Rebirth after the college entrance examination

Chapter 175 A bit interesting

"The tragedy of Zhong Yong?"

Xia An casually uttered the correct answer, causing Le Yuqun's eyes to narrow instantly.

What a smart kid.

Le Yuqun extinguished his cigarette and straightened his back slightly. "That's right, that's exactly what I mean. Not to mention anything else, just in the short few years since it entered the world, even in such a small city as Dongshan, there have been countless people with extraordinary talents."

Some of them are in government, some in public institutions, some are academics, and many more are private business owners like you. From their logic and execution to their initial achievements, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them brilliant. But do you know where they are today?

This was clearly not a problem. Xia An remained silent, waiting for what would happen next.

Le Yuqun pursed her lips, shook her head, and sighed: "The comet streaked across the sky, burning up before it could even land, and not a single one rose to the top. Officials fell from grace, businesses collapsed, academia... including one of my former superiors, all were utterly disgraced. Do you know why?"

That's the problem.

Xia An said, "Interests."

Le Yuqun nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, that's not hard to guess. Under the spotlight, there's nothing but fame and fortune. It's good that you can understand it, but whether you can actually do it is another matter."

Xia An nodded calmly. In fact, what Le Yuqun said was rather presumptuous and arrogant, but Xia An understood that she was giving him advice because she acknowledged his relationship with Le Ning. He was grateful for her words.

However, in this matter alone, Xia An believed that he had thought things through more thoroughly and further than Le Yuqun.

Three hundred million is just a specific figure. A small number of mid- to low-level officials might be envious and have ulterior motives; a few small business owners might try to use their connections to discuss cooperation or investment with him.

This is nothing.

The most crucial and fatal aspect is the ripple effect that arises after the "300 million" figure is amplified by the media.

In Le Yuqun's words, Xia An knew very well that he would soon become a so-called exceptionally talented person, and then the officials, business people, media and other stakeholders behind the scenes would continue to add fuel to the fire, making the flames burn even brighter...

These people are scheming to target certain overall markets that he, as a "rising star," can influence, such as universities and the technology and streaming media sectors, as revealed in the interviews.

As a pathfinder and source of light, the comprehensive fields he pioneered are the most lucrative.

From a political perspective, no one in the officialdom wants to frame him for the time being, but resources are being given to him and various aspects will gradually give him the green light. Whether he can stand firm and maintain his position is his own business. Once he falls... year after year, how many "Fang Zhongyong" have been ruined?

Child prodigies are not uncommon, but prodigies who can consistently demonstrate their talent throughout their lives are rare.

Xia An had already concealed his true intentions, revealing what he considered to be a relatively appropriate explanation to his superiors.

The reason why only two projects, the megaphone and the video website, were mentioned in the interview was twofold: firstly, to casually promote the project, and secondly, to put on a mask and show that I am a new generation of college students who love the internet and technology.

We're not afraid of research. No matter how much research we do, even if the authorities hold a meeting with those internet giants to analyze it, they'll just laugh it off. Are you kidding me? You think you can burn through a mere 300 million to create two portal websites? You're incredibly arrogant.

The conclusion will likely be this: This kid doesn't understand the internet.

As for physical businesses like convenience stores, it goes without saying that without sufficient financial support, he wouldn't even make a ripple before his true relationship with Tang Wan was exposed.

Therefore, in the short term, Xia An is just a young man with ideas, luck, and ambition. As for how far he can go, how many like-minded people he can attract, whether he can win them over, and whether he can truly make a name for himself, all of these are uncertain at the moment.

In short, you can use me as a role model to implement policy directions, and I'm happy to use this temporary fame to quickly grow bigger and stronger. But if you really want to treat me like a pig or a puppet, forget it, I don't have time for that.

He frankly told Le Yuqun, "The reason I came back is to avoid the media and burn off the hype. I also told the school to try to arrange only one press conference and not make it too high-profile. The current buzz is enough for me to use for a while."

Le Yuqun stared at him intently for a long time before finally saying, "You have foresight and a sense of propriety; you're really good."

He lit another cigarette and said, "So it's better to achieve something in the near future to avoid polarizing the topic. You need to let the people who really care about you see your true abilities so that you can keep them in the spotlight."

These words were extremely profound, and Le Yuqun didn't even expect Xia An to understand them.

But Xia An understood it long ago.

The so-called true observers are those in positions of power who only care about results and not personal gain. Since they have given you lenient conditions, you should be sensible and proactively and efficiently provide feedback.

Otherwise, the rare, heavenly gaze will soon shift and disappear.

Although Le Yuqun was not a high-ranking official, he had read a lot of books and understood the principles of rise and fall by using history as a mirror.

Xia An took a sip of tea and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Uncle, there will be some activity at the beginning of next month."

