Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 343 A Celestial Being Wearing Shoes, Twenty-Five Filial Piety Stories

The evacuation of tens of thousands of spectators was no small task, with 15 flow control zones set up and 48 exits prepared.

Liu Jing sighed, "I'd better wait a while before leaving, so as not to cause trouble for security."

Before the cast and crew had left, Liu Jing wanted to take the opportunity to make a detour.

Tong Liya passed his test, so he naturally had to keep his word; from now on, she was one of his own.

He had some things to explain, and some plans to unfold.

Just as he was about to reach the actors' rest area, he ran into Zhou Tao. Seeing Zhou Tao turn around, Liu Jing turned to leave.

This woman is very eloquent and knows how to persuade people to do things.

He used to want to participate more in the opening ceremony, because the more he participated, the more rewards the system would give him. So he didn't need anyone to coax him; he eagerly took on tasks and was well-liked by everyone, since such a dedicated person was rare.

Now things are different. Having secured his entertainment career, he's eager to leave.

He would say a few words to Tong Liya later, and then go out to meet up with Qianqian.

"Oh, Liu Jing, that's great. This manuscript needs to be submitted, and one person from your directing team needs to accompany you." Zhou Tao was very happy; compared to the other members of the directing team, it was easier to deal with the younger people.

She had a very good impression of Liu Jing, and since joining the crew in April, she had been in contact with Liu Jing the most.

My initial impression of her wasn't very good because Liu Jing called her "Auntie".

Without comparison, this wouldn't seem like much. But Liu Jing called Zhang Yimou "Old Zhang," Cheng Xiaodong "Brother Dong," Chen Weiya "Uncle Chen," and the two singers who participated in the closing ceremony "Sister Ying" and "Sister Jing," one of whom was older than her.

Zhou Tao felt that the kid was targeting her. Later she found out it was because they weren't familiar with each other. After meeting twice, the aunt had become a sister.

As she spent more time with Liu Jing, her opinion of him gradually changed.

To ensure the smooth running of the commentary, the organizing committee provided her with a backup team of six people, including substitutes for those specializing in dialects and English.

For the past four months, she has been meticulously reviewing the script frame by frame with the directing team for this narration.

The 37-page narration went through 79 revisions, with Liu Jing providing numerous suggestions.

After the Bird's Nest was inspected and accepted, she practiced echo control at the Bird's Nest every day at four o'clock in the morning, with Liu Jing as her audience.

She hadn't expected this twenty-year-old college student to be so talented.

Dialects are no problem for her, her English vocabulary is impressive, and she is also fluent in French, Japanese, and Korean.

If he is proficient in foreign languages, then Chinese is even more so. He is extremely knowledgeable about historical allusions, poetry, geography, customs, and ancient clothing.

Zhou Tao often regrets that Peking University made a mistake by not specially recruiting such an outstanding student, as he clearly deserved to be exempted from the entrance examination even more than Xiao Sa.

"Sister, I'm not part of the directing team, I'm not qualified." Liu Jing refused. It sounded like she wanted to escort the manuscript to another place, which would interfere with his work.

"You're the on-site coordinator..."

"The opening ceremony is over, and I'm nothing now." Liu Jing quickly interrupted, thinking, "If you keep going, I won't be able to refuse, and who knows what kind of flattery you'll give me."

"Hey! Liu Jing, you're in a hurry to see the young lady, aren't you?" Zhou Tao was very clever; this was the only way to the actors' rest area.

"You guessed perfectly." Liu Jing made no attempt to hide it.

"Would you like me to introduce you to a few young ladies from the station? They're pretty, slim, and academically excellent. Marrying one would be both prestigious and respectable." Zhou Tao paused, his earlier certainty now doubting his own judgment.

Whether I'm right or wrong, Liu Jing doesn't have a girlfriend publicly. If this introduction actually works out, the other person will definitely owe me a favor as the matchmaker.

"Sure. I don't ask for much. Someone like you, I'll just introduce you to someone." Liu Jing smiled. This woman was indeed very decent-looking, but unfortunately, she was too old.

