Chapter 174: Not Even Able to Catch Up with the Hot Stuff

The sun rose late, casting a pale golden halo through the thin mist.

Wang Qi Zhi stepped into the studio and paused: he had never seen Lin Sicheng wear a suit before; he actually looked quite the part?

He sat down casually: "Don't be nervous, it's basically just a formality!"

It wasn't that the relevant departments and the Expert group were irresponsible, but rather that Wang Qi Zhi was aiming entirely for the National Level Intangible Cultural Heritage catalog, so he had prepared extremely comprehensively.

Besides, it was only the preliminary review for project approval; there was absolutely no need to worry.

Lin Sicheng nodded: he didn't even flinch when facing a murderer, so there really was nothing to be nervous about...

In the blink of an eye, Li Zhen poured tea, Wang Qi Zhi took a sip, and then peered outside again.

A business vehicle was parked quietly across from the studio. The windows were tinted, but there was no doubt that there were people inside.

Lin Sicheng explained in a low voice: "Teacher, don't think that just because Director Li said these two are guards, you should really take them as guards? That was just to put your mind at ease, he exaggerated a bit... Of course, they certainly have to be responsible for safety, but that's just incidental..."

"What they mainly do is, first, check for omissions and contact headquarters in time: after all, I am not a real Police officer, my sense of smell isn't as sharp as theirs, and when I encounter certain situations, I don't know how to judge or how to respond..."

"For example, if I happen to be in another city and Yu Dahai contacts me, wanting to send his underlings to meet me, should I meet them or not? If I meet them, there's no guarantee of safety. If I don't, I'll have missed a golden opportunity in vain, and might even arouse Yu Dahai's suspicion..."

"Second is dealing with emergencies: for example, if Fan Qiang and I suddenly meet on the street, should I arrest him or not? If I don't arrest him, I was just in contact with Yu Dahai yesterday saying I was in Shanghai, and I arrived in Xijing overnight? If I do arrest him, with my flimsy build, can I really fight a criminal to the death? What if he has a gun?"

Wang Qi Zhi was startled: "Didn't Chen Peng say that Fan Qiang was being watched closely? How could you run into him on the street?"

"Of course he's being watched closely; with those few numbers of his, he's under twenty-four-hour location monitoring, the Police know where he goes..."

Lin Sicheng let out a breath, "I'm just using it as an analogy: because the longer I'm in contact with Yu Dahai, the more of his underlings I come into contact with... If there's no Fan Qiang, there's Lin Qiang, Wang Qiang, Chen Qiang..."

Wang Qi Zhi glared at him: "Then why are you still doing it?"

Lin Sicheng paused: "Teacher, if I don't do this job, there really is no one else to do it..."

Wang Qi Zhi froze, not knowing what to say.

It was just like what Director Li said yesterday: Professor Wang, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I really can't find anyone as professional and as well-rounded as young Lin for the time being...

Could it really be just for the time being? Wang Qi Zhi estimated that even if he gave Li Chunnan a year or two, he wouldn't be able to find anyone.

Therefore, if Lin Sicheng didn't do it, there really was no one who could.

But whenever he remembered Chen Peng calling him to claim credit that day, Wang Qi Zhi's scalp went numb: Professor Wang, young Lin has performed a great service... over fifty people, more than thirty guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition...

Chen Peng had been scolded by him for that... What kind of bullshit credit are you claiming?

So, even with guards, it was only two people, two guns...

Lin Sicheng was of course well aware of this, but he still did it!

To tell the truth, which teacher wouldn't hope for their student to have super upright values, a super strong sense of justice, and a sense of responsibility and accountability? Not to mention that his relationship with Lin Sicheng was becoming increasingly close.

So Wang Qi Zhi was both proud and conflicted.

Just as he was twisting his face, looking hesitant, Lin Sicheng smiled and stood up: "Teacher, look, General Manager Zhao has a net worth of hundreds of millions, isn't he still doing it? And he's doing it with his whole family in tow... To be honest, he's in much more danger than I am..."

