Chapter 87

Starting this afternoon, personnel from various departments such as public security, industry and commerce, fire, propaganda, food hygiene, taxation, culture, and others were as anxious as ants on a hot pot, searching all over the streets for Song Haowen and the Su family.

Unfortunately, on this afternoon, since it was the weekend and Song Haowen had no classes, he accompanied Su Yan and her daughter to play in the West Mountain, saying that Tian Nana had been a bit anxious lately, so they wanted to help her relax.

Su Yan followed mainly because she was afraid that her daughter going out alone with Song Haowen might cause misunderstandings and negative perceptions.

The three of them enjoyed themselves taking photos, trying snacks, and having a great time in West Mountain. Little did they know that their carefree outing would trouble officials from various departments. Initially, there were complaints, followed by curses, and eventually, anger…

It wasn’t until after dark that the three of them returned to the city, and they called Teng Pengxiang to join them. The four of them happily had dinner in a private room at the Unrivaled Hotel.

When Song Haowen returned to the office that night, Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua were in the room repairing appliances and waiting for him. Seeing him return somewhat drunk, Ren Hua asked, “Where did you get so high?”

Song Haowen chuckled, “At the Unrivaled Hotel. These days, because of me, Tian Nana has been affected. The music studio closed, and the theater stopped. She felt uneasy, emotionally suppressed, and voluntarily gave up many commercial performance invitations. Today, Aunt Su and I accompanied her to West Mountain for relaxation. We played for a while, and when it got late, we had dinner at a restaurant near her house.”

Zhu Hongyu handed a newspaper on the table to Song Haowen, smiling, “Don’t feel wronged. A beautiful reporter from ‘Beijing Evening News’ is expressing indignation for you.”

Song Haowen was surprised; he had forgotten that Gu Zhiwei said she would help publicize and report. Taking the newspaper, he was shocked when he saw the prominent headline on the front page: “The Annoying Matters of a National Hero.”

Wasn’t this the title Gu Zhiwei mentioned? As he read further, the content matched what she had said yesterday. The more he read, the faster his heart raced.

After reading the whole article, his heart was about to burst out of his chest. How could she dare to write this? That was the first thought that came to his mind. He was amazed by her courage.

Song Haowen was well aware that with this article, all the current problems faced by him and Tian Nana would be resolved. This was the main purpose for him to take the risk and participate in the competition.

These were things he couldn’t say directly, but Gu Zhiwei, with her boldness, said it and even broke through the ceiling. The emotions he had suppressed for so long were finally released today.

Zhu Hongyu watched Song Haowen, excited with tears in his eyes, and asked in confusion, “Wasn’t your music studio doing fine? Why are you so unlucky to encounter such a tough backstage bully?”

Ren Hua, with an experienced look, said, “In the world, how can one avoid getting into trouble? He’s become so popular; naturally, he attracts envy, jealousy, and hatred.”

Zhu Hongyu sighed deeply. “These people are really despicable. If it weren’t for this journalist Gu, standing up for justice, boldly exposing the truth, many people might have been misled by the malicious article in ‘Beijing Suburban Daily’.”

Song Haowen took a deep breath, as if expelling all the unpleasantness from his chest, and smiled, “It’s all good now! Thanks to Journalist Gu! With this ‘Sword from Above’ article, let’s see how they dare to openly bully people again?”

Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua knew little about the music studio, as Song Haowen rarely spoke about it. They were not very curious, seldom asking about the affairs of the music studio.

They only learned about the tax issue from the article. Seeing how big the issue had become, they inquired about the details. Song Haowen had nothing to hide from them, so he explained the whole situation in detail, leaving them astonished.

That night, Song Haowen had already seen the article “The Annoying Matters of a National Hero,” but Tian Nana’s family was unaware. When Tian Nana went to school, as soon as she stepped out of the compound, more than a dozen people in various uniforms stopped her, saying they wanted to talk to her mother, Mrs. Su Yan. Feeling puzzled, she walked back to her home and shouted for her mother to come downstairs.

Su Yan, unaware of what had happened, hurriedly followed her husband downstairs to find out. When they heard that personnel from departments like industry and commerce, taxation, food hygiene, propaganda, public security, fire, and culture were present, the whole family was bewildered.

The music studio had been closed for some time, and there seemed to be no reason for any trouble. Moreover, all the necessary inspections had been carried out; there was no need to inspect again, right?

However, the people who came today were relatively polite, unlike the previous ones who were cold and indifferent, acting as if they had taken their soybean seeds or owed them a huge debt.

Instead, these people were smiling and speaking in a gentle manner, trying to please. They asked Manager Su Yan to discuss some minor matters at the music studio. This made the family feel like the sun had risen from the west, everything was abnormal and unreal.

Teng Pengxiang was not very confident about the music studio, so he followed his wife. Sensing that something big had happened, Tian Nana didn’t rush to school. She followed her mother towards the music studio.

