For the next two days, Song Ran was too busy. She even worked overtime on Saturday and had no time to return the string. Li Zan didn't call to press her either; perhaps he was even busier.

On Sunday morning, while organizing her books at home, Song Ran suddenly remembered the matter and found the small slip of paper. She leaned against the wooden window on the second floor, hesitating slightly: 'And after I return the string?'

But she couldn't think of any other way. She could only take out her phone, and when a gust of wind blew, she lost her grip without noticing. The small white slip of paper took to the wind, spiraling in the air like a white butterfly, before landing on the gardenia tree and hiding itself like a flower.

Song Ran immediately ran downstairs. Standing under the tree, she craned her neck and looked up, but amidst the green leaves and white flowers, there was no trace of the paper slip.

The sound of a vehicle came from outside. A van stopped outside the courtyard gate, and two or three workers got out. It was the construction team she had an appointment with to add a moisture-proof layer to the house.

They had agreed to arrive at nine, and they were not a minute late.

Before retiring, Old Li was a construction quality inspector. Long-term exposure to the wind and sun had made his complexion a bit darker than the average person's. But his features were proper, and one could vaguely see that he had been a handsome man in his youth.

He was efficient and very experienced. After entering the house and looking around, he felt the floor and the corners of the walls, and quickly proposed several construction plans. He clearly analyzed the time, cost, pros, and cons of each. In the end, he recommended a cost-effective option to Song Ran, one that would get the job done in a single day.

After Song Ran agreed, Old Li led the three workers to move the furniture and use a machine to pry up the concrete floor.

Soon, the entire floor was lifted, revealing the damp bricks and soil underneath. They worked quickly, not slacking off in the slightest. Song Ran had a very good impression of them.

The construction noise was loud, so she couldn't read. She simply sat to the side and watched them mix gravel.

"Uncle, what's that?" she asked, pointing to a black roll.

"Waterproof membrane." Old Li wasn't a man of many words, but he became talkative when it came to his work. "The terrain here on Beimen Street is low, and the humidity is heavy. I'm afraid just laying cement mortar won't be enough, so we need to add a layer of membrane. I'll also give you a double moisture-proof treatment for the plinths of the exterior and interior walls. Next rainy season, it won't be so damp."

"Oh." Song Ran sat on the steps, cupping her chin in her hands, and asked, "Uncle, Grandma Wang said you're from Jiang City. Why did you come to Liang City?"

Old Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, "My son is here."

At this moment, a worker interjected, "Uncle Li's son is really amazing. Miss Song, I bet you can't guess what he does for a living."

Song Ran's interest was piqued. "What does he do?"

"He's an elite bomb disposal expert in the army. He's one of the key personnel cultivated by the state. The Di City Military Region has always wanted to poach him, but the Jiang City Military Region refuses to let him go."

Song Ran: "That amazing?!"

"Yeah. He's only twenty-three and has already won several second-class merits. He's got the makings of a high-ranking officer in the army. Tsk, Old Li is going to enjoy a comfortable life."

Old Li's eyes crinkled with laughter. He waved his hand. "There are many capable young people nowadays. Don't let Miss Song laugh at us."

"You're too modest, Uncle," Song Ran said. "You must be very good at raising children."

"I didn't really teach him much. He was just born that way."

A little after five in the afternoon, the moisture-proof layer was done, and the floor had been re-laid. It was perfectly flat and smooth, without the slightest flaw.

Old Li said the concrete floor would be completely dry in five or six hours. That evening, his workers would come over to polish and maintain it, and it would be fine after a few more days of curing.

After the construction team left, Song Ran remembered to look for the slip of paper, but her long search was fruitless. She couldn't help but suspect that the paper had been mixed into the cement and laid into the floor.

There was nothing to be done. She could only wait for Li Zan to contact her about the rope.

The next day was Monday.

Two months after it began airing, Liang City TV's The Forefront of War was temporarily taken off the air.

More than sixty days after the war began, the situation in Dongguo had entered a stalemate, and public interest had significantly declined. The war dragged on endlessly; what was the point? The audience turned their attention to the stock market. Recently, the stock market had been doing well; even just randomly throwing money in could double it. On every street and alley, even the aunties selling vegetables were discussing finance.

Major TV stations all launched special columns to report on stock market analysis. Liang City TV was no exception, adding a dedicated finance section. After The Forefront of War was taken off the air, its affiliated program, Pre-war? A Record of Dongguo, also aired its final episode.

On the day the final broadcast ended, her colleagues gathered in the office to discuss stocks. Song Ran sat at her computer, checking the official Weibo account for Pre-war? A Record of Dongguo.

Being the last episode, there were many comments from netizens, praising the behind-the-scenes staff for their dedicated production and thanking the reporters for their authentic presentation.

Song Ran scrolled through them one by one.

"Ran Ran, want to buy some stocks?" Xiao Dong called out to her.

Song Ran looked up and smiled. "I don't understand it."

"You don't need to. Lately, everything you buy goes up. A lot of people have made money."

"It's true. I invested five thousand and made eight hundred," Xiao Chun said. "Shen Bei's three hundred thousand has gone up to three hundred and eighty thousand."

Song Ran had only been working for two years and didn't have much in savings. She wasn't hoping for a windfall either. "The stock market is risky, I'd better not."

Shen Bei stirred her coffee with a straw. "If you want to make money, you have to take risks. There's no such thing as a sure bet."

