The film and television city starts from the courtyard

That day, Zhao Shucheng was holding a meeting with his employees when he suddenly received a call from He Xiaozhou.

This surprised Zhao Shucheng somewhat, since He Xiaozhou rarely called him.

He Xiaozhou arranged to meet Zhao Shucheng, and Zhao Shucheng checked the time and agreed.

After Zhao Shucheng met He Xiaozhou, he noticed that she seemed hesitant to speak several times, so he asked, "Xiaozhou, what do you want to see me about?"

"Qin Chuan, could you lend me some money?"

"No problem, how much?"

Aren't you going to ask me what I need the money for?

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Since you've come to me to borrow money, you must be in trouble. We grew up in the same alley, so I trust you. I'll have someone transfer the money to you in a bit."

He Xiaozhou hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lend me 100,000 first."

"One hundred thousand?"

"Isn't that a bit too much? Less is fine too, fifty thousand, is that alright?"

"No, I want to know what you need so much money for? It's not for studying abroad, is it? Is 100,000 enough? The cost of living abroad is not low at all."

He Xiaozhou shook his head and said, "It's not about going abroad. My mother's condition has worsened, and the daily treatment costs are quite high. Our family simply can't afford it, so we have no choice but to ask you for a loan."

He Xiaozhou downplayed the seriousness of the matter; in reality, his family had already gone bankrupt due to his mother's medical treatment. Just last year, He Xiaozhou's father sold their house to raise money for his wife's treatment, but that money had already been spent.

Although He Xiaozhou and his father have been working to support their mother's continued treatment, their wages are barely enough. Moreover, her condition has worsened, and the hospital is unable to provide further assistance, advising them to discharge her and allow her to recuperate at home.

He Xiaozhou was unwilling to give up so easily, so she begged her father to save her mother. However, her family had already gone bankrupt and her father could not borrow any money, so He Xiaozhou came to Zhao Shucheng for help.

Zhao Shucheng was also unaware for the first time that He Xiaozhou's mother's condition was so serious, so he readily instructed the finance department to transfer the money to He Xiaozhou.

He Xiaozhou finally managed to pay her mother's hospital bills with the borrowed money, but now she faces a new problem.

The school has launched an exchange program for a combined Master's and PhD degree with Imperial College London, and Xiao Qianxi hopes to apply for the program together with He Xiaozhou.

However, He Xiaozhou knew her own situation. Her family had already borrowed money to pay for her mother's hospitalization, and she simply couldn't afford such a high amount of tuition fees for studying abroad. Moreover, He Xiaozhou was well aware that her mother's condition was very serious and she might not be able to hold on until she returned from her studies.

"Qianxi, I... I might not be able to go to study abroad with you. It costs a lot of money to go there, and we don't know if we can get a full scholarship until the very end."

"Even if you have to pay for it yourself, you have to go. It's Imperial College London. If you can get through a few years, the future will be bright. At this time, you absolutely must not hold back with anyone."

"But I don't know if my mom can make it through these next few years."

"What's wrong, Auntie?"

He Xiaozhou said, "The doctor suggested that my mother be discharged from the hospital."

"Isn't being discharged from the hospital a good thing?"

He Xiaozhou said, "The doctor means I should go home and rest, and give up treatment."

"No, Auntie won't be so quick. Auntie is eager to see you succeed. Maybe she can hold on for three years."

"What if it's not enough? For me, no amount of years will be enough to make up for it. Qianxi, there's not much time left for me and my mother. I can't waste any more time, especially these long four years."

"But have you ever thought about what's most important to your aunt? It's your future."

He Xiaozhou said, "I dare not think about it, and I don't have time to think about it. A combined master's and doctoral program is really too long. What if..."

Xiao Qianxi felt that He Xiaozhou was irresponsible towards her future, so when filling out the application form, she also submitted the application on He Xiaozhou's behalf.

He Xiaozhou was very dissatisfied when he found out. He felt that Xiao Qianxi had no right to make decisions for him or to decide his future. He still hoped to stay by his mother's side and fulfill his filial duties.

Xiao Qianxi was naturally unwilling. She persuaded He Xiaozhou not to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so that he could make a name for himself in the future and then come back to repay his parents for raising him.

He Xiaozhou, however, had a different idea. He would rather be poor for the rest of his life than miss the last moments he could spend with his mother.

