Life is certainly precious, and love is even more valuable. If it’s for the sake of freedom, both can be abandoned. Everyone has passion, and many people feel they can give up their life at any moment. Only someone like Li Yan, who has survived through multiple life-and-death decisions, can truly appreciate the value of life! Without life, everything else is just empty talk!

...

By the time he returned to the resort, it was already evening. Li Yan spotted several colleagues from the company all around, but didn’t run into anyone he was familiar with. He dialed Zhang Yurong’s phone, wanting to ask where she was hanging out. With her personality, she definitely wouldn’t be playing alone; if she was out, she’d surely be with others, and he could join them pretending it was by chance.

After the call connected, it took some time before it was answered, almost testing his patience to hang up.

"I’m playing mahjong with Hai Fu and the others, not convenient to take calls, don’t call again." Zhang Yurong said in a low voice.

Li Yan was stunned, she actually played mahjong? It was hard to imagine Yurong playing mahjong. She probably ran to the restroom to answer the call. "Who else is there? Do you need another player? Want me to join in?"

"We’re full... you..." Zhang Yurong spoke softly, a bit helpless. Technically, Li Yan was her husband, and it was natural for them to play together. Yet, even if they wanted to play together now, she couldn’t be the one to invite him, which made her feel a bit guilty towards Li Yan.

"Haha, I know, it’s not convenient for me. No problem, I can find something to do myself. I’m just worried you might feel awkward playing with others, afraid you’d get bored. Have fun!"

"Okay." Zhang Yurong agreed quietly, feeling a sense of comfort. Even though it was an offhand comment, it revealed how much he understood and cared about her.

Besides Hai Fu and Wen Qianyi, Li Yan figured there were likely other female executives too, so he could rest assured. He decided to find some fun himself, maybe get in touch with Sun Hui, who was quite skilled at having fun.

Just as he was about to make a call, his phone rang first.

It was Ji Yi calling!

Li Yan laughed, "So, Secretary Ji, how’s the report going? Can it prompt the mayor to handle it as a special case?"

Ji Yi complained with some irritation, "Li Yan, are you messing with me on purpose?"

"Is the information false? You guys confirmed it already?" Li Yan was a bit surprised by the efficiency; it didn’t seem typical of a government agency.

Ji Yi was a bit dizzy, "What did I tell you just now? I asked you to wait, keep your phone on, I’ll contact the mayor, and he’ll reach out to you if necessary!"

Li Yan was speechless. If the mayor needs someone, he should be looking for the mayor’s wife, what’s he getting me for? Or perhaps the mayor has questions...

"What? Did Mayor Yu just call me? How come I didn’t hear it? Could it be poor signal?"

Ji Yi, having the temperament for being a mayor’s secretary, had long been honed. After complaining, he wasted no further time. He also trusted that Li Yan wouldn’t deliberately miss the mayor’s call, especially as he was still dating Yu Xiaodi. "Stay where you are now, keep your phone signal strong, I’ll contact Mayor Yu immediately!" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After he hung up, Li Yan speculated that when Yu Hong called earlier, he might have been on the mountain, where the signal was likely unstable. Since Yu Hong personally called to inquire, it must have caught his attention.

...

Indeed, Yu Hong had taken this matter seriously!

Even though City S is only a sub-provincial city within the province, it’s still one of the top-ranking large cities nationwide, stronger than many provincial capital cities in other provinces. Holding the roles of mayor or speaker here, one’s political future is fairly promising.

With the soaring economy of Yun Country, trailing only Si Country in GDP, the concept of G2 has emerged internationally. The nation no longer desperately chases after foreign investment, foreign exchange, or GDP. The cost of sacrificing the environment, resources, and the toil of workers for GDP had become too high, leading to economic transformation. In such times, non-renewable resources like rare earths are increasingly valued.

At this moment, discovering a rare earth mine in City S and successfully fostering an entire industry chain would undeniably be a more significant achievement for the current mayor than mere economic gains.

Upon hearing about this, Yu Hong wanted to call Li Yan immediately to confirm. However, because of his connection with Yu Xiaodi, he was reluctant to call Li Yan right away, lest Li Yan felt overly important. So, when Li Yan was out shopping and moving things, Yu Hong didn’t call. Later when he did, Li Yan was already up the mountain.

This time, not making Li Yan wait long, Yu Hong called back shortly after receiving Ji Yi’s call.

Yu Hong started with a few formalities, but seeing Li Yan wasn’t playing along, he gave up on small talk and directly asked, "The video you sent to Ji Yi, are you sure it’s not fabricated? Are you certain there’s a rare earth mine on Carefree Island?"

Li Yan replied, "Mayor Yu, I shot that video this afternoon, and I conveyed to Secretary Ji, I’m not an expert. I’m only transmitting what they’re risking their lives to expose. I don’t know if there are any mines on the island. If you want me to investigate, I can go. But I wouldn’t recognize rare earths, and asking miners could also involve false information. To be certain, you’d need experts."

Yu Hong was speechless, feeling like that was an obvious answer. After a brief pause, he said, "Alright then! Aren’t you still on the island? Try to blend into the mine, take some photos, and send them over. I’ll have experts to assess. If it’s legitimate, I’ll organize a special investigation team to proceed!"