My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1287 Stubborn

Zhou Xing walked out while talking.

"I'll go with you!" Ling Xue followed him.

"No, it's too dangerous." Zhou Xing flatly refused, "Go back to the office."

Ling Xue shook her head stubbornly: "This is my duty. And I am most familiar with the situation in Building 3, so I must go and confirm it myself."

Zhou Xing wanted to say something, but when he saw Ling Xue's determined eyes, he knew he couldn't persuade her, so he nodded in agreement.

There was already a strong wind at the construction site, and big raindrops began to fall. The two rushed to Building 3 in the wind and rain, and found that the situation was worse than they had imagined - the scaffolding was shaky in the strong wind, and below was the workers' dormitory area.

"It must be reinforced immediately!" Ling Xue shouted loudly, her voice almost drowned out by the wind.

Zhou Xing immediately organized the workers who came to reinforce the scaffolding. Ling Xue climbed up the scaffolding to check the fixing points regardless of the danger. Suddenly, a stronger gust of wind came, and the wooden planks under Ling Xue's feet creaked under the heavy load.

"Be careful!" Zhou Xing rushed forward and grabbed Ling Xue's wrist at the moment the wooden board broke. The two of them fell heavily on the scaffolding on the next level, and Zhou Xing used his body to protect Ling Xue.

"Are you okay?" Zhou Xing asked anxiously.

Ling Xue shook her head in shock, and suddenly found that there was a long cut on Zhou Xing's arm, and blood was flowing down with the rain.

“You’re hurt!”

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Zhou Xing stood up and pulled Ling Xue downstairs, "We must evacuate now, the typhoon is coming faster than expected."

At this moment, a piece of iron sheet was blown by the wind and flew towards them. Zhou Xing quickly pulled Ling Xue into his arms, and the iron sheet flew past his back, leaving a deep scratch on his helmet.

Ling Xue tightly grasped the corner of Zhou Xing's clothes. She could clearly hear his rapid heartbeat and feel the warmth from his chest. At this moment, she suddenly realized that this builder who always had a stern face had unknowingly walked into her heart.

Despite this turmoil, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue did not give up. On the contrary, this challenge made them more determined in their belief that only by insisting on quality first and continuous innovation can they go further. After a series of adjustments and efforts, "Xiangyun Fruit Fragrance" not only regained the trust and support of consumers, but also saw a significant increase in its market share.

After a series of efforts and adjustments, "Xiangyun Fruit Fragrance" finally ushered in another harvest season. This autumn was busier than ever before, but also more exciting. With the news that a new batch of figs would be on the market, orders from all over the country and even overseas came in like snowflakes. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue led their team to work day and night to ensure that every order could be shipped on time and with high quality.

In order to better serve customers and expand sales channels, "Xiangyun Guoxiang" has also opened its own official website and offline experience stores. Here, customers can not only taste freshly picked figs and their products, but also experience the fun of making food, such as participating in baking courses guided by professional chefs to learn how to make cakes, biscuits and other desserts with figs. This move not only brings consumers closer, but also allows more people to understand the story behind figs and the cultural significance it carries.

In addition to commercial success, "Xiangyun Guoxiang" also actively fulfills its social responsibility and gives back to the society. Every year, it takes out a portion of its profits to support local education, improve medical conditions, and subsidize poor families and other public welfare undertakings. It has won unanimous praise from all walks of life and is known as one of the most caring companies.

On a sunny day, Zhou Xing stood in front of his newly built courtyard and looked at the rolling mountains in the distance. He was full of emotion: "From the time I returned to my hometown alone to now being able to lead everyone to get rich together, I feel that everything is worth it." Ling Xue, who was standing next to him, smiled and added: "Yes, it was not easy along the way, but we did it!" The two smiled at each other, their eyes flashing with infinite visions of the future... In the commercial wave of this city, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue each stick to their own world. Zhou Xing, the boy who once had infinite visions for the Internet, is now the boss of a small Internet company. With his keen market insight and extraordinary technical talent, he gradually gained a foothold in this fiercely competitive industry. And Ling Xue, his high school classmate, a gentle and tenacious girl, runs a small but warm Internet cafe, which carries her youthful memories and life dreams.

In a noisy corner of a bustling city, there is a travel agency that is not very eye-catching but has a good reputation. Zhou Xing is the ace tour guide here. He has an upright figure, a clear face, a pair of deep eyes that seem to hide endless stars, and two dimples at the corners of his mouth when he smiles, adding a bit of affinity to his cold face. Zhou Xing has been curious about the world since he was a child. The distant mountains, rivers, lakes, and ancient ruins are like mysterious calls, leading him to embark on the road of being a tour guide.

