Chapter 95 : Joy

The emphasis in his voice slightly heightened at the end, clear and strong, sending waves of shivers through Liang Qingqing.

She twisted the phone cord around her fingers, as if trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She cleared her throat, taking a while to find her voice, “I miss you too.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard uncontrollable laughter on the other end of the line, sounding extremely joyful. The more he laughed, the more embarrassed she became. Her face grew warmer, and she hurried to interrupt him, “Alright, I need to go. I still have things to do.”

“Wait a minute.”

She paused, holding off from ending the call. She pressed the cool back of her hand against her hot cheek and, biting her lip, asked, “Is there something else?”

“This weekend, I’ll come to the provincial capital to see you. My grandmother wants to see our photos,” Fang Yanxing recalled the letter he received a few days ago, his lips curving into a smile.

His grandmother was indeed like him, making decisions without prior consultation once a move was made, there was no changing it.

“Your grandmother?” Liang Qingqing swallowed nervously, trying to stay calm. However, whenever she thought of the descriptions of his family background in the original book, the tension inevitably surged. “Do we need to go to a photo studio for the pictures?”

“Yes.” Fang Yanxing nodded, his gaze unconsciously falling on the hair tie on his wrist. Sensing her shift in mood, he gently reassured her, “Don’t worry, they will definitely like you.”

“How can you be so sure?” She was skeptical.

Fang Yanxing remained confident, “You’re so outstanding and beautiful who wouldn’t like you?

“It’s best to wear a white shirt for the photos. Remember to wear one on that day,” she subtly changed the topic, reminding him of the attire. Most photo studios in this era mainly took black-and-white photos, so a white shirt would look cleaner and more presentable, giving a more refined impression.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to wear one. After all, it won’t be long,” Fang Yanxing agreed.

After setting a tentative time and chatting a bit more, Liang Qingqing ended the call first. She paid the dorm manager for the phone bill and hurried back upstairs. After packing her things, she left the dormitory.

She first went to Tian Fengchun’s office to meet with her and the male announcer. The three of them then took a car from the bureau to the venue for the gala. It was Liang Qingqing’s first time riding in a car since arriving in this world, so she couldn’t help but curiously look around.

However, the difference between cars wasn’t as great as she had expected. After glancing around a few times, she withdrew her gaze.

“Don’t be nervous. Just perform as usual,” Tian Fengchun said, sitting beside Liang Qingqing, lazily resting her hand on the car window, chin propped up. The wind from the window blew her short hair, making her appear more approachable.

Liang Qingqing looked over at her, nodded, and smiled, “Okay, Teacher Tian.”

Tian Fengchun nodded back, then closed her eyes to rest. Seeing this, Liang Qingqing remained quiet.

According to Tian Fengchun’s position, she didn’t actually need to attend this kind of event, but she came in person. Liang Qingqing sensed that the reason might be related to her. After spending so many days together, she could tell that Tian Fengchun had high hopes for her. Tian Fengchun personally guided her, balancing strictness and kindness, making Liang Qingqing cautious not to slack off.

Despite the hard work, the growth she gained was worth more than ten county-level trainings.

In any place, there is an emphasis on succession and legacy. Speaking somewhat narcissistically, Liang Qingqing felt that Tian Fengchun was grooming her as a successor, but her guess wasn’t entirely baseless.

Firstly, she had to be grateful to Tian Fengchun for promoting her from the local level, and this gratitude would last a lifetime.

Secondly, having been at the provincial broadcasting bureau for a while, she had learned a bit about the leadership. Almost every high-ranking person had a protégé by their side, but Tian Fengchun was the only one with no such figure.

Of course, she might be mistaken. After all, Tian Fengchun was someone who valued her career above everything else. With her talent and ability, even if she didn’t train a successor, no one would dare to disregard her once she retired.

Whether she was right or wrong, Tian Fengchun’s high regard for her was unquestionable. As long as she had that, it was enough.

Liang Qingqing refocused her thoughts. With some time left, she went over her script a few more times in her mind. As the car slowly entered the gates of the Municipal Education Bureau, she gently woke Tian Fengchun.

The gala was held in the auditorium of the Municipal Education Bureau, one of the few large indoor venues in the city, capable of accommodating three hundred people. It was spacious and elegant, but Liang Qingqing had neither the time nor the inclination to tour it. As soon as she entered, she was immediately taken to change clothes and get her makeup done.

The venue didn’t have changing rooms or makeup rooms, so two nearby rooms were temporarily converted for this purpose. The rooms were crowded with female participants who were going to perform on stage that night.

