[NORTHWARD]
[Episode 21]
Hello, Mom.
Xingchi!
What have you been doing? Your phone has been off all day.
My phone ran out of battery.
I just charged it. What's wrong?
We were worried about you.
I'm a grown-up now.
You don't have to worry about me.
I'm fine.
Don't worry, Mom.
What do you mean "don't worry"?
Listen to me.
From now on, don't ever...
...Just keep your phone on.
I called you because I wanted to tell you that
your dad
has arranged with Mr. Du
for you to learn bamboo carving from him.
Bamboo carving?
That's an intangible cultural heritage.
Xingchi.
Listen.
Your Uncle Du
is a famous bamboo carving master.
He's doing me a great favor,
being willing to take you as an apprentice.
Right.
[Hang up]
[Mom]
I'm telling you, stop messing around out there.
Just come back home.
What happened?
He hung up, that's what happened.
Try... Try calling him again. It must have been a disconnection.
[Hang up]
[Mom]
[Turn off] [Reboot]
The subscriber you dialed is power off.
He turned off his phone.
Look at him.
How can he be so immature?
Look at Wanghe,
Haikuo, and Fenghua,
right?
They're becoming more and more filial.
And here he is, almost 30,
yet still in his rebellious phase.
Just criticize Xingchi if you want to.
Why do you have to get the other kids involved?
Who should I compare him to
if not them?
You know the saying, to feed without teaching
is the father's fault.
So it's all my fault, you mean?
I shouldn't have let him go to Beijing!
[West Zhongguancun]
This is an express delivery station, you know?
[Fenghua Express]
It's not a soup kitchen.
Why should we provide for your whole family?
Look at your family,
eating and drinking so much.
Who can afford to support you?
I don't want to leave.
I don't want to... I don't want to go.
Fenghua is here.
Sun, what's going on?
Fenghua! You're finally back.
It's alright.
How many times have I told you?
Our station
is just this small courtyard
that can only hold over a dozen people.
We can't afford to support freeloaders.
If He Tianming wants to work here, that's okay.
But bringing his whole family here
is not acceptable.
He Tianming.
If you want to work here,
then work properly.
Find another place to accommodate
your wife, child, and mother.
You can't cause trouble
for the station, you know?
So where do you want our whole family
to live?
Beijing is such a big city.
If you spend a little money,
you can find a place to live, can't you?
If you really can't manage,
go live under a bridge.
Enough!
Why are you all standing here?
Packages have arrived. Hurry up and send them out.
Didn't you hear what Mr. Sun said?
We don't keep idle people here.
He, take them and get those packages sent out quickly.
Auntie, go cook.
Okay.
Let's go.
I'll take the child to cook.
Okay.
It's almost mealtime. Hurry up and go.
Hey, Xia Fenghua.
What's that supposed to mean?
Don't talk out here.
Let's go talk in the office.
Come on, let's talk there.
Have a glass of water first and calm down.
You know we're running a business here, right?
This isn't a charity.
Have you ever seen anyone
bring the whole family along when doing business?
Their family's situation is special.
Besides, He is capable.
He might be capable,
but can he handle the workload of three people?
Do you know there are four people in his family?
How can you support all of them?
But they're not just sitting around.
His mother cooks for the station,
and his wife helps with sorting.
They're all quite busy usually.
Are they your relatives?
No, they're not.
He and I were colleagues before.
We handed out flyers
and sold phone cases together.
I know his family is indigent.
I was just thinking,
since they can offer manpower
and they're not lazy,
why can't we all work together?
Besides, they're really not staying here for free.
Not for free?
You call that little money "not staying for free"?
Remember when
we set up this station together?
How difficult it was!
Why did you have to bring in some old, weak, sick, and disabled people?
Sun, how about this?
Do me a favor and
let them stay for a few more days.
He said
he's looking for a place.
As soon as he finds one, they'll move out immediately.
It has to be today.
They must leave immediately!
Sun.
Xia Fenghua.
Have you lost your mind?
Have you even lifted yourself out of poverty?
Yet you're thinking of helping others?
Are you in any position to do that?
Sun Daqing.
Since you've brought this up,
let's get things straight.
This station was originally contracted by me alone.
I only brought you in because you wanted to join.
Today, without my consent,
you tried to drive my employee away.
You have no right to do that.
