The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 515 Sudden Emergence

The ancients often said that the three great joys in life are passing the imperial examination, the wedding night, and meeting an old friend in a foreign land. However, with the development of the times, these three joys no longer fully fit the current society.

The most typical example is the great joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. In ancient times, due to the inconvenience of transportation, it was indeed rare and worth celebrating to meet a fellow villager or old friend in a foreign place. But in today's world with advanced transportation, it is not difficult to see an acquaintance.

As for the differences between the past and present in the other two major joyous events, opinions will vary, since future prospects and marriage have become rather sensitive topics today.

So if we're talking about the three great joys of modern times, winning the lottery is definitely the one most people would want to experience.

For Zeng Xiaoxian tonight, the joy of suddenly becoming a millionaire from a midnight operator is almost no less than winning the lottery.

When ribbons and gold leaf rained down from the sky and danced above the stage, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

Under the spotlight, the gold leaf, as thin as a cicada's wing, reflected countless tiny specks of light, swirling and sparkling, as if a golden rain had fallen on the stage.

It all felt like a dream.

Zeng Xiaoxian stood at the center of it all, tilting his head slightly. The ribbons and gold foil fell on his black hair, which he had specially styled before going on the show today, and on his pale cheeks, which were still somewhat pale from the intense tension he had just experienced while answering the last question.

He didn't raise his arms and shout as expected, nor did he burst into tears of joy. He simply stood there, a slight smile on his face, his chest rising and falling gently, calmly accepting this baptism.

Zeng Xiaoxian suddenly realized why rich people always say they are lonely.

Just like right now, even though I know my friends are watching me on TV, I still feel lonely.

At this most important turning point in his life, there wasn't a single familiar person around him who could share his joy in the first moment.

A piece of gold leaf gently brushed past Zeng Xiaoxian's eyelashes and landed on his shoulder. He subconsciously squinted slightly. In his vision, the audience below the stage turned into a boiling, blurry color. Everyone stood up, waving their arms, their faces filled with excitement and admiration, and their mouths were all shouting.

However, at a certain moment, his gaze suddenly stopped, his slightly narrowed eyes widened abruptly, and the faint smile on his face froze.

In my field of vision, the colors that the boiling, blurry audience had transformed into gradually faded and turned grayish-white, leaving only a single hue in the center.

"Laura... Laura?"

……

The cheers and celebrations weren't confined to this studio.

Love Apartment 3601.

"Teacher Zeng has truly created a miracle!"

"This is absolutely a historic moment!"

"Teacher Zeng has become a millionaire!"

The people sitting in front of the TV witnessed Zeng Xiaoxian's magnificent reversal of fortune. When the host announced that Zeng Xiaoxian's answer was correct, they immediately jumped up and cheered.

Not only Zeng Xiaoxian felt like it was a dream, but everyone watching on TV also felt like it was a dream.

Guan Gu and Youyou hugged each other excitedly, and Zi Qiao and Zhang Wei also hugged each other...

Hu Yifei, who had been somewhat dejected, breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Zeng Xiaoxian looking so radiant on TV, she couldn't help but feel happy for him.

Just thinking about the brief internal struggle she had during the moment she was looking for the CD made her feel a little uneasy.

When did Zeng Xiaoxian become so important to me? When did I start to resemble that jerk Zeng more and more?
Sitting on the sofa, Wen Sheng looked at Nuolan and Yu Mo, who were also embracing each other, and couldn't help but feel envious. He thought to himself that he should also put his plan to sleep together in the same bed on the agenda.

"Brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? Teacher Zeng won the show, let's get this celebration party going!"

As Lu Ziqiao finished speaking, the people in the apartment responded one after another. They were originally going to have a celebration party the night before last, but Zeng Xiaoxian got himself drunk right away, so the party was canceled. But now that everything was settled, they had to have a proper celebration!
……

Meanwhile, at Zhuge Dasheng's house, watching Zeng Xiaoxian win the five million yuan prize on TV, Attorney Zhuge was somewhat lost in thought, but what she was recalling was what Wen Sheng had told her before.

"Sister Sheng, how about we make a bet? Let's bet on whether Zeng Xiaoxian can answer the last question correctly tomorrow night. If he does, we'll come to Sheshan again."

After returning from Sheshan yesterday, while Dali went upstairs first, Wensheng whispered something in Lawyer Zhuge's ear.

Zhuge Dasheng neither agreed to the bet proposed by Wen Sheng nor said what would happen if Zeng Xiaoxian failed to answer. However, she also did not refuse.

There was neither agreement nor rejection, so what does that mean?
Lawyer Zhuge was also somewhat bewildered. The words spoken and the events that occurred by the campfire on the mountain last night were still vivid in his mind.

