I am a Big Player
Chapter 247 - 245, Lonely Patient (Part 4_1)

Chapter 247: 245, Lonely Patient (Part 4_1)

Her daughter occasionally coming to stay with the old couple? Ren He had not considered this before. After thinking, he said, "She can, but she can’t have a key, that’s a principle."

Anyway, every room in the courtyard is quite large, and when their girl comes over, she can just stay in the same room as them, no problem. It wasn’t easy for the old couple to come to the Capital, so Ren He simply agreed.

When the old couple heard what Ren He said, they were reassured, "Rest assured, certainly!"

By the afternoon, Ren He discovered that the old couple were truly diligent. In no time at all, they had peeled the green husks off the walnuts he had picked and laid them out to dry in the courtyard. The ripe dates and persimmons were also picked and placed in Ren He’s room on plates.

The ground under the persimmon tree had previously been unsightly with overripe fruits fallen and smashed, but by the afternoon, everything was cleaned up.

Ren He suddenly felt like he had become a feudal lord...

After thinking it over, he gave the old couple ten thousand yuan: "Six thousand is an advance on the salary. It will increase every year. Buy whatever the house is lacking directly, and there is no need to wash my underwear or socks; I will wash them myself."

The old couple were overjoyed to receive ten thousand yuan. Their daughter’s education in the Capital wasn’t just about tuition fees, but also living expenses. Heartbroken to see their daughter working part-time on top of her studies, they had come from their hometown.

With this advance on the wages, their daughter wouldn’t have to work so hard. Plus, they’d have a monthly income. They calculated that they wouldn’t have many expenses every month since food and lodging were provided in the Courtyard House, leaving them able to send 1500 to their daughter and save over 4000 for themselves.

Considering that nowadays, the average yearly income for a farmer is only 4000 yuan!

That’s the income for an entire year, 4000 yuan, which is why people always say the wealth gap is too big, yet they don’t really know how big it is.

This was also why Ren He wanted to help Elder Zhou establish the Qinghe Fund.

The millet porridge, green pepper and egg stir-fry, sour shredded potatoes, and thin pancakes that the old couple made for Ren He left him feeling nearly ready to burst. Their culinary skills were truly excellent!

With the old couple’s help, Ren He now dared to invite everyone over to his new home for the housewarming.

Housewarming, a custom in many northern areas, signifies bringing vitality, joy, and wealth into a new home. Ren He was not superstitious, it was just that, having bought a Courtyard House, he felt no need to hide from friends. They were all sincere with each other, and hiding too much wasn’t good.

After all, he estimated he’d be in the Capital for many years to come. When people ask where he lives, can he really respond with ’no comment’? Then what about friendships...

What satisfied Ren He was that from beginning to end, the old couple never asked or doubted how he could afford such a mansion.

...

Xia Yuting walked toward the neighborhood wearing sunglasses and a mask. It had been a week since Kunlun premiered. Since the broadcast of Kunlun, the title quickly dominated the media coverage.

Praise and criticism surged forth, but undoubtedly, within three days of broadcasting, Kunlun’s ratings had broken records for all channels excluding the news broadcast and weather forecast!

To say it was the most popular TV series in history wasn’t an overstatement.

In the reviews, most commented that the male lead lacked the original book’s spirit and was at best a handsome but vapid idol.

However, on the contrary, the lead actresses Xia Yuting and Yan Kexin received high praise.

Yan Kexin was praised for her authentic performance, capturing the character Hua Xiaoshuang’s sense of injustice. People were actually praising Zhang Ming’s ability to choose actors...

But Xia Yuting was different; in the entire Kunlun series, her enchanting yet feisty performance brought the character Liu Yingying to life!

If there was a vote for the most liked actor in Kunlun, Xia Yuting would be the undisputed winner.

She had truly become famous. If she went out without a disguise, she would immediately be recognized. The moment she was surrounded by a crowd asking for autographs, Xia Yuting wanted to cry. She had finally made it.

The opportunity was hard to come by, but she seized it and truly succeeded.

All those days and nights of memorizing lines, understanding the emotions of the character, she had worked so hard she had gotten even thinner.

However, after she succeeded, Xia Yuting suddenly realized that in the vast Capital, among her many friends, she didn’t know who to share her happiness with after her success.

People in the circle wouldn’t do, sharing with those in the entertainment circle would lead them to think you were showing off, and you would be resented.

Those outside the circle wouldn’t do either, they didn’t understand how difficult this success was, in their minds it seemed that being cast was all about luck.

There was only one person left, Ren He, who was neither in nor out of the circle, and had even witnessed her being chosen and had spoken up to help.

It was after midnight, and Xia Yuting, too excited to sleep, wanted to share her joy with Ren He. Actually, she was a simple person, not that complicated, and didn’t like to play mind games.

However, when she prepared to knock on the door across from hers, she gave up and slowly walked back into her own room.

It was an indescribable emotion: would he be willing to listen to you share? Are you really friends? Or is it just what you think?

Many adults have such thoughts during social interactions; they worry about being warmly embraced by cold shoulders, so they simply avoid conversation and crossing paths, fearing that their enthusiasm will be frustrated.

So, in the end, even though she was about to become the most popular actress on the screen, Xia Yuting’s happiness remained unshared with anyone.

A bit lonely.

Today, upon returning from a job, she noticed that the door across from hers was open, with someone moving things inside. Xia Yuting paused, looked inside, and saw no trace of Ren He.

She asked in surprise, "Hello, where is the owner of this house?"

The young man inside turned to look at her: "Are you talking about the landlord?"

"No, I mean the tenant," Xia Yuting explained.

"Oh, I don’t know about the previous one, I just rented it myself, and today I moved things from my old place," the young man said cheerfully.

"Oh, sorry to bother you," Xia Yuting said softly, then turned and entered her own room.

She took off her sunglasses, removed her mask, and slipped off her shoes to let her delicate arches sink into the soft slippers.

Xia Yuting silently poured a bottle of red wine given to her by a friend into the cup she usually used for drinking tea, then she suddenly felt like laughing. Was it really only just a friendship?

If they were friends, wouldn’t they say something when they moved away, since they both had each other’s phone numbers?

In the vast Capital, two acquaintances becoming neighbors by coincidence had given Xia Yuting some warmth, as if she wasn’t alone.

But now that warmth had turned into bone-chilling cold, as if all the hardship and grievances she had endured since filming in Kunlun were about to erupt. She felt so wronged.

Although she didn’t understand why she, always so strong-willed, suddenly harbored such thoughts.

Suddenly her phone rang. Xia Yuting was stunned to see the caller ID: Ren He.

She hesitated for ten seconds, thinking that if they were no longer friends, why pick up? Better to forget each other as if lost in the vast world.

Yet, as if possessed, she answered anyway: "Hello?"

"Yuting, I’ve moved to a new place. Can you come tomorrow evening for a hotpot? There’ll be many friends from the Capital, all good people just looking for fun," Ren He said with a laugh on the phone.

"Sure, send me the address," Xia Yuting replied with a soft chuckle, so he just hadn’t had the chance to tell her yet. That was good.

...

Extra rewards update. Just to say in advance, this book doesn’t aim for a harem; everything is left to fate. I am strictly managed by my wife, who also reads the novel... and she gets really into it...