Chapter 4: Mom Is Still the Best (Seeking Investment)

The contract, of course, wasn’t signed so quickly. They said the latest reply would come by tomorrow. Zhou Le wasn’t in a hurry; whether Wu Jing chose him or not wasn’t up to him. But regardless of Wu Jing’s decision, he was certain that Dapeng’s offer would come through, and as long as the schedules didn’t clash, he could act in the film.

Yet Zhou Le didn’t rush to say anything outright. After all, they would call him later.

As he left, Wu Jing even slung an arm around Zhou Le’s shoulder. Wu Jing admired Zhou Le—not only because Zhou Le was genuinely talented but also because of his connection with Yu Qian.

“Call the next one in,” Wu Jing said, patting Zhou Le on the back as he watched the staff bring in the next candidate.

Outside, a young woman whispered to Zhou Le, “How did it go?”

Zhou Le smiled. “I got the part. Thanks to you, really.”

“Hehe, that’s your own skill, not mine. But congratulations!”

Meanwhile, the others waiting to audition looked at Zhou Le with changed expressions. He had been inside for so long, and strange noises had come from within—sounds of fighting, arguing, even cursing—but in the end, Wu Jing had come out with him, arm around his shoulder.

“What on earth were they doing in there?”

But Wu Jing wouldn’t tell them, and neither would Zhou Le.

After leaving the Jiuxian apartment, Zhou Le realized that the audition had earned him a good deal of experience. Originally at 3,000 points, he was now at 3,126.

“I hope the next reward is a useful skill,” he thought. “Best if it’s acting at an Oscar-winning level, martial arts at a master’s level, a superstar’s singing voice, and a grandmaster’s dancing ability. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Whether the system heard him or not, Zhou Le decided to reward himself for securing the leading role in the movie. It was hot outside, so a cold bottle of cola would be a fine reward.

Just then…

“Cola, Sprite, Arctic Ocean soda—hot or cold, we have it all.”

Zhou Le approached the vendor. “How much for a cold cola?”

The old man grinned. “Ten yuan.”

Zhou Le’s heart skipped a beat. “Ten? For how big?”

“Just the same size as the three-yuan ones sold outside.”

Zhou Le was speechless.

Admiring the old man’s straightforwardness, he walked a short distance to a convenience store and bought a bottle of cold cola instead.

—

Tiantongyuan, Asia’s largest residential community, officially reported a permanent population of seven hundred thousand. But everyone living there knew that was just the surface number; in reality, at least over a million people called it home.

Zhou Le was one of them.

He took the subway to Tiantongyuan North Station, but by the time he returned, it was already past eleven at night.

Just as he pulled out his keys at the door, a harsh metallic scraping sound came from behind.

“Back already?”

He turned to see a girl wearing a tank top and shorts. She wasn’t very tall, but her skin was fair, and among ordinary people, her looks were quite striking.

“Yes, Sister Yun,” Zhou Le replied.

“Have you eaten out?”

“No, planning to just eat something at home.”

“Then come over to my place. I was going to have fried sauce noodles for lunch but made too much. I can’t finish it all by myself.”

Zhou Le looked her over. “If you made too many noodles, did you also make too much sauce?”

Tan Siyun’s cheeks flushed. “You want some or not? If not, I’ll feed it to the dog.”

Zhou Le hesitated. A gentleman doesn’t refuse food offered out of kindness.

But was he really a gentleman?

“I’ll eat.”

Tan Siyun was Zhou Le’s neighbor and friend. Their incomes were similar, both actors playing inconspicuous minor roles. But unlike Zhou Le, who had come straight from a construction company with some savings into acting, Tan Siyun had started out doing part-time jobs.

There was a saying among Beijing drifters: if you have money, you don’t live in Tiantongyuan; if you don’t, you must venture into Majuqiao.

Tan Siyun had managed to raise her status from Majuqiao to Tiantongyuan.

“The noodles are ready,” Tan Siyun said, placing two bowls—one large, one small—on the coffee table, then sitting cross-legged on a cushion.

Zhou Le settled onto the sofa.

From across, he caught a glimpse of the gentle sway beneath her tank top.

“How’s the taste? Good?”

Zhou Le took a big slurp and then said, “Absolutely delicious!”

“How delicious?”

He thought for a moment. “Like a mother’s cooking?”

Tan Siyun smiled. She had put on light makeup today. Yet, faced with Zhou Le’s teasing, she surprisingly didn’t get angry.

“It’s actually easy to make. You can find tutorials online for the dough. If you’re too lazy, you can buy noodles at the market. For the meat, you need pork belly cut into cubes, and use plenty of oil in the pan…”

Zhou Le grew suspicious. “Why do you sound like you’re entrusting me with a mission? Is it because I never pay when we eat together? But I always order milk tea, you know…”

Tan Siyun shook her head. “It’s not that. If I could, I’d love to stay here forever. But I have to go back home.”

“Back home, huh?” Zhou Le kept slurping noodles. “Because you can’t make it here?”

“Yeah. I can’t earn enough money. It’s even better to go back and run a small business with my parents’ help. Here, I have no backing. Without sleeping with anyone, I don’t get resources or good roles.” She smiled wryly. “At least back home, I can have some support.”

Zhou Le sighed and took out his now warm cola for a tentative sip, then said, “Actually, I already got a good role. I feel like I’m going to become famous. Just the pay this time is at least several hundred thousand yuan.”

“Congratulations.”

Zhou Le blinked. “Besides that, is there anything else you want to say?”

Tan Siyun’s eyes flickered nervously. She pursed her lips. “I’m so thirsty. Still a bit salty.”

She reached for Zhou Le’s cola and brought it to her lips.

“That’s not cold, and you’re drinking it?”

“I can’t have cold drinks these days,” she said after a small sip.

She set the bottle down, then said, “Don’t worry. When I go back, my life will be better. When I open a chain of stores and become a big boss, I’ll have you as my spokesperson.”

Zhou Le smiled. “By then, I’ll be a big star. How much will you pay me for endorsements?”

At this, Tan Siyun slapped her fair thigh as if she’d just thought of something.

“Wait right here.”

She soon returned from the bedroom with a string of beads.

“This is for you, something I begged hard to get. Is this enough for your endorsement fee?”

Zhou Le examined it—it was a string of blue beads.

“What are these?”

“Turquoise.”

He immediately thought of the place where Yongzheng had lived as a prince.

“You got this at Yonghe Temple? The lines there are always so long.”

Tan Siyun burst out laughing. “Nope, I bought it at Panjiayuan. I had to beg the shop owner for a long time before he agreed to sell it for twenty-five yuan.”

Zhou Le laughed too and immediately put it on his wrist. “I really like it.”

Tan Siyun knew Zhou Le hadn’t made a joke for several minutes. Sure enough, after saying he liked it, he smiled warmly and said, “After all, it’s still Mom who loves me best.”