Get the perfect music system at the start

Xu Fan nodded, but frowned. Why did Chen Yuanyuan have to go to Gran Country again? She had only just returned from Gran Country.

Xu Fan remained silent, and Old Zheng asked with some confusion, "Young Xu, why aren't you saying anything?"

Xu Fan quickly said, "It's alright, it's alright. Grandpa Zheng can hear me. Please be careful while you're playing over there."

After finishing speaking, Xu Fan and Grandpa Zheng hung up the phone, but Xu Fan did feel inexplicably nervous afterwards.

He recalled the many things that had happened in the Kingdom of Gran not long ago.

Although Xia Ziling has returned and is much better now, and Han Zilu is also much better now.

The image of Chen Yuanyuan shielding him from a bullet is still vivid in my mind even now.

What was going on with her going to Gran Kingdom again? She was puzzled, but she couldn't find the answer. So she could only shake her head helplessly and decide to put the question aside for the time being.

Upon returning home, Xu Fan opened the door and entered, as usual.

It was nearly evening when Xu Fan opened the door and was immediately greeted by a peculiar scent that seemed to be wafting towards him.

Xu Fan followed the smell and called out, "Mom, have you finished making the dumplings?"

Xu's mother responded from the kitchen, "It's all packed up. Now that you're here, please sit down and rest for a while. I'll cook it right away, it'll be ready soon."

Before Xu's mother could finish speaking, she noticed that Xu Fan had already appeared behind her.

Looking at the dumpling wrappers and meat filling on the cutting board, Xu Fan smiled and said, "We're clearly not finished yet. Let's make dumplings together."

Xu's mother glared at Xu Fan and said, "Oh dear, I'm perfectly capable on my own. You should go out and do your own thing."

Xu Fan ignored her completely. Listening to his mother's nagging, he washed his hands, then walked over to his mother, picked up a dumpling wrapper, and began making dumplings.

Xu's mother shook her head, speechless. It seemed that this was the only way. But she had to admit that the scene was quite heartwarming, even though it was just checking up on someone.

Xu Fan wasn't quite aware of his mother's feelings. He just felt happy being by his mother's side, even though the dumplings she made weren't very pretty, because he saw his mother's genuine smile.

Make dumplings, cook dumplings.

As steam rose from the pot and the dumplings began to tumble, Xu Fan personally prepared the dipping sauce, instantly elevating the flavor to a whole new level.

Xu's mother said with a smile, "Hurry up and eat, your dipping sauce smells delicious."

Xu Fan chuckled and said, "Mom, your dumpling filling is still the best. I could smell it from far away when I came in."

The two of them were enjoying themselves immensely. Although there was no one else around, when the dumplings were served and they started eating them one bite at a time, Xu Fan suddenly realized that happiness can sometimes be this simple.

It doesn't require great wealth or extravagant food.

The most perfect happiness is simply for a family to sit at the dinner table and enjoy a steaming bowl of dumplings.

Get the perfect music system at the start

===Chapter 453 Predictions by Foreign Economists===

The atmosphere at Xu Fan's home in Huanxi Shatang was harmonious and joyful.

Even though it was just Xu Fan and his mother, the process of blowing on the dumplings was still joyful and happy.

Time flies by. Although there's still a while until New Year's Eve, it's already passing by in a rush.

In the period leading up to the Lunar New Year, Xu Fan suddenly felt very quiet. There wasn't much noise, no singing, no variety shows, and no movies.

Zhao Feiyang's love life is in full swing. These past few days, he's been quite busy whenever I call him. However, he still diligently completed every task he was supposed to do.

However, Xu Fan still felt that the addition of several new members to the Superstar Studio had greatly reduced Zhao Feiyang's workload. Xu Fan sometimes wondered if the fat man had hired a few people because of his relationship.

Of course, Xu Fan wouldn't care too much about these things.

That day, four days before Lunar New Year's Eve, Liao Fanxing from Fanxing Pictures called Xu Fan.

Meanwhile, Xu Fan was lying in bed at home, studying a song called "This Is Fate" that the system had previously rewarded him with. He hadn't had a chance to sing it yet and was thinking about whether to sing it live, but he felt that singing this song at this time was a bit too festive, since it was the Lunar New Year and the song had a slightly sad tone.

After the call connected, Liao Fanxing got straight to the point: "President Xu, it's almost Chinese New Year, and I have a few things I'd like to report to you."

Xu Fan sat up straight and said, "President Liao, please speak."

Liao Fanxing said on the other end of the phone, "All employees of Fanxing Pictures are on holiday today. Only a small number of employees will be on duty. I'm telling you this because I also have to take a holiday."

Xu Fan had no objection to this and said, "No problem, you can arrange all the holiday schedule."

However, Xu Fan still asked with concern, "But what are your plans for the release of the movie 'Dying to Survive'?"

Liao Fanxing said, "I just wanted to talk to you about this. Because our movie 'Dying to Survive' is scheduled for release on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I have arranged a team to be in charge of the entire movie's release. I will also be with everyone in the company on the first day of the Lunar New Year to keep an eye on the movie's release."

Hearing this answer, Xu Fan nodded with satisfaction and said, "President Liao has considered things very thoroughly. In that case, the company should not be stingy with the money for all the staff who participated during the Spring Festival."

Liao Fanxing said, "Don't worry, Mr. Xu, the bonuses will definitely be paid out in full. I will make the arrangements."

Xu Fan nodded and said, "Since everything is ready, then there's no problem. I'm really looking forward to the release of this movie."

Liao Fanxing said, "Yes, I have a lot of confidence in the movie 'Dying to Survive'. We'll see how the market responds. We've done a lot of promotion these days, and the current market feedback is quite good."

Xu Fan nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liao."