Liang Qingqing glanced at her awkward partner and smiled, “You don’t need to do your makeup. Why don’t you finish changing and get your hairstyle done, then wait for me outside?”

Her male partner, Li Changuo, was 28 years old, married with two children. Although he was cheerful and simple-minded, sometimes even endearingly foolish, he was a very skilled announcer. Despite his unremarkable appearance, he had excelled in the bureau’s selection last year.

He was Liang Qingqing’s first friend at the provincial broadcasting bureau.

“Alright, that’s great,” Li Changuo sighed in relief. “Hurry up, though. We need to go to the rehearsal later and finalize the schedule.”

“Alright.”

Liang Qingqing chuckled and went to the changing room with her clothes. The outfit prepared for her was a white shirt and black trousers, made from high-quality fabric with excellent tailoring. However, the size was slightly large, so she adjusted it using some paper clips.

In those days, there weren’t many cosmetics, and makeup artists were even rarer. The women were lining up for their makeup, but Liang Qingqing didn’t have time to waste. She discussed with the makeup artist and, during the artist’s breaks, used the unused makeup to quickly do her own.

Although the cosmetics weren’t ideal, her technique, honed in her previous life, produced a satisfactory result.

“You did such a great job with the makeup.”

“It’s not the makeup that’s great, it’s the person! Could you please do mine too?”

Although she was flattered by the praise, Liang Qingqing was too pressed for time to help others. Moreover, once she did one person, there would be others asking as well. She politely declined, and fortunately, the others understood she had something to do and did not insist.

She quickly styled her long hair into a simple updo and went to find Li Changuo. He was standing at the edge of the stage, coordinating with the relevant personnel, and spotted her immediately.

“Li Changuo!”

Hearing his name, Li Changuo looked back and was momentarily dazzled.

“Tsk tsk, no wonder my wife says you look like a celestial being.”

“Stop teasing me. Let’s get started.”

“Alright, Deputy Director Tian said she’s catching up with an old friend and will join us later.”

“An extra person? Who’s this big shot coming in?” Liang Qingqing was a bit surprised and widened her eyes.

Li Changuo smiled and pointed at her, “Ah, it’s indeed a big shot. I heard they’re from the capital, just mentioning their name should suffice.”

“Making it sound so mysterious.” Liang Qingqing glanced at the name “Fan Fangming” on the paper and couldn’t help but mumble. However, she didn’t dwell on it; the most pressing matter was the rehearsal!

Standing on the large stage and looking at the empty seats below, Liang Qingqing felt her legs weaken a little. Thankfully, after walking through the process several times without any errors, she gradually relaxed.

As time passed and the empty seats were filled one by one, the gala finally officially began.

Out of curiosity, after delivering her lines, Liang Qingqing couldn’t help but look towards the center of the front row below. Compared to the dazzling lights on stage, the light below was much dimmer.

The person was sitting upright in their seat. Due to the distance, she couldn’t see their face clearly, but from the general outline, it was evident that the person was quite good-looking. They were slim and tall, sitting higher than the nearby leaders by half a head.

At that moment, Li Changuo announced the name of the person from the capital. The individual stood up, nodding to everyone with an air of authority. His every gesture exuded the presence of someone in a high position, which added to the pressure felt by those around him.

Dignified and elegant, wielding considerable power.

Such a person would undoubtedly be difficult to deal with.

Liang Qingqing silently tagged him as such, then quickly refocused. She smiled and announced the name of the first performance of the evening. After Li Changuo turned away, she followed suit, gracefully descending the stage. Her movements were fluid and beautiful.

What Liang Qingqing didn’t realize was that, as she turned away, a sharp gaze was fixed on her.

Fan Fangming was always sensitive to being observed. He noticed the gaze on him within seconds, so while she was assessing him, he was also discreetly evaluating her with his peripheral vision.

Beautiful this was Fan Fangming’s first impression of her.

Composed this was his second impression.

Young and unfazed, she was a capable and bold woman. The country needed fresh blood like her to thrive and prosper in the future.

Thinking of this, Fan Fangming couldn’t help but think of his own son, who was eager to make his mark. He had heard that his son had recently been approved for a position in the county’s finance bureau, likely starting work in the next couple of days.

It was good news, and he should congratulate him.

Moreover, he and his son hadn’t seen each other for a while. This was a perfect opportunity to meet and discuss his visit back to Beijing at the end of the year.

Resolving his thoughts, Fan Fangming refocused. Throughout the event, his expression revealed no emotion, and others simply took it as him attentively enjoying the performance.