Chapter 115: Seizing the Opportunity (Part 2)
"Insufficient purchases, please wait in line. The main text is on its way." "Leo, can you sign this for me?" Li Sishi remembered her "mission" and handed over the poster in her hand.
“Okay.” He picked up the poster and started writing, while giving Li Sishi a very serious look.
After handing the autographed poster back to Li Sishi and hurriedly saying, "Remember to contact me if anything happens," he then walked quickly to the other side of the stage in the early hours of the morning, urged by his staff.
"Leo!" The fans who remained behind shouted a few times but failed to bring their idol back. So, many clever people turned their attention to Li Sishi, who had just "benefited from the misfortune," and secretly "indirectly groped" her as she squeezed out...
This girl was just hugged in the early morning—although she was only saved because the railing broke in the early morning, she did indeed get a hug from her idol!
While the moment is still fresh, go and "get close" to this girl; in a way, they've felt the warmth of their idol!
As Li Sishi squeezed her way back to her seat, she understood the thoughts of these young women. Considering the hands that had tried to catch her when she stumbled forward, Li Sishi could only sigh inwardly. On her way back to her seat, she endured countless indirect groping and unwanted advances...
Even Zhou Huichang couldn't resist giving her a hug when she returned to her seat.
"Alright, alright, you've had your fill of taking advantage of me. Sit up, the show is about to start." Li Sishi finally managed to push away the reluctant Zhou Huichang, and then stuffed the rolled-up poster into her arms.
Zhou Huichang chuckled a few times while holding the poster. Just as she was about to unfold it to admire her idol's autograph, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Ling Chen already performing on stage. So she quickly turned her attention back to the big stage in front of her.
After helping Zhou Huichang, who was staring intently at the stage ahead, put away the autographed poster, Li Sishi felt relieved and began to watch the first performance of the four Heavenly Kings together with a feeling and gaze that she couldn't quite describe.
To be honest, given the limited development level of this era, and the fact that she was looking at it with the perspective of someone who had experienced the magnificent stages of later generations, she felt that... the current stage setup, program arrangement, and other things were undoubtedly quite rudimentary.
However, both the performers and the audience were excessively energetic, so the performance at this moment was actually much more effective than one later—
Before smartphones, computers, and other devices enhanced people's daily entertainment, such a performance was already a rare feast.
Rough, wild, and natural, it has a unique, unadorned flavor.
"Look, Cheng Erjian is here!" Zhou Huichang pointed to the location of a group of backup dancers.
"Mmm." Li Sishi gave a perfunctory reply, then quickly covered her ears and endured the rooster-like chorus of the fan club next to her in the early hours of the morning.
Unfortunately, this is one of the downsides of going to a live performance: overly excited fan groups will belt out a song and sing along to show off their idol's popularity during the performance... It's become a common practice.
Moreover, this is a privilege only the most popular celebrities can enjoy; others would love to have it but can't.
After the opening parade ended, in the small backstage dressing room, Lei Jun, the manager, was very satisfied with the fan group's performance that night: "Tonight you were the only one with a fan group singing along, not bad, not bad... Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Looking exhausted, Ling Chen rubbed his temples and said, "Sorry, I was thinking about something just now, but I heard it. It's because my fans are so supportive that I feel so happy tonight."
"Yeah, during the last part, you were having so much fun that you just ran off to play with the long line of backup dancers!" Lei Jun scolded him sternly. "It's not that I'm criticizing you, but you need to remember, your role is that of a young girl's prince charming, her dream lover, not some comedian. Sometimes you need to be mindful of your image..."
Just thinking about how he used to help other singers "dance" on stage when it wasn't the early morning performance time, but because there was no rehearsal, he ended up with dance moves that were completely out of place... gave Lei Jun a headache.
He put so much effort and thought into shaping him into a prince charming, but in the early hours of the morning, this guy just couldn't control his goofy nature!
It's fortunate that the theme of this stage was "enjoying life with the people," otherwise, with this guy going so wildly and bringing along the other two collaborating singers, leaving only the one with the best singing skills still singing... I bet that would drive the other two managers crazy, and they might even come to "demand an explanation" from him.
"Alright, alright, I'll try to be more careful in the future," Ling Chen quickly assured him.
"You really are careful!" Lei Jun rolled his eyes at him, then said earnestly, "Any later, and the station hears they're going to 'tie you up' with three other people, which is really bad."
Forming a young yet powerful idol group to counter the impact from Taiwan... This is a golden opportunity for you, you must seize it!
