"The worst thing is that they only live in cities. Their understanding of the countryside is limited to farmhouses in the far suburbs. They collect sneakers, smoke cigars, do exquisite nails, and carry branded bags. They enjoy a petty bourgeoisie lifestyle and are obsessed with the hypocritical term 'middle class'. The fundamental purpose of their reporting is to become 'above the rest'."
"But they dare to point fingers at what happens in a small village on the border of our motherland."
“And some people actually believe what they say.”
The vice president was successfully diverted by him and was very worried about the future of their industry:
"What can I do? How can professional ethics be worth real money?"
He calculated carefully and said, "I won't say too much. Just give me one million and I will scold you to death."
Cui Boxing rolled his eyes at him and said, "I'm quite valuable. You know, it only costs a hundred dollars for me to scold you to death."
The vice president quit and said, "I don't want the money, just the food."
Cui Boxing said disdainfully: "It should be said that without lofty personal beliefs and a clear sense of bottom line, it is not recommended to engage in careers with a strong sense of social responsibility such as journalists or media professionals."
The vice president was even more pessimistic: "But, whether it's a reporter or a media person, it's just a job. The purpose of work is to make money."
Cui Boxing motioned for him to look outside.
In the empty office, Lin Jiaqiao was writing and drawing on the computer.
Cui Boxing said: "Making money is a must. But the meaning of work is not just to make money."
The vice president nodded, "It's hard to find such a stupid child now. I'll go sign a tripartite agreement with her now to prevent her from running away."
As he walked out of the office, the vice president's phone rang. It was a familiar colleague who wanted to use his connections to interview Cui Boxing. The vice president had received many such calls today.
In the end, he couldn't help it and scolded the man.
Contrary to what Cui Boxing thought, Lin Jiaqiao was not working.
She thought she had convinced He Youwei, but she didn't expect that "Looking for Xiaoxu" would be launched on time.
She couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't tried her best.
She didn't want to watch the show anymore and planned to treat it coldly as in the original timeline.
But she still has to watch if she wants to redeem herself from her mistakes.
In order to show her disdain for He Youwei, she watched the pirated video with a narrow mind.
Upon seeing this, she was surprised to find that Zhou Lai Fu was the one who hit and killed Cui Boxing.
And He Youwei and Zhou Laifu actually had some connection with each other.
The clues in Lin Dapeng's notebook were connected.
Lin Jiaqiao wondered, what about An Xile and what was her relationship with these two people.
Lin Jiaqiao began to take this matter seriously.
She collected all the reports about 'Searching for Xiaoxu' on the Internet.
Usually, when people read a report, they always ignore the writer, but Lin Jiaqiao has an occupational disease, she always pays attention to the person who wrote the report.
Then, she found a familiar name, Wang Ruile.
All the radical reports about 'Looking for Xiaoxu' were written by this person.
Lin Jiaqiao felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.
"Looking for Xiaoxu" has caused a lot of controversy online. Netizens are divided into two opposing camps. One camp agrees with He Youwei and believes that Cui Boxing's rescue of abducted women is fake and that he is just hyping it up.
The other side believes in Cui Boxing's character and believes that there are great souls in the world.
In the real world, the impact of this incident is not that great, ranking behind "Spinach is two cents cheaper today", "Aunt Zhang next door's son doesn't seem to be in good shape" and "Should we play basketball or square dance on the basketball court?"
Gu Xiaoxu stayed at home for a few days, adjusted his mood, and went back to work in the bookstore.
The only difference from before was that Zhao Ruihe picked her up and dropped her off every day.
Every morning when she went out, Zhao Ruihe waited at her door. Every evening when she got off work, Zhao Ruihe waited for her at the door of the bookstore.
Under the influence of the drugs, Gu Xiaoxu didn't want to talk, so Zhao Ruihe followed her quietly.
When it was almost time to get off work that day, a colleague reminded Gu Xiaoxu: "It's snowing outside, and it looks like sleet."
Gu Xiaoxu said: "I brought an umbrella."
My colleague said, "It seems the guy outside didn't bring it."
Gu Xiaoxu looked outside the door and saw Zhao Ruihe walking towards her in the snowy wind.
Zhao Ruihe used to sit by the window when he came to the bookstore. Now he sat by the door so that he and Gu Xiaoxu could leave at any time.
He probably didn't notice that it was sleeting today and didn't bring an umbrella. When Gu Xiaoxu passed by the door, he whispered, "Let's go."
Zhao Ruihe was flattered. He grabbed Gu Xiaoxu's umbrella in a panic and held it up for her. Then he asked, "Can I hold it for you?"
Gu Xiaoxu nodded, and the two of them walked into the snow.
There were not many people on the road, and it was very quiet. The two walked side by side, as if they were the only two people left in the world.
Gu Xiaoxu suddenly said, "The cat may have to stay with you for a few days. I can't take care of it recently."
Zhao Ruihe nodded, "No problem."
He glanced at Gu Xiaoxu, hesitated for a moment, and decided to hit a straight ball.
