Li Yang’s manager shrugged nonchalantly, “See? The netizens say there’s nothing interesting to watch.” Yes, the netizens said there was nothing interesting.
But they didn’t say they wouldn’t watch.
Given Yan Lu and the show’s rising popularity, as long as the two didn’t make any major mistakes, the show would remain highly popular.
Most importantly, Yan Lu’s arranger Jian Zhongyou was a true artistic master, and though the lyricist and composer hadn’t appeared, their names were already resounding through the music industry.
Li Yang lowered his head, slowly buttoning up his shirt without speaking.
He had debuted with a “young master” image that went viral. When Yan Lu was being criticized online for her song at the time, his studio worried it would affect his image and after weighing the options, gave up this opportunity.
“It’s my fault,” the manager stared at his phone and sighed, “I shouldn’t have had someone make that call back then.”
Helping in times of need and getting to know someone from humble beginnings – such relationships were rare.
Now they could only hope that “Come On Friends” wouldn’t become a huge hit, so Li Yang would feel a bit better about it.
**
As soon as “Come On Friends” was officially announced, its popularity remained high.
Various video self-media platforms were riding this wave, analyzing what the refined Mei Yi and the cold beauty Yan Lu could do together.
In Xiangcheng, at the electronics mall.
Bai Lian took off her outer coat, wearing only her frog button top, stretched lazily after getting out of the car, and casually looked for the elevator sign. On the other side, Jiang Fuli grabbed his keys and got out.
“This way.” Bai Lian had already walked to the middle and raised her chin toward the left, her voice lazy as she spotted the elevator around the corner.
Her phone rang – it was still the call from Jiangjing from last time.
If it weren’t for the fact that the other party was from Jiangjing University and they shared the same roots, Bai Lian would have considered blocking them.
“Student,” the male voice on the phone was already helpless, having tried to persuade for so long without success. His eyes rolled as he thought of something, “There’s a commemorative gift for being in the top ten of the app, can I send it to you? Just leave me your address?”
Bai Lian waited for Jiang Fuli to come over and smiled, “No need.”
“Ah,” the other party’s voice sounded regretful, “It’s a unique cultural item from our first principal, a small bronze figure…”
First principal…
Bai Lian’s hand tightened, not sure if it was who she thought it was, “Can I pick it up myself?”
“Huh?” The other party hadn’t heard this request before and was stunned, “Oh, that works too, I’ll give you the address…”
He quickly reported the address, then said, “Is it too long and complicated? Haha, I’ll add you on WeChat and send you the detailed address directly.”
“Thank you,” Bai Lian said slowly, “I’ll have my uncle come get it.”
Clearly she had remembered it.
The other party: “…”
**
On Friday evening, there were more people at the electronics mall than usual.
As Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli walked out of the elevator, they drew many glances.
Both had straight backs and strikingly beautiful appearances.
“You two…” the salesperson saw them enter and, though they were in a mall, it felt like being suddenly dazzled by sunlight. She uncertainly asked, “Are you here to buy a TV?”
Bai Lian wore a frog button top with blue school uniform pants, a white earphone in her left ear, loosely holding a Huami phone.
Hearing this, she nodded politely at the salesperson, “Yes.”
Jiang Fuli followed behind her without speaking. His daily life was dull and boring, with books and computers being his longest companions, and the laboratory being where he spent most of his time.
He kept his eyebrows lowered, maintaining his usual aloof demeanor.
The salesperson’s eyes lit up seeing Bai Lian and took them to look at TVs, giving a series of introductions while following behind. Due to their distinguished bearing, she instinctively led them to the high-end section.
Bai Lian looked at the prices and turned her head slightly, “Do you have anything cheaper?”
The salesperson paused briefly, then immediately led them to the back, “The prices here are much higher…”
Bai Lian nodded, looking at the TVs without showing much reaction.
Behind her, Jiang Fuli picked up the nearby manual. His fingers were long and slender with neatly trimmed nails. After casually flipping through two pages to check the specifications, he put it down: “Resolution too low, won’t work.”
Next one.
“This size is too small for your grandfather’s house.”
“Refresh rate too low.”
“It doesn’t even support HDR, why buy it?”
“…”
The salesperson initially kept introducing features to Bai Lian enthusiastically, but later couldn’t say a word. If it weren’t for Jiang Fuli’s intimidating presence, she might have cursed out loud.
“Alright, shut up Young Master Jiang.” Bai Lian gave him a look.
Then pointed at a TV that Jiang Fuli hadn’t criticized too harshly, “Thank you, we’ll take this one.”
Jiang Fuli just followed behind her, turning his gaze to a nearby bestseller priced at 9,999 that he found acceptable. After all that comparing, he thought this one was fine.
His gaze at the 9,999 model was too obvious.