For one station,
there's only so much money it can make.
If you give more to others,
there's less left for us to share.
Can't you do this simple math?
Did you buy that self-study diploma?
Cut the crap.
Settle the accounts right away
and leave!
From now on,
I'll run this station myself!
Way to go, Xia Fenghua.
Don't you regret it.
From now on,
let's go
[Sorting Area (Urban Area)]
our separate ways!
Come in.
Fenghua, I'm sorry.
This is my own decision.
It has nothing to do with you.
Sun and I don't get along.
Splitting up was bound to happen sooner or later.
From now on,
we'll run this station ourselves.
The earth keeps spinning, regardless of who's here or not.
What about
the business Mr. Sun brought in?
He took all the business with him.
We'll find new business later.
No matter how much business we lose,
we'll make it up in the future.
But
you have to help me with some of the management work.
We can't afford it now,
so I won't be able to pay you extra.
No need, Fenghua.
We're already extremely grateful
to you for keeping us on.
Don't worry, Fenghua.
My whole family will work hard from now on.
We won't let you regret it.
Alright, get back to work.
This exhibition of ours
provides a detailed introduction to the history of the canal's evolution
through numerous artifacts and images.
[Honghuai Grand Canal Expo]
Please take a closer look.
Well, speaking of the Grand Canal,
we all know that
it's the greatest hydraulic engineering project of ancient times,
bar none.
In fact, starting from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods,
up until today,
our country has continuously
been constructing and dredging the Grand Canal.
After the founding of New China,
in 1953 and 1957,
the Jiangyin Lock and Yangliuqing Lock were built,
as well as thousand-ton locks like the Suqian Lock.
After 1959,
to support the South-to-North Water Diversion Project,
the section from Xuzhou to the Yangtze River was expanded as a key project,
[Lively Jiangnan]
which is about 400 kilometers of the canal.
This increased the canal's annual one-way capacity
to nearly 20 million tons.
It also expanded
the irrigated and drained areas along the canal.
This measure
ensured the safety of people's lives and property
along the canal,
as well as the development of agricultural production.
Therefore, this project has achieved
social benefits in various aspects.
However, there's one point
I want to emphasize today.
That is, through this exhibition,
you may have felt that
this rich heritage
left by our ancestors
is still benefiting us descendants
[Footage of the Sunken Ship]
until this day.
[Canal of Plenty]
Therefore,
we should sincerely exclaim that
this is indeed a great project.
Bravo.
Mr. Zhou.
Come and take a look at this.
Come on, check this out.
What is this?
An arrow.
Mr. Chen found this
on the ship. On the side of the ship.
I found it just now.
You know what it proves?
That this ship
was attacked.
Attacked by whom?
How would I know?
We'll have to wait for
further identification by archaeological experts.
If you ask me,
this ship from late Qing dynasty,
which is less than 100 years old,
really doesn't have much archaeological value.
It's been seven years since we started investigating,
and nothing was found.
We don't even know
who the owner of this ship was.
We do know.
The owner was an Italian.
We don't even know his name.
It's not even recorded in the county chronicles.
After the excavation was restarted,
we did get some new information.
Yes.
For example,
besides these, there's also
a compass,
a pocket watch,
a fountain pen, and that
water-damaged notebook.
Chen Rui
has made a significant discovery
out of
the restored photocopy of this notebook.
Is that so?
But now, he's not that sure.
The canal expo is happening at the right time.
I told him to go to Beijing to see the exhibition,
find the expert who was in charge of the excavation back then,
and ask about it.
He'll also take the opportunity to tell him that
the excavation work on the ancient ship has restarted.
That's great.
Maybe these seven years of waiting weren't in vain.
Sure. Sure.
That kind of ship
was actually quite common in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area
in the Qing Dynasty.
But since there weren't any precious artifacts on the ship,
we returned to Beijing quite soon.
Yes, I understand.
But what was unearthed back then wasn't just some small items.
There was also a notebook.
I made a copy of that notebook,
and I've studied ancient Italian for a few years.
I have some new discoveries.
What new discoveries do you have?
I found out that the owner of that ship was an Italian.
And that notebook
was actually a diary.
It recorded his observations and experiences during his travels.
Actually, in that era,
there were indeed quite a few Westerners coming to China.
The related records
are also abundant.
