28. A Boost to Appearances

The moon hung over the branches of the mulberry tree, swaying in the breeze.

It was already past midnight. Working parents arrived one after another at the Little Red Horse Kindergarten to collect their children. Dragging their weary bodies, they wore smiles on their faces, their eyes filled with a gentle light. The hard day was finally over, and being with their children was the happiest moment of the day.

The kindergarten was quiet. Insects chirped in the grass, and a cicada, having appeared on the mulberry tree at some unknown time, drew its bow across its strings with listless effort. After sending off the last child, Xiaobai, Old Li locked the gates and retreated to the guard booth to rest.

The next day at work, Zhang Tan received the news: the manga author had arrived and wanted to have a chat with the three shortlisted screenwriters.

"The Lampbearer" was a passionate, action-packed manga, but its author was a petite and incredibly cute young woman. Perhaps beauty played a role, but she chatted happily with Zhang Tan and ultimately chose him. The other two candidates were also young men, but they lacked his charm. They were named Xu Jian and Liu Zhiguo.

Xu Jian was handsome but short, about 170cm, while Liu Zhiguo could not exactly be called handsome. He stood around 175cm and had entered the stage of middle-aged weight gain early; he likely weighed well over 175 pounds.

When Liu Zhiguo learned that Zhang Tan had been selected, he was visibly displeased. His expression soured, but he said nothing, offering a hasty "congratulations" before leaving. Xu Jian stayed behind to chat with Zhang Tan for a while, appearing quite composed. Zhang Tan had a good impression of Xu Jian, feeling he was much like his former self. As for Liu Zhiguo, his impression remained neutral; he didn't hold a grudge just because the man was unhappy.

Successfully landing the job as the screenwriter for "The Lampbearer" was a milestone in Zhang Tan's career. He had previously told Jiang Rong and He Chao that his transfer out of the script evaluation group was nothing worth celebrating, but this—this was different.

Since Luo Ming didn't know Jiang Rong and the others, Zhang Tan decided to host separate dinners. He invited Luo Ming first to thank him for his help. To Zhang Tan, Luo Ming was both a mentor and a friend, possessing none of the arrogance typical of a senior and always looking out for him. Without his guidance, securing "The Lampbearer" might not have been possible.

They drank some wine that evening. Luo Ming didn't have much of a head for alcohol and felt tipsy after a few glasses of red wine. Zhang Tan, on the other hand, had been a social butterfly who enjoyed a drink in his past life; he could hold his liquor well. If he hadn't deliberately controlled himself, his refrigerator at home would likely be packed with summer-essential chilled beers.

Since both had been drinking, Zhang Tan called for a designated driver when they left. He ordered one for Luo Ming as well, but the older man waved him off. Alcohol and driving didn't mix, especially since Luo Ming was clearly intoxicated. Zhang Tan insisted, refusing to let him drive.

"No, no," Luo Ming kept saying.

"There are a thousand roads, but safety is the first one. You absolutely cannot drive after drinking," Zhang Tan urged.

"No, it's not that. My wife is on her way to pick me up. She'll be driving."

That was perhaps the inherent limitation of being a "lonely dog"—the sorrow of the single man.

Sure enough, Luo Ming's wife arrived shortly after. It was Zhang Tan's first time meeting her; she was a very gentle woman who had taken a taxi there herself. Seeing that Luo Ming was quite drunk, she showed no sign of complaint. She reached into her bag, pulled out two bottles of kudzu root hangover drinks, gave one to Zhang Tan, and opened the other for her husband.

"Sister-in-law, I'm truly sorry for letting Brother Luo get so drunk," Zhang Tan said.

She smiled and replied, "Today was a celebration for you. I told him he had to drink."

Zhang Tan hadn't known that, thinking to himself that no wonder the usually teetotaler Luo Ming had let his guard down.

Zhang Tan helped Luo Ming into the car and watched them drive away before he himself climbed into a vehicle driven by his own designated driver, heading back to the urban village.

After parking and paying the driver, Zhang Tan walked back toward the kindergarten. Elderly people sat in the alley chatting while children ran about with their cats and dogs. A small boy bumped into his leg and landed on his bottom. As Zhang Tan helped him up, he noticed a teahouse nearby.

