Chapter 66

Xie Jiayuan's student record was still kept at Q University, so Xie Jiayuan also had a share in the graduation photos. The bachelor's gowns were reported per person and then purchased in bulk. The quality was average, but it was just right for students to wear.

First, we took a group photo of the class, then we asked the teachers to take photos for each of us, and then we formed our own teams. It was a mess and it took at least a day to take photos for the dormitories, classes, grades, and clubs.

Qiao Bailu was straightforward. After taking the group photo, she took photos with the teachers separately and skipped the dormitory. She didn't join any clubs. She only had a good relationship with Liu Aiping from the Student Union. However, Liu Aiping graduated last year, and they had already taken a group photo.

I didn't have many good friends in the same class, so I finished everything in one morning. Not only did we take group photos, but we also had to find different scenic spots and leave footprints all over the school, especially those that represent the characteristics of the school, such as the small woods, which the students jokingly called the Lover's Forest, and the small lake.

Of course, we had to take photos with Xie Jiayuan at these places. Qiao Zhenting also came to join in the fun, took a few photos and then left.

After taking photos and receiving graduation certificates, the next step was a class dinner. This was the last time the class monitor exercised his rights as a class monitor. He worked hard for the collective and had to return the excess class fees after the farewell dinner.

Each person returned more than 200 yuan, and the squad leader jokingly called it a parting fee. As he spoke, his eyes turned red: "Let's sing another song, about friends!"

The cultural and entertainment committee member stood up and led the singing of a line, and dozens of people in the hotel cried and howled.

"Friends walk together for a lifetime, those days are no longer there, one sentence, a lifetime, a lifetime of love, a glass of wine..."

Even Qiao Bailu, who was unfamiliar with most of the students in the class, couldn't help but shed tears. During the four years in college, she had both good and bad experiences. She met close friends like Zhou Mengyao and Yao Lingling, but also people like Huang Qiwen who were two-faced. But in the end, Qiao Bailu was lucky. She learned a lot in this school during these four years.

After all, university is a microcosm of society, and university is much simpler than society. I am afraid that there will never be such pure feelings again in the future.

"I'm afraid we won't have the chance to meet again, so if you have any regrets, hurry up and take action." After singing the song, the monitor said, "If you have anything you want to say, seize the opportunity."

As soon as the words fell, a boy stood up: "Huang Qiwen, I like you!"

Huang Qiwen's face flushed. She stood up, holding a glass of tea in it, and gestured to the boy: "Thank you, but I'm sorry."

The boy was a little depressed. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all, but didn't say anything else.

Zhou Mengyao laughed and leaned on Qiao Bailu's shoulder: "That's the sports committee member of our class. Of course, he is a general among short people. He looks okay. Huang Qiwen wants to find a local person, so this one will definitely not work."

Qiao Bailu glanced at her sideways and said nothing.

One after another, several people stood up to confess, all of them were boys. Maybe boys are naturally thicker-skinned than girls, but they really became a couple. After confessing, the girl shyly stood up to drink tea, and didn't say sorry. The boy was overjoyed and quickly came up to hold her hand, and never let go.

The Coke that Qiao Bailu watched was exactly like the blind date shows of later generations, where if they fell in love, they would leave the stage.

"Qiao Bailu, I like you." Qiao Bailu was just laughing when she suddenly heard her own name. She widened her eyes and looked dazed. The boy waved his hand and said, "Don't rush to say sorry. I know you have a boyfriend. I also know that even when he goes abroad, he asks his friends to look after you from time to time. But after today, I don't know if we will have the chance to meet again. So, I want to take this opportunity to tell you what I have hidden in my heart."

"When we first met, it was when the new students were enrolled. You were dragging your suitcase to register with your boyfriend. You were smiling brightly along the way. I was a little moved at that time..." Qiao Bailu's head finally turned twice. The school had just started? Why didn't she remember that there was someone around her when she registered?

"Even if you don't accept me, we can still be friends, okay?" After talking for a long time, Qiao Bailu quickly stood up and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, my boyfriend and I are childhood sweethearts. I'm afraid I'm going to let you down. We will naturally still be friends in the future. I hope you can see things better soon and find your other half soon."

"If he treats you badly, just call me." The boy drank it all in one gulp and added one more sentence before sitting down. Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched and she sat down too.

Zhou Mengyao looked at her teasingly: "That's great. You have a boyfriend but there are still people who have a crush on you. You are really attractive. Come to think of it, I am not bad looking either. Why hasn't anyone confessed to me?"

There were not many boys in the Faculty of Arts, and almost all of them stood up to confess their feelings. Qiao Bailu was the last one, as there were no other boys.

Touching his chin, Qiao Bailu was also a little puzzled: "Maybe he thinks you are too tricky?"

Zhou Mengyao's eyes widened: "I'm tricky? Are you kidding?"

"When you were a freshman and sophomore, you were really bad at talking. Even if you were pretty, no man would want a girlfriend who would prick himself with a needle from time to time. When you were a junior and senior, you were not in school. Almost no one knew your family background. They thought you were a gangster. Who would confess to you?"

Qiao Bailu said with a smile, and Yao Lingling nodded at the side: "That's right, Bailu is fine, everyone knows that she often publishes novels, and if she doesn't go out, she is probably writing novels. She has a boyfriend, so naturally no one will say anything. But it's not certain about you."

Zhou Mengyao was speechless, but this matter was hard to tell. Could it be that she would stand up and announce, "I'm not going out to fool around?"

At half past eight, Xie Jiayuan came to pick her up. After a moment of sadness, Qiao Bailu became heartless again: "Has your class had a farewell dinner? By the way, is Zhang Minmin back?"

"Didn't you say she hasn't come back yet? Why do you keep mentioning her?" Xie Jiayuan probably drank a little bit of wine, frowned slightly, and smelled a little bit of alcohol on his mouth: "Bai Lu, let's get married?"

Qiao Bailu widened her eyes: “Have you drunk too much?”

"No, I just feel that if I don't take action, more people will come to snatch you from me." Xie Jiayuan hugged her and rubbed his head against her neck. Qiao Bailu pushed him away: "Get out of the way, I'm going to drive, don't disturb me."

Xie Jiayuan sat down obediently, not saying a word along the way, just staring at Qiao Bailu.

"Did you hear about the confession today?" Qiao Bailu asked as soon as she got home. Xie Jiayuan nodded. Not only did he hear about someone confessing to Bailu, but several boys in his class joked that Bailu was a flower stuck in cow dung. If they had the chance, they would also want to pursue Bailu.

Although he knew that most of them were jokes, he could tell that one person was speaking the truth.

Bai Lu is so good, beautiful, capable and good-tempered, how could no one like her? He knew since high school that there were a lot of people who liked Bai Lu. When he was in high school, he was still relatively innocent, and he could defeat a bunch of rivals just by relying on his transcripts.

But after entering the society, he was a little confused. He seemed to have a promising future, but what about the reality? He had already graduated from college, and his income and expenses were just enough to make up for it. He didn't even have money to take Bai Lu out for a big meal.

He didn't have the money to buy Bailu beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry, a car, or a home. What qualifications did he have to say that he was the best and most suitable for Bailu?

"Hey, actually I don't even remember the boy's name." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. She went to the kitchen and brought out half a big watermelon. She scooped a spoonful from the middle. It was crunchy. She liked it the most.

There are three people in the family, Qiao Zhenting doesn't care, as long as there is something to eat. Qiao Bailu likes to eat sandy ones, while Xie Jiayuan likes to eat crispy ones. But usually the ones bought are sandy ones. Qiao Bailu smiled and scooped another spoonful. After eating the piece in the middle, she remembered to put a piece into Xie Jiayuan's mouth: "It's very sweet, will you buy from his store next time?"

Xie Jiayuan chewed a watermelon and counted the accounts - Bailu bought the house herself, the furniture herself, and when he came back, the kitchen was fully stocked. Bailu also bought the laundry detergent and shampoo that were missing from the house. Bailu bought the vegetables at the market, the fruits, and even a bag of salt. What did he do for Bailu?

"Don't take it to heart. Just know that I only like you." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Xie Jiayuan nodded stupidly. Yes, he liked Bailu and Bailu liked him too.

"You seem a little unwell today. Did you drink too much? If you did, I'll make you a cup of honey water. After you finish drinking it, go to bed quickly." Qiao Bailu frowned slightly, pinched Xie Jiayuan's cheek, jumped off the sofa and made a cup of honey water.

Add a little mineral water to the hot water, and it will be warm enough to drink. Qiao Bailu pushed the bottom of the cup and poured it all into Xie Jiayuan. Then she planned to push him to take a shower: "Can you wash yourself? I see you are a little drunk and you can't even talk. How about I wash you? Hey, men who drink too much are troublesome. I hate men who drink the most. You are not allowed to drink in the future, do you know? Researchers like you should not drink at all. Drinking too much will reduce your reaction ability and slow down your brain. If you do it too many times, you will become stupid, do you know?"

While muttering to herself, she went to run the bath water. There were two bathrooms in the house, Xie Jiayuan and Qiao Zhenting shared one, while Qiao Bailu always used the one in the master bedroom.

"I'm not drunk." Seeing that Qiao Bailu really came to change his clothes, Xie Jiayuan quickly spoke up. Qiao Bailu sneered, "Drunk people always say they're not drunk. Hurry up, take a shower and go to bed."

"I'm really not drunk, I just..." Xie Jiayuan was a little embarrassed to speak. Men are always a bit chauvinistic. Even though Xie Jiayuan is not usually strong, he is the one who makes the decisions on major matters. Even if there are discussions, it is not difficult to get Qiao Bailu to follow his wishes. So, Xie Jiayuan thought he was the head of the family, but he found out that he didn't contribute anything to the family and still had to rely on his girlfriend to support him. He felt a little hurt in his self-esteem.

"What happened? I've said before that it's best for couples not to have any secrets. You guess my thoughts and I guess yours, but we're not each other's worms. There will always be times when we guess wrong. It's okay to guess wrong once, and we can make up after a quarrel, but what if we keep guessing wrong? Is that the end of it?"

Qiao Bailu frowned, turned off the water, pulled Xie Jiayuan back to the living room, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and began to interrogate: "Tell me, what happened? Since you are not drunk, then you are unhappy. Who offended you? Or did the test go wrong? Or did you have a quarrel with your classmates?"

Just as Xie Jiayuan was about to speak, he heard the door open. He turned around and saw Qiao Zhenting coming out in slippers: "Are you back? I heard the door open just now, but I was busy so I didn't come out. Do you still have watermelon?"

"Yes, go get it yourself. After you get it, go back to your room and eat. You are not allowed to come out, understand?" Qiao Bailu waved her hand unhappily. Qiao Zhenting looked at her face, then looked at Xie Jiayuan's face: "Oh, did you have a fight? Why did you have a fight? Tell me quickly so that I can cheer you up."

Qiao Bailu reached out and took a pillow and smacked him on the face: "I'll talk to Mengyao tomorrow about exchanging Nanzhu, so you just stay at home."

"No, sister, you are my sister, I was wrong, I will never talk bad again, I will go back to my room now, I promise not to come out all night, unless I have to pee urgently or frequently, bah, I don't have frequent urination, okay, okay, I'm really going in, I won't disturb your conversation." Seeing that Qiao Bailu was about to take the teacup, he quickly ran to the kitchen and picked up half a watermelon.

He closed the door and touched his chin. Something was wrong. Did they really have a fight? Impossible. They had been together for several years. When did it become too much? Usually, his sister would either give in or Xie Jiayuan would give in. This was truly a strange thing. Did they actually have a conflict?

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became. He wanted to know what happened, so he leaned on the door panel to listen for a long time, but unfortunately, the soundproofing was too good and he couldn't hear a single word. With a spoon in his mouth, Qiao Zhenting pressed the door handle, a little bit down, and then a little gap appeared in the door.

