The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Zhao Shucheng and Xiaoxue arrived at the restaurant. As soon as they ordered, Xiaoxue suddenly lowered her head, as if afraid of being seen.

Zhao Shucheng was taken aback when he saw Xiaoxue like this, and asked, "Xiaoxue, what's wrong?"

As he spoke, Zhao Shucheng turned around and looked behind him. He didn't see any familiar figures, so he figured he hadn't run into Amy and Mo Xiaomin.

"Don't speak, don't look!"

Zhao Shucheng was a little confused, guessing that Xiaoxue must have run into someone she knew and didn't want anyone to know that she was having dinner with him, so she could only pretend that she hadn't noticed anything and eat normally.

After finishing their meal, Xiaoxue breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled Zhao Shucheng away from the restaurant.

"No, who did you meet that made you so scared? It couldn't be your mother, could it?"

"Of course not, he's my colleague."

"What are you afraid of, your colleague? We're just having a meal, why are you so nervous?"

Xiaoxue said, "You don't understand!"

Zhao Shucheng really couldn't understand Xiaoxue's thoughts, so after sending her back, he didn't think much of it.

But a few days later at noon, Zhao Shucheng was preparing lunch at home when he heard a knock on the door.

When Zhao Shucheng opened the door, he saw Xiaoxue standing there, looking at him with some sadness.

"Xiaoxue, what's wrong? What happened?"

Xiaoxue said sadly, "Nothing happened. I just came to check on you during my lunch break."

"Huh? You just came to see me? I don't believe it. What's wrong?"

Xiaoxue took a deep breath, looked at Zhao Shucheng, and said, "Xiaobai, there's something I want to ask you, and you must answer me honestly."

"Okay."

How much do you earn in a month?

Zhao Shucheng was taken aback by Xiaoxue's question, looked at her in confusion, and asked, "No, why are you asking me this in the middle of the day?"

"Yeah, don't worry about why I'm asking this. Just tell me honestly, how much do you earn in a month? Is it inconvenient for you to say?"

"There's nothing inconvenient about it. It's just that you know my job. Part of it is writing articles, and sometimes I write scripts for film crews. It's not like I have a regular get off work schedule, so my income isn't very stable. Sometimes I earn more, and sometimes I earn less."

Xiaoxue persisted, asking, "And on average? How much is it on average over a month?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Tens of thousands of yuan, I haven't really calculated it for this period. What's wrong?"

Xiaoxue screamed and said, "So many? No wonder you can date two people at the same time."

"Is it much?"

"Isn't that a lot? My monthly salary plus bonuses and performance-based pay is only a few thousand yuan."

As she spoke, Xiaoxue glanced at Zhao Shucheng with a somewhat dejected expression, then shook her head and walked out as if dragging her own body.

"No, Xiaoxue, what do you mean by this? Did you come here just to find out how much money I make?"

Xiaoxue lowered her head sadly, and after a while, she turned to look at Zhao Shucheng and said:

"Okay, I'll tell you. Do you remember the last time we ate at a restaurant together?"

"I know, but you were being evasive back then, and you wouldn't tell me when I asked."

"My colleague saw me eating that time."

"Well, then what?"

"Then she waited until we finished eating and left, and then she saw you drive me away."

Zhao Shucheng asked, puzzled, "There shouldn't be anything wrong with this, right? It's just a normal meal, isn't it to celebrate you finding a job?"

"But I didn't treat you to that meal; you paid for it."

"So what? I've never had the habit of letting girls pay when we eat out. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Xiaoxue said with some grievance, "Of course it's not right. My colleague told my other colleagues the same day he went back."

"And then what? It's just a meal, even if we talked about it, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"Of course something's wrong."

Zhao Shucheng was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You have a boyfriend. Does your boyfriend know about this?"

"I do not have a boyfriend."

"That's because they know I have a girlfriend, so they're saying you're interfering in our relationship and misunderstand that you're a mistress?"

Xiaoxue chuckled and said, "Of course not. Even if I were with you, I wouldn't be considered a mistress, more like a fourth mistress."

"Then what's the problem?"

