Lin Jiang put in another burst of strength and pulled the red marker in the center over to his side.
"We won! We won!"
Zhao Wenxuan and Zhang Zihao cheered loudly.
For them, the prize wasn’t important. Winning was what mattered most, because it was a symbol of honor.
Yu Bin looked grim. He stood there awkwardly, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes.
The tug-of-war was over, and next up was the sandcastle competition. The goal was to build the best-looking castle out of beach sand. There was no prize, but the winner’s creation would be featured on the class poster.
This activity was much more relaxed—it was all just for fun.
Everyone was at ease. Many of the parents got their dresses splashed by the seawater, and they had a blast walking barefoot on the sand.
As the sun began to set, casting a golden hue over the coast, the group walked back to the hotel. Soon after, it was dinnertime.
The after-dinner activity was to write a reflection paper, which was to be completed with parental guidance.
Lin Jiang didn’t have to worry about that. With Jiang Xiaoqi around, it didn’t matter whether it was written or not.
"Are you brave enough to sleep by yourself tonight?"
Zhao Wenxuan made an OK sign. "No problem! I just had a nightmare last night, so I was scared to sleep alone. I’m usually by myself."
"Good boy. I’ll buy you an Ultraman toy when we get back."
"Uncle Lin, you have to keep your promise."
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"That’s true."
Jiang Xiaoqi had brought a lot of toys over. ’I’ll have to give them a good try tonight, so I need to get them set up in advance.’
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Messages were buzzing nonstop in the parents’ group chat.
He glanced at his phone. The message was from Yu Bin.
"The hotel has a KTV, and I’ve booked a large private room. Anyone who’s free tonight can come hang out."
Most kids Zhao Wenxuan’s age could sleep on their own, so it wasn’t a problem for the parents to do other things after their children were asleep.
But these parents had only just met and didn’t know each other well. Pulling a stunt like this right away was a bit of a show-off move.
A few of the fathers in the group responded, but Lin Jiang didn’t pay it much mind.
Just then, a message from Jiang Xiaoqi came in.
Jiang Xiaoqi: "What are you up to, Brother Jiang? Let’s go for a walk. I’ll have Xinrui come watch Xuanxuan."
Lin Jiang remembered the female colleague who had gone book shopping with Jiang Xiaoqi a few days ago. The two of them seemed to be quite close.
Lin Jiang: "OK."
Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Xu Xinrui came in.
"I’m here to keep Xuanxuan company. Qiqi is waiting for you at the door."
"Thanks for your trouble."
"It’s no trouble. It’s rare for you two to get a chance for a date. Go on, hurry."
"Yeah."
After leaving the room, Lin Jiang saw a teacher stationed at the end of the hallway just in case, which greatly improved safety.
Jiang Xiaoqi was waiting by the entrance when he came out of the hotel.
Jiang Xiaoqi was dressed for the warm weather in a gray slip dress and black flip-flops, looking for all the world like a college student.
The moment he saw her outfit, Lin Jiang already had a good idea of what she had in mind.
"Brother Jiang, let’s go for a walk on the beach."
"Are you sure about the beach? There are quite a few people there."
"Well... we can just walk along the shore until we find a secluded spot..."
"Let’s go."
Linking her arm with Lin Jiang’s, the two of them began to stroll along the beach, heading in the direction of Shuangxia Mountain.
"Brother Jiang, I’ve always wanted to ask... are you and Xuanxuan’s mother very close?"
"We get along quite well, yes."
"I knew your relationship was special from the first day you came to pick up Xuanxuan."
Jiang Xiaoqi looked at Lin Jiang seriously. "Brother Jiang, be honest. Who’s better, me or Xuanxuan’s mother?"
’Do all women like asking these kinds of questions?’
’It’s like they always have to compete to see who comes out on top.’
"You’re a cut above."
’Xu Lin’s advantage was her approach; she would cooperate with anything you wanted to try, guaranteed to leave you satisfied.’
’Jiang Xiaoqi’s advantage was her creativity. She had an endless supply of little toys that would make even a man like me feel inadequate. The contrast was immense; the experiences with the two women were completely different.’
"That puts my mind at ease."
Taking their time, the two of them arrived at a secluded spot.
Jiang Xiaoqi glanced around, then pointed to a relatively flat rock.
"Brother Jiang, you can sit here."
"Do you need me to lift a finger for what comes next?"
