The two waited patiently for another ten minutes or so, finally spotting Chu Xiaobai and Su Jun approaching from the restricted area.
"Xiao Jun!" Su He saw her brother and excitedly shouted and waved through the glass, but they were still quite far apart, and Su Jun couldn't see her at all.
Chen Yang couldn't help but smile at Su He's behavior. His impression of Su He had always been one of quiet elegance, like a lotus flower blooming gracefully in water; it was rare to see her so joyful.
Finally, Su Jun also saw Su He and Chen Yang in the distance, waved happily, and then quickened his pace with Chu Xiaobai.
"Sister! I got in! I got into the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama!" As soon as they crossed the restricted area, Su Jun ran over, shouting excitedly.
The past few weeks have been nothing short of miraculous. First, he was inexplicably scammed in Beijing, then Chen Yang, his sister's friend, appeared like a divine intervention, rescuing him from his predicament. Next, an interview he hadn't held out much hope for went incredibly smoothly after a phone call from Chen Yang's friend.
That was an exam said to be a hundred times harder than the college entrance exam!
Today, he also took his first-ever flight, again with Chen Yang's friend, Brother Bai. Just because of a request from Chen Yang, Brother Bai had taken care of him in every way in Beijing, filling Su Jun with immense gratitude.
"You're amazing! Xiao Jun!" Although Su He had already received the news, she still couldn't help but feel excited when Su Jun told her he'd been accepted into his dream university.
Chen Yang smiled and nodded to Chu Xiaobai, who was dressed in a white Armani casual suit and exuded an air of sophistication, saying,
"Brother Xiaobai, you must have had a long journey!"
Chu Xiaobai lightly punched Chen Yang on the shoulder, laughing,
"Good lad! You've made quite a stir in a short time. You almost alerted a few old guys in Beijing..."
Chen Yang knew Chu Xiaobai was referring to Fan Changtian's case. Yesterday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's special investigation team had returned to Beijing, and simultaneously, the Southeast Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection held a press conference announcing that Fan Changtian, former deputy secretary of the Zhonglou District Committee of Rongcheng City, was suspected of violating discipline and law, and had been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office. His suspected crimes had been transferred to judicial organs for processing.
Also falling from grace along with Fan Changtian were Lu Xun, deputy secretary of the district committee's discipline inspection commission, and several other section-level officials.
This press conference by the provincial discipline inspection commission also defined the nature of Fan Changtian's case. After a series of trials, Fan Changtian would inevitably face severe legal punishment. The provincial discipline inspection commission had just held a press conference during the day, and that same evening, the national television program "Social Focus" aired a segment featuring an undercover investigation in Rongcheng's Zhonglou District. The program presented numerous facts, many of which were secretly filmed, making it very convincing. Of course, the program also highly praised the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Southeast Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission for their proactive and ruthless crackdown on corrupt officials.
The national television program immediately garnered widespread attention across the country, and the name Fan Changtian became known to audiences nationwide. Details such as his keeping five mistresses became popular topics of conversation.
Thus, Fan Changtian was completely branded as a disgraced figure. According to the usual practice in Chinese politics, officials who are thoroughly exposed by the media and attract nationwide attention tend to receive heavier sentences.
Fan Changtian was truly finished! Fan Zihong returned to his family home in Beijing, only to be met with a severe dressing-down from Fan Zhenguang. Fan Zhenguang had immediately discovered that everything had been caused by Fan Zihong's momentary lapse of judgment in provoking Chen Yang. Chen Yang's identity remained shrouded in mystery, but someone capable of manipulating the Han family, the Fang family, and Luo Bin's father, among others, was far from being as simple as he appeared.
The Fan family suffered a silent defeat.
The signs of cooperation between the Han and Fang families made the Fan family more cautious, and they acted more restrained. They chose to handle the Fan Changtian incident quietly.
However, the instigator, Fan Zihong, did not fare so well. Fan Zhenguang ordered him to remain under house arrest within the family compound, cutting off his financial support and strictly forbidding all Fan family businesses from providing him with any financial assistance or free services.
This was tantamount to placing Fan Zihong under house arrest in Beijing.
The first direct confrontation between the two sides ended with a complete victory for Chen Yang and a utter defeat for Fan Zihong.
Chu Xiaobai, well-informed within the industry, had managed to uncover these inside stories with remarkable accuracy. He deeply admired Chen Yang; his courage, resourcefulness, meticulous planning, and frightening composure were truly admirable. Facing a behemoth like the Fan family, Chen Yang hadn't hesitated to confront them head-on. Chu Xiaobai felt he himself might not have possessed such courage.
"I just want to live my life happily," Chen Yang said, a flash of fierceness in his eyes disappearing as he thought of Fan Zihong, replaced by a grin. "I don't bother others unless they bother me..."