"I'm just being a little too picky. Thinking about how many people like you, and how I have no other advantages except the friendship of childhood sweethearts, I'm a little scared..."

"Just because of this? There must be something else. Tell me the truth. You haven't been such a sensitive person in the past. I didn't see you worry about anything during the two years abroad. Now that you're back, you're still worried after spending so much time with me. Do you think I'm a fool?"

"You are the one who worries about the family. You take care of everything. You are the one who takes care of my and Zhenting's meals and clothes..."

Qiao Zhenting pouted in the doorway. She's my biological sister, so I have to take care of her. But you're different. Hmm, have you finally found your conscience? You don't plan to let my sister take care of you anymore?

"Isn't this as it should be? You two grown men, can you take care of yourselves? Girls are more attentive. If I see that you guys are short of something, I'll quickly fill it up, remind you when you're ready to eat, etc. If you think I'm tired, we can hire a part-time worker, but I don't think it's necessary. Doing housework is like exercise to lose weight."

"No, you didn't think there was anything wrong with me taking care of you before." Qiao Bailu suddenly said, frowning at Xie Jiayuan: "There is still one chance, once or twice, but not three times. You have made excuses twice. If you still don't behave..."

Qiao Bailu said threateningly, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy some durian. You stay here and think about whether you want to tell the truth. Don't sleep tonight! Let's just carry it and see who can hold out better."

After saying that, he stood up, took his wallet, and went out. Before Xie Jiayuan could react, the door was locked. There was a supermarket in the community, so it was relatively safe, so Xie Jiayuan did not chase him out.

Qiao Zhenting came out on tiptoe: "Hey, Brother Jiayuan, what did you do? Did you do something to let my sister down?"

"Am I that kind of person?" Xie Jiayuan rolled his eyes at him. Qiao Zhenting lied with his eyes open: "I look like that kind of person. Tell me quickly. I'll think about it and then plead for you or something."

Xie Jiayuan glanced at him sideways and said nothing.

"If you feel embarrassed to say it, I promise not to tell my sister later." Qiao Zhenting rolled his eyes and said with a smile, sitting down on the side: "Is there something difficult? I can give you an idea or something, just tell me quickly."

Xie Jiayuan was a little hesitant. They were both men, so Qiao Zhenting must understand his feelings, right? Besides, some things were easier to talk about between men.

"Well, let me ask you, do I look like a gigolo?" Xie Jiayuan asked hesitantly. Qiao Zhenting's eyes widened: "No way, someone said you are a gigolo? Oh, is he blind? How do you look like a gigolo? A gigolo depends on your face. Only someone like me can be a gigolo, you know?"

The corners of Xie Jiayuan's mouth twitched. Is this something to be proud of?

"Brother Jiayuan, I understand what you mean. You must feel that the two of us are like freeloaders and have to be supported by my sister. It's embarrassing, right? And I am my sister's brother after all, and I can make money on my own, so you are the only one who is freeloader, right?"

Xie Jiayuan felt deeply that he was extremely stupid for thinking that Qiao Zhenting could give him advice.

"Actually, you shouldn't think like that. It's true that you're a freeloader at this stage, but that doesn't mean you'll always be a freeloader in the future. Since my sister likes you, you must have some merits. You're not in a powerful position now, so you feel a little uncomfortable. But when you are in a powerful position, you can come and protect my sister, isn't that enough? Actually, I don't quite understand what you elites are thinking."

"You are smart, but you can't figure out such a stupid question. Just like me before, my sister paid for my training, my living expenses, my tuition, my accommodation, and my meals. I didn't have to worry about anything except going to class. I am even more useless than you. If I had a stronger self-esteem, I would have run away from home a long time ago, but I didn't. The first money I earned, in addition to honoring my parents, I also honored my sister."

"Every penny I earn in the future, I will use to honor my parents and my sister, because without my parents, there would be no me, and without my sister, there would be no me today. My sister supported me before, and I will support my sister in the future. There is no contradiction in this, don't you think?"

Qiao Zhenting's words were a bit confusing, and his situation was really different from Xie Jiayuan's. He was Qiao Bailu's biological brother, and even if he was still eating and drinking for free, Qiao Bailu would still support him.

Xie Jiayuan rubbed his head: "I understand what you mean, don't look at the present, look at the future, right?"

Qiao Zhenting gave a thumbs up: "I admire you smart people for this. You understand when you should. Anyway, as long as you treat my sister very well and make her feel that she is the happiest woman in the world, you will be successful."

"The happiest woman?" Xie Jiayuan blinked. Qiao Zhenting returned to the room in a flash and took out a computer for Xie Jiayuan to see: "Look, I follow an account that specializes in collecting women's problems. They all say that they think their boyfriends are not good. If you compare it, change the bad ones and keep the good ones, won't my sister become the happiest person?"

Xie Jiayuan glanced at it and became depressed: "You are totally useless. Look, this one says that her boyfriend doesn't buy her clothes, and this one says that her boyfriend doesn't want to buy a house to get married. Can it be applied to me? I have no chance to change even if I want to."

"You know how to take the essence? Why are you focusing on these two? Look, this one says that your boyfriend is inconsiderate. Do you think it matches your usual behavior?" Qiao Zhenting picked one himself. Xie Jiayuan touched his chin and said, "It doesn't match. I don't wash clothes for my girlfriend. It's not like we don't have a washing machine at home. Besides, I will be very busy in the future. I have to finish my credits as soon as possible. It takes a total of nine years for graduate school, doctoral degree and postdoctoral degree. I plan to finish it in six years. Where will I have the time to wash clothes?"

Qiao Zhenting leaned back on the sofa, looking depressed: "Forget it, your situation is indeed special, I can't help you, you better tell the truth to my sister, otherwise she will really make you kneel on the durian."

As he was talking, he heard the door open. Qiao Zhenting moved very quickly, like a rabbit, and hid back in his room with his computer. He did not close the door completely, leaving the crack open to continue eavesdropping.

"Well, have you thought it through? Do you want to tell the truth?"

"Yes!" Xie Jiayuan answered quickly. Qiao Zhenting touched his chin. Something was wrong. Wasn't he willing to die just now? Why is he willing to confess now? Could it be that his advice just now worked? Oh my God, he is so great. He actually saved a pair of lovers! He is simply an angel! He must blackmail Brother Jiayuan later. He helped a lot. Brother Jiayuan should at least treat him to a meal, right?

Oh, forget it. Brother Jiayuan has no money, so he can just blackmail his own sister. My sister is the richest one.

Chapter 67

Opposite Qiao Bailu, Xie Jiayuan was too embarrassed to speak, but now he had to speak. Who made him impulsively discuss with Qiao Zhenting? Qiao Zhenting knew everything, so how could Qiao Bailu not know?

Instead of waiting for Qiao Zhenting to tell the truth, it is better to tell it first.

After hearing this, Qiao Bailu was depressed: "Is this why you're unhappy?" Without waiting for Xie Jiayuan to answer, she touched her chin and said, "Come to think of it, before you went abroad, you also had nothing. When I bought a house, you were quite open-minded. Why are you suddenly so unhappy now?"

Xie Jiayuan didn't seem to have thought about this question. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Maybe it's because I promised to buy you a car?"

Then, his promise was fulfilled by others? And he had thought about buying a house, but never said it out loud?

So, was Xie Jiayuan actually acting like a spoiled child? Because she didn't wait for him to fulfill his promise? Thinking of this possibility, Qiao Bailu felt terrible, shocked and embarrassed. Are men's behaviors of acting like a spoiled child so subtle?

"I didn't say I don't want the car you bought. You can save money slowly first. When I need to change my car in two years, you can buy me a new car, right?" Qiao Bailu said with a smile, "You should take a long-term view and not just focus on the present. Zhenting and I can make money now, but how can I put it? Zhenting eats the rice of youth, and I spend the money of inspiration. One day, Zhenting will no longer be young, and no one will like his old face, and he will no longer make a lot of money. One day, my inspiration will disappear, and I will not be able to write novels that everyone likes to read, and I will not be able to make stories that everyone likes. At that time, Zhenting will go back to inherit my father's business. What about me, are you willing to support me forever?"

Xie Jiayuan nodded quickly. He must be willing. Even if Bai Lu couldn't make money now, he was willing to support her. At most, he could follow a few more experiments or work another job.

He couldn't afford a big house, but he could rent a small house for Bailu. He couldn't afford a good car, but he could take Bailu out for fun on his bicycle every day like before. He couldn't afford nice clothes and beautiful jewelry, but if Bailu wanted, he could wash clothes and cook for her, so that she could live a carefree life without having to worry about life.

"We are complementing each other. You see, you have to go to school now, so I have to work hard to make money and run our family. In another ten years, when I can no longer write novels, will it be your turn to support the family? In the end, you still have a heavier burden, because I only need to do this for ten years, but you have to do it for thirty or forty years, until we are both old. Are you willing to lose money like this?"

Xie Jiayuan nodded again. Ten years later, he would definitely be able to make money. By then, Bai Lu could do whatever she wanted. If she didn't want to write novels, she could travel. If she didn't want to write scripts, she could go on vacation. She could live the way she wanted. He would never let her be unhappy.

"Do you feel better now?" Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Xie Jiayuan rubbed his chest and said, "Come to think of it, I'm not that upset anymore. I don't think it's because I think too much. It's just that things have come together. We've been separated for two years and just met yesterday. It's inevitable that some..."

Even though the two of them behaved in the same way, there was still a little bit of unfamiliarity between them. For example, Xie Jiayuan didn't know when Bailu got up and how she arranged her daily schedule. Qiao Bailu didn't know whether Xie Jiayuan's tastes had changed in the past two years, or whether his living habits had changed.

The two tried their best to be intimate with each other, but they were carefully observing each other to see if the other person was the same as two years ago. But how could a person not change at all after two years?

Two years ago, Qiao Bailu would go running every morning and write every night, and would either be in the library or at home during the day. Now, Bailu gets up in the morning, eats breakfast, writes novels, has lunch, either goes to the crew or the studio, and comes back at night to run and exercise.

Two years ago, Xie Jiayuan liked to eat meat, beef, mutton, and pork. Like Qiao Zhenting, although he looked gentle, his taste was not gentle at all. He would eat spicy and sour food without frowning. But now, Xie Jiayuan likes to eat vegetarian food, almost never touches spicy food, and is more accustomed to eating Western food.

Moreover, memory is sometimes not so accurate, it will beautify the lovers in the heart. Therefore, the slight sense of strangeness is magnified and becomes distance.

But what remains unchanged is their love for each other. Qiao Bailu is afraid that Xie Jiayuan will think that she has changed, and Xie Jiayuan is afraid that after two years, a better man will appear in Qiao Bailu's life.

Because Qiao Bailu is accompanied by friends, relatives, and a busy career, while Xie Jiayuan has only Qiao Bailu in his life in the past two years, except for his studies. Therefore, compared with Qiao Bailu, Xie Jiayuan's anxiety is more serious.

In addition, he learned today that someone had confessed to Qiao Bailu, so Xie Jiayuan's anxiety broke out.

Although Qiao Bailu couldn't guess everything, she could guess about 60% to 70%. When she coaxed him about making money to support the family, it was time to put his mind at ease. She took the opportunity to pounce and lie in Xie Jiayuan's arms: "Didn't you say you wanted to get married before? But you are still studying now, and it's a bit unpleasant to get married as a graduate student. How about we get engaged first, and then get married when you graduate from graduate school?"

Xie Jiayuan's eyes lit up immediately: "Are you willing to get engaged to me?"

"Why not? Didn't we agree on this a long time ago?" Qiao Bailu said with a smile, "But for something like an engagement, it's best to go back to your hometown so that both parents are present. You also have to pick a good day. Why don't you ask your parents later?"

