I'm in Love Apartment, and the system is making me cultivate immortality.

Chapter 385 Reencounter with Tang Youyou! An adult's emotional breakdown can happen in an instant.
Today's meeting included holiday arrangements and the distribution of year-end bonuses.

Gu Yifan glanced at the document Li Mingliang had prepared, confirmed there were no problems, and then signed it with a flourish.

Then send it to the finance department, which means you just need to get Cyndi's approval and signature.

Li Mingliang had originally considered organizing an event.

The year-end bonus was personally distributed by the boss, and the stacks of cash on display looked nice and festive.

But Gu Yifan refused.

He doesn't need such a small thing to win people's hearts. Going to the bank to withdraw a large amount of cash is too troublesome, and you have to make an appointment in advance.

When the finance department settles the salaries, we'll just transfer it all together.

Li Mingliang: It's really too difficult to make a good impression on the boss.

In fact, Li Mingliang was overthinking it; Gu Yifan has no plans to replace her at the moment.

On the one hand, she is also a veteran in the company and coordinates various project teams well, so Gu Yifan doesn't need to worry about her too much.

On the other hand, there's no need to worry that she's too ambitious and might do something to enrich herself.

Being obedient enough and not having much ambition is enough.

Ability is usually linked to ambition.

Gu Yifan didn't want to replace him with someone more professional, but also more ambitious.

The process is the same at the game company, and Takami is in charge.

Cyndi was supposed to attend the meeting today, but she happened to be taking her driving test today.

If you successfully pass the driving tests (Part 3 and Part 4) and get your driver's license, you can drive on the road and become a real female driver.

Gu Yifan didn't invite Xinling to come along.

He originally wanted to give Xinling a larger year-end bonus so he could make a small profit, but then he thought that a year-end bonus would only amount to a few dollars.

It's not even a fraction of his current account balance. It has to be said that after his account balance exceeded 100 million, Gu Yifan gradually stopped caring about those 'small amounts of money'.

Moreover, if too many are sent.

Xinling will definitely notice something's wrong, and then that little girl will definitely be very resistant.

It's not worth the risk; just pay according to the normal standard.

The company's New Year's gift boxes had already been prepared, and Gu Yifan casually picked up a gift box as he left.

As I arrived at the elevator lobby, the elevator doors opened.

A familiar figure rushed out of the elevator.

They almost bumped into Gu Yifan, who was about to go in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Gu Yifan was taken aback when he heard the familiar tone of voice and looked at the girl in front of him with a face that looked just like Zhou Xun's. He smiled gently after a moment of surprise.

"Sister Youyou? It's been a long time."

Tang Youyou looked up and realized that she had almost bumped into Gu Yifan. Her eyes lit up and she smiled with delight.

"It's you! Long time no see, what a coincidence!"

Tang Youyou was notified today to come and collect her holiday benefits, which is the gift box that Gu Yifan was carrying.

What a coincidence, running into Gu Yifan.

"You didn't come here in a costume, did you?" Gu Yifan glanced at Tang Youyou's hair, his expression slightly strange.

Tang Youyou was taken aback and looked at herself. She was wearing normal clothes.

Gu Yifan silently pointed to her hair.

"Oh!"

Tang Youyou touched her head and suddenly realized that she was still wearing the wig prop from the film crew. Her hair was piled up high and adorned with an exquisite gold hairpin.

"No wonder! I was wondering why I felt someone calling me from behind when I was leaving, but I was in such a hurry that I forgot." Tang Youyou said, looking embarrassed and annoyed.

Gu Yifan: Even without joining the apartment, Auntie still has a lot of fun.

"Where are you from? Did you get a new role?" Gu Yifan asked curiously.

"Hehe, it's a period drama," Tang Youyou laughed. "It tells the story of a beautiful woman from ancient times who was presented to the emperor but inexplicably traveled to the modern era on her way to the capital."

Gu Yifan: "."

It sounds terrible.

"So you're the female lead?" Gu Yifan asked curiously.

Tang Youyou smiled smugly, "You could say that, it's very close."

"Oh?"

"I'm the female lead's stunt double!" Tang Youyou said cheerfully, "So I guess I'm half a female lead."

Gu Yifan laughed when he heard this, and said, "When has Auntie ever been the leading lady?"

"Yeah, this time you're a stunt double, next time you'll be the real leading lady. Good luck."

"Thank you. How have you been lately?"

