Ch 98: The World’s Number One Resort

After the system prompt, Tang Huai made a cup of chrysanthemum tea and casually started scrolling through Weibo.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

The system had mentioned “patience.” Tang Huai was indeed patient, but half an hour had passed without any changes or even another system notification.

“FD730, what’s going on with the upgrade?” Tang Huai put down his phone.

“This is a large-scale upgrade and is expected to be completed within one hour to three days. Please wait patiently.” Tang Huai thought he might have missed something earlier, but FD730’s response left him speechless.

One hour, three days? That’s quite a wide time frame.

Tang Huai decided not to dwell on it further. He put on a jacket and went out for a walk. Most tourists had finished resting and were now eagerly following their travel guides.

“Haha, it looks just as cool as it does in the videos.”

“I want to take a picture…”

As Tang Huai was making his way around Sora Island and headed towards the Delicious Restaurant, he noticed three teenage girls standing excitedly under a parasol tree.

Tang Huai walked closer.

In front of the parasol tree was the construction site for Sora Hospital. At that moment, Xie Yunshu, dressed in a casual denim jacket, was overseeing the disguised workers. His black hair was tied into a bun. While long hair and a denim jacket might seem mismatched, on Xie Yunshu, it appeared surprisingly harmonious.

The three teenage girls had their eyes glued to Xie Yunshu.

The new school term had just started in China last week. Tang Huai wondered how these three girls managed to get time off for this trip…

The girls chirped excitedly for a bit longer, snapped a couple of photos of Xie Yunshu, and then left reluctantly. They were too shy to approach, especially since Xie Yunshu’s demeanor was so composed and aloof.

Watching the girls’ actions, Tang Huai couldn’t help but smile as he walked toward the construction site.

“Place the scaffolding inside so that it doesn’t affect the tourists. Manager Tang…” Xie Yunshu was giving instructions earnestly. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he greeted Tang Huai with a smile.

“Progress looks good,” Tang Huai nodded.

Sora Hospital and the fire station were both basic facilities. The disguised workers could build them according to the system’s blueprint, but Xie Yunshu preferred to be meticulous. With the growing number of tourists, he frequently visited the construction site to ensure safety.

The construction period for Sora Hospital and the fire station was set to take about a month. It had been only three days, yet the foundation was almost ready. The next steps were to pour the ground beams and then build the structure.

“Everything should be done by the end of April. By the way, Yuntian Entertainment called…” Xie Yunshu reported the current progress and then seemed to remember something.

“Tao Ke has agreed to purchase the Stroke of the Brush portrait rights.” Half an hour later, Xie Yunshu gathered some materials, and they both returned to the Sora office building.

Xie Yunshu handed Tang Huai a fax.

The fax had arrived around noon, detailing the terms of the collaboration with Yuntian. The conditions mainly included prohibitions against drawing nude portraits or making parodies. Most of the terms were aimed at maintaining Tao Ke’s celebrity image.

In fact, given the Stroke of the Brush’s rules, even without these conditions, it would be impossible to create vulgar or nude portraits.

“That’s all the requirements?” Tang Huai finished reading the fax, somewhat surprised. From a celebrity’s perspective, these conditions were… as simple as they could be.

“Yes, that’s all. Tao Ke’s representative is already on their way and should arrive the day after tomorrow in the evening,” Xie Yunshu confirmed.

Tang Huai looked thoughtfully at the fax. He wasn’t too concerned with the entertainment industry, but even he had heard about Tao Ke’s scandals in recent years.

Tao Ke had graduated from Huaying Film Academy and debuted in a city romance drama. She had then gone on to star in several fantasy dramas and big-budget films, leading a smooth acting career. A few years ago, she was one of the most popular young actresses in China. She later married the actor Zhang Lei, forming a well-known golden couple in the entertainment circle. But unexpectedly, after their marriage, both were caught in extramarital affairs…

Based on the public spat between Tao Ke and Zhang Lei on Weibo, onlookers have pieced together the sequence of their affairs. The couple was genuinely in love when they got married, but the industry is full of temptations. According to Tao Ke’s claims, she discovered Zhang Lei’s affair with a female agent a month into their marriage. Tao Ke, being someone who never does things halfway, also had an affair after three days of heated arguments.

From then on, the two maintained a façade of harmony but were estranged in reality.

Three months later, the double infidelity scandal broke out in the media, becoming one of the biggest jokes in the entertainment circle that year. Unlike Tao Ke, who fell into obscurity, Zhang Lei married the agent after the divorce. In addition, he starred in two small-budget, high-grossing films, which propelled his acting career forward.

