Chapter 624

The sea wind carried a salty, damp scent, blowing away Lin Dongfan's off-key song as he ran to his grandmother's house.

Named entities: Lin Dongfan. Also maybe "grandma's house" is not a proper noun. "sea wind" is not a name. So only Lin Dongfan.

On the deck.

No named entities.

Xu Jijun also hummed along to the final line: "To the east is my beauty, to the west flows the Yellow River..." The two laughed loudly, as if they were two giant sandcastles that had cast off worldly worries.

Named entities: Xu Jijun. Also maybe "Yellow River" is a proper noun (river). Should we include? It's a geographical name. The instruction says to include places. So we should include "Yellow River" as Yellow River. However, we need to decide if we should translate or keep pinyin. For place names, we should translate meaning unless it's a bare surname/meaningless proper noun. "Yellow River" means Yellow River, so we translate to "Yellow River". So we add entry: Yellow River → Yellow River. Also "To the east is my beauty, to the west flows the Yellow River..." is a lyric; not a name.

Satisfying!

No.

Xu Jijun gave Lin Dongfan a high-five.

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Lin Dongfan.

Like a youth, he laughed and remarked: "Hearing you sing a verse, I now see clearly—you truly don't take that suspension investigation seriously. This open-mindedness, I can't match; you deserve to enjoy wealth and honor."

No new names.

In other words, choosing to leave officialdom for business is very wise!

No.

And the implicit meaning behind "very wise" is that you just need to move on; only by leaving officialdom can we continue to drink and talk as brothers.

No.

Lin Dongfan downed the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

His smile also carried a hint of roguishness: "When life is good, one must enjoy it; don't let the golden goblet sit idle opposite the moon. I've served the people for many years; occasionally taking a break, enjoying a bit of the capitalists' decadent lifestyle—what's wrong with that?"

No.

He deliberately emphasized the three words "capitalist" with a heavy tone, adding a touch of self-mockery.

No.

Xu Jijun immediately laughed and said: "There are many ways to serve the people; you don't have to stay within the system. Capitalists drive employment, promote market economic prosperity, and that too is serving the people."

Named entity: Xu Jijun.

After all, they still hope Lin Dongfan won't stay in the system and get in the way.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

At this moment…

No.

Then a crew member pushed a food cart over, setting out a lavish feast on the wide deck. Fresh seafood sashimi, lobster sizzling and oozing oil, the aroma filling the air.

No.

Nineteen-year-old Chen Xiaoyu waved to usher them to their seats.

Named entity: Chen Xiaoyu.

Although she lacked the refined talents of those high-society "socialites", she possessed a natural, wholesome beauty reminiscent of a virtuous maiden from a humble home, always preserving the simplicity of a fishing village.

No.

Xu Jijun couldn't help but admire her with both eyes.

Named entity: Xu Jijun.

He smiled meaningfully: "Comrade Lin Dongfan, your little ship captain is like the osmanthus in Li Qingzhao's verses—why need pale green or deep red? She is naturally first-rate among flowers."

Named entities: Lin Dongfan, Li Qingzhao.

Cultured people just speak differently.

No.

Chen Xiaoyu couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of those words, so she turned her gaze to Lin Dongfan.

Named entities: Chen Xiaoyu, Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan laughed and said: "That's certain—Xiao Yu has been drifting at sea since childhood; what big wind or wave hasn't she seen? She wouldn't stoop to compete with those outside beauties for beauty and glory."

Named entities: Lin Dongfan, Xiao Yu.

Also line 22: "those outside beauties" is not a name.

This time Chen Xiaoyu understood, feeling that this was praise for herself.

Named entity: Chen Xiaoyu.

Chen Xiaoyu immediately felt a bit embarrassed, shyly revealing a simple smile: "I'm not as good as you say; please sit down, the dishes will get cold soon."

Named entity: Chen Xiaoyu.

The banquet began on the deck, the sea wind whooshing, and the food and drink on the table indeed cooled easily.

No.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

No.

After sitting down, Xu Jijun shifted the conversation, intentionally or not, asking: "Captain Chen, what business does your ship 'Elegant Maiden No. 1' usually handle? Fishery resource assessment surveys, or oceanic scientific research?"

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Elegant Maiden No. 1.

Also line 27 includes "fishery resource assessment survey" and "oceanic scientific research" are not names.

Lin Dongfan picked up a piece of tuna belly meat, dipping it in some soy sauce with mustard.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

He replied leisurely: "It's not as

Named entities: Lin Dongfan, Oceanic Fishery Company.

Fan Ye intentionally concealed his sharpness, already beginning to guard against Xu Jijun.

