Chapter 39: Entering the Inner Halls (Part 2)

xperience and connections were valued, he currently had little influence."Then what do you suggest How can we participate in the bidding session… but our credentials aren’t as impressive as others',"...Chapter 39: Entering the Inner Sanctum (Part 2)

The person who appeared at the door was a cheerful middle-aged man in his fifties, holding two large bottles of Wuliangye liquor in crystal white bottles that were rather transparent and elegant. Next to him stood a middle-aged woman carrying a box of health supplements for seniors like "Intellect Crown" from that era.

The middle-aged man who opened the door was wearing dark glasses. When he saw Yin Shuying, he hesitated for a moment; then the woman beside him nudged his waist and abdomen area with her elbow. The man then said, "Oh... This must be Mr. Zeng's house, right Hi, you're just having dinner now, aren't you I'm sorry..."

It was already around seven o'clock now; however, today the S Family had prepared an especially sumptuous meal, which required a longer preparation time. Yin Shuying was taken aback and asked, "You are..."

"I'm Mr. Tian, Tian Feng. I am currently working at No. 1 High School. Today I came to congratulate Mr. Zeng..."

Yin Shuying immediately invited the couple, Tian Feng and his wife, into the house. The uncle stepped forward with的熱情迎接。

Tian Feng learned about this matter afterward from the Party newspaper of No. 1 High School's Party branch secretary. He then saw references to a special feature on Su Cun and Zeng Quanming in the magazine. This made Tian Feng break out into a sweat, especially since Xiao Fei had mentioned it vaguely later. Additionally, Mayor Yu had spoken highly of this matter regarding Su Cun, while currently the city's construction bureau chief was about to be dismissed for his dereliction of duty. The top brass were discussing who should take over as the new construction bureau chief when Zeng Quanming suddenly became a prominent figure.

Tian Feng realized that the matter had become serious, as he needed help from the Construction Bureau for his daughter's husband’s project. If Zeng Quanming got promoted, it would be too late to do anything about it. If Xiao Fei were to suffer consequences, Tian Feng himself would also be implicated since they are in the same faction. Now, no matter what, he could not escape this situation. At his age, he had some sleepless nights worrying about this issue. Eventually, after being half-heartedly dragged by his wife, he went over to Zeng Quanming’s house. Unexpectedly, it was mealtime for the family when he arrived, which made things a bit awkward.

Tian Feng secretly glanced at Zeng Quanming and felt uneasy about whether he would be displeased. He hurriedly said, "Ah, we'll just sit down briefly and leave. Director Zeng, I deeply regret my younger brother's outburst during our last meeting. Please don’t take it to heart! After some reflection, I realized that my behavior was indeed inappropriate."

Zeng Quanming waved his hand dismissively, "No worries at all. It’s a pity that you had to come for such a minor matter. Next time, let me treat you..."

"I insist on treating you! I must!" To Tian Feng's surprise, Zeng Quanming did not give him an unpleasant look and he felt relieved inside. His previous anxiety dissipated as well. Suddenly seeing Su Can, his eyebrows shot up, "Oh, there is also some good news today. This must be Su Can The kid is quite clever; a student of this caliber, No. 1 High School definitely wants to take in. I have come today to announce on behalf of our school that we will admit Su Can. There's no need for complicated procedures—just report directly upon the start of term! You can choose your own class without computer allocation."

Seeing how composed and unperturbed the Su family was, Tian Feng felt it was time to leave with his gifts. As he left, recalling how Su Can managed to turn Zeng Quanming’s situation around so quickly made him shake his head in disbelief, "Never thought… really never expected..."

The meal at the Su household was eaten under a setting sun and it lacked the previous lively atmosphere. The uncle did not boast about his business achievements either, nor did he harshly scold Zeng Yuan excessively. This scene starkly contrasted with Su Can’s past experiences where each family member would display various facial expressions towards him.

There was no excessive praise or astonishment; instead, there was a sense of warmth that replaced the flattery and enthusiasm.

The bottle of wine delivered by the head of the disciplinary office, Tian Feng, was opened for one while another bottle was left on the table, glistening with a golden hue from the setting sun, quietly sitting there.

