Chapter 1934: Chapter 645: School Anniversary (Part 3)
For example, she herself, although she boasted in front of Tang Song about being a city television station reporter, in reality, she just came along with the program team to do some liaison and odd jobs.
Currently, within the station, she’s just an insignificant small figure.
...
November 20, 2023, Monday, sunny, 4~19℃.
Six o’clock in the morning.
Outside the window, a thick fog enveloped the entire county town in grayish-white mist.
Deng Yazi and Sun Xiaonan woke up to the shrill alarm clock sound, struggling to sit up from the bed.
They washed up, put on the prepared black formal attire for women, and went downstairs with their bags.
After quickly finishing breakfast in the hotel restaurant, they immediately rushed to the school.
Banners were raised outside the campus, a red carpet for guests leading up to the school gate, with security and etiquette teams neatly lined up.
Sign in, collect media credentials, shoot some establishing shots at the school gate, and then randomly interview a few prearranged students and retired teachers...
Eight o’clock in the morning sharp.
The main team of the program finally arrived in grandeur from Quan City.
Leading them was Liu Jianjun, the chief producer of the "Quan City Observation" program and deputy director of the news center.
In his early fifties, slightly plump, with a serious expression, dressed impeccably.
He first briefly glanced at the footage shot by Deng Yazi and Sun Xiaonan, gave them a stern lecture,
before turning to discuss today’s interview and filming process with host Xie Xuan and the main cameraman, among others.
It was at this moment that Deng Yazi, from their hushed conversation, caught a name that made her heart skip a beat.
Today, Mayor Li Jiping would actually be present at the event in person.
She and Sun Xiaonan exchanged a glance, seeing the undisguised shock in each other’s eyes.
No wonder the station was making such a big show of it this time, even Director Liu and the star host Xie Xuan made an appearance!
When they reached the square in front of the main venue, it was already bustling with activity.
The etiquette students hired by the school stood in line on both sides of the red carpet, dressed in bright red cheongsams.
On the outskirts of the square, one could even see uniformed police officers and plainclothes security personnel patrolling discreetly.
This clearly exceeded the level of security appropriate for an ordinary school anniversary celebration.
Amidst the festive drumbeats, one after another luxury cars with local plates started to drive into the venue.
Deng Yazi picked up her DSLR camera, starting to capture the scenes before her.
Returning to the alma mater, the familiar yet unfamiliar environment made her seem to once again see herself in a school uniform, running in the sunshine, inevitably feeling sentimental.
Soon, a commotion louder than before drew her attention.
A black Bentley car slowly approached.
The car door opened, and two figures stepped out in high spirits, surrounded by school leaders.
Sun Xiaonan remarked quietly from the side, "Isn’t that Li Yunfan, the boss of Maixiangyuan? What a commanding presence! Who’s that young handsome guy next to him? An assistant?"
"No." Deng Yazi shook her head, "That’s our senior, Zhao Rui, a top student from Tsinghua University. I heard he got promoted to VP of the investment banking division at CICC this year and led a company IPO."
"Impressive! He’s a true rising star. Not yet thirty, I bet his annual salary exceeds two million yuan?"
"Yeah, he’s two years our senior and was that year’s top scorer in the college entrance exam."
Deng Yazi’s tone was filled with complex emotions.
Her batch, having graduated just over three years, had few who had made a name for themselves, and even fewer distinguished alumni invited back.
Most were like Li Yunfan, successful business figures in their forties or fifties.
Yet Zhao Rui, someone their age, achieved a stature that had a more profound impact on her.
It was a real, insurmountable gap among peers.
Perhaps even Liu Qingning, who started a business in the AI field, might have some gap with him.
Sun Xiaonan looked at Zhao Rui, who was surrounded by admirers, and clicked her tongue, "Indeed, power and status are the best attire for men. Look at that Zhao Rui, seems tall and handsome now, a young and dashing financial elite, just like the protagonist of a novel!"
On hearing this, Deng Yazi couldn’t help but chuckle softly, "Haha, what? Suddenly changed your mind? Lost interest in our Tang Song?"
"Hehe, not really." Sun Xiaonan stuck out her tongue, "Just amazed."
They both worked within the system and had a deeper understanding of the halo that came with status.
She also knew she had no chance to interact with such a person, let alone date them.
While they were silently lamenting.
Two low-profile black Magotan cars slowly drove into the square.
"The county committee leaders are here!"
A low reminder quickly emerged from the crowd.
School leaders and local business people immediately approached nervously.
Under Director Liu’s arrangement, Xie Xuan immediately got into position, leading the cameraman and sound technician to meet them.
At this time, Deng Yazi and Sun Xiaonan, the two "little transparent" in charge of running errands, suddenly had no tasks to do.
They could only stand on the outskirts of the crowd, watching this lively scene belonging to successful people from afar.
After a long while, the scene gradually returned to calm.
Sun Xiaonan suddenly remembered something and nudged Deng Yazi’s arm, "By the way, when will your classmate Tang Song arrive?"
"I’ll ask." Deng Yazi said, taking out her phone from her pocket to send Tang Song a WeChat message.
