The day the People magazine hit the streets, Lu Zhixian's name trended on Weibo again.

Because of that article.

Chen Jin had used fourteen thousand words to write about a Lu Zhixian he had never seen before.

Within two hours of the article going live, it had been shared ninety thousand times.

Several passages were individually screenshotted and spread across various platforms at a viral speed.

"I am not a writer, nor am I a singer. I am a storyteller."

"My only opponent has always been myself."

"Perhaps I didn't live well enough in my past life. So in this life, I just want to live a little harder."

Especially the last sentence.

On short video platforms, someone set this passage to the chorus melody of nocturne and made a mashup, which surpassed ten million views in three hours.

Cultural influencers began quoting this article to discuss the significance of the "Lu Zhixian Phenomenon" within the era.

A commentator wrote a three-thousand-word analysis with a very direct title: "When a Young Person Decides Not to Cater to Anyone."

A cultural program took the unprecedented step of reading an excerpt from the article during its evening slot.

After the host finished reading, they only said one sentence: "This young man deserves to be seen by more people."

Old Zhao compiled these updates into a document and sent it over.

The filename was very simple: "You are outrageously popular."

Seeing the filename, Lu Zhixian chuckled.

He leaned back in his chair, holding his coffee, and watched the cars coming and going on the road below for a while.

Then he picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed the landline at home.

It rang three times before being answered.

"Hello?"

The voice was loud and full of energy; one could tell immediately that the speaker was in a good mood.

"Dad, it's me."

"Zhixian!"

Lu Jianguo's voice immediately went up an octave.

"I was just about to call you! I read that magazine of yours! Your mother read it to me, reading every single word! It's well written! That reporter has real talent!"

Lu Zhixian could hear the background noise on the other end of the line; the TV was on, and it sounded like local news.

"Guess what?"

Lu Jianguo lowered his voice, but he couldn't hide the pride in it.

"Old Zhou invited us to dinner the day before yesterday. You know Old Zhou, right? The one who runs the hardware store next door. His son got into a provincial key school last year, and he brags about it every day."

"And then?"

"Then I brought that magazine of yours along."

"..."

"In front of the whole table, slap, I put it on the table. I didn't say a single word. Old Zhou picked it up, flipped through two pages, and his face turned green."

Lu Jianguo laughed loudly.

"Your dad has never felt this proud and vindicated in his entire life."

Listening to his dad's laughter, Lu Zhixian chuckled along.

"Alright, alright, that's enough, don't keep showing it off."

"Why can't I show it off? My son's book won a major award, his songs trend on Weibo, and he was in People magazine. If I don't show it off, who will?"

Another voice came from the other end of the line.

"Give it to me."

It was his mother.

Lu Jianguo muttered, "I wasn't finished yet," but the phone was still taken away.

"Zhixian."

Song Min's voice was very flat, on a completely different wavelength from his dad's.

"Mom."

"Have you eaten?"

"I have."

"Are you sleeping well?"

"It's okay."

But Song Min's next words caused Lu Zhixian's smile to fade.

"Zhixian, Mom needs to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"Several groups of people have come to the house recently. There were your dad's old colleagues, your second granduncle's cousin-in-law, and a few others I don't really know. They said they were relatives of relatives."

She paused.

"They were all here to ask about you. Some asked how much money you're making now, some asked if you could help them find a job, and one said her daughter can sing too and wants you to recommend her."

Lu Zhixian didn't speak.

"And..."

Song Min hesitated.

"The day before yesterday, two people came to our front door saying they were reporters, wanting to interview your dad and me. Your dad almost let them in, but I stopped him."

"Did they leave?"

"They left, but they came back again the next day. I didn't open the door."

Her voice didn't betray much emotion, but Lu Zhixian understood her.

This retired Chinese teacher had lived a stable and peaceful life in that small town her whole life.

She wasn't afraid of big storms, but she didn't like her quiet life being disrupted.

"Zhixian, Mom isn't blaming you. You've made something of yourself, and Mom is happy."

"But..."

"It's a bit hard to get used to."

Lu Zhixian took a deep breath and set his coffee on the table.

"Mom, I'm coming home for a visit."

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment.

"Why come back? You should focus on your work."

"I don't have anything to do; it's a good time to take a few days off."

"Don't make a special trip just because of this."

"It's not because of this."

Lu Zhixian said.

"I just want to come back and see you and Dad."

Song Min didn't refuse again.

After a few seconds, she said: "If you're coming, then come. What do you want to eat?"

"Braised pork ribs."

"You've said the same thing since you were a child."

"Because you make them the best."

Song Min hummed.

But Lu Zhixian could tell that her tone had changed.

After hanging up, Lu Zhixian sat on the balcony, unmoving.

He needed to make this trip home.

Ten minutes later, he called Old Zhao.

"I'm going back to my hometown the day after tomorrow, for about three to five days."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

If this were a week ago, Old Zhao would have jumped up: "What hometown? We have so many business appointments! You're wasting a golden period for exposure!"

But the Old Zhao of now was no longer the Old Zhao of a week ago.

Through that People interview, Lu Zhixian had made him fully understand one thing: every decision this person made went further than he could have imagined.

"Fine." Old Zhao only said one word.

"That's it? Not going to try to persuade me otherwise?"

"Persuade my foot." Old Zhao chuckled. "I've stopped trying to reason with you; I can't win."

"But there is one thing," Old Zhao's tone turned serious. "Be careful with your disguise. Wear a hat and mask. If you can drive, don't take the high-speed rail. If your face appears in a public place right now, you'll be trending on Weibo within ten minutes."

"Got it."

"Also, don't post on Weibo while you're traveling. You'll cause an explosion as soon as you post."

"I'm not a bomb."

"You're more intense than a bomb. A bomb only goes off once, but you go off every few days."

Lu Zhixian was amused.

"Alright, that's it."

"Wait," Old Zhao quickly added. "While you're at home, I'll block those interview requests, but if there's one that's particularly important or high-level, can I contact you?"

"What kind of level?"

Old Zhao thought for a moment. "It's... the kind of level that you'd find hard to refuse."

"Fine," Lu Zhixian agreed. "We'll see if we actually come across one."

He hung up.

Lu Zhixian opened a travel app on his phone and started checking flights back to his hometown for the day after tomorrow.

There was a ticket for 6:20 PM, the price was reasonable, and the arrival time was just right for dinner.

He tapped "Book," and it redirected to the payment page.

Just as his finger was about to tap confirm, his phone suddenly vibrated.

An incoming call.

He glanced at the screen.

Under normal circumstances, he generally wouldn't answer calls from unfamiliar numbers.

But a landline starting with 010 calling at this particular moment made him hesitate.

He answered it anyway.

"Hello, is this Teacher Lu Zhixian?"

The person on the other end had a very steady voice.

"I am."

"Hello Teacher Lu, sorry to disturb you. My surname is Fang, and I am a staff member for the Spring Festival Gala."

Lu Zhixian's finger froze.

"It's like this," the person on the other end continued.

"After careful discussion, our Spring Festival Gala directing team has decided to formally extend an invitation to you, hoping you can participate in this year's Spring Festival Gala performance."