A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

At noon, he rode his electric scooter back to the courtyard house for lunch. When Sister Zhou saw his attire, she paused for several seconds, then smiled: "Mr. Fu, what are you doing here...?"

"I am a proud volunteer," Fu Yan said earnestly.

Sister Zhou shook her head with a laugh.

Mo Dou poked its head out of the cat house, glanced at Fu Yan's yellow vest, and meowed, probably asking—who is this person?

Fu Yan squatted down and patted its head: "Is this your father? Don't you recognize him?"

Mo Dou brushed his hand away with its paw, then turned and retreated back into the cat house.

Well, even the cats don't like it.

Fu Yan stood up, took off her red armband and yellow vest, folded them neatly, and placed them in the entryway—she would have to wear them again in the afternoon; her street patrol duties weren't over yet.

He glanced at the quiet monk parrot in the yard, then at the myna dozing under the grape trellis, and suddenly felt—this life is really quite fulfilling.

……

The atmosphere of the Olympics is getting stronger every day.

In late June in Beijing, if you randomly throw a brick down the street, eight out of ten people you hit will be talking about the Olympics. The remaining two will be foreigners who don't understand, clutching maps and asking you how to get to the Water Cube.

Fu Yan's volunteer work has also entered its "peak season." The daily foot traffic from Yandai Xiejie to Yinding Bridge is even greater than during the May Day holiday. Foreign tourists are flocking in, and Fu Yan's spoken English has improved by leaps and bounds in this month—from initially saying "Can I help you" to being able to chat with people about the weather, traffic, and which Peking duck restaurant is the most authentic.

Director Ma Jianguo was increasingly satisfied with him and specially posted a big-character poster on the community bulletin board with the title "Yindingqiao Community Volunteer Star - Fu Yan" and a picture of Fu Yan wearing a yellow vest standing on Yindingqiao Bridge, smiling like a Fuwa mascot.

Aunt Wang would praise him to everyone she met: "Our Xiao Fu! He's a top student who graduated from Roosevelt University in America! He's very conscientious and kind-hearted!"

"It's Stanford!"

"Oops, I misspoke, it's Stanford..."

Fu Yan would quicken his pace every time he passed the bulletin board, pretending not to see it.

-

On June 25th, Fu Xiao's school was on holiday.

The girl and Chen Shiwen received their graduation certificates together and officially "graduated" from Tongzhou Experimental Junior High School—their internship period was over, and they would report to Chaoyang Third Experimental Junior High School before the start of the new school year in August.

Speaking of this matter, Fu Yan put in a lot of effort.

Chaoyang No. 3 Experimental Junior High School is a key second-tier school in Chaoyang District, with a good location and excellent students. Fu Xiao and Chen Shiwen's majors are a perfect match, and they would be given permanent positions there. The two girls originally planned to take the exam themselves, but getting a permanent position is not easy. Fu Yan made inquiries and, through Director Huang of the National Bank, found an old friend who worked at the Education Commission. He mentioned it to them, and their files were transferred smoothly.

Fu Xiao jumped for joy on the phone: "Brother! You're amazing!"

"Work hard and don't embarrass me."

Don't worry!

Chen Shiwen also said "Thank you, Brother Fu" from the side, her voice soft but sincere.

On the first day of their holiday, Fu Xiao and Chen Shiwen packed their things and returned to their hometown in Bincheng. Fu Yan didn't stop them—he had originally planned for his sister to go back and pick up their parents. With the Olympics just around the corner, Fu Jianguo and Liu Meilan, who had never seen the Olympics before, decided to come to Beijing to broaden their horizons.

The day after Fu Xiao arrived home, Fu Yan called her.

"Pack your things, and bring our parents to Yanjing in a couple of days."

"Why go to Yanjing?"

"I'm watching the Olympics. It opens on August 8th, and I've already bought the tickets."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Brother, you should have said so earlier!" Fu Xiao's voice instantly rose eight octaves. "I'm already home! If you had told me sooner, I wouldn't have come back! I could have just waited in Yanjing!"