Named entities: Fan Ye, Xu Jijun.

Xu Jijun, while cutting his steak, chatted: "I've heard Haishan City has strong support policies for the marine economy; if you seize this east wind, eating meat won't be difficult."

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Haishan Shi.

"Your news is quite well-informed, huh?"

No.

Lin Dongfan wore a smile.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

Deep down he was thinking: "Old classmate, old classmate, I really underestimated you before, thinking you only raced on the track, never expecting you to be someone who sees all and hears all."

No new named entities (old classmate is generic).

It can be said that his abilities are vast and far-reaching!

No.

Helping people escape, you wouldn't be that mysterious Mr. G, would you?

Named entities: Mr. G.

Thinking of this, Lin Dongfan suddenly felt as if he had pierced the heavenly crown… wait, no! Piercing the heavenly crown would kill a person; it's more like a sense of relief from opening the Ren and Du meridians, and he couldn't help feeling a little excited.

Named entities: Lin Dongfan.

This meal wasn't wasted; at least I caught a glimpse of the opponent's sharp edge.

No.

Three rounds of drinks.

No.

The atmosphere on the deck grew increasingly harmonious.

No.

Xu Jijun, while cutting his steak, casually remarked: "Dong Fan, you now have Zhengtong Capital's investment field, spanning the marine economy, internet economy, and cutting-edge technology, among others. Moreover, with the provincial SASAC backing your financing, your future is bright. Have you considered turning it into a publicly listed group?"

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Dong Fan.

Also Zhengtong Capital from the glossary. Also Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission we need to translate the meaning. Not a named entity for the glossary (we will translate it in the line). Also listed group is generic.

The more boring the topic, the more cautious Lin Dongfan becomes.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

Military strategists said over two thousand years ago: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles." The opponent has a strong desire to win and to control; this is testing our limits.

No.

If they revealed their plan to go public, they might well be crushed by hidden forces before they even got started.

No.

Lin Dongfan had already figured it out:

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

Sitting opposite, this old classmate neither wants Lin Dongfan to stay in office and get in the way, nor wants to see him transform into a business tycoon.

Named entities: old classmate, Lin Dongfan.

They hope Lin Dongfan returns to mediocrity.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

This society, after five thousand years of civilizational cleansing, science and productivity advancing day by day! Yet human nature, this thing, has not changed at all—five thousand years of progress amount to less than a centimeter.

No.

Before them, this old classmate's deepest impression of Lin Dongfan remains stuck in their university days.

Named entities: old classmate, Lin Dongfan.

In their eyes, Lin Dongfan was once a penniless loser! They might not mind a loser turning the tide against the wind, but they cannot accept a loser who has turned over and now holds a top position.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan. Also the slang term "poor diao si" means "loser". Not a name.

In other words, you can turn things around, but you can't become better than me.

No.

The worst of human nature knows no bounds.

No.

Lin Dongfan suppressed his myriad feelings and anger, forcing out a defiant smile: "What the hell's the point of going public? Why should I go public just to let others dilute my control? To give others a chance to swallow the cake? I like to eat alone. Not going public, I can still make my company a Fortune Global 500."

Named entity: Lin Dongfan. Also "world top 500" is generic.

This statement came out half true, half false, full of bravado!

No.

Xu Jijun burst out laughing: "Hahaha, no wonder you're Pretentious Fan—after all these years, you really haven't changed a bit, still loving to show off."

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Pretentious Fan.

This seems to be exactly what Xu Jijun wanted.

Named entity: Xu Jijun.

Everything was within Lin Dongfan's expectations.

Named entity: Lin Dongfan.

Xu Jijun isn't afraid of Lin Dongfan showing off, nor of his boasting without preparation; he's only afraid that he'll transform into a steady and composed politico-business elite.

Named entities: Xu Jijun, Lin Dongfan.

Since you like this kind of young master, that young master will surely accompany you to the end of this play.

Named entity: Xiao Ye.

Also line 59 includes "this play" not a name.

Lin Dongfan raised his cup and laughed: "Come on, if you're my brother, drink a cup with me, drink a cup for the future business magnate emperor. Let me tell you, it's not too late to cling to my thigh now."

You haven't even finished your drink and you're already drunk? Haha, you're already dreaming of becoming an emperor so fast. Though your dream is rather vague, for your vision and ideals, I raise this cup to you.

Xu Jijun laughed and joked, but his actions were still cooperative—he raised his wine cup and clinked it against Lin Dongfan's.

Chen Xiaoyu, sitting beside them, lacked the experience and insight to see that the two were merely acting; deep down, he actually felt glad that Lin Dongfan had such an open, candid friend.