For Tang Youyou, Gu Yifan was one of the few acquaintances she knew in Shanghai. Now that she had opened up, she couldn't stop talking.

"I've been a bit busy lately, but thankfully I can take a break during the Chinese New Year."

"I'm so envious! Where are you from? Are you a local from Shanghai? Wow, you're from Shanghai! I'm from Sichuan~"

"I can tell, so you're not going home for Chinese New Year?"

"I probably won't go back; it's impossible to get tickets now."

While the two were chatting.

Gu Yifan didn't notice that Li Mingliang had just walked into the elevator.

Li Mingliang was taken aback when he saw Gu Yifan still standing at the elevator entrance.

"boss?"

Why is he still here? Hasn't he left?

Gu Yifan and Tang Youyou heard the sound behind them and turned around at the same time.

When Li Mingliang saw Tang Youyou, he remembered that the boss had said she was an acquaintance of his.

She was telling her not to reveal his identity.

Oh no, what do we do now?
His mind raced, but Li Mingliang's expression remained unchanged as he walked over. "You're here to collect your perks, right?"

Tang Youyou was still a little confused. She heard Li Mingliang say "boss" clearly. What boss? Who is the boss?

She turned her head in confusion and looked around; there was no one else there but her and Gu Yifan.

Just as she was thinking this, upon hearing Li Mingliang's question, Tang Youyou nodded hurriedly like a chick pecking at rice, "That's right, that's right."

"Oh, just go in and turn left and walk straight."

After Li Mingliang finished speaking, he ignored Gu Yifan, pressed the elevator open button, and stepped into the open elevator.

Then, he looked at Gu Yifan with a very cold expression.

"Come in?"

Gu Yifan breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly giving Li Mingliang a thumbs up for his superb acting skills.

"No need, thank you. We're together."

Li Mingliang nodded, and only after the elevator doors closed did her pounding heart relax a little.

Thank goodness, the boss's identity wasn't exposed.
Probably, no?

"That must be the company manager, right? He has such a powerful aura!" Tang Youyou said, patting her chest after Li Mingliang left.

"Yes, it's Manager Li from the company," Gu Yifan replied.

Tang Youyou indeed remembered Li Mingliang's slip of the tongue earlier, "Her shout just now startled me. I thought the boss had arrived. Speaking of which, I've never met the company boss before."

It seems that Tang Youyou did not suspect Gu Yifan's identity.

"Well, me too," Gu Yifan said, blinking.

Tang Youyou chuckled and lowered her voice, "Do you think our company boss never shows up because he's too ugly to show his face?"

Gu Yifan: "???"

Ms. Tang Youyou, is this how you describe your "bread and butter"?

However, Tang Youyou's tone was clearly joking, and Gu Yifan shook his head, "Who knows?"

Tang Youyou thought for a moment, "If you were the boss, that would be great. Hehe, then I would have found a backer."

"We've only met twice, we're not that close," Gu Yifan said with a smile.

Tang Youyou's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, hey, how can you say that! Even though we haven't met often, we hit it off immediately! I even treated you to milk tea before!"

Gu Yifan pondered for a moment, then nodded, his eyes filled with a smile.

"That's true. Considering the revolutionary friendship we built over a cup of milk tea, how about I make you the head of the cleaning department when I become the boss?"

Tang Youyou thought for a moment, "Head of the cleaning department? Wow, you're so heartless to make me a cleaner."

They both laughed.

After Li Mingliang's interruption, Tang Youyou remembered that she had come to pick up the gift box.

"I'll go get the gift box first. Are you free later? I'd like to treat you to my favorite soup dumplings."

"OK, then I'll wait for you here."

Watching Tang Youyou's retreating figure, Gu Yifan scratched his head. It seemed that Ziqiao wouldn't be going home for the New Year either. Should he invite his aunt to the apartment in advance?

Before long, Tang Youyou excitedly ran out carrying a heavy gift box.

"gogogo!"

Gu Yifan also pressed the elevator button precisely on time.

Tang Youyou returned just as the elevator doors opened.

The two didn't say anything, each carrying their 'spoils' downstairs.

There's a Xiao Yang Shengjian shop downstairs; it's practically everywhere in Shanghai. The prices are reasonable, and the taste is pretty good.

Although it wasn't mealtime, quite a few people were still queuing up to buy.

Tang Youyou asked Gu Yifan to wait on a bench on the street nearby, while she kept an eye on the gift boxes for the two of them.