This incident led to the first major argument between Xiao Qianxi and He Xiaozhou since they got together.

To He Xiaozhou's surprise, she soon received the devastating news of her mother's death and had to rush to the hospital.

Xiao Qianxi didn't expect the timing to be so coincidental. Seeing He Xiaozhou's absent-minded appearance, she disregarded their previous argument and stayed by He Xiaozhou's side.

Zhao Shucheng and Xie Qiao also received news of He Xiaozhou's mother's passing. After all, she was an elder who had watched them grow up, so they naturally went to the hospital to visit her.

After seeing Zhao Shucheng and Xie Qiao, Xiao Qianxi nodded to them but stood outside the door without going in.

Zhao Shucheng glanced at Xiao Qianxi, and after walking in, he saw He Xiaozhou and his father standing silently.

Xiao Qianxi didn't expect He Xiaozhou's mother to pass away so soon. Although she wasn't directly responsible, He Xiaozhou had just argued with her because she helped him submit his application form, which cast a shadow over her feelings for their relationship.

Seeing Zhao Shucheng and the others come to keep He Xiaozhou company, Xiao Qianxi knew that her presence would only remind He Xiaozhou of their previous argument, so she left in tears.

That evening, Zhao Shucheng and Xie Qiao accompanied He Xiaozhou to remember her mother. He Xiaozhou talked about her relationship with her mother and said that she dreamed about her childhood.

Xie Qiao also mentioned the peanut candy that He's mother used to make, saying that she would never be able to eat it again.

"Little boat, it's alright, we'll all be with you. Besides, Auntie will be watching over you from heaven, hoping you'll be alright."

He Xiaozhou said, "Qin Chuan, thank you for lending me the money, but I may not be able to pay you back in a short time."

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "What are you talking about? This little bit of money is nothing. I'm not in a hurry to use it anyway. So, your goal now is to study hard. When you're successful in the future, you can pay me back then."

"Yes, I won't stand on ceremony with you. By the way, I'm preparing to study abroad. My mom's biggest hope is that I'll make something of myself, so I definitely won't give up this opportunity." "That's the right way to think. By the way, you're going abroad with Xiao Qianxi, right?"

"Well, it should be!"

The next day.

He Xiaozhou found Xiao Qianxi and told her that she had decided to study abroad.

Xiao Qianxi said with some guilt, "Xiao Chuan, don't blame yourself too much. It's all my fault. I was afraid that Aunt's illness would be a burden to you, so I forced you to go abroad. Aunt is right, I'm not kind."

"No, Qianxi, I don't blame you. My words that day were too harsh. It's not that you're unkind, it's that I didn't leave you enough room to maneuver. I didn't tell Mom about Imperial College London. If I had, she would be hoping I would go, just like you. For the sake of a better and happier future, Qianxi, I'm going!"

Xiao Qianxi and He Xiaozhou were preparing for studying abroad together, but things never go as planned. He Xiaozhou studied hard, passed the exams smoothly, and received a full scholarship to Imperial College London.

Xiao Qianxi was not so lucky. Although she tried her best, she failed due to problems with her spoken English and other aspects.

Zhao Shucheng, Xie Qiao, and Xiao Qianxi came to the airport to see He Xiaozhou off as she went to study in Britain. He Xiaozhou was the first among their group to depart.

Because Zhao Shucheng had the most experience traveling abroad by plane among them, He Xiaozhou's boarding arrangements were handled by Zhao Shucheng.

Xiao Qianxi said, "After you get off the plane, no matter how late it is, remember to let me know you've arrived safely."

"Ok!"

"I just remembered, I forgot to put wet wipes in for you, I'll buy some for you right away."

Xiao Qianxi left as soon as she finished speaking. Xie Qiao realized she had brought it and tried to chase after her, but He Xiaozhou stopped her.

He actually knew that Xiao Qianxi wasn't really going to buy tissues; she just didn't want others to see her suffering.

Not long after, Xiao Qianxi and Zhao Shucheng returned. Xiao Qianxi gave He Xiaozhou the six-diamond lucky charm that He's mother had given him earlier.

"May your journey be safe, my little boat, across mountains and rivers."

"Wait for me to come back, Qianxi, take good care of yourself."

Watching them part, Zhao Shucheng seemed to imagine Wang Ying leaving soon after, and suddenly wondered if he shouldn't have supported her studying abroad. After all, she could have studied in China; why insist on going abroad?
After seeing He Xiaozhou off, Zhao Shucheng took Xie Qiao and Xiao Qianxi back to school, but then received a call from Qin Qian.