Wang Qi Zhi looked up: a Benz SUV was parked at the entrance, and Zhao Xiuneng had gotten out of the car with his two sons.

He snorted: "Why don't you ask how General Manager Zhao got his net worth? If he doesn't do it, can he hold onto those hundreds of millions?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and didn't say a word.

The so-called judging by actions rather than intentions...

With these thoughts, the teacher and student went out to greet them...

After exchanging greetings with Wang Qi Zhi, Zhao Xiuneng rambled on: "My old mother heard about it last night and was so excited she insisted on coming... She said since it's an evaluation, how could she, a Second Generation inheritor, not come?"

"She found a whole pile of proof documents that she should and shouldn't have, and even made the second son get an RV... If you hadn't persuaded her, she really would have driven over overnight..."

Lin Sicheng smiled: "It's only a district-level evaluation, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? It won't be too late to invite the old lady out when it reaches the Provincial Level..."

"Right, that's what I said too!"

The two chatted on and on, while Wang Qi Zhi watched coldly from the sidelines.

At first glance, it looked quite normal, like friends reminiscing. But thinking about it carefully: how old was Zhao Xiuneng, and how old was Lin Sicheng?

And calculating further, Zhao Xiuneng's age seemed to be about the same as Lin Zhangqing's...

What was even stranger was that there was a vague feeling similar to when Zhu Kaiping stood in front of Lin Sicheng: although Zhao Xiuneng called him Teacher Lin, both his tone and his expression seemed as if he were standing before a senior?

And those two sons of Zhao Xiuneng, in their thirties, were not much older than himself. But they sat upright and were meticulous; when Lin Sicheng occasionally chatted with them, their waists would subconsciously hunch down, and their faces would suddenly be piled with smiles, even more respectful than they were to their own father.

Having spent half a lifetime rolling in the underworld, what kind of scenes hadn't Zhao Xiuneng experienced?

Including those two sons of his, they were definitely not greenhorns just starting out, so at first thought, wasn't it too exaggerated?

But there must be a reason.

The question was, what had Lin Sicheng done?

Pondering secretly, after chatting for a while, the school's reception team arrived.

It couldn't be said they didn't attach importance to it: the principal led the team, and the main leaders from both the school and the college levels all came.

Wang Qi Zhi and Lin Sicheng introduced Zhao Xiuneng and his son again, only saying they were very famous old craftsmen in the province. And Lin Sicheng's so-called identity as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor" came from Zhao Xiuneng's mother, Zhao Laotai.

When the leaders heard this, they were all quite surprised and looked them up and down several times.

This General Manager Zhao was quite old, and quite imposing?

Since it was only to prove the lineage of inheritance, there was no essential difference between a third-generation inheritor and a fourth-generation inheritor. Then why didn't Lin Sicheng apprentice under this General Manager Zhao, but instead specifically wanted to apprentice under the eighty-plus-year-old Zhao Laotai?

Although no one asked out loud, Zhao Xiuneng could feel it, and just gave a sheepish smile.

Saying he was only fit to carry his shoes might be an exaggeration, but his little bit of craftsmanship really wasn't enough to look at in front of Lin Sicheng. It would be more like Lin Sicheng passing on the inheritance to him...

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the evaluation group arrived at the school.

The team was led by a Deputy Department Head from the District Publicity Department, and below them, the Cultural Bureau, Tourism Bureau, Cultural Relics Bureau, Radio and Television... and so on, all came.

The scale of the Expert group was also not small, with over twenty people coming from various related industries.

As they were introduced one by one, Lin Sicheng couldn't help but freeze when he saw Shan Wanshu and Ye Anning.

How did these two get mixed in?

Wang Qi Zhi was right on the side: "These two were just bored... they wanted to ask for leave yesterday, saying they wanted to come over to help today. Actually, they just wanted to join in the fun, and might even cause trouble, so I didn't agree!"

