Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 419 Ayi, Do You Like Me? (6k Subscription Request)

Human behavior is influenced by upbringing and environment, which is why many people do things that are incomprehensible to others.

For example, some people refuse to divorce even when they are being abused, or they take out loans to buy things they want that are already very expensive, even though many people in real life and online try to dissuade them.

Ayi is the same.

Even with people like Lü Yao supporting her, she still couldn't bring herself to leave her parents and bravely pursue the life she wanted.

In fact, Xiao Ayi's family is not short of money. In terms of family savings, they have more than many white-collar workers in the city. Xiao Ayi's parents even prepared a very generous dowry for her, including bracelets, necklaces and headdresses made entirely of gold, which weigh more than a pound in total.

Even if the price of gold in 2017 wasn't as outrageous as it was later, a pound of gold would still cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Previously, Lü Yao felt that Xiao Ayi lacked a reliable support system, but now it seems that what she needs is the courage to break free from the shackles and constraints in her heart.

Outside the guesthouse, Lü Yao couldn't help but think of a highly educated girl on the internet. That girl was highly regarded by her mentor, who even had the intention of passing on his mantle to her. But what did that female student do in the end?

Ignoring all advice, she returned to her hometown, married a man from there, and had children, giving up her studies and future career.

There are just some unreasonable things in this world, so who can you reason with?
Reality is completely illogical; it is sometimes so absurd that it makes you want to laugh. In contrast, novelists need to be logical and well-founded, otherwise readers will angrily criticize you, saying what kind of bullshit you wrote.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lü Yao finally sighed helplessly and went back to his guesthouse to rest.

When Lü Yao woke up the next day, he saw that Ayi's parents did not give him a good look. Many people in the village also treated him coldly. The locals looked at Lü Yao and his family with a numb and hostile gaze.

At this moment, Lü Yao truly experienced the horror and terror brought to him by ignorance and barbarity.

Lu Yao wasn't afraid of scheming and backstabbing in the city, but the hostile gazes in this primitive pastoral area sent chills down his spine. In just one night, this place became a dangerous wall for Lu Yao and his group.

Even Lin Yongzhen felt heavy-hearted being in the situation.

So after getting up, Lü Yao and Lin Yongzhen didn't even have time to eat. Lin Yongzhen said to Lü Yao, "We can't stay here any longer. Let's leave as soon as possible."

If they were to get into a fight with these villagers, regardless of the process or the outcome, Lü Yao and his group would definitely be the ones who suffer. Compared to the villagers, Lü Yao and his group undoubtedly belong to the "happy group" in society, and the happy group must learn the "principle of the happy group yielding".

Even the most powerful outsider like Bald Qiang would have to think twice in this kind of environment.

Even if they can suppress the local villagers, as long as these villagers film the conflict and add captions like "We are all trying our best to live," then Lü Yao will surely collapse.

Lin Yongzhen didn't want anything bad to happen to them here, so the best thing to do right now was to leave. She continued to persuade them, "You've already done more than enough for Ayi. If she doesn't want to do it, there's nothing you can do about it."

Lü Yao remained silent, deep in thought.

Not long after, Miss Azhu arrived at the guesthouse courtyard. She said with a worried expression, "Ayi's parents just talked to me. They are going to take back the courtyard, even if it means paying a penalty for breach of contract. They also told you to leave."

Lü Yao nodded: "I understand."

Ah Zhu scratched her head in frustration: "I've only been working here for a short time! How did I become unemployed?! I'm really speechless!"

Lu Yao laughed and asked, "Is this the only guesthouse your company owns?"

Ah Zhu said with a bitter face, "No, there are still some in other places too, but they are all taken care of."

Lu Yao smiled and said, "If you're willing, you can come with our team and travel around western Sichuan. After our trip in western Sichuan is over, you can come back to Shangnan with us, and I can introduce you to a job."

Ah Zhu beamed with joy: "Really?"

Lü Yao smiled earnestly and said, "Yes, it's true. By the way, do you know much about western Sichuan?"

Ah Zhu patted her chest proudly and said, "Then you've come to the right person. Not to mention western Sichuan, I'm very familiar with the entire snow region. I've been wandering around here for many years."

Just as Lü Yao was about to continue the conversation, he suddenly heard a loud "bang" from outside the courtyard, followed by various noisy and chaotic sounds.

Ah Zhu immediately jumped up alertly: "Oh no!"

She said to Lü Yao and the others, "Don't move here, I'm going out to take a look."

