The birth of an actor

Chapter 24 Walking the Right Path

"Sister, I...I'll send it to you in the next few days. My mom went back to her hometown and can't send the money, but I'll definitely send it to you tomorrow or the day after."

As the girl quickly explained, the older woman nodded at first, but her gaze fell on the plastic bag in An Xin's hand.

There's no way around it; people from other places might need some recognition to spot Quanjude's logo, but for locals in Yanjing, it's something they know all too well.

Then, the eldest sister's tone carried a hint of sarcasm or something else, which was hard to discern:
"Oh, you've all gone to Quanjude? Oh, I knew it! How could you not have money to pay the rent?... Xiao Fan, you know I'm not forcing you, but you can't just live here empty-handed, can you? Besides, the whole country is modernizing now, and there are cooperatives in the countryside too. And your meal must have cost a hundred or two, right? You're short eighty yuan for rent?"

"I……"

"Hey, never mind, it's tomorrow. Xiao Fan, pay me the rent by noon tomorrow. Otherwise, you can't stay here next month. You're practically living like a glutton, so don't make things difficult for me. It's settled then, you guys go about your business, no need to see me off."

After saying that, the woman turned her head and walked into the alley.

He didn't give the girl a chance to explain at all.

"..."

The two watched as the woman walked to the gate of the house next door, and only after she pushed the door open and went inside did Fan Bing come back to her senses.

He glanced at An Xin, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said:

"My older sister is usually really good to me, but she probably had a fight with her family today and is in a bad mood... I'm just unlucky. Hehe~"

As she spoke, she suddenly burst out laughing, then her expression completely changed to one of anticipation as she pushed the door open:

"Come on, come on, hurry up, don't let the duck get cold."

"Uh... um."

Anxin responded and followed her into the bungalow.

As soon as he entered, he immediately noticed the difference.

Uncle Li's place is his entire courtyard. There are three single-story houses in the courtyard, plus a small kitchen, making it four rooms in total. But all four rooms are actually warehouses, filled with all sorts of mountain products and local specialties.

But the courtyard was actually quite empty.

But this courtyard is different. Putting everything else aside, from the moment he entered, to the door of a small room that was clearly built illegally, he had to turn at least twice.

It's like a damn maze.

The "small apartment" where Fan Bingbing is taking out her keys to open the door is also an extension of the whole house. Judging by sight, its "width" is only about 1.5 meters.

After Fan Bing opened the door and turned on the light, An Xin finally saw the girl's living environment.

Before this, he only knew that the other person shared an apartment with another senior student who also graduated from Xie Jin Star Academy, and when he saw the width of the apartment, he wondered how two beds could fit in it. But after turning on the lights, he saw it clearly.

The only bed in the house is a bunk bed.

Like the kind of school dormitory.

A bunk bed, a simple wardrobe, and a wooden double desk like those in schools, piled high with all sorts of bottles and jars of cosmetics.

There was also a wire clothesline spanning the room, with a few simple pieces of underwear hanging on it.

Before An Xin could even see clearly, Fan Bing slammed the door shut.

"Wait a minute..."

Then, there was a flurry of activity inside the room. When the door opened again, the underwear hanging on the wire was gone.

"Come in... come in."

Under the dim yellow light, the girl blushed slightly and stepped aside.

Anxin nodded politely, and as soon as she stepped inside, a wave of heat hit her.

The heat, the humidity, and a unique fragrance found only in a girl's room rushed into my nostrils.

"...Aren't you hot staying here at night?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his head.

That's when I discovered why the room was so hot—the ceiling was made of sheet metal.

Good guy...

At midday, isn't it like a steamer?
Upon hearing this, Fan Bing shook her head slightly:

"After wiping myself down, I don't want to think about anything. I just want to turn on the fan and go to sleep."

"...and this house costs eighty a month?"

Anxin's idea seemed absurd, but the girl shook her head again:
"160 yuan, half for me and half for that lady. Electricity bill split. But water is free, hehe, that's pretty good."

As she spoke, she quickly lifted the mattress on the upper bunk and continued:

"I'll sleep upstairs. There's only one chair in this room, so you can sit upstairs."

"I'll just stand."

