Top academic

At West University, in downtown Philadelphia, Richard, who was busy welding a steel bar, was suddenly notified that the foreman wanted him to come to the office.

Richard had no choice but to put down his tools and, too lazy to change his clothes, rushed straight into the container next to the construction site.

Yes, even at Xida University, the offices are very simple. The so-called on-site offices are simply made up of a few shipping containers.

As soon as he entered, he heard the foreman's powerful voice!

"Richard, I have amazing news for you! You actually got selected! God, when I submitted your application, I never imagined you'd be so lucky!"

You know what? I always thought there would be several spots available across the entire US, but it turns out there's only one for you! I think from now on everyone can call you Lucky Richard!

"Lucky Richard?" Richard John didn't even react at first.

I subconsciously asked, "What did I get selected for?"

After all, more than half a year has passed since the company headquarters opened the application channel for lunar travel.

After Richard John announced the good news at dinner at home, Thomas would ask about the results every now and then during the first three months after the application.

At that time, the whole family was still very concerned about the outcome of this matter.

But as time went by, there was still no news, and even Thomas, who was most concerned about the matter, stopped asking about it.

People are often like this: after not receiving news for a long time, they will let go of their original anxious expectations about something, become hopeless, or even gradually forget about it.

When good news arrives suddenly, it's almost forgotten.

"You forgot? Your whole family got a free trip to China! And the chance for a seven-day trip to the moon that everyone's been waiting for—your family has been chosen!" the foreman said excitedly.

"This is a global selection process within the head office, and you've been chosen for the first batch to go to the moon! Do you know how much attention the lunar base is receiving right now? You're going to be famous, Richard!"

Richard John finally realized what was happening.

He was really chosen?!

Did a huge windfall finally fall into his lap?!
This is probably why hard work pays off, right?
At that moment, Richard John just wanted to make a phone call and share the good news with everyone in his family.

He even started planning in his mind how to make the most of this holiday.

"By the way, you should also tidy yourself up. You should remember, right? When you filled out the application form before, you signed a cooperation agreement."

This trip to the moon for ordinary people is also a science education campaign. As the first ordinary people to set foot on the moon, you and a family member need to cooperate with the headquarters to promote this cause.

So a team will be filming a series of promotional videos with you. You don't need to worry about the rest of the work; just cooperate fully with the filming.

Of course, the filming crew will definitely come to shoot some scenes of you at work. You'll just be there for a brief appearance. The director might ask you some questions; just answer truthfully, like you would in our work meetings!
In short, from today until you board the lunar spacecraft, this filming team will follow your family to film various subjects.

Although their team can't go aboard the lunar spacecraft, it's equipped with cameras everywhere and will broadcast your entire trip live. You seem to have no problem with any of that, right?

The foreman asked again earnestly.

In fact, these details were explained in detail during the preliminary meeting before the application form was filled out.

But at that time, many people didn't think they would be selected, so they didn't care.

Strangers are now coming to people's homes to film them, which may not be something many privacy-conscious people can get used to.

Fortunately, Richard John's family was not among them.

For Richard John, life is straightforward and honest; there's nothing he can't film.

Moreover, compared to the minor inconvenience of the film crew visiting his home, the fact that he could take his family on a paid trip to China with all expenses reimbursed by the company, and even take his eldest son to see the lunar base in person, made those small inconveniences seem insignificant...

Not to mention, this is to promote the lunar base to the world. It's to realize their shared ideal.

To encourage more people to focus on exploring extraterrestrial planets, to expand the pie of human civilization, and to enable more people to live better lives! This is the pursuit of the Chinese people, and it is also his pursuit now!

Things that are of great benefit to both oneself and the public are tolerable even if there are some minor inconveniences.

Not to mention that the filming crew only stayed at her home for a short period of time, and life will return to normal after this vacation.

They could even become household names on television.

To be honest, fame is still very attractive to those who are not famous.

It's fair to say that everyone has vanity to some extent; it's just a matter of whether or not they can control it.

"Will the filming crew arrive today?"

"Yes, they're on their way. You might as well just wait here; I've already had someone else take over your work."

"The higher-ups said your paid leave for filming starts today. Also, because filming might cause some disruption to your family, you'll receive double pay from today until the end of this documentary filming."

This was yet another unexpected surprise, making Richard John feel quite embarrassed.

"This... paid leave is good enough, why give double pay? Isn't that unnecessary?"

"Haha, this is nothing! Since the company is willing to give it to you, just take it generously. Oh, and there's another piece of news. After your family arrives in China, you might have a chance to meet Academician Qiao Yu, the chief commander of the lunar landing mission."

If Academician Qiao Yu happens to ask about the group company, just say a few nice things! Let me tell you, how much do you make doing infrastructure construction here?

If the group can secure a contract for large-scale lunar infrastructure in the future, that would be incredibly profitable! It would not only generate revenue but also drive the technological upgrade of the entire group.

Right now, every infrastructure company in China with any real strength is eyeing projects on the moon! Do you understand?

Richard John nodded quickly.

So there was another layer of meaning behind it.

However, these words only made him more agitated.

If Thomas knew that he would be personally received by Academician Qiao Yu during his trip to China, he would probably be overjoyed!

You should know that in their class, Qiao Yu is arguably the most admired idol of these children, without exception.

