Wen Bao, this average height, extremely amiable, and always smiling dude from Beijing was from a family that ran a chain of hot pot restaurants. And it was the most characteristic instant boiled mutton hot pot of old Beijing. At the time when Tao Mu was reborn, their hot pot restaurant had actually become a listed company. Described in the online words of later years, Wen Bao was a veritable young master of a large wealthy family. The kind that belonged to the category of people who could just inherit their family business if they didn’t do well in the entertainment business.

But this kid probably didn’t like being a domineering CEO, so he was very hard-working when acting. What Golden Crow film emperor, Golden Lily TV emperor, Golden Chime best actor award. Various kinds of awards took turns being brought back home. He was definitely not like Tao Mu and people like him who had to work hard for seven or eight years to win even one award.

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But speaking of, his achievement could still be considered high enough. All the elite students of the 2008 Beijing Film class from all departments were all included in this dorm. In the next ten years, those who won prestigious awards such as the best director and best screenwriter or film emperor and TV emperor would not exceed two hands. But today, he happened to run into three at once, and they were all in the same dormitory. And in the next four years they would be facing each other day and night. This luck meter was really off the charts!

Could it be said that after he was reborn and stayed far from the scope of the cannon fodder buff of the original plot, his luck had finally turned around?

Tao Mu was currently letting his imagination run wild, when suddenly a heavy arm threw itself on his shoulder.

“——I say, buddy, I just saw you at the school gate.” Du Kang threw his bedding onto the bed, not bothering to tidy up the bed: “I was in the front. Holy, I saw that bunch of girls surrounding you, all kinds like twittering birds, helping you run errands and picking things up for you. It really made me envious. You say, I was already there by seven o’clock in the morning but I’ve been waiting in line for such a long time, afraid to even drink anything for fear I would need the bathroom. But in the end I was cut off by a pretty boy like you.” 

“And I was wondering! How handsome was this guy for so many of these girls from Beijing Film to completely forget their reservedness and future superstar airs, and instead throw themselves over all starry-eyed. So, I craned my head and took a look! Alas! Oh my god, my eye was almost dazzled blind. You say, you’re not only this handsome, you also dress like this and are followed by such a large group of people next to you. It’s as if you’re some international superstar who came to visit our campus. I also saw that group of media reporters at the gates all practically rushing to your side. Some people even sighed that it’s a waste you applied to Beijing Film instead of Yan Film when you’re so handsome.”

“I was so sad at the time. You say, this is already the 21st century. Why do these people still look only at face like this! Fine, if they must look at the face then why not look at me? I have thick eyebrows and big eyes, and I’m 1.9m tall. Being admitted to Beijing Film also proves that I have decent looks too, so how come no one pays attention to me!”

“You don’t know, my mood at the time was just like being struck by thunder despite it being a clear sky. This heart of mine instantly shattered into pieces. Do you know the famous line in ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’?”

“Since you (heaven) made me, Zhou Yu, why did you make Zhuge Liang too!” (TN: basically lamenting the fact that there is someone better than you who is outshining you at every turn)

“I thought at the time, whoever shares a dormitory with you must be really unlucky! Looking at your face every day, watching a bunch of girls throwing themselves at you while everyone else is just so much background. After a while, just how big will this ​​psychological shadow be! And it’s not just shadows, I estimate that people’s hearts would feel so defeated that green hair will grow out.” 

“But then, boom, this big thunder exploded on my head. When I opened the door and saw you, I knew it! It’s over! You say, just how will I live with such an inhumanly handsome guy like you. How will I make it in these next four years? The pressure is simply too great for me. The number 1 school hottie I have maintained for nearly two decades will now meet its demise today. Is it easy for me? Aren’t I just going to university to be an actor? Why must I be hurt like this…..”

Du Kang clearly didn’t need others at all, just by himself he could perform a lively stand-up comedy. And this fellow had never stopped his mouth ever since entering the dormitory.

Wen Bao tried to interrupt with his own input with difficulty, but didn’t succeed at all. He could only touch his nose sheepishly and wave his paw to interrupt Du Kang. He practically wanted nothing more than to rush up and cover Du Kang’s mouth directly: “No, I say, buddy, can we continue chatting when we get to the restaurant? Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m hungry!” Unexpectedly, Du Kang grabbed his hand and said righteously: “I’m so hungry, my stomach has shrunk to press against my back. I’m just trying to divert my attention with a few words. Otherwise, I can faint on the spot. Faint from hunger, you know?”

There was even something to say about this?!

The other three looked at each other and were speechless.

No wonder he was nominated for the best actor more than a dozen times. Attending the award ceremonies but didn’t get a single award for seven or eight years. So in his anger, he changed his career to director and made a movie. Unexpectedly, he instantly won the best director and best picture in one breath. When he went on variety shows he would crush all fresh meat in the circle, setting off a bloody storm in the entertainment circle and establishing himself as a well-known big director/variety show celebrity!

This comedy logic was truly something to admit defeat to even if you don’t want to.

This was natural wit!

“Ai, you say, if I was to faint in hunger in the dorm room today, would the reporters give me a headline or something? In that way, will my road to fame be less difficult?”

Du Kang was not done yet. He stood there and began talking to himself, even laughing idiotically: “Don’t they say that one must be famous as soon as possible! If I can be so famous once, even starving to death will put a smile on my face.”

Wen Bao patted his head in exasperation and looked up at the ceiling. Why did he come to report with such a person! And even share a dormitory! How would he make it these next four years of university?

Due to Du Kang’s outstanding performance, the four roommates of 301 became very familiar with each other on the first day of reporting to school.

At noon, Wen Bao really took the large group of people to Wen Ju Xiang’s newly opened branch near Beijing Film, and treated everyone to eat lamb.

