BTYFOV Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Career Planning

If he keeps stitching them up, how are we supposed to eat them?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Gu Wuyi smiled and said, "No need. I can play with Dad, Second Brother, and Third Brother."

The young boy's breath hitched as he shook off his hand. "You're not my big brother!"

"One plan fails, so you try another?" Gu Wuyi was helpless against him. "Miaomiao, you can just be honest. No one will laugh at you."

The young boy looked completely innocent. "I just want to play with you."

Gu Wuyi stood up. "Sitting in the bus made me uncomfortable. I'm going upstairs to sleep for a bit."

The young boy got up and followed him.

Gu Wuyi said, "You still have three older brothers."

Qin Miaomiao also wanted to find his brothers.

But they remained silent, and his dad didn't say a word either. He wasn't a fool—how could he not know what they meant?

Since there was nothing fun to do, why sit downstairs doing nothing?

The young boy grabbed his arm. "I want to be with Big Brother."

Gu Wuyi knew full well that he wasn’t being sincere, but seeing how clingy this brat was, he still couldn't help but soften. "I'll play with you after I wake up."

The young boy was satisfied. "I'll sleep with you!"

Gu Wuyi nodded. "Once we get upstairs, just sleep. No talking."

"I don't have that much to say anyway," the young boy huffed, even pouting a little.

Qin Feng looked up at the boy’s side profile, shook his head helplessly, then turned to Gu Xiao’er and the others. "Not sleeping?"

Gu Xiao’er shook his head. "My room is too hot."

"Go to Lingyun and Miaomiao's room. Or take a nap on the sofa," Qin Feng suggested as he caught sight of the autograph book on Fu Qingyun’s lap. "Qingyun, at the hotel, after you saw Shao Xiaomei, did you want to say something to her? I noticed you hesitated several times."

Fu Qingyun, who was already drowsy and starting to feel muddled, suddenly became alert. He tested the waters, "Can I say it?"

Qin Feng sighed, leaned against the sofa armrest, and rubbed his temples. "Who am I?"

Fu Qingyun was momentarily stumped.

Qin Feng continued, "I am your father, your guardian. Wuyi was right just now—you can be honest. No one will laugh at you. Even if your second brother teases you, he's only doing it on purpose to mess with you."

Gu Xiao'er couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow.

Gu Xiao'er didn't dare say another word.

Fu Qingyun pressed his hands against his thighs, as if gathering strength, and hesitantly said, "I think... TV dramas are pretty interesting."

"You're still not being honest." Qin Feng was glad he'd read the original novel; otherwise, with just that sentence, even a genius wouldn’t have guessed that Fu Qingyun wanted to be an actor.

Fu Qingyun bit his lower lip.

Gu Xiao'er scooted closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Summoning his courage, Fu Qingyun said, "I used to think filming was just fascinating. Like Journey to the West—even though I knew it was all fake, I still couldn't help but believe in that world, with demons, spirits, and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

"Today, when I met Aunt Shao Xiaomei, she was completely different from how she is on TV. Acting as another person is like experiencing a different life. If you act hundreds of times, it's like you've lived hundreds of lives. I... I want to be an actor like Aunt Shao Xiaomei."

Qin Feng smiled. "Now that's more like it."

Fu Qingyun's mouth fell open slightly in surprise.

Qin Feng was puzzled. "What is it?"

"You're not against it?" Fu Qingyun asked in disbelief.

Qin Feng was baffled by his question. "Why would I be against it?"

Fu Qingyun was stunned for a moment.

Qin Feng looked at him steadily.

Fu Qingyun was certain that, despite his young age, his father wasn’t stuck in old-fashioned thinking. But recalling how, in his past life, many outsiders looked down on actors, he felt he should explain himself clearly. "You're so accomplished, and if your son becomes an actor, what will people say?"

"What will they say?" Qin Feng asked instinctively.