It seemed that only Tao Ke’s career was negatively affected by the scandal.

Tao Ke is now thirty-three years old. If she fails to make a comeback soon, as newer stars replace the old ones, her position in the industry will only become more awkward.

“We’ll stick to the Great Tang Resort’s rules,” Tang Huai said to Xie Yunshu after briefly going over Tao Ke’s career.

Regardless of how Tao Ke’s career has unfolded, since she is willing to spend three million on the Stroke of the Brush portrait rights, Tang Huai saw no reason to deny the purchase.

Tao Ke was just a minor interlude for the Great Tang Resort. The two chatted for a while before Tang Huai returned to the island master’s courtyard to sleep.

He slept well that night.

…

“Brother Su, how long are we staying at the Great Tang Resort? Is our only task to paint Sister Tao Ke?” At the same time that Tang Huai was peacefully sleeping, on a flight from China to Hawaii, a young man in his twenties with a pleasant appearance asked curiously.

Sitting next to him was a man in his forties, looking quite capable and experienced. This was Su Guang, and the young man was Gu Xiangjie, a portrait artist hired from the China Academy of Art.

“About five days. This is an important task, so make sure to take it seriously.”

Su Guang glanced at Gu Xiangjie after hearing his question. Tao Ke was his most valued artist, and after weighing the pros and cons, Su Guang decided to personally travel to discuss the contract. Since Tao Ke was paying for the rights out of her own pocket, without going through the company, only Su Guang, the artist, and two assistants were on this trip, keeping the team as simple as possible.

The main purpose of this visit was to sign the contract and work on the Stroke of the Brush.

“Don’t worry, Brother Su.” Gu Xiangjie changed his posture and patted his chest confidently. His cousin worked in Yuntian’s legal department, and it was through connections that Gu Xiangjie got this job. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the chance to travel at company expense.

After chatting for a bit more, Su Guang turned to look out the window while Gu Xiangjie opened his computer to study Tao Ke’s facial structure. Though he had gotten the job through connections, he did have some skill in portrait art. To avoid embarrassing his cousin, he was putting in his utmost effort.

In this quiet environment, the plane flew out of China’s airspace, crossed the Pacific Ocean, and headed toward Hawaii.

…

While Su Guang and Gu Xiangjie were contemplating the details of the collaboration on the plane, Wang Song and Du Yuanyuan had parked their car across from the Great Tang warehouse along National Highway 107 in Shengze, China, intently watching for any movement.

After three days of nonstop transport, Daqing Shipping had finally delivered three truckloads of fruit to Shengze. This batch, once again, contained twelve tons of fruit. At this moment, the transport workers were leaning against the trucks, smoking, while Zhang Hua directed the Great Tang workers as they unloaded the goods.

“The Great Tang fruit shipment has arrived… Wang Song, do you think this plan will work?”

Wang Song watched intently, while Du Yuanyuan hesitated. This was her first time dealing with such a large business transaction…

“Why wouldn’t it work? We’re not stealing or robbing anyone. After this job, we can go on a vacation to Hong Kong. Tch, just these three truckloads are worth nearly five million. The rich are rolling in money, while the poor starve to death.” Wang Song withdrew his gaze and cracked open a can of cola.

He appeared calm on the surface, but inside, Wang Song was extremely bitter. He had worked tirelessly for years, yet he could only afford a modest car. Meanwhile, the wealthy barely lifted a finger and could afford to eat fruit costing more than three hundred yuan per pound.

The world is truly unfair.

“How’s the negotiation going with Boss Zheng?” Wang Song asked after downing half a can of cola. If they wanted to make money, Xinxin’s involvement was key.

“I’ve already rented the warehouse in the High-Tech Development Zone,” Du Yuanyuan replied. Their plan to make money was simple. Currently, Great Tang Fruit was in high demand, with an average price of around 300 yuan per kilogram—high quality and high profit. However, this high pricing also had its downside: limited stock and severe shortages.

This was exactly the opportunity Du Yuanyuan and Wang Song had been eyeing.

What’s rampant in China? Counterfeiting. Counterfeit milk, counterfeit drinks—the list goes on. After researching the market for Great Tang Fruit, the pair decided to focus on counterfeit fruit.

In the past half-month, Du Yuanyuan and Wang Song registered an online fruit store on Taobao and ordered counterfeit packaging for Great Tang Fruit. Imitating the packaging was easy, but replicating the crucial QR code was not. Frustrated, they eventually decided to forgo copying the QR code entirely, simply treating it as if they had “cut off the label.”

