Lu Yanhe left the classroom half an hour before the end of the second evening study session.
If you can avoid catching the last bus, then don’t do it.
Who knew that when I was going down the stairs, I would run into Su Su who was also going down the stairs.
"Teacher Su."
"Going back?" Su Su looked up at him and asked.
"Yeah." Lu Yanhe nodded. "Are you leaving so late too?"
Su Su smiled and said, "While everyone is gone and the office is quiet, I sorted out the lesson plan for the back."
Lu Yanhe asked in surprise, "Are you still going to organize the lesson plan?"
“Why don’t I have to organize lesson plans?”
Lu Yanhe said, "When you teach us these past few days, it feels like you're just doing it casually. You never bring any lesson plans to the classroom."
"I don't bring lesson plans to class because everything is memorized in my head. But if I don't prepare in advance, how will I get all this information in my head?" Su Su smiled. "Do you think I'm a genius?"
"We all think you are," said Lu Yanhe.
Su Su laughed.
The two of them walked to the school gate together.
Lu Yanhe was about to say goodbye to Su Su when suddenly, a figure rushed in front of Su Su.
"Su Su!"
A woman rushed in front of them.
The light at the school gate was dim, but one could still tell that she had a pretty face. If it weren't for the madness in her eyes, she would actually be a pretty young woman.
But Lu Yanhe still recognized her from those eyes. She was the woman who hid behind Qiu Ling's car in the underground parking lot that day.
She was wearing a mask then, but not today.
When Su Su saw her, he immediately frowned.
"Yuan Yi, are you still following me?"
The woman he called Yuan Yi sneered, "Do you think you can get rid of me by abandoning me and running from Jiangguang to Yuming? I'm telling you, Su Su, you will never be able to get rid of me in your lifetime. I will always pester you!"
Lu Yanhe felt an inexplicable sense of madness.
The last time I met Yuan Yi, I felt that she was a woman who had suffered some kind of hurt and therefore had some extreme thinking. But this time, I felt that she was far more than just extreme. It even made me feel that she had mental problems.
Su Su glanced at Lu Yanhe at this time.
He said, "Go ahead. This has nothing to do with you."
Lu Yanhe nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then felt that it seemed a bit too cold to just leave like that. He asked in a low voice, "Should I help you call the police?"
"No, she's my ex-girlfriend." Su Su said frankly, "We didn't handle the breakup properly at the time, and there was a misunderstanding between us."
"How can it be a misunderstanding! You promised to be with me forever! You abandoned me!" Yuan Yi screamed hysterically, "Su Su, we have been together since we were sixteen! We have been in love for twelve years!"
Su Su looked at her coldly, but spoke to Lu Yanhe.
"You go first."
This time, Lu Yanhe didn't say anything else and turned away.
Who knew that Yuan Yi would suddenly catch up with him at this time.
"You're his student, right? You're still wearing your school uniform, so you must be a student." Yuan Yi spoke quickly, following Lu Yanhe's side, "Do you know what kind of person your teacher is? Do you think he's a very cultured and knowledgeable person? I'm telling you, don't be fooled by him."
At this moment, Lu Yanhe felt incredible and didn't know how to deal with it.
This was something he had never experienced before.
"Yuan Yi, how long are you going to make trouble? You won't even let my students go, right?" Su Su's stern voice came from behind.
He grabbed Yuan Yi's wrist and pulled her so that she couldn't move forward.
Lu Yanhe looked at them in surprise.
Su Su glanced at him and motioned him to leave first. Then he looked at Yuan Yi with a cold tone: "I'm telling you again, we've broken up. It's fine if you're pestering me, but now you're disturbing my students. If you continue like this, I'll have no choice but to call the police."
Yuan Yi roared angrily: "Go and report it——"
Lu Yanhe walked farther and farther away, and when he reached the bus stop, he could still hear their conversation.
He didn't know how Su Su would solve this matter, and he just felt confused.
When the bus arrived and he got on, he looked through the window and saw the two of them still standing at the school gate, confronting each other. Yuan Yi was saying something angrily to Su Su, and Su Su was looking at her silently.
This scene was quickly left behind by the bus.
The night wind rushed in from the window.
Lu Yanhe took out his headphones and put them on.
-
Lu Yanhe put aside the influence that Yuan Yi had just brought to him and began to think seriously about his own affairs.
He must get the role in "The Golden Age". It cannot be like the last time in "Little Song Gathering", where the director clearly gave him opportunities and asked him to save the situation, but he was blocked by Zhou Pingan.
The biggest impact that Xu Zijun being bullied by Hong Zhixing had on Lu Yanhe was that it made him completely understand one thing: for a person who has no background and no ability to resist, swallowing one's anger is an inertial action, but blindly enduring will not actually make things better.