Song Ran didn't say anything. Xiao Qiu joked, "You, little rich lady who can easily get hundreds of thousands from her family, should just keep quiet."

Shen Bei laughed. Just then, their supervisor, Liu Yufei, called everyone for a meeting.

The outstanding reporter for the first half of the year had been decided. In addition to a commendation that would be entered into their personnel file, there was also a cash bonus of over ten thousand yuan.

On the way to the conference room, Xiao Xia whispered to Song Ran, "Ran Ran, it's a bull market right now, stocks are reliable. If you get the bonus, take a small portion to test the waters. Treat it as an investment. How can you save any money just earning a fixed salary?"

Song Ran found it amusing and said, "It's not certain it'll be me... But if it is, I'll listen to you."

In the meeting, Liu Yufei briefly mentioned the suspension of The Forefront of War.

The station planned to create a new weekly military news program, with each episode featuring in-depth content. While focusing on international warfare, it would also promote the heroic image of Chinese soldiers abroad.

Liu Yufei said, "The first batch of reporters in Dongguo is about to return. Anyone here who volunteers to go to Dongguo should submit their application form by Friday. There will be organized training."

No one responded immediately; everyone was calculating in their own minds.

After Liu Yufei finished speaking, the meeting moved to the main agenda. He announced the recipient of the outstanding reporter award for the first half of the year—Shen Bei.

Everyone was surprised, but not completely. You could guess with your toes that this kind of award would go to someone with strong connections.

Song Ran silently accepted the reality. After all, Shen Bei's work in the country was also well done.

Her colleagues felt a thread of sympathy for Song Ran, but they didn't say anything unnecessary after the meeting. They were all colleagues, and gossiping in the workplace could be bad for everyone if it got out. As adults, they understood this much. Only Xiao Qiu sent Song Ran a comforting hug emoji. Song Ran replied with a big smiley face, indicating she was fine.

Shen Bei, perhaps aware of the situation, invited everyone out for hot pot, saying she was very grateful for everyone's care and wanted to express her thanks with a meal. Everyone was naturally happy to participate in such a good thing and praised Shen Bei for her generosity.

Shen Bei chose a high-end hot pot restaurant, the kind the TV station usually used to entertain guests. Her colleagues were even happier, repeatedly saying, "You're spending too much."

Xiao Xia said, "This meal will probably eat up half of your bonus."

Shen Bei smiled. "It's what I should do. It was thanks to everyone's help that my work went so smoothly."

The private room, sectioned off by glass walls, was spacious and stylish, decorated with long red and black tassels. More than ten people sat around a table, each with a small pot in front of them.

There was an empty seat next to Shen Bei.

Xiao Dong asked, "Who else is coming?"

"My boyfriend," Shen Bei said, her face wreathed in smiles, as she ordered a spicy pot for him.

Everyone was in an uproar. "You have a boyfriend?! How come we didn't know?!"

"You never asked. Am I supposed to just grab people and tell them?"

Xiao Xia's gossip-loving heart was stirred. "What does he do?"

"He's a soldier."

Xiao Chun: "That's so cool?!"

Xiao Qiu: "No wonder you went to the Jiang City Military Region last time. Were you secretly meeting your boyfriend under the guise of work?"

Shen Bei: "No, that wasn't it."

Xiao Dong: "Are soldiers really handsome?"

"It's like a machine gun, I can't take you guys." Shen Bei giggled and stood up. "You guys go ahead and order your broths, I'm going to the restroom first."

Song Ran also happened to need to go.

On the way, Shen Bei affectionately linked arms with her and rested her head on her shoulder for a moment. Song Ran understood her meaning and smiled, pressing her lips together.

Shen Bei was a pampered young lady who was used to spending money freely; she truly didn't care about this little bonus. But since the station wanted to give her benefits because of her background, she couldn't just go to the leadership and tell them she didn't want it.

Society is inherently unfair. She just had to work harder herself.

In the restroom, Shen Bei powdered her face and applied lipstick in front of the mirror. After touching up her makeup and washing her hands, she found that the paper towels had run out.

She fumbled for them a couple of times. "They're really out of paper?"

"I have some."

Song Ran took a pack of tissues from her bag, and a red string accidentally fell out onto the countertop.

Shen Bei picked it up, glanced at it, and handed it to her, casually remarking, "This string of yours is the same as my boyfriend's."

Song Ran's heart skipped a beat. She felt a faint sense of panic, yet she thought it couldn't be such a coincidence.

Back in the private room, the small hot pots and various dishes were already on the table, just waiting for Shen Bei's boyfriend to arrive.

Song Ran sat in her seat, feeling more and more uneasy.

Before the hot pot even started to boil, Shen Bei suddenly craned her neck, her eyes lighting up. She straightened up and waved toward the entrance of the private room. "Over here!"

Song Ran turned her head along with everyone else. The moment she saw him, her heart went cold, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head.

Li Zan walked in. The corners of his mouth were pressed into a slightly curved, polite line. He nodded to the crowd and said, "Sorry, I'm late."

He walked to Shen Bei's side and sat down.

Shen Bei smiled. "You're not late. The timing is perfect." As she spoke, she handed him a hot towel.

Li Zan took the towel and wiped his hands, his lips still lightly pressed together, appearing a little quiet and reserved from being unaccustomed to a table full of strangers. As he wiped his fingers, his gaze swept across the people at the table, and only then did he see Song Ran sitting diagonally opposite him.

He gave her a faint smile and a slight nod of greeting, then averted his gaze.