Fu Qingyun hesitated. "They might call me something like a ‘lowly performer.’ I’ve heard people in the village say that before."

Qin Feng understood now. "And those villagers also say that, in the past, acting was considered a lowly profession, right?"

Fu Qingyun nodded repeatedly.

Qin Feng chuckled.

Fu Qingyun grew uneasy at his laughter.

Seeing this, Qin Feng restrained his smile. "A person who lacks self-respect and has poor character will be looked down upon no matter what profession they pursue. Let me ask you—has anyone ever looked down on Mei Lanfang or Chang Xiangyu?"

Fu Qingyun instinctively shook his head.

Qin Feng continued, "And what about Shao Xiaomei? Your grandmother may resent the roles she plays, but has she ever considered her a lowly performer?"

Fu Qingyun shook his head again.

Qin Feng thought for a moment, then asked, "What about all the actors in Journey to the West, including those who played demons and spirits? Or the maids and servants in Dream of the Red Chamber? Has anyone ever called them lowly performers?"

Fu Qingyun shook his head once more.

Qin Feng: "Do you know why? Actually, you've said it yourself before—every time you watch a show, you forget it's just acting. If an actor makes the audience lose immersion, of course, they'll be criticized. But if you bring your character to life, the audience will only remember the role you played. When you've fully become that character, how could the audience see you as part of a 'lowly profession'?"

Fu Qingyun thought for a moment. "Dad is talking about ordinary viewers. But even someone as impressive as you thinks this way?"

Qin Feng smiled. "Character is not the same as education. Among ordinary viewers, there's always a small group who look down on actors, and in my field, I’m sure there are people like that too. The children of high-ranking officials—some, like Shao Xiaomei, don’t think they’re anything special, while others have their noses up in the air. That’s normal. Every industry has people who are looked down upon. Take junk collectors, for example."

Fu Qingyun couldn't help but laugh.

Qin Feng: "Let me ask you something else. Some people turn their noses up at street vendors, right? They think they're just opportunists who don’t have a real job. Yet, some of them earn more in a month than I do, but when it comes to the marriage market, they’re still seen as less desirable than an ordinary factory worker."

Fu Qingyun nodded.

He had heard people in the village say it was better to marry someone with a stable job at a state-owned company—a golden rice bowl—than a businessman.

After all, a business could fail at any time. Instead of living a comfortable life, you might end up in debt alongside them.

Qin Feng: "So why would you think I look down on acting as a profession? Do you really think your dad is that narrow-minded and petty?"

Fu Qingyun shook his head. "Public opinion is scary."

Qin Feng smiled and nodded. "Those four words—public opinion is scary—might remind you of a famous person. But think about it: if her personal life had been spotless, even if the tabloids attacked her, she would have had nothing to fear."

"But people don’t know that," Fu Qingyun couldn’t help but say. "Ordinary viewers don’t care about the truth—they just want to watch the drama unfold."

Qin Feng shook his head. Such a child indeed.

Qin Feng asked, "Wouldn't you use legal means to defend your innocence?"

Fu Qingyun was stunned.

Qin Feng continued, "You're already a public figure, so money shouldn't be an issue. If one lawyer isn't enough, hire an entire legal team. Use all your savings to sue them one by one—I refuse to believe they'd still dare to fabricate nonsense."

Fu Qingyun stared, dumbfounded.

Fu Lingyun couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't that get him blacklisted by all media outlets?"

Qin Feng chuckled. "Naïve, aren't you? Other media companies, seeing that you're serious, would immediately delete their reports or even issue public apologies—they wouldn’t just sit around waiting to get sued. Besides, competitors are rivals. Some might even take advantage of the situation to report the truth in support of Qingyun. Not to mention, not all media outlets thrive on spreading rumors. Some find it disgraceful, while others simply don't dare to. So how could he possibly be blacklisted by all media?"

"There are only two scenarios where someone gets completely banned from media. One, they actually did something wrong, and higher authorities don’t allow their presence. Two, they have terrible character and have offended almost every media outlet out there. Fu Qingyun, do either of these apply to you?"

