I'll Wait for You in the Future - Chapter 9: Life’s Always Full of Wonders

Life is always full of wonders;
once you work hard at something,
if the result isn’t what you imagined,
then heaven will definitely give you a better result.

“Knowing the future’s result, life loses its anticipation,
only deathly waiting remains.”

Hao Huigui stood in Janitor Zhou’s dorm, looking around.

The dorm had been repainted; some intact magazines and books were neatly stacked in the corner. He pulled out all the copies of *Science Fiction World* from the pile. Janitor Zhou had subscribed to *Science Fiction World* since March; could this be related to that person from the future? Hao Huigui opened one and started reading. An advertisement caught his attention—the fifth science fiction story writing competition. The deadline was October; the winners and excellent works would be announced and published in November. The November issue hadn’t arrived yet. He felt Janitor Zhou must have submitted to this competition, so he copied down the editorial office’s phone number.

Hao Huigui was about to leave when he stepped on something. A large envelope lay on the floor at the dorm entrance. It hadn’t been there before; how did it suddenly appear? Hao Huigui bent down to pick it up and examined it carefully; it was a magazine from *Science Fiction World*.

Looking around, no one was there. Hao Huigui opened the envelope; it was the November issue. He opened the table of contents; on the third page was the list of winning works. He quickly scanned the authors’ names; among the ten winning works, two authors had the surname Zhou.

Zhou Shuguang and Zhou Jianmin.

The winning articles were “The Disappeared 23 Hours” and “Meeting My Future Self.”

Hao Huigui’s back felt cold; he was almost certain that Zhou Jianmin, the author of “Meeting My Future Self,” was Janitor Zhou’s name, and the article’s content must be his untold experience. He rolled up the magazine, tucked it into his jacket, and hurried back to his dorm.

Meeting My Future Self
Zhou Jianmin

“What will I be like in ten years? Where will I be? What will I be doing? Will I be rich? Will I have the life I want?” I believe most people have imagined their future selves. But it’s only occasional; the future is too illusory, too ethereal.

I’m an orphan, raised in an orphanage since childhood, accustomed to a solitary life, never having any thoughts about anyone. But one day, while cleaning, I picked up a sea-blue diary titled “Dialogue with Time.” I originally wanted to return it to the owner, but the entire diary was blank, except for the title page, which had three questions:

Imagine what kind of person you will be in ten years?
If your future self suddenly appeared in front of you, what would you ask him?
Would you use him to change your current destiny?

Each question had “(Do you dare to answer?)” written in parentheses.

At first, I thought this was childish. But perhaps I was too bored that day, or too tired and wanted to relax, so I sat down and wrote my answers on the lines.

…………

For some reason, every morning after that, I couldn’t help but open this diary, look at my answers, and imagine my future self. A week passed, and one day, someone came to the delivery room looking for me, saying he was my distant relative.

I’m an orphan; where would I have relatives? Although our builds, appearances, and attire were different, the moment I saw him, I instinctively realized he was my future self. It was a strange and intense intuition, perhaps only experienced when one encounters another version of oneself.

I wasn’t afraid, nor did I question it.

I’ve spent a long time alone, imagining even more absurd scenarios. I asked him about my future and the information about my future that could be used, without considering the consequences. He told me about the disasters I would face in the future, what would make the most money, which leader would go to jail, which colleague would die. He told me about the future of everyone around me. I specifically circled the dates he mentioned would have incidents on the calendar.

He said I could use this information to become the most powerful person in the world. We were both a little worried; if we changed my present self, would it affect my future self? Neither of us knew. But what we did know was that no matter how this world’s me changed, it wouldn’t affect this world’s him. For example, if I cut a wound on my wrist, his wrist would be fine.

Because of his appearance, I thought I would become a prophet of this world, knowing everything, incredibly powerful.

But I was wrong.

After he left, I realized my life had been completely disrupted, my nerves collapsing bit by bit.

I couldn’t continue living.

Now, I’ve just taken a sedative, clinging to the last bit of rationality, desperately writing this story. From the moment I knew the future, I’ve been living in fear, afraid of those days arriving; I wanted to save everyone I knew, afraid of watching them lose something. Longing, hope, excitement, waiting, fear, tension, guilt… every one of my senses was amplified by the known future. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t calm down, always awake, waiting for each event to happen, waiting for each result to be revealed.

I’m writing this story just to say: I was wrong.

I want to tell every reader who reads this article: Never try to understand your own future, otherwise, you’ll lose your entire life.

Finally, I also want to say: Not everyone has the chance to meet their future self, but fortune-telling, zodiac signs, and tarot cards will become popular in the future.

When everyone is obsessed with predicting the future, life is destined to collapse.

Below the article is the editor’s comment: “This article uses a self-narrative style, the original manuscript being 20,000 words. Although it was abridged, the words still make the reader feel as if they were there… The committee unanimously believes this article is the gold award winner of this science fiction story writing competition.”

Irony, such great irony. Hao Huigui closed the magazine.

Janitor Zhou used his last bit of rationality to warn everyone, yet it was considered fictional writing.

Why is only what we believe, see, and experience considered real?
Why is what exceeds our expectations, what happens to others, called “legend” or “science fiction”?

A person only wants to believe in an ordinary world, so that person remains ordinary.
A person is willing to believe in all possibilities, so that person is extraordinary.

This was the first time Hao Huigui had seriously considered his environment. This wasn’t a dream; this was reality.

Hao Huigui also noticed a sentence:

If we changed my present self, would it affect my future self? Neither of us knew. But what we did know was that no matter how this world’s me changed, it wouldn’t affect this world’s him. For example, if I cut a wound on my wrist, his wrist would be fine.

This means that no matter what happens to Liu Dazhi in this world, it won’t affect Hao Huigui, but whether life will change after returning is unknown. But if he does something wrong in this world, it might change his life after returning. If he misguides someone, that person’s destiny might be completely changed decades later.

Hao Huigui’s mind flashed through the many things he’d interfered with during this time, suddenly feeling afraid.

He couldn’t change the outcome of things that had already happened, but he could change everyone’s attitude towards the future. But this attitude directly determines everyone’s future life. Life is so funny.

When I first arrived, I wanted to meddle in everything, thinking it didn’t concern me. But when I realized I was responsible for everything, I became afraid. Hao Huigui finally understood why he and Janitor Zhou could travel to this world—the diary. That diary hadn’t yet appeared in Liu Dazhi’s life. Perhaps… when it does, I can go back.

He wrote down the magazine’s contact information and immediately ran to the delivery room.

“If you’re always afraid of losing and don’t dare to change,
you’ll never gain anything.”

“Listeners, next Saturday is the *Keeping the Love Going* [将爱情进行到底 (Jiang Aiqing Jinxing Dao Di)] crew’s Hunan concert! We’re giving away four tickets! After this advertisement, call our hotline; the last ticket is waiting for you!”

Chen Xiaowu was changing the bean sprout water when he heard this, immediately dropping his work and rushing to the small shop at the street corner.