The decoration of the store inherited the characteristics of old Beijing. The old-style furniture made of fragrant rosewood, the red lacquer carved hollow partitions, the wooden tables and chairs were also in the old style, and there were all kinds of palace style lanterns hanging overhead. There was also a musician hired with a high salary who sat in a cheongsam and played the guzheng. To the melodious sound of the string instrument, Wen Bao proudly showed everyone around: “…..Sometimes we would also invite old artists to sing opera or perform comic dialog. It gets very lively.”

As he spoke, Wen Bao pulled everyone to the bar to take pictures: “You will all be big stars and film emperors in the future. My dad specifically told me that you all must take pictures when you guys come over. And make sure you leave your signatures. When you become famous, this shop will rely on your reputation to promote the shop.”

“This is your store?” Du Kang, who didn’t know Wen Bao’s details, was shocked. In fact, when Wen Bao came to report, he wore a round-neck T-shirt that was so faded from repeated washing, a pair of beige slacks that could be bought for 30 yuan in the wholesale market, and a pair of flip-flops on his feet. His short hair was also cut really close to scalp, and when he smiled there were two dimples. No matter how one looked at him, he appeared like the ordinary poor people squatting in the alley neighborhoods of old Beijing basking in the sun. As a result, Du Kang was completely unable to connect this high-end hot pot restaurant with Wen Bao.

“Yes! So in the future, when you come to eat you get a 20% discount.” Wen Bao curved his natural crescent eyes and said with a smile: “Roommate benefits, you know?”

“We’re roommates and you just give us a 20% discount? Can you be more stingy? Why don’t you give us two more plates of meat!” Du Kang snorted, pretending to act like a country bumpkin. He even groped around the bar, touching this and that, and asked the waitress wearing a cheongsam: “Ai, do you have any benefits for the boss’ family members? Say, we are all roommates of your young boss. For at least the next four years, we’ll all be living together, right? With such a close relationship, we should at least get a 50% discount, right?”

The little waitress giggled, and did not hesitate to joke back: “There is really no 50% discount. But how about two pots of herbal tea?” This autumn was dry and irritable, so drinking some herbal tea to cool the fire was just right. Four boys in one dorm room after all!

“Sister is too kind!” Du Kang gave the girl a thumbs up: “You didn’t shame the people of the capital!”

“I say, can you guys stop acting like smart alecks? Aren’t you all so hungry your stomachs shrunk to touch your backs!” Tao Mu handed the signed “Star Collection Book” to the front desk girl and looked at Wen Bao: ” Young boss, let’s go.”

Wen Bao admired Tao Mu’s signature for a while, shocked at its aesthetics: “Damn, Taozi, have you practiced signing signatures specially? It’s beautiful!”

When the other two heard this, they craned their heads and looked over. Chu Sui’an, who had never spoken much, said affirmatively: “This signature must definitely have been practiced. It has the momentum of flying dragon and dancing phoenix, the strokes so smooth and flowing. It’s better than the signatures of those big stars.”

Du Kang slapped a bear paw on Tao Mu’s shoulder: “I say, buddy, I can tell, your idol baggage is quite serious!”

Tao Mu’s smile was perfect as he said in a very reserved manner: “I’ve made you laugh, I’ve made you laugh.” It’s not like he could say that he was used to it in the past life. After all, having turned from an online star to a film emperor, this signature couldn’t be too shabby. If it was too shabby, even his managing team wouldn’t let him go, okay? So this pot could only be carried with tears.

When they heard this, Liu Yao and Meng Qi, as well as Song Daozhen and others who had seen Tao Mu fuss in front of the mirror for more than an hour before leaving the house, looked at each other in unison, secretly agreeing with classmate Du Kang——their puppy’s idol baggage was indeed very serious.

“Make you laugh my butt!” Du Kang couldn’t help it anymore. His sturdy arm hooked Tao Mu’s neck while the other paw messed up Tao Mu’s carefully crafted hairstyle with an embittered envy: “I say, kid, are you planning to take the idol road in our simple Beijing Film Academy! Kid, you’re quite clever! Taking such an unconventional gambit and blazing a new trail! Everyone is just following the standard rules, while you just have to take a different path, right? Let me look at your shoes. You’re wearing Meters/bonwe, aren’t you? Do you want to be their endorsement model?”

Da Mao and Xiao Pang also heckled next to him: “Ai, if Meters/bonwe really uses my brother Mu as their product endorser, with my brother Mu’s attractiveness index and fashion sense, their sales will definitely increase!”

“Attractiveness index?!” The three roommates, who had never heard of this word, were confused.

Xiao Pang explained patiently: “It is the rating of one’s attractiveness. My brother Mu said that there is a scoring standard for everything these days. This face is also the same. Whether you are handsome or not, whether you look good or not, all have a rating.”

“This term is a bit interesting!” Du Kang instantly laughed: “Then how about my looks, how many points can it score?”

Before Da Mao and Xiao Pang could reply, Chu Sui’an, who had not said much, suddenly said, “Hey, aren’t we gonna eat instant boiled mutton? Where does the mutton come from? Is it organic?”

The topic had changed quite bluntly. The large group of people looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Unexpectedly, Chu Sui’an, who was such a shy guy, actually had such a hidden surprising side! He could insult someone without saying anything directly.

Du Kang looked at Chu Sui’an with an expression that looked like he had been struck by a thunderbolt, the incredulous appearance full of comedic effects.

Chu Sui’an looked up at the lines on the ceiling with a calm face, and turned his head from time to time to discuss with his parents that the decoration style of the hot pot restaurant was particularly imperial family style. Especially the ceiling, the pattern on it was a bit like the ceiling of Prince Gong’s Mansion…..In short, it was a very country bumpkin manner. Looking and pointing everywhere, but just won’t look at Du Kang.

