Film and Television World Life Record

He then stepped forward and hugged Fan Shengmei tightly.

Fan Shengmei hesitated for two seconds, then her hardened heart softened a little, and she hugged her mother and cried together.

After a long while, Fan Shengmei finally composed herself and led her family, carrying large and small bags, towards the car.

As she walked, Fan's mother complained, "Xiaomei, why are you so late! There aren't any buses running anymore, how are we going to get to your place?"

"I heard taxis here are very expensive, Xiaomei, say something!"

Fan Shengmei said, "Mom, don't worry, I drove here."

Upon hearing her words, Fan's mother stopped in her tracks, her face full of doubt, and asked, "Xiaomei, you drove here. You bought a car? When did you buy it?"

“Our family is in such a difficult situation, and there are so many places where we need to spend money, why did you buy a car! Can’t you help support the family?”

Fan Shengmei's heart gradually cooled down. She had expected her mother to say that, and she was used to it and too lazy to be angry anymore.

“Mom, you know how much I earn. I send you living expenses every month, pay my brother’s mortgage, and I also have to pay rent and property management fees. I spend all my money every month. When have I ever had any savings or saved any money, let alone enough to buy a car?”

Do you think I have the money to buy a car?

Fan's mother was speechless for a moment: "Xiaomei, I was just saying. The family is struggling financially, and I just wanted to tell you not to spend money recklessly!"

"If you didn't buy it, how did you get the car?"

Fan Shengmei said, "We knew you were coming, so we borrowed a car from a friend to pick you up."

Only then did Fan's mother nod in satisfaction.

"Your colleague is quite nice, very nice."

When they arrived at the car, they opened the door, put their things away, and got in. Mrs. Fan sat in the BMW Z4, touching and looking around with curiosity.

"Xiaomei, this car is really beautiful, it must be quite expensive."

Fan Shengmei said, "It's not cheap. I heard it costs more than 600,000."

Fan's mother was taken aback.

"That's so expensive! Six hundred thousand! That's a lot of money."

As she spoke, as if she had thought of something, she asked again, "Xiaomei, is your friend male or female? They're willing to lend you their car, so your relationship must be special! If the previous one didn't work, you can try this one."

Fan Shengmei said speechlessly, "Mom, what are you thinking! Look at the color of this car, it's red, do you think it's driven by a man?"

Because it was quite dark and the streetlights were all different colors, Fan's mother had long forgotten what color the car was. Hearing Fan Shengmei's words, she awkwardly shut her mouth and muttered, "Mom is just thinking about your future! I want you to find someone with good conditions so you won't suffer in the future."

Fan Shengmei sighed softly to herself and said nothing more. The car drove all the way to the hotel that Li Mu had booked. It wasn't high-class, but it had everything you needed and was fully equipped.

Most importantly, it's very close to Ode to Joy, only a little over a kilometer away, making it convenient for her to travel back and forth.

When Fan Shengmei led them to a hotel, her mother quickly asked, "Xiaomei, what are we doing here? Weren't we going to your house?"

Fan Shengmei said, "It's so late. Let me find you a place to rest first. If you want to come to my place, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Fan's mother immediately said anxiously, "Why stay in a hotel? It's a waste of money. Let's just squeeze in at your place tonight."

Fan Shengmei dared not take them back; not only would her girlfriends find out, but there was also no room at her house.

"Mom, your daughter is sharing a small room with others, and it's too cramped. Even if you could squeeze in for one night, you're not leaving tomorrow. What will you do after that? You'll have to stay in hotels again, won't you?"

Fan's mother said, "How can it not fit? You can squeeze in for one night. Tomorrow you can move to the company dormitory, then it will be more spacious. The dormitory is free."

Hearing her mother's words, Fan Shengmei's face paled, and her slightly warmed heart turned cold again. She shouldn't have had any illusions about her mother; she needed to harden her heart and stop being soft-hearted.

"The hotel is already booked. So, do you still want to stay? If not, fine, I'll take you to the train station, buy you tickets, and you can go home!"

Fan's mother immediately became anxious.

"Xiaomei, how can you say that! Our family is in such a difficult situation right now, and Mom is just trying to save money. How can you want to kick us out?"

"You're all I can rely on now. If you abandon me, how am I supposed to live? Let's just stop living together."

Fan Shengmei hardened her heart and said, "Since you're counting on me and don't want to leave, then listen to my arrangements and stay at a hotel tonight."

"Let me say it again, you can forget about living in the place I rent, and don't even mention letting me live in the company dormitory. Our company's factory is in the suburbs, and that's the only place with dormitories. We can't stay there."

Mother Fan muttered, "If you're not staying, then don't stay! I'm just trying to save money. If you have money, then spend it."

After getting off the car and entering the hotel, following the staff to the room, Fan's mother was still muttering that Fan Shengmei had a house and that it was a waste of money to make them stay in a hotel.

To avoid being laughed at, Fan Shengmei could only endure it and pretend she hadn't heard anything, remaining silent.

Finally, she entered the room and helped her parents put their things away. It was already 1 a.m. Fan Shengmei had been working all day and was exhausted because of her parents' situation.

Just as everything was settled and he was about to go back to rest, Fan's mother stopped him again.

