Chapter 0320 QH Welcomes You

Sitting on the plane, Zhao Fusheng watched the city gradually shrink beneath the fuselage, his mood quite different.

Some say growing up is a painful thing, because we may not necessarily gain anything, but we will surely lose something. Perhaps the twists and turns in life are all predestined.

The plane hummed as it threaded through the clouds. Zhao Fusheng closed his eyes, but in his mind was the city that had just grown smaller in his sight. In his memory, Ninghai only began to develop rapidly from 2006 onward. Before that, despite bearing the title of the fourth-largest city in the province, it had actually fallen to seventh or eighth place in the provincial rankings.

Zhao Fusheng sometimes wondered what impact he, this little butterfly, would have on the city. After all, in the original trajectory of history, it wasn't until the year he graduated from university that Ninghai got its first large supermarket. He couldn't quite remember the name—either RT-Mart or Dafuyuan.

Zhao Fusheng thought back to when he left home to make his way in Beijing, riding a green train, shuttling through the mountains. The hard-sleeper car was crowded, with children's noise and the clamor of various dialects.

At that time, Beijing was where dreams began for many. Amid the roar of the train, people poured into Beijing from all directions, eager to realize their ideals there.

Zhao Fusheng remembered clearly that before boarding, he said to his father who came to see him off, "A good man aspires to be everywhere." But once on the train, having left home so far for the first time, he was overwhelmed with tears.

Now, Zhao Fusheng did not let his father see him off. Although they had exchanged the same words during the Spring Festival, everything had changed.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng at this age was impulsive, doing everything with sheer passion. Now, though still just over twenty, he had matured.

Zhao Fusheng clearly knew what he had and what he needed. Such thoughts in his previous life could only appear in those who, at thirty, had no pursuit for the future and could only reminisce about the past.

But now, Zhao Fusheng was only a junior in college. He had countless opportunities to create a bright future for himself and to make up for all regrets and helplessness.

This is an era without heroes. Girls all hope their lover is a heroic figure, like in legends, stepping on colorful clouds to marry them.

But they don't know what price and effort an ordinary person must pay to stand out in such times. Some places are not reachable by ordinary people, or even if they reach that level, the cost may be unimaginable.

The new century unfolds a beautiful picture before many. Zhao Fusheng knew the world would become less innocent, and people's minds more open. It is said that times make heroes, but the era where success could be achieved through effort alone had passed.

The world used to be full of warmth, as if Darwin's law of the jungle did not apply to human society. But as the economy grew, material things became an important weight on the scale of emotions. An ordinary person, to succeed, must devote all their effort and energy.

Even though doing so might leave them battered and bruised.

But with a handful of bombs in hand and a calm demeanor, everything seemed possible for Zhao Fusheng.

The crisp, pleasant reminder of the flight attendant came over the intercom. Zhao Fusheng slowly opened his eyes, declined the lunch offered by the flight attendant, and said with a smile, "May I have a glass of water, please? Thank you."

Drinking the slightly cool water, Zhao Fusheng looked out the window. In a few hours, he would arrive in Shanghai.

Handing the cup to the flight attendant, Zhao Fusheng put on his eye mask and closed his eyes again. He needed to rest up before arriving in Shanghai.

He was not like the young man beside him, who was enthusiastically chatting up the beautiful woman next to him.

...

...

When the plane landed, Zhao Fusheng looked up, feeling the vibration of the descent. He checked the time, turned on his phone, and found several text messages from Zheng Yao. After glancing at them, he shook his head, found her number, and dialed.

"I'm in Shanghai."

His first words were said with a smile: "So don't think about negotiating with me."

Zheng Yao rolled her eyes: "Come on, do you have to hide that far?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "I've already laid the foundation for Future Advertising. Plus, I'll continue to stay in the company. So you can't always count on me to inject capital. Transfusion is not as good as hematopoiesis—I think you understand that."

Zheng Yao's reason for contacting him was simple: she had heard from Dong Chenxi that the website Zhao Fusheng and Wang Zhen had set up was making good money, and she had her eye on that money again.

She had been wondering where Zhao Fusheng got so much money to buy a villa. At the time, she actually believed it was from the script, but on second thought, it didn't add up. Zhao Fusheng wasn't the type to spend over a hundred thousand on a house when he only had two hundred thousand.

Later, she heard the whole story from Dong Chenxi and immediately became interested in that money.

Unlike Zhao Fusheng, who planned to develop in multiple areas, Zheng Yao was set on expanding Future Advertising. In her view, it was useless for Zhao Fusheng to keep so much money; he might as well invest it in the company.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words now, Zheng Yao understood that he had other ideas.

"What are you going to Shanghai for?" Since Zhao Fusheng had made his stance clear, Zheng Yao didn't press further, but she was still curious.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "To see a friend and handle some personal matters."

"Oh, okay. When you're done and come back, I'll wait for you in Binzhou. There's a proposal I want you to look over and give your opinion on," Zheng Yao said.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. Since Zheng Yao said that, it seemed she had already drafted the proposal and needed his help to finalize it.

Hanging up, Zhao Fusheng gathered his luggage and followed the crowd off the plane. When he reached the arrival gate, he didn't see Tan Kaixuan.

Thinking about it, he remembered that Shanghai didn't have Pudong Airport yet. Or rather, the newly built airport wouldn't be fully operational until seven or eight years later, and naturally, there were no subway lines running through the city. Of course, there was a subway, but only Line 1 was running; Line 2 wouldn't start until the summer of this year.

Standing there, Zhao Fusheng took out his phone to call Tan Kaixuan.

At that moment, the two young people who had been sitting next to him on the plane happened to appear beside him.

"Um, could you give me your phone number?" The young man looked well-off, dressed in brand names, with a hiking backpack that must have cost a few thousand.

"Sorry, I'm flying back to Sydney soon..." The girl was pretty, with delicate features, but when she spoke, it was in a southern Mandarin accent that sounded a bit odd.

"Oh, which flight?" the young man asked curiously.

The girl glanced at him: "The earliest one."

With that, she walked straight away, clearly not wanting to engage with him.

Zhao Fusheng found it amusing. After all, such behavior seemed childish and interesting to him; at his age, he certainly wouldn't act that way.

Watching the young man check something on his phone, Zhao Fusheng shook his head and dialed Tan Kaixuan: "Where are you?"

"Don't even mention it. Traffic jam on the way. I'll be there soon. Wait for me."

Tan Kaixuan said irritably. He had already left home a bit late, and then got stuck in traffic, making him late.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Alright, hurry up. Got it."

Hanging up, Zhao Fusheng walked toward the exit Tan Kaixuan had mentioned. As he passed a ticket window, he heard the young man say to the clerk, "Excuse me, what's the earliest flight to Xining?"