But if the person's status at that time
wasn't prominent enough,
it actually doesn't have much research value.
Yes, yes, I understand.
From a macro-historical perspective, it might be so.
But there's one coincidence.
There are several surnames of attendants in that notebook,
namely Xie, Zhou, Xia, and Shao.
These coincide with the surnames
of several households in our Flower Street courtyard.
You mean
they are very likely to be
descendants of the shipwreck survivors?
I think that's possible.
So I'm here to ask you
for the original copy of that notebook.
I want to know the ship owner's
real name and identity.
Well, I'll have to go back and ask about that.
Since there were
no valuable cultural relics on that ship,
after we salvaged it,
we put everything in the warehouse.
How about this?
I'll have them look for it again, okay?
Okay, great.
Thank you, Professor Su.
You're welcome. Let's go.
Okay.
♫At moonset cry the crows♫
♫Streaking the frosty sky♫
Busy working?
Haihong, you're back.
The salted duck you like.
I bought it especially for you
when I passed by Nanjing.
You always care about me the most, Haihong.
♫Dimly lit fishing boats♫
Come on.
Have some tofu pudding.
Come on.
That table is vacant.
Listen.
Let's eat that
salted duck together tonight.
♫Sadly lie beneath maples♫
I'll also
make a few side dishes and warm up some yellow rice wine.
Let's have a couple of drinks.
You take your time and enjoy it. I need to catch up on sleep.
Yellow rice wine helps with sleep.
How's it been?
Business has been good
these days, right?
It's alright.
It has its ups and downs.
At least we're not losing money.
How about Lao'er?
As for the floating supermarket,
♫Beyond the city wall♫
business has been good lately.
There have been more and more
ships on the river.
He's been busy from morning till night.
He can make several hundred a day.
♫From Temple of Cold Hill♫
That's good.
How about you guys?
How's it been?
Same as usual.
I still feel the same way,
tired.
♫The sound of bells in the midnight♫
Being tired is fine, as long as we can make money.
I said to Maotian that
while we can still work
these couple of years,
we should work harder
and save more money for Fenghua.
♫Bells break the ship-borne roamer's dream♫
Thinking about Fenghua,
a young girl,
struggling alone in Beijing,
while us parents
can't help much,
it really breaks my heart.
♫At moonset cry the crows♫
You're overthinking it.
Wanghe told me
that Fenghua is doing really well
in Beijing.
There are
♫Streaking the frosty sky♫
several dozen people at her station.
They all listen to her and respect her.
Even if she manages hundreds of people, so what?
♫Dimly lit fishing boats♫
Working like a dog and still not making much money.
She can't compare to Wanghe.
They both have their own struggles.
Before, when Wanghe
♫Sadly lie beneath maples♫
was doing ground promotion,
he had to travel from city to city,
not even having time to eat.
Although it's better
now that he's working at the headquarters,
which is a bit more relaxing,
he can't make any commissions.
You win some, you lose some.
♫Beyond the city wall♫
That's life.
You may as well use that time
to think about adult matters.
Adult?
Which adult?
Dad.
You're watching TV?
I'll go upstairs first.
Wait.
What's up?
Well,
Haihong and Yan came to me,
you know?
They said there's a friend
who wants to meet you.
Friend? What kind of friend? From where?
A high school teacher.
High school?
A woman. A woman.
They say she has a nice character...
Hold on. Hold on.
Her appearance...
It's a blind date, isn't it?
Well, that might be their intention.
What do you mean "intention"? It's really... Really not cool.
Alright, forget it.
So... So you're planning to
stay single forever, huh?
Hey, what's wrong with me staying single?
Aren't you single all along as well?
We're different.
Back in those days,
as a single father with a half-grown child,
how could I possibly get married again?
Where?
Dad.
Tell me the truth.
Back then, was it hard to get married again,
or did you not want to?
You see,
you managed to endure the loneliness for me.
Why can't I do the same?
That's not necessary.
Look, the neighbors
have been arranging things for you from all sides.
Even if you're unwilling,
you should at least meet her once.
Otherwise, you'll be disappointing everyone's good intentions.
Don't you agree?
Right. I agree.
You keep watching TV.
I'm going upstairs.
This one, this one.
Look, they're about the same age.
She looks really quiet. How nice.
And this one.
I think this one should also be our focus.
She's really nice.
