r18novel Chapter 36 Transportation in the 9s
Chapter 36 Transportation in the 9s
Xie Anran remembers that when she was young, she was always excited to go on long trips. This was because traveling meant eating instant noodles and bread, and taking a long bus ride all day long. In a child's eyes, this was the most precious kind of happiness.
But as he matured and grew older, everything changed. Now, let alone long-distance buses, even a short ride on a passenger bus makes him feel nauseous and uncomfortable. Even the instant noodles he used to crave as a child are now barely palatable; a bite is enough, but after three bites, his stomach churns and he feels nauseous.
In the waiting room of Tianhe Airport in the 1990s, Xie Anran sat quietly in a corner, glancing at the little girl next to her who was eating bread with relish. Then she looked down at the same bread in her own hand and felt nothing but resistance.
He really couldn't eat.
When I was a child, a bite of bread could make me happy, but now that I'm reborn, every bite tastes like cardboard and is hard to swallow.
"Anran, can't you eat?" Zhang Yun asked softly, full of concern, as she looked at him with a conflicted expression, staring at the bread without taking a bite.
Xie Anran immediately looked up and tried to appear calm: "No, I can eat it, it's just... I need some milk with it."
"I'll go buy it for you right away," Zhang Yun replied, then turned to Liu Xiaoli beside her and gave her a few instructions before hurriedly getting up and leaving.
Xie Anran secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was being pretentious; it was just his body instinctively resisting, and he couldn't force it. Airports in the 1990s were considered high-end venues, and the waiting area was orderly, with a fairly good environment and conditions.
Their destination was Shanghai. Crystal Records had already made all the arrangements in advance; in the past, all they had to do was perform on stage. This time, they were invited to be guests on a variety show on Tomato TV. Xie Anran never inquired about the details; she only needed to perform dutifully. The company had already prepared 100,000 physical albums, just waiting for the variety show promotion before releasing them to the market.
What surprised Xie Anran the most was Crystal Records' formidable strength. This company actually owned its own physical retail chain, and by the 1990s, it had already established record stores in every provincial capital city across the country. This foundation was far deeper than he had initially realized, and it was incomparable to ordinary record companies.
Not long after, Zhang Yun returned with milk. With the milk, Xie Anran managed to swallow the bread, silently wishing that her next last wish would be related to sports, to improve her physical fitness and avoid having to rush around and deal with various promotional events.
Around 10 a.m., the group boarded the plane smoothly and arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport after a short flight of a few hours.
"So this is Shanghai in the 1990s..." Sitting in the airport shuttle, Xie Anran looked out the window at the street scene, her expression becoming subtle.
At midday, the sun shone brightly and warmly. High-rise buildings lined the streets, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream. Overpasses crisscrossed the area, and the city was already taking on the rudiments of prosperity that would later appear in the millennium.
No wonder Shanghai locals have such a sense of superiority. In comparison, his hometown of Jiangcheng looks like a small county town, and the difference is obvious.
Considering Xie Anran's young age and physical limitations in handling a high-intensity schedule, Crystal Records made sure the arrangements were very relaxed. On the first day, they only needed to arrive at the hotel and settle in; the rest of the time was entirely their own, with no need to rush to any work.
After packing her luggage, Xie Anran was exhausted and just wanted to lie down and rest, but her companion, Qianqian, was full of energy and looking forward to going out for a trip.
"Anran, let's go see the Huangpu River!"
"Sis, let me take a nap first," Xie Anran replied listlessly.
"Okay, then I'll sleep with you."
"No, you can go have fun by yourself."
Upon hearing this, Xie Anran immediately gave in and begged for mercy. All he wanted right now was a peaceful sleep; with Qianqian making a fuss beside him, he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep soundly. Qianqian, seeing this, was utterly disappointed. She pouted and glared at him with displeasure. Seeing his resolute attitude, she could only huff and turn away, looking like she was throwing a tantrum. Xie Anran ignored her, lying straight down on the bed, putting all his worries behind him. He'd deal with his tantrum after he woke up.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun were in the hotel lobby, coordinating follow-up work with the staff of Crystal Records. Communication in the 1990s was far less convenient than in later years. Brick phones were bulky and inconvenient to carry, and the new small mobile phones had just been released but were simply unavailable in Jiangcheng. Most matters, big and small, were handled through face-to-face meetings.
"Ms. Liu, the initial publicity has been very well received. Our company would like to extend the overall publicity period by one to two months, continuing until the end of the year." The contact person from Crystal Records' Shanghai public relations department spoke cautiously and carefully about the company's new schedule.
"It's going to take this long?" Liu Xiaoli frowned immediately upon hearing this.
"The typical album promotion cycle is about six months long," the contact person quickly explained. "Moreover, Anran's schedule is several times more relaxed than that of a normal singer, so the progress is naturally slower."
Liu Xiaoli was speechless after hearing this, but upon reflection, she realized it was indeed true. Other singers had tight and non-stop promotional schedules, but Xie Anran's schedule was like a vacation. She would rest for a day in a city, perform, and then rest for another day before heading to the next stop. This was a one-day-on, two-day-off schedule, which inevitably lengthened the promotional cycle.
"Ah Yun, what do you think?" Liu Xiaoli turned to Zhang Yun beside her to ask for her opinion.
"Okay." Zhang Yun agreed after a moment's thought. Crystal Records had arranged everything perfectly and thoughtfully, so there was really nothing to complain about. Since she had chosen this path, she was destined to make some sacrifices in her studies.
"Okay, once you've finalized the itinerary, send it to us so we can make adjustments in advance," Liu Xiaoli said to the contact person.
"Thank you for your understanding. We won't disturb your rest any longer. This is the landline contact information. Please feel free to contact us anytime if you have any questions. We are available 24/7." The person who made the contact left the number and then turned to leave.
The two then relaxed and began to chat casually while leaning back in their chairs.
"Sister Xiaoli, are all big companies this humane?" Zhang Yun had seen many company operating models, but she had never seen one as considerate and thoughtful as Crystal Records.
"It's hard to say, but most likely An Ran has some value that they desperately need." Liu Xiaoli didn't believe that the capital company would be kind for no reason.
"Why do you say that?" Zhang Yun asked, her face full of confusion.
"My cousin works at a bank, and I have a younger sister who lives abroad," Liu Xiaoli said slowly, clearing her throat. "Foreign companies always prioritize profit above all else and never do useless charity. Crystal Records could never have achieved such a scale by operating at a loss. Either they want to use Enron to expand into the mainland market, or Enron is hiding a huge potential that we haven't even seen through."
"Then we really need to be more careful in the future." Zhang Yun nodded thoughtfully.
"Don't worry." Liu Xiaoli hugged her and said in a relaxed tone, "Our initial intention was very simple. We don't want to make a lot of money from this. We just want to lay a good foundation for our children so that they will have more choices in the future. If they are willing to invest resources, we will accept it without hesitation. If they make excessive demands in the future, we are confident that we can take legal action directly."
"That's right." Zhang Yun wholeheartedly agreed. With their substantial family wealth, they had enough resources to deal with multinational corporations without any fear.