Wen Bao laughed so hard his tears were about to come out. Finally, this large group of people were brought into a private booth. Father Wen, who had been in the kitchen for a long time, personally prepared slices of mutton for everyone. The slices of mutton were cut as thin as cicada wings, so thin they could transmit light when picked up. In addition, there were beef tripe, frozen tofu, white radish, bean vermicelli, and various fresh and tender vegetables.

When the dishes were ready, father Wen even opened two bottles of Maotai and came to toast in person.

But when he saw old man Song, who was pushed to the main seat by everyone, he was shocked: “Song Shifu? Is it you, Song Shifu? Ai, it’s really you! What a coincidence…..”

Song Daozhen squinted at father Wen, but couldn’t remember.

Who was this person?

“You don’t remember me anymore?” Father Wen slapped his thigh with a distressed look: “I am Wen Aiguo, Wen Xiaojiu’er. Back in ’68, I just joined Song Ji as an apprentice. The chef of Song Ji at the time was still your grandfather. At that time, you were responsible for teaching us apprentices. My instant boiled lamb was actually a craftsmanship that I learned from you. Later I heard that your family was given trouble by the bastard surnamed Yao, and the whole family was criticized and denounced…..You were also sent to Linhai Farm——”

“Oh!” Song Daozhen interrupted Wen Aiguo’s words with an indifferent expression: “I remember it. It’s you.”

Wen Aiguo also noticed that Song Daozhen didn’t seem to want to bring up the past. He smiled immediately and said in a very warm and enthusiastic voice: “I say, you should also try my craft today. See if it has managed to inherit a bit of your techniques.”

As he spoke, he picked a piece of mutton with a pair of shared chopsticks, dipped it in the hot pot and then placed it respectfully on the small dish in front of Song Daozhen.

Tao Mu took a spoonful each of leek flowers, fermented bean curd, sesame paste, soy sauce, chili oil and braised shrimp oil in front of him and mixed a bowl of dipping sauce for the old man.

Wen Aiguo smiled enthusiastically with his back bent over slightly and said, “Try some?”

Song Daozhen picked up the lamb meat and dipped it in the small bowl of sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed slowly. He then praised it politely: “Not bad.”

Wen Bao’s eyes flickered and he looked at Tao Mu with a smile: “It seems that we two really have an affinity. My father actually knows your grandfather. According to the old saying, our two families are also family friends.”

“Yoh, it turns out that this young man is your grandson. This handsome face really looks like my senior brother.” Wen Aiguo looked at Tao Mu and complimented with a smile: “You and our Wen Bao are in the same dorm room? Look at the affinity of our family. You must come often from now on. Your orders will all be on the house.”

Wen Bao, seeing that his father still hadn’t figured out the situation, couldn’t help but subtly hint: “This is my classmate Tao Mu. These two are Du Kang and Chu Sui’an.”

Wen Aiguo was taken aback. What’s going on, the grandfather’s surname was Song, so why was his grandson’s surname Tao? Was it a grandson from the mother’s side?

Meanwhile, Wen Bao introduced his father to the parents present here. When dean Tao was introduced, Wen Aiguo felt that he realized something. He looked at dean Tao, who was sitting next to old man Song, and felt that he had touched upon something. He suddenly smiled with joy, and asked cautiously: “This…..is this Shimu?” The old companion that the old man found later? (TN: shimu is the wife of shifu)

Old man Song: “…..”

Dean Tao: “…..”

The group of melon eaters: “…..”

Old man Song slapped his chopsticks down and scolded, “What nonsense! This is the dean of the orphanage.”

“Ah? Oh, oh, oh,” Wen Aiguo finally realized that he seemed to have misunderstood something. However, he was someone who had dealt with people and business for many years, so he had a very thick-skinned face. He easily acted as if nothing had happened, and began to toast a glass of wine to apologize. Then he escaped under the guise of being busy.

The atmosphere became a bit embarrassing for a while.

Everyone looked at each other, and occasionally glanced at Song Daozhen, who had a face so dark that it seemed to be able to drip ink.

Tao Mu gave a light cough, raised his wine glass and asked Chu Sui’an’s parents: “Uncle and aunt, how long can you stay in Beijing this time? Have you walked around and seen the sights yet?”

Mother Chu immediately replied: “We haven’t had time to visit. Today we had to send An An to report to school. We were thinking about doing the serious things first, and then walking around tomorrow. After that we will be going back. From now on, An An will be in everyone’s care.”

“That’s for sure. Uncle and aunt, don’t worry.” Tao Mu smiled and said, “How about I show uncle and aunt around tomorrow. It’s rare for uncle and aunt to come here so as a local, I have to do my best as a host. “

After he finished speaking, he smiled and begged brother Yao: “Brother Yao, can you lend me the car tomorrow.”

Liu Yao squinted at Tao Mu, and teased their little puppy with a smile: “It’s fine to borrow the car. But do you have a driver’s license?”

Tao Mu was startled when he heard these words. He had completely forgotten about it.

It seemed he must take the driving exam as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too awkward.

Seeing their puppy staring blankly for a while, Liu Yao smiled and said, “I will ask Da Hui to follow you tomorrow.”

Chu Sui’an’s parents repeatedly thanked: “We really trouble you.”

“No trouble, no trouble.” Meng Qi smiled and said: “Beijing Film has so many students, but these four children just happened to get together in one dormitory. This is fate.”

“That’s true.” Chu Sui’an’s mother suddenly smiled and lectured her son: “An An, you must get along with your classmates in the future, do you understand?”