On the other side of the city, in a quiet natural scenic area, Ling Xue is walking among the flowers and ancient trees, holding a microphone, telling tourists the history and legends behind each scene with her clear and pleasant voice. She is wearing a light blue dress, her hair dancing in the wind, her eyes revealing agility and intelligence, just like an elf jumping in the mountains.

By chance, the travel agency organized a large tour group to the scenic spot where Ling Xue was. Zhou Xing, as the full-time tour guide, met the local guide Ling Xue for the first time. At that time, Zhou Xing was introducing the itinerary in an orderly manner in front of the team, while Ling Xue was quietly waiting at the entrance of the scenic spot. When the tourists came in one after another, she stood up and prepared to start explaining. When she raised her eyes, her eyes met Zhou Xing's deep eyes. In an instant, it seemed as if an electric current passed through their hearts. Both of them were slightly startled, and then smiled and nodded politely.

Zhou Xing was already knowledgeable and hungry for all kinds of knowledge, and Ling Xue's explanation opened a new door for him to know. From the mortise and tenon structure of ancient buildings to the growth habits of exotic flowers and plants, she could tell them all in a leisurely and witty way, which made Zhou Xing secretly admire her. In Ling Xue's eyes, Zhou Xing was calm and reliable. When faced with tricky questions from tourists, he could always answer them calmly and resolve embarrassment. The warm smile that occasionally appeared was like the warm sunshine in spring, shining into her heart.

Zhou Xing's fingers slid across the crane cables, and his fingertips were immediately covered with a layer of fine metal shavings. It was the 47th day since the start of construction of the Yuncheng International Financial Center project, and the 128-meter-high tower crane was hoisting the 15th-floor steel structure.

"The wire rope is three times more worn than the standard." He handed the detector to his assistant, and saw a white figure flashing through the safety passage. When he turned around, the brim of his safety helmet hit the folder in someone's hand, and the papers scattered like snowflakes.

"The third edition of the supervision notice." A cold female voice came from below. Zhou Xing looked down and saw the chestnut curly hair gilded by the sun and the burning eyes behind the glasses. "Your company's rectification plan for the hidden dangers of the tower crane lacks an emergency plan."

Zhou Xing took the document and noticed the sharp handwriting in the supervisor's signature column - Ling Xue. This name has appeared in seven rectification notices on his desk in the past three days. "Does Supervisor Ling know that every shutdown will delay thirty work teams?" He deliberately clicked the safety rope.

"Does Mr. Zhou understand that a fall accident can destroy thirty families?" Ling Xue suddenly stood on tiptoe and pulled open his collar, revealing the yellowed seat belt lining inside, "Just like your seat belt that has exceeded its service life."

The noses of the two were only ten centimeters apart, and Zhou Xing could smell the faint scent of cedar on the other person. He took a half step back, but found that Ling Xue had an old centipede-shaped scar at the end of her eye, which was faintly visible in the shadow of the glasses frame.

**Chapter 2 Temperature in the Rain**

Two hours before Typhoon Bailu made landfall, Zhou Xing found a bunch of defective fasteners on the scaffolding of Building 3. As the rain flowed down the straps of his helmet into his collar, he heard a familiar, cold voice from above.

"There are two missing right-angle fasteners at the third node in the southeast corner." Ling Xue was like a white butterfly perched on the horizontal bar on the 18th floor. The heavy rain soaked her supervisor's uniform into a semi-transparent state. Zhou Xing was about to scold her when he saw her suddenly lean over and tie the safety rope around the worker's waist - there should have been a safety net at that location.

When the hurricane came with the billboard fragments, Zhou Xing almost instinctively rushed over. They crashed into the elevator shaft that had not yet been sealed, and the safety rope scraped sparks on the concrete embedded parts. Ling Xue's glasses fell into the abyss, and the scar was particularly clear in the lightning.

"When I was seven, I saw my father fall from a shaft like this." She suddenly spoke, her fingertips running over the scar, "There was too much fly ash mixed into the concrete."

The blood oozing from Zhou Xing's arm wound formed a light red circle in the stagnant water. He recalled the evening twenty years ago when his father's safety helmet broke into four pieces under the tower crane, and the ground was covered with concrete debris mixed with sea sand.

**Chapter 3 The conspiracy in the ink**

At midnight in the project department, Ling Xue pointed the ultraviolet light at the construction log. On the record of July 15, the handwriting that should have been blue glowed a strange green light.

"Someone used an erasable marker to tamper with the pouring records." She threw the evidence bag to Zhou Xing, "The cement used in Tower 3 is not typhoon-resistant cement at all."

