Entertainment Era: Starting with Teaching Sister Meng to Sing

After arriving home from the hospital, Meng Ziyi had just tidied herself up and lay down on the bed when she heard her phone vibrating incessantly.

When I took it out, I saw that it was full of messages from my art student classmates.

[Sister Meng, did you get into trouble outside? The toughest guys at No. 1 Middle School are asking about you everywhere.]

"They took down the seniors' flag bearer in their first year of high school, and the one who led them, surnamed Wang, is a fighting madman. What did you do to offend them?"

It's not safe for you to live alone. Why don't you come to my place for a while?

......

Meng Ziyi first replied: "Thank you, but no need."

Then, recalling how well-behaved Wang Xiaozhou was in the ward, she thought to herself, "This guy really knows how to put on a good act in front of his family."

I opened the friend request, ignoring the boring guys in the art class who were obsessed with the idea of ​​"booking a hotel room," and scrolled to the bottom. Sure enough, I found a friend request from someone named Wang Xiaozhou.

After hesitating for a moment, Meng Ziyi suddenly burst out laughing when she reached out to click "agree." This guy's online name was really corny; he'd start slapping anyone he saw.

The black penguin icon quickly began flashing, and Wang Xiaozhou's first words were...

Do you live outside by yourself?

【right.】

Why don't you stay at my third uncle's house?

They're all at the hospital, and no one's home, so it's not suitable for me to stay.

【Have you got a meal yet.】

【not yet.】

Send me your address.

Meng Ziyi's favorability towards Wang Xiaozhou remained at 2%, but after thinking about it, she still sent the address to Wang Xiaozhou.

This is my brother-in-law's relative. I'll just politely decline when we meet, so as not to give them any lingering feelings or cause them any trouble.

Less than twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Meng Ziyi opened the door to the rented room and saw Wang Xiaozhou carrying large and small bags.

"Look at me, I forgot that you live alone and you must have kitchen utensils at home, so I brought a set with me."

Wang Xiaozhou entered the room and greeted everyone familiarly, then placed the groceries he was carrying on the stove.

The rented room was small, just one room, with the kitchen located near the entrance, much like a studio apartment in a big city. Out of consideration for the girl's privacy, Wang Xiaozhou didn't go inside but stayed at the door, busy with his work.

Tomatoes, eggs, cabbage, pork belly, and a live fish.

Meng Ziyi had assumed that Wang Xiaozhou would order two dishes from the small restaurant and bring them over. She had even planned to make it clear to him at the dinner table that she had no intention of making friends right now.

But Wang Xiaozhou's behavior left her speechless.

First, fry the eggs, then stir-fry the tomatoes until they release their juices, then pour the eggs back in and add salt. Finally, add plenty of chopped green onions and minced garlic.

Wang Xiaozhou silently recited the information that Huang Mao and Meng Ziyi had gathered from their former neighbors.

"That girl was quite pitiful. She was a year younger than me, probably around ten years old. Her parents passed away from illness, and she moved to a relative's house in the city."

To be honest, I don't really have any impressions. I just remember that she came to my house for dinner that year, and my mom made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which was salty. She ate it with great relish and insisted on having her mom make it for her when she got home.

Later, her mother mentioned it to my mother in a joking manner, saying that she had failed at making a savory version, so she desperately tried to compensate by adding chopped green onions and minced garlic, and in the end, she ate it with great relish.

Handing the plate to the somewhat dazed Meng Ziyi, she asked her to put it on the table. "I'll stab you first!"

Braised cabbage with pork belly, the pork belly is stir-fried until slightly charred, it goes very well with rice. My third uncle said this is my third aunt's specialty.

There was no range hood in the house, and the room was filled with smoke when frying fish, which made Meng Ziyi frown.

"Meng Ziyi never eats fish. When she was little, her parents took her to a restaurant and ordered a braised carp. Both of them scolded her until she cried, and she didn't swallow the piece of fish she was chewing."

This statement was made by Meng Ziyi's classmate. It seems the two went to the same elementary school, so it must be accurate.

Finally, they used the remaining eggs to stir-fry some scallions, barely managing to make four dishes. The two of them sat down at the small dining table by the door and began to eat.

