Chapter 39: Appearance, Interview, and Attention

"Do you have time...", Lan Si handed back the signed form.

Patricia glanced at his signature and whispered, "I'm not sure, this seems... too fast. We've only met once and you're already asking for a date..."

Lan Si laughed softly, "I meant I wanted to understand some things about the registration..."

Patricia suddenly became a bit embarrassed. In matters of romance, whoever expresses their attitude first becomes the more passive one.

Just as she didn't know what to say, Lan Si cleverly resolved her embarrassment, gazing into her eyes, "At the same time, I also want to take this opportunity to get closer to you."

Patricia looked at him, covering her face, her favor for this young man growing even more, "Saturday morning..."

After the two agreed on the time and location, Lan Si left the City Commercial Service Bureau.

At this moment, there were even more people handling business in the Commercial Service Bureau; even the entrance was crowded. He stood at the entrance, lowered his head to light a cigarette, and then looked up at the sky.

He exhaled everything in his chest, the good and the bad, along with the smoke.

The little boat of dreams had already set sail; the future had arrived!

What he didn't know was that a reporter happened to capture this moment and planned to use it in the business section of tomorrow's "Today's Jincheng" newspaper. He even thought of the title—

It would be called "The Young Entrepreneur and the City's Future," using the contrast between the individual and the city to show the citizens the city's surging vitality (see the image at the end of the article).

This was also one of the requirements of City Hall; they hoped to showcase the city's youthful rhythm

and focus more people's attention here!

Perhaps Lan Si noticed someone taking photos, or perhaps it was just a simple intuition; he glanced in that direction, and the reporter suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

He walked over with his camera, "Hello, sir, I am a reporter for 'Today's Jincheng.' Just now... the sense of the scene was too strong. I might use your photo in tomorrow's newspaper."

"If possible, can I pay you... two dollars?"

Lan Si refused him, "It's free, friend. I'll even thank you for doing this!"

He paused as he spoke, "So, do you have any other interview assignments? Perhaps we can chat."

The reporter's eyes lit up instantly. There was no better material than interviewing the person in the photo. He immediately took out his pen and paper, "Are you here to register a company today?"

"Yes."

"What made you decide to register a company in Jincheng?"

Lan Si thought seriously for a moment, "Jincheng is not the only city in the Federation with excellent commercial development potential, but it possesses a group of highly efficient and incorruptible government officials. They have boldly and cautiously installed a high-horsepower engine for our economic development, allowing us to always speed along the fast lane of economic growth."

"It is foreseeable that with the efforts of the administrators and all of us, Jincheng will not only lead the entire Federation but even lead the world. I firmly believe this!"

"I cannot allow myself to miss such an opportunity; it might also be the most important opportunity of my life..."

The interview ended quickly. The reporter looked at the notebook full of material; he couldn't control his emotions and reached out to shake Lan Si's hand firmly.

"That was so well said, Lan Si. These words might not even need editing to be put in the newspaper. Which university did you graduate from?"

In his view, a person who could say such profound things

definitely wasn't an elementary school student.

Lan Si smiled and said, "I haven't been to university."

The reporter found it hard to believe, "I can't believe this, but regardless,

Lan Si, I will use your material..."

"So I want to thank you. You saved my time, and this article will definitely be brilliant."

Seeing the reporter's enthusiasm, Lan Si considered for a moment, "Then please buy me

a cup of coffee. Come to think of it, we haven't formally introduced ourselves yet. Lan Si White."

He extended his hand. The reporter hurriedly capped his fountain pen, then freed his right hand to shake Lan Si's firmly, "Reporter for 'Today's Jincheng,' George Smith."

The two sat down by the roadside. George ordered two cups of thirty-nine-cent coffee and a pastry rack, totaling less than a dollar fifty.

In reality, this was already a very high-end product in this coffee shop. Most people would only drink ten or twenty-cent coffee, and ordering a pastry rack was even more impossible.

"Are you a Jincheng local?", George took a sip of coffee and asked a question, "I hear your accent..."

Lan Si nodded, "That is indeed the case, but something actually happened in the middle."

"When I was a child, because of an accident, I was sold to another state. I was only a few years old then, and they demanded I work."

"Later, when I grew up a bit, they locked me in a small workshop to work. There were people from all over the world inside. You know, as long as you pay wages, there will always be people willing to provide labor."

"That's why my accent is a bit complex. Many people can notice this."

George nodded, agreeing with this point of view, "What a nightmare-like situation, and then what?"

"Then, until some time ago, nominally my foster father passed away. I left that place, wandering around looking for my own family, and then they told me one matched."

