Chapter 16

Cheng Qian stood stiffly, holding the tickets, as his supervisor emphasized with a heavy tone, “Each employee’s ticket has a number assigned to it. The two tickets in your hands are recorded. I won’t wrong you! Honestly, I really don’t want to see anyone filing a report. Isn’t it annoying? You’re a favored person from above, and I don’t want to get into any trouble myself, so go on, do what you need to do!”

In response, Cheng Qian muttered a vague “okay” and returned to the screening room with the tickets.

He hadn’t even noticed when the two tickets went missing and had no idea who had found them and reported it.

“Xiao Cheng, your self-inspection form,” his mentor handed him a sheet. “Hurry up and fill it out. You can write about how you didn’t arrange the screening schedule properly in the ‘self-correction’ section. Ah, just please don’t make such mistakes again; I’m embarrassed enough as it is!”

The day before, while Cheng Qian was lost in thought, he had mixed up the screening discs, and it was only when the opening theme played that he switched them out. The audience reacted strongly, and his mentor had to apologize on his behalf.

With everything piling up, Cheng Qian felt incredibly unlucky.

After finishing the form and writing a self-critique, it was soon time to clock out. As he headed to find his mentor with the form, he overheard low, secretive conversations coming from inside the office.

“Problems with conduct? What does that mean?”

“Two instances of employee tickets. Someone reported that this kid took two different female colleagues to see a film. One time, they watched ‘Baiyun Temple,’ and today, he wants to take a girl from the publishing house with these two tickets. Although we can’t really control what employees do off duty, this doesn’t look good, does it?”

“The main issue is that reports must be addressed. We just received the directive for action; we have to show some results, right?”

Cheng Qian’s heart plummeted.

Were they talking about him? Were they going to use him as a typical example for reporting?

He returned to the office in a daze, his gaze uncontrollably drifting toward the publishing building downstairs.

—o—o—o—

Xiao Rujuan was no longer there.

Earlier that afternoon, she had only intended to say a few words to Zheng Xiaorou before leaving, but she had arrived just in time for lunch, so she decided to stick around for the meal.

Tian Xiao’e didn’t treat herself as an outsider at all; she approached the two of them with her lunch tray, eavesdropping without any hesitation, soaking up all the gossip.

Xiao Rujuan relished the memory of how she had put Cheng Qian in his place, feeling particularly pleased as she talked about the latest happenings in their neighboring alley, her enthusiasm palpable.

She lowered her voice and said, “It was really lively in my alley; the police caught a scoundrel. I heard that guy spread a nasty rumor about a girl and got reported! Now he’ll be locked up for years; he deserves it!”

Tian Xiao’e listened with great interest, “How did they catch him? What kind of person was that scoundrel?”

“I only saw him getting beaten up like a pig’s head. I heard he was beaten the night before, too. A big guy like that could do better things with his life! And he has a sister, too. How can he be so heartless? If someone were to spread a rumor about his sister, I wonder how he’d feel about it?”

“What a terrible person!” Tian Xiao’e exclaimed, her large eyes blinking rapidly in indignation. “I really want to know who this righteous person is; they did a great job!”

Zheng Xiaorou felt increasingly alarmed as she listened. How did this situation resemble the person who had come to apologize to her that morning? Hesitantly, she asked, “This person was beaten?”

“Yeah! He was really beaten up, no mercy at all,” Xiao Rujuan replied excitedly. “His face was swollen, and his mouth was bleeding; with all those injuries, he’ll be taking time off to heal!”

After saying this, she tightened her grip on Zheng Xiaorou’s hand and leaned in to whisper, “You see, as long as there’s one person like this who gets caught, others will have to think twice before doing anything like that in the future. Don’t you think?”

Zheng Xiaorou felt a wave of emotion wash over her, her eyes stinging. “This morning… someone came to apologize to me, and he had injuries on his face too.”

Xiao Rujuan covered her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief, asking with a look only they understood, “Really?”

Zheng Xiaorou nodded, “He beat that person up again.”

Remembering the scene from earlier, she still felt a thrill; Lu Yongzhang’s every move had seemed like it was in slow motion to her, each strike filled with power, security, tension, and beauty.

Seeing the expression on her face, Xiao Rujuan looked over with a teasing yet astonished gaze. “Oh, which ‘he’ are you talking about?”