Chu Sui’an was a big boy, but he had to be treated like a child in front of so many people, so he instantly felt very embarrassed. He impatiently replied: “Aiya, I know. Mom, have you tried this. The lamb here is delicious. It is much more authentic than the lamb meat in our Shanghai city. This lamb does not smell at all. You should eat more.”

Tao Mu smiled and asked Du Kang: “You came over to report to school, but your parents didn’t come with you?”

Du Kang waved his hand: “They wanted to follow along. But I feel that as a grown man already in college, it would be too embarrassing to have my parents send me over. So I didn’t let them. And it saved two train tickets. The money can now be used for my living expenses next month.”

Du Kang felt that his calculations were very clever. But the others were very speechless. This young man was really…..sincere and straightforward!

Everyone enjoyed the meal.

After the meal, Wen Bao took the two non-local classmates to buy necessities such as soap and towels. On the way, he also took the two classmates and Chu Sui’an’s parents to visit the scenic spots and commercial buildings near Beijing Film.

Liu Yao and Meng Qi were planning to go back to the club to have a look while also sending dean Tao and old man Song back.

Da Mao’s father was still thinking about the stock market and wanted to chat with Tao Mu. But Tao Mu was preoccupied with what Wen Bao’s father had revealed at the meal. He declined the invitation of uncle Wang, and then got into brother Yao’s car.

This time Liu Yao drove a seven-seat SUV, and Meng Qi sat in the passenger seat as usual. Dean Tao and Feng Yuan sat in the middle row, and Tao Mu sat at the back with his old man.

There was silence all the way. When they arrived, Tao Mu helped the old man get out of the car, and directly sent the old man back to the restaurant——

The old man’s restaurant was called Song Ji. Tao Mu hadn’t noticed it before, only thinking that the old man named it Song Ji for his own surname. But today, listening to father Wen’s words, it seemed that there was a long history here. And listening to what father Wen said, old man Song was originally a man with a wife and a son. But since Tao Mu’s first day in Song Ji in both lives, he hadn’t seen old man Song’s family members at all, not even distant relatives.

“Uhm——”

“Don’t ask.” Just as Tao Mu spoke, he was abruptly interrupted by Song Daozhen.

“You are not allowed to ask about this matter. Never ask. And never inquire about it. If you let me know that you are inquiring about it outside, then you will never be allowed to come into my door again in this life!”

Before Tao Mu could even finish speaking, the rest of his words were stunned back by the old man. And looking at the old man’s stern face and extremely serious manner——it was not at all like usual. Although he also liked to scowl at Tao Mu, it was as clear as day that he was just being untruthful, appearing unfriendly and blunt, but was actually warm and tender inside.

So the more the old man looked like this, the more serious the situation was. And as a result, Tao Mu became more curious.

What was going on with Song Ji? Why haven’t the old man’s wife and child ever visited him? Did the old man have any relatives? And who was the bastard surnamed Yao that father Wen mentioned? What did he do to wrong the old man and his whole family? Was it related to the old man being left alone and without any family?

The more Tao Mu thought about it, the more he hated his heartlessness in his previous life. He didn’t even know anything about the old man’s family affairs and what’s more, he didn’t even want to inquire about it. So now he wanted to figure out what was going on. But he didn’t want to go against old man Song and make him unhappy. So he nodded obediently at the moment: “Alright.”

Song Daozhen looked at Tao Mu’s large dark eyes and knew that Tao Mu hadn’t listened. But he didn’t have the energy to argue with Tao Mu. The appearance of Wen Aiguo, as well as the words he said, evoked the last thing Song Daozhen wanted to remember in his life.

He was tired and wanted to sleep. He could only see the Song Ji of the past in his dreams, and see those people of the Song family. And his young son who was not much older than Tao Mu. When he woke up from the dream he was still that lonely and stubborn old man with a reclusive and strange temperament. No children, no wife, no support.

“You go back. Aren’t you going to accompany your classmates’ parents to tour Beijing tomorrow. Then don’t come here. Let me have some peace for two days.”

Tao Mu was driven out of the small restaurant by the old man. He stood on the blue brick steps outside the courtyard. The two doors that were originally painted with vermilion lacquer had long been mottled and peeled off under the erosion of the years. Even the high door thresholds were half chipped away due to years of wind, rain and trampling. However, the old man never repaired any of it.

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He just let this small courtyard gradually decline under the erosion of time and oil smoke. He just lived in this empty courtyard by his lonesome. Every night after the restaurant was closed, he wandered the deserted patio with a big broom, walking through the silent promenade and bypassing the secondary doors. The dry broom would make a rustling sound on the bluestone slabs. Occasionally, the night wind would blow by and the old locust trees in the yard would also make rustling sounds. This was probably the only sound in the courtyard at night.

Tao Mu quietly clenched his fists that were hanging at his sides. He stood in front of the door for a while, then turned and entered the orphanage.

He felt that dean Tao might know something.

TN: bonus chapter coming up!

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“Wu!”

The dazzling sunlight sneaked in through the gaps in the curtains, slid across the floor and touched the bed. The golden rays crawled over the soft and fluffy quilt, gently kissed the owner’s collarbone, chin, bridge of nose, and finally landed on the eyelids.

The dazzling sunlight flickered over his eyes. Very annoying!

The sleeping person closed his eyes tightly in an unhappy manner. The thick eyelashes were like butterfly wings trembling, casting two fan-shaped shadows under the eyelids. He fumbled and grabbed the quilt and pulled it up over his head, curling up into a ball under the quilt as he turned over and continued to sleep. Suddenly a noisy knocking sounded from the door, followed by the doorbell which went “Ding Dong Ding Dong”.

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How could there be a two-pronged attack!

