36 Chapter Thirty-Five
◎What are you meowing for? Stop meowing like that. ◎
Li Yingqiao and Zhao Pingnan wandered around Fengtan for another two days, but Li Boqing still didn't call her. The night before Li Yingqiao went to work, she called him, but he didn't answer. She sighed heavily; Secretary Li's vision wasn't that grand after all.
So she posted on her WeChat Moments. Three minutes later, instead of Li Boqing calling, Li Lianfeng called first. Li Yingqiao answered the phone, preemptively chuckling, "Brother Lianfeng, still scrolling through WeChat Moments so late?"
Li Lianfeng was still socializing, the sounds of clinking glasses and toasts filling the air on the other end of the phone. He didn't bother with pretense: "Yingqiao, delete your WeChat Moments post first, then we can talk. Is that okay?"
After a moment, she picked up the phone and said, "I deleted it. But don't worry, it's only visible to you guys."
Li Lianfeng breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but adopt a stern tone and lecture her: "Don't post these kinds of dinner party photos indiscriminately in the future. Yingqiao, I always thought you were a smart person, so I didn't specifically remind you that day."
“Of course.” Li Yingqiao answered quickly, as if the wind chimes hanging at the shop entrance were about to ring at the slightest touch. She said in a light voice, “It’s just that Secretary Li handled this matter rather unfairly. Given Uncle Yu’s current situation, I don’t know what his intentions are. He’s set up this situation that puts me in an awkward position. Brother Lian Feng, do you think I’m being wronged?”
Her voice was melodious and pleasant, and even over the phone, she seemed genuinely pitiful.
“It’s a miscarriage of justice.” Li Lianfeng nodded almost instinctively, then quickly changed the subject, “But you brought this on yourself. You brought the people there yourself. The old men had been having issues with his father for the past few years, and I even reminded him at the door that he definitely wouldn’t enjoy the meal, but he insisted on going in with you. I think I’ve done everything I could.”
"Is that so?" Li Yingqiao asked casually, without revealing any emotion. "So, just because things took an unexpected turn and spiraled out of your control, you can erase your initial ulterior motives for setting this up? Are you trying to make me take the blame? Even Brother Feng, you're not being fair."
Surprisingly, she hadn't fallen for his tricks. Li Lianfeng raised an eyebrow, not expecting her to be so articulate. He had only intended to make a casual phone call to remind her, but now he stood up and walked out, standing at the end of the quiet corridor to talk to her seriously: "So what do you want? Did you have a fight with Jin Yang?"
He said he wanted to break off all ties with me.
"You're so outstanding, you don't need him as a friend."
“Yeah, I think so too. We just added each other on WeChat,” Li Yingqiao said. “Let’s not talk about him. I’ve prepared a year’s operating budget plan for the small art market, but Secretary Li isn’t answering my calls. Who am I supposed to ask for this money back?”
So they're here to ask for money. Li Lianfeng, holding the phone, chuckled and said, "Send it to me, I'll show it to the old man later."
Before she could reply, Li Lianfeng added, "From now on, send all the planning and budget proposals for Xiaohua City directly to me. I will forward them to you."
"Okay." Li Yingqiao happily hung up the phone.
Li Lianfeng was very efficient, and the budget proposal was approved in just a few days. Li Yingqiao was going through the handover procedures with her predecessor at that time. After finishing, she gathered everyone together to hold a meeting and assign tasks, only to find that the entire marketing department office of the scenic area was deserted. Including herself, there were only four people in total, including Zhao Pingnan, the actor who played the ape man.
In other words, there were only two staff members in the marketing department. One was Wu Juan, who lived in Xiaohua City, but Li Yingqiao had never met her before, and she hadn't mentioned living there as a child. The other was Pan Xiaoliang, also from Tanzhong, two years younger than her.
A decision announced by Li Yingqiao at the meeting left the two speechless and puzzled.
"Ape Man Conference, anyone want to watch?" Wu Juan exclaimed. "And are we going to make a series, where everyone takes turns eating bananas?"
Just as Pan Xiaoliang was about to speak, someone suddenly let out a "whoosh" from the side.
Zhao Pingnan sat there and let out a sudden howl, quite adeptly, yet his eyes remained calm as he looked at the two of them: "Can't you do it? It's very simple. I learned it in two minutes."
After saying that, he thumped his chest.
Pan Xiaoliang and Wu Juan exchanged a glance: "…………"
Half an hour after the meeting ended, Pan Xiaoliang pushed open the door again and slammed a freshly printed resignation letter onto Li Yingqiao's desk without hesitation. The reason for resigning was short and powerful: he just wanted a decent job.
Li Yingqiao understood perfectly. She nodded repeatedly as she looked at the resignation letter, then crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before asking only, "Are you really not going to give it another try?"
Although Pan Xiaoliang is far from being "handsome," he's the most common type of brick in Fengtan, fitting seamlessly into any building. However, compared to his peers, he comes from a rural area, owns a car and a house, has a relatively stable job, and is considered to be of decent appearance.
