Ch 11: The World’s Number One Resort

“We have a seven-day guided tour to Hokkaido and a six-night semi-independent trip to Hawaii, both setting off within a week. These are our most popular packages right now,” Yu Suxia eagerly introduced after hearing Jiang Yaoyao’s inquiry. She handed over two brochures from a nearby rack, which was divided into domestic and international tours—over 30 for domestic travel and more than 20 for international.

“I’ll take a look myself,” Jiang Yaoyao replied, glancing through the brochures before nodding to Yu Suxia. Without any objection, Yu Suxia poured them some hot water and went to help the other staff tidy up the office.

Having dealt with Jiang Yaoyao twice before, Yu Suxia had a good grasp of her temperament. Despite her young age, Jiang Yaoyao was strong-willed and carried a bit of arrogance. Yu Suxia knew that pushing her sales pitch now would only backfire, so she wisely gave Jiang Yaoyao some space.

In her seven years at Spring Travel, Yu Suxia had developed different sales techniques for different clients.

“Hokkaido looks pretty good. How about we take a trip to Japan?” Sitting next to Jiang Yaoyao, Qian Dasong glanced at the Hokkaido brochure, flipping through it briefly.

Qian Dasong, being a straightforward man, felt that as long as there were mountains and water, any trip would do. If this one wasn’t satisfying, they could always go somewhere else next year. He couldn’t understand why Jiang had been so indecisive. Of course, these thoughts stayed unspoken.

Jiang Yaoyao ignored him. After finishing with the Hokkaido and Hawaii brochures, she grabbed another handful from the rack. Qian Dayong absentmindedly flipped through them as well, not really paying attention.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Ten minutes later, after Jiang Yaoyao had gone through the new batch of brochures, she noticed something in Qian Dasong’s hands and suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Qian Dayong looked down, realizing he was holding a crumpled flyer. He had picked it up earlier without really paying attention while thinking about his upcoming project.

Jiang took the flyer from him. It was a trifold brochure, and the cover showed a serene blue lake. The photo appeared to be taken at night, with a peaceful moonlit sky casting a calm glow over the lake. Surrounding the lake were trees that looked like something out of a magical fairy tale, with ancient trunks and lush green leaves. The combination of moonlight, the blue lake, and the ethereal trees created a beautiful, almost dreamlike scene.

“Blue Sea Lake… Great Tang Overseas Resort?” Jiang Yaoyao read the name on the brochure, instantly captivated by the image. She continued to carefully examine the flyer.

An unexplored Pacific island, tranquil and peaceful seaside views, and a contrasting landscape of barren wilderness and lush oases… The brochure featured a series of photos and descriptions, painting a picture of a mysterious and enchanting overseas island.

“Sora Island, a dreamlike paradise in the Pacific, where you can explore its secrets,” read the final tagline. Jiang Yaoyao stared at it, deeply drawn in, before turning back to the cover.

“What is it?” Qian Dasong, noticing Jiang Yaoyao’s intense focus, asked, still unsure of what had grabbed her attention.

“We’re going here,” Jiang Yaoyao said decisively, pointing to the name “Great Tang Overseas Resort.” Her mind was made up.

The tranquil blue lake, the rustic treehouse accommodations… Sora Island’s scenery was simply too beautiful! The brochure described unique stays at “Angel Oak Treehouses,” which made Jiang Yaoyao’s heart race with excitement. The name “Sora Island” also sounded wonderfully niche, perfectly fitting her desire for something exclusive.

“Let me see… Manager, we’re booking this trip,” Qian Dasong said, barely glancing at the brochure before turning to the staff. To him, it didn’t matter where they went, as long as Jiang Yaoyao had made up her mind.

“Well, it’s peak season, so most of our tours are already scheduled to depart… Ahem, we don’t currently have any group tours to Sora Island,” Yu Suxia hurried over after overhearing them, ready to explain. But when she saw the crumpled flyer, her words faltered.

