Chapter 1 (6)
A tall man in a suit, with a side-parted hairstyle, arrived at the door. He looked a bit boyish, but a closer look revealed his age. He handed over the money. Yu Jia didn't look up, but quickly counted and reported the amount to Yu Rui.
Yu Rui wrote down the number in the notebook and then looked up at the visitor.
My heart trembled. "Name." She asked directly.
"Bai Yuankai," he replied. He added, "Yu Shuang's senior."
Senior, what an alluring title. Yu Rui thought it was pleasant to look at this person. Yu Jia looked up, glanced at Bai Yuankai, and nodded slightly out of politeness. The money he gave was quite a bit.
Yu Yi then handed over the yellow chrysanthemums.
Bai Yuankai entered and bowed.
Yu Meng was also drawn to his unique aura. However, for her, Bai was too young. She had never considered getting entangled in a second marriage with a younger brother. Her goal was a man around fifty years old, mature, wealthy, and a perfect match for her—of course, he had to be well-maintained at fifty—and she refused to accept an old man.
Weng Yue came over and said with a smile: "That's Lao Wu."
"Hmm?" Yu Meng didn't understand what she meant.
"Wang Laowu, with diamonds."
"Second generation?" Yu Meng had seen this many times.
Weng Yue smiled and said, "He's a popular figure in the industry lately."
"What bank?" Yu Meng thought it was the banking system.
"Big data." Weng Yue stands at the forefront of the times.
I felt confused and lost in the dream.
"He graduated from a prestigious university, studied electronic and computer engineering, and received his doctorate from Cincinnati, USA. Before the age of 30, he was selected as one of the most influential and outstanding young leaders in the future of the US manufacturing industry. He is engaged in the industrial intelligent transformation of enterprises and holds many patented technologies. He is an ambitious young man." Weng Yue said it all in one breath.
Full of admiration.
His ideals are different from Yu Meng's ideals.
Looking at Weng Yue's intoxicated expression, Yu Meng felt a little sorry for her. She knew that Mr. Big Data would probably never have any intimate relationship with a middle-aged woman like Weng Yue.
Oh no, it does matter, I can make your money.
She didn't believe that Weng Yue simply admired this engineer.
Looking at Yu Shuang again, her face looked heavy and haggard, as if she was in her forties. Yu Meng couldn't help but lament for her best friend.
Such a waste. Surrounded by abundant resources, she turned a blind eye. Surrounded by sumptuous meals, she lived on her thin, watery rice gruel. Who could she possibly be justified in?
Weng Yue and Yu Meng weren't the only ones interested. Yu Rui went back and searched for Bai Yuankai's name. There he was. However, the more she searched, the more disappointed she felt. It wasn't because Bai Yuankai "didn't live up to his reputation." It was because he was too "real."
He grew up in a privileged environment, consistently excelling from childhood. As an undergraduate, he participated in numerous campus activities—there's a small report online by a student group about him. He was the student union president and even reformed the student union system. He was a maverick, yet he always earned respect through his strength. Tall and athletic, he excelled in sports, winning first place in the college's 10x80m relay. During his freshman year, he visited and studied at universities abroad. His overseas study experience served as a role model for his juniors. His idol was Albert Einstein, and he achieved numerous accomplishments during his doctoral studies. Each one was dazzling. He was like a little sun, down-to-earth, yet romantic and sentimental, possessing a 38-degree touch.
Yu Rui even found what he said so inspiring, "People should have a zero-based mentality and dare to give up what they have", "Ordinary people often think that the real and holdable things in their hands determine their future, maybe a certificate, a degree or a high-sounding title. However, in fact, the starting point for obtaining these things and the beliefs and habits that one possesses are the decisive factors of any choice", "When people just want to firmly complete every task at hand and constantly polish themselves in the process, the additional product of fate, tea, will follow."
Did he say all of these? It didn't matter. What mattered was that these sentences were all about him. Yu Rui deeply realized that Bai Yuankai was a different kind of person from the actors around her or everyone she had known in the past.
She felt that she was not worthy of him.
Because she lived in a gloomy, even dirty environment most of the time, she was afraid that she would block out his sunshine.
Of course, Yu Rui wanted to get to know Bai Yuankai better, not to possess him, but to admire him. She believed that the existence of such people in the world could give people confidence and make them willing to believe that the world is a beautiful place.
But right now, Yu Rui had no time to indulge in her teenage dreams. Reality was chaotic. Yu Shuang was having a mental breakdown, so there was no way she would ask her about Bai's gossip—even if she did, she probably wouldn't tell, or wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.
