The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Looking at Xiaoxue's pleading eyes, Zhao Shucheng remained silent for a moment before asking:
"Xiaoxue, can you tell me why your boyfriend suddenly wants to start a business, and why he's asking you for capital?"

Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment and said, "That's right, when my boyfriend came to pick me up from get off work, he heard what my colleagues were saying. When we got back, he told me that he loves me very, very much, that he can't live without me, and that he will definitely make a lot of money to make me happy. He's even planning to start making money right away."

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but chuckle and said, "So? Have you decided what you want to do? You can't just suddenly decide to start a business without thinking about anything, right?"

"Of course not, he's planning to sell bootleg CDs."

Zhao Shucheng was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Xiaoxue, who was looking very serious, and then at Zuo Yongbang, who was watching the show. He felt very incredulous.

Keep in mind that it's now 2000, and with the advent of the internet age, especially the emergence of online music websites, the market for bootleg CDs has begun to decline.

Xiaoxue seemed to know what Zhao Shucheng was thinking and said, "He also said that although this business has small profits and isn't very legitimate, many of the world's richest people and capitalists started from small businesses. I think as long as you can complete your initial capital accumulation and earn your first pot of gold, things will get better from here on out."

"Good, well said. You have ideas and ambition. When I was his age, I didn't even have any ideas. But he doesn't even have the capital to start a small business?"

Xiaoxue said, "His family is poor, but he said he did all this for me, so I feel obligated to help him."

Looking at Xiaoxue, who seemed so righteous and didn't seem to notice anything amiss, Zhao Shucheng just wanted to laugh.

"So you came to ask me for money, is that it?"

“I didn’t say I absolutely had to ask you to lend me the money. You were the first person I thought of. You earn so much money a month, but it’s just a string of numbers in the bank. Why not help us start a business? We would be very grateful to you.”

Zhao Shucheng looked at Zuo Yongbang, who was trying not to laugh, and said, "Shouldn't I be very honored and act like I'm having a good time right now?"

Zuo Yongbang laughed and said, "Whatever you want, just be natural!"

Xiaoxue seemed to realize that what she was doing was a bit inappropriate, and said, "It's okay, just call me when you've thought it through."

After saying that, he rushed out without waiting for Zhao Shucheng's reply.

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but shake his head and said, "What do you think they're thinking?"

"I think Xiaoxue is a good girl. She must be a good girl, much better than a girl who only has money on her mind, right?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I don't think Xiaoxue is bad, but I don't quite understand this logic. Besides, her boyfriend's business plan seems like something he came up with on a whim."

Zuo Yongbang asked curiously, "Why do you say that? I think kids have their own ideas."

"Teacher Zuo, you're supposed to be in marketing, yet you're so out of touch with the times! What era are we living in now? It's the internet age! Everyone's online, listening to music on their phones and MP3 players. How many people still listen to music on CDs or bootleg CDs? Even if I lent him money and he bought the CDs, what about the sales channels? How many students at the university would buy them, and how long would it take to recoup the investment? Has he considered these questions?"

Zuo Yongbang looked at Zhao Shucheng with some surprise and said, "I didn't expect that, Xiaobai, you would actually understand business operations."

"What a joke! We novelists, while not omniscient, still need a broad knowledge base and more information to have something to say when we write, and not just talk nonsense."

Zuo Yongbang said, "Maybe Xiaoxue's boyfriend really just wants to do some small business? Although it's not easy to make cut-out CDs, it's not impossible. After all, those cut-out CDs don't expire like fruits and vegetables, right?"

"I think Xiaoxue is too naive, and that boy is quite scheming. If he really just wants to make money, why doesn't he find a part-time job or other work instead of asking Xiaoxue to invest in a business?"

Zuo Yongbang said, "Maybe you found out about your income from Xiaoxue and realized that you couldn't earn a lot of money by just going to work a regular job, so you wanted to start your own business?"

Zhao Shucheng shook his head, feeling that things weren't as rosy as Zuo Yongbang had imagined. After all, if one really wanted to start a business, it was impossible to do nothing and just let Xiaoxue make all the sacrifices.

