Chapter 182 - 179: Transformation
Time isn’t a straight line moving at a constant speed; it hastens or slows, zipping by during happy moments and dragging like an old donkey milling grain when we’re sad.
The 16th of July arrived in the blink of an eye.
The weather gods were favorable, with cloudier skies offering a much cooler temperature than usual, without the gloomy oppression.
Qin Guanglin came downstairs to the company building, a hefty backpack on his shoulders, holding He Fang’s hand, while Chen Rui had already arranged for the vehicle for their trip to Chou Mountain, waiting for everyone to gather.
Chou Mountain wasn’t far; just over two hours’ drive from the downtown area. It wouldn’t be much trouble for everyone to get there individually, but with Chen Rui’s comprehensive planning of a ride there and back, they had no complaints.
"I thought we came early, but it turns out we’re pretty late."
Seeing most of his co-workers already downstairs, Qin Guanglin greeted them with a smile and briefly introduced He Fang. After placing his backpack in the car, he watched Chen Rui tally up the names.
"You’re not late. There are still two people missing," Chen Rui scribbled on his pad, then glanced up at Qin Guanglin and He Fang standing beside him. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, "Good thing I thought ahead and rented a mid-sized van, or we wouldn’t all fit. I had originally thought there’d be only two or three with family members, but looking now..."
He glanced back, "Everyone’s got a partner; you all kept it quite hidden."
"Hey, you’re all here, just waiting on us, right?"
Sun Wen’s booming voice resonated, arriving almost immediately after Qin Guanglin, who turned to see, surprised to find him accompanied by a girl.