The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 496 A Woman Who Understands the History of the Ming Dynasty
"Because I was in a coma for a year, I lost my job, so now I have to start all over again."

In a coffee shop near a hotel a few streets away from Love Apartment, Cyndi said this while adding sugar to her coffee.

One, two, three...

I don't like drinking coffee that's too bitter, because life is already bitter enough.

Seeing the surprise in Wen Sheng's eyes as he looked at her adding so much sugar, Xin Ling smiled and said, "Besides, I was in the hospital for so long, and you paid for all the medical and nursing care. I have to pay you back, right?"

She paused, and before Wen Sheng could speak, she said with a strange look in her eyes, "I just didn't expect that the company I'm about to join... is yours."

Upon hearing this, Wen Sheng lowered his head and took a sip of coffee. To be honest, he also found it very strange. Logically speaking, Xin Ling should not know that the company belongs to him. Even the people in the apartment do not know clearly. They only know that he has a music studio. So even if Xin Ling wanted to ask Guan Gu, it would be useless.

As it happened, it was such a coincidence, as if it were all preordained.

Is this fate?

If Yu Mo found out, it would probably cause an uproar.

"Those expenses aren't urgent. It's just that I only found out what kind of hotel you're staying at when I came to see you today?"

Wen Sheng didn't say that he didn't have to pay back the money. Their relationship hadn't reached that point yet, and his charity work wasn't focused on that aspect.

Upon hearing this, Xinling stirred the contents of her cup twice with a spoon before laughing and saying, "It's because the landlord took back my original place, and I didn't want to continue living there after I lost my job. But since I haven't settled on a new job yet, I'm staying in a hotel for the time being."

After saying that, she looked up at Wen Sheng and added, "However, after I received the job offer yesterday, I was planning to find a new place to live, but now..."

At this point, Xinling looked at Wensheng with a hint of trepidation in her eyes.

"What's wrong now?"

Wen Sheng smiled and said, "Are you worried that I'm going to withdraw my offer to you?"

Hmm... thankfully it's not a decade or two from now...

Xinling didn't say anything, but Wensheng naturally knew what the meaning behind her silence was.

"Don't worry, since you passed the interview, I won't withdraw the offer now," Wen Sheng said with a smile. "I came here just because I thought it was a coincidence and quite interesting. Besides, even if I didn't come, wouldn't you find out when you join the company?"

As the boss, he naturally couldn't interview everyone when it came to hiring new employees, since it wasn't like the old Red Leaf Capital.

“I thought you would think…” Xinling hesitated slightly before holding her coffee and saying, “I’m just clinging to you.”

"uh-huh?"

Wen Sheng smiled and shook his head: "We're not enemies, why would I think that way?"

"That's good."

Xinling breathed a slight sigh of relief. Since their meeting a few days ago, although she had not given up on her way of repaying the debt of gratitude, she also realized that in the other party's eyes, her straightforward approach was not pleasing.

As the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks... Of course, she's not a fly, and Wen Sheng isn't an egg, but the meaning is quite similar.

With no other options available, she could only wait.

The air suddenly fell silent as the two sat by the window, quietly drinking coffee, their gazes sometimes drifting to the street outside, sometimes landing on each other's faces.

"Xinling, I've looked at your resume. You used to work at a publishing house. Why are you thinking of changing careers now?"

After a while, Wen Sheng, who had been spied on by Xin Ling several times, finally spoke up to break the silence.

After a while, Cyndi's mood had calmed down.

Taking a sip of coffee, Xinling smiled and looked at Wensheng, saying, "Actually, it's not a complete career change. I was an assistant at the publishing house, but at Wensheng... Brother, may I call you that?"

Wen Sheng raised an eyebrow and nodded with a smile.

"At your company, Brother Wensheng, I also applied for an assistant position. However, at the publishing house, it's an editor's assistant, while here it's a new media publicity assistant. I also have some knowledge of music, otherwise I wouldn't have passed the interview."

Xinling blinked and smiled, saying, "Of course, it's also because your company offers a very high salary, so I came here with a try-it-out attitude. I didn't expect to actually pass."

2011 was a pivotal year for the rapid development of the internet in China, marked by the rise of mobile internet and the emergence of social media. Many traditional industries faced the ultimate choice: either transform or perish.

New media has been developing for several years, but many industries are still taking a wait-and-see approach to the internet. However, if we continue to wait and see after 2010, we will really be watching forever.

Although Wen Sheng was not quite used to the current stage of the internet, which was somewhat outdated for him, he decided to make the best of it and that time would always move forward.