“Calling the radio station again?” the shopkeeper asked Chen Xiaowu.

Chen Xiaowu nodded.

“Forget it, when have you ever gotten through?”

Chen Xiaowu was anxious. Dingdang had been humming the *Keeping the Love Going* theme song lately. If he could get a ticket for Dingdang, he could imagine how happy she’d be.

Busy signal.
Busy signal.
Busy signal.

Every time he reached the last number, Chen Xiaowu would silently pray.

“If this call goes through, I’ll soak ten more buckets of bean sprouts!”

“Ten buckets enough? At least a hundred!” the shopkeeper laughed.

“A hundred then!”

The radio advertisement came through the receiver.

“Xie Ge, can you turn off your radio? It’s too loud; the receiver is full of advertisements.”

“What does my radio have to do with your receiver having advertisements? My voice can’t get into your phone no matter how loud it is!” Xie Ge shouted back.

The advertisement ended, and a strange voice came through the receiver: “Hello, you’re our last lucky listener today. We’ll connect you to the studio; just talk to the host.”

“Me?” Chen Xiaowu hadn’t reacted yet when he heard, “Congratulations to our last listener. Will you use this ticket yourself or give it to someone?” A second later, Xie Ge’s radio played the same words.

Chen Xiaowu didn’t dare speak, his expression tense. He felt it might be him but wasn’t sure.

“Hello?”

“Hello… is it me?” Chen Xiaowu, like all listeners who didn’t believe they’d gotten through, asked.

“Yes! Congratulations! It’s you! How will you use this ticket?”

“It’s really me?” Chen Xiaowu still couldn’t believe it. “I’ve been calling for half a year; this is the first time I’ve gotten through.”

“Persistence pays off! How will you use this ticket?” The host seemed impatient.

“I… I want to give it to the girl I like.” Chen Xiaowu felt embarrassed in front of the shopkeeper.

“You’ll give this ticket to someone you like? You won’t go yourself?”

“But you only have one ticket; of course, I’ll give it to the girl I like!”

“What if I told you we could give you two?”

“Ah? Two?” Chen Xiaowu froze. Even two wouldn’t work; Dingdang wouldn’t go if she knew I was going with her.

“I don’t need two! I only need one!” Chen Xiaowu quickly refused.

The host froze; this kind of listener was rare.

“Ah, why?”

“No reason! One is more precious!” He didn’t understand what he’d said either.

“Oh… you’re a very unique listener. Okay, we’ll give you one. Thank you for calling. A staff member will contact you.”

Chen Xiaowu was thrilled! He’d actually succeeded!

*Keeping the Love Going* was a hugely popular idol drama in 1998. Every episode sparked discussions at school the next day. The crew usually only went to big cities for promotions, but this time, they were coming to Hunan. The news sent the entire province into a frenzy. Tickets were impossible to buy, even with money.

The next day at school, everyone was discussing the weekend concert, envying those with tickets. Chen Xiaowu felt a sense of privilege, even if it was from a radio contest.

Weixiao walked in happily.

Seeing this, Dingdang went over: “Is there good news?”

“Guess?”

“Ah? You wouldn’t have gotten tickets for the weekend…”

“Shh! The TV director for this meet is my dad’s friend; he gave me five tickets, letting me bring friends to the front rows. Because it’s live, it’s better to have people we know.”

“Five tickets!” Minutes ago, Dingdang had been envying those with back-row tickets; now, she was VIP.

“Then… who are you taking?”

“You, me, Dazhi, Chen Tong, and Xiaowu.” Weixiao smiled.

“You’re not taking Teacher Hao?”

“Teacher Hao? Would he be interested?” Weixiao felt awkward after learning Dingdang had confessed to Teacher Hao. “I’ll ask…” Weixiao didn’t want to disappoint Dingdang. When Weixiao asked Hao Huigui, it triggered many memories for him. Holding the tickets, Hao Huigui said thoughtfully, “You might have thought it was just an idol drama back then, but years later, you realize it was your youth. Like many people, you might have thought he was just a passerby, but years later, you realize he was your one and only.”

“I didn’t expect Teacher Hao to describe an idol drama so poetically.”

Hao Huigui pointed at the people on the tickets: “This girl is Xu Jinglei [徐静蕾 (Xu Jinglei)].”

“She’s my favorite. I learned from her.” Weixiao tilted her head, her hair tied up with a handkerchief.

“This girl isn’t just an actress; she’ll become a director later, very talented.” Hao Huigui told Weixiao.

“This male lead is Li Yapeng [李亚鹏 (Li Yapeng)]; I heard he’s dating Xu Jinglei; we all like him.” Weixiao said.

“Mm, they won’t last. Li Yapeng might marry a singer, but it looks like they’ll easily divorce.”

“Teacher Hao, I didn’t know you could tell fortunes.”

“Many things are destined; you don’t need to tell fortunes.”

Hao Huigui wanted to tell Weixiao that after this drama, he’d never seen another youth idol drama that impacted so many people. Everyone who shared those memories was lucky—songs, dramas, clothes, games, books, and more. We were in different places, doing the same things; those memories were incredibly beautiful.

Returning from Hao Huigui’s office, Weixiao felt a problem—they were short one ticket.

“I’ll ask Chen Xiaowu; if he goes, I’ll ask Chen Tong. If he goes too, then I won’t go.” Liu Dazhi had to show some selflessness to make Weixiao think he was a true man.

Chen Xiaowu just walked into the classroom; Liu Dazhi beckoned him over.

“There’s a concert this weekend, right?” Liu Dazhi said mysteriously.

“Damn… Liu Dazhi wouldn’t know I have a concert ticket, would he? This is for Dingdang. No, I absolutely can’t admit it; even if we’re not friends, I can’t admit it!” Chen Xiaowu silently repeated this.

“Want to go?” Liu Dazhi asked.

“Huh?” Chen Xiaowu thought, it wasn’t about the ticket; that’s great!

Chen Xiaowu shook his head violently, his large head shaking so fast it looked like two fans were attached to his ears.

“You don’t want to go, fine, why act like you’re distancing yourself?” Liu Dazhi couldn’t understand Chen Xiaowu’s reaction.

“Dingdang, I need to talk to you; come out for a minute.” Chen Xiaowu smiled at Liu Dazhi, then called Dingdang out of the classroom.

“Want to go to this weekend’s concert?” Chen Xiaowu was smug, his face slightly raised, ready for Dingdang’s kiss.

Dingdang glanced at Chen Xiaowu: “Yeah.”

“Then how will you go?” Chen Xiaowu was smug.

“Weixiao has five VIP tickets; since you’re not going, it’ll be Teacher Hao, Weixiao, me, Dazhi, and Chen Tong.”

“Ah?” Chen Xiaowu’s jaw dropped; he felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

“What’s wrong? You said you weren’t going; why ask?” Dingdang was puzzled.