Is that so?
Her conditions are good.
You're not trying to find a match for Yanlin again, are you?
Boss Xie, take a look.
What do you think of this woman?
Looking like that, she's not going out to film movies, is she?
She's a high school Chinese teacher, an intellectual.
But... But have you
asked for Haikuo's opinion?
He's also grown up, an adult now.
If I ask him, that's a bit...
Why don't we have our son ask him?
Right, right. Let Wanghe ask him.
They're of the same generation, and they're good friends.
They'll definitely speak their minds to each other,
right?
And then we'll know.
Xiaohui didn't come?
She has a class reunion.
I didn't bother to go back either.
Go ahead, what did you want to talk to me about?
What's wrong? Is it so hard to say?
If you can't say it, then don't.
They want to find a partner for your dad.
They wanted to ask for your opinion.
If you don't agree, then...
I agree.
All these years,
my dad has stayed single and struggled alone.
It's not right.
Don't you want your parents to reconcile?
I've tried.
It did't work.
I've already given up.
Last year,
I asked my mom to come home for New Year's.
She had agreed at first,
but a few days before New Year's,
she said there was a role for her.
It was just a cameo.
Only for a few days.
What? Is this what you wanted to see me for?
What do you want for late-night snacks? My treat.
Why?
You feel sorry for me?
No need.
I'm not as fragile as you think.
Fine, I'm the fragile one, okay?
I've been under a lot of mental stress lately.
I urgently need emotional support.
Alright, alright.
Stop acting.
Your pity party won't work on me.
I'm telling the truth.
I'm about to be parachuted
in Haidian.
Besides the competition from Yuntu
and Eat Well,
I also have to deal with
the complex interpersonal relationships in the company.
If I'm only asked to handle business, there's no problem.
I'm confident.
But when it comes to office politics,
I'm still a bit insecure.
When you have time,
read "Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance".
If you want to achieve great things,
don't hold back.
As long as you're sure you are in the right direction,
just push straight through.
If you get stuck,
it means you're not pushing hard enough.
Put in more effort.
No one can take you down on your own battlefield.
Come on.
You can definitely do it.
You have so much confidence in me?
Back then,
during the group-buying war,
you were in Xiamen.
You realized the trend was changing,
and you called your boss overnight,
telling him to shift the strategic focus
from group-buying to food delivery.
If it weren't for that call,
whether Bee would still exist now would be unknown.
So your boss should be very clear
who he should support.
Hope so.
Brother-in-law!
How could they do that?
I was doing well at the Haidian branch,
and suddenly they decided to parachute someone in,
saying it's to assist me. Do they think I'm stupid?
What are they really up to?
You didn't do a good job yourself.
The higher-ups have concerns.
If the higher-ups have concerns, they can bring them up to me.
I never said I wouldn't correct my mistakes.
But now, all of a sudden,
they sent someone to take over our territory.
What's that supposed to mean?
Was all our previous work for nothing?
Do you know anything about Xie Wanghe?
He's just a ground promoter.
Why should I know about him?
During the group-buying war,
Xie Wanghe's achievements were remarkable.
If it weren't for him,
Bee might not even exist today.
When dealing with someone like him,
you absolutely can't confront him head-on.
Otherwise,
you'll only embarrass yourself.
According to what you're saying,
we might as well just hand over Haidian's business
to him and be done with it.
Why even bother discussing it then?
Mr. Qiu, Mr. Xie is here.
Mr. Song.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
It's all right. Here, let me introduce.
This is Xie Wanghe, Mr. Xie.
This is Qiu Lin,
head of the Haidian branch.
Pleased to meet you.
What kind of tea would you like?
No need for tea.
Room temperature water is fine.
How about bottled water?
Alright.
Qiu Lin.
Go get some bottled water.
Mr. Song, we're all quite busy, so let's get straight to the point.
Let's forget about the water, okay?
Okay, no problem.
I'll get to the point then.
Alright then.
Let's sit down and talk.
Qiu Lin.
Offer your seat to Mr. Xie.
Come on.
Mr. Xie, please.
Mr. Song.
Mr. Qiu.
The headquarters is
very dissatisfied with
the work of the Haidian branch.
Do you have any idea how fierce the competition is
in Haidian?
Let Mr. Xie finish first.
For the food delivery industry,
the Beijing market
is extremely important.
