50: Reasons you have to go

When Wang Dalong returned from Chengdu, he was practically walking on air.

He kicked open the door of the rental house, holding up a check and shouting like he'd won the lottery, "Brother Feng! Brother Feng! We're rich!"

Lin Feng was sitting in front of the computer editing a video with headphones on. That shout startled him so much his hand jerked, nearly deleting an entire segment of footage.

"Can't you knock?" Lin Feng took off his headphones and said expressionlessly.

"Hehe, I'm just excited." Wang Dalong scurried over and slapped the check onto the desk. "Look at this, look! Five hundred thousand! A full five hundred thousand!"

Lin Feng glanced at the number on the check and nodded. "Hmm, not bad."

"Not bad?" Wang Dalong's eyes widened. "Brother Feng, this is five hundred thousand! Back when we were making videos, we'd work ourselves to death for a year just to earn a hundred thousand or so. This all at once..."

"I know," Lin Feng interrupted him. "So?"

"So..." Wang Dalong scratched his head. "Shouldn't we celebrate? My treat, let's get hotpot!"

Lin Feng thought about it and nodded. "Sure."

The two of them tidied up and went downstairs to find a hotpot restaurant.

While cooking beef tripe, Wang Dalong enthusiastically described the scene at the press conference.

"You should've seen it, that scene was damn spectacular! There were at least a hundred reporters, camera flashes going off like machine guns. And the leaders from the Cultural Relics Bureau—their attitude, you wouldn't believe how polite they were..."

Lin Feng ate his food silently, occasionally giving a non-committal "Mhm" to acknowledge him.

"Oh right, Brother Feng," Wang Dalong suddenly remembered something. "Did you know? Our video went viral overseas too!"

Lin Feng looked up. "Overseas?"

"Yeah!" Wang Dalong pulled out his phone. "Look, someone re-uploaded our video to YouTube with English subtitles. It's almost at ten million views! The comment section is full of foreigners praising you—'Amazing', 'Incredible', and all that..."

Lin Feng frowned and said nothing.

He never really had much of a concept of being "viral." Or rather, he didn't want to be famous.

It was already ten at night by the time they finished hotpot and returned home.

Lin Feng had just finished showering and was about to go to bed when his phone suddenly rang.

An unknown number.

He hesitated for a moment but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Lin Feng?" A woman's voice came from the other end. She spoke standard Mandarin, but with a clear foreign accent.

"Speaking."

"Hello, I am a staff member from the World Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation," the woman said. "It is a great honor to inform you that you have been selected as the recipient of this year's 'Outstanding Contribution Award'."

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment. "What award?"

"The World Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation's Outstanding Contribution Award," the woman explained patiently. "It is an international award dedicated to honoring individuals or teams who have made exceptional contributions in the fields of cultural heritage protection and discovery. Your performance in the discovery of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom treasure has drawn high attention from our committee."

Lin Feng was silent for a few seconds. "I didn't apply for anything."

"No application is necessary," the woman said with a smile. "Recipients are recommended by cultural institutions worldwide and selected by a committee vote. Your story has been reported by several international media outlets, and the committee unanimously agreed that you are fully qualified for the award."

Lin Feng's frown deepened. "So?"

"The award ceremony will be held on the 15th of next month in Brasília. The foundation will cover all your travel expenses and provide five-star hotel accommodations. The prize money is one hundred thousand US dollars."

One hundred thousand US dollars.

Lin Feng's fingers tapped twice lightly on the tabletop.

"I'll think about it," he said.

"Of course," the woman remained polite. "But please reply as soon as possible. We will send the ceremony invitation and relevant documents to you via email. We look forward to your arrival."

After hanging up, Lin Feng stared at his phone screen, lost in thought.

He knew nothing about this so-called "World Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation." Although the woman spoke with high-sounding words, Lin Feng felt something was off.

It was too sudden.

And Brazil?

He opened his computer and searched for the foundation.

There was indeed an official website that looked legitimate. The list of past winners included well-known archaeologists and historians. But for some reason, Lin Feng just felt uneasy.

"Brother Feng, who was that on the phone?" Wang Dalong came out of the bathroom, drying his hair.

"A foundation. They said they want to give me an award," Lin Feng said simply.

"Oh!" Wang Dalong's eyes lit up. "What kind of award?"

"The World Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation's Outstanding Contribution Award."

"Holy crap, that sounds impressive!" Wang Dalong leaned in. "Where's the ceremony?"

"Brazil."

"Brazil?!" Wang Dalong sucked in a breath. "How long would that flight even take... but Brother Feng, this is an international award! If we win this, we'll have so much prestige wherever we go!"

Lin Feng didn't speak. He just stared at the foundation's official website on the screen, his gaze growing deeper.

Over the next three days, the news grew wings and spread rapidly across the internet.

First, the foundation's official Twitter account posted the list of winners, with Lin Feng's name clearly listed. Subsequently, domestic media outlets began reposting it. Headlines like "Chinese Youth Wins International Award" and "Cultural Relics Guardian Goes Global" were everywhere.

Lin Feng's Weibo followers surged by two million in three days. His private messages and comment sections were filled with people urging him to go collect the award.

Even Jiang Wanqing called him.

"Lin Feng, congratulations," she said with genuine joy in her voice. "This award carries a lot of weight internationally. You should go accept it; it'll be good for your future development."

"...I'm still thinking about it," Lin Feng said.

"Don't think about it anymore," Jiang Wanqing said with a smile. "The Cultural Relics Bureau also hopes you'll go. It helps boost the country's cultural soft power. Besides, haven't you always wanted to see historical sites around the world? This is the perfect opportunity."

Lin Feng fell silent.

He was indeed interested in historical sites around the world. Especially South America—there was the maya civilization, the Inca Empire... and the legendary El Dorado.

"Alright," he finally said. "I'll go."

After hanging up, Lin Feng looked out the window.

The night was deep, and the distant neon lights flickered.

What he didn't know was that on the other side of the planet, Osiris was holding a wine glass, looking at Lin Feng's photo on a screen with a satisfied smile.

"Welcome to my chessboard, Lin Feng."

He whispered, then drained his glass in one gulp.