A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

The comments section erupted in laughter again.

Gifts started pouring in like a floodgate had been opened.

Yachts, rockets, carnivals—one after another.

Qin Shen read the comments on the screen while burning paper money.

"Thanks to my friend from Northeast China for the yacht! My great-grandfather has never even been in a river in his life, but now he can go out to sea!"

"Thanks to Harbin's pride for the carnival! This gift is so precious, my great-grandfather can throw a party over there!"

……

The viewers in the live stream were laughing so hard at Qin Shen's witty remarks that they started showering him with gifts.

"This is the most outrageous funeral livestream I've ever seen!"

"What else does Second Grandfather need? We've got the whole livestream audience covered!"

"Should we get two beautiful women for Second Master? He won't be lonely over there!"

……

At this moment, Qin Mingdong called Su Fan aside and said, "Xiao Fan, do you know any leaders in our city's culture and tourism sector?"

Su Fan shook his head: "I don't know him, Uncle Qin. This is my first time in Harbin, how could I possibly know a high-ranking official?"

Qin Mingdong nodded: "That's true, but the leaders from the cultural and tourism sector are coming over in a bit, and they mentioned you."

Just then, Su Fan's phone rang.

He took it out and saw that it was Qi Tongwei calling.

Su Fan stepped aside and answered the phone: "Boss, what are your instructions?"

I watched your live stream.

Su Fan asked, "Boss, you called me here just to talk about this? You must be a real fan of mine."

"Stop being so frivolous." Qi Tongwei laughed, but quickly withdrew his smile. "When you left, I told you that I had a classmate over there. He's the director of the Harbin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, named Zhou Haiyang."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan understood what Qin Mingdong had asked him earlier.

Su Fan thought to himself, "So they really came for me!"

So Su Fan said, "Two high-ranking leaders came from one class. It seems that the university Director Qi attended back then was quite extraordinary!"

Qi Tongwei didn't pick up on that, but steered the conversation back on track: "I called you to tell you that my classmate wants to meet you. You can guess why, he wants your help to boost the local tourism industry."

"You really think highly of me, boss. What have I done to deserve this? Where would I get such great skills?"

"We haven't even asked you to do anything yet, and you've already started promoting it. Seriously though, when you go shopping for local specialties, someone can follow you and do a live stream, which will also help promote the local products."

"this one?"

"Otherwise, you can't actually write a song for them, can you? By the way, you buy local specialties, they'll film you, and they'll pay for it for you later."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan immediately asked, "What if I wanted a century-old ginseng? Would they still pay for it?"

Qi Tongwei couldn't help but complain, "Don't even mention century-old ginseng; even wild ginseng as old as you is extremely rare. You can't just buy it with money; you need connections and luck. Do you think it's as common as cabbage?"

"That's a real shame."

"Alright, I just wanted to let you know. If you want to do something, just tell him directly. My classmate is a really nice guy."

Su Fan nodded: "Okay, understood. Are there any other instructions, sir?"

Just as Su Fan was about to hang up, Qi Tongwei said again, "There's something else. That artist online named Qu Feiming wants to take you as his apprentice. What are you going to do about it?"

Su Fan asked, "I would appreciate any advice from the leader."

"Let me tell you the pros and cons first," Qi Tongwei analyzed. "This matter is a mixed bag. On the positive side, if you become his apprentice, you'll have a powerful backer in that circle. Qu Feiming's status is what it is; anyone who wants to mess with you will have to think twice. Your future path will be much smoother."

"And the downside?"

"On the downside, you'll be labeled as Qu Feiming from now on, you know what I mean."

Su Fan said, "Does this mean I've already chosen sides?"

"I suppose so, but given Qu Feiming's status and persona, siding with him isn't a bad choice."

Su Fan asked, "So, what choice does Director Qi hope I will make?"

Qi Tongwei demurred, saying, "It's your decision; I have no right to interfere with your choice."

"I still want to hear Director Qi's opinion."

Qi Tongwei admired Su Fan very much, otherwise he wouldn't have talked to him so much. He didn't want Su Fan to be labeled by others so early.

However, as an outsider, he couldn't interfere in Su Fan's affairs.

So he sighed, "The rabbits frolic, while the pheasants escape the net."

Qi Tongwei's quote comes from the poem "Tu Yuan" in the Book of Songs.

It means that wild rabbits roam freely, while pheasants are caught in nets and suffer a miserable fate.

Qi Tongwei did not give a clear opinion, but expressed his views in a roundabout way.

Su Fan understood immediately and stopped asking questions.

At this moment, Qi Tongwei said, "Alright, you chose this path yourself. As long as you don't regret it, neither path is wrong."

Su Fan did not answer directly, but said, "I am an outsider to the heavens, and I am free to look at mountains and rivers as I please."

This is a line from Lu You's poem "Wandering Alone Among the Monks' Abodes West of the City".

The full poem is:

"I am an outsider under the heavens, free to look at mountains and rivers as I please."

Climbing straight up the mossy cliff in two pairs of clogs, before the cloud-shrouded cave, a headscarf hangs on the bank.

I long to call out to the moon over Niuzhu from afar, but I will never be tainted by the dust of Yu Gong's life.

It's not that I have no hospitable guests to invite, but going alone makes me feel more at ease.

Su Fan used this poem to express his stance.

The two of them understood each other without saying a word.

At this moment, Su Fan said, "Boss, I'll hang up now, someone's coming from over there."

……

"Just as I expected!"

Qi Tongwei sighed, then put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and smiled.

It wasn't the kind of loud laughter, but the kind of laughter that showed appreciation.

A young man in his early twenties, faced with an invitation from an industry leader to take him on as an apprentice, remained unmoved and unashamed.

In Qi Tongwei's view, this kind of mentality is not something that ordinary people possess.

Su Fan didn't want to become an apprentice because he had witnessed the infighting between factions in his previous life.

I've seen too many people get carried away by the idea of ​​having powerful backers, only to fall harder than anyone else in the end.

His principle of doing things is very simple: don't take sides.

It's not that I don't trust anyone, it's that I don't want to hand my fate over to others.

If he had to choose sides, he would only side with the official side.

It's not because he's so noble, but because the authorities are the most stable.

He grants free song licenses to cultural and tourism organizations in various regions, not only to promote his works but also to pave the way for future projects.

This method allows them to connect with the local cultural and tourism departments.

Remember, it's not about being tied to an individual, it's about being tied to a department.

People may change, but the department remains.

Of course, he also encountered people like Qi Tongwei who were very much to his liking.

Su Fan knew that as long as he didn't make any big mistakes, the cultural and tourism industries in those places that had benefited from his kindness would become his source of confidence in the future.

He had calculated this very clearly and understood it perfectly.

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside the yard.

A black sedan stopped at the gate of the courtyard. The door opened and several people got out.

Upon seeing this, Qin Mingdong quickly stepped forward: "Director Zhou, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and offer your condolences!"

Zhou Haiyang said solemnly, "The old senior lived to be 100 years old. He spent his life in the military and passed away peacefully. This is a happy occasion. I have come to pay my respects to the old man."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Haiyang and his entourage went to the gift table first and presented their gifts.

Then, led by Qin Mingdong, they entered the mourning hall.