The birth of an actor

Chapter 111 Lost Courage

Gong Xiaojing's birthday was quite lively, with a total of fourteen people including An Xin and Fan Bing. The other eight were classmates Gong Xiaojing met during her graduate studies, all of whom are first-year graduate students this year.

Anxin had met all these people for the first time, but they got along quite well.

Perhaps because most of us are first-year graduate students and not yet "worldly" enough, we mostly talked about fun things from our university days.

Furthermore, these people said they had all heard of An Xin, their junior schoolmate.

At first, I knew that a very handsome guy had come to our freshman year, and he was also very young, only sixteen.

Some people even immediately declared him the campus heartthrob of freshman year.

Anxin was completely stunned.

School heartthrob?

He didn't have this title in his previous life...

Later, it turned out this junior was actually an actor, and he shaved his head shortly after starting his freshman year. The comments then became polarized: some thought he was incredibly ugly and didn't deserve the title of "campus heartthrob," while others thought he was even more handsome than before…

In short, he's in the news quite a lot.

As a result, these first-year graduate students also became somewhat curious about Fan Bingbing.

After all... this girl is really pretty.

But this curiosity was polite, after all, Fan Bing came with An Xin.

In short, everyone chatted happily over the beer.

There was even a glass of beer in front of Fan Bingbing.

An Xin then realized... Fan Bing's alcohol tolerance was quite good.

He downed three or four beers without a scratch. His face wasn't flushed, and he wasn't even out of breath, which astonished him.

Then, the dinner party went on until after 7 p.m., and Gong Xiaojing, whose face was flushed from drinking, invited everyone to go sing karaoke.

At that time, it wasn't called KTV, but Karaoke.

An Xin was naturally not a loner, but when they got to the karaoke bar and he was asked to sing, he kept waving his hands.

Born tone-deaf, I know I'll never be able to sing.

On the contrary, Fan Bing contributed a song called "Smiling Face".

When she appeared, a group of people cheered for the girl on the screen, and then... no one noticed that the man in sunglasses in the various montage shots was An Xin.

Then, when the girl finished singing and slyly glanced at An Xinle, he realized that the brat must have done it on purpose.

He rolled his eyes at her speechlessly, which only elicited even louder laughter.

At that moment, Liu Qiangdong flashed past An Xin, holding his phone.

Anxin didn't pay any attention and continued to join in the fun with the musical instrument in her hand, the name of which she didn't know and which made a rattling sound when touched.

Until Liu Qiangdong waved to him.

An Xin was taken aback. Looking at Dong Ge, who was standing at the door waving at her, she got up and walked out.

Because the lighting in the private room was dim, he only noticed that Liu Qiangdong's expression was a little off when he got closer.

He was embarrassed, apologetic, ashamed... In short, his facial features were all expressing these emotions.

"Brother Dong, what's wrong with you?"

"..."

Liu Qiangdong pursed his lips and suddenly asked:

Do you have money right now?

"Have."

At first, Anxin thought he didn't have enough money to pay the bill.

After all, everyone had ordered some drinks, so this private room probably wasn't cheap.

The room was spacious enough to hold more than a dozen people.

So he took out his wallet.

But Liu Qiangdong shook his head:
"It's not a small amount of money... Do you have 40,000 yuan?"

"Uh……"

Now, Anxin realized what was happening:

Why do you suddenly want so much?

"That was the guy who paid me back from the shop... I was supposed to pay him back in installments. He's a really generous guy; when he heard I'd been scammed, he said not to worry, he wasn't in a rush to get the money. So I was focusing on paying my suppliers. Every month after I get my salary, plus the money I earn doing programming for people at night, I give them a little bit each month. But... his family member was just diagnosed with an illness and needs surgery. They desperately need the money to save their life... Do you have any?"

"Have."

After hearing this, Anxin nodded:

Is 40,000 enough?

Liu Qiangdong's eyes lit up immediately.

“That’s enough! He just asked me to squeeze out some money for him. But… he needs money to save his life, I can’t let him struggle with something that’s a matter of life and death…”

"Okay, I understand. But the bank is closed now, so I'll withdraw it for you tomorrow morning, okay?"

With An Xin's reassurance, Liu Qiangdong immediately said without hesitation:
"Okay! Then I'll come to your house tomorrow?"

"Ah."

"Then I'll go to the front desk now and get a piece of paper to write you an IOU."

"Need not."

Anxin waved her hand again.

He was worried about not having this opportunity not long ago.

I never expected that God would deliver it to me today.

“I trust you, Dong-ge. Just take it and use it. I’m not in a hurry anyway. If you ever need money urgently, just tell me. I’ve actually earned quite a bit these past few months, including my film and advertising fees.”

"……Ugh."

Upon hearing An Xin's words, Liu Qiangdong's sigh contained both envy and a complex sense of helplessness.

I envy him because... my junior's face is definitely cut out for this kind of work.

Didn't you see how his girlfriend's female classmates' eyes lit up when they looked at him?

Unfortunately, I still ended up causing trouble for them.

"Alright, Dong-ge. It's not a big deal. Come find me tomorrow, and we'll go to the bank to withdraw the money and give it to them right away. As for me... you don't need to rush to pay me. Just don't put too much pressure on yourself because of paying off debts."

"……Um."

Whether Liu Qiangdong listened or not, at least the immediate crisis has been resolved.

So, after they made their decision, the two returned to the private room.

Business as usual.