For a seasoned time traveler like him, riding this wave with ease is now a breeze.

Whether it's the music industry or the film and television industry, both rely heavily on emerging media as an important channel, which Wen Sheng naturally values ​​highly.

Looking at Xinling in front of him, who seemed to be plotting something, Wen Sheng suddenly realized that his future days might not be peaceful.

Xinling, who was drinking coffee with her eyes downcast, knew that the other person was watching her, but she still acted as if nothing was wrong.

However, after being stared at for a while, she still felt a little uncomfortable and began to wonder if she hadn't dressed herself properly when she came today.

Unlike the last time we met, when she wore a side braid and an elegant white floral outfit, today she had her hair in a bun and her clothes were mostly bright yellow.

Although it's somewhat different from her past style, she still hopes to project a more sunny and lively image.

"what happened?"

Finally, unable to bear the other person's gaze any longer, Xinling took the initiative to ask.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that you've been in a coma for almost a year. Although I don't say I'm waiting for you to wake up, I sometimes wonder when you'll wake up. And the fact that you came to see me after being in a coma for a year, and our two meetings in a year seem..."

Wen Sheng frowned and thought for a moment before finally saying, "It's rather bland."

Xinling was stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect these words to come from Wensheng's mouth, because these were her feelings and the words she should have said.

After he saved her, she said she would repay him with her virginity, but she fell into a deep sleep shortly after saying that.

When she woke up again a year later, she originally wanted to keep her promise, but the other party had implicitly rejected her.

This ordinariness, for me, might also be a kind of loss.

Xinling thought to herself silently, but after composing herself, she smiled at Wen Sheng, then looked down at the coffee in front of her, which was being stirred by a spoon, and said softly:
“I enjoy reading. When I was working at a publishing house, I was responsible for proofreading historical manuscripts for a while. I saw a manuscript about the history of the Ming Dynasty that left a deep impression on me. The manuscript was about interpreting the book “1587, A Year of No Significance”. What impressed me was a point in the manuscript: the history of the Ming Dynasty has so many earth-shattering years, but that book just happens to choose an “insignificant” year and tell you that all the decline and fall is hidden in this seemingly mundane daily life.”

She paused, then looked up at Wen Sheng: "So sometimes 'ordinary' can also seem 'not ordinary'."

"..."

Wen Sheng listened quietly without speaking. After Xin Ling turned her gaze to the window, he smiled and said, "But that 'ordinary' year, which seemed to have nothing happening, was the crux of the Ming Dynasty's decline in that book. Are you saying that our 'ordinary' encounter is also leading to some kind of bad future?"

"of course not."

Xinling shook her head: "I just want to say that 'ordinary' is not unimportant. Besides, it was just the year that marked the beginning of the Ming Dynasty's decline. But human society has always been moving forward. In a grander historical context, that year could be considered a year of progress."

"Hmm, you're right." Wen Sheng nodded and chuckled, raising his coffee cup in a toast instead of wine.

Xinling smiled and then, after thinking for a moment, said, "Moreover, I don't think that being in a vegetative state for a year was entirely a bad thing for me, although I am also quite regretful that I have to wait another year to see you."

"Not entirely a bad thing?" Wen Sheng asked in surprise. "Then where do you see the good aspects?"

"It's good that I met you, Brother Wensheng." Xinling smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

She reached out and touched her chest, then continued, "I became a vegetable because of that sudden heart attack. I always felt that this heart disease was a shackle on my body. I hated it, but without it, I might not have collapsed on the roadside that night, and I might not have met you."

Seeing the strange look in Wen Sheng's eyes, Xin Ling smiled gently and said, "When I was studying the History of Ming Dynasty, I had some insights when I read about Wang Yangming's enlightenment at Longchang. I often wondered, if Wang Yangming had not suffered the humiliation of being flogged in court and had not experienced the ordeal at Longchang, would he have achieved the great success of his 'philosophy of mind'? The greatest truths in the world often emerge in the darkest moments. A bad karmic connection can forge the greatest good result. The transformation between misfortune and fortune is truly unpredictable... and fascinating, isn't it?"

……

Night, Shanghai Broadcasting Building.

"If you were a firebird, I would be the flame, burning you up~ Burn! Burn!"

In the studio, before the broadcast started, Zeng Xiaoxian grabbed the microphone and sang passionately.

At that moment, the studio door opened, and Nuolan walked in.