All his efforts, his sacrifices, his hopes—ruined by his own smugness! If he’d known, he should have said he had a ticket for Dingdang from the start! That way, whether she wanted it or not, it would have been his intention. But saying he had a ticket now would be digging his own grave.

Chen Xiaowu swallowed everything, his head drooping as he returned to the classroom. After school, Chen Xiaowu lingered, following Weixiao and the others. Suddenly, he threw a ticket on the ground, then quickly picked it up, rushing to catch up with them, happily saying, “Look, what’s this?” He held a concert ticket.

“Chen Xiaowu, how did you get a ticket?”

“I just found it! We can go together!” Chen Xiaowu said without blushing.

“No way? Did we drop it?” Liu Dazhi grabbed the ticket, glancing at it.

“It’s someone else’s. Wow, your seat’s great. Weixiao, we’re in the third row; Chen Xiaowu’s in the first!”

Hearing this, everyone gathered around. The first row must be so close to the stage; they could clearly see the stars’ faces! Chen Xiaowu suddenly straightened his back, “Dingdang, if you want, we can switch; you take the first row!” Liu Dazhi added, “Hey, I told you, it couldn’t be better than ours. Chen Xiaowu’s ticket is in the second-floor first row. Hahaha!”

Everyone laughed. Chen Xiaowu’s face turned red with embarrassment. Dingdang quickly waved, refusing to switch with Chen Xiaowu. The second floor was worse than not going at all.

“Everyone should keep a little light in their hearts,
in case it ignites one day.”

On the day of the concert, everyone gathered outside. Dingdang’s face was clouded.

“How did your aunt find out? Did Dazhi tell her?” Weixiao was puzzled.

“I wrote about liking Teacher Hao in my diary; maybe she saw it when she was at my house…” Dingdang guessed.

“Then what should we do?”

“I can’t let my aunt go to school to cause trouble for Teacher Hao. Although I think Teacher Hao might like me too, I can’t ruin his future. I promised my aunt I wouldn’t think about it anymore. You know what my aunt’s capable of.” Dingdang felt regretful but felt she’d made a sacrifice for love.

“Are you sad?”

“Sad. Maybe these are necessary setbacks on the road to love.”

“Let’s go; let’s have fun at the concert.” Seeing Hao Huigui approaching from afar, Dingdang pulled Weixiao towards him, her eyes no longer filled with admiration but pride. She felt she’d made a sacrifice for love, a compromise.

Chen Xiaowu sat alone in the second-floor first row, his eyes wide open, only able to see the back of Dingdang’s head, which looked like an ant. The director approached Weixiao, “We have an interactive segment later; let’s make it lively. That way, the live broadcast will look better. Weixiao, please help us out!”

“Weixiao, look.” Dingdang nudged Weixiao.

Following Dingdang’s gaze, Weixiao saw a tall, handsome boy who looked like Takeshi Kaneshiro [金城武 (Jin Cheng Wu)] sitting there.

“What’s wrong?”

“So handsome, he looks like Takeshi Kaneshiro.”

Dingdang could easily switch from sadness to happiness.

“Okay, okay, the concert’s about to start.”

The lights dimmed, and the host came out for a brief introduction before the crew appeared.

The director came out; the audience screamed!
The theme song singer came out; the audience screamed!
The second female lead came out; the audience screamed!
The second male lead came out; even louder screams!
Xu Jinglei and Li Yapeng came out; the audience went wild!

Hao Huigui remembered this concert vividly. Everyone sang along to every song; when it got emotional, the girls cried. Years later, the cheers, the music, the excitement—unchanged. The crew said on stage, “Thank you for liking this drama. We met and became friends because of this drama. We hope that no matter how many years pass, we can still be like this.” Hearing this, Hao Huigui smiled; it felt warm. He looked at Chen Tong and Liu Dazhi; they were completely engrossed. If only it could always be like this.

Liu Dazhi initially thought the concert was just a social event, but once there, he realized the most important aspect wasn’t the music itself, but experiencing the emotions of others, which in turn gave him a unique perspective.

During the interactive segment, the host stepped onto the stage: “Everyone, check under your seats; you’ll find paper airplanes and pencils. Now, write your wishes on the paper airplanes. When I say ‘three, two, one,’ throw them onto the stage. The crew will try to fulfill the wishes written on the airplanes we collect.”

Instantly, countless paper airplanes filled the air, creating a romantic scene.

“Dazhi, what did you write?” Weixiao asked.

“Just some random stuff,” Liu Dazhi shrugged.

Liu Dazhi watched his paper airplane soar, flying towards the host, striking him directly in the face. The entire venue erupted in laughter. The host, slightly embarrassed, adjusted his glasses and said, “Let’s see what wish was so urgent it needed to be seen immediately.”

Weixiao and Dingdang were also excited for the owner of this paper airplane.

Liu Dazhi’s face began to change color.

The host started reading: “Hello, host! When I first met her, I was five years old, being bullied by neighborhood kids. She stepped in to help me, and I was deeply moved…”

Weixiao sensed something was amiss.

“She had short hair, so I thought she was a boy. Later, I found out she was a girl, who’d been practicing taekwondo since she was little.”

Dingdang turned to look at Weixiao.

“Since then, I’ve always paid attention to her—elementary school, middle school, and now high school. She’s become my deskmate.”

Chen Tong also turned to look at Liu Dazhi, who had shrunk into his seat.

“I want to dedicate the theme song from the TV drama, *Distant View* [遥望 (Yaowang)], to express my feelings. If you see my airplane, I hope everyone will sing along; I dedicate this song to her.”

The five friends’ faces changed, each lost in their thoughts. Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The host was also moved: “Please stand up, let’s see who you are.”

Liu Dazhi didn’t dare move.

The host continued: “Let’s check the number on this paper airplane—first floor, third row, seat seven!”

A face appeared on the large screen on stage. Liu Dazhi’s mind went blank.

Hao Huigui’s mind also went blank.

“Congratulations! Your wish will be fulfilled shortly. And your leading lady?” The camera turned to Dingdang, who quickly shook her head. The camera then turned to Weixiao.

Liu Dazhi had no memory of what happened after that. As soon as the concert ended, Weixiao grabbed her bag and rushed out. The others immediately chased after her.

“You guys go back first; I’ll walk Weixiao home.” Hao Huigui didn’t know how to handle this.

He caught up with Weixiao: “Weixiao, don’t be too angry with Liu Dazhi. Although he…”

“Teacher Hao, I’m not angry. I’ll go first.” Weixiao interrupted him.

Hao Huigui stood there.

Weixiao didn’t know what was wrong with herself. She touched her cheek; it was still burning.

Dingdang had said, “Although I don’t like some boys, I still like them liking me.” But Weixiao didn’t think being liked by Liu Dazhi was a good thing. Did she dislike Liu Dazhi? Not really. Should she be angry, or what? A close friend, someone she’d known since she was five, suddenly confessed, and the courage he mustered… Weixiao didn’t care about others’ opinions; she just faced a problem she’d never considered before, unsure how to react.

