Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 118 Dare again next time
As the vehicle entered the ramp, it slowed down and stopped in a parking space at the Shaxi service area.

The main building of the service area has a beige exterior wall with a blue glass curtain wall, and there are traces of rust on the corners of the canopy.

“Brother Yang, I know this service area well.” Yang Chaoyue raised his hand to wipe the condensation off the car window, looking at this service area he visits every year.

I used to be on a bus, but now I'm sitting in a car.

The restaurant in the service area had a faded sign that said the store only accepted cash, and the cashier at the front desk was counting change with her chapped fingers, licking her saliva.

White steam billowed from the breakfast window, and tea eggs, priced at 5 yuan a serving, were simmering in an aluminum pot, with soy sauce seeping from the cracks in the eggshells.

At the entrance to the restroom, a man in faded camouflage clothing was washing his hair with hot water from the service area.

The cracked back of his neck was still covered with cement dust from the construction site.

Shaving in front of a broken mirror.

"Don't change the subject, let's continue talking about how we offended the boss." Jiang Yang turned off the engine, took out the car keys, and got back to the important matter of spanking the employee.

"The boss doesn't need to lift a finger, I'll do it myself."

Yang Chaoyue pushed open the car door and got out, raising his hand to slap his own buttocks, not forgetting to add the sound effect: "Slap slap slap, slap slap slap."

During the initial interview, I was timid and hesitant in front of Jiang Yang.

Without realizing it, I've become increasingly eloquent.

Yang Chaoyue still appears reserved in front of outsiders, even in front of Zhao Jinmai.

There are no outsiders now.

Yang Chaoyue walked around the front of the car, opened the driver's side door for Jiang Yang, and turned to show Jiang Yang: "Brother Yang, your employee knows he was wrong."

"Is this how you admit your mistake with such self-righteousness? Are you trying to mess with the boss like he's Japanese? Act properly, your body language and facial expressions need to be on point."

The boss who could joke and tease you freely suddenly becomes a strict teacher.

Realizing that Jiang Yang was testing his acting skills, Yang Chaoyue put away his playful expression.

Yang Ge had taught me how to act out different emotions.

She hunched her shoulders slightly inward, as if weighed down by an invisible weight, and lowered her head to avoid looking directly into Jiang Yang's eyes.

She nervously touched the back of her neck, rubbed the hem of her clothes, glanced quickly at Jiang Yang, and then lowered her gaze again: "Brother Yang, I was wrong."

"Acting convincingly is not enough."

Because I didn't hear the system notification sound.

This indicates that the attribute was not obtained.

Jiang Yang said seriously, "Your language is not natural; you should express fear and regret."

Yang Chaoyue pondered for a moment, understood Jiang Yang's meaning, and carefully recalled the techniques that Jiang Yang had taught him.

She took a half step back, shifting her weight backward.

She glanced at Jiang Yang again, then lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of his shoes: "Brother Yang, I..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid.

He wanted to apologize, but the words caught in his throat. His lips trembled slightly, and he whispered, "Brother Yang, I... I was wrong... really..."

Overall, it passed the test.

It’s enough to act in TV series.

As for movies, they're a bit lacking. Close-up shots require actors to control their facial expressions, and their eyes must convey meaning.

At that moment, Yang Chaoyue's eyes conveyed only four words: "You'll dare to do it again next time!"

Almost there.

It's not like an audition, so Jiang Yang's requirements aren't that high: "Go buy two bottles of Dongpeng liquor to perk you up."

Yang Chaoyue did not respond.

She glanced up at Jiang Yang, then lowered her face again and swallowed hard.

Are you still acting?
Jiang Yang looked closely and saw that when Yang Chaoyue lowered his neck, it revealed the fair skin on the back of his neck and the delicate curve that extended to his collarbone.

Further down lies the forbidden zone of youth.

Strands of hair falling as she lowers her head, her lips being lightly bitten, her fingers clenched tightly…

Yang Chaoyue was trying hard to act like she was apologizing, but her acting was lackluster. Instead, her posture had a somewhat provocative feel to it.

We can't let Yang Chaoyue continue acting like this. He's getting more and more off-track. He's not even an adult yet: "Alright, stop acting. After you finish buying, hurry back to the car. It's quite cold outside."