"Your return is just in time to pick up our parents."

"Then why didn't you tell me beforehand!"

"Will you be able to go back if I tell you?"

"You little devil! Did you plan this all along, making me come back to pick up my parents?! Do you know how troublesome it is to travel from Bincheng to Yanjing, taking different buses and transferring trains?"

Fu Yan sighed silently to himself—this girl, how come she can't get rid of the habit of talking faster than thinking?

"Alright, alright, stop yelling. I'll talk to Dad about buying the tickets. You two can come along."

"snort!"

Fu Xiao angrily hung up the phone.

Liu Meilan, who overheard the conversation, asked, "Your brother wants us to go to Beijing to watch the Olympics?"

"Yes!" Fu Xiao was still angry. "You should have said so earlier! If you had, I wouldn't have had to make this trip!"

Fu Jianguo took a drag of his cigarette and said slowly, "Your brother sent you back to pick us up."

"I know! But he can speak first..."

"Would you stop making trouble if I told you?" Fu Jianguo chuckled. "Don't you know your brother?"

Fu Xiao opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but then felt that something seemed off.

-

Xu Wenshu's reaction was even stronger than Fu Xiao's.

Upon learning that Fu Yan's parents were coming to Yanjing, Xu Wenshu packed her bags that very night and drove off in her red Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Fu Yan stood in the courtyard, watching her taillights disappear at the alley entrance, unsure of what to say.

"What are you doing...?"

"I'm going back to my apartment!" Xu Wenshu leaned out of the car window. "It's inconvenient for me to stay here when your parents come!"

"What's inconvenient about it? We'll have to see each other sooner or later..."

"That's not how you meet someone!" Xu Wenshu said firmly. "Wait until I'm ready before we meet! You should talk to your parents first!"

After saying that, he stepped on the gas and drove away.

Fu Yan stood there, enjoying the June evening breeze, and suddenly realized—he was quite adept at this self-deception.

He glanced at the empty main room, then at the inkwell squatting on the threshold licking its paws, and shook his head.

"Alright, let's all go back to our own homes."

The inkwell meowed, probably in agreement.

-

Xu Wenshu ran away, and Fu Yan had no intention of staying at home. After going to the bar again, he drove to Xu Wenshu's apartment as well.

Anyway, he had nothing to do all day. Apart from patrolling the streets, he didn't have anything special to do, so it didn't matter where he stayed at night.

Xu Wenshu's new apartment is located outside the East Third Ring Road, about a 20-minute drive from CCTV. It is a two-bedroom apartment of about 90 square meters, which is clean and tidy. The living room is filled with her photos - work photos, life photos, and a few costume photos of her hosting programs.

When Fu Yan entered the room, he found that there were already four people sitting inside.

Xu Wenshu, Ma Wei, Yu Li, and Wang Ruidan.

Four popular female hosts from CCTV were sitting around a coffee table, each with a glass of wine in their hand, chatting animatedly.

"What brings you here!" Xu Wenshu's eyes lit up when she saw Fu Yan, and she turned to the others and said, "This is my boyfriend, Fu Yan."

Fu Yan nodded to the three women and said, "Hello, beautiful hosts."

Ma Wei, the oldest of the four at thirty-six, was dignified and poised, and also had the best alcohol tolerance. She glanced at Fu Yan and said with a smile, "Little Xu always talks about you, and today I finally see you in person. You look quite energetic."

"Thank you for the praise, Sister Wei."

"You've lived in the United States?" Yu Li asked. She was two years younger than Xu Wenshu, had a baby face, and spoke in a soft voice.

"Yes, I stayed there."

"I heard they're from a wealthy family?"

"Hehe, not bad, just an average household."

"How good is 'good'?" Wang Ruidan asked, squinting. She was a few months older than Xu Wenshu, but her alcohol tolerance was the worst among the four. Her face turned red after just two drinks.

Fu Yan didn't reply, but just chuckled.

Xu Wenshu pulled Fu Yan aside: "Don't stand, sit down and drink with us."