Chapter 16 - Fuwa (2008 Olympic Mascot)
The two men silently looked at each other in the darkness. Cao Jia borrowed the faint light of his mobile phone to hand over a business card.
Li Zhao took the business card and looked at it. These days, swindlers were really professional and made it look real. From an early age, Li Zhao had understood a truth. A pie would never fall from the sky.
Seeing that Li Zhao didn’t speak after taking the business card, Cao Jia pushed his glasses up his nose. “Teacher Li, our Strawberry Entertainment participates in TV dramas, movies and artist management. We have many well-known artists and the artists have the best teams. As long as you are willing to join our company, we will provide you with a tailored development plan for your future. You will get high-quality resources. Please carefully consider it.” He glanced at the old rental building. “Of course, we will also arrange housing.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you were a criminal so I accidentally kicked you. I hope you aren’t hurt.” He secretly checked the Internet for Cao Jia’s information before taking two steps forward, his smile enthusiastic. “Shall I take you to see a doctor?”
“It’s fine.” Cao Jia gritted his teeth with pain but didn’t forget to maintain his smile. “Teacher Li’s move is for the safety of all the residents in the building. You are courageous. Blame me for not thinking well and bothering you so late.”
“This is my ID card.” Cao Jia saw that this child looked delicate and his smile naive. The child living alone in this old building had strong vigilance and was at least safe.
He thought that Li Zhao might not believe him and held out his identity card to Li Zhao. “This is my ID card. Teacher Li, please believe that I came with sincerity.”
Li Zhao glanced at the ID card but didn’t take it. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Zhang Xiaoyuan.
Good Luck is Coming to Zhao Zhao: Brother Xiaoyuan, do you think that the assistant of Strawberry Entertainment’s president will wait at my door in order to sign me, as well as boast that I am courageous after kicking him?
After a while, Zhang Xiaoyuan replied.
Brother Xiaoyuan: Go home and sleep early. You are dreaming of everything.
Li Zhao: However, there is a man called Cao Jia who is claiming to be the assistant of Strawberry Entertainment’s president and he is looking to sign me. I looked at his ID card and searched the Internet. It seems to be him.
Brother Xiaoyuan: Fuck? Zhao Zhao, what good luck have you been getting lately?
Brother Xiaoyuan: Let him wait first. I will come right away!
Brother Xiaoyuan: Don’t let him run!
A cup of hot water was placed in front of Cao Jia and he politely gave his thanks. He looked at the handsome person sitting on the sofa with an innocent smile. This could make people forgive him for all his mistakes.
If it wasn’t for the pain coming from the place where he was kicked, he wouldn’t have believed that the other person could kick an adult man to the wall. “Teacher Li is very good. Have you practiced before?”
Li Zhao recalled his experience of fighting that had accumulated over the years. “There is no systematic learning but I have some practical experience.”
“Ah?” Cao Jia might be old and didn’t understand what young men meant now. Of course, this wasn’t the focus. He had come due to an order from the boss and wouldn’t be tangled up with these small things.
“Mr Li is currently in an Internet drama and many people in our company like you. The personal favourite of my collages is when you hid under the eaves on a rainy day.” Cao Jia raised the water Li Zhao poured for him and took a drink. “The company has invested in a few dramas and there is a role very suitable for you. Teacher Li, if you are interested then I will send the script to you by email.”
Li Zhao gave Cao Jia some water. “However, we haven’t signed a contract.”
“Even if you don’t sign a contract, it doesn’t affect President Sun’s appreciation for Teacher Li. as long as you are willing to accept, this role is yours.”
Li Zhao, “......”
Was there such a good thing in the world? How come he hadn’t encountered them before? Everything seemed to start with his meeting with Yan Ting.
In the quiet car, the mobile phone lying flat on the seat suddenly glowed faintly. A pale hand picked up the phone and unlocked it.
Good Luck is Coming to Zhao Zhao: Ting Ting, you are really the koi sent by God to save me!!!!!!
The entire line of exclamation points perfectly expressed Li Zhao’s inner excitement. The screen light faded. Just as it was going to become completely dark, the white fingers touched it and the phone’s light turned back on.
Good Luck is Coming to Zhao Zhao: Thank you God, thank you fate for letting me meet this good brother.
Good brother?
The mobile screen turned dark and bright, dark and bright. Yan Ting didn’t reply to these two messages. Just as his hand was going to touch the screen again, the car shrilly braked. The mobile phone fell and dropped into the gap of the front seat.
“Xu Yanting!” A dishevelled woman threw herself onto the car, wildly beating the windshield. “Xu Yanting, you come out!”
The woman looked haggard. Her eyes were swollen and full of hate. She kept hitting like she didn’t feel any pain but the windshield was immobilized.
“S-Sir?” The driver gulped and turned his head fearfully to look at Yan Ting.
