Chapter 112: Who Do You Think You're Looking Down On?
Li Tang picked up the stack of cash from the table and let out a small sigh.
No one is immune to temptation. What had once been a pure teacher-student relationship now felt tainted by financial interest. He wasn't sure if entrusting the gravity survey project to Zhang Zhongyu had been a good decision or not.
But the money in front of him truly did solve an urgent problem.
Last month, after borrowing 10,000 yuan from his mom to cover his loan payment, his bank account was nearly empty. This month's installment had already been overdue for some time, and if he delayed any further, there would be consequences.
These past few days, he had been racking his brain for a convincing excuse to ask his mom for more money.
Back when he got swept up in the hype about Yanjing's future real estate boom, he'd impulsively purchased half a floor in an office building. He hadn't thought too hard about how he would manage the long-term expenses.
At the time, the monthly 8,000-plus loan payment didn't feel like a big deal to him.
But now, with a salary of just over 800 yuan a month, that number was crushing him. His small body carried the weight of a massive burden. Life felt like a slow and painful struggle.
So this 30,000 yuan—was truly a gift in a snowstorm.
He ran his fingers through the notes. The crisp rustling of the bills filled the room, the smell of cash thick in the air—it was intoxicating.
Ugh… ugh…
Just as he was about to knock on a door, he heard a series of dry retching sounds through the thick door panel.
He waited a moment, and once the sounds quieted, he finally knocked.
He Runqi opened the door, face wet from a recent splash of water.
"Li Tang? What're you doing here this late?"
"You drank too much?"
Li Tang grinned.
Back at the dinner, Li Tang had noticed that He Runqi had started off modestly, politely declining drinks. But after a few shots of strong liquor, he became the life of the party—making toasts left and right and giving an emotional graduation speech to both professors.
Now, leaning against the doorframe, his body slowly sliding downward, He slurred,
"I didn't drink too much—you drank too much!"
Li Tang squeezed inside the room. He glanced around—it was surprisingly clean. Good. At least He Runqi had the sense to throw up in the toilet rather than all over the floor.
"Close the door."
He picked up the hot water kettle in the corner, popped off the lid, and brewed two cups of tea.
He Runqi's arm flailed wildly and accidentally slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Then he stumbled onto the bed, his face numb from alcohol. He stared blankly at Li Tang, who was now sitting in a chair.
"What do you want?"
"Your alcohol tolerance is worse than mine."
Li Tang took a sip of tea and blew on it, savoring it slowly.
"If you can't handle your liquor, it's okay to just bow out. There's no shame in that."
"Who are you looking down on?"
He Runqi instantly perked up, pointing at Li Tang indignantly.
"Let's go out now and find another place to drink! Stop pretending like you're some tough guy when you were the one who folded first!"
"You're full of crap. Here, have some tea."
Watching his friend's drunken antics, Li Tang laughed. It reminded him of their carefree university days.
"Tea is boring,"
He Runqi muttered, casting Li Tang a look of disdain. Then he stood up unsteadily and pointed at the ceiling.
"Look at that! Damn! I think I'm floating—I can see the Milky Way…"
He started spinning in circles, babbling about stars and space.
"You're hopeless,"
Li Tang muttered with a laugh. Then he pulled out 5,000 yuan from his pocket and slapped it on the table.
He Runqi continued to chase imaginary constellations.
Li Tang got up, dusted himself off, and before leaving, reminded him,
"This is your pay for the gravity survey. You went up into the mountains every day. Zhang Zhongyu said to give this to you. Just don't flush it down the toilet."
The next morning, He Runqi woke up and saw the cash sitting untouched on the table. He jolted upright, panicked. Damn! I really just left this lying out all night?
He had been drunk, yes, but he still remembered what had happened. With that, he calmly collected the money.
Professors Chen Jinan and Zhang Zhongyu returned to Yanjing the next day. Luo Qinzhong arranged a car for them, while he stayed with Li Tang and He Runqi, and together they headed back to Tiemu Town.
At the Yunyue Bauxite Project site, things were once again in full swing.
Now that the funds had been approved and the main ore body had proven stable, drilling rigs flooded in, with multiple holes being worked on simultaneously.
Even the smaller ore bodies on either side of the main deposit were undergoing further exploration.
The Geological Institute's role was to track each drill hole, inspect the cores, record results, and send samples for testing when mineralization was encountered.
More and more holes were hitting ore. The results were growing more impressive by the day.
Back in Luoyi City, Li Tang and He Runqi didn't have much to do. Occasionally, they visited the project site to get updates from Ding Shaoying.
Until one day, Li Tang got a call from his father. After informing Luo Qinzhong, he flew straight to Tibet.
He Runqi stayed behind in Luoyi, visiting the site more frequently and spending his downtime studying to boost his geological knowledge.
…
From the provincial capital to Gaizhe County was over 1,000 kilometers—a single road carved through countless mountains.
Ali region was vast and sparsely populated, with many uninhabited zones.
Gaizhe County alone took up nearly a third of the region's land area.
Its size was staggering.
If it were compared to China's 34 provinces, Gaizhe County alone would rank 26th in terms of area.
And its population? Just over 20,000.
As the first major project Zise Mining had launched outside of Jian'an Province, Chen Jinhe and Yao Zhenyu—both seasoned geologists—had come personally to Gaizhe despite the hardship.
Upon arriving at the 5,000-meter elevation zone, they didn't have time to admire the beauty or inspect the project. They were hit hard by altitude sickness and spent two days in the county hospital, almost needing to be evacuated to the provincial capital.
Li Tang arrived just as they were recovering. He joined them on a trip to the project site.
The vehicle bounced over uneven gravel roads, crossed mountain ridges, and entered a vast expanse of grassland.
From afar, they could see white dome tents dotting the gently undulating terrain.
The 101 Geological Team had deployed nearly its entire crew. Every available person and piece of equipment had been brought to the Qinglong Copper Mine.
Wooooo—
Yao Zhenyu stepped out of the car, climbed a hill, and looked out over the sweeping landscape, the blue sky and white clouds above. Unable to contain his excitement, he let out a shout.
Chen Jinhe, despite all the hardship along the way, forgot his exhaustion. The breathtaking view made the trip feel worthwhile.
Especially in the late afternoon, wild asses could often be seen grazing calmly on the northern slopes. Occasionally, long-haired wild yaks wandered past as well.
And maybe, from a distant peak, a snow leopard was watching these human visitors cautiously with sharp eyes.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen