Chapter One Hundred Ending
These days at home can be vividly summarized as "the life of a pig who only watches TV". Every day, I wake up and start lying on the couch watching TV, then in this state, I fall asleep again until my mom wakes me up for dinner. After dinner, I continue to lie on the couch watching TV... This cycle continues until late at night. Apart from this, the only thing I think is relatively creative every day is thinking about Qin Ke Yi. So, my mom, in order not to let me degenerate into a real pig one day, started making me take over the regular dog-walking task three times a day. The old dog, which my mom believes is very human-like and has a strong sense of smell, seems to have noticed that I need to improve my physical activity recently, so it has increased its metabolism intensity, resulting in more frequent walks every day.
I don't know if it's because of the oily food I gave to the dead dog today, but its performance far exceeded the normal amount of excretion, and it still seemed like it wasn't enough. So I had no choice but to take it for a walk around our residential area, aimlessly wandering back and forth until it felt relief from the pressure in its stomach, before reluctantly following me home.
After going upstairs, I pressed the doorbell and waited for my mom to open the door. I was prepared to report to her about the dead dog's bowel movements today, which has become one of my daily routines in recent days. However, when the door opened, I subconsciously blurted out a few words before suddenly stopping in shock. No matter how rich my imagination is or what kind of storms I've been through, I was extremely surprised and couldn't accept that it was Qin Ke who opened the door for me and stood in front of me at this moment. The two of us silently stood at the doorway, staring at each other as if using our eyes to tell each other about the longing we'd endured over the past few days.
Just as we were standing at the door, exchanging glances, my mom came out of the kitchen with a plate of fruit and saw our inexplicable way of communicating. She laughed and said to me, "What's going on? Don't you two know each other?! Standing there like fools! Come inside!"
"When... did you come?" I was still standing at the door, dazed, and asked Qin Ke in a disbelieving tone. Although it had only been a few days since we last saw each other, this was one of the rare times that Qin Ke and I were apart for several days. Almost every day was a painful struggle, holding my phone, hesitating whether to turn it on, hesitating whether to call Qin Ke, but every time I picked up the phone, I found it hard to face her. Now Qin Ke was standing right in front of me, and at this moment, if my mom wasn't hovering around in front of me, I think I might have rushed over and hugged Qin Ke tightly.
"Just a moment ago... what a cute dog......" The dead dog's reaction at this time was completely different from my usual numbness, showing the long-lost cuteness and cleverness on its body, running to Qin Ke Yi's feet and starting to lick Qin Ke Yi's toes. Qin Ke Yi smiled and picked it up. Perhaps it had been a long time since he heard praise for being cute, the dead dog started licking Qin Ke Yi's face extremely excitedly, and I also began to believe that it was indeed capable of understanding human nature.
"Alright! Okay! You take Ke Yi to buy groceries, I don't know what she wants to eat... you take her there and buy whatever she wants, come back and have your dad cook it..." After mom took the dead dog from Ke Yi's arms, she said to me. Looking at the happy smile on mom's face and her shining eyes, it was clear how joyful she was inside, which also reflected how satisfied she was with Ke Yi as a future daughter-in-law. So I walked out of the room with Ke Yi, and just as she closed the door behind us, mom was already blocked from view by the door, and there was no one else in the hallway. Under these circumstances, I couldn't control my excitement anymore, so I suddenly turned around and tightly hugged Ke Yi.
It all happened too suddenly, from the moment I turned around and hugged Qin Ke, the surprised look in her eyes showed that she was completely unprepared for my actions. But after a few seconds of hugging her, she gradually came to her senses, and her two stiff arms, which had been suspended in mid-air, suddenly tightened around my waist.
"I miss you so much..." I whispered into Qin Ke Yi's ear.
"Why didn't you call me... your phone has been turned off all the time... leaving me alone in Harbin... do you know how worried I was about you?" Qin Ke Yi said to me with a sobbing tone in my arms.
"Sorry... I just want to be alone for two days... I'm too tired..." I said with some self-blame.
"So you just left like that...... Have you ever thought about my feelings?" Qin Ke said with some agitation.
"Sorry...... Am I being a bit selfish......" I said to Qin Ke with some apology.
"It's not enough just to apologize! You have to compensate me!!" Qin Ke suddenly said in a spoiled tone while being held in my arms.
"Compensation? How can they compensate?" I asked cautiously, a sense of foreboding gradually creeping over me.
"Give me your hand!" Qin Ke rubbed away her tears, and a sly smile spread across her face as she said this to me, making my ominous premonition even stronger. But just as I was considering whether or not to stretch out my hand, Qin Ke had already taken action first, suddenly grabbing my hand and biting down hard on it. In order not to let our mother, who was only a door away from us, know that the person who might become her future daughter-in-law would have such a violent image, I could only silently endure Qin Ke's brutality, trying not to make any noise while struggling with all my might.
"Wow! Kang Jian is back!" At this time, the aunt living upstairs in my house happened to come up with a vegetable basket and saw me after enthusiastically waving at me. This also made Qin Ke Yi and I quickly stop struggling. Qin Ke Yi even turned around awkwardly and wiped away her tears that hadn't been fully dried.
"Ah, Auntie! Going to buy vegetables?" I awkwardly smiled and greeted her.
"Is that so! Who is this girl!? Is she your girlfriend?" At this time, the auntie upstairs pointed at Qin Ke and asked.
"Ah! Auntie, hello!" Qin Ke turned around and said with a smile.
"Look at this girl! She's really beautiful!" The aunt smiled and praised Qin Ke, "Come on! You and your girlfriend have time to come to our house to play!" The aunt turned upstairs, but didn't forget to invite me and Qin Ke.
"What else do you want to do?" The aunt gradually walked upstairs, and when her back disappeared from Qin Ke Yi's and my line of sight, Qin Ke Yi grabbed my hand again, ready to continue bullying me.
"No way! Today, I must leave a mark on you that will make your bones tremble with fear! Just like when we slaughter pigs, we always leave a mark on the pork, so next time you have such thoughts, seeing this mark will make your hair stand on end..." Qin Ke said with a smile while struggling with me.
"Are you plagiarizing Jin Yong's 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' plot?"
"Jin Dashao? 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'?" Qin Ke asked me with a puzzled tone, it seems I overestimated her literary accomplishments. "This is obviously my original work!! Be honest! Honestly let me take a bite!" Qin Ke still didn't give up on the idea of bullying me.
"Alright, alright! Stop it! It's not good if my mom sees this!" I had no choice but to bring out the big guns and use my mom's name to intimidate Qin Ke Yi. Unexpectedly, it really worked, and after I dropped my mom's name, Qin Ke Yi gave up on his violent intentions.
"Alright then! I'll let you off... " Qin Ke said somewhat reluctantly.
"Can you...not be mad at me? Not angry with me?" I suddenly said seriously to Qin Ke Yi.
"Live! Why not live!" Qin Ke suddenly put on a stern face, and I saw the cold beauty image that I first met again. "But it's okay now!" Qin Ke deliberately kept this icy beauty image in front of me for a few seconds before suddenly changing to an enchanting smile and saying to me.
"Why aren't you angry now?" I asked in puzzlement.
"Later, Dad called me and told me everything about what happened when you met him that day... I understand your personality and temper, I know you want to prove that you can make a way out for yourself and have your own sky... If you knew about it afterwards and didn't quit, then you wouldn't be Kang Jian..." Qin Ke said calmly to me.
"Wouldn't you think I'm very selfish......very irresponsible...... maybe I should stay there for your sake......"
"I've said it before... if you do that, you won't be Kang Jian anymore... I once said that the reason I like you is because you have some unique qualities that other boys around me don't possess... a bit arrogant, seemingly unruly on the surface, but actually warm and sentimental inside, sometimes rational but sometimes impulsive... although this personality can bring a lot of trouble, it also has its precious side..." Qin Ke suddenly said seriously.
"How come I didn't realize I had so many advantages?" I said with a smile to Qin Ke.
"Advantage? Is this an advantage?" Qin Ke asked me with a smile after giving me a white eye.
"What's so good about me that you like?" I asked with a curious smile.
"You didn't always tell me 'men are not bad, women don't love'? I was so confused, how could I have fallen for a scoundrel like you!" Qin Ke said this and seemed to be slightly angry as he lightly punched me.
"What? Want a refund? It seems like the trial period just ended yesterday... it's going to be tough!" I said helplessly.
"Go die! Stop bothering me! Hurry up and go buy groceries! Your mom must be waiting anxiously!" Qin Ke reminded me in a timely manner...
Our family has lived in this community for nearly 17 years, from the time I was a kid trailing behind my mom to buy vegetables with an ice pop in my mouth. All the vendors at the market, including the security guards, sanitation workers, and the toilet attendants, have watched me grow up. They've seen all the signs of my growth and achievements since childhood. When they found out that the mischievous kid who only knew how to cause trouble and fight had suddenly grown into a 7-foot-tall handsome young man and even received an acceptance letter from a university they'd never heard of, it caused quite a stir among them. So when I was about to board the train to head to our great provincial capital Harbin for college, many elderly women still gathered together on sunny days to discuss with great interest how I had managed to get into college. And this dynamic example of mine became a motivational story for many parents to educate and encourage their children. Whenever their kids faced setbacks in their studies, they would say with deep feeling, "Look at the second son of the Kang family from x building x unit, he used to skip class and date girls during middle school, but he still managed to get into college! So if you work hard, you'll definitely be better than him..."
Just as my "Mysterious University Incident" was about to be forgotten by these people after more than three years, I suddenly reappeared in front of them, accompanied by a beautiful woman. As I passed by the familiar food stalls and people, they not only greeted me warmly but also couldn't help praising Qin Ke Yi's beauty, making me feel both embarrassed and satisfied with her vanity as a woman. In the near future, my reappearance may lead to the following scene: On another sunny day, a middle-aged woman sits on a long chair in front of the building, picking vegetables while astonishingly telling another woman knitting a sweater, "Look at Kang's second son, he brought back such a beautiful wife after graduating from university..."
And those parents who were used to motivating their children with examples also collected vivid materials again because of my return, and after repeatedly citing the example of me going to college, they would not forget to add a sentence: "Others have graduated from university and returned home, and found such a beautiful and good family condition... so, if you work hard, you will definitely be better than him..."
After buying vegetables with Qin Kaiyi and returning home, my mother enthusiastically pulled Qin Kaiyi's hand to introduce her to my father. From the rare bright smile on my father's face since he saw Qin Kaiyi, it can be seen that my father is also very satisfied with Qin Kaiyi. Moreover, from the complex changes in my father's gaze when his eyes moved from Qin Kaiyi's face to mine, he must have thought "Damn kid! Didn't expect you to really have a good one! Better than me back then!"
Dad, after excitedly chatting with Qin Ke Yi for a couple of sentences, started to head into the kitchen to cook, and Mom pulled Qin Ke Yi onto the sofa in the living room to start gossiping. When the two women were chatting, Mom even painstakingly brought out the photo album that held my childhood memories, and together with Qin Ke Yi, they flipped through each photo to witness my growth during childhood. Moreover, she was still enthusiastically telling Qin Ke Yi about the embarrassing stories behind each photo from my childhood, making Qin Ke Yi laugh loudly and often turn her head back to look at me with a teasing gaze, as if saying "Haha! You had such moments too!"
Mom's behavior of selling out her own son's privacy to improve her relationship with her future daughter-in-law has directly resulted in me being unable to sit or stand steadily in this awkward atmosphere, so I had no choice but to sneak into the kitchen to help Dad...
After a while in the kitchen, I suddenly realized that my dad and I were busy in the kitchen, while Qin Ke Yi and my mom were chatting in the living room, which seemed to go against common sense. So I quietly asked my dad, "Dad! When you brought Mom home for the first time, wasn't it also you and Grandpa who were busy in the kitchen, while Grandma and Mom sat on the kang chatting?" From Dad's bewildered gaze, I could tell he hadn't expected me to ask this question. After hearing my question, he just looked at me silently, sighed, and continued chopping vegetables. But the helpless sigh from Dad was already the best answer, making me realize that this phenomenon is actually a good tradition in our family since ancient times, and at the same time, I feel regretful that this phenomenon continues to this day...
For someone who currently has no ability to bring material pleasure to their parents, the most filial thing they can do is to bring them spiritual comfort. Introducing a girlfriend who makes both parents very satisfied should be considered a move that can comfort them spiritually. Thinking about this, looking at the joy my parents felt with Qin Ke Yi's arrival, and seeing our family gathered together eating happily, I feel warmth in my heart, and also gratitude towards Qin Ke Yi for bringing such happiness to my parents.
Dad and mom hadn't eaten much since dinner started, they just kept smiling and staring at Qin Ke Yi, occasionally serving her dishes. As a result, Qin Ke Yi's face had been red since she picked up the bowl, eating with a slightly shy expression. So I had to remind them, "Dad, Mom... are you going to let her eat or not?" Dad and mom only realized they were being a bit out of line after my reminder, so they started eating too, and the atmosphere at the table gradually returned to normal, Qin Ke Yi's blush also slowly faded away.
After dinner, Qin Kaiyi unexpectedly wanted to help her mother clean up the bowls and chopsticks. Just as I was about to fully appreciate this rare scene, my mother killed Qin Kaiyi's enthusiasm with an extremely polite tone and asked me to take Qin Kaiyi out for a walk to experience the colorful nightlife of Oil City. As we were about to leave, our family's dead dog once again showed its human-like side, quickly running to Qin Kaiyi's feet and making cute faces. Qin Kaiyi clearly didn't understand the nature of this dead dog and had no experience in this area, so she was completely conquered by the dog's few childish movements. Under her strong request, I could only take the dead dog and Qin Kaiyi for a stroll on the streets of Oil City at night, wondering if the dead dog's behavior as a third wheel was its best human-like performance...
"Maybe I'll go back with you the day after tomorrow..." I said to Qin Ke Yi as we walked to a square and sat down on a bench.
"Why don't you just rest for two more days? Didn't you say you were very tired?" Qin Ke asked me, holding the dead dog.
"I've had enough rest! If I stay here for two more days, I'll go crazy! I've thought it through, when I get back, I'll continue to look for a job... Although I don't have computer skills like Tengda and Li Songwei, who can make a living without relying on their diplomas... but at least I won't end up begging on the streets... I'll first find a low-paying job... then do a part-time job, accumulate some experience and capital, and then switch to a better one. Just like what's often said in the newspapers: 'First get employed, then choose your occupation, first survive, then develop'!" I said confidently to Qin Ke Yi.
"No matter what... I'll always support you... If it's a big hit, I'll go buy a whole bunch of pickled vegetables to stock up in advance... Doesn't everyone say 'behind every successful man is a woman silently supporting him'? I'll be that behind-the-scenes worker too..."
"Yes! But have you heard another saying 'After a man succeeds, there is often no woman supporting him from behind'..." I said to Qin Ke with a smile.
"You dare!! If you're going to do it like this, I'll make sure you become a martyr before you even succeed..." Qin Ke said with a cold smile...
After returning home, the whole family sat in the living room watching TV together. Although Dad and Mom occasionally glanced at the TV, they focused their main energy on chatting with Qin Ke, which allowed me to watch my favorite show without being disturbed by them.
Maybe it was too tiring to get up early and take the bus, Qin Ke Yi chatted with her parents for a while before showing signs of being very sleepy. So her parents told her to go to her sister's room to sleep, and after watching some boring TV programs with me that they thought were uninteresting, they also got up and went to their room to sleep, leaving me alone in the living room continuing to flip through channels, watching boring TV to pass the time.
Here is the translation:
"The following announces the second prize of the Northeast region in this national original advertising competition... Designer Li Songwei... Kang Jian...". I accidentally tuned into a channel that was broadcasting an awards ceremony for an advertising competition. Out of consideration and concern for the future development of China's online advertising, I sat down to watch for a bit. Just as I was about to get up to use the restroom, the host's words made me freeze in place like a nail, and I began to wonder confusedly what connection there was between the "Kang Jian and Li Songwei" mentioned by the host and the "Kang Jian and Li Songwei" that I knew...
"The winner, please come on stage to receive the award and say a few words..." After the host finished speaking, the camera turned to the audience, at this time, a man who "seemed" familiar to me, Li Songwei, walked step by step towards the stage in a suit with a big smile on his face. A stout middle-aged man and a beautiful ceremonial lady also walked onto the stage. Because I was too busy wondering if this Li Songwei was that Li Songwei, I didn't pay attention to what level of official the host introduced the stout middle-aged man as. Watching Li Songwei receive the award from the stout middle-aged man on TV, I couldn't believe that the person on TV had any connection with me...
"Please say two sentences to the audience in front of the TV." The host said to Li Songwei after the award was presented.
"First of all, I want to thank the judges and the organizers of this competition for giving me, a newcomer and an amateur, such a great honor. It makes me extremely happy... Secondly, I want to thank my mother and girlfriend who have been silently supporting me... Without their support, there would be no today... Finally, I want to thank my collaborator and the creator of this work, my good friend Kang Jian... I always think that this ad won because of a good idea... As the producer of this ad, I actually feel ashamed when holding this heavy trophy... Due to various reasons, my good friend couldn't attend this award ceremony... I hope if he sees this ceremony on TV, he can contact me as soon as possible... Thank you everyone..."
Li Songwei's face turned red as he awkwardly expressed his gratitude at the awards ceremony, and it made me start believing that the Kang Jian he mentioned was actually me... But from this moment on, I became even more puzzled about when our work started participating in the competition.
Standing in front of the TV, I was stunned for a while by the strange event that had just occurred. Then, I rushed into my room, took out my phone and turned it on, starting to call Li Songwei. However, the phone was not answered, so I hung up and paced back and forth restlessly in my room. The scene on TV made my heart beat rapidly and I couldn't calm down, filled with questions about what had just happened. Not long after, Li Songwei's call came through, and I quickly picked it up.
"What the! Where have you been hiding these past few days? I've been searching all over for you!!" Li Songwei yelled at me over the phone.
"Where are you? Why didn't you answer the phone just now?"
"I'm in Dalian now... I just went to the restroom..."
"I just saw an astonishing scene on TV, two people with the same name and surname as us won the second prize in some original advertising competition, and the one with your name even looks like you..."
"I also saw it... seems like it's just us two..."
"Really!!!! It's really us two!!! Are you sure!!?" I asked disbelievingly.
"I'm sure! I've been looking for you these past few days just for this matter!"
"When did we sign up for this competition?!" I asked in confusion.
"This is a long story, but I once met Wang Ling in Dalian. At first, I didn't recognize her because we had only met once before. But she recognized me and we started chatting. She asked about your recent situation, so I told her the news that you were fired. She was very surprised when she heard it... A few days later, she contacted me proactively and said there was a national original advertising competition on the internet. Since we had done some online ads before, she asked if I was interested. She knew one of the judges well and could recommend us... She said she didn't have any other intentions, just thought you must be having a tough time recently and wanted to help... So I found an ad we had done before, made some minor changes, and sent it over..." As I listened to Li Songwei recount his bizarre experiences over the phone, I felt like I was listening to someone with poor expressive abilities telling me about a fantastical encounter from a martial arts novel. Although what he said was surprising, it wasn't hard to accept. And Wang Ling's name, which had gradually faded from my memory, once again appeared before my eyes...
"Hey, where are you now?" Li Songwei's question over the phone interrupted my daydream.
I am at home...
"Come to Dalian immediately... We have the qualification to represent the Northeast region to participate in the national finals in Xi'an, just tomorrow, come immediately! This is an opportunity for us, and it's very important for you now! You must come immediately!" Li Songwei anxiously shouted over the phone.
"Is it that urgent? Didn't they say on TV it's 4 days later?"
"Damn! The TV is a recording! The awards ceremony has already finished! Hurry up and come! It's peak tourist season now, I finally managed to book a ticket to Xi'an for tomorrow, the previous days' tickets were sold out long ago. If you come, I don't know if we can still get one... Let's try our luck, we don't have much time, as soon as we land, we'll rush to the venue..."
"Alright! I'm coming to find you right now, wait for me!" After hanging up the phone, I started hastily packing my things in the room. Qin Ke Yi and my parents were already asleep, so I left a note for them before rushing out of the house and hailing a taxi to head to the train station... I don't know what impact this competition will have on my future life, but it's currently the best opportunity in front of me, possibly the stepping stone for my future career. It seemed like I had regained some of the fighting spirit that I had gradually lost over the past period of time as I rushed to the train station.
I've always thought that life is like a sine curve, with both peaks and troughs. It's impossible for people to always be at the peak, just as it's impossible to always be in a trough. When I arrived at the train station, I just caught the last train to Dalian today. As I finished checking my ticket and boarded the train, there were only 5 minutes left before departure. Although I had only bought a platform ticket, for me who hasn't been very lucky recently, it seemed like a good omen. I gradually felt that my life was slowly heading towards another peak...
Dazed and confused, I endured the night at the connection of two train cars until dawn. When the train was about to arrive at the station, Qin Ke called me, and I hastily answered it. But before we could say a word, the phone automatically shut down due to low battery. And then an even worse message suddenly occurred to me - in my hurry when leaving, I had forgotten to bring my charger! So after putting away the phone, all I could do was pray that she and my parents would understand the note I left behind...
Before I even exited the station, I saw Li Songwei standing in the crowd not far away waving at me. After I came out, he hugged me and congratulated me on my good luck, as it turned out that someone had returned the ticket for our flight today just in time. Upon hearing this exciting news, I don't know if this is an example of another great start to my life.
Li Songwei and I had a simple meal at a small eatery under the Qianmen Bridge, then we took a taxi to Dalian Airport, preparing to take the noon flight from Dalian to Xi'an. Although it was basically a rush in a state of fatigue from last night to now, but it made me feel very exciting and motivated...
On the way to the airport, Li Songwei raised some issues and areas for improvement in our entry, so on this road, we discussed how to improve it. For me with rough technology, I can only give my most sincere opinions on creativity and effect.
After arriving at the airport waiting hall, there was still more than an hour before boarding, so we decided to seize this precious time to continue discussing and revising our plan. It wasn't until just before boarding that we had a rough idea of how to revise it, and we decided to use the few hours on the plane to try to complete the revisions.
The plane finally took off, carrying with it one of my hopes and to some extent, Qin Ke's expectations of me. I don't know what will happen after the plane lands or whether my fate will change as a result. As for these unpredictable events, I won't waste too much time and energy on them. The only thing I can do is work hard with Li Songwei to perfect our entry.
He and Li Songwei had been discussing intently on the plane since takeoff, I suddenly found that an old man sitting next to me was trying to fall asleep with his eyes closed, but possibly because of the loudness of our discussion, he couldn't sleep peacefully, so I reminded Li Songwei to lower his voice and at the same time apologized to the old man beside him...
The plane was about to land safely, and Li Songwei and I had just finished revising the draft. At this time, under the urging of the flight attendant, we fastened our seatbelts and waited for the plane to land, as if waiting for the verdict of fate...
After the plane landed safely on the runway, Li Songwei and I rushed down from the plane, sprinted out of the airport, got into a taxi, and headed to the competition venue.
When we rushed to the organizing committee's office to handle the procedures, the receptionist of the organizing committee told us that we had already been disqualified from participating in the competition on the grounds that the reporting time had long passed. After hearing this thunderous news, Li Songwei and I were like two paralyzed patients who suddenly lost all our strength and energy.
We used the most beautiful language we had learned in our lives to praise the staff member in front of us, and introduced our arduous journey with a pitiful tone, but what we got was the staff member's repeated shaking of his head. Every time he shook his head without emotion, I felt a desire to take out a knife and kill him.
"What's going on?" At this time, an old man's voice came from behind. Li Songwei and I turned our heads to take a look, but were shocked to find that the old man behind us was actually the person sitting next to me and Li Songwei.
"Mr. Guo! Hello! They've already passed the registration time for the competition, but they still want to participate..." The staff member said to the old man.
"Just go ahead and do the paperwork for them! It's not easy for young people to come from so far away. Rules are dead, but people are alive..." The old man said with a smile, although he looked kind, there was also a hint of teaching in his tone.
"Thank you!" Li Songwei and I kept nodding and bowing to the old man, expressing our gratitude at this moment.
"It doesn't matter! Work hard and good luck to you all......" The old man encouraged me and Li Songwei with a smile before turning around and leaving.
"Who is he?" Li Songwei asked the staff while handling the formalities.
"He is one of the organizers of this competition and also a judge. I heard that he is the chairman of a relatively large advertising company in Taiwan." The staff patiently told us, resolving the question that Li Songwei and I had been wondering about at the same time - why this old man was so impressive.
After receiving the number and submitting the competition work, Li Songwei and I nervously waited backstage for the host to announce our number. The organizing committee gave each contestant five minutes to explain their own works to the judges and audience. Since Li Songwei was not good at speaking, this burden naturally fell on me. So in the anxious waiting process, I repeatedly organized my language in my heart for the upcoming stage explanation.
"Contestant number 11, get ready, it's your turn next..." At this time, the director came to the backstage and shouted at me and Li Songwei. After hearing her words, I and Li Songwei stood up from our chairs in unison with a "brush" sound. At that moment, more than half of the explanation words that were still feeling good in my heart just now had been forgotten...
"Brother... it's our turn... come on..." Li Songwei looked at me, his expression somewhat tense, and said to me. My mind started to get a bit confused, so I just nodded towards Li Songwei and walked with him towards the entrance leading to the stage.
"Next, please welcome contestant No. 11 to explain their entry work..." The host shouted our contestant number loudly on the stage, so I stepped onto the stage with some nervousness after a encouraging hug from Li Songwei.
Because of my introverted personality, I have never been fond of participating in large-scale events since childhood. Based on this reason, for someone who is standing on a wide stage for the first time facing four or five cameras and a crowd of spectators, it's inevitable to feel nervous and forget what to say. So I stood on the stage with a blank mind, letting time pass by second by second, but not knowing how to start speaking. The sweat on my forehead began to flow down my face, and at this moment, I could clearly hear the whispers of the audience below the stage.
Just as my wandering gaze suddenly fell on the old man sitting next to me on the plane, I found him looking at me with a kind smile, his eyes seemingly full of affirmation and encouragement. After exchanging gazes with him, I suddenly felt my energy restored, filled with fighting spirit, and my mind began to clear up gradually. Those forgotten words started flashing in my mind one by one. So, after taking a deep breath, I began to explain calmly and confidently to the judges and audience. The skills honed from my usual diligent practice finally came into play at this moment. Seeing the judges and audience being amused time and again by my witty remarks and humorous phrases, I regained my confidence, and the atmosphere on site became much more relaxed. After finishing my explanation, the host even summarized my performance as "a unique presentation with a similar style to Northeastern humor storytelling". And in the warm applause of the audience that followed, I cast a grateful glance at the old man, only to find him giving me a thumbs-up...
The next three hours were the time for the judges to discuss and decide on each award, which was also the most torturous moment for all the contestants. Everyone was anxiously waiting in the backstage lounge for the results of the judges' discussion, the atmosphere was very tense, so time seemed to pass very slowly, slow to the point of being torturous.
Finally, when the judges' conference ended, all the contestants sat in the front row of the audience waiting for the host to announce the results.
Every time the host dragged out a long, suspenseful pause to tantalize everyone's appetite before announcing each winner's name, my heart would be filled with tension, praying that I would hear our names from the host's mouth. But every time the result was disappointing, I would comfort myself in my mind with phrases like "the next one will be me", until the host finished announcing all the winners and I stopped this foolish self-consolation...
Walking with Li Songwei in the streets of Xi'an, we were like two patients who had been drained of all energy and vitality, wandering aimlessly without any enthusiasm. The ancient buildings and modern skyscrapers that occasionally appeared before our eyes failed to spark any interest in us. We just walked listlessly, and as I walked, I kept asking myself, "Is this really the result of our efforts over the past two days?"
"Never mind... let's just consider it a trip... we can take the opportunity to get some fresh air..." Li Songwei suddenly comforted me.
"I'm fine... you don't have to be like this... as inexperienced amateur players, we're already lucky to have made it this far..." I comforted Li Songwei.
"We'll go find a place to stay first, get a good rest, and then take a stroll around tomorrow before heading back..." Li Songwei said with a smile. Just then, a sedan stopped beside us, the door opened, and the old man got out of the car, appearing in front of us once again.
"Hey young folks... would you like to have a meal together? You guys probably haven't eaten yet, right?" The old man said with a kind smile after getting off the car.
"Great! I was just about to thank you too! It should be us treating you instead!!" I said with some gratitude.
"I just did what I should have done... nothing to be thanked for... but if you want to treat me to a meal, I won't decline, haha." The old man said with a smile.
"Alright! But we don't have much money left on us, so we can only treat you to something ordinary..." I said with some embarrassment.
"I really dislike going to those luxurious places... There's a stall selling noodles up ahead, why don't we go there instead?" The old man's casual tone made me feel not even the slightest bit of the rich person's airs. After Li Song and I readily agreed to the old man's request, he told the driver to head back first, then walked with us to a noodle stall not far ahead. We three sat down, each ordering a bowl of noodles and a meat sandwich.
"Ah! Not bad! The flavor is quite authentic!" The old man said excitedly to us after taking a bite of the noodles.
"What's wrong, old man? Are you willing to eat this?" Li Songwei asked the elder.
"Yes! I lived in Xi'an for a while when I was little, so I miss Shaanxi's mianpi (noodle sheets)."
"What?! Aren't you Taiwanese?" Li Songwei asked in surprise.
"Heh heh! People of my age from Taiwan are mostly from the mainland... Ah... back then..." The old man said with a hint of nostalgia.
"Where were you born then?" I asked further.
Harbin.
"What! You're also from Harbin?!" Li Songwei and I asked the old man in surprise.
"Yes! Hehe! But I went to Xi'an at the age of ten... and never came back afterwards... I've already forgotten what Harbin looks like... So when I heard that you are from Harbin, I felt very close."
"When you have time, you can go, and we'll treat you to authentic Northeastern Chinese cuisine..."
"Alright! That's settled then!! Thank you all in advance!"
"But I really must thank you! If it weren't for your encouraging gaze on stage, I think I would have been utterly humiliated..." I thanked the old man with gratitude.
"It's nothing. I didn't do anything, you just did what you normally do, no need to thank me... right? You guys aren't doing an advertisement or something?"
"Really? How did you know?" Li Song asked in surprise.
"It can be seen from your work......it doesn't seem professional enough..."
"Yes! After seeing so many works today, I feel that the advertisement we designed is very immature..." I said with some disappointment.
"But your work's creativity is great...... who came up with it!"
"It's him!" Li Songwei pointed at me and said to the old man.
"Is it you? Young man, your creativity is great, very innovative. What are you working on now?"
"I still...haven't found a job...I'm graduating from university this year..." I said with some embarrassment.
"Oh? Then what about you?" The old man asked Li Songwei again.
"I'm currently working for an internet technology company..."
"You... are you interested in cooperating with me?" The old man asked suddenly after listening to our introduction.
"Cooperation?" I asked strangely, looking at Li Songwei.
"It's like this! My advertising company is preparing to enter the mainland network advertising market... it's currently in the preparation stage... I hope you can join us..." The old man said seriously, making me, Li Songwei, feel that he didn't seem to be joking.
"But...do you think we can make it? We're not professionals in advertising and we don't have any experience..." I said, somewhat unbelieving.
"I think you guys are great! Although your work didn't win an award, the judges thought your creativity was one of the better ones among all the entries. Your performance is even stronger than some advertising professionals who just graduated from university! Once a person is bound by too much experience and professionalism, their thinking becomes rigid! The most important thing in advertising is ideas and creativity, which requires constant innovation, and non-professionals often do very well in this regard! Besides, Zhu Yuanzhang was originally a monk, but didn't he become an emperor later on?" The old man smiled and comforted me and Li Songwei.
"But... I don't have a graduation certificate... I was expelled from school..." I said seriously to the old man, because I couldn't bear to hide anything from an elderly person on this matter.
"Why?" The old man asked in surprise after hearing me, so I simply introduced my unbearable experience of being expelled to the old man. After he finished listening, he didn't say anything, but just kept smiling and shaking his head.
"All these years, I've been running around the mainland and have come to understand a lot about its education system. Alas! In my personal opinion, universities in both the mainland and Taiwan don't count as real universities; they're just talent training institutions, places that cultivate tools, places that cultivate obedient screws... I also know many university professors, and most of them are pursuing a life goal of getting a house from 80 to 100, 120, 160, 180, or 260 square meters... Haha, I've digressed too much, let's not talk about it anymore. Anyway, that piece of paper they give you after graduation is useless in my eyes; what I need are people who can create wealth for me, as long as you can make money for me, even if you're illiterate, it doesn't matter..." The old man said with a smile to Li Songwei and me, and after listening, I suddenly felt excited inside, feeling that my life had taken a big step forward.
"Are we really going?" I asked excitedly.
"Alright, sounds good! Once the company is established, you'll be in charge of planning and I'll send two people from Taiwan to handle administrative management and financial matters. I'll also send a well-known planner to guide you. I think it won't take long for you to find your own place in the advertising industry... As for compensation, aside from the normal annual salary, if you perform well, you can also receive a certain percentage of the company's profits at the end of each year... What do you think?"
After listening, Li Songwei and I were both stunned. I don't know what Li Songwei was thinking, but after I finished listening, it felt like listening to a fairy tale. But when we both came back to our senses, we started nodding frantically.
"May I ask... why do you think so highly of us?" I asked the old man with some puzzlement.
"Haha! It's actually quite simple. Firstly, I appreciate your abilities, which are much stronger than some newcomers. Secondly, our company needs to inject fresh blood. Lastly, I appreciate the attitude you showed me on the plane... Ah! Nowadays, it's rare to see young people respecting their elders... Haha..." The old man said with a smile, and his words instantly dispelled all the troubles I had been experiencing recently, making me feel that my future had a glimmer of hope. At this moment, I suddenly thought of Qin Ke Yi, and I wanted to tell her this news in person as soon as possible, so she could share in the excitement of this thrilling message...
"What's wrong with you?" Li Songwei asked me strangely after seeing me daze for a while.
"No... nothing, Song Wei, I think I'll head back to Haicheng now..." I thought for a moment before suddenly proposing a rather crazy idea to Li Song Wei.
"Is there something urgent?" The old man also asked me.
"No! I just wanted to tell my girlfriend as soon as possible... so she can be happy with me..." I said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Hehe! Why don't you just give her a call then?" The old man said with a smile.
"I want to tell him in person... She has been through a lot recently and has also suffered a lot with me, so I want to tell her in person..."