And Haidian is the most crucial area.
However, our current
market share in Haidian is less than 30%.
It has even been declining recently.
With shortage of money
and manpower,
under such circumstances,
the fact that we can maintain a market share
of 30% in Haidian is already quite good.
Everyone in the industry knows
that to compete for this market,
every platform is offering subsidies.
Look at Yuntu
and Eat Well.
They've already offered three rounds of subsidies just this year.
What about us?
Since the day I started working here,
we've only offered subsidies once,
and it wasn't even as substantial as the others.
Under such fierce competition,
I still managed to maintain
the market share in Haidian
steady at 30%.
If the head office is still not satisfied,
I'll quit. How about that?
Sure.
I'll write a report to the headquarters,
and you'll just need to sign.
It's not like that, Mr. Xie.
Qiu Lin
is just short-tempered
and speaks a bit harshly.
Please don't take offense.
It's fine. We're all on the same team.
Who's on the same team with you?
Who do you think you are?
Qiu Lin.
Are you done yet?
Do you still want to work here? If not, get lost!
Mr. Qiu.
Two years ago,
during the group-buying war,
all platforms were burning money.
Mr. Meng wanted to do the same in the first place,
but we didn't have enough funds.
Financing wasn't going well either.
In the end, we were forced to
leave Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen,
and we had to look for opportunities in second, third, and fourth-tier cities.
Fortunately,
our strategic direction and execution were on point.
In over 70 cities
and more than 1,000 sales points,
we cooperated closely to break through.
In the end, we successfully implemented
the strategy of encircling the cities from the rural areas.
Our survival in that round
wasn't due to funding,
but our determination and courage to fight with our backs against the wall.
Next,
Bee will shift from group-buying to food delivery,
focusing on local life services.
So, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen
are markets we must conquer.
Before I came,
I made a pledge to Mr. Meng that
within a year,
I will increase Bee's market share in Haidian
to 50%.
50%?
That's wishful thinking.
If I don't reach the goal,
I'll resign.
Then you'll definitely have to resign.
However,
I'll take the responsible parties
with me when I go.
Dear passengers.
For your safety and the safety of others,
please do not bring flammable, explosive, toxic, or dangerous items,
or oversized and overweight items into the station or on the train.
Please cooperate with the security check.
Sir.
Thank you for your cooperation.
How much does a welder make per month?
That depends on your skill level.
I...
I used to do car repairs,
and I can weld too.
Do you have a certificate?
Certificate...
That's easy.
He can make one himself.
Officer Xia.
I've already changed my line of work.
Are you sure?
I am.
Prison food isn't good.
I've got the munchies.
A bowl of noodles would suffice.
Everything in Beijing is good,
but not the noodles.
Then why do you seem to enjoy them?
Where are you from again?
I'm from Honghuai, Jiangsu Province.
It's a small city by the canal.
How long have you been in Beijing?
I came here in 2008. You know that.
Did you come by yourself?
With those buddies. We came together.
Yeah, right.
Where are they now?
Officer Xia.
Are you taking a census?
For someone like you who disrupts social stability,
it's necessary to check thoroughly. No problem with that.
I've done legitimate businesses before.
But they all failed, didn't they? I've already confessed.
Then do you know
why you failed?
I was just unlucky.
It's so hard to make a living without a diploma nowadays.
How much can you really make,
selling fake IDs?
If you hadn't caught me, I'd be making quite a bit.
I could make tens of thousands a month.
Then why don't you sell drugs?
That makes even more money.
Hey, Officer Xia, what do you mean by that?
Even if I had the desire, I don't have the guts.
You shouldn't even have that desire.
Work hard and honestly in Beijing,
and opportunities will come your way.
What opportunities could someone like me have?
Do you know
how much a food delivery rider
makes in a month?
How much?
I didn't know before, but I've asked around.
When business is good, they can make 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month.
It's even possible to make over ten thousand.
Really?
Of course.
But it's hard work.
Especially when the weather is bad.
Even when there's strong wind, heavy rain, or heavy snow,
they still have to work day and night.
When they get busy, they don't even have time to go to the toilet.
Isn't that what we're out here for? To make money?
Who's afraid of hard work?
Are you interested?
If you're interested, I can hook you up.
There's a food delivery station in our area.
Mentioning my name will help.
