111: Chapter 111 Light Clouds and Breeze 111: Chapter 111 Light Clouds and Breeze Jas Johnson was quite the show-off back in high school, his father being the Deputy Director of the Environntal Protection Bureau in YODC City.
Over the years, environntal protection has beco increasingly important, and the power of the Environntal Protection Bureau has grown.
Even when Jas Johnson’s father was just a minor section chief, Jas was already quite arrogant.
Now that his father holds significant authority as a Deputy Director, he managed to get him a governnt job in the District Transportation Bureau after graduation.
With a governnt job and a powerful father, Jas always thought of himself as soone who ranked high among his classmates—not the absolute top perhaps, but certainly among the first few.
He was usually very haughty, humbling himself a bit for classmates who were doing well, but when it ca to small-ti employees like Jas Brown, he was utterly unreserved in his disdain.
David Brown quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, “Jas Brown, Jas is just kidding with you.”
Jas Brown gave a light smile and said, “It’s nothing.”
Back in high school, Jas Brown and this Jas Johnson had their differences.
But after so many years, Jas Brown had long since stopped caring, whereas it seed Jas Johnson still harbored those mories.
However, in Jas Brown’s eyes, Jas Johnson was hardly significant now, so even when Johnson was being an-spirited, Brown couldn’t bother to take him seriously.
Jas Brown didn’t expect that Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog would hold such high esteem in everyone’s eyes.
Even after eting all kinds of celebrities and artists, Brown really didn’t think much of these two municipal TV hosts.
After Jas Johnson got a rise out of Jas Brown and saw that Brown didn’t retort, he felt imnsely self-important.
Although he refrained from making further harsh comnts, he still had the tone of a leader lecturing an employee, “You see, Jas Brown, what I said earlier might not have been pleasing to you, but we’re all old classmates, and I was speaking the truth.
We’re not kids anymore; we need to be responsible for what we say.
How can you achieve great things if you just brag without substance?”
Jas Brown found it amusing and replied, “Thanks for the advice, leader Jas.
I won’t brag anymore.”
Feeling even more self-important, Jas Johnson laughed, “That’s good, that’s good.
Seeing how humble you are, if you run into any trouble in the future, co to , and I’ll definitely help you out.”
“Well, that’s very kind of you, leader Jas, make sure to keep your word,” Jas Brown responded, playing along with Johnson’s words.
For such a petty figure, it wasn’t worth Brown’s ti to make a fuss.
As Jas Brown did not retort, others quickly stepped in to keep the peace, and Jas Johnson, having saved face, began chatting with a few he favored.
After a few casual exchanges, the topic naturally drifted back to Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog.
The group was mostly in their mid-twenties, with over eighty percent unmarried and only two or three years into their careers, still harboring a bit of that student-era celebrity fascination.
Big-na stars were certainly a hot topic too, but since they felt far-removed, the local appeal of Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog—who hosted very popular shows and were sotis seen in person—gave everyone a stronger sense of connection, and they discussed them with enthusiastic interest.
Seizing the mont, Jas Johnson asked proudly, “Do you guys know how much the appearance fees are for Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog nowadays?”
“How much?” Amy Smith imdiately asked with curiosity.
Sensing everyone’s eagerness and filled with the spirit of gossip, Jas Johnson gloated, “Although their fees can’t compare to those top-tier celebrities, they’re pretty high in YODC City.
A while back, a relative of mine who is quite wealthy wanted to have them host a wedding, but they flat out refused.”
Soone imdiately chid in, asking, “Why?
Was the offer too low?”
Jas Johnson shook his head and said, “No, it’s not about the money.
They don’t just take on any gig.
Ordinary folks could offer all the money in the world and they still wouldn’t co—it would be beneath them.
Only the very rich or noble can afford them, that’s what maintains their status.
And I’ve heard their fees range between ten to twenty thousand a ti.”
Amy Smith interjected, “Ten or twenty thousand?
That doesn’t seem too expensive.
An average wedding host also costs a few thousand dollars.”
Lighting a cigarette and blowing a smoke ring, Jas Johnson said, “What’s the point of an average wedding host?
If you could get Alice Brown or Jennifer Hog to do it, that’s where the real prestige lies.
You only get married once in a lifeti; if you don’t make it grand, what’s the fun in that?
