The birth of an actor

Chapter 85 Interested

"Are you really alright? Or... should we go to the hospital to get checked out?"

"Need not."

Anxin, whose head was starting to buzz, waved her hand again.

Then she poured herself another glass of water.

"It'll be fine in a moment."

"...Have you been to the hospital for a checkup?"

Wang Shuo was also a little confused.

He wasn't unfamiliar with "alcohol allergies," but he had mostly seen cases where the person's entire body turned red after just one drink. He had never seen anyone like An Xin, whose entire body turned purple or black after just one sip of alcohol.

It's so permeable.

Especially since this kid had a shaved head, and his whole head was covered in bulging veins, looking like it was about to explode at any moment...

"I've had it checked, and it's an alcohol allergy. But this sip of beer isn't a problem. I can drink some water and it'll go down in a bit. But if it were spirits, one sip would send me straight to the hospital. Last time I was at a friend's, he joked with me and tricked me into drinking a small cup, and I ended up in the hospital for two days."

"..."

"..."

Wang Shuo and Xu Jinglei were at a loss for words.

After thinking for a long time, I can only say one thing:
"Then your future as an actor won't be easy."

Hearing Wang Shuo's words, An Xin nodded, probably understanding what he meant.

But... how should I put it?

He firmly believes that no matter what kind of wine it is, the way he "transformed" in less than ten minutes after taking a sip is enough to "intimidate" many people.

If there really is someone who doesn't believe in evil and wants to kill you... since they're going to kill you anyway, why bother being polite to them?
If we don't smash this guy's head with a beer bottle, are we going to let him live and cause trouble for others?

So he said:

Whether I continue acting or not is another matter. Even if I do, I think it's all about letting my work speak for itself.

Wang Shuo glanced at An Xin in surprise and nodded:
"That's right, there's a difference between being a big star and being a veteran artist. Of course, you also need to understand that there are plenty of talented people among veteran artists, so don't be superstitious about any authority or artist; those are all empty words. Your achievements are the result of the actor and the roles complementing each other. If you ever hear someone say something like, 'If it weren't for me playing XXX, this drama wouldn't have been a hit,' you should stay far away from that person..."

An Xin had seen a few short clips of Wang Shuo participating in a talk show in her previous life, but she didn't quite remember what he said. However, she did remember his tone and that... indescribable aura.

I have to admit that he is exactly the same as I remember him.

Similar to cynicism, but not quite.

Regardless of whether it's right or wrong, just by listening to him speak, you can sense that this person has his own set of views on how to deal with the world.

Quite interesting.

So the meal and conversation were rushed.

When the two saw the redness on Anxin's skin gradually fade, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

One meal and four bottles of beer.

Xu Jinglei and Wang Shuo each had two bottles.

After dinner, Xu Jinglei suggested going to get Anxin's book.

Wang Shuo naturally agreed, and when he saw An Xin sit in the driver's seat, An Xin sighed helplessly in his heart.

Drunk driving is really punished lightly these days.

He didn't say anything about "finding a designated driver," but instead sat back in the back seat and obediently fastened his seatbelt.

When they arrived at a hutong in Dongcheng District and the car turned in, Wang Shuo took the initiative to suggest:

"Oh, it's so dark. I'll take Anxin home in a bit, you wait for me at home."

Xu Jinglei was stunned again.

She originally planned to deliver it herself.

After all... my boyfriend rarely shows this kind of "care" to people he's just met and doesn't know well.

So much so that my first reaction upon hearing this was, "You can't possibly be interested in this kid, can you?"

Although it was a joke, I was genuinely quite surprised.

However, he didn't think about it too much and just nodded in agreement.
"Row."

The car finally stopped in front of a house:

"Don't worry, have your brother Wang take it back to you. I'll go get the book for you."

"Okay, Sister Leilei."

"Ah."

Xu Jinglei got out of the car with a smile. As soon as she entered the house, Wang Shuo said:

Do you have a phone?

"Uh...no, will a pager work?"

"Okay, there should be a pen in the back. Look for it and write the number down on a piece of paper. I have many friends; if you need anything, I'll have them contact you. Money isn't important, but the item has to be genuine..."

"Ha, that works."

Having understood his "difficulties" from the moment he asked for the deer antlers, Anxin didn't say much. After turning on the Mercedes' headlights, she began searching around.

The pen was found quickly, but...

Looking at the words "Turtle and Deer Kidney Tonifying Pills" on the medicine bottle in the plastic bag, he said:

"I wrote the number on the prescription."

"Row."

Soon, Xu Jinglei came out and handed over the book:

"Drive carefully, don't worry, let's get together again sometime."

"Okay, Sister Leilei."

"Well, go ahead..."

After saying goodbye to Xu Jinglei, Da Ben headed towards Jishuitan after getting the address.

Throughout the trip, the two mainly talked about local specialties from Northeast China.

To be frank, deer antler isn't necessarily an aphrodisiac.

But it is true that deer are full of valuable resources.

Wang Shuo was initially confused, but after hearing that Lu was a pure yang body, the topic quickly veered into miscellaneous studies of traditional Chinese medicine and metaphysics.

