Returning to Taiwan in 2000 as a patriotic artist

11:30 a.m.

Gu Bei drove to Ximending.

From a great distance, he could hear the song "Yellow Race" drifting from the second-floor window that had been moved open.

It's quite surreal that I can keep hearing my own voice all the way here.

Gu Bei went up the steps to the second floor, passed through the photo wall, and found that there was a poster of himself on it at some point.

A huge poster.

It was a picture of him wearing a black and gold dragon robe, standing in the palace hall, his face turned to the side with his back to the officials.

The restaurant was full of customers, mostly young people, who were eating and chatting.

"Gu Bei!" Lin Yichen exclaimed, her eyes sharp.

She was standing behind the counter when she saw the person coming. The rag in her hand almost flew out of her hand. She quickly ran over and punched Gu Bei in the chest with her little fist.

I felt like I was being punched in the chest by the downstairs guy.

Gu Bei pretended to be seriously injured and coughing up blood: "It's over, you have to pay my medical bills."

Upon seeing this, the customers at several tables in the shop all smiled knowingly.

They didn't expect Gu Bei to be so approachable. Some of the bolder customers had already gone to the counter to get paper and pens and asked Gu Bei for his autograph.

Gu Bei maintained a smile throughout and occasionally joked with them.

Seeing this, others gathered around, and it suddenly became as lively as a vegetable market.

From the crowd, someone shouted, "Gu Bei, you're so handsome!"

It was a boy's voice.

"Oh, not at all," Gu Bei quickly waved his hand, "You're all much more handsome than me."

"Ha ha ha ha......"

The scene immediately erupted in laughter.

Hu Zhaoyu stood outside the crowd and waited until the crowd dispersed before coming over.

His complexion was much better than before, his lips weren't as purple, and he had lost a little weight.

"Brother Yu," Gu Bei greeted him, "You look great. Looks like I don't need to visit your grave."

He said this mainly because he didn't want Hu Zhaoyu to feel like he owed him too much, making it difficult to get along in the future.

"You rascal..." Hu Zhaoyu chuckled and patted Gu Bei on the shoulder. "The doctor said there's nothing wrong for now. Just remember to get enough sleep and go for a check-up every six months."

"That's good." Gu Bei breathed a sigh of relief and waved to Lin Yichen. "Yichen said she'd treat me to dinner. I'll come see you again when I have time."

"Brother Yu, I'll be going now." Lin Yichen gave a sweet smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Go ahead, go ahead," Hu Zhaoyu waved his hand.

He opened and closed his eyes, and the two of them had already disappeared.

Fasten his seatbelt, Gu Bei started the car, and merged into the traffic.

"Let's go, let's go to the Peony Pavilion!"

Lin Yichen directed the entire process.

A dozen minutes later, the Audi A6 pulled up in front of McDonald's...

"what?"

Gu Bei was stunned.

Is this what Lin Yichen meant by "having a big meal"?

wrong!

Gu Bei quickly realized a problem.

In 2026, it will be seen by the public as a fast food.

In 2000, a Filet-O-Fish burger cost 60 New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 15 RMB).

A meal for two can cost several hundred New Taiwan Dollars, which is indeed a large meal.

It's worth noting that working in China now earns 400-500 RMB per month, which is roughly equivalent to 1600-2000 NTD.

In other words, one meal costs the equivalent of 10 days' wages for an average person.

"I'd like a Filet-O-Fish burger."

Lin Yichen stood in front of the counter ordering food.

Wearing sunglasses and a fisherman's hat, Gu Bei found a seat by the window and watched the girl order a lot of things, then take out a few crumpled bills from her pocket to pay the bill.

After a while, Lin Yichen returned carrying a tray.

The top was piled high with two Filet-O-Fish burgers, two servings of fries, two iced Cokes, two apple pies, and a McChicken.

"So much?" Gu Bei frowned, worried that the little girl might go bankrupt from one meal.

