Chapter 49: How much is a gesture of goodwill worth?

"This disciple has an only beloved son, Wuji, who has fallen into the hands of villains."

Li Luo's eyes turned red, and he said in an extremely sorrowful tone: "I hope my master can save him from the devil's clutches and raise him to adulthood!!!"

In an instant, hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

The person in the mirror was disheveled, his face full of the despair brought about by the conflict between sorrow and the concepts of right and wrong.

Li Luo was wearing a pair of boxers at the moment, but his lines and performance still pulled Xu Qing into that emotion, as if she were about to see Zhang Cuishan raise his sword to commit suicide, and she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

"That's enough."

She couldn't help but interrupt in a muffled voice: "Take a break."

"Hmm?"

Li Luo quickly pulled himself out of his performance state, wiped away his tears, and turned his head: "Sister Qing, why are you here?"

He hadn't seen her for a few days.

A wave of joy surged in his heart.

"If I didn't come over, you'd turn into an acting maniac!" Xu Qing looked at the messy bedroom, shook her head, and took off her face mask: "There are still more than three months before we join the crew; you don't have to push yourself so hard."

That was what she said, but she felt ashamed in her heart.

Compared to him.

She seemed somewhat negligent in her duties.

She had received the script for *DA Master* a long time ago, but she hadn't read a single page yet.

"Idle is idle."

Li Luo threw the thick script onto the table and rolled back onto the soft bed: "This is my first time playing a lead role; I don't feel confident, so I have to find a way to really grasp the character."

Looking at the man lying on the bed, Xu Qing's eyes grew hazy.

She hadn't seen him for a while.

This guy's physique had improved even more; his bulging muscles were clearly defined.

"I have confidence in you." She couldn't help but walk over quickly, her fingertips lightly tracing Li Luo's face: "I remember you don't use any skincare products, so how is your skin getting better and better!"

"Did you come over just to study my skin?"

Li Luo chuckled, pulled her onto himself, and reached for her hat: "Now that you're home, why are you still wearing this?"

"No!"

After a gasp, Xu Qing buried her head deeply into Li Luo's chest.

She bit her lip, not daring to look up.

"Have I become very ugly?"

After a while, she asked silently.

In order to film the upcoming military drama, Xu Qing had painfully cut off her long hair, leaving a short haircut that she considered more masculine, which was the reason she had been so hesitant while sitting in the car earlier.

She was terrified that Li Luo wouldn't like this current image.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Qing let out another low cry, her whole body flipped over to the side twice.

Sometimes, Li Luo preferred to answer questions with actions.

Xu Qing, with her short hair.

Had a touch of charm mixed with a bit of playfulness.

It was another kind of androgynous allure; how could the word "ugly" possibly describe it?

"You."

Xu Qing wanted to say something else, but the next moment her mouth was blocked.

"Mmm~~~"

After a long while.

Xu Qing, having regained some strength, wiped the sweat from her body and then patted Li Luo: "I have something in my pants pocket; take it out and look."

The latter sat up and grabbed the trousers thrown on the floor.

"Qiong Island?"

Looking at the two first-class flight tickets in his hand, Li Luo's expression was slightly surprised.

"Yes!"

Xu Qing leaned in from behind, wrapping her arms around her young lover's neck with a grin: "You don't really want to stay in the capital for the winter, do you? How about we go to the south for a vacation together? The hotel and everything are already booked."

"You need to relax; don't just look at the script all the time."

She parted her teeth slightly and nibbled gently on Li Luo's earlobe: "That hotel even has hot springs!!!"

"I bought a few sets of Victoria's Secret."

"White, black, red."

"Cut-out ones."

"And some with lace too!"

The gentle, soft tone kept drilling from his ear into Li Luo's brain; her delicate words left him with no reason to refuse. With his heart pumping wildly, his blood began to circulate rapidly again.

"No."

"I need to recover for a while."

"Sister Qing, I can't take it anymore~~~"

In the dead of winter, the two braved the falling snow to head to the airport, flying straight to that place as warm as summer.

Private beach, blue sea, blue sky.

Coconut trees.

Sexy bikinis.

Accompanied by Xu Qing, Li Luo cast aside the pressure of playing two roles in *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* and thoroughly enjoyed a summer vacation in advance.

They played until nearly the start of school before returning to the capital.

In the blink of an eye, it was March again.

After Yu Feihong finished filming a TV series about football, she returned to the capital to spend a few short days with Li Luo before immediately starting preparations for the filming of *Da Zhai Men 2*, busy as a spinning top.

That's how an actor's work is.

Sometimes you get so busy you go from one project to the next, unable to stop.

Xu Qing was the same.

Having been idle for several months, she boarded a plane straight to Jinling, where *DA Master* required all actors to join the crew for collective training to look like soldiers, since filming was set to start in April.

Things couldn't be delayed.

By the end of March, after finishing a class, Li Luo took a leave request form and headed straight to Professor Huo Xuan's office.

"Knock~"

"Please come in."

Inside the office were two large bookshelves filled with books related to film and television; the desk was cluttered, and Professor Huo Xuan was working at it.

"Hello, Teacher Huo."

Closing the door, Li Luo walked to the side of the desk and greeted him.

"Li Luo, is it?"

Taking off his glasses, Professor Huo Xuan looked up with a smile: "Sit down. What brings you to see me?"

"I'm requesting leave."

Li Luo respectfully handed over the leave request form with both hands.

Then he pulled out a chair and sat down.

It would take five or six months to finish filming *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre*; not to mention this semester, he would likely be absent for a period during the first semester of his sophomore year as well, only being able to return occasionally when he could spare the time.

It wouldn't be right not to ask for a long leave.

Fortunately, taking long leaves to film was nothing new at the Beijing Film Academy; those juniors and seniors were all trying every way they could to get onto film sets.

It was just that he was only a freshman, so it seemed a bit special.

"Hmm."

Professor Huo Xuan scanned the leave form and said with a smile: "No problem. I guessed it was about time for you to join the crew. I've already put in a word with the school for you, so just go and film with peace of mind."

"Thank you, Teacher Huo."

Hearing this, Li Luo nodded quickly in thanks.

Professor Huo Xuan then offered a few words of encouragement and added a small point: "You're only a freshman, so there are some things you might not be clear about."

"Our acting department has an unwritten rule."

Tapping on the desk, he said slowly: "Students who film outside while studying need to sponsor some money to the class as class funds; the amount doesn't matter."

"It's just to show a little gesture of goodwill to your classmates."

"Oh?"

Li Luo asked directly: "Then how much is this gesture of goodwill worth?"

He understood these words in a second.

Sponsoring some class funds was fine; he was making plenty of money outside, while his classmates were diligently attending classes. No matter what, he had to show some intention, just to keep people from complaining after eating his food.

He had to ask clearly about how much this gesture should be.

As long as it was around the right amount, it would be fine.

Giving too little would be stingy, and giving too much would be a loss.

Spending a little money now would save him from being subtly criticized on variety shows later for rarely going to school. ===== CHAPTER 50 =====