The birth of an actor

Chapter 93 Recommended Candidates

"Hmm, Brother Dong?"

"Uh...you...Bingbing, right?"

Liu Qiangdong looked at the beautiful girl in front of him and asked tentatively.

Fan Bingbing, standing in front of the door, had eyes that curved into crescent moons.

"Yes, please come in."

She opened the door:

"Don't worry, don't worry, Brother Dong is here."

Hearing the noise, An Xin responded, opened the door, and smiled as she looked at Liu Qiangdong and Gong Xiaojing who walked in:
"Brother Dong, Sister Jing, welcome, welcome."

"Haha."

Liu Qiangdong chuckled as he handed over the plastic bag he was carrying.

"Here you go, this is a pastry from my hometown. Emperor Qianlong ate it when he traveled to the south of the Yangtze River. It's quite famous."

"it is good."

After Anxin accepted the gift, she invited the two people into the house.

Liu Qiangdong had just returned from Suqian, and coincidentally, the free-range chicken had also been delivered to Yanjing. Since it was the Lantern Festival, everyone decided to get together for a meal. They had originally planned to invite Uncle Ye, but he had gone to visit someone else on the Lantern Festival, saying he was getting together with some old friends.

This morning when I left, I took a bag of free-range chickens from Anxin and asked them to try them.

"Don't worry, did you rent this?"

Hearing Gong Xiaojing's words, An Xin shook her head:

"No, the front yard is a local specialty shop run by my uncle."

"Oh~"

Gong Xiaojing nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

I just thought the food stewing on the stove smelled really good.

The room was filled with the aroma of meat.

"Dong-ge, have the results been released yet?"

Anxin asked while setting the table and arranging the bowls and chopsticks.

Logically speaking, February is the month for taking the R&D exam results, but he hadn't been paying attention to it and didn't know whether Liu Qiangdong had passed.

"Sent."

Upon hearing this, he immediately asked:

"How's it going?"

"...I didn't pass the exam."

When Liu Qiangdong responded, he didn't show any signs of sadness on his face.

Gong Xiaojing shook his head and said:
"He didn't study much, so it's normal that he didn't pass the exam."

"What about you, Sister Jing?"

"I passed the exam."

"Uh... Congratulations."

"what."

Gong Xiaojing smiled and nodded, while Liu Qiangdong said:
"I've thought about it, and actually it's better if I don't pass the exam. After all, I'm still in debt. If I did pass, I'd definitely have to quit my job, and the pressure would be immense..."

"So you're not planning to retake the exam?"

"I'm not taking the exam anymore, let's just leave it at that."

Seeing how nonchalant he spoke, Anxin didn't say anything more.

As for Fan Bing... she couldn't understand it at all.

For her, who struggled even to get into university, taking the postgraduate entrance exam was a distant dream.

So, as the lid of the clay pot was lifted, the wonderful aroma drew everyone's attention to the pot of free-range chicken that looked like it had been simmering for a long time.

Whether it's taking the postgraduate entrance exam or something else.

Today is the Lantern Festival, so let's not talk about anything that might spoil the mood.

The four sat around a small table, chatting freely and clinking glasses with their drinks. They talked about work, mentioning that both Liu Qiangdong and Gong Xiaojing wanted to pursue careers in the internet and computer fields. They were very optimistic about the new era of multimedia network platforms.

They talked about life, about how their lives had changed since graduation compared to before.

As someone who's been through it all, Anxin naturally has her own insights into these things. So, the conversation somehow turned into a vision of the internet age.

Gong Xiaojing started talking, but after discovering that An Xin and her boyfriend shared some similar views, she gradually stopped talking and began to listen and observe.

To be honest, while she initially had a good impression of this junior, it was mostly due to the precious kindness he showed her boyfriend when he was in dire straits. You know, many people will add flowers to brocade, but offering help in times of need… is incredibly rare. Besides, they had only known each other for a month or two, were just roommates, and their relationship wasn't that deep.

Even so, when she heard on the phone that An Xin was willing to use her own earnings to help him through his difficulties, she still felt... this person was someone she could get along with.

He is an absolutely reliable person.

Growing up in the atmosphere of an administrative compound, she developed her own insights into judging people, whether through her parents' teachings or through what she saw and heard.

From her perspective, a friend like Anxin is extremely rare.

It's a blessing for anyone to encounter one or two such people in their life.

What's even more remarkable is that both sides can still maintain the same views...

and……

"Brother Dong, have you ever thought about this? When the internet and computers become as commonplace as television and radio, won't the traditional in-store shopping model also change? For example, we could build a platform using the internet. Or, we could create an online shopping mall similar to Yansha or Xidan, where people can select goods from all over the country, and then we can deliver them to their homes via mail..."

Hearing Anxin's words, Gong Xiaojing looked at her boyfriend, whose brows suddenly furrowed as he fell into thought, and the surprise in her eyes unconsciously turned into admiration.

Even... his ideas are somewhat whimsical and ahead of their time.

But... it's too ahead of its time.

It's so advanced that I can't quite understand it.

“What you’re saying… seems to make sense, but there are also significant constraints, such as when the internet will develop to the level you’re describing. That’s the biggest challenge…”

"No, the biggest challenge is not in these hardware conditions, but in the trust relationship between sellers. Or rather, the integrity of both parties."

"!"

Seeing her boyfriend's eyes widen instantly, Gong Xiaojing sighed inwardly once again.

These two... they really are the same kind of people.

As she was thinking, she suddenly noticed the girl named Fan Bing sitting opposite her...

I saw her eyes.

