âGoing to Dianzhou?â Xu Qingyan asked.
âMm, weâll go check it out,â He Guojin nodded, âSince you brought it up, we might as well take a look. It shouldnât take too much time anyway.â
âOkay,â Xu Qingyan didnât say much else.
The conversation stopped abruptly there. The three bigwigs were indeed interested in what he had to say, but it wasnât like they would make a direct decision on the spot; conducting an inspection was already quite good.
There wasnât much to say; they just had to wait for the result.
For He Guojin and the others, the subject Xu Qingyan mentioned was a pleasant surprise.
âYouâve worked hard during this time,â Ji Shiâan switched to a lighter topic, asking, âAre you going home for the Spring Festival tomorrow? Did you get your ticket?â
âI got it, it wasnât too much work,â Xu Qingyan sat down and grinned, âAfter all, it is a glorious mission. Being involved in the planning of the Spring Festival Gala is already bringing glory to my ancestors.â
Hearing this, Ji Shiâan and Lu Liangsheng couldnât help but smile.
âBringing glory to your ancestors might be an exaggeration, but youâre definitely famous now.â
âFamous?â he looked slightly stunned.
âYeah, famous at a young age. To be honest, Iâm a bit jealous,â Lu Liangsheng half-joked, âNow youâre also one of the selling points of the sub-venue.â
âThis kind of fame might not be a good thing, right?â Xu Qingyan scratched his head.
âWho doesnât like to be famous?â Ji Shiâan put out the cigarette in his hand and laughed, âDidnât you just mention something about bringing glory to your ancestors?â
âUh⦠thatâs different. In our place, having a bit of money can also bring glory to your ancestors,â Xu Qingyan said awkwardly, âThe fame Iâve got is already enough.â
âThe tangible things are what matters more. I canât exactly exchange fame for money. Participating in the Spring Festival Gala is about the gala itself, to learn something, to gain some exposure.â
Ji Shiâan smiled, picked up his glass, took a sip, and didnât say much more.
This might have been Xu Qingyanâs true feelings, or perhaps it was just talk for the sake of the occasion. There was no need to ponder whether half of what he said was true or false, as everyone has different needs.
Whether it was for fame or profit, at least he tried his best.
If Xu Qingyan had pretended to have high morals and no desires, that would have seemed strange. Suddenly stepping onto a big platform, who wouldnât have some aspirations?
At least Xu Qingyan didnât try to hide what he wanted; he went for it outright. He acted with a sense of propriety and had a clear head. Just watching him was pleasing to the eye.
The only downside was that he was too calculated; he never found himself at a disadvantage.
Too damn realistic â if a path didnât work, heâd simply take a detour, choosing a smoother route. If after a few attempts a path proved impassable, heâd immediately give up and stop playing your game.
Talented and good-looking was enough.
Not lacking in money and loving to mingle, thatâs really unsolvable. Ji Shiâan felt that if he gave Xu Qingyan the slightest trouble, heâd turn around and go to Xiao Shujun to pull strings and find a way out.
But who could blame the kid for having talents, for having all the passions and desires⦠this guy⦠sigh. On second thought, Xu Qingyan really seemed to be on his way to becoming a versatile warrior.
â¦
Ji Chen lay tossing and turning on the small bed in the detention center, as the case against him hadnât been completely settled yet. Being a minor could mean strong-arming, which might result in three to seven years, or possibly a reduced sentence.
For the past three months, he had been in a daze, actively communicating with his lawyer. His parents had also come and spent money to find connections, but while the money was spent, he wasnât bailed out.
The lawyer made it clear to him: cases at the end of the year that hadnât been tried are generally left to the next year after the spring. Unless it was a serious and malignant case, it wasnât expedited before the New Year.@@novelbin@@
A fellow inmate told him that last month a case was urgently tried and the person was executed before New Yearâs Day. Burned overnight, person and box together weighed a total of five jin.
Although he knew this didnât concern him, as the worst possible sentence for his crime would be a few years, he still felt the deterrent power of the state apparatus.
Only those who had never been inside couldnât understand it, standing on the opposing side of state violence. The rebukes, the cold looks, the feeling of being treated as a criminal.
Moreover, Ji Chen was close to being a top influencer, treating ordinary people as if they were ants. He wasnât lacking in money and always had this sense that he could buy someoneâs life with money.
Now, he slept with other detainees who could beat him up if they felt like it. This feeling of disparity was quite uncomfortable; every time he woke up, he felt fearful.
He didnât regret doing those things but regretted being exposed.
What made Ji Chen even more miserable was last monthâs New Yearâs Eve party. The detention center played the gala all night long, all the way until ten oâclock, and he saw Pei Muchan perform.
Hearing the song âBlue and White Porcelainâ come from the TV, he was dumbfounded.
For a moment, he didnât know what to say. He had been locked up, and Pei Muchanâs career was going better than ever. Yet, he didnât harbor any thoughts of revenge.
After three months in that broken place, he just wanted to abide by the law and be a good person. Hatred couldnât be eliminated, but it couldnât stand up to the wardenâs baton either.
If watching the Xiangnan New Yearâs Gala made him uncomfortable, then seeing the Spring Festival Gala made Ji Chen want to vomit. To see Xu Qingyan on the Spring Festival Gala?
At first, he thought he was seeing things, then he thought it was someone with the same name.
Until the Spring Festival Gala ended, he lay on the small bed under the covers, thinking until five in the morning. When he opened his eyes, they were bloodshot, staring at the dark bed board.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he sat up abruptly.
âNo, how could he join the Spring Festival Gala team?â
âWhat right does he have, does he deserve it?â
â¦
âMaster, I should be able to afford it, but you have to tell me how much,â Xu Qingyan sat by the door, calling the locksmith in the middle of the night, âWhat, a service fee of a hundred?â
âYoung man, itâs already past five in the morning; a hundred is very cheap!â On the phone, the master spoke in a strong official accent, âTell you what, Iâll only charge you sixty for the lock-picking fee.â
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