America 1982

When Zoe Winters walked out of the airport, the lights were already on. She glanced at the airport sign in confusion: "San Francisco? Shouldn't it be Los Angeles?"

"Mr. Hawke and Mr. Binn helped you book restaurants and hotels near Berkeley." Page introduced.

Page helped Zoe open the door of a commercial vehicle waiting to be picked up. After Zoe got in the car, he got into the passenger seat and told the driver to drive the car to a parking lot in the town of Berkeley.

Getting off the car, Zoe looked at this quaint town.

Zoe has been living on the East Coast. In her impression, California should be sunny during the day and bustling with lights at night, but at this moment in the small town of Berkeley at night, it is completely the opposite.

The night wind blows slowly, blowing away all the impetuosity, noise and academic, artistic or other temperaments that filled this small town of Berkeley during the day, leaving only silence and leisure.

Even the depression and irritability in Zoe's heart caused by the suspension of work gradually let go with the quiet scenery in front of her, and she felt a little more relaxed.

At the end of the bluestone road in front of them is the restaurant Tommy and Stephen booked, Pampas House. The appearance looks no different from ordinary houses, with elegant and monotonous stone walls, wooden signs and fences. If it hadn't been introduced by Page, The building in front of her was a restaurant, and Zoe thought it was a house.

Pushing open the wooden door of the restaurant, most of the seats inside were empty. There was only one small table where two young men were sitting. When they heard the wind chimes on the wooden door ringing, the two young men stood up and raised their heads, showing their faces to Zoe. A hearty smile.

Then they came up to each other and gave her a warm hug.

“I guess this restaurant must have been recommended by Stephen.” After hugging the two of them, Zoe sat down at the dining table and said in a positive tone to the two men sitting opposite each other.

Stephen said happily: "This question is not difficult at all, right, Zoe."

"Why can't it be my recommendation?" Tommy asked unhappily.

Zoe smiled and said: "Because you are stingy and it is unlikely that you have such taste, Tommy."

Zoe's guess was not wrong at all. According to Tommy's idea, just find a well-known high-end restaurant in Los Angeles, but Stephen insisted on booking a seat at this humble restaurant.

Tommy had heard the name of this restaurant when he was studying at Stanford University. He didn’t know which gourmet or artist had highly praised this restaurant, touting it as a perfect combination of art and food. The chef was praised as the Da Vinci of the food world. , so the California area is very attractive. Many men and women living in Los Angeles will even come here to taste it. New York Food Magazine even sent reporters to interview it, making it famous on the East Coast.

In fact, from Tommy's point of view, the taste has no special advantage compared to other restaurants. It is just that the restaurant's appearance is very artistic, the food served is more exquisitely plated, and the restaurant claims that all the vegetables used are grown by itself.

As for the magazine interview, the reporter must be paid to help place an advertisement.

After the waiter finished serving the food and the three of them had a few drinks, Zoe, who looked elegant and intellectual on the outside, began to reveal her true nature and let herself go in front of her two friends.

They spoke viciously to Tommy and the two, gritting their teeth and talking about the bastard who sent chocolates disguised as bombs to the TV station, causing her to take a temporary vacation. Because of that guy's behavior, it is very likely that she lost this year's Massachusetts local social news survey. Eligibility for the award.

Tommy glanced at Page who was not far away calmly, then smacked his lips and enlightened Zoe: "Look on the bright side, Zoe, at least he gave you a holiday and two handsome and rich friends. "

"You two are both worthy of the word handsome and rich?" Zoe looked at the two of them and asked.

"Wow~" Tommy and Stephen suddenly spoke and looked at each other, and then Tommy said to Zoe: "I am responsible for handsomeness, and he is responsible for gold. Isn't this a more appropriate expression?"

Zoe heard Tommy's words, looked at the expressions of the two of them, laughed happily, and then sighed and said: "It feels good to see that you two are the same as before."

"What's even better is that Stephen wants to make a movie and include our story in it. He is full of movie dreams and needs someone to talk to. As a reporter, you are the best person to talk to." Tommy patted Stephen on the shoulder: " You can start."

Then, as expected, Stephen began to talk about his movie ideas to Zoe. Zoe listened with interest, gave suggestions from time to time, talked about the little things that impressed her during the summer camp, and reminded Stephen to remember to film it.

With a smile on his face, Tommy listened quietly to their conversation, until Stephen became a little drunk due to his high interest, and ran to the vegetable garden behind with the chef to appreciate the vegetables grown by the restaurant. The table suddenly became quiet.

"Don't you have anything interesting to tell me? Tommy?" Zoe held the goblet, swayed the wine, and looked at Tommy curiously and asked.

Tommy picked up a piece of chicken with a fork and put it into his mouth. After the food was completely swallowed, he raised his head and looked at Zoe: "Why don't you come work for me, Zoe."