The man in the suit opened the window, as if to listen to her swearing. However, no matter what the other side said, he remained calm like the woman’s shouting and cursing had nothing to do with him.
“Xu Yanting, you madman, you animal!” The woman cursing lay on the bonnet and cried. “What on earth are you willing to accept?”
Yan Ting was silent, his head bowed as he tried to find his mobile phone.
“I knew you were a mad beast. I shouldn’t have let you go!” The woman quickly ran to the window, hands placed on the window as she stared viciously at Yan Ting, wanting to tear him to pieces of meat. “How come you aren’t dead? Dead!”
“Let go.” Yan Ting stared at the woman’s hand on the window in an indifferent manner.
“Xu Yanting, people like you shouldn’t be born in this world! You monster, evil!” The woman tried to reach through the window to scratch the person in the car.
Yan Ting put on white gloves and unceremoniously twisted her wrist, pushing her away. He listened to the woman’s pained screams as he released his hand and removed the gloves. “Auntie, you don’t have a final say in my life and death.”
The woman sat tearfully on the ground, the pair of white gloves thrown at her. She raised her head and looked at the pale, heartless face behind the window.
“Auntie, did you forget that when I was six years old, you pushed me into the pool? The cold and bone-chilling water didn’t drown me. What is the use of a few curses?” Yan Ting’s voice was almost gentle, as if he was having a nice chat with the woman. “The pond is still there. Auntie, do you want to see it?”
The woman instantly looked white. “You remember that?”
Yan Ting didn’t speak, his eyes as calm as a pool as he quietly watched her. The woman was afraid of such a pair of eyes. They were too calm and didn’t even shake at life and death. This was a madman, a madman like his mother. The Xu family that lasted for nearly a 100 years would sooner or later be destroyed in his hands.
“No matter how much you hate the Xu family, the Xu blood still flows through your veins.” The woman stumbled up from the ground. “Your denial and your rejection is just a cover-up. Unless you die, you will never be able to escape the Xu blood.”
“You often said that my mother was crazy.” Yan Ting’s eyelids drooped. “Who is crazy?”
“If I’m crazy,” he looked at the rude woman, “it is because of the Xu’s dirty genes.”
The woman laughed loudly, her laughter more ugly than crying. “Since the Xu family’s genes are dirty, why don’t you die? As long as you live, you are dirty. You won’t be able to get rid of the mark of your genes!”
“So why don’t you die? Why don’t you die?!” The woman went crazy again as she struck the car window. “You go to hell!”
The aunt and nephew were separated from each other by a car door. Outside the luxurious and cold family, there wasn’t the warmth of a family. Only indifference and hatred.
The night wind rose, the cold win entering the car and indiscriminately licking Yan Ting’s pale cheeks.
“Auntie, it is late at night.” Yan Ting was indifferent to the woman’s curses. “If you are really worried about your husband, you can go in and accompany him.” His expression was very serious, as if he was really considering it. “A husband and wife are reluctant to separate. I can understand it.”
The woman’s cursing came to an abrupt end and she knew that Yan Ting was serious.
“Since you aren’t speaking, I’ll take it as a default agreement...” Yan Ting’s words hadn’t finished when a phone rang, breaking the weight of the air.
The woman sighed with relief as she took a step back, barely staying steady. Yan Ting wasn’t interested in her embarrassing appearance. He pressed the accept button and there was a cheerful voice.
“Ting Ting, I have some good news to tell you. Guess what?!”
“You won the lottery?” Yan Ting leaned against the window, glanced at the woman with puffy eyes and closed the window. He motioned to the driver to drive through the gate.
“Think again, think again, guess in a bigger direction.” Li Zhao happily rolled around on his bed.
“Did you get a new script?”
“No, that’s not it.” Li Zhao’s laughter came from his mobile phone along with a thud. Then Li Zhao’s voice continued on the phone, “I was turning over so happily that I fell off the bed.”
“I’m telling you, the person who claimed to be from Strawberry Entertainment wasn’t lying.” Li Zhao lay on the soft pillow and talked about the process of contracting with Strawberry Entertainment. “In addition, the contract period is only three years. I have encountered such a good thing.”
“Gold always shines.” The car stopped in the garage. Yan Ting didn’t get off as he leaned against the seat and chatted with Li Zhao. “The big company offering so many preferential terms to sign with you means you are good enough.”
“Since when did the entertainment world lack good people?” Li Zhao laughed. “I must be lucky.”
Li Zhao held his pillow and sat up. “Ting Ting, you must’ve been Fuwa in your last life. Otherwise, how can you bring me so much good luck?”
Yan Ting watched the lights and was silent for a long time. “Children shouldn’t be superstitious.”
The author has something to say:
Li Zhao: Meeting you is my good luck. Ting Ting is the best Ting Ting in the world!