After listening to Yang Xiaoxiu’s words, Li Jing observed her expression in the rearview mirror before smiling slightly, "If you want my help, it naturally depends on what kind of value you can offer . I think you should understand that in the absence of other influences, transactions between people are always about equal exchange."
Yang Xiaoxiu was clever and imdiately understood the aning behind Li Jing’s words after hearing his response.
It was just like her roommate Huang Ying, who exchanged her youthful beauty and emotional value with that middle-aged boss for money and a sense of vanity satisfaction.
But Yang Xiaoxiu didn’t want that, or rather, she didn’t just want that.
She wanted money and to satisfy her vanity, but she also wanted Li Jing to bring her resources and opportunities to climb higher in the circle until she achieved her dream of becoming a top-tier celebrity.
Although she knew very little about Li Jing, among the people she could currently reach, Li Jing was undoubtedly her best choice.
Not only wealthy, but he also knew directors and invested in movies, such a person was already a high unreachable figure for her at the mont.
But even though he was so great, what value could she offer in equal exchange?
Or rather, what value did he need from her?
Did she really have to be like Huang Ying...
"Alright, I’ll stop here for a mont, my friend will be here soon."
Lost in her thoughts, Yang Xiaoxiu didn’t realize when Li Jing had already pulled the sports car aside, waiting for his so-called friend to get in.
Not long after, Yang Xiaoxiu saw a fashionable and trendy beauty swiftly approaching, wearing a dium-length cal wool coat over an off-white turtleneck sweater with a dark brown leather short skirt and long boots to match.
Only when the woman effortlessly sat in the passenger seat did Yang Xiaoxiu realize that this stunning woman was indeed the friend Li Jing ntioned.
"Here’s the hand-brewed coffee I made for you. It’s just the right temperature, you can hold it to warm your hands and sip to refresh yourself."
As soon as An Tong got in the car, she handed Li Jing a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee, then her gaze fell on his coat, as if spotting a minor flaw, she deftly reached out to gently pat away the dust on his coat.
Every one of her actions was extrely gentle and natural, her eyes full of Li Jing, without even noticing Yang Xiaoxiu sitting in the back seat.
After Li Jing had a few sips of coffee, An Tong considerately took the half-empty cup from him, cradling it in her hands to keep it warm in case he needed to continue drinking it later.
Witnessing this scene from the back seat, Yang Xiaoxiu blinked in surprise, internally shocked.
From each of her actions, she could sense An Tong’s attentiveness and tenderness, as well as genuine care and concern.
Combined with her stunning looks and attire, Yang Xiaoxiu couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Li Jing being cared for by such a woman.
Compared to this beauty in the front passenger seat, Yang Xiaoxiu felt her roommate Huang Ying couldn’t even compare, like the difference between a buyer’s and a seller’s show.
And most importantly, Yang Xiaoxiu clearly rembered Li Jing saying before that he didn’t date.
Not dating ant that this breathtaking beauty in the front seat really was just a "friend," as Li Jing claid.
Yet, even without the title of girlfriend, the things this beauty did were more attentive and thorough than over ninety percent of girlfriends.
"Oh, and in the back seat is Yang Xiaoxiu, an actress in our crew."
At this ti, Li Jing seed to rember he hadn’t introduced the two, casually ntioning to An Tong before turning to Yang Xiaoxiu, "This is my friend, you can call her Sister Tongtong."
Hearing this, An Tong was slightly surprised and turned around to see the young woman sitting in the back, quickly expressing her astonishnt and apologies, "Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know soone else was in the car."
"No problem, no problem," Yang Xiaoxiu quickly waved it off as soon as she finished speaking.
She then carefully inspected An Tong’s exquisite features and couldn’t help but complint, "Sister Tongtong, you’re really beautiful, even prettier than the campus queen at our school."
Upon hearing the complint, An Tong’s face blossod into a joyful smile, her eyes bending slightly like blooming roses in spring, "Thank you, are you a college student? No wonder you look so young. That’s amazing, being an actress already while in college."
Praised by such a beautiful woman, Yang Xiaoxiu, usually immune to such complints, couldn’t help but show a bit of delight and humbly thanked her.
Soon after, Li Jing started the car and hit the road again, while An Tong concluded her conversation with Yang Xiaoxiu and naturally resud chatting with Li Jing.
