Chapter 182: First Arrival in Yanjing

In the end, Zhang Li and Li Hu were quite disappointed. Despite waiting at the platform until the train was about to depart, they did not see Zhou Ming and Su Han. Of course, they wouldn't have seen them because Zhou Ming and Su Han had genuinely bought sleeper tickets. Why would they go to the hard seat section if they had a sleeper? Zhang Li and Li Hu were unaware of this situation.

"Dahu, do you think Xiao Han and the others really bought sleeper tickets?" Zhang Li asked Li Hu incredulously.

"Impossible. I used so many connections but couldn't get sleeper tickets. How could they manage to get them? Besides, sleeper tickets are more than twice as expensive as regular tickets. Would they really spend that much?" Li Hu said disdainfully. "I know about Factory 760. It's just a gold-plated factory in a county. It sounds good, but in reality, it's common for them to have salary delays. Recently, the city even canceled their designation as a production enterprise. They're even worse off now."

Li Hu concluded, "So I think they're just putting on a facade, boarding whichever carriage we're not paying attention to. I've seen plenty of these country bumpkins. Let's just ignore them."

"Fine, but Xiao Han is something else. She wouldn't even sit if there was a seat available, so it serves her right if she stands in another carriage," Zhang Li said as she and Li Hu boarded the train.

While Zhang Li and Li Hu were preoccupied with Zhou Ming and Su Han, Zhou Ming and Su Han were quite indifferent about them. After boarding the train and finding their sleeper compartments, Zhou Ming asked Su Han, "Are you very familiar with Zhang Li?"

Su Han shook her head and replied, "Just elementary school classmates. We haven't been in touch for over a decade. If she hadn't greeted me today, I wouldn't have recognized her."

"That's going to hurt her feelings. She recognized you as soon as she saw you in the waiting room," Zhou Ming said with a smile.

Su Han pouted playfully, "She deserved it for thinking we were going to Yanjing to work."

Zhou Ming could only smile at Su Han's petty attitude. He wasn't concerned about Zhang Li and didn't need to ask Su Han for more details. From their brief encounter, it was clear that Su Han hadn't kept in touch with Zhang Li, and today's meeting was just a coincidence that would be forgotten soon enough.

Zhou Ming thought this was the case, but he didn't anticipate that despite the chance meeting with Zhang Li today, they would have another encounter in Yanjing.

...

After over thirty hours of a bumpy long-distance journey, Zhou Ming and Su Han's train finally arrived at Yanjing Station. As they disembarked with their luggage, they soon saw Du Peng waiting for them. Du Peng immediately gave Zhou Ming a bear hug.

Zhou Ming tossed the luggage to him and introduced Su Han. Du Peng greeted Su Han before giving Zhou Ming a knowing look. Zhou Ming understood what the "red second generation" meant and formally explained, "Xiao Han and I have a purely platonic relationship."

"I understand. You're definitely the purest comrades!" Du Peng said, although his expression didn't inspire much trust. Su Han, being quick-witted, understood Du Peng's meaning and blushed deeply.

Seeing this, Zhou Ming decided to change the subject. "But Du Shao, it's really not easy to come to the capital."

Du Peng was puzzled and asked for clarification. Zhou Ming explained that before entering Yanjing Station, they had waited at an unknown small station for nearly three hours before the train could proceed to Yanjing Station.

Du Peng laughed heartily. "That's what you call 'difficult to enter Beijing, harder than ascending to heaven!' Yanjing is the imperial capital, after all. Trains from all over the country are heading here, so it's bound to be a queue. Otherwise, they wouldn't have anywhere to park all at once!"

Zhou Ming understood this. At that time, Yanjing West Station had not yet been built, so almost all trains entering Beijing were congested at Yanjing Station. It was definitely overwhelming. As someone reborn in this era, Zhou Ming found it hard to praise the trains of this time. Not only were they slow and uncomfortable, but even the long wait to enter the station was uncomfortable.

"So I think Du Shao, you, as a red second generation, should suggest to your grandfather to speed up the trains for the convenience of the people. It must be put on the agenda as soon as possible," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng responded, "Don't be too sure. My old man and Yang Lao have actually considered this, but due to internal instability, some measures are difficult to implement."

This answer surprised Zhou Ming. He had only mentioned it casually, but he was aware that speeding up trains was a matter for ten years later. He didn't expect the central government to have already considered it. However, it made sense; central leaders were not blind and would see certain issues, though various reasons might lead to delays in addressing them.