Liu Jing will always like women around twenty years old; his aesthetic sense has never changed, just like when he was a few years old.

Just like when he first met Zhang Min, she was in her early twenties, the prime of her life.

“There are plenty of girls in our station who are better than me. Tell me what problems I had with my commentary tonight, and I’ll introduce you to the best one. She’s a top student from Peking University, about your age, very talented, and her character is impeccable.” Zhou Tao smiled. This guy used to be so well-behaved; all that affection was an act. Turns out he can be a smooth talker too.

Talented, wealthy, and resourceful, I used to think he was very rigid, but I never expected him to be so interesting.

A man like that would definitely be very popular with the young women at the station.

"Fluent language, appropriate emotion, precise word choice, clear rhythm, and most importantly, zero mistakes. If I were the station director, I would definitely promote you." Liu Jing spoke off the cuff, having slept the whole time and only heard the beginning.

The terms mentioned earlier are all extrapolations based on past experience. As for zero errors, just look at the production team's performance.

If this top female host makes a mistake, the men will definitely criticize her after she wakes up.

"I'm getting a promotion, I'll definitely treat you to dinner. It won't stop you from looking for girls, I'll go find Director Zhang." Zhou Tao was quite pleased; compliments depend on who's saying them. If it were an ordinary employee, she wouldn't even bother to smile.

She was very perceptive, and Liu Jing kept glancing in that direction; this was clearly not the time for conversation.

"Sis, if I invite you to host a show in the future, don't pretend you don't know me, okay?" Liu Jing joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in his voice.

The level of CCTV hosts is truly unmatched by those outside. Even an amateur host like Tong Liya couldn't compare.

Liu Jing knows many hosts and has witnessed the level of some hosts through various channels. Those whose level can surpass Zhou Tao, or even be on par with him, are few and far between.

Top-tier hosts are already a scarce resource, even scarcer than top-tier actors.

Having witnessed the opening ceremony, Liu Jing believes that this person's status in the hosting industry and at CCTV will definitely rise significantly.

The Spring and Autumn Annals will definitely need a host in the future, and any one of the people I can recommend is more professional than the ones outside.

Liu Jing recognized the other party's abilities and future potential; such connections were worth his effort.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Zhou Tao asked with a smile.

The two looked at each other and laughed a few times, both understanding each other's intentions.

“The kid isn’t stupid at all, nor is he honest; he’s not easy to fool,” Zhou Tao muttered.

"This woman is really shrewd; no wonder she was able to make it in CCTV," Liu Jing remarked.

Introducing someone is just a way to chat and build rapport.

Even if the other party did offer an introduction, Liu Jing wouldn't dare to provoke them; the people and affairs involved were far too complicated.

When Liu Jing arrived at the lounge, he didn't find Tong Liya, but he saw Lin Peng instead.

After removing her makeup, Tong Liya took leave and went home. Before leaving, she was humming a song, looking very happy and excited.

Liu Jing felt that Lin Peng was definitely more excited than Tong Liya at this moment, and almost fell into his arms several times.

The girl spoke frankly, saying that her idol was Liu Jing and that she wanted to sign with Chunqiu.

Liu Jing played along, saying many nice things, as if he had agreed, but also as if he hadn't.

He found out the information he needed and left without hesitation. If he didn't leave soon, the girls would eat him alive.

No one who can get into this place is stupid.

Liu Jing could foresee Zhou Tao's future promotion, and they could even see that Liu Jing had a bright future ahead of him. An opening ceremony like this would be a significant boost for Zhang Yimou, but an even greater boost for Liu Jing.

One is sixty years old, the other is twenty. Even a fool could see whose potential is greater.

Even without this opening ceremony, Liu Jing's life would have been worthwhile.

"Wood, over here..."

There were far fewer cars in the parking lot; the audience had long since left, and now it was time for the performers and staff to leave.

As soon as Liu Jing entered the parking lot, Qianqian waved to him from afar; her eyesight was excellent. She knew who it was just from a glimpse of his profile.

He felt a warmth in his heart when he realized that not only Sisi and Sister Li, but also Teacher An was waiting by the car.