"It's my treat, of course I want you to eat your fill!" Lin Yichen handed over a Filet-O-Fish burger. "Have this first, I heard it's new and really good."

She had already put her own in her mouth and started munching on it, immediately revealing a very satisfied little expression, her eyes even squinting.

Is it really that delicious?

Gu Bei, skeptical, took the fish and took a bite. The sauce from the Filet-O-Fish burst in his mouth, but the taste wasn't particularly amazing.

Ok!

I think too much.

Maybe it's because I ate too much of this before, it feels no different from eating instant noodles.

"Is it good?" Lin Yichen asked, biting into her hamburger, her voice muffled.

"Delicious." Gu Bei forced a satisfied expression.

"Then eat more." Lin Yichen pushed the fries and cola over to him again.

"No way, I'm a celebrity now, I have to maintain my figure!" Gu Bei quickly refused.

"Huh? Is being a celebrity really this miserable?"

Lin Yichen looked at the table full of "delicious food" and was caught in a dilemma.

"Yes, it's terrible." Gu Bei said earnestly.

The truth is, he felt full after eating a hamburger and drinking a few sips of cola.

"How about we pack it all up?"

He pointed to the things under him on the table and made a small suggestion.

The naive Lin Yichen thought that Gu Bei really wanted to maintain his figure.

She jogged to the counter, grabbed a bag, and packed up the leftovers to take with her.

In the afternoon, Lin Yichen had to go to participate in the "Super Girl" competition.

Since Gu Bei had nothing else to do, he drove her there.

The competition was held in a small but well-equipped studio in downtown Taipei.

A banner reading "Super Girl Top 4 Qualifying Round" was hanging at the entrance, and several staff members were handing out number tags.

Lin Yichen went backstage to sign in by herself.

Gu Bei was arranged to wait in the audience.

The studio was quite full of people, mostly friends and family of the contestants, holding up various handwritten cheering signs.

Wearing sunglasses and a fisherman's hat, Gu Bei found a corner to sit down, trying to keep a low profile.

Being low-key is useless...

He had only been sitting down for less than a minute when he was recognized by a contestant.

"You are... Gu Bei?"

The girl was wearing a pink performance outfit and stage makeup. She had big eyes. "It really is Gu Bei!"

Her voice was quite loud, and several people around her turned their heads at the same time, their eyes all falling on Gu Bei.

"Holy crap, it really is Gu Bei!"

"Gu Beilai is participating in 'Super Girl'?"

"No way, is he here to be a judge?"

"Gu Bei! Can I get your autograph? I absolutely love your book, *Yellow Race*!"

In an instant, Gu Bei was surrounded by seven or eight people.

There were contestants, staff members, and two spectators who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Everyone was carrying notebooks, shirt sleeves, and even race number plates...

Gu Bei felt somewhat helpless, but he couldn't refuse, so he signed them one by one, while maintaining a smile and occasionally joking with everyone.

"Keep it up," he said casually after signing his autograph for a little girl in a yellow dress.

The little girl blushed with excitement, clutched the autograph book, and ran back to her seat, chattering excitedly to her companions. Every now and then, she would turn around and shyly look at Gu Bei.

The game started.

Lin Yichen was the fifth to perform.

She changed into a light blue dress, let her hair down, and put on some light makeup, making her look much more refined than usual.

But those big, bright eyes haven't changed; they still curve when they smile, like crescent moons.

She started by introducing herself.

Then she sang "Sisters".

The voice wasn't outstanding, but it was natural and unpretentious, and it remained steady even during the typhoon, showing no stage fright whatsoever.

This girl was born for this.

After the performance, the judges asked a few questions on the spot.

Lin Yichen said, "I came to participate in the competition because I wanted to earn money to buy my younger brother a computer."

When the judges were scoring, she stood in the center of the stage, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her lips trembling with nervousness.

The next second, the host announced the score!