A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Xiao Li, next we need a case review. Let's start from the beginning and go through the details of Liu Xiaoqing's case. Do you have our investigation report?"

"have."

After nodding to Qin Liyan, Li Mu said:

"I'll write it down as soon as possible and submit it to Brother Qin for your review."

"There's no need to rush. The speed can be slow, but the process must be correct."

"Okay, I understand."

Li Mu didn't ask whether the case summary was for internal study or could be distributed.

No need.

Once you've finished writing and submitted it, you'll know whether it will be allowed to be published or not; there's no need to ask any more questions now.

That afternoon, Fatty Sui finished writing the press release and sent it to Wu Han.

He also submitted an application to extend his business trip.

The process of reviewing this case was quite tedious, involving both Li Mu's own information and Sui Kuan's. The two of them conservatively estimated that it would be at least 20,000 words long.

With so much content, one news page is definitely not enough to publish it.

So if the local tax authorities want this matter to be published in the newspaper, with each page containing 5,000 words, the Southern Metropolis Daily might need to publish it on four consecutive pages.

The 20,000-word content, plus editing and other tasks, will take at least half a month to complete.

Sui Kuan was quite happy, because if Liu Xiaoqing's news appeared in the newspapers tomorrow, then... he could be a big shot in Yanjing again.

So when the four of us got together for dinner that night, we couldn't help but have a couple more drinks.

As expected, on Tuesday, the front page of the Southern Metropolis Daily featured the news of the verdict in Liu Xiaoqing's case, written by Fatty Sui himself.

Subsequently, Li Mu and Sui Kuan's phones were bombarded with calls.

The two's former "friends" from Yanjing started contacting them again, especially after learning that they were in Yanjing, they immediately arranged a dinner to welcome them back.

Sui Kuan agreed, but Li Mu refused.

He needed to use his clear mind to quickly sort out and write down the details of the case, so he declined all of their invitations.

Let Fatty Sui handle this.

Old Li is better off quietly remaining a reporter.

So, for the next period of time, Li Mu’s daily work consisted of cross-documentation on two computers, sorting out the timeline, and following the tax department’s case filing procedures sent by Qin Liyan, sorting out the matter into a model document that could be called a “legal and compliant investigation”.

The article states that multiple departments worked together reasonably and strictly followed the case-handling procedures to investigate and adjudicate the case, ultimately uncovering the complete truth behind Liu Xiaoqing's case.

It took a total of seven days to sort out the case.

He then began writing the article, which took another seven days to complete. After that, he and Sui Kuan conducted a cross-review of the article, and finally, on November 7th, he sent it to Qin Liyan.

It contains a total of 28,000 words.

This matter has finally come to an end.

Next, all you need to do is wait for their approval, and then they'll give you a "yes/no" message.

October 8st, noon.

"Little Li is here."

"Hey, Auntie."

Seeing Li Mu dragging a large suitcase in, Zhang Chuanmei nodded with a smile:

"Perfect timing, the food is ready. Eat more later."

"OK."

Li Mu responded, greeted Fan Tao in the kitchen, and headed straight for the bathroom. Fan Chengcheng, seeing her "brother" arrive, followed him eagerly, calling him "brother" repeatedly from the bathroom doorway.

After washing his hands, Zhang Chuanmei started serving the dishes. He didn't go to help, but instead picked up Fan Chengcheng.

He's quite close to this little guy.

Soon, six dishes were ready.

In addition, dumplings were served as the main dish.

Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon arrival; his train was heading back to Guangzhou that afternoon, and today's meal was a true gesture of hospitality.

What time is your train?

"2:30."

"Starting point?"

"No, I came from Harbin. I couldn't get a ticket for the train that departs from here."

"Oh, then hurry up and eat."

"Eh."

Li Mu smiled and nodded, then sat down at the dining table.

For the past two weeks, he has come almost every day. Although he no longer has a girlfriend, Fan Tao and Zhang Chuanmei have indeed gradually come to accept Li Mu more and more as they spend time together.

The young man is well-mannered, polite, and talented...

The more I look at Zhang Chuanmei, the more I like her.

I even feel ashamed that my daughter is not good enough for me.

She was like that, and so was Fan Tao.

Otherwise, there would be no need to prepare this meal.

Especially seeing him holding Chengcheng on his lap and feeding her dumplings, I couldn't help but laugh:

"Just put him in the high chair and let him eat by himself."

"It's okay, I'll feed him. Once I get back to work, who knows how long it'll be before we see each other again, right, Chengcheng? Don't forget your brother next time he comes back!"

Hehehehe.

The little guy grinned, pointing at the dumplings:

"Dumplings, dumplings~"

He only ate the skin, not the filling. Li Mu skillfully tore off a layer of dumpling skin with chopsticks, blew on it, and then held it to his mouth.

Zhang Chuanmei was even happier by his thoughtful manner.

but……

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, and Zhang Chuanmei said:

"Xiao Li, have you considered... coming here to work?"