He said, "More than a cat, I want to take care of you."
"Don't be in a hurry to reject me, just listen to me first."
"What I really want to say is that I want to date you, but the situation is not right now, and what I said seemed very tactless and like a threat."
"So, let's both take a step back and ask you to allow me to stay with you, okay."
"You're not in good condition right now, and your brother has to go to school, so he can't take care of you all the time. So, let me stay with you, okay?"
Gu Xiaoxu was stunned for a long time, until the rain and snow fell on her face, she came back to her senses. She said: "What you heard is true. I—"
Zhao Ruihe interrupted her, "I know, I hesitated too. You remember, I ran away at that time."
"But when I think about it, this is nothing."
"If you really think about it, my past is 'wonderful'."
"What I said is true. I used to sound quite rude. ... Anyway, you know my situation well, so don't use this reason to reject me."
He emphasized, "But that was before I met you. After I met you, I have remained a virgin."
Gu Xiaoxu felt something cold on her face, and when she wiped it with her hand, she found that it was tears.
Before she knew it, she was in tears.
She asked: "...you, why?"
Why do you want to take care of me, why are you willing to stay with me.
Zhao Ruihe said: "Because you make me want to be a better person."
I could have lived my life in a muddle, but it was you who made me want to take life seriously.
Zhao Ruihe had his own way of dealing with online rumors. He unplugged Gu Xiaoxu's Internet cable.
Without the Internet, Gu Xiaoxu's life became much more peaceful. She went to bed early and got up early, went to work on time, and the empty feeling of anxiety gradually dissipated.
The only regret was that she still couldn't sleep.
She could only sleep for a short time every night and was always surprised by nightmares. However, compared with the sleepless nights before, it was a good improvement.
That morning, when Zhao Ruihe came in, Gu Xiaoxu was already having breakfast.
She actually rarely cooks.
She was not a good cook and had been beaten many times in the past because the food she cooked was not to Zhou Laifu's taste. As time went by, she had an instinctive resistance to cooking.
But recently, she has started trying to cook for herself.
Zhao Ruihe frowned, "It's only four o'clock now."
Gu Xiaoxu replied: "The early bird catches the worm."
Zhao Ruihe looked at her for a while and said, "I'll take you to a good place."
Zhao Ruihe lives on the top floor, and the rooftop is his territory.
He set up a semi-enclosed tent on the rooftop, with an old sofa in the tent. In front of the sofa was a barbecue grill, and next to the grill were two unsealed boxes of beer, one in cans and the other in bottles.
"This is my secret base."
Zhao Ruihe lifted the sofa cushion and took out a blanket from it.
Although Gu Xiaoxu was wearing a down jacket, he still wrapped her tightly in a blanket.
"Sit down, we'll wait for today's sunrise."
Then he started to take out the two boxes of beer, trying to find the unfinished beer in the cans.
But the weather was so cold that he pulled his hand back out of the cold after just a few touches.
"I wanted to buy you a drink. Never mind. It won't take long. Just bear with it."
Gu Xiaoxu's arms were wrapped up, so she could only kick the grill with her feet. "Would you and your friends come over to play?"
"I don't have any friends." Zhao Ruihe put on his hat and stuffed his face into his scarf, leaving only his eyes exposed. "You are the first person to come here."
"When the weather is warm, I don't want to stay alone in the house, so I stay upstairs overnight. There are mosquito coils and toilet water on the sofa."
He muttered quietly, "But it will be better from now on. I won't be alone anymore."
Gu Xiaoxu pretended not to get close to him, but her ears secretly turned red.
By this time, the sky was already almost light, and the red light of the sun burst out from the sky.
The temperature didn't change noticeably, but the sun always made people feel warm.
Gu Xiaoxu suddenly said: "... Actually, I'm very scared."
"I'm afraid they will find me. I'm afraid everyone will believe what they say is the truth. I'm afraid people around me will know that this person is me. ... I just want a quiet life. Is it so difficult?"
"Why do they treat me like this?"
Zhao Ruihe didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only say: "...it will pass."
Gu Xiaoxu added: "Actually, I had planned to go traveling after the Chinese New Year and spring."
"I saw a sea of pink muhly grass flowers in a travel magazine before. It was very beautiful, like the morning sky. I want to go and see it."
"It's just that it's a little far from Haicheng, and it takes a long time to take the train, so I haven't made up my mind yet."
“… I want to go see it once this is over.”
"I want to take Gu Yiming with me. I promised him before that I would take him around the world."
Perhaps the surrounding environment made her relax. She gradually felt tired and her voice became smaller and smaller. Finally, she leaned on Zhao Ruihe's shoulder unconsciously and seemed to fall asleep.
Zhao Ruihe tucked her hair behind her ears and whispered, "Take me with you too."
Gu Xiaoxu hummed softly in her dream, as if she agreed.
When Gu Yiming came to the balcony, he saw this scene:
Gu Xiaoxu and Zhao Ruihe snuggled up to each other and fell asleep in the morning sunshine.
Gu Yiming’s residential community.