A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Get ready, come with us."

After speaking, the operative stepped aside.

Liu Xiaoqing, however, seemed still in a daze.

At that moment, a burst of camera flashes occurred.

The light from Sui Kuan's camera seemed to bring her back to reality, focusing her attention on the fat man.

But Sui Kuan remained completely calm.

He'd been working on this job for months, and his initial surprise had long since given way to complete indifference.

He didn't even flinch when facing Liu Xiaoqing's gaze, but instead raised his camera again and aimed it at her.

Liu Xiaoqing instinctively opened her mouth, but then stopped, completely unsure of what to say.

At this moment, Zhu Lingjun stepped forward:

"Is everything packed?"

He asked.

Liu Xiaoqing's gaze was fixed on him, but she still didn't speak... or rather, she couldn't open her mouth at all.

All I could do was nod unconsciously in vain.

That morning, she had already been reminded by an operative to bring warm clothes.

Use as much bandwidth as possible.

Besides that, nothing else is allowed.

Just then, Zhu Lingjun's gaze fell on Liu Xiaoqing's wrist.

She was also wearing a jade bracelet on her wrist.

"The bracelet is off."

These words seemed to trigger some kind of reflex, and Liu Xiaoqing instinctively covered her wrist:

"No, I won't pick it! I want it to stay with me!"

This jade bracelet looks vibrant green; even someone unfamiliar with jade would know it's worth a fortune.

But upon hearing her words, Zhu Lingjun remained calm:

"Take it off."

"..."\

Liu Xiaoqing fell silent.

About ten seconds later, she gave in and, in front of everyone, began to rub the bracelet.

Li Muxin said he was a ruthless person.

They actually removed the bracelet without using any moisturizer, even leaving red marks on the back of her hand.

After removing it, she handed it to a young girl standing nearby, too afraid to say a word.

After Zhu Lingjun looked her over again and confirmed that there was nothing wrong, he simply waved his hand:

"take away."\

Without handcuffs, two female officers helped her up and led her outside.

Only then did Li Mu realize... her legs seemed to have lost all strength.

It was a difficult journey.

But the two female agents seemed to have anticipated this; they grabbed her arms, practically carrying her, and led her out of the villa step by step.

The last young operator was carrying the suitcase.

"Crackling sound."

Li Mu and Sui Kuan faithfully recorded this scene until Liu Xiaoqing was put into that Jinbei van.

"Alright, let's call it a day."

The brief arrest operation has now concluded.

Inside the car, Li Mu sorted through the photos he had just taken and asked Zhu Lingjun:

"Brother Zhu, how long do you think she'll get her sentence?"

"Hmm..."

Zhu Lingjun thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"It depends on how much tax she pays and her attitude. But I estimate it'll only be two years? But no matter how many years, once your news reports it, she'll be finished. She used to be a top actress, but when she comes back, she'll just be a veteran actress at best. Even… think about it, with someone like her, it's questionable whether the country will even allow her to continue acting."

"They won't let us film? That can't be serious, can it?"

Sui Kuan was somewhat skeptical:

"There are plenty of celebrities who have been to detention centers or committed crimes, right? They still get filmed, don't they?"

"Who knows?"

Zhu Lingjun shrugged indifferently:

"The rest is up to other departments... I can't care whether she can continue filming or how long she'll be detained. Right now, I'm only concerned about dinner tonight. Hey, what do you think we should eat? After being so busy for months, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. My daughter was angry with me the other day because I couldn't take her on a trip because of this."

"Ha ha."\

Li Mule laughed:

"Eat whatever you want, it's our treat tonight... How about Da Dong? Want to go for Peking duck?"

Zhu Lingjun laughed:

"Okay, that's right. Let's have some roast duck to satisfy our cravings and reward ourselves for our hard work."

"Haha~"

Along with Li Mu and his laughter, Sui Kuan had already taken out his phone and started contacting Da Dong's lobby manager:

"Tonight, I'd like a private room for 8 to 10 people. The meal budget is around 5,000 yuan. No dietary restrictions, and we'll get our own drinks."

The lobby manager replied instantly:

"Okay, Brother Sui. Are there any ladies tonight? I have a few bottles of fine wine here, perfect for ladies. Would you like to try them?"

"Not certain at the moment."

"Understood."\

……\

Back at the branch office, Li Mu and Sui Kuan said their goodbyes.

The matter with Zhu Lingjun is settled, but the situation with the local tax bureau is still uncertain. Furthermore, the tax bureau is handling Liu Xiaoqing's news, so the two of them need to clarify their next plans.

Li Mu was driving.

"What do you think? Would it be appropriate for me to take Feng Yuan out tonight?"

"The first round is fine. What about the second round?"

After working together for several months, the group had become quite familiar with each other.

Normally after get off work I'd have dinner and a foot bath, but on a nice day like today, just eating at a restaurant isn't enough; we need to do something special.

"Let her go back for the second round."

"Aren't you afraid of getting into an argument?"

She will definitely understand.

My job is similar to how I understand that she also has to go out to dinner with other people.

"Whatever you want."

Li Mu shrugged indifferently.

In his opinion, none of it was a big deal.

Sui Kuan immediately called Feng Yuan to discuss the matter, and after arranging a dinner, a silence fell over the car.