Le Yuqun's eyes lit up, and she laughed heartily, saying "Good" three times in a row.

"It's impressive that you could think of everything so thoroughly."

At this point in the conversation, he didn't know what else to say to Xia An. He was out of stock, and he had to leave his private matters to the dinner table.

Just then, Zhou Ting walked over and said that the food was ready. Then she scolded Le Yuqun, "You're always talking so flowery at your workplace. This is Xia's first time eating here. You'd better put away that airs."

Then he said to Xia An, "Go wash your hands and serve."

A clear smile of appreciation played on her lips. Her hair was styled up, she wore no jewelry, and dressed in loose, casual clothes, exuding a refined and elegant charm. To be honest, she looked more than ten years younger and wealthier than Le Yuqun.

……

It was a very generous meal. Zhou Ting's cooking skills are truly exceptional; she can make even the most rustic Northeastern home-style dishes look like they come from a high-end hotel.

Xia An still felt that it would be nice if Xiao Le Ning were at the dinner table.

There had been many family gatherings like this before, but Zhou Ting was old and Le Ning was grown up. Whether the meals were delicious or not was another matter, but there was a lack of love and the atmosphere was too cold.

Now it's different. Xia An has added extra care to each plate, which must make it taste even better. Honestly, he really wanted to show them, in front of them both, how much he cherishes their daughter.

As Cai Kangyong said, lovers should be affectionate with each other, and eating and drinking are good opportunities for flirting.

At seven o'clock sharp, Le Yuqun got up to turn on the TV, and came back saying, "The organization requires us to watch the news. Eat and drink as usual, I'll just listen."

Xia An said, "I'm listening too."

Zhou Tingle said, "No wonder you've succeeded; young people don't read the news much."

Taking the opportunity, Le Yuqun pointed out: "Watching the news and understanding the news are two different things. Xia is the kind of person who can understand it."

Xia An smiled and said, "I'm just looking around blindly too."

Xiao Youzi practiced Mandarin using this thing, and Xia An was forced to listen to it for many years. It's no exaggeration to say that he was just watching blindly.

News Summary:

{A cooperation summit was held in Beijing.}
{The meeting adopted the "Forum for Cooperation Summit Declaration" and the "Forum for Cooperation Action Plan (2007-2009)"}
Of the half-hour news broadcast, Xia An only remembered this one thing.

Le Yuqun didn't know his limits yet, so she didn't urge him to drink. She only told Xia An to drink if he could, and to take a sip if he couldn't. But Xia An knew his capacity for alcohol; he was greedy but didn't have much tolerance and always got drunk. So she took the initiative to keep up with his pace.

Zhou Ting noticed this and his smile deepened. He thought Xia An was truly thoughtful, putting food into his bowl and asking if it was good, saying, "Try this one too." He added, "Auntie will pour you a drink. Le Yuqun, take it easy, don't let Xia drink too much." Le Yuqun waved his hand, "If he drinks too much, he can sleep at home, in Ningning's room."

Halfway through the meal, Le Ning called Xia An. The two had exchanged text messages earlier, and Le Ning knew he was at her house.

"I had some, not much. Are you outside? Yeah, wear more clothes, don't catch a cold, it's windy at the beach."

As she spoke, she greeted Zhou Ting and his wife. Zhou Ting leaned forward, propped himself up on the table, and looked at Xia An with a smile. She whispered to Le Yuqun, "She's a caring person. Better than you."

“Okay, I’ll give the phone to Auntie,” Xia An handed over the phone, “Auntie, Ningning wants to talk to you.”

Zhou Ting got up and went to the kitchen to chat with her daughter. After hanging up for a while, she came back and said to Le Yuqun, "My daughter is playing at the beach with her classmates."

Xia An handed the phone back and asked, "Xia, Ningning just told me that you arranged for someone to renovate a clothing store in that small theater?"

Xia An put down her chopsticks and nodded, saying, "I plan to do a good job with the small theater. This semester is just an experiment. Starting next year, there will be performances every week. I also plan to promote the school across the street. Auntie, you understand. To make a good stage, costumes, props, and sets are all indispensable. I believe business will be good."

"Don't put down your chopsticks, you eat," Zhou Ting said with a smile as he served Xia An food across the table. "Business is fine as it is, it's just a shop anyway. The most important thing is that you and Ningning get along well."

Xia An said, "Once we find a standardized model, I want to replicate the small theater in other schools."

Zhou Ting, understanding the implied meaning in the music, blinked and said, "There are about thirty schools in Binhai, right?"

Xia An thought for a moment and said truthfully, "I want to replicate this in all the university towns in first- and second-tier cities."

