Creating a strategy plan for investment attraction seemed to Xing Ming like it would be a piece of cake. It was always easy to talk theoretically, yet much harder to take measures based on those theoretical strategies. From the start, he had made promises in front of Yu Zhongye to take full responsibility for the plan. The jobs that were originally meant to be headed by the Advertisement Department had now been taken on personally by him, the host.
Investment attraction through advertisements had historically always been a horrible chore. Moreover, it did not match with Xing Ming's high-handed way of doing things. Since his networking resources would soon be gone, even if the strategy plan for investment attraction was flawless and even if he became his most submissive and modest, it didn't work well. The responses had been polite though their latent message was clear—nowadays, who still watched the news?
Investment attraction had high ties to the production budget for the show and the future of the group of team members. As such, Xing Ming didn't dare to neglect it, nor could he get discouraged enough to give up. For several continuous days, as soon as he got home, he searched thoroughly for business cards in every trunk and box he owned. After a full search, he found out that he knew people from all trades, but not anyone powerful enough to make the final big decision. He could only blame himself for the lack of networking in his daily life, and now, when he needed these people the most, it was too late for him to find anyone. He had only remembered to dig a well once he started to feel his thirst.
Only one business card seemed to be a relative fit. Xing Ming stared at the strange name on the business card and after drawing a blank in his mind, he flipped to the backside. Seeing the main project's company name, he finally recalled who this person was.
He was a rich playboy whose family had a business that sold adult diapers. Although it sounded vulgar, the business had been widely successful. Once in a while, TV shows were filled with their business' advertisements. They were so popular that their brand recognition rivalled even certain famous French cosmetic brands. Whenever people heard the slogan, "You deserve to have it," they would automatically follow up with, "Worry-free and comfortable. Don't let wetness bother you."
Xing Ming knew him from when they'd been in an episode of Fated to be with You together. The man had been a paid actor invited onto Fated to be with You and he had been assigned as Xing Ming's competitor in the script. During the show, both men had crazily chased after an enchanting airline stewardess, but in reality, Xing Ming's competitor was gay.
Ironically enough, on the show the airline stewardess gave up money for love and chose Xing Ming; but outside the show, she tried extremely hard to get with the rich guy, crying and weeping for a date. The airline stewardess had Xing Ming's number as well, but she never called him once. Maybe it was because she was more sophisticated, having gotten used to the many hardships of societal life and thus knowing that there was no fucking use in a man with just a pretty face. His handsomeness wasn't worth a single penny.
However, to everyone's surprise, the rich fellow didn't give even a one-word response to this stewardess and instead repeatedly invited Xing Ming out for drinks and a soccer game.
Although the rich dude wasn't very handsome, he had been born tall with friendly and kind features which gave the impression that he was a talented and good-looking teen. Because of that and the fact that Xing Ming had already intended to work at Pearl Station, he had thought that making friends with such a rich guy wouldn't hurt. It wasn't until after he had gone to that club that he realized that something was wrong.
Under the lights and in the open, men were deeply kissing each other, creating viscous and moist noises. On his way in, all the people who approached him were of the same sex; tall and short, fat and thin body shapes, they varied and differed in innumerable succession. The rich playboy got rid of the other flies hovering around Xing Ming. As he talked more with him, the man gradually put his hands onto Xing Ming's thighs, intending straight up to slide them toward his crotch. Xing Ming saw the pair of triangular eyes glittering under the spotlight, and smelled a foul stench, a mix of fish, musk, and urine; like the smell of a male dog lusting after a bitch in heat.
The rich dandy's emotions were so poignant and his desire so urgent that only an idiot wouldn't figure out his ulterior intentions.
At the halfway point, Xing Ming found an excuse to go to the restroom and snuck out the back door without returning.
He then called his girlfriend who had been quarrelling with him for a breakup and finished the argument by having break-up sex with her in a hotel near the bar. After sex, his girlfriend felt satisfied, and Xing Ming was relieved: Good, he didn't become bent.
Two months ago, Xing Ming had once again met that rich playboy on the street. By the way his triangular eyes had clung to Xing Ming, like a stray dog chasing meat, sniffing around his body, it had been clear that he had been still interested in him. Honestly Xing Ming knew that if he could humble himself and mediate the situation with flattery in just the right way, he might have been lucky enough that he wouldn't even need to have sex with the playboy to accomplish his goal. But firstly, he was disgusted by the idea and secondly, he wasn't willing to have his new, personally established program associated with the name of adult diapers via sponsorship.
Xing Ming stared at that business card with hesitation. He continued to hesitate until he walked into Pearl Station's office, whereupon he finally made up his mind and threw that card into the trash can. Instead, he turned to call his family. Xiang Yong, who had started his restaurant business many years ago, possessed some skills and social connections. Xing Ming had originally expected to be able to rely on him to reach out to some of the people he knew, but unexpectedly Xiang Yong had met with some troubles recently. His biological son, Xiang Xiaobo, had been sent to jail again for inciting trouble in a crowded, public space.
Xing Ming didn't want to make the situation harder for his stepfather, so after promising to attend a make-up reunion dinner with the family as soon as he got off work—one that he had delayed for so long—he hung up the phone.
Outside the working area, banging sounds resounded noisily all morning.
Xing Ming called Ruan Ning into his office, asking, "What's happening?"
"They're changing the advertisement lightbox." Ruan Ning continued, "Right now, all the posters, display boards, and advertisement lightboxes at Pearl Station are being changed to the commercial advertisements of Luo You and his show If People Love Beauty. Ol' Chen seems to be very proud and pleased about it. Ol' Sun from the East Asian Channel is going crazy. The East Asian TV Station spent five years creating a perfect host with good-looks and skills, but then he got stolen by our TV station. I heard that it was all because of Ol' Chen…"
The name "Luo You" sounded so piercing to Xing Ming at that moment that he just didn't want to hear it. It had nothing to do with the man's high-profile participation at Pearl Station with his peacock-like behavior, showing off and attracting all eyes. It was the fact that if Luo You hadn't invited those two paid-actors to his program and exaggerated the story, the incident with the paid-actors would definitely not have turned out like it had now.
Xing Ming frowned slightly. He contemplated, then stood up to say, "Let's go and take a look."
Just opposite the working area, a poster of Luo You had replaced the original poster of Xing Ming and Pearl Line. A group of female staff members gathered around the advertisement lightbox, gossiping, "So handsome! Luo You is really handsome!"
To be honest, the man really was good looking, with fair skin, charm, and just the right amount of joviality. It was completely different from the aloof presence of Xing Ming. Xing Ming stared at the advertisement lightbox that was right at eye level. He frowned without speaking.
Ruan Ning was chatty as usual, "They're all saying that the number one handsome guy in Pearl Station has changed."
Xing Ming was preoccupied. "Who's supposed to be the original one?"
"Of course, it was you, Boss." Fearing that Xing Ming would be upset, Ruan Ning immediately added, "They're just too excited over the newness. Boss, you're clearly more handsome."
The praise was quite pleasant, but Xing Ming didn't enjoy it at all. He still asked with a mildly discontented face, "Now that Luo You is the host of If People Love Beauty, then he should be at the Entertainment Center. Why is it that even at the News Center all the ads are for him?"
"Don't you know, Boss? This guy, Luo You, is actually really weird. The first condition he proposed on joining our TV station, was that he had to appear in News China during Golden Time, the 7–10 PM peak time of Chinese television. The other two hosts in the show are all famous enough to be the representatives of the Station. They are old, experienced, and were even once praised by the central government. The only person who can be replaced is Host Lin." Ruan Ning said in a fluster. After a while, he sighed, "Poor Host Lin! I guess he'll probably be kicked to eleven o'clock." The 11 PM segment was typically one of the least watched segments.
Speak of the devil, and he doth appear. Lin Siquan approached and greeted Xing Ming from a distance. As he approached, he told Xing Ming that the matter had been dealt with.
In that moment Xing Ming remembered. Previously, he'd asked Lin Siquan for help with borrowing a program director he knew to teach the newcomers. But after his request, Xing Ming got busy and forgot about it. Yet Lin Siquan still took the request seriously and kept it in mind.
They shared merely a passing acquaintance. Xing Ming thought that if he put himself into the other's shoes, he wouldn't necessarily have been as generous. He instantly expressed his gratitude and apologized after giving thanks, "Pearl Line has been returned to its rightful owner. I have my own faults. Please allow Quan-ge and Lei-jie to pardon my mistakes."
"My Lei has already forgotten about it. You don't have to worry so much. In fact, no matter who hosts Pearl Line, it will all be the same. We're all here for the good of the show." Lin Siquan shook his head. The honesty and sincerity in his eyes were not faked.
Lin Siquan probably wasn't the handsomest host in Pearl Station, but he was the one who had the most mesmerizing voice. Xing Ming remembered the phone call that night, then spontaneously glanced over and analyzed the person in front of him even more.
Lin Siquan had an appearance that was gentle and elegant, especially his features, which were deep and emotional. He almost looked similar to Yu Zhongye. But maybe since he had not met any success recently, he had dark blueish bags under his eyes that made him look drab and haggard.
Ruan Ning had already left discreetly at a proper time, and the adoring female staff gathering around Luo You's posters had all dispersed. Nobody else remained. Xing Ming asked, "Quan-ge, pardon me and excuse me for asking too much, but is News China going to replace its host?"
"Have you heard that as well?" Lin Siquan sighed. The somberness on his face increased, "I don't know yet. Life and death is up to fate."
It seemed like his anticipated offering of himself to Yu Zhongye that night hadn't been enough to turn the situation. Xing Ming thought about how Lin Siquan, who had faithfully served Yu Zhongye for over a decade, had gotten such a result. He and Lin Siquan were rivals, but they were kindred spirits of sorts, and Xing Ming suddenly felt like a fox grieving over a dead hare, worried about the fall of a like-minded enemy. After a few comforting words, Xing Ming left.
He decided to not ask for any more charity from Yu Zhongye.
To live as a human being, one still needed to rely on only oneself.
Xing Ming had promised to go to Xiang Yong's place to eat after work. Before he left the office, he took out a box from the office drawer and put on the watch that was inside it. It was an antique Longines watch, which cost approximately eight thousand yuan: not a rare luxury item. Xing Hong hadn't left much to his son. Other objects had been lost by Tang Wan when they were moving residences, and this watch was the only thing that remained.
Maybe because she felt guilty about it, Tang Wan hoped that Xing Ming would take and learn the lessons from his father through the watch. Therefore, as soon as he got home, Xing Ming was forced to wear it on his wrist, though he thought such a way of imbuing knowledge was nonsense.
His father had died in Niu Ling prison by an enamel bedpan, scarred and curled in a fetal position.
The darkness spread through the sky followed by loud, booming thunder. Since spring had arrived, the weather had continually been unpredictable, sometimes hot while sometimes chilly, sometimes sunny while sometimes rainy. Xing Ming drove up the road and parked the car at a spot located several hundred meters away from his stepfather's house. He still had a hard time recalling the way since he didn't even remember the last time he'd come.
Xiang Yong had moved twice with Xing Ming and his mother, but good news traveled slowly whereas bad news had wings. The incident with Xing Hong used to be the talk of the town, practically everyone knew about it and barely anyone was willing to pretend to be deaf or mute. Hence, Xing Ming was quite famous around this area. Everyone knew that he was the son of a "rapist." Within the community, some shady hoodlums would always maliciously yell at him whenever they saw him, "Your mom was raped!"
Xing Ming kept tolerating the insults. He'd endured so much that the booming roars just resonated in his eardrum. They'd resonate so much that every part of his body—the heart, the liver, the lungs, and the kidney, they all ached. Then one day, he suddenly couldn't bear it anymore and so he pummeled one of the hoodlums. Mounting his body, Xing Ming had stripped off a shoe and fiercely beat that ruffian's mouth with it.
Xiang Xiaobo still hadn't been released from the police station, so the family of three gathered together to eat a meal at the same table. Tang Wan kept silent without asking her son about his recent days, as she was busy going between the kitchen and the dining room, delivering dishes passionately. Ever since she had married Xiang Yong, she never cooked, for she had no need to personally do such things anymore. However, when she'd heard that her son was coming back home, she got up early to buy groceries and wash rice. Sweet and sour spare ribs, chilled eggplant, crab paste balls… Tang Wan remembered every dish that her son loved and, in the end, the last dish she put on the table was spicy clams, each juicy and meaty with rich colors and patterns.
"Come on, let's eat while everything's still hot." Tang Wan smiled, looking at her son with anticipation, "You've always loved eating clams. When you were ten years old, that year when the whole family traveled to Jiao Zhou Gulf, you and your father ate seven or eight catties of them…"
Xing Ming didn't move the chopsticks, solemnly correcting his mother, "Not clams, razor fish."
The old scene that occurred ten years ago floated in front of his eyes again. Xing Ming had eaten a lot of razor fish, a long, shelled creature that looked similar to typical clams, and had suddenly wanted to drink some Chinese rice wine. Tang Wan hadn't allowed it, but both father and son had taken the same side. Xing Hong had laughed, saying that one had to drink in order to be a man. Xing Ming remembered that he hadn't been a good drinker; he had drunk only half of that little cup before he hadn't been able to bear it. In the end, he'd been carried on Xing Hong's back and walked all the way back up the beach, the briny sea breeze blowing on their faces.
"Clams and razor fish are the same. They're both delicious." Xiang Yong immediately tried to mediate, picking up the chopsticks and handing them to Xing Ming, who still didn't move.
"If you don't like them, then we won't eat them. Next time when you come back home, I will definitely remember correctly." Tang Wan promptly snatched the chopsticks in her husband's hand, stood up, and walked back to the kitchen with that dish of clams. The steam coming from the hot clams almost camouflaged her beautifully despondent face. She walked in an extremely slow manner, seeming to expect her son to call her back.
Xing Ming, stone-hearted and cold-blooded, lowered his head to eat. He said nothing.
It was a meal that people ate dejectedly without tasting the food. However, it wasn't a complete waste of time. It turned out that Xiang Yong had a friend in the finance who had always wanted to insert ads into Pearl Line. The man had Xiang Yong ask about it several times, but Xing Ming had always declined to continue with the reply, "Go through the process."
When they came back to the issue, the supply-and-demand relationship had switched. Xing Ming called the friend a couple of times, and his words were concise and comprehensive, which showed that he was quite familiar with understanding the psychological strategy and tactics of communicating with the target customers. However, the other side was still hesitant, claiming that such a pearl and jade like Pearl Line came first, but whether the Oriental TV Linewould be successful still depended on how much care Pearl Station put into it.
Leveraging an opponent's power was not in fact a tough task. Xing Ming spent the whole night preparing a second strategy for advertisement. He didn't submit it to the potential sponsor but instead secretly emailed the Dean of the Advertisement Department of Pearl Station, proposing a collaboration with the programs from the Entertainment Center. The Advertisement Department had been preparing a big project recently. It wasn't the contract ceremony for only Luo You joining Pearl Station but also for an investment business meeting with the Pearl TV Station Entertainment Center. A number of first-tier celebrities and recent popular stars had already given confirmation that they would accept the invitation. Like all the stars surrounding the moon, it was clear that the entirety of Pearl Station had paid enormous attention to this new host.
The Dean of the Advertisement Department readily gave the proposal a go-ahead. More shows meant more chips to gamble. He had already made a bet in which he promised that this year the annual total advertising revenue from Entertainment Center would hit ten billion yuan.
Ever since Yu Zhongye had taken over as chairman of Pearl Station, the investment data from Pearl Station had repeatedly broken records to the point that even ten billion in indicators would not be wishful thinking. However, Xing Ming wasn't greedy, figuring that so long as Ol' Chen didn't dare intervene, he only had to get Yu Zhongye's signature before he could be assured of a piece of the pie and successfully manage to make bricks without straw.
