Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 154: Leaving the beginner village!
In late July, as the weather grew increasingly hot, Utopia added an extra electric fan to each classroom, which whirred loudly every day.

Meanwhile, the two top-notch lecturers, Teacher Zhai and Teacher Lu, have handed over their courses to substitute teachers and have already embarked on their journey to Nanjing.

There are no trains or planes in Dongyang, and the family didn't even have a car. Fortunately, Phoenix Media was very helpful and sent a van to Dongyang County to pick them up.

Sitting in the Buick minivan, Zhai Da suddenly realized something: should he get his driver's license sooner in this life?

He got his driver's license in Shanghai after working there. It was expensive and troublesome. Later, he heard that it was much more convenient, faster and cheaper to get a driver's license in his hometown of Dongyang. To be precise, the regulations were more relaxed and the teaching was less effective in smaller places.

As long as the fees are paid, we will do everything we can to get it approved for you.

Bring your own bag and a soft-sided bag when you get on the train; the proctor can help you shift gears.

If you bring a whole bag of soft paper, you can switch seats with the proctor and sit in the passenger seat while he drives.

He drove for many years in his previous life, so he should be able to pick it up again quickly. He can memorize the traffic regulations and take the test for an automatic car without any problems.
Driving around in a small car when I go to university is one of the dreams of many young people.

To be honest, it was vanity at play. A reborn person shouldn't care so much, but Zhai Da felt it was somewhat like helping his former self "fulfill a vow."

For the past self who was at the most self-important age, yet penniless.

As he was lost in thought, a delicate hand reached out to Zhai Da.

Turning around, Lu Wei handed him a popsicle: "Here you go..."

Zhai Da leaned forward and bit down: "Still dizzy?"

Lu Wei shook her head: "Much better."

Lu Wei had been feeling a bit carsick, so when they stopped at a service area, Zhai Da suggested they buy an ice pop. This girl really liked those cheap, sweet popsicles that could be broken in half.

As a result, Zhai Da was often able to taste a little sweetness.

Today, Lu Wei wore denim shorts and a color-blocked oversized T-shirt, looking very lively.

These are all clothes that Yu Xiaoli recently "picked up" from the wool textile factory; the styles were considered very fashionable in 08.

A pair of slender, pale legs were extremely eye-catching after she sat down. Zhai Da keenly noticed that the driver from Jinling was secretly glancing back through the rearview mirror.

So Zhai Da covered Lu Wei's legs with his coat, ostensibly to keep her from catching a cold.

As for the driver, one can only say he should be glad this is reality, not a cultivation novel; otherwise, the protagonist would have revealed his Myriad Soul Banner after just a few glances.

Yu Xiaoli in the back seat had already fallen asleep. This was also my mother's old habit; she would fall asleep as soon as she got in the car, and there was no way to stop her. She would sleep for almost as long as the car was going on.

With the radio playing "Welcome to Northern Beijing~" all the way, we were already halfway there, and would arrive in Jinling in about an hour.

It is a fragmented provincial capital, jokingly referred to as the "capital of Anhui Province".

Zhai Da wasn't familiar with that city. Before his rebirth, he had attended junior college in Zhejiang Province and found his job in Shanghai. In his previous life, he had never been there even once in over thirty years.
I knew that Nanjing's ducks were very famous.
Their travel plans were as follows:
The book signing event will last for two days. We arrived at noon today and took a short rest before heading to the signing location. The event will last for four hours.

Editor-in-Chief Lou En specifically warned that this was physically demanding work.

The next morning, Zhai Da went to the provincial people's hospital and booked a high-end physical examination package, which would have cost him more than 2,000 yuan in 2008. It can be said that he had all the necessary tests done. Some private physical examination institutions are even more expensive, but Zhai Da still trusts public tertiary hospitals more.

The book signing continued in the afternoon, more physically demanding work.

After everything is finished, it will be around 5 or 6 pm. You can return to Dongyang on the same day, or if you are tired, you can set off again early the next morning.

As the van entered the city of Jinling, Yu Xiaoli finally woke up. Looking out the window at the endless jungle of steel and concrete, she felt inexplicably guilty.

She only went to big cities a few times during her younger years when the wool mill offered her a company-sponsored trip, and she hasn't been out much in the last ten years or so.

Even Zhai Da, after his rebirth, hadn't seen a "big city" in a long time. There were more cars on this one elevated road than in the entire Dongyang. However, he had worked in Shanghai before, and compared to that, Nanjing was much weaker. At most, he felt a bit emotional.

We've finally reached the beginner's village!
The car slowly stopped in front of a five-star hotel with a very old-fashioned name, "Jinling Hotel," located in the city center.

Lou En, the editor-in-chief whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was waiting outside the door. Seeing Zhai Da get out of the car and walk over with a beaming smile, he said, "Professor Zhai! We meet again!"

