Seizing Dreams

Chapter 122 part1

“Ai!” Lin Ze shouted to stop Situ Ye from always exposing the truth in such a simple and crude way.

Yu Hao thought you guys are too observant, I can’t help but admire you both. Is this what they call a reporter’s instinct?

“We’re very good friends.” Yu Hao said, “Zhou Sheng asked him to come find me, he’s like our Gege.”

Situ Ye sat at one side of Yu Hao’s desk, “Can you ask him to help us with a campus promotion? We’ll pay him according to the market price.”

Yu Hao thought that was possible, so he contacted Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai very readily agreed and referred the promotion straight to the Student Union. Not long after, a liaison added Lin Ze. Lin Ze looked like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders, and he had resolved a major problem.

Yu Hao did kind of want to return, but he couldn’t say it no matter what. As he faced the neverending pile of manuscripts, he vividly felt that protecting his own ideals from being forever eroded really was too difficult.

“Not published yet?” Jin Weicheng came back, “It has already been a few days.”

Yu Hao answered, “There are still a few minor issues, it’ll be done soon.”

Jin Weicheng threw a bunch of new manuscripts at him. Yu Hao was already beginning to get struck with the urge of throwing the notebook back at him, but he didn’t say anything and just lowered his head to flip through the pages, flatten them out, and open a new document.

“It’s really not easy for kids nowadays to hold on for so long.” Jin Weicheng suddenly got sentimental, then he said to Lin Ze, “How many months do the interns in your newspaper usually last?”

“There’s no problem with Yu Hao. It’s not his fault for being raised by the rich......” Situ Ye finally couldn’t endure Jin Weicheng’s issue with those ‘raised by the rich’.

While Situ Ye was composing his words to diss the other party, Lin Ze quickly interjected, “Jin Laoshi, could you verify the reimbursement for last month? If there are no problems, I’ll send it to the finance department.”

Yu Hao kept his head down, and he was silent for a few seconds. He looked up at the computer screen, then looked at Situ Ye. Situ Ye blinked at him and smiled. Yu Hao smiled back at him a little sadly.

“From tomorrow onwards, Laoshi should take Yu Hao out for interviews from time to time ba.” Lin Ze said to Jin Weicheng, “Let Yu Hao handle the invoices, he can be your little assistant.”

Jin Weicheng said, “Let him practice his writing first, I’ll take him out when there’s time.”

Lin Ze, “Yu Hao, try to take your manuscripts back home to write as much as possible, and follow Jin Laoshi more to his interviews during the day. You’re too slow with the manuscripts. If there are any parts you can’t keep up with, you’ll have to take time out of your personal time to make up for it, don’t take up too much work time.”

Situ Ye rejoiced in the misfortune, “Go out more often, then you’ll know what’s happening outside.”

Lin Ze’s expression suddenly changed, and he stared at Situ Ye. Situ Ye looked like he had something to say, but it was all frightened back in by Lin Ze.

Yu Hao said irritably, “Okay.”

Yu Hao looked up at Lin Ze and thought I’m already trying my very best, yet you’re still asking me to work overtime to work on the manuscripts and interview during the day. I might really die a sudden death if I continue like this......but he realised that Lin Ze suddenly tossed him an enigmatic smile.

“What does it mean?” Yu Hao asked Zhou Sheng again.

Zhou Sheng was shaving in front of a mirror. He tilted his head upwards slightly, revealing a sexy chin and the outline of his throat, “Firstly, he doesn’t like how your Jin Laoshi issues false invoices, so he wants you to handle the money because he thinks you’re honest; secondly, since the accounts go through you, Jin Laoshi will have to take you out when he goes for interviews. It’s not difficult to understand ba? And thirdly, he’s afraid that your Laoshi will just take anyone’s red packets outside. With you following along, it wouldn’t be easy for your Laoshi to take those red packets. Also, your boss is afraid that you have no motivation because you have no money, so he wants you to follow along and earn some red packet money on the side. Your leader really has his ways. Coming from a public institution, he truly is a genius.”

Yu Hao, “Was that what he meant? Are you sure you’re not overthinking it?”

Zhou Sheng smiled, “That Lady Boss of your is a true talent, he specialises in pulling the rug out from under your boss’ feet. This combination is too fun, it’s so devilish.”

In November, after three bouts of rain in Beijing, the temperature suddenly dropped like falling off a steep precipice. It was Yu Hao’s first winter in the north, and he was caught unprepared by the formidable might of the sudden drop in temperature. Before the heating arrived, the landlady wanted to collect the heating fee from him.

“So expensive?” Yu Hao uttered in disbelief, “Even if I turned on the air-conditioner for 3 months I wouldn’t need to pay 1,200 for electricity ba!’