The next day, the Dean of the News Center, Ol' Chen, called for a meeting with the producers for all the programs. Since Su Qinghua wasn't available due to his injuries and had to work from home most of the time, Xing Ming represented him at the meeting.
Each time the Station had undertaken any huge actions, Ol' Chen had to be one of the participants, always fearing that he wouldn't be able to catch up with others. This time was no exception. He told Xing Ming that the collaboration between the News Center and Oriental TV Line's investment business meeting was in jeopardy. It was not because the other people wouldn't agree but because the chairman had not given his nod of approval. In case Xing Ming didn't believe him, he had people take out and present the application form with Yu Zhongye's signature. Indeed, Oriental TV Line was set out clearly on the form, yet it was marked out with a slim slash line from a fountain pen, signed underneath with the three characters of "Yu Zhongye."
Elegancy would not match up with predictability. It sounded reasonable, but Xing Ming was sure that this was another trick that the cunning old fox was trying to use to force him to submit. The effort that he'd made through several sleepless nights had turned to nothing. Xing Ming coldly glared at Ol' Chen, then sneered. Not waiting for Ol' Chen to say anything, he promptly stood up and turned to head to the chairman's office.
Ol' Chen was someone who didn't care how messy situations got, so he immediately called the security guards. Those tall guys in black clothes and pants all came out and followed six feet behind Xing Ming, afraid that he would cause trouble again.
Soon, a crowd gathered. Xing Ming wasn't stupid enough to initiate a fight with the security guards under everyone's watch. He stopped at the door of the chairman's office then after a few minutes, unexpectedly, turned around and grinned. He leaned against the doorframe and smiled like a call girl trying to attract clients. The smile caused the tall men to grow goosebumps all over their body. In disgust, they left the same way they had come.
Xing Ming went back to his own office. After five minutes, he suddenly rushed out, heavily slamming the door and loudly questioned the staff in the working area, "Where is the business card that was in the garbage can?!"
"The cleaning lady took it away yesterday…" Ruan Ning was too scared to say it fluently. Honestly speaking, Xing Ming's temper had largely been under control these past few days, but today, he was surprisingly on fire again for seemingly no reason.
"Go and find it." Xing Ming, on the verge of losing his temper, spit out acidic words towards everyone with a high degree of tension, "Now! Go out and look for it! Go to the dumpster outside to search for it, to the nearby garbage truck, and the transfer station!"
He would use seduction to achieve his ends, but it didn't have to be used on Yu Zhongye.
Ruan Ning led the team of talents newly hired by Xing Ming to search for the tiny paper business card around several places, corner by corner, trying to find that needle in a haystack. The other teams were confused, but only saw a group of people running in and out of the building, straining their necks to look into trash cans. Hence, they asked doubtfully, "What are you doing?"
They got the same answer, "We are looking for a sponsor's business card for our boss."
Alas, it could no longer be found.
Two hours after the normal clock-out time, Ruan Ning knocked on the door of Xing Ming's office. To avoid pouring fuel on the fire and further enraging him, he carefully considered his words and phrases to present the hardships they endured. In the end… the card had not been found.
If he really wanted to contact someone, he did not necessarily need a business card. Just moments before, Xing Ming had been bursting with fury, but now his rationality had already come back. When he remembered that pair of steamy and moist triangular eyes, that hand that played around his crotch, a feeling of nausea emerged.
A bunch of employees were still waiting outside with nervous trepidation. Xing Ming threw a glance through the glass-door and waved his hands towards Ruan Ning with fatigue, "You guys can go back home." Not waiting for Ruan Ning to exit through the door, Xing Ming caught him again and told him to remind the group to prepare for the topics on the show's first episode and to wait for tomorrow's meeting.
After he let all the workers go home, he stood up and locked himself in the office. He called his stepfather's friend with the financial business, but as it turned out, he only received a rejection.
Late that night, Xing Ming was too tired to go home so he had the last staff members who left the working area leave a light on for him. Then, under the dim light, he stared at the cityscape, seeing the homes and streetlights outside the window. Xing Ming had been born afraid of hinting any sign of obvious emotion, so he rarely smiled and rarely cried, but the strangest thing was that, recently, the inside of his throat felt so itchy he wanted to laugh, laugh at his powerlessness and the overestimation of his capabilities. He kept thinking about flying before he'd learnt to run.
