The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Chapter 12 The Birth of an Actor

It is said that people are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. Gu Lanxi's first serious "entrepreneurial venture" quickly became famous, and she was dissuaded by her elders at home.

Even though she never ate the grass near her own home and always avoided the area where the Gu family lived, Guangzhou was only so big, and the Gu family had many relatives. In addition, many of them were like her grandmother, who were masters of long phone conversations, never having to worry about food or clothing. Besides playing cards and getting beauty treatments, their favorite thing to do was gossip.

Soon, the Gu family members received the news one after another.

Many members of the Gu family have thriving businesses, and even the least successful ones have several buildings to rent out. Yet their own child is like a little beggar, going around begging for food. Given their circumstances, countless people have been gossiping about the Gu family behind their backs.

Such a large family couldn't even support an orphan girl.

Tsk~
The rumors intensified, and everyone found it unbearable. However, her mother's death was so gruesome that during that time, no one wanted to associate with her, fearing they would be tainted by bad luck.

Some people even secretly spread rumors that she was too unlucky and almost brought death to her entire family.

Therefore, the pressure was immediately placed on the clan leader.

The clan elder was cunning and shrewd, and very patient. He knew that if he didn't take this opportunity to temper her temper, she would be even more difficult to discipline in the future.

So he frequently invited his old friends to have tea, and would often lament his family's misfortunes in front of others.

I thought that since this girl was raised in her hometown, she wouldn't be corrupted by her terrible father, but I never expected that she was bad from the root.

They insisted on doing that low-class job, competing with the taxi drivers for work, and no matter how much their elders pleaded with them, it was to no avail.

The aunt from the clan chief's family even wiped away tears while chatting with her old friends, saying that she had cooked for Gu Lanxi for so long, but had never received a kind word in return.

They also said that Gu Lanxi was unfilial, not only starting to feast on fish and meat right after the funeral, but also playing "Happy Sheep" at home every day.

Gu Lanxi was only twelve years old and didn't know how to hide her emotions, let alone consciously manage her image. She often acted on instinct.

She didn't have much love for her three elders, and even harbored hatred towards them, so it was impossible for her to be a dutiful son or grandson.

This is the first time I've witnessed how treacherous people can be.

After crying for several days while biting her tattered blanket, Gu Lanxi finally understood what "I am weak, therefore I am right" meant.

So she quickly put on a pitiful facade, thus embarking on the path of becoming a skilled actress and beginning her image management career.

There is never a shortage of busybodies in this world.

Every time someone sees Gu Lanxi, they stop her and ask her in a teasing tone how business is lately.

Gu Lanxi was going through a growth spurt at that time, and her weight didn't keep up. She looked tall and thin, as if a slight gust of wind could blow her away.

Whenever this happens, she would awkwardly clutch the hem of her clothes, lower her head slightly for a few seconds, and then look up again, her eyes reddening.

Then, with tears welling up but not falling, more melodramatic than a romance novel, she spoke softly and gently to someone:
“My grandparents were all driven to their deaths by my father. If I starve or freeze to death, no one will burn paper money for them next year during Qingming Festival.”

It was late autumn then, with temperatures in the teens Celsius in the mornings and evenings. Gu Lanxi, however, was still wearing thin, old clothes, standing in the chilly morning wind, visibly shivering. Yet, her words were exceptionally heartwarming:
"Fortunately, my elders at home treat me very well. They often buy me clothes and other necessities and invite me to their homes for meals. But I'm all grown up now, and I have to learn to support myself. Going out to work and earn money was my own decision, and it has nothing to do with my elders. Don't believe the rumors people spread."

Others asked her, "Then why aren't you wearing new clothes? You seem to have lost a lot of weight lately."

She trembled her lips, clinging to the last shred of dignity, and stubbornly told others:
"I have so many new clothes, I'm just saving them for the New Year. I haven't lost weight, look, I've gained so much weight! I'm eating three bowls of rice at every meal!"

Everyone's not blind; anyone with eyes can tell whether she's lost weight or not.

Whether she's telling the truth or not is unknown. If it's lucrative, who would eat three bowls of rice in one sitting these days?
Other children her age might still be pestering adults to let them watch more TV, but she's so sensible.

Even if she was only called out to watch the fun with her family at first, after a few words, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Neighbors offered to help her, but she refused, always lying through her teeth and saying that her elders treated her extremely well. Gu Lanxi was probably born to work in the entertainment industry; back then, she didn't understand crisis management at all, but with a little thought, she could handle things very well.

They can infuriate someone to the point of near death, yet they can't utter a single complaint.

If Gu Weihai's methods were ten times worse than hers, then these people were probably at least three times worse.

Gradually, the Gu family discovered that no matter what they said when they went out, no one believed them. Sometimes, they were even verbally abused and accused of being heartless.

At first, they didn't know what was going on, but after hearing what others had said, even the most sarcastic person was speechless.

Compared to Gu Lanxi, they, as elders, do seem really bad, and it's no wonder they're being criticized.

They probably felt guilty, because every household bought things for Gu Lanxi, including food and clothing, and they would always carry the gifts around the neighborhood when they bought them.

Some people even provided her with a house so she could move in.

But she didn't want to owe anyone a favor, nor did she want to play along with their act, and she didn't want to make them feel good, so she refused them all.

Since she had already made it clear at home, she didn't bother with any more trouble.

Every day after school, I would go to the Zhang family's time-honored seafood restaurant to wait out the occasion, and if there was a wedding or celebration, I would go and do some business there.

That restaurant was only two streets away from the Gu Family Ancestral Hall.

The clan chief endured it all, but seeing that her business not only didn't fail, but that people were also sympathizing with her situation and were paying her to handle family matters, he finally decided to stop tolerating it.

On this day, when Gu Lanxi was on her way home, she passed by the clan chief's house. He finally came out, leaning on his cane and trembling, and called out to her.

Gu Lanxi turned slightly to the side, lowered her head in fear and trepidation, and listened to his reprimand.

His words were not tactful, and his meaning was very clear. Because he was hard of hearing, he spoke very loudly, and not only Gu Lanxi understood him, but everyone who passed by also understood him.

They just think it's shameful for her to do this and want her to stop.

Faced with the clan leader's aggressive tone, she tried her best to calm her voice and avoid any negative emotions.

She said she had to learn to live independently so that her grandparents could feel at ease.

She said that relying on others for a living is not a long-term solution.

What's even more infuriating is that she added, "Thanks to my uncle for teaching me these principles so early on, when I go down to see my great-grandfather in a few years, he will definitely thank you properly!"

His words were righteous and his tone remained steady throughout, but they angered the clan leader so much that he almost fainted!

"Didaolao," or "Labajiangzi" in Northeast China, refers to a person who plays the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) at weddings and funerals. In the old days, this was considered a low-class profession.

The Gu family has a long and distinguished history, considering themselves upper class and looking down on these lowlifes. The whole family felt ashamed that their younger sister had done such a thing.

But she was a money-grubber and didn't see anything wrong with doing this.

She is young and cannot find a proper job. Her relatives occasionally give her money, but it feels like charity. She has a strong sense of self-respect, and these random incomes are not stable.

Some people, at the age of twelve, already know how to calmly and rationally consider the future and strive for it, while others, at twelve, understand nothing and only know how to think about cartoons every day.

A person's growth is related to their personal aptitude as well as their living environment.

This is a very complex issue, and I don't have much experience with it.

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(End of this chapter)