One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

It was exactly 7 p.m.

In the living room of the villa at the North China branch, the television turned on right on time. The blue globe logo on the screen spun twice, and a familiar melody flowed from the speakers.

Zhang Chulan was sitting upright in the center of the sofa, his back straight, his legs together, and his hands neatly placed on his knees. On the coffee table in front of him was a small notebook and a ballpoint pen, the notebook already filled with dense notes.

He exuded an extremely serious aura from head to toe, and his eyes shone with a light—not the kind of light that comes from being hit and seeing stars, but a clear and firm light that comes from being ignited by faith.

On the television screen, the CCTV News Channel logo hung steadily in the upper left corner.

Zhang Chulan stared intently at the screen, his pen flying across the notebook as he jotted something down. A faint smile played on his lips, the kind that only comes from someone immersed in a noble spiritual world.

He was completely unaware that the half-eaten bowl of instant noodles on the table had already clumped together.

At this moment, Feng Baobao pulled Xu Si's sleeve and walked in.

Feng Baobao, wearing a loose T-shirt with a cartoon dog head printed on it, was barefoot on the floor. Her hair was casually tied in a ponytail. She was holding Xu Si's shirt cuff with one hand and pointing at Zhang Chulan, who was sitting upright on the sofa, with the other hand. She complained in fluent Sichuan dialect: "Xu Si, look at this kid. Does he have mental problems? I told him to do night training before he ate dinner, and he rushed back to watch TV. I couldn't stop him."

You should teach him a lesson—I'm afraid I'll chase him away again.

Xu Si chewed a piece of bubble gum, blew a small bubble, which popped with a "pop," and used his tongue to roll the gum crumbs back into his mouth to continue chewing.

That's right, he has started to quit smoking—and he's going to quit completely.

Ever since the day he was called a lunatic by the security captain at the entrance of the World Society, his lighter has been kept hidden in the deepest part of his drawer and never taken out again. Instead, he always carries a box of bubble gum in his pocket.

He chewed on his candy, walked up behind Zhang Chulan with a puzzled look, bent down and looked at the TV screen—it was the evening news.

He paused for a moment, blinked, and said with a tone of surprise as if he had discovered a new continent, "Wow! Zhang Chulan, such high level of awareness? When did this happen?"

Zhang Chulan didn't even turn his head, his gaze remaining fixed on the screen. He scribbled another line in his notebook before answering Xu Si's question in a proper and serious tone.

His voice lacked its usual playful and glib tone, replaced by a sincerity and firmness that only comes from being cleansed by something nobler: "Hello, Fourth Brother."

Don't listen to Bao'er's nonsense. I will train as usual, but I absolutely cannot miss the 7 pm news broadcast every night.

As a Chinese citizen, it is my duty to care about national affairs.

I want to strive for progress; I want to become a true, upright man.

Feng Baobao tilted her head, blinked her big, bright eyes, loosened her grip on Xu Si's sleeve, took a step back, stood in the open space of the living room, and suddenly made a movement.

She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, her right hand raised high, pointing straight to the ceiling, and her left hand hanging down, pointing to the floor. Her whole body was in a standard, straight posture, interpreting the literal meaning of the Chinese characters from fingertips to toes.

She maintained this posture, her expression serious and earnest, and declared in clear, resonant Mandarin with a strong Sichuan accent: "This is what it means to stand tall and upright."

Xu Si's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened the camera, and snapped several photos of Feng Baobao. As he took the pictures, he praised her, his tone filled with genuine admiration and the pride of a guardian: "Great! Baobao's not bad! This pose is excellent, it has a chivalrous air about it! Very good, very good, the composition, the presence, the upright and indomitable spirit—I'll develop them and hang them on the wall for you later!"

Zhang Chulan finally turned his head, glanced at Feng Baobao's standard "standing tall and upright" posture, and then at Xu Si's excited enthusiasm as he kept taking pictures with his phone. His expression kept switching between "This is really cool" and "But I have more important things to do."

Then he resolutely turned his head back to continue staring at the TV, but his words came out like a machine gun, each word filled with the urgency and anxiety of a good young man of the new era pursuing progress: "Sister Bao'er does have the demeanor of a chivalrous hero, I don't deny it."

But—this is a new society, with new ideas! We must keep up with the times! Bao'er, you can't hinder my progress!

I've already registered for the national civil service exam this October, and the written exam will probably be held at the end of October or November.

It's July now, and there are still two or three months left. I must keep up with the policies.

People these days are so picky; if you fall behind at one step, you'll fall behind at every step.

If you tell someone you're a chivalrous hero now, who'll believe you? People want to see your education, your government job, and whether you've secured a position.

When he said the words "standing tall and firm," he suddenly seemed to be struck by something, and the clear and firm light in his eyes suddenly brightened several degrees.

He put his notebook on the coffee table, turned around to look at Xu Si and Feng Baobao, and said in an almost reverent tone: "Speaking of truly upright and indomitable people—a few days ago, Director Zhuge's majestic figure appeared on the news broadcast."

That's what you call upright and indomitable! A true man should be like that! You didn't see Director Zhuge standing at the podium addressing the people of the whole country. I watched it at least twenty times, and each time I felt my soul was cleansed.

He turned back to the television, picked up his pen, opened a new page in his notebook, and muttered to himself in a pained tone, "I bought those two books for the civil service exam two weeks ago, and I haven't even turned a few pages yet."

It's because I have to train with Bao'er every day, and I feel like I'm not doing my job properly.

"Maybe I shouldn't participate in the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony—it'll only hinder my progress."

Xu Si stopped chewing bubble gum.

He squinted at Zhang Chulan, his expression shifting clearly within seconds from "I agree with the first part of what you said" to "I disagree with every single word of the nonsense you spouted afterward."

With one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Zhang Chulan, he said in a loud voice, "You little brat—I agree with what you said earlier."

It's good to care about national affairs and pursue progress.

But I disagree with what you said later.

You've gotten too big for your britches.

He took a step forward, his finger almost poking Zhang Chulan on the back of the head, and continued in a tone as if he were counting on his fingers: "The Luo Tian Grand Ceremony is for you."

Leaving aside how many people the old Celestial Master at Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion personally pleaded with, just look at how much our company has sacrificed for you—a villa to live in, good food and drink to serve you, a monthly salary paid on time, and even a personal bodyguard for you, with Bao'er protecting your personal safety 24 hours a day.

You think all of this came out of thin air? Is it yours to take for granted? Don't you have any idea how many resources the company has invested in you? Do you want to lose your job?