His eyes were filled with confusion and doubt, as if to say: What are you talking about? I don't understand.

but……

Despite her doubts, her eyes still shone brightly.

Looking in the direction of peace of mind.

Gong Xiaojing paused for a moment, then a knowing smile appeared on her face. However, she remained silent.

But she knew perfectly well what was going on. How could a girl's eyes be filled with the image of another person...?

This sentiment needs no further explanation.

But... are these two actually boyfriend and girlfriend?
If we could be together... well, you know what.

They're a good match.

……

In fact, An Xin never intended to actively influence Liu Qiangdong to rush into e-commerce.

Firstly... everyone has their own destiny. When the time comes, everything will naturally fall into place.

He understood the saying, "If you plant flowers with care, they may not bloom; but if you plant willows without intention, they may thrive."

Secondly, he wasn't really that cunning to instigate it. The reason we're talking about these topics today is simply because the conversation flowed naturally, and it was just something we said offhand.

At most, it can be an inspiration; as for what the other party will think, no one can control that.

A meal is good if you come with high spirits and leave satisfied.

Furthermore, looking at Fan Bing, who was voluntarily helping him clear the dishes, he felt a strange sense of relief, like an old father who thought, "My daughter has grown up."

But it was just a meal.

After tidying up, Fan Bing yawned, picked out a movie, and sprawled on his bed, trying to fall asleep.

Anxin glared at him:
"If you sleep in the bed, where am I supposed to sleep? Go away, go back to your house and sleep."

"No! It's cold outside!"

"Then let's squeeze in together!"

"……Bye-Bye!"

The girl, blushing with embarrassment, stomped her feet and left in a huff.

However, when evening came and she saw the bag of fried glutinous rice balls that Li Jun had brought back for her after he finished eating the Lantern Festival dinner at Li Jun's place, she happily accepted it and made up with An Xin.

When we said goodbye, I didn't forget to give him one last piece of advice:
"Don't forget, you're coming to class with me tomorrow."

"understood."

Anxin responded and disappeared into the night amidst the fireworks.

The Spring Festival of 1996 came to a complete end from this moment on.

Although 15 days have passed since the start of the new year, for many people, the end of the Lunar New Year is when the new year truly begins.

School doesn't start until the day after tomorrow, so he has plenty of time.

On January 16, which was February 22, 1997, he and the girl went to the newly opened performance class again in the evening.

After paying the fee, he easily found his way to the classroom, but suddenly froze...

"Teacher Liu, you're here so early?"

Liu Zhizi, who was sitting at the podium reading a book, looked up when she heard the voice, and nodded with a smile after seeing that it was An Xin.
"Yes, Happy New Year, don't worry."

"Hey, Teacher Liu, Happy New Year! I wish you good health and a long life."

"Hahaha~"

Liu Zhizi smiled and nodded:
"Well, I wish you all the best in your studies... By the way, you didn't fail any courses, did you?"

"No, they all passed."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhizi's expression relaxed:
"Hmm, that's more like it. You're planning to continue attending classes during your free time?"

"Yes, I'd like to learn from you for a longer period of time."

"How come you've become so sweet-talking after just one year apart?"

"Hahaha……"

Since the other students hadn't arrived yet, the two of them sat in the classroom chatting idly.

When he heard that An Xin had borrowed a dozen or so books using Lu Shiyu's library card and had read them all, he asked An Xin for the titles of the books and casually asked a few questions.

Seeing that his theoretical explanations were quite solid, and that his "Northeastern accent" was becoming less and less pronounced, I realized that I, his "student," hadn't been slacking off at all.

Not only did he neglect his studies, but he also didn't miss out on extracurricular hobbies like performing.

He felt increasingly relieved.

Just then, his pager beeped.

After glancing at it, he got up and walked out.

Anxin then picked up the teaching materials that had been given to her by the performance class and started reading them.

A few minutes later, he came back, glanced at Anxin, and then suddenly stopped.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, looking at the students who were engrossed in their books, he spoke up:
"Peace of mind."

"what?"

“In a few days, a friend of mine is going to start a movie. Give me your contact information. I’ll let you know when he starts it and you can give it a try.”

"Um, okay."

Anxin didn't ask any further questions about the play or anything like that, and just nodded in agreement.

the other side.

on the wine table.

Xu Fan listened to his friends' conversation, his eyes thoughtful.

Noticing this, Feng Xiaogang, whose face was flushed from drinking, asked:

"What are you thinking about?"

Xu Fan snapped out of his reverie, glanced at him, but didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Huo Jianqi, who was sitting opposite him.
"Old Huo, speaking of which... I have a kid I think is pretty good. Should I have him give it a try?"

"Sure, come on over."

Huo Jianqi responded:
"I only have one requirement: the child should look clean and innocent at first glance, like a blank sheet of paper..."

"Your request is too simple."

Zhao Baogang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, was somewhat speechless.

But Huo Jianqi still shook his head:
“It’s not simple at all, brother. The simpler the requirements are, the harder it is to find the right people. You know that, right? Please keep an eye out for me later. Don’t choose actors who are too mature. Actors who are too mature lose their charm. I need actors who are like blank sheets of paper.”

Zhao Baogang was taken aback, and a vague image flashed through his mind.

Hmm, who was it again...?

I've had a bit too much to drink right now, so I don't remember much.

However, he still nodded and agreed.
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you later. I think I've seen a kid like that before... but I can't quite remember right now. I'll think about it when I'm sober tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll toast you again."

"Trying to take advantage of my illness, huh? Hahahaha..."

(End of this chapter)