"You know I really love Peerless Taste duck snacks. I'm not from around here, but I've heard quite a bit about Peerless Taste too. I've wanted to interview them for ages. I even applied for an interview, but they turned me down."
Ye Xiaolang continued explaining, sneaking glances at him.
Qiao Yicheng said, "Wang Yan doesn't really like giving interviews. The ones he's done these past few years were all ones he couldn't avoid. And when I first started working, he happened to be at the station, so I got to interview him then.
"Besides, Erqiang is Peerless Taste's general manager now, and Simei manages Nanjing. Wang Yan hardly handles Peerless Taste matters anymore. How about I talk to Erqiang and have you interview him instead?"
"But Wang Yan's the more legendary one. Just talk to him about it. It's not like it's a big deal." Ye Xiaolang wrapped herself around Qiao Yicheng's arm, her voice syrupy sweet.
She said it so easily, so naturally, as smooth as the evening breeze. It was a small matter—something Qiao Yicheng should have agreed to as soon as she said it.
But Qiao Yicheng found himself in a difficult position.
No matter how immersed he was in happiness, anything involving Wang Yan sobered him up.
He had forgotten how long it had been since he had last felt troubled. Not having enough to eat at home had been troubling. His younger siblings getting sick had been troubling. His father being unreliable had been troubling. The family's uncertain future had been troubling. All those hardships seemed to have vanished from his life.
Yet he would never forget that despair rising from the depths of his heart. It had become the source of his drive, giving him boundless courage.
He knew those hardships had disappeared