"Just like how I used to call myself one of the 'Three Musketeers' with Huazai, Hanyou, and the others?" Lingchen suddenly realized.
"Pretty much, but this time we added one more person, making it four." Lei Jun explained, "The station's initial choice for the fourth person was Li Dewen, but unfortunately, his image and performance were a little lacking, and his career path overlapped with Hanyou's, so in the end we chose Huo Gucheng."
“His dancing is truly first-rate.” Ling Chen nodded.
"He was originally a dancer for a TV station, of course he can dance. It's just that he wasn't lucky enough to become famous here, and then he happened to have good fortune back in Taiwan, returning home in glory. He has the looks and the popularity, it was his turn to have this opportunity." Lei Jun said, then couldn't help but glance at Ling Chen again, "If you two work together often in the future, you should learn more from him. You'll be at a disadvantage if you don't have some singing and dancing in your concerts. You know that you're only agile when you're playing around, otherwise you're not very agile..."
"I was pretty agile just now! A girl was holding onto a railing that broke and she was falling forward, and I managed to catch her in time!" Ling Chen immediately retorted, then looked a little worried, "I wonder how she is, she hasn't even called..."
"Why are you so worried... Wait, what you're saying is that you gave your phone number to someone?!" Lei Jun's expression immediately changed when he realized this.
"She's my fan, and she got into this accident while trying to get my autograph. How could I feel good if something happened to her?" Ling Chen said matter-of-factly.
Besides, that girl is indeed very pretty, but her white T-shirt is obviously made of cheap material and has a cheap cut.
It's rare for a beautiful girl to emerge from a humble abode, and if such a young and beautiful girl were to meet with an accident, not only would her family be heartbroken, but outsiders would also feel it's a pity.
Poor people are used to not taking minor bumps and scrapes seriously in order to save money, but if something involves them, they should also take some responsibility.
"You..." Lei Jun gritted his teeth and said "you" for a while, but finally gave in to Ling Chen's innocent look. "Forget it, I'll handle this. Don't worry, if anything happens, she'll definitely call you."
Even if that girl doesn't have a mobile phone like the one the brand endorses, most families these days have landlines, so if they really want to contact each other, they'll get in touch sooner or later.
I just hope that girl isn't the type to take advantage of me...
While the agent was still struggling with the decision in the early hours of the morning, Zhou Huichang, who was walking back with Li Sishi while unfolding his autographed poster, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Sishi immediately noticed Zhou Huichang's unusual behavior.
"N-nothing..." Zhou Huichang forced down her excitement and pulled Li Sishi to a corner before whispering in her ear, "Besides the signature, there's a phone number on this poster!"
"You mean...?" Upon hearing this, Li Sishi immediately recalled the words she had spoken to her before leaving in the early morning.
If you need anything, please contact me...
Based on what she had heard in the industry before, the fact that he left her his phone number in the early hours of the morning was not necessarily due to lust, but more likely out of his care for his fans.
"Maybe he saw that I seemed fine on the surface, but he was still worried because I hadn't gone to the hospital for a checkup, so he left me his phone number," Li Sishi said after thinking for a moment.
"Cousin, do you feel unwell anywhere?" Zhou Huichang asked with concern.
"No, I didn't fall, he caught me." Li Sishi shook her head, "There wasn't a single bump or bruise."
"Then this phone number... After confirming that Li Sishi was really alright, Zhou Huichang couldn't help but look back at the string of numbers next to the signature."
"If you'd like, you can give it a try. There's no harm in trying," Li Sishi said with a smile.
Zhou Huichang's gaze lingered on that string of numbers for a while before she finally hugged the poster tightly: "No, that's too abrupt. Let's not bother him unless it's absolutely necessary..."
Li Sishi glanced at Zhou Huichang, who seemed to have the desire but not the courage, and smiled even more broadly: "Then it's up to you."
Unbeknownst to the two, elsewhere, the agent in the early hours of the morning was also experiencing incredibly mixed feelings, worrying about the arrival of the phone call while simultaneously worrying that it hadn't come.
Several months later, after the high-level decision-making process officially announced the formation of the four superstars, agent Lei Jun plunged headlong into more work arrangements with Ling Chen, and no longer had time to think about that phone number.
At this moment, Li Sishi, amidst everyone's anticipation, officially submitted her application for the subjects she would choose for the high school entrance examination.
"Ten subjects? Are you sure?" As the homeroom teacher, Miss Huang was surprised when she received Li Sishi's subject selection application form.
Afterwards, I was quite surprised.