“Weixiao, are you asleep? Want some milk?” Weixiao’s father knocked on her door.

Weixiao calmly opened the door, took the milk, drank it in one go, closed the door, leaned against it, and suddenly burst out laughing.

“Compared to excellence,
I want to be a real person.”

“Teacher Hao! Two students from your class caused trouble! A televised confession! Hunan No. 5 High’s liberal arts class is famous now!” Principal Zhou yelled at Hao Huigui and He Shifu.

“Principal… Liu Dazhi just wanted a free song; he made up a story… You’re exaggerating.” Hao Huigui tried to explain.

“Teacher Hao, Liu Dazhi needs serious discipline! Skipping class to play video games, then a televised confession—it’s outrageous! I think he should stop studying!”

“Principal, actually, Dazhi has been studying hard lately, and his grades have improved significantly…” He Shifu tried to defend Hao Huigui.

“Significantly? How significant? Can he get into a key university? If not, don’t talk about grades. You two can leave; I have enough problems to deal with.”

Leaving the principal’s office, He Shifu hesitated, then asked, “Teacher Hao, what do you think of Hunan No. 5 High?”

“It’s pretty good. The teachers are great, and the students are hardworking. Director He manages it well; this year, several students from the liberal arts class should get into key universities.”

“Mm.” He Shifu nodded.

“What’s wrong?”

“Want to teach at another high school? Better opportunities, higher pay, and perhaps more respect for your teaching methods.”

Hao Huigui couldn’t believe his ears. Had Director He already reached an agreement with Principal Yang at Director Li’s gathering? In his memory, He Shifu had indeed taken many teachers and students to another school, leaving Hunan No. 5 High stagnant for five years. But this shouldn’t happen this year!

“Teacher Hao?”

“Ah? That’s too sudden.”

“Yeah, I thought we should consider it next semester, but I feel the school’s attitude towards many things is different from what I expected, and the other school welcomes us.”

“If a school respects teachers’ educational philosophies, that’s ideal. But with the college entrance exam coming up…” Hao Huigui tried to stall He Shifu.

“Teacher Hao, think about it. You can come find me anytime.”

Hao Huigui hoped everything would proceed as planned, ideally lasting until this graduating class finished. If He Shifu left, and other teachers and students transferred, causing chaos, many people’s destinies would be altered.

News of the concert confession spread through the school.

“Liu Dazhi, unexpected! You dared to confess to Weixiao? Hilarious!” Zheng Wei laughed.

“Zheng Wei, I dare to confess to you too. Want to try?” Liu Dazhi grinned. He’d originally wanted to avoid attention, but then thought, what’s wrong with liking someone? Confessing is wrong?

“Get lost, Liu Dazhi. You have no bottom line, but don’t forget Weixiao is the top student in the liberal arts class; you’re worlds apart. Don’t think you’ve done something amazing. If you really like her, don’t drag her down to your level.” Zheng Wei looked down on Liu Dazhi. Chen Xiaowu, annoyed, was about to fight Zheng Wei, but Liu Dazhi stopped him. He dragged Chen Xiaowu back to the classroom, facing various stares. Entering the classroom, he said to Chen Xiaowu, “Zheng Wei’s right.”

All morning, Liu Dazhi and Weixiao didn’t interact. Everyone waited for the drama.

Weixiao acted as if nothing had happened. But the more indifferent she was, the more pressure Liu Dazhi felt. He tried several times to apologize but couldn’t find the words, starting with “Um…” then falling silent.

Weixiao passed him a note: “Turned mute?”

Holding the note, Liu Dazhi realized he’d messed up.

School continued as usual.

Tuesday at noon, there was no broadcast, but the radio suddenly played a familiar voice.

“Hello, everyone, this is Liu Dazhi from Senior Three, Liberal Arts Class 1. I want to apologize to Weixiao and everyone. I lied during the live broadcast, saying I liked Weixiao; it was a fabricated story to get the crew to sing a song. I made up a false story, causing Weixiao trouble. I’m sorry; please don’t spread rumors. That’s all.”

Everyone was stunned. What was Liu Dazhi doing? Dingdang and Weixiao were entering the school and stopped. Hao Huigui rushed to the broadcasting room; Liu Dazhi was climbing out the window.

“Liu Dazhi!” Hao Huigui was furious. Liu Dazhi almost fell.

“Teacher Hao, what’s wrong?”

“Do you know what you did?”

“I was apologizing to Weixiao. I didn’t want people to connect us.”

“Do you know the consequences? You’ve already been verbally warned by the principal! And now you snuck into the broadcasting room—do you still want to study?!”

“I didn’t expect you to say this… I felt everyone was pointing fingers at Weixiao, causing her trouble. Zheng Wei was right; I shouldn’t have dragged her down to my level… I started this, so I have to solve it… If I have to be punished, I accept it.” Liu Dazhi lowered his head, speaking his mind.

“Teacher Hao, what would you do?”

What would I do? I’d bury my head in the sand, waiting for it to be forgotten, pretending nothing happened; or would I be like Liu Dazhi, unwilling to let Weixiao suffer any injustice?

Hao Huigui thought, “Forget it, let’s go back to class.”

Liu Dazhi was surprised; Hao Huigui had been angry, then suddenly changed.

This time, Hao Huigui felt Liu Dazhi was right. He not only felt Liu Dazhi was right but also admired him. His 17-year-old self could do this, but at 36, he couldn’t? Liu Dazhi entered the classroom; everyone looked at him. He shrugged, sat down, not daring to look at Weixiao. After a while, Weixiao passed him a note: “You’re the most childish person I’ve ever met.” He didn’t know if it was praise or sarcasm, so he carefully folded it and put it away. The school punished Liu Dazhi with a public apology at the flag-raising ceremony, a major demerit, and probation.

Principal Zhou called He Shifu to his office.

“Director He, I said from the start we shouldn’t have a broadcasting station; playing songs all day, now even confessions! So many gimmicks!” He Shifu listened silently.

“Next week, shut down the broadcasting station!”

“Principal…”

“No discussion. Tell Weixiao to stop!”

Before telling Weixiao, Hao Huigui called Liu Dazhi to his office.

“Liu Dazhi, I need to tell you something, but stay calm.”

“Ah? What’s wrong again?”

“The broadcasting station was shut down because of your apology.”

“Ah?” Liu Dazhi’s mind went blank. He knew the broadcasting station was Weixiao’s dream; she’d worked hard for it. He’d ruined it.

“Teacher Hao… I…” Liu Dazhi couldn’t speak. “I didn’t expect this.”

“Is it over?” Liu Dazhi looked at Hao Huigui pitifully. They both knew if Weixiao lost the broadcasting station, their friendship would be over. Many things aren’t good just because you think they are; doing what you think is right isn’t always the right thing. If the outcome doesn’t satisfy most people, the method is selfish.

“Teacher Hao, please don’t give up on me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately; I try to do good things, but they always turn bad.”

