Zheng Baozhu stood up and walked over to carefully examine the photos on the wall. The wall had chipped paint, but the photos were all protected with a layer of plastic. Apart from the autographed individual photos of well-known figures in the industry, there were also pictures where Teacher Ge was photographed with others. Most likely, all of them were his students or people he had guided.
In one old photo, Zheng Baozhu saw Su Ming.
In the picture, Su Ming looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, much younger than Zheng Baozhu remembered her. She was wearing a light-colored dress, leaning against the shade of a tree. At that time, she was already very beautiful, and with just a slight smile, she was captivating.
"Looking at your aunt?" Ge Hongyi had behind her without Zheng Baozhu realizing it. Zheng Baozhu turned to look at him, then hesitated before asking, "Do you already know that she was my aunt?"
Ge Hongyi nodded, "Tianming introduced you to me and told me about your situation. He hopes that I can mentor you, but I haven't agreed directly. I said I'll have you come over first so I can assess the situation."
Zheng Baozhu suddenly understood. It seemed that Director Gao Tianming also couldn't easily persuade Teacher Ge. It looks like she had to go through an audition first.
"Tianming is also a student from the film academy. He majored in directing and is a few years older than Su Ming," Ge Hongyi continued, seeming somewhat nostalgic, "Fate is truly a wondrous thing. Back then, Tianming found Su Ming, now Boyun has found you."
As Ge Hongyi spoke, he took out an album from a drawer, "I still have a few photos of Su Ming here. Do you want to take a look?"
"Sure," Zheng Baozhu was very interested in her aunt's past. Her family had kept all the things related to Su Ming, but no one had ever told her about her aunt's past.
"At that time, the performance class had fewer people. Su Ming was the most beautiful among the students I had taught," Ge Hongyi flipped to a group photo and smiled as he pointed it out to Zheng Baozhu, "This is a class photo from back then. Time flies."
In the photo, the class had much fewer students compared to now. Zheng Baozhu immediately spotted Su Ming. Her hair wasn't as long at the time, but she had trendy curly hair. Standing beside her was a tall and handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, the epitome of a heartthrob from that era.
Zheng Baozhu exclaimed, "Oh my God, is this Zhang Wensheng?"
Zhang Wensheng was a contemporary superstar alongside Su Ming. He had acted in many famous films and won several Best Actor awards. Although he had now faded out of the entertainment industry at almost fifty years old, any event he attended could easily become newsworthy, with even just a few words exchanged with him by his juniors being enough to warrant media coverage and praise.
When Zheng Baozhu was in school, she was a die-hard fan of Zhang Wensheng. He was not only handsome but also an outstanding actor. His gentle and elegant temperament, along with his deep and mesmerizing eyes, captivated countless fans.
He turned out to be her aunt's classmate?!
No one had ever told her!!
Ge Hongyi glanced at the photo and nodded with a smile, "Yes, he and Su Ming were the two students who had the best development in that class. They even dated for a while."
"????" Zheng Baozhu's pupils contracted, "What? My aunt dated Zhang Wensheng?"
Ge Hongyi remained calm and nodded, adding, "But they broke up later because they couldn't meet each other for a long time. Afterward, Su Ming met a rock singer, who was entirely different from Zhang Wensheng."
"What? Wait a minute," Zheng Baozhu looked at Ge Hongyi, "You mean the rock singer is Ray, the lead singer of Pumpkin?"
Ge Hongyi thought for a moment and somewhat uncertainly nodded, "It seems to be that name. I'm not very familiar with those rock singers."
Zheng Baozhu: "…"
Pumpkin was definitely a representative rock band of that era, and the band's lead singer, Ray, had a significant influence on a generation. Whether it was his magnetic singing style or his visual appearance, he fascinated countless fans. Even later, Gu Xin's initial style was clearly imitating him.
If there had been the term "national husband" for male stars at that time, Ray's looks would have been a perfect fit.
"My aunt also knew him?"
Ge Hongyi replied, "Not only knew him but also dated him."
Zheng Baozhu: "………."
