Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 25 Struggling Together (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Xiao opened his IBM laptop, skillfully connected the telephone line, and logged into QQ amidst the "beep beep beep" dial tone.

A few days later, more than a dozen new flashing avatars appeared in my friend list, all of them inquiries from students and parents who had purchased the materials.

[Are you there, friend? What is the grammatical structure of this example sentence?]

[I don't quite understand the example sentences following the words. Could you explain them in Chinese?]

[The information is great, my child said it was very useful, thank you!]

Most of the questions were trivial or even a little childish, but Gu Xiao still patiently replied to them.

The incident at the dance rehearsal room made him realize the importance of connections.

Even if the financial crisis is resolved, the business of selling study materials cannot stop.

The saying "more friends, more paths" is not just an empty phrase in this day and age—these seemingly insignificant consultations maintain the bond of trust between him and his clients, and no one knows when they might come in handy.

Half an hour later, after dealing with the last parent, Gu Xiao took out the disc she had borrowed from Qiu Xu, inserted it into the drive, and the drive made a slight reading sound.

Stance determines viewpoint, and viewpoint determines method.

In the past, people watched movies simply to kill time and seek sensory stimulation.

Now, sitting in front of the screen with a "learning" mindset, the experience is completely different.

To focus on his studies, he didn't turn on the sound, but instead concentrated on observing the actors' body language, facial expressions, and eye contact. When he encountered classic scenes, he would repeatedly rewind and savor each frame.

This process was extremely tedious, no less so than the agony of proofreading English words back then.

The light from the screen shone on his face, flickering intermittently.

The fleeting glimpse of Cheng Dieyi, whose smile could bring eternal spring and whose tears could bring eternal sorrow; the unrestrained expression on 1900's face as he battled the piano with someone in the turbulent cabin—countless images intertwined, decomposed, and reassembled in Gu Xiao's mind.

His eyes were sore from prolonged concentration, and his temples began to ache again.

Gu Xiao, however, was enjoying it.

This feeling of breaking down and analyzing classics to extract their essence gives him a strange sense of fulfillment.

……

……

Time flies by.

By the time Gu Xiao finished analyzing the last movie, it was already noon the next day.

He stretched and was about to go to the kitchen to find food when his computer suddenly beeped with a QQ notification.

Before one sound had even subsided, another one arose.

The "drip-drip" sound echoed continuously in the room, as if it wouldn't stop until it blew people out.

Gu Xiao knew it was Liu Yifei without even looking.

This kind of unwavering determination to achieve one's goal is unique among her friends.

He sat back in his chair and clicked on the frantically flashing sunflower icon.

[Dandelion in the Wind: Gu Xiao! We passed the second round of interviews!]

[Dandelion in the Wind: Hurry up and get your third exam admission ticket!]

[Dandelion in the Wind: I'm taking my third exam at 10 AM on the 17th, in room 505! Let me know when you're done!]

Gu Xiao was somewhat surprised that the re-examination results came out so quickly.

He originally thought the second-round review would take at least three days, plus a day to rest, giving him a total of four days to prepare.

If the results are released today, doesn't that mean the third round of testing might start the day after tomorrow?
This is a bit troublesome. Gu Xiao frowned, a sense of irritation rising in her heart.

The chat window is still popping up relentlessly:
[Dandelion in the Wind: I know you're online! Reply to my message!!!]

Gu Xiao snapped out of her daze and her fingertips landed on the keyboard.

[Wandering Muzi: I understand, congratulations.]

Liu Yifei replied almost instantly.

[Dandelion in the Wind: That's it?]

[Dandelion in the wind: Aren't you excited at all!?]

[Wandering Muzi: Excited.]

[Dandelion in the Wind: (Angry) (Angry) (Angry)] [Dandelion in the Wind: Go and get the paperwork done! I need to know if we're from the same event!]

"It's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is," Gu Xiao thought to herself, shutting down the computer, picking up the crumpled exam admission ticket, and stuffing it into her coat pocket.

"Let's go, go out."

He said something to Koji, who was struggling with Matsuko on the desk.

Xiao Jiu raised her head, looked at him, then at the pine nuts in her paws, and decisively chose the latter. Clutching the food, she darted back to her cardboard box nest, showing her "no" with her actions.

Gu Xiao cursed the ruthlessness in her heart, sighed, and went out alone.

……

……

[Third Exam Admission Ticket]

Name: Gu Xiao

Examination Admission Ticket Number: 0208127
Department of Performing Arts

Examination Location: Room 505, Acting and Directing Building, Beijing Film Academy
考试时间：2002年3月17日，上午 10:00
Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!!

In the corridor of the Beijing Film Academy's administration building, Gu Xiao's gaze fell on the information column of her admission ticket, and a million curses ran through her mind.

Just as I feared, I actually bumped into Liu Yifei.

After a brief moment of shock, Gu Xiao regained her composure and found it wasn't too hard to accept.

Fewer than 200 people participated in the third round of auditions. He and Liu Yifei were auditioning on the same day. With groups of 8-10 people, there was indeed a considerable probability that they would be assigned to the same session.

On the bright side, at least we have an extra day to prepare.

Gu Xiao stood at the school gate, clutching her exam admission ticket.

The sun was shining on me, but I didn't feel much warmth.

He took out his phone and dialed the only number in his contacts.

"Hello?" Liu Yifei's clear voice came through, carrying a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

"it's me."

"Is it done? When? Which classroom?" Her questions came at you like a machine gun.

Gu Xiao looked at the card in her hand and read the information on it calmly:

"Gu Xiao, Third Exam Admission Ticket, No. 0208127, March 17th, 10:3 AM, Faculty Building."

Before he could finish speaking, a short gasp came from the other end of the phone, followed by suppressed laughter.

"I didn't expect it to be the same event!" Liu Yifei's voice was filled with obvious excitement.

"It's a coincidence."

Gu Xiao sincerely commented, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the distant teaching building.

The other end of the phone suddenly went quiet, with only faint breathing sounds audible.

A few seconds later, Liu Yifei's voice rang out again, but it was much lower:

"Gu Xiao, do you think we can get through this?"

Gu Xiao fell silent, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of her exam admission ticket.

"Who knows?" he finally replied in a low voice.

"You don't have confidence either?" Liu Yifei's tone was complex, containing both worry and empathy.

"No."

Gu Xiao kicked a pebble on the roadside and said calmly, "But I will struggle until the very last moment."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that Gu Xiao thought the signal had been lost.

Just as he was about to hang up, Liu Yifei's voice came again:
"Then let's struggle together."

Gu Xiao gave a soft "hmm" and hung up the phone.

He took one last look at his exam admission ticket, put it in his pocket, and turned to merge into the crowd on the street.

(End of this chapter)