Chapter 31 Man Will Conquer Nature
Learning about the power company's annual meeting, Leopold didn't approach them directly but instead engaged in unofficial conversations with their executives through official leadership channels.
The reason for this unofficial approach was that the Celestial Waters Hotel was a project introduced by the newly appointed official leadership. Initially, Leopold had been moved by their sincerity and made his careful decision after personally surveying Solstice Mountain's resources and geographical advantages.
Now, with the power company looking to host their annual meeting, and Celestial Waters Hotel offering both venue space and premium service, collaboration would naturally benefit both parties, creating a win-win situation.
Leopold expressed his sincere interest in cooperation, offering to reduce certain fees while enhancing service standards and quality. The power company representatives were quite satisfied with the cost reduction and immediately decided to hold their annual meeting at Celestial Waters Hotel.
For the next month, Leopold became busy preparing for the annual meeting.
During his absence from Seaside City, Caroline arrived punctually at Leopold's home to water his plants and open windows for ventilation.
Just as she was preparing to leave, she received a call from Griffin.
"What are you up to?" He asked.
Caroline replied, "Watering some plants."
"I just got back from a research trip to another city. I'm outside your building and wanted to take you to dinner."
"I'm not home," Caroline explained. "I'm at a friend's place. He's away on business and asked me to water his plants."
"Where are you? I'll come pick you up," Griffin offered.
Caroline knew how exhausting business trips could be, and sincerely said, "You must be tired from your trip. You should go home and rest."
Griffin thought of Leopold and worried Caroline might be entangled with him again. "I'm not tired at all. I spent the whole day just sitting and listening to lectures about advanced educational theories. The teachers were the ones standing and working hard, not me."
"I haven't had dinner yet, and eating alone is... kind of boring."
Hearing his weary and lonely tone, Caroline completely understood how solitary dining alone could be, so she agreed.
"Wait for me at the entrance. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."
Griffin insisted, "Let me come get you."
"No need, it's really close—just in the neighboring complex," Caroline said before hanging up.
Ten minutes later, Caroline appeared at the complex entrance. Seeing her, Griffin quickly got out to open the car door.
"I can manage the door myself, it's not that serious," Caroline said as she got in.
Compared to Atticus, Griffin was more polite and attentive. Perhaps due to his work within the system, he was very perceptive and thorough.
"What do you feel like eating? Any preferences?" Griffin asked.
Caroline replied, "Anything is fine with me."
Griffin asked, "Steak, stir-fry, Mexican, hot pot, or barbecue?"
"I just had Mexican and hot pot with Erica yesterday, so maybe steak, stir-fry, or barbecue," Caroline answered.
Griffin said, "You probably get tired of ordinary cafeteria food and stir-fries. Let's do barbecue."
"Sounds good," Caroline suggested. "How about Cyber BBQ Haven? It's nearby."
"Perfect," Griffin agreed, merging into traffic and heading toward Cyber BBQ Haven.
Caroline hadn't expected to encounter Atticus again. She and Griffin entered one after another, with Griffin stopping at the restroom first, telling Caroline to find them a place to sit.
She chose a spot toward the back where it was warmer.
Just after sitting down, she heard noisy laughter from the other side of the partition. She glanced over but didn't pay much attention.
When Griffin returned, they ordered their food and sat waiting for it to arrive.
Their conversation eventually turned to Caroline's job candidacy, with Griffin asking, "Are you confident about it?"
Caroline replied, "How can anyone be confident about these things? Until the official appointment document is published, nothing is certain. All I can say is I'll do my best. As for how the leadership decides, that's up to fate."
"You believe in fate?" Griffin said. "Man conquers nature."
Caroline asked, "How exactly does man conquer nature?"
Griffin knew Caroline had always been independent and strong-willed, even back in school. She had maintained a low profile despite her comfortable family background, unlike some well-off classmates who flaunted designer brands.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but Uncle Mr. Tudor has provincial connections... if he could put in a good word for you, it might help."
Caroline said, "I started at the power company from the ground up. I don't want to climb the ladder through his connections. He knows how I feel, which is why we maintain formal titles in public."
Griffin reflected, "That's true. Well, if you want to achieve this through your own efforts, I support you."
Caroline smiled, "Now that sounds like something the student council president and class monitor would say. Don't forget, we're..."
They said in unison, "The golden duo."
By then, their food started arriving.
Perhaps because they had known each other for so long, they felt comfortable dining together, chatting about everything under the sun while eating. Caroline listened to Griffin describe the amusing incidents from his business trip, which had her giggling continuously.
Her laughter caught the attention of someone on the other side of the partition. As he leaned back to look over, Atticus spotted Caroline laughing delightfully while engaged in animated conversation with an unfamiliar man.
Remembering how she had broken up with him, he guessed the man opposite her might be the reason. Fueled by alcohol, he stormed over.
When Caroline saw Atticus staggering toward her, her expression flashed with momentary surprise before settling into disgust. She looked away, intending to ignore him.
"Caroline."
The call caused Griffin to turn toward the speaker. Seeing Atticus reeking of alcohol, he stood up and said, "Can I help you, buddy?"
"Who are you calling, buddy?" Atticus gave Griffin a contemptuous once-over. "I need to talk to her. It's none of your business."
Seeing Atticus reaching forward to grab Caroline, Griffin blocked his hand. Caroline stood up and moved half a step back, knowing exactly how to hit Atticus's weak spot, "Atticus, aren't those your friends over there? If you don't want to embarrass yourself, you should go back."
Atticus hesitated. Though alcohol had clouded his judgment, Caroline's words hit him like a hammer blow.
"The legal circle isn't that big. If you make a scene tonight, it'll be all over town by tomorrow."
Atticus sniffed, aware he was in the wrong but trying to save face. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask you something."
Caroline asked, "What is it?"
Atticus nodded toward Griffin, his intention obvious. "Did you break up with me because of him?"
Caroline frowned. "You know very well why we broke up. Do I need to repeat myself?"
Atticus's eyes darted nervously. Even though they had broken up, he couldn't lose face in front of another man. He said, "I understand."
As he turned to leave, he put on an act, smiling at Caroline and Griffin while saying loudly, "Enjoy your meal. I need to get back to my colleagues."
After Atticus left, Griffin asked, "Should we go somewhere else?"
Caroline wasn't bothered at all and motioned for Griffin to sit. "No need. We've ordered a table full of food. It would be wasteful not to eat it."