But Lü Yao didn't intend to listen to Azhu. He also stood up and said with a stern face, "I'll go with you."

Lin Yongzhen had already guessed what was happening outside, so she got up without saying a word and followed Lü Yao.

When Lü Yao and his two companions arrived outside the courtyard, they saw a young man dressed in local clothing being stopped and persuaded by a group of people. The window of one of the cars in Lü Yao's convoy had been smashed, with fine, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out from the point of impact, a shocking sight.

The young man who was stopped spoke excitedly and angrily in the local language, continuing to hurl insults at Lü Yao and his group.

Some of the older locals blocked the young man's way, scolding him sternly in the local dialect.

Lu Yao couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could tell just by looking at their actions and expressions. Nevertheless, Lu Yao still looked at Azhu and asked, "Can you understand what they're saying?"

Azhu said, "I could understand a little bit. The young man was Ayi's fiancé. He said we were trying to kidnap his wife and that he would kill us. The people who stopped him were all from the village and were related to the young man."

Lu Yao stared blankly at the farce.

Even at this moment, Director Lei did not forget his job. He directed the camera crew to film the young man's cursing. His expression was focused and excited, even more so than usual.

For Director Lei, this is a rare source of material.

If this segment gets broadcast, it alone will likely attract a lot of viewers.

Lu Yao looked at the smashed vehicles in his convoy, the agitated young man, and the group of numb, indifferent locals around him. On this land, their scrutiny alone could bring invisible pressure to Lu Yao and his companions.

indeed.

According to Lin Yongzhen, it would be best for them to leave now and get away from these troubles.

Given their status and position, there was no need for them to continue entangled with the people here. Even the King of Hell wouldn't fight with a mere ghost. Besides, they had already been more than kind to Ayi.

Any other measures would likely attract criticism given Lü Yao's current status and position.

but.
Lü Yao did not want to back down so easily.

He looked at Miss Azhu beside him and asked, "The guesthouse is still in your hands for the time being, right?"

Ah Zhu exclaimed "Ah!" and then nodded in reply, "Yes."

Lü Yao: "Then I'll book the entire area for now, so these people can't get into the yard, okay?"

Ah Zhu nodded: "No problem."

The guesthouse courtyard here has been renovated, so even Ayi and her parents need to enter through the main gate. If Azhu controls the gate, it will be difficult for outsiders to enter.

Lu Yao then shouted to Director Lei, "Director Lei, have everyone drive their cars together and park them in front of the gate where there are security cameras. Then have everyone move to the guesthouse here, and also move all the important things from the cars to the courtyard."

They shouldn't separate during this time, to avoid any problems.

In places like western Sichuan, once a conflict arises with the locals and injuries occur, the nature of the matter can easily become distorted.

After finishing these tasks, Lü Yao and Lin Yongzhen returned to the courtyard. Lü Yao found Director Lei, cut and copied the video he had filmed that day onto his phone, and then sent it to the big boss in Aba.

Local matters should be left to the local authorities to handle.

Less than five minutes after Lü Yao sent the video to the big boss in Aba, the big boss called him directly. Lü Yao answered the phone, and the big boss's voice was urgent and anxious: "Mr. Lü! What's going on? Where are you now? I'll come over and resolve this immediately."

Lü Yao laughed on the phone and said, "Oh dear, you're making too much of a fuss. It's unnecessary. Just have people from the local towns come over to resolve the matter. We need to reason with them and appeal to their emotions, so as not to ruin the relationship."

After saying that, Lü Yao sent his current location to the big boss in Aba.

The big boss from Aba didn't mince words; after offering a couple of comforting words, he hung up the phone.

The big boss in Aba has been in charge of the work here for a long time and understands the special characteristics of the area very well. He also has ready-made solutions for how to handle the situation, so Lü Yao doesn't need to worry too much.

So after hanging up the phone, the big boss in Aba immediately skipped many intermediate steps and made a call to his subordinates.

Those who received the notification immediately set off, heading towards where Lü Yao and his group were without stopping.

In the guesthouse, Lin Yongzhen looked at Lü Yao, whose face was dark, and said with a speechless smile, "I thought you could rationally hold back and let this matter pass. But it's good that you're like this now; youthful vigor is more in line with your age."

Lu Yao shook his head and laughed, "It's not just that I can't swallow this insult, but the atmosphere here is like this, it's very difficult for the economy to develop." "Because this place is in a semi-isolated state, the villagers' view of the world is limited, and it's very difficult to change them in such an environment."

