Huayu 1995

Chapter 36 I respect you as a true man! (Seeking monthly votes~)

Su Chao gave another bunch of nonsensical instructions, and the others gradually returned for lunch.

Today, Su Chao, the boss, is providing meals.

This was the second big meal Su Chao had eaten since arriving here.

The first meal was barbecue skewers that night.

Today, Su Chao asked the Guo brothers to buy two roast ducks.

These days, a single roast duck from Quanjude costs 88 yuan, which is equivalent to one-fifth of a Beijing worker's monthly salary.

Su Chao bought two at once.

In his past life, he ran a training center, and the old brothers who worked with him were all very loyal.

When things hit rock bottom, they had no choice but to dismiss everyone.

When he decided to make a comeback, this group of people gathered around him again.

For no other reason than that Su Chao is a man of honor.

I never treat anyone unfairly.

Two roast ducks weren't enough for so many people, so we also bought some stir-fried dishes.

They pieced together a few tables and set them all up.

The abundance was so great that it made one question the meaning of life.

In total, it cost more than three hundred yuan.

"This money is wasted; it's not even as good as if we ate meat buns every day..."

Guo Xiaofeng's heart was bleeding.

He was the oldest and had been out and about the longest, which had instilled in him a miserly personality.

They're stingy all day long, trying to stretch every penny.

"Don't worry, starting tomorrow, we'll eat meat buns every day."

Su Chao didn't take it seriously and invited everyone to start eating.

"I've been in the capital for two years, and this is the first time I've eaten Peking duck at Quanjude..."

Guo Xiaodong rolled a piece of roast duck dipped in sweet bean sauce in a thin pancake, stuffed it with scallions and cucumber, and almost cried with happiness.

"I've been here for three years and I've never eaten here before."

Guo Xiaofeng comforted him, saying, "It's not that I don't want to take you out to eat, it's just that we're too poor."

They came from a poor family and only just managed to pay off their family's debts this year.

His younger brother is currently taking the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy. If he gets accepted, he'll have to worry about tuition and living expenses.

I can hardly believe I spent a whopping 88 yuan to eat a duck.

"I did eat it once. We were protecting a wealthy businessman from the south. After he finished eating, he pointed to the leftovers on the table and said it was a reward for us. We almost got into a fight over it... I regretted it afterward. It was so damn cowardly."

Lu Bu's voice suddenly choked up.

"It's all in the past. The hardships you've overcome will surely illuminate your path ahead."

Su Chao quickly fed him duck soup—oh no, it was chicken soup.

Damn it, what are you guys doing? I bought this expensive roast duck to motivate everyone, not to give you a farewell dinner.

"I swore I would never eat duck again, but I just forgot, and this duck smells so good!"

Lu Bu rubbed his eyes and picked up a small pancake.

"You f***ing...you're a clown sent by the monkeys, aren't you?"

Su Chao wanted to kick him away.

"I've eaten this many times, but none of them tasted as good as this one."

Huang Bo was also wolfing down his food.

The soreness in his legs did not affect his performance at all.

As a professional dancer, he spends one or two hours practicing dance almost every day. The fact that his legs are so tired shows how many places he has run around to this morning.

Last night, he used the phone at the landlady's convenience store to contact his family.

He said he wouldn't be going back for the time being.

His father was initially worried that something might have happened to him.

But I felt relieved when I heard the tone of his voice.

My son has been working in Beijing for the past two years, and he has visibly become depressed, having long lost the ambition he had when he first arrived.

In that case, let's come back.

You can live a comfortable life as a small business owner at home without worrying about food or clothing.

But this time when he called, Huang Bo's father found that his spirited son was back. Just by imagining it, he could picture his son on the other end of the phone talking about their new business with great enthusiasm.

"You guys are eating so fast, are you in a hurry to be reborn? Can't you take care of the women?"

Zhou Xun's living conditions were better, but she still often went hungry.

Sometimes she not only spends the money she earns on her boyfriend, but the members of his band also have to eat her food.

No matter how much she earns, it's never enough to feed so many people.

Then she could only eat coarse food and wild vegetables.

"You're not a lesbian, you're a buddy! Come on, Mr. Zhou, I salute you for being a real man!"

Guo Xiaodong had absolutely no romantic feelings for Zhou Xun; instead, he treated her as a straightforward and easygoing friend.

So he began to tell the story of what happened that day.

He and Zhou Xun were putting up flyers near Jimenli when an older woman stopped them and said they would be fined, adding that only people from "Honghu Art Exam" were allowed to put them up in that area.

If it were Guo Xiaodong, he probably would have run away without saying a word.

Zhou Xun, however, confronted the older woman head-on, leaving her questioning her very existence.

