The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Looking at the somewhat naive Wang Ying in front of him, Zhao Shucheng found it hard to connect her with Xia He, the one known as the Bone-Scraping Knife from the Underworld.

"I am Qin Chuan, Xie Qiao's childhood friend. I am not a student at your school."

Wang Ying looked at Zhao Shucheng and said, "You are Qin Chuan, whom Xie Qiao often talks about. I didn't expect you to be so handsome."

"Thank you for the compliment. By the way, I haven't yet asked who you are?"

"Wang Ying, by the way, these are my and Xie Qiao's roommates, Xu Lin and Xiao Qianxi."

Zhao Shucheng looked at Xiao Qianxi. She was very simple and unassuming, dressed plainly. She had not yet entered the entertainment industry and had not become a popular star.

In contrast, Wang Ying, though somewhat naive, wore clothes that, while seemingly unremarkable, were actually designer brands, suggesting a well-off family background.

Of course, Wang Ying's life later changed drastically. She went from being a well-off young lady from a high-ranking official's family to living in poverty after her father was placed under investigation. She could only live in a dilapidated house, eat unpalatable fast food, and even bought a beat-up second-hand car.

However, Wang Ying did not give up on herself. While pursuing her master's degree abroad, she worked part-time to complete her studies. She even rejected the help of her childhood friend Yang Cheng, who came from a wealthy family and whom she had a crush on. Instead, she relied on her own efforts and eventually made a name for herself in the art world.

As for Xu Lin, he had a tomboyish demeanor and was very boyfriend-like, but he didn't fit Zhao Shucheng's aesthetic, so one glance was enough for him.

Just then, Zhao Shucheng's phone rang; it was Xie Qiao calling.

"Qin Chuan, have you forgotten what day it is today?"

"Your birthday? I remember your birthday was a long time ago?"

Xie Qiao said, "No, are you really forgetting or just pretending?"

"If that's the case, then it's quite hot in Beijing today."

Xie Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "You really went back to the capital! Oh, by the way, I ran into Brother Xiaochuan! Come on over!"

"Never mind then, I won't disturb your time together. I'll celebrate the start of school with you separately after you separate from him."

"Fine, don't come then, I'm not talking to you anymore."

Looking at Zhao Shucheng, Wang Ying felt as if she were seeing herself. Both of them had someone they liked, but dared not confess their feelings, or even let them know.

"Qin Chuan, do you like Xie Qiao?"

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "Is it that obvious?"

"It's not obvious, but I can tell. After all, I also have someone I like, and I understand what it feels like to have a crush. But it's because he's always surrounded by girls. Why is that for you?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Naturally, it's because she also has someone she likes. We grew up in the same alley and played together since we were little. It's just that I came a little too late. Xie Qiao prefers the more mature Xiao Chuan Ge, and I can only wish her well."

Zhao Shucheng glanced at Xiao Qianxi and Xu Lin standing to the side and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. By the way, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I was thinking of having a get-together with everyone in our dorm, but as you can see, Xie Qiao has plans."

"Okay, I'll treat you to dinner, but I don't have your school's meal card, so I'll need you to swipe it for me. I'll transfer the money to you later."

"You're too kind. Since you've come to our school, we should be the ones showing you hospitality. But Xie Qiao told me you were studying abroad, right? You didn't choose to return to China specifically for Xie Qiao, did you?"

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "Yes, I came back because of Xie Qiao. I was originally planning to confess to Xie Qiao, but now it seems the timing is not right."

Seeing that Zhao Shucheng was unwilling to talk about it, Wang Ying didn't press further and changed the subject, saying, "That's quite a pity. By the way, what's it like abroad? Everyone says it's great, but I wonder if it's really true?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "It depends on which aspect you're referring to. After all, people are all different, and national conditions vary. Just like now there are developed countries, developing countries, and least developed countries."

Wang Ying said, "You should know what I want to ask: developed countries."

"There are pros and cons. On the one hand, their economic conditions are indeed quite good. They currently have advanced technology and a good per capita income. But on the other hand, these countries have very serious security problems."

"It's not as bad as you say, is it?"

Zhao Shucheng pointed to his forehead and said, "This is the evidence. I just experienced a home invasion robbery, and it was armed. If I hadn't backed down quickly, you might not even be seeing me now, or you might not even hear about me until I'm already dead."