Whether it's hype or not is another matter, but Zhou Ting immediately saw the opportunity for her small shop to become a chain store. Before she could speak, Xia An, who saw her smiling slightly, said directly, "Costumes and props also need to be standardized."

Zhou Ting smoothed her hair, raised her long eyebrows, and elegantly picked up her wine cup. Middle age shouldn't be a woman's enemy; it has its own charm and allure.

She said, "I really have to thank you for your help. Whether you can actually do it or not is another matter, but having the ambition is commendable."

The three of them clinked glasses together, the small crystal goblets gleaming under the chandelier.

Zhou Ting can drink much more than Le Yuqun.

Both bottles of Wuliangye they brought were empty, and Le Yuqun and Xia An went to the bathroom twice in succession, vomiting profusely.

Zhou Ting was still able to hum a song while steadily eating peanuts, and in the end, she insisted on pulling the bewildered Xia An to sit down and chat for a while longer.

The main goal was to get information out of Xia An, but he was too drunk to utter a complete sentence.

With great effort, she helped Xia An onto Le Ning's bed. After thinking for a moment, she helped him take off his socks and sweatpants. As she got up, whether it was from the alcohol or the effective heating, her face was flushed, and she muttered to herself: "It's so cold, he didn't even wear long johns..."
-

The Hilton rooftop restaurant in Dongshan, the provincial capital.

Liu Fei ate two sets of battle axe armor and drank one and a half bottles of red wine.

He was the only one sitting at the four-person table, but a set of cutlery was placed opposite him, and the deep red wine in the stemmed glass evaporated naturally.

The phone screen on the corner of the table was lit up, displaying a blurry photo of a woman as he ate.

Looking down from the floor-to-ceiling window beside me, the neon lights of the provincial capital twinkled, turning the cool night sky into a dark and colorful canvas. The glass curtain walls of the buildings reflected the light, like giant mirrors towering between heaven and earth, reflecting the prosperity and hustle and bustle of this mega-city in Northeast China.

Pedestrians hurry by, cars keep up the flow; everyone is a character in the story of this city.

Tang Wan went, saying she would introduce him to He Zhenzhen's "friend" on New Year's Day. New Year's Day was still more than a month away. His mother had left his father behind to go to Chengdu to visit his older sister. He originally wanted to go to Australia, but the world is so big, he could go anywhere except where Jing Yun was.

It was a city a few years ago, but now it has expanded to the size of an entire continent.

Melbourne and him are separated by the entire world.

I had just bought the plane ticket in the morning, less than ten minutes later, my father called and gave me a thorough dressing-down.

Since he has already died because of love, he should just lie there and not think about becoming a pupa or being resurrected.

His older sister also called, scolding him for being useless and telling him not to cause trouble.

Finally, his elderly mother, upon learning that he was in Northeast China, told him to wear long underwear.

Putting down his knife and fork, wiping his mouth, Liu Fei gently touched the smiling face on the screen. It was blurry because it was a photo he had secretly taken from a distance on campus many years ago with a film camera.

He always liked to steal glances at her from afar. What did it matter if she came from a good family or had a high-ranking official position? The chubby boy felt inferior and believed he was unworthy of her. She was the deepest and only private sanctuary in his heart, a sanctuary that didn't belong to him. Getting close to her made his heart race...

The girl who once smiled so radiantly, the girl who should have possessed all the beauty in the world, is now washing dishes in a Western restaurant?!

I'm so annoyed.

It's so funny.

Is my daughter washing dishes?

Qi Jiaojiao went to Melbourne. Liu Fei told her: You can go see her, but don't disturb her. Also…

He made Qi Jiaojiao buy that lousy restaurant.

Wherever she goes, he goes.

Do not be her shadow, but the ground beneath her feet, supporting her foundation.

A waiter came over to help Young Master Liu clear his plates, and Liu Fei asked, "How many dishwashers do you have in your restaurant?"

"what?"

"How many people are washing dishes?"

"Six."

Liu Fei nodded and called the manager over, saying, "There will be a bonus for the dishwashers, ten thousand yuan each. Add sixty thousand to the bill later."

The manager left inexplicably, and Liu Fei turned her head to look at herself in the glass, smiling smugly.

I, Little Fatty, am carefree and unrestrained. Even heroes and chivalrous knights have always found it hard to resist the pull of love, heh.

The phone vibrated, and the girl was shaking. Liu Fei answered Liu Xiao's call unhappily.

After listening for a while, he said calmly, "I know, the provincial capital has been talking about him like this these past few days. He just won the lottery, what's the big deal? A few old men are trying to squeeze some political achievements out of him... Oh right, I think his name is Xia something."

Startled, he exclaimed in surprise, "I've seen you before?... Ah, I remember now."

After thinking for a few seconds, he smiled and said, "That's interesting."

(End of this chapter)