On their way back home, Su Chen's mother wiped away some hidden tears. When asked about it by Su Chen, Zeng Ke just shook her head and said she was too happy.

A few days later, on the list of admitted students at No. 1 High School, "Su Chen" was prominently displayed. Of course, such a supplementary admission didn't need to be added to the official honor roll; many people were already aware of it. However, the school's attitude was somewhat amusing, as if they wanted to prove that Su Chen had been admitted to No. 1 High School. In reality, almost no one knew about this name that caused a minor stir only at the provincial level and within higher party circles.

In the grand march of societal progress, any ripples are like this: sometimes causing splashes, sometimes forming vortices, sometimes showing claws and fangs. Yet, as time passes, everything is left with just a faint trace, akin to an insect squashed under a tire.

Occasionally, however, small tributaries emerge from the surging river of time.

The provincial leadership made decisions regarding the breach of the floodgate in the northern district of Xiahai City that had caused partial urban flooding and disaster to some towns. The responsible officials were dealt with accordingly, and the city's construction bureau chief was suspended for dereliction of duty. Acting directorship was assumed by the original deputy director of the planning department at Xiahai City Construction Bureau, Zeng Quanming.

The old superior Yang Zhengliang had declined in influence within the provincial party committee but now found his old subordinate, Zeng Quanming. With a few trusted associates, he began to nurture a rising factional force for himself.

Liu Rui, Xue Yiyang, and Su Can's close friend continue their usual lively lives, roasting sausages on the rooftop with charcoal after coming to terms with something, and also invite each other to the city’s newly emerging internet cafes to play games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and StarCraft, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Wang Weiwei hasn't called Su Can again. Su Can doesn’t feel anything unusual about this because they are essentially two different kinds of people living in separate worlds; he doesn’t believe that a game match can bridge the gap between them.

In games, all real-life identities and statuses can indeed be set aside, but life still has to go on regardless.

Games don't distinguish between rich and poor, yet life confronts us with wealth disparity and hierarchy. This is a reality that many people openly proclaim as equality despite it being far from true—anyone not foolish enough would know this world is inherently unequal.

Su Can, who has the experience of rebirth, used to think he could change the world and everything within it. Yet, through the entire process of the flood disaster, he realizes there are still many things beyond his reach. The country is still grappling with widespread disasters resulting in significant losses of life and property; Xia Hai City remains affected by the disaster, and major trends continue their grand momentum, unaffected by an individual's slight efforts.

The only difference now is that his and those around him lives are無形中交織在一起，就像一艘航空母艦正在改變航道，駛向未知的遠方。

而這遠方，古時候被稱為天涯，現在則叫做新世界。

Based on the instruction to translate while retaining original HTML tags, and only translating text within those tags:

The lives of Liu Rui, Xue Yiyang, and Su Can's close friend continue as usual, enjoying each other’s company and roasting sausages with charcoal on a rooftop after coming to terms with something. They also invite one another to the city's newly emerging internet cafes to play popular games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and StarCraft, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Wang Weiwei hasn't called Su Can again. Su Can doesn't feel anything unusual about this because they are essentially two different kinds of people living in separate worlds; he doesn’t believe that a game match can bridge the gap between them.

In games, all real-life identities and statuses can indeed be set aside, but life still has to go on regardless.

Games don't distinguish between rich and poor, yet life confronts us with wealth disparity and hierarchy. This is a reality that many people openly proclaim as equality despite it being far from true—anyone not foolish enough would know this world is inherently unequal.

Su Can, who has the experience of rebirth, used to think he could change the world and everything within it. Yet, through the entire process of the flood disaster, he realizes there are still many things beyond his reach. The country is still grappling with widespread disasters resulting in significant losses of life and property; Xia Hai City remains affected by the disaster, and major trends continue their grand momentum, unaffected by an individual's slight efforts.

The only difference now is that his and those around him lives are intertwined like a massive aircraft carrier changing course to sail towards an unknown distant land.

And this distant land, once referred to as the天涯 (end of the earth), is now called 新世界 (new world). Tang Wu made a phone call to her family members, chatted for a while, nodded several times before hanging up the phone.Su Cen tried to think of his memories of Tang Wu from junior high school. She wa...