“That’s right, I think I’m pretty confident.” Li Sishi nodded. “Besides, we can only register for a maximum of ten subjects now, and we’ll only take the best score. It’s better to register for more than less. Even one more point can eliminate a lot of people.”
"Your idea is indeed very ambitious, but there are so many subjects. Well then, the school will give you some extra training recently and arrange a car to pick you up and drop you off..." Principal Jia was quite concerned about Li Sishi, this unexpectedly outstanding student.
He had witnessed Li Sishi's academic performance over the past two years firsthand. It was in no way inferior to the top students from prestigious schools. Moreover, she had such high goals and drive. If the school gave her a push from behind... perhaps she could really bring back the honor of being a top student among the top ten.
No, even if you're not a "top student" with all ten A's, as long as you can get five A's with half of your subjects at the A level, that's enough to withstand the storm from the school board.
This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it could potentially determine Zeng Dingbaosu's future life or death!
Thinking of the board's dissatisfaction with the school's performance over the years, Principal Jia gritted his teeth and said, "Let's register according to Li Sishi's wishes!"
"Sishi? How are you? Please don't scare Mommy..."
In the midst of the fog, a female voice, filled with tension and concern, pierced the darkness like a ray of dawn, pulling Li Sishi back from her daze.
Seeing her daughter slowly wake up after she called her name, Zhou Jiaxian burst into tears of joy and hugged her daughter tightly: "That's wonderful, you're finally awake..."
"Don't be afraid, Mommy's here. That jerk won't bully you anymore..."
Having just woken up, Li Sishi paused to catch her breath, listening somewhat dazedly to her mother's tearful words. Her gaze drifted aimlessly forward, where she saw a dazzling and luxurious crystal chandelier.
This is……
Li Sishi's eyes widened suddenly, then her gaze quickly shifted downwards and to the left.
On the ground over there, a middle-aged man who looked quite refined was lying on his back with his eyes closed, and the trail of blood running down from his head clearly indicated why he had collapsed.
Seeing the faint rise and fall of the man's breath on his chest, Li Sishi felt both hatred and relief: Thankfully, this beast in human clothing, though not dead yet, would soon be too—
She saw it with her own eyes.
This person's name was clearly printed on the list of accidental victims after the shipwreck...
Upon realizing this, Li Sishi looked incredulous and turned her gaze back to the person who was hugging her and crying.
In her memory, the last impression her mother, Zhou Jiaxian, left her was that of her lying on the hospital bed, looking emaciated and on the verge of death.
At that time, she was an extremely willful and unfilial daughter. She wanted to confide in her mother, but she ended up having a big fight with her mother, which led to her already seriously ill mother passing away not long after all the rescue efforts failed.
After finally recovering from the grief of losing her loved one, her husband, who had cheated on her multiple times, came to her door with his pregnant mistress to force her to remarry. Under these successive blows, she finally decided to end her years of pain and obsession and signed the divorce papers.
Unexpectedly, she lost the property battle miserably, not only leaving with nothing but also being kicked out of the house.
It wasn't until her stepfather delivered her mother's will that she realized she had been blind to right and wrong all these years, not only betraying many people who had genuinely cared for her but also mistaking hypocrisy for true affection...
In particular, in order to prevent her from being disappointed in her biological father, Li Jinhuai, her mother concealed the truth that Li Jinhuai had taken advantage of her brother's vulnerability to steal his wife and daughter away during a time of crisis. This caused her to resist the kindness of her stepfather for many years because of this unscrupulous father.
At that time, she felt that she could not just believe her stepfather's side of the story, so she wanted to go to her uncle's family to ask for the truth.
It could also be said that her stepfather's incredibly complex yet still kind and gentle gaze made her unable to resist fleeing, as if she was afraid that she would be ashamed to face many people after learning the whole truth.
However, she ultimately did not truly confront those she had misunderstood and betrayed—while driving past her old high school, she saw an out-of-control truck about to crash into the students at the school gate. She instinctively stepped on the gas to try to stop it, and then lost consciousness amidst the flames and the loud noise.
What followed was twenty years of wandering, confined to my middle school, watching people come and go year after year in solitude, until the middle school was announced to be demolished and rebuilt into a commercial building, at which point I once again fell into that state of confusion.
I thought this was finally the end; but I don't know if it's a new beginning or just a pipe dream.
The chaotic memories seemed to vanish in an instant, after which Li Sishi regained her composure.
She quickly grabbed her mother's hand: "Were we...were we...?"
"Sold?"