She'll be right back.

However, Gu Yifan felt that she was probably afraid he would rush to pay, which was why she insisted on queuing alone.

Just as Gu Yifan had guessed, Tang Youyou's enthusiasm in inviting him to drink milk tea and have a meal was not because she had guessed his identity.

She naturally exudes a carefree and easygoing vibe, and there's no sense of distance between her and Gu Yifan, unlike the typical male-female relationship. Instead, they share a deep camaraderie, like two voice actors from the same world who appreciate each other's talents.

At the same time, she's not quite the same as a tomboy like Yifei.

On the contrary, the unique charm of the girl from Zichuan, with its touch of coquettishness and cleverness, was not unpleasant.

Tang Youyou invited Gu Yifan to dinner because she considered him her lucky star.

The day she met Gu Yifan, she actually landed a role in an audition and signed a long-term voice acting contract, which would give her an extra base salary every month.

For Tang Youyou, who had only recently arrived in Shanghai and was struggling to make ends meet, this was a lifeline.

Besides, during their second meeting, Tang Youyou received good news from the production team: the long-awaited "Dante, Love Me Again" was about to start filming.

That was the first time in her life that she had played the leading role, and she was so excited that she invited Gu Yifan to have milk tea.

This time, when she came to pick up the gift box, she ran into Gu Yifan again. She thought to herself, if she treated Gu Yifan to some pan-fried buns, maybe the next good news would be that Zhang Yimou would call her personally.

This was probably her little scheme, but Tang Youyou has always been generous to her friends.

Gu Yifan didn't have to wait long before Tang Youyou came running back carrying two boxes of packaged Xiao Yang Shengjian.

"We're so lucky! These are freshly baked crab roe pan-fried buns. I usually can't even buy them when I want to. Gu Yifan, aren't you incredibly lucky?"

Tang Youyou sighed and said mysteriously, while pulling out disposable chopsticks and gloves and handing them to Gu Yifan.

"I'm lucky?" Gu Yifan asked, puzzled.

"of course."

Tang Youyou blinked her bright eyes and stared at Gu Yifan. Her face, which had a touch of foxy charm and a classical beauty due to the gold hairpin on her wig that she hadn't taken off yet, was filled with a sense of certainty.

"It must be because I ran into you today that I was so lucky to be able to buy those crab roe pan-fried buns that I've been wanting to eat but they're always sold out!"

Gu Yifan: "."

Is it possible that the items sold out because Tang Youyou always bought them too late?

But Gu Yifan didn't say that discouraging thing; he just smiled.

“In that case, we should cherish these crab roe pan-fried buns even more. I’ll go buy a lottery ticket later to check it out.” “Okay, I want to try my luck today too.” Tang Youyou agreed. Both of them were drooling from the aroma of the pan-fried buns and opened the box without saying a word.

Gu Yifan was alright, but Tang Youyou was like a little glutton, eagerly putting on gloves and picking one up.

"Ouch, it's so hot!"

Although she complained that it was too hot, Tang Youyou preferred to let the pan-fried buns dance in her hands rather than put them down. She blew on them several times before eagerly putting them in her mouth and taking a bite!
Gu Yifan suddenly remembered that the reason his aunt always secretly ate Xiao Yang's pan-fried buns without telling Guan Gu was because...
The soup will splatter everywhere.
"Hey!"

Tang Youyou looked at the large, conspicuous oil stain on Gu Yifan's coat, and the joy on her face turned into a blank stare. She looked timidly at the silent Gu Yifan and whispered with an embarrassed smile.

"Um... I'm sorry."

Gu Yifan's eyes twitched several times. He looked at Tang Youyou, who was awkwardly observing his expression, and gave her a kind smile.

"It's ok"

Tang Youyou breathed a sigh of relief: He's such a good person! It's not my fault at all.
"Just be more careful in your next life."

Tang Youyou shuddered, exchanged a glance with Gu Yifan, then suddenly jumped up, turned around, and ran away.

She wants to take back the "nice guy" card she just gave her!

Just because there was a little oil splatter, she's going to be reborn early? This person is terrifying!!!

Gu Yifan smiled helplessly. Tang Youyou didn't even forget to bring a plate of pan-fried buns before running away.

It seems my aunt still has a huge love for pan-fried buns.

Gu Yifan called Tang Youyou back, saying he was just joking.

Tang Youyou said she knew he was joking with her, but just in case he splashed it on her again, or he 'accidentally' splashed it on her.

