Chapter 00261: Words of Advice
# Words of Advice
Chapter 261
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 261: Words of Advice
"You look so young!"
"Oh, where? I'm almost fifty."
"No, no, you look like you're barely forty. If it weren't rude, I'd even call you 'big sister'!"
Li Lianjie sat on a small stool, watching as his mother was charmed into laughter, utterly delighted.
Between giggles, she still found time to boss him around: "Go wash some fruit! Your boss is here, and you haven’t even said a word!"
"No need, no need. I’ll just sit for a bit and then leave. Xiao Li here is doing great—outstanding performance at the company. I thought I’d drop by before New Year’s to visit you too!"
"You’re too kind. I should be thanking you for looking after him."
After chatting for a while, Chen Qi turned to Li Lianjie.
"Shaolin Temple is set for a Lunar New Year release in Hong Kong. They’ve invited a few of you to promote it. Since I’ve got nothing to do with this film, I won’t be going. You and Ji Chunhua can handle it."You’ve got plenty of experience, so I’m not worried.
Just remember to follow protocol.""I know, I’ve been abroad plenty of times.""One more thing today—Tai Chi did really well, and your acting in Tai Chi 2 has improved too.
I’ve been keeping an eye on it..."Right in front of his mother, Chen Qi pulled out a kraft paper envelope."Since it’s the end of the year, consider this a bonus.""Oh my, this is too much! You shouldn’t have gone out of your way to deliver it personally—just a word would’ve been enough!"His mother immediately stood up, flattered but also embarrassed, nudging Li Lianjie."Hurry up and thank him! Look how good your boss is to you, always looking out for you!""Thanks, Brother Qi!"Li Lianjie took the envelope, grinning from ear to ear. He thought to himself: See? I knew Brother Qi wouldn’t shortchange me. He’s really got my back. Chen Qi shook his head inwardly. After staying a little longer, he was about to leave when suddenly, voices came from outside. The door curtain was pushed aside, and Huang Qiuyan walked in."Xiao Li, Auntie, you—oh! Brother Chen, what are you doing here?""Why can’t I be here? What about you—what brings you here?""Qiuyan, it’s cold outside, isn’t it? Look how red your face is from the chill..."His mother was very fond of Huang Qiuyan, holding her hand as she explained,"This girl has such a kind heart.
She often comes by to help me tidy up and clean...
Qiuyan, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Stay for dinner...
Comrade Chen, you should stay too—I’ll start cooking right away!""No need, I’ve got other matters to attend to.
Don’t trouble yourself!"Chen Qi really did get up to leave, waving as he said,"Xiao Huang, come with me for a moment."Baffled, Huang Qiuyan followed him out. Once they were outside the courtyard, Chen Qi pushed his bike, the snow crunching under his shoes as he asked,"Are you and Xiao Li together?""Huh?"Her face instantly turned red, and she quickly shook her head."What are you talking about? I’m his senior sister—we’re just close.""Do you like him?""...""Does he like you?""...""These things need to be clear.
You can’t just leave them vague.
You’re young and inexperienced, so I suggest the two of you have a proper talk.
If you’re too shy, you could tell his mother how you feel or find a mutual friend to mediate.
Just don’t leave things ambiguous."With that, Chen Qi said no more. He mounted his bike and rode off. Huang Qiuyan was a good girl. After their divorce, she drifted alone in the U. S. before eventually remarrying a Chinese restaurant owner. All these years, she never once spoke out about anything. She and Li Lianjie remained in touch, and she still called his mother"Mom."(Photo: A reunion of the Shaolin Kids crew—older Li Lianjie and Huang Qiuyan, taken in 2015.) For Huang Qiuyan’s sake, Chen Qi had said a bit more. But young people don’t like being lectured, especially about matters of the heart. If she was dead set on following Li Lianjie, there was nothing he could do. ...... After leaving Mahua Courtyard, Chen Qi headed to Beijing Film Studio. The Mama, Love Me Again crew had already returned. The entire film was wrapped and now in post-production. As he rode his bike through the studio lot, he ran into Zhang Jinling, who waved at him."Xiao Chen! Looking for Xiao Gong?""Yeah.
You busy?""Not at all.
You should really go see Xiao Gong—she hasn’t been herself since coming back from Guangdong.
