HLM – Chapter 173 Come Insult Me, Please

Hani’s words convinced Wang Bo. Wang Bo trusted this honest auditor from his own household—there was no reason for him to be tricked. According to Hani, it was actually a good thing for the town to have some Māori residents.

With a beer in hand, he returned to find Sanders. Handing him a bottle, he asked, “How many people are in your girlfriend’s Māori tribe, roughly?”

“About a hundred. It’s a pretty small family,” Sanders replied, sipping his beer.

That number made Wang Bo’s heart skip a beat. Damn it! He’d worked hard for over half a year and only managed to get about sixty residents in the town. This one Māori group could more than double that in an instant!

No further discussion needed—he had to get this group. Wang Bo made up his mind.

But winning over the Māori family that Sanders’ girlfriend belonged to wouldn’t be easy. The final decision on how to handle Wanderers Town still hadn’t come out, and rescue and cleanup operations were still underway, so Wang Bo couldn’t go recruiting just yet.

In Wanderers Town, the Māori people’s possessions and wealth had been nearly wiped out by the earthquake. They didn’t like saving money and preferred to splurge on food, fun, and goods—meaning their “wealth” was all in their household items. Once their houses were reduced to rubble, they were basically left destitute.

The government understood this, so once the rescue team verified the residents, they began excavating and sorting through the debris. The Māori people themselves were also conducting salvage digs, hoping to retrieve anything useful.

Just as well. Since Wang Bo couldn’t negotiate the family’s relocation for the time being, he focused on some municipal work. The town’s residential water, electricity, and sewage systems were almost done, and homes could now be built on the residential plots.

Electricity was relatively easy—though the substation was a bit of a distance away, power lines could be strung along poles. Water infrastructure was trickier. They needed to extend pipes all the way from Lake.

The Chinese engineering crew didn’t use manual digging methods. Instead, they used machinery to lay the pipes. One machine, similar to an excavator, dug underground tunnels, while another followed closely behind, pressing the pipes into the ground and connecting them.

Once the ground was backfilled and covered, the section was considered complete.

The water pipes were a three-layer PVC–stainless steel–polyester composite, resistant to high temperatures, freezing, corrosion, pests, shocks, and aging. Tan Yinhong explained to Wang Bo that this type of pipe used internationally advanced chemical synthesis technology and could last half a century without needing replacement.

The sewage system for the residential area used a manhole system. Wastewater would be centrally collected and processed. The entire setup relied on parallel pipelines and high-powered water pumps at the end. Supported by high-voltage electricity, these pumps could extract the wastewater from the manholes with ease.

Similarly, the residential water supply also came from pumps. A small water station was under construction at the edge of Lake. It would handle the extraction, disinfection, and purification of lake water before supplying it to the homes.

The residential zone had already been pre-fitted with water and power lines. With the foundation now leveled and covered, it was ready for construction.

Wang Bo divided the residential area in two. One half would still be used for modular “block houses,” while the other half was left open for new residents. If they were willing to live in block houses, they could simply buy one from him.

If not, they could build their own houses. Since the land had already been reinforced with a special residential core foundation system, there was no need to lay a new foundation—it was all very convenient.

Once the project wrapped up, Wang Bo settled the final payment with Tan Yinhong—5.2 million New Zealand dollars. With the payment done, Tan Yinhong smiled cheerfully and said, “It’s really nice working with a fellow countryman. Mayor, now that the project is finished, I should give you a gift as per our Chinese tradition.”

Wang Bo rubbed his hands together—was this finally a bribe? He’d been waiting for this moment for so long! Was it easy being a corrupt official? He hadn’t even pocketed a single cent yet.

If Tan Yinhong handed him cash or valuable goods, Wang Bo wouldn’t hesitate to accept it. After all, the project had been privately funded by him. He was free to take any kickback he liked.

Under his eager and sparkling eyes, Tan Yinhong beckoned to someone. A graceful, serene-looking woman walked over with a smile.

She wore a neat Chanel autumn business outfit—an off-white blazer and a cotton maxi skirt that outlined her tall, curvy figure. With her refined face, she practically radiated goddess energy.

Wang Bo inhaled sharply. Damn, Yinhong Tan really went all out—was this a gift girlfriend or what? This girl was seriously beautiful! Even a morally upright man like Wang Bo couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in his heart.

“Let me introduce you. This is my secretary, Su Ye. She’s also Chinese, just like us. Her parents came to New Zealand years ago to work as doctors, and that’s how she was born. So, she hasn’t lived in China and only speaks average Mandarin,” Tan Yinhong said, looking at the woman with eyes full of unmistakable affection.

Wang Bo suddenly felt awkward. So she was his girlfriend! And here he was, thinking all kinds of inappropriate thoughts.

He shook hands with Su Ye. She pulled out a yellow SpongeBob plushie from her handbag. Tan Yinhong took it from her and handed it to Wang Bo, reluctantly saying, “This is a little buddy I really like. Mayor Wang, thank you for entrusting me with this important project. Now I’m giving you my little buddy as a token of gratitude.”

Wang Bo had no idea what was happening. He blankly took the SpongeBob plushie and gave it a squeeze, hoping to feel a bank card or some cash inside.

To his disappointment, it was just a soft, cushiony toy—nothing hidden inside.

Wang Bo was frustrated. He sighed and said, “Come on, Tan. You’re not seriously giving me just this gift, are you?”

Tan responded with righteous conviction, “Of course! What were you expecting? Money? That’s so tacky—and frankly, it would be an insult to someone of your stature…”

“Honestly, I’m not afraid of being insulted with money!”

Maybe it was the loneliness of living in a foreign country, but Wang Bo and Tan Yinhong had really hit it off. During the project, Tan Yinhong hadn’t stayed long in town, but every time they chatted, they got along great, even joking around freely.

Wang Bo was just about to banter more with Tan Yinhong when his phone rang. He glanced at it—it was his parents calling.

He picked up the call. Immediately, his mother’s panicked voice came through: “Xiao Bo, are you okay? Are you safe?”