A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 115 Can't Make It Work

The next morning, while I was having breakfast, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Lin Jianlu's mind raced, and she couldn't help but think of what happened to Jiang Qinqin last night. As she got up, she turned her head and glanced at Xu Qing, "Go put on some clothes!"—She didn't go out for a run this morning, so she was only wearing a simple silk slip dress.

She agreed, but didn't get up. She turned her head to look at the door, and as soon as the door opened, she heard a middle-aged woman's voice, "Oh my, don't even mention my son, there's a blast of heat as soon as the door opens..."

Lin Jianlu didn't even have time to stop them, nor did she dare to, before her parents walked right in.

Then Mom spotted Xu Qing at the dining table.

Xu Qing also subconsciously realized something and immediately stood up.

At first, Lin's father didn't realize it, but when he turned his head and saw Xu Qing, he was stunned for a moment, exclaimed "Oh my!", and quickly looked away—actually, it wasn't revealing or see-through, but it was definitely very sexy.

Xu Qing was at a loss for what to do for two seconds, and then immediately ran into the bedroom.

Lin's mother, without any hesitation, followed her into the bedroom, then turned to look at her son with a cold face. Lin Jianlu smiled awkwardly. Suddenly, Lin's mother raised her leg and kicked him directly in the groin. Lin Jianlu cried out "Ouch!" and quickly backed away. Lin's mother didn't say anything, just raised her hand and pointed at him, only opening her mouth, "Wait!"

Lin Jianlu smiled awkwardly, opened the shoe cabinet and took out two pairs of relatively clean slippers. The couple changed into them before entering the house—Lin's father lagged behind, looking annoyed at his son's lack of ambition, and glanced at him.

Xu Qing came out in just a minute or two.

She changed into jeans and a white shirt, and tied her hair in a high ponytail, instantly looking energetic and capable. She walked over to Lin Jianlu and greeted her, "Hello, Uncle, hello, Aunt, I'm Xu Qing."

Mr. and Mrs. Lin had just sat down when they politely stood up to greet them, "Hello!"

Lin Jianlu had no choice but to introduce, "Dad, Mom, this is my girlfriend."

Mr. Lin simply nodded and smiled, embarrassed to stare at the young woman. Mrs. Lin, however, continued to scrutinize her without any restraint. "Xu Qing... Oh, I thought your face looked familiar! You're that famous actress, right? The one in 'The Imperial City,' wasn't it you? What was it called again? Jinzhi! Was that you?"

Xu Qing smiled and nodded, "Yes, Auntie. It was me who played Jinzhi."

Upon hearing this, Lin's father also looked up and examined her carefully. "It really is Jinzhi!"

Lin's mother immediately brightened up, a smile spreading across her face, her eyes filled with admiration. "Oh my, you're beautiful in person! Even more beautiful than on TV. Our whole family adored your portrayal of Jinzhi. What a wonderful girl!"

Xu Qing, who is usually very outgoing and generous, seemed quite reserved at this moment, even unsure of how to start a conversation. "Thank you, Auntie. I was a senior in college when I acted in that movie."

"Oh, you're a college student? Which school do you go to? Film school?"

"Yes. Acting Department, Film Academy, Class of '88."

"Oh...so what's your zodiac sign?"

"Born in the Year of the Rooster".

"Oh..." Lin's mother immediately turned to look at Lin's father. Lin's father thought for a moment, then looked at Xu Qing with a kind smile, "That's 69. You're a little older than Xiao Lu!"

He seemed to hold back before he could say it, not mentioning that he was seven years older—in traditional thinking, it's not a big deal for a man to be seven years older than a woman, but it's quite a big deal for a woman to be seven years older than a man.

However, Xu Qing's appearance was already quite appealing, and with the added bonus of the TV drama character's goodwill, Lin's parents clearly liked her at first sight.

So they covered it up a little.

"Yes, uncle."

Xu Qing remained awkward and embarrassed, barely daring to speak—but at that moment, Lin Jianlu turned to look at her and couldn't help but laugh.

Quite cute.

She lacked her usual carefree and generous demeanor, as well as her coquettish and willful nature when jealous.

But that's normal.

If you're not shy, nervous, or embarrassed when meeting your future in-laws for the first time, but instead act confidently and poisedly, then something seems off—nervousness and shyness indicate that you care a lot about them.

"This girl is really beautiful!"