Liao Fanxing paused for a moment on the phone before saying, "Mr. Xu, there's one more thing."

Xu Fan was a little puzzled, but he still spoke directly: "President Liao, please feel free to speak."

Liao Fanxing thought about it seriously and said, "I think I will resign after the Spring Festival. I will hand over all my work to Ms. Han. She is very capable and hardworking. I admire her very much."

Xu Fan was taken aback by the question. Although he knew this day would come sooner or later, he didn't expect it to come so soon. After thinking for a moment, Xu Fan decided not to try to persuade him to stay and said, "I should have said something to persuade you to stay, but I know that President Liao has his own plans. In that case, I'll leave it to you."

Liao Fanxing said, "Mr. Xu, you're too kind. This is all I should do."

After saying that, Liao Fanxing added, "In that case, I'll hang up now. There's an event coming up before the New Year, I'll go check it out."

Xu Fan said, "President Liao, you can go ahead and get back to work."

Then he hung up the phone, glanced at the alarm clock on the wall; it was 8:30 in the morning. He couldn't help but nod and say, "Thank you for your hard work!"

He had intended to take a nap, but after thinking about it, he got up, washed up, and started browsing Weibo while drinking his morning tea.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it; it's quite a spectacle.

With the Spring Festival approaching, the Spring Festival travel rush has been underway for some time now, and busy people are preparing to go home.

Train stations, airports, and even bus stations were packed with people, and all sorts of news about the Spring Festival travel rush were being discussed online.

Whether you came or went, the journey home is now extremely difficult.

Some people tried their best but still failed to get a ticket, while others stood on the train for days and nights, all for the sake of going home.

Even if they go home, they only have a few days.

A piece of news on the internet piqued Xu Fan's interest, and he couldn't help but laugh as he read it.

Some Western economists predict that in a few days, China will face factory shutdowns, school closures, shop closures, government shutdowns, stock market closures, and wealthy people will flee overseas with their families.

Local residents will rush to sell their currency for goods, banners expressing their personal demands will be plastered all over the society, the streets will be filled with the remnants and smells of explosives, adults will be idle and drink heavily every day, and children will go from house to house begging for money.

When Xu Fan saw it, the news had actually been out for several days, but it has to be said that these Western economists' predictions were quite accurate.

After all, isn't this how it is every year during the Spring Festival?

The factory shuts down because of the Chinese New Year, school closures, and winter break – these are all necessary measures.

When the Spring Festival arrives, these kinds of things will happen: the so-called daily drinking and idleness are actually just essential pleasures for Chinese people during festivals.

But it must be said that such amusing incidents are indeed enough to make people want to laugh.

Xu Fan continued scrolling through Weibo, but didn't see any other interesting news. Most of it was focused on the Spring Festival. Of course, some people were also discussing the Spring Festival Gala, because the gala was one of the most anticipated events of the year.

Although fewer people actually watch the Spring Festival Gala these days, the fact that every household turns on their computer and plays skits and crosstalk performances is actually quite effective. The happiness of the New Year is simply about having a lively atmosphere.

Therefore, there was no shortage of discussion among netizens, with various speculations arising, whether it was the cast or the program list.

Some people even post and forward fake lists to attract attention, but most people remain rational.

Just then, Xu Fan suddenly noticed a message.

That is, the full lineup of hosts for this year's Spring Festival Gala has been revealed, and An Ran, whom Xu Fan knows, is among them, as one of the hosts of the Zhonghai branch venue.

P.S.: Today is the Winter Solstice, everyone remember to eat dumplings!

Get the perfect music system at the start

===Chapter 454 Doing Your Best Is Enough to Have a Clear Conscience===

The program list for the Spring Festival Gala has still not been released.

However, all the hosts for the gala were already in place, with two hosts for each of the four sub-venues.

The list of twelve hosts for the CCTV.com main venue was revealed, with four hosts in total. This caused quite a stir, confirming the speculations of many. However, the presence of someone like An Ran has been questioned by many.

But in any case, the result is out, and everyone is looking forward to it.

The host of CCTV.com's "Extreme Challenge" remains the same every year. Most of the hosts for other branch venues are local celebrities, such as An Ran, who is from Zhonghai.

Xu Fan looked through it for a while, not thinking too much about it, when suddenly his phone rang.

The caller wasn't Zhao Feiyang, nor Xiao Pu, nor Xia Ziling or Chen Yuanyuan.

It was Han Zilu calling. Xu Fan answered, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Because Han Zilu's first words on the other end of the phone were: "Xu Fan, do you have time now?"

Hearing Xu Fan's question, Han Zilu said, "There's something I want to tell you, and I'd like to see you."

Xu Fan checked the time and said, "Sure, no problem. It's almost noon, let's have lunch together."

Han Zilu agreed and said, "See you later."

After agreeing on a meeting place, Xu Fan drove there and headed straight for his destination after leaving Huanxi Shatang.

In a quiet private room of a restaurant, Han Zilu was waiting for Xu Fan to arrive, but she felt inexplicably nervous.

Just then, the door to the private room creaked open, and Xu Fan walked in.

When Han Zilu saw Xu Fan, she stood up abruptly, her face flushing red. Just moments ago she had been thinking about Xu Fan, and now he had walked in. She quickly said, "Long time no see."

Xu Fan walked over with a smile and said, "Has it been a long time?"

Han Zilu said, "A day apart feels like three autumns. You do the math and see how many years it's been."

Xu Fan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "If that's the case, then it has indeed been quite a few years. You haven't changed at all over the years."

Han Zilu couldn't help but laugh at this moment, and then Xu Fan asked, "What were you thinking about just now? Your face is all red."

Just from those words, Han Zilu's face turned even redder. She quickly lowered her head and shook her head, saying, "I didn't mean to, it's just that the air conditioning was too hot, so..."