The next day, Celestial Sea Drama Academy.
Yang Xiaoxiu had been waiting at the school gate since early morning, rubbing her hands together in the cold wind, her cheeks slightly reddened by the breeze.
The yellowed leaves of the French plane trees twirled down from the air, and the delicate Yang Xiaoxiu standing among them exuded a hint of retro feminine beauty.
Yang Xiaoxiu’s appearance actually resembled that of won in old movies from Tianhai, with slender willow-leaf eyebrows and slightly upturned phoenix eyes, combined with her clean and petite face. Although she wore no heavy makeup, one could long expect that she’d speak softly in a Wu dialect any mont.
Additionally, due to her tall and slim figure, Yang Xiaoxiu seed perfect for wearing fitted qipao; if she were to dress formally, she would undoubtedly be a living classical beauty of Shanghai.
Celestial Sea Drama Academy lived up to its reputation, as the attractiveness of its students was generally higher than that of a typical comprehensive university.
Upon spotting Li Jing approaching from a distance, dressed in a black trench coat and paired with leather shoes, Yang Xiaoxiu’s eyes brightened. She waved her hand energetically and called out to Brother Jing, then jogged over.
Yang Xiaoxiu’s voice drew the attention of many passersby, instinctively turning to take a look at the pair.
Yang Xiaoxiu’s ordinary attire didn’t hold the gaze of the passersby, but instead, Li Jing, with his stylish, upscale wardrobe, attracted several more looks.
The saying "clothes make the man" indeed rings true.
Recently, Li Jing’s outgoing outfits had been chosen by An Tong, and combined with the few traits of a wealthy deanor he’d acquired over ti, he naturally drew more attention than an average working-class man.
Perhaps also because working people on the streets carried a sense of exhaustion and urgency, seemingly overwheld by work and life.
Li Jing, however, emanated an aura distinct from others, feeling leisurely and at ease.
Watching the youthful Yang Xiaoxiu delightfully approach Li Jing, the passersby were not surprised, glancing briefly before withdrawing their attention and hastening toward their destinations.
It was common to see affluent n picking up female students at the gate of Celestial Sea Drama Academy, and sotis even driving luxurious cars to show off, contributing to a unique scene at the academy’s entrance.
As Li Jing and Yang Xiaoxiu entered the academy, Li Jing finally got to see the true face of this institution that had cultivated nurous stars.
The academy’s teaching buildings boasted a unique style that blended modern and classical elents.
So buildings had verdant vines climbing their exterior walls, recording the long history and artistic heritage of the architecture.
The paths on campus were lined with statues of various drama characters, featuring solemn and majestic figures of ancient Greek tragic heroes, and the lively roles from traditional Chinese operas, each vividly lifelike.
Watching scattered groups of students around the campus, Li Jing marveled at the beauty of student life.
Then, as they reached a small pavilion behind the teaching building, Yang Xiaoxiu pointed out a middle-aged man resting inside it, wearing a green vest over his coat. Leaning close to Li Jing, she whispered, "Brother Jing, he’s the groundskeeper I’ve ntioned to you, I call him Uncle Liu. I’ve chatted with him a few tis before, he’s quite talkative."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing’s gaze fell on the hunched figure in the pavilion.
The man appeared to be in his fifties, with dark skin and a worn presence. Yet his eyes were strikingly lively, continually admiring the female students passing by.
"Uncle Liu, having another break?"
At this mont, Yang Xiaoxiu approached confidently and greeted him with familiarity. Compared to facing Li Jing, she showed much more natural ease and confidence in front of Uncle Liu.
Uncle Liu turned upon hearing the voice, saw Yang Xiaoxiu, visibly pleased, but frowned and retorted, "What do you an another break? I just rested once today, worked all morning, so tired I could die."
As he spoke, he deliberately thumped his arm as though genuinely aching.
"Alright, alright, I know you’re the most dedicated,"
Yang Xiaoxiu casually sat next to him on the pavilion bench, then introduced Li Jing: "Uncle Liu, this is my cousin, he’s investing in a movie recently. There’s a role quite like you, he wants to chat with you, is that okay?"
"Your cousin?"
Uncle Liu glanced at the well-dressed, dignified Li Jing, instantly frowning and waving them off: "No ti, no ti. I’d chat a bit with you girls, but what would I talk about with a grown man?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing raised an eyebrow, but wasn’t offended. Instead, he found the man interesting, so he took out a packet of soft Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, handed it over, and smiled: "Uncle Liu, just a simple chat, it won’t take long."
"Zhonghua, huh?"
Seeing the Zhonghua cigarettes, Uncle Liu was surprised, his previous reluctance noticeably diminished, examined the packet front to back, and remarked: "You young folks these days have it too good. Back in the day, where could we get such fine cigarettes."
Uncle Liu didn’t say he agreed, but he’d already slipped the cigarette pack naturally into his coat pocket, crossed his leg, looked at Li Jing, and lectured: "You sure you’re her cousin? Which cousin wears na brands and smokes Zhonghua, while the cousin sister only eats bread?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoxiu knew Uncle Liu had seen her eating bread for lunch last ti and quickly responded: "Uncle, I just like bread..."
"Enough, little girl, you can’t fool !"
Uncle Liu snorted coldly, a touch of pride flashed across his face: "Not bragging, but I’ve seen more won than you’ve eaten als."
At this point, Li Jing also settled beside him, took out another pack of Zhonghua, opened it right in front of Uncle Liu, extracted a cigarette, handed it over, and smiled: "You must’ve lived quite a dashing life back then?"
Seeing Li Jing reopening a cigarette pack for him, Uncle Liu showed a flicker of interest in his eyes, quickly developed a bit of fondness for the young man in front of him, reached out for the offered cigarette, nodded, and remarked:
"Indeed, back then our state-run factory commanded such prestige. Just the employee status from the factory alone had many sending their daughters my way for recomndation. The status was far superior to current governnt officials."
Li Jing lit a cigarette for Uncle Liu and inquired: "How did you get into the factory, Uncle? Did your family have connections? Employees’ offspring?"
"Connections? Nothing of the sort. I earned my way into university and was assigned there."
Uncle Liu took a puff of the Zhonghua, perhaps breathing too hard causing him to cough several tis before continuing: "Cough cough... I was assigned to the factory office, higher status than the workers in the various departnts below. Quite a few senior workers would greet .
Oh yes, back then, Old Liang from the repair departnt fancied , insisted on introducing his daughter to , couldn’t get away with it. So I had to see it through, and surprisingly, rather than , the girl fell for quickly..."
Just as Yang Xiaoxiu described, Uncle Liu was indeed very talkative. Once he started, he needed no prompting, and poured out his stories, indifferent to others knowing about his past.
Which made sense, since for soone who could only be a groundskeeper now, perhaps those monts were the sole glory he had to showcase.
Reflecting this, Li Jing’s character "Jiangnan" gradually ca to life in his mind, filled with vivid detail as inspired by Uncle Liu’s expressive narration...
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