The man’s gaze fell on the girl’s flushed earlobes, and his smile deepened.
“I’m not…”
Lin Xiaojiao mumbled incoherently. What was all this about?
“Let’s go! Time to eat.”
No longer teasing the young girl, Gu Tingzheng straightened up and turned to head back inside first.
He left the girl a little breathing room.
His little girl was shy.
…
At the dinner table, Zhu Yuehui clearly sensed something off about the atmosphere.
His boss practically had the words “in a good mood” written all over his face. Even when he subtly hinted about getting an imported car, the boss nodded.
Then there was the little sister-in-law—no, the big niece—who, like a quail, kept her head down the whole time, focusing only on eating.
Whatever the boss fed her, she ate.
Of course, he had never seen the boss serve someone like this before, even peeling river shrimp to feed her.
Something was up. Something big was up!
Lin Xiaojiao was almost done eating—mainly because she had been fed almost to capacity—and her emotions had long since settled.
Actually, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Back then, she had even thrown herself at him.
It was just a slip of the tongue…
And revealing her little thoughts.
No big deal, no big deal.
After mentally reassuring herself, Lin Xiaojiao put down her chopsticks, looked up, and put on an innocent, harmless expression:
“Third Uncle, I’m done eating. Um… there’s an event at school recently, so I need to go back and prepare.”
Well, there was indeed an event, but it wasn’t necessarily her.
Lin Xiaojiao thought to herself.
Gu Tingzheng, who was pouring tea, paused slightly, his gaze lingering on the girl’s still slightly pink cheeks for a moment before nodding.
He set down the teapot. “Alright, I’ll take you back.”
His tone was as steady as ever, making Lin Xiaojiao secretly breathe a sigh of relief, yet… inexplicably, she felt a faint trace of disappointment.
She had been overthinking things the whole meal, while he probably hadn’t even taken it seriously.
…
The atmosphere in the car on the way back was quiet but not awkward.
Gu Tingzheng played some soothing music and didn’t force conversation. Only when she got out of the car did he look into her eyes and say calmly:
“See you next week.”
…
The results of the foreign language host selection turned out unexpectedly, as expected. Two freshmen were chosen to take the lead, co-hosting Jiangcheng Normal University’s 1982 New Year’s Eve Gala alongside two Chinese hosts.
As soon as the news broke, the entire school was in an uproar.
How talented must they be? It was as if their English skills had peaked even before starting university!
[Regiment Commander Gu… it’s me, Old Huang… congratulations… as expected of a junior from your family, truly outstanding… no need for special treatment… alright, alright… you’re too kind…]
Director Huang hung up the phone happily. Such a favor was too good to pass up.
…
With over a month left until the New Year’s Eve Gala, Lin Xiaojiao was already so busy she had no time for idle chatter.
Could someone please tell her why hosts had to attend planning meetings?
Why did hosts have to participate in other groups’ rehearsals?
Why couldn’t hosts use cue cards?
Why did the scripted lines have to be submitted for review?
Because… it was only 1981.
Another weekend arrived. In the university student activity center, Lin Xiaojiao looked at her partner, Sun Yizhi, with utter despair.
“Brother, I regret this!”
“The revolution is not yet complete, comrade. We must keep striving!”
Sun Yizhi joked, then glanced around. “Go rest over there for now. I’ll call you when it’s time for rehearsal.”
He pointed to the chairs in the corner.
Lin Xiaojiao returned a “cupped fist salute” and unceremoniously retreated to a corner, practically collapsing into a chair as she let out a long sigh.
At the conference table, the teachers from the preparatory group were still engaged in heated discussions.
She hadn’t seen her “Third Uncle” for two weeks now.
There was nothing she could do about it—every weekend was packed with rehearsals…
When she called him yesterday afternoon, she was almost on the verge of tears herself.
After only a few minutes of rest, Sun Yizhi came looking for her.
No other reason—the teacher was summoning her.
The monotonous rehearsals resumed.
“Emotion! I want emotion! Not just talking!”
The instructor specially invited from the provincial television station sharply and harshly reprimanded them.
This drew sidelong glances from everyone present.
Lin Xiaojiao was almost numb by now.
The problem the teacher pointed out was also her biggest issue—she couldn’t use the era-specific intonation to deliver words that were clearly meant to be spoken colloquially.
She took a deep breath and held it in.
“Okay, teacher, I’ll do my best.”
Sun Yizhi gave her a sympathetic, comforting look, nodded, and continued.
This segment of the hosting script began with him.
Sun Yizhi also didn’t meet the teacher’s requirements, but his naturally deep male voice, coupled with his deliberately slowed pace, didn’t clash too much with the preceding Chinese host.
When it was Lin Xiaojiao’s turn, she tried to imitate Sun Yizhi’s pronunciation style.
But—
“Be more professional, Lin! Stumbling over such basic words? You’ll be facing the entire school’s teachers and students—take this seriously! Freshmen just aren’t up to par! Take a five-minute break!”
The provincial TV instructor tossed out these words and went to supervise the Chinese hosting group.
Lin Xiaojiao pursed her lips.
She continued to hold it in.
Clutching her script, she prepared to go aside and ponder it further.
Just then, someone—who knows who—remarked, “Connections are connections! I’ve already mastered these two lines!”
The voice came from the recitation group.
“Exactly, I heard about it too! How can someone with such a bad reputation become a host?”
“Everyone, don’t spread rumors! Our classmate Lin Xiaojiao is outstanding—she was even a flag bearer in the military training honor guard! Don’t misunderstand her!”
Lin Xiaojiao recognized this voice—it was Hu Guozhi.
He had been selected for a large-scale poetry recitation program and was also in the activity center.
But his seemingly defensive words only fueled the conversation among those present.
“Right, right, I remember now! She’s that officer’s relative, isn’t she? Otherwise, how would she get the spot?”
“Who knows if she’s a relative or not! Anyway, my uncle never hugged me like that! Haha!”
“You’re just not as pretty as she is!”
The murmurs grew louder and louder.
Lin Xiaojiao couldn’t hold it in any longer. She threw down her script and rushed out of the activity center’s main door.
“Everyone, watch your words. Especially you.”
Sun Yizhi shot a glare at Hu Guozhi in the crowd and chased after her.
Outside, Lin Xiaojiao was already nowhere to be seen.
…
In a moment of impulse, Lin Xiaojiao dashed down the stairs.
The Cultural and Sports Building was sparsely populated on a Sunday.
The setting sun filtered through the blinds at the end of the corridor, casting flickering shadows.
Lin Xiaojiao kicked at her own elongated shadow on the ground.
She missed.
Even the tallest shadow was just an illusion.
She let out a self-mocking chuckle.
What was all this about?!
Weren’t people in this era supposed to be simple and honest?
Turns out, personal attacks exist everywhere…
How pathetic. What should she do?
Lin Xiaojiao stopped walking, leaned against the wall, and simply crouched down.
Wrapping her arms around her knees, she buried her head in the crook of her arms…
This was exactly the scene Sun Yizhi witnessed at the stairwell.
He was about to step forward when a man approaching from the opposite direction stopped him.
The newcomer was none other than Gu Tingzheng.
“Uncle Gu?”
Sun Yizhi made no sound, but his lips formed the words.