264 sIntrusions (1/2)

The dorm room went silent for a split second after Fang Yu's response. What followed was an explosive roar that scared the living daylights out of the students next door.

The neighbors opened their door and glanced sideways. They were just getting ready to head over and investigate when the door to the room in question slammed shut.

”What went down next door?”

”My vast experience tells me that odds are they lost as a team in an online game.”

The others nodded in agreement. That sounded like a plausible reason.

They listened carefully. Nothing. It wasn't a fight, so they didn't probe further and instead went back to what they had been doing.

Meanwhile, in Fang Yu's room, Fang Yu had scrambled to shut the door after his roommates' exaggerated response.

”Hush!” Fang Yu signaled his roommates to quiet down. ”Please keep this a secret.”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was already being lifted by his three roommates.

”You sly bastard!”

”Fang Zhao, it's really Fang Zhao! Where is his autograph? Where is the picture of the two of you?”

”Boy can you keep a secret. If it were me, the whole campus would know by now.”

Fang Yu's roommates finally put him down after an extensive interrogation. He caught his breath and said, ”I'm under strict orders from my mom and dad not to be a burden to him. I never planned on telling anyone. You're the only people who know. Please keep it to yourselves.”

”No problem, but you'll have to buy our silence. I'm not greedy. Oh, just a dozen or so signed photos will do,” one of the roommates said with a sinister smile.

”Concert tickets!”

”Right, right. We'll keep this a secret, but as our roommate, you gotta help us out too. Deliver the goods!”

Fang Yu gave a resigned smile. ”OK. I'll do my best.”

The concert was completely sold out. Fang Yu couldn't possibly ask Fang Zhao to produce a few tickets. His three roommates were just posturing. Even if Fang Yu agreed, they would be too embarrassed to accept such expensive tickets from Fang Zhao. The three roommates weren't even related to Fang Zhao; they weren't that thick skinned.

But in terms of autographs and pictures, they would undoubtedly badger Fang Yu for a healthy supply, and if they could tag along when Fang Yu gamed with Fang Zhao, that would be even better.

Yanbei, the retirement home for former officials.

After dinner, Great-Grandfather Fang made his rounds, showing off the concert tickets Fang Zhao had sent him. It just didn't feel right if he didn't brag a bit.

When he was in his room, he repeatedly watched the TV commercials Fang Zhao had starred in every day. TV commercials had never looked better. He'd brag about those too.

There were video billboards inside the retirement home compound as well. After his evening stroll, Great-Grandfather Fang would sit down in the pavilion closest to the billboard and jabber away at someone. Whenever Fang Zhao's ad came on, he would start boasting, ”Look, that's my great-grandkid Fang Zhao. He gave up a military career for the arts. He quit the army just to become a professional musician. There was no stopping him. P*ssed the hell out of me. He's about to hold a concert at that Golden... Golden Age concert hall. Don't leave, let me show you the concert tickets I just received. They're completely sold out. Let me show you his emoji pack too.”

Great-Grandfather Fang's fellow residents at the retirement home were mighty jealous about his extended stay on Baiji. Several of them also had a grandkid or great-grandkid assigned to Baiji for military service, but those kids weren't yet of a high enough rank to be allocated family quarters. They still had to pay their dues. Not everyone could enjoy the perks Fang Zhao had. He was the discoverer of the grade A power ore, after all. But if Fang Zhao had chosen to remain on Baiji, his military rank would have been sufficient for him to receive family members as guests.

When they had learned that Fang Zhao was about to stage his first concert, Great-Grandfather Fang and Great-Grandmother Fang had wanted to do their part too. They had bought a bunch of online streaming passes with their savings. They had bought two for themselves and had given away the others to their friends in the retirement home. Lo and behold, Fang Zhao had sent them tickets to the live show. The two elders planned to attend with Fang Yu's family.

So the two elders also gave away the two online streaming passes they had saved for themselves.

Silver Wing had allocated to Fang Zhao a portion of the tickets it had reserved for internal use. Besides his immediate family, Fang Zhao also invited close friends like Su Hou and Su Feng from Muzhou.

After completing the media interviews and shooting the TV commercials, Fang Zhao shifted his full attention to preparations for the upcoming concert.

Fang Zhao was scheduled to work with an orchestra owned by Silver Wing. This was a professional orchestra, not a ragtag army. It was the same orchestra that had performed on Polar Light's debut ”Period of Destruction” series.