Chapter 5

The next morning, the old man was tending to the flowers in the courtyard. Not far from the courtyard, an old-fashioned tape recorder was playing "The Yellow River Cantata" by the great musician Xian Xinghai. The old man occasionally hummed a few lines.

Lu Jing was awakened by the tune of "The Yellow River Cantata." The familiar melody instantly brought back memories of the warm times he spent with his parents. Since he started high school, he hadn't lived with his parents anymore.

His parents were reluctant when he moved out, but they hoped to see him grow up independently.

"You're up so early!" Lu Jing, still half-asleep, glanced at his watch; it was only 7:30. Normally at this time, he would still be in a deep sleep.

The morning sunlight filtered through the window, casting the tidy dining room in a warm, colorful glow, making it look like a beautiful oil painting.

After Lu Jing finished washing up, Mrs. Luo had already prepared breakfast. There was a pot of rice porridge, excellent white flour meat buns, crispy and fragrant fried dough sticks, and boiled eggs with their shells still on.

"Mom, why are there fried dough sticks?" Lu Jing asked while tearing into one. Frying dough sticks was quite a time-consuming task.

"Do you like them? I made them specially for you. Come, have another egg." Mrs. Luo placed an egg on the small plate in front of Lu Jing.

Lu Jing nodded, feeling the warmth of his mother's love.

After breakfast, the old man said, "Follow me!" and slowly went upstairs. In the study on the second floor, there was a red confidential phone. The old man picked it up, dialed a number, and spoke a few words. Soon, he connected with his eldest son. The eldest son spoke a few words into the phone and then hung up. About ten minutes later, he called back.

The old man only asked a few questions about his eldest son's work and didn't say much more, only mentioning that Lu Jing wanted to talk to him.

"Xiao Jing—," hearing his eldest son's usual gentle voice, a warm current surged in Lu Jing's heart, and he felt overwhelmed with emotion. This was his eldest brother. After the old man and his mother passed away, his eldest brother had always taken good care of him. An elder brother is like a father!

"Bro—," Lu Jing said.

"En—, do you have something to tell me?"

"Bro, the official Yu Yi under your command is suspected of corruption. His son, Yu Feng, drives a luxury car and frequents high-end nightclubs at Yanjing University. How could a section-level official have so much money?" Lu Jing delivered the carefully thought-out words from the night before.

"Perhaps he has other sources. It's not necessarily corruption," the eldest brother said after a moment of silence, his voice steady.

Lu Jing decided to press harder, "Bro, on Tuesday, when I was eating hotpot outside school, I ran into Liu Xiaoshan, Liu Wei's nephew. He said our Lu family won't last long and that he'll have someone deal with me in a few days."

"Hehe, Xiao Jing, did you beat him up?" the eldest brother laughed pleasantly over the phone.

Lu Jing chuckled dryly. His eldest brother knew his temperament well. If Liu Xiaoshan had really said that in front of him, he would have definitely beaten him up. Lu Jing was just making up a story; he hadn't seen Liu Xiaoshan for months.

"No, he said his uncle has some evidence and will bring you down in a few days. He'll settle accounts with me then."

"Is that so?" The eldest brother's tone finally changed. Lu Jing felt a surge of joy; he had finally caught his brother's attention. The Lu family and the Liu family had long-standing grievances, not just at the old man's level, but also between the eldest brother and the Liu family's younger members.

Lu Jing continued, "Bro, I feel there's a conspiracy against you. Why does Shiqiao Town keep having problems? Since the New Year, you've gone down there four times. How can genuine policies for the people always face resistance? I think someone is stirring up trouble, hoping for chaos.

If Yu Yi really has a problem, the Liu family will definitely try to smear you. I heard he's a deputy director in the Supervision Department. With his position in the disciplinary inspection system, it wouldn't be hard for him to frame you.

Bro, I believe you have no issues yourself.

The key is, if the disciplinary committee investigates you, you'll have to return to the capital. Then you won't be able to go to Shiqiao Town anymore. If problems continue in Shiqiao Town, directing things over the phone will be very inconvenient. It could make the situation worse. Some people in your department would be happy to see your low-income policy fail."

The phone fell silent, with only the sound of breathing. Lu Jing knew his eldest brother was thinking. Clearly, the conspiracy he described was highly subjective and speculative, and some of the key points were not as simple as he made them sound. However, it was indeed possible, and it couldn't be ignored.

Lu Jing, fearing his eldest brother might find it unbelievable, added, "Bro, the Chairman said, 'Always prepare for the worst and strive for the best.' I think that's very wise!"

The eldest brother was silent for about ten minutes. The old man was drinking tea nearby, watching his youngest son "make a case," his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"I understand!" the eldest brother said calmly.

With just four simple words, Lu Jing felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Since he returned to being eighteen yesterday, all his worries and anxieties had dissipated like snow melting under boiling water.

Lu Jing had absolute trust in his eldest brother's political acumen. He remembered that his eldest brother had weathered even more bizarre political storms in the future. If his eldest brother said, "I understand," then the matter was settled.

The eldest brother laughed over the phone, "Xiao Jing, you've improved. Give the phone to Dad, I want to talk to him."

Lu Jing handed the phone to the smiling old man, "Dad, the eldest brother wants to talk to you." The old man nodded with a smile and took the phone.

Lu Jing poured himself a cup of Da Hong Pao tea and drank it in large gulps. His throat was dry from the tension and worry. Lying to his respected eldest brother was still a bit stressful.

...

The sky was blue, and the breeze was gentle. The red car drove steadily and quickly through the streets of the capital. Lu Jing, in a good mood, couldn't help but think of Liu Bannong's poem.

"Clouds float in the sky,

A gentle breeze blows on the ground."

While the old man was talking to the eldest brother on the phone, Lu Jing vaguely heard a name. It seemed to belong to the disciplinary inspection system.

Although he didn't know how his eldest brother planned to handle the situation, Lu Jing was completely at ease. He was still curious about the 2 million yuan, wondering where it had gone.

In his previous life, the 2 million yuan had disappeared without a trace. Even though the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had given a conclusion, many people still had a poor opinion of his eldest brother, believing he was a corrupt official. If not for his outstanding abilities, it might have taken him 15 years to clear his name.

The red car stopped steadily at the intersection of Huxi Road and Xin'an Road. The wide pedestrian walkway was lined with many sycamore trees, their dense leaves shading the morning sun, making Huxi Road quiet and poetic.

The old man had deliberately taken a detour to drop Lu Jing off at Huxi Road, clearly satisfied with his performance.

"Your eldest brother praised you. You've improved!" the old man said coolly, lowering the car window, then rolled it up and drove away.

Lu Jing waved to the slowly departing red car. In the old man's eyes, one word from the eldest brother was worth ten from him. Lu Jing wasn't discouraged; his eldest brother had always been exceptionally talented and capable, rising rapidly in his political career and becoming a shining political star, already standing out in the entire faction.

Lu Jing took out a cigarette he had brought from home, lit it, and slowly smoked as he walked toward the entrance of No. 4 High School.

He didn't notice that on the other side of the intersection, a pair of students were watching him. The boy was tall and handsome, and the girl was pure and outstanding. Both were carrying backpacks and were students at No. 4 High School.

Seeing Lu Jing walking slowly along the wide, tree-lined road, the boy's eyes showed unmistakable shock.

...

To the left of the entrance to No. 4 High School was Yanzi Mountain, and across the street was Yinghua International School, a private elite school.

It was Saturday, and morning study time was at 9:00 AM. It was almost 10:00 AM, and Lu Jing was sitting at a small wooden table outside a small milk tea shop at the school gate, smoking under a blue sunshade. He held a lit cigarette and stared at the garden-like entrance of Yinghua International School, lost in thought.

His first love, Li Feifei, was studying there.

Lu Jing and Li Feifei had been betrothed as children and attended the same school in junior high. Back then, Lu Jing was deeply infatuated with Li Feifei, but she didn't look at him. Their relationship gradually faded as Lu Jing attended No. 4 High School. They only met once a year during the New Year.

After Li Feifei graduated from high school and went to study in the United States, and Lu Jing went to Jiangzhou for his studies, they never met again. Later, the Lu family declined, while Li Feifei's father steadily rose, taking firm steps. The betrothal naturally came to an end.

Lu Jing vaguely knew that his eldest brother was very dissatisfied with the Li family's actions and had once said, "My personal marriage can be a political alliance, but Xiao Jing doesn't need to be. I will take care of him!"

Lu Jing stubbed out his cigarette and walked into No. 4 High School.

Face is not something others give you; it's something you earn yourself. In his previous life, Lu Jing was a typical good-for-nothing when his father was still alive. A woman as excellent as Li Feifei would definitely not look at him.

Their life paths were like intersecting lines, briefly crossing and then moving further apart.

The campus was quiet, and Lu Jing's thoughts drifted. Returning to 1996, there were many opportunities to seize. He had later run a large company and was familiar with business operations. However, he hadn't yet decided on a starting point.

In the classroom of Class 7, Grade 2, everyone was quietly studying. The sound of pages turning, pens scribbling on paper, and the occasional sound of students drinking water formed a melody that inspired progress.

Lu Jing wrote on a letter, beautiful regular script appearing on the paper. He was writing down important events from memory, afraid that he might forget them over time.

"Hey, Lu Jing, someone is looking for you outside!" his deskmate, Yu Fat, poked Lu Jing's waist and pointed to the door.

"Who?" Lu Jing didn't look up, continuing to write.

Yu Fat laughed lowly, "Yang Wanting's best friend, the legendary daughter of the vice mayor, Lin Rong." Seeing no reaction from Lu Jing, Yu Fat continued, "Lu Jing, I heard you wrote a note to the school beauty in Class 5? I think she's here to cause trouble. I heard Yang Wanting is under her protection. But, bro, I believe in you. If you can win over the 'Ice Beauty' school beauty, I'll treat you to a meal at the Blue Silk Hotel."

The Blue Silk Hotel was a famous four-star hotel in Dinghai. Even if Yu Fat's family had some money, they wouldn't let him spend it so extravagantly. Lu Jing smiled and looked outside. Indeed, a girl in the blue uniform of No. 4 High School, a bit chubby with a round face, was looking at him from outside the classroom. Clearly, she had already sent someone to tell him to come out.

Lu Jing put away the letter and placed it in his desk, saying, "Where do you get all these rumors?"

He stood up, walked to his seat, and thought for a moment. He then took out a pack of unopened special supply Xiao Xiongmao cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Yu Zhicheng, saying seriously, "Thank you!"

Seeing his close friend Yu Zhicheng, Lu Jing was reminded of the green years of the past, filled with many reflections. Those youthful and wild, beautiful memories were no longer yellowed scrolls but real and vivid before him.

He remembered that later, Yu Zhicheng took over his father's tobacco and alcohol company and did quite well. However, their contact gradually faded away.

"Wow, good cigarettes!" Yu Zhicheng took the cigarettes, smiled foolishly, but didn't know what Lu Jing was thanking him for. However, he immediately recognized the quality of the cigarettes.

...

"Lu Jing, isn't this a bit too much?" Outside the classroom, Lin Rong, with her hands on the stone railing of the corridor, questioned Lu Jing with a commanding presence.