A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Nighttime, Tianya Forum section.

Posted by: Li Gongzi123

Subject: [Seeking help: Does anyone know anything about the food critic Cai Lan? Could you please introduce him?]

Content: "I only know he's a food connoisseur, but I don't know much else about him. Could you please tell me more? I would be very grateful."

This was his first post, or rather, his first request for help.

Unfortunately, aside from knowing that the person was a gourmet, he really didn't know much else about him. He had originally planned to go to the bookstore to buy books, but the interview was tomorrow, so cramming today wouldn't be of much use.

Left with no other choice, he turned to Tianya for help.

And within two minutes of posting his message, someone replied.

"Cai Lan? Isn't he a food critic? I saw him on TV eating with a group of pretty girls, and he talked about it like a pro."

Upon seeing this, Li Mu quickly replied:

"He's not just a gourmet, he's also a writer."

"If you already know this, why did you even post it?"

"Because I don't know much about him. I have an interview with him tomorrow, and I want to learn more about him beforehand."

After replying again, he refreshed the page and found another message:

"One of Hong Kong's Four Great Talents, alongside Wong Jim, Jin Yong, and Ni Kuang. A gourmet, critic, host, and writer, he published books like water off a duck's back, though none were of particularly high quality. They were the kind you could read casually, but after reading them, they were just so-so. Frankly, I acknowledge his literary talent, but I have doubts about his literary depth and his attitude towards life. Sometimes I even feel his worldview is a bit illogical, but I have to admit, this old guy is a man who's seen it all. Especially his girlfriends, he changed them incredibly frequently. This old guy really knows how to enjoy life..."

This message was clearly left by someone who knew Cai Lan.

Upon seeing this, Li Mu quickly replied:

Could you elaborate?

However, the other party did not reply.

But the person who replied the first time replied to Li Mu again:

"Interview? You're a reporter? Didn't you do your homework? That's incredibly poor professional skills."

Li Mu was speechless for a moment.

I don't know what to say.

He wanted to do his homework himself, but the problem was that he only had two days. How could he possibly have a complete understanding of someone who was over fifty?

However, he remained quite composed when faced with this question:

"I really don't know him very well. And the interview assignment was given very little time, so I didn't prepare much. Thank you for your suggestion, I will definitely do my homework more next time."

The person did not reply.

Then there were a few more comments, but none of them were very helpful. They were all things like "one of the Four Great Talents", "a gourmet", and "I watched a talk show he hosted before, a group of people drinking and chatting, it was quite interesting".

Seeing this, Li Mu lost all hope.

I'm even a little glad that Brother Bie wrote the interview himself this time; otherwise, it would have been really embarrassing for me to do it.

You'll have to learn your lesson...

Just like people say, with such poor professional skills, how can you be a journalist?

He thought to himself.

Then I put the computer aside and went to take a shower.

When he returned from his shower, he checked the replies and discovered that the person who had explained things to him had replied with a very long post:

"To be really specific about his experiences wouldn't be very meaningful, but Cai Lan was indeed a remarkable person. First of all, he was very open-minded..."

This is a rather long reply, a good three to five hundred words.

But as this person said, Cai Lan's introduction definitely cannot be summarized in just a few hundred words. However, this post did provide some summaries for Li Mu, such as Cai Lan's philosophy of "life is about being happy." It also mentioned that he thought his mother's cooking was the best, but sometimes even her cooking wasn't as good as what he ate at a street food stall.

While calling it a summary might not be entirely accurate, it certainly helped Li Mu uncover just the tip of the iceberg regarding this "talented man," providing a partial understanding. It even included information about the books this forum member had read and his viewpoints, making it a model of a helpful netizen.

After expressing his sincere gratitude, Li Mu turned off his computer and went to sleep when it was almost time.

Before going to bed, he felt the positive atmosphere of Tianya Community and thought to himself that he should visit it more often in the future.

As he pondered this, he drifted off to sleep.

Early Thursday morning, before 7 a.m., he went to his second tennis lesson.

Then, around 8 o'clock, after taking a shower, I went directly to the agreed location.

The Hyatt Hotel in Guangzhou.

When he arrived, Sui Kuan was already there.

A moment later, Bie Yan arrived as well.

"Brother Bie."

Sui Kuan shouted.

"Um."

Bie Yan nodded, glanced at the time, and said to the two of them:

"Let's go up."

In the elevator, he added:

"The book Cai Lan is promoting this time is called 'Old Lan's Travels.' He's planning to release a second volume. Have you two read it?"

Sui Kuan shook his head immediately:

"without."

But Li Mu was taken aback.

Because this book was one of the books recommended by the person who replied to my post last night.

The review states: It introduces the food culture, traditional customs, and unique places of various countries. It's purely for leisure reading, but it's quite interesting.

So Li Mu replied:

"It seems to be a travelogue series introducing the food culture and traditional customs of various countries?"

"Oh? Not bad."

Bie Yan smiled and nodded:

"You've read this type of book, Xiao Li?"

"No, not really. I've looked into it, but I don't know much about it."

"Well, I haven't actually read it either. You two can read the book he gave us when you get back later."

"OK."

Soon, the elevator arrived at the designated floor, and Bie Yan led the two of them down the long corridor to the door of a room.

There was a knock on the door, and soon a very young girl opened it.

The girl is quite pretty, with a touch of allure in her eyes.

"Hello, I'm Bie Yan, a reporter from the Southern Metropolis Daily. We're here to see Mr. Cai Lan."

"Oh, hello there. Just a moment. Ah Lam, the reporter has arrived."

At first, Li Mu thought this was Cai Lan's junior or daughter, but the way she was addressed seemed a bit strange.

Only after the three entered the room did Cai Lan emerge from the suite, smiling, and say:

"Oh, come on, reporters! It's been so long! Ah-Qing, make some tea."

"Okay, but I need to change my clothes first. Just a moment~"

The girl smiled and responded, then went into the suite and closed the door.

Instantly, Li Mu's gaze towards the smiling old man changed.

Could it be that this girl and this old man are...?

But Bie Yan seemed unsurprised, and asked Cai Lan with a smile:

"Cai Sen, where are we conducting our interview?"

"This is fine."

Cai Lan maintained a smiling expression throughout, and after sitting down on the sofa, he said:

"Besides, I've already thought of the theme."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's called 'I Lived'."

Upon hearing his words, the three of them were momentarily puzzled.