Grandma Hu poured Shang Yechu a glass of water: "Don't drink too much."
Shang Yechu took the water glass and listened to Old Mrs. Hu ramble on, "It's just so-so. The pedestrian street has been quite deserted lately, and business isn't good. It only got a little better recently because of the holiday..."
Shang Yechu's mouth was filled with the strong taste of chocolate. She took a big gulp of water and asked, "What about your body?"
"You make me go for a physical exam every month, don't you?" Grandma Hu said with a smile. "The report says I don't have any major health problems."
Shang Yechu hummed in agreement, feeling slightly relieved. Suddenly, Old Mrs. Hu exclaimed "Hey!" and pulled out her phone.
After fiddling with the phone for a while, Grandma Hu handed it to Shang Yechu: "Yechu, Xiao Lu recently created a pedestrian street group, do you want to join?"
Shang Yechu took the phone and saw that the group chat displayed the name "Loving and Happy Street". There were about a hundred members in the group, chatting away.
Grandma Hu's phone was an old model, and it lagged a bit when she entered such a large group. After a while, Shang Yechu finally saw the group owner's name—it was Mr. Lu, the owner of the mobile phone shop.
"Is there really only this many people on this street?" Shang Yechu asked subconsciously.
"Only residents who have lived in the neighborhood for more than ten years can be added," Grandma Hu said. "What's the point of adding those who move away in a year or two?"
Seeing that Shang Yechu remained silent, Old Mrs. Hu continued, "You're a big star now, it's not convenient for you to join. Xiao Lu and the others all say you definitely don't want to, but I thought I'd ask you anyway, just in case."
Shang Yechu made a list and sent an application to her personal alternate account. After joining the group, she changed her nickname to "Xiao Hu".
"It's good to come in and see what everyone is talking about every day," Shang Yechu smiled. "But you have to keep it a secret for me. If Aunt Lu asks, just say I'm your relative."
Grandma Hu laughed: "Don't worry about that!"
Shang Yechu sat on the stool, looking left and right, her toes rubbing against the ground, trying to make conversation with the old lady. After chatting for a while, the old lady seemed to realize something: "What's wrong, Yechu? Did something happen?"
Shang Yechu hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head: "Grandma, I'm currently competing with someone for a job opportunity. If I lose, I might..."
Indeed, despite her boastful words in front of Ji Juntao, Shang Yechu had absolutely no confidence in the end. The outcome of "Half of the Sky" remained completely uncertain.
"What will happen?"
Shang Yechu was speechless for a moment. What would happen? It would make that dazzling dream even more unattainable. Scripts in the Chinese entertainment industry are dwindling year by year; who knows when he'll encounter such a good script again? Any artist who misses such an opportunity would be filled with regret.
Shang Yechu lowered her head and muttered, "I'll regret this to death. I'll spend the rest of my life thinking about it and I'll jump out of bed and slap myself in the face."
Grandma Hu chuckled: "The way you're acting now is just like one of my students before the college entrance exam. You know it's the most important exam of your life, but you still want to slack off!"
From an educational psychology perspective, Shang Yechu's behavior at this moment is an unconscious act of self-abandonment resulting from excessive pressure. —Because she desperately wanted to obtain "Half of Heaven," yet was uncertain whether she could truly defeat Wei Xuan, she fell into a state of anxious indecision.
He felt he should strive to obtain "Half of the Sky," yet he feared ultimate failure and all his efforts would be in vain, so he dared not devote his full energy to it. This was a very tricky psychological state.
Shang Yechu, who had been dawdling, opened his mouth and asked, "Then how do you discipline those students?"
Grandma Hu sized up Shang Yechu, her gaze so different from usual that it sent a chill down Shang Yechu's spine. It was like a student who had been sleeping in class waking up and turning around to find themselves staring into their teacher's eyes through the glass of the back door.
Grandma Hu stood up and grabbed Shang Yechu's ear.
"Hey hey hey—oh dear oh dear oh dear—"
Shang Yechu let out an exaggerated scream. Grandma Hu, dragging the much taller Shang Yechu along, stumbled and swayed until she finally pulled him into the bookstore's storeroom.
In the corner of the bookstore's warehouse, there was a roll of bedding. Shang Yechu was taken aback when she saw it: "You haven't taken this with you yet?"
"I've been saving it for you."
Grandma Hu turned on the warehouse light. The light here was still dim and yellowish.
Grandma Hu kicked aside the bedding roll and spread it out on the floor for Shang Yechu. Then she turned around, glanced at the stunned Shang Yechu, and slapped her back with her cane!
"ah!"
Shang Yechu's scream this time was absolutely genuine. Because it was autumn and people were dressed lightly, Old Mrs. Hu struck hard, and Shang Yechu felt as if the spot where she was hit was on fire, burning with pain.
Aside from the fight with Li Yi, Shang Yechu hadn't been hit in a long time. This sudden attack almost terrified her.
"Grandma!" Shang Yechu was a little annoyed. "What are you doing!"
Grandma Hu said calmly, "If an ordinary student dares to slack off at such an important juncture in their life, I would just give up on them. But you are my granddaughter, so we have to try to save you."
Shang Yechu's jaw nearly dropped to the ground: "This is the method of rescue?" It's hard to believe that Old Mrs. Hu is still an old-fashioned corporal punishment teacher!
Grandma Hu looked around and said with a sigh, "You were so diligent back then, I couldn't stop you from studying. Now that you're living a comfortable life, you've become lazy—"
Shang Yechu was touching the spot on her back where she had been slapped when she heard the old lady's words and paused.
"This is the way you came," Grandma Hu sighed. "You should stay here and think things through."
After saying this, Teacher Hu walked out with a limp.
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