A Lively Grassroots Organization

Are you Nation of Beauty?

"No, I am from the Su State."

Si Ming, "That's really rare. Not many people have seen this play, and even fewer know that I'm the playwright. Besides, shouldn't everyone be focusing on the actors?"

The woman with her face veiled said, "Those little girls performed well, but they couldn't create such a great work."

"Great? I dare not accept that word."

"No, even setting aside the content of the play, the two songs featured in it alone are worthy of high praise. One symbolizes humanity's struggle, and the other symbolizes the pursuit of freedom, finding hope in darkness, and striving unceasingly. It's like seeing dark clouds covering the sky, only to be suddenly illuminated by a ray of sunlight, giving the listener a powerful surge of strength."

Si Ming knew the other party was referring to the adapted version of "The Internationale" and its theme song "The Wind of Freedom," so he quickly declined, saying, "I'm just a School of Fiction; storytelling is my forte, but I can't compose songs."

Even if it's an adaptation, he doesn't want to claim it as his own. After all, he no longer needs to rely on these Xilai enhance his image.

However, the woman was not convinced and said, "Teacher Sima, please don't be modest. Three years ago, you created a harmonica piece called 'Whereabouts of the Stars.' After listening to this song, I knew that the creator must be a very talented and imaginative person. I just never expected that the creator would not continue on the path of music but become a writer."

Si Ming chuckled dryly twice, "That was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, a work of inspiration, a stroke of genius. I doubt I can replicate it in the future."

The clues in his mind quickly connected: someone afraid of being recognized, interested in the music industry, able to investigate my identity documents, possessing considerable connections, and also having some influence in the Nation of Beauty...

Taking all of these factors into account, the other party's identity is becoming increasingly clear; however, this is not an identity that can be revealed in public.

"After seeing the performance of 'The Wind of Freedom,' I've been looking forward to collaborating with you, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance... I hope this wish can come true in the future. By the way, could you please write me a word of encouragement?"

Which aspect should be encouraged?

"As for myself, I hope to be more carefree and free, and not be bound by old ideas."

Si Ming thought for a moment, then wrote down the sentence, "Everyone will die, but not everyone has truly lived; everyone pursues a high-quality life, but not everyone lives out their true self," and finally signed his pen name and handed it to the other party.

"Thanks."

The masked woman didn't press the matter; she thanked her and left.

With sharp eyes, Auntie Liu watched the other person's departing figure and asked suspiciously, "Could this person be...?"

Si Ming quickly stopped him, saying, "Let's not say it out loud. I just want to rest now and don't want to cause any more trouble."

Auntie Liu snorted, but still said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Although the other party is very famous, they are two unrelated fields to the literary world. Unless Si Ming has ambitions to enter the entertainment or music industry, it won't be of much help. Getting involved might not be a good thing either. In any case, writers don't need scandals to raise their status, and hype is meaningless.

Si Ming returned to the orphanage and was about to go to his room to rest when he was stopped by Yao Bilian, who had a mysterious look on her face.

"Just tell me what's wrong, I just want to get some sleep."

"Little Shuying has been acting very strangely lately; she's always leaving early and returning late, and her whereabouts are very mysterious."

"So what? Everyone has their own secrets. Maybe she's put on a bodysuit and become a dark hero, secretly protecting this city, or maybe she's obtained a magical girl transformation device and is fighting monsters we don't know about—if she has a magical pet by her side, it's most likely the latter. In that case, what we need to do is remind her to practice the secret technique 'Turtle Listening to Thunder,' so she can retract her head in a critical moment." Si Ming casually made up some nonsense.

What if I saw her in the bus area?

"What's the code word 'bus stop'? Is it the place where buses park? Did she become a female bus driver?"

"The female ticket seller on the bus often says something like, 'Go a little further in, there's still room in there,' or something like that," Yao Bilian raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Although I know that with Little Shuying's pride, it's impossible for her to be a ticket seller, seeing her in a place like that really makes me worry."

Si Ming sighed and asked, "I won't ask why you were there. Anyway, what do you want me to do? Follow you?"

"Pretty much. Investigate what she's been up to. I've had a feeling there's something dangerous about her lately."

Why don't you go yourself?

"Do you really want me, a frail woman, to go to such a dangerous place?"

Si Ming had no choice but to accept the task. The next day, when Yu Shuying went out, he concealed his aura and secretly followed her. Given the difference in their strength, he didn't need to worry about being discovered by Yu Shuying.

Yu Shuying indeed entered the "bus area" that Yao Bilian had mentioned. There she saw a large group of "female ticket sellers" dressed in flamboyant clothes soliciting passengers to board the bus. At a glance, all she could see were bare, white thighs.

However, Yu Shuying didn't stop at the bus stop; she just passed through. Several people greeted her along the way, but not in a frivolous tone. It was more like a subordinate reporting to a superior. She turned left and right through the alley, and gradually, followers appeared behind her—a group of fierce-looking guys who clearly weren't good people...

Half an hour later, Yu Shuying was seen leading a group of her underlings, standing in the center of Temple Street, while another group of gangsters stood opposite her.

"Your Liuzi Gang has overstepped its bounds, actually trespassing on our Green Snake Gang's territory and trying to extort protection money. This is against the rules of the underworld," Yu Shuying said.

The fat, scarred man opposite her clearly didn't take Yu Shuying seriously, laughing loudly, "I heard the Green Snake Gang changed leaders. I thought it was some big shot, but it turns out to be just a little girl. Let me tell you, the rule of the underworld is that whoever is strongest rules!"

"Oh, so there's nothing to talk about then." Yu Shuying's face showed a half-smile.

Chapter 412 Vibrant Civil Society Organizations

Hidden in the corner, Si Ming was completely bewildered. What was this all about? Was it some kind of gangster movie?

In the center of Temple Street, a fat, scarred man raised his hands and clapped them. Then, two more groups of men emerged from the alley, each carrying a blunt weapon and with a fierce look on their faces. They surrounded Yu Shuying and her group, and her henchmen immediately panicked.

"It's the East Star Society and the North Point Gang. What are they doing here?"

"Boss, what do we do now? There are so many of them, we definitely can't beat them."

Yu Shuying remained calm and looked at the scarred man, saying, "Fatty Ji, we agreed to a one-on-one fight, but you actually asked an outsider for help. It seems you've even abandoned your last shred of decency."

Fatty Ji laughed loudly, his fat face jiggling. "What 'cover-up'? I don't understand Laozi fancy words. Little girl, you should be in school. Why do you have to get involved with the underworld? Do you think this is child's play? Let me teach you. In our line of work, women either become prostitutes or mistresses. There are no bosses. If you become a boss, you're breaking the rules of the underworld."

As he spoke, his henchman obediently offered him a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and continued, "Although I don't know what tricks you used to replace One-Eyed Dragon as the leader of the Green Snake Gang, once word got out, people outside would laugh at our Tange City gang, putting us bosses alongside a greenhorn like you, saying we're playing the game of delinquents. Heh, a person lives for their reputation, a tree lives for its bark. What we gangsters care about most is our reputation. Your Green Snake Gang has disgraced everyone, so don't blame us for joining forces to deal with you."

The leader of the North Point Gang was a lewd-looking old man. He stared at Yu Shuying for a while, then let out a lewd laugh, "This chick has an average figure, but her skin is very smooth and she's pretty. Her eyes seem to be able to bewitch, a natural vixen. Hehe, could it be that One-Eyed Dragon fell for her beauty trap and died in bed?"