Bai Lian reached out and poked his arm with her phone, warning him lazily: “Just try buying it.”
Jiang Fuli very reluctantly withdrew his gaze.
**
Bai Lian took the TV back right after buying it.
Ji Heng was embroidering in the courtyard when he saw Bai Lian come in carrying a paper box, with Jiang Fuli lazily following behind her, a black backpack hanging from his arm.
“What’s this?” Ji Heng put down his needle.
“TV.” Bai Lian put the TV in the living room, taking down the tobacco and mess of electrical wires, along with the Chinese cabbage pillow from a cabinet on the left and placing them on a nearby chair, preparing to set up the TV there.
Ji Heng followed behind them and took a look.
He took the pillow back to the room.
Previously his residence had few things – besides pots, bowls, ladles and furniture, there were just tobacco and pipes. Now the hall was full of pillows and Jiang He’s puzzles, along with strange motors and copper wires that Bai Lian had brought home and taken apart.
There was even a small machine in the storeroom some time ago.
Ji Heng felt his courtyard was about to burst.
“Uncle Ji,” an embroiderer came over to look and smiled, “Ah Lian bought you a TV, now the house will be lively. I’ve always said you should watch more TV when you’re free.”
Ji Heng held his pipe and made an “mm” sound as he watched Jiang Fuli flip through the manual to set up the TV and internet.
Ji Heng’s place didn’t have internet before, but after Bai Lian came, he worried young people would be bored without internet, so he specially installed network cables in the courtyard, which was now convenient for installing the TV.
Bai Lian wasn’t very good with electricity and networks, so she just watched Jiang Fuli set it up.
The TV wasn’t difficult to operate. After installation, Jiang Fuli turned it on.
While Bai Lian went out to get things, he casually subscribed to all the annual memberships, about six of them.
When Bai Lian came back with two of Ji Heng’s backrest chairs, she saw Jiang Fuli putting away his phone and asked: “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Fuli bent down and slowly picked up the remote control.
If she knew he had bought memberships that cost about the same as the TV… Jiang Fuli coughed lightly, then called Ji Heng in to teach him how to use it.
**
That evening.
After Jiang Fuli left, Bai Lian was busy in the small side room. Outside, Ji Heng was video calling Ji Shaojun, showing him the TV in the living room.
Shen Qing came over to look and saw advertisements playing on Ji Heng’s TV: “Dad, you bought a TV?”
“Ah Lian bought it,” Ji Heng blew out a smoke ring, with a very faint smile on his face, “Her friend has a variety show airing next Sunday, remember to watch it.”
On the other end of the phone, Ji Shaojun also showed a rare smile.
The butler and a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sat opposite, not interrupting the family’s reunion, quietly listening about how Bai Lian had a friend in entertainment, though they didn’t pay much attention.
Until Ji Heng asked about him, he raised his head to speak to Ji Heng, “Mr. Ji has such great talent, why did you let him study art back then?”
As he spoke, the butler seemed somewhat regretful. Ji Shaojun was very smart, almost understanding everything immediately.
Ji Heng didn’t speak. Ji Shaojun opened his mouth, “I chose art myself.”
“I know, it just feels such a pity. If you had grown up in the Mu family, you could have had the best resources from childhood,” the butler spoke with a sigh, “You might have done research together with Young Master Mu Qiong…”
Young Master Mu Qiong?
It was the first time Ji Shaojun and Shen Qing had heard this name.
“Young Master Mu Qiong is the Second Master’s only son, a once-in-a-century genius of the Mu family,” mentioning him, the butler’s eyes were bright, “The young master skipped grades all the way, entered PhD directly at 22, was a Mensa member. How glorious our Mu family was then…”
Speaking of this, he didn’t continue.
Ji Shaojun knew about how almost all of the Mu family’s younger generation was gone, so he didn’t ask further.
Shen Qing picked up her phone to change the subject, “Dad, where’s Ah Lian?”
She took the phone back to her room to talk with Bai Lian. Bai Lian’s voice faintly came through, “Aunt, can you and uncle help me get something tomorrow…”
After they went inside, the butler looked at Ji Shaojun, “Why doesn’t your dad want to come to Jiangjing?”
He was asking about Ji Heng.
“He won’t leave,” Ji Shaojun closed a document and paused before continuing, “But that was before. If…”
“What do you mean?” The butler sat up straight.
“You know Ah Lian – my father has never bowed his head to my sister in all these years, but she’s different.”
Would he come if Bai Lian persuaded him? Ji Shaojun wasn’t very sure either, but Ji Heng had too many inseparable ties with Qingshui Street.
“Your niece?” The butler recalled Bai Lian, but his impression wasn’t deep, “I remember, isn’t she a high school student?”