Around ten, Fang Ying, one of the post-production people, called him. While he thanked Xing Ming for his offer, the man had still decided to go back to his original program team.
Around eleven, he was called downstairs by a phone call from Ol' Lin, who said that Yu-shu wanted to see him.
He didn't know if he wanted to meet or to fuck.
He followed Ol' Lin back to that villa, then, without more than a sentence or two of small talk, he ended up rolling back in bed with Yu Zhongye. Xing Ming acted in an extremely submissive yet terribly untamed manner. He took initiative in stripping both himself and Yu Zhongye, but when he lay on the bed with his body bare and his thighs spread, his mind started to wander.
That window wall that faced the bed still looked like a mirror. Xing Ming couldn't stop staring at it. He kept wondering if Lin Siquan, when he'd lain on this bed, had given a better performance.
It was yet another nauseating thought.
Yu Zhongye hadn't yet entered, his hard cock propped up in between Xing Ming's buttocks. He looked down at him.
"What was your team searching for all afternoon?" It seemed that there was no lack of gossiping jerks in the News Center; nothing could be hidden from Yu Zhongye's eyes.
"Nothing. The contact information of a friend."
"Ol' Chen said that you wanted to see me."
"Yeah."
"Any problems?"
"No."
After these couple words of chatter, Yu Zhongye thrust in. The discomfort of his hole being stretched by such an enormous girth made Xing Ming frown, but he made no sound. At first, the two men were face to face, but probably due to the mood-destroying absent-mindedness of one of the pair, after just a few minutes of fleshly friction with Xing Ming, Yu Zhongye suddenly pulled out completely. He turned him around like flipping a fish on the cutting board, then, pulling apart his buttocks, thrust in from behind.
Xing Ming turned his face to the side with his two hands to either side for support, then pulled his legs up rest his weight on his knees, prone on all fours.
The cock bottomed out again in his hole, thrusting powerfully with in waves and waves of invasive force. Xing Ming gritted his teeth, gripping the pillow so tightly that the blue veins on the back of his hands bulged, and what little nail he had almost snapped. He had made up his mind to not allow a single sound past his mouth, no matter how the cock thrust in and out of his entrance, no matter how the length of it rubbed against his inner walls or how the balls slapped against his ass, no matter what squelching, obscene sounds filled the room.
With his waist and ass raised high by Yu Zhongye and half of his face pressed deeply into the pillow, Xing Ming could only see out of one of his eyes.
That single eye glanced at the reflection cast on the window wall, then turned to stare at the watch on his wrist—he'd forgotten to take it off before intercourse.
When Xing Hong had still been alive, he'd often said to do good things, to be a good person, to guard his pride, to behave justly.
Like the son of any average family, Xing Ming had regarded Xing Hong as a hero when he was young. He had thought his father was a brave man to speak in the voice of the public with just the single pen in his hand. How extraordinary. But once he'd grown up, he'd started to scoff at such idealism, to distain his father's inflexibility.
The pleasure of being fucked had reached a climax at some point during his reminiscence, and Xing Ming wasn't able suppress his body's most basic reaction. He couldn't hold it back.
Warm piss trickled down the inside of his thighs, and Xing Ming looked at the messed-up man reflected in the window wall, then looked back at the watch on the wrist. Tears welled in his eyes.
The girth stretching his hole had unexpectedly halted in its fierce exploration, instead sinking quietly deep within him. Then, a palm fell down and covered his eyes.
He cried, then. He cried so much that he soaked Yu Zhongye's palm.
Upon finishing, Yu Zhongye turned Xing Ming back around and cupped his face in hand. After a moment, he swiped his thumb gently across the corner of his eye as if wiping away the tears.
"You're allowed to speak." Yu Zhongye's stare was peculiar. Not only deep but also profound. It was hard to tell if it was contempt or sympathy.
Speak? What could he say? Did he want pleading?