"Forget it. Some things are better left to follow their natural course. I'm not an all-knowing expert," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng then took Zhou Ming and Su Han to the parking lot, where he drove a Hongqi car. Zhou Ming teased him, "Du Peng, you didn't really drive out your family's car, did you?"

"I'd like to, but if I did, you'd probably only see me in the military hospital tomorrow," Du Peng said. "This car is a different one from my family's."

Although Du Peng spoke casually, Zhou Ming knew this car was likely significant. Through the glass, Zhou Ming saw several documents that appeared to be passes for important institutions like Zhongnanhai. These places were very mysterious and nearly inaccessible to ordinary people, but for them, they were just workplaces for their parents.

These documents also served as identity markers. As the offspring of influential families, they had certain privileges. With such documents, as long as they didn't commit major offenses, the police and traffic officers generally knew what to do without needing to consult their superiors.

This was a kind of unwritten rule. After all, if every time these privileged individuals made a mistake, they had to go through their backers, their parents wouldn't have the time to deal with all these trivial matters.

Once in the car, Du Peng drove them to the Yanjing Hotel, a place with a very long history, even predating the founding of the New China by twice as long.

Standing at the entrance of the Yanjing Hotel, Su Han looked up at the imposing building and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! What a grand hotel. Was it like this eighty years ago?"

"That's not possible. The Yanjing Hotel originally was just a small pub opened by two foreigners," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng nodded in agreement. "That's right. But after many expansions and renovations, it reached its current scale. To meet the needs of reform and modernization, the Yanjing Hotel underwent internal renovations last year. Now, it's at the same level as the Nanhu Hotel in Nanjing."

"There's nothing to say about that. As our imperial capital, it would be embarrassing if there weren't a hotel of this caliber!" Zhou Ming said. "I remember seven years ago, a world Chinese tycoon came to Yanjing, and the whole capital couldn't find a decent hotel for him. That was quite awkward."

"I didn't expect you to know about that?" Du Peng said, surprised.

"Of course. Us common folks like to discuss national affairs when we have nothing else to do," Zhou Ming said with a laugh.

At this point, Su Han remarked, "So Zhou Ming, since you're staying at the Yanjing Hotel today, does that mean you'll become a world Chinese tycoon in the future?"

"I think Zhou Ming definitely has that potential!" Du Peng said.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng chatted and laughed as they entered the Yanjing Hotel. Du Peng got the keys from the front desk and handed them to Zhou Ming and Su Han. "Your rooms have been prepared. Here are the keys. Your rooms are next to each other."

Although Du Peng usually didn't appear serious, he handled this matter well. He guessed Zhou Ming and Su Han's ambiguous relationship but still booked two rooms. If he guessed wrong or the relationship wasn't that close, or if the girl was too shy to share a room, it would be awkward. It was better to book an extra room and leave the arrangements to them. It wouldn't cost much more anyway.

This wasn't a big deal, but it showed that Du Peng's mind was still quite agile.

Du Peng accompanied Zhou Ming and Su Han upstairs, reached the rooms, and asked Zhou Ming how he found it. Zhou Ming smiled and said, "This is the best hotel in Yanjing now. If I'm not satisfied, that would be something."

Du Peng shrugged. "That's hard to say. You're quite hard to please. If the room is okay, you should rest well. I'll come by later to take you out for dinner."

Zhou Ming nodded and asked, "Have you arranged the CCTV leadership?"

"Don't worry. I might forget other things, but I wouldn't forget about you, Zhou Ming," Du Peng said. "I've arranged a meeting with a deputy director at CCTV. That should be enough weight, right?"

Zhou Ming nodded seriously. "The deputy director is good, but it would be even better if you could arrange a meeting with the director."

Du Peng scolded him joking

ly, "Damn it! Zhou Ming, you're still greedy like a capitalist. The deputy director is already quite good. They have significant influence at the station and can handle almost everything you want to discuss. The director is hard to arrange."

Zhou Ming understood. He was just making a point. The director is the top leader, while the deputy director is at the level of a provincial leader. Though only a deputy, there is a significant difference in rank.

For privileged offspring like Du Peng, they needed to show respect to deputy-level officials, but provincial leaders were beyond their reach.

Du Peng then left the room. Zhou Ming took his luggage to the adjacent room, took a hot shower, and soon fell asleep. At this moment, Zhou Ming did not anticipate that the dinner with the deputy director the next day would have an unexpected twist.