Chapter 64: A Grand Surprise [Bonus Chapter – Please Vote]

As Yu Zhile drove toward the Cultural Center, his father had already picked up Old Liu and was heading there from their hometown county.

"Look at how slow you are! If we hit traffic, we might be late!" complained Old Yu, casting a disdainful glance at Old Liu, who had just settled into the passenger seat. Then he reminded him, "Put on your seatbelt!"

Surprised, Old Liu pulled the seatbelt across and buckled it. "Old Yu, where did you get this car? It doesn’t look cheap!"

Old Yu replied casually, "It’s my son’s car. Not expensive, just a little over a million."

A little over a million?

Old Liu chuckled, "I don’t see how this could cost over a million. My son’s Audi, which cost around half a million, looks way better than your son’s car!"

Old Yu scoffed, "Why would I lie to you? My son bought this car three years ago when he was a junior in college. Paid in full, about 1.34 million. That’s considered cheap. My daughter-in-law’s sports car cost over five million! If I could handle it, I would’ve driven that to pick you up."

Old Liu was deeply skeptical. "Old Yu, we’ve known each other for five or six years! I know you love to show off, but there’s no need to brag like this just for face, wasting money on tickets to invite me to a TV station’s New Year’s Eve gala."

"How am I bragging?" Old Yu sighed. "These days, no one believes the truth anymore!"

Old Liu was unconvinced. "Old Yu, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but your boasting is a bit much this time. If I believe you, wouldn’t I be an idiot?"

"You really are an idiot!" Old Yu shook his head. "Forget it, I won’t show off anymore! Just stop boasting to me about your son. Otherwise, if I can’t resist showing off my son and daughter-in-law, it might really hit you hard!"

"Alright, I won’t brag about my son anymore," Old Liu replied with a bitter smile. So Old Yu was actually feeling put out by my boasting, and today he went to all this trouble just for face!

Truly, a man who lives for appearances and suffers for it!

All for a bit of pride, to show off, he’s pretending to be something he’s not.

He wondered how much the TV station gala tickets cost, and how much it would be to rent such a car for a day?

He was already thinking about whether to go home and get some cash to split the costs with Old Yu, otherwise he’d feel guilty.

...

Half an hour later.

Yu Zhile, driving his wife’s red coupe, was nearly at the Cultural Center.

But the closer he got, the worse the traffic became, so what should have been a twenty-minute drive had stretched to forty minutes, and he still hadn’t arrived.

Ten minutes later, Yu Zhile parked at a nearby mall and called his father. "Dad, have you reached the Cultural Center?"

"Not yet, still halfway there!"

"When you get close, park at a mall or plaza nearby, then walk ten minutes or grab a shared bike. If you try to drive directly, you might get stuck for an hour and miss the opening of the gala."

"Alright, got it."

...

After giving the advice, Yu Zhile found a shared bike and rode toward the venue.

Today was the last day of 2025, and with the Oriental Satellite TV’s New Year’s Eve Gala at the Cultural Center, crowds of ticket holders and others were gathering to join the festivities.

Upon arrival, Yu Zhile locked the bike and messaged Yang Bing, asking him to come out and bring him in.

"It’s good to have connections inside!"

Yu Zhile waited less than five minutes before Yang Bing jogged out from the main hall of the Cultural Center and greeted him with a bear hug, then handed him a prepared staff badge. "Thanks to you for this!"

Yu Zhile put on the badge and walked in alongside Yang Bing, smiling, "Old Yang, your words make me nervous. If someone overheard, they’d think we’re having an affair!"

"Haha!" Yang Bing laughed. "Relax, I’m not into men!"

Yu Zhile felt reassured. "So, are you the chief planner for tonight’s gala?"

Yang Bing replied, "Not exactly, but close. I made most of the revisions. Given how things are going, I’ll probably be promoted to head of the Music Channel’s planning department next year. Right now I’m just an acting deputy head—title without authority."

Yu Zhile clapped him on the shoulder. "That’s impressive! Just two years and you’ll be promoted to chief—people would envy you!"

"Don’t overpraise me!"

Yang Bing smiled wryly. "I owe it all to you. Otherwise, I’d still be a trainee planner."

Yu Zhile replied modestly, "Don’t say that. I only offered a few suggestions. Your promotion is all your own merit."

Yang Bing gave him a serious look, arm around his shoulder. "Whether you admit it or not, I’ll remember this favor! If you ever need help, just call me—I won’t refuse."

Yu Zhile coughed and laughed, "Old Yang, your words already make me uneasy, and with that look, I’m starting to wonder if you’ve fallen for me!"

"Get out of here!"

Yang Bing quickly let go and punched Yu Zhile’s shoulder, dropping the topic. "Are you planning to watch the gala from the audience, or join me backstage for some fun?"

Yu Zhile said, "Backstage is fine. I’d like to see how you guys work behind the scenes."

Yang Bing warned, "Stick close to me, or the bosses might put you to work, and you wouldn’t know what to do then."

"No problem!"

Yu Zhile had considered asking Yang Bing to sneak him into the accompaniment band, but he decided against it. Yang Bing didn’t have that kind of authority, and if something went wrong, it would be too much for him to bear.

Backstage, there were seventy minutes left before the gala began.

Yu Zhile saw many celebrities getting their makeup done. He leaned in and whispered to Yang Bing, "Can I sneak in and see my wife?"

Yang Bing glanced at the noisy surroundings and whispered, "Aren’t you afraid of revealing your identity? Besides me, no one here knows you’re Qin Haiyu’s husband."

Yu Zhile replied, "It’s fine. If I don’t say anything, and my wife doesn’t, no one will know."

Yang Bing whispered, "I’ll go with you, just in case anything unexpected happens. That way I can help you out."

Yu Zhile nodded. He entered the makeup area and quickly spotted his wife, radiant as a firefly in the dark.

He pretended to be a staff member and walked over, planning to give his wife a big surprise.

...

PS: One extra chapter today! Are you surprised? Cough, a new week has begun—please vote for recommendations, let’s see if today’s votes can reach 3,000…