This would indeed lose them some customers, but given the high price of Great Tang Fruit, they still expected to make a small profit. With their plans set, they prepared to visit the warehouse in the High-Tech Development Zone. Everything was ready, and now they just needed to wait for the official Great Tang Fruit to restock so they could ride the wave.

“Move the high-priced cherries and cranberries up first…” Zheng Chenghe was busy directing workers at the warehouse in the High-Tech Development Zone in Shengze. These fruits were Xinxin Fruit’s remaining inventory from a previous order with Youlan Trading.

Zheng Chenghe had ordered three million yuan worth of goods, intending to expand Shengze’s market for high-end fruits. He was confident at the time, but a week into sales, he realized he had misjudged the local market.

Shengze is a Tier-N city where the average wage is 2,500 yuan. Getting residents to spend twenty or thirty yuan on a pound of apples wasn’t realistic. While the fruits he had were visually appealing, that was their only selling point. The price-to-value ratio was simply too low.

Zheng Chenghe also owned a Taobao store, attempting to sell the fruits online. However, with so many high-end fruits available online, competition was fierce. Xinxin’s store barely managed to sell three orders in two days. In short, this three-million-yuan order was becoming a deadweight.

Anxious about the daily labor and utility costs, Zheng Chenghe was pleasantly surprised to encounter Wang Song and Du Yuanyuan. While the two had limited funds, they could still take on about a hundred thousand yuan’s worth of inventory. Figuring that even small amounts would help him recover some losses, Zheng Chenghe decided to cooperate with them.

As for whether it was counterfeit or not… he just sold fruit and didn’t concern himself with such matters. If the sky fell, it wasn’t his responsibility to hold it up.

“Here’s a hundred jin of apples, a hundred jin of pineapples… The invoice is here; you can check it yourself.”

Half an hour later, Wang Song and Du Yuanyuan drove back in their small car. Zheng Chenghe handed the invoice to Wang Song after the fruit unloading was completed.

“You keep an eye on it,” Wang Song casually passed the invoice to Du Yuanyuan. He had splurged on this batch, opting for high-end fruits. Each piece was vibrant in color and quite enticing in appearance.

Wang Song wiped an apple clean and took a bite. His eyes lit up.

“Sweet.” Wang Song praised sincerely. Ignoring the QR code issue, this batch of fruit closely resembled Great Tang Fruit in quality.

Du Yuanyuan picked up a strawberry. Although she had never tasted Great Tang Fruit, she guessed that it probably tasted about the same as this.

Feeling more confident after tasting the strawberry, Du Yuanyuan finally let go of her mental burden. Even though she had a distant familial connection to Tang Huai, they weren’t particularly close. In the face of substantial profits, even close kin could turn into rivals, let alone a distant cousin.

After adjusting her mindset, Du Yuanyuan threw away any remaining guilt and eagerly joined Wang Song in repackaging Youlan’s fruits.

…

“We’re finally here! It looks just like a themed amusement park.”

“It’s classier than the theme parks in China…”

Two days later, the Great Tang No. 1 docked, and Su Guang and his group disembarked.

As Gu Xiangjie and the two assistants stepped onto Sora Island, they felt a rush of excitement. They had researched the Great Tang Resort before their arrival, so while they weren’t exactly shocked, the fresh air on the island was noticeably superior to that in other places. Combined with their high spirits, it brought a sense of ease and joy.

“Be polite,” Su Guang reminded as he regained his composure and turned to the three of them. In the entertainment industry, they were used to working with stars and celebrities. In China, that might not be an issue, but showing arrogance on Sora Island would be inappropriate.

This time, they needed something from the Great Tang Resort, and Su Guang didn’t want any unnecessary complications.

“Don’t worry, Brother Su,” one of the assistants said confidently, patting his chest. Having been in the industry for years, they knew how to behave in different situations.

Su Guang nodded.

The group dragged their suitcases forward. Midway through, they spotted a handsome man in a linen suit approaching.

“They’re here,” Su Guang whispered. He had reviewed the management information of the Great Tang Resort. The man in front of them was Xie Yunshu, the resort’s deputy manager.

“Mr. Su, Manager Tang is currently in Bianjing Ancient City and will be here shortly,” Xie Yunshu said politely.

“No rush, we can take a stroll around the town,” Su Guang replied with a smile as they shook hands thirty seconds later. The Great Tang No. 1 had arrived an hour earlier than scheduled. Su Guang didn’t take Tang Huai’s absence as deliberate neglect. Moreover, it was understandable for Tang Huai, as the manager, to take his time to appear.