When I saw her this morning, her face was so gloomy I didn’t even dare speak to her.""Oh, I’ll head over then.
See you later!"Chen Qi scratched his head and rode to the dormitory building. He climbed the stairs and knocked, but there was no answer. Digging out a spare key, he let himself in. Despite it being broad daylight, the curtains were drawn, leaving the room pitch black. Gong Xue lay in bed under a thick quilt, eyes open. She clearly saw him come in but didn’t say a word."..."Chen Qi glanced around and spotted a stack of documents and a notebook on the coffee table. Picking up the notebook, he flipped through it and got the gist. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently touched her cheek."Feeling down?""Mhm."Gong Xue shifted slightly under the covers, her voice gloomy."It’s all your fault, making me study all those documents.
I spent a whole month reading them—crying during the day while filming tearful scenes, crying at night while reading more.
I’ve cried so much I’ve dried up.
I’m worse off than Sister Lin now.""That’s called immersing yourself—you’ve gotten into character.""The script isn’t even ready yet, and I’m already in character? If this keeps up, I’ll be dead by the time we start filming.
I don’t want to do it anymore."She rolled over, turning her back to him. Chen Qi chuckled, lying down beside her and wrapping an arm around her waist."But the whole point of making this film is to ensure more people remember history.
"Think of it like those old war films about fighting the Japanese—they were made to honor our great victory and commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives. This is a mission entrusted to you by the nation. You bear a heavy responsibility, and you must see it through..."
"..."
After about half a minute, Gong Xue slowly turned back, nestling into his arms.
"Thinking of it that way does make me feel a little better. You’re right—I should treat it as a revolutionary task. I can’t afford to be weak or back down."
Her mood slightly improved, and the two began catching up.
She told him about the filming process, rubbing her eyes.
"I’ve cried so much my eyes are ruined. Sometimes everything looks blurry."
"Did you see a doctor?"
"I did in Guangdong. They gave me some eye drops and told me to rest."
"Well, that works out. You can take it easy during the Lunar New Year break—you’ve had a tough year."
Gong Xue counted the days.
"New Year’s Eve is on the 24th, so I’ll go home on the 16th—just in time for the southern Little New Year... Huh?"
She suddenly smiled, wrapping her arms around Chen Qi’s neck.
"My silly boy, we still have half a month together!"
"Why do you always calculate it so precisely?"
"Because I don’t want to be apart from you. Sometimes I really feel like just retiring."
"But even if you retired, I’d still be busy. Would you really follow me around everywhere?"
"Of course not—how embarrassing!"
Gong Xue sighed.
It was an unsolvable problem.
Chen Qi was right—even if she quit acting, he’d still be swamped.
Might as well keep working—at least she’d have a career.
......
CCTV.
On the small screen, the first two episodes of Justice Bao finished playing.
Deputy Director and Head of the TV Drama Center, Ruan Ruolin, nodded repeatedly.
"You’ve made a fine series. As of now, it’s easily among the top tier of domestic productions."
"Come on, I’ll accept ‘top tier,’ but ‘the best’ is pushing it—I’m not that full of myself."
Yang Jie, the same age as Ruan, spoke without reservation.
"When do you think we should schedule it?"
"New Year’s Eve! One episode a day, running through the sixth day of the new year."
"Deal. I’ll be off then!"
"Hey, hey, I’m not done yet! You’re always in such a rush!"
Ruan Ruolin grabbed her.
"The station’s planning to adapt the Four Great Classical Novels. After much discussion, we’ve finally made progress—we want you to take on Journey to the West. Are you in?"
"Journey to the West? I’m not into all that demon and monster stuff. I’d rather do Dream of the Red Chamber."
"Dream of the Red Chamber is going to Wang Fulin!"
"What does that old man know about Red Chamber? Can he even tell Lin Daiyu from Xue Baochai? Give it to me—I’d do it justice."
"The station’s already decided. So, are you in or not? If not, I’ll find someone else!"
"Fine! Why wouldn’t I be?"
Yang Jie smacked her thigh in frustration.
"Well, it’s a classic at least. Hand it over—after the New Year, I’ll start prepping. I’ll scour the country for the prettiest girls to play all those demons!"
(End of Chapter)