Qin Weidong drove straight back to Jinjian. By then, the top official of Yicheng and several accompanying leaders had already finished showing Wei Jianghe around Jinjian’s facilities and equipment.
At the conference, Qin Weidong and Xu Jianchuan sat near the back with Jinjian’s employees. A row of Yicheng leaders occupied the stage. The man presiding over the meeting—the director of the Resource Bureau who was spearheading Kunshan’s acquisition of the Nanpan mining district—held the microphone.
When he introduced the man seated in the center—Wei Jianghe—someone immediately bent over to pass him the mic.
Wei Jianghe looked far younger than many of the cadres and employees below had imagined. He was barely in his early forties, recently transferred from Beijing to serve as the director of Shanxi’s Department of Land and Resources. Shanxi ranked among the top provinces for mineral resources, and ever since his appointment, it was said that people in both political and business circles had been lining up just to curry favor with him.
The host continued the introductions. Next to Wei Jianghe sat a slightly chubby, middle-aged man with a kind face. Taking the microphone, he said warmly, “No need to be nervous, everyone. Wherever we go, we always bring role models with us.”
The audience of Jinjian employees burst into laughter. Deputy Manager Yang Xiaojun, seated in the front row, took the lead in applauding.
Qin Weidong leaned over and asked Xu Jianchuan, “Boss Xu, who’s that?”
“That’s Liu Chongyue—Secretary Liu from the municipal party committee. He’s originally from Changding, same as us. Just didn’t have much luck in politics. Word is he backed the wrong side in some internal struggle up top. Otherwise, that position my brother-in-law holds now? It probably would’ve been his.”
Qin Weidong glanced over. Despite the heat, Liu Chongyue wore a white dress shirt under a light jacket. On closer inspection, the cuffs were frayed—clearly an old piece. He looked older than Wei Jianghe, with gray streaks at his temples and thinning hair on top. When he smiled, deep crow’s feet framed his eyes.
“Jinjian’s been named a model enterprise by the province for several years in a row—probably thanks in no small part to his behind-the-scenes efforts. All unpaid work, of course.”
Xu Jianchuan chuckled. “Well, now my brother-in-law gets to enjoy the results.”
He sighed. In politics, luck often made up seven-tenths of success.
But then again, wasn’t that true of every industry? Especially business. Back when he was throwing money into a bottomless pit at the garment factory, he didn’t even have a place to cry. It was pure dumb luck that he stumbled across an abandoned mine and struck it rich. Even luckier, he’d recruited the capable Qin Weidong. That’s when everything changed—and he finally found the path to serious wealth.
Rich and poor—sometimes the only thing separating them is a wisp of smoke rising from an ancestor’s grave.
Onstage, Wei Jianghe was delivering his speech. Sitting below, Xu Jianchuan stared at his brother-in-law. These days, Wei Jianghe was riding high in his official career. It was clear his transfer to Jin Province was a major step up. When their families had first married into each other, Wei Jianghe had still been a low-level technician at a mining management station.
If Kunshan’s acquisition of the Nanpan mining zone went through smoothly, it would be another major success to add to Wei Jianghe’s political track record—and the gap between their two families would only widen further…
“What worries me most now,” Xu Jianchuan muttered, “is whether this Kunshan deal can go through without a hitch. The sooner it’s finalized, the sooner we can sign the contract with them…”
At the end of the day, nothing matters more than getting the money into your own pocket.
After the reception meeting for the officials concluded, Qin Weidong—who had been inserted into the group thanks to Xu Jianchuan’s connections—sat in on a short internal meeting in the temporary office alongside the Kunshan Group’s Evaluation Team 2.
Kunshan lived up to its reputation as a leading state-owned enterprise in the industry. Nearly everyone in the room was a top university graduate from a prestigious geology institute. Qin Weidong sat quietly in the back with a notebook they’d handed out, listening attentively. He followed along as they reviewed geological survey maps and borehole stratigraphy diagrams. Whenever a technical geology term came up, he jotted it down quickly, never speaking, just absorbing.
After the session, the team leader, Li Ping, stopped him.
“You’re Qin Weidong, right? Here’s your temporary ID. We’ll be heading to the mine site over the next few days for field evaluations. Since the disciplinary committee is overseeing this acquisition too, make sure to keep things aboveboard.”
“Thank you,” Qin Weidong replied as he accepted it.
Li Ping gave him a once-over. He’d already been told that Qin Weidong was someone’s connection—a small-time businessman slipped into the team just to tag along during inspections and pick up a few things. No need to pay him too much mind. As for who pulled the strings, no one had said, so it probably didn’t matter.
Li Ping himself had clawed his way up from a poor background, studying hard to land a job others only dreamed of. He had no patience for people who got ahead through nepotism.
“Our team’s main responsibility is evaluating and verifying the actual reserves and mining conditions at Nanpan Mountain,” he explained. “I heard from my superior that you’ll just be shadowing us and lending a hand here and there. By the way, where did you graduate from? A college? University?”
“Middle school,” Qin Weidong replied.
For a moment, Li Ping thought he’d misheard. A few colleagues who hadn’t yet left the room looked over, clearly surprised.
“What did you say?”
Qin repeated, “Middle school.”
Li Ping couldn’t even finish filling out the form. A middle school graduate? And this guy was supposed to accompany them for an on-site evaluation and geological inspection of a mine? What could he possibly learn?
Was this some kind of international joke?
……
Outside the Jinkai Entertainment Club, Fang Li and Ding Haoyang’s group had arrived early.