"There's no need to rush like that! Can't we go back tomorrow? Today's flights from Ha city are already gone!" Li Songwei reminded me.
"I want to leave now! I'm taking the train!"
"Haha! Indeed a young person! Very energetic! I like it! Then hurry up and go! The two of us will continue to chat..." the old man said with a smile.
"I'm sorry..." I was about to apologize to the old man with a sense of shame, but he waved his hand and interrupted me, laughing and saying "You hurry up and go! It's nothing! I'll be back in Taiwan tomorrow and will contact you all again after a few days..."
After hastily bidding farewell to the elderly and Li Songwei, I rushed onto a taxi heading towards the train station. As it was peak tourist season, by the time I arrived at the train station, all tickets to Harbin were sold out. After some deliberation, I gritted my teeth and bought a standing ticket from Xi'an to Beijing, planning to take another train back to Harbin from Beijing; as for a seat ticket, that was something I didn't even dare think about.
Although I spent most of the journey from Xi'an to Beijing and then to Harbin standing, when I thought about Qin Ke Yi's joyful expression upon hearing this news, when I thought that my future life with Qin Ke Yi finally had a guarantee, when I thought that we could achieve our previously envisioned happy life, these thoughts became the driving force that kept me standing all the way to Harbin.
When I appeared at Harbin Railway Station, exhausted, I suddenly felt that the air in Harbin also had a unique and intimate feeling. And was surprised to find that the sky in Harbin was also bright and clear. So after stretching my waist heavily, I got into a taxi and headed to the real estate company where Qin Ke worked part-time...
After pushing open the glass door of the sales office where Qin Ke Yi was, I saw her sitting at a desk in the corner, dressed in work attire, seriously writing something. At this time, a sales lady walked up to me and began enthusiastically greeting me and asking what kind of house I needed, saying she could introduce one to me. After smiling and thanking her, I pointed to Qin Ke Yi and tactfully indicated that I wanted Qin Ke Yi to introduce me instead.
After a series of complex eye movements and facial expressions, the salesgirl in front of us seemed to be somewhat indignant as she walked over to Qin Ke Yi, lowered her head and said a few words to him while pointing at me, then indignantly left.
Qin Ke raised her head and saw me, with a surprised expression she slowly stood up from the chair. The feeling I got was as if long-lost relatives were reunited. But Qin Ke is after all Qin Ke, at this moment the tacit understanding between us and her cleverness once again perfectly proved itself. After reacting silently for a few seconds, Qin Ke smiled and slowly walked towards me.
"Sir wants to buy a building?" Qin Ke stood in front of me and said with a sly smile.
"Really!?" I smiled and started cooperating with Qin Ke Yi.
"What...I don't know what kind of structure Mr. wants to buy...how big an area..." Qin Ke continued to ask me with a smile.
"This... I'm not quite sure either, you recommend a few to me..."
"Alright! But I don't know which floor you'd like to stay on, sir?"
"Top floor..."
"Why is it on the top floor? Isn't it inconvenient for you to go up and down the stairs, sir?"
"Because I promised my girlfriend that we would gaze at the stars together on a clear night, I'm going to install a skylight on the roof..." I said seriously, looking into Qin Ke Yi's eyes, and she seemed to be smiling in a daze as well. If it weren't for her colleague walking over, I think we would have remained in that daze...
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask, sir?" Qin Ke continued to ask.
"The bedroom should be a bit bigger, my girlfriend isn't very honest when she sleeps, we need to put a big bed and also a big wardrobe because she has many clothes, and also put a big mirror because we both like looking at ourselves..."
"Anything else?"
"There also needs to be a very large kitchen, my girlfriend really likes eating the things I make, so every day after work, I have to make her favorite dishes..."
"Anything else?" Qin Ke asked with a smile, but her eyes had already begun to moisten.
"I also want to paint the room light pink, because she thought it was warm and cozy..." I said with deep feeling.
"Sir... why did you design the house according to your girlfriend's wishes... are you getting married soon?"
"I haven't proposed to her yet... In the past I had nothing and didn't dare propose to her, because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make her happy..."
"Where is it now?" Qin Ke asked me this question at the same time, a tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.
"Now I've just gotten a great job with good prospects, I think it's time for me to propose to her..."
"So when are you planning to propose to her......?" Qin Ke couldn't hold back her emotions anymore, and started saying excitedly.
"Now..." I gazed deeply into Qin Ke's moist eyes, and after silently encouraging myself for a moment, I said to her seriously...
PS: Some readers have kindly pointed out that the character portrayal of supporting characters in my articles is not very clear, so I plan to transform each supporting character into a main character in separate stories. Currently, there are several planned stories including "The Story of Kang Jian and Tong Chen", "The Story of Li Songwei and Zhao Lijia", "The Story of Ma Ke and Guo Cheng", "The Story of Zhang Wei and Wang Li", "Zhang Yi's Emotional Experience", "Qin Kaiyi's Ex-boyfriend's Diary" and "Qin Kaiyi and Tong Chen's Encounter". Each story will not be too long, and the background will be taken from a certain episode in the main part. Interested friends can continue to pay attention...