"Your black TV station?" Zoe laughed out loud.

She knew about Tommy starting a black television station.

Tommy shook his head slightly: "No, I am planning a cable news network and need a lot of reporters. I mean you can completely leave the rural place in Worcester and find a bigger stage."

Zoe first laughed when she heard Tommy's words, then looked at Tommy's expression carefully and realized that he was not joking. She hesitated: "If I win the local social news investigation award this year, my boss will almost be able to retire. , then, I can take over his job as the chief editor of a local TV station's news program, and then work hard for about three to five years, and win a few more journalism awards. By then, my resume should be qualified to enter the three major TV networks. News department, or go work for a major newspaper.”

Tommy kept nodding while eating the food: "You have always been angry, right? From the first day I met you, I knew you were an angry girl inside."

As he spoke, he wiped his hands with a napkin, then generously stretched out his hand to grab Zoe's left hand, raised it to observe, and there was a ring on his middle finger.

Zoe believed that Tommy would not blatantly eat her own tofu. That guy did not have the courage because he knew what would happen to him if he turned against him, so at this time, Tommy was allowed to carefully observe the ring on his finger. , without pulling his hand back.

Tommy looked at the ring and asked, "What about that guy? Is he a jerk like us summer camp mates?"

"He is a shy and introverted person who manages a flower shop by himself." Zoe also looked at the engagement ring on her finger. Although she didn't know why Tommy would change the topic to the ring, her eyes were still gentle. said:

"Most importantly, he puts up with my vicious swearing and bad temper when I come home from work."

"I can guess that he must be a gentle and considerate man to wrap up this bad girl like you as softly as warm sea water." Tommy let go of his hand, then continued to pick up the knife and fork and put food into his mouth:

"Then, as time goes by, your inner anger towards the world will become less and less, and eventually it will be completely eliminated by this gentleness and consideration."

Zoe was stunned for a moment when she heard Tommy's words.

"I'm not inviting you to join, I just want to ask a multiple-choice question. I want to start a news network. I need trustworthy friends to accompany me, and the anger in your heart also needs to be poured out. You don't need to follow step by step. Those old guys draw so-called nutrients from behind to strengthen themselves. Here, you can grow wildly in your own way. Choose a place on the world map and tell me. Then you can select team members and go there to set up a reporter station. You can continue reporting. Those social news that no one here is interested in, win some unknown journalism awards from Massachusetts, or witness the major moments in the world, interview those world-famous figures, and let Pulitzer chase you to award you the Journalist of the Year?" Tommy looked at Zoe:

"This is a multiple-choice question. You can go back to Worcester and let your fiancé in the flower shop teach you with gentleness that you don't need to face the world with anger and compromise with it. You can also give it a try and keep your anger. , and let everyone in the world hear it.”

Zoe looked at the ring on her hand, then her eyes stayed on Tommy's face for a while, then lowered her head and said, "I don't know if I can complete your so-called barbaric growth alone."

"Then have you seen the way I grew up? If I can do it, why can't you?" Tommy took a sip of wine and asked:

"I actually didn't want to agree to Stephen's decision to make this movie, but considering that he was willing to deceive the bank into lending me money, I had no objection."

"Do you know why I disagree? Because I think the time has not come yet. As character prototypes, we don't have any outstanding achievements worthy of adaptation, right? But if it is many years later, those female stars will rush to play you, A world-famous news reporter, instead of now only unknown little actors, willing to play you, a TV reporter in a small city and the girlfriend of a flower shop owner, for a paycheck."

"Long time no see. Your eloquence has improved a lot compared to when you were in high school, Tommy." Zoe said with a reluctant smile.

Tommy stared at her seriously, catching the subtle expressions on Zoe's face, and immediately said: "You are blaming me for not being honest enough, right?"

Hearing Tommy's last words, Zoe looked at Tommy again and nodded slightly without denying: "Yes."

"You're thinking, this opportunity can be given to you or to someone else, why does it have to be you? Well, actually because of the actress who played you in Stephen's movie, I needed to get to know her father and let you come to me Working around you makes everything fall into place.”

"It's the same as when you asked us to manage those students for you for free." After listening to Tommy's words, Zoe said with emotion, and then smiled: "This is the impression I have of you. If I work for your news network , have you helped me choose the first place to grow?"

"East Germany, under the Berlin Wall, you will be the first reporter in the world to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall." Tommy said.

"This sentence makes me find no reason to refuse, but can I go back and complete my investigation first?" Zoe thought for a while and said to Tommy: "I don't want to give up halfway."

"Of course, you can." Tommy said with a bright smile: "No one likes to give up halfway."

Zoe also laughed, and then continued to eat the food with her head down, while Tommy looked at Paige, who nodded almost imperceptibly to Tommy.

"Unless something changes." Tommy added to Zoe after getting the answer.