A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Finally, in a fairly clean neighborhood, I found a two-bedroom apartment.

The sixth floor, no elevator—that's the biggest drawback. But the apartment is fully furnished and decorated, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, all ready to move in. The landlady is a retired lady, very friendly. She said the apartment was renovated when her son got married, and later her son was transferred to work in another city, so she rented it out to collect some rent since it was just sitting empty.

"Eight hundred a month, one month's deposit and three months' rent in advance," the landlady said.

Fu Xiao looked at Chen Shiwen, and Chen Shiwen nodded.

"Okay, we'll rent it," Fu Xiao said.

Fu Yan took out four thousand yuan from his wallet—one month's rent as deposit and three months' rent in advance, totaling three thousand two, with the extra eight hundred yuan being the first month's rent.

"We don't need that much," Fu Xiao tried to stop him, "Shishi and I will pay for it ourselves."

"Your internship salary is only eight hundred a month, how are you going to pay for it?" Fu Yan put the money on the coffee table. "Consider this money a loan from me. You can pay me back when you get a salary."

Fu Xiao retorted, "As the older brother, couldn't you just be more generous and say you don't need to pay me back?"

"Giving you money is fine, but seeing you being so picky about renting a place makes me angry. Can't you learn from poets and writers, be a little more refined, and learn to be frugal when it comes to spending money?"

Fu Xiao was rendered speechless by his words, snorted, and put the money away in a huff.

Chen Shiwen stood to the side, wanting to say something but not saying anything, and finally bowed slightly: "Thank you, Brother Fu."

"Don't thank me, just focus on teaching from now on."

-

After leaving the residential area, Fu Yan escorted the two to the school gate.

"Classes don't officially start until next week, so take these next few days to get familiar with the environment. Call me if anything happens, don't try to handle things on your own."

"Okay." Fu Xiao opened the car door, then looked back at him. "Brother, stop spending all your time in bars. Do something productive when you have time."

"I'm running a bar because it's a legitimate business."

"Opening a bar is no good business. Investing in movies is a better business. At least I can watch them for free."

"Investing in movies is investing in the cultural industry, which is encouraged by the government, and we may invest more in this in the future. However, it's not possible for you to watch them for free; you'll have to pay for tickets yourself."

"Don't give me that, I'm not spending any money! By the way, what's the name of that movie you mentioned? 'Nightclub'? Are you sure you didn't just decide to go to a nightclub yourself?"

Fu Yan decided not to discuss the issue of film nomenclature with her younger sister.

"Alright, let's hurry up and get going, don't be late for registration."

Fu Xiaochong made a face and pulled Chen Shiwen into the school gate.

Fu Yan sat in the car, watching the two girls' backs disappear around the corner of the teaching building—Fu Xiao walked with a brisk pace, her hair swaying back and forth; Chen Shiwen followed beside her, her steps neither too big nor too small, quiet and unassuming.

He suddenly remembered the year he graduated from university—

No, that was in his past life. In his past life, Fu Yan went straight into the financial industry after graduating from university, starting as a junior analyst and working his way up to senior manager at Huiyin Fund. He worked there for almost twenty years before suddenly dying at his desk.

There were no internships, no trial and error, and no turning back.

In this life, I haven't contacted my former classmates since graduating from university. I vaguely remember having two classmates and roommates with whom I had a good relationship, but I don't know where they are now.

Now, his sister is taking a completely different path from him—becoming a teacher, educating and nurturing students, and living a stable life.

Good.

Fu Yan started the car, and the A8 slowly drove away from the school gate.

In the rearview mirror, the teaching building of Tongzhou Experimental Middle School was bathed in a warm glow under the setting sun.

-

On the way back, Fu Yan's phone rang.

It was He Wei calling.

"Brother Fu, I've spoken to the landlord, and he's willing to sell."

"What's the price?"

"He wanted 4.5 million, I initially negotiated it down to 4.2 million, and he's willing to give a little more."

"Four million two hundred thousand?" Fu Yan thought for a moment, "Okay, if we can negotiate it down to four million, we'll sign; if it's more than that, forget it."

"Understood. Also, the landlord said the room next door is also for sale, and if we buy both, we can get a discount."

"How big is the neighbor's house?"

"It's about the same size as ours, over 200 square meters."

"Let's negotiate together, buy both properties as a package, and get the price down to under 7.5 million."

"Okay!"

Fu Yan hung up the phone, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He never hesitates when it comes to buying a house.

Whether it's a courtyard house, a bar or shop, or an office space—he buys whatever suits him, because he understands one principle:

In Yanjing, houses are always more valuable than money.

Of course, he wouldn't tell Fu Xiao this—if he did, she would complain that he "want to invest in everything."

Fu Yan smiled and shook his head. The A8 merged into the traffic on the Jing-Tong Expressway and headed towards the Yanjing city area.

……

After a month-long internship, Qin Manni signed a formal employment contract.

Saying she "signed" isn't quite accurate—the more accurate term is "changed to a different contract." Previously, she had a temporary contract, with Qiu Kai paying her per performance, 300 yuan per night, similar to a struggling singer. Now she has a formal resident singer contract with a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, four days a week, five social insurances and one housing fund, and double pay on statutory holidays.

The contract was drafted by Lin Xiaochen's legal team, and it was as standard as could be.

When Qin Manni received the contract, she read it three times in a corner of the bar, scrutinizing it word by word—almost as meticulously as the big boss when reviewing an investment contract. It wasn't that she didn't trust Qiu Kai, but it's always better to be cautious in these matters.

After reading it, she looked up at Qiu Kai and asked, "Does it include the five social insurances and one housing fund?"

"Yes! Brother Fu instructed that all full-time employees should be treated equally."

Qin Manni bit her lip and signed her name on the contract.

The handwriting is neat and tidy, stroke by stroke, unlike Fu Yan's scribbles.

From that day on, Qin Manni's life was on track—she practiced piano and singing during the day, sang two shows at a bar at night, had a stable income, and no longer had to worry about next month's rent. She kept her small rented room of about ten square meters clean and tidy, kept a potted green plant on the windowsill, always had milk and bread in the refrigerator, and posted a work schedule and a calendar for next month on the wall.

Life is simple, but fulfilling.

She had originally thought that living like this would be fine. Singing in bars, earning enough to live on, and then thinking about the future after getting her diploma. As for acting—that dream, she'd just pretend it never happened.

However, her boss, Fu Yan, gave her a surprise.

Or rather, it's not just a surprise—it's something I never dreamed of.

That afternoon, Fu Yan was sitting idly in a bar when Qin Manni came down to drink water after singing her song. He casually said, "Manni, a film crew is starting work in a couple of days. Go meet with the director and make some preparations in advance."

Qin Manni stopped holding the water glass.

"Film crew?"

"Well, I invested in a movie and got you a role. It's not a big part, so come join the crew and get a feel for it."

Qin Manni stood there, her water glass to her lips, forgetting to drink and forgetting to put it down.

Her mind was racing—Fu Yan had invested in a movie? And given her a role?

"Brother Fu, are you... serious?"

"When have I ever joked with you?"

Qin Manni's lips trembled slightly, not because of the cold, but because—this felt too unreal.

She was blacklisted for six months, during which she received no acting offers or gigs, not even for minor roles. She thought she had no future in the entertainment industry, that her dream had been buried with her grandparents.

As a result, the boss casually said something that brought her back.