Let the two of them finish eating on a bench apart before talking.

Gu Yifan: Is this caution, this foresight of danger, inherited from the Lu family?

After this incident, Gu Yifan didn't touch his coat, lest the oil stains accumulate and he'd wash it when he got back.

This coat is not cheap, or rather, extremely expensive. It would be a miracle if Miss Lin bought it for a lower price, so Gu Yifan didn't pay much attention to it.

Clothes are meant to get dirty once they're worn; if you're worried about them getting dirty, you might as well hang them up and enshrine them.

The two found a newsstand that sold scratch-off lottery tickets and began to try their luck with great enthusiasm.

It's just a pastime.

Gu Yifan didn't expect to make money from scratch-off lottery tickets, so Tang Youyou suggested that each person buy five tickets and give them to the other person to scratch.

If you scratch out a prize, it means the buyer has good luck; if you don't, it means the buyer has bad luck.

Gu Yifan nodded in agreement.

After exchanging five lottery tickets, the two stood in front of the counter and started scratching them with coins.

Tang Youyou stopped shaving after only half of it, leaving her portion behind, and moved closer to Gu Yifan.

She said she wanted to check out the scratch-off lottery tickets she bought first.

Gu Yifan didn't take it seriously, but he scratched four tickets in one go, and without exception, he didn't win a single one!

"No way," Tang Youyou pouted, looking quite annoyed.

Is she really that unlucky?
Before she could speak, Gu Yifan glanced at her sideways and said, "Don't make excuses and say it was because I shaved."

"I'm not that kind of person!" Tang Youyou said angrily, hands on her hips, then urged Gu Yifan, "Keep going, keep going! There's one last card, the last card will determine the winner!"

Gu Yifan thought for a moment, "Why don't you do it?"

Tang Youyou quickly waved her hand, "I can't, I'll get so nervous I'll scream."

She inadvertently revealed her little secret.

Seeing Gu Yifan's surprised look, Tang Youyou blushed. Usually, when she was venting or nervous, she would find an open space to cry and laugh to release her emotions.

It's just that people might easily mistake him for a madman.

Once, I was walking at night.

She was scared, and when she was alone, she couldn't control herself. Suddenly, she started giggling, laughing and crying at the same time.

This really terrified a few shirtless guys who were eating skewers in the alley next door. They dropped their clothes and ran away.

One against five, the record is verifiable!
Tang Youyou: Later... later I was grabbed by the boss. Those guys ran over without paying, and the boss wouldn't let me leave, saying I was an accomplice and that he wanted me to pay for my meal. 555

Gu Yifan found it amusing, but still expressed his understanding, and then quickly started shaving.

Tang Youyou couldn't help but get excited, and she moved closer to Gu Yifan, her eyes fixed on the lottery ticket.

I didn't win any of the first few, but that's okay, there's still room for maneuver!

At this moment, this last scratch-off lottery ticket carries all of Tang Youyou's hopes.

This was her last gamble.

Even if she had the worst luck, it's unlikely that she would buy five tickets and not win a single one!
Even just breaking even would be good.

But Gu Yifan suddenly put down the coin in his hand.

The scraping didn't continue.

Tang Youyou was taken aback and urged him urgently.

"Keep going, why did you stop shaving?"

"Hey, you're a grown man, why are you dawdling like a woman?"

Gu Yifan rolled his eyes, picked up the scratch-off lottery ticket, and handed it to Tang Youyou.

Tang Youyou stared wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"Here you go, this is a Schrödinger scratch card."

"Whether you win or lose by scratching it off is not important now. It represents your luck, so anything is possible before you scratch it off."

Gu Yifan was talking nonsense with a straight face.

Actually, he was worried that he wouldn't win anything with this scratch-off ticket either.

That would be too disappointing, Gu Yifan didn't want to spoil Tang Youyou's good mood today.

But Tang Youyou was actually fooled.

She was taken aback. "Really?"

"Of course, if you ever feel anxious or worried about life, take it out and look at it. It can comfort you. As long as it's not scratched, anything is possible," Gu Yifan said.

"Who knows, maybe we can win the 100,000 yuan grand prize."

Tang Youyou fell silent.

Her bright eyes were fixed on the scratch-off lottery ticket, but a layer of mist gradually welled up in them.

Anything is possible.

To be honest, she's been playing minor roles for quite some time now; she's considered a veteran in the world of extras.