Hao Huigui patted Liu Dazhi’s shoulder: “It’s okay, we’ll solve this together. Go back first; I’ll think of a way.”

Ten minutes later, Hao Huigui called Weixiao out of class. Liu Dazhi was very nervous.

Weixiao was puzzled. Hao Huigui asked, “Remember the school TV news competition?”

“Yes, the TV station held a competition; each school sent a team, and the winning school got a sponsored campus TV station.”

“Interested in participating?”

“Of course, but our school focuses on science; they never support liberal arts students in these competitions.”

“If you want to, I’ll support you.”

Hao Huigui said seriously,
“But…”
“No problem. I’ll lead the team; you organize the participants. I think Liu Dazhi and Chen Tong will do. Not interested?”
“No, it’s not that. I’m worried it’ll take up everyone’s study time.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle that.”
“Also, if we participate, we might not have time to continue running the broadcasting station…” Weixiao said hesitantly.
“Weixiao, the broadcasting station is just for gaining experience. You’ve been doing it for so long; you need a new challenge.”
Weixiao thought about it and agreed. If she could try new things, she could learn more.
“I’ll tell the director about the broadcasting station later. Now, go get Liu Dazhi and the others to the office. After school, we’ll divide the work.”

Liu Dazhi waited for Weixiao to slap him, waited for Weixiao to change his seat, waited for Weixiao to banish him. But Weixiao was smiling, a happiness he’d never seen before. Weixiao was genuinely happy; Hao Huigui’s enthusiasm for this competition exceeded her expectations. She’d always thought the school wasn’t interested in this competition.
“Good heavens, did Teacher Hao drug Weixiao? This is so abnormal,” Liu Dazhi thought.
“Wei… Weixiao, are we still doing the broadcasting station?” Liu Dazhi was still nervous.
“Did Teacher Hao tell you? So you knew. We’re not doing the broadcasting station anymore.” Weixiao finally spoke to him directly. Liu Dazhi breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then… why are you so happy?”
“Huh? Am I happy? Where do you see me being happy? Oh right, Teacher Hao wants you guys to come to the office. Remember, this has nothing to do with me; it depends on your own interests!” With that, Weixiao couldn’t help but laugh.

In the office, Hao Huigui explained everything. Liu Dazhi was so awestruck he almost knelt down. The others, hearing Liu Dazhi had caused trouble again, gave him a “stay away from us” look.
Hao Huigui looked at everyone.
“Anyway, I’m not going to university, so I can do anything, as long as you guys think it’s okay,” Chen Xiaowu said first.
“With my grades, I can’t get into a key university anyway, so I’ll just go to any school and marry a good husband. I’ll participate,” Dingdang added.
“I’ve already finished all the required reading; I’m just waiting for the college entrance exam. I can participate too.”
For the first time, Liu Dazhi found Chen Tong’s smugness attractive.

“Although I know this path isn’t where you want to go,
but being able to walk it with you, I’m happy to go anywhere.”

Hao Huigui didn’t know what the outcome would be. He didn’t understand journalism or the reporter profession; his confidence as the team leader was entirely feigned.
After school, everyone stayed in the classroom.
“It’s amazing that everyone has such journalistic aspirations! Our golden team is formed! Our goal is to create the best campus news!” Hao Huigui felt like a kindergarten teacher, “Next, we need to choose a good topic, then divide the work. Chen Tong will use his home video camera for filming. Weixiao will write, interview, and appear on camera. Xiaowu and Dazhi will handle external relations. Dingdang, you’ll be in charge of coordination. I’ll lead the team. Any objections?”
“Absolutely no problem! We guarantee to complete the task perfectly!” Liu Dazhi was incredibly enthusiastic.
“Okay, everyone think about what kind of news we should film tonight. We’ll have another meeting tomorrow to discuss the topics.”

On the way home, Chen Xiaowu asked incomprehensibly, “Why are you so excited? Do you even know what news is?”
“Even if I don’t, I know if we don’t win first place, Weixiao will break up with me,” Liu Dazhi whispered.
Hao Huigui sat in his office, taking out a blank sheet of paper, writing down all the major news events he could remember that hadn’t happened in 1998, using simple codes: melamine, Sudan red, dead pigs floating in the Songhua River. He wrote and crossed out, knowing that if they really investigated these topics, they’d be in big trouble.

The next day after school, everyone presented their topics.
Liu Dazhi took out his notebook, listing his collected topics: A surge in divorce rates in the city, the potential for counterfeit currency to appreciate, speculation on the future of cloning technology.
“Brother, this is a campus news competition; it has to be related to students. What are these?” Dingdang looked disdainful.
“Ah? Actually, these are relevant too. For example, the impact of the divorce rate on students, students collecting counterfeit currency to become rich, students aspiring to become cloning experts…”
“Okay, okay, shut up.” Hao Huigui turned to Weixiao, “Weixiao, what’s your direction?”
“Last night, I thought about it. We need to focus on students while also including various schools in the city, not just one example. For instance, early romance among students?” Weixiao said.
“Early romance? How are you going to film that? Does secret love count?” Liu Dazhi was surprised.
“Anything else?”
“Or school violence? Teachers physically punishing students?”
“Mm, these topics are all good. Chen Tong, what about you?”
“I thought about it. The Education Commission doesn’t allow schools to assign too much homework or extracurricular tutoring; we can investigate tutoring practices at various schools.”
“This is great! This will be exciting!” Liu Dazhi hated tutoring the most.
“Everyone’s topics are good, but they all have one problem. We all know about early romance, physical punishment, and tutoring in schools. If we do these, we’re just providing more details. If we want to be different, we need to investigate things people don’t know. Through our investigation, we’ll reveal a new world.”
“Ah, Teacher Hao, are there such news stories?” Everyone was curious.
Hao Huigui feigned thought, “Chen Xiaowu, I ask you, how many types of bean sprouts do you sell?”
Chen Xiaowu was embarrassed, “Teacher Hao, what do you mean?”
Seeing Chen Xiaowu’s embarrassment, Liu Dazhi jumped in, “I know. He sells two types: one treated with chemicals, sold to restaurants; one untreated, sold to regular customers.”
Chen Xiaowu glared at Liu Dazhi.
“Xiaowu, your family actually sells bean sprouts treated with chemicals?!” Dingdang was surprised.
“Ah, not really. We sell untreated ones, but they don’t look as good. The treated ones are big and white; many restaurants use them,” Chen Xiaowu quickly explained.
“Then I ask you, what happens to unsold vegetables at the market at night? Or what happens to substandard vegetables after they’ve been picked over?” Hao Huigui continued.
“Some low-income customers buy them, and some units buy them because they’re cheap,” Chen Xiaowu answered.
“Have you considered whether these units include school canteens?”
Everyone was silent for a moment, then exclaimed, “No way!”
“Could the vegetables in our canteen be leftovers?!” Chen Xiaowu had never thought about this. He recalled, “Teacher Hao, now that you mention it, I remember Cai Jie, the butcher next door, once sold some leftover meat to the school canteen…”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Should we investigate the supply chain of the school canteen?”
Weixiao was excited; she felt she could do something meaningful for society.
“Teacher Hao, how did you think of this?” Weixiao asked.
“Ah? For news… you need to pay attention to every detail in life. Only by constantly asking ‘why’ will life continuously give you surprising answers,” Hao Huigui couldn’t tell her, “This is something I saw on TV in 2015…”
“Then let’s do this! What do you all think?” Weixiao asked for opinions.
“This is great! Xiaowu can investigate the market to see which schools buy substandard produce. I can investigate other school canteens to see which dishes are popular, which are unpopular, which are expensive, and which are cheap. If Xiaowu’s investigation overlaps with mine, that’ll be amazing!” Liu Dazhi spoke first.
“Mm!” Weixiao nodded, “This direction is right. I can also investigate the canteen’s management—is it run by school teachers or outsourced to someone? Including the canteen’s hygiene. If Chen Tong can secretly investigate the canteen’s food quality, that would be best.” Weixiao quickly assigned tasks. Liu Dazhi thought Weixiao was incredibly smart.
“Then what about me?” Dingdang asked.
“You go with Xiaowu to the market to gather evidence; otherwise, Xiaowu will be too conspicuous alone,” Liu Dazhi suggested.
“Ah? I don’t want to be in a group with Chen Xiaowu; I don’t know anything about vegetables; my mom buys them all.”
“It’s okay, Dingdang, just follow me.” Chen Xiaowu didn’t sense Dingdang’s dislike at all.
“Dingdang, you look like a rich girl’s daughter. Xiaowu can’t ask certain questions, but you can. Say your dad manages the school canteen and see if they have any shady deals.”
Hao Huigui watched them, finding it all interesting. The most memorable thing about youth is achieving a goal with friends. Hao Huigui naturally missed those days too; he never expected to be doing this again after so many years.
Dingdang, thinking about being an undercover agent, became excited, “Should I dress up to go to the market? That way, people will think I’m a rich girl.”
“You don’t need to dress up; you already look great,” Liu Dazhi said.
“Okay, since you praised me, I’ll go with Chen Xiaowu,” Dingdang agreed. Chen Xiaowu grinned from ear to ear.