“Yes,” Ji Shaojun nodded, “She’s about to take the college entrance exam. When she comes to Jiangjing then, my father might worry about her.”
The butler nodded. After finishing discussing today’s tasks with Ji Shaojun, he left.
After going out, the middle-aged man with glasses beside him asked curiously, “Mr. Ji’s niece?”
“Currently in Xiangcheng,” the butler answered. After Ji Shaojun’s return, they had only checked Ji Shaojun and Ji Shaorong’s information. As for people like Shen Qing and Bai Lian, they hadn’t investigated much. “The college entrance exam season is starting again.”
They didn’t chat much about Bai Lian before quickly moving on to other topics.
“Only one person from the side branches is taking the college entrance exam this year,” the middle-aged man said softly.
“We don’t expect them to get first place like Young Master Mu Qiong did, even top ten would mean Young Master Mu Qiong’s spirit in heaven is blessing us.” The butler leaned on his cane and tremblingly descended the steps.
**
The next day.
Six o’clock.
When Bai Lian got up and opened her door, she could faintly hear the TV sound from the hall.
Ji Heng got up very early today. He had cooked porridge and bought back fried breadsticks and egg pancakes, and was now sitting in the hall watching local TV news.
Today Chi Yundai would personally examine Zhang Shize, so Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli could steal some leisure time from their busy schedule.
After lazily finishing brushing her teeth, Bai Lian went to the small side room, which housed a carving machine with various other tools she had dismantled scattered around.
Whenever Ji Heng couldn’t find something, he would come here to search.
She sat on a small stool. On the machine table were two similar pieces of clear jadeite with very good water content, almost one centimeter thick and translucent, but because of cracks and a small piece of yellow jade, they were flawed and therefore not priced high.
Twenty thousand yuan – the other party probably saw Mao Kun and didn’t dare price it high, giving Mao Kun the raw stones at cost.
Both pieces of jadeite had been carved out, with the main outlines of the immortal and qilin completely traced, the rough shape pushed out, and the high and low points clearly visible.
Bai Lian picked up a piece of jadeite and traced the detailed figure of the immortal on the blank.
Very cleverly placing the peach on that small bit of yellow jade.
Her drawing skills had always been good, but her carving skills hadn’t caught up. She had been studying jade carving machines for over half a month. After drawing, she used a triangular nail to trace the edges.
Bai Lian’s drawing was beautiful, but what she carved could only barely be called resembling the original, not looking good.
She lowered her head and slowly finished tracing the rough outline, made a few more adjustments before putting down the jade pendant, feeling today could only go this far or it would be ruined. This piece had survived until today only because the price was high and she didn’t dare use too much force.
Opening the door and coming out, she immediately saw Jiang Fuli standing under the banyan tree.
Not yet eight o’clock, the sunlight wasn’t strong. Light spots filtered through the leaves scattered on his face, with almost his entire face in shadow. He wore white casual clothes, his left hand rolling up a piece of printed paper, slowly tapping it against his palm.
“I saw you hadn’t come out,” he stood in the tree’s shade with his back to the sun, speaking unhurriedly, “Thought you might have forgotten while watching TV.”
He looked at Bai Lian, his light-colored eyes very focused – he just hadn’t seen her, so he came to look.
Bai Lian was rarely late.
After saying something to Ji Heng, she left with Jiang Fuli.
After they left, the auntie beside Ji Heng smiled and said with some emotion: “Uncle Ji, look how good young Jiang is, and Ah Lian too. When little Shen was sick before, she was even more steady than you… If my child had even one percent of their composure, that would be good.”
Ji Heng put down his needle and just smiled without speaking upon hearing this.
Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli weren’t that old yet – in society they would still be considered confused youths just entering the world.
Having experienced so much, Ji Heng understood very clearly that no one is born invincible. The phoenix rising from the ashes – what kind of major ups and downs in life does one need to experience to reach such a state?
Having gone through so much, Ji Heng felt he might not even be as stable as the two of them.
**
Meanwhile.
In Jiangjing.
Shen Qing and Ji Shaojun both got up very early. After Ji Shaojun finished his training, he asked for leave from the teacher.
In their time in Jiangjing, when they didn’t have training or classes, they rarely went out. This was the first time asking for leave from the training manager. The manager was stunned for a moment before quickly reporting to the butler.
The butler’s call came very quickly. Ji Shaojun had just gone out, with Shen Qing unfamiliarly checking bus routes.
“Are you going out?” Ji Shaojun had people specially teaching him things every day, only on weekends would the company manager have time off to teach him practical operations. The butler was very surprised Ji Shaojun asked for leave. “Is there something urgent?”
“Yes,” Ji Shaojun only learned from Shen Qing last night during rest time that Bai Lian wanted them to help get something, “Ah Lian needs us to pick up something, it’s at…”
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