“Wu!” Tao Mu unconsciously uttered a small puppy dog whine from his throat and opened his eyes in a daze. The ceiling above his head and the slightly unfamiliar furnishings in the room confused him for a moment. Immediately after the return of awareness, Tao Mu sat up still hugging the quit and the memory of last night slowly returned.

The ringing of the doorbell went “Ding Dong Ding Dong” several more times before Tao Mu slowly got up and went to open the door.

Early in the morning, Song Daozhen rolled out the wonton wrappers in the back kitchen and personally wrapped more than fifty small wontons filled with green onions and pork, Tao Mu’s favorite, and then carried a bag of seaweed, a bag of mustard greens, a handful of coriander and a bag of dried shrimp as he took the two mile walk to Tao Mu’s apartment. Song Daozhen stared at Tao Mu, who looked asleep on his feet, half of his face covered in red sleep marks. He couldn’t help but nag: “Why haven’t you gotten up yet? Don’t you have to report to school this morning? It’s already past seven o’clock, why aren’t you up. Did you stay up late to play on the computer last night? You say, it’s a good thing that I stopped by. Otherwise, with no one to wake you, you wouldn’t have even noticed that you slept past the time. You say, kids nowadays, ah, why act like night owls! Not sleeping at night, and not getting up in the morning. Don’t you know that going to bed early and getting up early is good for your health! Staying up so late every day sooner or later your body will break down…..”

Listening to old man Song’s nagging, Tao Mu stretched out his hand to scratch his messy hair, narrowed his big eyes into a seam and leaned against the kitchen, “….I wasn’t playing on the computer. I was doing real business matters….. The opening time of the stock market in China and the international oil futures market is at that point, what can I do? It’s not like I can have a big organization change their times for me alone? Just so I can go to bed early and get up early? It can’t be!”

“Don’t talk back with this kind of useless stuff!” Song Daozhen gave Tao Mu an irritated glare and carried the ingredients into the kitchen. Seeing Tao Mu following behind him like a small tail and still in a daze, old man Song was actually very happy inside. But on the surface he put up a stern face and lectured, “Hurry up and wash your face. You move quickly, don’t dawdle, or else the small wontons will go soggy.”

Tao Mu let out a soft “Uh”, sniffed hard, and asked his old man: “Did you bring me two flatbread? I want to eat the flatbread you make. I want salted flatbread, but mung bean and white sugar is also not bad.”

“You sure have a lot of requests. If you want to eat, go make it yourself. Didn’t I teach you?” Song Daozhen snorted. Speaking of this, he was reminded that Tao Mu had applied to Beijing Film, and suddenly became angry: “…..Not learning perfectly good craftsmanship, but insisting on studying such a damn major. You say, just how many people in China want to become celebrities? Besides, is it a long-term plan to make a living with your face? The way I see it, you kid just learned badly from that group of “Night” people. Every day thinking about getting something for nothing…..”

Tao Mu covered his head and rushed into the bathroom. After washing, he finally felt more awake.

“I say, old man, how did you come over from the restaurant?”

“Cycling along the main road. Just take it as exercise!” Song Daozhen said as he turned on the stove neatly, throwing the little wontons into the boiling pot. After a while, a cloud of steam wafted out of the kitchen, and the small apartment of less than 40 square meters was suddenly filled with the fresh fragrance of small wontons.

But Tao Mu was shocked into a cold sweat: “You just cycled here? That is not good! There are so many cars coming and going! You can’t be like this in the future. It’s too dangerous——”

Tao Mu was about to say that when he got a driver’s license and then bought a car, he would do the picking up. Only to see old man Song stubbornly glare at Tao Mu and ask stiffly: “Why, you dislike me? You don’t want me to come over?”

“How can that be!” Tao Mu sneaked into the kitchen, stood behind the old man with an ingratiating smile, and massaged his shoulders: “I’m just worried about your safety! You wait for me to get a driver’s license and a car. I will pick you up every day to come here.”

“Your words are pretty. But when you go to college and meet new friends, you would be too busy playing around. Would you still even remember me?” Song Daozhen snorted again, but the more he talked the more sad he became.

This stinky boy went to H Town for more than two months and only called him that one time. After that, there was no hearing from him at all. And he even specially set up a landline, only to just get takeout calls.

“No way.” Tao Mu smiled and hugged his old man’s small and thin body, and patiently coaxed: “I will pick you up at least twice every week in the future. Let you inspect whether this houseguest of yours has kept the house clean or not. I will also go back to the orphanage to visit dean Tao on the weekends. At that time I will make good food for you and let you taste my craft.”

“Your words are pretty.” Though Song Daozhen continued to voice his disbelief, he was quite happy in his heart. As the saying went, old children, old children, whether old people or children, one must coax them like this.

“That won’t work either.” Song Daozhen waved his hand and motioned Tao Mu to take out the cooked small wontons. He began to nag again: “Aren’t you trading stocks every day? You have to stay up until midnight every night, and feel sleepy during the day. How will you drive? I say, you’d better watch yourself, don’t get into a car accident because of fatigue. Although the 2nd Ring Road and the 3rd Ring Road have traffic jams every day, you can’t ruin other people’s cars like that. If you really clip someone else’s car, aside from the compensation money, people will think you had run out to the main road to play bumper cars!”

“Don’t go shaming us capital people!”

Just look at what this old man said, downright mean he was.

Tao Mu served the old man a bowl of small wontons and said with a smile, “I say old man——”

But before the words were finished, the doorbell rang once again.

Tao Mu put down the spoon and went to open the door. This time, Liu Yao and Meng Qi were the ones who showed up. They also carried three bowls of egg and lean meat porridge and two boxes of steamed buns. It was clearly bought at the breakfast shop at the gate of the community.