From the back seat, watching An Tong and Li Jing engage in familiar dialogue, Yang Xiaoxiu felt a ripple in her heart.
She suddenly realized that with such a beautiful woman around Li Jing, even if she offered the only value she had like Huang Ying, she would probably be insignificant in his eyes.
Thinking of this, she lowered her head, instinctively clutching the hem of her clothes, feeling imnsely complicated inside.
She found that she really couldn’t offer any value to him...
...
Half an hour later, Yang Xiaoxiu got out of the car and returned to her school.
Watching Li Jing’s sports car drive into the distance, she still couldn’t calm down.
She realized that her most precious thing didn’t even reach sufficient value in his eyes.
Thinking of this, she felt enveloped by a sense of powerlessness, as if no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t change her fate.
At this mont, her phone rang.
Yang Xiaoxiu took out her phone and saw it was a call from ho.
This was usually the ti the family would transfer her money, and they would always call to confirm before sending her living expenses, to prevent any unexpected situations.
"Hello, Mom..."
"Xiaoxiu."
The voice of the middle-aged woman on the other end sounded a bit embarrassed, "You still have so leftover from last month’s living expenses, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoxiu’s expression slightly changed, sensing that sothing was off in her tone, but she still replied, "A little over a hundred left."
"Only a hundred left?" The middle-aged woman was sowhat taken aback, then reproachfully said, "Xiaoxiu, you should know our family’s situation, you have to be thrifty with money..."
"Mom, I’ve been very frugal," Yang Xiaoxiu gripped the phone slightly tighter, defending herself, "But eight hundred yuan a month really only lasts a month in Celestial Sea City."
"Ah, I told you not to go to Celestial Sea City, but you didn’t listen. A big city like that is not a place for ordinary people like us. You even want to be an actress, just you..."
"Alright, Mom, what’s the matter?"
It seed Yang Xiaoxiu was tired of hearing her family complain about her attending university in Celestial Sea City and interrupted directly, "Is it that next month’s living expenses will be late?"
"No, that’s not it..."
The middle-aged woman’s tone paused for a mont before continuing, "It’s that we might not be able to send you next month’s living expenses."
As these words fell, Yang Xiaoxiu stopped walking and stood still, not saying anything.
And the middle-aged woman continued to explain, "You know your brother is in high school now, a crucial ti. He said he wants to attend a tutoring class to improve his English.
You know the English tutoring classes here aren’t cheap, they cost over two thousand, so your dad thought since you should have leftover living expenses, he’d use it along with what’s left at ho to pay for your brother’s tutoring fees."
Yang Xiaoxiu bit her lip slightly, her eyes starting to redden, "So, to send your son, who doesn’t even study, to a two-thousand-plus tutoring class, you wouldn’t even give eight hundred for living expenses?"
"What do you an our son, he’s your brother too!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman was imdiately displeased, furrowing her brow in dissatisfaction, "Xiaoxiu, at your age, many girls out here are already working to help support their families. Now you’re spending money going to university, and how dare you say it’s not enough?"
"Mom, the scholarship I applied for last year was also transferred to you, this money can be given to , right?"
"Scholarship? That’s because you’re from an impoverished family, it’s to subsidize us as a poor family, we’ll allocate it as needed, do you expect to take it all?"
"Mom, the scholarship is ant to assist in my studies..."
"Enough! There’s no living expense for this ti. If you want to bla soone, bla yourself for not being thrifty. If you’re out of money, borrow from a classmate and pay them back once you get the next allowance. And rember, be more frugal next ti. Anyway, your dad said there’ll be no living expense for this month."
After the call ended, Yang Xiaoxiu stood there holding her phone tightly, silent for a long ti. Finally, she took several deep breaths to gradually calm down.
Her relationship with her family wasn’t good, especially since they favored sons over daughters, and her own personality was not ek, so it was inevitable that she’d often argue with them.
This was also why she wanted to earn money from acting as soon as possible to live independently.
With this in mind, she recalled the advertisent she had taken on previously.
According to school regulations, students had to report any advertisents they took on before their sophomore year for approval, so she had inford her advisor about it through the proper channels.
The results should be coming through soon; if the ad goes through, she should have enough for next month’s living expenses.
With this thought, she cald herself and walked towards the teaching building.
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