“It’s like that in the north.” The landlady said, “Turn on the air conditioner? How could that be compared to heating? The heater is so comfortable ah, heating, the focus is on the word ‘heat’. It can warm your heart, your body......”

Yu Hao, “I have no money, I won’t turn on the heater.”

“It’s impossible for you to not use it.” The landlady said, “It has no switch, you can only pay up, there’s no choice. The country’s afraid that you’ll freeze to death, this is love! Ah? Hurry up, Alipay or WeChat?”

Yu Hao spent more than 10,000 yuan renting the house, and he had spent quite a bit over time on food and other necessities. He lent Jin Weicheng about 5,000 for his rent, then after following Jin Weicheng on his interviews, he had accumulated about 4,000 in invoices and had just handed them in to Lin Ze. Once he paid the heating fee, he wouldn’t have much left.

He asked Situ Ye when the internship salary would be paid, and the answer he got was that he could only apply for it after his three-month internship period ended. He could only receive his pay in December at the earliest. As of now, he didn’t even know if he would be able to get paid before New Year’s.

However it was only November now, what should he do? Ask Zhou Sheng for money? Yu Hao looked at his account. The 520 and 1314 red packets that Zhou Sheng had intermittently sent over effectively helped Yu Hao afford some better food.

“When will the invoices be reimbursed?” Yu Hao asked Situ Ye.

“No more money for food anymore?” Situ Ye took out his phone, “I’ll lend you some first.”

Yu Hao immediately waved his hand, “I just suddenly thought of it.”

“Did you lend Jin Laoshi money?” Situ Ye asked, “How much did you lend him?”

Yu Hao thought how do you know everything, but his leader, Lin Ze, who usually doesn’t talk much, seemed to be very clear about all of his and Jin Weicheng’s activities. Nothing could be hidden from them.

Situ Ye explained, “He asked Ah Ze for an advance on his salary to pay rent. Ah Ze said that he’d go apply for it, but the next day he said he didn’t need it anymore cause it was settled. So the two of us guessed that he borrowed it from you first.”

Yu Hao nodded, “I was just curious about how invoices are usually reimbursed.”

Situ Ye said, “There are no problems with your invoices, Ah Ze has already signed them, so they should get reimbursed next month. It’ll be transferred to the card you registered with. Remember not to accept all the invoices that Jin laoshi asks you to reimburse, just say that you’ll ask Ah Ze, or you can say that you’ll have to ask me first too.”

Yu Hao thought it really may be like what Zhou Sheng had speculated.

Yu Hao started planning, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem to hold on for another month. But when he goes out for interviews now, he has to take care of two people’s meals by himself. Reporters can’t take the bus most of the time either; if they squeezed through buses or took the subway while rushing over for emergencies, all the dishes would be cold by then. Hailing a cab would easily cost about 100. Travel fares were seriously too horrifying nowadays.

“Our column’s back.” Lin Ze said, “The public number was received really well, and I’ve already paid the money in advance.”

“Yeah!” Yu Hao and Situ Ye cheered at the same time.

“We’ll start working on features from next month onwards.” Lin Ze said, “Jin Laoshi will prepare one issue, and he’ll guide Yu Hao for that. Yu Hao has to prepare a feature as well for an issue when he’s free.”

Yu Hao suddenly heaved a sigh of relief. He felt like working himself to death for the past month or so was now meaningful. For him, perhaps the most arduous period of his life has finally passed.

“......and so,” Lin Ze drank coffee in the office as he chatted with Yu Hao about their respective interview experiences, “Before staying for the night, you must survey your escape routes first. That’s very important.”

Yu Hao and Situ Ye laughed so hard tears were coming out of their eyes.

“Why are you in a daze?” Situ Ye said, “Remember it ah.”

Yu Hao suddenly realised that Lin Ze was teaching him! He quickly took his notebook out and recorded the main points. Every time Yu Hao got tired of writing, or when Situ Ye got irritated from editing photos and typesetting, everyone would have a cup of tea and chat idly. Lin Ze was also very eloquent. As soon as they started talking about anything under the sun, Yu Hao would immediately have to stop and listen to his stories.

Stories weren’t merely stories. Yu Hao began to learn how to deal with officials and policemen from Lin Ze’s recounts. Everyone has their own standpoint, and reporters would of course have their own too. When to give in, when to turn tail and run, when the other party doesn’t dare to provoke you, Lin Ze would integrate all his interview experiences and analyse them vividly for Yu Hao.

He only narrated stories and never made any conclusions, to let Yu Hao think for himself.

“It always feels shallow learning from paper.” Lin Ze said to Yu Hao.

Yu Hao smiled, “One must personally undertake it to truly understand.”

Lin Ze, “Yes——”