Chapter 229: Testing Each Other Along the Way...
Filming all the scenes for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in just one week and two days left even a young woman like Li Sishi, who is in excellent physical condition, somewhat dazed from the reversal of her work schedule, which involved working day and night.
But in reality, this kind of shoddy, fast-food production model is the most common phenomenon in film crews these days. The reason she was able to avoid this kind of filming situation before was not only because she had already skipped the stage of playing extras and supporting roles from the beginning, and also because she brought her own assistant to handle miscellaneous tasks, saving a lot of time; but more importantly, she really had a bit of luck, and the film crews she joined were all crews that wanted to polish the film properly or at least polish the quality of the film a little.
However, the reason why Li Sishi seemed so physically and mentally exhausted was not only because of the excessive busyness of the film crew, but also because she had to balance her work with studying and reviewing her knowledge in preparation for the final exams that she only had a few days left to study...
Before she knew it, another year had passed. After finishing filming her scenes, Li Sishi returned to the Li family mansion and rested for a night and a morning. When she got up at noon, she immediately went to her study, looking like she was cramming for an exam.
Relying on past achievements and having your dad give you extra help are only supplementary. To truly maintain your grades, you still have to study like crazy.
Fortunately, she now has a little money. Although there are no video lectures available for her to catch up on her studies due to work commitments, she can directly hire renowned teachers for intensive pre-exam tutoring...
Madam Li brought her maid, Sister He, upstairs several times to deliver meals and nourishing soups. Seeing Li Sishi's diligent demeanor—saying a few words to her in a hurry before returning her gaze to her books—Madam Li felt a mix of emotions.
No wonder they're father and daughter; this girl who studies so hard is practically a carbon copy of each other.
Once upon a time, her son was just as diligent in his youth—although Li Jinhao studied so hard back then, almost risking his life, so that he could finish his studies as soon as possible and go back to marry his sweetheart…
The intense effort I put in later was to keep my mind busy as much as possible, so as to avoid thinking about anything sad...
"Miss, don't think so much. Now that Miss Sun and Young Master are by your side, let those past things fade away with time." The maid, Sister He, had been by Madam Li's side since she was a child, accompanying her through all the years. Now, seeing Madam Li's thoughtful and absent-minded expression, she immediately guessed what she was thinking.
"Hmm...you're right. They're all with me now, and they're all doing well. I shouldn't think about the past anymore."
"Those things from before..." Old Madam Li wiped her eyes, glanced at Li Sishi who was writing furiously with her head down, and then carefully closed the study door with her maid, Sister He.
Li Sishi was unaware that her diligent study had triggered some memories of the past for Old Madam Li. After finishing her writing with great effort, she showed it to the specially invited teacher and received a fairly good score. However, she was somewhat dissatisfied and continued studying.
Her talent in academics is actually far less than her singing and acting skills, but one advantage of academics is that she can rely on a lot of hard work to achieve a result that is generally satisfactory and worthwhile. Therefore, she never forgets to use her spare time to accumulate knowledge, and then accelerates and increases the workload when she needs to combine all these fragments into a result. In the end, she achieves the reward of being an ordinary academic high-achiever who believes that "the sweat shed will not be in vain".
She knows she can't always be at the top like those born with such talent, and she understands she can't hold onto the top spot like those true academic geniuses who tirelessly dedicate themselves to their studies. Given her current workload, being able to maintain a position in the top 5% to top 10% of her peers is already a testament to her hard work and dedication in her studies.
She began learning how to be content from the time before all the regrets began.
When you can't reach the summit and experience the lofty and unparalleled feeling of "viewing all the mountains as small," the scenery along the way is just as warm and beautiful.
Most importantly, cherish the people around you who love you.
After a intensive sprint to finish all the exams, Li Sishi, using the address she obtained in the early morning, took her cousin Zhou Huichang to visit the retired tycoon who had some unique design ideas.
Unexpectedly, this retired tycoon turned out to be Zhou Huichang's current professor's biological father and her mentor in design. While eating an egg tart, he glanced briefly at Zhou Huichang's "grand-disciple's" portfolio, then merely raised his eyelids slightly: "I've been retired for a long time, so I really don't want to deal with this work that has bothered me for most of my life anymore..."
Knowing that the elder was politely declining Zhou Huichang's request for guidance, Li Sishi and her younger cousin politely apologized: "We are sorry, we were just eager to learn, which is why we came to bother you today. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive us."
"That young lady is so polite, don't keep that long face!" An older man next to him, who was having tea with him, chimed in, "What are you pretending to be so reserved for? I can see your..."
The foot moved.