The printer suddenly hummed, and the two turned their heads at the same time. An A4 paper slowly came out, with a warning cut out of a newspaper: "Don't mind your own business." Almost at the same time, the entire floor fell into darkness.

When Zhou Xing pushed Ling Xue into the corner of the filing cabinet, the steel pipe brushed his ear and hit the metal cabinet. The moment the flashlight on his cell phone lit up, he saw the reflective strip on the attacker's work clothes - that was the exclusive logo of the head of the materials department.

**Chapter 4 Guardian in the Dark Night**

The underground parking lot was filled with the smell of low-quality waterproof coatings. Ling Xue hid behind a load-bearing column clutching a sampling bottle, and heard the sticky footsteps echoing on the epoxy floor.

"I found you." A sinister laugh sounded against her eardrums. She was about to turn around, but was pulled into a bloody embrace. Zhou Xing used his injured right arm to catch the steel pipe, and the sound of bone cracking and muffled groans exploded at the same time.

As the sirens got closer, Ling Xue realized that Zhou Xing had been protecting the back of her head with his left hand. The bloody handprint on his white shirt was exactly the same as the one on her father's work ID card.

**Chapter 5: Rebirth in the Morning Light**

The sunlight on the seventh floor of the inpatient department was exceptionally clear. Ling Xue took off her glasses and wiped them, revealing the scar completely in the morning light. Zhou Xing's hand in plaster suddenly touched the corner of her eye: "Was the concrete workshop at the Linjiang Wharf?"

Her pupils suddenly shrank. In her memory, on that rainy night, a blood-stained boy held her and crawled out of the ruins. He also had a centipede-shaped scar on his left forehead.

"Later, when I applied for civil engineering, I always fantasized about meeting that boy back then." Ling Xue placed the twenty-year-old ID card in Zhou Xing's palm, with the crooked words "I want to be the best construction engineer" still on the back.

Zhou Xing took out a yellowed photo from his wallet: a little girl in a floral dress holding an ice cream cone, with a cartoon Band-Aid on her eye. In the background, an illegal construction site was being demolished, with a dilapidated signboard reading "Permanent Concrete" hanging on it.

Outside the window, the glass curtain wall of Yuncheng International Financial Center was refracting sunlight into a rainbow. On the top floor, which the two could not see, the newly installed tower crane wire rope was shining with a cold silver light, and its safety factor was five times higher than the national standard.

As the trip progressed, the two of them cooperated more and more tacitly. During the break, Zhou Xing would hand over a bottle of water and ask Ling Xue if she was tired; Ling Xue would considerately straighten Zhou Xing's collar and gently remind him to pay attention to sun protection. At night, the lights of the homestays in the scenic area were bright, and the tourists were gradually falling asleep, but they strolled on the bluestone road under the moonlight, sharing each other's growth stories. Zhou Xing talked about his childhood longing for distant places and his youthful ignorance during his first trip; Ling Xue talked about how she found inner peace in the embrace of nature and was determined to devote herself to the cultural dissemination of this land.

However, good times are always short-lived. The tour group is about to return, and the day of separation is quietly approaching. At the entrance of the scenic area, when the tourists were getting on the bus, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue stood silently in a corner. Zhou Xing felt mixed emotions, and his eyes were full of reluctance. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start. Ling Xue's eyes were also slightly red. She picked a leaf beside her, handed it to Zhou Xing, and said softly: "This is a commemoration of our journey. When you see it in the future, it will be like seeing this piece of landscape, and me." Zhou Xing held the leaf tightly, looked into Ling Xue's eyes, and said seriously: "Ling Xue, I will definitely look for you when I bring a group here next time."

After the separation, Zhou Xing threw himself into his busy work, but Ling Xue's smiles often appeared in his mind. He began to take the initiative to learn more about the scenic spot where Ling Xue was, and every time he passed by the scenic spot, he couldn't help but stop and stare. Ling Xue also missed him. When she explained to every tourist, she seemed to be looking forward to Zhou Xing's story, but what she waited for was disappointment again and again.

Finally, a few months later, one morning, the sun was shining brightly, and Zhou Xing appeared in front of Ling Xue with a suitcase. At that moment, Ling Xue was so surprised that she covered her mouth with her hands, and tears welled up in her eyes. Zhou Xing walked up quickly, hugged her tightly, and whispered in Ling Xue's ear: "I'm back, this time not as a tour guide, but to find you."

They strolled along the lake in the scenic area. Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue affectionately, slowly knelt on one knee, took out a carefully prepared ring from his pocket, held it in front of Ling Xue, and said sincerely: "Ling Xue, from the first time I saw you, my world began to have a different light."