Everyone sent a joint letter to the principal, making such a big fuss that Yin Xiangyu was so angry that she ran to the class and scolded them, but the final result was what everyone wanted: a new history teacher was replaced.
His previous patience and concessions were due to his lack of self-protection. But if you think about it, isn't he also not afraid of wearing shoes when he's barefoot? At worst, he'll just throw in the towel.
Moreover, Zhou Ping'an and the people behind him were obviously afraid of something and did not dare to make the termination of the contract with him known to everyone. Instead, the termination agreement signed not long ago became a weapon in his hands.
Lu Yanhe sat on the swaying bus, constantly thinking about his situation and the possibility of breaking the deadlock.
He suddenly felt a little annoyed again.
Traveling from an eighteen-year-old to another eighteen-year-old is just the superposition of another eighteen-year-old. The sum of two eighteen-year-olds does not equal thirty-six years old, which cannot give him the life experience of thirty-six years old.
I can't think of a solution.
Zhou Ping'an deliberately obstructed, either Zhou Ping'an was unable to obstruct, or Luo Yuzhong could ignore Zhou Ping'an's obstruction.
What can he do? -
Lu Yanhe walked across the zebra crossing and ran into Qiu Ling who was out looking for food.
"Just got out of school?" Qiu Ling asked in surprise.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Come on, let's have a midnight snack together." Qiu Ling said, "Look at you, you were already thin, and now you're even thinner."
Lu Yanhe was already feeling a little upset at this moment, but after receiving Qiu Ling's invitation, he followed her.
Qiu Ling was wearing a pair of slippers, loose trousers and a T-shirt. She was not wearing any makeup and had a bare face, looking like a college student.
She glanced at Lu Yanhe and asked, "Are you worried about something?"
Qiu Ling herself didn't know that to Lu Yanhe, she was one of the first people he met in this strange world, and one of the few people he was familiar with and close to.
It was not easy to tell Lu Yanhe about these things to the people at school, nor to Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. After thinking about it, the only person he could tell was Qiu Ling.
"I've run into a problem and I can't think of a solution, so I'm a little upset," he said.
Qiu Ling said subconsciously, "As a high school student, your biggest worry is failing an exam. How annoying can that be... Oh, I forgot, you're also an artist."
"Although I'm really not famous, you still hurt me." Lu Yanhe glanced over and complained silently.
"Hahaha." Qiu Ling immediately patted Lu Yanhe's head and said, "I've been so busy lately that my mind is a mess. What should I eat? Let's find a place to sit down and chat while we eat. Let the beautiful Qiu Ling help the handsome little brother Yanhe solve his problems."
Lu Yanhe: “…”
He: "I'm just casual, I don't really want to eat."
"Then come with me to eat spicy hot pot."
Qiu Ling took Lu Yanhe to a small store nearby.
There was not a single customer in the store.
This small shop is run by a husband and wife team. When they saw Qiu Ling, they smiled and actually knew her.
"Officer Qiu is here." The boss greeted her.
Qiu Ling nodded and sat down.
"Please make us a bowl first. I prefer mildly spicy. What do you want, Lu Yanhe?"
“Slightly spicy.”
The boss nodded and agreed.
Qiu Ling pulled out a bunch of kelp from the fragrant pot and ate it first.
"Delicious." Qiu Ling took a bite and an expression of satisfaction instantly appeared on her face.
Lu Yanhe was not hungry at first, but seeing her expression, he was also aroused by her greed.
As a result, he started eating instead of talking about something.
“This kelp is really good.”
“Taro is delicious too.”
"Try this cold beef skewers made by the boss. It's delicious."
"I want to make some fried dough twists, boss, and two bunches of cabbage!"
…
After eating until she was about 40% full, Qiu Ling came to her senses and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I'm in the mood to listen to you now. Tell me what's going on."
Lu Yanhe briefly explained the situation he had recently encountered.
Qiu Ling frowned subconsciously.
"They insisted on terminating your contract and preventing you from taking any work, but you still don't know how you offended them, and you don't know why you're facing all this?" Qiu Ling was puzzled. "This is too inexplicable. I don't understand. I've met your agent, and he's obviously a profit-driven person. If he prevents you from taking work, he won't earn any commission. It's a bit strange."
"I don't want to bother with these things right now, and I can't. The problem I need to solve is that Zhou Ping'an hasn't replied to my messages yet, nor told me that Director Luo Yuzhong chose me. He must be behind this, trying to ruin the Golden Era for me," Lu Yanhe said. "I really want to be in this drama. This may be my only chance to stay in the entertainment industry after the college entrance examination."
