ations went nowhere due to lack of substantial evidence.Allowing people like Jin Donghai and those associated with Golden Splendor Nightclub into Star Sea Plaza would introduce dubious capital, which...Chapter 68: Steady Progress

Candy carried a large package and got off the platform with Tang Hang. Then, Tang Mu smiled as she waved goodbye from his bulging pockets, saying, "I’m leaving."

"Start working on it once you get home," Su Can reminded her.

"Okay." Tang Mu nodded, then crossed the street at a crosswalk where the traffic light turned green, her long dress and canvas shoes forming pencil-sketch lines against the twilight sky.

Upon returning home, Su Can immediately opened the box and assembled the telescope according to the instructions. This Celestial Wolf brand astronomical telescope was meant for them to remotely watch each other; life always needed some surprises and romance. Chatting on the phone was no longer enough to satisfy their growing affection.

The white-tubed telescope, once set up, showed a blurry image at first. After Su Can adjusted it, distant scenery gradually became clearer, allowing him to clearly see even the patterns of tiles outside Tang Mu's apartment complex if he wished.

At the other end of the circular tube, Tang Mu’s bedroom soon appeared in view. There was a balcony with potted plants and flowers, featuring plain white walls and furniture such as a white bookshelf and desk. Standing by the window, adjusting her own telescope mirror tube was Tang Mu; they waved at each other to confirm that they could see each other clearly over this nearly one-kilometer distance.

This felt like being closer together.

Su Can sat on the sofa with a cup in hand, sipping hot tea and feeling their actions were somewhat absurd but also whimsically weaving such simple beauty.

That night, Mu Ji was surprised to see an instrument in Tang Mu’s bedroom, yet didn’t comment. She merely placed a fruit plate beside her daughter's desk and glanced out the window.

Gazing through the neighborhood trees and municipal park towards distant buildings lit up with lights, she asked, "When did you develop an interest in astronomy"

"Just feel better looking at the sky," Tang Mu replied. She knew her mother was perceptive; when Mu Ji looked out the window just now, although Tang Mu pretended to be reading a book, her heart tightened involuntarily, and she felt her heartbeat quicken as she spoke.

Her preset focal distance and observation position were precisely directed at Su Can's living room where another telescope of the same model was set up, rather than the bright full moon directly overhead now.

If her mother, who was astute in thought, harbored any suspicion or curiosity about this telescope’s focus, she only needed to walk over and look through the eyepiece for everything to be revealed.

Mrs. Tang hummed and walked to the telescope, looking at the night sky from her balcony. She wasn't sure if she noticed the apartment building or the bright moon before bending down to look into the mirror.

The expression on Mrs. Tang's face tightened as she turned to look at Tang Wu, whose body was already tense. She asked in confusion, "What are you looking at It’s completely dark."

"It hasn't been adjusted properly," said Tang Wu, loosening her clenched hand and smiling.

Mu Ao nodded and walked out the door, saying, "Sometimes when tired, using this method to relax is a good idea. Mom needs rest; she’s going to bed now. You should sleep early too."

Only after Mu Ban closed the door did Tang Wu feel coldness in her hands and feet due to that momentary scare just then.

It seemed Su Can entering her life had turned many impossibilities into possibilities, such as bringing a boy home for the first time or using a telescope to communicate. In the past, given her strict upbringing, she would have never done these things. But it was precisely these actions that made her feel guilty yet rendered her unable to refuse because of Su Can.

She walked over to the telescope wanting to know what had happened just now. ~ The light in Su Can's house turned back on.

Su Can looked at his parents, who were staring at him in shock from the sofa after he quickly switched off and then on the lights again. He endured Aunt Zeng's scolding, "Ah, you brat. What’s gotten into you Haven’t you seen that Dad was reading documents What nonsense are you up to now buying a telescope for"

"The light from my lamp was too dazzling; I changed positions," said Su Can as he moved the telescope into his bedroom with some banter. Only then did he realize this new position offered unique advantages: Just now, all he could see was Tang Wu's bookshelf and desk. Now, however, he could clearly view her wardrobe and bed.

Tang Wu, wrapped in a light blue plush bathrobe after taking a shower, made Su Can feel the lens fog up before his eyes. His heart raced uncontrollably; perhaps today she would present him with an image too shocking to behold

Tang Wu, with her hair dried, returned to the room and picked up the phone next to the table. She called Su Cen, who answered, and heard a faint "good night" on the other end.

Hanging up the phone, Tang Wu gazed at the window for a moment before walking over in her slippers, pulling the curtains closed with her hand. The thick curtain completely blocked out Su Cen's day of secret exploration, and she softly said "sweet dreams" to herself as she went back to bed unsatisfied. With her hands behind her head, her mind wandered until she fell asleep.

Even in sleep, a smile lingered on the corners of her mouth.

Su Cen ranked fourth in his class during the second half of his sophomore year. It was truly commendable, and this also brought him a new computer that he installed in his bedroom. In this era, only a few Pentium III processors were available in the market, with clock speeds reaching 500 MHz; however, the mainstream choice remained the Celeron processor. RAM capacity stood at 128MB, not yet entering the gigabyte era, and hard drives focused on low-cost high-capacity options like the 4GB model. Even for Su Cen who had adapted to this stage, this setup was somewhat underwhelming.