Zhai Da shook hands with Lou En and introduced Yu Xiaoli and Lu Wei. Yu Xiaoli was slightly nervous, while Lu Wei remained expressionless as always.

Phoenix Media arranged two rooms. Of course, the double room was for Lu Wei and Yu Xiaoli, while Zhai Da stayed alone. After putting his luggage in the room, he had a quick bite to eat in the hotel restaurant, and soon Zhai Da was taken to the book signing location.

Book signing events for physical books are generally not too extravagant. Phoenix Media arranged for it to be held in a stylish bookstore, with a specially designated area.

The book "The Long Road of Lü" was piled up like a small mountain. Book lovers could bring their own copies or buy them on-site. Phoenix Media also prepared some bookmarks, snacks, and other merchandise.

Oh, and I also found a video camera, not so much to broadcast on any TV station, just to keep some video footage. When Zhai Da arrived, there were only twenty minutes left before the book signing officially started, and a long line had already formed in front of this detached bookstore, at least a couple hundred people, and it was still growing.

Today, Zhai Da wore a black shirt that looked slim and capable, and he also wore glasses without lenses, which added a touch of aloofness and scholarly air.

As his body fat percentage decreased, his facial features became more defined, making him a truly handsome, understated guy.

Since the bookstore only has one main entrance, Zhai Da could only enter from there. At first, he was a little worried that he might be recognized and stopped by the crowd.

It turned out I was overthinking it. Nobody cared.

Even some book fans looked over, then turned their heads away with puzzled expressions.

It seems to be saying: Who is this?

He's quite handsome.

Okay, the second half of the sentence was something Zhai Da imagined.

Zhai Da then realized that while his name had gained some recognition, his face had not.
He doesn't appear on various programs as frequently as Han Han and Guo Jinming, who have participated in countless television interviews and are considered "half-celebrity, half-writer".

He was a pure writer.
Upon entering the bookstore, he was led to where he was supposed to be, a table under a huge curtain for "The Long Road of Lü", and the table was also piled with his own books.

Besides a whole box of autograph pens, I only have some small trinkets like bookmarks on hand.

The bookmarks also have a little trick up their sleeve, with two versions: "Lin Manman" and "Lü Tu". They are quite exquisite, which also means that if you want to get them all, you have to buy at least two books.

Lou En glanced at his watch and said, "It will start soon. Teacher Zhai, try your best to hold on. If you need to go to the toilet, it's best to go now."

Zhai Da thought to himself, "Is it really that exaggerated? It's only four hours. With my current physical strength, I could carry bricks on a construction site for four hours without any problem."

A few minutes later, the book signing event officially began.

A female host in a short dress was leading the crowd forward, creating a lively atmosphere. She had a great figure and face, and looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

In his past life, he was a tender and attractive young woman to Zhai Da, but in his present life, he himself is the tender young woman.

I'm eighteen!
So I only glanced at it and didn't pay much attention.

The first book lover to enter was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old. She looked like a high school student or even a junior high school student. Now that Zhai Da was sitting here, no one would mistake her for someone else. So she excitedly ran over and placed her book in front of Zhai Da.

"Teacher Zhai, I really love your book."

Zhai Da opened the book and smiled, "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Zhang Xia".

Zhai Da wrote on the inside page of the book: "Wishing Zhang Xia success in her studies and a brilliant youth."

"Could you add a happy birthday message? My birthday is coming up soon!"

"no problem."

After finishing writing, sign your artistic signature, then pick up a bookmark from the side, put it in the book, and hand it back to the other person.

The process is roughly like this. The only difficulty is that you have to chat with each person for a bit, ask their name, and fulfill any special requests for their signature. It takes less than a minute per person.

The little girl whispered, "Teacher Zhai, will Lin Manman survive? The internet says there's a second ending for you?"

Zhai Da could not answer this question and smiled, "I'm sorry, I can't say more."

The second book lover was a big spender; a chubby girl brought ten books, one of which she already owned, and the other nine were bought on the spot.

Looking at the mountain of "The Long Road of Lü", Zhai Da chuckled dryly: "Thanks for your support!"

Then he signed ten names and wrote ten different blessings.
This one person took Zhai Da almost ten minutes to finish. While signing, Zhai Da also had to multitask and answer various questions.

"Teacher, did you write this before the college entrance exam? Or did you write it a long time ago?"

Will there be any film or television adaptations in the future, teacher?

"What is teacher Lin Manman's blood type?"

"Teacher Zhai, what's your zodiac sign?"

After seeing this person off, Zhai Da looked at the almost unchanged length of the queue ahead.
Okay, I'm starting to get a little tired.
So where is the toilet?
(End of this chapter)