Chapter 842: The Rights and Wrongs of Celebrities
I once again felt the truth of the saying that you can’t change who you are.
Xiao Qin’s father, Huo ZhenBang, actually messed with the cla.s.s leader’s mom in Shanghai!
I thought he went to Shanghai to cure his AIDS, but he had bad thoughts right when he saw a beautiful researcher… it looks like he still hasn’t changed his ways. No wonder Auntie Ren wasn’t willing to forgive him.
“Sha Sha, don’t you want to be a police officer in the future?” Auntie Lin asked the cla.s.s leader.
The cla.s.s leader nodded blankly. I’m not sure if it was because she was being pampered by her mother these past few days, but her Justice Devil aura had completely disappeared. It was as if she had turned into a normal student who had done something wrong and was being criticized by her mother.
“Some people naturally want to maintain order, while other people naturally want to destroy order.” Auntie Lin shifted her gaze back to me, “Ye Lin is known as the boss of 28 Middle, right? It’s likely that he’ll become a triad member in the future…”
It looks like Auntie Lin is quite prejudiced against me. Since she was being bothered by Huo ZhenBang, she must have also seen Huo ZhenBang’s bodyguards, the “Dragon, Tiger, Leopard” trio. Uncle Long was tall and st.u.r.dy, and his face was stern. He really had a lot of similarities with me, so that’s probably why she said I’ll be a triad member in the future.
“Ye Lin… he won’t join the triads in the future.” The cla.s.s leader hesitated for a while before answering, “He promised me that he would never become a criminal…”
Huh, was she referring to the time when we were by the river at Cui Song Mountain where she told me to “not become a criminal and cause her trouble”?
Auntie Lin’s face changed, “What, so you’ve already reached the point of making agreements? If Ye Lin promised you he won’t become a criminal, what did you promise him?”
“I, I didn’t promise him anything…”
The cla.s.s leader’s head drooped down and a lock of long hair that was resting on her shoulder slid down to her chest.
Liar, you clearly said in your text message that as long as I come back alive, you will marry me… but that would be considered a promise made due to an emotional outburst. If I mentioned it now, not only will the cla.s.s leader be shocked at how I know the contents of the text message, but it will also make Auntie Lin angrier.
“An agreement is made between two people. If you didn’t promise him anything, why would he promise you that he won’t be a criminal in the future.”
It sounds like Auntie Lin is saying being a triad member is a promising job for me.
Actually, if you think about it, I do have some innate advantages of joining the triads. The day before yesterday, I was standing in front of a vegetable stall playing with my phone, then the vegetable vendor said to me, “I already paid the protection fee this morning.”
Not everyone can remind someone to pay protection fees without having to say a word.
Also, during the time I was in contact with Huo ZhenBang, he intentionally or maybe unintentionally wanted me to “see” more of the world. He even gave me tickets to underground boxing matches, probably because he wanted me to be his henchman.
Since his eldest son died in a firefight with American gangsters, did I became a candidate for his successor in his eyes? Does he treat me as a “son-in-law” due to my relationship with Xiao Qin?
If I make up my mind and become a triad member, then I might really be able to make it to the top and become the head of a big criminal organization.
“Auntie Lin, I did promise the cla.s.s leader that I wouldn’t become a criminal in the future.”
Auntie Lin waited for me to continue.
“Although I look a bit like a triad member, and the people I know… also look like they’re in the triad, but I know that once I become a criminal in the future, the cla.s.s leader who wants to be a police officer will be my opponent. I heard that the cla.s.s leader is a good marksman, I’m just afraid of death…”
My statement was half-true, but it explained why I promised the cla.s.s leader that I won’t become a criminal and also why I didn’t tell the cla.s.s leader to give me something.
Auntie Lin narrowed her eyes as she showed signs of doubt on her face.
“Even if Sha Sha did become a police officer, or even a special police officer, there’s no need for her to specifically focus on you.”
“Um…” my brain short-circuited, “I have a very special method of committing crimes, which would make the cla.s.s leader notice me.”
It was clear what I said was very idiotic as it made Auntie Lin’s face darken.
“What, are you guys playing cops and robbers?” Auntie Lin touched the outside of the pot that held the stewed beef to make sure the dish was still warm.
“It sounds like you think you’re being righteous and contributing to society… but you guys are actually making pledge to give yourself to each other, right? What’s the difference from young people who promise each other to go to the same university and stay in the same city in the future?”
The cla.s.s leader’s face suddenly turned redder than the dish of tomatoes on the table.
“Mom, how can you say that…”
“Yeah.” I chimed in, “Mom, how could you…”
“What did you call me?” Auntie Lin’s eyes almost spewed fire and it scared me so much that I almost bit my own tongue.
Because the meal was in danger of getting cold, Auntie Lin told us to fill our stomachs first and talk later.
The cla.s.s leader lost her appet.i.te and ate only a little bit of the food, but her bowl of rice was cleaned out without a single grain left.