"So what do you plan to do? Lend it to him or not?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Lend it, why not? I also want to see what that boy will do. Maybe he can provide me with some material. Then I can use this money as research expenses."

"Xiaobai, I've noticed that you..."

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, it's great. Now I can truly do what I love."

Zuo Yongbang certainly wouldn't tell Zhao Shucheng that he actually thought Zhao Shucheng was cold-blooded. Since he suspected that Xiaoxue's boyfriend had impure motives, he didn't think about exposing him. Instead, he just stood by and watched, not afraid that Xiaoxue would really be deceived.

After drinking with Zuo Yongbang, Zhao Shucheng asked a designated driver to take him home, only to find Mo Xiaomin standing at his doorstep.

"Xiao Min, you've finally come to see me! I was worried that if we kept giving each other the cold shoulder, we'd break up sooner or later."

Mo Xiaomin glanced at Zhao Shucheng and said, "You don't seem worried at all; you even seem to be in the mood for drinking."

"Hey, you're wrong about that. I'm just drowning my sorrows in alcohol. Since you're here, don't leave."

Mo Xiaomin said, "No, I just came to see you. I still have to go back. I don't want Amy to think that I say one thing and do another."

"But you guys are being so competitive, can you please stop treating me like a tool? Aren't you worried that if you keep ignoring me like this, I'll fall for someone else?"

"Even if we didn't ignore you, it didn't stop you from finding someone else, did it? That Xiaoxue has a lot of feelings for you, so what, nothing happened between you two during the time we didn't contact you?"

Zhao Shucheng raised his hand and said, "Xiao Min, you've misunderstood me. She and I are really just ordinary friends. Just now, Xiao Xue even lent me money for her boyfriend to start a business. Teacher Zuo can vouch for me."

Mo Xiaomin was somewhat surprised upon hearing this and asked, "Really?"

"Of course it's true! By the way, Amy told me that you've had no shortage of suitors lately. Should I go and be your protector?"

"Okay, go ahead!"

Zhao Shucheng was surprised that Mo Xiaomin actually agreed, and looked at her curiously, asking, "What's wrong with you?" Mo Xiaomin sighed, and then burst out.

"Now that you have money, why do you seem to have more troubles in life?"

"Tell me, what happened?"

Mo Xiaomin hesitated for a moment, but still told Zhao Shucheng what had happened. After work, someone invited Mo Xiaomin to dinner, and she agreed because she felt it was for the sake of her job. When they arrived at the restaurant and were ordering, the other person's face turned green when they saw the menu, but they still reluctantly ordered. Unexpectedly, after the meal, the other person rushed to pay the bill, but then turned around and said that Mo Xiaomin was vain, impractical, and not good at managing a household.

"Xiaobai, you know I didn't expect him to pay. We could split the bill or I could pay. After all, I don't necessarily need to go to a restaurant. Eating at home, or with you and Amy, is fine. They invited me to dinner, so I can't exactly take them to my house, or to their house, can I? We're not that close, so going to a restaurant is the obvious choice. How does that make me vain?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "Didn't you tell them from the beginning that you were no longer single and had a boyfriend?"

"Why should I tell them these things? Besides, even if I don't tell them, don't they already suspect I have a boyfriend?"

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it, Xiao Min. You're just being envied and jealous."

"So what? I have money now. I earn so much money a month, can't I spend it? Since I can afford to eat well and dress well, why should I make myself suffer?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Of course not. After all, life is nothing more than eating and drinking. Of course, it doesn't mean you should enjoy a material life and be extravagant. It means you should live a fulfilling life and appreciate the simple pleasures of life. I haven't wronged myself either. When I was poor, I ate instant noodles and steamed buns. Now that I have money, I've eaten plenty of delicacies, but I can also eat simple meals."

"Yeah, that's why they have so many complaints about me. I'm spending my own money, what's it to them?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "I can only say that you are no longer suitable for your previous circle. With your current income and social status, some people are no longer suitable to continue to be close friends with you, or rather, they are no longer worthy of you, which is why they are envious and jealous."