Xing Ming decided to satisfy this man.
"Laoshi, I beg you." The tears still hadn't dried, and his eyes were still puffy and red. Xing Ming raised his upper body, using his cheeks to rub prettily against the back of Yu Zhongye's hand. He then requested, completely serious, "Please let me smash this window."
After letting these words out, there hung in the atmosphere a feeling of finality, like a fish and a net struggling against one another; either the fish would die or the net would tear. Xing Ming let out a small sigh. It no longer mattered if he would be allowed to smash the window; he had relaxed.
Yu Zhongye slightly frowned, as if he hadn't thought that Xing Ming would raise such a request. The two silently stared at each other for a while, then Yu Zhongye gently smiled. He let go of Xing Ming and went toward the bathroom to take a bath.
Then said, "Get out."
Xing Ming ran outside and rushed downstairs in a hurry, while putting on his clothes. He almost got tripped by his pants.
Kicked out at midnight, with the freezing wind slamming rain into his face, he sobered up and began to regret.
He regretted that he hadn't borne more.
Even if he had needed to bear it until he was bloodied and crying, he should not have let such a great opportunity slip through his fingers.
"Host Xing, it is very late right now. Are you going back home?"
Following the voice, Xing Ming raised his head. He never would have thought that the person coming out from the car garage would be Ol' Lin, so he asked, "Lin-shu, why are you still here?"
"We are going to change vehicles, so it's the last time I'll wash this car. As a farewell of sorts. After all, I've been using it for years, and I've gotten attached." Ol' Lin was a considerate man even without any strict orders. Just a random mention of switching cars by Yu Zhongye, and he'd instantly obeyed. Looking at Xing Ming, he said, "Since it's convenient, and since I brought you here, let me send you home as well."
It was still sticky and wet between his thighs, but Xing Ming still followed the standard dress code of a broadcasting host. After meticulously buttoning his last shirt button and making sure he was in a proper and tidy state, he nodded towards Ol' Lin.
On his way back, they randomly chatted for a while. Ol' Lin talked to Xing Ming about those days when he and Yu Zhongye served in the military, where they'd climbed sheer cliffs, swam across rivers, performed recon missions, and practiced military warfare… They had felt like they could go up to heaven or down to hell, like they were omnipotent. When Xing Ming prompted for details, Ol' Lin replied vaguely; when Xing Ming didn't ask, he would babble ceaselessly.
"Military camps will last forever, yet the soldiers are always changing. For a long time after retirement, I couldn't find a place to stay. Thinking that it wasn't a great idea to wander around without a job, I happened to meet Yu-shu. Since we were the same age, at that time, we were able to talk to one another…"
"You guys are the same age?" Xing Ming certainly didn't believe it.
"What? It doesn't look like it?"
Xing Ming answered with honesty, "No."
Ol' Lin laughed, "Boss Yu is a god; he won't grow old."
Xing Ming didn't speak.
"Even if he isn't a god, he is almost like one. While the other satellite television stations are still following the dating show trend, Yu-shu has already kicked Fated to be with You out of the Golden Time." Ol' Lin scoffed. "How bold he is. Even now, Fated to be with You still has top ratings!"
"I know. I've looked through the progress schedule of the investment attraction meeting." Mentioning the investment attraction meeting, Xing Ming's voice shook, still a little resentful.
"You kids are too impatient." Ol' Lin suddenly sighed.
"How so?" Xing Ming asked somewhat confused.
"Yu-shu has already planned everything out for you." Ol' Lin was still throwing glances at the watch on Xing Ming's wrist. "You know about the Sheng-Yu Corporate Group, right?"
