Chapter 272: The Three-Year Deadline, Snow Lin

Zhu Lin finally realized that Wei Ming had been wearing the watch Mei Linda gave him — a clear sign their feelings were far from over.

So the first thing she planned to do in 1981 was replace this kid's watch.

Recently, a new watch had become wildly popular — a foreign brand from Japan called Casio.

This brand originally made electronic instruments, first producing calculators, then printers, before entering the digital watch market.

Its surge in popularity stemmed from the CCTV broadcast of "Astro Boy" at the end of last year.

The animation was given free to CCTV, but in exchange, it required advertising for Casio watches tied to Astro Boy; thus, through prime-time ads on over 9 million TVs nationwide, the brand became popular domestically.

Moreover, anyone who could afford a TV could easily afford a watch — a precisely targeted ad campaign.

Zhu Lin saw this watch while watching TV with her parents, so the next day she ran all over Beijing's major department stores until she finally bought one.

It cost over two hundred yuan, no ration tickets needed, slightly luxurious, and looked quite complex — the watch even had a built-in calculator with numerous buttons; even after reading the manual once, she only grasped the basics.

Though also a digital watch, it was far more expensive than the dozens-of-yuan Hong Kong imports, offered more features — besides the calculator, it displayed weekday and date — and the salesperson claimed the battery lasted three years, with easy replacement when needed.

After buying it, Zhu Lin happily went to Beijing Film Studio and confirmed with Director Zhao Huanzhang her role as Second Sister; she had already finished filming her scenes in "A Mourning Tale" and could join the crew anytime to travel to Shandong for life experience and immerse herself in the new role.

"How about three days from now?" Director Zhao asked. "You'll need to return with us to Shanghai Film Studio first, then the whole crew will head to Shandong."

Zhu Lin hadn't expected such urgency — Zhao had planned for life experience before the New Year and filming after, but the film had already been delayed long enough due to low expectations.

So Zhu Lin, who had originally planned to meet her boyfriend at Tuanjie Lake today, had to cancel on him.

This was a major matter — she needed to tell her parents at home that night and win them over, so she even asked the director for a copy of the script.

But Zhu Lin knew Wei Ming would surely go to Tuanjie Lake waiting for her, so she went ahead and left the watch there with a note.

Wei Ming went straight to Tuanjie Lake after work and saw the Casio C-80 calculator-style watch — a high-tech product for this era.

Well, now he had three watches; Mei Linda's could be put away for now until she came to China, and from now on, he'd alternate between this Casio and Snow Sis's Modu watch.

Receiving Zhu Lin's gift made Wei Ming happy; he put the gift away, switched to his Modu watch, and went to Beijing Film Studio to find Gong Ying — Zhu Lin should be at home, so the studio was safe.

Of course, officially Wei Ming was there to meet Director Wang Haowei and casually greet a few lead actors.

"Your cousin Wei Xi is truly talented. How about we meet him tomorrow?" Director Wang Haowei, after watching "Herdsman," was awestruck by Wei Xi's acting potential.

Still, they needed to meet in person — children change fast; a year might turn a handsome boy into a dull one.

Wei Ming: "Fine, I'll call my uncle. Also, I'd like to discuss the film's soundtrack."

"I know you understand music," Wang Haowei smiled. "'On the Fields of Hope' and 'The Same Song' were both nationwide hits."

Wei Ming humbly replied: "I only know a little. Have you heard 'Only Mother Is Best'?"

Wang Haowei nodded: "I vaguely remember — it's from an old Hong Kong film, 'The Orphan.'"

"Exactly. I think this song fits our film's theme perfectly."

"I can't quite recall the lyrics anymore."

Wei Ming immediately wrote them out and asked Snow Sis to sing them — she sang well.

Wang Haowei nodded: "It brings back memories. Wasn't the original singer a little girl?"

"Yes. The original singer was Xiao Fangfang, the film's lead — she was only around ten then. I think this song suits a child's voice better."

Wang Haowei: "Any recommendations?"

Wei Ming smiled shyly: "Then I'll recommend someone close to me — Wei Xi's sister, Wei Le, sings beautifully. She originally sang 'Where Is Spring?'"

Wang Haowei laughed: "The Wei family is full of talent. Bring her along tomorrow too."

Wei Ming: "Also, I've prepared three original songs for this film — all celebrating maternal love."

"Three?" Wang Haowei was astonished — all on the same theme? Was this man's creative passion really that intense?

Wei Ming said: "I composed these songs while writing the script — they followed the plot."

"Oh?" Wang Haowei thought of "The Chorus," which also followed this creative model — story and music born together.