She deliberately stretched out the last syllable, making it sound ambiguous.

Noticing Tian Xiao’e’s bright eyes filled with curiosity beside them, Zheng Xiaorou felt her cheeks flush. “I mean, it’s Lu Yongzhang!”

Hearing the name she had anticipated, Tian Xiao’e exclaimed, “So the one who was beating people up is your boyfriend?” She clicked her tongue in admiration, “I didn’t expect someone who looks so gentle could fight!”

“He doesn’t just go around hitting people,” Zheng Xiaorou instinctively replied.

“Oh…” Tian Xiao’e stretched out the sound, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

—o—o—o—

After finishing their meal, Zheng Xiaorou pulled Xiao Rujuan to the lakeside pavilion in the backyard to share secrets. Tian Xiao’e, feeling out of place, pretended she needed to go buy something from the back door, lingering as she listened to their conversation, glancing back longingly at the two of them sitting close together.

The pavilion was quiet and deserted, the midday sunlight gentle yet brilliant, and even the small insects flitting through the air seemed charming.

Since returning to the city, Zheng Xiaorou felt that today was the most relaxed she had been; she finally felt like looking at the sky and the clouds again.

“I think this is really nice,” she murmured, nuzzling against Xiao Rujuan’s shoulder.

“What do you think now? The problem is solved, and you have a job. Hmph, what do you call this? Is this what they mean by riding the spring breeze?” Xiao Rujuan teased, though she, too, felt a great sense of relief.

Zheng Xiaorou gazed at the clouds drifting above, absentmindedly sighing, “Juan Juan, I want to take the college entrance exam. You should take it with me! I’m studying with my brother right now, and if you could study with me, I’d have company!”

“Weren’t you just saying you didn’t want to take the exam? You said your dad definitely wouldn’t support you. What made you change your mind all of a sudden? Let me guess… hmm, someone helped you out today. Did that, by any chance, touch your heart?”

Xiao Rujuan waited for her to deny it, but no denial came, no matter how long she waited.

Zheng Xiaorou murmured, “I want to give it a try. Is that a bit shameless?”

“Who said that? Huh, who said that?” Xiao Rujuan exclaimed, patting the concrete railing beside her in excitement. “You’re an unmarried woman, and he’s an unmarried man. You’re of the right age, and you both look good together; it couldn’t be more fitting. Have you finally come to this realization?”

“I’ve realized it; I want to give it a try,” Zheng Xiaorou laughed. “I’ll have my brother meet him tomorrow.”

“I’m really happy for you! Oh, I hope I can find a job soon, too.”

Zheng Xiaorou felt an unprecedented surge of motivation; even reviewing an extra two pages didn’t tire her out.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Lu Yongzhang was carrying a newly compiled manuscript to the editorial department and decided to take a detour to the antique street on Shenbei Road.

Though it was called an antique street, it was essentially an open-air market where vendors set up small stalls selling a mix of genuine and counterfeit goods. Few people ever found real treasures; far more came to watch the spectacle than to spend money.

As expected, the person Lu Yongzhang was waiting for was supposed to arrive that day.

He scanned the area and picked out a small cart, sitting on the ground beside it. He pulled out three copper coins and began to play with them in his palm.

Dressed neatly, he stood out from the other vendors, catching the attention of a stall owner nearby, who glanced over at him.

Lu Yongzhang smiled at him, then flicked his wrist, tossing the three copper coins away.

The stall owner next door was named Luo Xing. He had a shaved head and wore a tattered jacket with several layers of patches that nearly obscured its original color.

He wasn’t just an unknown figure; it was said that his family once had several shops in Panjiayuan during their heyday, and half of the well-known antique stores in the capital bore the Luo surname. However, he had fallen so low that he now shared a stall with those selling counterfeit goods.

Luo Xing pointed at the copper coins. “Zhengde Tongbao? Good quality.”

“Sharp eye,” Lu Yongzhang replied with a smile. The three copper coins had indeed taken some effort to acquire, but their significance went beyond just being high-quality coins; they were also the type commonly used by the Bureau of Astronomy.

In the past, he hadn’t aligned himself with any particular group, but due to frequent collaborations with the Bureau, he had subtly learned a few tricks of the trade.

