced up and down on the bed like a kid, having the time of his life. "First time staying in such a fancy hotel. This mattress is amazing! I'm buying one like this for my parents when I can afford it!"
Li Tang had just finished showering. As he towel-dried his hair, he asked, "So you're really staying in Yanjing after the contract? Not going back home?"
"Go back for what? I told my parents—they'd love for me to stay in a big city. They say if I've made it this far, I should never go back."
He Runqi came from a poor rural area. Getting out had been no small feat.
He suddenly sat up, clenched his fist, and declared, "Even if I die, I'll die in Yanjing!"
"Good attitude," Li Tang said with a chuckle. "But since you want to build a life here, remember—buy property early. Save every cent you can. Once you own a home, you're a real Yanjing local."
Back then, apartments near the Wukuang Group's headquarters cost just over 3,000 yuan per square meter. Most people weren't even in a hurry to buy.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen