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In June, after the final exams, Hu Ruoyun ranked third, while the class monitor Ji Hongmin maintained his position at first. In the dormitory, aside from the leader Zhao Jinpu, who remained at the same level as before, everyone else had made varying degrees of improvement.
Since Lao Liu and Jie Bing had moved out, there were only five people left in the dormitory. The vacant beds were taken over by Hu Ruoyun and Cui Shuigen, who used them for their goods. The business of 200 Phone Cards was primarily handled by Cui Shuigen. As the vacation approached, two batches of goods worth 60,000 yuan had nearly sold out, and there was no need to calculate the accounts since it was a straightforward 10% profit.
With the window period over and profits dwindling, they decided not to engage in large-scale operations anymore. Whenever a "downstream" customer expressed interest, Cui Shuigen would release the goods without expanding or actively soliciting new clients.
Initially, not only was Cui Shuigen a loyal supporter of Hu Ruoyun, but the other three dorm mates also participated in the business to varying extents. For those like the leader and second-in-command, who came from well-off families, this extra money wasn't crucial, but it was better than being idle.
As summer vacation approached, Cui Shuigen said, "Brother San, I've been out for almost a year now. This summer I want to go home. After I return, I'll ask the elders in my village about some ghost stories to share with you when school starts again."
Over nearly a year, while Cui Shuigen couldn't claim financial independence, he and Third Sister Hu Ruoyun had been busy with Shoe Insoles, Postcards, Phone Cards... not only easing his family's burden but also making his life much more manageable. His girlfriend Feng Yun from Guizheng Province came from a similar impoverished background; starting from working for him, her admiration gradually turned into affection—a rewarding experience for both.
Reporter Lai Wen suggested that Hu Ruoyun should not return home too early this summer and could instead work as an Intern Reporter for four weeks alongside him.
Typically, such "Intern Reporters" serve as cheap labor for newspapers—either running errands or performing basic tasks like stuffing envelopes or writing addresses. The newspaper would issue a temporary work permit along with basic living allowances but no salary. Upon completion of the internship, they would receive a certificate of social practice that might help with future job prospects upon graduation.
Hu Ruoyun was willing to give it a try as a means of self-improvement and social adaptation. He went to Mao Na's school to seek permission. Although Mao Na wanted to return to Annan with him, she didn't want to hinder Hu Ruoyun's "serious work." Looking somewhat aggrieved but ultimately agreeing, she insisted that he must take her to the station when vacation started.
Lai Wen recognized Hu Ruoyun's social insight and strong writing skills and directly reported to the HR department to keep Hu Ruoyun as his assistant.
Over a decade since the reform and opening up began, economic development had surged forward while some people's values subtly shifted. It became an unspoken rule that "whatever you do is what you eat," and often people no longer found it strange.
The Jiangbei Evening News established a citizen hotline and email system to listen to public feedback on governance issues. After two months of collecting and organizing numerous concerns regarding the business environment and public grievances, they drafted a reporting plan titled "Show Your Eating Habits" along with relevant proposals.
Multiple reporter teams set off on their missions, and the Evening News published several reports in succession.
On Wulu Road stood an administrative service hall in the city center where citizens reported difficulties in changing shareholders. According to regulations, all shareholders must be present with their original ID cards to complete the process. While this requirement was understandable under normal circumstances, intermediaries could handle these matters with just relevant documents—one person could manage everything!
Citizens questioned: Was there any benefit exchange involved? How could intermediaries bypass standard procedures?
Lai Wen decided to take Hu Ruoyun for an undercover investigation here.
The hall bustled with people coming and going. Due to previous reports on related issues, security guards had lost their arrogance and staff members were less impatient than before. However, due to the complexity of many commerce procedures, most individuals seeking services couldn't complete their tasks in one visit.
Some intermediaries brazenly moved about the hall, handing out business cards and explaining their services to those conducting business.
One of Lai Wen's friends needed to change her company's legal representative and shareholders but had been unable to do so due to conflicting schedules among them. This delay was beginning to affect further business developments; she planned to come back for another attempt.