Li Mu subconsciously looked up.

Then Aunt Zhang said:

"It's nothing between us, but you and Bingbing... being separated like this all the time might affect your relationship."

Li Mu understood what he meant.

After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I should come next year."

"ah!?"

Zhang Chuanmei was taken aback, and even Fan Tao looked over in surprise.

Today, he and his wife were originally going to discuss and see what Xiao Li's attitude would be.

Furthermore, both of them knew that their daughter, being an actress, was essentially in a long-distance relationship with Xiao Li. After all, she would often be on set for one or two months at a time, so even though Xiao Li was in Beijing, the two of them couldn't get together.

But... ultimately, the two of them still hoped that they could live in the same city.

The daughter will obviously stay in Yanjing, which is the center of the film and television industry, and it is very convenient to connect with various resources.

The situation in Guangzhou... isn't going well.

But the two weren't forcing Li Mu to come; they just wanted to see if the child had any plans in that regard.

After all, according to his daughter, Li Mu was a recipient of the "National News Award," and he could go wherever he wanted in newspapers and magazines all over China.

Since that's the case, then naturally we have to consider things for our daughter.

Unexpectedly, this brought good news.

Faced with the surprise of the two elders, despite giving away some spoilers, Li Mu still said:

"I just heard from my workplace that they're planning to start a newspaper here next year, but I'm not sure if it's true. If it is, the new newspaper will definitely have new developments. If it doesn't happen, I'll make plans then and see if I should transfer to the branch in Yanjing. It's really not good for us to be separated all the time."

His words instantly put Fan Tao and Zhang Chuanmei at ease.

Zhang Chuanmei couldn't help but laugh:

"Coming to Yanjing is good, mainly because it's very convenient here for everything, whether it's schooling or anything else. If you two have a child in the future, we can help you take care of it. Besides, if you have one soon, around the same age as Chengcheng, you can take care of both kids together..."

"..."

Fan Tao's lips twitched.

Good grief, what are you planning to say to the child? Can't you talk to me about it first?

Doesn't this mean you've already "married off" all the girls?

Li Mu was also taken aback, but... he couldn't reply to that.

No matter how he explained it, whether it was "I don't plan to have children for now" or "I don't want children for now," it could be misunderstood, so he could only smile and nod.

"Okay, let's discuss it properly later."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and eat. Xiao Li, eat quickly, or you'll miss the bus."

To prevent his wife from making any more careless remarks, Fan Tao quickly stopped her.

So, the meal was over quickly, and it was already one o'clock.

The elderly couple had offered to drive him there, but Li Mu refused.

I took a taxi and left with my suitcase.

He stayed in Yanjing for more than half a month this time, and he was indeed quite low-key. On the contrary, Fatty Sui, judging from the fat on his face, must have gained a lot of weight.

After the two met and sat in the VIP waiting room, Fatty Sui inexplicably remarked:

"I guess I'll have to go back to being a subservient grandson again."

Li Mu glanced at him but didn't say anything.

grandson?

It's only temporary.

……

On Sunday, November 9th, two travelers dressed in thick clothes returned to Guangzhou, which was as hot as summer.

The Department of Arts and Sports remained unfazed by the return of the two.

Reporters often travel for work, and everyone is used to it.

On the contrary, Fang Wentao insisted on treating the two senior students to a meal after they returned.

At the dinner table, the junior student brought some news with great enthusiasm:

"Senior, my mentor said I'll be officially hired next month!"

I submitted my formal employment application in December, and my seniority began to be counted starting in January 2003 (Gregorian calendar year).

After nearly half a year of internship, the junior student who used to throw up after drinking only two ounces of liquor has finally achieved his goal.

Sui Kuan was quite happy and insisted on drinking until they were both drunk, while Li Mu, with a sudden thought, asked:

"Are you all being promoted to permanent positions at the same time?"

"Yes, six people in total. It was just announced last Friday. The others... received a month's bonus, so they don't need to come in starting this week."

Li Mu asked casually:

"Did you have a get-together?"

"We got together, but... the atmosphere was pretty bad."

"Haha, isn't that the same as us?"

Fatty Sui chuckled and looked at Li Mu:

"We were the same back then, weren't we? Hey, I've forgotten the names of those who didn't stay... Wentao, don't take it to heart. When we had that get-together, everyone said that whether we stayed or left, we should keep in touch and share information. But now... we haven't been in touch for over a year. These people were just passersby in your life, you know?"

Before the junior could answer, Li Mu asked:

"The one who got fired is here too?"

"Yes, he's here. He works at a Google company now. I heard the pay is pretty good. And..."

At this point, the junior student paused.

Even though the three of them were in a private room, they still lowered their voices:

"Senior, he told us there's a problem with the card we got. It wasn't for building our resumes at all, but... it's for internal company commission allocation, is that right?"

Li Mu glanced at him and asked:

"What did he say?"