Qiu Ling thought for a moment and said, "Let's analyze what your advantages are. First, Director Luo has taken a liking to you and wants to cast you. Second, Jiang Yuqian also admires you very much. It was she who recommended you to Director Luo. These are your only two advantages from what I've heard so far. If you want to seize this opportunity, I think you can only start with these two advantages."
"Should I tell them directly?" Lu Yanhe said, "I've considered it, but realistically, almost no partner would be willing to use an artist who carries risks and is difficult to work with. If Director Luo knew the company didn't want me in this drama, he...he might just give up on me to avoid any trouble."
"He'll definitely know," Qiu Ling said bluntly. "That's your blind spot. You're always worried that Director Luo and Jiang Yuqian will know about your conflict with Zhou Ping'an, so you want to hide it. But the truth is, you've already said that Zhou Ping'an will definitely do something bad and obstruct it. From their perspective, it's a foregone conclusion that they know you have a conflict with Zhou Ping'an, and you can't hide it at all."
Lu Yanhe was stunned and his whole body was hit.
"So, since they're definitely going to know about this, don't worry about the risks it brings, because it's bound to happen," Qiu Ling said. "Then you only have one choice: to reduce the negative impact this risk will have on them."
Lu Yanhe fell into deep thought.
Qiu Ling laughed.
"Do you know that you look like a stupid bird that hit its head and is stunned?"
Lu Yanhe came back to his senses, as if waking from a dream.
He really didn't expect that the problem he had been struggling with for so long actually had no point in worrying about it at all.
"Then I have only one way to go." After clearing away the entanglements that troubled him, the road ahead of Lu Yanhe suddenly became clear.
Qiu Ling nodded without asking what he planned to do.
"Actually, putting this whole thing aside, Lu Yanhe, you don't have to take this opportunity so seriously," Qiu Ling said. "Wait until you're done with the college entrance exams and you've terminated your contract with your current company, right? That's when you'll truly have the freedom to do whatever you want. You're talented, you can write songs, you can go on shows like 'Little Song Gathering', and you're well-known, which is better than those ordinary people with absolutely no foundation. You even have thousands of fans on your live stream, right? I know kids your age tend to pin all their hopes on a single opportunity, but that's not the case at all. When an opportunity comes, go for it. If you don't get it, forget it. There's still a long life ahead of you, and there are plenty of opportunities."
Lu Yanhe lowered his head and smiled.
He nodded and said, "Thank you."
"Come on, young man." Qiu Ling put a quail egg in his bowl and said, "I'm rooting for you."
Lu Yanhe scratched his head.
"You—" Li Zhibai's voice came from the door, with a hint of surprise, "Why are you here too?"
Lu Yanhe and Qiu Ling turned around and saw Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, who were dressed very "shiningly".
"Did you just finish your performance? Why haven't you even taken off your makeup?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise, looking at the layer of glitter on their faces.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were not polite and sat down next to them.
"Stop talking. I'm so angry! Those idiots stole our makeup artist's makeup. We have to wait until they're done before we can remove it. I'm too lazy to wait. I'll just go home and wash it off myself." Li Zhibai cursed, his eyes still darting between the two of them. "Why did you sneak in to eat Malatang? And you didn't even invite us."
"We met on the road," Qiu Ling said. "I didn't specifically call you. What's the point of shouting over a spicy hot pot? I'll treat you to a big meal next time."
Li Zhibai immediately said, "No, we have to treat you."
-
Malatang is a good thing. Several people sit together around a steaming pot, eating and chatting. The atmosphere is as hot as the pot and doesn't cool down easily.
Although Qiu Ling is a few years older than them, she is actually no different from a college student in private. She has a lively personality and is not too reserved. She laughs when she should and scolds when she should. She also makes jokes that are even bigger than theirs. She often regards herself as a "big sister" and makes these kids blush.
Due to the nature of her work, Qiu Ling did not talk about her work, so Li Zhibai and the others talked about their own things later.
It's all crap.
Artists of their level can be called idols to put it nicely, but in fact, judging from the fact that they can go out to eat spicy hot pot openly, you can tell that they are not that famous.
Li Zhibai is popular, but only in their small circle. When he walks outside, he can be recognized by a few people on the streets of first-tier cities. But in residential areas with a strong living atmosphere, unless he happens to meet a fan, he is just an ordinary person with good looks, and people will just look at him a few more times.
Therefore, their work is far less glamorous than most people imagine. It is more like being a worker in the entertainment industry, running around and experiencing the same bad things that most people will experience, such as suppression, competition, and being looked down upon by others.
"As an idol artist, there are always some people who can't stand you, thinking you're just a face," Li Zhibai said. "And it's really hard for you to deny it. You don't release any songs and you don't perform well, and the company's arrangement is to increase your popularity, gain fame, and get you productions? Haha, the returns are too slow, far less than appearing on variety shows. You've been in the industry for a few years now, and when you ask them what you've done, there's nothing you can tell them. It feels like these past few years have just flown by like that."