"Oh dear, that's not good. It's okay, you go upstairs. I'll finish eating quickly... Oh, wait, you can go back now, it's getting late, see you tomorrow morning... Uh... Do you want some water?"

I'm relieved and happy.

It's clear that although this girl seemed very mature back when she was at the Beijing Film Studio, her naivety in dealing with people and things is now fully exposed.

He chuckled and shook his head, then, amidst the swaying of the bed frame, sat down on the shop's formwork, looking down at the girl.

"Isn't your roommate back yet?"

"She's rarely home, staying at her boyfriend's... Ugh, that's what bothers me. Since last month, she's been making me pay more for electricity, saying she's hardly ever home and I'm the one paying for the electricity. The thing is, I don't use it much either. When I sleep alone, I only use the fan on a timer. But every time she's home, the fan runs all night long... I checked the meter the day I came back from Inner Mongolia, and she used 10-20 kilowatt-hours in those few days. I have no idea how she used it..."

As she spoke, she unwrapped the plastic bag.

A delicious aroma of duck wafted out:

"Wow, it smells so good... I've been in Yanjing for so long and I've only eaten duck once, and that was at one of those small shops. Wow... Quanjude really is something else, the taste is completely different..."

She quickly picked up a piece of duck and popped it into her mouth, only then having time to unpack the bag containing scallions and pancakes.

Anxin watched her wolf down her food and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Aren't you going to lose weight?"

But... to be honest, after spending these few days together, he's come to understand this girl's personality.

To die is to face and suffer.

No matter how wronged they feel inside, they will never admit it outwardly.

So, rather than believing she's on a diet, it's more accurate to say that the girl in front of you, who had several slices of duck wrapped in a pancake and swallowed it all in one bite, with her eyes crinkling into crescents, was trying to save money.

After all... she couldn't even seem to afford the rent.

"Quanjude is so delicious, truly authentic..."

Looking at the girl who was looking up at him and speaking indistinctly, Anxin smiled and nodded, thinking to herself, "You didn't even pour me a glass of water."

But he stopped talking and just watched as she devoured the half-duck meat in less than five minutes.

"Hiccup... Hehehe."

After letting out a burp, the girl smiled sheepishly.

Seeing this, Anxin decided to get up and take her leave.

Without even turning around, he jumped straight down, but the next second:
"Boom!"

"Ouch!"

"oops……"

Seeing An Xin's head hit the ladder hard, Fan Bing quickly turned around:
"Are you alright? Are you alright?"

"hiss……"

Anxin rubbed his head, first shaking it, then staring speechlessly at the constantly trembling wire...

Damn it, I forgot about this wire.

"Why are you pulling this wire?... Ouch~~"

Upon hearing this, Fan Bing said speechlessly:

"Who knew you'd jump straight down? This is specifically for...drying underwear. People will steal it if it's hung outside."

"..."

Anxin was speechless.

I quickly checked my palm and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no blood.

But it really hurts.

He propped himself up on the edge of the bed and sighed helplessly.

"I'm leaving."

"Are you alright?" "Yes."

"...Then I'll take you there."

"Ah."

He walked out while rubbing his head.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it feels cooler outside than inside.

At the same time, he saw the girl turn off the fan.

That's incredibly frugal.

So when Fan Bing came out, he casually asked:

What about your rent?

"..."

The girl paused, her good mood from filling her stomach vanishing instantly.

After walking silently for a while, she suddenly said:

"Shall I treat you to an ice pop?"

Anxin turned her head and glanced at her, then nodded.

"Okay."

He didn't really care about popsicles.

But the helplessness on the little girl's face at that moment was quite heartbreaking.

So, the motorcycle sputtered and drove to the entrance of the alley.

After buying two 50-cent popsicles at the still-lit convenience store, the two didn't go far. They sat on what looked like the stools where people usually played chess at the store entrance and started eating.

The five-cent cream popsicles don't have a particularly strong milky flavor, but at least they're sweet and icy cold, which can relieve boredom.

Neither of them spoke at first.

When only half an ice pop remained, Fan Bingbing suddenly spoke:
"Actually... I lied to my mom that I can support myself now."

"?"

An Xin was startled and turned to look at her, but the girl's hand pressed against her cheek, stopping her.

