A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Fanli... what is that? What are you talking about? Aren't we... reporters?"

"A reporter..."

Faced with Li Mu's question, the man in the bathrobe was taken aback at first, then a look of regret crossed his face.

It seems like they're reminiscing about something.

Then, he seemed to completely regard Li Mu as his past self, or rather... his past self in a dream.

Like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, they recounted the past years.

The story of the bathrobe guy... isn't particularly dramatic or bizarre.

Leaving aside his sentimental tales of winning the lottery and staying at the Southern Metropolis Daily, which sounded like reminiscing about past hardships... those were all clichés.

The story did indeed begin that night.

According to the bathrobe guy:

"Aren't you curious about whether you'll date a big star like Fan Bingbing in the future?"

"Well……"\

Li Mu blinked, deciding to play the innocent card to the end:

"I prefer Zhang Manyu. Jin Suo is like a little brat; I don't like her."

"Hmm... haha. You'd better not regret it later. She'll be incredibly beautiful; you could say she'll overshadow generations of actresses."

The man in the bathrobe smiled slightly, seemingly treating Li Mu as a younger, more naive version of himself, or perhaps a "junior," his tone incredibly gentle.

But Li Mu, seizing the opportunity, asked curiously:

"You two got married? With Jin Suo?"

"Yes, they got married in 17."

"...So late? You're 37, aren't you?"

"It's quite late, but... there were actually a lot of things going on in between. We dragged it out until 17 before finally getting married... but whether we're married or not doesn't really matter, you'll understand later. When a man and woman have been together for a long time, marriage isn't actually that important anymore."

Li Mu remained silent, but dared not ask further, fearing it would arouse suspicion.

So he nodded:

"I see. So, you're considered wealthy?"

"Ha, of course it counts. Thanks to our combined efforts, the Fanli brand has grown from just one store in New York to a global presence, from a small brand to a market capitalization of nearly three hundred billion US dollars. If this doesn't make us rich, then I really don't know what it means to be rich."

"...Young Master Duo!?"

Li Mu's eyes widened.

"Three hundred billion US dollars?"

"Yes. Although it can't compare to giants like Nike and LVMH, it's already quite good for an emerging brand."

Li Muxin wondered what kind of monster company the woman sleeping next to him, who was always threatening to "stab" him to death, had created.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but become curious:

"So... tell me? How did you do that?"

"OK."\

The man in the bathrobe smiled gently, then sat down on the floor, facing each other, and began to tell his story.

……\

The story is actually quite simple. In his words, the leggings designed by Fan Bingbing were called yoga pants.

It wasn't called that initially, and in fact, at the very beginning... these leggings were twice as expensive as regular leggings due to the cost of the materials used. Even with her personally endorsing them, sales were dismal.

But seeing his project die in the womb, the bathrobe guy felt he needed to change his marketing strategy.

He happened to resign from Southern Metropolis Daily around that time.

The reason for his resignation was not because of anyone else, but because of himself.

"In the first half of 03, Brother Bie... hey, you wouldn't know him anyway. Let me put it this way, a senior colleague of mine at the newspaper, who had always mentored me, was transferred. At that time, a new national regulation was introduced—allowing cross-regional joint newspaper publishing—and the higher-ups required the Southern Media Group to be the pilot project's vanguard. So, the group sent people over... and that's when my senior colleague went."

This person is clearly Brother Bie.

Li Mu nodded:

"Then what?"\

And then? Then the guy in the bathrobe didn't go. The reason was simple: the company and his boss tried to persuade him to stay.

As a journalist who has won the National Journalism Award…

When Li Mu heard this, his mind went blank and turned red.

really!\

As expected, we won an award!

But he tried his best to suppress his emotions and listened to what the other person had to say.

According to the "bathrobe guy," both the senior management and the group felt that these pilot units were quite risky.

As for me, I was fine. But Fan Bingbing was pregnant at that time, so she couldn't act and focused all her energy on her business. However, the business wasn't doing well, and she was in a bad mood. She was constantly angry, which even affected the fetus. Plus, before I got pregnant, I didn't get along with my boss at work, and Brother Bie also left, so I simply resigned.