She had to comfort Yu Shuang. Huang Qi called her to tell her that their lease was up and the couple they'd shared the apartment with—Yu Rui and Huang Qi's classmates—were planning to move out and rent on their own. The landlord was raising the rent, so they might have to find another place.
Living in Shuang's house was fine for now. But for Huang Qi's sake, Yu Rui planned to continue sharing the apartment. They'd been acting partners for three of their four years at university, and it wasn't as if sparks hadn't flown. Yu Rui's virginity was with Huang Qi. Huang Qi claimed it was his first time, too. Yu Rui didn't believe him. He was so sophisticated, slick, and at ease. Later, she realized his sophistication was all fake, an act; at heart, he was even more innocent than she was.
They didn't become lovers for the simple reason that they saw no hope in each other. They were the same kind of people, those who had come to the big city to seek their fortunes. They could comfort each other and support each other, but they couldn't give each other the status, position, or even, to put it bluntly, money that the other desired.
Over time, Yu Rui and Huang Qi became roommates and lived in peace.
Huang Qi's ambitions were even greater. His dream was to become a top-tier actor, even more prominent than Huang Xiaoming, even more sought after than Lu Han and Li Yifeng. He wanted to win Best Actor, perform on the Spring Festival Gala, star in magazine spreads, and secure advertising endorsements. He wanted a single appearance fee to earn him a lifetime's worth. He wanted to rise to prominence in a glamorous manner.
Unfortunately, after a few years of drifting, progress was slow, and neither he nor Yu Rui landed a serious role. Many of their classmates changed careers. Like the couple they shared their apartment with, the woman took classes at a gym while the man did art exam training. As for miscellaneous businesses like selling Putian shoes and distributing yogurt through WeChat, they all tried them.
Yu Rui couldn't hold on any longer and began to think of other solutions. Huang Qi, however, continued to go to the gym every day, meet people, and visit film crews. Occasionally, he'd snag a small role and travel thousands of miles to film. He was a man who wouldn't give up until he saw the Yellow River. Occasionally, he and his roommates would sigh over a cucumber or carrot: Eat? Or not? Fitness matters. He still maintains his eight-pack abs.
The rented apartment was in a state of chaos. The couple had already moved out, and Huang Qi was packing his belongings into a box.
"The day after tomorrow." Huang Qi said when he saw Yu Rui come in.
Yu Rui asked, "Didn't they give a month's notice?"
Huang Qi said: "The landlord agrees, but the management doesn't allow it and won't allow the group."
Yu Rui wanted to explain that they weren't a group, that they weren't separated. But she knew it was useless. Fortunately, they didn't have much stuff, just a few boxes, so they could travel light.
She asked Huang Qi, "Have you found a house yet?"
"My buddy helped me get one."
"Where?" Yu Rui always spoke briefly to him.
"Do you have a place to live?" Huang Qi guessed as Yu Rui hadn't come back for several days.
"Don't want to share the rent?" she asked.
Huang Qi gave an address. Far away. In the suburbs of the suburbs. Yu Rui knew the house there. It was a privately built house, a small, single-room apartment, like a rural village on the outskirts of the city. Some child actors lived there. Yu Rui suddenly felt a pity for their misfortune and anger at their lack of resistance.
Living environment is so important! Even if you're renting, you should treat yourself well. Actors eat little, and their appetites are insatiable. Even if the living conditions are poor, what's the point of living in a big city?
Huang Qi glanced at her, a little apologetically, and explained, "Do you want to go? There are private rooms available, with showers and cooking facilities available."
Yu Rui didn't say anything.
He knew she was ambitious, but in his current situation, he had to be frugal.
"I'll take a role right away and stay here for three months. If I'm lucky, I won't live here for many days a year, but I'll just treat it as a place to stay," said Huang Qi.
The rent was too expensive and not worth it. With his honest confession, Yu Rui forgave him. After years of struggle, she had thought things would gradually get better and the two of them would be together again. But who knew they would drift further and further apart.
She couldn't save him, and he couldn't save her. In the vast sea of people, they had no choice but to part ways, each of them wishing for their own well-being and survival.
The packing was almost done. Huang Qi sat on the big suitcase. "What are you going to do?" he asked, smoking.
Yu Rui also took a cigarette. After a few puffs, she said, "Find a job. If nothing works out, go home."
Huang Qi was speechless. He couldn't stop Yu Rui from making her choice. He could only ask himself. As long as he was alive, he would persevere on this path.
"Come find me anytime." After finishing his cigarette, Huang Qi hugged Yu Rui.
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