Guo Xiaodong was deeply impressed. "If she were truly upholding the law impartially, that would be one thing, but she clearly accepted bribes from other training institutions."

Zhou Xun snorted.

The frustration I felt last night was quickly relieved after an argument.

"I think the flyers will definitely be torn up or covered up, and we'll have to keep replenishing them."

Lü Bu made the suggestion.

“Our room is quite big, but it can’t hold too many people. We also need to leave space for teaching people to dance.”

Huang Bo looked around the newly renovated classroom, which even he found to be very high-end.

"We'll rent the whole courtyard in the future, and it will only cost a little over two thousand yuan in total."

Lu Bu was filled with boundless pride.

"Yes, renting it would be great, it can also provide accommodation for the students..."

"It would be great if we could earn enough to cover their food expenses as well."

"Students come in waves, it's a long-term business!"

Su Chao listened quietly as everyone discussed their career development; the team's cohesion was forged in this atmosphere of joint efforts.

Although he was reborn, he does not underestimate people in the present day.

Moreover, he was unfamiliar with many things about this era, and he could learn a lot from everyone's discussions.

"Come on, let's thank the boss for the roast duck!"

Lu Bu picked up his beer and stood up, and the others followed suit.

Everyone is truly grateful to Su Chao.

It felt like Su Chao was a savior who rescued them from the darkness.

“There’s no need to go to such lengths,” Su Chao said, standing up with his glass in hand. “Everyone has worked hard today, it’s my turn to toast you all.”

Everyone ate until their bellies were round and full.

This includes Zhou Xun.

If her boyfriend saw this, he might even suspect she was pregnant.

Lu Bu and Guo Xiaodong cleaned up the mess.

Huang Bo and Guo Xiaofeng continued setting up the training class and tidied up the yard as well.

We'll be receiving guests tomorrow.

"Thank you so much for last night, otherwise..."

Zhou Xun and Su Chao chatted under the shade of a tree in the courtyard.

There was a stone table and several stone stools here, which the landlady had cleaned spotlessly.

"It's okay, it's easy."

Su Chao's act was indeed a small favor, but it was a very important kindness to Zhou Xun.

Without Su Chao, yesterday's outcome would probably have been that someone smashed an ashtray in her face, and then she would have been kicked out of the karaoke bar.

"Tell me, did I really do something wrong? When I heard someone say that I was selling myself, I shouldn't have pretended to be modest."

Zhou Xun leaned against the stone table and looked up at the sky.

"We're just singing in a karaoke bar, not selling ourselves. Why should we have to put up with being taken advantage of?"

This time, Su Chao stood up for Zhou Xun because he was also selling himself.

So far, no one has taken advantage of him.

It's not that no one asks him to drink with them, but rather that he basically ignores them all.

If the guests cause trouble, Sister Hong will naturally handle it.

Of course, if Zhou Xun gets into trouble, Sister Hong won't help her; Sister Hong will only deal with her.

"I thought about it a lot last night, and I just felt... it was pretty pointless."

Zhou Xun took a deep drag, the smoke swirling around her, causing her eyes to involuntarily squint.

"You've acted before, haven't you? Why don't you consider becoming an actor? That might be a good path. Look at Huang Bo, he spent all day as an extra yesterday, and he's still talking about it today."

Su Chao wondered if this counted as fast-forwarding into someone else's life.

In 1991, when Zhou Xun was only 17 years old, she participated in the filming of Xie Tieli's "The Tomb of the Ancient Demons", playing the role of a little fox spirit.

However, she didn't have any new works in the following years.

Previously, one could say she had left the capital and the film and television industry, but since she returned to the capital with her boyfriend, she still hasn't had any works, which seems rather strange.

Unless she has no interest in acting.

“My boyfriend…he doesn’t want me to act. There are two roles that have been offered to me, both of which involve some nudity.”

Zhou Xun turned around and smiled.

When she talked about her boyfriend, she smiled sweetly, as if she had forgotten the unpleasant things that happened last night.

Su Chao looked at her, his mind filled with questions.

Is this the same Zhou Gongzi who is known for his passionate love and hate, and his clear-headedness?
His principle is not to interfere with other people's fate.

He prefers to be a "historical observer" as long as it doesn't involve him.

However, Zhou Xun spent half a day handing out flyers for him.

I'll probably have to continue working this afternoon.

More importantly, she was doing the work for free, unlike the others who were paid.

Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Su Chao asked directly:
"He doesn't want you to act because of nudity, yet he tacitly allows you to sing and drink in nightclubs—places where all sorts of people mingle. What made you have the illusion that he loves you?"

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(End of this chapter)