Xie Jiayuan nodded hurriedly. How could he be so stupid? He had a good idea of getting engaged, so why was he still thinking about not being able to get married for the time being? However, the engagement couldn't be sloppy. In his hometown, engagement meant giving gifts and buying clothes, but not having a banquet. He was eager to spread the news to everyone. If he only held it in his hometown, it would be too quiet.

Otherwise, just book a few tables for the wedding banquet in City B? Calculate how much money is left on the card and order a certain size. But I have never asked my girlfriend to pay for a wedding.

The two elderly people have to be picked up, and a hotel has to be booked later.

The more Xie Jiayuan thought about it, the more excited he became. In addition, he had drunk a little wine before, so he couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he turned over and over. He reached out and touched the wall. The next door was the master bedroom, and Qiao Bailu's bed was also next to the wall on this side, which meant that there was a wall between the two of them.

Qiao Bailu slept well. As long as Xie Jiayuan didn't cheat or fall in love with someone else, it would be fine after solving the psychological problem. Even if there were some slight changes, Xie Jiayuan was still the same Xie Jiayuan, the person she liked.

The next morning, the two got up, one had big dark circles under his eyes, and the other was full of energy and radiant. Qiao Zhenting looked at the two of them while drinking porridge, and touched his chin. It seemed that the problem was solved.

That's great. After all, we have been together for five or six years, and I have finally accepted this brother-in-law. If there is another one, I have to start all over again, which is really too troublesome.

"Sister, didn't Sister Mengyao say she was going to the studio for a meeting this morning?" Qiao Zhenting held the bowl and turned to look at Qiao Bailu: "What is your new script about?"

"The Biography of Empress Lü is a historical drama about Empress Lü. There are many male characters in it, including Empress Lü's husband Liu Bang, Empress Lü's son Liu Ying, Han Xin, Xiao He and others. I am more optimistic about Liu Bang. Do you want to play the role?"

Without waiting for Qiao Zhenting to answer, he continued, "However, it doesn't quite fit the image you've created. You're still in the stage of acting in idol dramas, so it's more than enough for you to play a sunny and cheerful boy. But the role of Liu Bang is not easy to grasp. He's a villain, but also a man of talent, treacherous, and visionary. He can bend and stretch, a real man, but also shameless. If you play it well, it will be good for your future."

Qiao Zhenting bit his lip and tilted his head to think: "What if I can't act well?"

"Then change someone else. He's very important anyway. If you can't play well, don't go for it." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Seeing that Qiao Zhenting was a little depressed, she comforted him: "Don't worry. If you can't play Liu Bang well, you can choose other roles. Liu Ying's role is also very important, and there is also Han Xin. You can handle both of them. However, I still prefer the role of Liu Bang."

"Then I'll try it first. Let me see your script." Qiao Zhenting gulped down the porridge and stretched out his hand. Qiao Bailu pointed to her room and said, "It's on the table. Go get it yourself."

Qiao Zhenting quickly went over to get the script, and Qiao Bailu turned to look at Xie Jiayuan again: "What are your plans for today?"

"I'll go back to school first. I missed the last exam. I'll register in October and take the exam next January. I'll go find a teacher first. During this time, I'll take a lab class or something. I've already contacted a professor before I returned to China, and the graduate student is under his name."

Qiao Bailu nodded: "Okay, I'll take you to school later. The studio doesn't open until 8:30, so we'll make it in time."

"No, I can just ride my bike over there. You didn't throw away the bike, did you?" Xie Jiayuan also put down the bowl. Qiao Bailu nodded: "No, it's on the balcony. Didn't you see the balcony the day before yesterday? I wrapped it with plastic paper. You can just tear it open. It saves you the trouble of cleaning it."

Xie Jiayuan nodded and went to the balcony to move the bicycles. Both bicycles were there. After tearing off the plastic, one bicycle was quite new, while the other was a bit tattered. The new one belonged to Xie Jiayuan. They took good care of the bicycles, cleaning them once a week and riding them carefully. The broken one belonged to Qiao Zhenting. He had only used it for two years, and now everything except the bell stopped ringing.

"I plan to sell this broken one and ask the property management to keep an eye out for the junk collector." Qiao Bailu came over and said with a smile, "Anyway, this is basically useless. If I need a bicycle in the future, you should take me with you."

Xie Jiayuan smiled and nodded, then turned his head and kissed her on the face. He went back to his room, picked up his schoolbag, and stuffed his notebook into the basket. He came out and kissed Qiao Bailu on the lips before opening the door: "I'm leaving. I'll call you at noon."

Qiao Bailu nodded, watched the people enter the elevator, and then closed the door. She put away the dishes and washed them in five minutes, and wiped the table and stove. Then she took off her apron and shouted inside: "Zhen Ting, get ready to go, change clothes."

Qiao Zhenting responded, and when Qiao Bailu finished packing, he was already waiting on the sofa. As soon as he saw Qiao Bailu, he came up with shining eyes and pulled Qiao Bailu's arm and acted coquettishly: "Sister, I want to play Liu Bang, you talk to Sister Mengyao, give me three days, let me prepare, and then audition, if I can't do it by then, we can change someone else, anyway, there are a lot of roles this time, I think our studio can't handle it at all, we must recruit actors, so let's keep the important ones vacant first."

In that case, if there was a tail behind its butt, it would probably shake like an electric fan.

Qiao Bailu nodded: "Okay, I'll try to get you the role and give you as much time as possible. However, you can't play this role just by reading the script. You need to read more about this history. I'll find some books and circle some passages for you to study on your own."

Qiao Zhenting smiled widely: "Okay, I promise to look carefully and seriously, don't worry, sister, I will definitely not embarrass you."

Qiao Bailu curled her lips, but didn't hit him, and drove directly to the studio. When they arrived, the studio had just opened, and the corridor outside was cleaned by the cleaning lady, but the office was cleaned by their own people.

Seeing that it was still early, Qiao Bailu simply picked up the mop and mopped the office. When Zhou Mengyao came in, she almost fell down: "Sister, I don't need you to mop the floor next time. Really, I have decided, I will hire a cleaning girl."

There is a lot of information in the office, so ordinary people can't come in easily.

Qiao Bailu waved her hand: "You have money, you can do whatever you want. Here, take a look at the script first. Don't be ignorant when you are in the meeting."

"Historical dramas. It seems idol dramas are getting more popular recently." Zhou Mengyao took over and said. Qiao Bailu nodded: "Not everyone likes to watch idol dramas. A red dot in a sea of green. Which one do you think is more eye-catching?"

"Forget it. My vision in this regard is not as good as yours." Zhou Mengyao waved her hand and lowered her head to look at the script.

The Biography of Empress Lü, as the name suggests, is about Empress Lü, her gentleness and innocence in her youth, her sadness and despair when she was betrayed in her youth, her changing mentality after middle age, and her desire for power in old age. Her gradual transformation, along with the harem and the former dynasty, slowly took place.

This play is quite big, so it needs a lot of actors. Especially Nanzhu, if one is not good, he will be criticized a lot. To Empress Lü, this person is a scumbag, but to a man, career is the most important thing, so there is nothing wrong with that.

The heroine's change is gradual, and the pressure is also not small. From an innocent girl to the pinnacle of the dynasty, she has a harem in charge and can suppress the previous dynasty. Not only does she need to have good looks, but also intelligence and momentum. The requirements for the actress are relatively high. She can be a loli or a queen, gentle and dignified, and able to swallow mountains and rivers.

"Okay!" Everyone in the studio was talking. Zhou Mengyao hadn't even finished reading the script yet. She had just seen the part about Liu Bang ascending the throne. She slammed the table and stood up, "Bai Lu, I'm impressed by you. This script is so well written, much better than the previous urban drama. I think the market will definitely be good. Let's shoot this! We'll invest a huge amount of money in it!"

"Calculate how much our studio can invest first. If it's not enough, we can get sponsorship. After all, our studio is now somewhat famous. Can we get 10 million?" Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Zhou Mengyao nodded vigorously: "Forget 10 million, 50 million can be raised. This is not your specialty, so don't worry about it. Just write the script, and I'll take care of the rest."

Qiao Bailu nodded: "For the role of Empress Lu, I am a little inclined to Li Xue, but you have the final say on how to choose. If we really can't find a suitable role, we can hold a role selection contest. Isn't there a talent show on TV that is quite popular now? Let's make the role selection bigger, which can also be regarded as advance publicity."

Zhou Mengyao nodded, and when everyone was present, she immediately started the meeting: "Bai Lu's script has been written. You can take a look at the outline now. This is our work for the second half of the year. This drama is quite long, and I estimate that it may not be finished in half a year, so we'd better aim for next year's summer vacation. You can take a look at which role you want, and tell us first. We'll decide internally, and for the rest, we'll have to look elsewhere."

There are quite a few people in the studio now, four boys and five girls. Zhou Mengyao poached the agents from other places, two in total, one with boys and one with girls.

In addition, there is also a finance department. Although the studio is small, it has all the necessary departments, including the finance department, publicity department, production department, external relations department, etc., which will be gradually improved in the future.

"Director, let's use our own people." Zhou Mengyao lowered her head and thought for a while, then nodded: "You three will work together. This drama, in general, is related to the future of our studio. If it's well made, we may be able to squeeze into the status of a first-class studio. If it's not well made, we will fall a level later."

"Yang Bo is the lead, and the other two are assistant directors. Don't think about fighting for power or anything like that. This time it's Yang Yang Bo. If you can do it well, everyone will have a chance next time. As long as Bai Lu is in our studio, you won't have to worry about not having big movies to shoot. If you can't do it well this time..."

Zhou Mengyao narrowed her eyes and didn't continue talking, but her expression didn't look like she would have a good ending, so the three directors quickly responded. Bai Lu couldn't help but praise her in her heart. She didn't expect Mengyao to have such momentum. She was indeed raised by Mr. Zhou himself.

"I want to try out the role of Liu Bang." After confirming the director, Qiao Zhenting stood up first and said to the others with a smile, "If you also want this role, you don't have to give in to me. We all have to audition first. If I'm not suitable, we can't give the role to outsiders, right?"

Xiao Dingran nodded: "That's right, I also like this role, let's audition when the time comes. If it doesn't work out, I think the role of Liu Ying is also good."

Lin Xiao said stiffly: "I like the role of Han Xin." Qiao Bailu looked at him and Xiao Dingran, and couldn't help patting her forehead. She had thought too simply before. She was planning that if Qiao Zhenting couldn't handle the role of Liu Bang, she would change to Liu Ying or Han Xin. Lin Xiao directly decided on Han Xin. It seems that it would be better for Zhenting to get the role.

The five girls discussed in low voices. Li Xue stood up first and said, "I want to try the role of Empress Lü."

Although Zhou Mengyao could not write scripts, she studied literature and understood the meaning and characters in the script. After some thought, she decided on Li Xue as the heroine.

Those who can be confirmed will be confirmed first, but it is not finalized. Zhou Mengyao is very optimistic about this drama, so she plans to strive for perfection, just like their first drama, she is not afraid of spending money, just wants to make it the best.

Therefore, they still have to audition first, but they will be given a week to figure out the role, and then they will have a unified audition after a week. Those who pass will be circled for the role, and those who fail will have to choose another actor.

It just so happens that during this week, Zhou Mengyao also has to plan the casting and attract investment. This kind of costume film is actually not easy to attract investment, unlike modern films, where you accept funding from someone and just show their products in the camera.

Non-ancient things are definitely not allowed to appear in ancient dramas. There is only one investor behind the drama, and there can’t be too many, so you have to choose carefully, and find the kind of merchants who can take out millions without blinking an eye.

This time, Zhou Mengyao didn't insist on not asking for her father's help. She could see that this script was profitable, and so could Mr. Zhou. So, Mr. Zhou alone put out 20 million yuan for investment.

The studio scraped together two thousand. According to preliminary estimates, the show has eighty episodes in total, and a casual shoot would cost six or seven thousand. If it is well-made, it would cost at least two hundred million. They couldn't even scrape together half of it, and Zhou Mengyao was very busy.

Qiao Bailu was also busy. There were few people in the studio, and she was the only one in the entire screenwriting department. Although she didn't have to write for the next year, she had to see how the casting was done. Sometimes the screenwriter could feel whether an actor was suitable for the role.

In addition, you have to rent a venue, design clothes and scenes, etc. You don't have to worry too much about props, the film and television city has them ready, and you can just ask the props team to rent them when the time comes. But some important things, such as jade pendants used for tokens of love, must not be used from the film and television city.

Otherwise, when the drama comes out, the sharp-eyed people will find out - Oh, didn't that jade pendant appear in a certain TV series? This is great, two dynasties have the same aesthetics! Antiques!

It would be a big embarrassment then, so money in this area cannot be saved. Qiao Bailu has two jobs, one is the screenwriter, and the other is the consultant. From costumes to props, she cannot relax at all.

Qiao Zhenting stayed at home all the time, not only studying the script, but also studying the information Qiao Bailu found for him. As a result, Xie Jiayuan seemed to be relatively idle, so the family's meals were all handed over to Xie Jiayuan, and fortunately he was a good cook.

Chapter 68

At the end of August, all funds were in place and the filming of The Biography of Empress Lü officially began.

As a screenwriter, Qiao Bailu also had to go with the crew. Although the film and television city was just in the suburbs, City B was so big that it took two hours to drive from the suburbs to home, not to mention the time spent in traffic jams. So the siblings had to stay in a hotel with the crew.

In order to save money, even Nanzhu had to share a room with others. Qiao Bailu and Zhou Mengyao shared a room. They were roommates in college, just like before, and there was nothing awkward about it.

"Episode 8, Scene 8, get ready." The assistant director came over early in the morning to notify them. In order to find a good omen, they naturally had to choose an auspicious number for the first scene.

Qiao Bailu sat aside with the script in her hand, watching the actors rush over. The eighth episode was about how Liu Bang, after becoming the head of the Sishui Pavilion, released all the labor service, and then fled, causing Lu Zhi to be imprisoned.

In the eighth scene, Lü Zhi was thrown into prison. Who were the people in prison? There were vicious bandits and ruffians. Lü Zhi was beautiful and came from a wealthy family, so she had her own temperament. How could such a woman not suffer in prison?

There were also jailers who took a fancy to Lu Zhi's appearance and flirted with her and made physical advances. The actress who played Lu Zhi not only had to show her forbearance and anger in this situation, but also a change in her feelings towards Liu Bang.

The two were married by matchmaker and parents' orders, but it cannot be said that Lu Zhi had no feelings for Liu Bang. Lu Zhi, who was born in a wealthy family, had the characteristics of women at that time. She also wanted to live a good life with Liu Bang.

But the original Liu Bang, although he was not ambitious and did not do his job, at least he could keep up appearances. Now, he just walked away and caused his woman to be arrested and thrown into prison. How much love can be left between husband and wife?

"No! Don't come over here!" Li Xue stared at the jailer who was about to open the door and come in. She suppressed her panic and shouted angrily: "If you dare to do this..."

"No, repeat this scene." Without waiting for Qiao Bailu to speak, the director called a cut and called Li Xue over to explain the scene: "She was panicked. No matter how ambitious Lu Zhi was, that was after she reached middle age. She was born in a wealthy family and knew the importance of reputation. Any woman would panic in such a situation. You showed a bit of this before, but it was a bit too much. You showed your cowardice. Do you understand?"

Li Xue thought about it seriously and nodded, "I understand. Although Lu Zhi was panicked, she was from a noble family. If an ordinary woman encountered this situation, she would probably cry and want to die, but Lu Zhi is different. She is very strong and can stand up. She will not think about it. As long as it is not the last moment, she will fight to the end."

The director nodded and asked people to re-prepare and start again.

Li Xue was indeed someone that Qiao Bailu had chosen. She had first-rate comprehension and passed it the second time. As long as the first scene of the filming did not exceed three times, it was considered a good sign of good luck.

The director was extremely excited, and while Li Xue was beginning to understand something, he quickly picked out a few more scenes and spent the entire morning shooting Li Xue's scenes.

The crew's working meal was not very delicious, but it was a good combination of meat and vegetables. Each person could get a chicken leg and an egg. The taste was average, but it was still edible. Qiao Bailu was not picky. She ate slowly and turned on the computer. The director also knew the essence of the script, so she didn't have to keep an eye on it all the time. Last week, Zhou Yanhua made an appointment with her to write a book online, and she had to hurry up and finish it as soon as possible.

When he got home at night, he called Xie Jiayuan. Xie Jiayuan hadn't seen Qiao Bailu for a day and missed her very much: "Did you eat well? Otherwise, I'll bring you dinner tomorrow?"

"No, it's so far away, and you still have to study hard. Aren't you going to register next month? If you work hard, you can pass it in one try. There are many restaurants here, and the food is okay. I'm not picky about food."

Bella Qiao said with a smile, and Xie Jiayuan sighed: "When will you come back? I miss you so much."

"Well, it's hard to say. Maybe he won't come back this year." Qiao Bailu said seriously. Xie Jiayuan was immediately shocked: "Not coming back this year? The engagement you mentioned before, are you going to postpone it until next year?"

"Of course not, I'm just kidding." Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing: "Next Wednesday, I'll go back and come back Thursday afternoon."

"Well, that's good. I called my parents. My mom asked someone to calculate the date and they said September 18th is a good date. We can have dinner together and invite our friends."

Ever since Qiao Bailu agreed to get engaged, Xie Jiayuan mentioned it almost every day and insisted on picking a particularly good day. Qiao Bailu had no choice but to quickly call Qiao's father and mother to tell them about it.

Mr. Qiao was straightforward and told Bai Lu that it was enough for her to be happy. He thought Xie Jiayuan was a promising boy anyway. It didn't matter if he didn't have the ability now, as long as he had it in the future.

Qiao's mother was a little dissatisfied. First, Bai Lu was too capable, and Xie Jiayuan was still poor. She thought her daughter could find someone better. Second, Xie Jiayuan had been abroad for two years and had not been to the Qiao family. Qiao's mother felt that this was a lack of respect for Bai Lu.

Bai Lu hesitated for a moment, but still asked: "When are you free to come to my house?"

"In Z City?" Xie Jiayuan asked. Qiao Bailu shook her head: "Not only in the city, but also in my hometown. My grandma is still in my hometown."

When she said this, Xie Jiayuan immediately understood: "Are you going to propose marriage? I had this plan before, but I didn't say it because I saw that you were busy. Since you agree, when are we going to go back? I'll book the tickets now?"

"Can you go by yourself?" Qiao Bailu raised her eyebrows. Xie Jiayuan was silent for a long time before saying, "Okay, I'm just a little worried. What if your father beats me up if you're not there?"

"My father is a civilized man, he won't beat you." Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing, and after a pause, she said, "Forget it, I'll go with you. Next Wednesday, I won't go back. I'll just take a taxi to the train station and you can buy the ticket then."

Xie Jiayuan agreed with a smile, and booked a ticket as soon as he hung up the phone. Fortunately, the semester had already started, so train tickets were not so tight. He booked two sleeper berths and went out in a hurry to buy gifts.

This was his own gift, so he couldn't let Bai Lu pay for it. Fortunately, he had taken some translation work from a pharmaceutical company before. In the field of biomedicine, there are many professional terms that are difficult for people who are not in this field to understand.

It was easier to earn money from taking orders from big companies, but it was also harder work because it took a long time to follow up on an order. It would take at least five or six days to finalize a deal, and he had to follow it from beginning to end.

This business was introduced by Senior Brother Li, and he would treat Senior Brother Li to a meal later. Senior Brother Li was the one who led him to do experiments when he was a sophomore. Now Senior Brother Li is a third-year graduate student and is planning to take the doctoral exam.

A total of 30,000 yuan, you have to spend it frugally. Bai Lu once mentioned how many people there are in the family, including Dad and Mom Qiao, Grandma Qiao, Uncle Qiao, Aunt Qiao, and Aunt Qiao, as well as the eldest uncle, the second uncle, the first aunt, and the second aunt.

However, apart from the most important ones, the remaining ones only require you to give some gifts, and you will still have time to buy them when you go back.

Xie Jiayuan really had no talent for choosing gifts. Grandma Qiao was old, so she definitely needed to buy health products, but Dad and Mom Qiao couldn't deal with it that way. Otherwise, buy a watch for Dad Qiao? A set of jewelry for Mom Qiao? Although they probably didn't lack anything, according to his inference, they would still be happy to take out the things bought by the younger generation, so that they could show off.

Just like the clothes he bought for his father two years ago, his mother said that he always wore it out and showed it off to everyone he met - my son bought it!

Xie Jiayuan was busy here, and Qiao Bailu was not idle either. She estimated that it would take more than one day to go home, at least three days. During this period, she could not take care of the crew's affairs.

Apart from the screenwriter, the director has the deepest understanding of the script. So, before she went back, she found a script and marked various explanations on it, such as what emotions should be expressed and how the scenes should be arranged.

She was also the crew's consultant, and these things couldn't be handed over to others, so she pulled in another assistant director and was eager to explain the entire script: "I have made a list, you can just check it when the time comes, but it also depends on the situation. If this prop is not available, you need to know what to use to replace it. I will be gone for three days, at most three days, you just have to hold on, understand?"

"I know, Sister Bailu, you're not not coming back. You can just take a look at the films we shot in the past three days. If you feel something is wrong, can't we just reshoot it immediately?" The assistant director said with a smile, and patted Qiao Bailu on the shoulder. "If there's anything I don't understand, I'll call you. Don't computers have cameras? You can solve it by video chat, don't worry too much."

Qiao Bailu thought so too and felt relieved. She packed up her things and prepared to go back on Wednesday.

Qiao Zhenting complained: "You're going back alone? You're not even taking me with you?"

"Why should I bring you along? Aren't you busy? Just focus on filming and play your role well, okay?" Qiao Bailu patted Qiao Zhenting on the shoulder and said, "I'll bring mom and dad back later. It won't be the same when we meet again. It's just a few days away, don't worry."

Qiao Zhenting was still a little depressed: "I worked hard in the crew to earn money, eating cabbage and spitting blood, but you and Brother Jiayuan went home to enjoy your life! It's so unfair!"

"How can we enjoy life? Think about it, how many houses do we have to visit in one day? It's three days in total. We will arrive at our house early tomorrow morning, so we have to have lunch or something. In the afternoon, we will go to our hometown to visit grandma and uncle and aunt. The next morning, we will go to the supermarket to buy groceries. In the afternoon, we will go to our eldest aunt's house. On the third day, we will go to my uncle's house. In the afternoon, we will go to our eldest aunt's house and our second aunt's house. We have to take the train back in the evening. Just think about it, where will we have time to rest?"

Qiao Zhenting estimated the distance and couldn't help laughing: "Okay, I don't envy you at all. You should go back quickly. Anyway, my parents will come by then, so I don't have to go back with them."

Qiao Bailu rolled her eyes and saw that it was almost time, so she picked up her bag and asked Qiao Zhenting to drag the suitcase to the outside of the film and television city. There were many taxis here and she would soon get one.

Waving to Qiao Zhenting, Qiao Bailu closed the car door, found Xie Jiayuan at the train station, and rushed back to her hometown.

"Uncle, aunt." He had met them several times before. Both Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were easy to get along with, so Xie Jiayuan was not nervous. He called them when he entered the door and handed over the gifts he bought with a smile: "I don't know what you like, so I bought some myself. Uncle and aunt, take a look. If you don't like it, I'll change to something else next time."

Don't hit a smiling person, especially since this is the future son-in-law. Although Qiao's mother was dissatisfied before, Xie Jiayuan immediately came to the door with the things. No matter how you look at this young man, he is quite sensible, so the dissatisfaction gradually disappeared: "Come if you want to, what are you buying? Didn't Bai Lu say that you are planning to take the postgraduate entrance examination? You are studying, there is no need to spend this money, come, sit down."

Father Qiao leaned on the sofa, drinking tea and asked: "Are you preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination? Do you plan to continue studying after the exam, or find a job?"

"Continue studying." Xie Jiayuan pursed his lips and looked at the faces of Qiao's father and mother with filial piety. Continuing to study means that he can't make money to support the family, but seeing that Qiao's father and mother are not dissatisfied, he felt slightly relieved: "In our industry, if we go to work in a general pharmaceutical or medical device company, it is not impossible. It's just that I want to develop products by myself in the future. If I study for a few more years, my starting point will be different."

"Understand, understand. If you look for a job now, no matter how long you work, you will be working for others. Even if you start your own business, you will still be selling other people's products. If you do your own research, your products will be sold all over the country, even the world, in the future." Father Qiao said with a laugh, "Young man, you have ambitions, not bad, then you should study hard and don't have any worries. I know my daughter, she is independent, has her own ideas, and is stubborn. No matter who says something, if she doesn't like it, she will just pretend not to hear it."

"I'm a man too, I know that men like those delicate girls..." Just as Qiao's father was laughing, he heard Qiao's mother coughing hard. When he turned around, he saw Qiao's mother glaring at him. He quickly changed the topic, "Everyone has their own preferences. Look at your aunt. I like her myself..."

Mother Qiao interrupted him: "I'm like this? What am I like? I'm not gentle or considerate. I didn't ask you to do this or that in a delicate way, so you're not happy, right? Just like what the book says, you're a masochist?"

Father Qiao's cheek twitched. "How does this have anything to do with masochism? It's not like that. Hey, no matter what you look like, I'm marrying you, so I will definitely listen to you from now on. I will do whatever you say. When have I ever refuted you in all these years? I'm only good to you. Aren't all good men like this?"

After saying that, he turned to look at Xie Jiayuan: "Is that right?"

Xie Jiayuan nodded quickly: "Uncle is right, a good man should pamper his wife and be good to her, no matter if she is strong or gentle, no matter if she looks good or not, she is my wife, then as a man, I should be good to her, uncle and aunt, don't worry, I will only be good to Bai Lu in the future, and will never look at other women."

Father Qiao nodded in satisfaction and winked at Mother Qiao, who stood up with a smile: "What does Jiayuan like to eat? I'll go buy some groceries and make some more delicious food for you at noon."

Xie Jiayuan also stood up and said, "Auntie, I'll go with you. I'll help you carry your things."

Mother Qiao declined twice, but her tone was obviously hypocritical. Xie Jiayuan insisted on going, so Mother Qiao happily took Xie Jiayuan out to buy groceries.

Qiao Bailu was worried, so she followed him out. As soon as she entered the elevator, she ran into her neighbor: "Hey, what are you doing, sister? Are your daughter and son back?"

Qiao Bailu came back a few times, but she always stayed at home and never went out, so she never met her neighbors.

Mother Qiao waved her hands with a smile: "You are mistaken. This is my daughter, but this is not my son. This is my son-in-law. He came back this time to discuss the engagement. They are both busy. Jiayuan just came back from studying abroad. As soon as he was free, he said that we should quickly settle the marriage and get married in two years."

"Oh, son-in-law, he's really good-looking, well-dressed, and just came back from abroad? That means he's quite capable. By the way, what did he study?" The aunt was also a gossiper. In the less than two minutes in the elevator, she was already chatting with Qiao's mother in a very warm manner: "Come to our house when you have time, the boy is really handsome."

When they walked out of the door, they met a few more neighbors, and Qiao's mother kept talking. Qiao Bailu was speechless. It was estimated that by tomorrow morning, everyone in the community would know that the daughter of the Qiao family had returned with her future son-in-law, and they were preparing to get engaged, right?

When they arrived at the vegetable market, Qiao Bailu already admired Qiao's mother very much, because Qiao's mother could talk to almost all the stalls in the vegetable market, and they were all acquaintances!

From beginning to end, she and Xie Jiayuan only had to maintain the same expression - smiling, making a gesture - nodding and smiling, and saying one sentence - hello, auntie. Oh, by the way, Xie Jiayuan had to do two more things, pay the money and carry vegetables for Qiao's mother.

After buying the vegetables, Qiao Bailu was free, but Xie Jiayuan still had to be busy, helping to pick vegetables, wash vegetables, and cut vegetables. While Xie Jiayuan was not paying attention, Qiao's mother secretly returned to the living room to report the results of the inspection to Qiao's father: "The boy is good, he can cook, work hard, and is diligent. You don't have to worry about Bailu suffering in the future. If you can't make money, you can just come back. Chickens have two claws, so they will definitely not starve to death."

Father Qiao nodded in agreement: "Well, I told you, he's a good guy, so let's settle it. I'll discuss a date with my in-laws, get engaged first, and get married after graduation."

Qiao Bailu curled up on the sofa and twitched her lips. They changed their names so immediately, in-laws?

The next two days were like a war. Qiao's father drove them to visit all the relatives one by one. When they returned to City B, Qiao Bailu was almost exhausted. Fortunately, she didn't go to the Xie family. Otherwise, she would have to do this for three more days and she would not be able to move even if she was beaten to death.

On September 17th, both parents came over. Although Bai Lu's house was big, it could only vacate a living room and a bedroom. Grandma Qiao also came over. We couldn't let the old lady stay in a hotel, right?

So, everyone in the Xie family lived in the hotel. Grandma Qiao, Mom Qiao, and Aunt Qiao lived in Qiao Zhenting's original room, Dad Qiao and Uncle Qiao lived in Xie Jiayuan's room, Qiao Zhenting slept on the sofa, and Xie Jiayuan also lived in the hotel with his parents.

Zhou He is Qiao Bailu's teacher, and she has specially worshipped him. He is also an elder, so the Zhou family must invite him. In addition, her best friends are indispensable. Zhou Yanhua and Zhu Wenqing have helped her a lot in her career, so they must also be invited. Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou have also contributed, so they must also be invited.

In addition to Xie Jiayuan's family, future teachers, friends from school, and future seniors, all had to be invited. In total, five tables were set up for the banquet. Xie Jiayuan and Qiao Bailu held tea cups and offered tea to Xie's father and mother first.

Mother Xie took out a set of gold jewelry. When getting engaged in her hometown, you have to give this, and you can't miss a set. In addition, you have to buy four sets of clothes for the four seasons. This is what Xie Jiayuan accompanied her to buy before. Qiao Bailu is wearing one of them today. Father Xie gave a red envelope, which was quite thick.

Then we offer tea to Mr. and Mrs. Qiao, and here we just need to give red envelopes.

After the tea, the marriage was settled, and the elders on both sides approved it, and they just had to wait for the wedding. Nowadays, the social atmosphere is more open, and the engaged couple can actually sleep together.

But Xie Jiayuan was more insistent and had to wait until the wedding. No matter how much he thought about it, he just kissed, hugged and touched her, and then took a cold shower. Qiao Bailu was angry and amused. She was angry that she, as a woman, didn't care, but he, a grown man, insisted on it. He was really stupid. She was amused that she was lucky enough to meet such a man who was probably extinct.

As for whether Xie Jiayuan had a problem or not, my God, when they were kissing, that person's thing was not small at all, okay? She had touched it with her own hands and measured it, how could she not know if there was a problem?

After the engagement, life was still the same as before. If there was any change, it was the name. In the past, Xie Jiayuan introduced Qiao Bailu to others as "my girlfriend". Now he directly said, "my wife".

In the past, when Xie Jiayuan introduced himself to Qiao Bailu’s friends, he always said, “I am Qiao Bailu’s boyfriend.” Now he just says, “I am Qiao Bailu’s husband.”

At home, he was even more open-minded, calling her his wife all the time, and occasionally changing her to "dear". At the same time, he also became more homely. How should I put it? In the past, no matter what time it was, Xie Jiayuan always dressed neatly, of course, except when he was intimate.

Now, when I don’t go out, I just wear shorts and a vest, which I bought specially because I have never worn them before and I don’t have them at home.

Qiao Bailu was embarrassed twice, but she got used to it the third time. It wasn’t like they were running around naked, so what was so strange about it?

Chapter 69

Qiao Bailu originally thought that the filming of Empress Lü would only take one year. After all, the male and female protagonists in the play only took this one job, and all the resources of the studio were put into this play, including the director, editing, post-production, and publicity.

All the artists in the studio stopped taking any commercials and lived in the film studio, focusing all their energy on this one film. But unexpectedly, one year was not enough, and the filming lasted from September last year to September this year, but it was not finished.

The originally estimated 200 million was spent early. Zhou Mengyao had no choice but to continue to attract investment with Qiao Bailu. In the end, it was Mr. Zhou's way that a company that had cooperated with Mr. Zhou invested 5 million. The rest was gathered together in bits and pieces. For example, Qiao Bailu mortgaged his house and added his own royalties to get 1 million.

Zhou Mengyao borrowed a little from her best friend and got three million yuan, and the rest was raised by the crew. Except for Qiao Zhenting, because the first two TV series made money, everyone, including the director, got a share. Others didn't have time to spend their money, but Qiao Zhenting had already spent it all. Although he gave half to Qiao's father, Qiao's father had already used it to expand his business.

In this way, he managed to get another 10 million and continued investing.

Two months before the Chinese New Year, Zhou Mengyao began to contact TV stations with the master copies of the first five episodes. Although she had originally agreed with City B Satellite TV Station to broadcast the show, the price and broadcast time had not been properly negotiated. The investment was not small, and Zhou Mengyao did not want to lose money, but it did not mean that she would make a hard-earned living like the first two episodes and build her reputation first.

At that time, they were all newcomers, so they had no choice but to sell it at a low price. Now it is not possible, Qiao Zhenting is already a hot star, although he has not appeared in a year, he will post a still photo on the new blog every three to five days, and his fans are still stable.

Qiao Bailu is also a somewhat famous playwright. With Zhou He's reputation, Zhou Mengyao actually has some small ambitions, either to make a lot of money or to gain fame.

If the satellite TV station doesn't agree, she will try the national TV station. This kind of large-scale historical drama, as long as it is broadcast on the national TV station, even if it is not a prime time, can make a large group of actors.

Qiao Bailu also gained some new insights. She originally thought that this kind of thing would just require them to take the master tape over, play it, let those people see the value of the TV series, and then both sides would start negotiations. However, she didn't expect that there would be so much more to it.

A TV station has many staff members, and not all of them can like a TV series at the same time. Today, Minister Zhang said that costume dramas are good, tomorrow Minister Li said that idol dramas are good, and the day after tomorrow Minister Chen said that urban emotional dramas are good.

There is no shortage of scripts, and there are many good TV shows produced every year, thousands if not tens of thousands, but only a few become famous each year. It is estimated that less than 300 can be broadcast.

They start from the bottom, for example, which TV station is more optimistic about the costume drama? Then they invite the other party out for dinner and drinks, so that they can talk business at the dinner table. They form a temporary alliance and then start to fight for the broadcasting rights.

Only when you have achieved it can you talk about other things. If you can’t achieve it, everything will be in vain.