Yu Suxia wasn’t forgetful; she vaguely remembered the Great Tang Resort project. Tang Huai had left a stack of flyers at the agency a few days ago, but with customers arriving at the time, Yu Suxia had forgotten about them. Somehow, the flyers had ended up mixed into the display rack.

Yu Suxia felt a wave of frustration. Of all the difficult clients like Jiang Yaoyao, it was unexpected that after such careful consideration, she would choose the Great Tang Resort…

“Are you interested in an island vacation? We currently have a seven-day trip to Bali, and if you sign up today, the group departs the day after tomorrow,” Yu Suxia responded, trying to steer the conversation in another direction, though internally she was quite vexed.

“When does the Great Tang Resort have a group tour available?” Jiang Yaoyao wasn’t swayed and continued her inquiry.

“The soonest would be November,” Yu Suxia replied off the cuff.

“Forget it, we’ll just go by ourselves,” Jiang Yaoyao said casually. Group tours were meant for convenience, but if Spring Travel couldn’t arrange it, she figured they could just make the trip independently. Besides, there were plenty of travel agencies in Shengze, so they didn’t need to stick to this one.

“Wait a moment, let me check with headquarters tonight. I’ll get back to you by tomorrow, or maybe even later tonight,” Yu Suxia quickly interjected, sensing that Jiang Yaoyao was about to leave. Whether or not a group could be arranged, she needed to keep the customer engaged.

Jiang Yaoyao nodded and left her contact details. If a group could be organized, it would still be easier to join a tour than plan everything themselves.

After Jiang Yaoyao left, Yu Suxia sighed at the sight of the phone number she had just collected. The service industry was truly tough. After a brief moment of reflection, she relayed the situation to the branch manager. Since Jiang Yaoyao was a high-priority client, the manager had been following up with her for a while and knew her general preferences.

“We can arrange a customized seven-day tour to Sora Island in Mexico, but the cost per person is estimated to be over 80,000 yuan. I’ll send you the proposal tonight, and if she agrees, we can proceed,” the manager calmly responded.

Spring Travel had over 500 branches across the country, dealing with all kinds of customers, including those who preferred niche destinations. For such clients, they would often organize tailor-made trips. In short, if the customer had the money, Spring Travel could arrange travel anywhere in the world.

Yu Suxia chatted with the manager for a bit longer and sent over photos of the Great Tang Resort brochure. After everything was taken care of, Yu Suxia felt like she had forgotten something. The company was now calculating the costs, and as long as both sides agreed, the trip could be arranged immediately. Spring Travel was ready, but what about the destination?

Yu Suxia quickly reviewed the brochure in hand. The descriptions were well-written, the scenic photos stunning, but there was no contact information! Mexico was halfway across the world, and Sora Island was a newly launched destination. Without a local contact, it would be nearly impossible for the travel agency to proceed smoothly.

She recalled that Tang Huai had left a few business cards, so she frantically searched through her drawers. Unfortunately, the cards had been thrown away while tidying up the desk… Yu Suxia felt a headache coming on.

…

Meanwhile, at the Mexico City International Airport, Tang Huai had just arrived after a 16-hour flight. After sitting for so long, he was glad to be back in Mexico City.

“I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, Tang,” Hank greeted him from outside the airport, leaning against his Ford as he waited.

“I’ll be staying in Mexico for a while. I want to develop Sora Island,” Tang Huai said simply as he loaded his luggage into the trunk. After the previous tsunami incident, his relationship with Hank had evolved from that of employer and employee to cross-border friends.

“That’s going to be tough,” Hank said with a shrug as he started the car. They had previously discussed Tang’s plans to develop tourism on Sora Island, but Hank remained skeptical. Sora Island, located in the eastern Pacific, had to compete with well-known destinations like Hawaii, Clipperton, and Polynesia. In comparison, Sora Island lacked both fame and scale.