In short, they talked about all sorts of things, and Wang Shuo even mentioned at one point that he was currently working on a project to translate the Diamond Sutra into the Beijing dialect.

Anxin listened, stunned. He wondered how to translate "Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove of Anathapindika's Park in Shravasti, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks..." into Beijing dialect. But when Wang Shuo heard that he could recite the Diamond Sutra accurately, he became completely interested.

First, Anxin was shown the "results":
"Come, come, let me translate it for you. 'Thus have I heard' translates to: 'Why did we suddenly start talking about this?' But the full meaning of your sentence is: 'This is what I heard: The Buddha—the fully enlightened Shakyamuni Buddha—lived in a garden called 'Every Tree for Anathapindika' in Shravasti, India, with 1,250 disciplined disciples and other laypeople…'"

"?????"

Anxin was stunned.

Is this even allowed to be translated like that?

But upon closer examination, it seems that this is indeed the meaning of the Buddhist scripture.

Although not entirely accurate, the meaning is indeed similar.

Is the Beijing dialect really that "unreliable"?
Just then, Wang Shuo became interested and asked:

"You also study Buddhist scriptures? Is your family Buddhist?"

"...That counts as a letter."

"What do you mean by 'considered a believer'? Hmm, speaking of which, there are probably more shamans and spirit mediums in Northeast China, right?"

"Uh...right."

"And what about... the guardian spirit?"

"Correct."

Do you have any at home?

"..."

Hearing this, An Xin hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Yes, but my family doesn't have guardian spirits; it's a shrine."

These things definitely cannot be lied about.

You don't have to bring it up yourself, but if someone asks, as a disciple of the spirit medium, you have to tell the truth, otherwise it's disrespectful to the spirits.

But to everyone's surprise, Wang Shuo seemed to also understand this relatively obscure knowledge for people from within the Great Wall, and asked in astonishment:
"A shaman's shrine? Isn't that... a fortune teller? Someone who specializes in telling fortunes and divination, what's it called... what was it called again? It's a continuation of the Qing Dynasty's shamanism... it's called..."

"Disciple of the spirit medium."

"Oh, right, that's it. Only the homes of shamans are called 'shrines,' right? They say it's for worshipping mountain spirits... Do you have a shaman in your family?"

"...That's me."

"?"

"Brother Wang, look ahead... a car."

Seeing the man driving and staring at her with wide, bulging eyes, An Xin tensed up and quickly reminded him to drive carefully.

Wang Shuo quickly turned around to focus on driving, but he couldn't hide the surprise in his voice:
"you are?"

"Ah."

"Can you tell fortunes for people?"

"Yes, you can. But you can't watch it here."

"I know that. They say those fox spirits won't let you into Shanhaiguan, right? You need a permit to come in. The problem is, the Qing Dynasty is gone now, so naturally you can't get in."

"Uh...right."

Anxinxin said you know quite a lot.

So the conversation started to veer towards the "paranormal".

What exactly is meant by "chuma" (or "shamanic practice")?

"Can you really communicate with them?"

"How does one become a shamanic disciple?"

One question after another was raised by Wang Shuo.

Anxin answered all the questions that needed to be answered, including the matter of "divine favor".

However, when he asked about specific methods, he didn't say.

It didn't even mention how to communicate with the old fairy.

These things are difficult to discuss, as they seem too far-fetched. Secondly, sometimes knowing too much can harm one's fortune; both the speaker and the listener will suffer.

No need.

However, Anxin still explained the duties of the Five Immortals to him, such as what the Fox Immortal and the Chang Immortal were in charge of.

After chatting all the way, the car arrived at Jishuitan. Anxin didn't let him go into the alley.

It's difficult to turn around.

Wang Shuo's face, however, was full of unfinished business.

But when Anxin offered to get him some deer antler slices, his own needs ultimately outweighed his thirst for knowledge.

But as he watched Anxin leave, a strong interest rose in his eyes.

This kid... is interesting.

From the conversation in the car earlier, he could tell that the kid was holding back some things.

But the more this happened, the more interested he became, like scratching an itch through a boot.

Having grown up in Beijing, I was exposed to all sorts of superstitious and bizarre stories told by the older generation about the old society.

Now that he had actually encountered it, he was genuinely intrigued.

Unfortunately... it's getting a bit late.

But there's no rush.

This kid isn't annoying, and it would be nice to have him as a younger brother.

We can take it slow later.

So, he took the small plastic bag from Anxin, looked at the deer antler slices inside that had a plastic-like texture, carefully asked how to eat them and how to use them, and then waved his hand:
"Okay, let's do it another day. Come over to my place and chat some more. It's too late today."

"Yes, Brother Wang, please don't use too much. Gentle nourishment is a long-term process and cannot be achieved overnight."

"I know, don't worry."

And so, the Mercedes sped off.

After watching him leave with a sigh of relief, he was about to walk away when he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and saw Fan Bingbing, who was carrying a bag of snacks, looking at him with a curious expression.

After making eye contact, the girl said:
"Don't worry, you're being kept by a rich woman who drives a Mercedes?"

(End of this chapter)