"Brother Yang, you didn't call 'cut'."

"Cut! That's a wrap!"

"The performance is over!"

Yang Chaoyue happily jogged towards the restaurant.

Jiang Yang went to the bathroom to wash his face and clear his head, as he tends to get sleepy when driving on the highway.

When Yang Chaoyue comes of age, let her get a driver's license, buy her a Mercedes, and let her be his female driver on the highway.

There was a yellowed warning sign on the door of the restroom that said "Caution: Slippery Floor," and there was a gas station right next to it.

As I walked towards the shopping area, I instinctively wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes.

In the past, whenever I took a break while driving on the highway, I would smoke a cigarette.

The thoughts in my mind suddenly stopped.

forget it.

Jiang Yang doesn't consider himself a particularly self-disciplined person, unlike his previous life when he was addicted to cigarettes; he's just been reborn with a cheat code.

My nature will not change.

Once you start smoking, you can't quit.

Most importantly, Yang Chaoyue doesn't like the smell of smoke.

Even knowing he smokes, Yang Chaoyue would never stop him; she might even cover her nose and buy him cigarettes.

From now on, Zhao Jinmai will be pestering him to play a lot, because it's bad for a child's health to smell smoke.

She might even be cursing him on QQ right now for being untrustworthy.

Today I went to Yang Chaoyue's hometown to finalize his contract. If I have time when I get back, I'll take Zhao Jinmai out for some fun.

If you don't have time, then forget it.

Children keep their word; adults only consider pros and cons.

In this life, I will refrain from smoking.

Unless there are scenes where he has to smoke on camera in the future.

How did you get addicted to smoking in your past life?

While sitting in the car and waiting for Yang Chaoyue, Jiang Yang carefully recalled the events.

I remember now, it started back in my student days.

At that time, I was younger than Yang Chaoyue is now, about the same age as Zhao Jinmai is now.

Imitating characters from movies like Young and Dangerous, The Godfather, and Mark Gor, I bought loose cigarettes from the convenience store near the school gate.

Taking a puff only made my throat feel choked, and my mouth felt full of ash.

During breaks, I would sneak around in the bathroom with a few buddies, imitating the way adults talked.

Back then, I didn't smoke for the taste; I smoked to prove I'd grown up. When I exhaled smoke, I thought I was exhaling naivety and inhaling maturity.

He was particularly embarrassed when the head of the teaching department caught him and berated him.

"Oh right... what was the name of that guy I always smoked with in the bathroom back in my student days? I remember there was one who always fell asleep during Chinese class... his name was..."

After thinking for a while, Jiang Yang let out a sigh.

It's both laughable and nostalgic.

Back then, I thought smoking was cool, but after starting work, it was just to get by.

Cigarettes became the cheapest tranquilizer.

As nicotine burns, anxiety seems to be flicked away with the ash.

Later, after I started working, I only smoked to relieve stress.

What I can't quit isn't cigarettes, but those nights when I have no one to talk to.

Pressure, loneliness, and confusion all turn to ashes in a cigarette.

Knowing it's harmful, yet still becoming dependent on it.

If you really can't quit smoking, try to find some humor in it and tell yourself that although smoking is harmful to your health, at least you're paying taxes to the country.

They always try their best to prove their maturity when they are young, and then desperately miss their youth after they become mature.

Even after being reborn, I cannot escape this law.

It's incredibly vulgar.

"Brother Yang, we bought Dongpeng! There are so many people lining up."

The passenger door opened, and Yang Chaoyue got in, his breath steaming in the cold air. His cheeks were flushed from the cold. "It's so much more comfortable in the car. There's heating, and no of that weird smell from the bus."

Jiang Yang took a sip from Dong Peng's drink.

He shook his head to clear his mind, feeling so cold: "I reckon in a couple of years, there won't be any people queuing to pay at the service areas."

"Why?"

"By then, smartphones will become increasingly cheaper, and Alipay and WeChat Pay will be heavily marketing themselves, both of which are mobile payment methods."

"Does that mean no one will carry cash anymore?"

"Ah."

"No way, absolutely impossible."

Yang Chaoyue rubbed his hands together, but his cold palms wouldn't warm up anytime soon.

