Chapter 40

Shazhou City, the capital of Nanhu Province, is also the most economically developed and vibrant city in the province.

Yang Chen was not the first time visiting Shazhou, but every time he came, the scenes he saw were different from the last, a testament to the city's ongoing development.

Shazhou International Airport has two terminals. When Yang Chen drove to the social parking lot of Terminal 2, he also received a call from his mother, Jin Meifeng. After exchanging their locations, Yang Chen got out of the car and hurried to the arrival hall.

After waiting for about five minutes in the arrival hall, a familiar figure appeared around the corner, causing Yang Chen's heart to involuntarily tremble slightly...

Jin Meifeng is not tall, only about 1.62 meters, but she has a well-maintained figure, keeping her weight under 50 kilograms. With regular care, she doesn't look like a woman in her forties.

She wore a bright yellow floral dress, paired with beige high heels, her hair was tied up, and a pair of light-colored sunglasses hung from her collar. Her outstanding demeanor made it hard to believe she was over 35 years old!

Jin Meifeng had a light makeup on, and she wore two smooth pearl earrings... Yang Chen remembered that these earrings were a birthday gift from his father when she turned 40.

With a smile on his face, Yang Chen raised his hand and waved vigorously, shouting, "Mom, over here!"

Jin Meifeng, dragging a small suitcase, saw Yang Chen, who was dressed in white sportswear, standing outside the security checkpoint. She also smiled, but there was a hint of fatigue on her face...

"Still on time," as she came out of the security checkpoint, Yang Chen took the suitcase, and Jin Meifeng looked at him, smiling, "I thought it would be like last time, waiting for you from 4 PM to 7:30 PM!"

"Used to be a bit irresponsible, making you worry..." Yang Chen smiled awkwardly, walking alongside his mother towards the parking lot, and asked quietly, "Any leads on Dad's case?"

"A detective agency in the capital has found some useful information," Jin Meifeng nodded lightly, brushing her hair, "But we need to give them more money to continue the investigation."

"How much do they want?"

"Five million." Jin Meifeng turned to look at her son, opening her mouth to say something but didn't know where to start.

Yang Chen said, "That's not too much..."

These top-tier detective agencies in the capital are not the kind that can be swayed by a few familiar faces. They can do things that many others can't, but they also need to pay a high price to get help from others.

Jin Meifeng didn't tell Yang Chen that she had already given them four million. Instead, she patted his shoulder and asked, "Have you been suffering these past few months in Jinzhou?"

Before leaving, Jin Meifeng had only left Yang Chen less than 8,000 yuan! It had been several months... If it weren't for Yang Chen's rebirth, he would be close to the time when he would be beaten and drowned in a reservoir...

But facing Jin Meifeng's concerned gaze, Yang Chen smiled and said, "A lot has happened these past few months... This isn't the place to talk. I'll tell you more in the car."

In fact, Jin Meifeng also had a lot of questions she wanted to discuss with Yang Chen.

So, the mother and son walked out of the arrival hall together. When Yang Chen led Jin Meifeng to his newly bought BMW X6, even though she was somewhat prepared, she was still slightly surprised.

She walked around the car with interest and then turned to ask, "An imported M-series? This one must cost over 2 million, right?"

"Yep, it's about 2.4 million with all the options," Yang Chen nodded, smiling, "I have a lot of things to do now, and having a car is really convenient... By the way, Mom, I ran into Zhu Changyuan's son a few days ago..."

He recounted the incident at the BMW 4S store to Jin Meifeng.

After listening to Yang Chen, Jin Meifeng couldn't help but laugh, "Zhu Changyuan is a rare shrewd person, but his son didn't inherit any of his good qualities... Hasn't he come to find you yet?"

"No, he probably doesn't dare to come until he figures out the situation," Yang Chen shrugged, "After all, what Zhu Changyuan did last time was really over the line... He might be too scared to come."

"Six hundred thousand... That's a bargain for him!" Jin Meifeng smiled, but a hint of sharpness flashed in her eyes. In terms of decisiveness, Jin Meifeng was even more straightforward than Yang Xiuyuan.