Hank hadn’t disembarked last time, but from what he saw from the ship, the entire Sora Island was just barren wilderness without a hint of greenery. How could you develop tourism there?

“Thanks, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just back out,” Tang Huai said with a smile as he fastened his seatbelt. He knew Hank didn’t mean any harm.

Seeing that Tang Huai had made up his mind, Hank didn’t press further. He respected Tang’s decision.

The car started, and Tang rolled down the window. A gentle breeze swept in as the blue Ford slowly made its way down the main road in Mexico City. Instead of heading towards Guerrero State, the car turned east. After about half an hour, they arrived at an upscale villa complex.

1256 Ring Road.

Tang Huai checked the address in his hand. This was the property left to him by Tang Wangchun. He had imagined it would be some sort of apartment, but this… was far grander than expected. He wasn’t familiar with Mexico City’s real estate market, but based on Beijing’s prices, this villa would easily be worth seventy or eighty million, if not more.

His emotions were mixed. His generous but troublesome grand-uncle had indeed left him quite a bit of wealth, yet it was hard to feel truly grateful after all the predicaments he had been put through.

“Is this a private pool? It’s so luxurious,” Hank commented in awe as they entered. The entrance was adorned with a small garden full of roses and tulips, followed by a private swimming pool of about 100 square meters, and behind that stood a three-story villa. It was Hank’s first time inside one of Mexico City’s elite residential areas, despite having passed by before.

“Let’s go inside and take a look,” Tang Huai invited with a smile.

The villa’s interior was both grand and minimalist in design, and from the looks of it, it seemed like someone had been regularly maintaining it. After the two strolled around, watching a bit of a football game, Hank eventually had to leave to attend to some matters at his fish farm. Tang Huai tried to persuade him to stay longer, but Hank politely declined. Soon, Tang Huai was left alone in the large villa.

He lazily flipped through the TV channels with the remote control. Most of the stations were broadcasting local Mexican soap operas or talk shows. Although he could now understand any language, these programs didn’t interest him at all.

After cycling through a few more channels, Tang Huai decided to head upstairs. The villa had three floors: the first floor housed guest rooms, the living room, and the kitchen; the second floor was home to the master bedroom, study, and a media room. The third floor, however, contained a small open-air greenhouse.

He and Hank had tried to open the door to the greenhouse earlier, but it was locked. The door was made of fine rosewood with a glass panel in the middle. Through the glass, Tang Huai had caught a glimpse of the interior—vines, purple flower clusters, hanging green plants, making it look like an exotic plant shop. He had been puzzled; with such a large garden outside, what was the purpose of maintaining a greenhouse on the third floor?

Despite his curiosity, Tang Huai didn’t dwell on it much longer. It was already 11 PM in Mexico, and after a long day, he decided it was time for rest.

Tang Huai found a room he liked, washed up quickly, and turned off the lights. The bed linens were fresh, and none of the rooms seemed to show signs of recent occupancy.

With the curtains slightly open, moonlight spilled into the room, casting a tranquil glow over everything.

“Bang, bang, bang—” At 3 AM, Tang Huai was startled awake by the sound of something—like bottles—falling to the floor. Ever since acquiring his “strong and healthy” skill, his senses had become far more acute.

“Rustle, rustle—” Sitting up in bed, Tang Huai listened carefully. The earlier “bangs” had now turned into a soft, scraping sound, like something sliding across the floor. Judging by the direction, it seemed to be coming from the greenhouse?

The rustling wasn’t loud, but in the silence of the night, it was distinct, like the chirping of insects on a rainy evening. After pondering for a moment, Tang Huai slipped on his slippers and made his way toward the greenhouse.

As his slippers tapped against the wooden floor, producing a “tap, tap, tap” sound, he noticed that the noises from the greenhouse suddenly stopped. At that moment, Tang Huai became certain—there was definitely something inside the greenhouse, and it was alive.

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