The consequence of being longtime friends is that both sides know each other better than they know themselves. No little thing can escape the old friend's eyes, even if those eyes are half-open and half-closed due to presbyopia...
"Don't get too excited yet. This old guy really doesn't have the energy to teach you young people anymore. It's not that he doesn't like you, it's just that he's too weak to do so even if he wanted to." After teasing the retired big shot, the mischievous old man added a couple of explanations, concluding, "However, if you occasionally show him your work, he'll still give you young people some advice and suggestions—provided, of course, that your work isn't too bad, otherwise it'll make him angry and cause him some problems, after all, this old guy is already over seventy this year..."
"You're the old one! You're almost eighty! How dare you say that to me!" The retired old man, full of energy, bantered with his old friend for a few moments before collapsing back into his armchair, looking utterly exhausted, and beckoning to Zhou Huichang.
"Go on, Changchang." Seeing this, Li Sishi quickly pushed Zhou Huichang, who was stunned by the bickering of the two old rascals, out gently.
“You do have a little bit of talent, but the worst thing for young people is to be arrogant, complacent, and overly ambitious. Although my good-for-nothing son will never catch up with me in this lifetime, he is more than capable of teaching you now. Just study hard with him.” Calculating the time, his grand-nephew Huang Jiaze, whom he had always looked down on, was about to graduate. It would be a good opportunity for his son to have a well-behaved, simple, and virtuous student to teach him.
What good is talent if you have talent but no virtue and forget your roots? That's the most terrifying kind of person!
After thinking for a moment, the retired man held up the half-eaten egg tart in his hand and added, "Your food tastes good. If you have time, you can bring some over to visit us old folks and chat with us. It would be a good way to add some youthful energy to this nursing home."
"I understand, thank you, Grandpa!" Zhou Huichang nodded repeatedly.
On the way back to the city from the nursing home located on a small hill, Li Sishi was more concerned about the last words of the retired elder than Zhou Huichang was excited and happy to have received guidance from another master.
Although it's unclear why the retired tycoon's relationship with her son and grandnephew seems strained, the tycoon's eyes and overall demeanor are impeccably upright, and she had investigated her background beforehand and found nothing amiss... So, it's likely that there's some unspoken discord between the elderly woman and her children and grandchildren.
In such an era of transition, stubborn and conservative elders are always paired with enterprising and innovative younger generations, while those who adhere to the original aspirations remain steadfast.
Elderly people often encounter unreasonable descendants.
However, as the saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. As long as it didn't affect her cousin Zhou Huichang, she was too lazy to bother with other people's messy family affairs.
Thinking this to herself, Li Sishi turned her head and glanced at her cousin Zhou Huichang, who was still excited and as lively as a little rabbit. She couldn't help but put on a doting smile.
How wonderful! Her little cousin is able to follow her talents and interests throughout her life, doing what she loves and pursuing her favorite career. She will always be happy, like a little bundle of joy, bringing happiness to others while always maintaining a genuine smile herself.
Just like this sunset, it is warm and beautiful, and it also carries the hope of a new day.
"Cousin, cousin! What are you thinking about?"
Seeing Li Sishi leaning back in her chair, smiling at him with her profile, the afterglow of the setting sun bathing her in a warm, otherworldly golden light, Zhou Huichang was once again amazed by her cousin's beauty and couldn't help but ask a question.
"I'm wondering how Guangzai will fare in tomorrow's qualifying match..." Li Sishi pondered for a moment before answering softly.
Her two younger cousins are currently at a turning point in their lives, and since she rarely has a little time to pay attention to their growth, it's natural that she can't help but feel a bit like a parent.
"With Shenglin around, I believe their team can definitely return to Group A!" Zhou Huichang puffed out his cheeks and clenched his fist, looking like he had complete confidence in them.
“Well, with your brother Shenglin around, the winning rate isn’t low.” Li Sishi continued, which immediately made Zhou Huichang blush from her cheeks to her ears. She was so embarrassed and angry that she reached out to teach her a lesson.
"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't say anything, did I?" Li Sishi laughed incessantly as she was tickled, dodging around, and finally managed to stop Zhou Huichang by using her height advantage to press down on her head to stop her from advancing...
Seeing that tickling didn't work, Zhou Huichang pouted and sat back down in her original position, thinking for a while before suddenly slamming her hand down in a flash of inspiration. Then she gave Li Sishi a smile that looked quite "familiar".
"Hey... what kind of look is that?!" Li Sishi was shocked by her appearance and was about to stop her when Zhou Huichang, unusually speaking at the fastest speed she had ever used, came over with a smile.
"Cousin, I think you got this old man's contact address from Leo, right?"
Have you been in frequent contact lately?
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