Zeng Xiaoxian, who had started his tune too high, was now shouting so loudly that the veins on his neck were bulging and he was feeling dizzy. Just as he turned around to continue his howling, he was met with Nuolan's gaze, which was as if she were looking at a gorilla.

"combustion……"

What I fear most is a sudden silence, and what I fear even more is being witnessed when I fall ill.

Zeng Xiaoxian, who was full of passion, suddenly quieted down, like a barking puppy that had been kicked and immediately tucked its tail between its legs.

"No...Nolan, what brings you here?" Zeng Xiaoxian asked hurriedly and awkwardly. "Quick, please have some tea, no, please have some toothpaste, no..."

"The show airs on two days a week, and I'll be broadcasting today too."

Having witnessed Zeng Xiaoxian's frequent episodes of illness, Nuolan remained calm. After putting down her bag, she said, "Didn't I already tell you about this week's schedule?"

"Ah? Oh!"

Zeng Xiaoxian was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground. He didn't know where to put his hands and could only scratch the back of his head and chuckle awkwardly, "I know, I know, I was just... trying to lighten the mood."

"Alright, let's get ready to go over the script, the show is about to start."

"Oh, okay, okay."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Xiaoxian quickly sat down to prepare for the draft, but at that moment, Nuolan suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Lisa Rong asked me to pass on some bad news to you today."

"bad news?"

Zeng Xiaoxian's smile froze, his mind racing. He seemed to have thought of something, and he said tremblingly, "Could it be that I'm on the list of those sent to aid Alashan again?"

It's no wonder he thought that way. Nolan only broadcasts twice a week this year, which makes the listenership of "Your Moon, My Heart" very unstable, fluctuating up and down.

Without a doubt, his lowest point was when he was hosting the show.

Of course, compared to last year before Nolan came, the listenership of his shows is still higher now.

But the discrepancy found by this method of controlling variables made Zeng Xiaoxian quite uneasy.

They were afraid that one day the leaders would find the program's rollercoaster-like ratings too annoying and, in a fit of anger, shut it down or send the program to the Alashan Desert.

To this end, he even came up with another method to boost the listenership.

"No."

Upon hearing Nuolan's answer, Zeng Xiaoxian immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good, that's good." Zeng Xiaoxian breathed a sigh of relief and laughed again. "As long as they don't send me to Alashan or cancel the show, the rest isn't bad news."

"Really?" Nolan looked at him and asked, "What if 'Dancing with the Stars' disqualifies you from this year's competition?"

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's smile froze again: "Huh? What? Why?!"

He trended on social media twice last year, which briefly brought huge traffic to his live stream, and his listenership hit two new highs.

This year, when he was in dire straits, Zeng Xiaoxian thought that the only way to increase exposure and boost listenership was to put on a new show.

However, the two times he trended on social media last year were once when Hu Yifei angrily scolded him in a live broadcast, and the other time when he participated in "Dancing with the Stars".

Since the former is difficult to replicate, we can only try the latter.

Unexpectedly, the road behind was also blocked.

"Why is this happening? I'd rather my dance partner had a broken leg!" Zeng Xiaoxian exclaimed in surprise. "I've been practicing like crazy this year, it's definitely different from last year, even better than last year, why won't you let me participate?"

Nolan glanced at him; she had almost burst out laughing when she heard him say it was better than last year.

She knew all too well how good Zeng Xiaoxian's singing and dancing skills were.

But as an excellent host, she can still manage this level of facial expression control.

After calming down, Nuolan said, "I'm not entirely sure either. It seems like 'Dancing with the Stars' is disqualifying a group of contestants, but their list is arranged alphabetically by pinyin. Since your surname is Zeng, you were last on the list, so..."

"..."

Upon hearing that this was the reason, Zeng Xiaoxian felt a tightness in his chest and a sensation of wanting to vomit blood.

"This is possible?! Why am I always the one who suffers? Director Nuo, you have to help me, or you can talk to Lisa and ask her to stand up for me, Director Nuo..."

Seeing Zeng Xiaoxian's mournful appearance, Nuolan found it both funny and speechless. She had wondered more than once how this guy, with his personality, could hang out with Wen Sheng.

"Alright, I haven't finished speaking yet. I have some good news."

"good news?"

Zeng Xiaoxian, who was wailing, immediately dropped his worthless expression: "What good news?"

“Lisa said that although she can’t let you go on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, she can let you go on a quiz show with higher ratings—” Nolan smiled at Zeng Xiaoxian.

"Who Can Be a Millionaire!"

(End of this chapter)