But in "The Chorus," the male lead was a music teacher, so the story naturally intertwined with music, creating a perfect synergy between novel and soundtrack.

Wang Haowei asked: "Did you bring these three songs?"

Wei Ming: "Two have both lyrics and melody; the third has only lyrics — I asked Professor Gu Jianfen to compose the music, and it should be ready soon."

The song entrusted to Professor Gu was "Mother in the Candlelight" — since they were acquainted, Wei Ming didn't dare steal her signature work; after writing the lyrics, he approached her, confident that even six years early, she could still handle it.

In the worker dormitory of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhu Lin returned home; her parents were watching the news. She stayed silent until the news mentioned the new Marriage Law taking effect on January 1st.

Wei Ming had guessed right — the new law set the legal marriage age at 22 for men and 20 for women, meaning Wei Ming still had three years before he could marry!

This left Zhu Lin disheartened — by then she'd be over thirty.

The new Marriage Law had two other key points: it incorporated family planning into law, predicting a generation of only children in the 1980s.

It also defined concrete grounds for divorce, such as "irreconcilable breakdown of marital affection after mediation fails."

Previously, divorce required five official stamps and approval from many departments; now, only one stamp from civil affairs sufficed — the process was greatly simplified.

Zhu Lin's mother, seeing this news, began nagging again about her daughter's marriage: "The state now promotes late marriage and late childbearing — our Linlin is responding to the national call."

Zhu Lin immediately retorted: "Then why don't I just marry someone random first, then divorce? Divorce is easy now."

Hearing this, Zhu Lin's mother immediately gave in: "Don't be ridiculous — marrying and then divorcing is worse than never marrying at all."

Zhu Lin's father added: "Exactly, we're not in a hurry — take your time, choose carefully. Linlin, why are you home today?"

"Dad, Mom, I've got another role — in a few days I'll go to Shanghai, then to Shandong, near Jinan. Maybe I can even return home to pay respects to our ancestors."

"Jinan? What film?" Zhu Lin's father asked, curious.

Zhu Lin pulled out the script of "Happy Family": "This one — it's written beautifully. I play Second Sister. Take a look."

Zhu Lin's mother took it and saw the opening scene: Chen Erwu of the Chen family marrying his new wife, Xue Shuilian — Second Sister.

Zhu Lin's mother's face brightened — was her daughter secretly longing to marry, choosing this script to experience the joy of marriage on screen?

As she continued reading, the Chen family's endless conflicts emerged — mainly between the eldest sister-in-law, the mother-in-law, other sisters-in-law, and the younger sister — full of everyday realism and excellent dialogue.

As a Shandong native, Zhu Lin's father instantly recognized the author as a true Shandonger — far more authentic than the writer Wei Ming, who penned "Two Oxen."

"So we won't be able to spend the New Year at home again?" Zhu Lin's mother asked anxiously. Last year, because of "The Traitor," they hadn't been home — the old couple felt the holiday lacked any festive spirit.

Zhu Lin: "Don't worry — filming starts after the New Year. Before that, we'll just do life experience and labor. I'll be home for the holiday."

Hearing this, her parents finally agreed. Her mother urged her not to overwork: "I don't expect you to become famous — just be happy."

But Zhu Lin didn't think so — she at least wanted to outshine Gong Ying. Thinking of Gong Ying, she wondered if she'd run into her tomorrow at Beijing Film Studio.

The news ended, then came the weather forecast. Zhu Lin's father eagerly awaited "The Gauntlet," but the new episode of "The Gauntlet" didn't air.

"What's going on?" Old Wei switched channels. "This is the right station — why did they replace it with another drama today?"

When his son returned, Old Wei told him about it.

Wei Ming remembered this incident — "The Gauntlet" had been complained about, whether by the public or by higher-ups, deemed a mindless, violent entertainment show with little artistic value, so it was abruptly halted mid-broadcast.

Of 26 episodes, only 16 aired before it was declared finished — but anyone could see the story was clearly unfinished; it wasn't even an appendix — it was a truncated mess!

Still, the state had its own difficulties — as unemployed drifters flooded cities, urban security deteriorated sharply, and crime rates neared those of 1949, the year the PRC was founded.

In such a climate, a violent show like this was blamed — this was also why pure entertainment action films like "The Mysterious Buddha" were criticized even before release.

Wei Ming explained the situation to Old Wei, then called Ping'an Uncle.

Wei Ming told Ping'an Uncle about bringing Xi Zi and Le Le to Beijing Film Studio for auditions; Xiao Yan Auntie, meanwhile, chatted with him about the new Marriage Law.

