Chapter 260: You’re Still Too Green
Gwen Morgan transferred 100,000 yuan to President Miller’s Alipay account before messaging him back.
"President Miller, I know you’re a smart man. It must be tough dealing with that ’green tea bitch’ every day. This little bit of money is for your trouble. Take it for now."
"Moving forward, if you do as I say, not only will there be another million yuan for your trouble, but we can also make that green tea bitch disappear from the face of the earth for good. Are you willing to work with me?"
President Miller stared at the sudden 100,000-yuan deposit in his Alipay and Gwen Morgan’s message, taking a moment to process what it all meant.
This sudden windfall and juicy gossip startled him, but he quickly accepted it all with composure.
’If I agree to work with Miss Morgan, not only will I get a fortune dropped in my lap, but I’ll also get rid of this little green tea bitch and take all the credit for the project. More importantly, I’ll be tied to Miss Morgan from now on, for better or worse.’
’What does this mean? It means my connections will jump to a whole new level.’
’Out here in the middle of nowhere, how hard could it be to deal with one little green tea bitch? If I don’t seize this opportunity now, when will I get another chance?’
Soon, President Miller and Gwen Morgan had worked out a plan. After lunch, he started faking an illness.
"I accidentally threw out my back while working this morning. It hurts a lot, so I don’t think I’ll be able to participate in the work for a while. Sorry, President Linden."
Cecelia thought he had actually hurt his back and compassionately told him to go rest.
"It’s alright. The work hasn’t officially started anyway. Just focus on getting some rest."
For a few days, everyone brought him food and drinks. When all the prep work was done and construction officially began, Miller still couldn’t get up.
"I’m getting old, my body just isn’t what it used to be. My bones are so brittle, one little knock and I’m useless like this. Sigh, I’m so sorry, everyone."
Cecelia hadn’t thought much of his sprain at first, but seeing him laid up for so many days with no improvement, she started to worry.
"Could it be a fracture? Just lying here like this with no signs of getting better isn’t a solution. If it’s really bad, you should go to the hospital. I can submit a request to the company to have you transferred back."
Hearing this, Miller panicked and quickly began to pour out his troubles to her.
"President Linden, I’m already forty-one this year. They say it’s not easy for a man in his middle years. I’ve got parents to support and kids to feed. If I pull out now before I’ve achieved anything... and with the end of the year approaching, I’d be too ashamed to face the leadership back home. You’re still young, you only have to worry about yourself, so you can’t understand my struggle. But I’m begging you, please try to understand."
As he spoke, he even began to shed pitiful tears.
Cecelia saw this man, well into his years, unable to even move from his straw pallet and constantly worried about being replaced. She felt that he truly had it rough.
"I only said that so you could go back and recover without any worries. I didn’t mean anything else by it. Since you’re so concerned, then you don’t have to go back. It’s okay, President Miller. No matter what, you’re a part of this project. I won’t abandon you, and I certainly won’t say anything bad about you to anyone else. Don’t worry."
President Miller pretended to agree with immense gratitude.
The moment Cecelia left, he let out a cold sneer.
’Trying to fight me? You’re still too naive. Of course I’m going to lie here and rest up. I’ll wait until you’ve done all the work, and then I’ll kick you to the curb. I’m not going to let you die that easily.’
The President’s Office, Vaughn Group.
Ryan looked at the project progress updates and on-site photos that occasionally popped up in the group chat, his heart filled with sympathy for Cecelia.
He looked at his female colleagues around him. In the cold of winter, they wore warm, comfortable wool sweaters and exquisite makeup, sitting idly and securely in the office, just needing to tap on a keyboard and sip their coffee.
Then he’d look at the photos of Cecelia. On windswept Windmount, she wore a bulky, padded jacket just like the men, her face wrapped in a scarf with only her dusty-looking eyes showing.
She was either running around on one mountainside or directing work on another plot of land.
She was always surrounded by piles of cement or sand, or by excavators, mixers, and male colleagues covered in dust...
’They’re both women, so why is the difference so huge?’
He really wanted to show these photos to President Vaughn, but this time, President Vaughn seemed to have hardened his heart. He didn’t ask a single thing about Cecelia, leaving Ryan with no opening to bring her up.
「In the blink of an eye, half a month went by.」
After so much time to get things running, the road construction work was now proceeding smoothly. There was no longer a need to supervise it so closely.
If they spent all their time on this one task, the project probably wouldn’t finish until after the New Year. Cecelia didn’t want to spend the holiday here. Most importantly, she didn’t want everyone else to be separated from their families during a time of reunion. So, she decided to start work on installing the power lines and renovating the school simultaneously.
She wanted to rush to finish the work here before the New Year, even if it meant working right up to the 29th of the last lunar month, so that everyone could go home for the holiday.
Although working with Cecelia every day was mentally stress-free and quite pleasant, everyone still hoped to finish the project as soon as possible.
This place was just too harsh, too monotonous.
The cell signal here was terrible. You had to go outside and find a relatively open space or a hilltop just to make calls or send texts.
Not only were their work schedules packed, leaving no time for fun, but even if they had the time, there was nothing to do.
Besides, every day they ate food from a big communal pot, and it was terrible.
The village secretary’s wife had been quite generous at the beginning, with plenty of meat and seasonings, but now...
And most importantly of all, every night, a dozen or so grown men were crammed together, sleeping on a pile of straw.
Using the toilet was inconvenient, bathing was inconvenient, and there was zero privacy. It was sheer misery.
Everyone strongly supported Cecelia’s idea and was ready to go out with her the next day to procure materials and start the new tasks.
When President Miller heard that Cecelia had gotten everything in order and was about to go out to procure materials again, he finally pretended that his body was feeling a bit better.
That evening after dinner, people went about their routines—some to the toilet, some boiling water to wash their feet, others going to sleep. Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, President Miller climbed out of his straw pallet.
After dinner, Cecelia went to Grandma King’s house as usual. She helped her clean up and feed the pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese. Just as she was soaking her feet in hot water, President Miller showed up.
When she opened the door and saw it was him, Cecelia was quite surprised.
"President Miller, what are you doing up? Is your back not hurting anymore? If you need me for something, you can just have someone pass on the message, and I’ll come over. You really shouldn’t risk injuring yourself again."
President Miller replied, "You’ve been busy all day, you must be exhausted. How could I trouble you to come find me? I won’t get hurt, don’t worry. I’m much better."
"I came to find you because I wanted to talk about work. Do you have a moment?"
Cecelia knew he was here about work. After all, there was no other reason for them to meet. She quickly invited him inside.
"Good timing, we still have a fire going. Come on in and we can talk."
Miller glanced inside the house. Grandma King was still awake, which made it inconvenient for him to make his move.
He gave Cecelia a hypocritical smile.
"Maybe not. I am a man, after all, and it’s late at night... with two women here... Besides, I’ve been lying down for so many days, my whole body is stiff. President Linden, why don’t you take a walk with me? We can talk as we go."