Xie Yunshu helped the four guests check in, handed their luggage to an AI service worker, and led them on a leisurely tour of Sora Town while introducing the local customs and scenery. During the conversation, he didn’t mention anything about the authorization agreement.

Su Guang remained calm and didn’t bring it up either.

He was entirely focused on the scenery of Sora Town. The architecture wasn’t particularly unique, but its layout was well-planned. Coupled with the lush sycamore trees, the town exuded a clear, movie-like atmosphere.

Thinking of romantic dramas, Su Guang couldn’t help but glance at Xie Yunshu. With his tall, slender figure and handsome features, Xie Yunshu could easily be the male lead in an idol drama.

As a talent manager who had seen many attractive men and women, the more Su Guang looked at Xie Yunshu, the more he thought he had great potential. However, his current mission was to handle the authorization deal, so openly poaching talent was out of the question.

“We’re here. This is the Sora office building, which also serves as the administrative center of Sora Island,” Xie Yunshu said as he led them to the Sora building.

Su Guang looked up. The building continued Sora Town’s signature colorful style, but it had an added air of solemnity compared to the other structures.

They headed to the meeting room, where the AI service staff brought in some tea and fruit. The four exchanged glances before hesitantly reaching for a banana.

A fragrant aroma wafted through the air as they bit into it—soft and tender.

They had never tasted such a delicious banana before; it was just as the reviews for Great Tang Fruits had said.

Great Tang Fruits were currently all the rage, and getting your hands on them was like winning the lottery. The group had tried to join the frenzy half a month ago but couldn’t get any. In hindsight… they should have tried harder to secure some.

Bananas, pineapples, avocados…

After finishing the bananas, the four moved on to other fruits, quickly emptying the platter. Soon, the AI server brought out a new batch.

They felt a bit embarrassed but couldn’t stop themselves from eating more.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.” When they were almost done eating, Tang Huai pushed the door open and entered.

“These are the afternoon tea snacks made by Delicious Restaurant; please try them,” he greeted them briefly before taking the main seat. Behind him, two waiters carried a large, sealed container. When they opened it, there were various afternoon tea treats like cream puffs and pastries—Delicious Restaurant’s new light meal offerings.

Tang Huai had just been at the Sora Ranch outside Bianjing Ancient City, milking sheep. The sheep milk cake was also a new creation by Aunt Miley.

“You’re too kind; we’ve already had plenty of fruit. Ahem, here’s the contract drafted by Yuntian Entertainment. Manager Tang, please have a look,” Su Guang said awkwardly.

“Collaboration with Tao Ke for promotional hype? That wasn’t in the fax,” Tang Huai replied, flipping through the contract with a slight frown.

The contract was similar to what they had discussed earlier, but it now included a few additional special clauses.

“Manager Tang, as the first licensee of ‘Stroke of the Brush,’ Yuntian deserves certain privileges,” Su Guang straightened up. Public matters were public; private interests wouldn’t sway Yuntian’s stance, even if the fruit was delicious…

“Apologies, but Great Tang Resort is a neutral holiday destination. Ms. Tao can leverage ‘Stroke of the Brush’ for hype, but Great Tang has no obligation to cooperate. Furthermore, Ms. Tao must ensure that nothing she does harms the image of ‘Stroke of the Brush.’ If we sign the contract, this clause will be explicitly stated,” Tang Huai said firmly, placing the contract back on the table.

“Manager Tang, everything can be negotiated,” Su Guang hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. The fax from the other day hadn’t included these extra terms, but Tang Huai’s rejection was unexpectedly resolute.

“If you agree, we can immediately transfer the three million,” Su Guang continued, after the awkward moment passed. As a capable manager, he needed to fight for every possible advantage for Tao Ke.

“Great Tang Resort is not short on money at the moment,” Tang Huai chuckled, teasingly. His interest in the contract with Tao Ke was for the conversion of three million into island points, not the money itself.

“Please wait a moment,” Su Guang said, taking a sip of tea before stepping into the hallway to make a phone call to Tao Ke. Tang Huai didn’t rush him.

“Manager Tang, the contract can be signed now, and our finance department will make the transfer before noon,” Su Guang returned ten minutes later. The situation differed from what he had anticipated, but it was still manageable. Great Tang Resort was in a seller’s market; they had no room for bargaining.

Half an hour later, both parties signed the contract.