Besides lamenting Wei Ming couldn't marry soon, she also felt it was a pity they couldn't give Xi Zi and Le Le a younger sibling.

After hanging up, Wei Ming, inspired by the new Marriage Law, suddenly had an idea and returned to his study to rapidly write a new "Black Cat Detective" story.

This time, Black Cat Detective didn't face murder or theft — instead, a tribe of sheep on Green Grassland complained to him that rabbits had eaten all the grass, leaving them with nothing to eat but dirt.

"Detective, look — I'm so thin, my lamb chops are showing!" the old ram pointed to his belly.

Black Cat Detective investigated and found a rabbit couple surrounded by dozens of baby rabbits. Helpless, he and White Cat Officer became babysitters — caring for the bunnies while explaining the terrifyingly rapid reproduction rate of rabbits.

One gray-furred female bunny, Wei Ming named "Zhu Di" — the smartest and bravest of the litter. Thanks to Black Cat Detective's care, she vowed to become a righteous officer who fought evil and promoted good.

It was Wei Ming's subtle easter egg for his future works — soon he'd create an elegant, cunning red fox, a con artist who tricked One-Ear, so he'd get probation instead of prison.

In the end, Black Cat Detective divided the territory, creating "Rabbit Village" and "Sheep Village," so each group ate its own grass.

He also installed an electronic screen at Rabbit Village's entrance to monitor rabbit numbers, using rapidly climbing, terrifying figures to warn the rabbit tribe.

Facing Rabbit Village's food crisis, the detective didn't resort to violent abortions — instead, he brought in experts to use technology to breed high-yield carrots and soil-free hydroponic greens.

This was an idealized state for a fairy tale world — but reality was clearly not so ideal.

After staying up all night finishing the story, Wei Ming could only sigh.

The next day, Wei Ming went to Peking University — not to work, but to attend class.

Their correspondence course mostly involved self-study at home, but some sessions required attendance — roughly three or four times a year, one day each.

This was Wei Ming's first time meeting his classmates — all employed professionals from Beijing institutions.

As the most famous person present, Wei Ming naturally became the target of their attention; he didn't act like a big-name writer but warmly said: "The three great bonds of brotherhood — we've shared a classroom. After class, everyone, let's head to the Long March cafeteria — my treat!"

Everyone enthusiastically responded. Wei Ming carefully memorized each classmate's name and workplace — these were his connections.

For example, one worked in housing management — if Wei Ming ever wanted to buy a Sihe Academy and systematically renovate it for livability, he might need this person.

As for the instructor, it turned out to be Wei Ming's colleague from the Peking University Library — he also taught as a lecturer in the Library Science Department, making Wei Ming feel even more at ease in this correspondence course.

Since class lasted all day, Wei Ming didn't accompany Xiao Yan Auntie to Beijing Film Studio; she went alone with the two children and easily secured job opportunities for them.

Gong Ying rehearsed a scene with Xi Zi — mother and son slipped into character instantly, crying uncontrollably, their emotion powerfully infectious — even Xiao Yan and Director Wang Haowei were moved.

Fortunately, Director Wang had no children and could still maintain some rationality; otherwise, it might have disrupted later filming.

Xiao Yan held Le Le and wept loudly, vowing inwardly: even if Wei Ping'an cheated and divorced her, she would raise both children herself.

Later, Gong Ying treated them to lunch at Beijing Film Studio — coincidentally, Zhu Lin and the "A Mourning Tale" crew were having their farewell meal nearby.

During the meal, Gong Ying and Zhu Lin's glances occasionally met, sparking intense tension.

Xiao Yan wondered whether to bring the kids over to greet Zhu Lin, but feared Snow Sis might misinterpret — she was a staunch Gong supporter.

So after lunch, Xiao Yan quickly took the two children away, afraid of getting splattered with blood.

But Zhu Lin walked up to Gong Ying herself: "Little Gong, I'm heading to Shanghai soon. You're from there — can you recommend what's fun to do in Shanghai?"

Gong Ying knew she wanted to say something—probably just threats. Hmph, who's afraid of whom!

She smiled gently. "Sure, let's go to my room. The guesthouse just assigned me one."

Inside the room, door shut, Gong Ying looked up at Zhu Lin—taller and more voluptuous than herself—and asked.

"What is it you want to tell me, Comrade Zhu Lin?"

Zhu Lin said, "Did you watch the News Broadcast yesterday about the new Marriage Law?"

She shook her head, so Zhu Lin explained it to her and added, "That means Wei Ming still has three years before he can legally marry."