When they started investigating, Liu Dazhi realized it wasn’t as simple as he’d thought. Some schools required student IDs to enter, so he borrowed some; some required uniforms, so he borrowed those; some required registration at the gate, so he had to climb over the wall.
Before, if something was troublesome, he wouldn’t do it. But now, he felt he could solve any problem. Before, he hated things not going his way; now, he waited for unexpected events. Only by solving problems one by one could he get closer to his goal.

The investigation was tiring, but they really uncovered many problems. Some schools had delicious rice, while others had none of the rice aroma. The same dishes, some schools used lots of oil, others used lots of water. Some schools were run by teachers, others outsourced to a leader’s relative. Some schools had different dishes in the teacher’s and student’s canteens; even the same dishes had different quality. Some schools’ stir-fried meat still had hair on it, clearly leftover scraps from Cai Jie. The more they investigated, the more anxious Liu Dazhi became; he never expected so many shady dealings in school canteens.
He climbed over a wall, lost his footing, and fell, but he didn’t feel any pain. Liu Dazhi lay on the ground, thinking about recent events. He never knew he could run 5000 meters, nor that he could study. He’d never understood or comprehended many things before. Was he like this because of Teacher Hao, or was he always like this, just never believing in himself?
Liu Dazhi wrote a long investigation summary and gave it to everyone.
Some school canteens were outsourced, for example, No. 22 Middle School outsourced to the vice principal’s relative for five years.
Some vegetables looked dark and sticky, some tasted very strong, because many unsold vegetables were frozen, and frozen vegetables tasted bad, so they added lots of salt, MSG, chili sauce, etc., to cover the taste.
Some vegetables looked terrible, likely leftovers from the market.
The rice tasted different from school to school; the bad rice was likely a layer of inferior rice, steamed repeatedly, then mixed and steamed again. It looked like a lot.
Much of the meat was inedible. Chen Xiaowu said some was from dead pigs, the “stringy meat” between the lean meat and skin.
No. 37 Middle School had several cases of food poisoning last month because of expired food…
“These people are…” Weixiao thought for a long time, unable to find the right words, her face flushed red, “So despicable! Shooting them a hundred times wouldn’t be enough!”
Weixiao picked up the chalk and quickly wrote an investigation process on the board, each word written forcefully. In Liu Dazhi’s mind, Weixiao was always good at controlling her emotions. But now, Weixiao was truly angry; this anger stemmed from seriousness and passion. Liu Dazhi felt a little envious; when would he have a hobby that could make him happy and angry?
“If possible, investigate the canteen’s profit chain—how the profits are distributed. The problems in the canteen are all about making money—either the school makes money from the canteen, or the contractor makes money by cutting corners. The key is that this kind of money shouldn’t be made,” Hao Huigui added.
Everyone focused on taking notes. They’d originally planned to help Weixiao, but now they were doing something truly important; everyone felt a sense of responsibility.
“Now Dazhi has found the loopholes in the school canteen and the supply chain; how can we interview the relevant departments?”
“My dad has a government directory with the phone numbers and names of various department leaders; I can copy it.”
“Dingdang and I work well together. Some schools specifically pick out leftover vegetables; yesterday, a vendor wanted to sell expired eggs to Dingdang, saying they could be made into tea eggs for students. These eggs are cheaper wholesale and can be sold for more. But we need to change markets; too many people know me there,” Chen Xiaowu was also excited; he never expected his daily work could become such amazing news.
“My god…” Tea eggs were Liu Dazhi’s favorite.
“Very good. But this is all negative news; we should also investigate one or two well-managed canteens for comparison, to avoid causing unnecessary panic among students and parents,” Hao Huigui knew that only focusing on negative news wasn’t fair.
After school, Chen Tong, wearing a hat, secretly sat in a corner of the school canteen, observing the work area. He planned to sneak into the work area, hide in the warehouse, and film the canteen’s hygiene and food quality after the staff left.
“Hey, you should bring me along for undercover work.” Liu Dazhi calmly sat beside Chen Tong.
“Why are you here?”
“I saw someone tall, handsome, and sunny, acting sneaky; I guessed it was you.”
“I… where am I being sneaky?”
“You’re already tall, and you’re wearing a hat; aren’t you telling everyone—look at me, I’m about to do something illegal!”
Chen Tong thought for a moment and took off his hat, putting it in his bag.

“Let’s do it together, we can watch each other’s backs. I’ve already got the tools ready.” Liu Dazhi raised an eyebrow, pulling out a piece of wire.

Seeing the wire, Chen Tong smiled.

“Last time it was because the lock was rusty. This time, I can really do it.”

“Shh, let’s go!” Chen Tong immediately stood up, tugging at Liu Dazhi’s shirt.

