A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Brother Bie."

"Hmm, have you found a place yet?"

Upon seeing Li Mu, Bie Yan asked.

Li Mu nodded:

"Stay at Bingbing's place for now, my house is still under renovation."

"Okay, tell me if you have any difficulties."

"Hehe, okay."

After Li Mu smiled and agreed, he walked into the conference room with his older brother.

The main conference room was also decorated, with banners conveying a sense of farewell hanging up, and several tables on the stage, clearly for the leaders to sit on.

Li Mu and Sui Kuan were sitting in the cultural and sports department area when their phones suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and saw that it was sent by Dong Huaiming.

"Xiao Li, are you at work?"

"Hey, Da Ming."

"You're having a farewell party, right?"

Upon seeing this message, Li Mu was taken aback.

He wondered how the man knew.

Did Brother Bie say that?

But he still responded:

"Yes."

"Is everyone here?"

"right."

Just as Li Mu finished replying to the message, the conference room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone turned around, and Cheng Yizhong, Yu Huafeng, Deputy General Manager He Shaojun, and other front-line leaders from all the units walked in together.

When the leader arrives, it signifies something.

The meeting is about to begin.

So he put away his phone, and after the leaders were seated on the stage, Yu Huafeng, as the general manager, spoke into the microphone:

"Then, let the meeting begin..."

……

Who are you looking for?

At this moment, at the entrance of the Southern Metropolis Daily, the gatekeeper looked at the three cars and one Iveco van, his mind filled with doubt.

Public Security Bureau? Procuratorate?

What's going on with these cars?

However, a man in a suit got out of the lead car.

Upon arriving at the gatekeeper's location, he immediately showed his identification:

"Open the door."

His tone was devoid of any warmth, chillingly cold.

……

"The people of Southern Metropolis Daily have always upheld the principle and mission of being there wherever the news is, and have always kept our original aspiration in mind..."

On stage, General Manager Yu Huafeng was still reading from his prepared remarks.

This farewell party wasn't just some lighthearted chat; the proper procedures had to be followed. Even if these people were transferred, they were still all from Southern Metropolis Daily. As the head of the family, I had to give them this kind of reminder to stay true to their original aspirations and keep their mission in mind.

But just then, the two old wooden doors of the conference room were suddenly pushed open, making a creaking sound.

The meeting room, which was originally quiet as everyone listened to the leader's speech, was suddenly filled with this voice. Not only the people below the stage, but even Yu Huafeng on the stage subconsciously looked up.

But this one look had a serious consequence.

His speech was immediately interrupted.

Everyone, including Li Mu, saw a dozen or so men in suits with gleaming badges on their chests walk in.

As soon as they entered, several people quickly moved to the sides and stood under the windows on both sides of the conference room.

"..."

"..."

"..."

In the quiet, the newlyweds were still craning their necks to watch the excitement, but the expressions of many of the older people suddenly changed. Some even lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

Li Mu was also watching.

But he was somewhat stunned.

Is it...

As he was pondering this, the two men in suits who were leading the group walked onto the stage.

"Yu Huafeng, He Shaojun?"

"..."

"..."

Yu Huafeng, who had just been reading from a prepared statement, subconsciously stood up.

For some reason, He Shaojun, who was standing to the side, was slow to get up and was trembling.

But the man in the suit ignored his appearance and instead showed his identification:

"City Prosecutor's Office."

After one person finished speaking, the other person turned to the audience below, who were all looking at each other in bewilderment:

"Those whose names I call, please stand up. Pan Jianxing, Fang Lian, Yang Ke, Liao Chengyu..."

One after another, one after another.

These people come from various departments, from editorial staff to administrative staff.

As soon as someone stood up, a man in a suit immediately went over, took the person's arm, and led him away from his seat.

No one knew what was happening, and just then, he uttered the last name:

"Zhou Long".

"!"

Instantly, everyone in the Arts and Sports Department turned their attention to Zhou Long, who was sitting on their side.

All that everyone, including Li Mu, saw was a bloodless face.

Zhou Long, whose name was called, turned pale and looked around in bewilderment, as if trying to find out what had happened from the people around him.

But... anyone who looked him in the eye would turn their gaze away.

There was only one exception.

Even Bie Yan, who understood everything perfectly, didn't look at him, but stared calmly at the podium in front of her.