Lin Yongzhen raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So, you plan to change the environment here first, and then change the people here?"

Lu Yao nodded and said, "That's right, when the environment changes, people naturally change too."

This is a classic "soul-luring and insidious" technique in scheming, which can be described in modern terms as "cultural invasion".

The changes in thought and behavior brought about by cultural invasion are worthy of a whole book to discuss.

Just like now, as the internet sweeps across almost every corner of the country, people's thoughts are also changing along with the impact of internet information. Therefore, during this period, the internet is filled with a lot of toxic and harmful information. The brilliance of "soul-guiding and darkening" lies in the fact that the changes that occur make the people who are changed feel that they have "comprehended the changes" themselves.

Therefore, they firmly believe in their own transformation.

This kind of ideological distortion is more powerful than any gun or cannon, and it often takes a lot of work and time to break its influence.

Lu Yao didn't plan to go too far. He only intended to conduct a few pilot projects in western Sichuan. Once these pilot projects were successful, people in other places would naturally follow suit.

After making a phone call with the big boss in Aba, Lü Yao and Director Lei began editing and producing the documentary.

Director Lei truly lives up to his reputation as a landscape documentary director; the scenery in the documentary is presented exceptionally well and is truly stunning. He perfectly captures the vastness, grandeur, and majestic beauty of western Sichuan in winter.

Interspersed throughout are Lü Yao's first-person narration, depicting Ayi's lively life in her fine clothes and riding a horse, the arguments and silences in the warm fire pit, and even Director Lei roughly edited in today's content.

This makes the video content look very rich, and the plot also presents a sense of ups and downs.

After watching the director's cut, Lü Yao expressed his full approval of Director Lei.

This episode's content is absolutely excellent.

Time flies when you're working in the guesthouse. Before you know it, it's past 3 p.m. The area outside the guesthouse seems quite lively, with people coming and going and various conversations coming and going.

Lu Yao was not curious about the commotion and changes outside, and at the same time, he restricted his men from going out casually.

At 3:30 p.m., there was a knock on the door of the guesthouse where Lü Yao and his group were staying.

Miss Azhu went to open the door and saw a man with an old jacket, a buzz cut, and a dark reddish-brown face leading a group of people outside.

The man in charge said with a smile, "Hello, I work in this township. I heard there were some issues here, so I came to mediate. Is Mr. Lü Yao here?"

Lu Yao walked out of the courtyard and said with a smile, "I'm here."

Miss Azhu stepped aside and invited, "Please come in."

The honest man who worked in this town thanked Miss Azhu, then strode into the courtyard and immediately shook hands with Lü Yao warmly: "President Lü! Oh dear, look at the mess this has made. It's because we weren't careful enough that you saw such a bad side of things. I'll reflect on it! I'll apologize!"

Lü Yao chuckled and said, "You flatter me."

The township official immediately put on a stern face and said seriously, "Not at all! Not at all!"

Lu Yao asked curiously, "I still don't know your name?"

The township staff member immediately said, "My name is Wei Minsheng, and I am in charge of the management of this township. This is my partner, who is also a very respected elder in the area."

As he spoke, Wei Minsheng introduced an elderly man with gray hair dressed in local attire to Lü Yao.

When it comes to resolving local issues, having a respected local figure take the lead often yields the best results with the least effort.

After Lü Yao shook hands with the old man and greeted him, the old man called out the young man who had smashed the car earlier that day in the local dialect. He gave him a reasonable explanation and then said to the young man in a slightly accented and somewhat non-standard way, "Come on! You did something wrong, apologize to Mr. Lü."

The young man was clearly unconvinced, but out of respect for the elder and Wei Minsheng, he still stubbornly said to Lü Yao in broken Mandarin, "I'm sorry for the losses I caused you."

Lu Yao ignored the young man and instead looked at the group of people behind him. Ayi, Ayi's parents, and the young man's parents were all called over.

Scanning the group, Lü Yao invited everyone to the fire pit and warm room. After they sat down, he exchanged pleasantries with them. Lin Yongzhen, without holding a grudge, poured milk tea for everyone. While drinking the milk tea, Lü Yao said, "I came to Western Sichuan this time with a mission."

"My mission is to help the economy develop in western Sichuan and raise its economic level. But what I saw after arriving here was not a civilized, inclusive, and harmonious business environment."

That's a bit harsh.

Wei Minsheng's already dark red face quickly turned purple from holding his breath.