"Hehe, no need. I’ll take it from here."
Lin Jiang sat on the rock and let Jiang Xiaoqi take over. He then returned the favor, giving her a round right there in the open.
Then, at her request, he took a few photos that didn’t show her face, which he planned to savor later.
"What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?" Lin Jiang asked on the way back.
"Hiking tomorrow, but the parents don’t need to join. It’s a test of the kids’ willpower."
"Isn’t Shuangxia Mountain a bit too high for them?"
Lin Jiang recalled his last hike up that mountain. Zhao Fangfei and Feng Qi, two grown adults, had been gasping for breath, and the entire climb took them over three hours. There was no way these elementary school students would be able to make it to the top.
"Of course we’re not climbing Shuangxia Mountain. There’s a smaller one nearby. We scouted it out beforehand. It only took me half an hour to get to the top, and the path is relatively flat, so it’s perfect for them."
"That makes things a bit easier."
Jiang Xiaoqi tightened her grip on Lin Jiang’s arm, her eyes filled with affection.
"Brother Jiang, if we get the chance, let’s you and I climb Shuangxia Mountain, too."
"I suspect you have ulterior motives."
"Hehe, I’m just very curious. I want to try it everywhere—not just on a mountaintop, but in the sea, on a boat..."
"So that’s why you brought so many toys. You had this all planned in advance, didn’t you?"
"But I don’t know if we’ll be able to. We have to watch the kids. If not, we’ll just have to play with the toys in my room."
"Then let’s play with the toys tonight."
"Have mercy, Brother Jiang! My legs are like jelly right now. If I wasn’t worried about tiring you out, I’d ask you to carry me back."
"Handling you is easy. It barely made a dent in my stamina. I can carry you back, no problem."
"No, don’t! We’re almost at the hotel. We can’t let the other parents see."
"Fine. Go back, get a good night’s sleep, and save your energy."
"Okay."
Back at the hotel, they both went to rest.
Lin Jiang chatted with Chen Jingxian for a while. The business license application was going very smoothly.
If all went well, it would be issued by tomorrow, which would mean the main quest was complete.
After finishing his chat with Chen Jingxian, Lin Jiang went online and gathered a lot of important information about *Xia Luote’s Troubles*, such as filming locations and budget details. This would all come in handy later, saving him a lot of time and effort searching for it then.
The next morning, after breakfast, the teachers organized the students and they set off.
After seeing the children off, the parents gathered in twos and threes to arrange their own activities.
Since he had already done the hike before, Lin Jiang didn’t plan to go again. He headed back to the hotel’s café to kill time.
[Quest Complete (Entertainment Tycoon): Reward: Xia Luote’s Troubles Script x1, 40 Points]
[Movie Memory Wipe Complete...]
[The film cannot use the original cast. A new search for actors is required.]
Lin Jiang: ???
’I can’t use the original actors?’
’This is not good at all.’
Lin Jiang checked his watch. It was a little after 10 a.m. ’She’s very efficient,’ he thought.
RING RING RING—
His phone rang. The call was from Chen Jingxian.
"The business license has been approved," Chen Jingxian said. "We can start moving forward with operations now."
"I’ll keep an eye out for related matters for you in the meantime. We need to get this on the agenda as soon as possible and have it settled before the cheerleading competition is over."
"I’ll handle the media company. You just focus on your other responsibilities. Don’t wear yourself out."
’The most important part, the script, is taken care of,’ he thought. ’All that’s left is to find the cast.’
’That’s a problem money can solve, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
"Thank you for your consideration, Boss, but I’m not afraid of the work. I’ll do my best to take as much off your plate as possible."
"I appreciate that."
While he was on the phone, Fang Jie and Wei Xue walked in and spotted him sitting not far away.
Their eyes met, and Lin Jiang gave a nod in greeting.
The two women went up to the counter, and Fang Jie took out her phone to scan the payment code.
"Two iced Americanos."
While they waited, the two women listened in on Lin Jiang’s phone call.
"Did you hear his call? It sounds like he’s talking about a media company. You two aren’t in the same industry, are you?"
"I heard. It’d be quite a coincidence to run into a peer just by attending a summer camp."
"What’s so coincidental about it? It’s not a rare industry. It’s normal to run into people in the same business."
Wei Xue looked at Fang Jie. "I think this is an opportunity. We should go talk to him in a minute."

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