The Jiangzhou region covers most of the coastal area of Hua Nation, with an economic standing that has ranked at the top of the Twelve Provinces for years.
Because of this, countless enterprises from all walks of life invest and build factories within this region.
Zhong Lan’s home is located in a small county called Chashan County.
True to its name, the locality is most famous for tea cultivation. Shops specializing in all kinds of tea line the streets wherever one goes. The outskirts of the county seat are packed with factories. Aside from a few electronics plants, the vast majority are tea processing plants.
Arriving at the old residential compound where her home is located, looking at the familiar yellowed walls, Zhong Lan felt a wave of deep emotion.
It feels so good to be home.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
As she knocked on the door, the familiar voice of a middle-aged man soon came from inside: "Who is it?"
With a squeak, the door opened, and Zhong Jianjun beamed with pleasant surprise at the sight of her.
"Xiaolan, you're back."
At the same time, he turned his head and shouted, "Cuifang, come look who's here!"
"Dad!"
Looking at the wrinkles and gray hairs that her father could no longer hide at the corners of his eyes, and seeing his rather unique outfit of an apron and a spatula in hand, Zhong Lan’s eyes grew moist. She stepped forward quickly and pulled her father into a tight hug.
"Back is back, what are you crying for?"
Zhong Jianjun smiled with squinted, affectionate eyes at the daughter in his arms, extending his free left hand to stroke her head. But when he saw the stains from cooking on his left hand, he quietly pulled it back without a trace.
Noticing this, Zhong Lan grabbed both of her father's hands and said with a bright smile, "Dad, are the chicken wings done yet? I'm starving."
"Hahaha, cooking them, cooking them, they'll be ready in a minute."
Zhong Jianjun chuckled and turned back into the kitchen to busy himself.
"Xiaolan's here?"
Scarcely had he taken a step when Yang Cuifang hurried out, holding a plastic fan and fanning herself as she walked.
The moment she saw Zhong Lan, she beamed with joy, grabbed her, and pulled her to the dining table to sit down and chat about everyday matters.
After about fifteen minutes, Zhong Jianjun walked over carrying a large plate of steaming cola chicken wings.
"Cola chicken wings are here!"
"You've been traveling all day, you must be starved. Eat up, eat up."
Zhong Lan closed her eyes and took a deep sniff of the aroma—the familiar scent.
She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a small bite.
As she chewed, Zhong Jianjun stared at her with a look of eager anticipation: "Well? How is it? Good?"
"Dad's cooking is the best! It's a waste that you aren't a master chef!"
Zhong Lan’s eyes curved into crescent moons.
Without any exaggeration, she genuinely loved the dishes her father cooked.
Growing up, if her family's culinary skills were ranked, her dad would definitely be first, she would be second, and her mom would bring up the rear.
In the past, she could often enjoy her dad's cooking, but ever since she went to college, she could only eat it when she came home. From what she understood, while she was away, her mom usually just threw together a simple meal of one meat dish and one vegetable to get by. They just ate to fill their stomachs and didn't care much about the flavor.
Hearing her daughter's praise, Zhong Jianjun was also delighted.
The three of them sat at the dining table and chatted.
Halfway through dinner, Zhong Jianjun took a couple of bites of rice from his bowl and then asked curiously, "I heard from your mom that you transferred one hundred thousand yuan to the family today? Your career is just starting over there, do you have enough for yourself if you give us the money?"
The same words, but from different people.
Hearing this, Zhong Lan was still deeply moved.
Facing her parents' question, Zhong Lan had no choice but to take a big bite of food and roughly explain what had happened to her recently.
To Zhong Lan's surprise, however, after she finished telling the whole story, her parents exchanged a glance, both wearing suspicious expressions.
"You're saying that the script you wrote on a whim—the people at the film base didn't think much of it, but your landlord did?"
"And he invested one million yuan in you?"
"Right!" Zhong Lan nodded.
"My silly girl, this isn't him taking a fancy to your script," Yang Cuifang persuaded with a worried look on her face. "I'm afraid he's taken a fancy to you! You'd better move out soon. A young man and woman living under the same roof, what if he tries something? How unsafe is that!"
"Right, you must move out, it's too dangerous."
Zhong Jianjun nodded in firm agreement. "I'll take a day off tomorrow and go back with you so we can return all the money to him."
"Why on earth should we return it?" Zhong Lan pouted, instantly displeased. "I earned this money with my talent, it's not what you guys are thinking."
"How is it not?" Zhong Jianjun put down his bowl and earnestly reasoned, "Though your dad hasn't read many books, I know that pie doesn't fall from the sky. The people at the film base who specialize in making movies didn't want your script. Why would someone outside the film industry, the very first time he meets you, be willing to invest one million yuan in you?"
"This isn't buying a script, he's trying to buy *you*, silly girl. Didn't you also say your landlord is still single? Who knows what other ideas he has."
Although Zhong Lan was a liberal arts student and they trusted her ability with words, they had their doubts.
When Zhong Lan told them some time ago that she planned to try making a movie, they supported her because they knew she had loved watching movies since she was a child, often wrote short stories in her spare time, and had even published quite a few in magazines.
But those were just small hobbies; they were certainly different from a movie script.
"Hmph, he wouldn't dare!"
Hearing her father's words, Zhong Lan remained unfazed as she held her chopsticks and gave a forceful poke forward: "If he dares to pull any funny business, I'll make sure he can't even be a man! Besides, Dad, you have to believe that he really did take a liking to my script."
The two of them said nothing, but judging purely by their expressions, it was obvious they still didn't believe it.
"Ding-a-ling—"
Just as Zhong Lan was thinking about how to persuade them, her phone on the table suddenly rang, and Yang Cuifang and Zhong Jianjun both stretched out their necks at almost the exact same time to take a look.
Seeing this, Zhong Lan glanced down at her own phone and saw the caller ID marked as [Good Guy Landlord].
"Is that the landlord?" Yang Cuifang asked curiously.
"Answer it," Zhong Jianjun muttered, then picked up his rice bowl and deliberately turned his head away to show he wasn't eavesdropping.
Only the glances he kept stealing over betrayed his true thoughts.
Resigned, Zhong Lan simply turned on the speakerphone.
"Let's listen together, there really is nothing between him and me."
With that, she answered the call.
"Where are you?"
The cold voice sounded once again.
Zhong Lan looked up at her parents and replied, "I went back to my hometown, I'll be heading back to Huizhou tomorrow. Is something the matter?"
The other end of the line fell silent, as if pondering how to respond.
After a brief moment, Lu Chen's voice came through again.
He sounded somewhat hesitant in his words.
"Well... uh... it's just..."
Hearing Lu Chen's words, Zhong Lan was dumbfounded.
Come on, big brother, stammering like this is going to make my parents misunderstand!
Please maintain your persona, okay?
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up?"
"No, no, no, there is something, there is something." Hearing that Zhong Lan was about to hang up, Lu Chen quickly stopped her and explained, "Here's the thing. I want to release a new song next month. Time might be a bit tight right now, so I want to buy an existing song directly."
"So?" Zhong Lan asked.
"So... I wanted to ask if the song you sang today has been sold yet. If not, I... I'd like to buy it."