"Wang Xiaozhou, I want..."

"Let's eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes first. My mom has made it this way for me since I was little. It's savory and tastes good with rice."

Meng Ziyi tried to explain something, but Wang Xiaozhou, without saying a word, directly scooped half a bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes into her bowl with a spoon, and even stirred the rice for her before handing it back.

Meng Ziyi could only eat a bite of rice, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

"You seem to have a very good relationship with my third aunt."

Chewing on the familiar taste, Meng Ziyi swallowed a mouthful of rice and replied, "After my parents passed away, Sister Juan has always taken me in, afraid that the family wouldn't be able to take care of another person. She hasn't had any children all these years. I must get into the Beijing Film Academy in the future to earn money to treat her illness."

After asking the question, Wang Xiaozhou went back to eating, as if it had just been a casual question.

Meng Ziyi didn't know what she was thinking, but after a short while, she added a sentence.

"According to seniority, you should call me aunt."

Wang Xiaozhou looked up, smiled, and without any hesitation, placed another piece of braised pork belly and cabbage on Meng Ziyi's plate.

"Eat more. First, fry the pork belly until it's crispy. It won't be greasy and will go well with rice. My dad always makes this dish. If I eat less than two bowls of rice, he'll give me a good beating."

Listening to Wang Xiaozhou brag about his happy family without restraint, Meng Ziyi felt even more bitter. After taking a bite of food, a sense of familiarity welled up, and the bitterness turned into grievance.

"You should eat more scrambled eggs with scallions to get more protein. This dish is a staple on our table every day. My dad is so worried that I won't grow to 1.85 meters tall that he's made me sick of it."

Meng Ziyi finally couldn't help but turn her head to the side and subtly wipe her eyes.

Wang Xiaozhou's annoying concern was a response she had prayed to the gods for countless times at night, but to no avail.

"Besides my third aunt, do you have any other close relatives?"

Meng Ziyi shook her head, her voice muffled: "No, after my parents passed away, none of my relatives kept in touch. Only Sister Juan was willing to take care of me."

"But your third aunt won't be able to hold on until you get into the Beijing Film Academy and earn money to treat her illness."

Meng Ziyi looked up, his big eyes filled with shock. How could this gentle, sunny young man utter such devilish words that shattered someone's hopes?

"Your financial situation doesn't support you pursuing art. Even if you get into the Beijing Film Academy, without money or connections, you'll end up as an extra. At best, you'll become a decorative figure in a film crew in your thirties, and you'll have to pay a disgusting price you can't imagine."

Meng Ziyi couldn't hold back any longer. She blinked, and large tears slid down her cheeks.

What Wang Xiaozhou said was cruel, but what was even crueler was that she knew what Wang Xiaozhou said was true.

"But I have no choice. I don't know how to study. I have no other way out except to take the art exam and become an actor."

Wang Xiaozhou continued his monstrous speech as if he hadn't heard a thing.

"At thirty-five, when your body and experience are at a small peak, you may climb one more step and become a second-tier actor, becoming a relatively wealthy person among ordinary people."

But by then, all your closest loved ones have passed away, and you can only wave the money and resources you've gained with your youthful body, indulging in empty materialism, becoming a drifting ship with no anchor left.

Helplessness, resentment, and fear.

Under Wang Xiaozhou's psychological offensive, Meng Ziyi broke down in front of this man she had only met twice, and crying finally came from inside the room.

"I don't know what to do. I'm useless. I can't keep anyone I want to keep."

Wang Xiaozhou promptly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Meng Ziyi: "I can help you. Making money in the entertainment industry isn't the only path you can take, besides the art exam."

The dazed beauty looked up blankly: "Huh?"

Wang Xiaozhou used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat from the untouched braised carp and put it into Meng Ziyi's bowl, uttering only one word.

"eat!"

Mencius, tears streaming down his face, buried his face in the bowl and ate his rice, his tears mixing with the fish and meat as he ate. He looked up and said something with a wronged expression.

"salty."

[Ding! Congratulations! The target's favorability has exceeded 20%. Please claim your newbie gift pack as soon as possible.]