“This is a huge problem. They saw me eating with you at that restaurant, where each dish costs two or three hundred yuan, and the meal cost over a thousand yuan. Your car is worth over a million yuan. Now they all say I'm dating a rich guy!”

As she spoke, Xiaoxue couldn't help but start to cry. If she had really done it, she wouldn't feel so wronged. But she had only had a slight liking for Zhao Shucheng and they had only had a meal together.

Originally, she wanted to ask Zhao Shucheng how much he earned. If his income wasn't high, she wouldn't be considered a gold digger. But now that she knew his income, if she continued to pursue him, wouldn't that confirm the rumors her colleagues had spread? "No, you came to see me just for this? We're both single, having a meal together is nothing to them. Besides, my money is honestly earned, I didn't steal or rob it, and it's only truly my money when I spend it. Why do you care what others say? What does it have to do with us?"

Xiaoxue said, "You don't understand, you have no idea how much pressure I'm under right now."

"What pressure? We're not in a relationship right now, so everything they're saying is just a rumor and we don't need to care about it at all."

"What do you know, my colleagues? What do they usually eat when they go on dates with their boyfriends? They eat at roadside stalls, and they're happy if they occasionally have fried chicken and burgers. They take the bus when they go out, and if they want to splurge a little, they take a taxi."

Xiaoxue glanced at Zhao Shucheng as she spoke, and continued, "The problem now isn't what we eat, but what we eat so that they won't talk about me behind my back, do you understand?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I understand. They just misunderstood our relationship. Here's what we'll do: I'll go with you to your workplace and explain to them that we're just friends."

"How can this be explained clearly? I'm very confused right now, I'm leaving first."

Zhao Shucheng watched Xiaoxue's departing figure and shook his head speechlessly. He and she had nothing going on, yet she was already overwhelmed. If they were really together, who knew how much psychological pressure she would face?

Just as Zhao Shucheng was about to continue his meal, Luo Shuquan entered and asked curiously:
"Hey, Xiaobai, guess who I just ran into?"

"It's Xiaoxue, she just left here."

"That's no fun. By the way, what did Xiaoxue want from you? She seemed lost and disoriented, and quite a bit flustered."

Zhao Shucheng said, "It's nothing serious. She's working now and came to chat with me during her lunch break. But she probably won't come to see me anymore and will start her normal nine-to-five work life."

Luo Shuquan said, "Xiaobai, I've noticed that any girl who's been with you for a short time will immediately become very busy with work. Mo Xiaomin was like that before, Amy was also very busy with her clothing store, and now Xiaoxue is the same. She'll definitely be so busy in the future that you'll hardly ever see her. Do you have a knack for bringing good fortune to your wife?"

Zhao Shucheng rolled his eyes at Luo Shuquan and said, "You're wrong about that. If that were true, Qian and I have known each other for more than a year or two, and she wouldn't have been so bored that she almost starved to death before."

“Qian is different. She is your confidante. Without love, she naturally wouldn’t have this good fortune. But you can’t deny that Mo Xiaomin and the others started getting busy after they fell in love with you, right?”

Zhao Shucheng said, "Are you trying to provoke me? Well, you'll be disappointed. I wish they all had their own careers, so they could be more fulfilled and wouldn't have to think about romance every day or scheme against each other."

"But seriously, what are you planning to do about Xiaoxue? You can't just keep stringing her along, can you? I think it's best to make some things clear. Amy and Mo Xiaomin won't let you flirt with other people."

"You don't need to worry about that. Xiaoxue won't be bothering me anytime soon. I'm busy finishing my manuscript. If you don't have anything else to do, you can go now."

"Oh dear, are you kicking her out now? Are you feeling guilty? Tell the truth, did Xiaoxue confess her feelings to you, and you rejected her because you were afraid Amy would find out, and that's why she left heartbroken?"

"Things might be completely the opposite of what you think..."

Upon hearing Zhao Shucheng recount Xiaoxue's arrival, Luo Shuquan looked at Zhao Shucheng with a gloating smile and said:

"Xiaobai, although you have good luck with women, it doesn't seem like it's going to blossom and bear fruit. Instead, it's going to wither. But Xiaoxue is a really nice girl. She has a nice name, is beautiful, young, and as pretty as a flower. Now she's like a piece of uncut jade, pure and flawless. I think you two are not suitable for each other, so that she won't be defiled by you."