While he wasn’t exceptionally skilled in the art of divination, he was more than capable of fooling an outsider.

Lu Yongzhang tossed the coins twice, then thoughtfully said to Luo Xing, “You’ll have a financial windfall today.”

Luo Xing studied him for a moment, recognizing that the skill he displayed with the coins was not ordinary. However, since he hadn’t made a sale in a month, he merely clasped his hands together and replied, “Thank you for your kind words.”

As the nearby workplaces gradually closed for the day, more people filled Shenbei Road.

Lu Yongzhang caught sight of the person he had been waiting for approaching from the corner of his eye. With a raised eyebrow and a smile, he said, “If today’s a success, count me in.” He then picked up a pair of rhinoceros horn cups from Luo Xing’s stall.

He looked at the markings at the bottom of the cup and asked, “How much for this?”

Luo Xing made a hand gesture, indicating 150 yuan.

In this market, where genuine and counterfeit items were mixed together, and especially where fake goods were prevalent, the price of 150 yuan seemed extraordinarily high.

Seeing that someone actually inquired about the price, the onlookers nearby started shouting:

“Buying this is worse than buying ivory; at least that holds its value!”

“150 for these two broken cups? Why not just go rob a bank?”

“What kind of cups are worth so much? Are they trying to fool outsiders?”

However, Lu Yongzhang did not think it was expensive. He reached out, asking, “Can I take a look?”

Luo Xing’s earlier nonchalance faded slightly. His seemingly clumsy hands carefully lifted the two small rhinoceros horn cups and cautiously placed them into Lu Yongzhang’s hands.

According to the rules, he was supposed to say, “Transaction confirmed,” but according to the Luo family’s tradition, the value of the item was already set once it was handed over, and any damages would require compensation. Yet, as he looked at Lu Yongzhang, he felt that those words were difficult to say.

Lu Yongzhang raised the cup and, after seeing a small line of engraved characters at the bottom, nodded. “The item is good.”

Seeing Lu Yongzhang so readily ready to finalize the purchase, the onlookers became even more animated:

“It’s too expensive; negotiate a better price!”

“Hey, boss, you can’t bully people like this!”

“You’re really going to buy it? My goodness!”

The two men’s actions drew the attention of other customers at nearby stalls, and soon, Luo Xing’s small stand was surrounded by people, forming layers of onlookers.

Lu Yongzhang noticed his companions appearing in the crowd and smiled at Luo Xing, saying, “Boss, can you lower the price a bit?”

While 150 yuan was indeed a high price, Lu Yongzhang, who knew the cups’ origin, was not expensive. Moreover, it was a fantastic opportunity to attract attention.

Luo Xing chuckled, “No way, this is a good item.”

Today, he had only displayed three genuine items, all of which were valuable. He wouldn’t let this pair of cups go for less than 200 yuan in better times.

“Indeed, it is a good item.” Lu Yongzhang reached out and rearranged the items on the stall, pushing aside everything except for a lacquer box and another blue-and-white porcelain vase that remained in the center.

Others couldn’t discern the significance, but Luo Xing’s expression immediately changed. He stared at him wide-eyed, speechless for a long time. After wiping his face in response to the murmurs from the crowd, he finally said, “Alright, 100 yuan, and it’s yours.”

The person across from him had picked out all the genuine items from his stall, revealing the truth. It meant he wouldn’tcouldn’t do business here for a long while.

According to his research, these rhinoceros horn cups were authentic and should have come from the palace. Although ivory was more popular than rhinoceros horn in the market now, he thought, “As long as the green mountains remain, one doesn’t have to worry about firewood.” He needed to protect the rest of his goods.

“How did you manage that?” Luo Xing asked as he handed the rhinoceros horn cups to Lu Yongzhang. After collecting the 100 yuan, he still felt unwilling and voiced his curiosity.

He didn’t want to sell fakes, but life forced him into forgery and deception, making today a shameful and sorrowful experience.

Lu Yongzhang tossed a copper coin in the air. “It’s something I calculated.”

A series of voices called out, “Excuse me, make way,” as Huo Yuanxing squeezed through the crowd, his face full of excitement. “Comrade, is this the art of six lines?”

“Indeed.” Lu Yongzhang smiled lightly. The fish had taken the bait.