I, on the other hand, turned my grief into an appet.i.te and seized the opportunity to eat as much beef as I could. Even if I get shot later, I would at least die with a full stomach.
Of course, I still had to drink the three bowls of broccoli soup that Auntie Lin poured for me and I couldn’t muddle my way through it.
It was very unpleasant to drink… but at least it was made by someone with excellent cooking skills who intentionally made it hard to drink. If it was a dish that Ai Mi or Winnie made, then I would have died a while ago.
After dinner, the cla.s.s leader took the initiative and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. I wanted to go and help, but Auntie Lin called me back.
“Don’t try to escape, sit down.”
I could only sit back down again.
“If you don’t want to join the triads in the future, then have you thought about what kind of work you want to do?”
Auntie Lin asked.
The cla.s.s leader had asked a similar question before, and at the time I said irresponsibly, “I can go to a construction site and move bricks.”, but I can’t really say that now.
I can’t really mention inheriting my dad’s online adult store either. Auntie Li doesn’t know what our family does, and if she did, she would definitely be even more prejudiced against me.
Come to think of it, the job that I currently earn the most money from is being an actor. Although I only played antagonist roles like the Deaf and Mute Evil Monk and the Jin Ling Young Thug, but it’s still much better than actually being a bad guy in reality, right?
“Um… I plan to be an actor in a martial arts movie, even if it’s only as a stunt double…”
Auntie Lin appeared to be a bit surprised at my answer. She looked up and down at my obviously stronger than average body forged through hard exercise.
I perked up my pecs a little and wanted to try to win Auntie Lin’s favor.
In the end, Auntie Lin’s face quickly turned cold and she snorted, “I hate actors.”
I can understand if you don’t like the triads, but how did actors offend you?
“When I was in college, there was also a director who said I was suitable for acting and asked me to come to an audition. I was curious and went with a dozen or so people who were also selected. After the audition was over, I went back to the studio to get some things I forgot, but I saw a well known mainland actor with his arms wrapped around my schoolmate and they were naked.”
I’m sure the cla.s.s leader heard her mom talk about this before, that’s why she wasn’t particularly surprised.
“Afterward, only me and that schoolmate pa.s.sed the audition. The entertainment industry is dirty and there’s no difference from being in the triads. By the way, that Hong Kong person also used to make movies to launder money, so you’re all the same.”
Huo ZhenBang was asking for it when he got scolded, but I can’t agree with Auntie Lin when she said everyone in the industry is the same.
“Auntie Lin, it’s true that there are unspoken rules in the entertainment industry, but you can’t just think that everyone in the industry is unclean just because you’ve run into it once.”
“Actually, even if there are unspoken rules, it has nothing to do with the low to mid level actors. The stunt doubles all work hard to earn their money.”
Auntie Lin didn’t buy it, “Hmph, Jackie Chan also started as a stunt double and was kicked several dozens of meters by Bruce Lee. Now that he’s a success, he’s sleeping around, and he even kissed Song ZuYing.”
I had to give another example that I thought was safe:
“Zhang GuoRong always has a good reputation, right. There aren’t many people who worked for him who don’t praise him for his generosity…”
Auntie Lin laughed, “That’s because he’s gay. Also, didn’t Zhang GuoRong jump off a building? Why don’t you understand that good people can’t survive in the entertainment industry?”
“Um… Jet Li is very benevolent, he created the One Foundation, and they publicly disclose usage of their funds…”
“What kind of good person would abandon their junior?”
Auntie Lin was referring to his junior Huang QiuYan, who grew up with Jet Li and practiced martial arts in the same martial arts academy. Huang QiuYan was the female lead with Jet Li in one of his moves, and that kicked off the romantic relationship between the two of them.
However, the good times did not last long. After Jet Li went to Hong Kong to develop, the two of them spent less and less time together. While Jet Li was filming one of his moves, he became acquainted with Li Chi. The two of them felt good about each other and thus started the seeds of divorce.
“Um… it’s unfortunate he wasn’t able to to walk to the end with his childhood friend.”
I thought I wouldn’t argue over celebrities, but I was arguing with the cla.s.s leader’s mom about the rights and wrongs of celebrities.
“However, Jet Li isn’t exactly a person who sleeps around, right? When he divorced Huang QiuYan, he practically left all his possessions and money behind in order to apologize. He later confessed his love to Li Chi and said that ‘he was penniless’. Which really wasn’t an exaggeration since at that time Jet Li hadn’t even filmed the Once Upon a Time in China series yet…”
“Even when Huang QiuYan came back to shoot a move, she didn’t have any ill will towards Jet Li in the media. She said Jet Li was very cute, very smart, had a lot of good points, he loved their daughter, he was a good father, but just too many women liked him…”
I felt like I had said something stupid halfway through, and as expected, the smile at the corner of Auntie Lin’s mouth became even more terrifying.
“It sounds like you really admire Jet Li. Do you think it’s fine to abandon your wife and child as long as you use the phrase ‘there are too many women who like me’ as an excuse?”