In fact, Wei Minsheng is already this old and still working at the grassroots level, which means that his career has come to an end.

But the fact that he could stay in this rural area for so long and persevere for so long shows that Wei Minsheng is a very principled person. He probably really loves this land deeply, so Lu Yao's words really made him feel bad.

Lu Yao then changed the subject, asking, "Uncles and elders, how much do you know about the outside world? Are you satisfied with your current lives?"

Ayi's parents and her fiancé's parents didn't really want to talk to Lü Yao. The older generation's ideas were deeply ingrained and hard to change. But Lü Yao still asked Director Lei to bring over a projector so that some scenes from the outside world could be shown to everyone in the greenhouse more clearly and in a more shocking way.

As skyscrapers rise into the clouds, as the lakeside lights illuminate Jinji Lake in Suzhou, as subways with speeds reaching 350 kilometers per hour rush by, as crowds take selfies under the skyscrapers, avant-garde clothing, open and confident smiles, and a fashionable and glamorous life begin to unfold before Ayi and her fiancé.

After the presentation ended, Lü Yao said, "This is the outside world, the world that Ayi longs for. You haven't been there, so you can't understand the difference. If you're willing, I'd like to sponsor you to travel abroad for a while."

Ayi's fiancé snapped out of his daze and asked in a dazed tone, "Is it really that good outside?"

Lu Yao smiled and said, "In terms of material abundance, it's definitely better than here, but the pace of life in big cities is very fast. If you really lived in such a place, you definitely wouldn't be able to adapt. But in our lives, we go to faraway places and see many landscapes, not to leave our hometown, but to broaden the scope of our lives."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the respected elder of the area, Gombulaba, clasped his hands together in praise of Lü Yao, saying, "Mr. Lü, you are so young yet you can speak such words that contain Buddhist principles. You are a person of great wisdom."

This is actually a very simple truth, but now Gombraba needs to elevate Lü Yao's status. At the same time, even with such a simple truth, let alone in a place like this, even in the more developed coastal areas ten years from now, many young people will still not understand these words.

In fact, many of those young people are well-educated.

Most people in this world live their lives in a daze. Just by starting to think about what one should do with one's life, one has already surpassed 60% or even 70% of the world's population.

And less than 10% of people can figure out why they live.

At this moment, the only one in the greenhouse who truly listened to what Lü Yao said was Ayi.

Lu Yao continued, "So, Ayi's father, why don't you give Ayi a chance?"

Now, Wei Minsheng and Gombulaba began to advise Ayi's parents, saying things like eagles need to fly on their own, that times are different now, and that with Lü Yao's help, Ayi can have a better and brighter future, and so on.

Originally, Ayi's parents were almost persuaded.

But Ayi's fiancé, Basang, suddenly erupted, spouting a string of words in the local dialect, instantly extinguishing the budding interest in Ayi's parents.

Basang's barrage of words made Wei Minsheng's face turn dark. Gombulaba also looked at Basang with a sullen face. Miss Azhu whispered to Lü Yao and Lin Yongzhen, "Basang means that Lü Yao is here to take away his woman. If Ayi's parents really agree, it will be a breach of engagement. Buddha and Bodhisattva will not forgive them. They will go to hell and be despised by the locals."

As she spoke, Ah Zhu added in a particularly low voice, "The Basang family is quite prestigious around here."

After listening to Miss Azhu's translation, Lin Yongzhen, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked at Basang and asked, "Basang, do you like Ayi?"

Basang was taken aback, but being asked such a question by Lin Yongzhen, a woman so beautiful and with such a mysterious and ethereal aura, made him a little embarrassed. However, he still stubbornly replied, "I like it! I like it very much!"

Lin Yongzhen smiled, a gentle smile more beautiful than the most vibrant and mysterious flowers of the high-altitude snow-covered plateau.

Her beauty was so captivating, like that of a celestial being, that no one could remain calm in the face of it.

Lin Yongzhen continued, "You spoke with such certainty and conviction, but do you really understand what liking someone means? Can you distinguish between liking someone and possessing them? You like Ayi and want to marry her, but have you asked Ayi's opinion?"

"Ayi, do you like me?"

When the question was asked, Basang was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning.

He hadn't considered this question. He only knew that Ayi was beautiful, like a flower growing on the plateau, a famous beauty in the surrounding area, and that she was betrothed to him.

As for what Ayi thinks...

Basang turned his head blankly to look at Ayi and asked, "Ayi, do you like me?"

(End of this chapter)