I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

"You stay home all day after work, either drinking tea or playing chess, just endlessly cooking. What kind of future can you have?"

"In 2010, you must build yourself up as you would build the new China!"

"Rebirth requires establishing your own character and rules. You can't build your future by drinking tea and fishing. You middle-aged people must not give up on yourselves and should listen to the advice of us young people."

Jiang Chen turned to look at Wang Qinqin, who was peeling oranges beside him.

"You agree, right, Mom?"

Wang Qinqin popped a freshly peeled orange segment into his mouth: "My son is absolutely right."

Having gained the favor of the Empress Dowager Jiang, Jiang Chen's momentum grew even stronger.

"Did you even listen to what I said? To put it bluntly, I wasted my breath."

Jiang Daqiang nodded obediently: "I...I've taken it to heart."

"Speak louder!"

"I listened!"

"Alright, meeting adjourned!"

Jiang Chen plopped down on the single sofa next to him, and Wang Qinqin immediately handed him another segment of orange. He opened his mouth to take it, chewed it a couple of times, and pointed at Jiang Daqiang, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Qinqin, tell him about it."

Wang Qinqin patted the orange peel off her hands and turned to look at her husband.

"Sigh, son, don't be angry. Let me talk to this old man."

Jiang Chen leaned back on the sofa, his gaze sweeping over his hometown.

This three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment is considered above average in Jinan. It's located in a neighborhood near Jingshi Road. I bought it in 2005 for 3,000 yuan per square meter, and now it's almost 6,000 yuan per square meter.

There's a 37-inch Skyworth TV in the living room, a DVD player and a bunch of discs under the TV cabinet, and the tea set on the coffee table is Jiang Daqiang's prized possession.

A family photo hangs on the wall. Jiang Chen was about fifteen or sixteen years old that year, standing in the middle, with Jiang Daqiang and Wang Qinqin on either side, both smiling happily.

Their family is considered to have two working parents within the Shandong Film and Television system, which sounds respectable, but in reality, they are just ordinary wage earners.

Jiang Daqiang works as a technical coordinator in the post-production department of the film and television production center. To put it nicely, he is a key technical staff member; to put it bluntly, he is someone who oversees post-production. His monthly salary is a little over four thousand yuan.

Wang Qinqin works odd jobs in the administrative office of the TV station, and her salary is even lower than his.

However, those who know about state-owned enterprises understand that it's not just about salary...

In this day and age, having both parents working, owning a house, and having savings is considered middle-class in Jinan.

Jiang Daqiang is very satisfied with the current situation.

Jiang Chen was not satisfied.

In 2010, Kong Sheng already had the idea of ​​starting his own business.

State-owned enterprises have more and more rules and regulations. Approvals, funding, personnel—making a movie is like going through five checkpoints and defeating six generals; it's incredibly troublesome.

Next year, Kong Sheng will lead a group of people to start their own business.

Zhengwu Sunshine was established.

He is currently short-handed and lacks like-minded people.

There is a shortage of people in every position, including post-production, production, and coordination.

He had approached Jiang Daqiang more than once.

But Jiang Daqiang would never agree to that.

He's a veteran of Shandong Film and Television, having worked in the post-production department since the "Crossing the Guandong" era. Although he wasn't a high-ranking leader, he was always addressed as Teacher Jiang wherever he went.

For Shandong people, no job is above the official staffing quota.

In the system of government positions, civil servants are the highest level, followed by those in public institutions.

State-owned enterprises, doctors, lawyers, and banks followed closely behind, while all other jobs were considered unemployed.

During Chinese New Year gatherings, no one will ask you how much you earn in a month, but rather what company you work for.

People from Shandong cannot afford to lose their government jobs, just as Westerners cannot afford to lose Jerusalem.

This isn't about money; it's about saving face.

People from Shandong value face, and Jiang Daqiang values ​​face even more.

So Kong Sheng approached him twice, but he refused both times.

