Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

He suddenly longed to hear another voice, a rational, clear voice that could resonate with his soul.

He picked up his phone and dialed Lin Miaomiao's number.

After a brief pause, that familiar and pleasant voice came through: "Feed?"

"Did I disturb you?" Jiang Haoran walked to the window, his voice unconsciously carrying the gentleness of the evening breeze.

"I'm in my hometown of Zhenjiang, celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival here. I can hear the drums beating out on the river in the distance as dragon boats are being tested. It suddenly reminded me of what you said before, that you really like the traditional festivals of your hometown."

"How could I be disturbing you? What a coincidence, my mother is wrapping zongzi in the kitchen, and the whole house is filled with the fragrance of reed leaves." Her tone softened, carrying a gentleness rarely seen in her daily life, as if she were immersed in memories.

"When we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival here, in addition to zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), we also eat 'five yellows': yellow croaker, eel, cucumber, salted egg yolk, and realgar wine."

When I was a child, I always found the rules and regulations tedious, but now, listening to the sounds coming from around the house, I actually feel... at ease.

Jiang Haoran leaned against the window and smiled unconsciously.

He could almost see through the radio waves the gentle, tranquil kitchen in Jiangnan thousands of miles away, hear the soft clinking of porcelain bowls, smell the fresh scent of herbs and trees, and feel the tenderness in her words.

"You can still hear the sound of dragon boat drums over there, that's wonderful," Lin Miaomiao continued, her voice soft, like a feather fluttering across a summer night. "In recent years, there have been fewer places to race dragon boats in my hometown, as the young people have all gone out to work. But every household still hangs mugwort and calamus at their door, and the air is filled with the bitter scent of herbs."

"It's strange, but after smelling that scent for a while, it seems to really separate you from all the chaotic thoughts in your mind. No matter how noisy the outside world is, once you enter this door and smell this scent, you calm down."

"Yes," Jiang Haoran replied, the evening breeze ruffling the fine strands of hair on his forehead, "some smells and sounds, as soon as they appear, you know you've arrived 'home'." He paused, his tone becoming even calmer and gentler.

"Just like right now, although we are in different places and looking at different lights, we hear the same summer insect chirps and think about the same yearning for 'protection' and 'breakthrough'."

This statement subtly transcends the boundaries between academic discussion and everyday small talk, carrying a touch of personal and gentle undertones.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Miaomiao seemed to chuckle softly; her breath brushed gently across the receiver, like a feather touching the tip of one's heart.

"Yes," her voice was softer and closer than before, "Sometimes I feel that hometown is like this. It doesn't rush you or keep you. It just quietly sits there, letting you know that you can come back to catch your breath anytime."

She paused, a warm sigh in her voice: "Just like these old flavors and sounds of the Dragon Boat Festival, they remind you year after year: no matter how far you go, there's always a bowl of hot tea and a familiar aroma waiting for you here. Everyone needs a place like this to recharge and recharge, so that they can walk more clearly on their own path."

Lin Miaomiao's tone was gentle yet firm, her voice carrying a calm warmth: "Jiang Haoran, do you know, I often feel that you have a very special strength, not the kind of flamboyant sharpness, but a kind of insightful understanding that comes from calmness."

"Every time I finish talking to you, even if it's just some scattered thoughts, it feels like I can see the road ahead a little clearer."

She took a soft breath and continued, "So sometimes I think that being able to explore side by side with you and move forward together is actually a wonderful thing."

"And it is precisely because we have to travel a long way that we need to allow ourselves to come back completely at certain times, like now."

The chirping of insects rose and fell in the night breeze, and there was a moment of silence on both ends of the phone. There was no awkwardness in that silence, only a deep understanding flowing quietly between them.

They both understood the meaning of the other's "come back"—not only returning to their hometown in a geographical sense, but also returning to their original anchor point in their hearts, drawing upon that most basic strength.

"Then," Lin Miaomiao's voice rang out again, clear and encouraging, "enjoy your Dragon Boat Festival, spend time with the people you should be with. Once you're fully charged, let's move forward together."

"Okay." Jiang Haoran gazed at the flickering lights on the river outside the window, a smile unconsciously spreading across his lips. "The same goes for you."

He paused, his voice even calmer and gentler than before, as if he were saying something he had already confirmed: "Lin Miaomiao, sometimes I feel that you are like a star with its own orbit. You have your own luminosity and your own direction."

"You take everything so seriously, and that focus is really touching. But sometimes, I also want to tell you that when you're on your way, you can also look at the lights along the way."

A soft breathing sound came from the other end of the phone, as if something tense had been gently caught by that sentence. The chirping of insects on a summer night sounded exceptionally clear at that moment, as if accompanying some unspoken understanding.

"So," he concluded, his voice carrying a calm warmth, "take good care of yourself at home. The road ahead is long, but a night with lights on is always easier to walk."

He didn't say whether there was one of the lights along the way that he had left on for them.

But those words were like a pebble thrown into a still lake, the ripples spreading silently, across the moonlight for miles, across two different yet similar nights.

The dragon boat lights outside his window, and the mugwort swaying gently under her eaves.

Beneath those ripples lies an echo far deeper than the words themselves: an unwritten contract between companions, an unspoken understanding.

The phone went silent again. This time, the silence wasn't empty; instead, it was filled with a soft resonance.

It's as if you can see two young souls sharing the same starry sky, their clarity and tenderness, through radio waves and the chirping of insects, at opposite ends of a summer night.

"Then," Lin Miaomiao's voice rang out again, softer and clearer than before, "I wish you and the family you protect a peaceful and healthy Dragon Boat Festival. And I also wish that we... can all find our way out of our confusion and walk into places where the lights are brighter."

"We definitely will." Jiang Haoran gazed at the sliver of light that refused to go out on the distant river, his voice resolute.

The call ended, and the phone screen went dark. Jiang Haoran remained standing by the window, motionless for a long time. Something settled in his chest, both light and full.

The night flowed outside the window, and the lights of distant houses diffused in the thin mist, like stars inadvertently painted on this deep blue rice paper with warm yellow brushstrokes.

Those lights weren't dazzling, but they were enough to illuminate the winding road beneath our feet, and also to illuminate the gradually clear picture in our hearts: about the warmth of home, about a future worth striving for, about someone we might be able to watch the lights with.

The night breeze brushed against his hair as he gently closed the window.

This Dragon Boat Festival, he was finally no longer just a traveler on the road.

The journey of capital and the return of emotions intertwine on this quiet night, forming the most solid foundation for his rebirth.

He knew that when the holiday ended and he returned to the battlefield, he would not only be carrying a full stockpile of chips, but also a heart full of strength.