"I met... sorry, it's hard for me to say that title. I met Mr. White and Mrs. White, and we do indeed look very much alike."

"I've come home!"

George was amazed after hearing this, "Unbelievable. No wonder you speak with such depth; life has taught you everything!"

"Lan Si, I have to say, knowing you is my honor. Can I publish your story in the report?"

"I think this is a very inspirational story, and you know, it actually fits what some politicians want to see. This will make your path ahead easier."

George was completely conquered by Lan Si's eloquence and his miraculous experiences. He wanted to make Lan Si's persona and image fuller.

Lan Si naturally wouldn't refuse this. The Federation is a super-huge vanity fair; fame and profit are the most important things here.

"I'm not very willing to recall those things and people that happened, but regardless, my foster father at least didn't leave me

disabled or dead, and I don't want the past life to come and trouble me and my family again..."

George nodded repeatedly, "I understand. I will use pseudonyms for others, including the location and time. Don't worry, I am a senior reporter; I can handle this."

After Lan Si provided George with some more material, the two exchanged contact information and said goodbye. George told Lan Si to keep an eye on tomorrow's newspaper; he would definitely write it seriously.

Knowing George was an unexpected joy. In this era where information technology is not yet developed, or can even be called a desert, the main way people understand the world is through newspapers.

Magazines are too expensive; the working class's consumption power for magazines is extremely limited. Although television has more content, most ordinary working-class people watch television outside shop windows on the street.

Besides these, perhaps radio is also a main channel, but radio is limited by time and playback equipment; people can't carry radios everywhere.

But newspapers can. Five cents a copy; whether on the way to work, on the bus or subway, or even when taking a dump, they can be used to receive information.

And in the end, it has extra value, such as being used to wipe one's ass, or wrapping things, and so on.

Expanding his media relations was also a part of his plan, but this part expanded more smoothly than he imagined.

Actually, if you look closely, reporters often appear on the street. As the most important information dissemination channel of this era, it is far closer to the lives of ordinary people than people imagine.

The next morning, the director of the City Commercial Service Bureau arrived at his office carrying a box of donuts. Just as he sat down, the telephone rang, "This is..."

"Mr. Mayor, I haven't had time to read today's newspaper yet..."

"Okay, I'll read it immediately."

"Yes, I understand."

He frowned blankly, picked up the phone, and asked his assistant to send in today's "Today's Jincheng."

Opening the business section, the first page was the entrance of the City Commercial Service Bureau, crowded with people, all lowering their heads or communicating with those around them.

But in this crowded composition, there was a person who was out of place with the surrounding environment, appearing here.

A young man, standing at the entrance, holding a cigarette in his hand, looking up at the sky. This photo revealed a very strange feeling to people.

It was as if it was reminding people that sometimes we should also look up. The language of the picture revealed positive things, leaving people with a long aftertaste.

Immediately after, he looked at the body of the report. Large sections of text first described the good economic development situation of Jincheng today, using a large amount of data to compare the changes in the last quarter, last year, and within five and ten years.

The growth of urban commercial scale, economic growth, the growth in the number of registered enterprises, the growth of tax revenue...

Simple numbers, yet they gave people extremely convincing content. Then the reporter interviewed the person in the photo. The words spoken by the interviewee seemed

to always be saying that the city's development was everyone's effort.

But the director tasted some flavor from it. This person was different from others. On the surface, he didn't flatter the bureaucrats' actions, also saying it was everyone's effort.

But in every sentence, he placed the officials before "we," which gave people a status where the primary and secondary could be clearly distinguished.

Subtly yet clearly making people feel that the essence of the city's development was the effort of the bureaucratic group.

Finally, the report mentioned the specific situation of this interviewee, which was also very legendary.

Reading the whole report in one breath, the director felt his whole person had sublimated, and he could even hear the city's strong pulse roaring in his ears!

He sat there thinking for a while, called the assistant director over, then flipped that page of the newspaper to the very top, pointed at Lan Si, and asked, "Is this someone we arranged, or a report we arranged?"

The assistant director looked at the unfamiliar young man, a bit at a loss, "We didn't arrange any interviews or reports. This should be their spontaneous behavior. Is it..."

The director pursed his lips, "The Mayor read this report and thinks it fits our Jincheng image very well, and it also has a good purpose of diverting attention from recent events."

"However, since it's not our person, don't worry about it. Have someone check, and have his application reviewed first..."

After the assistant director left, the director looked at Lan Si's young face, always feeling that they would definitely have opportunities to deal with each other in the future. ===== CHAPTER 40 =====