After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 17

After someone had watched their car, Bai Xiangxing, accompanied by Lin Qing, entered the television station. This was the only television station in District 64, and it served as the main source of external information for the residents of District 64. Outside of District 64, almost everyone had a neural implant, and ordinary people could access information on the star network. So, the television station was considered less important. However, the neural implant penetration rate in District 64 was only one-tenth. Therefore, if you wanted to spread something quickly throughout District 64, the television station was the only means. “May I ask who you are?” The receptionist was a beautiful Beta with a clear and pleasant voice. “I’m here for advertising,” Bai Xiangxing replied. “Do you have an appointment?” “No.” “Then, please wait. I’ll contact our advertising department manager.” “Sure.” About two minutes later, a middle-aged Alpha in a suit and tie came down from upstairs and personally greeted Bai Xiangxing. This Alpha was the advertising department manager of the television station, named Zhang Cheng. To rise to the position of advertising department manager in the only official media outlet in District 64 required not only a privileged background but also excellent social skills. The moment Zhang Cheng entered the meeting room and saw Bai Xiangxing, he knew that they were from the outside. “Hello, I’m Zhang Cheng,” Zhang Cheng greeted warmly, extending his hand. Bai Xiangxing ignored the hand and remained seated, aloof and cold, saying, “Just call me Mr. Bai.” Lin Qing and Guan Longfei exchanged glances, both puzzled. Why had their boss suddenly become so aloof when he had been fine just moments ago? Bai Xiangxing’s appearance and demeanor, along with the two Alpha bodyguards who were clearly ex-military, left Zhang Cheng unsure of their identities. Such an Omega couldn’t be an ordinary person, and he must come from one of the major families from the outside. “I heard that Mr. Bai wants to advertise with us?” Zhang Cheng inquired. “Yes.” “Do you have a specific type of advertisement in mind?” “I just want to use your television station for publicity, so that every person in District 64 can hear and see it in the shortest possible time.” Bai Xiangxing glanced at Zhang Cheng indifferently. “Can you do that?” A substantial order! Zhang Cheng got excited. “Absolutely no problem. You just need to sign up for our premium advertising package. It has the widest coverage and will be broadcast on all television screens in District 64. To put it bluntly, anyone with eyes will see it.” “Okay, let’s go with that.” Indeed, he had the financial resources. Zhang Cheng eagerly asked, “Is the sample ready? Can I take a look at it?” “What sample? It’s troublesome. I just had a whim and came here to do a good deed.” Bai Xiangxing sounded impatient. “A good deed?” Zhang Cheng was perplexed. “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have many hobbies, and I just like to spend money.” Zhang Cheng, Lin Qing, and Guan Longfei all felt envious of this hobby. “But always spending money to buy things can sometimes feel meaningless, especially lonely. It makes you feel like it’s not worth it. Do you understand that feeling?” Bai Xiangxing asked Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng nodded. While he couldn’t quite grasp Mr. Bai’s feelings of loneliness from spending money, he did understand the desire to engage in charity. “However, what does this have to do with advertising?” Finally getting to the point, Bai Xiangxing lifted a teacup from the table and took a sip, simultaneously expressing his disdain. “This tea is terrible. I’m sure it costs less than ten thousand star coins per ounce.” Zhang Cheng: … Truly, someone who can spend money to feel lonely must have spent more on this cup of tea than I earn in a month. “Yesterday, I was feeling lonely, and I happened to see the donation advertisement about your District 64. It’s said that many children here can’t even afford to go to school, and the vast majority can never leave District 64?” Bai Xiangxing inquired. “Well, not all of them. As long as they’re smart and motivated, they can still leave. Every year, some students from here manage to get into universities outside. A few years ago, there was even an orphan who got out and is now working in District 1,” Zhang Cheng replied. Indeed, every year, some people managed to leave District 64, but they were typically from the “upper echelons” within the district. The orphan, Wan Tong, was an exception. “You’re talking about Wan Tong, right? He was also a charity project of mine,” Bai Xiangxing calmly stated. Back when Wan Tong, an orphan, had managed to leave District 64, the magistrate had heavily publicized it to pacify the district’s restive population. That’s why Zhang Cheng remembered Wan Tong’s name. “He’s one of your beneficiaries?” Zhang Cheng was surprised but also had a moment of clarity. No wonder Wan Tong, an orphan, had managed to leave District 64. There was a connection behind the scenes. Zhang Cheng continued, “So, what kind of charity project do you have in mind this time?” “I want to adopt an orphan from your district,” Bai Xiangxing said. “Adopt?” “An unfortunate child from the slums who can’t afford enough food to eat, let alone an education, and might spend their whole life in District 64. If I take them from rags to riches in one fell swoop, it would be a life-changing and dramatic act of kindness that can dispel my current loneliness,” Bai Xiangxing explained profoundly. Zhang Cheng, Lin Qing, and Guan Longfei: … Zhang Cheng took a moment to digest this before asking again, “But I still don’t understand. What does this have to do with coming to our television station for advertising? Shouldn’t you go to an orphanage or just pick up a child from the street?” “Can someone from a family like mine casually go to an orphanage to pick someone up? I have to conduct auditions,” Bai Xiangxing retorted. “Auditions?” Are you holding a talent show or adopting someone? “Later on, you can use your television station to publicize the audition criteria for me. My requirements are simple, just two points. Firstly, the child should be between the ages of ten and thirteen…” “Ah, shouldn’t younger be better?” Zhang Cheng sincerely suggested. “Am I adopting, or are you adopting?” Bai Xiangxing shot him a stern look. “You…you…” Zhang