Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 436 - 437: Knowledge Changes Destiny

Chapter 436: Chapter 437: Knowledge Changes Destiny

Deng Meili confirmed, "Studying."

"I know that everyone’s circumstances are different. Some people drop out of school in junior or senior high to try their luck outside and still manage to forge a career, but many others end up as bottom-tier labor workers."

"Their knowledge is limited, and even if they want to do something else, they might not be able to achieve it."

"I also know that studying doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll stand out. There are those who graduate from Tsinghua and go back to selling pork, but have you ever thought about why your parents want you to study, why the country wants you to study?"

"Science and technology strengthen the nation, talents empower the nation, knowledge changes destiny. Studying gives you knowledge, and the campus is a pure place for imparting knowledge. The competition there seems minor to me. Once you go out to work, you’ll find that you have to keep a lot bottled up inside."

"If you want to rise above others, if you want your fate not to be controlled by others, if you want to gain a voice, then strive to learn no matter whether in school or elsewhere, and never give up on studying."

These words struck Wang Zhao like thunder, deeply awakening him.

He bowed his head, his words slightly choked, "My dad is a gambler, and my mom sells vegetables at the market, getting up early and going to bed late to pick up the produce. I’ve thought many times about having my mom divorce my dad, but she can’t bear to do it, and neither can I."

"Actually, my dad is very kind to me. I know he gambles to scrape together my school fees, all for me. We can’t afford the yearly tuition of twenty thousand."

"I attended a public junior high, and my dad never touched gambling. Later, when I urgently needed a large sum of money for high school, he started."

"At first, he won, and I wanted him to stop gambling, but how could he stop? My parents couldn’t make a hundred yuan a day from selling vegetables, and there were expenses for cooking and renting a place, so I thought of tutoring others to earn some money."

Acting is about capturing a feeling. The male actor was too tense before, his lines dry and disjointed, which is why the director kept calling "cut."

But now, freed from that mental pressure, as the male actor recited his lines, he suddenly empathized with the emotion and became impassioned.

He was not some rich kid either. When he was younger, his family was also very poor.

Seeing his good performance, the director didn’t call "cut" and let the male actor continue.

As he spoke, the male actor became indignant, unconsciously changing some of his lines:

"I just don’t want them to struggle so hard. Just to afford my education, they’re already under so much pressure. My dad even picked up a gambling addiction, owing tens of thousands, and I can’t do anything but watch him gamble."

"I initially didn’t plan to talk about voluntarily dropping back to tutor. My parents care a lot about my grades and wanted me to get into a good university. I wanted to keep hiding it from them, fearing they’d be disappointed."

"But they found out anyway. They saw me in the worst class, Z class, and were so angry they made me kneel and hit me!"

"I can’t understand it. I also want to contribute to this family. I earn money with my knowledge, is that wrong? My parents even threatened me, told me not to go to Z class, and even went to the principal begging on their knees to move me back to A class."

At this point, Wang Zhao’s voice choked, "Sometimes I think, how good it would be if I didn’t read books at all. If I didn’t, dad wouldn’t have picked up gambling, mom wouldn’t have to work so hard, I’m just a burden!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he blurted out a line not in the script: "This damned life!"

Director Zhou’s eyes brightened; he couldn’t help but laugh.

That line was a brilliant addition!

He Jinxia didn’t hear the director call "cut" and timely delivered her line.

Her voice was cool and detached, the emotions unclear, "Poverty is no excuse for robbery, of all things, to rob a casino. If I hadn’t been there today, you would definitely have ended up with a crushed hand."

"There are all sorts of gamblers in the casino, many who are worse off than you, and many who are bolder and less afraid of death. The money is openly placed right in the center of the casino, yet have you ever wondered why no one dares to steal it?"

Deng Meili said coldly, "Death is not the scariest thing in the world. Death ends it all, but worse than death is a life worse than death!"

"Do you think those who dare to run casinos don’t have a background? There are countless ways to make life worse than death. Have you ever heard of the ’Blood Bull’, the ’breeding pig’, or the ’Mobile Organ Bank’?"

With each term Deng Meili uttered, Wang Zhao’s face grew paler, and by the time she finished, his back was covered in cold sweat.

This state was not acted out; he was truly frightened.

He Jinxia’s words seemed plausible; even if the male actor had never encountered these things firsthand, he had heard of them, which inevitably evoked some fearful emotions.

"It’s good that you didn’t steal much money, otherwise, more people would be here to trouble you today!"

Wang Zhao, "Teacher, I, I..."

Deng Meili glanced at him, "What, you know fear now? Weren’t you very tough before, all ’I’m not afraid to die’?"

Wang Zhao offered a wry smile, looking eagerly at her, "Teacher, I realize my mistake."

Deng Meili, "Haha."

Wang Zhao’s eyes flickered, and he gritted his teeth, "Teacher, I’ll turn myself in at the police station!"

Deng Meili was speechless, "If you really think your life is too long, go ahead, I won’t stop you."

Wang Zhao looked puzzled, unable to understand.

Turning himself in would be better than being thrown into jail, right?

Deng Meili looked at him with frustration, "You are really dense, reading so many books yet turning into a bookworm! That’s gambling, and Hua Country clamps down hard. If you rush to confess, you would be forcing the police to raid their den. You’d really have made enemies then!"

"Use your brain, think about it. The casino is obviously located, do you think the local police don’t know? Chances are they’ve been bribed, just turning a blind eye. If you really turn yourself in, you might end up dead even faster!"

Wang Zhao panicked, "Ah, then what should I do?"

Deng Meili thought for a while, "Let me handle this situation. You just do as I say."

Wang Zhao was stunned. At that moment, Deng Meili in his eyes was the epitome of rectitude, kindness, and goodness!

Director Zhou was very pleased with capturing Wang Zhao’s "moved" expression and gleefully called out, "Cut! This long shot went well. We are making good progress this morning; let’s shoot two more scenes and we can wrap up early!"

Next up was still the face-off between Deng Meili and Wang Zhao. Perhaps due to He Jinxia’s guidance, the male actor improved rapidly.

Even if the male actor’s expressions and body language were somewhat exaggerated, Director Zhou did not mind, and just kept shooting that way.

He was filming a TV series, after all, where over-the-top performances are normal, not a movie.

Moreover, Director Zhou felt his series was at least twice as sophisticated and high-end compared to those tacky ones!