Chapter 334: Just a Temporary Lull

"The nightclub is a newly emerging recreational and entertainment venue that has become popular among young people. Here, people can drink, sing, and dance, but due to the large flow of people, especially young ones, it is also prone to some decadent phenomena. Tonight, the South River Police Department received reports of drug trafficking and illegal activities at the South River nightclub. The police took immediate action, raiding the nightclub and arresting all suspects on the spot. According to policy, the nightclub has been ordered to close for rectification."

Outside the South River nightclub, a reporter was explaining the situation to the camera: "The South River nightclub is the first nightclub in the entire Lingnan province and even the whole country, and it is also the largest nightclub in South River city. It is truly heartbreaking to see such a situation here. Behind me, there are many angry citizens who have gathered in front of the nightclub. Let's hear what ordinary people think about this."

"The police did the right thing in closing it down! Places like the South River nightclub should have been shut down long ago. Such places are products of foreign, decadent capitalist countries, reflecting their corruption and depravity. How can we have such things here? That would mean we are sinking into their depravity as well. This is bound to lead to disaster!"

A young man angrily waved his fist, and a middle-aged man beside him added, "Closing the South River nightclub is definitely the right decision. I said from the first day it opened that it would definitely be shut down. I've been inside, and it's a den of iniquity—dimly lit, with men and women packed together dancing. It's like a concentration camp of sin! Now that it's been shut down, I hope those misguided young people who went in there can find their way back."

As the interview was taking place, a sudden cheer erupted from the side. Everyone looked over to see that the nightclub's glass was covered in bright red paint, as someone had thrown a bucket of red paint at it. Nearby, people were clapping and shouting, "This damned nightclub, get out of South River! The nightclub is full of whores and lowlifes. Don't pollute our souls. All of you get out of South River!"

To avoid conflicts, Zhou Ming, Kong Xiaolin, and other nightclub staff were on the other side, feeling aggrieved as they listened to the ongoing commotion.

"Boss Zhou, Manager Kong, our nightclub is a legitimate recreational venue, right? We haven't engaged in any illegal activities, right?"

Wei, Kong Xiaolin's assistant manager, mumbled to herself as she looked at the nightclub, and the others looked just as confused, clearly reflecting the shared sentiment.

Kong Xiaolin hugged Wei and said, "Of course not. We are the most legitimate establishment, and all our operations are legal and compliant. They are just slandering us, just like today's false accusations of drug trafficking. It's all a conspiracy!"

"But… why are they cursing us and throwing red paint on our glass doors? We're just a nightclub. They don't need to go this far, do they?" Wei asked.

"It's because they are being manipulated by bad actors. None of this is real," Kong Xiaolin said, but the more she spoke, the more distressed she became as she saw the growing doubt on the faces of the crowd.

Indeed! It's just a nightclub. Even if many people don't like it, it shouldn't have escalated to this point. Moreover, today's situation is clearly a setup. How did it attract so many people to protest like this? Could it be that we're genuinely at fault? Is the nightclub really such a bad place?

As these thoughts began to arise, Kong Xiaolin was very anxious. She turned to Zhou Ming, who was about to speak, but at that moment, a voice from the crowd called out, "Everyone, don't be like this. We can discuss things calmly. Why resort to cursing and such actions?"

Zhou Ming and Kong Xiaolin recognized the voice as belonging to Jiang Chunhua, who was the instigator behind this. So what did he mean by that now?

The question was soon answered. Instead of calming down, the crowd became even more agitated and shouted, "There's no point in talking to these nightclub people. They are lackeys of foreign capitalist forces. Their purpose in running this nightclub is to promote foreign decadence and mislead the youth. They are our common enemy, and we must defeat them!"

Others with even higher ideological awareness yelled, "This is a class struggle. The nightclub and its people are our class enemies, and we must use all means to defeat them!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ming couldn't help but laugh. "Come on! It's just singing and dancing. Why elevate this to a class revolution?"

Zhou Ming's laughter drew everyone's attention, and everyone, including Kong Xiaolin, looked at him in confusion.

Seeing their expressions, Zhou Ming remembered it was 1988, not 2008. If it were twenty years later, people shouting about class struggle in relation to a nightclub would surely be seen as a joke, even for places like Tiananmen. No one would claim such places were promoting harmful ideologies—just criminal activities.

But in the present, with only ten years of reform and opening up, though people's thinking had progressed, it was still far from the openness of later years. Many revolutionary thoughts still lingered in people's minds. If this were not the case, some events in the past wouldn't have occurred.

That's why Kong Xiaolin and the other nightclub staff felt so confused.

Looks like I need to enlighten them!

Zhou Ming thought to himself and then addressed everyone, "Don't look at me like that. My face will turn into a red apple."

His light-hearted remark didn't get any laughs. Zhou Ming then continued, "I'm serious. Don't focus on me. Focus on yourselves!"

His words left everyone puzzled, wondering what they were supposed to examine about themselves.

Fortunately, Zhou Ming didn't keep them guessing for long and quickly explained, "When I say focus on yourselves, I mean question your own conscience. Have any of you engaged in illegal activities? If not, why listen to those idiots over there? Why believe whatever they say?"

Zhou Ming's words were like a thunderbolt, awakening everyone. They realized: Yes! Why should we believe whatever they say?

Zhou Ming gave them just a moment to think and then continued, "You're here every day. You know more about what happens in the nightclub than I do as the boss. Has anyone engaged in drug trafficking or pimping?"

"Of course not! We wouldn't do such things!" Manager Long from the security department replied.

"Exactly. Since we haven't done anything wrong, why are there police raids and why is paint being thrown at our doors?" Zhou Ming asked.

"It's a deliberate setup!" someone quickly responded.

"Exactly!" Zhou Ming said. "Since you understand it's a deliberate setup, why do you still doubt? Don't you think you're being foolish?"

Zhou Ming's words struck deeply, making everyone feel remorseful.

Boss Zhou is right. We know it's a conspiracy, yet we followed the bad actors and doubted Boss Zhou and Manager Kong. We were really wrong!

With this realization, someone immediately apologized, "Sorry, Boss Zhou. We shouldn't have doubted you. I was really foolish!"

With one person leading, others followed, offering their apologies. Some also said, "Boss Zhou, who is behind all this? Will the nightclub reopen?"

"It will, definitely!" Zhou Ming assured.

Even though the nightclub was closed and there were protests and accusations from the outside, Zhou Ming's assurance provided them with confidence, making them believe he would make it happen.

Seeing the confidence in everyone's eyes, Zhou Ming felt relieved and continued, "However, since the police have already sealed the place, reopening immediately is impossible. The nightclub will need to remain closed for a while. Everyone might need to temporarily find other jobs, but don't worry. The nightclub will pay you a month's salary to ensure your livelihood!"

"Boss Zhou, you don't have to. We understand the nightclub's situation. We just want the South River nightclub to reopen, and we'll return!"

Wei, Kong Xiaolin's assistant, spoke up. After her, other staff members echoed her sentiment, each in their own dialect but all expressing the same message: "We want to return to the nightclub. We are one family at the South River nightclub!"

Zhou Ming was heartened by their response. He looked at Kong Xiaolin and thought to himself that she had indeed built a great team with remarkable cohesion.

So Zhou Ming said, "Rest assured, this is just a temporary lull. The nightclub will reopen in the future! Our nightclub is a big family, and this family will not abandon any member. When the nightclub reopens, we will definitely find a way to have everyone back!"

Everyone cheered, creating a stark contrast to the ongoing protests outside.