After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

The next morning, Gong Yuelong drove directly to the Gold Coast.

But the figure in front of the wonton stall was replaced by a strange middle-aged man.

"A bowl of wontons, with extra cilantro."

Gong Yuelong sat down in his usual spot and casually asked, "Boss, what happened to the girl from before?"

The man didn't even look up. "I quit. I'm taking over the business."

"Quitted?" Gong Yuelong's heart skipped a beat. "Where did you go to make your fortune?"

"Who knows?" the man replied vaguely. "I heard she's married into a wealthy family. The young lady's got some ambition."

The trail went cold.

After finishing his bowl of wontons, Gong Yuelong wandered around the neighborhood and asked two other people, receiving roughly the same information:

"I haven't seen that girl for a while."

"Time to enjoy life!"

He remembered that Lao Niu often came here, so he gave him a call.

The old ox, having understood the purpose of the visit, smiled.

Stop wandering around the wonton stall! It's owned by Boss Yang now!

That newly opened Juxiange restaurant in our district, it's really impressive! I heard they've leased out a huge hotel!

Juxian Pavilion? Gong Yuelong knew that place. It was a three-story antique-style building by the lake, and the construction site fence during the renovation indicated that it was not cheap.

How could a wonton vendor possibly take over that kind of business?

He thanked them, stepped on the gas, and headed straight for Juxian Pavilion.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Gong Yuelong knew that Lao Niu was right, but also terribly wrong.

This place is not a restaurant in the ordinary sense.

The location is secluded, but the storefront is huge, and the parking lot is filled with black Audis and minivans.

Through the carved glass windows, one can vaguely see the private rooms inside, offering excellent privacy.

It wasn't lunchtime, but almost half the cars were already parked outside.

He didn't go in. He parked his car on the opposite side of the street, rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and watched quietly.

Three groups of people came and went within half an hour.

There was no noisy family dinner, no intimate date between couples.

They were all in groups of three to five, dressed smartly, walking unhurriedly, talking in hushed tones, and exuding a tacit sense of security.

When someone gets out of the car, the driver jogs over and takes out an exquisite gift box or a simple small bag from the trunk.

Among the group, Gong Yuelong, with his sharp eyes, was a leader.

Just then, the heavy wooden door of Juxian Pavilion opened, and a familiar figure came out to see off the guests.

It was Yang Ruyan.

She has changed.

The ponytail was transformed into a gentle updo, and the girl wearing an apron changed into a high-quality, light purple, modernized cheongsam.

She had a very slim waist, wore heavy makeup, and was bowing slightly as she saw the leader off to his car.

Before getting into the car, the leader nodded to her casually and said something.

Yang Ruyan smiled more genuinely and waved her hand gently.

The car drove away.

Yang Ruyan stood at the door, watching the car drive away. The smile on her face slowly faded, and she raised her hand to look at her wristwatch—Gong Yuelong narrowed his eyes; that watch was definitely not an ordinary object.

Gong Yuelong slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and the scene in his mind became clearer.

This is no ordinary restaurant.

This is a front; it's a high-level rendezvous point.

Yang Ruyan standing here speaks volumes.

She, or the person behind her, gained some kind of trust and became part of this secretive circle.

The system did not give you the wrong directions.

But this road was more secluded than he had imagined.

The key to the factory construction may not lie in Yang Ruyan's own hands, but it must lie at some point in this network that she can reach.

Gong Yuelong stubbed out his cigarette.

He needs to think carefully about how to approach this unusual door.

To barge in and say I want to talk to Yang Ruyan about finding work? That's foolish.

He has to wait for an opportunity, or create a less abrupt chance encounter.

interesting.

……

Juxian Pavilion, third floor, lakeside viewing platform.

They were the only table on the platform.

Gong Yuelong poured tea for Jiang Yan, ignoring the cars quietly entering and exiting downstairs, and asked, "What do you think of the food here?"

Jiang Yan took a sip of tea: "I'm here for the ambiance and the quiet, not for the taste."

"The proprietress's surname is Yang, and her name is Yang Ruyan," Gong Yuelong said. "She used to sell wontons at a stall opposite the Gold Coast construction site."

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and put down her cup: "You jumped a bit too high, going from a roadside stall to these steps."

"So this place is not simple," Gong Yuelong said.

"There were more cars than people, and everyone who came seemed to be discussing business, not having a meal. I figured this kind of place was more like a place for maneuvering and manipulating situations."

Jiang Yan smiled: "You see things very clearly. In the construction industry, technology is the threshold, capital is the ammunition, and connections are the aiming point."

These places are workshops for calibrating sights and maintaining triggers.

Whether the food is good or not is not important; what matters is the right to sit here and the exchange that can be made here.

She paused for a moment: "You want to find some projects to do through this boss lady?"

"I heard a bit of a rumor about a 3,000-square-meter factory project in the High-tech Zone," Gong Yuelong said vaguely.

"Yang Ruyan is able to stand in this position, even if she is just a manager in name only. She probably sees and hears more than those of us who are just working on construction sites."

Jiang Yan looked at him, understanding dawning on her: "You want to borrow her ear?"

"Let's take a look first," Gong Yuelong said frankly. "At least we need to know which way the door opens and how high the threshold is."

Jiang Yan nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Some things are best left unsaid; as long as we both understand, that's enough.

She changed the subject, talking about the recent rise in material prices and construction site accidents. Gong Yuelong chimed in, and the two chatted like ordinary friends having tea.

After two rounds of tea, very light footsteps came from the stairs.

The two looked up and saw that Yang Ruyan had already walked up to them.

"Brother Gong," she said in a clear, gentle voice, "I saw you at the door just now."

Gong Yuelong's heart skipped a beat, and he stood up: "Boss Yang."

Yang Ruyan waved her hand, offering no further pleasantries. Her gaze swept lightly between the two men before landing on Gong Yuelong's face. She cut to the chase: "I remember you're in construction, looking for a suitable project?"

"Yes," Gong Yuelong answered readily.

"I have one right here," Yang Ruyan said calmly, as if stating a trivial matter.

"In the High-Tech Zone, there's a standard 3,000-square-meter factory building. If you're interested, what's the typical referral fee in the industry?"

After she finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on the observation deck.

Jiang Yan's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.

She didn't speak, but her gaze swept back and forth between Yang Ruyan's young face and Gong Yuelong's.

This cannot be explained by good luck alone.

Such a young girl, holding a ready-made project in her hand, handed it directly to Gong Yuelong like a business card.

Too accurate, too fast.

How many points?

A scene flashed through Gong Yuelong's mind: not long ago, at a wonton stall, amidst swirling smoke, this girl was wiping the table and seemingly casually asked:

"Brother Gong, in your line of work, how much commission do you usually get for referring people to jobs?"

He casually replied, "It depends; ten points is normal."

The key point pointed out by the system was actually waiting here.

This is not a coincidence; it is a clue that was planted long ago.

His mind raced, but a knowing smile appeared on his face. Looking into Yang Ruyan's eyes, he gave her the same number as before:

"Ten points."