Zhao Shucheng rolled his eyes at Luo Shuquan and said, "Can't you speak properly? Can't you speak properly? She likes me one-sidedly, what can I do? Besides, the rumors are just their own misunderstandings, what does it have to do with me?"

"You can't just watch the girl who used to like you get slandered like this, can you?"

Zhao Shucheng shook his head and said, "These kinds of things are hard to explain clearly. After all, it's easy to spread rumors, but debunking them is incredibly difficult. Besides, if I were to actually go to Xiaoxue's workplace to explain, it would just seem like I was trying to cover something up, making things worse."

"So you're just going to watch that young girl get wronged? And you, the culprit, are just going to continue living a carefree life as if nothing happened?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "It depends on the timing, you don't understand!"

Zhao Shucheng didn't expect things to change like this. After all, although there was a similar scene in the original plot, it happened after Xiaoxue got together with Gu Xiaobai. Her colleagues misunderstood her as a gold digger, so Xiaoxue chose to break up with Gu Xiaobai and then got together with a guy who hadn't graduated yet and didn't have much money. She even borrowed money from Gu Xiaobai to support his business.

Later, when Gu Xiaobai gave money to Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue's colleagues saw it and felt that Xiaoxue wasn't dating a rich man, but had found her Prince Charming. Xiaoxue then broke up with the young man and went back to Gu Xiaobai to get back together, leaving Gu Xiaobai somewhat amused and exasperated.

Zhao Shucheng only hoped that he wouldn't encounter the same situation, otherwise he would definitely become the target of Luo Shuquan and the others' ridicule.

Of course, Zhao Shucheng wouldn't tell Luo Shuquan and Xiaoxue that the income he mentioned wasn't the truth. Gu Xiaobai's income used to be much lower, only around ten thousand yuan a month, while Zhao Shucheng's income was now over one hundred thousand yuan, sometimes even higher. Of course, Zhao Shucheng did give Xiaoxue an average figure, but this average would continue to rise.

"What's so hard to understand? It's just about showing up at the most crucial moment, putting on a heroic rescue, and then winning the heart of the beauty. You screenwriters only ever use these same old tricks over and over again."

"You really don't understand. Let's not talk about this anymore. The world is changing so fast these days. In girls' eyes, they've started comparing whose boyfriend is poorer."

Luo Shuquan said, "You should be understanding of them. We were the same back then."

"Have it?"

"Yes, we resent the rich. Back when we were in college, if a pretty girl from our school was picked up by an older man from outside the school, went out for a drink and a chat, and the bill came to several hundred yuan, we were indignant, weren't we? After all, several hundred yuan is a month's living expenses for us."

Zhao Shucheng has never experienced anything like this. After all, he has always worked hard to earn more money, but he has never been jealous of others who are richer than him.

After all, resentment towards the rich brings no pleasure, nor does it bring wealth; it's merely an emotional outburst from the incompetent. Such people attribute others' success to luck or unfair means, ignoring the importance of their own hard work.

Zhao Shucheng never complains or blames others; he only works hard. Even if he can't become a tycoon in other people's eyes, he will still make his life better step by step. Of course, he can also set others as his goals and catch up with or even surpass them step by step.

Zhao Shucheng said, "That's why there were moral attacks back then, with people saying all sorts of things like 'depraved' and 'vulgar.' But looking back now, aren't those so-called 'old men' just our age now? Didn't Xiaoxiao's classmates secretly say that you're an old cow eating young grass?"

Luo Shuquan quickly waved his hand and said, "Xiaobai, you can't slander me. There's nothing between Xiaoxiao and me. If Zuo Yongbang and Yang Jingjing hear you say that, I'll be in big trouble."

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "Alright, I was just kidding. This is my home. Do you think they can just suddenly show up here?"

Luo Shuquan said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I came to see you about something else, I almost forgot to tell you."

Zhao Shucheng asked, "Speak, what is it?"

Luo Shuquan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Look, Yang Jingjing and I have been together for a while now. Don't you think we can take the next step and officially live together?"

Zhao Shucheng asked, "Are you ready?"

"What preparations are needed?" (End of Chapter)