Chapter 143: Returning to the Island
"Thank you for the invitation, I will seriously consider it," said Lu Bin earnestly after hearing Chen Jianhai's sincere proposition.
Although Chen Jianhai could use his dual buffs of "Affinity" and "Influence" to subtly guide Lu Bin into wanting to work here, deep down, he preferred not to use such underhanded methods. He desired interesting talents but hoped that they would genuinely want to work at the hotel of their own volition rather than being influenced by his interference.
Despite the unpleasant experience during the recruitment of Liu Qinglu, Lily, the HR consultant from the Promising Future Recruitment Network, had a valid point. Talented individuals and companies select each other mutually. If a company has the strength, it can choose talents, and talents naturally have the right to choose their employer.
If Lu Bin was willing to come, Chen Jianhai would welcome him wholeheartedly. However, if Lu Bin chose not to, Chen Jianhai would simply consider it a missed opportunity.
...
That night, at 9:50 PM.
Behind the construction barriers on the north side of Xiao Ma Jia Island.
A group of islanders stood behind them, their eyes wide open like copper bells.
"I checked online, the daily construction hours for sites are from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If they work beyond this time, it's against the rules."
"If they are still working past the time limit, we'll all call to complain!"
"Let the authorities deal with them!" said one islander righteously, holding his phone.
"Exactly!"
"Even though the island chief said we shouldn't interfere with the normal construction, he didn't say we couldn't complain!"
"As long as they break the rules, we can get the authorities to help us sort it out!"
The islanders chimed in one after another, united in their cause. No matter what the island chief said, there were always more problems than solutions. As soon as the clock struck 10:00 PM, if the Star of the Sea construction team was still working, they would immediately call to report it!
Time passed minute by minute,
Finally,
At 9:59 PM,
"Snap!"
All the lights at the construction site went out.
All construction noises ceased, and the island suddenly became quiet.
In the darkness, the light from the phone screens illuminated the islanders' bewildered faces.
"What's going on? Did they stop working already?"
"Just past 10 PM, and they stopped?!"
"This doesn't make sense!"
The crowd was puzzled until someone suddenly said,
"They must be doing it on purpose, knowing we would come to check on their working hours at night, so they stopped. They'll start working again once we all leave."
That makes sense!
Everyone's confusion turned into anger as they analyzed the situation and convinced themselves it was true.
No one was willing to leave, determined to catch them working.
They waited and waited until the early hours...
2:00 AM.
"I can't do it anymore, I need to go home and sleep, I have to go out to sea tomorrow morning," said one islander with dark circles, putting his dead phone into his pocket and yawning as he walked home.
"Me too... I'm getting eaten alive by mosquitoes,"
"I'll head home first, I don't think they will work this late."
"After staying up all night yesterday and half the night tonight, I can't keep my eyes open..."
As the first islander left, others, too, fatigued beyond their limits, began to leave.
They all had to go fishing the next day for their livelihoods and didn't have time to keep vigil.
The days were long,
There were always more ways to cause trouble,
Even if the construction team avoided them tonight, they could always find other ways in the future!
...
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
The islanders began to doubt their actions.
The Star of the Sea construction team started work at 6:00 AM and stopped precisely at 10:00 PM every day.
The construction noise was within the regulated range,
Even the trash was neatly piled,
Any problem the islanders could think of, the Star of the Sea construction team avoided perfectly,
Giving them no reason to complain.
Their earlier plan to not sell water or food to the construction team seemed futile,
As the workers behaved like robots,
Staying either at the construction site or in the temporary housing,
Not disturbing the islanders' lives at all.
As a result,
The islanders' resentment began to diminish,
And some even started to reflect on whether they were being too harsh.
Some islanders even grew curious about the ruins, wondering what they would become.
...
Half a month later, one morning.
"Ding!"
"System cleaning task completed."
"The system detects that the host did not choose to build a hotel, so the system will restore the cleaned area to its original state."
"Please host achieve the construction conditions and build the hotel as soon as possible."
The system's voice echoed in Chen Jianhai's mind,
"Received."
Chen Jianhai said while squeezing out a large amount of sunscreen into his palm, rubbing it between his hands, and applying it generously on his face and neck.
Afterwards,
He felt it wasn't enough.
He squeezed out a heap of sunscreen onto his arms and legs, carefully patting it on.
Satisfied, he looked at himself in the mirror.
Chen Jianhai had marked this day, knowing that the system would complete the task today,
So he had already booked a spot for a one-day tour to Xiao Ma Jia Island with Blue Sky Travel Agency.
After breakfast, he would board the bus and head to Xiao Ma Jia Island.
Last time, Chen Jianhai had no experience and almost got sunburned after spending the whole day on the island.
So this time, he bought the highest SPF waterproof sunscreen online, applying it generously all over his body.
Determined to protect himself well.
"Baicheng and the others have it tough, wearing such thick layers on their faces all day, isn't it uncomfortable?"
Chen Jianhai patted his face uncomfortably,
He had just applied one layer of sunscreen and felt as if his face was covered with thick cement, suffocating.
He couldn't imagine how Baicheng and the others managed their daily layers of sunscreen and makeup!
Just the thought of it made him sweat.
After a simple breakfast,
Chen Jianhai put on a brand new Huluwa T-shirt, paired with big shorts, and a pair of yellow sneakers, and boarded the Blue Sky Travel Agency's bus again.
The reason for choosing today to visit the island was not just because the system's cleaning task was completed today,
But also because today was Friday.
According to Lao Yan's previous introduction,
Every Friday was Island Love Day, where each household would take tools to the beach and seafront to clean up trash, clear rocks, and weed,
A perfect opportunity to understand the island.
Maybe he could even find a way to increase the islanders' satisfaction.
After about two hours,
The boat docked at Xiao Ma Jia Island,
As soon as Chen Jianhai jumped off the boat, he saw a familiar figure at the dock.
"Hey! Came to build a big hotel, huh?"
At the dock, an old man in a singlet fanned himself and said cheerfully.