Part 257

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Shanghai - the city that never sleeps, the financial center of the country, a country which he loved. 

The winter wind ripped through the narrow alleys of the buildings, messing up Zhang Zhehan's hair and the cold hurt his cheeks. But he paid it no mind. It was part of the city he missed, and he was eager to absorb the sights and sounds of Shanghai before he departed the next day.

The shining lights of the city reflected in his large eyes, just as he reflected on the events of the past week.

Just being here, a city which was a part of him, gave him an incredible boost. There was something in the air, an intangible, electrifying atmosphere. It was a city of opportunities, where millions from all over the globe came to try their fortunes. He felt energised, like he could overcome anything. It was as if he was transported back to his young, carefree university days at the Shanghai Theatre Academy; full of spirit, full of vigor, and eager to take on the world.

 It was as if he was transported back to his young, carefree university days at the Shanghai Theatre Academy; full of spirit, full of vigor, and eager to take on the world

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Things were going well now. Despite Director Li Xue Zheng being muted, he had assured that things were going swimmingly offline. Zhang Zhehan had initially found it difficult to feel positive, but his mood changed while he was in Shanghai.

He smiled into the wind and pulled out his mobile phone. He swiped past the useless Chinese social media apps like Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and Oasis. His official accounts had been taken down, but he still maintained his secondary accounts to keep updated with news.

He looked at the Instagram icon. He had deactivated his account shortly after his cancellation in August. Since it was an American app, the central government could not order his suspension. He had full control of his account, outside the Great Firewall of China.

Ironically, he was cancelled only in his country. Outside of it, he was free to act as he wished.

He looked at his account : Zhangzhehan_Super3. He had been using it to post random stuff like book recommendations, his golf videos and fan art of him. His last post had been about his hospitalisation in Hengdian last year.

Smiling, he remembered that he just talked to Gong Jun about it just now

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Smiling, he remembered that he just talked to Gong Jun about it just now. What a comedy of errors that night has been.

Zhang Zhehan took a deep breath of the cold air, and looked to the bright twinkling nights of the shining city, which winked back at him like millions of eyes, encouraging him, and wanting him to soldier on bravely.

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