A staff member carried a large pot of steaming rice from the kitchen; the door was open. The two slipped inside, turning left, then straight, then left again. A wave of foul odor hit them; they quickly covered their noses. The warehouse was dimly lit, various vegetables piled haphazardly, emitting a stench. Before they could properly observe, a kitchen worker carrying a basket approached. Chen Tong immediately pulled Liu Dazhi into a dark corner to crouch. Chen Tong had scouted this location beforehand, but it could only fit one person; the two squeezed together, holding their breath, facing each other, feeling incredibly awkward.

The kitchen worker rummaged through the piles of vegetables.

“Why are you breathing so heavily?” Liu Dazhi whispered.

“Huh?”

“I said your breathing is too loud. Should I ask my dad to check you out? You might have respiratory problems.”

“You’re taking half my oxygen; I’m suffocating.”

The two crouched for almost an hour, discussing everything from their breathing and sweating to Chen Tong’s height—was he 184cm or 185cm? Finally, someone came to pull the power switch, shutting off the lights; the sound of the main kitchen door closing echoed from afar. Chen Tong quickly stood up, taking deep breaths; his legs were completely numb. He took out his flashlight, switched it on, and shone it around. Vegetables and cured meats were piled high on the shelves. The two slowly walked forward; the source of the stench was a rack of eggs; some were broken, and no one had cleaned them up. Chen Tong picked up an egg, shone his light on it, and shook it; the yolk seemed to have already broken.

“Dazhi, hold the flashlight; I’ll film.”

They filmed everything from the piles of vegetables to a vat of greasy water with floating debris.

“Ugh, this is too much trouble.” Liu Dazhi walked to the wall, flipping on all the lights with a “snap.”

The entire warehouse was instantly illuminated, resembling a garbage dump.

“Using a flashlight is so troublesome; this is much more convenient.” Liu Dazhi gestured with his chin, but noticed Chen Tong’s face had changed, “This won’t do.”

“Dude, you turned on the entire kitchen’s power!”

Liu Dazhi had flipped the main switch; all the lights in the warehouse, kitchen, and main dining hall simultaneously lit up.

From outside the school, the kitchen seemed to be open for business again.

“Run! Someone will be here soon!” Chen Tong quickly put away the camera and went to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Liu Dazhi was about to take out his wire. Chen Tong pointed to a window on the wall next to the shelves: “No time! Climb up!” The two frantically moved several sacks of rice and flour. The sound of security guards approaching echoed from outside.

“Climb on my back first.” Chen Tong crouched down.

“What about you?”

“I’m taller; I can climb over directly.”

By the time the security guards entered, the two had already scaled the school wall. Liu Dazhi didn’t dare linger, quickly running towards the main road through the bushes; Chen Tong was a little slower.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine. I was just checking if they were chasing us.”

Under the streetlights, Liu Dazhi became anxious: “Damn, you’re bleeding! We need to go to the hospital!”

“No, no.” Chen Tong touched his face; he must have hit the window frame. He wiped the bl00d, lightly touching his brow; a small cut, nothing serious.

“It’ll heal tomorrow; no need for the hospital.” Chen Tong waved his hand.

“No way, we have to go. Get on.” Liu Dazhi stood before Chen Tong, crouching down.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll carry you…”

“Get lost! I’m a man.”

“You carried me when I twisted my ankle last time.” Ignoring Chen Tong, Liu Dazhi remained crouched.

Chen Tong stepped forward, kicking Liu Dazhi over: “I said no; my leg’s fine, just a scratch on my face.”

“No way, no way.” Liu Dazhi insisted on helping Chen Tong to the hospital, practically kidnapping him.

Chen Tong and Weixiao also made progress.

After obtaining the names and phone numbers of various department heads, they directly ambushed them at the school gate for interviews. They presented their credentials from the campus news competition committee, set up their equipment, and the interviewees could only reluctantly agree to the interview.

Watching the footage Weixiao and the others had filmed, Liu Dazhi anxiously said: “This won’t work, will it? Why are they all ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’? Are the Education Bureau officials all mute?”

Weixiao nodded: “Yeah, I thought so too at first. But don’t you think their refusal to answer, their silence, actually speaks volumes? This avoidance of responsibility is more persuasive than a direct response.”

“Yeah, let them stay silent forever!” Liu Dazhi suddenly understood. Sometimes, silence is more powerful than words.

“Anyone who hasn’t faced setbacks hasn’t truly strived; they’ve just drifted along. Anyone who’s faced setbacks and still stands tall possesses the strength forged through struggle.”

Trouble quickly arrived.

Someone called Chen Zhijun to complain about Chen Tong filming them. The construction company also called Wang Daqian, saying they absolutely wouldn’t allow their interview footage to be used in the program.

The group sat in the classroom, looking dejected.

“I have a friend who works in advertising sales.” Hao Huigui began.

“Teacher Hao, how do you have so many friends?” Liu Dazhi slumped.

“Shut up! Want to hear or not?!” A piece of chalk flew towards Liu Dazhi’s forehead.

Everyone burst into laughter, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“My friend said that in advertising sales, you have to face rejection before you can close a deal…”

“I get it!” Liu Dazhi interrupted.

“Get what?”

“Never do advertising sales; it’s a dead end.”

“Liu Dazhi, come here.” Weixiao glared at him. Liu Dazhi grinned and went to the back of the classroom: “I get it, I get it. Without setbacks, the news is meaningless. Facing difficulties means we’re starting to affect others’ interests.”

Chen Tong nodded: “My dad told me this, but he threatened to beat me up if I did this.”

Weixiao also stood up: “I’ll talk to my dad; he has to support me! Otherwise, I’ll cut him off!” Weixiao had always believed that doing news meant expressing yourself freely; taking this first step, she’d already experienced the difficulties.

“Should we change topics?” Liu Dazhi didn’t want Weixiao to be pressured. “Find something that doesn’t involve others, how about that?”

“No, this isn’t just for me; it’s the result of our collective effort; we can’t give up because of me.”

“It’s okay, Weixiao. This news story is for you.” Liu Dazhi continued.

“Dazhi, I really appreciate your help, but I hope everyone understands the significance of this—it’s not just for me; we genuinely want to make a difference. If you’re trying to comfort me, I understand. But if you think this is just for me, then you don’t need to help anymore.”

Liu Dazhi was stunned. Chen Tong quickly pulled him out of the classroom: “I know you don’t want Weixiao to be pressured, but right now, she needs encouragement, she needs to solve this, not find another way. Doing this, of course she’ll be angry.”

Liu Dazhi realized he’d fallen back into old habits; he’d overcome his tendency to avoid difficulties, but he’d reverted to this with Weixiao.

Returning home, Weixiao was restless, unsure how to talk to her father.

During dinner, Wang Daqian mentioned the campus news competition again. Weixiao asked: “Dad, you said someone called you about my interview, right? Did they say they didn’t want their footage used?”

“Yeah.”

“But this news story is really important; you know, many school canteens…”

“Weixiao, don’t tell me; I don’t want to hear this.” Wang Daqian put down his chopsticks.