"Really?"

"Of course, what good would it do me to lie to you? Apart from some wealthy areas where the security is better, other places abroad are practically dangerous. You not only have to be wary of sudden shootings, but also of robbers who suddenly appear, and you even have to be careful at home. Unlike in China, robberies are rare, let alone armed robberies."

"After hearing what you said, I'm a little hesitant to go abroad."

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "There's no need to avoid it like the plague. Just be more careful in your daily life, especially in keeping your wealth out of sight. It's best not to carry more than a hundred yuan on you, and there shouldn't be any major problems. If you really have a large expense, be sure to keep it a secret and don't let too many people know."

Although Zhao Shucheng's words contained an element of intimidation towards Wang Ying, they were all true. While Zhao Shucheng hadn't spent much time abroad, he had already grasped the true nature of those places and naturally had many countermeasures in place.

"Then I will definitely be more careful in the future."

Wang Ying said that she felt she had neglected her roommates. Although they had had many pleasant moments before, and even the mushrooms brought by Xu Lin caused poisoning in their dormitory, making them the laughing stock of the whole school on the first day of school.

But it was precisely because of this shared hardship that their relationship became even stronger. Although they sometimes blamed each other, they also helped each other.

"Qianxi, let's have dinner together."

After the meal, Zhao Shucheng had completed his investigation of the university and tentatively decided to start his business near the school.

After Wang Ying and the others finished their meal, they went back to their dormitory.

Xu Lin looked at Wang Ying curiously and asked, "Hey, aren't you going to chat with Qin Chuan a bit more?"

"I just met him, we probably don't have much to talk about, right?"

“You’ve only just met him. You weren’t like this just now. You were so focused on chatting with him that you ignored us all. I’m starting to wonder if he fell in love with you at first sight.”

"No way, he has someone he likes."

Xu Lin asked curiously, "Who does he like? Is she from our school? Do we know her?"

"That's his privacy, I can't tell anyone. By the way, let's not talk about that, have you finished processing these mushrooms? I don't want to accidentally eat them and end up in the hospital again."

"Don't worry, it's been dealt with a long time ago. I never thought that after all these years of making mushrooms, Grandma would still have this problem again." Wang Ying breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xu Lin wasn't asking any more questions. She really didn't want to reveal other people's privacy.

Just then, her childhood friend Yang Cheng drove his sports car to the school to find her, but he fell in love with the gentle and charming Xiao Qianxi at first sight and took the initiative to chat with her.

After returning to her dormitory, Xiao Qianxi told Wang Ying about her encounter with Yang Cheng without any hesitation, saying, "I ran into your childhood friend. He said he didn't know how to get to Building 37 and asked me to take him there."

"I don't know anything. He just took me back to my dorm yesterday."

Although she was not happy about Yang Cheng's philandering, she still went downstairs to see him.

Yang Cheng asked, "Is that girl from your dorm?"

"You've already brought this up, what else do you want to ask me? Can't you please refrain from 'eating the grass near your burrow'?"

Yang Cheng said nonchalantly, "That's quite far from my place."

"My nest!"

Just then, Xie Qiao and He Xiaozhou returned from dinner. Seeing Wang Ying, Xie Qiao greeted her, saying, "Wang Ying!"

"Ugh!"

Watching Xie Qiao's retreating figure, Yang Cheng said, "This one is also from your dorm, but he doesn't seem very capable."

"Are you busy or not? If not, I'm going back to my studies."

"Something's up. I saw on that forum that four lunatics set fire to your dorm building when school started. Is that true?"

"what!"

"Oh, it really is true? I thought it was a joke. This school, they don't even check the students' mental state during the admissions process. Have those four lunatics been brought under control yet?"

Wang Ying said awkwardly, "Well, it's under control."

"Then be careful in the future. When you see them, go around them at least 500 meters away."

Xie Qiao only found out that Zhao Shucheng had really returned to China after returning to the dormitory, and even had lunch with her roommates. She quickly called Zhao Shucheng.

Because He Xiaozhou had something come up, Xie Qiao hoped that Zhao Shucheng would accompany him to the club recruitment area to choose the club he was going to join.

Zhao Shucheng also wanted to learn about the student clubs at well-known universities in this era, so he agreed.