After getting in the car, Yang Chen drove towards Jinzhou.

On the way, Yang Chen briefly explained the current situation and then, under Jin Meifeng's incredulous gaze, asked softly, "Mom, have you heard of some things in the Chinese metaphysical world?"

"The Chinese Metaphysical Promotion Association?" Jin Meifeng had indeed heard of it, but she didn't understand why Yang Chen was bringing it up. She asked, puzzled, "I've heard of this association; the people in it seem quite powerful... But they have high standards, not the kind of people our family can easily connect with... So, do you know someone in this association?"

Earlier, Yang Chen had only mentioned the amount of money he had and the information he learned from Zhao Zeran and Meng Haobin that night, without detailing the source of the money.

Yang Chen took a deep breath and started to fabricate a story...

"Shortly after you went to the capital, I went to Luxi County's Dalong Mountain to relax. One afternoon, it suddenly started pouring rain, and I found a Yuqing Temple on the mountain and went in to take shelter..."

Laying the groundwork for the story, Yang Chen paused and continued, "The monks in the temple were very kind, and since the rain didn't stop, I stayed there for the night... Little did I know, the room next to mine housed relics passed down by the founder of Yuqing Temple, Wufeng Zhenren..."

"In the middle of the night, I felt someone talking to me. I slept through the night in a daze. The next morning, I found that my head was filled with memories I didn't have before. I told the head monk, Yuqing, about what happened, and guess what? Yuqing said I had received a generational inheritance from Wufeng Zhenren..."

Jin Meifeng listened as if to a fairy tale, her mouth slightly open. After Yang Chen finished his story, which sounded like a folk legend, she asked, moved, "The temple you went to is called Yuqing Temple?"

"Wow... You know it?" Yang Chen was surprised.

Jin Meifeng smiled bitterly, "Four years ago, I was having dinner at a hotel when I happened to meet the Party Secretary of Jinzhou. I wanted to greet him, but through the door, I saw he was sitting with a middle-aged Taoist... His expression showed great respect, so I didn't dare to disturb them."

"Later, I found out that the middle-aged Taoist dining with the Party Secretary was the Yuqing Zhenren from the Yuqing Temple you mentioned... I discussed this with your father, and a few days later, we went to Dalong Mountain to visit him, but we were turned away. He didn't even give us a second glance..."

There was such a story! Yang Chen found it amusing. He knew the metaphysical world had many rules and that Yuqing usually put on a grand air, but he didn't expect his parents had also visited before!

"Why did you think of visiting Yuqing?" Yang Chen asked.

"Such people usually have a wide network and a lot of influence... If we could establish a connection, it would be helpful in many ways. Even if there's no direct benefit, it would be a form of security... At least in some situations, a simple phone call from someone like him could be more effective than us spending a lot of time and effort."

Jin Meifeng, a businesswoman, understood the importance of investment, whether or not there was a clear benefit. It was always good to have connections.

Yang Chen nodded in understanding and continued his story, "So, I stayed at Yuqing Temple for several days, and every night, that voice would come to me... Eventually, when I left the temple, I had somehow learned many Taoist skills. Now, Yuqing has to call me 'Senior Uncle,' which is a bit ridiculous..."

He spent about ten minutes recounting the events that followed, including the ghostly disturbances at the Zhu family's factory in Zhenglong County and the source of the several billion yuan. He told his mother, Jin Meifeng, everything without reservation.

Then, the car fell into a long silence for about ten minutes...

Jin Meifeng found it hard to digest all the bombshells Yang Chen had dropped. She finally forced herself to accept the facts, leaning back in her seat and rubbing her temples, "I feel like my worldview has been shattered..."

"Hey..." Yang Chen could only smile awkwardly.

"So, you're saying that you're now a high-level expert in the metaphysical world... Even the Zhu family in the capital and the Far East Group's chairman have to come to you for help?" Jin Meifeng still found it hard to accept!