The national TV station is also in City B. Zhou Mengyao is busy like a top, and her phone keeps ringing all day. She has no assistant or secretary for the time being, so Qiao Bailu has to take over. At the same time, because she is busy, Zhou Mengyao also plans to recruit people next year.

What is the prerequisite for recruiting people? They must first have a human resources department, and the head of the human resources department must be one of their own. Qiao Bailu also has to think about whether there are such talents around them. After thinking about it, Qiao Bailu suddenly thought of Liu Aiping. This girl used to be a member of the student union and had studied human resources management. She must be able to do the job, right?

After such a busy schedule, the filming of Empress Lü was not completed until the end of December. Zhou Mengyao worked hard for two months, and her hard work paid off - the TV series was broadcast on the National Taiwan TV Channel from 1:30 pm to 4 pm, three episodes a day.

But because it was not an exclusive broadcast, and it was broadcast on a national TV station, the fee was relatively low. 600,000 per episode, all in all, it was only over 40 million. It hadn’t even recovered its investment.

The TV station in city B is three days behind the national TV station, from Monday to Sunday, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., with two episodes and each episode costing 550,000 yuan.

Zhou Mengyao also ran the online TV station herself, five days later than City B, with 550,000 per episode. She chose three online TV stations as her first choice, intending to test the waters first. So far, all the investment has been returned, a total of more than 200 million. But the actors' royalties, hard work fees, etc., have not been paid at all.

The remaining copyrights have not been sold yet. We have to wait until the national TV and satellite TV stations broadcast the show to see the results. If the results are good, Zhou Mengyao plans to raise the price. If the results are not good, then we can only sell it at a loss.

The day before the show was to be broadcast, everyone in the studio stopped doing anything and just squatted in front of the TV, waiting for the show to start. Zhou Mengyao spent a lot of money to buy the theme song from another company, and invited the most famous female singer, Teacher Tian Ying.

The whole song is grand and majestic, and with some edited clips, just the beginning gives people a sense of majestic momentum.

Even though they filmed it themselves, filming and broadcasting are completely different. Everyone was so engrossed in watching it that three episodes were broadcasted in a row. After a long time, Zhou Mengyao finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I think we'll be famous this time!"

"Yes, yes. I felt thrilled watching it myself. It was as if Empress Lü was played by a completely different person." Li Xue also said with a smile, "I didn't even dare to look her in the eye."

"Oh, I found a new skill to praise myself." Qiao Zhenting said with a smile, winking and saying, "I also found out that Liu Bang is really a man of great talent and strategy, and he is also very handsome. I am fascinated by him myself. This man must be famous!"

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zhou Mengyao stretched out her hand to gesture for silence, took the phone, and started dialing. When no one answered, she coughed twice to make her voice sound clearer.

"Hello, Minister Chen? I'm Zhou Mengyao."

"Yes, yes, yes. I just finished watching it. I am quite satisfied with it. I just don't know what you think of it. So, let's ask around. How is it? You have watched it, too, right?"

"Hahahaha, thank you, thank you, thank you Minister Chen for the compliment. What about the ratings?"

"What!"

Qiao Bailu couldn't hear what was being said, so she simply covered her mouth and pressed the speakerphone button. Minister Chen's voice came from the other end: "The ratings for the first episode were 2, the second episode was 3, and the third episode was already 3.5. Judging from the trend, I estimate it will rise tomorrow."

"Minister Chen, you see, we have a long history. Can you tell me what this number is like for your TV station? After all, your TV station's main focus is TV dramas. If we compare horizontally, we have a good comparison target, right?"

"Haha, for the sake of our old friendship, I'll tell you something. As you know, the Internet has developed very rapidly in the past two years. Last year, there was Kuangfeng Video, and later there was PTV. The ratings of TV, in general, have been declining. Before 2001, for example, a good TV series would have a rating of more than 10 when it was first aired. Now, if it can get above 8, it's considered a big movie."

Zhou Mengyao hummed in agreement, while Minister Chen grumbled, "This year it's even worse. The highest rating for our TV station is only 6.8, and the rest are either 4 or 5. We can't tell your level yet. After all, the first episode is not ideal. It's the first day, so don't worry. After these three days, the ratings will stabilize, and we'll talk about it then."

The big start will come three days later, when it will either reach its peak or start to decline.

Zhou Mengyao waved her hand, "Okay, everyone go back first. So far, we have a good start. I guess next, some TV stations will call us to contact them. We can't get the rights for the first and second broadcasts. The network has also started broadcasting, and those people probably won't pay too high a price, but I calculated that at least eight TV stations will buy it. Even if each episode is only sold for 40, we will still make money. This time, money is not the main thing, fame is the main thing. We can be on the national TV station. Once other TV stations follow suit, our studio may win the Best Actress award next year. The New Year is coming soon, so let's pay the salaries first. It doesn't matter whether you have money or not."

First of all, it's about profit sharing. Even though Qiao Bailu gets a small amount of one million, it's still an investment. After dividing the investment and royalties, the rest is the dividends for Zhou Mengyao and Qiao Bailu.

Because the income has not been fully calculated, the dividends will probably have to wait until next year. However, Qiao Bailu's money has doubled just from the investment. Not only was she able to redeem the house smoothly, she also had a large sum left.

Qiao Zhenting also got a lot, because he won the Best Supporting Actor award before, so his performance fee was not low, and his salary for one episode of TV increased from 200,000 to 300,000 now. In total, he made more than 2 million.

Compared with the first step, it is more than doubled. Qiao Zhenting was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He posted a new blog post when he got home - I made money and I want to buy gifts for my parents, grandma, sister and brother-in-law. Do you have any good suggestions?

Instantly a lot of people came out from below, some crying for their idol, some calling for the prince, and some calling for the emperor.

There is also a small group who are here to answer questions.

When Qiao Bailu saw his new blog, the corners of her mouth twitched. Whether in this life or the last, she had never seen a celebrity post a new blog asking such a question. What can't you buy with money? If you don't have money, it's useless to ask.

After thinking about it, I registered a small account named Qiao Zhenting - I wanted a courtyard house.

Less than three minutes later, Qiao Zhenting rushed over: "Sister! Are you going to tire me to death? How much is the courtyard house? I can't afford it even if you sell it to me. Please let me go!"

Qiao Bailu looked at the computer. Sure enough, it was sent from a small account: "How do you know it was me?"

"You sent it from your cell phone. I can guess it by looking at the address." In the same neighborhood, with the same cell phone model, tone of voice, and profile picture, it would be strange if I couldn't guess it.

Qiao Bailu made a face and put away her phone: "Have you booked the plane ticket?"

Train tickets were too difficult to book. The Chinese New Year was only three days away, and even if I queued up at the train station, I couldn't buy a ticket, so I had to buy a plane ticket. Xie Jiayuan would not be back from the laboratory until tomorrow, so Qiao Zhenting was responsible for buying the ticket.

Qiao Zhenting nodded: "Let's go buy it later. Let's drive there later. After buying the tickets, we can pick up Brother Jiayuan and go shopping together. Seriously, if we want to buy gifts for our family, you have more ideas. Let's see what to buy."

"Let's buy health products for uncle and auntie, and a massage chair for grandma. Let's buy a notebook for Zhenbang and Feifei, and clothes, a new cell phone, and a massage chair for parents."

Qiao Zhenting nodded hurriedly, went back to the room to change clothes, and went out with Qiao Bailu. First, they went to buy plane tickets, and then went to pick up Xie Jiayuan, but Xie Jiayuan was busy and had to continue doing experiments in the evening, so the three of them could only have dinner together.

Then, the brother and sister went shopping, and Xie Jiayuan returned to the laboratory.

As long as you have money, it is relatively convenient to buy things. Big shopping malls basically have everything. Computers and massage chairs can be ordered directly and delivered to your door the next day. Health care products are even more convenient. You can find a shopping guide in the supermarket and ask directly about the best-selling products.

Of course, the products recommended by shopping guides are generally more expensive.

As for clothes, they chose them more carefully. They hadn't seen their parents for more than a year, and they couldn't tell their parents' figures. If they called them to ask, there would be no surprise.

So after choosing from a long list, I had no choice but to change my mind.

"Otherwise, don't buy it. When you get home, go shopping with mom and dad, and see if there's anything missing at home, such as a rice cooker or something. Buy some electrical appliances, and then give the card to dad."

Qiao Bailu thought for a moment and said, Qiao Zhenting pursed his lips: "Today is the 27th. The flight the day after tomorrow will arrive at home on the 29th. I have to hurry back to my hometown in the afternoon. How can I have time to go shopping in the supermarket?"

"Then let's wait until after the Chinese New Year. We'll come back later. The next play has just been written, so there's no rush to start work." Qiao Bailu waved her hand and smiled. Qiao Zhenting's eyes lit up immediately: "You've done a good job of keeping it a secret. What's the next script?"

"It's still ancient costumes. This time, I'll let you challenge yourself." Qiao Bailu said with a smile, but didn't explain the details. Qiao Zhenting wanted to know very much, but he couldn't ask.

As he was circling Qiao Bailu, he suddenly heard a girl next to him ask, "Um, are you Qiao Zhenting?"

Qiao Zhenting was stunned for a moment, then he put on a showy pose: "Many people say that I look like him. What do you think? Do you think I look like him?"

The girl looked at it carefully and nodded confidently: "Like! I think it's you. The one next to you is your sister, right? I've seen the photo of the two of you. This angle is exactly the same as that photo. Prince, I like you. I'm your fan. Can you sign an autograph for me?"

It can be seen that the girl is quite smart and clever. Even though she was a little excited, she controlled her voice so that no one could hear her. Qiao Zhenting looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. He quickly took the pen and signed his name on the coat, and then was pulled over to take a group photo.

After taking the photo, he quickly dragged Qiao Bailu away in a hurry. If one person could recognize her, maybe two would. The first one was a rational fan, but the second one was not necessarily.

His prediction turned out to be correct. He had only walked about ten steps when someone screamed again, "Qiao Zhenting?"

In an instant, everyone in the mall looked over.

Qiao Zhenting was in a hurry, so he grabbed Qiao Bailu and ran away. As he ran, the people behind him started to chase him. It was also the end of the year, and the people who went shopping in the mall late at night were mostly middle-aged people and young people.

Middle-aged people are currently watching the story of Empress Lü, while young people have mostly watched the idol dramas before. Besides, if one person doesn't know, there are others who know, and introducing it to others will result in more and more people following it.

Thanks to the fact that Qiao Bailu usually pays more attention to physical exercise, she bought a treadmill and placed it on the balcony, forcing Qiao Zhenting to run six kilometers every day. Therefore, Qiao Zhenting's physical strength is quite good.

He didn't wait for the elevator and went down the stairs directly. Although Qiao Bailu was in good health, she was a little out of breath after the explosion.

Qiao Zhenting turned his head and listened. The voices shouting were getting louder and louder. He simply squatted down and said, "Sister, hurry up. I'll carry you on my back."

"It's not easy to go downstairs with someone on your back. You should hurry up and go to the next floor. I'll go around to the mall. No one will recognize me anyway. I'll hide in the dressing room for a while. You can distract them. I'm fine. Just wait for me in the car."

After Qiao Bailu finished speaking, she just reached a corner. She quickly broke away from Qiao Zhenting and turned to go into the mall. Qiao Zhenting also knew that this method was good, so he didn't hesitate and continued to rush down.

Fortunately, this mall has only eight floors. They bought clothes on the fifth floor. Otherwise, it would be hard to climb the stairs. When they arrived at the parking lot, Qiao Zhenting reached out and was stunned. The car keys were still with his sister!

The sound was getting closer and closer. Qiao Zhenting was so anxious that he was running around in circles. He didn't dare to delay and had to go back to the mall to find his sister. But as soon as he turned around, he saw a car door opened not far away and a familiar person waved at him.