Cheng lowered his head, chastened. “Secondly, I have to find them pleasing to the eye.” “…Isn’t that just one requirement? And it’s about age,” Zhang Cheng complained. “Oh, to increase the children’s enthusiasm for the auditions, add one more condition in the advertisement. Any child who comes to participate, whether they are ultimately selected or not, will receive a loaf of bread as a reward, with a two-day deadline.” If only he knew exactly where Xiang Rong lived now, he wouldn’t have to go through this needle-in-a-haystack process. Well, he might as well take this opportunity to treat the kids here to a meal, with a loaf of bread. “Alright, I’ll go prepare the contract,” Zhang Cheng said. “You’re preparing a contract for such a small amount of money? Just get this done for me. I don’t want to stay here any longer,” Bai Xiangxing said impatiently. “Can you even get things done? Go and handle it.” Zhang Cheng thought about it and realized that someone who could spend money to alleviate their loneliness like this wouldn’t be concerned about such a small amount. So, ten minutes later, an “adoption advertisement” appeared on all the television screens throughout the streets and alleys of District 64. It basically said that a wealthy young man from District 1, on a whim, wanted to adopt a child. To make it more believable, a long list of charitable deeds the young man had done in District 64 in the past was included. Otherwise, it would seem too much like a human trafficker’s ad. Thankfully, this young man, um, Bai Xiangxing, had been the student council president back in school, and he was basically in charge of any charitable business related to the school. Therefore, this list of deeds was quite long. The inclusion of this list of charitable activities was a specific request from Bai Xiangxing. Last time, Xiang Rong had trusted him because of these charitable deeds. He had donated food, clothing, and medicine to District 64, and only his donated supplies were reliably distributed. This was because he would personally follow up on each donation to ensure that it was effectively carried out. Due to this, the relevant departments in charge of funds were reluctant to embezzle too much of the money, and most of it was properly distributed. In this lifetime, Bai Xiangxing didn’t have the luxury of being picked up like he had been in the previous one. He didn’t have the time to find someone slowly in District 64, so he could only use this method to find someone as quickly as possible. Adoption wouldn’t be something Xiang Rong could easily believe, so Bai Xiangxing just hoped that, like in the previous lifetime, Xiang Rong would still have trust in him because of the charitable supplies he had donated. Even if he was just coming out to get some bread, Bai Xiangxing was confident that he could convince him. The audition was held in the lobby on the first floor of the television station, starting at noon and running until 6 p.m., conveniently covering both lunch and dinner times. Zhang Cheng hadn’t exaggerated. The publicity power of a special-grade advertisement was enormous. Early the next morning, a large group of children came to line up. Among them were ragged orphans and ordinary children who didn’t look like orphans. After all, the advertisement didn’t specify that only orphans could apply. What if they caught the eye of the wealthy young master and became a rich young master themselves overnight? Becoming rich overnight was such a simple and sincere wish. “I underestimated this. I should have added a condition about adopting an orphan,” Bai Xiangxing complained, not so much about the money spent on the bread but the sheer number of people. Conducting auditions for so many applicants was a lot of work. “Even if you add it, it won’t make a difference. These kids can claim to be orphans, and without access to the Light Brain, you won’t be able to verify their household registration data,” Zhang Cheng explained. “But won’t there be some kids participating multiple times just for the bread?” Bai Xiangxing was still worried about the workload; after all, this could happen if kids were tempted by free food. “That won’t happen. There are electronic eyes at the entrance that automatically trigger an alert if it detects the same face multiple times.” “Good job. Let’s get started.” The audition process was straightforward. Children entered, said their names and ages in front of Bai Xiangxing, and if he selected them, they stayed. If he didn’t choose them, they could exit on the other side, where people were distributing bread. Bai Xiangxing was purposeful in his selection, and the audition process was lightning fast. Each child took less than a second, so in just two hours, the long queue outside had disappeared. However, Xiang Rong still hadn’t appeared, leaving Bai Xiangxing feeling a bit disheartened. “Are you sure everyone could see the advertisement?” Bai Xiangxing asked Zhang Cheng. “Yes, they could. Some children might be farther away and lack money for transportation, so they arrived later. How about you go back today and come back tomorrow?” Zhang Cheng suggested. The audition was taking more energy than expected, and given Bai Xiangxing’s current physical condition, sitting idle was tiring. However, he couldn’t leave because only he recognized Xiang Rong. “Never mind, let’s wait until 6 p.m. as planned,” Bai Xiangxing decided. He continued to sit there, and more children arrived from a distance. Still, none of them were Xiang Rong. Bai Xiangxing had no choice but to rest for the day and return on the following day. Indeed, on the second day at noon, more children rushed in from a distance. Bai Xiangxing conducted auditions for over two hours, yet he still didn’t see Xiang Rong. Bai Xiangxing couldn’t help but feel anxious. He wondered if his approach was too naive. Xiang Rong was intelligent. In his previous life, when Xiang Rong picked him up, Xiang Rong had almost exclusively taken care of him for the first month. Xiang Rong didn’t lack food, so the chances of him participating in an audition just for some bread seemed slim. However, Bai Xiangxing remembered that Xiang Rong had always wanted to leave District 64. Could it be that he had appeared in a way that made Xiang Rong distrust him? Just as Bai Xiangxing began to contemplate what to do if he couldn’t find Xiang Rong today, a teenager wearing a black coat and a pair of lifeless eyes walked in. “I’m Xiang Rong,” the teenager said aloud.