The birth of an actor

Chapter 98 Does my sister smell good?
"Hey, Anxin, are you free on the morning of the 12th?"

Xu Fan got straight to the point.

"No, sister-in-law, I'm going to the Beijing Film Academy on the morning of the 12th. Teacher Liu Zhizi is looking for me."

"Director Liu?"

As fellow graduates of the Beijing Film Academy, Xu Fan naturally knew of Director Liu's reputation.

So he said:

"When are you free? I have a friend who's starting a play, you could give it a try."

"Well... how about the afternoon of the 12th? Teacher Liu also wanted me to audition this morning."

"That works too. Call me when you're done with your work and I'll help you get in touch."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

"what."

Xu Fan chuckled softly, then suddenly changed the subject:
"Hey, don't worry, your sister-in-law has something to ask you."

"You say."

"I know that when you do fortune telling, each divination consists of eight characters, one good and one bad, and you only give the good one, right?"

"...Yes. But it wasn't me who gave it to you, sister-in-law, it was Old Immortal."

"Hmm... I heard from Wang Shuo that the old divination gave him four words: 'Avoid the West.' Does this divination mean that only the least bad one is taken out of two bad ones?"

Anxin immediately understood what she meant.

only……

"Brother Wang, did you tell me the divination results?"

"I already told you. Can you explain it to me... Of course, I don't need you to interpret the divination. I'm just curious... Also, what's the deal with Leilei's divination?"

"...Did Sister Leilei tell you too?"

"..."

Xu Fan, on the other end of the phone, had a sudden thought.

Does this mean... Xu Jinglei has given up?

Didn't she say it wasn't counted?
At that moment, she heard An Xin say:
"Sister-in-law, the old fortune teller only tells fortunes based on whether there's a connection. If there is, he'll tell the fortune; if not, he won't. The divination text and the hexagram itself are already quite clear. It will happen, but the outcome depends on your actions. That's why he only gives half the divination. As for Brother Wang and Sister Leilei... one asked about their career, and the other about their marriage. The old fortune teller doesn't care about mortal relationships; he gives what he sees, that's all. Asking won't really help, because these things happen gradually under the laws of nature, and you can't change them by deliberately doing something. This divination can only be remembered, and when you encounter something, you can use this hint to guide things in a relatively better direction."

"...I see, I understand now. But can't your sister Leilei's fortune be changed?"

"Old Immortal isn't the God of Love, how can he change it?"

Upon hearing Anxin's words, Xu Fan suddenly understood.

Although she didn't know the specific divination result, she finally understood why Xu Jinglei said, "I didn't do the divination, and I don't want to do it anymore."

Forget about her!

The question was about marriage, but the result was very bad!
I see……

This time, however, Xu Fan didn't ask any further questions, nor was there any need to.

Just keep it in mind.

……

Anxin has to admit that Xu Qing's cooking skills are truly excellent.

Although he didn't consider himself a picky eater, the other person's cooking skills were truly exceptional.

I made a different one for him every day, and I even baked him a honey cake once.

According to her, she made it in her own oven. Even Fan Bingbing, who was unaware of the recipe, praised it as delicious after taking a bite and asked where she bought it so she could go buy some too.

Anxin stayed in the hospital for a total of five days. In fact, he felt that he was fine as early as the third day.

Apart from a bruise on the back of my head that needs to go down slowly, I no longer have any symptoms such as the wound or dizziness.

But Xu Qing still didn't let him leave the hospital, forcing him to stay for five more days.

He was only released after a final, comprehensive check-up to confirm that he was alright.

On the day he was discharged from the hospital, Xu Qing personally drove to pick him up.

Looking at this Honda, Anxin thought it resembled an Accord, but it was somewhat different from the Accord he remembered.

"Put your things there, I'll take care of them. You can get in the car."

Without saying a word, Xu Qing opened the passenger door and pushed An Xin inside.

Then, he quickly tossed two plastic bags filled with clothes and other odds and ends into the trunk.

They drove the car directly out of Peking University Third Hospital.

Jishuitan Hospital?

"Correct."

"Hmm, did you get the medicine?"

"Take it."

"Replace it promptly."

"know."

"Bring up the jar that's next to your feet."

"this?"

Anxin looked at the canned food jar covered with a plastic bag and was about to hand it over when Xu Qing said:

"These are some pickled cucumbers I made. A friend of mine was filming in the south a couple of days ago, and I asked him to bring them back for me. Even though they're out of season, they're incredibly crisp and tender. I'll keep half for you and give you the other half. You can take them back to school and have them with your porridge or an egg in the morning. They're perfect for that. Plus, they're leafy greens, so they'll help you get some chlorophyll."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Qing."

In the past few days, their relationship has changed from one of awkward guilt to one of familiarity.

He genuinely liked the other person's craftsmanship, so he accepted it without hesitation.

As for calling her "Sister Qing," that was something Xu Qing insisted on herself.

Saying "Teacher Xu" feels awkward; tell him to call her Sister Qing.

Then, Xu Qing took an envelope from the storage compartment in the car door:
"Give."

An Xin glanced at it and shook her head:
"No. We've already spent a lot of money on medical treatment, and yesterday we even had a completely unnecessary full-body checkup..."

"This is your allowance."

Xu Qing shoved the envelope directly into his arms:
"It's only natural for an older sister to give her younger brother some pocket money. Why are you arguing about it?"

The problem is that if you carefully check the thickness, it will cost at least two or three thousand.

"No, it's too much..."

"Just take it. Stop arguing, do you hear me?"