Only Li Mu.

He looked at Li Mu, and Li Mu looked at him.

His gaze remained calm.

But for some reason... at this moment, Zhou Long felt somewhat dazed.

That reporter who used to cause him trouble, and who would just silently lower his head every time he was publicly criticized...

At this moment, she looked at him with an utterly calm gaze...

It's just like……

Looking at a dead person.

Why...why?

What's wrong?

What exactly happened?

Zhou Long was puzzled.

But he could hardly stand up because his legs were weak.

But time waits for no one.

"Zhou Long!?"

Another resounding sound, like the grand tolling of a great bell, rang in my ears.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads, and in front of the podium, a man in a suit holding a folder was staring displeasedly in the direction of the Arts and Sports Department.

He just stared at Zhou Long, who was sitting in the chair, his face pale.

And when they looked in the direction of his gaze, everyone had the same thought:

"He knew who Zhou Long was from the very beginning!"

The second sound was merely urging him to stand up quickly.

So, Zhou Long instinctively put his hands on his knees and tried to stand up.

But... his legs went weak.

As soon as she stood up, she staggered and fell towards Lin Naichen beside her.

Lin Naichen, who usually maintained a "peaceful" relationship with the head of the Arts and Sports Department, was now acting as if he were avoiding a plague. Instead of offering a helping hand, he leaned back and even made a gesture of surrender, trying his best to distance himself from the relationship.

It was as if they were afraid of being mistaken for being "together".

Then, two men in suits walked over, and after the crowd spontaneously made way for them, one on each side, they put their hands under his armpits and helped him up.

Now everyone whose name was called came forward.

We arrived at the passageway through the crowd.

The person on stage closed the folder in their hand.

At this moment, Li Mu noticed a detail.

Cheng Yizhong picked up his teacup and took a small sip of water.

Then, the man put the document into the briefcase he was carrying and said softly:

"Walk."

All those whose names were called lined up and were helped out of the conference room by their arms.

"Squeak~~"

The meeting room door was closed again.

And just then...

"Rumble..."

A huge clap of thunder came from outside the window.

The sky was cloudless in the morning.

But now it's going to rain.

Judging from the thunder, it seems the rain is quite heavy.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The meeting room was completely silent.

No one dared to breathe loudly, and they had no idea what was happening.

At that moment, Li Mu looked at Bie Yan.

Bie Yan seemed to sense something as well, taking a deep breath through her nose while casually glancing back.

After their eyes met, she paused for only a moment before turning her head away again.

Everything is understood without being spoken.

Everything is clear to the mind.

Just then, a crackling sound came back to life from the silent conference room speakers.

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw that Cheng Yizhong had moved the microphone that was originally in front of Yu Huafeng to his own side.

Actually, he didn't need to speak today.

Because he's leaving too.

He is still the editor-in-chief of the Beijing News' editorial department.

After today, he also had a holiday, and then went to Yanjing on November 11th.

But now, the general manager has suddenly been taken away. Before leaving get off work, he was still the editor-in-chief of the Southern Metropolis Daily.

Then, Cheng Yizhong, with a calm expression, spoke:

"The mission of Southern Metropolis Daily is to bring truthful news to the people from a fair, just, and transparent perspective. This is the principle and bottom line ingrained in the bones of every member of Southern Metropolis Daily..."

There was no prepared speech.

No, it's not necessary.

The leader, who still had an hour left before stepping down, spoke entirely off-script, as if nothing had happened, and calmly continued the farewell meeting.

Whether people were filled with anxiety, had temporarily calmed down, or were quickly pondering their next move, everyone acted as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, Cheng Yizhong was like the Buddha on the lotus platform of Mount Ling.

And this group of people are the Bodhisattvas and Arhats sitting below the stage.

Regardless of what grievances he harbored in his heart, he remained kind and benevolent, with a dignified and solemn appearance.

In any case, Lingshan must not be thrown into chaos.

Just as this resounding sound, as majestic as a great bell, was playing, Li Mu suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He thought for a moment, then slowly put his hands in his pockets.

Everyone was frozen in place, completely dumbfounded. If he were to openly look down at his phone, it would be too conspicuous.

So, breaking down the action into many steps, he slowly took out the phone, and with a flick of his finger, opened the flip cover of the Motorola V3.

Breaking news: Dong Huaiming.

