"You wait for me here; I'll grab the interview tools."
Xia Jian hurried off to gather her gear, determined to make one final effort to fulfill her dream of becoming a full-fledged reporter.
Qi Lin, meanwhile, wandered into the work area, scanning the reporters at Aoki Newspaper. Soon, his eyes locked onto a woman—because a golden exclamation mark hovered above her head.
Qi Lin's eyes lit up, and he silently issued the command: "Check the content of the exclamation mark."
[Chen Mei, C-level protagonist, Aoki News reporter. At 3:00 PM this afternoon, a drowning incident will occur in the public waters next to Jiangcheng Yanjiang Avenue. Four children will be swept into deep water. Since the parents of the children can't swim, they'll call for help from the people nearby.]
[After the efforts of several bystanders, only two children will be rescued. The other two will tragically drown. Chen Mei will witness the event and record it, turning it into the top news of the day, earning her praise from the editor-in-chief, Chen Yu.]
Qi Lin smirked. This was the exact kind of opportunity Xia Jian needed.
"The time and place are all laid out for us," he thought. "We don't even need to chase it."
With this, Xia Jian could secure her position and become a regular employee at the newspaper. As for Chen Mei getting the credit? Qi Lin had other plans.
Just as he finished processing the information, Xia Jian returned with her interview tools.
"Oh, what are you up to?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Without answering, Qi Lin grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the exit, leading her outside.
Sitting behind him on his motorcycle, Xia Jian, still puzzled, pouted, "Did you hear what the editor-in-chief said? She called you a 'bad influence.' I even turned down a stable job because I didn't want to cut ties with you."
Qi Lin chuckled, amused by her words. He knew Xia Jian wasn't really upset.
"Well, since there's no hope of work for me, I'll just rely on you from now on," she muttered sarcastically. "I'll eat and drink at your house for free."
Qi Lin wanted nothing more than to take care of Xia Jian for the rest of his life, but he knew she was joking. Still, he had bigger plans for her than she realized.
"Don't say things like that. Maybe I'll help you land a big scoop this afternoon," Qi Lin replied, grinning.
Xia Jian sighed, half-amused and half-exasperated. "Do you think it's that easy to find breaking news? How many major stories do you see every day on social media? Most of it is just fluff—missing pets or petty neighborhood disputes."
The competition in the news industry was fierce. Major stories meant traffic, and traffic meant sponsorships. But landing a big story was like winning the lottery, especially for someone like Xia Jian, who lacked the connections and experience needed to break through.
As they sped along the road, Qi Lin suddenly shifted gears in the conversation. "Since you think it's a waste of time to look for news this afternoon, how about we go swimming instead?"
Xia Jian blinked, stunned by the suggestion. "Swimming? What brought that up all of a sudden?"
Qi Lin smirked mischievously. "I've never seen you in a swimsuit, Sister Xia."
Xia Jian's cheeks turned bright red. "Pervert! How dare you tease your cousin like that!"
She thought he was joking, but when Qi Lin stopped the motorcycle at the public swimming area on Yanjiang Avenue, Xia Jian realized he was dead serious.
After parking the motorcycle, Qi Lin grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the water's edge.
Beneath the cool shade of the bridge piers, citizens were splashing in the river, wearing swimsuits and floating on swimming rings. It was a lively summer scene.
Panic flickered in Xia Jian's eyes. "Wait, we don't have swimsuits, and we can't just skip work! I still need to do interviews!"
Though Xia Jian had saved Qi Lin from drowning many years ago, she had since developed a fear of water. The idea of swimming terrified her now.
"Who said you don't have a swimsuit?" Qi Lin pointed toward a nearby stall selling swimsuits. "And as for work, didn't we agree? You're going to live at my house, and I'll take care of you."
Xia Jian opened her mouth, speechless. She glanced in the direction Qi Lin had pointed, and sure enough, there was a stall selling swimsuits right there.