HLM – Chapter 792 Classmates Arrive

After working the whole afternoon, Wang Bo patted Portar on the shoulder and said, “Tell the guys tonight’s meal is on me—barbecue and beer, no limits. Just put it all on my tab.”

This river channel reconstruction was something Portar volunteered to help with. The sand and gravel filling, the vehicles used—Wang Bo hadn’t paid a cent. So of course, he had to show his thanks to Portar and his construction team.

After work, Eva drove over with Dale. As soon as the girl jumped out of the car and ran to the riverbank, she widened her eyes in surprise. “Teacher, what happened? Why does the river look so different? Where are my ducks?”

Wang Bo pointed toward the wooden boat in the distance. “See over there? They’re all hiding there.”

The blue ducks had been frightened that afternoon and hid in their nests, too scared to come out. Only a few fearless ducklings were still playing around the wooden boat.

Dale squinted hard toward the boat, then turned back, puzzled. “No, Dale didn’t see them.”

Atulu chuckled, “Your teacher’s fooling you. We actually ate your ducks.”

Dale blinked, then suddenly burst into tears. “You’re lying! Give me back my duckies!”

Atulu panicked, rushing over to comfort her, “Don’t cry, I was just teasing!”

Dale wiped her tears, pouting at him unhappily. The big Maori man pointed to the pot in the back of the pickup truck and said, “Actually, we didn’t eat them. They’re all stewing in there.”

“Waaah!” Dale cried even louder.

Wang Bo realized she treasured that group of blue ducks dearly—especially the newly hatched ducklings. She probably wasn’t too interested in the adult ones.

Seeing the situation spiral, Atulu quickly sought Wang Bo’s help. But Wang Bo only gave him a cold smirk that clearly said, “You got yourself into this mess.”

With no choice, the big Maori man carried down the pot and tried to explain, “I was joking, really. Look—inside this pot…”

“I don’t want to look! I don’t want to look!” Dale cried, covering her eyes. “Give me back my duckies! Give them back!”

Now it was the Maori man’s turn to cry. “Just look, there’s really nothing inside…”

The girl peeked through her fingers, then wailed even harder. “Wuuu… you ate them all!”

Atulu shouted, “That pot’s for cooking dinner with the construction crew! I didn’t eat your ducks. Look—they’re fine, swimming by the boat!”

In the end, he had to hoist Dale up onto his shoulders. From that height, she could see farther—and finally spotted the ducks.

By nightfall, the continuously flowing spring water had completely rinsed the sand and gravel clean. By the next morning, the river was crystal clear again.

Now the blue ducks finally had a proper habitat. At dawn, they greeted the sunrise, hunting along the creek. When they reached the stream mouth where it flowed into the lake, they noticed the faster current—and immediately grew excited.

“Fee-oh, Fee-oh, Fee-oh…”

The flock eagerly swam against the current, their feathers washed by the spring water until they shone an even more brilliant blue.

September ended, and October arrived.

Because New Zealand time is four hours ahead of China, Wang Bo’s college classmates boarded their flight on October 1st, but by the time they reached Auckland, it was already October 2nd.

“Wait—so we just lost an entire day like that?” Cao Bo exclaimed. “Oh my god, I didn’t even do anything!”

“Who was it staring at the flight attendants’ butts and long legs the whole time?” Hou Haibo teased with a grin.

His girlfriend had a fiery temper. She immediately glared at him with dangerous eyes. “Monkey, you sure were paying close attention, huh? Well? Did you enjoy the view?”

Seeing Hou Haibo’s panicked expression, everyone burst into laughter.

Just then, Na Qingyang spotted the classmates lugging their big suitcases and ran toward them with open arms.

Fan Dong was moved. “The class monitor and our Youth League secretary—always family! Brother A, I’m here!”

He also opened his arms and ran toward Qingyang, but the latter darted past him like the wind—straight toward the smiling Chen Luoxian. “Little Fairy, you’re finally here again!”

Chen Luoxian reacted quickly, grabbing a backpack and hurling it at him. Na Qingyang caught it, sighing in disappointment. “I was hoping for a warm, fiery hug…”

Chen Luoxian’s best friend, Zhao Xiaohui, giggled. “Hey, Brother A, want me to give you a comforting hug instead? The little fairy’s off limits—maybe try Old Wang instead.”

Chen Luoxian pushed her playfully. “Xiaohui! Don’t talk nonsense, there are so many people here!”

“Where’s Old Wang, anyway?” Fan Dong asked. “Haven’t seen him yet.”

Song Jiashu frowned. “Don’t tell me that guy’s still putting on airs?”

Na Qingyang shook his head. “No, he’s actually really busy right now—arranging your rooms and meals. Oh, and guarding a mountain of gold. If he slacks off, he gets fined every day.”

“What mountain of gold? Don’t tell me he actually found a gold mine?” Zhou Haojie blinked in confusion.

The airport’s big screen was looping the news. Na Qingyang pointed at it. “See? Don’t believe me—believe the media.”

On-screen was a special report about the Sunset Town gold mine. The clip showed Wang Bo and Bartier smiling as they shook hands and signed the mortgage agreement.

Everyone there was a graduate of a 985 university. They hadn’t used much English in years, but their foundation was solid enough to roughly understand the broadcast.

And so—they were all stunned.

Chen Luoxian nodded. “You guys didn’t know? Old Wang’s territory found a gold mine—about ten tons in reserves. He even gave me a piece. It was a nightmare to get it past customs.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up. Zhou Haojie exclaimed, “So the guy really did get rich quietly! I was even embarrassed to let him spend money on us—if I’d known, I’d have brought my whole family!”

The chartered bus Na Qingyang had arranged pulled up. He directed everyone to load their luggage, then split them into two groups—one with him, one with Chen Luoxian—and both headed straight for Sunset Town.

Wang Bo did feel bad for not greeting his classmates himself, but things in town had been hectic lately. Especially today—Portar was scheduled to work on the glowworm cave, and Wang Bo needed to oversee it to ensure no damage was done.

The entrance to the cave was covered with shrubs and weeds—home to many insects. To develop the area, they’d need to clear them, but those plants actually served an important role, shading the cave.

Wang Bo had tested it before: without those plants, sunlight could reach deep into the passage. It might not harm the cave directly, but it would affect the luminous fungus gnats living there.

So he discussed it with Portar and decided to replace the vegetation with water-soaked cloth. The damp fabric could maintain humidity levels, making the environment inside better for the gnat larvae to survive.