Chapter 32: A Girl's Transformation at Eighteen

It wasn't a lie when Chen Feng said he had a classmate working at the Environmental Protection Bureau.

It was just that this female classmate had barely spoken to him during high school, and he wasn't sure if she would do him a favor.

He found her directly in their old class group chat, drafted a message, and sent it over, inviting her to lunch and mentioning he had a favor to ask.

After waiting a few minutes, he received a reply; she had readily accepted his invitation.

This was quite unexpected for Chen Feng.

In his memory, this classmate had been a bookworm—introverted and rarely interacting with others.

Because she was petite and sat in the front rows for years, while Chen Feng was tall and sat in the back, and considering the natural divide between boys and girls, they had hardly spoken a few times throughout high school.

At first, Chen Feng even doubted whether she still remembered him as an old classmate.

But looking at it now, she clearly did.

Chen Feng immediately sent her the location: a decent restaurant in the county known for its stir-fry dishes. It wasn't far from their old school; back in high school, several wealthy classmates had held birthday parties or hosted banquets there.

The time was set for noon.

By the time he arrived in the county town, it was around nine o'clock. Since it was still early, Chen Feng went to check on his newly purchased house, considering whether he should renovate it.

Ultimately, however, he abandoned the idea.

It wasn't to save money, but because he didn't know his brother's and sister-in-law's preferences; if he renovated it and they didn't like it, it would be better not to bother.

Besides, if he were to die, the money he left behind would be more than enough for his family to handle the renovations themselves.

The location was excellent. Taking the elevator down and exiting the back gate of the residential complex, there was a large shopping mall just across a one-way street, making shopping very convenient. There was a large supermarket inside with fresh produce and vegetables.

The nearest kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school were all within a ten-minute walk.

He wandered through the mall for over an hour and still hadn't finished.

Passing by the shop that sold electric foot baths yesterday, Chen Feng picked up another one to give to his parents.

Afterward, he browsed the supermarket inside, buying plenty of items—food, daily necessities, and toys for his two little nieces.

Time passed quickly in this manner.

Around eleven o'clock, he arrived at the restaurant. The exterior decor hadn't changed much since high school; it was a well-established establishment.

Business was good; even though it wasn't mealtime yet, the place was already about seventy to eighty percent full. He requested a private room, ordered a pot of tea, and sipped it slowly while sending the room number to his old classmate, Fang Xiaoyue.

He had assumed she wouldn't arrive until twelve, but to his surprise, she showed up just after eleven-thirty.

She knocked politely first, and only after Chen Feng said "Come in" did she push the door open.

Chen Feng saw her wearing a blue professional outfit with her hair tied in a ponytail, exuding a clean and efficient aura. He didn't recognize her at first.

Firstly, she no longer wore glasses, and secondly, she had grown significantly taller. In high school, she looked to be at most 155 cm tall, quite thin, and wore thick nearsighted glasses. Aside from having decent grades, she had almost no presence.

Now, she appeared to be at least 160 cm tall, and her temperament was completely different from the bookworm of the past; she looked very confident, which made her look like a beauty, making people feel comfortable in her presence.

To put it simply, she had the vibe of an "ugly duckling" turning into a swan.

"Chen Feng, you wouldn't recognize me, would you?" Fang Xiaoyue said with a smile, clearly satisfied with Chen Feng's astonished expression.

Back then, she truly had no presence in the class. It wasn't just in the eyes of the male students; it was much the same for the female students. At that time, only a few roommates and her desk mate interacted with her.

Nearly twelve years had passed, and the saying "girls change significantly as they mature" was certainly true here.

"Fang Xiaoyue, I really didn't recognize you. You've truly undergone a complete transformation," Chen Feng teased with a smile, then stood up to greet her.

"Thanks for the compliment." The current Fang Xiaoyue had none of her former introversion, speaking with grace and poise. "I was a famous bookworm in class back then. Among you boys, there aren't many who would actually remember me."

Chen Feng didn't deny it; he just smiled and guided her to sit opposite him.

The two had been classmates for all three years of high school, being in the same class before the division in their second year.

Therefore, even though they hadn't interacted much in high school, they had plenty to talk about regarding their school days, and they quickly became friendly.

Fang Xiaoyue took the initiative to mention Wang Fang, saying she was on good terms with her now and they often went shopping and dining together.

Hearing her mention Wang Fang, Chen Feng immediately understood.

No wonder she had accepted his lunch invitation so readily. However, Chen Feng didn't find this distasteful.

In today's society, humans are inherently very pragmatic creatures.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily because of Wang Fang; she might have agreed based on their old classmate connection.

They chatted for about ten minutes before ordering food.

Once the dishes were served and they had been eating and talking for over half an hour, Chen Feng brought up the serious matter: asking for her help to look into the forced relocation notice for his car detailing shop.

Fang Xiaoyue agreed readily, stating she would definitely help.

Because of this, Chen Feng's impression of her improved significantly.

The meal lasted over an hour, but they didn't continue further since she had to work in the afternoon.

Before parting, Fang Xiaoyue proactively stated that she would look into it this afternoon and notify him as soon as there was news.

Fang Xiaoyue was a woman of her word; less than two hours after they parted, she sent Chen Feng a message.

His car detailing shop had indeed been reported. Fang Xiaoyue didn't reveal the specific name of the informant, but she gave a slight hint, which Chen Feng understood perfectly.

Additionally, according to regulations, his shop should have applied for approval from the Environmental Protection Bureau and obtained a permit before opening. Of course, most similar shops currently operated without one.

But since his shop had been reported, he definitely had to get one. The most important thing was to ensure proper sewage treatment. As long as the sewage treatment was handled correctly, it wouldn't matter even if there were actual farmland nearby.

Chen Feng inquired about the required materials and procedures for the permit, and Fang Xiaoyue answered them one by one.

Thus, Chen Feng first went home to collect the various documents and then went to the Environmental Protection Bureau to apply for the permit.

Fang Xiaoyue accompanied him throughout the process, which naturally made things go much more smoothly.

Fang Xiaoyue stated that the permit could be obtained in as little as five days, after which someone would come for an on-site inspection. Therefore, it would be best for Chen Feng to set up the sewage system first; to this end, she even introduced him to a company specializing in this.

Chen Feng contacted the company by phone. After an inquiry, they quickly stated they could send someone for an on-site inspection to provide a budget.

By the time Chen Feng returned to his hometown, they had already sent someone over.

The sewage project was not large, and their price was reasonable—50,000 yuan for everything, including design and construction.

Chen Feng and his brother Chen Rui agreed without a second thought.

Five days later, the sewage project was completed. In the future, all wastewater would be discharged directly into the sewer system, making it impossible to pollute any surrounding farmland.

Besides, the surrounding area didn't even count as true farmland.

On this day, Chen Feng received a call from Fang Xiaoyue, stating that the permit approval had hit a snag and asking him to come over.

Chen Feng immediately drove over.