Lin's mother didn't feel embarrassed at all. She looked people up and down, at their legs, their buttocks, their waist, and their full breasts. Finally, she looked at their face and exclaimed, "Hey, what a dignified, upright, and elegant face!"

This is definitely the type of woman you should marry!

With that physique and that face shape, even though she's quite thin, she's definitely not the kind of sickly person who would fall over with a gust of wind!
This is a sure thing that you'll get pregnant as soon as you touch it, and once you're pregnant, it'll be easy to give birth and raise the child. Moreover, the child will definitely be strong and healthy from birth, the kind of naughty boy who can chase chickens and dogs and make a ruckus at home as soon as he can walk!
Good girl!
At this moment, turning her head to look at her son again, well, she didn't hate the brat so much anymore.

"Mom, have you eaten? Would you like some...?"

"Oh, we've finished eating! We just came to check on you. Isn't this the person you went to see yesterday... well, cough, isn't it you who told us to come yesterday?" As she spoke, Lin's mother pulled Lin's father's hand. "You two eat, your father and I have to rush to work! Xu Qing, right? Go eat, girl, eat before it gets cold... We're leaving!"

Xu Qing agreed, but still seemed at a loss.

As Lin's mother was about to change her shoes and leave, she winked at Lin Jianlu.

Although she knew roughly what Xu Qing was going to ask, Lin Jianlu still said to Xu Qing, "You eat first, I'll go downstairs to see my parents off!" — "Okay! Goodbye Auntie! Goodbye Uncle!"

"Goodbye, my daughter!"

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lin Jianlu hid in the doorway. Lin's mother's expression changed again, and she poked Lin Jianlu's chest twice with her finger. "You think you can handle this?! You already have this, what the hell are you going on blind dates for?!"

"You're the one who made me go! I didn't want to go!"

"Tsk... But you didn't say you had this! Why don't you take it back and let us see it!"

"It's not too late now! Isn't it perfect that we've stumbled upon this?"

"Bullshit! That's perfect! This morning, your Aunt Li called me and said that when she went back last night, she asked around and the girl said she had her eye on you, and she asked me to ask you what you think!"

"Holy crap...no way?" "Who are you swearing at? Looking for a beating?"

Lin Jianlu was speechless for several seconds before she finally spoke, "Mom, I think that girl from last night wasn't good enough."

"Why? Everyone else has taken a liking to you, but you haven't taken a liking to them?"

"I've got my eye on her! I've got my eye on her, she really is beautiful. But... she's too smart!"

"Being smart is a good thing! Your children will be smart too!"

"Tsk... Isn't this what you just said? I can't do it!"

Lin's mother was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "Oh dear, you little rascal, you've really stumped me this time! I have to go to work right away, how am I going to explain this to my old lady when we meet!... What a lovely girl!"

As they were talking, he sighed again, shoved his son aside, and went to push the stroller. Lin's father walked over, sighed, patted his son's shoulder, shook his head, and also went to push the stroller. The two of them walked away, one after the other.

…………

Do your parents like me? What did they tell you?

"Oh, wow, that scared me to death... Your parents are really nice! I remember you said your uncle is a teacher, right? And your aunt is... an accountant? That's so kind!"

“Sure! Buying a villa is a matter for later. Let’s move to my place and leave this place for your parents! It’s so cold outside, it’s much more comfortable with heating. I’ve lived in those crowded tenement houses a few times, and they’re unbearably cold in winter. I agree, let’s move over today!”

"But... you'd better keep a close eye on your two sweethearts, lest they crash right into your home again!"

"Tch! Can't I even say a word? Look at you, they're just two girls, why would I be jealous of them? What did I say yesterday? I didn't say a word! You took her there, and when she came back, what did I say? Didn't I still take care of you, old man, bathing and scrubbing you clean? Did I say anything that you didn't like?"

"Jianlu... I was wrong. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just reminding you because I was afraid they wouldn't know and would rush in, only to be caught by your aunt and uncle. Wouldn't that put you in a difficult position then? I don't believe your aunt and uncle would allow you to keep bees outside! I was wrong, really wrong. Please don't be angry!"

"..."

I still accompanied her to look at villas this morning.

There aren't many villa developments in the capital now, and frankly, there's only one reason: poverty means too few buyers.