While this certainly requires guidance from teachers, parents of children admitted to the innovation class likely won't mind. After all, Qiao Yu's achievements over the years speak for themselves. The youngest Fields Medal winner, he became one of the most influential figures in the scientific community in his early twenties.

Especially recently, there's been talk on TikTok about Qiao Yu inventing a new mathematical research method that has simplified many difficult problems that have plagued the mathematical community...

To be honest, Richard John couldn't understand math, and he couldn't even recognize all those strange symbols.

But people always have a sense of awe and wonder about things they don't understand at all. Richard John was no exception.

More importantly, he already had an added layer of savior filter.

In a sense, their family's current lifestyle is entirely thanks to Qiao Yu.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Qiao Yu's persistence and his ability to live up to expectations, successfully enabling peace-loving China to master the Sky Shield system that shocked the world, his country would never have so readily opened its infrastructure market to China.

The two sides may even still be in a state of hostility, just like before!
In that case, Pennsylvania would remain that half-dead Rust Belt, and Philadelphia would be completely lifeless, with its people living like zombies on meager subsidies...

He couldn't possibly work for a company in China. He had no ability to withstand risks in his life. Even a minor illness could cause him to be separated from his wife and children and end up homeless.

Of course, there's also the possibility of something worse happening—perhaps a war will break out...

Then, to everyone's dismay, the things they were so proud of were directly destroyed, which may have been an even greater blow.

None of these things exist now!
The entire Northern Hemisphere is under the protection of China.

"Then I'll wait for the film crew to arrive."

……

The two of them sat in the office and chatted casually.

For Richard, this was a perk. Although the container office was rather basic, it did have air conditioning.

June in Philadelphia is already starting to get warmer. Especially in recent years, summers have become increasingly hot, often soaring to the thirties.

Moreover, the perceived temperature on construction sites is often higher than the actual temperature, so having air conditioning is already a blessing.

The two chatted casually, but the foreman did most of the talking.

Richard could tell that the foreman was envious of him being chosen, which made him even happier.

After all, who wouldn't want to be someone admired by everyone?

Of course, Richard will probably never know that by agreeing to let his family appear on camera for a documentary and taking his eldest son to the moon, the foreman across the way would also receive a substantial bonus.

If he performs well, the bonus the foreman can receive could be higher than all the expenses his family incurred during their trip to China.

This is probably a true reflection of the saying that lies never hurt people, while the truth is the sharpest knife.

Fortunately, the film crew didn't keep the foreman occupied for too long. Richard John waited in the office for about ten minutes before the entire film crew, in two cars of different sizes, drove into the construction site.

Then today Richard John met a big shot he could never have imagined—Michael Roddy.

Richard had met the director at an awards ceremony in Hollywood.

This director has won Hollywood documentary awards, three times in total.

Moreover, most of the content he filmed exposed various social injustices and political farces at Xida University.

Therefore, he is very popular with ordinary people like him who were once unhappy with their lives.

Honestly, Richard John never imagined that a Chinese conglomerate would invite such a Hollywood bigwig as a director to film his family life.

"Mr. Roddy, could you please sign my autograph? Really, my whole family are your fans! We especially love the movie 'Bowling of Columbine'!"

"Haha, of course Richard, but let's talk about work first! After this job is done, you can have as many autographs as you want!"

"Of course, is there anything you need me to do?"

"I need you to do nothing! This time we're filming a very realistic documentary, you just need to be as natural as possible."

What I mean is, just present how you work and live normally on camera, as is. I need enough footage and editing.

So during the shoot, the best performance is if you can act as if the photographer doesn't exist! Of course, we will also have some interviews.

It's like chatting with a good friend. If you and your family can open up to me and share your innermost thoughts, that's enough.

Since you've seen the documentaries I made, you should know my motto! Our goal is to present the most authentic side of things, don't you agree?

Richard immediately nodded seriously and replied, "Of course! I guarantee we will present the most authentic version of ourselves."

"That's good. Let's start now! You can do whatever you normally do at this time, just pretend we're not here."

The foreman next to him couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted, "Um... Director Roddy, the company has already given Richard a vacation."

From now on, he can put aside his work and focus on cooperating with you to complete the filming of "Richard's Family."

Michael Roddy turned and glared at the foreman from China, saying, "No, no, no, that won't do!"
When you asked me to make this documentary, we already agreed that everything would be based on the most authentic life!
So Richard had to continue working until he went to China. He would use the most realistic filming techniques during his training in China.

Please rest assured that we will strictly adhere to the agreement throughout this process. We will not excessively disturb others and will try our best to ensure that the project's construction progress is not affected.

In short, I don't care about your company's rules, but I don't need any staged photos here. I want Richard to be able to work and live as usual!
Our camera crew is also professional, and they rarely even use cameras. We have a complete set of equipment to record these everyday moments!

Ok……

The foreman looked at the extremely serious director in front of him, then glanced at Richard, who seemed to agree wholeheartedly, and nodded, saying, "Well... alright, we'll do it your way. Richard, you need to go back to work now, just follow the usual procedures."

"No problem! Then, I'll go to work now?"

"Okay, remember what we agreed on, you just need to perform as usual!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Roddy! I will definitely cooperate fully!" (End of Chapter)