Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 617: Another "King Meets King"?
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

Chen stood at the arrival gate, watching the tourists pouring out, feeling incredibly happy.

"I was able to smooth over even this kind of chaotic situation at school. I really am a man with high emotional intelligence and high IQ!"

Director Chen couldn't help but want to put his hands on his hips in a smug pose.

"Buzz~"

The phone in my pocket suddenly rang.

Chen thought it was the cosplay girl who attacked him after landing, but when he took it out, he found it was actually Old Chen's.

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival last month, Chen Zhe hasn't dared to go home. At first, Chen Peisong and Mao Xiaoqin were probably still angry with each other, so they didn't even send a single message, let alone make a phone call.

It wasn't until after National Day that Old Chen, at Dr. Mao's behest, started asking about it every few days.

The message was brief and simple: it was essentially to confirm that the son was still alive.

Now that they've called again, Director Chen shrugged and said, "Family ties are as deep as the sea. Blood relations can't be severed. They still love me."

"dad."

Chen answered the call.

"that……"

Perhaps because Empress Dowager Mao was also present, Chen Peisong didn't waste any words and asked directly, "Your mother asked me to inquire about how to celebrate her birthday?"

"...Don't say it's what I wanted to ask!"

Sure enough, Dr. Mao's complaints came through the receiver, as if she didn't want to admit that she also cared about this unfilial son.

"what?"

Chen was taken aback for a moment: "What birthday?"

"Your birthday is on the 25th of this month, but today is already the 23rd."

Chen Peisong reminded him, "What we mean is, you should go home and have a meal..."

"I rely on!"

Chen barely heard anything else that followed.

He only then realized that he had been so busy that he had forgotten his birthday.

Perhaps all men like this are like this; they can remember their parents' birthdays, the birthdays of those girls, and the birthdays of important leaders.

On the contrary, they don't care that much about their own birthdays.

But he doesn't care, while others do.

Let's not talk about the parents.

No wonder Xianmei rushed back; Li Xianglan had originally planned to take her to visit the seniors in the gallery.
No wonder Sweetie didn't say anything when I gave her a Chanel thermos; she probably already had a birthday gift ready.

This means they plan to celebrate their birthdays with him on the 25th!

"Your mom is asking you!"

Just then, Old Chen's words jolted Chen Zhe awake: "Remember to come home for dinner on your birthday."

"Oh oh oh..."

Chen responded absentmindedly, his mind a bit of a mess.

The meticulous handling of the "King Meets King" situation seemed to have the outcome under control, but then the "birthday" incident came to light.

Holidays are fine, because you can just say "I don't celebrate these holidays (Valentine's Day, Qixi Festival, Christmas, New Year's Day)" to cover it up.

But it's my birthday, so I can't really come up with another excuse.

The scoundrel even wondered if, if time could be reversed, he should have told one of them that his birthday was the 24th, and the other that it was the 26th, when they first met.

Basically, the days are staggered to make time management easier.

Even if it's discovered, it's not a big deal. Just say that when the police station was registering the household registration, the officer in charge of household registration accidentally made a mistake.

In those days, even names could be misspelled, and it was normal for birth dates to be wrong by a day or two.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that this was the behavior of a complete scumbag. I had deep feelings for them, so there was no need to deceive them about this.

"I was too cocky just now."

Director Chen couldn't help but reflect that one must always remain calm, otherwise an unexpected accident could occur out of nowhere.

"Whoo~~~"

Chen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

The method of "one person observes the lunar calendar and the other observes the solar calendar" is definitely not feasible.

If you say to one of the girls, "I don't celebrate my birthday according to the Gregorian calendar, let's celebrate our birthdays according to the lunar calendar together in a few days."

Even if cosplay sister or sweet sister agrees on the surface, they will definitely have doubts in their hearts: what are you doing on your birthday?

It just doesn't feel natural enough.

A lie must be made to appear as truthful as possible, leaving no trace.

Furthermore, even if we ask the school beauty in Shanghai to come back, it won't work. It's her boyfriend's birthday, and she will definitely celebrate before leaving.

Perhaps it was too sudden, even someone like Director Chen didn't think of a solution for the time being.

At this moment, the cosplayer appeared. He could only force himself to suppress his intense worry and force a relaxed smile to greet her.

"Welcome back our great painter in triumph!"

While flattering him, Chen took the luggage from Professor Guan and Yu Baibai.

Actually, there weren't many. The larger boxes had already been sent back to Guangzhou. It's 2008 now, and domestic logistics services are quite well-developed.

Wu Yu naturally had Wang Changhua to serve her, so Chen Zhe wouldn't bother with her.

"The weather in Guangzhou is so comfortable."

Yu Xian was overjoyed to be home and see her boyfriend again. She casually took Director Chen's arm and walked affectionately towards the parking lot.

Chen drove, Wang Changhua sat in the passenger seat, and the remaining elderly person and two children sat in the back.

The S600's wheels spun backwards as it smoothly turned onto the airport expressway.

“I thought Principal Tong would also come to pick me up at the airport, so I contacted her in advance.”

On the way, Chen casually started a conversation. "Senior Sister Tong was originally going to come, and she even made a banner to unfurl at the airport."

Yu Xuan said with a smile, "In the end, the old lady scolded me back."

"We've only just arrived, what's there to brag about!"

Kwan Wing-yee snorted, and then took the opportunity to lecture her young protégé: "You have a long road ahead of you. Even if you have a solo exhibition, it doesn't mean anything. I think that girl, Lin Jinglin, from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, is also a very competitive person."