This time, she called not only to check on her family, but also to ask for Zhao Shucheng's opinion on business matters.

Their beauty salon's partner, Boss Cao, is now encouraging them to open a flagship store on Renmin Road. The store has a good location and the rent is cheap enough, which makes Tan Hui very interested.

However, Qin Qian still felt uneasy. After all, how could such a well-located shop be transferred at such a low price, or even approached them?

However, no matter how she investigated, she couldn't find any problems. Tan Hui was also prepared to take a gamble and invest all his wealth to open a flagship store.

Although Qin Chuan is her younger brother, she has to admire his business acumen. Originally, she looked down on the milk tea shop, thinking that her beauty salon would definitely be the first to open a branch. She even planned to open a branch in Beijing, but the flu outbreak forced her business to come to a standstill.

On the contrary, her younger brother's milk tea shop has opened one branch after another, and now it has even opened in Shanghai, with several branches. There is even a branch near her beauty salon.

That's why she called Zhao Shucheng to ask for his opinion. If Zhao Shucheng also felt there was a risk involved, she would definitely stop Tan Hui.

After hearing this, Zhao Shucheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Sister, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Although the shop transfer price is very low and we can't find any other problems for the time being, is it possible that the shop itself has problems?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "You said it yourself, your partner only encouraged you to open a flagship store, but he didn't contribute a single penny himself. This is clearly problematic. After all, who would refuse to invest their own money?"

“I have considered this issue, but Tan Hui said that Cao Xiang’s investment in Singapore has run into problems, so he doesn’t have the money and therefore cannot participate.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "If he has no money on hand, does he have no other assets? If he really sees the future of the flagship store, then he should get involved, even if it means taking out a mortgage loan, right? But he said he wouldn't invest a single penny."

Qin Qian was stunned when she heard this. After all, it seemed that Cao Xiang really intended to let them open a flagship store without spending a penny. Moreover, Tan Hui was even preparing to give Cao Xiang a 10% stake in order to thank him for his idea.

"In my opinion, we should investigate the situation first. For example, is there any dispute between this store and someone that is not widely known? Or, does Cao Xiang have other motives for encouraging you to open a flagship store?"

“But your brother-in-law is unwilling to wait. He thinks this is a good opportunity and it would be a pity to give it up now.”

Zhao Shucheng said, "I'm just offering my opinion. Anyway, even if the flagship store investment fails, you can always come to Beijing and work for me. You may not become a manager, but I can still give you a milk tea shop."

"Go to hell, I wouldn't even look at your bubble tea shop."

Despite saying that, Qin Qian regretted that she should have decided to take the initiative to acquire the franchise rights in Shanghai when she learned that Qin Chuan Milk Tea Shop was doing well. That way, she could have invested all her funds in the milk tea shop and wouldn't have had to worry about the flagship store now.

In the end, Qin Qian decided to support Tan Hui's decision to open a flagship store and even agreed to give Cao Xiang a 10% stake.

While Xie Qiao was on a date with Yang Cheng, she learned that Yang Cheng was also going abroad to study, and to a prestigious university like Brunel. Yang Cheng, however, didn't care that he was telling Xie Qiao this; he even hoped Xie Qiao would go with him.

Xie Qiao was worried that she wouldn't pass the exam, and besides, her family simply couldn't afford the tuition and living expenses for a year.

Although Yang Cheng said that he wouldn't need Xie Qiao to pay for her living expenses after she went there, Xie Qiao still hesitated.

Wang Ying initially planned to study at a university in France, but after telling Zhao Shucheng her idea, she was persuaded to change schools.

Wang Ying was stunned. She looked at Zhao Shucheng and asked, "Qin Chuan, why is that?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I know what you're thinking, but I still suggest you change to another university, or even a university in another country. Your idea is good, but when studying abroad, it's not just about the school's reputation and the authority of its major. There's another more important factor you need to consider."

"What factors?"

"Of course, it depends on the country's security situation. You wouldn't want your wallet to be stolen as soon as you get off the plane, or you wouldn't want to be robbed while shopping, or even your apartment to be unsafe, would you?"

"Hearing you say that, it sounds like foreign countries are like dens of dragons and tigers." (End of Chapter)