Oh my god, what kind of person was my aunt? Were all ancient male gods her ex-boyfriends?
Winner in life. 🙂
Zheng Baozhu was envious.
"Alright, let's stop talking about your aunt. Let's talk about your situation," Ge Hongyi closed the album and looked at Zheng Baozhu across from him, "I heard you've been working as an extra in the Film and Television City?"
"Yes," Zheng Baozhu nodded, trying to calm her emotions, "Since I haven't received formal acting training, I thought of starting from being on set as an extra. Maybe I can pave my way in the industry that way."
Ge Hongyi smiled and said, "It's a method indeed. Back in the day, stars who came up that way had to work harder than others. Tianming said you've become a supporting character artist now?"
Zheng Baozhu nodded again. "Yes, when I attended the audition, I ran into Director Gao Tianming. He gave me your address. To be honest, I didn't expect it was you."
Ge Hongyi asked, "Is it because you didn't expect me to live in a place like this?"
Zheng Baozhu truthfully replied, "Yes, it was somewhat unexpected. The neighborhood here is quite complex, and I noticed you live alone."
"My son wanted me to move to another place, but I don't like those villa areas. They are too quiet and lack vitality," Ge Hongyi said, looking outside, "Look at this place, it's so lively, full of life. I enjoy observing people. Living with people is so interesting. If you make me move to the mountains, that won't do."
As Zheng Baozhu listened, she nodded slightly. The old community was indeed livelier than high-end neighborhoods, and everyone was very friendly. When newcomers arrived, people could easily recognize them, and the security might even be better.
"Let's go up to the second floor," Ge Hongyi took Zheng Baozhu to the second floor, where there were two chairs by the window facing the street. He sat by the window and watched the people passing by, "I like sitting here when I have nothing to do, observing the people below. People may have different understandings of art, but I have always believed that no matter how refined art is, it cannot be detached from the masses. When your work is completed, it will ultimately be judged by the audience, not just a few judges."
"You are right," Zheng Baozhu looked out of the window, seeing the mundane life and ordinary people. Each person was unique in their own way, playing the protagonist in their own lives. A student in a school uniform rode a bike into her view, going at full speed while shouting, "Aunt Wang, move aside, quickly move aside! Ah Cheng, your little brother is running around the street again, hurry and bring him back!"
Aunt Wang promptly pulled a young child back and scolded the kid like a gust of wind, "Zhou Mengting, you're late for school again! Don't you know how dangerous it is to rush like a maniac every month?!"
Ge Hongyi noticed Zheng Baozhu looking at Zhou Mengting and asked, "What kind of person do you think Zhou Mengting is?"
"Well…" Zheng Baozhu pondered for a moment and answered, "She seems to be a reckless person on the surface, but her heart is warm. I guess she performs well academically and she's quite skilled at riding a bike. In school, she's full of energy and has many friends. People tend to like being friends with someone energetic like her. There may be boys who have a crush on her, but she may not like any of them. However, deep down, there might be a boy who is different from the others, someone reserved and thoughtful, who has helped her when she faced difficulties. Even though in the boy's eyes, it might have been a small favor, she remembers it. Despite her carefree appearance, she isn't really naive."
After hearing this, Ge Hongyi stopped laughing and said, "I see, you're also a warm-hearted and energetic person. People around you must really like you, right?"
Zheng Baozhu adjusted her hair and admitted frankly, "Yes, that's true. I'm a kind and beautiful person. If someone doesn't like me, it's probably their problem."
For example, someone with the surname Qu.
Ge Hongyi smiled and said, "Hmm, that's true. But you analyzed so much about Zhou Mengting just by looking at her. You can easily figure out her thoughts."
Zheng Baozhu also smiled, "I'm not boasting, but I own a restaurant and a hotel. I interact with people all the time and encounter all kinds of customers every day. Of course, I can't say that I fully understand others, but I enjoy observing people. I think what you said is right. Artists should not be detached from the masses; they should come from and return to the masses. Everyone has their own characteristics and path in life. I like acting because it allows me to experience other people's lives, which is an experience that is hard to come by in other professions."