I’ve already decided, I absolutely must get one of them to host my wedding.”
David Brown, due to his good rapport with Jas Brown and his disdain for Jas Johnson, butted in, “Didn’t you just say your relatives couldn’t get them to co?
What makes you think you can for your wedding?”
Jas Johnson smiled with self-assurance, “My relatives are my relatives.
They’re not close kin; just distant ones.
My wedding is a different story.
As long as my father pulls so strings, how could they not co?”
Considering Jas Johnson’s father’s position, everyone believed his claim.
The n seed less impressed, while the won were filled with envy.
Won tend to place more importance on weddings, and their vanity in this regard is much greater than n’s—naturally, having a famous host was sothing they aspired to.
Amy Smith was rather bold in her speech, half-seriously saying, “Hey Jas Johnson, since you have such capabilities, when I get married, can you get them to host my wedding?”
Jas Johnson shook his head and said, “Amy, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but this isn’t sothing you can acquire with money alone.
Status is what matters most.
If your husband has such strength, then they might co, but if you marry an ordinary guy, no matter how much money you offer, they won’t attend.”
Everyone felt sowhat uncomfortable upon hearing this.
Jas Johnson would constantly bring up his family, his father, as if no one else counted for anything besides himself.
But since he was indeed more influential than the rest, nobody could really compete with him, so they simply changed the topic, not wishing to dwell on the matter anymore.
Jas Brown did not interject.
He truly did not expect that Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog, in the eyes of ordinary people, would hold such high status and be surrounded by such powerful auras; however, according to Jas’s view of them, these two were not that glamorous.
At the very least, in an effort to get further ahead, they were clearly willing to pander to him posing as a wealthy heir.
At that mont, David Brown asked Jas softly, “Jas Brown, do you have a girlfriend now?”
Jas Brown shook his head and replied, “Not yet.”
David Brown lowered his voice and asked, “You’re not still hung up on lody Yoody, are you?”
Jas Brown’s mouth twitched slightly; the lody Yoody that David ntioned was his first love.
Only David had a vague idea of their past relationship.
Jas replied, “I haven’t been in touch with her for a long ti.”
David patted Jas’s shoulder and said, “Let it go, lody Yoody is no simple woman now; she’s a mayor already.”
This was the first ti in many years that Jas had heard about lody.
He had not expected her to have beco a mayor already; she truly had accomplished a lot.
“lody Yoody is currently studying at the party school, so she’s tied up and won’t be coming this ti.
I have her number, do you want it?”
Jas shook his head and said, “No, let the past be the past.”
David nodded and said, “Right, you should let go.
In a few years, she’ll be a deputy county head, and then a county chief and county party secretary.
The gap is just too great.”
Jas smiled faintly and said, “Yeah, we common folk can’t reach such heights.”
At that ti, John Stephens, the groom, ca over and loudly called everyone over, greeting them enthusiastically.
John exchanged a few words with everyone, and, having not seen Jas for so many years, he made a special effort to say a couple of words to him.
Everyone ate, drank, sang, and played cards until the wee hours of the night before finally settling down in the hotel arranged by John Stephens.
Jas shared a room with David.
Lying in bed with the lights off, David said, “Jas, you really held back today.
If it were , I would have wanted to cuss out Jas Johnson right then and there.”
Jas laughed, lit a cigarette and said, “It’s not worth getting worked up about.
Besides, it’s John’s wedding.
If we started arguing, it would’ve made things difficult for him.”
“That’s true.
You’ve changed a lot, man.
I rember back in school, you weren’t so patient.”
“People always change.
After so many years of struggling in society, you can’t be as carefree as when you were a child.”
David also lit a cigarette and cursed, “Society really is a big dye vat.
Even the best people can be tainted.
I’m now a civil servant and often look down on others.
To be honest, when I first saw you and learned you were just a small-ti employee, I sowhat looked down on you too.
But seeing Jas Johnson today was a wake-up call.
That kind of attitude is truly off-putting.”
Jas laughed heartily and said, “I didn’t feel like you were looking down on .
We’re still good classmates, right?”
David also laughed.
After a mont of silence, he said, “Jas, honestly, the one who’s really made it out of our class is lody Yoody.
We’re just civil servants.
To move up, it’ll take several years, but she’s already a mayor.
Her future is truly limitless.”
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