The resplendent modern tower, the noisy, jostling crowds.

  The two of them stood there, their distance between their figures slowly diminishing.

  All-encompassing fireworks exploded in the sky, illuminating that sentence on the tower.

  Love-while everybody is gazing up at the fireworks, you are looking at me. I kiss you in the endless, surging crowds. You bashfully flee, but come back and take my hand.

  Yes, there is always a ruckus in this world, people going back and forth……if hands aren’t held, a pair might accidentally get separated.

  “Come, I’ll lead. Follow closely!” Mis Xiang said.

  Still wanting to get a little closer, she pulled Xu Tingsheng’s hand as they navigated the crowd like an agile fish. She asked: can I still touch it when it’s already lit up? The waist, that tower, I mean.

  Xu Tingsheng pulled her back to his side.

  “Don’t run astray. Come with me.”


  As Zhicheng’s true boss, he did still have such special privileges. Xu Tingsheng brought Xiang Ning into the sales building through the side door and arrived at the empty third floor balcony. The tower was right before them……

  Xiang Ning excitedly spread her arms wide as if to embrace it. Gesticulating, she asked about this and that.

  “Look, there’re people everywhere! It’s so lively. But there’re only the two of us here,” She suddenly looked back and exclaimed, the glow within her eyes reminiscent of stars in the sky.

  In a romance movie directed by Wang Jiawei, this would basically be: There are many people in this world, yet also only the two of us.

  The fireworks were still unfolding in thunderous booms and bursts.

  “Do you like being together with me?” Xiang Ning tiptoed and said into Xu Tingsheng’s ear.

  “I do,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “Will we get married then?”


  “We will.”


  “For sure?”


  “For sure.”


  “Yes. I’d be willing.”


  “Yep. We’re agreed then.”


  “Mmm. Xu Tingsheng, you must marry me. You must marry Little Xiang Ning. I wouldn’t be able to marry anybody else. Sometimes, I suddenly feel scared that you could be stolen away by someone else. I tried thinking about it before, but it’s really not possible. If you leave, if you no longer want me, I’ll be alone by myself forever, even though I’d still be waiting for you then.”


  As it was too noisy, she had to exert herself and shout out every word.

  Having already not cried in a long time, gradually no longer influenced by his regrets and memories of his past life, the smiling Xu Tingsheng, so successful in life, leaked tears.

  “Those three years in my previous life, in the days afterwards, was she similarly unable? Was it always the same person? Yet never able to say those things to the person called Xu Tingsheng.”
……

  Though the fireworks performance had ended, people remained at the tower, taking photographs and talking.

  Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning sat down.

  Xiang Ning wanted to sit down at the railing, but even though this was only the third storey balcony, Xu Tingsheng shuddered slightly as he dared not approach the edge. Xiang Ning, having only discovered his fear of heights after having dragged him to a Ferris wheel in his previous life, discovered this again now.

  “Come on, I’ll sit in front. You sit behind me. You can hug me too. Don’t look down. If you’re afraid, you can bury your face in my back. I’ll protect you.”


  Right after the valiant Miss Xiang had patted her little chest and said this, she let out a little shriek and bolted behind Xu Tingsheng.

  “Wah! Look……there, there’s a white shirt that’s moving by itself.”


  Xu Tingsheng looked where Xiang Ning was pointing. Indeed, there was really a white shirt at the bottom of the tower. Amidst the darkness on the other side of the sales building, it was moving about……or running about, to be exact, before it stopped and just froze in mid-air.

  Soon, the crowds down below noticed this too, startled, fearful exclamations arising.

  Supernatural activity?

  A haunting?

  It wouldn’t be good if word of this got out!

  Then, amidst a racket, music resounded.

  “The girl is dangerous……”


  Clang. Whoosh!

  At the same time, a dozen circular spotlights rained down from above.

  In the pitch black corner was now revealed a stage whose canopy had just been removed.

  That white shirt which could move and run on its own was revealed to be worn by someone, a black person.

  Xu Tingsheng sent to Hu Shengming: The heck, this black guy you found is so black.

  Hu Shengming replied: You’re welcome. He imitates MJ for a living. Just watch, it’s crazy awesome.

  Zhicheng had set up a performance in concert with the unveiling of Little Pert Waist. The first programme was a classic MJ song that fired up the crowd. The dude’s performance was very energetic and sent the surrounding atmosphere to a peak as applause and cheers resounded.

  Miss Xiang completely forgot about her earlier blunder as she ‘protected’ Uncle while watching on excitedly.

  The second programme saw an experienced first-rate male singer singing some of his classics.

  The third programme was an acrobatics performance that had just appeared in this year’s New Year’s Gala.

  The fourth programme……

  This would be overkill even for the opening ceremony of Zhicheng Real Estate. Yet, it was unfolding now for the mere unveiling of a modern tower. Was there really a need for this magnificence of scale?!

  Would this be in the news tomorrow?

  At the very least, Weibo was already full of things about Yanzhou’s Little Pert Waist now.

  A group of people dispersed into different segments of the crowd. The first thing they said, without exception, was, “Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties……do you know? Have you heard?”


  The crowd asked, “What?”


  Then, they would discuss Little Pert Waist, discuss the current performance, mysteriously divulge Zhicheng’s present shocking financial backing as well as Fang Yuqing’s furious outburst in the meeting with the city government.

  Before they left, they would conclude, “How could Zhicheng possibly lack the money to deliver their flats? Aren’t they all there? I heard that even the keys are ready. It’s just that people from the government are envious and corrupt……you get my drift? It’s them who’re forcibly preventing the flats from being delivered.”


  The crowds burst into righteous indignation, “Damned things. Just because of their envy……they want us to have spent all our money for nothing?! Such great flats……”


  By a road that could hold eight cars travelling side by side, opposite the entrance of Yanzhou City’s Central Park that was soon to finish construction, a few high-end sports cars pulled up amidst the darkness. Some people got off, smoking as they looked at the modern tower and performance along with the crowds in the distance.

  “When was news that Zhicheng’s tower would be unveiled tonight broadcast?” Someone asked.

  “Around today afternoon. There was no prior news. At 3 plus today, a great many well-known figures collectively put it on their feeds, making it blow up on Weixin. The main broadcast time should have been dinnertime. Many people heard the news while eating dinner and came over right after, just in time to see it. Then, as soon as that Little Pert Waist appeared, along with those fireworks, more and more people rushed over to see it,” Somebody answered him.

  “Was this to prevent the Fang family’s opponents from moving to obstruct them? Aren’t they being investigated regarding suspected internal trading? This……forcibly resisting it head-on?”


  “The element of surprise was definitely intended. Still, head-on, you say? It’s not as though Zhicheng is forcibly delivering the flats now. It actually doesn’t flout anything, giving anyone leverage against them.”


  “This timing is very interesting……in making things so big, the intention is actually very evident too.”