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Chapter 165 - 164, Capital household registration quota (third update)_1

Chapter 165: 164, Capital household registration quota (third update)_1

Su Ruqin’s reason for wanting Yang Xi to return to Capital to study was to separate her from Ren He, but she didn’t understand Ren He’s character, nor was she aware of his current social circle. In her mind, even if a junior high student was capable, it wouldn’t be so easy to come to Capital to study.

Yet, for Ren He, Yang Xi was one of the most important things after his rebirth. Many people talk endlessly about going to any lengths for love, like a moth to a flame, but their actions seldom match their words.

Gradually, love seemed to become something careless.

After Ren He decided to officially launch Yang Xi’s career, he had anticipated the kind of reaction Su Ruqin might have. Although the strike from the other party this time was more violent, his response was not to retreat but to continue to forge ahead through thorns and thickets.

So when he asked Zhou Wumeng, he felt a bit apprehensive. He knew Zhou Wumeng was the chairman of Capital Journalism Group, but getting a Capital residency quota wasn’t that easy, was it?

Just think about it to know how precious a residency quota for Capital is. Some people were even willing to pay a price on the black market—a residency quota for 650,000!

There must be students from other regions in Capital Journalism, and everyone is already competing within their little circles. Suddenly an utter stranger comes up and says, "Sorry, I need one of this year’s quotas!"

What would these core members of Capital Journalism think? Is this a relative of Elder Zhou? Has Elder Zhou started to open backdoors for others as well?

You should know that in past years, Capital Journalism Group’s residency quotas were awarded to employees who made outstanding contributions, so everyone had a goal and knew Elder Zhou was always fair in his dealings.

Zhou Wumeng was someone who valued his own integrity greatly. Would he be willing to have his backbone questioned for such a kid? Ren He waited patiently.

After pondering for a long time, Zhou Wumeng asked, "What do you want a Capital residency quota for?"

"The educational quality in Capital is excellent. I can study better at Capital No.4 Middle School, and in the future, I can contribute more to the construction of my country!" Ren He replied seriously.

"Speak human language."

"My girlfriend was transferred to Capital No.4 Middle School by her mother," Ren He told the truth, figuring if he beat around the bush any longer, Elder Zhou might just hang up the phone...

"Just because she’s there, you have to go too?" Elder Zhou really couldn’t grasp this logic. Back in his day, when he went to the countryside to work, he wouldn’t see his wife for years. He truly didn’t understand, because back then, it was common practice to live apart for the sake of work...

It wasn’t about being popular; it was what everyone did, yet oddly, the divorce rates were incredibly low.

But what era is it now? Not seeing each other for two months might mean never having to meet again. How could Ren He let Yang Xi go to Capital No.4 Middle School alone? In that melting pot of Capital, bustling with outstanding talents, and with Yang Xi soon becoming a celebrity, the unknown rivals wouldn’t just be coming from school.

So how could Ren He allow Yang Xi to be in Capital alone?

Ren He explained to Elder Zhou, "You really don’t understand the current situation, but I sincerely hope to get a quota from you. It’s very important to me. Look, I only took three days to kick ’The Kite Runner’ out, and that’s full sincerity for you. You’ll definitely be satisfied with the book when you see it."

Zhou Wumeng was silent for a long while before he spoke, "Send it over for me to see first."

If Zhou Wumeng had agreed immediately, Ren He might have thought him a swindler, after all, Elder Zhou was of such an age that he couldn’t possibly be so inconsiderate. But since the other party said to look at the work first, Ren He was confident that after reading "The Kite Runner," Zhou would begin to seriously consider the matter of the residency indicator.

As expected, that very evening, Zhou Wumeng called back, "This wasn’t written by you, was it?"

"Just assume it wasn’t written by me. Strictly speaking, it indeed wasn’t written by me," Ren He explained. If one were to speak of this parallel universe, then it truly was written by him, but he knew clearly that this was plagiarized, which was also why Ren He always refused to leave his pen name on "Kunlun" and "Three Character Classic." He still felt an internal obstacle and continued, "But the author does not exist in this world, and the copyright is in my hands. I’ve never planned to use it to earn any money for myself, anyone who asks, I will deny it was written by me. You can even attribute it to the original author Khaled Hosseini, but its copyright will always belong to me, that is, to the Qinghe Fund."

Zhou Wumeng pondered briefly before saying, "I can’t even distinguish which of your words is true, but my editors have already reviewed it, and it indeed has never appeared before, so I suppose I can only believe your explanation." In Elder Zhou’s view, when Ren He said the original author was no longer in this world, he must have meant they had passed away, right? Ren He must have purchased the copyright? If so, that’s more plausible at least, since the descriptions of life and culture in Afghanistan within "The Kite Runner" are simply too authentic, and he couldn’t believe that it was written by a middle schooler who had never been abroad.

At this point, Ren He truly resolved that if there were any future publications, he would steadfastly refuse to leave his own pen name, as a token of respect for the authors of his previous life. After all, pen names are intangible; a writer having several pseudonyms is not incomprehensible. The income from manuscript fees would still be based on the ID information and real name signed in the contract.

Thus, Ren He would not have to waste time dealing with skepticism, and his conscience would be slightly more at peace. However, he would only go so far. After all, these books were obtained through his desperate efforts, not acquired without work.

Yet Zhou Wumeng had one doubt, "This book does have literary merit, but can it become a bestseller? Where does your confidence come from?"

"This book is magical, isn’t it? You must have discovered that by now," said Ren He calmly. "Its greatest significance isn’t to tell a story to everyone, but for each person to be able to see their past selves within it. Perhaps weak, perhaps having made mistakes, but all of these would be spiritually liberated and redeemed at the moment they finish reading it, giving them the courage to continue living. That’s why I’m certain it will be a bestseller. Who hasn’t made mistakes? We all need spiritual redemption. You may not understand what I’m about to say, but I want to go to the Capital precisely because I need to redeem my past life, a life where I was weak, content with mediocrity, where I gave up a love I once treasured, and even doubted myself. Having the chance to start over, I just want to hold onto everything and do my utmost."

Yes, in this new life, what Ren He needed to do was not to make himself wealthy, but to initiate a redemption for himself.

Redemption for all the letdowns he had brought upon himself, others, family, friends, a lover, and his dreams in his previous life.

In his past life, Ren He had come across a sentence: Have you also once had a lonely but fervent dream?

At that moment, he almost teared up.

"Alright, for the sake of this book, I agree to give you a Capital residency indicator. I’ll also speak to the principal of No.4 Middle School for you, just so happens, he’s an old classmate of mine," Zhou Wumeng’s voice carried a hint of weariness. He too had made many mistakes in his youth, and when he saw "The Kite Runner," he even felt a sense of shame and reflected on his past wrong decisions.

Although he didn’t understand specifically what Ren He referred to, he understood what Ren He meant by redemption.

Su Ruqin would never have imagined that the high cliff she thought could stop Ren He was resolved by him just like that.

...

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