Ordinary people wait for their work units to allocate housing. Only when there is no hope of housing allocation and they have a little money of their own do they think about buying a house. Then there are self-employed people who do not have a work unit and they pay for their own houses. But what they buy is an old, dilapidated courtyard house, or a development like Fangchengyuan. In the capital, there has always been a saying that the east is rich, the west is noble, the south is cheap, and the north is poor. Fangchengyuan is located in the south of the city. Even if it is built as high-end as the Asian Games Village, it will still not sell for a high price!
However, for ordinary people, the high-end Asian Games Village was ridiculously expensive – in 1995 and 1996, it was already 8,000 to 11,000 yuan per square meter!

A small house costs seven or eight hundred thousand yuan, what does that even mean!
These days, an average family with both working parents earns only about ten thousand yuan a year – most people live in either a staff dormitory or two rooms allocated in a large courtyard.

The average living space per person is generally less than 10 square meters.

Against this social backdrop, villas that are often several hundred square meters in size are certainly not popular projects.

But, does it exist? Yes, it does!
Moreover, there are a very few properties that, regardless of the time period, will always be at the pinnacle of housing in the capital, just by looking at their location—Houhai, isn't that luxurious? Dongzhimen, isn't that luxurious?
I spent the whole morning looking around, and all I saw were these two dishes.

There are new houses, and it's still a long way from being sold out, but there are also second-hand houses available. However, these days there are no real estate agents, and it's usually real estate brokers who act as intermediaries. On the other hand, even the sales staff are privately introducing second-hand houses.

None of them really caught my eye.

Xu Qing liked each villa she saw – despite being a famous actress who earned far more than the average worker these days, she was still far from being able to afford a villa near the core area of ​​the Forbidden City for four or five million yuan.

Feng Xiaogang bought a villa. From "Stories from the Editorial Department" to "Big Shots" to "People in the Capital in New York," he made a good amount of money for several years—around a million yuan in a wasteland outside the Fifth Ring Road.

However, Lin Jianlu already owns two three-courtyard houses near the Forbidden City and a luxurious villa in Taipei worth tens of millions of dollars.

He was somewhat dismissive of these two currently top-tier luxury properties in the capital.

But just before leaving, he saw a nice detached house—his criteria for choosing a house was that the land area had to be large, and the size of the house itself didn't matter, as long as the land area was large, he would be comfortable living there.

This detached house is located at the innermost part of the entire villa community, covering an area of ​​more than two acres. It has three and a half floors above ground and two floors below ground, with a reported building area of ​​620 square meters. However, the underground area is not included in the area, and the half-floor area is also not included in the area.

The house is quite spacious, and the garden is also sufficient.

The price is 16,000 RMB per square meter, for a total price of 993 million RMB.

This house was not originally on Xu Qing's shortlist, but when she saw that Lin Jianlu had actually taken a liking to it, she was extremely excited, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling—who wouldn't like to live in a big house?
I didn't buy it on the spot, saying I needed to go back and think about it.

He wasn't short of money; he had over 60 million US dollars in his account, which was equivalent to nearly 500 million RMB. But firstly, that money couldn't really be considered his; it was obtained through a mortgage loan, by overdrawing future income and credit. Secondly, he intended to use that money to invest in US stocks.

For him, there was another sum of money coming in soon, which was the most suitable to use to buy Xu Qing this house. Rock Records had only settled the royalties for the first 500,000 records sold in Taiwan before, but they had recently contacted him and would settle another sum around November.

Lin Jianlu estimates that this settlement will last until September, which would amount to about eight or nine million copies.

It's easy to settle accounts for several million dollars in one go.

By then, Xu Qing can buy whichever she wants without interfering with either.

"Don't worry! I'll definitely buy it for you! I'm leaving right now. I'm going to America, but I'll definitely have to come back in mid-December for the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals. I'll buy it for you then!"

Xu Qing was very happy, her face beaming with smiles.

But that's not what she said. She was quite arrogant, saying, "You're bribing me! Don't think I don't know why! But I'm too lazy to argue with you! They're just two lovers, let them play around! You don't need to coax me. I know you're spending money, but that doesn't stop me from liking you!"

"Hi……"

She knew the way well and drove, with Lin Jianlu in the passenger seat. "Drive! Drive! You talk too much!"

Just then, her phone rang. Lin Jianlu took it out and saw that the number was familiar, so she answered it directly. Sure enough, it was Zhang Aijia on the other end. "Huh? I'm presenting an award at the Golden Horse Awards?"

"I've never even acted in a movie, what kind of award am I giving out?"

"Even as the chairman of the jury, you can't... which award should I present?"

(End of this chapter)