No matter how late or how busy he is, there are people waiting for him to return, and people going home with him.

"Haha, Liu Jing, well done." Teacher An gave a thumbs up, her face full of pride. "This is the kid I trained."

Throughout the entire night, he felt this way, even more pleased than if he had been promoted.

Liu Jing quickly stepped forward, hugged Teacher An, and looked at the faint white hair at her temples, feeling deeply moved. "Old Te, it's been a long time."

Teacher An's laughter stopped abruptly. She rubbed her ears, wondering if she had misheard.

"Old Te?" Sister Li's voice rose eight octaves, full of surprise and shock.

She hadn't heard anyone call her that in a long time; the name felt both familiar and distant.

When she first arrived in Jiangcheng, people didn't call their fathers "Dad," but "Old Te."

"Old Te," Teacher An murmured, her eyes suddenly stinging.

As a native of Jiangcheng, he naturally understood the meaning of this term.

"Should I call you 'Old Two'? If you don't like it, 'Mom' is fine too." Liu Jing left Teacher An and went to hug Sister Li.

Sister Li reached out and touched Liu Jing's forehead, smiling broadly. "He's not sick, is the sun rising in the west? You should go home and burn incense in gratitude."

"It's cloudy today, who knows, you never know." Sisi pouted. "I've been calling you Mom and Dad for twenty years, and I've never seen you two so moved." He just called out once, and one of them beamed with joy, while the other burst into tears.

"You two raised me for seventeen years. Without your nurturing, I wouldn't be where I am today. Whether you look at it from Qianqian's perspective or from my perspective, it's only right and proper for me to call you Dad and Mom." Liu Jing said solemnly.

The white roots of Teacher An's hair deeply moved him. Before he knew it, Teacher An was over fifty, and Sister Li was also approaching fifty.

He raised me for seventeen years, and now he's ruined that girl's life. Calling him "father" is only fair.

"Okay, okay..." Teacher An's lips trembled. A learned woman with a silver tongue could only utter one word at this moment: "Okay." Sister Li laughed, her face crinkling. "Haha, you call him 'Old Te,' don't call me 'Old Two Old Mom,' just call me Sister Li. I've heard it for seventeen years, I'm used to it. No matter what happens between you and Qianqian, you don't need to change your address. 'Sister Li' sounds nice, and it makes me sound younger."

"Sister Li," Liu Jing called out.

"Sister Li," Xixi called out.

Sister Li's face darkened. She looked around but couldn't find anything suitable.

She took off Liu Jing's hat. "What did you call me?"

"The two old folks..."

"Liu Yifei, you stop right there, or I'll beat you to death!" Sister Li shouted.

"Mom, you two, hahaha, you two..." Sisi shouted as she ran, making herself laugh uncontrollably.

Sister Li was furious. This brat has grown too big for her britches; she can't catch up with her anymore.

She threw the hat over, but it landed on herself instead, and Sisi laughed while clutching her stomach.

Sister Li sneered, took off her shoe and threw it, hitting her right in the thigh.

"Mom, you really hit me?" Sisi clutched her thigh, looking displeased. If that had hit her on the head, she would have suffered a concussion.

"Bring me your shoes." Sister Li said irritably, stepping her left foot onto her right, steady and secure, thankfully she was a dancer.

Sisi pouted and walked over, carrying her shoes. "I was just trying to calm myself down. Didn't you see my dad was almost crying? He's so proud, I had to give him a way out."

"Oh! You're so thoughtful," Sister Li said sarcastically.

"Of course, a piece of wood is just a piece of wood, it can't compare to my thoughtfulness." Sisi was a little smug. Isn't it normal for a daughter to be more thoughtful than a son?

"Oh, since you're so thoughtful, put my shoes on for me." Sister Li stretched out her foot.

"Mom, that's going too far. Dad and Mu Tou are watching over there. Don't I have any dignity?" Qianqian said unhappily.

Sister Li remained silent and continued to stretch out her leg, performing the "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg" pose.