Xingchi.
Well, I've looked into your background.
You have records of acts of bravery from both last year and the year before.
You're quite a righteous guy.
Your heart's also in the right place.
Don't ever go down a path of no return.
Alright, eat up.
Don't just sit there.
Here, bubble tea.
What about yours?
Jiang Xiaohui, Zhou Haikuo.
Visiting each other during work hours.
Each of you will be deducted three points.
I'm... I'm sorry, team leader.
I was just delivering bubble tea to him.
I'll get back to work right away.
Don't just say sorry.
Is it fun to keep doing this?
I know you two are close,
but you can't be lovey-dovey all day.
This is a workplace.
If you want to date,
there's a park downstairs.
Why don't you go there?
Is this any of your business?
What does it have to do with you?
You said it yourself that this is a workplace.
It's not a prison.
We're not convicts.
What's with your attitude?
Openly violating company rules.
Zhou Haikuo, you think you're in the right?
What? What's wrong with my attitude?
You're acting like you've got some special authority.
You like deducting points, huh?
Go ahead, deduct all my points.
Let's go. Let's go.
If you're so tough, fire me!
You...
Hey.
What are you doing?
You asked me to go to the park, didn't you?
I'm going to drink bubble tea there.
Let's go, Haikuo.
If you've got the guts, don't come back!
What are you looking at?
Too much free time, huh?
Each of you, three points deducted!
Get back to work now!
-Mr. Xie. -Bye-bye, Mr. Xie.
Bye-bye.
Mr. Xie.
Li, what's wrong?
There's something I want to tell you.
Maybe I'm overthinking it.
This afternoon,
I overheard Mr. Qiu chatting with some other delivery riders.
I didn't pay attention at first.
But then,
as I kept listening,
he started encouraging them
to jump ship to Yuntu.
What?
At first, I also thought I had misheard.
Later, I asked an employee about it.
It turns out to be true.
He said we can't compete with Yuntu,
and that if they could work well at Yuntu,
they could get company shares.
What should we do, Mr. Xie?
Don't do anything for now.
Let's observe secretly for a while.
Li.
We are the only ones
coming from the headquarters.
I'm counting on you.
Understood,
Mr. Xie.
In this company,
from top to bottom,
they're all Mr. Qiu's men.
You've been parachuted in
with just me as your assistant.
Although Mr. Meng supports you,
to get things done,
the most important thing
is to have your own team.
I understand.
When I'm not around,
keep an eye on them for me.
Leave the rest to me.
Okay.
Go ahead.
Mr. Xie.
In this company,
from top to bottom,
they're all Mr. Qiu's men.
You've been parachuted in
with just me as your assistant.
Although Mr. Meng supports you,
to get things done,
the most important thing
is to have your own team.
Haikuo.
What do you want to eat?
Up to you.
Let's go.
You shouldn't have talked back to him today.
That guy is really sneaky.
He'll definitely cause trouble for you in the future.
I'm just a programmer.
As long as I do my job well,
I'm not afraid of those things.
But I just think it's unnecessary.
When you can't bear it anymore,
there's no need to endure further.
People like him
should be given a direct, hard blow.
Otherwise, he'll get more and more out of line.
When he first joined the company,
he couldn't even figure out how to partition a hard drive.
We all helped him.
But what happened?
Later, by means of sweet talk
and his ability to tattle,
he worked all his way up and became a team leader.
On his first day as team leader,
he fired a colleague who had helped him before.
In this kind of company,
work ability isn't the top priority to begin with.
So,
I don't want to work here anymore.
Actually, I've wanted to quit for a long time.
What's gotten into you?
My roommate
has been sending resumes everywhere since she quit.
It's been about half a year now,
and she's only had one interview.
She didn't even get the chance to say anything
before they said "Thank you" to her.
So,
she's still stuck at home.
With my abilities,
finding a job shouldn't be too difficult, right?
But it's very stable here,
and the work pressure is low.
I just feel it's too stable.
It's really boring.
I can't get excited about anything I do.
The work is also simple, and there's no challenge.
My brain is almost rusted.
Why are you here?
Why are you back so late?
I had something to do.
What could you possibly have to do?
Why is it so messy here?
Have something to eat.
I've eaten.
What did you eat?
Fried Sauce Noodles.
Then I'll eat alone.
How often do you wash your socks?