Weixiao froze. Wang Daqian continued: “Just do your thing; don’t tell me; I was just asking.”

“Then why did you ask… weren’t you hoping I wouldn’t broadcast it?”

“I’ve gotten where I am today without relying on connections. It’s just an interview; if they answer well, that’s their skill; if they don’t, that’s their lack of ability.”

Weixiao hadn’t expected her father to say this; her worries were completely unnecessary. She excitedly hugged her father.

“You haven’t hugged me since high school.” Wang Daqian felt a little embarrassed.

After nearly a month of collecting footage and editing, a ten-minute news report was finally submitted to the committee. Initially, everyone was excited, eagerly awaiting the television station’s response. But two weeks passed with no news; after a few more days, everyone felt their hopes had sunk. Later, they stopped mentioning it, fearing disappointment.

One evening at eight o’clock, Weixiao was having dinner when the phone rang; it was Dingdang, her voice urgent and trembling: “Quick, quick, quick, watch the news! Our… our news report is airing! Oh my god, you looked amazing in that light blue dress! Watch it!”

“Really?” Weixiao hung up and rushed to the television, switching to the news channel; her interview with the Education Bureau officials was already airing. The officials looked embarrassed, unable to answer Weixiao’s rapid-fire questions. Her father and Aunt Zhang watched, exclaiming: “These school canteens are outrageous! Weixiao, your news report is excellent! We’re so proud of you!” Liu Dazhi also told Hao Tiemei at home: “Mom, I found this lead; isn’t that amazing?”

“How did you find it?”

“I went undercover at other schools, secretly investigating for a long time; I’ve fallen in love with this work!”

“You want to be a reporter?”

“No, I want to be an undercover agent!”

“Slap!” Liu Dazhi received a slap on the forehead. The news report hadn’t finished when Weixiao’s phone rang; it was a furious call: “Wang Daqian, what did you promise me?! Didn’t you say you’d do everything to prevent your daughter from using my interview footage?! You bastard!”

Wang Daqian remained calm, apologizing repeatedly: “Director, I said I’d try my best, but my daughter and I haven’t spoken in two weeks; I’m helpless. Director, I’ll visit you tomorrow to apologize.”

The phone hung up, then rang again—another angry call.

“Dad, thank you.”

“It’s just an apology; I’m not afraid of apologizing. If apologizing can solve problems, then don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Make as many mistakes as you want; I’ll apologize for them all.”

The next morning, classmates greeted Weixiao, showing her their packed lunches; many mothers had gotten up early to prepare, refusing to let their children eat school lunches anymore. Hao Huigui was waiting in the classroom; seeing Weixiao, he said: “The news report aired last night; the effect was excellent. Director He said the Education Bureau leaders held a meeting this morning, severely criticizing the official in charge of school canteens and ordering a thorough investigation. That official will probably be demoted.”

Liu Dazhi and Chen Tong entered the classroom. Liu Dazhi excitedly said: “Weixiao was amazing last night; we’re practically guaranteed to win, right?”

“Not yet; this is just a showcase of excellent works; but it’s highly likely.”

This news report not only led to a city-wide crackdown on school canteens, but also the removal of relevant officials, the re-regulation of supply chains, and the establishment of a special supervisory department to prevent the outsourcing of school canteens to private individuals. The television station also followed up on the reforms. School teachers congratulated Hao Huigui on his likely award. Dingdang also reminded Weixiao: “Remember, once you become the head of the school television station, you have to let me host a song request program.”

During this period, not only news media came to interview them, but Weixiao and the others were also invited to share their experiences with other students. They were treated like little celebrities, but they most anticipated the award ceremony next Monday, which would determine whether they could establish a school television station.

Monday, Liu Dazhi and the others were in class; Hao Huigui attended the award ceremony alone.

After school, everyone gathered in the classroom. Hao Huigui returned, looking troubled.

Everyone sensed something was wrong.

“Teacher Hao, did we… not win?” Chen Tong asked.

Hao Huigui nodded, then shook his head: “The committee chairman contacted me, saying the award was canceled due to the negative impact of the news report; it didn’t align with the competition’s requirements.”

Everyone felt a little disappointed, but they looked at Weixiao; she must be the most upset. Seeing everyone looking at her, Weixiao smiled: “Actually, I’d already considered the possibility of not winning. But when the news report aired, I was already satisfied. We’ve made a real difference. During this time, I truly understood what an ideal is—it’s not about striving for an award but about making a difference. I didn’t do this for an award; I did it because I wanted to do what’s right. And when many people started contacting Chen Tong’s father and my father, I realized why doing news is so difficult—it’s difficult, so we have to keep doing it. Let’s be happy; I’m really fine. Everyone helped me; thank you. And if we can’t have a television station, we can still have a radio station.” Hearing her final words, everyone realized they’d come full circle.

“Weixiao, I need to confess something.” Liu Dazhi didn’t want to hide it any longer.

“Huh?”

“After I barged into the broadcasting room, the principal decided to shut down the broadcasting station.”

We all kept it from you, to avoid upsetting you. Teacher Hao came up with this plan, hoping to win the competition and establish a campus TV station. But unexpectedly, we were disqualified. The broadcasting station is gone; it’s all my fault. You said everyone was helping you, but actually, everyone was helping me; we deceived you.”

Weixiao looked at Liu Dazhi, then at Hao Huigui.

Hao Huigui nodded at her. Weixiao bit her lower lip, thinking for a moment: “It’s okay, if we can’t do it, then we can’t. Anyway, I was using the broadcasting station to gain experience. I still have so much to learn; I don’t necessarily need the broadcasting station. I’m going to apply to Beijing Broadcasting Institute’s journalism program; I have a lot to prepare. It’s fine; you don’t need to blame yourself too much. If you hadn’t caused the broadcasting station to shut down, we might never have had the chance to do this, and we wouldn’t know we could actually do it, right?”

“Really?” Liu Dazhi asked incredulously.

“Come here, kneel down.” Weixiao looked at him.

“Ah?”

“I already said it’s okay, but you keep asking, then kneel here for the night. I’ll forgive you then.”

“No, no!” Liu Dazhi quickly explained. The others laughed.

Hao Huigui watched from the side, breathing a sigh of relief. Although they didn’t win the award, wasn’t this his ultimate goal? To reconcile Weixiao and Liu Dazhi.

“Come, come, come, Teacher’s treating you all to ice cream!”

“Yay!” Everyone immediately forgot their previous unhappiness.

Young people are so easy to please, and they forget things easily. But once they’ve truly invested their emotions, everything becomes meaningful. A week later, the television station called; the city’s education channel wanted to do a program interviewing top college entrance exam scorers. Everyone felt Weixiao had performed exceptionally well in her student canteen interview and wanted to invite her to be the program host. Seeing Weixiao interview past top scorers on television, Hao Huigui couldn’t help but exclaim: “Life is always full of wonders; once you work hard at something, if the result isn’t what you imagined, then fate will definitely give you a better result.”