Chu Xiaobai undoubtedly had his own sources, and Chen Yang saw no need to hide anything from him.
"Haha! That's great! It's satisfying!" Chu Xiaobai grinned. "I've been fed up with that idiot for ages! You've given us all a taste of our own medicine!"
Fan Zihong was arrogant and lecherous, making him a difficult person to like. Therefore, the people in his circle were generally disliked, and Chu Xiaobai and the others found him repulsive.
"Brother Fang!" After exchanging a few words with Su He, Su Jun came over to greet Chen Yang. He was filled with gratitude towards Chen Yang, and his tone was respectful.
"Xiao Jun! Congratulations!" Chen Yang replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Brother Fang!" Su Jun said, a little reserved.
"Study hard at the drama academy! And when you become a great director, don't forget to make a movie with your sister as the lead!" Chen Yang patted Su Jun's shoulder warmly and said with a smile.
Su He blushed slightly upon hearing Chen Yang's words, recalling their first walk and chat at Airport C.
"Let's go! We'll talk more when we get back!" Chen Yang said.
The group walked through the departure hall and went straight to the parking lot. Chen Yang put their luggage in the trunk, and then they got into their respective cars. Chu Xiaobai took the passenger seat, letting Su He and her brother sit in the back so they could chat.
Chen Yang skillfully drove away from the airport, heading towards the city.
Chu Xiaobai glanced at the luxurious interior of the top-of-the-line Audi Q7 and couldn't help but exclaim, "This car is really nice!"
Chu Xiaobai knew some of Chen Yang's background from Liu Zhengyi, and also knew that this car was a reward from the airline after Chen Yang's incredible emergency landing. He was quite envious of Chen Yang.
Although he, as the son of an official, had built a vast empire and wealth that Chen Yang couldn't compare to, his wealth was largely due to his father's influence, unlike Chen Yang who had built his fortune from scratch.
"Brother Xiaobai, don't tease me. I bet your Filipino maid who does the grocery shopping and cooking drives a more luxurious car than this!" Chen Yang joked as he drove.
"That's different. You earned this entirely through your own hard work!" Chu Xiaobai said seriously.
Chen Yang turned to look at Chu Xiaobai, but didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "Brother Xiaobai, what are your plans for Rongcheng this time?"
Chu Xiaobai leaned back lazily in his seat and smiled, saying, "Our company is planning to open a branch in Southeast Province. The initial team has already started working, and I came to check on their preparations. I also wanted to visit you and Zhengyi!"
Chen Yang nodded, then suddenly remembered the pyrite project and asked, "Brother Xiaobai, about that project I mentioned to you in Beijing last time, are you interested in going to take a look? Invest early, or I'll be hogging it!"
Chu Xiaobai's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the pyrite project Chen Yang had mentioned recently, and he vividly recalled the confident expression on Chen Yang's face. Liu Zhengyi had been lavish in his praise of Chen Yang in front of the group, and indeed, Chen Yang's recent performance had been nothing short of amazing. Therefore, Chu Xiaobai was also curious about the project Chen Yang had mentioned. He immediately laughed and said,
"Sure! Since we're here, of course we should go check it out! How about this? Anyway, it doesn't matter much whether my company's business is done a day or two earlier or later, so let's go see the project you mentioned first. If it's really as good as you say, then all of us brothers will get involved!"
Chen Yang pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying,
"Alright! We'll stay in Rongcheng tonight, and while we're at it, we'll call Brother Zhengyi out so we can all have a good get-together. Tomorrow morning we'll head to Nanpu…"
Song Xiaoyun and Song Yi were keeping a close eye on the setup of Channel 89.6, and everything was proceeding smoothly. There was still some time before the launch ceremony, so Chen Yang could easily leave.
Besides, he had originally planned to go back to Nanpu in the next couple of days to talk to Han Xuehua, so this was a good opportunity to get things done together.
"Okay! Anyway, once we're in Rongcheng, I'll follow your arrangements!" Chu Xiaobai said.
Su He and Su Jun chatted quietly in the back seat. Su Jun told Su He about his experiences in Beijing, but to avoid worrying his sister, he omitted the incidents of being extorted and Chen Yang and his gang causing a disturbance at the police station. However, he didn't hide the fact that Chen Yang had gotten through the interview process thanks to Chu Xiaobai's help.
Su He listened to Su Jun's words, then glanced at Chen Yang, who was focused on driving. Since returning from Beijing, Chen Yang hadn't mentioned helping Su Jun at all.
Thinking about how much Chen Yang had done for her brother, yet never sought recognition or reward, only quietly giving, Su He's heart was touched, filled with sweetness and gratitude.
Her gaze towards Chen Yang was also full of tender affection…