But running software and games was already very fast.

Broadband Internet gradually became more widespread; their household got a connection with a bandwidth of...

The growth rate of internet data since the start of network development had been increasing by tenfold every six months on average. Over the past five years up to 2006, the commercial market for the internet grew at an annual rate of about sixty percent, expanding from three million users to over 550 million, with transaction volumes reaching $2.5 billion. Under such rapid growth, new transmission methods were constantly evolving, signaling a global broadband revolution that was imminent.

Although in Chengdu it could still be considered rare for households to have computers, within the Second Seventh Middle School, this ratio wasn't low at all. In class discussions, Su Cen often heard talks about starship tactics, single-player game strategies, and classical music pieces being played on pianos.

He knew he needed to speed up his progress.

This vacation saw Pineapple Media facing two major challenges once more: the first was a continuous rise in paper costs from publishers. This increase seemed targeted, but fortunately, Chengdu's market had expanded; "Pineapple Campus," their consumption magazine for students, attracted more readers temporarily.

Some university students even fought over newly arrived magazines to such an extent that school security had to intervene on-site.

The good reputation built up meant that companies now requesting membership were booking ad spaces well into the next year. As such, the high increase in paper costs could still be endured.

Meanwhile, the Commercial News Group, which had previously failed to acquire Pineapple Campus magazine, began demanding stringent conditions for cooperation; when rejected, they threatened that they could produce a competing magazine and, with their deep pockets, outlast Lin Guangdong's small teacher-startup.

It wasn't long before the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress of Rong City held a meeting. The newly appointed Secretary of the Rong City Party Committee and Director of the Standing Committee, Wang Bo, delivered a speech, establishing Rong City's focus on economic construction, concentrating efforts on building and striving for development. He also emphasized vigorously promoting self-employment, fostering an innovative spirit, and accelerating the development of the tertiary industry. The meeting concluded with the goal of seizing opportunities and working hard to rise. After the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress' work conference ended, Rong City’s publicity organizations quickly targeted a new batch of entrepreneurial role models, including Su Cen's campus consumption magazine. Lin Guangdong, in addition to his daily meetings with advertising clients and liaising with various departments within the publishing house, also prepared for an interview on the city TV station's "Lun Jian" program focusing on entrepreneurship.

For a while, Lin Guangdong seemed like a celebrity overnight. Newspapers began featuring articles such as "From Teacher at No.27 Middle School in Rong City to Director of Bolo Media," introducing Lin Guangdong.

The provincial newspaper group also contacted Lin Guangdong with a proposal for cooperation, which was not as stringent as the conditions set by the city’s business group. The provincial newspaper group would fund and provide manpower and resources from Lin Guangdong's team to create another mass-market magazine aimed at white-collar workers titled "Fashion Culture."

Lin Guangdong particularly consulted Su Cen on this matter, and their opinions aligned with those of Bolo Media’s core management. They welcomed the opportunity for cooperation given the promotional and channel resources provided by the provincial newspaper group, which would likely surpass the profits from previous campus-focused magazines.

Moreover, with the support of the provincial newspaper group, facing higher-profile companies and venues catering to mid-to-high-end consumption that wouldn't define their market within campuses, Lin Guangdong could now develop these as new clients, turning potential into profit fields.

Su Cen knew Bolo Media's success owed much to Wang Bo’s rise in power. Of course, Su didn't play any intermediary role in this. However, the city's business group was backed by the mayor, while the provincial newspaper group had a background connected to Wang Bo's boss Yang Zhengliang. If Wang Bo couldn’t control some influential media platforms, he would likely lose ground in the next round of power struggles.

This time, utilizing Bolo Media’s strong and youthful rise also brought more attention to the provincial newspaper group. Both parties were essentially using each other for mutual benefit.

However, Wang Bo knew another point: this Bolo Media was backed by Xia Hai’s Dunhuang Corporation with Wang Ming as its financier; yet Su Cen, a natural person, held the largest share. This was quite intriguing and made him pause when reviewing the company's background before taking actions that eventually boosted Bolo Media to new heights, even dubbing it the "new model" for Rong City’s media industry.

Su Cen had already started considering providing a car for Bolo Media. With Lin Guangdong now tasked with launching the "Fashion Culture" magazine and needing high-end client interactions, buying a BMW or Audi was urgent to make a good first impression.

When Su Cen shared his plans with Lin Guangdong, he was initially dumbfounded but then chuckled, saying, “It hasn’t been long, yet I’m about to drive a BMW or an Audi.”

Su Cen just smiled and said, "This is for company use. If next year you can successfully launch the new magazine into the fashion scene, your annual bonus could be a Hummer."

During the holiday, Su Cen met Wang Weiwei at an event but only briefly before Ye Huishang returned to the other side of the ocean on a late summer flight. Thus, this last month of summer was over as school resumed for his senior year.

This period was regarded by many as the most important yet annoying and frustrating phase in their academic lives, also one that would be unforgettable. everything around her seemed vibrant and colorful. However, all this came at the price of leaving behind her past.She didn't know if that boy in the small town would still climb over the high wall to...