"What should I do then? I can't just cut off all contact with them and end up with fewer and fewer friends, can I?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Xiao Min, true friends are never just drinking buddies at the dinner table, nor are they sweet-talking traitors, nor are they just people who call each other brothers. True friends are often useless, not because of interests, but because they should not ask for anything in return, just like the relationship between you and Amy."

Mo Xiaomin seemed thoughtful after hearing this, then looked at Zhao Shucheng and asked, "So Luo Shuquan and Zuo Yongbang are also your true friends?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Maybe, but at least for now, we don't have any conflicts of interest or much love and hate between us, so it's relatively easy for us to get along."

Mo Xiaomin rolled her eyes at Zhao Shucheng and said, "Fine, now that you say it, I feel much better. I used to only think that I couldn't rely on men and had to be financially independent, but why is it that the more independent I am now, the fewer friends I have and the less happy I am?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Naturally, it's because your knowledge hasn't kept up with your current status. After becoming financially independent, your needs have also changed. I suggest you study the theory of needs properly; it might give you some inspiration."

Hearing Zhao Shucheng say this, Mo Xiaomin suddenly felt a little strange. You see, when she was with Jack, she hated Jack's fickleness and how he always controlled her. But now that she was with Zhao Shucheng and had enough freedom, she always felt that he didn't seem to value her that much.

"Xiaobai, you still like me, right?"

"Of course, if I didn't like you, I wouldn't be chatting with you like an idiot on a cold winter night; I would have turned around and left long ago."

Zhao Shucheng didn't want to waste any more time talking to Mo Xiaomin. After all, some things are better left unsaid than done.

Mo Xiaomin initially resisted, but when she opened the door, she became much more compliant and stopped thinking about going back or feeling sorry for Amy.

The next day.

When Zhao Shucheng woke up, he found that Mo Xiaomin was no longer in the room. There was only a note on the bedside table, which said that everything yesterday was not a dream.

Zhao Shucheng had no intention of grieving over the passing of time. Thinking of what Xiaoxue had said yesterday, he hesitated for a moment, then ate breakfast and went to the bank to withdraw money to give to Xiaoxue.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get through to Xiaoxue on the phone, and Zhao Shucheng couldn't just give the money to the housekeeper and have her deliver it to Xiaoxue. Otherwise, she would definitely suspect something between him and Xiaoxue, or wonder why her daughter needed to borrow money.

Left with no other option, Zhao Shucheng drove to Xiaoxue's workplace, hoping to run into her and give her the money.

Zhao Shucheng drove to Xiaoxue's workplace and was about to go in to find her when he saw a girl wearing glasses walk out.

"Hello, beautiful lady, I'm looking for someone who works here. You must be colleagues. Her name is Xiaoxue, and she hasn't been here long. Do you know her?"

The other person looked Zhao Shucheng up and down, then glanced at Zhao Shucheng's car parked not far away, and suddenly pointed at Zhao Shucheng and exclaimed, "Oh!"

Zhao Shucheng glanced at him with some surprise, then looked behind him, not seeing Xiaoxue, before asking:
"No, what do you mean 'oh'?"

The girl stared intently at Zhao Shucheng and said, "You, you're that Gu Xiaobai?"

"Yes, I'm Gu Xiaobai. You know me? Are you my fan?"

The other person shook their head and said, "No, but it probably will be in the future."

Zhao Shucheng smiled after hearing this and said, "It seems you've read my novels or watched my TV series?"

"No, but wait a minute!"

Without waiting for Zhao Shucheng to say anything, he ran away.

Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that coming here was a mistake. He should have waited until tonight to call Xiaoxue.

But a moment later, Xiaoxue rushed out and threw herself into Zhao Shucheng's arms.

This surprised Zhao Shucheng. He knew that even when Xiaoxue liked him, she would only secretly touch his hand at most, and had never taken the initiative to hug him.

"No, Xiaoxue, what's going on?" (End of Chapter)