Entertainment Era: Starting with Teaching Sister Meng to Sing

Mao Xiaotong's company rented her an apartment in Shanghai, a small two-bedroom apartment near the suburbs.

In fact, the income of most second-tier celebrities is enough to support them not living in the company-provided dormitories, but renting a nice house or staying in high-end hotels year-round.

But Mao Xiaotong is different. Her family background is considered very poor in the entertainment industry. She not only has to spend the money she earns, but also has to support her mother's expenses. The sense of embarrassment caused by her financial difficulties since childhood forces her to save more money for emergencies.

So even though she already had some fame and received many more commercial orders after the new year due to the release of her short film, Mao Xiaotong still lived in a remote dormitory arranged by the company.

Wang Xiaozhou was coming that day, so she got up very early and took the bus and subway to the airport to pick him up.

I was originally debating whether or not to book a hotel for Wang Xiaozhou in the city to show my sincerity.

But from the moment she saw Wang Xiaozhou, Mao Xiaotong gave up the idea.

Why rent a hotel? It's too expensive. He's not just staying for a day or two. This is Shanghai, after all. Hotel room fees add up to a lot of money.

We've lived in the same house before, and my two-bedroom apartment is much better than that. What's there to be so fussy about?

Happy New Year to the rising second-tier actress in the Chinese entertainment industry.

When Wang Xiaozhou saw Mao Xiaotong, he said auspicious words, but he was not polite at all and threw his suitcase at her directly.

Mao Xiaotong pushed her suitcase with difficulty, still discussing things with Wang Xiaozhou as she spoke:

"Why don't you stay at my place this time? Hotels in the city are too expensive, I don't want to entertain you there."

Wang Xiaozhou replied with a smile, "So stingy! It's fine if I don't stay in a hotel, but I'll have to take a taxi to your place. I don't want to squeeze onto the subway with you."

"Well..."

Mao Xiaotong calculated that it would cost about 200 yuan to take a taxi from the airport to her place, and she was a little reluctant to spend the money.

But then he thought that two hundred yuan was cheaper than opening a hotel for Wang Xiaozhou in the city, so he nodded and agreed.

"How could I let you squeeze onto the subway with me? Someone as talented as you should be taking a taxi!"

After giving Wang Xiaozhou a fierce glare, Mao Xiaotong took him to the airport taxi waiting area and hailed a taxi. When they arrived, the meter showed exactly two hundred yuan.

Reluctantly paying the bill, Mao Xiaotong glared at Wang Xiaozhou after getting out of the car: "Next time you take a taxi, you have to pay for it yourself. This isn't on company funds, and two hundred yuan is expensive!"

Knowing Mao Xiaotong's current situation, Wang Xiaozhou didn't respond, but simply followed behind her, casually commenting on the living conditions here.

"You're living in an old, run-down apartment in the suburbs. You're one of those girls who are barely managing to stay in the big city. It's so far from the city center, it's so inconvenient. Besides, the place isn't nice either. Why don't you just rent a place yourself?"

Mao Xiaotong opened the door and entered the room, replying crisply, "Brother, the housing prices in Shanghai are very expensive, and the rent isn't cheap either. Why would I spend money on a company dormitory when I have one to stay in?"

Seeing that Mao Xiaotong had put down her suitcase, Wang Xiaozhou assumed they were going out to eat, so he stood at the door without moving, waiting for Mao Xiaotong to come out.

Unexpectedly, Mao Xiaotong asked him curiously, "Why aren't you inside yet? Didn't I get you slippers?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaozhou asked in surprise, "Seriously, sister? I traveled all this way to help you release your song, and you won't even buy me a hotel, let alone treat me to a meal?"

Mao Xiaotong blushed slightly upon hearing this and pointed to the kitchen, saying, "How could that be? I just felt that food outside wasn't clean enough, so I planned to cook for you at home. I'm a very good cook. If you don't like the food later, we can go out again."

This is a real problem.

Although Mao Xiaotong's family is not well-off, she is definitely not stingy to this extent. I remember when we were in a small county town, she treated me and Song Shihui to a meal. Her current behavior must mean she has encountered some difficulties.

"Tell me, what's wrong? Does your family need money?"

Wang Xiaozhou slumped on the sofa like an old man, shaking his leg as he asked Mao Xiaotong.

Mao Xiaotong's eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to say something to Wang Xiaozhou, but didn't know where to begin. She could only shake her head sadly and say, "It's nothing."

Wang Xiaozhou raised an eyebrow: "Nothing? If nothing's wrong, why aren't you cooking for me? Are you trying to starve me to death?"

"snort!"

Mao Xiaotong shook off her coat, which she had just taken off, and walked to the kitchen with a pitiful expression to start cooking.

In less than half an hour, she had brought a whole table of dishes to the table.

Stir-fried rice cakes, steamed yellow croaker, braised pork, plus a stewed pork rib dish—it's quite a feast.

Mao Xiaotong wasn't lying; her cooking skills are genuinely quite good.

Once the bowls and chopsticks were served, Wang Xiaozhou filled a large bowl with rice for himself. After taking a bite of the dishes, he stopped joking and seriously asked Mao Xiaotong:

"Where did you spend the New Year, in Tianjin?"

"Um."

"Who are you living with, Mom? Has your dad contacted you?"

Mao Xiaotong sniffed, ladled herself a bowl of pork rib soup, and kept her head down for a while before finally speaking: "I looked for him, but I don't know what he was doing last year, or if he was even working. Anyway, he borrowed a lot of money from me."

That's how we found out what happened.

But after learning the reason, Wang Xiaozhou showed no pity for Mao Xiaotong. Instead, he asked her rather fiercely, "Has he cared about you all these years?"

Mao Xiaotong kept her head down: "No, when they first divorced, my dad said he would take care of me, but so many years have passed, and my mom has never asked for his money, and he seems to have never taken care of me either."

Wang Xiaozhou then looked at her as if she were an idiot: "Then why did you lend him the money?"

"He...has had a tough time too."

"Are you a giver?"

Mao Xiaotong suddenly looked up, her eyes extremely red, as if she had just been crying: "But he's my dad! How can I really just ignore him?"

Wang Xiaozhou nodded: "If I say I can, can you just ignore it?"

"able!"

Mao Xiaotong replied affirmatively.

Wang Xiaozhou nodded again: "Okay, then remember what you said today. When your dad borrows money from you again, think about how determined you were when you said you could, and think about how hard your mom has worked all these years. From now on, eat properly, and work hard for me tomorrow to earn back that money that you definitely can't get back, OK?"

"ok"

Mao Xiaotong replied hesitantly. She was just a young girl who had just graduated from school, and Wang Xiaozhou's words made her feel as if she was being instigated to do something bad.

After all, filial piety is the most important virtue, and this woman, who is somewhat traditional at heart, always believed that it was only right to make sacrifices for her biological parents.

Wang Xiaozhou sighed upon seeing this, thinking to himself that Mao Xiaotong's mother had really raised her well. If she were an ordinary, more materialistic woman, Mao Xiaotong would definitely not be behaving this way.

She even borrowed money. Her child, raised by a single mother, is considered filial if she can even see her father once!