“Oh ho, old man, you are sure early! If we knew you were coming too, we could have given you a ride as well. All those cars coming and going, it’ll be bad if it clipped or bumped you.” Liu Yao opened his mouth and said the exact same thing as Tao Mu.

Song Daozhen had just finished retorting at Tao Mu, and now switched his next target to boss Liu. He snorted: “No need. I’m fine riding a bike by myself. It’s good to move my muscles and bones once in a while. And it won’t trouble anyone either. My old bones have not reached the point I can’t even move by myself yet.”

“That’s not what I meant. Ai, how come you are always so contrary!” As Liu Yao sooke, his eyes swept over the two steaming bowls of small wontons on the small table, and instantly felt a craving——

To say that the old man surnamed Song had a bad temper was an understatement. But his cooking skills were truly superb. Both taste and smell were without criticism.

Tao Mu laughed. He went to the kitchen to get two more bowls, and ladled out a bowl of wontons for brother Yao and brother Xiao Qi: “Wontons with steamed buns are just right.”

The old man snorted. In his heart he grumbled that his wonton was originally just right. Now there were two extra people. So of course it needed to be eaten with buns to be enough!

But how could this steamed bun and wonton go together exactly? These two things obviously didn’t go together! The old man grumbled to himself, his wonton was a perfect match with his flatbread. Wonton with steamed buns were at best passable!

Sure enough, no wonder he ran a nightclub as he didn’t even know how to eat.

The four people ate their improvised breakfast. During breakfast, the old man remembered something and reminded Tao Mu: “When you are free, let’s go to the vegetable market together. This house has just been renovated. I didn’t stock up any food so the kitchen is completely empty. Later, let’s go to the market to get a bag of rice and a bag of flour. Chicken, duck or fish, we should also buy some. I’ll make you some buns, wontons, glutinous rice balls, and dumplings at home. You can eat them when you are hungry.”

In fact, Song Daozhen originally wanted to cook wonton in his own small restaurant. But he was old now and couldn’t carry it all. And it was also not convenient. It was better to cook it here and freeze it directly in the refrigerator. Tao Mu could then eat it whenever he wanted.

Liu Yao listened to Song Daozhen’s words and swallowed subconsciously. He said: “This is rice and flour which are all heavy things. It will be inconvenient for you two old and young ones. How about this, Meng Qi and I will drive you there, and then take you back. I’ll find two guys to help carry the things upstairs directly.”

Song Daozhen originally wanted to say that he also had workers in the restaurant, but he didn’t have a car. Besides, there were Tao Mu’s feelings to be taken into account!

This stinky boy was looking at him eagerly, and it was obvious that he wanted to let brother Yao and brother Xiao Qi go to the vegetable market together.

Don’t know what kind of stinky habits he learned in H Town! This time he was back, he seemed to be more clingy than before! Not only did he learn to be clingy, but also learn to behave like a baby. Always looking at you eagerly, and using a soft voice to coax you. One couldn’t disagree with him even if they wanted to!

“If you want to go, go!” Song Daozhen snorted: “Someone is willing to work for free, what do I have to complain about.”

Tao Mu laughed: “Then after I report to school, let’s go to the vegetable market.”

Liu Yao and Meng Qi rarely got up early, but they especially did so just to send Tao Mu to the school to report in. The two grown men went home yesterday and thought about the fact that the child finally went to college, and when he went to report, like all children he likely wanted all his family to accompany him. What father, mother, grandpa, grandma, aunts, and uncles!

Although their Xiao Mu did not have parents, they couldn’t not treat this kind of thing seriously. So Liu Yao and Meng Qi rushed over early to support Tao Mu.

Song Daozhen thought the same thing.

And these three men were not the only ones who had this idea. After they finished their breakfast, they waited patiently as Tao Mu spent more than an hour dressing himself, before strolling to the gate of Beijing Film. There, they saw dean Tao leading little Feng Yuan, as well as Da Mao and Xiao Pang with their respective parents.

Seeing Tao Mu coming over, the large group of people surrounded him: “How come you only arrive now? Why aren’t you more excited, this is Beijing Film! There are countless handsome men and beautiful women, and there are endless celebrities inside. You don’t want to see your celebrity classmates?”

Tao Mu looked at Da Mao and Xiao Pang in surprise: “Why are you guys here?”

Then he greeted their parents: “Hello, uncles and aunts.”

“Xiao Mu is really becoming more and more handsome.” The two uncles and aunts looked at Tao Mu’s increasingly handsome face and more and more refined dress, and couldn’t help but praise: “Just like a big superstar.”

They were not just being polite. After Tao Mu was reborn, his fashion philosophy and dressing style would naturally be affected by the fashion ethos ten years later. And he had been among the top of the pyramid in the entertainment industry in his previous life. He had his own agency team and makeup team. And after returning to the Shen family, he also deliberately learned the etiquette of the upper class. Therefore, his dressing style was more refined, his speech was more elegant, and his manners were more perfect.

Coupled with the invisible and intangible but definitely present aura that had been accumulated over the past ten years, Tao Mu stood out from his peers without a question. Just standing there with a gentle smile could cause people around him to look over involuntarily. It was as if he glowed all over.

A media reporter squatting at the gate of Beijing Film squeezed over with a camera and microphone, and wanted to interview Tao Mu.

Tao Mu avoided the reporter with disinterest.

Mr. Wang, the coal boss, was thinking about another thing: “Xiao Mu, when do you have time to have a chat with your uncle.” He mainly wanted to ask Tao Mu whether shorting the international oil futures was really reliable or not. If it really was reliable he would be getting his money ready!

Tao Mu smiled and said, “No problem.”

