Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 242 Fish and bear paws
At noon on the same day.

Tao Hong finally managed to get a day off from the "Sunshine" film crew, and at noon she specially treated the Li sisters to fast food.

When KFC first opened in Beijing in the late 80s, it was almost worshipped by the Chinese people, and some even considered it an honor to hold their wedding ceremony in a KFC.

Although it's not as crazy as it used to be, it's still packed with people.

Because they arrived late, they waited for a long time but still couldn't find a seat. In the end, Tao Hong could only order a few set meals and eat them in a pavilion in a nearby park.

The Li sisters were quite disappointed, especially the younger sister, Li Xue, since it was her first time seeing a Western fast food restaurant in real life.

She took a bite of the hamburger in her hand and mumbled, "Sister Tao Hong, do you know where the first place I went to visit was when I came to Beijing this time?"

Tao Hong is also a lively person. Although she has become a little more reserved in the last two years due to her experiences, she still really likes Li Xue's lively spirit.

So, to make a joke, he asked, "Is it the Forbidden City or Tiananmen Square? Surely not the National Museum?"

"No, I went to the Children's Palace."

Li Xue chuckled and said, "I always saw the word 'Children's Palace' in my textbooks, but there wasn't one in my area. Back then, I thought that after I got into university, I would definitely go to the Children's Palace... uh, take a look around."

Seeing that she was choking a little while talking, Tao Hong quickly helped her put the straw into the cola and handed it to her, saying, "So, after you went there, what are your thoughts?"

Li Xue took a deep breath and patted her budding chest, saying, "I think the capital is really great. Even the places for children to play are much better than elsewhere. I definitely want to stay here in the future."

Li Bingbing added, "Then we'll try to buy a big house and bring my parents from Northeast China to live with us!"

"Correct!"

As they spoke, the two sisters smiled at each other, clearly having already reached a consensus.

Seeing this, Tao Hong cautioned, "The capital is certainly prosperous, but there are also more temptations and traps than in our hometown. You must be very careful when you do odd jobs. It's best not to be alone and don't go to those shady places."

"Don't worry, senior. Most of the jobs I find are recommended by the student union. They're usually things like handing out flyers at shopping malls—we even worked as a model for TeTeTe at an event last time."

When Li Xue heard her sister say this, she stood up and gestured with a grin, saying, "They call them models, but they're really just people who wear a banner and stand guard at the door—besides the two of us, there are six other girls who get 50 yuan a day for standing guard."

"That's quite a lot."

Tao Hong sighed, "Back when I was on the swimming team, my monthly allowance was only a little over 100 yuan."

"But now money has lost its value, especially in the capital where everything is expensive."

As they were chatting, her pager went off. Tao Hong took it off, glanced at it, and stood up, saying, "You guys eat first, I'll go find a phone booth to return the call."

He then hurriedly ran towards the park entrance.

After she leaves.

Li Xue nudged her sister with her elbow and said enviously, "Sis, did you see that? It's a pager with a Chinese display. I heard it costs more than 3000 yuan apiece."

"If you're envious, then study hard and work hard to earn money, and we'll buy it someday too."

"No matter how hard I try, I can only work for others." Li Xue pouted, then hugged her sister's arm and said, "But you're different. If you become a big star in the future, you'll definitely earn a lot of money!"

"Hehe, becoming a star isn't that easy."

Li Bingbing gave a weak laugh. Many of the students in the 93 class of the Central Academy of Drama came from families with a long history of performing arts. Even if they hadn't been trained since childhood, their level was definitely higher than hers, who had only started learning at the last minute.

Wang Qianyuan, Zhu Yuanyuan, Liu Mintao, Xin Boqing, Li Naiwen...

She was practically at the bottom of the class, and over time, her confidence suffered a lot.

Most importantly, she also learned the real situation of graduates from professional acting schools. Only a small percentage of them can become stars. Most of them go to theaters or troupes, either doing odd jobs or playing minor roles.

Some who felt they lacked competitiveness simply switched careers.

Some girls even go so far as to marry rich men after graduation.

Rumors of actresses sleeping with directors or producers for roles have also quietly spread among the new generation.

On the surface, everyone seems dismissive of this, but what they really think...

This made Li Bingbing even more envious of Tao Hong. She started acting in TV dramas early on, and now she plays the second female lead in a movie. She also has a big shot in the industry like Boss Zhang supporting her. This is the life she has always dreamed of.

"sister?"

Seeing that she remained silent, Li Xue asked suspiciously, "Were you being bullied at school?"

"Who dares!" Li Bingbing waved his fist. "Do I look like the kind of person who would swallow insults?"

Li Xue quickly shook her head. Although her older sister looked quiet and gentle, with a slightly bitter expression, she was actually a ruthless person at heart.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to go to Beijing and Shanghai alone to take the art exams at the beginning of the year.

"What are you talking about?"

At this moment, Tao Hong returned to the pavilion.

"Nothing said."

Li Bingbing laughed and said, "Senior, you've been on set for over a month. Don't you miss your brother-in-law?"

"Um……"

Tao Hong felt this was a perfect opportunity, so she said, "Actually, we broke up a long time ago—we broke up right when you borrowed money."

"what?!"

"Why?!"

The two sisters were both shocked. How could they break up with such a handsome and rich boyfriend so easily?

Tao Hong shrugged and said, "It's nothing. I was studying in Beijing, and he was busy with his career in Tianjin. Over time, our feelings faded, and we naturally broke up."

"This……"

Li Bingbing and Li Xue exchanged a glance, both finding it hard to understand. If they had a boyfriend like that, they would definitely try their best to win him back. How come Tao Hong broke up with him so casually?
But neither of them knew what to say. Li Bingbing said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sister Tao Hong, if I had known..."

"It's okay, even if we break up, we'll still be friends." Tao Hong waved her hand casually and said, "Otherwise, how come he transferred the money the moment I asked?"

Is this the legendary 'peaceful breakup'?

The two women didn't know how to comfort each other, but fortunately Tao Hong changed the subject and asked about their situation at school, which eased the awkward atmosphere considerably.

When they had almost finished eating, Tao Hong's pager went off again. She took it out, glanced at it, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I have some other things to do and can't take you back."

The two quickly waved their hands and said, "It's alright, it's alright, we can go back by ourselves."

After leaving the park together, they saw a bright blue Xiali parked not far away. Tao Hong said goodbye to the two of them, ran over, opened the car door, and got into the car.

"Hurry, hurry!"

"what happened?"

Zhang Yan turned around from the driver's seat: "Is someone chasing after you for cough syrup?"

"What cough syrup? I just told the Li sisters that we broke up. Don't let them see that we're still together!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan skillfully shifted gears, started the car, and drove away.

Watching the car disappear around the corner, Li Bingbing sighed, "Even the car seems to shrink now that I have a new boyfriend. I really don't know what my senior was thinking."

"Maybe she's found true love," Li Xue guessed randomly. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

She paused for a moment, then asked, "Sis, if it were you, what would you choose?"

"I'd definitely choose the bear's paw!"

Li Bingbing replied without hesitation, "People as young, promising, handsome, and talented as President Zhang are rare."

"What if it were someone rich and powerful, but ugly, and who treats you badly..."

"Why do you have so many questions!"

Li Bingbing interrupted his sister and turned to call out, "Let's go, or we'll miss the bus!"

However, she was actually asking herself what she would choose if she were really in that situation.

Then, Li Bingbing recalled the scene from that night when he returned from the Chang'an Club and walked into that dark and low alley.

If I could get enough benefits in return, I would probably still choose the bear's paw.

(End of this chapter)