He considered himself quite a catch, at least in Fengtan's matchmaking market. Li Yingqiao could sense his arrogance from his words as soon as he entered the office. Sure enough, after less than three sentences, he brought up Fengtan High School again: "President Li, I graduated from Fengtan High School. I have classmates in various government departments. I really can't bear the embarrassment. If videos of me dressed as an ape are all over the internet, my parents won't accept it. Wu Juan's parents definitely won't accept it either; they're both civil servants. If their colleagues see these videos, they'll be mortified."
"You're right," Li Yingqiao said.
Pan Xiaoliang had prepared a whole host of things to say to her. But her casual reply left him speechless, and he felt uneasy. He could only say, "So? You still insist on the Ape Man Conference, right?"
"right."
"..." Pan Xiaoliang almost fainted. "Isn't there any other decent way to choose a number?"
Are you still going to resign?
Pan Xiaoliang angrily pulled back his resignation letter. Seeing that his threat to resign was useless, he said with a flushed face, "You don't have anyone you like in Fengtan, do you!"
Li Yingqiao realized this, no wonder he wrote his resignation letter without hesitation. She laughed: "Pan Xiaoliang, did you not hear a single word I said in the meeting? I said at the end that the ape-men volunteered, did you shut your ears as soon as you sat down in the meeting?"
...This is how apes came to be.
A week later, the Ape Man Conference project entered a period of intensive filming, and the Xiaohuacheng scenic area also registered accounts on various social media platforms. Apart from Pan Xiaoliang, who was a bit burdened by the image of an unmarried young man from a small town, the number of people signing up for the Ape Man Conference was unprecedented. Even Wu Juan signed up, saying that her parents had long since retired, and who cared whether her colleagues could see her on social media?
Gao Dian was the first to see the recruitment information for the ape-men, and without hesitation, he dragged his brothers to sign up. However, Gao Dian had requirements for makeup and hair, saying that they couldn't be too ugly and that he needed to be made up. He turned to ask the other guys, who were all tall and over 1.88 meters, and they didn't have any requirements for makeup and hair, but they couldn't show any nipples.
Li Yingqiao was about to say that this was a legitimate organization.
Pan Xiaoliang couldn't sit still any longer. Where did all these tall, thin, handsome guys come from? Normally, he'd only get a few glances in Fengtan, but these guys walking together would definitely turn heads. The key was, didn't these handsome guys have any of the burdens of being unmarried? He suddenly felt that following Li Yingqiao might actually lead to a raise.
There was one guy among them who was so handsome he looked like he stepped out of a TV show, but his name was awful, "Towel." Wu Juan's eyes never left him. Pan Xiaoliang suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up—
"Stop talking, I'll show my nipples. Someone has to make the sacrifice."
Yu Jinyang, Gao Dian, and others: "…………"
Li Yingqiao, Wu Juan, and others: "……………………"
Li Yingqiao pressed him down, forcing a smile: "Pan Xiaoliang, don't be a fool."
Gao Dian teased Yu Jinyang, "We're like dark soy sauce, that guy's like light soy sauce. An idol is an idol, he gets to know people so quickly."
Yu Jinyang didn't think anything of it; she always had that ability. She said, "They're all friends."
After fierce competition, the list of "orangutans" for Little Painting City was finally finalized: HR orangutan Yu Jinyang, gibbon Gao Dian, delivery orangutan Zhong Su, finance orangutan Wu Juan, programmer Pan Xiaoliang, and unofficial orangutan Zhao Pingnan. Even Pu Ding's son, who was having a tooth extraction at the clinic, took a break to volunteer, and several energetic elderly ladies also came to the scenic area office to sign up, saying that Little Painting City hadn't been this lively in a long time.
Indeed. The cobblestone streets of Xiaohua Town are long and winding, each stone slab bearing the scent of moss showing the passage of time. They stretch from the mottled walls all the way to the deserted dock. The river flows quietly under the afternoon sun, like a piece of silk that has never been worn rough by time, still laid out smoothly, shimmering and reflecting countless dawns and dusks, waiting for the return of those who have traveled far and wide.
The suitcase wheels rattled and swayed as they rolled over the cracks in the bluestone slabs, moving forward unnoticed.
The newcomer was completely dumbfounded, her mouth agape in astonishment at the scene before her. She didn't dare to approach, standing far away and just rubbing her eyes incessantly.
Beneath the old tree roots of Little Painting City, a group of ape-men were leaping and bounding about, dressed in uniform animal skin clothing and straw headbands. The men were dressed rather conservatively, but their spirits were...
Gao Dian, who has long arms and legs since childhood, fully utilized his advantages this time, swinging back and forth in the tree like a gibbon. He would occasionally tug at Yu Jinyang's hair and howl, saying he was going to pick his lice. Yu Jinyang was even more speechless because he instantly understood what Gao Dian was howling about. He couldn't help but brush the hair away and said, "You're too realistic. It doesn't seem like acting. Stop it a bit."