"Mom, there are still people in the parking lot. It would be so embarrassing if someone saw us or if paparazzi took pictures." Sisi looked around but still couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Is this shameful? Tomorrow's headline will be 'Fairy Sister Helps Her Mother Put on Her Shoes,' a testament to filial piety." Sister Li said with a smile.

"You can let the wooden block be filial to you, don't count on me." Qianqian refused, saying that if she didn't mention the celestial being, she might still help him, but if she did, there was no chance.

"Oh, I had some good news, but it seems I don't need to tell you." Sister Li sighed.

"Mom, hold my shoulder, don't fall." Sisi squatted down with a fawning smile. Could it be that her mother saw the estate was short of funds and was finally going to lend a helping hand?

"I wonder where you learned this lazy look from." Sister Li found it amusing; her daughter's face changed so quickly.

"Who else could it be but your son? He's the one who corrupted me." Sisi shifted the blame, put on her shoes, and looked up at her mother with her pretty face.

"Haha, Mu Tou just changed his mind, isn't that good news?" Sister Li laughed twice, patted Qianqian's head, and turned to leave.

Sister Li was delighted; she saw a deeper meaning in Liu Jing's change of address. From then on, no matter what happened outside, the siblings were bound together, and Liu Jing completely accepted this relationship.

She sighed softly, thinking that if she could have a child, she would have no more worries.

"I..." Sisi's face turned red with anger. How could a mother act like this? This is just playing with people.

The mother and daughter were chasing each other, while the father and son were all smiles.

"Liu Jing, what are your thoughts?" Teacher An was very pleased; a harmonious family is more important than anything else. It was fortunate that both sides compromised back then, which led to the peaceful and prosperous future we have today.

"I hope Sisi will always be this happy," Liu Jing said with emotion, as if he hadn't seen Sisi smile like this in a long time. There was a reason for her maturity, and there was also his reason.

"I mean, what are your thoughts on the opening ceremony?" Teacher An choked for a moment, speechless yet gratified.

"I can't even imagine it. I wish we could do it again. When will we bid for the Olympics next time? Will we bid for the 2016 Olympics next year? Or when will the World Cup be held?" Liu Jing's eyes were burning with enthusiasm.

"The Olympics only need to be held once; twice is meaningless. As for the World Cup, well..." Teacher An had a lot to say, which turned into a sigh.

"Sigh..." Liu Jing sighed as well. Even if it were held again, there wouldn't be the same multi-million dollar treatment. The first time is always new, but the second time is nothing special.

“Old Te, I know what you mean. You’ve always wanted me to pursue a political career. You know my personality; I’m not suited for this kind of work,” Liu Jing explained.

"Sigh..." Teacher An sighed again, hesitated for a moment, "I will be transferred from the Northwest in a while, and may take up a post in the Taiwan Affairs Office."

"Did it go up or down?" Liu Jing asked hurriedly.

Teacher An remained silent for a long time. "You care more about my work than I do. I haven't done anything wrong."

"Oh, so you got promoted. I thought you'd made some mistake after only half a year there, which is why you were transferred." Liu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

"You two have some good wishes for me, okay?" Teacher An rubbed her temples, indicating that she was exhausted.

When my daughter heard the news, she looked surprised and asked, "You didn't do anything wrong, did you? If you need money, just say so, and I'll give it to you."

How could Teacher An not be exhausted? He felt that the mistake he was least likely to make was a financial one. His family was wealthy, surpassing 99.99% of all families, so there was no need for him to reach out for money recklessly. Besides, the nature of his work meant he didn't need to collude with anyone.

"What are you two doing? Come on, it's time to go home," Sister Li said, puzzled.

"Okay, let's..." Teacher An said, then suddenly shuddered and quickly walked towards the driver's seat.

So the family of four, without prior arrangement, met up on the driver's side of the car.

Sister Li was both amused and exasperated. "What's wrong with me driving? I haven't had many accidents, have I? Why are you all making such a fuss?"

"I don't want you to be too tired," the three said in unison.

Facing her mother's unfriendly gaze, Sisi chuckled twice, pulled Liu Jing back, and left the firepower to her father.