Fu Qingyun wasn’t guilty of either.

Because he came from humble beginnings and had little formal education, in his past life, he had always been cautious, walking on eggshells, afraid of making a wrong move. By the time he died at nearly thirty, he was still as inexperienced as a young boy.

Qin Feng stood up. "Any more questions?"

Fu Qingyun shook his head.

Qin Feng said, "Then I'll go visit Grandpa and Grandma."

"Wait a minute!" Fu Qingyun hurriedly called out.

Qin Feng sat back down.

Fu Qingyun cleared his throat, trying to hide his nervousness. "I asked some senior students at our school... Apparently, becoming an actor also requires taking the college entrance exam."

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You knew?"

Fu Qingyun knew but lowered his head, not daring to meet Qin Feng’s gaze.

Qin Feng chuckled. "Afraid I'll scold you? I actually thought you didn't know. The capital has not only a film academy but also a drama academy. Try for both—whichever one you get into, and whichever offers better conditions, you can choose that one."

Fu Qingyun's head snapped up. "Dad, you know about this too?"

"I lived in the capital for years. What don't I know?" Qin Feng thought to himself, In my past life, I lived in Beijing—I know every little alleyway there. "When the time comes for the art entrance exam, I'll go with you."

Fu Qingyun's mouth fell open in shock. "You—you even know about the art entrance exam?"

Qin Feng grinned. "I even know about the Capital Theatre. I've watched Teahouse before. Surprised?"

Fu Qingyun was so stunned he couldn't believe this was the same father he was familiar with.

Qin Feng walked over, ruffled his hair, and said, "Your dad has even been to Broadway. Ever heard of Broadway?"

Fu Qingyun forgot to nod or shake his head.

Qin Feng patted his head, snapping him out of his daze. "It's true that different fields have their own expertise, but that's for people at the same level as us. What you know now is just surface-level—did you really think I wouldn’t know? So naive!" With that, he strolled away.

Fu Qingyun blankly turned his head, staring at him as he walked out the door and headed east.

Gu Xiao'er waved a hand in front of his face. "You okay? You look dumbstruck."

Fu Qingyun snapped out of it. "Dad studies so well—how does he even have time to pay attention to all this?"

Gu Xiao'er couldn't figure it out either. Qin Feng wasn’t much older than they were when they died in their past lives, yet he seemed like he had lived an entire extra lifetime. "Maybe because he has a lot of friends?"

Fu Lingyun added, "Even so, where does he find the time?"

Gu Xiao'er thought for a moment. "Maybe he just manages his time really well."

Fu Qingyun couldn't help but say, "I really need to ask Dad how he manages to focus on studying while still having time to watch plays."

Of course, all these seemingly useless and random things were things Qin Feng had learned in his past life.

Not only had he watched plays, but he also knew how to ride horses, ski, race cars, and even go bungee jumping. It was precisely because he had experienced almost everything fun in his past life that he could now settle down peacefully in this small coastal town and focus on electric vehicles.

But even if Fu Qingyun asked, it would be pointless—Qin Feng wouldn’t explain. He would just hand him a schedule.

Speaking of which, the reason Qin Feng was in such a hurry to find his mother wasn't because of anything urgent. He had simply forgotten to remind them not to tell anyone that they knew Deputy Mayor Cheng.

As soon as Madam Zhou heard her son's explanation, she asked, "Not even your uncle?"

Qin Feng shook his head. "If Uncle knows, then Aunt will definitely know. If Aunt knows, do you think she’ll be able to keep it from her own brothers? And if she tells them, do you think they’ll keep it from my cousins? When school starts, our younger cousin will be in his second year of college. In two years, when he graduates, what if he comes to you saying he wants a job at No. 1 High School and asks me to talk to Deputy Mayor Cheng? Should I do it or not?"

Madam Zhou was stumped.

Qin Feng continued, "Favors get thinner every time you use them. If you use them, use them where they matter. For example, if Uncle's shop gets smashed, and he gets seriously injured while the culprit escapes, then we can go to Deputy Mayor Cheng. He’ll definitely sympathize and personally oversee the case.

"But if we bother him for every little trivial thing, he might just think, Serves them right. He might agree to help on the surface but then just pass it off to his secretary to handle routinely. Besides, I don’t have any real connection with him. My actual schoolmate and friend is Shao Tian'er."

Madam Zhou imagined herself in that position—if someone she barely knew kept coming to her for favors, she’d find it annoying too.

"I understand," Madam Zhou agreed.

Qin Feng wasn’t worried about his father, but he still mentioned, "By the way, Qingyun seems really interested in acting."

Old Qin didn’t quite understand. "Interested?"

Qin Feng nodded. "Especially after seeing how different Shao Xiaomei is on TV compared to real life. He finds it fascinating and wants to give it a try."

"Then should we ask Shao Xiaomei? Would she be able to teach him?" Old Qin asked, then suddenly realized something was off. "Wait, didn’t you just say not to trouble people for every little thing? But if we don’t ask her, we don’t know anyone else in the industry."

Qin Feng could view acting as just another profession, but he wasn’t sure if his parents would feel the same way. "You’re not against him becoming an actor?"

"What’s there to oppose?" Old Qin blurted out.

Qin Feng turned to his mother. "If someone says, Why would a good kid like Qingyun become an actor? How will you respond?"

"None of their damn business!" Madam Zhou said without hesitation.

Qin Feng was relieved. "That’s all I needed to hear."

Madam Zhou couldn’t help but ask, "So you already found him a good teacher?"

Qin Feng replied, "I don’t need to. There’s a Film Academy in the capital, and a Theater Academy too. Both are proper universities. Not only do they require an arts entrance exam, but students also have to pass the national college entrance exam. You need to pass both to get in."

Madam Zhou gasped, "It’s that strict?"

Qin Feng nodded. "I heard each class only has twenty or thirty students. Sometimes, even fewer—only a dozen or so."

Old Qin suddenly had a new concern. "But… can our Qingyun even get in?"

Qin Feng explained, "That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. His academic subjects should be fine. Even if he just barely meets the university entrance cutoff, it’ll be enough. The tricky part is the arts exam. I plan to have him learn the erhu."

Old Qin understood. "But I’m not an expert either."

"It mainly depends on practice. I’ll buy some erhu sheet music and cassette tapes for you. While he’s at school, you can study at home, and then teach him on Sundays."

Thinking about his grandson preparing for college made Old Qin nervous. "Will that really work?"

"It should be fine. Aside from those with connections, most students don’t have any special talents. Plus, talent alone isn’t everything—Qingyun is good-looking. He might get in just based on his face."

Old Qin nodded. "That’s right. Our Qingyun has thick eyebrows and big eyes—definitely leading man material."

Madam Zhou echoed, "Qingyun has a good build. He’ll definitely grow tall in the future."

Qin Feng was completely reassured. "Dad, if you really want to collect junk, do it during winter and summer breaks. Take Qingyun with you."

Old Qin’s eyes widened in shock.

Qin Feng nodded. "You might not know this, but the Capital Theater has a play—can’t recall the name—where the whole act is just street calls. Some people call out selling flowers, some shout about collecting junk, and others sharpen knives and scissors. These were performed by old artists.

"If Qingyun wants to play any role convincingly in the future, he needs to understand it deeply.

"For example, during the arts entrance exam, if a teacher says, ‘Student, act like an old junk collector,’ but Qingyun bends down to pick things up as fast as a twenty-year-old, it won’t work. If they ask him to mimic a cat’s meow but he crows like a rooster, he’ll get eliminated in the first round."

Old Qin quickly asked, "How many rounds are there in the arts exam?"