Before anyone arrived, Qiao Zhenting rushed over, squeezed into the car and quickly closed the door.

Staring nervously outside, a group of people went downstairs and looked around, but couldn't find anyone. They stood there for a while and slowly dispersed. Qiao Zhenting wiped his sweat and said, "Minyu, why are you here? Are you here alone? You're a girl, why are you out alone so late?"

"Not alone." Zhou Minyu said with a smile. Qiao Zhenting's eyes widened: "With whom? Boyfriend?"

"You're overthinking it. My parents and I went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. I didn't want to squeeze in, so I waited in the car. Were you recognized just now? How could you be so stupid? You're so famous now, how could you go out on the street without sunglasses?"

Zhou Minyu leaned over the chair, took a few tissues from the front and handed them to Qiao Zhenting: "Are you out shopping alone?"

"No, there's my sister too. She's planning to buy some gifts for my parents." Qiao Zhenting said as he texted Qiao Bailu, adding, "I'm not stupid. I didn't expect this. I went out like this before, but no one recognized me."

His first move was quite effective. As long as he made that pose, no one would doubt him anymore. But who knew it wouldn't work this time? Being recognized twice in a row was just bad luck.

"You were only slightly famous before, but now you are very famous. If you don't believe me, just check out Xinbo." Zhou Minyu said with a smile, opening her phone and handing it to him: "Look, you have more than five million fans!"

After the first drama, he had hundreds of thousands of fans. After the second, the number became over two million. Now it has more than doubled.

"Didn't The Legend of Empress Lü just start airing?" Qiao Zhenting was a little puzzled. Although Zhou Mengyao had said before that the ratings were good, ratings were just a number to him. How could the effect of increasing from 2 to 3 be so good?

"That's because you didn't read the comments online. Everyone says this drama is the most conscientious historical drama in recent years." Zhou Mengyao said with a smile, and turned back to her new blog: "I am also your fan now. You can follow me back later. Oh, forget it, let's not follow each other. I am a nobody on the Internet. If you follow me back later, your fans may have opinions."

Qiao Zhenting waved his hand generously: "What's the big deal? I just said you are my sister, isn't that enough? I don't live for them. Let me see."

He took a look at Zhou Minyu's account and logged into his phone to follow it. He then looked at the hot news and was stunned. The headline was about him - A Chance Encounter with Emperor Liu.

The girl who asked him for his autograph posted a signed photo and a group photo. Then a group of girls appeared, also saying that they met Qiao Zhenting and ran around the mall with him.

Some said that the idol was so strong that he could even walk down five floors without taking a breath. Some said that the fans were lucky and could meet the idol while shopping in a mall. Please give me his address.

The corners of Qiao Zhenting's mouth twitched and he wiped his sweat. It actually made the headlines!

"See, I told you that you were blushing?" Zhou Minyu said with a smile. Because they were too close, Qiao Zhenting turned his head and his lips just happened to brush against Zhou Minyu's face. The young man was stunned for a moment, and the girl was stunned for a while, and slowly, her face became flushed as if she had applied rouge.

"Well, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it." Qiao Zhenting finally reacted and quickly apologized. He even took out a tissue to wipe Zhou Minyu's face. Zhou Minyu quickly dodged his hand and shook her head blushingly: "It's okay. By the way, when will Sister Bailu come down?"

"She's coming down. I saw her." Qiao Zhenting glanced outside and quickly turned to open the car door. "Thank you for your help tonight. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back. I'm leaving now. Bye."

After saying that, he ran towards Qiao Bailu like flying, complaining in a long-winded manner: "Why did you come down just now? Didn't I tell you that I didn't have the key? Are you blocked? Those people don't know you. If you change your clothes, they will definitely not recognize you. Speaking of which, the fans are really enthusiastic. I finally know now that I am famous, I am really famous..."

Qiao Bailu reached out and slapped him on the back of his head: "Almost caught up? Why are you so nervous?"

"Who's nervous? Can they catch up with me at this speed?" Qiao Zhenting said with his eyes wide open. Qiao Bailu pouted: "Don't I know you? When you're nervous, you like to talk nonsense. Forget it, if you don't want to talk, I don't want to listen either. Anyway, we've already bought the main things, let's go home quickly."

Chapter 70

It was already the night of the 29th when we arrived home. After a night of rest, we started to get busy on the 30th. We had to put up couplets, hang lanterns, and buy vegetables, steamed buns, and jujube buns. Qiao's mother went to find her aunt to accompany her to the supermarket in town. Qiao's father and uncle were responsible for carrying things, including paying for the car.

Qiao Bailu and Qiao Zhenting didn't want to go, so they moved the gifts for everyone and went to play with Feifei and Zhenbang. When the siblings saw that it was a laptop, they immediately wanted to play games, but unfortunately, there was no internet at home.

After Qiao Zhenting installed the massage chair, the brother and sister helped Grandma Qiao sit on it to try it out. Grandma Qiao was shocked: "Oh my, this chair can move, just like a small hammer head is pounding, oh my, it's amazing, is this thing expensive?"

"It's not expensive, grandma, feel free to use it. It's repairable if it breaks, so don't be reluctant to give it up." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Qiao Feifei was watching curiously. When Grandma Qiao stood up, she also sat down to try it out: "Oh, this thing is great. After a day's work, I sit here and the vibrations will relieve my fatigue. It's worth it."

"By the way, Sister Feifei, where do you work now?" Qiao Bailu asked while eating melon seeds. Qiao Feifei stood up with a smile and sat over. The two sisters gathered together and said, "I used to work at the People's Hospital in the county, but my dad said he wanted to find out about the situation at the Provincial People's Hospital, so I transferred there."

"You are a nurse now, right? How much do you make a month?" Qiao Bailu asked curiously. Qiao Feifei waved her hand and said, "Of course not as much as you do. I only make about 2,000 yuan a month, which is just enough for me to spend. I can't even save a penny. Sometimes I spend a little too much and can't even make it a month. I have to ask my dad for money."

"Aren't uncle and aunt living in a rented house in the provincial capital now?" Qiao Bailu seemed to have heard her father say before that she wanted Uncle Qiao to go over and help. His company was not big, and now it was just a shell, so it was not easy to recruit people. No serious college students were willing to go, and looked down on his small and broken company, so she could only let Uncle Qiao go over to help for a while.

"Well, but my dad doesn't really want to go." Qiao Feifei rolled her eyes and leaned close to Qiao Bailu: "He said that although the salary given by the second uncle is not low, it is too tiring. He has to worry about this and that all day long. He doesn't know how to do these things. He plans to come back to farm in two years when your father is not too busy."

Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched: "How can you make money if you're not busy? Uncle is really so unmotivated. He has no fighting spirit. He's not that old now..."

Qiao Feifei waved her hand: "Don't mention it, I said the same thing. At this age, it's time to start a career. He insisted that he is not young anymore, his daughter can get married, and his son will graduate soon, so he should enjoy his life in the future. No matter what my mother said, he would not listen. Why don't you ask your father to talk to him?"

"That won't work. My dad is my younger brother, how can he be called my uncle? How about this? I'll go back and tell my dad that the company is still very busy, and he'd be happy to help. Then he can stay busy for two more years, and then take over after Zhenbang graduates. That way, we can be in good shape."

Qiao Feifei nodded quickly, and then muttered to Qiao Bailu: "Actually, I had a boyfriend before, a doctor in our hospital, he was pretty good, I think he was good, but the problem was, his family was very poor before, they had tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and they couldn't even afford a house in the county town. I was afraid my parents wouldn't agree, do you think this could work out?"

"What's he like? You can't just look at his good looks, you have to find out about his character." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Qiao Feifei pouted: "How can I find out myself? But he should be a good person. He is very motivated in the hospital, often works overtime, and works hard to make money."

Qiao Bailu shook her head: "Tell your parents and they will definitely inquire for you. For things like this, you have to listen more to the elders. They have experience and know a lot. Sometimes they think of things that you can't think of. Take the matter between me and Xie Jiayuan, for example. Do you think my parents agreed because they saw that Xie Jiayuan and I had been together for so many years? During the two years that Xie Jiayuan went abroad, my parents had already asked people to go to Xiejiaying to inquire."

He even asked about the ancestors of Xie's father and mother to see if they had any hidden diseases. This is how young people in the village get married. Regardless of whether they are men or women, they have to go to the other party's house to inquire about the family affairs.

From the personalities and characters of family members to whether the ancestors had any diseases, when the elderly passed away and what disease they died of, you need to find out everything clearly.

If you really ask around in the surrounding area, you will always be able to find a family in a village that is somewhat related to you, and basically what you find out are all true stories.

Qiao Feifei was a little hesitant, and Qiao Bailu didn't persuade her much. In her previous life, Feifei didn't marry a doctor, but a small boss. He was quite visionary. When Taobao was vigorously developing e-commerce, he followed it for a while and became a rich man. At least he had a house and a car, and he was also very good to Feifei.

However, the future is unpredictable. I missed Xie Jiayuan in my previous life. Who knows, maybe Feifei will get together with that doctor in this life?

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qiao Bailu stayed at home and surfed the Internet on her phone as usual. While browsing the new blog, Zhou Mengyao called suddenly. Qiao Bailu quickly answered the call, and then the whole yard was filled with Zhou Mengyao's loud voice: "Ahhhhhhhh, Bailu, we've released it! We're going to release it! Do you know what the ratings are now? I promise you can't guess it!"

Qiao Bailu blinked: "It's New Year's Day, and the TV station is still working?"

There was silence on the other end. "Is that all you want to say?"

"Well, of course not. So, are we really going to make a fortune? How much can we earn this time?" Qiao Bailu asked quickly. Zhou Mengyao laughed and said, "The TV station has to work during the New Year. We have to take turns, right? The ratings are already over 8! Do you know what this means?"

Qiao Bailu's eyes widened, and she couldn't even speak. She hadn't forgotten what Minister Chen said last time, that in the past two years, due to the development of the Internet, any TV rating that could reach 8 would be a big movie! Only a first-class screenwriter, a first-class director, and a first-class star would have a 60-70% chance of achieving it.

Now, the TV series produced by their studio has a viewership rating of 8! What does this mean? Qiao Bailu can think of it without Zhou Mengyao saying anything. First of all, Qiao Zhenting and Li Xue have become famous. In the future, their performance fees will probably increase to more than 400,000.

Secondly, their studio has become famous. When they make movies in the future, they don't have to rely on Mr. Zhou to raise enough investment like this time. When they make movies in the future, they won't be afraid of no one wanting them. It is estimated that by then, it will be the TV stations that will be scrambling to get them.

Finally, can The Biography of Empress Lü make another fortune?

"Bai Lu, I've decided to develop peripheral products. There are almost no peripheral products for TV dramas in China right now. This is a big pie. If we act quickly, we will definitely be able to grab the biggest piece!"

"Hey, don't be anxious. You should first ask in which circle our TV series is famous. If it's for the elderly, I think you'd better not produce peripheral products. Besides, it's not easy to produce peripheral products for historical dramas. There are only some tea cups, dolls and other things..."

"And the photo album!" Zhou Mengyao emphasized, and then paused and said, "Don't worry, when have I ever been reckless? You just wait to get the money, and I'll take care of the rest. By the way, I've read your new script, and I think it's really good. Who are you going to cast as the lead actor? Is it Zhen Ting again?"

"No, it's for Lin Xiao. This role is tailor-made for him. We will shoot three films at the beginning of the year. The second script has just been completed. I will find a computer to send it to you later. The third script will be finished in another month. You just need to wait for the review."

"Tell me the truth, except for the first one, what are the other two dramas? Who are they tailored for?" Zhou Mengyao asked hurriedly. Qiao Bailu did not hide it either: "It's a Republic of China drama for Xiao Dingran, and it's a mythological drama for Zhenting."