Of course Xing Ming knew about them. Of the entire Chinese population, from senior citizens to teething toddlers, there were few who didn't know of Sheng-Yu. It was one of the top corporate groups of the country, including in its branches businesses in real estate, finance, medicine, and many other industries. Its president was from the Liao family, but he was rumored to be an ignorant, incompetent dandy and an utter scoundrel. The Liao family did have a little political background, but only to some minor official, who wasn't nearly qualified enough to work in the Zhongnanhai compound where the State Council met, nor nearly important enough to visit the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse where important political dignitaries and councilmen were housed on visits to Beijing. However, the man was innately shrewd enough that his nominal elder sister just so happened to be the daughter of the then provincial Deputy Party Secretary and now alternate committee member of the CCP Politburo, Hong Wanliang. As such, he managed to introduce his biological elder sister into this extraordinarily exclusive social networking circle. His sister was even more shrewd, and, after some clever networking, she ended up successfully marrying the nephew of Hong Wanliang.
Hong Wanliang was said to be an incorruptible and amicable official with clean dealings. And what a pity that his only daughter had passed on so early, that he didn't have any sons. Except for a few incapable nephews and nieces, he had left just the one former son-in-law, Yu Zhongye.
Despite the complicated connections, they were all family.
"I've heard of them." Xing Ming thought it over and said, "I've heard rumors saying that the real heads of family of Sheng-Yu were actually Secretary Hong's nephew and his wife."
Within the twisted web of relations, each side of the family had differing power and continuous involvement with one another. Outsiders could only draw conclusions based on false assumptions, yet the ones who were truly involved with relationships never dared to talk about it. Ol' Lin was very careful, so he only talked about the things that he knew, "Then you've heard that each year, Sheng-Yu will host a campaign event called 'Nights of Sheng-Yu.'"
Xing Ming hummed in agreement. Of course he'd heard of it. "Nights of Sheng-Yu" saw itself as a display of intercultural exchange, attracting political leaders and financial tycoons, cultural leaders and the entertainment celebrities from all over the world. Normally, Xing Ming would only be able to see those people on television news programs. They weren't just rich men who earned over a billion a year from selling diapers, nor were they bank managers with over a million in yearly salaries. Their mere existence was proof that some people were simply born different, that nobility and insignificance were something determined by birthright.
Ol' Lin continued. "The last two years, Boss Liao had invited Yu-shu there, but Yu Shu hadn't accepted, but this year he did, for the first time, too. I heard Yu-shu talking and I think he means to bring you with him… What was the point for you to run around and plead with everyone you met when this was the true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? It's just—" Ol' Lin suddenly paused, sighing solemnly. "What a pity that you kids are so impatient."
Xing Ming was stunned. He never expected Yu Zhongye to have such a plan. Only, with Ol' Lin's sigh, with the twists and turns in his tone and his lingering implications, Xing Ming quickly realized the latent messages. It seemed like he still had a chance.
"Lin-shu."
"Oh, no, don't call me that." The chairman of Pearl Station had already taken up the respectful suffix of "-shu," and, as merely the man's driver, he didn't dare to claim the same. "I forgot to mention it when you called me that earlier, but just call me Ol' Lin."
"Ol' Lin," Xing Ming said, not playing coy and immediately changing the term of address. "You have such a close relationship with Yu-laoshi. From now on, I'll need more tips from you; your concern would be much appreciated." Ol' Lin seemed honest and considerate, but in reality he was quite slick. The manner and spirit of a military man had already been completely worn down by societal experience. That day in the car when he'd been given that subtle reminder, Xing Ming suddenly understood completely. Just like how Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty trusted Gao Lishi, and just like how Emperor Qianlong trusted Heshen, there would always be that one trusted advisor to a sovereign. As it was in history, as it was in modernity.
"Host Lin used to tell me this as well…" Ol' Lin glanced at the watch on Xing Ming's wrist.
"This isn't something rare, it's too old. If you like it, I'll give you a better one someday." Xing Ming's finger slightly stiffened as he caressed the watchband unconsciously. This eight-thousand-yuan watch didn't count as a luxury, but he hated to lose it.
"I'm just a person enamored with the past." Ol' Lin's eyes continued to throw glances at his wrist. From his words, it seemed like he really wanted it.
Xing Ming's face turned pale. Then, after a full five minutes of deliberation, he took off the one thing that Xing Hong had left behind, and he handed it over.
Ol' Lin took the watch without extra courtesy and said to Xing Ming, "If I get the chance, I'll talk to Yu-shu. Don't you worry."