"Did you see him?"

After the Coaster drove out of the park, the man took out his phone and made a call.

"Mhm... I saw him."

"How did he seem?"

"Haven't you seen him before?"

"Last time was strictly business, a brief talk about next-generation intelligence without much depth. After chatting with some old comrades, I had some new ideas and wanted to take another look."

The man thought for a moment and spoke slowly:

"This is my home, my country. Why wouldn't I come?"

"How pleasant that sounds~"

The man on the other end of the phone pushed up his glasses. "He truly is a nostalgic person. After returning last year, he had people go back to his hometown to renovate the ancestral home."

The man chuckled. "Well then, that's that. I also think he's a good kid."

Finally, he added, "He just has a few too many tricks up his sleeve."

"He came with three beautiful girls, and even the Bodyguard driving is a beautiful girl."

Boss Wang on the other end thought for a bit, chuckled, and shook his head. "To not be romantic in one's youth is to waste it, after all."

"That is harmless enough."

...

After seeing off the leaders, Andy also felt a bit listless. She didn't like dealing with people from within the system, so she turned back to the car.

That girl Deng Xiaoqi was also tired from walking and had long since run back to the car to rest.

Li Na was coordinating with the Engineering Department.

Chen Cheng turned to look at Zhao Yazu standing beside him. "Go get me a pair of binoculars. The Engineering Department should have some."

"Okay~" Zhao Yazu replied and quickly turned to find Li Na.

In a short while, Zhao Yazu returned with the binoculars.

Chen Cheng took the binoculars and looked into the distance.

Looking at Chen Cheng's upright posture, Zhao Yazu felt as if she were seeing a monarch inspecting his territory.

"How many years do you think it will take for this place to turn into an oasis?" Chen Cheng asked abruptly while looking at the endless yellow sand through the binoculars.

"Hmm..." Zhao Yazu looked at the setting sun and the endless sand, thinking seriously before speaking slowly:

"If the precipitation doesn't increase, it's all in vain."

...

"If evaporation decreases, soil and water are gradually conserved, and the microclimate changes, it's possible for the desert to become an oasis."

"But as for how long, I can't say for sure."

"Maybe ten years?"

"Maybe twenty years?"

"I recall you were a liberal arts student, right?" Chen Cheng's lips curled slightly as he turned to look at Zhao Yazu.

Zhao Yazu nodded gently. "Yes, a liberal arts student."

"Then your geography must have been excellent."

Zhao Yazu met Chen Cheng's eyes, a playful smile appearing on her face. "Isn't this just simple addition and subtraction?"

Chen Cheng nodded in agreement. "Hmm... true~"

Unfortunately, even Zhao Yazu couldn't guess that results would actually be visible in less than five years.

Only...

Chen Cheng gazed at the more than 40,000 mu of Desertification control area and fell into deep thought.

In this area, land is free, but it must be exchanged for Desertification control area. That's how the power plant's land was acquired.

Unfortunately, the coverage area of the Photovoltaic power plant is still too small.

The wind-solar hybrid model used this time covers less than 10,000 mu with Photovoltaic panels, which is less than 25% of the total control area.

Relying solely on Straw checkerboard barriers to fix the sand in the remaining areas is still too ineffective.

Should I cover it all with Photovoltaic panels?

Then cover it all?

...

Chen Cheng thought for a moment but shook his head. Sand control could be done in passing, but it wasn't his main purpose for coming here.

He handed the binoculars back to Zhao Yazu and checked his watch. "Have someone buy a few sheep. Let's treat the workers to mutton tonight."

Zhao Yazu arched an eyebrow. "It seems President Li has already arranged it."

"When I came over, I overheard the construction team's logistics staff reporting to President Li that the sheep had arrived."

Hmm?

Chen Cheng paused for a moment, a smile playing on his lips.

Li Na is still the most thoughtful, knowing how to help him win people's hearts.

"Then let's go. We'll eat first. If the leaders aren't eating, we will."

Chen Cheng waved his hand and walked toward where the cars were parked.

"The mutton North of the Great Wall is quite fresh."

Looking at the man's somewhat cynical back, Zhao Yazu suddenly realized that his charm wasn't just his generosity.

The corner of Zhao Yazu's mouth curved up as she hurried to catch up.

...

Near midnight, Chen Cheng walked out of Li Na's room.

His mind was a bit of a mess; no matter how he tried, things didn't feel quite right.

In the end, he let the exhausted President Li rest, threw on some clothes, and left the room.

He wanted to go down for a stroll.

The 30,000 mu of sand control area that could only be covered by Straw checkerboard barriers still felt like a lump in his throat.

The hotel was in a county town near the desert. It wasn't luxurious and lacked the hustle and bustle of a big city.

Chen Cheng didn't encounter a single person on his way down to the first floor.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Chen Cheng froze for a moment, looking at the woman on the sofa in front of the lobby bar's floor-to-ceiling window.

A smile touched Chen Cheng's lips as he walked over.

Zhao Yazu was in a black deep-V nightgown, swirling a wine glass in one hand and propping her head up with the other as she looked out the window.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

Zhao Yazu instantly turned her head like a startled little rabbit, looking at Chen Cheng in surprise. "Director... Chen~"

Zhao Yazu was indeed a special agent; she adjusted her emotions quickly, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Why did you come down too?"

Chen Cheng sat opposite her, glanced at the red wine on the coffee table, and raised an eyebrow. "Can't sleep?"

Zhao Yazu looked at Chen Cheng, her lively eyes blinking. "To tell the truth?"

"What else?" Chen Cheng chuckled.

Looking at Chen Cheng's handsome face, Zhao Yazu's face flushed. "The hotel's soundproofing isn't very good. The room was... a bit noisy~"

Hmm?

Chen Cheng was stunned for a moment, then felt a sense of admiration. This Zhao Yazu was truly impressive; she could blush on command.

If these agents went into the entertainment industry, they might very well be at the level of Best Actor or Actress.

Chen Cheng knew she was talking about him and Li Na, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all.

Lovers being intimate—what's wrong with being a bit loud?

Mainly, President Li had been under a lot of pressure lately, and Boss Chen had to help his good employee relieve her stress.

Chen Cheng didn't take the bait and smiled. "It's not noisy anymore. You can go up now."

Zhao Yazu pursed her lips. "Hmm... I'm not sleepy anymore."

"Maybe it's because I just got back; my biological clock hasn't fully adjusted yet."

"Hmm..." Chen Cheng frowned. "Then let's change locations. What's the point of drinking alone?"

"You want a drink too?" Zhao Yazu asked with a slight smile.

Chen Cheng clapped his hands and stood up. "Since the great beauty Zhao also feels like it, then let's go~"

"Oh, right. It's after hours now, so no more 'Sir' this and 'Sir' that. Just call me by my name."

Zhao Yazu's eyes lit up. "Then I'll call you... Chen Cheng?"

"Hurry up... go get a coat. Let's go out and see if there's any mutton left to eat."

Zhao Yazu's lips curved up. She tilted her head back and finished the rest of the wine in her glass, then picked up the bottle from the coffee table. "I'll go ask the waiter for another glass. This bottle was just opened; let's not waste it, hehe~"

Chen Cheng smiled and reached out to take the bottle and glass. Zhao Yazu smiled back at him and ran happily toward the front desk.

Chen Cheng watched her retreating figure, wondering how much of her was truly herself.