"Xiaomei, you can't just leave like this. We don't have a single penny left. We still need to eat. How much money do you have?"

Fan Shengmei simply took out her wallet and threw it over.

“I sent you living expenses, helped my brother pay off his mortgage, and paid the rent. I withdrew all the money left in my card, it's all in my wallet, take what you need.”

Fan's mother rummaged through her daughter's wallet, counted that there were only eight hundred yuan bills and a few small change inside, and was speechless for a moment, "That's all?"

Fan Shengmei said helplessly, "What do you think! I only have that little salary, and you all know where it goes."

Fan's mother complained again, "Then why don't you know how to save money? It's not okay to stay at home, you insist that we stay in a hotel, that's too much money."

Fan Shengmei said, "My friend paid for the hotel room first, and we'll pay him back slowly later, so you don't need to worry about it."

Suddenly, Fan's mother's eyes lit up as she thought of something and said, "Xiaomei, you have so many friends, and they all seem to be doing well financially. Could you borrow some more money from them? Let's settle your brother's matter first."

“Your brother and sister-in-law have gone to another place, and I don’t know when they will be able to come back. I’m worried that they will suffer.”

Fan Shengmei laughed in exasperation.

"Mom, do you think your daughter is so amazing that she made me borrow money to handle my brother's problem? I've worried so much about my brother's affairs and cleaned up so many messes for him."

"Over the years, which of my friends and classmates hasn't lent me money? They're all afraid of being lent money and now they avoid me when they see me."

"Now I've finally made a few new friends who aren't so hostile towards me and are willing to help me out. And you're doing this again? Have you even considered me?"

Mother Fan said, "What can we do then? Your brother and sister-in-law are going to suffer outside."

"Xiaomei! If you can't lend me a lot, a small amount will do."

“When your brother came, he told me that he would call you once he found a place to stay. You can send him some money then. The two of them can’t survive without money in a strange place.”

Fan Shengmei was so angry she laughed.

“How could my brother not have money? Didn’t you give him all the money when you came? Plus his family’s savings, how could he not survive?”

"They both have hands and feet, can't they go to work? A living person can't be killed by holding in their urine."

"Mom, you care so much about my brother, but what about me! When I came to Shanghai to work all by myself, you didn't give me a single penny. Why didn't anyone ask me if I could survive without money back then?"

Fan's mother said awkwardly, "Your brother's family spends a lot! They haven't saved much money, and they don't have much cash on hand. I'm just worried that he won't be able to make a living outside."

Fan Shengmei laughed and said, "My brother's family has big expenses, but do you think my expenses are small? Who pays the mortgage for his house? Why don't we transfer his house to my name starting today? Anyway, I'm the one who supports it."

At this moment, Fan's father suddenly spoke up.

"No, even though you paid for the house, it can't be registered in your name. You'll get married sooner or later, and then the house will belong to someone else."

"Fine, I'm an outsider." Fan Shengmei was speechless, her heart growing colder and colder.

"I'm tired, I need to go back and rest. We can talk about it tomorrow."

With everything arranged, and seeing that her parents were about to nag her further, Fan Shengmei ignored them and hurriedly ran out of the hotel, tears streaming down her face again.

This time, however, her eyes were much more resolute. Her parents' favoritism, their doting on her brother, and their insatiable demands on her had completely chilled her heart.

Thinking about her past life and Li Mu's words, Fan Shengmei knew that she had to change.

With Li Mu's support, this is the best opportunity for her. If she softens her heart and backs down, she may never be able to escape this situation again and never have a peaceful life.

"Sigh..." Fan Shengmei sighed, things had still come to this.

Chapter 159 Taking advantage of every opportunity

As Fan Shengmei walked out of the hotel, her heart turned to ice. The worry she had for her parents and the joy of reunion before the meeting were completely shattered by the cruel reality.

Her parents were still the same parents, unchanged. But this time, she saw things more clearly: her brother was everything in the family, and she was just an outsider.

On a cold winter night, the neighborhood was unusually quiet. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees and footsteps could be clearly heard. When Fan Shengmei returned to her rented room, exhausted, it was already two in the morning.

After a quick wash, I looked in the mirror at my disheveled makeup, dull complexion, and haggard expression. Like a withered flower, though still beautiful, I had lost my former radiance.

Fan Shengmei was startled. Her face was always the thing she cared about the most. In order to take good care of it, she would use all kinds of skin care products every day and turn off the lights to go to bed at 10:30 pm sharp, always maintaining the habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

My mood has been fluctuating all day, and staying up so late has taken a toll on my health, leaving me in such a bad state.

For Fan Shengmei now, her beauty is her only source of pride, and it's also her means of keeping Li Mu by her side, so she can't afford to be careless.

She quickly started removing her makeup and applying a face mask, giving her face, which she cared about most, an emergency treatment.

After doing all this, her mind was completely blank for a moment. She wasn't thinking about anything, including her parents. There were only two words on her mind: "Rest."

Get a good rest and recover to your full potential.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Fan Shengmei quickly got out of bed and first looked at her face, which she cared about most. After a few hours of rest, she had barely recovered.

However, she was still far from being at her best, which was something she couldn't tolerate. She wanted Li Mu to always see her at her most beautiful and in her best condition.

Even being out of sorts for a single day won't do.