Hengyang Group, which deals with pharmaceuticals, couldn't possibly be unaware of the Far East Group in the capital. For years, Hengyang Group had been trying to establish a partnership with Far East Pharmaceuticals, but they were ignored, and Far East Pharmaceuticals only worked with Sujiang Group.

Hengyang Group's product line was very similar to Sujiang Group's, making them fierce competitors... But what could they do when Far East Pharmaceuticals wouldn't even look at Hengyang Group?

Thinking back to the embarrassing scene when she and her husband, Yang Xiuyuan, went to the capital to visit the Zhu family and were turned away, Jin Meifeng couldn't help but smile. The tide had turned, and now it was the Zhu family coming to her son for help!

That's why Jin Meifeng was so resilient. In less than thirty minutes, she accepted everything Yang Chen said and began to consider how to maximize the benefits of the cooperation with the Zhu family from a new perspective... She didn't really pay attention to the Taoist skills or the ranks Yang Chen mentioned.

She knew one thing: her son had finally become someone capable, no longer the wasteful son who only asked her for money!

The BMW X6 sped through the city, taking less than two hours to return to Jinzhou.

Tang Yino had already prepared a simple but rich meal.

She chose a well-known restaurant in Jinzhou, especially the braised cured meat and red pepper beef, which were the restaurant's specialties.

Jin Meifeng had met Tang Yino before and had heard about her from Yang Chen on the way.

So, when she saw Tang Yino, she wasn't surprised, but she wasn't overly enthusiastic either... After all, Tang Yino was just an assistant, not a daughter-in-law!

Seeing the steaming dishes on the table in the private room, Jin Meifeng felt a warm feeling in her heart and turned to Yang Chen, saying, "For so many years, tonight is the first time I feel like you're my son..."

The mother and son talked, and Tang Yino naturally chose to leave. Yang Chen didn't keep her and let her go back to rest.

The two discussed the cooperation with the Zhu family, the bankruptcy reorganization of Hengyang Group, and the Hengyang Laboratory for about two hours.

After formulating a series of plans, Yang Chen admired his mother, "No wonder Dad admires you... Mom, without you, these things would be really hard to handle!"

"You don't need to be involved in these matters. Focus on the Zhu family's affairs first. After Long Mengze's trade fair, I want to invite Zhu Rongqiang to Jinzhou as a guest to discuss future cooperation... What do you think is the probability of him agreeing?" Jin Meifeng pondered and asked Yang Chen.

Yang Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Are you planning to invite him secretly or openly?"

"Far East Pharmaceuticals is a golden brand. Zhu Rongqiang's visit would greatly benefit our group's bankruptcy reorganization... What's the point of inviting him secretly? We should invite him openly, the more people who know, the better!" Jin Meifeng smiled meaningfully, "And it will make Sujiang Group suspicious, achieving multiple goals. What do you think?"

"I'll try my best..." Yang Chen knew this was a difficult task, and his mother's plan was a bit underhanded. Whether the Zhu family would agree to be the scapegoat depended on how much they valued him!

The mother and son spent the evening discussing various schemes, though the atmosphere was harmonious and filial, it was tinged with a sense of reality, leaving Yang Chen with a faint sense of loss...

Fortunately, this feeling didn't last long.

When Yang Chen drove his mother, Jin Meifeng, back to the villa, seeing the living room arranged almost identically to their old home, Jin Meifeng's eyes welled up with tears.

She put down her suitcase, wiped her tears, and said to Yang Chen, "You must be hungry after just seeing me? I'll cook you a bowl of noodles. Wait on the sofa..."

How long had it been since his mother cooked for him? Yang Chen couldn't remember, but he felt the strong, though simple, maternal love... He nodded and smiled, "Sure, I'll see if your skills have improved over the years..."

Listening to the sounds from the kitchen, Yang Chen buried himself deeply in the soft sofa... This was the feeling of home, the taste he longed for in his previous life but could no longer experience!

The noodles weren't cooked perfectly, but Yang Chen ate them with great joy.