"There should be a few," Qin Feng admitted. "It’s not just playing the erhu. When companies hire people, they still have written tests and interviews."

Madam Zhou said, "With so many people in the country and only a few spots available, they definitely won’t just test talent. But why would they ask him to meow like a cat?"

Qin Feng explained, "In movies, if an underground resistance member accidentally makes noise while gathering intel, they might meow to disguise the sound and make people think it was just a cat."

Madam Zhou thought about the films she had seen and nodded repeatedly.

Qin Feng turned to his father. "Also, don’t spread this around. The arts exam depends entirely on how the teachers evaluate him. If they think he lacks audience appeal, even if he plays the erhu perfectly, it won’t matter."

Old Qin raised his hand. "I get it. Even if we believe Qingyun can get in, and Shao Xiaomei sees potential in him, our relatives—your Auntie and Second Aunt’s families—will gossip that we’re overestimating ourselves. They’ll say, ‘Just because he can play a few tunes on the erhu, he thinks he can be an actor.’"

Qin Feng was worried that too much attention would stress Fu Qingyun, making him nervous and affecting his performance during the exam.

His mother caught on to another detail. "You just said Qingyun only needs to meet the minimum university entrance score. So does he still need to go to No. 1 High School?"

Qin Feng nodded. "No. 1 High has a high college admission rate. When he goes into acting, his classmates might end up working at newspapers or TV stations. These will all be useful connections in the future."

Madam Zhou couldn’t help but think of his classmates. "No wonder you insisted on attending the best school in the country."

"Of course," Qin Feng replied. After a moment of thought, he felt he had said everything that needed to be said. "Is there anything to do at home? If not, I’ll head back first and come by again around five or six."

Old Qin waved him off.

When Qin Feng returned home and glanced at the clock on the wall, he realized he had been out for over an hour.

He went upstairs and woke up the kids to keep them from sleeping too long and staying up all night.

Qin Miaomiao was sleeping soundly. When he opened his eyes and saw that it was still daylight, he clung to his big brother, who was about to get up, and tried to go back to sleep.

Gu Wuyi gave his father a helpless look.

—This isn’t my fault. I don’t want to stay in bed.

Qin Feng pried Miaomiao’s hand off and forcibly pulled him up.

The boy immediately leaned against him, half-asleep.

Qin Feng smacked his face lightly.

The boy yelped in pain and woke up instantly. "What was that for?"

"Get up and wake yourself up," Qin Feng said, dragging him downstairs.

When Miaomiao reached the living room and spotted the couch, his eyes lit up. He shook off Qin Feng’s hand and jumped onto it.

Qin Feng turned on the TV. "Have you finished your homework?"

"I graduated from primary school," Miaomiao replied matter-of-factly.

Qin Feng said, "I assigned you work."

Miaomiao thought for a moment—calligraphy and penmanship. "I’ll do it later tonight," he said, rolling over and facing him. Curious, he asked, "Dad, neither the high school nor college entrance exams test calligraphy, so why do I still have to practice it?"

Gu Wuyi opened the fridge, took out a popsicle, and handed it to him. "Your handwriting is neat. When teachers grade your essays, they might give you two extra points. Don’t underestimate those two points—they could be the difference between passing the college entrance cutoff or not."

Miaomiao understood immediately. "Dad, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Qin Feng thought to himself, Because I only just realized it too.

After all, he had never raised a kid before.

"Qingyun!"

Fu Qingyun, who had been leaning against the stairs to shake off his drowsiness, immediately opened his eyes.

Qin Feng said, "You can’t neglect your handwriting either. Many people believe that handwriting reflects a person’s character. If you become an actor and someone claims you have a bad reputation, the audience might see your handwriting and think, ‘How could someone with such proper handwriting have bad character? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding.’"

Fu Qingyun nodded. "I get it."

Qin Feng continued, "When filming, if your character needs to write a letter, you won’t need a hand double. Directors of all kinds prefer actors who make things easier for them."

