Song Zhou lowered his head and kissed him, then asked softly, "What's strange about it? I'm genuinely proud of you. You're incredible! You're smart, determined, and able to endure hardship. You didn't need to work so hard, yet you were willing to do this yourself..."
"Stop!" Lu Ao covered Song Zhou's mouth lightly with one hand and covered his own eyes with the other. His ears had turned completely red. "I'm not as good as you say."
Song Zhou kissed his palm. "To me, you're the one and only treasure in the world."
Lu Ao gave a soft cough. He was embarrassed, yet he could not help grinning foolishly. He covered his eyes for quite a while before lowering his hand and picking up the sample issue to read.
He said, "Tomorrow, I'll go into the city and give this sample issue to Director Hou. Let's see what else he has to say this time."
Song Zhou said, "I'll go with you tomorrow."
Lu Ao refused. "No need. It's not like this is difficult. I can go by myself. You should get on with your work."
Song Zhou did not agree. "I want to go with you. Give me the chance."
Lu Ao felt a little smug and a little embarrassed. In the end, he nodded. "All right. We'll go together tomorrow."
The next day was a workday, and they met Hou Mingzhi without any trouble.
After accepting the sample issue Lu Ao handed over, Hou Mingzhi sat in his spacious office chair and read the journal for more than half an hour. He went over every word Lu Ao had written at least three times before finally letting out a long sigh.
Lu Ao looked at him, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Director Hou, what do you