"So what?" Gong Ying asked.

Zhu Lin: "Don't fixate only on me. Don't forget there's Melinda in England—she's been writing to Xiao Wei constantly and has repeatedly said she wants to return. Do you know that?"

Gong Ying, who had been pretending calm, finally panicked—because she didn't know, but Zhu Lin did.

Zhu Lin sighed. "I don't want to share a man, but now we have to join forces—like the Kuomintang and Communists did back then. First, drive out the invaders, then settle our own affairs. What do you think?"

Gong Ying pressed her lips tight. "I won't back down, no matter what!"

Zhu Lin said, "How about this: we set a three-year deadline. By then, Wei Ming will be twenty-two. We make him choose—loser steps aside. But until then, drop your hostility toward me. Let's unite against the outsider. What do you say?"

Zhu Lin didn't just speak—she reached out and took Gong Ying's hands in hers.

Gong Ying trembled slightly, trying to pull away, but Zhu Lin held firm. She couldn't free herself. She looked up and met Zhu Lin's unwavering gaze.

Gong Ying panicked. "What if he refuses to choose?"

Zhu Lin: "Then we both walk away. By then we'll be thirty—we can't let him waste us anymore. Let him go screw himself. What do you say?"

Gong Ying thought it over: within three years, they'd tacitly accept each other's presence, deny Xiao Wei any emotional vacuum, block Melinda's overseas advantage—but also deepen their bond with him, hoping he'd choose her in the end.

Win, and happiness for life.

Lose, and three years wasted.

Gong Ying was a pessimist. She imagined losing first: she knew she couldn't accept Xiao Wei marrying another woman. Her only option would be to leave this place of sorrow.

Fine, she could go abroad.

Okay, she could live with that outcome. Life overseas wasn't bad. From now on, she'd learn a foreign language.

So she met Zhu Lin's gaze directly. "Fine. Three years. I'll take your bet."

This bet was their last, precious years of youth.

Zhu Lin smiled. With this gentleman's agreement, she could leave Beijing in peace. Otherwise, if Gong Ying unilaterally declared she was dating Wei Ming, she'd be at a disadvantage.

"So stop treating me like I'm your mortal enemy. We can be friends too. After all, we didn't deliberately steal each other's men—it's just that Xiao Wei's too greedy."

"I don't treat you like an enemy!" Gong Ying retorted—but she agreed with the second part. They hadn't deliberately interfered; the fault lay entirely with Xiao Wei, who clearly hid the other girl's existence.

But if they were to abandon this scumbag now, they weren't willing. They'd only fool themselves: Xiao Wei's just young, hasn't settled down yet.

Zhu Lin pulled Gong Ying down to sit. "I'm not just blaming you—I have problems too. We should encourage each other. When I saw you in 'The Herdsman,' you were so good, so popular—I was jealous. Have you seen my 'Traitor'? I watched it myself and felt embarrassed. I acted terribly."

Gong Ying admitted honestly, "I already saw it in Shanghai. Your acting had issues, but my first film, 'Jihong,' wasn't good either. I'd also acted in theater for years. You hadn't acted at all before 'Traitor,' right?"

"Never acted, but I danced in the Cultural Troupe."

"You did well for your first role," Gong Ying praised, showing a friendlier side. The atmosphere between them improved noticeably.

Then Zhu Lin boldly asked: "You two… have you done it, right?"

Zhu Lin admitted first that she had, then fixed her gaze on Gong Ying.

At this point, there was no point denying it. Denial would only make her seem behind.

"Yeah, we have," Gong Ying nodded.

"When?" Zhu Lin pressed.

Gong Ying blushed. "Why do you care? Doesn't it hurt you to hear?"

Zhu Lin laughed. "If I'd done it first, it wouldn't hurt."

Gong Ying was speechless—you'd even fight for priority? "I… it was when he went to Shanghai to revise his manuscript."

Zhu Lin smiled triumphantly—I did it first!

"When did you do it?" Gong Ying asked.

"During summer vacation."

Gong Ying: So it was while she was filming in Shanghai—she'd lost the battle!

"Where did you do it?" Gong Ying pressed further.

"Wait a minute." Zhu Lin didn't answer. Instead, she ran back to her room and returned with two cups and a bottle of Maotai.

"How do you even have alcohol?"

Zhu Lin: "Xiao Wei left it with me. Since you want to talk, let's talk openly—get it all out."

Gong Ying rolled up her sleeves, wrinkled her nose. "Who's afraid? Fill 'em up!"

…

(This chapter feels a bit sci-fi. Fine, let it be sci-fi~)

(End of Chapter)