Upon uttering the last two words, Zhou Jiaxian's eyes widened, and then she muttered in a grief-stricken voice, "That beast Li Jinhuai! It's one thing for him to abandon us, mother and daughter, and run away, but how could he..."
Seeing Zhou Jiaxian's angry and sad appearance, how could Li Sishi not understand?
However, now is not the time to despise the heartless scumbag father who abandoned his wife and daughter—she glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was already eleven o'clock at night.
With about thirty minutes left, the ship's problems could no longer be concealed, and then, under pressure, the captain would reveal the truth to everyone...
Then came chaos mixed with panic and screams as people scrambled for life jackets and life rafts, which ultimately led to all sorts of fights and delayed each other's escape.
She was so frightened by the series of accidents that she collapsed into a limp mess. It was her usually weak mother who held on and struggled to pull her to safety, which is how they managed to swim back to the nearest land in the vast ocean.
However, this was also the main reason why my mother's body was damaged by overwork, leading to her death from a serious illness before she was even fifty years old...
Realizing this, Li Sishi suddenly woke up: Yes, since Heaven has brought her back to this crucial moment, she cannot let the tragedy repeat itself!
Unaware of Li Sishi's current state of mind, Zhou Jiaxian, who had recovered from the grief of losing her daughter, immediately remembered their current situation. So she quickly said, "Sishi, go back to our room. Mommy will handle things here..."
If it were the old Li Sishi, she probably would have obediently ignored everything and quietly retreated to her room.
But Li Sishi, who had experienced a lot, immediately understood her mother's implication: her mother was planning to take all the blame for the incident and then keep her out of it...
“This ship will dock at the port city for a day. When it does, call this number and go to your uncle. He will definitely take you in…” Seeing her daughter’s silence, Zhou Jiaxian assumed that she had not yet recovered from the series of events. So she quickly took the paper and pen on the table, wrote down a phone number, and stuffed it into her daughter’s hand.
The person who had originally taken them to "seek refuge" was now lying on the ground, and she herself had to bear the consequences of having attacked and killed him. The only option now was to send her daughter to seek refuge with her younger brother, whom she had never dared to see.
"Go back quickly, be good, okay?" Zhou Jiaxian gently persuaded, but unexpectedly...
Li Sishi interrupted him, saying, "No, I'm not going back."
"Don't throw a tantrum now, it's dangerous..." Someone could come at any moment, and if others discover what's going on here...
"That's not what I meant!" Li Sishi looked at her mother with a serious expression. "I overheard two men dressed as masters talking about a problem inside the ship that might cause an accident, which is why I followed this unlucky guy here to talk to him and ask him to help me find out..."
As it turned out, the seemingly refined uncle was a beast in human skin. He knocked her unconscious with a handkerchief after only a few words. If Zhou Jiaxian hadn't sensed something was wrong and sneaked in to attack him from behind, she might have really been harmed by this beast in human skin.
"So, this ship is very likely to run into trouble?" Zhou Jiaxian hurriedly asked.
“Whether this news is true or false, we can’t stay on the ship any longer. We might as well take advantage of the quiet now and go to the deck to get life jackets and life rafts and leave here together…” Li Sishi was afraid that her mother would not want to go with her, so she tried to reason with her while also appealing to her emotions.
Zhou Jiaxian glanced at the middle-aged man she had knocked down from behind with something, then at Li Sishi's earnest yet caring gaze, and gritted her teeth: "Fine, let's go together!"
Although she felt that her usually spoiled and willful daughter was unusually calm tonight, Zhou Jiaxian thought that she must have been frightened by such an accident... Thinking of this, Zhou Jiaxian did not want to think about the reason for her daughter's change in temperament anymore, so she quietly left the room with her daughter.
The ship is scheduled to arrive at the dock at midnight. At this time, most passengers are resting and recuperating in their rooms, waiting to go sightseeing after docking.
The mother and daughter carefully returned to their room, packed their documents and few valuables into a waterproof plastic bag, and then went out again to the deck.
Looking out, one can see the moonlight reflected on the sea on a summer night, the water rippling and sparkling, making it exceptionally beautiful.
But the mother and daughter had no time to appreciate the scenery; they simply slipped past the few passengers admiring the view on deck.
He quickly put on his life jacket in a deserted corner.
Then, they worked together as quietly as possible to lower a small life raft, which could carry two people, onto the sea.
Halfway through the trip, Li Sishi mentioned that she had rowed with classmates before, so she could barely call herself a rower—in reality, this half-baked rowing skill was something she had been forced to learn for a variety show during her years working her way up on television, where she was forced to compete against each other.
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