As soon as I close my eyes, the feeling of being kissed until I can't breathe, and the feeling of my waist being tightly held, will be transmitted to my body through my clothes and everything else.

That restlessness and heat had already connected with her heart, which hadn't beaten so fast in a long time.

Ugh!
"Dali, you should get some rest." Lawyer Zhuge waved to her daughter, who was also happy about Zeng Xiaoxian winning the millionaire title on TV, telling her to stop standing there grinning like an idiot.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

After Zhuge Dali walked over, she exclaimed, "I never thought Uncle Zeng could actually win five million. When I went to the apartment before, I thought all he did was burp!"

After a pause, Zhuge Dali laughed again, "You really can't judge a book by its cover! Uncle must be watching the show too. I'd like to ask Uncle to take me to his apartment later."

"Dali, don't you get tired of calling me 'Uncle' all the time? Maybe we can... change how we address you in the future."

……

Lonely Corner Bar.

"It's almost ten o'clock, why hasn't Teacher Zeng come back yet?" Zhang Wei looked at the time and frowned.

Guan Gu Shenqi, who was standing to the side, burped and said, "Yeah, if Teacher Zeng doesn't come back soon, I'm going to get drunk first this time."

"Who told you to drink so much?" Tang Youyou rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm happy!"

Everyone sat around the sofa area, with a large pile of wine on the coffee table in front of them. In fact, most of these wines were leftovers from the last celebration banquet.

Nuolan, who was clinking glasses with Yu Mo, thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps even though the live broadcast of the show has ended, Zeng Xiaoxian still needs to stay and wrap things up. After all, he was the first person to win the five million yuan prize on the show, and there might even be a reporter interview."

As Zeng Xiaoxian's superior, Nuolan was also somewhat moved after watching the show. She was surprised that someone who was usually overwhelmed by listeners' questions on the show was actually quite adept at handling a knowledge quiz.

Yesterday, she heard from Lisa Rong how high the ratings were after Zeng Xiaoxian appeared on the show. Today, he accomplished this historic feat. It is foreseeable that the host of "Midnight Ring" will see his career take off in the future.

As for the five million, Nuolan felt it was secondary. Although it was indeed a large sum of money, it wasn't considered excessive by her, a young woman of considerable wealth.

"Hey, why don't we call Teacher Zeng again and ask?" Yu Mo suggested.

"agree!"

Then everyone turned their attention to Hu Yifei, who was staring blankly on the other side.

Hu Yifei, noticing the gazes on her, snapped out of her daze and, seeing everyone staring at her, asked somewhat awkwardly, "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Let's call Teacher Zeng and ask him when he's coming back!" everyone shouted in unison.

"..."

Hu Yifei tightened her grip on the wine glass slightly, but thankfully she managed to catch her breath before it shattered, saying, "What's the point of fighting? He'll come back when he's done with what he's doing."

After a pause, Hu Yifei added, "Besides, why should I be the one to fight?"

"Because Zeng Xiaoxian only called you just now."

At this moment, Wen Sheng chuckled and added, "Besides, we need to know exactly when Zeng Xiaoxian will be back while we're waiting here, otherwise we'll get drunk before he even arrives." "Yeah, yeah!"

"..."

Seeing that everyone else was agreeing with Wen Sheng, Hu Yifei gritted her teeth, glared at Wen Sheng, and then reluctantly took out her phone.

"Wait."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hu Yifei dialed Zeng Xiaoxian's number with mixed feelings.

"Zeng Xiaoxian, when are you coming back? Everyone's waiting for you at the bar!"

After saying that, Hu Yifei quickly hung up the phone.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Tang Youyou couldn't help but ask, "That's it? What did Teacher Zeng say?"

He said he was already at the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, a strangely familiar, lewd laugh rang out.

"Hahaha, brothers and sisters, I, Hu Hansan, am back!"

Zeng Xiaoxian, who had a calm smile on his face in front of the camera, was unusually excited at this moment. It seemed that he hadn't reacted before, and now the joy had rushed to his head.

And that's not all. Zeng Xiaoxian seemed a little too happy after returning, excitedly telling everyone about his feelings on the show, and drinking even more heavily than the day before.

"Teacher Zeng, Teacher Zeng, drink slowly."

Sensing something was wrong, Zhang Wei snatched the bottle from Zeng Xiaoxian's hand: "You're drinking too fast."

"What's it to you? I'm happy today." Zeng Xiaoxian, already a little drunk, tried to grab the bottle a few times, but when he couldn't get it back, he grabbed another bottle from the table and chugged it down. "I won five million, can't I even have a drink to celebrate?"

"It's not that I don't want you to be happy, it's that I'm afraid you'll get drunk again before you've had a chance to be happy!" Zhang Wei tried to grab the bottle again, but this time Zeng Xiaoxian held the bottle tightly in front of him so he couldn't get it.

Upon seeing this, Hu Yifei frowned but remained silent.

Seeing this, Wen Sheng thought for a moment and then asked, "By the way, did the production team say when they would give you your prize money?"

"Uh……"

Zeng Xiaoxian stopped drinking and stood frozen in place, as if he were stuck.

The others exchanged glances. They were also curious about this question, but it wasn't convenient for them to ask, otherwise it would seem as if they were after Zeng Xiaoxian's bonus.

After a while, Zeng Xiaoxian, whose thoughts were somewhat confused, patted his head hard and said, "I remember... I think they told me that I would get a bonus after signing the contract."

"I see." Wen Sheng nodded, then said meaningfully, "You'd better be careful later. If the contract requires you to shoot commercials or host new programs, don't breach the contract, or your bonus might be frozen."

"Don't worry, who is my brother Xian?! He's the only one to clear 'Who's the Millionaire'!" Zeng Xiaoxian patted his chest. "I've overcome those difficult challenges, how could I possibly fail at the final prize-giving ceremony?"

"..."

Wen Sheng raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "You stumbled at the very last moment, didn't you?"

I'll have to find another opportunity to remind him later.

Sitting next to Wen Sheng, Nuolan smiled and said, "Zeng Xiaoxian, congratulations! After spending so long at the late-night radio station, you've finally reaped the rewards of your hard work."

"hey-hey."

Facing his partner and leader, Zeng Xiaoxian, though a little drunk, was not stupid and humbly said, "I still want to thank Director Nuolan for taking care of me at work."

“You didn’t just win five million this time on the show; you made history and attracted a lot of attention. As long as you don’t resign, it won’t be long before the station starts to officially promote you and won’t let you host the late-night radio show anymore.”

At this point, Nuolan asked curiously, "By the way, now that you've won five million, will you quit your job?"

"This one……"

Zeng Xiaoxian was taken aback; he hadn't actually thought about Nuolan's question yet.

He won five million and a villa in the city center. In any case, five million is a lot of money these days, and he now has many more options in his life.

Financial management, starting a business, buying a car or a house, traveling around the world, and so on.

This position at the radio and television station is also highly sought after, so it would be somewhat hasty to quit.

This is indeed a dilemma, especially in the context of 2011.

If it were Shanghai more than ten years from now, there would be no need to be so conflicted. The economic climate would be tough then. Five million yuan would allow him to live comfortably in Shanghai, but not enough to live a carefree life. He would naturally not give up a government job that wasn't too strenuous.

However, in this transitional era where the aftermath of the financial crisis has not yet subsided and the mobile internet is about to completely dominate the world, a restless entrepreneurial boom has already begun.

It's hard for an ambitious young person holding a large sum of money not to think about whether to realize their dream or... realize their dream.

After all, these days, there aren't many people taking the civil service exam or the postgraduate entrance exam, and the allure of a government-affiliated position isn't as strong for young people as it was in later years.

After his mind was spinning for a while, Zeng Xiaoxian shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet, but I feel that if the station offers me a better job arrangement, it would coincide with my expected future plans. Why would I resign?"

Although I won five million, if I become a big star, there will be many more five million waiting for me in the future!

"Alright, then I wish you a bright future."

Nolan raised her glass, and everyone else raised theirs and clinked glasses with her.

"Teacher Zeng, if you become rich and powerful, don't forget me."

"Keep it up, Teacher Zeng!"

"..."

"By the way, Teacher Zeng, what other aspects of the future do you envision?"

Just as the atmosphere was getting even more lively, and Zeng Xiaoxian had downed another half bottle of wine, Zhang Wei, who also liked to dream about the future, suddenly asked this question.

At first, everyone thought this was just a normal topic of looking to the future and expressing feelings, but soon they realized something was wrong.

Zeng Xiaoxian was stunned for a moment, his expression changing repeatedly before he started drinking heavily again.

"What's wrong?" Nuolan turned her head and asked Wen Sheng in his ear.

Wen Sheng shook his head. Zeng Xiaoxian had seemed a bit off when he came over, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"Snapped!"

Zeng Xiaoxian suddenly slammed the wine bottle down on the table, then looked at Hu Yifei across from him with a flushed face.

"Yifei!"

"Hmm?" Hu Yifei looked up. "What brings you here, Zeng Baiwan?"

"do you like me?"

(End of this chapter)