"Oh my god, you are planning to try your hand at mythological dramas?" Zhou Mengyao was shocked. "Don't you know that the domestic mythological drama market is particularly sluggish? Only Investiture of the Gods is popular all over the country, and the rest, like There's a Fox in the House, are only popular in a small area. By the way, are mythological dramas ancient or modern?"

"It's a modern, single-episode drama." Qiao Bailu said with a smile, and sincerely comforted Zhou Mengyao: "Don't worry, if the script is well written, there will be no problem of not having a market. Besides, Zhen Ting is now a famous person. With Zhen Ting's support, it will definitely not lose money. You should start thinking about how to promote it quickly. Filming will start at the end of January. The mythological drama will be filmed and broadcast at the same time. You can arrange the remaining two Republican dramas as you like. It's best to arrange the summer vacation schedule for the detective drama."

"Or, they can all take up the summer vacation schedule." Qiao Bailu added that since they are of different types, they probably won't take up their own space.

Zhou Mengyao agreed and muttered, "I said that the filming of Empress Lü took a year and a half. Even if you were with the crew, you shouldn't have just produced a script. Now it seems that you had a plan in advance, but you didn't even tell me, making me worry about nothing. I was even thinking about whether to recruit a few screenwriters."

"You don't need a screenwriter, but you can hire a few more actors, directors, and assistant directors. It would be best if they graduated from the directing department. By the way, isn't our studio planning to recruit people? Have you got everything ready?"

"Let's talk about it after the New Year. I'll dig Liu Aiping here first." Zhou Mengyao said with a little annoyance. Qiao Bailu was helpless: "I don't know anything about management, economics, etc., so I can't give you any advice. By the way, do we also need a legal department?"

"Of course, but our studio doesn't need it for now, so we just need to hire a lawyer as a consultant. Do you have a friend who is a lawyer?" Zhou Mengyao asked hurriedly. Qiao Bailu hesitated for a moment: "Well, Xie Jiayuan's eldest brother is a lawyer, but I don't think there is much market for the legal profession in City Z..."

"Then ask him what he specializes in. If he's a divorce lawyer, that won't work." Zhou Mengyao said, "And the salary isn't too high, only 4,000, and the rest depends on commissions. I won't stop him from taking on other business, as long as he puts our studio's affairs first."

"I really don't know what he specializes in." Qiao Bailu said a little embarrassedly. Zhou Mengyao sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll just ask Xie Jiayuan directly, so you don't have to pass on the message. When will you be back?"

"Ticket for the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. What's up? Something's up?" Qiao Bailu raised her eyebrows. Zhou Mengyao sighed, "Of course I have something to do. We can't have you not be there when our studio is hiring, right? By then, you don't know which departments the studio has, who the staff are, and who to contact for what. Is that okay?"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't worry, I'll definitely go. The tickets have been booked. I'm not kidding you. Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up. I have to tell Zhenting the good news."

Zhou Mengyao then realized that she was here to tell him good news, and quickly smiled and said, "Okay, go ahead and tell me. I'm hanging up now, see you later."

Qiao Bailu held the phone and smiled foolishly for a while. She was about to call Qiao Zhenting, but suddenly she remembered that he was in the ancestral hall at the moment, so she suppressed the thought. Generally speaking, girls are not allowed to go to the ancestral hall, but unmarried girls can still go to the Qiao family's ancestral hall to join in the fun. The ancestral hall will give out some melon seeds, candies and other things.

When she was a child, Qiao Bailu liked to join in the fun, but now she doesn’t want to go because there are too many people. Before the worship started, Qiao’s father was not of high generation, and almost 80% of people could be considered her, Qiao Bailu’s elder.

During the Chinese New Year, everyone started asking questions like, are you married, have you bought a house, how is your career going, when are you going to have kids, all sorts of things, and you can't be rude. Especially since Qiao's father has made a lot of money in the past two years, and Qiao Zhenting has become a little celebrity, there are more people asking questions, so Qiao Bailu doesn't like going anymore.

Just as I was thinking about it, I saw Qiao Zhenting rushing back. As soon as he came in, he quickly locked the door and patted his chest: "I was scared to death, these people are too enthusiastic, they insisted on dragging me to drink, and they didn't let me go even though I said I couldn't drink."

"I have great news for you." Qiao Bailu smiled and hooked her finger. Qiao Zhenting came over quickly and asked, "Have you finished writing the script for me?"

"No, it will take another month to finish. It's something else. Guess?" Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Qiao Zhenting blinked and said, "Is it the ratings of The Biography of Empress Lü?"

Qiao Bailu was surprised: "How did you become so smart?" She stretched out her hand and pulled Qiao Zhenting's cheek: "Tell me, who are you! How dare you pretend to be my stupid brother! Drag him out and chop him up!"

Qiao Zhenting was speechless and pulled Qiao Bailu's hand down: "Good news, of course it is related to my future career. Since it's not a script, then it must be the ratings of Empress Lü's Biography. If Empress Lü's Biography is not guessed correctly, then there is only one left!"

Clenching his fists, his eyes sparkling, "I've been nominated for the Magnolia Award for Best Actor!"

"Come on, The Legend of Empress Lü is a play centered on women. If Li Xue wins the Best Actress award, you will have no chance of winning." It is impossible for a play to have both the Best Actor and the Best Actress awards.

Qiao Zhenting curled his lips: "Can't I look forward to it? Hurry up and write the script, and update the blog again!"

He snatched Qiao Bailu's phone and glanced at it, and couldn't help but show off with a smile: "Look, I'm on the hot news again, although it's not the headline."

Qiao Bailu leaned over to take a look. It was probably just refreshed and she hadn’t seen it before.

“Paying respects to the Emperor? What a weird title.” Qiao Bailu’s mouth twitched. She clicked it and scrolled down. It was indeed weird. I don’t know which fan took a screenshot of the scene in the Biography of Empress Lü where the ministers of the previous dynasty paid respects to Liu Bang, and then started a topic.

However, the more inexplicable this kind of hot news is, the more it shows that Qiao Zhenting is popular, and any topic about him can become hot.

"Well, post a new blog and congratulate Lin Xiao on preparing a new play." Qiao Bailu poked Qiao Zhenting. The three male actors in the studio had different personalities and different paths, so there was not much competition between them, and the relationship between them was peaceful.

Qiao Zhenting obediently posted a new blog and also asked Lin Xiao.

Qiao Bailu opened the Goose and chatted with Xie Jiayuan. They agreed that on the fifth day of the New Year, Xie Jiayuan would come to visit Qiao's father and mother, and then take Qiao Bailu to Xie's house to play for a day.

It's a county town, even if it's to the east or west of the county, it's not far to drive here, and you can get there in about an hour, so there's still plenty of time.

Mr. and Mrs. Qiao have been busy recently. It is rare for them to come back. They visit one family, chat with another, have guests come today and tomorrow, and they wish a day could be 48 hours long.

Mother Qiao couldn't handle it all by herself, so she simply called Aunt Qiao and Qiao Feifei to come and help.

In a blink of an eye, it was the fifth day of the New Year. At seven o'clock in the morning, Qiao Bailu hadn't gotten up yet when she heard a knock on the door. Qiao's mother shouted from outside, "Bailu, Jiayuan is here, why aren't you getting up yet? Hurry up, it's time for breakfast!"

Bella Qiao took out her cell phone to check the time and couldn’t help but bury her head in the pillow—it was only seven o’clock!

After leaving the house, he glared at Xie Jiayuan: "Don't you sleep at night? Why do you get up so early?"

"It's not that early. Don't you know that? I usually get up at six o'clock. Today, I thought I would come here to wish my uncle and aunt a happy new year, so I got up at half past five." Xie Jiayuan said with a smile. Even though he got up half an hour earlier, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling: "You, kid, are not an outsider. Why do you need to get up so early? You can come at eight or nine o'clock, and you can still sleep a little longer."

"I can't sleep anyway, Auntie, where should I put the pot?" Xie Jiayuan was very smart and followed into the kitchen to help. Qiao's mother quickly stopped him, "Oh, no, no, just leave it there and let your uncle come. Go to the living room and talk to Bai Lu. Let Bai Lu turn on the TV for you, or you two can watch the computer for a while. Zhenting hasn't woken up yet. Let Bai Lu wake him up later."

"It's okay. I'm used to making it at home." Xie Jiayuan quickly put the steamed buns into the pot. Father Qiao pointed to the place for him and he quickly put it on the coal stove.

Qiao Bailu pouted in the living room and slammed Qiao Zhenting's door hard, "Lazy bug, get up! Your cousins are coming to play with you today. If they see you still lying in bed, they will laugh at you to death."

Qiao Zhenting turned a deaf ear to them. Those people were lazier than him and it was good enough that they arrived at nine o'clock. Unfortunately, he wanted to sleep but Qiao Bailu was about to smash a hole in the door, so he had to get up in frustration.

"Is your family busy during the New Year?" Qiao's mother asked while cutting vegetables. Xie Jiayuan was beside her helping to wash the spoon and chopsticks. "Not too much. We don't have too many relatives. My father has five brothers, and half of them are on my uncle's side."

According to the rules, when the elderly are alive, the relatives go to the family where the elderly are raised. When the elderly are gone, they go to the elderly family. Xie Jiayuan's grandmother passed away, but Uncle Xie is still alive.

Mother Xie has few relatives, only two uncles and one aunt, and all the relatives left yesterday. Qiao Bailu hasn't married yet, so she doesn't need to meet the relatives for the time being.

When the two of them get married, all the relatives from that place will have to go, and the advantage is that they can get red envelopes.

"Today, several boys from Bai Lu's aunt's and uncle's families are coming. They said they have never met their cousin's husband, so they came to meet him today. Ask your uncle to prepare a few cartons of cigarettes for you later. When they arrive, just give each of them a box."

While preparing the meal, Qiao's mother carefully explained, "You are all honest children, and we won't make things difficult for you. Do you want to drink? If not, ask your uncle to replace it with beer."

It is different from the man's side, where everything is lively after the wedding. On the woman's side, before the wedding, men of the same generation will embarrass the future son-in-law.

"Don't worry, Auntie. I have prepared everything. I have prepared two packs of cigarettes." Xie Jiayuan said with a smile, and then added after a pause: "I don't smoke, and I don't know what kind of cigarettes are good. Later, uncle will help me see if what I prepared is okay."

As they were talking, several cousins arrived. Two of them were quite popular and asked for cigarettes as soon as they entered the door. Xie Jiayuan was well prepared and handed them boxes of cigarettes one by one.

The older cousin smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "That's quite clever. Come on, let's play a few rounds of mahjong first."

Mother Qiao came out and gave him a pair of chopsticks: "Eat first! Why are you playing mahjong? It's New Year's Eve, right? Come and serve the food!"

The eldest cousin shrank back and followed into the kitchen to serve the meal. The second cousin came up to Qiao Zhenting and said, "Cousin, do you have any opinions about your future brother-in-law? If you do, then we can... hehehe, if not, then we won't knock him at the mahjong table later."

Qiao Zhenting shook his head: "Don't knock, he doesn't even know how to play mahjong, and my sister might be the one to tell him to do it. If you knock him, don't come to me if my sister comes to trouble you."

The second cousin touched his chin to show that he understood the situation, and then turned around to talk to the other kids. Qiao Bailu knew what they were up to at a glance. When her two cousins got married, they did the same thing, joining forces at the mahjong table to blackmail their new brother-in-law.

Humph, forget it, it's a great day, just treat it as giving them New Year's money. Guessing that Xie Jiayuan didn't have much change on him, Qiao Bailu hurried back to the room to get a stack, and secretly found an opportunity to give it to Xie Jiayuan.