What?
Are you offering to wash them for me?
If you don't want to wash them,
you can pile them up and wash them all together later.
It also saves water.
That's what I did in college.
What's wrong with you?
Don't you know biological weapons are against the international law?
Spit it out.
What do you want from me?
Can't I just come to see you without a reason?
Haikuo may come to see me without a reason,
but you...
Our company
has a branch in Haidian.
I'm being parachuted there.
I'm planning to make a big splash.
That's great.
Congratulations.
I want you to come with me.
I've never worked in food delivery before.
I'm not interested.
If you've never done it,
how do you know you're not interested?
When Fenghua was busy before,
I went to help out for a couple of days.
It was boring.
Food delivery and express delivery are two different industries.
They're completely different.
What's the difference?
Isn't it just delivering from one point to another?
You're wrong.
China's food delivery industry
is a market worth trillions.
In the future, it will employ tens of millions of people.
Isn't that great?
Just work hard.
I wish you prosperity and wealth.
I'm being parachuted
in Haidian.
No one respects me.
I need my own team.
You have money. Just hire your own team.
It's a big company.
Isn't everyone desperate to get into cutting-edge industries?
Hey.
Why are you so unwilling to help me?
Do you have any concerns?
If you have concerns, just say it.
There's nothing we can't talk about, right?
It's not like that.
I'm just worried I'll hold you back.
I'm telling you,
you won't.
It's not like you lack ability.
You just didn't choose the right industry.
Think it over carefully.
Take your time. I'm in no hurry.
Chen Rui.
Wanghe.
I saw Siyi.
For real?
Where are you?
Houhai Bar Street.
Okay.
We'll be right there.
It was Chen Rui.
He said he saw Siyi.
Let's go.
Chen Rui.
Where is she?
She's gone.
Where did she go?
Tell me!
I don't know.
The boss said she did perform here before.
That girl is pretty good.
She has a great voice,
and she's beautiful.
♫Far away, so far away♫
She just didn't talk much.
Sometimes customers would ask her to drink with them,
but she never agreed.
♫The hometown I can never return to♫
After every performance,
she'd take her salary and leave.
Do you know where she went?
♫Sitting quietly in the city♫
She didn't tell me.
She sang here for about two months.
♫Listening to the river flow♫
The last time,
she said she was going on a long trip.
I offered her a raise, but she wouldn't take it.
When was that?
Last month.
♫Hometown, oh hometown♫
Mid-last month.
Well,
I need to get back to work.
You guys enjoy yourselves.
♫Now a distant place I can't go back to♫
Thank you.
♫Sitting quietly in the city♫
♫Listening as time drifts by♫
Siyi
♫The sunsets in the city♫
sang here for over two months.
I passed by here every day,
♫Hold no poetry, no distant dreams♫
yet I never ran into her.
♫Walking through a world like a song♫
♫From oblivion to oblivion♫
It's not our fault
♫The love that passed through those remaining years♫
she never contacted us.
It's my fault.
♫Without complaints or piano music♫
If I...
♫The coolness after the gentle breeze♫
If I hadn't waved my hand
♫I'm destined to be like you♫
and hadn't shouted,
Siwei wouldn't have jumped.
I'm sure Siyi doesn't see it that way.
Then how does she see it?
Tell me how she sees it.
After all these years,
why couldn't she just contact us?
Why?
Siyi takes things to heart.
♫Hometown, oh hometown♫
She's worried she wouldn't be able to repay our favors.
We never asked her to repay us.
♫Now a distant place I can't go back to♫
We're all family.
♫Sitting quietly in the city♫
Who asked her to repay anything?
What's with that shouting?
♫Listening as time drifts by♫
Alright.
Sorry about that.
Let's drink.
Why are you shouting?
What's wrong with you?
-Wanghe. -Wanghe.
What are you doing?
Next,
I'll sing a song for you.
This song...
Buddy, you can't come up here.
Is dedicated to
a friend who left without saying goodbye.
Her name is Ma Siyi.
♫My friend♫
Buddy, you can't sing here. Come down, come down.
It's okay, it's okay.
♫Have you ever thought of me?♫
What's wrong with me singing a song?
♫If you've ever felt happy♫
♫Please let me know♫
♫Have you thought of me?♫
♫If you've found yourself♫
♫A new shore♫