She held Jiang Yang's warm hand, clasping both hands together, rubbing against the warmth of his palm:
"I know about mobile payment. I've seen news about it recently. It's all about numbers on your phone. It's not as reassuring as carrying cash in your pocket."

Jiang Yang glanced at his hand, which was being held by Yang Chaoyue.

Feeling the warmth of his palm, Yang Chaoyue's cold palm gradually warmed up.

Noticing Jiang Yang's gaze, Yang Chaoyue preemptively asked, "Brother Yang, won't your right hand get cold if I touch it like this?"

"Of course your right hand won't be cold."

"That's good."

"Because you're covering your left hand."

He cleared his throat, mimicking the tone of the school's dean of students, lowering his voice and raising the pitch at the end:
“Some female students shamelessly touch male students’ hands. I’m talking to you, Yang Chaoyue. Which class are you in? You don’t do your homework and you have time to date. Call your parents over.”

Yang Chaoyue felt a shiver run down his spine.

Yang Ge's acting was so convincing, it felt like my middle school principal had come to life.

She loosened her grip on Jiang Yang's hand for a second, then tightened it even more:
"Who are you trying to scare? I dropped out of school, what am I afraid of about early romance? When I get to my hometown, I'll run into my former head teacher, but I won't be afraid... Several of my colleagues from the textile factory dropped out of school in the same year as me, and now they're all married and have children back in their hometowns. Some of them are even divorced and single mothers. They post on social media every now and then, cursing men and talking about how unhappy their marriages are."

Is the gender antagonism already beginning to emerge these days?

The gradual popularization of the internet has been accompanied by the clash of ideas between different social classes.

So terrifying.

Yang Chaoyue's palms have very fair skin, but they don't feel smooth to the touch because of calluses.

The calluses on the fingertips are formed when the fingertips repeatedly rub against the palm while making seams in a textile factory.

The calluses on the palms are caused by pressing the parts of the textile machine with force.

The area between the thumb and forefinger is formed by the frequent exertion of force when operating machine switches and adjusting parts.

I've only been an employee for two months and haven't done any of the physical labor I used to do, but the marks left by my previous job won't disappear anytime soon.

They will accompany Yang Chaoyue for a long time.

After making a couple of jokes, and once Yang Chaoyue's palms had warmed up, Jiang Yang put his hands down and shifted gears.

Fill up the tank and continue on your way.

Jiang Yang was in high spirits and asked Yang Chaoyue to turn up the volume of the car stereo.

The latest news is playing inside:
"Monster Hunt" has grossed over 24 billion yuan, breaking the record for domestic films.

"EXO's Chinese member Lu Han terminated his contract and returned to China to pursue his career."

"Tickets for Wang Fei's concert sold out in 30 seconds, with scalpers reselling them for tens of thousands of yuan."

"Wang Feng fails to make headlines again."

……

Yang Chaoyue had no interest in these news reports.

Because I'm not familiar with it.

I've never been to a movie theater, so I don't know what box office figures are.

I don't follow EXO and have never been to a celebrity's concert.

I just wanted to lean back in my seat and take a nap, but I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I found that the car had already driven to the Yancheng section of the Shenhai Expressway.

The road is a two-way, four-lane cement road, with some sections showing signs of repair.

There was a faded Dongfeng Yueda Kia car advertisement on the roadside, swaying slightly in the sea breeze.

Ahead is the old Yancheng North Toll Station with its blue roof and white walls.

"We're almost home!!"

Yang Chaoyue immediately snapped out of it: "Brother Yang, the navigation is giving me the wrong directions. Just follow me, I can find this road even with my eyes closed."

Jiang Yang felt that Yang Chaoyue instantly blended into the city.

Because the pronunciation is all in the Yancheng accent.

To be precise, it's a local accent.

The local accent is like a key hidden in the throat; once spoken, it unlocks the door to one's hometown.

In the past, the world had only two coordinates: the assembly line in a foreign land and the wild grass on the ridge of the fields back home.

A migrant worker from another province returned to Yancheng, Jiangsu, and became a local.

Turn off the navigation and hand over the right to give directions to Yang Chaoyue.

Jiang Yang himself became the only outsider.

(End of this chapter)