Looking at the finger held up in front of her, An Xin was speechless. Seeing that the other person was turning their head while driving, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"Okay, keep an eye on the road ahead and drive carefully."

"That's more like it. Go back to school and get back to your studies, don't fall behind. I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow. When I get back, I'll invite some friends over for a meal and introduce you to them. They'll all be helpful to your career..."

"No need..."

"Just listen to me."

As she was speaking, she heard a "rustling" sound, turned her head and saw Anxin scratching her head.

"Have you not washed your hair for days?"

"Today is the seventh day."

"Itchy?" "Yeah, really itchy. I feel like I could fry vegetables with all the oil in my hair."

Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded and pressed the accelerator even harder.

Peking University Third Hospital is located behind Beijing Film Academy, just one intersection away, and it is also very close to Jishuitan Hospital, just a few traffic lights away.

Soon, following Anxin's instructions, the Honda stopped at the entrance of the alley.

However, Xu Qing refused An Xin's suggestion to go back by himself and instead helped him carry his things to the back door.

She knew she could live comfortably by herself, but when she walked into the courtyard and saw the clutter piled up there, her brows furrowed slightly.

The living conditions here are... terrible.

And once inside the house, it was even worse.

Looking around the entire house, which contained only a pitiful television as a household appliance, a simple wooden bed, and a tin stove, she remarked:
"You stay here during the winter?"

"No, I usually stay in the dormitory. I only come back occasionally."

"..."

Xu Qing was speechless. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Boil some water."

Anxin assumed she was thirsty, so she nodded.

"it is good."

Then I started lighting the stove, filling the kettle with water, and putting the electric kettle into the water heater.

"...Would you believe me if I said I haven't seen anyone light a stove in many years?"

"Sister Qing has lived in an apartment building since she was a child?"

"Yes. Central heating makes it hotter in winter than in summer; sometimes you have to open the windows."

"No wonder."

As Anxin spoke, she opened the cabinet and grabbed a handful of ginseng roots and deer antler slices:

"Sister Qing, this is for you. It's a local specialty from my hometown, nothing expensive, just something to make soup with when you get back."

"...Is this deer antler? What's this whisker?...Ginseng?"

Xu Qing's expression turned strange:

"You call this not valuable?"

"I picked them myself, so it didn't cost me any money."

"Your family makes local specialties?"

"...Sort of, my grandfather was a herdsman who moved mountains."

"Oh~"

As Xu Qing spoke, he got up and pulled out the electric kettle to check the water temperature. Seeing that the water was already warm, he suddenly said:

"The water's warm enough. Lie down, I'll wash your hair."

"……what?"

"What do you mean 'huh'? Your wound will take a few more days to heal. You really want to use your hair oil to cook vegetables?"

As she spoke, Xu Qing took down the washbasin and a loose bottle of Head & Shoulders shampoo from the basin stand.

"Quick, lie on your side, I'll wash you slowly and relieve your itch... Where's the plastic bag? A big plastic bag, find me one."

"..."

A moment later, Anxin's head was half-reclined on a pillow covered with a plastic bag, hanging in the air. Xu Qing sat on a stool, carefully wet his head with warm water, squeezed out shampoo, and gently massaged it into his head.

"It is indeed quite oily, and it doesn't lather at all, so you have to wash it twice."

"……Um."

"How's the intensity?"

"pretty good."

"Does that mean it's very comfortable?"

"Ah."

"Ha~"

Xu Qing chuckled softly:
"Do you know what this is called? It's called dry shampooing. It combines shampooing with a massage, it's definitely comfortable. I quite like having my hair washed like this. Sometimes I even fall asleep while they're massaging my hair like this."

"Beauty salon?"

"Hmm, interested? I'll take you there another day."

"No... what would a man like me do there?"

"Who says beauty salons are only for women? Besides, are you a man? You're just a little kid."

"..."

Anxin was speechless, pursing her lips without saying a word.

Xu Qing laughed even more happily:

"What? Are you still not convinced?"

"No... Sister Qing, water got down my neck."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing immediately stood up, moving from sitting on top of An Xin to sitting on the bed:
"It's not a good place to wash, don't move..."

As soon as she sat down next to Anxin, she started washing Anxin's hair. Because of the close proximity, Anxin immediately smelled a fragrance.

I don't know if it's the scent of perfume or something else.

My body, which had been calm and collected, began to stir with instinct.

I had no choice but to make my breathing shallower.

But the more he did this, the more the fragrance seemed to playfully burrow into his nose.

Xu Qing didn't notice it at first, but as she finished cleaning the area around An Xin's head and was about to carefully clean the foam around An Xin's wound, she suddenly noticed An Xin's ears, which had turned very red.

She was a little taken aback at first, but following the blush on An Xin's ears, she noticed An Xin's face was also slightly flushed, and... the tip of her nose was only a finger's width away from her sweater.

"..."

After a moment of surprise, a slightly mocking smile suddenly appeared on her face.

I didn't have any other intentions; I just wanted to tease this little brat who's always so serious.

So, she leaned forward slightly, and the sweater just covered Anxin's nose.

"Don't move around, there's a lot of foam here."

Anxin, who had originally intended to step back and tilt her head back, immediately stopped moving.

But the aroma only grew stronger.

After a short while, once the foam was cleared away, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

And just then, he heard a sentence:
"Does my sister smell nice?"

"!"

Anxin's lips twitched suddenly, and she looked at the mature, domineering woman with a speechless expression.

Thinking to myself, "Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Ha ha ha ha……"

Laughter filled the room.

As the honeycomb briquettes in the stove were lit, the temperature rose higher and higher.

(End of this chapter)