The first time he said he would think about it, the second time he said his family didn't agree, and after that Kong Sheng never brought it up again.

Jiang Chen was incredibly anxious when he was reborn.

What does this mean?

This means that if his father agrees to work with Kong Sheng now, he will be a founding member of the company.

Oh, the future Zhengwu Sunshine!

"Nirvana in Fire," "The Disguiser," "Ode to Joy," "Like a Flowing River"... which one isn't a resounding success?

Which one isn't an industry benchmark?

If he can get the initial shares!

How about learning about the "Prime Minister Sunshine Prince"...

"Old Jiang," Wang Qinqin began, her tone sounding quite serious, but her eyes kept glancing at Jiang Chen, as if trying to confirm whether her son was satisfied.

"My son is right. How old are you? Not even fifty yet, coming home every day just to sit with a teacup and watch chess games. Is that appropriate?"

"I'm only 43 years old by the Chinese age reckoning," Jiang Daqiang muttered softly.

"I know you're young, but tell me, aren't you still young?"

"Oh dear, you can't say such nonsense in front of your son..."

That's not the point!

Wang Qinqin slammed her hand on the table. "Director Kong has approached you twice, that's a sign of respect. If you really go with him, you might become a big boss someday, and I can walk with my head held high when I go out to buy groceries."

Jiang Daqiang opened his mouth, as if to say something, but after looking at his son's expression, he swallowed his words back.

"Alright, alright," Jiang Chen stood up, stretched, and couldn't be bothered to watch his mother's act.

"I'm just giving you a heads-up, think about it yourself. Anyway, there's still a long way to go before the New Year, no rush to make a decision."

As he walked towards his room, he patted Jiang Daqiang on the shoulder as he passed by: "Dad, I just think you're capable, don't waste your talent."

The door closed.

Jiang Chen lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

He knew this couldn't be rushed.

He had just finished a political lecture that had gotten him all fired up, but he knew the truth in his heart.

How could the older generation's mindset be changed with just a few words from him?

His mother, Wang Qinqin, seemed to be speaking up for him just now, but she was really just putting on an act in front of him.

Once he returned to his room and the elderly couple turned off the lights, she became a completely different person.

"Old Jiang, don't listen to this brat's nonsense. Just stay at your job and be safe."

"Director Kong is doing well, but what if we lose money? You might be willing to lose face, but I can't."

"Your son is young and doesn't know any better, don't take it to heart."

That's definitely the set of words.

Jiang Chen knows his mother too well.

Wang Qinqin is the kind of person who loves to show off when she's out in public.

But at home, she is a typical Shandong wife.

They listen to men on both important and trivial matters. They may be sharp-tongued, but when it comes to making decisions, they are more conservative than anyone else.

She just spoke up for him purely out of affection for her son.

If her son was happy, she would cooperate and put on a show.

Once her son is no longer around, she will definitely be the one to wholeheartedly support Lao Jiang in maintaining stability.

Let's take it slow and leave them with a general idea first.

Let's talk about it after he does something.

Anyway, there's still plenty of time. Kong Sheng won't be able to actually lead the team out for another year.

He needs to use this time to sort out his own affairs first.

The dating show airs; let's see how it goes.

Only when you become stronger will people believe what you say.

Jiang Chen sat up and turned on the computer on the table.

It's a Lenovo desktop computer, bought just last year, with a Pentium 4 processor, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. It takes quite a while to boot up.

This configuration was considered mainstream in 2010. Although his family wasn't extremely wealthy, Jiang Daqiang and Wang Qinqin never skimped on things for their son.

There was a freshly opened box of "Daliyuan Pie" next to the computer desk, placed there by Wang Qinqin in case he got hungry in the middle of the night.

The startup screen popped up, he opened QQ, and entered his account and password.

drop by drop...

A series of message notification sounds went off incessantly, and several group messages were flashing.

He ignored it, opened QQ Space, and went to the farm.