Fu Qingyun was surprised. His dad really knew his stuff.

Qin Feng smirked at him. "Surprised?"

Fu Qingyun asked, "Did you help out at a theater when you were studying in the capital?"

Qin Feng shook his head. "I just heard about it from others."

"From Shao Tian’er?"

Qin Feng replied, "She mentioned it a couple of times, but it wasn’t her. Another schoolmate’s wife is also an actress."

Fu Qingyun asked, "Do we know them?"

Qin Feng shook his head again. "Even if you did, it wouldn’t matter. I’m not telling you who it is. If you knew, you might try too hard to cozy up to them when you meet. But if you don’t know and they recognize you as my son, they’ll be surprised and remember you better. Got it?"

Fu Qingyun understood.

Qin Feng thought for a moment. “Actors who do well in the industry are usually sharp. On one hand, they look down on people who are too simple and inflexible, but on the other hand, they like being around them—because with those kinds of people, they don’t have to worry about getting stabbed in the back. But there’s one condition: those people must be tight-lipped.”

Fu Qingyun also preferred people who could keep secrets.

What surprised him, though, was that his dad even understood this aspect.

Fu Qingyun sincerely said, “You’re really amazing.”

Qin Feng smiled, unconcerned. “Watch TV for a bit. Later, go to your grandma’s house and help with dinner.”

Gu Xiao’er handed him a bottle of soda. “Dad, big brother is going to Lin Xiaobo’s school in the future, Qingyun is becoming an actor—what about me?”

Qin Feng said seriously, “With your personality, I hope you’ll apply for a military academy. Right now, you’re my son, so you should pass the political review. But with your current scores, getting into a military academy would be a bit of a waste.”

Gu Xiao’er nodded instinctively.

Then, he suddenly realized something was off—his first-place ranking in the entrance exams was mostly thanks to having studied all this before in his past life. When it came to intelligence, he might not even be as sharp as his eldest brother.

If he studied seriously for three years in high school, he could probably get into Imperial Capital University. But that school was full of geniuses. He’d be like someone who barely made it in after three extra years of studying—once the school year started, his weaknesses would be exposed right away.

“I don’t think it’d be a waste. With my scores, I might even become a poster boy for military school recruitment. Besides, military academies don’t just train battlefield generals—they also need people who understand computers, psychologists, and logistics officers.”

Qin Feng suggested, “Then how about applying to a military medical university? The score requirement isn’t too much of a waste, and as a non-combatant, the workload would be lighter.”

Gu Xiao’er thought about it. He wasn’t afraid of blood and was fine with performing surgeries. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Qin Feng smirked. “Then remember to help your grandma sew clothes and patch things up in the future.”

Gu Xiao’er was momentarily confused.

Fu Lingyun rubbed his eyes. "Second Brother, you can start practicing sutures early."

Qin Feng nodded. "You can practice on pork, pig intestines, or even chicken."

Fu Lingyun immediately protested, "No way! If he keeps stitching them up, how are we supposed to eat them?"

Gu Xiao’er quickly responded, "Once it's cooked, it’s all the same." Then, before anyone could object, he added, "It’s decided then!"

Fu Lingyun looked toward their father for support.

Qin Feng said, "Just make sure he washes his hands with soap first. And if it bothers you when you eat, just don’t watch."

"Exactly," Gu Xiao’er agreed wholeheartedly.

Miaomiao, no longer sleepy, sat up. "What about me?"

Without thinking, Qin Feng said, "It's too early for you. We'll talk about it in ninth grade or high school."

"You’re looking down on me again!" The boy huffed in frustration.

Just as he lay back down, the phone rang.

Qin Feng motioned for Fu Qingyun, who was closest, to answer it.

"It’s probably the factory," Fu Qingyun said, picking up the receiver. But when he heard the voice on the other end, he was surprised.

Qin Feng noticed him glance at Gu Wuyi and quietly asked, "Lin Xiaobo?"

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