As a result, he ended up in the review panel?

But it is indeed somewhat related: Dan Wangshu is at the Municipal Tourism Bureau, and Ye Anning is at Poly; they both have professional capabilities and belong to relevant industries...

Secretly changing his train of thought, Lin Sicheng smiled from afar.

The two nodded in response, whispering: "Anning, look, Lin Sicheng is wearing a suit; he's quite photogenic, isn't he?"

Ye Anning nodded: "He really is quite easy on the eyes!"

"Oh, is his tie crooked? He still has to go on stage to speak later, right?"

Dan Wangshu patted Ye Anning on the back, "You go and remind him."

"There are so many people here, is that really necessary?" Ye Anning hesitated for a moment, "I'll send a text to my uncle..."

Just as she took out her phone, a figure emerged from Lin Sicheng's side and helped him straighten his tie.

The movement was like flowing clouds and water, natural and spontaneous.

Like Lin Sicheng, she was wearing a suit and a name tag, looking quite formal.

Looking closely, it was Li Zhen?

Dan Wangshu was stunned for a moment, glaring at Ye Anning: "Why doesn't Li Zhen mind that there are so many people?"

Ye Anning pursed her lips and smiled: "She is the Assistant!"

"Assistant your head!" Dan Wangshu patted her again: "You're still laughing?"

Immediately after, the school leaders led the Expert group on a tour, and the group entered the studio.

The procedure was methodical and followed step-by-step: touring, introductions, reviewing historical documents, examining the application plan, and viewing audiovisual materials.

Then came inquiries and understanding: the project's historical origins, current status of inheritance, cultural value, endangered status, as well as detailed protection plans and inheritance plans.

This included inquiries and understanding regarding the inheritance lineage, which is to say, Zhao Xiuneng; not a single detail was missed.

At first glance, it was detailed, meticulous, and rigorous.

In fact, only a few people knew: the documents and materials prepared by the application team were even more comprehensive than this.

Since there would be no surprises, it was natural to strictly follow the process. Regardless of anything else, when used as promotional material later, and as supporting documentation for reporting to higher-level units, it could also carry more persuasive power.

Like this, it lasted for a full day.

The process was slow, but the result held no surprises: the Expert group passed it unanimously, and the "Xijing City Beilin District Northwest University Porcelain Restoration World Heritage Application Project" was officially launched.

Lin Sicheng remained calm, but Wang Qi Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief: everything is difficult at the start, and this could be considered taking the first step.

Afterward was the reception, hosted by school leaders, with the teacher and student sitting as companions.

Lin Sicheng was as he always was, not touching a drop of alcohol, while Wang Qi Zhi drank until his face was glowing.

Finding a spare moment, he pulled Lin Sicheng into a corner and took out his phone: "Come, let's report in!"

Lin Sicheng was confused: "Report to whom?"

"My father-in-law, your Master-Grandfather Dan..."

"Oh, oh..."

Lin Sicheng nodded vigorously: following Professor Wang, he was gaining more and more relatives...

In a flash, the call connected, but before he could say much, a bucket of cold water was poured over Wang Qi Zhi's head.

"Wang Qi Zhi, why are you all so slow? Hebei Museum (Henan) reported to the province last month, and the Shanghai Museum passed the provincial-level review three months ago and has been officially listed in the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage catalog; at the latest, by the end of '09, they can report to the Ministry of Culture and the Tourism Bureau..."

The father-in-law's voice was somewhat stern, carrying a few traces of suspicion, "Wang Qi Zhi, you've been back for two months now, what have you been busy with?"

Wang Qi Zhi was dumbfounded; could this be blamed on him too?

Immediately, his heart skipped a beat: calculating it this way, Hebei Museum was at least a year ahead of them, and the Shanghai Museum was even three years ahead?

Damn it, he was afraid he wouldn't even be able to catch the leftovers?