【show】

"Xiao Li, this is a parting gift. Do you like it?"

"..."

Li Mu felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained calm.

After thinking for a moment, he quietly closed his phone.

No reply.

But the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

He clearly liked the gift very much.

Thanks, Brother Ming.

……

Ultimately, the meeting came to nothing.

Next was a farewell dinner arranged in the cafeteria.

Everyone has to participate, and there are too many people; apart from the cafeteria, other restaurants can't accommodate them all.

Faced with the delicacies laid out on the long table, Cheng Yizhong, as the leader, still raised his glass. Having received no fewer than twenty phone calls since the meeting ended, he raised his glass high and said:

"Cheers, comrades!"

Cheers.

Southern Metropolis Daily.

Cheers.

Southern Group.

Goodbye.

Southern Metropolis Daily

Thank you.

Southern Group.

(End of this volume)

Epilogue

This volume is now finished.

The next volume will feature a completely new storyline.

The part I struggled with most in this volume was whether or not to describe the conflict between Li Mu and Zhou Long in great detail.

If the writing is so disgusting and repulsive, considering that it's impossible to "end in three chapters" and might cause discomfort, it will be rejected.

But after finishing this volume, I feel that this approach is actually quite realistic.

Because in reality, not everything is a case of showing off and getting slapped in the face, and not everything is an immediate act of revenge. What happens is often a low-key, patient, and decisive strike after a period of forbearance.

Therefore, I didn't deliberately create that atmosphere of showing off and getting slapped in the face.

These past few days, I've been rereading the volume I wrote, and I feel it's still pretty good.

It is realistic and derived from reality, but it is slightly more advanced than reality.

When I started writing this book, I set the tone by beginning with the Southern Metropolis Daily, which was the most appropriate angle. Because the following years were arguably the most glorious period for media professionals in terms of both voice and influence.

These five years have been very important for Li Mu.

Furthermore, the name "Southern Metropolis Daily" is indelible in media history.

For example, the news in April 2003 about the amendment of the Custody Law... and including... in the first half of 2003, everyone said it was chlamydia, but only Southern Metropolis Daily insisted on reporting that it might be a virus. These are all real events that actually happened.

However, I didn't write about the former, and I didn't write about the latter in detail, which is somewhat of a regret.

But at most, it can only be a regret, and you all know why.

Next, the protagonist finally returned to Yanjing, a city teeming with immortals.

Honestly, the real-life Beijing News has a pretty bad reputation.

But that's because there's no Xiao Li in real life.

In this life, everyone should leave some mark that shines in the long river of history.

This is my opinion.

Furthermore, you might notice that in the second half of this volume, I gradually began to conceal the changes in the entertainment industry.

As I mentioned in my launch message, I said that looking at the entertainment industry from a journalist's perspective is actually quite interesting.

The recent plot of "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" is just the tip of the iceberg.

I think the biggest difference between this book and *The Director* is that Li Mu isn't like Xu Xin, "lost in the forest for the trees." Furthermore, from a human perspective…

Xu Sanjin is kind.

No matter what we do, the ultimate goal is for everyone to survive and move forward together.

But Li Mu is different.

A person who is capable of "killing" himself would not have such a heart.

The path he wanted to take couldn't be followed without ruthlessness.

He's ruthless, so Xiao Fan has to be ruthless too.

Because so-called circles are places that devour people without spitting out their bones.

Starting with the next volume, this underlying tone will gradually blend in.

What Fatty Sui said is actually quite right.

In Yanjing, some people treated him like a big shot.

The same applies to Li Mu.

Amidst the glitz and glamour, the most beautiful lotus flower can only be born from the mud beneath the cesspool of decadence and extravagance.

As for whether it's a harem or not, I actually said in the previous volume that there's no difference.

If Xu Sanjin's character is "ambiguous," then Li Mu's might be sharper.

Ambiguity begins with mutual attraction, while sharpness is more realistic and gritty.

Everything sought is for the purpose of scheming.

The Beijing elite circle is an unavoidable symbol.

Moreover, he is a young talent destined to gain a voice in the Beijing News and even rise to higher positions.

He can't escape this cesspool, nor does he need to.

Li Mu: Should I avoid her sharp edge?

See the next volume.

thanks for your support.

Compare heart.

bow.

He stepped down.