Lai Wen accompanied her in line until they reached counter number four. The female staff member wore an expressionless face as she swiftly reviewed the documents and photocopies of IDs: "Is everything ready? Are all shareholders present?"
The classmate quickly smiled: "One is on a business trip; please see..."
The documents were unceremoniously dropped onto the counter: "That's not acceptable; come back when everyone is here!"
The two of them had no choice but to step back from the crowd. A middle-aged woman with short hair noticed the dejected expression on Lai Wen's classmate's face and approached them. "Teacher, do you need help with the paperwork?"
Lai Wen's classmate replied, "We're changing the legal representative, shareholders, and equity, but not all the shareholders are here."
The middle-aged woman said, "For 500 yuan, I can take care of it for you!"
Lai Wen asked, "Is that possible?"
The woman replied, "If you don’t trust me, I can do it right now. You can pay me after it's done."
This idea seemed feasible. The three of them squeezed back to the counter with the middle-aged woman, while someone shouted from behind, "No cutting in line!"
The middle-aged woman retorted, "We were just at the front; our business isn’t finished yet." She then turned to the female clerk at window four and said, "Changing the legal representative, shareholders, and equity!"
The female clerk seemed oblivious to the commotion about cutting in line. She took the documents handed to her and quietly remarked, "Isn't this because not all the shareholders are here?"
It appeared that the middle-aged woman accidentally dropped a folder containing documents into the counter. She didn’t ask for it back, and the female clerk didn’t offer it either; she simply picked it up and set it aside. Everything seemed unintentional, but Lai Wen's camera captured the entire process of the woman stuffing money into the folder and pushing it into the counter while the female clerk accepted it.
The middle-aged woman exclaimed, "Everyone's here now!"
The female clerk didn’t say anything further and began processing the paperwork. After everything was completed and filed away, she told Lai Wen and his classmate waiting nearby, "Come back in half a month to collect your new license."
Was that it? If it weren't for Lai Wen's purpose in being there, it would have been hard to uncover the secrets and interests at play.
When Lai Wen's classmate paid the middle-aged woman, Lai Wen casually asked, "Sister, how come you can get this done so smoothly?"
The middle-aged woman replied proudly, "We have connections; everyone has their own way of doing things!"
Perhaps due to how smoothly their covert operation had gone, Lai Wen felt overly pleased with himself. Just as they were about to exit the hall, a security guard caught sight of his hidden camera. Perhaps their superiors had already given them instructions; three security guards blocked Lai Wen’s path. "What are you doing? No photography allowed here; hand over your film!"
Given the complex situation, Lai Wen didn’t want to get entangled with them or expose his identity. Otherwise, before he could even write his piece, any public relations efforts might reach the editor-in-chief or president. After all, leaders are people too; they need to manage various relationships.
Lai Wen's classmate stepped forward and said, "We're just here for business; what's wrong with that?"
The security guards ignored her and pointed directly at Lai Wen. "Take out your camera; we need to check it!"
This was too much. Hu Ruoyun stepped in front of Lai Wen and said firmly, "What authority do you have to check our camera?"
The three security guards were even more convinced of Lai Wen's identity as their leader stated firmly, "If you don’t hand over your camera, you can't leave!"
Seeing the commotion, many people in the hall gathered around to watch.
In this era, security guards, especially those in such establishments, often considered themselves superior. However, because Lai Wen was a woman and the situation was under public scrutiny, they hesitated to resort to violence against her. Instead, they were less courteous towards Hu Ruoyun. One slightly overweight guard, with his eyebrows raised, pointed a rubber baton at Hu Ruoyun and declared, "We have the authority here!"
Lai Wen noticed that Hu Ruoyun was about to be at a disadvantage and quickly revealed her press credentials. "Don't lay a hand on us; we are from Jiangcheng Evening News!"
To her surprise, the leading guard became even more arrogant upon hearing Lai Wen's words. "It doesn't matter which newspaper you're from; hand over the film and leave, or you won't be going anywhere!"
At this statement, the crowd erupted in disbelief. How could a security guard restrict a journalist's freedom?
Ignoring the murmurs of the onlookers, the leading guard charged towards Lai Wen, attempting to snatch the camera from her hands.
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