Just then.
A middle-aged man’s roar echoed, "Are you crazy?"
"I pulled so many strings to get you on this construction crew. Can’t you just do your job and keep your head down?"
"Stop arguing with the supervisor!"
Although the man’s face was twisted in anger, his voice was thick with a sense of helplessness.
Lin Feng could see a faint, world-weary look deep in the man’s eyes.
A young voice replied:
"Dad, I’m not arguing with him. His layout plan is just poorly designed!"
"Whether it’s the public facilities or the sharp divisions between the zones, it’s all going to create a terrible experience for visitors!"
"So much money has been invested in such a huge project. If the experience is bad after it’s built, isn’t that just a waste?"
The young man’s voice was firm as he tried to convince the middle-aged man.
Hearing this, Lin Feng and Su Ruoxi exchanged a glance and stopped in their tracks.
They didn’t approach, choosing instead to listen from around the corner.
The main reason was that the father and son were in the middle of a heated argument.
Besides, the middle-aged man had just spoken with Lin Feng a short while ago.
Stepping out at a time like this was clearly not a good idea.
Another point was that Lin Feng and Su Ruoxi were curious to hear more about what the young man was saying about the flawed layout plan.
Opinions voiced in private like this were often the most honest.
It was then that Lin Feng finally realized what had been bothering him earlier.
The connectivity between the various zones in the layout plan was terrible.
The zones were so separate they seemed like four small, disconnected Joy City parks just placed next to each other.
Even though they shared the same theme, there was no flow between the zones.
It was very likely that after visiting one zone, people wouldn’t bother going to another.
To some extent, this would hurt Joy City’s revenue and reputation.
Su Ruoxi didn’t really understand this sort of thing to begin with.
The previous zone planner had been hired at great expense, so Su Ruoxi never imagined the current blueprint would have problems.
The middle-aged man’s tone grew urgent:
"Just stay out of it! You tell him, but he won’t listen!"
"The most important thing is that we’re just workers on the construction crew. You don’t have the authority to make changes!"
"Listen to your old man for once. Don’t be so stubborn. Be a little more flexible. You get paid to do a job, so just do it."
The young man seemed to want to say more.
But then he looked up and saw the wrinkles on his father’s face.
The man sighed, leaning against a nearby cement bag. "I know you like to read books about this stuff," he said helplessly, "but son, this world is all about degrees."
"It’s my fault I didn’t make you stay in school. With just a high school education, bringing up these opinions will only make the boss hate you."
"Right now, everyone on the crew is saying you’ve got big ideas but can’t do the work. You think the plan is bad, so you stop working and go bother the supervisor every day."
At this, the father’s voice dropped, his tone laced with a faint plea:
"You’re my son. I know you. You’re a hard worker."
"But other people aren’t your dad. They don’t know that."
"You’re too stubborn for your own good. You couldn’t get along at your other jobs either. I had to swallow my pride and beg to get you this position."
"It wasn’t easy for us to leave the mountains. Can’t you just stop being so difficult, take the money, and do your job properly?"
The hardships of life were etched all over the father’s face.
And his tone revealed a deep-seated exhaustion.
After a long silence.
Lin Feng saw the young man’s shoulders slump.
His once-straight back sagged, and from behind, he looked like a hunched old man.
"Dad, I get it. I’ll work hard."
"This job isn’t so bad, really. It’s a bit tiring, but the monthly pay is good."
Seeing the forced smile on his son’s face, the father thought he looked even more worn out than before.
He walked over and patted his son’s shoulder. "Work hard for a few years, find a wife. Once you’ve started a family, I can rest easy."
"Don’t blame your dad for not supporting you. That’s just how society is. You can tell them, but they won’t listen. They’ll just gossip behind your back."
"To them, this was designed by a top-tier professional they paid a fortune for. We can’t compare ourselves to people like that."
The young man nodded. "I know. I’ll do a good job."
Just then, Lin Feng and Su Ruoxi stepped out.
Lin Feng greeted the middle-aged man with a broad smile. "Uncle, we meet again!"
As they emerged, Lin Feng and Su Ruoxi had deliberately made their footsteps louder.
So they didn’t startle the pair.
Instead, the middle-aged man looked taken aback for a moment upon seeing Lin Feng and Su Ruoxi, then broke into a wide grin.
"We meet again! I’m so embarrassed about what happened earlier. Since we’ve run into each other, I absolutely insist on treating you to a meal!"
He then turned to his son and explained, "This is the gentleman I told you about, the one I bumped into earlier today. It was so embarrassing. Let’s treat him to a meal today, the two of us..."
The young man turned around, and Lin Feng got a good look at his face.
He had expected a rough-looking guy.
After all, he was from the mountains and had been knocking around in society for a few years.
But to his surprise, the young man had a gentle, scholarly face.
Judging by his face, he couldn’t be older than twenty-five.
"This is my son, Tian Xiaowu."
Seeing Lin Feng’s gaze on his son, Uncle Tian went ahead and made the introduction.
Lin Feng offered a polite smile and extended his hand to shake Tian Xiaowu’s.
"That’s a great name!"
"I’m Lin Feng, and this is my girlfriend, Su Ruoxi."
The name Tian Xiaowu was indeed quite masculine.
It was easy to see what Uncle Tian had been thinking when he named his son.
Tian Xiaowu’s spirits were low after arguing with his father, but he still managed a polite smile.
"Hello, Mr. Lin, Miss Su."
Uncle Tian knew his son was stubborn, so he took the lead and started walking ahead.
He made small talk with Lin Feng.
"Since we’ve run into you, don’t refuse this time."
"It’s almost time to eat, and the food in our employee cafeteria is actually pretty good."
Lin Feng was already quite interested in Tian Xiaowu.
Specifically, he was interested in what Tian Xiaowu had said about the layout plan being unreasonable.
So this time, Lin Feng didn’t decline Uncle Tian’s invitation.
Instead, he nodded in agreement.
Compared to a piece of clothing, a meal was well within Uncle Tian’s means.
And it would also allow Uncle Tian to express his apologies.

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