Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 70 Gu Yanxi Returns to School

As soon as Luo Jinnian arrived at Gu Yanxi's house, he busied himself in the kitchen and didn't come out.

Gu's mother thought the boy was a very sensible child, and Luo Jinnian had become a frequent visitor to their home a long time ago.

"This child, I should be the one cooking. It's always like this when he comes over."

Gu Yanxi was still engrossed in the game, Candy Crush, which she had already played up to 500 levels. She was used to her best friend's attentiveness when he came to her house.

"My daughter is such a netizen."

"If you like someone else's child, I'll go and get one for you."

When Gu's mother heard this, her eyes lit up. "Really? Then can you help me bring Jin Nian home?"

Gu Yanxi slapped his head, deciding not to tease his mother anymore, since she was already a bit slow-witted.

"No, when his family had problems, it was Director Qin and Sister Qingning's father who were busy taking care of things. Even if he went to someone else's house, he wouldn't come to ours."

Gu's mother sensed a hint of resentment in her daughter's words.

"Dinner is ready!"

The three sat around the dining table, which was set with three dishes and a soup. The presentation wasn't particularly exquisite, but the portions were generous and the food smelled delicious. Luo Jinnian had even specially prepared a dish of sweet and sour pork ribs, which Gu Yanxi loved. The ribs were fried until golden and crispy, coated with a glistening sauce, and looked especially tempting on the white porcelain plate. Gu Yanxi didn't say anything, but her chopsticks were the first to reach for the plate of ribs.

After dinner, Gu's mother suggested that they go for a stroll in the night square, "Anyway, tomorrow is Sunday, and you don't have to go to school."

"Night square, huh?" Luo Jinnian also wanted to get some fresh air.

The night breeze was neither too hot nor too cold, and felt very comfortable on my face. The square was brightly lit, and the middle-aged women dancing in the square were divided into several groups, each occupying a piece of land, with music rising and falling. Over at the children's play area, several small trains were slowly turning in circles, their colorful lights flashing.

As Gu Yanxi walked, she looked around. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she quickly walked towards a street stall.

It was a street stall selling light-up toys, and in the most conspicuous spot was a row of toy golden cudgels. Gu's mother followed, and seeing her daughter staring intently at the stick, she couldn't help but laugh. She turned to the stall owner and asked, "How much is one?"

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with a tanned face, was all smiles and eagerly pulled out a golden cudgel, handing it to him: "Fifteen for each of you. Are these two children yours? They're so handsome! Want to buy two?"

Mrs. Gu was overjoyed by the words "your two children." She said, "Ah, these are not actually my children," but she deftly pulled out a fifty-yuan bill, refused to give change, and took two golden cudgels. She handed one to Gu Yanxi and turned to put the other into Luo Jinnian's hand.

As soon as Gu Yanxi got his hands on the stick, he started waving it around, occasionally wrapping it around his neck to imitate the Monkey King's classic moves.

Luo Jinnian poked her from behind, and the girl angrily knocked back. Then one of them ran ahead while the other chased after them.

After running around for a while, we sat down and drank the nutritional drink that Gu's mother bought for the children. This beverage has been quite widely available in recent years.

The fountain in the middle of the square was still spraying water repeatedly, and several naked children were jumping around in it. "You guys get out here!"

The angry parents came to arrest the children; they were really too intimidating.

It was time to go back. Dejected, Gu Yanxi walked along, poking at the bushes on both sides of the road with a stick.

What is that?

When I put it back into the grass and took it out again, the end of the stick was covered with a yellowish substance.

The girl frantically threw away the stick as if she had been electrocuted, then ran forward with a clatter, as if she had encountered something terrifying.

It was indeed frightening; from Luo Jinnian's perspective, he could clearly see that the girl's stick had just poked in the shit.

"How rude!" Gu Yanxi finally stopped, turned around, her eyes red and her voice trembling with tears. "Who would poop in a bush like that?!" She looked down at her hand that had been holding the stick. Although nothing was on it, she still wiped it on her pants several times, forcefully.

The golden cudgel lay forlornly by the roadside, gleaming innocently under the streetlights. Gu Yanxi's lips were pursed, her expression one of impending tears. The golden cudgel she had so painstakingly obtained—from the moment she acquired it to its heroic sacrifice—had been gone in less than two hours.

They only saw Gu Yanxi once.

Luo Jinnian couldn't hold back any longer. He bent over, laughing so hard that his whole body was shaking, tears were streaming down his face, and he could barely breathe.

He thought of the unlucky bear and felt that his good brother Gu Yanxi could totally act in that episode; his unlucky constitution was one in a million.

"If you laugh again, I'll throw your stick away too."

Gu's mother pursed her lips. How wonderful, the two children were lively and cheerful from morning till night.

They took the boy back to his rented room.

Gu Yanxi muttered softly, "What's so great about going back to school? I haven't fallen behind in my studies."

Gu's mother asked gently, "Daughter, do you want to go back to school?"

"...Um, I want to see other classmates."

Over the years, Gu Yanxi has often been away from school because of acting. She thought she had gotten used to it, but seeing her playing with the boy today suddenly made her want to go back to school.

Monday,

Luo Jinnian, who hadn't slept well, was still working on "The Hidden Corner" in his seat in the back row when the girl's unexpected voice woke him up: "Why are you back at school?"

Luo Jinnian suddenly looked up and saw Gu Yanxi standing in front of him, carrying a schoolbag, wearing a school uniform, and with her hair tied in a neat ponytail. She looked much more energetic. She smiled at him, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"I want to come back to study," Gu Yanxi raised an eyebrow, her tone deliberately provocative. "What, you don't want me to come back?"

Luo Jinnian paused for two seconds, then nodded very honestly and said, "When you're not here, I can sleep on two tables. I can put my things in your desk drawer, and I can take up a whole row by myself. It's so comfortable—" Before he could finish speaking, he saw the girl's eyes begin to turn dangerous, and a murderous aura slowly gathered in those beautiful eyes. So he immediately changed his words and quickly added, "Okay, okay, don't look at me like that. I miss you so much! I can't eat or sleep every day because I think about you. I'm just hoping you'll come back and save me a table—"

Her sudden change from arrogance to obsequiousness was so funny that Gu Yanxi couldn't help but burst out laughing, bending over with laughter and slapping the table. Her classmates, startled by the commotion, all looked over, wondering what was so funny.

Gu Yanxi laughed for a while before straightening up, tears welling in her eyes. She wiped her eyes and looked at the notebook filled with writing next to Luo Jinnian, curiously leaning over to take a look.

"A new work?" she asked.

"Yes," Luo Jinnian pushed the notebook toward her, then thought for a moment and said, "It's the next script we're going to act in."