Chapter 7

The fluorescent lights were bright, and the four walls were snow white.

In the living room, the TV drama seemed to have reached a critical moment, with the male and female leads shouting at each other loudly.

Li Qian, with his hands clasped over his head, lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the white ceiling, but his gaze was unfocused.

He was lost in thought.

It had been almost a week since he arrived in this time and this world. To be honest, he felt no difficulty in adapting. He had no dissatisfaction, unease, or fear—any negative emotions—about the decades of life he would spend in this world. Instead, he was full of anticipation.

He knew that compared to the original residents of this world, he possessed an advantage so great that it was unimaginable—this was the pinnacle of creation by countless musicians, artists, writers, singers, screenwriters, directors, actors, and so on, the best of the best in the arts over decades, centuries, and even millennia in the other world.

The stories, texts, images, notes, sounds, and gazes they created were artistic masterpieces that could hold their own against all the art of this era, and could even be said to be treasures of art!

And these, in this world, had never appeared. They were known and mastered only by him.

But, what should he do?

Yes, he had a perfect family, loving parents, a stable home, a steady family income provided by both parents, and a harmonious family atmosphere... These were all incredibly important to Li Qian, things he had neglected for over thirty years in his previous life, only to gradually realize their importance in the past two years, but was unable to return to due to mundane affairs.

He valued and cherished this family immensely.

But his life could not be limited to these things. He wanted more, something greater. However, in this life, he knew that some things could not and should not be replaced, and must be cherished. Therefore, he would not abandon those warm moments for the sake of so-called artistic pursuits.

So, what should he do?

How could he transform this huge advantage, which currently existed only in his mind, into reality?

He wanted to release albums, many albums. He wanted to present the moving and beautiful notes, the cheerful and joyful, or sad and compassionate rhythms, and the beautiful lyrics in his mind to the people of this world, to let them see and hear.

He wanted to make movies, whether as an actor, a screenwriter, or a director. He wanted to bring to life the beautiful stories and moving emotions he knew and had seen, and even correct the flaws that were criticized after the works were released, making them appear in front of everyone in this world in a more perfect form, so that they would be delighted, praised, and moved to tears.

He even wanted to write books, to become a writer. This time, it would not just be based on what he read in his previous life; he felt he had many things he wanted to say, many stories he wanted to tell...

But, what should he do?

Releasing albums, making movies, writing... Each was beautiful, but each was so distant.

If you want to release an album, you first need a record company willing to sign you and invest in you... So, are you the champion of a singing competition? Have you proven yourself elsewhere? Or is there a big shot who sees potential in you and is willing to support you?

Alright, if none of these apply, why should anyone invest in you to release an album?

You say you have a good voice?

Please, there are many people with musical and vocal talent who, after systematic training, have excellent voices. There are countless newbies waiting in line to sign contracts! Who are you?

You say you have creative talent?

That's not bad, and it could even be a huge advantage. There are plenty of people who can sing, but fewer who can write songs. However, please note, not just any song with lyrics is a song that can be used!

You say your songs are good?

Please, the market decides what's truly good. Without market validation, who dares to say their songs will definitely become hits?

In this industry, there are a few people, whether composers or producers, who have an astonishing grasp of market trends. They always create widely popular songs or albums that sell well. If they take a liking to you, you can almost instantly rise to fame... But how many such people are there in the entire industry? Every day, every hour, every minute, how many people are watching them, trying to get close to them?

Can you reach them?

So... the problem comes back to the beginning: why should you be able to release an album?

As for making movies... Well, ordinary people might say, you're handsome, so of course you can act in movies!

Nonsense!

Li Qian, who had spent many years in the industry in his previous life, knew deeply that being handsome had nothing to do with whether you could be an actor! Similarly, during the annual art exams, the examination sites are crowded with handsome men and beautiful women, but in the end, if you compare them, you'll find that those who are admitted are often not the most beautiful.

So, releasing an album is hard, and acting in movies is also hard.

Writing, on the other hand, can be tried gradually, but it's clearly not the most urgent thing for Li Qian to do.

...

Li Qian suddenly retracted his gaze, then sprang out of bed, pulled over a chair, sat down, and took a piece of white paper. After a brief moment of thought, he wrote four words: "Short-term Goals."

Then, he wrote below:

1. Study hard, make progress every day, and at least get into a university in the capital.

2. Practice basic skills, guitar, and singing every day.

3. Apply for a job at a bar during the summer vacation, aiming to become a resident singer, at least at one place, to hone his control over his voice and the stage.

4. Go to an art college for acting, and strive to continue being classmates with Xiao Lu.

After writing, he read it over carefully, recited it silently, then crumpled the paper and threw it into the trash can.

So, let's start!

...

At 8:30 PM, on the rooftop.

Li Qian climbed up the stairs and saw Wang Jinglu leaning against the guardrail, lost in thought.

"Hey, beautiful, can you at least type something in your text messages? At least send a letter or a number!"

Wang Jinglu turned to look at him, then turned back to her distant gaze, her expression unchanged.

Clearly, she was in a bad mood.

"Nothing happened on the fifth floor opposite today, how boring!" Li Qian said.

Wang Jinglu remained silent.

So Li Qian also fell silent.

After a while, he nudged Wang Jinglu's elbow and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wang Jinglu turned to look at him, hesitated, but finally said, "Nothing, just a bit... a bit down. I don't know why."

Li Qian was taken aback, his eyelids twitching, and he said in a teasing tone, "This kind of thing... you shouldn't talk to me, right? You should talk to your mom?"