However, Xie Qiao was worried that Zhao Shucheng, who had studied abroad, might not be familiar with clubs in China, so she specially invited her good friend Lu Qianran, who was studying at the Film Academy, to help her choose a club.

When Xie Qiao saw Wang Ying return, she asked curiously, "Who was that boy downstairs just now?"

"My childhood friend!"

Xu Lin said, "Look, this is a real childhood friend. It's pure revolutionary friendship, unlike you, Xie Qiao, and all that other nonsense."

'What nonsense are you talking about? How could Qin Chuan and I not be childhood friends?'

Wang Ying didn't want to continue the discussion. After all, if Xie Qiao found out that Zhao Shucheng liked her, and then rejected him, Zhao Shucheng would be heartbroken, and they might even cut off all contact. It would be Xie Qiao who would be upset.

"Hey, I'm being serious. I'm giving you all a serious warning: stay away from Yang Cheng. The word 'unreliable' was created just for him."

Xiao Qianxi asked, puzzled, "He seemed quite polite to me."

"This has nothing to do with politeness. He's a womanizer. In kindergarten, he would nap next to pretty girls. In elementary school, he would hold hands with girls while crossing the street. He started dating in middle school. In high school, a girl gave up her college entrance exam for him. After entering university, none of his girlfriends lasted more than three months. In short, he's a menace. It's always better to stay away from him."

Xie Qiao and the others looked at each other, somewhat incredulous. But since Wang Ying was Yang Cheng's childhood friend, she wouldn't fabricate a lie to deceive everyone.

"We still need to be wary of that childhood friend."

"I'm not talking to you guys anymore, I need to go check on the club activities. Do you want to come with me?"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! I really want to see if there's an anime club. My husbands, here I come!"

Hearing Xu Lin's words, the others exchanged glances and said, "We really should join a club. By the way, should we sign up for the same club?"

"No, that won't do. Everyone has different preferences, so it's best for each person to choose what they like."

"Don't worry, I've found someone to help me with the research, and I'll give you valuable advice later."

"Who is it? Your childhood friend?" Xu Lin asked.

"Yes, Qin Chuan. I originally wanted to ask Brother Xiao Chuan for help, but he couldn't come because of something. However, Qin Chuan is studying abroad and is very knowledgeable, so he should be able to help too."

Wang Ying stopped Xiao Qianxi and Xu Lin, who were about to follow, and said, "Let's forget it. You're with your childhood friend, what are we doing following along? Besides, we'll all be looking for suitable clubs ourselves anyway, so it's better to split up from the start and share our experiences when we get back to the dorm."

Xie Qiao didn't think too much about it. Seeing that everyone else had the same attitude, she went straight out.

When Zhao Shucheng saw Xie Qiao, she wasn't much different from the Xie Qiao in his memories of this world. However, looking at this familiar tall girl with long legs, Zhao Shucheng didn't feel any amazement; perhaps he had already taken her for granted.

Looking at the club information, Zhao Shucheng asked, "Qiaoqiao, are there any clubs you're particularly interested in, like an anime club, a drama club, or an English club?"

"I don't understand. What's all this about? There was this Aristotle Thought Research Society just now, and they even dragged you into studying philosophy. Do you look like a philosopher?"

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "That's just a smokescreen. But speaking of which, Aristotle's works cover all the disciplines known to the ancient Greeks, including astronomy, zoology, physics, and geology. His surviving works amount to three million words. That's the number of words after translation into Chinese. If it were in ancient Greek or Arabic, the number of words would be even more. It's hard to imagine what he used to write so many words in his time."

Xie Qiao laughed and said, "Of course it was written with pen and paper, what else could it be?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Paper hadn't been invented yet back then. Papermaking techniques were only improved in the Han Dynasty, and most people were still using bamboo slips. Papermaking is hailed as one of the Four Great Inventions of China. Do you think paper existed abroad?"

Xie Qiao was taken aback by Zhao Shucheng's question and said, "Then tell me what happened?"

"I don't know either. Anyway, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is only a little over 5,000 characters long, the Analects is only a little over 15,000 characters long, and the Book of Poetry is less than 40,000 characters long. The Four Books and Five Classics combined are only a little over 400,000 characters long, and they are collections of works by many ancient sages. Yet they still can't compare to a divine being from a hilly city-state that struggles to support itself." (End of Chapter)