She muttered under her breath, "You've been so tired these past few days, why are you still driving? Let Dad drive. Go home and rest properly, don't try to be a hero."

Teacher An grunted. Did you really think I was deaf? I rushed all the way from the Northwest to Yandu, and I haven't had much rest.

"Hehe..." Sister Li chuckled to herself, walked around the front of the car, and sat in the passenger seat.

"Xiaoli, you sit in the back..."

"Hey! What's wrong? Am I in your way because I'm sitting in the front, or am I preventing you from stepping on the brake?" Sister Li was so angry that her nose almost twisted out of shape.

"Ahem, it's convenient for me to talk to Liu Jing," Teacher An quickly explained, and Sister Li's mood brightened.

What else could Liu Jing say? He could just sit in the passenger seat; Teacher An would definitely want to teach again.

"The commemorative certificates are really nice." There were several special Olympic commemorative certificates on the passenger seat, along with seat numbers. "I didn't even get one. That's pathetic."

“If you sleep a little longer, you’ll have all the certificates you need,” Teacher An joked.

"Uh, how did you know?" Liu Jing asked in surprise. It hadn't been that long, and besides, everyone had signed a confidentiality agreement.

"Sleep? What are you talking about?" Sisi asked warily as soon as she got into the car.

"Liu Jing fell asleep right at the start of the opening ceremony today. When the leaders came to visit, Liu Jing was sleeping so soundly that you couldn't wake him up no matter how much you called him," Teacher An explained, glancing at Liu Jing. "He's a former colleague of mine who worked on the organizing committee. We met once in the middle of the event, and he told me about it."

"Which leader?" Sister Li asked quickly.

"I'm in charge of publicity," Teacher An replied.

"This...it won't have any impact, will it?" Sister Li asked worriedly.

"He's not part of the system, and besides, Liu Jing worked for four consecutive days without sleep; he wasn't deliberately slacking off," Teacher An said dismissively.

"Even if you don't close your eyes for four days, you can't possibly fall asleep to death." Sisi's expression was strange.

"Try not sleeping for four days. It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering," Sister Li retorted directly.

"I'm sitting down now," Sisi muttered. Some things are better left unsaid; it's enough that she knows them herself.

"It's a pity Liu Jing isn't in the system. The leader greatly admires him, saying that Liu Jing is a young man of the times and a role model for everyone." Teacher An was very disappointed. This was because he had caught the leader's eye. With just this one sentence, Liu Jing would definitely rise rapidly in his career.

“That’s true. If he doesn’t make any mistakes, he’ll definitely get promoted faster than you.” Sister Li smiled, completely ignoring her husband’s broken heart.

"It's better not to be in the system. As long as I don't break the law, do evil, collude with the enemy, or betray my country, no one can do anything to me." Liu Jing seemed thoughtful. After meeting so many leaders and experiencing such a grand occasion, he suddenly came to this realization. Especially in the entertainment industry, he felt he could make his way in.

"Hehe, what you're saying is nonsense. Isn't this everyone's duty? If ordinary people live their lives honestly, no one can do anything about it," Sister Li sneered, knowing Liu Jing's little scheme.

"It seems I need to create a few more golden statues," Liu Jing murmured.

"I was wrong," Teacher An sighed.

“Dad, how could you be wrong? You’re always right,” Sisi quickly chimed in.

"If Liu Jing were to become an official, he would absolutely be opportunistic, form cliques for personal gain, commit crimes, be utterly ruthless, corrupt, morally depraved, and a scourge to the country and its people..."

"Sister Li, this is going too far, bringing disaster to the country and its people," Liu Jing quickly interrupted. If he continued, he would be comparable to a modern-day Heshen (a notorious corrupt official in Chinese history).

"If he's going to do that, it's definitely a case of 'like father, like son'," Sisi thought, feeling displeased.

"Hey! You're so filial, talking about your dad like that." Sister Li pinched her daughter's ear.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, my hair..."

"Xiaoli, Xixi might be talking about you."

(End of this chapter)