Manager Li Yingqiao glanced at Yu Jinyang: "You're speaking like a human being now. You'll lose two bananas from your performance bonus this month."
Yu Jinyang: "...Awoooo ...
Li Yingqiao leaned closer and asked, "What?"
Yu Jinyang blinked: "That's not fair, that's not fair."
Li Yingqiao laughed: "Speaking like a human again, take two more."
Yu Jinyang: "You're just targeting me and messing with me?"
“Who told you to keep talking like a human?” Li Yingqiao walked past him. “The first rule of the ape worker’s code is that you are not allowed to speak any human language except for howling. You can only move.”
"Okay, okay, so you want to play like this?" Yu Jinyang stared at her innocently. "You won't give me a single one? Then I'll just have to take them!"
"You didn't do anything, your contribution to the camera was zero. Look at your friend." Li Yingqiao pointed with her chin, then froze. "Huh? Wasn't he just rubbing sticks together to start a fire? What's he doing now? Is he taking a dump?"
Yu Jinyang turned his face away and said, "I don't even have a single banana. Not only do I have to bring you monkeys, but I also have to do the translation work. Am I doing too much?"
Li Yingqiao immediately shoved two cigarettes into his hand: "Is it okay if I promote you to vice president? What exactly is Zhong Su doing? How am I supposed to get the copywriter to write this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yingqiao caught a glimpse of a figure standing at the alley entrance behind her for a long time. She stared at it intently, and after a moment, her face lit up with joy. Yu Jinyang had never seen her smile so brightly before. He then saw her signature bright red tonsils beaming with a smile: "Miaojia! Miaojia! Yu Jinyang, that's actually Miaojia!"
***
“Great painter, come, come, what would you like to drink? I heard that nowadays people charge six figures for a single cartoon you draw.” Gao Dian sat on a barbecue stall, chicken bones swirling in his mouth. “I’ve always thought you’d be successful when you grew up. I’ve never seen Li Bai with such big biceps.”
Zheng Miaojia ignored him, looked at the two unfamiliar faces opposite her, and smiled: "Two new friends?"
The man in the polo shirt and casual pants introduced himself first: "Zhong Su. Zhong as in clock, Su as in serious. I met Yu Jinyang when we were studying in Chicago."
Zhao Pingnan also extended his hand: "Zhao Pingnan, the Pingnan of Nanping Evening Bell. Yingqiao and I used to work together at a lousy company in Beijing."
"Okay, let's have a toast then." Zheng Miaojia raised her glass and said, "To this messed-up world."
Gao Dian quickly leaned close to Yu Jinyang's ear, his breath reeking of cumin: "It seems he really ran into trouble outside."
Yu Jinyang leaned back in his chair and didn't say anything.
Immediately afterwards, Li Yingqiao picked up the can of beer in front of her and clinked it against Zheng Miaojia's, laughing as she said, "To this beautiful world!"
With his greasy lips glistening from chewing, Gao Dian leaned close to someone's ear and whispered, "Our idol is really sick."
Yu Jinyang glanced at him, casually grabbed a piece of paper from the stall and handed it to him to wipe his mouth. Gao Dian was flattered and took the paper, saying thank you.
The next second, he said, "You're the one who's sick."
Gaodian: "..."
After a few rounds of drinks, Li Yingqiao was still chatting with Zheng Miaojia when she suddenly turned around, raised her glass, and unexpectedly said to him, "Meow, let's have a drink."
"What have you been learning all this time? You're already dancing around at your friends' gathering." Yu Jinyang picked up a beer can and clinked it against hers. "You should drink less."
"Don't worry, you won't get drunk."
"You can drink a lot now?" he asked.
"Meow, you really don't know me. I used to be a heavy drinker." Li Yingqiao laughed and tapped his beer can again.
Yu Jinyang held the bottle, staring intently at her, but neither drank nor touched it. He simply held it and said, "We drank together in our senior year of high school, have you forgotten?"
For the first time, Li Yingqiao felt her gaze being held, as if he would pinch her face and turn her back if she looked away. But she was still stunned: "Huh? Really? When?"
"Okay, okay, you forgot again." He tilted his head back, finished the last gulp, crushed the can, and turned his face away. "What are you meowing for? Don't meow anymore."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Zheng Miaojia, feigning drunkenness, grabbed Li Yingqiao by the neck and pulled her back from her toast with Yu Jinyang. In front of everyone, she cupped Li Yingqiao's face in her hands and planted a loud, forceful kiss on her cheek: "Our Qiaoqiao is getting more and more beautiful! I wonder which boy will be lucky enough to marry her. Never mind, I'll give her a kiss first!"
[Author's Note]
See you the day after tomorrow.
Finally, everyone has gathered!
Two hundred red envelopes.
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