It was lively inside, with the rich, melodic tones of the Pujiang dialect drifting out. People were drinking tea, chatting, and playing cards—a more grounded, authentic side of Pujiang.

Still smelling of alcohol, he went in and ordered a pot of tea. As he sat down, someone called his name. He turned to see Huang Meimei.

She walked over and said, "It really is you, Zhang Tan."

Zhang Tan poured himself a cup of tea. It was a bit hot, but he was thirsty and downed it in one go. "You seem quite surprised," he remarked.

Huang Meimei replied, "You never used to come to places like this. Bars were your battlefield."

Battlefield? Zhang Tan was speechless.

"Are those your friends?" He gestured toward the table where Huang Meimei had been sitting with two other girls and a man. He was just making casual conversation, but Huang Meimei looked guarded, warning him, "Don't try to flirt. I'm not introducing you to them."

What was all that about? Zhang Tan waved his hand, telling her to go away; he was nursing a bruised ego and didn't want to talk to the "murderer" of his reputation.

After she returned to her friends, Zhang Tan finished half the pot of tea, waved goodbye to her, and left.

"Old Li, it's me. Open the gate," Zhang Tan called out to Old Li, who was watching television at the entrance of the Little Red Horse Kindergarten.

It was 9:00 PM, and all the children were inside, so Old Li kept the gates locked to prevent outsiders from wandering in.

"Oh, Young Master Zhang is back."

Old Li opened the gate, let him in, and then ducked back into the booth. He returned a moment later with a tote bag containing a blue lunchbox.

"Heh heh heh, I made some cold noodles myself. Have a taste, Young Master."

Zhang Tan knew that Old Li's family used to run a noodle shop, and their signature dish was cold noodles. His wife was an ethnic Korean from the Northeast, and her cold noodles were legendary. Unfortunately, the dish wasn't well-known in Pujiang; many people thought "cold noodles" were just noodles tossed with dressing. Due to poor management, the shop eventually went under, which was how Old Li ended up as a guard at the kindergarten.

"I won't stand on ceremony then. I'll take them home and have a try. Thank you!"

Zhang Tan accepted the gift and took it back to his place. Upon opening the box, his appetite was immediately piqued. Beneath the cold noodles were all sorts of toppings: fried prawns, watermelon slices, beef, squid, and kimchi. Wisps of cold air were still rising from the dish.

Although he wanted to eat, he had just finished dinner and was full. Plus, eating so late at night made him worry about his waistline. He put the box in the fridge to save for breakfast, took a shower, and was just about to open his computer to check his video account when he remembered the items in his bag. He stepped out to find Xiaobai, who was surrounded by a group of children. Meng Chengcheng was telling them a story. Her voice was milky and her speech not quite fluent, yet she was managing to tell a story—truly a case of a little frog driving a jeep.

"Xiaobai, come here," Zhang Tan called from outside the circle.

"What for?" Xiaobai glanced at him and replied, unwilling to budge. Clearly, Meng Chengcheng's storytelling was more attractive than Zhang Tan; he couldn't lure her away.

"Xiaobai, come here for a second, I have something for you."

Xiaobai walked over reluctantly, asking impatiently, "What do you want? I'm busy!"

How could a child change their attitude faster than flipping a book? Yesterday they were so close, and she had forced him to eat a feast of fish and "beard-noodles," but today she was acting all indifferent!

"Got a moment? Come over to my place, I have something for you."

Xiaobai shook her head without hesitation, saying she was too busy. She pointed a small finger at the crowd of dolls, explaining that they were all waiting for her to tell them a story. After Meng Chengcheng, it was Xiao Qian, and after Xiao Qian, it would be...

Zhang Tan was stunned. "Everyone is waiting for you to tell them stories?"

Was she that impressive? With so many children queuing up to hear her tell stories, was she the queen of the playground?

Xiaobai looked at him strangely, as if she couldn't understand why he was so surprised.

Given Zhang Tan's sincere invitation, and thinking that she hadn't visited her "little drag-toy" in a few days, she reluctantly agreed to go take a look. But she insisted she would only stay for a moment, just to take a look, because the stories were waiting for her.