Qiu Ling said, "I see there are quite a lot of idol artists in our country now, but they've become less in the past two years. In the past few years, it seems like all kinds of talent shows have emerged, and with them, a lot of idol artists have emerged. You guys came out during that period, right?"
"Yeah." Li Zhibai nodded. "Then he reached his peak right after his debut, and has been on a downward slope ever since."
"Doesn't the company plan to change things for you? What about you?"
"The key is that the company doesn't think we can do anything; they just think we're just selling our faces," Li Zhibai said. "There's someone in our group who's always wanted to be a real singer and tried everything to release his own songs, but he's always been stopped. Because he has so many ideas, they specifically don't allow him to take part in programs where he can sing."
Qiu Ling sighed when she heard this.
"It sounds like your company isn't very good. It doesn't consider your development at all."
"What are you considering? Do you know how many idol artists our company has signed?" Li Zhibai said, "There are over 200 of them. We came from talent shows and were relatively well-off. At least our contracts guaranteed us a minimum salary. Those artists who became successful trainees later didn't even have a guaranteed salary. They relied entirely on their families for support."
When Lu Yanhe heard what Li Zhibai said, he nodded in agreement.
Fortunately, the contract he signed at the time stipulated that he would be given a living allowance of 3,000 yuan per month, otherwise he would not know how he would make a living now.
Yan Liang also sighed, "We are being fed by the Gu. Whoever wins the fight among these hundreds of us will survive."
Qiu Ling frowned.
"I've always thought that although there's a lot of competition among idol artists, it's still pretty much the same, and you still have a much better life than ordinary people."
"Sister Qiu Ling, that's because in this era, most people who become entertainers come from well-off families," Li Zhibai said. "I heard from a senior that ten years ago, most people in China who chose to become entertainers came from ordinary families. Now it's very difficult."
"Yeah." Yan Liang nodded. "People like me and Lu Yanhe come from ordinary families and can still get opportunities through talent shows. Talent shows don't happen much these days. If you want to be a trainee, unless you're exceptionally good, you'll have to rely on yourself. If your family can't support you, you won't be able to survive the years of training. No one knows when you'll debut."
Qiu Ling was somewhat surprised by what the young people said. This was very different from the lives of celebrities she had previously learned about.
"Then why did you want to be an artist in the first place?" she couldn't help but ask.
Li Zhibai shrugged. "I signed up for a talent show by accident. I just wanted to have fun, but I didn't expect to become famous."
"I've loved singing and dancing since I was a kid." Yan Liang said a little embarrassedly, "I love performing on stage."
Lu Yanhe said, "I...everyone knows this, I do it to make money."
Qiu Ling asked, "Are most idol artists like you?"
Lu Yanhe said, "That's about right. I want to make money, I want to be famous, I want to be liked by others, I want to perform on stage and receive applause. That's basically it."
"You're already very happy. At least you're doing what you want to do," Qiu Ling said. "No industry is easy. You're still young, so keep working hard. Everything is possible. When you become big stars, think carefully about what you said today and see if you have the ability to change everything."
"Wow, did they suddenly raise the altitude so high?" Li Zhibai looked at Qiu Ling in shock.
Qiu Ling smiled and said, "Everyone should always have ideals."
-
Because of this midnight snack, it was already 11 o'clock in the evening when Lu Yanhe started the live broadcast tonight.
Many people spoke out:
——I thought the host wouldn’t be broadcasting live today?
Why did you start so late today? I've been waiting since 8pm. I've gotten used to studying by watching your live streams. Without you, I'm not as motivated.
——We have a holiday tomorrow, so are you lazy today?
——And yet they still want to test Zhenhua and Yuming.
…
There are all kinds of speeches, some are kind, some are malicious, some are happy, some are sarcastic.
Lu Yanhe has gotten used to it.
Anyway, when there are too many people in the live broadcast room, all kinds of voices will come out.
He rarely reads everyone's speeches now because there are too many of them.
At 11:30 in the evening, Li Pengfei sent him a message saying: I will wait for you at the gate of your community at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Lu Yanhe replied with an OK.
Li Pengfei asked again: "Why are you still studying after you returned? What time do you want to study until?"
Lu Yanhe: Are you watching my live broadcast?
Li Pengfei: Of course I'm learning from your live streams. I only sleep when you're done! I'm working really hard! Do you think I'm kidding?!
Lu Yanhe: Uh, what’s your ID?
Li Pengfei: I won’t tell you this, hehe.
Li Pengfei: As far as I know, many people in the class are following your live broadcast room.
Although Lu Yanhe did not hide it from everyone, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of shame after hearing what Li Pengfei said.
I don’t know what’s going on.