Chapter 981

"Salted Fish Reborn" (3)

Fifteen-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu was the adolescent goddess Zhang Luo had a secret crush on.

Eighteen-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu was the fresh-faced goddess who became an internet sensation overnight thanks to a single photo taken during her art school entrance exam.

Twenty-two-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu was the entertainment industry goddess who shot to fame with "Yesterday's Stars."

Twenty-five-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu, however, became a pariah overnight, with the entire internet cursing her for seducing directors and claiming she slept her way to the top.

Twenty-six-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu committed suicide by jumping off a building due to depression.

Twenty-six-year-old Zhang Luo spent a long time accepting her departure, and then, spent another four years finally burying her in a grave within his heart.

Inside that grave—

Sixteen-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu told him her dream was to be an actress.

Twenty-four-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu, upon learning his father needed a large sum for stomach cancer treatment, specifically asked his friend for his account number and transferred a huge sum of money to him.

Twenty-five-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu, her eyes red and swollen from crying, said over the phone that she hadn't done those things and had been framed.

Twenty-six-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu came to have a late-night snack with him one week before her suicide; she showed no signs of anything unusual, and when faced with his concern, she said it was all in the past and she didn't care at all.

That day, she said to Zhang Luo, "You're just a coward."

Zhang Luo didn't understand what she meant.

Jiang Xiaoyu, having had too much to drink, pointed at him and accused, "Didn't I just reject you once when I was sixteen? Why didn't you dare to confess to me again later?"

Zhang Luo looked at a loss and said, "You want to be an actress, and I'm just an ordinary person; I can't help you."

"Who asked you to help me!" Jiang Xiaoyu cried, "Do you even understand at all?"

Zhang Luo really didn't understand.

The next day, Jiang Xiaoyu called in a panic, asking if she had said anything foolish because she had drunk too much the day before.

Zhang Luo played dumb, saying he had drunk too much and didn't remember.

Jiang Xiaoyu let out a long sigh of relief.

"That's good. Then you have to work hard and stop always saying you're just a salted fish. You're excellent, you're capable, you will definitely succeed!"

Zhang Luo would always remember the sound of Jiang Xiaoyu cheering him on full of energy over the phone.

Therefore, Zhang Luo never understood.

Why would someone so full of vitality and energy just jump off a building like that?

He didn't understand later, either.

He would never understand.

"What are you doing? Why are you suddenly crying?" Liang Fengying looked at Zhang Luo in shock, "Son, don't scare me."

Zhang Luo raised his hand, wiped his tears, and acted with practiced ease: "Huh? I'm crying? Did I get sand in my eyes?"

Liang Fengying: "..."

Zhang Luo gave a bright smile.

"Mom, what do you think if I become a star in the future?"

"Sure, you inherited my beauty, you're a handsome young man now, much more handsome than those male stars on TV," his mom said.

"Uh, although I'm narcissistic, I wouldn't dare say something so unrealistic," Zhang Luo said.

His mom: "True, after all, you only inherited half of my genes, the other half was ruined by your dad."

"..." Zhang Luo sighed, "Mom, what if I told you I'm serious?"

"Serious about what?"

"Wanting to be a star."

"Huh?" Liang Fengying slapped—oh, no, she covered Zhang Luo's forehead with her hand, "Do you have a fever? What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Don't you never pay attention to stars and artists? You always say they're superficial, all empty-headed, and can only rely on their looks to eat."

"I—" Zhang Luo thought to himself, was he really that principled when he was young? At thirty, he only thought about how rich being a star was.

Relying on looks to eat, empty-headed? As long as he could earn that money, he didn't care what others called him.

"It's like this," Zhang Luo said, "I took a nap this afternoon."

"I knew you weren't reading!" Liang Fengying roared, "What did I say before I left? Let you read! Let you read! Let you read!"

With every roar, Liang Fengying slapped Zhang Luo on the back. Zhang Luo was slapped so hard he almost vomited blood.

After she finished hitting him, the murderous look in Liang Fengying's eyes faded.

"..." Zhang Luo turned his head and pointed at his still-wet eyes, "I know why I cried just now; I foresaw the punishment I was about to receive."

Liang Fengying gave him a fake smile and rolled her eyes.

"No, Mom, I'm telling you the truth, I had a very, very long dream. I dreamed that I became a genius, and my head was filled with endless good stories and good songs. If I become a star, I'll be a creative artist, a genius artist."

Liang Fengying: "You're dreaming?! You even know you're dreaming?!"

A single sentence woke him up.

Zhang Luo was stunned.

That's right, he was just dreaming, what was he doing?

What kind of nonsense was he talking?

Wanting to be a star in the future?

What an idiot.

This was a dream.

When the dream wakes, you're still a thirty-year-old stinky salted fish; what right do you have to daydream in a dream?

He laughed at himself.

"Auntie, you're here! Zhang Luo!" Jiang Xiaoyu's crisp voice startled him out of his daze.

Outside the restaurant, Jiang Xiaoyu was holding a stack of plastic stools, intending to move them into the shop.

She looked at them and smiled under the sunset.

Fifteen-year-old Jiang Xiaoyu smiled with youthful sweetness, and she crashed into his heart.

God, let this dream last a little longer.

Please.

Zhang Luo rubbed his eyes.

Liang Fengying slapped his back again.

"What are you standing there like a fool for? Go help Xiaoyu move the stools!"

Zhang Luo woke as if from a dream and hurried forward.

Jiang Xiaoyu had already nimbly pushed the shop door open with her hip, "No need, I can do it myself. Auntie, Zhang Luo, come on in!"

Jiang Xiaoyu Restaurant was one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

It catered specifically to the people in this neighborhood, so the ingredients were good, the prices were good, and it focused on being accessible and affordable.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to survive in this residential area.

"Zhang Luo, look at Jiang Xiaoyu, she's the same age as you, a classmate from your school! Classmate! She takes the initiative to help her family on weekends, and look at you, I don't even count on you to help me, I just hope you read more, and you?!"

Liang Fengying started lecturing Zhang Luo as soon as she sat down.

Zhang Luo: "Mom, actually I can help you."

"What can you help me with?" Liang Fengying looked at him with disdain.

"I can help you play mahjong, really, I can help you get a Kong-on-the-Flower."

The atmosphere was silent for two seconds.

Afterward, Liang Fengying grabbed her hand and started slapping Zhang Luo's back—the reason she didn't slap the back of his head was that Ms. Liang Fengying felt the head shouldn't be hit casually, as it was easy to break.

"I'll give you a Kong-on-the-Flower! I'll give you a Kong and a flower!"

Zhang Luo looked up and saw that Jiang Xiaoyu was actually looking in their direction.

The embarrassment of that moment.

He quickly dodged.

"Mom, stop, stop, stop! I need to go to the bathroom!" He ran off.