"Well……"\

"Originally, I planned to go to Yanjing to take care of her until our child was born, and then go find Brother Bie... Haha, I'm a winner of the National Journalism Award, I won't have to worry about finding a job at any newspaper. So my plan was to help her with her business first, so she could focus on her pregnancy. But after I took over the business, I discovered a business opportunity... These pants aren't leggings at all, they're best suited for yoga..."

According to "Bathrobe Guy," he accurately identified the ideal market for these pants made with Lycra fabric, known for its high elasticity, excellent fit, and breathability. He then leveraged his connections in the US to partner with yoga classes and gyms, inviting local yoga leaders to wear the pants for promotional purposes… Naturally, these pants opened up a niche market entirely dedicated to a single item.

Starting with yoga, it has gradually developed into a specialized sports market, bringing healthy living concepts to exercisers. Targeting specific community groups as its selling point, it has slowly expanded from a small shop in New York to sell its products worldwide…

But by then, a long time had passed—so long that the child had been born, his girlfriend had given birth to her second child, and even the most basic journalistic duties had fallen into disuse…

There's no going back.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly abandon a brand with a market value exceeding 100 million yuan and go back to working a regular job with a base salary of 3,500 yuan.

And so, step by step, we've arrived at where we are today.

He spoke at length, even in great detail.

Li Mu naturally remembered everything he said. But now, his doubts only grew stronger.

first……\

"What case were you talking about?"

"Ha, I thought you were curious about my entrepreneurial history."

Faced with Li Mu's question, the man in the bathrobe showed no displeasure, but instead smiled and said:

"To be honest, I really miss that job. Even if I earned a lot more money... Sigh."

After sighing, he said:

"This case... let me think... it's been so long, I don't remember it very well."

"Your memory should be very good, right?"

"But there's just so much to do! I'm incredibly busy every day. I have a meeting at the New York headquarters at 9 a.m., and after that, I probably have to rush to Los Angeles..."

"Let's talk about the case first."

"Haha, good. This case, in essence, is about breaking a deadlock. Back then..."

For the guy in the bathrobe, the case was actually quite simple.

Just like what Brother Bie told himself before, GG's revenue is something the entire industry is doing, and the money they get all comes from personal accounts.

But… Southern Metropolis Daily's revenue from online gaming in 2002 was enormous. Pure online gaming income reached a staggering eleven million yuan. That's a huge amount of money.

For every rich person, there is a poor person.

The company's practices were so egregious that some people reported them, and then the higher-ups started investigating.

"Li Mu, to put it bluntly, this case is a conflict between the 'incentive mechanism of market-oriented media' and the 'management system of state-owned public institutions,' understand? After this case, the newspaper industry began to reform, and only then did GG revenue truly become legal."

As Li Mu's mouth widened, the man in the bathrobe shrugged:

"The entire media industry should actually be grateful to Southern Metropolis Daily."

"But you're alright?"

"Yeah, I don't need that money, so I'll be fine. And because of his stance on this matter, plus some maneuvering by his family, Brother Bie successfully secured his position as editor-in-chief of the Beijing News... that pilot unit. I was originally planning to join him after my child was born. But... haha, it's quite a twist of fate. But we still have a good personal relationship, and his daughter is the vice president of my group... not only her, but also Sister Zhang's child, Sister Ding's child... yeah, I guess I'm raising a bunch of second-generation rich kids, haha."

"..."\

For a moment, Li Mu was at a loss for words.

After thinking for a moment, he asked:

"So, according to you, that new pilot program is great?"

"Of course it's great! It started as a newspaper, then it was incorporated into the Yanjing Propaganda Department. Separated from the Southern Metropolis Daily, it was quite prestigious..."

"..."\

Instantly, Li Mu's eyes lit up completely.

(Note 1: See the author's note. If you haven't enabled the feature the author mentioned, please do so. It won't be mentioned in the main text.)