The only sound was from the stereo, where the volume was low and the singing was barely audible, like a mosquito's hum, of "My Love for You Was in BC".

"I...I really don't want to go back to Guangzhou."

"?"

Li Mu glanced at Fatty Sui.

"so?"\

"……well."\

Sui Kuan let out a long sigh, realizing how naive his words had been.

His current position is all thanks to his workplace and the platform provided by Brother Bie.

Otherwise... why would someone who graduated from university only a year ago be treated as a guest of honor by so many people?

Why should others rush to curry favor with them?

But the problem is...

Yanjing is really great!

I can sleep until I naturally wake up every day, go to work when I want, and go out and have fun when I don't have to.

Going out doesn't even cost me anything; my girlfriend includes it all in my public relations expense reimbursement...

They eat at fancy restaurants, and wherever they go, people call them "brother" all the time.

This city is simply wonderful.

As expected of the capital city.

Li Mu, of course, understood, or rather, roughly understood, what Fatty Sui was thinking.

Putting everything else aside, just considering Feng Yuan's side, he definitely wants to stay there every day.

But he certainly couldn't say it could happen next year.

He wouldn't say.

"Alright, go back to work and finish the article. Then you two can start a long-distance relationship... Don't people say that long-distance relationships are the true test of a relationship?"

"..."\

Sui Kuan remained silent.

Li Mu didn't say anything more, he just turned up the volume:

"My love for you was written in BC and buried deep in the Mesopotamian plain..."

"This song by Jay Chou is pretty good," he thought to himself.

No wonder it's so popular.

After returning to the Golden Ring Hotel and finding Qin Liyan, the two learned what was to come.

To be frank, it has nothing to do with reporters anymore.

Li Mu and Sui Kuan only need to publish the news of the arrest; they don't need to discuss the facts of the crime for now. Liu Xiaoqing is currently in detention; it's just an arrest, not a trial yet.

According to Qin Liyan, she is estimated to spend several months in detention.

This is, after all, an old case, and a thorough investigation is needed before a verdict can be reached. The two reporters' task for now is complete: issuing the arrest warrant. All that's left is to write an article about the facts of the crime and submit it for review when sentencing occurs.

This job is very easy.

Even with the accompanying photo, Li Mu knew with his toes that this was bound to be a front-page headline.

So, Li Mu and Sui Kuan expressed their understanding, and after agreeing to meet Da Dong at dinner time, the two went straight back to their dormitory.

Back in his dorm, Li Mu first transferred the photos to his laptop. After selecting a picture of Liu Xiaoqing walking out of the villa with her head down, he began writing a news article.

This manuscript is very easy to write.

You only need to clearly state the facts of Liu Xiaoqing's arrest, including the time, place, and reason for it.

Even if written concisely, it can be finished in less than a hundred words.

It's simply a matter of enlarging the photo to take up more space on the page.

In less than twenty minutes, he had written a short, unbiased, and factual press release, which he sent to Qin Liyan along with photos.

When it was time for dinner that evening, Qin Liyan brought news that the news had passed the review.

After all, it's just a photo and a short description; it doesn't cover any professional content.

Passing through was effortless.

And this news... signifies that Li Mu and Sui Kuan have officially begun their countdown to leaving Beijing.

The two are currently on a business trip. Although they're staying in a dormitory and have lost their accommodation allowance, they're still remembering their daily meal allowance and transportation expenses.

This news segment is now closed; it's time to return to the office immediately.

Months of running around, busyness, and exhaustion were all contained in that bottle of Moutai liquor and the king crab on the table in the private room.

Eat and drink.

After finishing their meal and drinks, Feng Yuan left, and the men headed straight for the Heaven on Earth nightclub.

It felt like coming home.

Nothing was said that night.

……\

On the morning of June 23, Li Mu delivered the message to Wu Han.

This also indicates that there will be some follow-up work, which will take about a week before he and Sui Kuan can leave Yanjing and return to their unit.

Wu Han readily agreed.

On the 24th, the Southern Metropolis Daily published a photo of Liu Xiaoqing at the time of his arrest on its front page.

The news headline is: [Liu Xiaoqing was arrested on June 22nd] Text: Li Mu, Photo: Sui Kuan, Proofreading: Wu Han

That morning, Li Mu received a call from Liu Baoteng:

"Haha, Mr. Li, the company just finished a meeting, and there's great news! 'The Girl Next Door' is now in the pre-production stage, and Mr. Li has been allocated 100 million yuan for a 30% stake. If that's acceptable, Mr. Li, I'll have someone draft the contract this afternoon."

One million, thirty percent...

In other words, the total investment for this play was less than 3.5 million.

Li Muxin? \

Anyone who believes that is a fool.

But he agreed very readily:

"Sure, shall we meet this afternoon?"

"No problem, Mr. Li, please remember to bring a lawyer to review the contract."

"good."\

After hanging up the phone, Li Mu thought for a moment and then sent a text message to his girlfriend.

Fan Bingbing called at noon:

"Are you kidding me?! One million for 30% of the shares?! Are they running a charity?"

Li Mu remained silent.

But I understand perfectly well what's going on.

This has nothing to do with money, or even charity.

It only concerns one thing.

That's something everyone understands.