"Don't look at me... I'll be too embarrassed to say it if you look at me."

"..."

Anxinxin said that you're making it sound like you're about to confess your feelings to me.

But he also understood... this girl had a strong personality and didn't want others to see her vulnerability.

So he obediently continued to watch the bustling traffic on the road.

Then she continued:
“My mom initially gave me 500 yuan a month for living expenses. But… she doesn’t give it to me anymore. Because… she doesn’t want me to be alone here and wants me to go back. After all, I’ve been away for several months, and she’s worried about me. She also thinks being an actress isn’t realistic. She just wants me to go back. My aunt runs a hair salon and earns over 10,000 yuan a month. She’s been very good to me and has repeatedly told my mom that I should go and learn from her so I can open my own hair salon and make money…”

"But you refused?"

"Yes. I want to be an actor! I want to be a star! I want to be famous! I want to be the most famous star!"

Hearing this, An Xin didn't turn around.

You can't see what the girl's expression is now.

But ironically... through the change in his tone, he sensed that most direct stubbornness and persistence.

"So, I lied to her. I told her that although I'm not famous here yet, a lot of people are asking me to shoot commercials and music videos. She didn't believe me... So starting last month, I stopped asking her for money and told her that I'm very rich now."

"..."

“I can’t ask her for money, if I do… she’ll know I’m lying. I… I might have to go back.”

Hearing this, Anxin thought for a moment and said:
"Have you ever thought that, more than lies, your parents care about your life? They're afraid you'll suffer, afraid you'll be wronged, afraid you'll..."

"I know. But I can't go back!"

The girl interrupted him directly:

“If I go back, I might… not be able to be an actor anymore! So even though life is a bit tough now, at least I haven’t starved to death… As long as you don’t starve, you can always make it! Don’t you agree?”

"……Um."

Anxin responded with a soft "yes," recalling the news he'd seen while superficially "watching the gossip" in the entertainment industry, and said:
"Your choice is right, because you're definitely going to be a huge star. Really, trust me."

"!"

From the side where Anxin couldn't see, the girl's eyes widened instantly.

She couldn't help but look at the boy's profile.

The atmosphere fell silent.

After about five or six seconds, she said:
"I thought you would advise me to tell my mom the truth."

For some reason, her tone became incredibly gentle.

But Anxin chuckled softly:
"No, have you forgotten what I do? I can tell from just one look at you that you're destined for fame. It's just that..."

Recalling his past life, he hadn't originally planned to mention it, but after much deliberation, he finally said:
"Your fame can only be earned through the right path. If you stray even slightly, you will be ruined."

"Uh……"

The girl was taken aback, and said with some confusion:

"What do you mean?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. But... I hope you'll remember this. After all, I've said everything I needed to say."

As An Xin spoke, she turned her head and looked at her very seriously, saying each word carefully:

"Just remember it."

Suddenly, that... that inexplicable look she had felt back in Inner Mongolia resurfaced.

The girl was startled by what he said.

Goosebumps immediately appeared on my skin.

But this time, she didn't flinch; instead, she met Anxin's gaze with the same clear eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll remember these words for the rest of my life, I promise."

"Ah."

Seeing that she was serious, Anxin responded and quickly ate the cream popsicle in a few bites before reaching into her pocket.

"Give."

"..."

The girl looked at the two old-fashioned bills handed to her and subconsciously pursed her lips.

She seemed to want to say something, but Anxin shoved the money into her hand without warning.
"It's a loan from you. You can pay me back when you have the money."

After saying that, he stood up:

"I'm leaving now, don't be late tomorrow."

"……Um."

Clutching the two hundred yuan, Fan Bing responded.

Anxin started the motorcycle and waved to the girl who was still holding half an ice pop in her hand:
"Let's go, bye."

"...Okay, bye-bye."

The motorcycle sputtered, its taillights merging into the traffic and disappearing from sight.

The girl remained silent, clutching the two hundred yuan in her hand, staring blankly into the distance.

Watched for a while.

Her eyes reddened.

But nobody cared.

Only the starry sky above twinkles, high above, eternally unchanged, witnessing scene after scene of joy and sorrow.