The place was lavishly decorated, inside and out—everywhere you looked, the gaudy shimmer of gold finishes and popular European-style reliefs screamed luxury. It was Fang Li’s first time there. The karaoke stage was on the second floor, with booths arranged below. It wasn’t even seven yet, so the main lights were still off. Ding Haoyang and the others were adjusting the equipment.
Ding Haoyang set up the mic for him. “Just sit here later. Don’t be nervous—just do it like we practiced.”
Fang Li nodded, tugging at the hem of his dress. Yang San’er jumped up onto the stage, grinning as he reached out and flipped up Fang Li’s wig. “Damn, Fang Li, you actually look hot dressed like this! If you walked down the street, you’d have guys hitting on you left and right. Hey, about those padded boobs—”
He reached for them, but Ding Haoyang smacked his hand away. “Where the hell are you grabbing, man?”
“What’s your problem? We’re both dudes, what’s there to be afraid of?”
“Keep your voice down, damn it! If we get kicked out, we’ll be out there begging for scraps!”
Wu Ke walked over to break it up. Just then, the assistant manager of the club arrived. He glanced at Fang Li on stage—this “girl” had a head of jet-black curls in the latest Hong Kong–Taiwan style, cascading over her shoulders. A spotlight shone from above, lighting up her snowy-white skin like it was glowing.
Under a whispered cue from Ding Haoyang, Fang Li tilted his head up and smiled sweetly at the manager.
“Wu Ke, you really screwed me over,” the assistant manager said, grinning. “If I’d known you had a bombshell like this in your crew, you wouldn’t have needed to lie to me last time!”
Hearing the assistant manager’s comment, Ding Haoyang finally let out a breath of relief—looked like the guy was pleased. Singing at a nightclub wasn’t a big deal anyway; as long as the assistant manager signed off, it was good to go.
Only Wu Ke seemed to catch the true meaning behind his old classmate’s smile. He jumped up on stage and casually slung an arm around Fang Li’s shoulders. “Well, what can I say? When fate knocks, there’s no stopping it. Once you’re done with your set, we’ll head home together.”
“Huh…?” Yang San’er looked baffled. What was the captain talking about? He sounded like he was in a relationship or something. Luckily, Ding Haoyang had the presence of mind to pull him back right away.
The assistant manager’s smile froze for a second, but quickly returned to normal. “Haha, congratulations! I mean, if I ever met someone that pretty, I wouldn’t want to stay single either.”
Then he motioned for Wu Ke to step aside and speak with him privately. “Is she really your girlfriend?”
When Wu Ke nodded, the assistant manager let out a sigh. Having the lead singer keep clients company was just an unspoken rule around here.
“If I’d known that… Ah well. We’re old classmates, after all. Consider it a favor from me. Don’t worry—singing here is totally fine.”
Wu Ke exhaled in relief. “Thanks.”
“No need,” the assistant manager said, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to Wu Ke too. “Man, remember those days in the dorm? All the messing around, the laughs… And you—how long do you think music’s gonna last? You should switch tracks while you’re still young.”
Wu Ke lit the cigarette. “That’s exactly why—I want to take one last shot while I still can.”
The assistant manager just shrugged. “Up to you.” He had guests waiting in a private room and soon walked off.
As the evening progressed, the booths gradually filled with people. Multicolored disco balls spun overhead, casting ever-shifting, sultry lights over the tables, the drinks, the cards, the guests. Some had already started dancing on the floor. On stage, a spotlight landed on Fang Li, who stood clutching the mic.
Because they were lip-syncing, they didn’t dare choose a well-known song for fear of getting caught. Ding Haoyang had gone to a record store and picked something obscure—an old track by a little-known Hong Kong-Taiwan female singer, released a couple of years ago. The song had a soft, romantic vibe. It was called Sleepless Tonight.
Fang Li’s palms were sweaty with nerves as the music’s beat began to play.
“The moon is sleepless tonight—
Come now, don’t waste the time—
Love and longing, the dust of this world—
Come now, don’t waste the time—
Dawn dies beneath our feet,
And the morning sun will rise again…”
Fang Li began to sing. His voice was completely drowned out by the soft, magnetic female vocals on the tape. Now and then, someone in the booths glanced his way, drawn by the music, their gaze lingering on him. Every beat hit deep in Fang Li’s chest. The lights and music wove together around him.
Even though the voice coming through the speakers wasn’t his, it felt as if the song had unlocked a part of himself he’d never dared to open.
By the time they wrapped up, it was past two in the morning. Just like Ding Haoyang had said, most people who came to the nightclub didn’t really care who sang well or not—as long as the girl on stage looked good and could carry a tune, that was enough.
The assistant manager had seen the customers reacting well, so he confirmed their gig on the spot.
As they walked out, the night breeze hit them, and Ding Haoyang couldn’t hold back his excitement. “Fang Li! We’re in! We’re in!! You’re our savior!”
Fang Li smiled too. After singing so many songs, his back was drenched in sweat—he’d been a nervous wreck the whole time.
In a public restroom nearby, the others helped him take off his wig. Once he’d changed back into his regular clothes, Ding Haoyang said, “Hey, Fang Li, it’s super late. Why don’t you crash at our place? We’ll squeeze you in somehow. You wanted to learn guitar, right? During the day you can practice there—any of us can teach you when we’ve got time.”
After all that tension, exhaustion was finally hitting him. Since the band’s place wasn’t far from the club, Fang Li said, “Okay.”
He didn’t overthink it. He and Qin Weidong had grown up sleeping in the same bed. Spending a night crammed in with a few guys was no big deal. They joked and chatted all the way home.
Axolotl Translations 
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