Boss Wang was still a little worried: “I say Xiao Mu. How sure do you feel——”

Before he finished speaking, Da Mao pulled his dad impatiently: “Aiya, it’s just some boring stuff, you have no end to it, seriously! Let’s hurry up and go report in. You guys aren’t anxious, but I want to see the big stars.”

Besides the big stars, there were also beautiful girls. Da Mao had applied for the architecture department of a local polytechnic university. So one could imagine the lack of quality and quantity of the girls in his own school. Xiao Pang’s situation was basically the same as that of Da Mao. The two brothers in hardship were counting on finding their first love in Tao Mu’s university!

Tao Mu laughed when he heard these words, practically being pushed into the school all the way by these two childhood friends.

Little Feng Yuan stood behind, because he needed to support dean Tao, so he could only stare at the backs of the three anxiously and grumble: “What are you pushing, pushing for! Not, not at all mature and lose, lose, losing brother Mu Mu Mu’s face!”

Dean Tao smiled and rubbed Feng Yuan’s prickly hair: “You can go ahead too.”

Feng Yuan thought for a while, and shook his head: “No, no. I want to accompany, accompany, accompany dean Tao.” There were too many people in the school, practically rubbing shoulder to shoulder. He was afraid their dean would get hit or pushed.

On the other side, Da Mao and Xiao Pang looked at the bustling Beijing Film classmates around them, their two eyes practically not enough to see everything. No wonder it was Beijing Film, the cradle of Chinese actors. All the students have high physical appearance points. The guys’ facial features were well-defined and appearance dignified. Not to mention the girls, either with long, fluttering hair and the picture of one’s first love goddess, or with short hair that appeared neat and confident. There were also gentle and feminine, or glamorous and charming, or cute and lively, or pure and lovely…..just any one of them would be the number one school beauty level when put in other schools.

“Can’t take it! Can’t take it! I’m going to die! I say, brother Mu, I will come to your school to see you every week from now on? It would be great if you could introduce me to a girl anytime!”

Compared with Da Mao’s confidence, Xiao Pang was worried: “What should I do? I think these girls wouldn’t like me at all. Should I lose weight?”

Da Mao, who had a mine at home, glanced at the same round facial features on Xiao Pang’s round face, and said sincerely: “I think the girls don’t like you not only because you are fat but also because you are not handsome.”

If you were handsome, even fat people could find a girlfriend.

Xiao Pang’s face changed, his white melon face instantly became a dark melon face!

How could he land such a blow on people! He’ll seriously turn his face!

Tao Mu couldn’t help but chuckle, and was about to speak when the sophomore elder school sisters who were in charge of welcoming the new students gathered around him. With bright eyes, they asked: “Classmate, are you here to report in too?”

“Classmate, are you from the acting department?”

“What’s your name, classmate?”

“Classmate, I will accompany you to report in. I belong to the student council. You can go with me, so you don’t need to line up.”

“Classmate…..”

Da Mao and Xiao Pang who had been standing on both sides of Tao Mu were suddenly squeezed away by a group of girls. The two looked at the beautiful elder school sisters who surrounded Tao Mu in the middle, chirping like birds, and suddenly had the urge to have a heart attack.

How did the saying go, comparing yourself with other people would only vex you to death? This was a live comparison site! These girls were too superficial, right? How could they be captured by brother Mu’s face so easily? Couldn’t they patiently and carefully observe their beautiful inner beauty?

Although I am fat (ugly), I am very gentle (rich)!

Unlike Da Mao and Xiao Pang’s heart attack, Liu Yao, Meng Qi, old man Song, and dean Tao looked proudly at their puppy surrounded by a group of female classmates. Little Feng Yuan sighed with pride on the side: “No, no, no wonder it’s my brother Mu Mu, he’s just, just so attractive.”

Tao Mu was surrounded by a large group of enthusiastic school sisters, and their hospitality was hard to rebuff. The end result was that he, who had arrived much later, actually got his dorm key faster than those classmates who came to report early in the morning.

Little Feng Yuan, Da Mao and Xiao Pang helped Tao Mu carry all of the school issued blankets, washbasin and thermos all the way into dormitory 301. When they arrived there was already a classmate in the room.

Their large group arrived with quite a bit of fanfare, immediately filling the small bedroom. The three people who had been cleaning up were instantly startled.

“Hello, my name is Tao Mu. We will be roommates living together for the next four years, so please take care of me.” In front of outsiders, Tao Mu always greeted that person first.

“Hello, uncle and aunt.”

“Ai, ai, hello classmate.” Mother Chu, who was making the bed for her son in the upper bunk, smiled cautiously. There was no other reason, but Tao Mu’s aura was just too strong——putting aside other things for now, just that appearance, that temperament, that speech and manners, that posture of wearing sportswear and carrying a thermos and yet looking like he could immediately walk the red carpet——it really caused these two parents to be short of breath.

Standing in the middle of the room, father Chu, who was holding a rag to wipe the bookshelf and desk, pointed to his son: “This is my son Chu Sui’an. Xiao An, say hello to others!”

“Hello.” He was 1.8 meters tall, with delicate facial features that seem a little feminine. The handsome boy with a melancholic aura smiled shyly at Tao Mu: “I am Chu Sui’an. A native of Shanghai.”

The future Golden Lily TV emperor! Chu Sui’an, who was praised by the media as a model of a good-natured and economically down to earth man one wanted to marry the most!

Tao Mu’s mouth formed a perfect arc. It seemed that he was quite lucky: “I am a local of Beijing. My home is nearby. When everyone is settled, I’ll treat you all to eat something delicious. I hope you’ll like our old Beijing’s instant boiled mutton.”

Chu Sui’an smiled shyly: “I especially like this type of food.” After a pause, he felt that he was not too polite, and so he once again shyly smiled at Tao Mu and thanked him in a low voice.