Most of the people I know share the belief that one day I too can be a leading man, and they persevere and encourage each other.

But as time went by, Tang Youyou knew fewer and fewer people.

They gave up one by one.

Or they might pack their bags and board a train back home.

Only Tang Youyou remained, stubbornly persisting in pursuing her dream of becoming an actress.

She was clearly on set and had met many celebrities, so becoming an actress didn't seem so far away.

But this road seems very long, with no end in sight.

Too many hardships, full of thorns.

Tang Youyou was not fooled by Gu Yifan.

She naturally assumed that Gu Yifan was using the lottery to comfort and encourage her.

Sometimes, a person's breakdown can happen in an instant, and the more cheerful and funny a person seems, the deeper their inner thoughts are hidden.

It might be a family member's unintentional action, or a stranger's remark.

"Thank you."

Tang Youyou's voice was a little hoarse as she took the scratch-off lottery ticket from Gu Yifan.

Before Gu Yifan could even react, he wondered why the girl seemed to be crying. Surely not.

Tang Youyou suddenly stood on tiptoe and hugged Gu Yifan tightly.

Thank you for your support.

Gu Yifan's body stiffened.

No, Auntie, please don't do this! I didn't mean to ruin your relationship with Guan Gu!
Ziqiao will probably chase after me with a knife.

Tang Youyou raised her pretty face, her eyes red-rimmed, and smiled at Gu Yifan, her voice firm.

"I will definitely become a real actor!"

Her life is like this scratch-off lottery ticket; it seems like half of it has already been scratched off, but the most important part is yet to come.

The newsstand owner, standing nearby, rolled his eyes repeatedly as he watched the two of them.

It's just a scratch-off lottery ticket, and they're turning it into a romantic drama.

"Ahem, are you two going to get a scratch? If not, don't interfere with my business."

Tang Youyou, like a startled bird, quickly let go of her hand. "It's your turn now. Maybe your luck won't be as good as mine."

But you can see that Miss Tang's face is frighteningly red, and her earlobes are even pink.

Gu Yifan shrugged; he was quite confident in himself.

The title of "favored by the world's will" is not given lightly.

Sure enough, Tang Youyou had just scratched off a card when she was stunned after a simple comparison.

Then came an incredible, short scream.

"I got it!!!"

At this point, the boss, who had been unimpressed, perked up and looked up to pay attention.

"I won 100!!!"

Tang Youyou said excitedly, "This one bill has already recouped the loss."

But then Tang Youyou realized that she had scratched Gu Yifan's ticket, and the four and a half tickets that Gu Yifan had scratched but didn't win were hers, which made her feel a little heartbroken.

"My luck's not too bad, keep going," Gu Yifan said with a smile.

Tang Youyou said angrily, "This is just good luck. It's impossible for everyone to be this lucky next time."

The boss nodded in deep agreement. What bad luck! He thought he had made a profit, but he ended up losing money. This kid must have had a stroke of good luck.

But when Tang Youyou scratched the second card, she froze on the spot again, exclaiming in utter astonishment, "I...I actually won again?!"

"How much?" Gu Yifan asked.

"Fifty plus twenty, and you've hit seventy again?"

Tang Youyou began to doubt her life. Was she really that unlucky?
"Oh, it's alright." Gu Yifan nodded.

Tang Youyou refused to believe it and insisted on continuing to shave, this time she was going to finish it all in one go.

"I don't believe it. Do you think every single one of them will win?"

However, when Tang Youyou said this, her originally firm tone became somewhat insecure.

She had a premonition
Wait until you've scraped it all off in one go.

Tang Youyou began to make comparisons.

"No way!!! This one won too, oh, only ten yuan. But it's still a win! It's the last one, God, please open your eyes and don't let me win."

Tang Youyou kept muttering to herself, and even the boss couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and stared intently at the few scratch-off lottery tickets.

Unfortunately, fate was on Gu Yifan's side.

Tang Youyou suddenly fell silent.

"How was it?" Gu Yifan asked curiously.

Tang Youyou remained silent for a long time. After a while, she absentmindedly handed the scratch-off lottery ticket to Gu Yifan.

Gu Yifan looked down curiously.

"Huh? I actually won five hundred yuan?"

Tang Youyou and the newsstand owner could no longer hold back and spoke in unison.

"Really?!"

Gu Yifan shrugged.

There's nothing I can do; I'm the world's favorite son.
(End of this chapter)