Chapter 700: Problem (2)

Paine had been with his boss for some time.

It was rare to see him with such a conflicted expression.

He thought about the field missions that Yves, Ma Wei, and the others carried out.

Paine subconsciously assumed his boss needed him to do something he couldn’t handle personally.

So, he quickly wiped the relaxed look off his face, his expression turning serious in an instant as he spoke in a firm tone.

“Boss, do you need someone taken out? I know some retired Black Gloves. They’re very clean and never leave a mess.”

“Ah!”

Feng Mountain was stunned for a moment. A dumbfounded expression appeared on his face as he quickly waved his hands at Paine.

“It’s not about taking someone out. I’ve run into a personal problem, a relationship problem. It’s like a tangled mess in my head, and I can’t sort it out.”

“Oh!” Paine responded softly, then pointed to a bench by the river. “If you’d like, we can sit and talk it over.”

The two walked over to the bench and sat down.

Feng Mountain fell silent. The only sound was the gentle babbling of the river.

After a moment, he slowly began to speak, recounting everything that had happened that morning, down to the last detail.

After he finished, he looked at Paine with a hopeful expression, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

“Tell me, why would Jenny react like that? I’ve thought it over and over, and I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

Paine listened to his boss’s question.

The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled into a slight grin, as if he found the question a little amusing.

But when his gaze met his boss’s slightly unfriendly expression…

He quickly straightened his lips and cleared his throat.

“Boss, I think you might have a misunderstanding about this.” Paine sat up straight, his expression turning serious.

“How so?” Feng Mountain’s eyes lit up instantly. He asked eagerly, unconsciously leaning forward.

Paine frowned slightly, pondering for a good while.

‘The boss is already sensitive when it comes to relationships,’ he thought.

‘I absolutely can’t say the wrong thing and shatter his fragile view of love.’

After careful consideration, he finally spoke slowly, trying to make his tone as tactful and calm as possible.

“I think, when you get down to it, this might be a problem caused by cultural differences.”

Seeing his boss’s confused expression,

Paine continued.

“Your situation is actually very common. First, let me be clear, I’m not being racist, but as a nation of immigrants, different ethnic groups in the United States have distinctly different expectations for romantic relationships.”

“Take Asians, for example. Many Asians see marriage as incredibly important, even as the core of their entire life, their everything. But white culture is a bit different. For them, the concept of an ‘independent relationship’ is more common.”

“An independent relationship?”

Feng Mountain looked completely baffled. The term was entirely foreign to him; it was the first time he had ever heard it.

Seeing this, Paine nodded affirmatively and explained patiently.

“That’s right, an independent relationship. This relationship model places special emphasis on both partners maintaining a high degree of autonomy on emotional, personal, and financial levels.”

“To put it simply, even when two people form a romantic bond, they don’t lose themselves. They still maintain their own personalities and lifestyles. At the same time, they maintain their emotional connection through equal treatment and mutual respect within the relationship.”

“I don’t quite understand. Is there a simpler explanation?” Feng Mountain frowned, his eyes full of confusion, and pressed on.

A simpler explanation.

A troubled look appeared on Paine’s face as he racked his brain, thinking.

He was trying to find a way to explain it that his boss would absolutely understand.

“In simple terms, it means you build a relationship, but you don’t make it your entire life. Both people can have their own separate circles of friends, and they can deal with their emotions their own way when things happen. Even if you live together, you have to have your own private space and respect that the other person lives life at their own pace.”

This time, Feng Mountain finally understood. His expression instantly turned ugly, and he immediately cursed under his breath.

“Fuck, isn’t that just having a mistress!”

“Boss, what’s a ‘mistress’?” Paine asked with a curious look on his face.

“That… uh… a ‘mistress’ means a lover, a partner.” Feng Mountain’s mind was a tangled mess over this ‘independent relationship’ idea; he was in no mood to explain the meaning of ‘mistress’ to Paine in detail. He immediately followed up with another question, “So Jenny refused to move into the cabin because she wants to live this kind of independent relationship lifestyle?”

Paine nodded affirmatively, completely agreeing with his boss’s statement.