“Manager Tang, here’s to a successful partnership,” Su Guang said, extending his hand.

“Here’s to a successful partnership,” Tang Huai replied with a smile.

After a brief chat, Su Guang and his group left.

Due to the limited availability of beds in the Blue Sea Treehouse, Su Guang’s group was arranged to stay in Bianjing Ancient City. Four people sharing a room was considered a luxury given the room size in Bianjing.

Once Su Guang’s group had left, Tang Huai didn’t return to his island manor right away. Instead, he took a bite of the cake and opened his personal panel.

Host Name: Tang Huai
Scenic Areas: [Blue Sea Lake], [Snow village]…
Island Points: 22 million+
Reputation Points: 600,000+
Item List: [Windmill] x5, [Mountain Road] x3

At the moment, the task interface had not been updated, and the island points remained at the previous 22 million+. Tang Huai estimated that the additional three million island points would probably refresh once the funds had been credited.

Since Tang Huai had nothing urgent to purchase, he wasn’t in a rush.

After browsing through his personal panel, he opened the system interface. The words “Island Upgrading” appeared in bold, covering half the screen like a loading symbol.

“FD730, wasn’t the island upgrade supposed to take between one hour and three days?” Tang Huai asked, feeling somewhat frustrated as he stared at those words, stroke by stroke. If he remembered correctly, this was already the third day since the upgrade began.

“There are still ten hours left until the end of the third day. Please be patient, Host,” FD730 replied meticulously.

Tang Huai sighed. It seemed the system was determined to push the timing to the limit.

He went on to handle some paperwork as the time passed from ten o’clock to eleven, and then from eleven to midnight.

At twelve ten, Tang Huai checked the time, closed his office door, and headed back to the island owner’s small courtyard.

The Sora office building was adjacent to the island owner’s courtyard, and half an hour later, Tang Huai fell into a sweet slumber.

…

“It’s raining! This feels amazing!”

“The air is so crisp, and look at the hilltops—are they sprouting…wait, they are sprouting, right?”

“This is so refreshing! I want to take a walk in the rain. Anyone up for it?”

The next morning, Tang Huai was woken up by a light pitter-patter. Alongside the rain sounds, he could hear the delighted voices of tourists.

He threw on a jacket and opened the window, momentarily stunned by the sight.

It was seven in the morning, and the island owner’s courtyard was situated on a high point in Sora, facing the Pacific Ocean. The warm morning sun was just rising from the horizon. While the sunlight was gentle, Sora Island was shrouded in a fine drizzle.

The light rain didn’t bring any sense of irritation or muddiness. Instead, it felt incredibly refreshing.

Wearing a pair of slippers, Tang Huai hurried up to the hilltop to take a broader look.

After a year of development, areas like Blue Sea Lake and Sora Town had taken shape, each rich with unique features. However, only seven out of the fifty regions had been developed; the remaining forty-three were still in their original state.

These undeveloped areas mostly appeared as barren, yellow-brown canyons. Due to the ratio, when viewed from the mountains, most of what met the eye were the gloomy, rugged dark canyons. Areas like Blue Sea Lake seemed like oases in a desert. Because the developed regions were sparse and separated, each appeared like a paradise amidst an overall wasteland.

This was a problem Tang Huai had faced in the island’s construction, with no immediate solution other than expanding development one step at a time.

Having lived on Sora Island for nearly a year, he was accustomed to its characteristics. Now, as he looked out, the island’s topography hadn’t changed, but it seemed as if the barren canyons had been cleansed, with tiny green sprouts emerging from the surface.

It was as if the island had been covered with a layer of gray veil, which had now been blown away.

The changes to the island were subtle yet significant. To the tourists, it might just seem like the usual freshness after a spring rain, signaling the growth of new life.

However, as someone bound to the system and with access to the island’s sand table model, Tang Huai could sense every nuanced transformation.

“Drip, drip…”

The raindrops echoed softly around him. Tang Huai licked his lips; he had been in such a rush earlier that he’d forgotten to bring an umbrella. Now, he was already drenched.

However, the rain wasn’t cold. Instead, it felt like the clear waters of Blue Sea Lake. Being soaked by the rain felt incredibly soothing. Tang Huai was about to head back to change clothes but decided against it, leisurely making his way down the hill instead.

“Ding! Island upgrade complete. Please proceed to the details panel for more information,” a pleasant mechanical voice rang out as Tang Huai descended halfway.

As he had guessed, this spring rain was indeed connected to the island’s upgrade.

This marked the second spring rain since the establishment of Great Tang Resort.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️