However, as soon as An Xin sat down, Fan Bing leaned over:
"what's wrong?"

"Dong borrowed 40,000 yuan from me in an emergency."

"Uh……"

Fan Bing paused for a moment, then nodded:
"Okay, then you can just take it from our money."

Anxin was taken aback.

He glanced at her in surprise.

The girl felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze and asked in confusion:
"what's wrong?"

"Ha, it's nothing."

I'm relieved and happy.

I thought to myself, "You'll be thanking my ancestors for eight generations to come."

Fan Bingbing.

This sentence is the most important sentence you will ever hear in your life.

Just then, another sentence rang in his ears:

"Hey, could you pick out a 'Heroes' song for me?" "...?"

An Xin was momentarily stunned, looking at her large eyes, which were perhaps a little watery due to the alcohol:

"What?"

"I want to belt out Liu Huan's 'Heroes' song a couple of times."

"..."

moment.

"Great river! Flowing eastward!!"

"The stars in the sky are like the Big Dipper!!"

"Fuck..."

Anxin listened to the noise and subconsciously moved a little further away from her.

Looking at her silly, grinning expression as she sang...

You know what, he's usually so soft and fluffy... but when this song started playing, he suddenly remembered...

This guy is also a hero from Shandong.

Ok.

Appropriate to the occasion and context.

Wow! Bingbing, hahaha, it sounds so good!

"another one!"

"So impressive!"

After singing "The Ballad of Heroes," amidst the laughter and praise of the crowd, the girl, her face growing increasingly red, wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Hehe, thank you, thank you."

She placed the microphone on the table, gripped her wine glass, and gave a wry smile to Anxin, who was inexplicably sitting far away from her.
"How's it going?"

Upon hearing this, An Xin silently picked up the bottle of cola in front of her.

He held it with both hands and slowly raised it to his upper right.

"?"

Fan Bing was taken aback, wondering what was going on.
Then I saw the boy lift the Coke up to the sky and then put it back down in front of him, then tilt his head back and chug it down.

What a weird pose...

Weird.

But for some reason, she felt very happy.

It's like... being revered.

……

"Are you OK?"

"No, hehe."

"Are you sure? I feel like you drank seven or eight glasses today."

"I don't feel anything, well, it just feels a bit shaky."

At night, the girl rested her head on the boy's back and closed her eyes contentedly.

"My throat got a little dry later, so I drank a bit more. Hey, is my voice hoarse yet?"

"You're mute... Who told you to yell like that?"

"Hehehe, this is my first time at karaoke, it's fun!"

"the first time?"

"Hmm. I've only ever seen him on TV before, I've never told you about him. My dad has a nickname, Yantai Tong Ange. Back when he wasn't making money in the troupe, he often went to nightclubs to sing for people... He probably saw a lot of bad things, so he's particularly against me going to places like that. So, this is my first time."

"I see."

"Hey, come to think of it, we have so many firsts together... Hey, what are you doing!"

Seeing the car, which was usually as steady as Mount Tai, suddenly sway, she instinctively hugged Anxin's waist.

After the car stabilized again, he said speechlessly:
"What are you doing! You scared me..."

"...There was a hole just now, sorry."

Anxin apologized with a strange expression on her face.

Fan Bing didn't pay any attention. She casually turned her head to look, and after realizing it was too dark to see anything, she climbed back onto his back, chuckling.

"Hehe, the first time I ate Peking duck... it was you who brought it to me. The first time I went to Quanjude to eat Peking duck was also with you. The first time I was a model was also with you, and the first time I took a milk bath was also with you..."

"No, don't talk nonsense. We went into the bathhouse together, you went to the women's bath and I went to the men's bath, it's not the same thing!"

"I know, do you need to tell me?"

Fan Bing was speechless for a moment, then continued to rattle off her details as if they were her most treasured possessions.

Things like being carried on someone other than your parents for the first time, or strolling around Houhai for the first time...

She should have kept quiet, because once she did, Anxin realized... there really were so many firsts.

Although it's a bit strange to consider eating braised pork offal as a "first time".

But... it is true, at least for the girl, that the two of them accomplished many, even countless, firsts.

For some reason, his eyes and brows softened as he muttered to himself the whole way behind him.

The evening breeze was pleasant, and I felt a sense of reflection.

"Wow, there are so many..."

"Yes."

The girl, whose eyes had closed at some point, responded softly.

Or perhaps it was the effects of the alcohol.

Or perhaps something else...

Suddenly, she felt she had something to say.

"Peace of mind..."

"We're here! Hurry up, get off the bus!"

"..."

The girl instinctively opened her eyes and realized that, without her noticing, the motorcycle had already arrived home.

"Uh……"

After she habitually stepped down, she heard Anxin say:

"I won't bother with you tomorrow. Go and get some money for Dong-ge first. You should get some rest."

Then they handed over the key to the back door.

"..."

The girl hesitated for a moment, then naturally took it and opened the back door.

The motorcycle sputtered past her and entered the courtyard.

"..."

The girl's lips inexplicably pursed into a "W" shape, as if she were a little aggrieved.

"what's wrong?"

Then she heard the boy's question.

But for some reason, that courage in my heart vanished.

then……

"It's okay, remember to lock the door. I'm leaving now, goodnight."

"OK, good night."

The crescent moon wanes, gradually fading into the distance.

(Took my child to get their eyes checked this morning, it took up the whole morning, I'm so tired, that's 7K for today.)
(End of this chapter)