The old lady has always been a strict teacher and does not encourage any kind of impetuousness.

However, in Chen Zhe's opinion, there is nothing wrong with being a little high-profile.

It's worth noting that during her trip to the capital, Xianmei broke the best record for the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in the eight-academy exchange competition.

He won first prize with undisputed talent and signed with a top international gallery even before graduating from his undergraduate studies.

From Principal Tong Lan's perspective, it would be understandable if she came to the airport to display banners, or even published an advertisement in the newspaper, since it would bring honor to the school and enhance the collective reputation.

"By the way, is there a prize money for the first prize?"

Chen asked suddenly out of curiosity.

“It used to be five thousand dollars.”

Wu Yu blurted out, "But Mr. Xia from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute said that Xianmei'er's work is very profound and should be increased to 10,000. If the organizing committee does not increase it, he will personally fund it."

Although Chen Zhe didn't know "Old Master Xia," he found the man quite interesting. He had put the organizing committee in a very difficult position, and in the end, the organizing committee should agree.

Sure enough, Wu Yu continued, "After discussion, the teachers not only significantly increased this year's bonus, but they've also set the same standard for every year from now on. This year, Xianmei'er gets ten thousand yuan!"

Chen nodded; there are still many smart people.

The level of participation was raised in every subsequent edition, and not only did no one object, but the high level of participation in the competition was also maintained.

"What about your Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts? What do you say?"

Chen asked casually, "Guangmei is not short of money. Logically speaking, since Xianmei broke this record, Tonglan shouldn't be stingy."

"Twenty thousand! Principal Tong also gave her a reward on behalf of the school before he came back. And Xianmei will also receive scholarships from the college and the country. I feel like I've got my milk tea and barbecue covered for next year, and there's the gallery too..."

Wu Yu patted Chen Zhe's driver's seat hard and asked excitedly, "Guess how much the gallery won?"

Chen thought for a moment and estimated a reasonable price: "Fifty thousand?"

"One hundred thousand!"

Wu Yu said with a smug look on her face.

"so much?"

Chen turned to look at the old lady: "Is this reasonable?"

"What's unreasonable about it?"

Professor Guan said nonchalantly, "The gallery gave it to us, so we'll accept it. Are we going to return it?"

Chen knew what was going on, but he didn't show it. Instead, he grinned and said to Xianmei, "Then I'll be living the good life. I won't have to go to work. I can just play games at home and have my wife support me..."

"Then you need to learn how to buy groceries first."

Xianmei reached out and pinched Director Chen's earlobe: "Don't treat a winter melon that costs two yuan a piece as if it costs two yuan a pound when you're calculating the price for people."

Chen had never been in a kitchen before, and he made some funny mistakes when he went grocery shopping with Xianmei in the capital.

"Cosplay sister should save money where she should and spend money where she should."

Wang Changhua couldn't help but chime in, "You have to haggle over the price of vegetables that cost just a few dollars, but at SKP, vegetables that cost tens of thousands of dollars..."

"What are you doing!"

"Shut up!"

Before Wang Changhua could finish speaking, he was interrupted by two clear, delicate shouts.

However, Chen Zhe had already understood that Xianmei'er's birthday gift was probably already prepared.

It should be a watch.

He seemed to have mentioned to Xianmei that the new Longines Master Collection was quite nice when they were shopping together before.

The key point is that once when Sweetie was holding hands with Song, the school beauty, she mentioned that Cartier Ballon Bleu also has a men's version.

From what she said, it seemed like she was planning to buy a men's version for Director Chen.

Chen Zhe said he doesn't really like Cartier, and that the Longines Master Collection is more in line with his aesthetic.

"I rely on!"

Chen's heart suddenly raced, and the seatbelt fastened to his chest seemed to throb and pulsate.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, I could still see the banner celebrating Yu Xuan's first prize win from afar, just like the LED display screen at the school gate that used to scroll announcements after students won competitions back in high school.

As soon as the car pulled up in front of the girls' dormitory, Tong Lan called and said that Lin Yu, the dean of the School of Fine Arts at Huazhong Normal University and also the deputy secretary-general of the provincial artists' association, was waiting for Yu Xuan in his office.

Lin Yu was a judge for this year's "Provincial Spring Festival Cup College Student Calligraphy and Painting Competition," and she had high hopes for Yu Xian back then.

Today's results for the cosplayer also validate her foresight back then.

"But……"

Xianmei, being love-struck, glanced at her boyfriend and was still hesitating.

"No rush, you guys chat first."

Chen immediately replied, "I have some business at the company this afternoon, I'll come over for dinner tonight."

He wasn't actually that busy, but he really needed a quiet space to think about how to handle this "birthday meeting between two kings". After the S600 left the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Chen stopped by the roadside and contacted Zheng Weizhong.

"Uncle Zheng."

Chen said politely, "Yu Xuan's bonus should include encouragement from you and Aunt Lan, right?"

Chen gave Zheng Weizhong a fountain pen worth over 40,000 yuan, and Zheng Weizhong took the opportunity to return it. This kind of leader is not very greedy for money.

Old Zheng did not deny it, but simply said: "Work hard, study hard, get along well, and come to my home for dinner when you come to the capital in the future."

"Working hard and studying hard" are understandable, but "getting along well" means that Chen Zhe and Yu Xuan should seriously manage this relationship that everyone approves of.

But on the other hand, there's also a relationship that everyone has high hopes for!

With only two days left, they're about to clash again!

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(I think there will be one more chapter tonight. Requesting monthly votes and recommendations from IP Light.)
(End of this chapter)