Wang Jinglu was startled, her eyes wide, "You... how do you know?"

Today, when she called Li Qian up, she did want to talk about something, but for some reason, when she saw him, she didn't want to anymore: it was just a guess, a friend's child returning from abroad to visit, what's the big deal? They didn't say anything, and if she brought it up and nothing happened, it would be awkward, as if she was making a fuss over nothing!

But... how did Li Qian know?

Li Qian was taken aback again, "Why wouldn't I know? You look like this, and you're in a bad mood... Well, I know, girls have those days every month..."

Wang Jinglu's eyes suddenly widened, her gaze momentarily dazed.

Then, when she came to her senses, her face turned red!

She kicked Li Qian in frustration, embarrassed and flustered, not knowing how to explain, and stomped her foot, "No!"

Li Qian, looking aggrieved, spread his hands, "What did I do wrong? I just said that."

Wang Jinglu glared at him, turned away, and fell silent.

However, Li Qian's teasing had inadvertently lightened the burden in her heart.

After a moment of silence, Wang Jinglu remembered the main issue and said, "The monthly exams are next Thursday and Friday."

"Uh-huh," Li Qian nodded absentmindedly.

"You scored 433 points last time," Wang Jinglu continued.

Li Qian suddenly perked up, "How many points do I need to be in the top thirty?"

In his recently set short-term goals, the first was about studying, and the last was about university. So, the score was not something to be taken lightly.

Wang Jinglu thought for a moment, "Xiao Ping, who sits behind me, scored 518 points last time, and she was 27th."

"Okay, so I need around 500 points," Li Qian thought.

Wang Jinglu said, "If you end up in the bottom ten in the final exam, you'll be moved to a regular class, just like when you went from first to second year. I don't require you to score 500 points, 480 points will do. 480 points should be enough to stay in the class."

Li Qian said, "Well, it doesn't matter which class I'm in, you're leaving anyway..."

Wang Jinglu blushed slightly and fell silent.

Li Qian didn't notice her, and continued to calculate, "90 points in Chinese is hard to say, but 85 points is doable. History and philosophy should be around 80 points. I've been studying English and science like crazy recently, so let's say 75 and 70 points. That's 390 points... quite a bit of pressure. Okay, I'll aim for 70 points in math, which shouldn't be too hard. Second-year math isn't too difficult. The problem is Russian... 60 points is really hard!"

After some calculations, Li Qian felt he could score between 500 and 520 points, and was relatively satisfied with this result. He turned to look at Wang Jinglu.

Her eyes behind the glasses blinked, and she averted her gaze, not meeting Li Qian's eyes, and said softly, "What if I tell my sister... I don't go to the capital?"

She paused, as if afraid Li Qian would misunderstand, and explained, "I mean, if I don't go to the capital during the summer, I can tutor you in Russian, since it's your weakest subject!"

Li Qian blinked, not saying anything.

Wang Jinglu turned to look at him, counting on her fingers, "Last time you scored 91 in Chinese, 43 in math, 61 in English, 52 in Russian, 70 in history, 67 in philosophy, and 49 in science... Do you really think you can improve that much?"

Li Qian was taken aback. He couldn't say, "I did pretty well in my previous life, except for Russian, which I never learned. A little review shouldn't be too bad..."

"You remember so clearly, I've forgotten..." he said.

"You're always so careless about everything..." she said.

"I'll take it seriously this time, I've been working hard for the past few days..." he said.

"Daydreaming and sneaking peeks at me in class, and even getting caught by the teacher, is that hard work?" she said.

This was undeniable, and Li Qian thought for a moment before lowering his head.

Wang Jinglu rolled her eyes, "This time, try to score 460 points, and aim for 490 points in the final exam, okay? If you score 490 points, you can stay in our class, and then... then I won't go to the capital, okay?"

Li Qian quickly waved his hands, "No, no, you should go. If you don't, your sister will freeze me with her eyes! Besides, I'm sure I can score 500 points, don't worry!"

Wang Jinglu seemed a bit disappointed, turned to look at the distant street, and fell silent.

Li Qian turned to look at her.

Her short, black, fluffy hair, her calm and obedient face.

Her slightly thin but not bony, and quite full, very beautiful side face.

Her round, thin, and very beautiful earlobes.

Her long, white, and very beautiful neck.

Her slightly exposed, very beautiful collarbone.

Her white and blue floral strapless nightgown... very beautiful.

Li Qian sniffed, and quickly averted his gaze just before she turned to look at him.

"By the way, has your sister told you what you need to do for the film academy exams?"

Wang Jinglu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "A lot, but my sister said that my appearance and physique will easily pass, and my piano skills are definitely fine. The only thing is the impromptu performance. My sister said I'm too shy, and when I see the examiners, I'll be even more nervous, so I need to prepare in advance and take some private lessons in the capital..."

Li Qian leaned back, and with a dismissive look, glanced at her, "Please, what do you mean by easily passing appearance and physique? Do you think being pretty gives you a special privilege? Let me tell you, for an actor, being pretty or not isn't that important! Because film is an art that can create beauty..."

"Besides, during the art exams, the capital and Shuntian are flooded with tens of thousands of beautiful young women, all in groups, overwhelming. You, a little flower, only look good to your sister. Put you among those beauties, and you won't stand out at all..."

Listening to Li Qian's dismissive remarks, for some reason, Wang Jinglu felt the disappointment in her heart disappear, and she couldn't help but smile.

A bit shy, a bit happy... very beautiful.