“From the looks of it, that’s probably the case. The people who usually choose this independent relationship model are mostly students still in school, people who have been through a divorce, or couples in long-distance relationships.”

“Perhaps Jenny’s previous marriage left her with too many painful memories, so she subconsciously, desperately doesn’t want to throw herself into another marriage. That’s why she’d lean toward this more independent type of relationship, but she’s also afraid of hurting you, which is why she’s so hesitant.”

“Well…” Hearing Paine’s explanation, Feng Mountain immediately felt dejected.

If Jenny was really as Paine analyzed…

…choosing an independent relationship.

Then his declaration on the runway yesterday would have been all for nothing.

In Feng Mountain’s mind…

…the happiest life was always one with a wife, kids, and a warm bed—a family living together in harmony.

But now, look at this.

According to the independent relationship model Paine described…

…it would turn into two people living their own separate lives.

They would only get together when they needed each other.

The more Feng Mountain thought about it, the more suffocated and weirded out he felt.

Seeing the complex expression on his boss’s face, his brow furrowed with a hint of helplessness, Paine muttered to himself, ‘Jenny, this is all I can do to help.’

He then gave a light cough and said slowly.

“Boss, as you know, this concept of an independent relationship might not be easily accepted in your country. Asians tend to prefer a more tightly-knit, interdependent emotional model.”

“But in the United States, this is a really common thing. It’s very important for two people in love to respect and be considerate of each other, especially for a woman like Jenny who has been hurt in a past relationship. She needs more understanding and space.”

Paine watched his boss’s reaction as he spoke and saw him nod slightly, lost in thought.

Feng Mountain contemplated for a moment, then slowly raised his hands and lightly slapped his cheeks a few times, as if trying to slap away his troubles.

Then he looked at Paine and said earnestly, “You’re right. It’s my fault. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. I’m much better at pulling a trigger than I am at this.” Paine let out a long breath. ‘I never thought counseling the boss would be harder than fighting on a battlefield,’ he thought. He then added with a smile, “Yeah, compared to handling relationship problems, I’m definitely more comfortable pulling a trigger.”

“Haha, you…” Feng Mountain was amused by Paine’s words, and his mood seemed to lighten considerably. “Come on, let’s take a walk around the camp and see if there’s anything that needs to be taken care of.”

With that, he stood up from the bench.

He brushed off the non-existent dust from his clothes and started walking toward the camp.

They spent a full hour.

The two of them toured the entire camp, inside and out.

The cold snap and blizzard had affected the plantation the most severely.

Fortunately, however, Feng Mountain had already drawn up a series of follow-up plans to deal with it.

So, for now, nothing needed to be handled immediately; they just had to proceed with the plan step by step.

The buildings in the camp benefited from Feng Mountain’s willingness to invest heavily in them from the start.

The lumber used in their construction was all cedar wood harvested from the Moonlight Forest, so the overall structures were basically undamaged by the blizzard.

Only some window panes had developed cracks due to the low temperatures, which could be fixed simply by replacing the glass.

In terms of supplies…

Because they had stockpiled a batch before Christmas, it seemed no replenishment was currently needed.

The warehouse was well-stocked with all sorts of supplies, enough to maintain normal operations for some time.

The situation at the bar was also pretty good, with an ample supply of beer.

However, the specialty liquor required berries from the Mossy Tundra to brew. Since the Mossy Tundra hadn’t recovered yet, they had to temporarily take the specialty liquor off the menu and would only re-supply it once they had the ingredients again.

The hydroelectric power station was operating in good condition.

It hadn’t been affected by the cold snap and was able to generate power normally, providing stable electrical support for the camp.

The signal tower on the mountaintop had likely suffered chip damage from the extreme low temperatures, causing the camp’s signal to be intermittent and unreliable.

Fortunately, Paine had already contacted the service provider.

They promised to dispatch repair personnel to the Crown Territory soon.

Overall.

The losses the cold snap brought to the camp were basically negligible.

As for personnel, everyone was safe.

Compared to other heavily disaster-stricken towns and cities in the Far North Tundra Region, the Crown Territory could be said to have weathered the storm safely.