Tao Mu’s eyebrows curved into a smile, and he waved his hand carelessly: “You’re welcome.” Of course, he knew that Chu Sui’an liked this. In fact, this kid had revealed it to reporters himself during a media interview in his previous life. In addition, during the years when Chu Sui’an settled in Beijing, he was indeed photographed many times by media reporters eating this hotpot dish with his friends.

Feeling Tao Mu’s enthusiasm, Chu Sui’an smiled shyly again. He was actually a person who didn’t talk very much. Before he came over, his parents were still worrying about their son’s wooden character and just how he would communicate with his classmates. But seeing Tao Mu now, the old couple felt more relieved.

No matter how the other two roommates in the dormitory were, at least Tao Mu was very easy-going and easy to communicate.

Mother Chu looked at the large group of people behind Tao Mu with some curiosity, and then questioned: “Student Tao Mu, are these all your family members?”

Tao Mu suddenly smiled as bright as the shining sun: “En~ These are my grandparents, these two are my older brothers, this is my little brother, and these two are my childhood friends and their parents. They are all here to send me off to school.”

Song Daozhen puffed out his chest with joy when he heard Tao Mu call him grandpa to outsiders. Dean Tao also looked at Tao Mu lovingly.

The educational environment of the orphanage was not as good as that of ordinary people, and there were only a handful of children who could enter the university. More people left school after completing nine years of compulsory education and wanted to work to support themselves. So dean Tao had rarely sent her children to college in these many years. Now that Tao Mu was doing so well for himself, she was also happy for her child.

In contrast, Liu Yao frowned a little——not satisfied with Tao Mu’s introduction. He felt that he should get the role of father. Why did the little puppy introduce him to outsiders as his elder brother! Even the stubborn old man with a bad temper got to be grandpa. Even if he couldn’t get to be dad, he should at least get to be godfather, right?

Meng Qi squeezed boss Liu’s palm while people were not paying attention, and glanced at old man Song again. His meaning was that it was not bad being introduced like this, lest brother Yao, who had quite the standing in jianghu, suddenly and inexplicably become reduced to being a younger generation of the old man for a lifetime. Liu Yao thought about it and agreed, but then when he thought about it again——damn, I didn’t even squeeze into the uncle generation, just directly pulled into the grandchildren generation by the little puppy!

Who was grandpa! Who was the grandson! Was there such a way of deciding seniority? So it seemed that no matter how he was ranked, he was still at a lower generation?

Boss Liu glared and was about to explode. Meng Qi squeezed the palm of his hand several times while others were not paying attention, and immediately calmed him down.

Little Feng Yuan supported dean Tao and was giggling secretly to himself. He also felt that he was his brother Mu’s younger brother, more closer than real blood brothers. Now it had been officially stamped, and he couldn’t be more satisfied.

Mother Chu said with a look of envy, “It’s good to have a local home. When sending children to report to school many people can also come over. Unlike our family, it’s just me and his dad accompanying him. His grandparents are very anxious at home. And oh, say, when a southerner like us goes to the north, the food and the environment, how can he get used to it! If you ask me he should have just applied for the Shanghai Theater Academy in the first place. Aren’t they all film schools just how different could it be. There are also many stars from Shanghai Theatre Academy——”

“Mom!” Chu Sui’an interrupted mother Chu’s words unhappily, and subconsciously said in Shanghai dialect: “Don’t say anything if you don’t know. I want to be an actor, not a star. Just…..”

Chu Sui’an didn’t finish speaking, immediately realizing that he shouldn’t speak his native dialect in front of outsiders. It was impolite. Subconsciously he spoke the official dialect: “Anyway, I just want to go to Beijing Film.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anymore. Aiyo, this kid is all grown up, he doesn’t like to listen to adults anymore.” Mother Chu looked at the ladies in the room and complained with a smile.

“Isn’t that true!” Da Mao and Xiao Pang’s mothers also echoed. So, the few middle-aged women got together and began to chat with each other.

Tao Mu went to his bed and laid out the bedding. He was a guy who was accustomed to work, so his movements were quick and handsome. After just a short while, he had cleaned up all his bed cabinets. Chu Sui’an watched Tao Mu eagerly, thinking about how to strike up a new conversation. Suddenly, they heard a noise outside——the other two roommates had arrived.

“Oh my god, I’m exhausted! I’m all sweaty——why are there so many people!”

Following the loud voice from outside, a boy with a height of over 1.9 meters and thick eyebrows walked in: “Is this 301?”

“Yes.” Tao Mu looked at this newcomer who brought his comedy buff as soon as he appeared, and introduced himself with a smile: “I am Tao Mu.”

“I’m Du Kang. From the poem written by Cao Cao, ‘how can I be free from sorrow? Only by Du Kang’s wine’. (TN: Du Kang was a legendary inventor of wine and Cao Cao was a famous statesman and general at the end of Han as well as noted poet and calligrapher, later warlord, founder and first king of Cao Wei). The big guy pointed to himself, “I am from the northeast. This is also our roommate, called Wen Bao.”

As Du Kang spoke, he pulled out from behind a boy who was about 1.75 meters tall and had an amiable handsomeness with a pair of smiling eyes.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The boy curved his eyebrows in a smile at everyone, looking very much like a cat who stole the fish: “Hello everyone, I am Wen Bao from Beijing. It’s almost noon so how about I treat everyone to lunch? Our Beijing specialty, instant boiled mutton, how about it?”

Tao Mu was instantly amused. Counting him, among the four people in this dormitory, there was a Golden Lily TV emperor, a Golden Crow film emperor, a Golden Chime and Golden Crow double film emperor plus Golden Lily TV emperor, and a Golden Elephant Best Director.

——It was quite a complete set they had here.

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