Neighbors in the courtyard who were familiar with the family were curious about what had happened, and some even speculated that they were involved in a lawsuit. Rumors spread within the courtyard, and it didn’t stop for the entire day.

When the group arrived outside the music studio gate, personnel from the industry and commerce department approached, tore off the seal on the gate, and led everyone into the courtyard. In just a short span of ten days with no one entering, wild grass had grown on the ground inside the courtyard, and weeds in the flower beds were taller than the flowers themselves.

Su Yan invited the group into the meeting room, but since there were no staff, there was no tea either. However, the people were not too particular, and representatives from various departments listened to Su Yan’s report on the rectification measures.

Afterward, each department conducted on-site inspections. They removed the seals on the theater and cafeteria, and finally, all departments gave their approval. Certificates, already stamped with official seals, were taken out from the briefcases and handed to Su Yan. She graciously accepted them, feeling extremely excited.

The industry and commerce department handed Su Yan a cheque for one hundred thousand yuan, asking her to sign for it. They explained that, after discussions in the bureau, they decided to waive the fine for illegal operations. They hoped the lesson would be learned, and similar mistakes would not be repeated in the future.

The personnel from the taxation department separately communicated with Tian Nana, stating that, considering her and Song Haowen’s significant contributions to music, they would provide a partial tax refund.

The reward amount was the forty-thousand-yuan Tian Nana paid last time and the one hundred-thousand-yuan Song Haowen paid additionally. A cheque was immediately presented, and after signing for her own forty-thousand-yuan, Tian Nana also signed on behalf of Song Haowen for the one hundred thousand yuan.

Su Yan and Tian Nana were pleasantly surprised, although they didn’t know the specific reason. Su Yan guessed it must be related to Song Haowen receiving recognition.

Initially, Su Yan had planned to treat everyone to a meal and give some small gifts after they finished their work. However, after completing the tasks, all the officials found excuses to leave in a hurry, without drinking a sip of water or smoking a cigarette. This left Su Yan feeling a bit guilty.

The family of three, reflecting on the day’s events, never imagined that Gu Zhiwei’s article played a role. They speculated that it must be related to Song Haowen’s commendation that the departments learned about, prompting them to let the matter go.

However, since the personnel were on vacation, in an era without mobile phones, notifying them to return to work was troublesome. Fortunately, the personnel list and contact addresses were still available. They wrote letters informing the department heads, and the subordinates were informed by these supervisors.

After school, Song Haowen, without eating, hurriedly rode his bike from school to Su Yan’s house. He wanted to share the good news of the article being published and ease their concerns.

With this report, the issue of the music studio’s reopening would likely be resolved quickly. However, when he arrived at Su Yan’s house, he found the door closed. So, he decided to go to the music school to find Tian Nana.

While riding to the music school, there was a stretch of road close to their music studio. Although Song Haowen had visited two days ago and saw General Tie guarding the door with the seal intact, he unconsciously rode to the outside of the music studio.

To his surprise, the seal on the door had been torn off, and it seemed like someone was inside the office building. Astonished, he speculated that it might be Liang Shangjun’s doing.

He quietly took out his key, opened the door, and before he could enter the office building, Tian Nana rushed down from upstairs like a gust of wind. She embraced him, shouting joyfully, “We passed, we passed! We can reopen!”

Song Haowen was confused, and before he could understand, Tian Nana pulled him into the office. To his surprise, her parents were also there. They had left home and come here. He quickly greeted them, calling them uncle and aunt.

Tian Pengxiang cheerfully said, “This is great! We’ve finally weathered the storm. Industry and commerce, fire, food hygiene, propaganda, public security, and culture all approved us.

The industry and commerce department dropped the fine, and the tax department returned the extra taxes you and Nana paid as a reward.”

Song Haowen was overjoyed, accepting the cheque of one hundred thousand yuan from Tian Nana’s hands, feeling a surreal sense of happiness.

He took out the “Beijing Evening News” from his bag and handed it to Tian Pengxiang. “Take a look at this article. I never thought the power of media publicity could be so strong.”

Tian Nana and Su Yan also crowded around Tian Pengxiang, and the family finally understood that everything that happened today originated from the article “The Annoying Matters of a National Hero.” No wonder these departments treated them differently.

Su Yan exclaimed, “Journalist Gu’s article is amazing, like dropping an atomic bomb over the city. We’re so grateful to her. Before this, I had some opinions about that girl.”

Tian Nana added, “It seems we misunderstood her. Next time we meet, I’ll apologize to her with a gift.”

Song Haowen sighed deeply. “With the music studio closed, we enjoyed some leisure. Now, it looks like we’ll be busy again. Did these people have a grudge against us in their past lives? Are they intentionally causing trouble for us?”

“Haha…” The entire Tian Nana family burst into laughter, unable to catch their breath, their faces blossoming with joy.