Ge Hongyi's smile deepened, "You and Su Ming do look similar, but your personalities are completely different. You are much more articulate than she ever was."
"Well…" Zheng Baozhu touched her nose, "I might have a bit of the 'TMI syndrome'. If you don't like someone who talks too much, I can adjust myself!"
"Haha, no need," Ge Hongyi chuckled, "I think you're fine the way you are. Everyone has their own personality, and that's great. However, in acting, delivering lines on stage is just as important as offstage."
Ge Hongyi stood up from his chair and said to Zheng Baozhu, "You can go back today. Come back next week at the same time. I need to think about the best way to teach you, tailored to your needs."
Zheng Baozhu stood up as well, unable to hide her excitement, "Teacher Ge, have you decided to teach me?!"
"Yes, Tianming was right. You are a promising talent," Ge Hongyi looked at her with a slight nod, "But while a teacher can guide you, it's up to the individual to cultivate themselves. I can't guarantee what results you will achieve."
"I understand that. I'm already very happy that you are willing to teach me!" Zheng Baozhu took out her phone and asked, "Can I have your phone number? In case of emergencies, we can contact each other by phone."
"Sure," Ge Hongyi gave her a string of digits and then let her go home.
Throughout the day, Zheng Baozhu was in a happy state, often smiling to herself while reading in the hotel's reading corner.
When Qu Zhi came back from the company, she was still in the same mood.
"What's up with Zheng Baozhu?" He casually asked Wei Zhen as he passed by him.
Wei Zhen glanced at Zheng Baozhu and told Qu Zhi, "I don't know. She's been like this since she came back. It seems she found some kind of teacher."
"A teacher?" Qu Zhi thought for a moment, then walked over to where Zheng Baozhu was sitting.
"I heard you found a teacher? An acting teacher?" Qu Zhi spoke, and only then did Zheng Baozhu notice that he had sat down in front of her. She nodded and peeled an orange in her hand.
"Yes, he's a highly respected teacher. Let me put it this way, in the world of martial arts, he's like the abbot of Shaolin or Zhang San from Wudang Mountain."
"…"
Qu Zhi couldn't help but comment, "Are you sure you haven't been deceived? There are so many online scammers these days."
"Of course not," Zheng Baozhu looked around and leaned closer to Qu Zhi, speaking in a low voice, "Ge Hongyi is the teacher I met just now. When I went for an audition, Director Gao Tianming gave me his address to meet him today. Today, I met him, and he agreed to teach me. Though it's only one class a week, it's one-on-one instruction. Jackpot!"
"Oh," Qu Zhi responded and also took an orange in his hand to peel, "So, today was your first class. What did you learn?"
"Today, we didn't officially start the class, but it wasn't entirely unproductive."
"Oh, so what did you gain?"
Zheng Baozhu's voice became even lower than before, "Ge Hongyi was also my aunt's teacher in the past, and I heard some things about my aunt from him. You probably don't know, but both Zhang Wensheng and Ray were my aunt's ex-boyfriends!!"
Qu Zhi: "…"
Although Qu Zhi had been abroad for many years, the time when Zhang Wensheng and Ray were at the height of their popularity was during his primary and secondary school years. So, he was very familiar with these two names, as they were not only popular among his classmates but also many of his teachers.
The news Zheng Baozhu just mentioned was indeed sensational enough to crash Weibo ten times over today.
"Oh my, I really envy my aunt," Zheng Baozhu said earnestly, "And those are just the ones Ge Hongyi knows about. Who knows how many more there were? Ah, all those male gods from that era were my aunt's ex-boyfriends. If I could… well, I shouldn't be so greedy. If half of the current male gods in the entertainment industry were my ex-boyfriends, I'd be content."
Qu Zhi: "…"
"Haha, you really have quite the imagination," Qu Zhi forcefully peeled an orange and threw the peel on the table. Zheng Baozhu glanced at the orange peel on the table and continued daydreaming about the future, "Wait a few decades, when people from the future era research our current entertainment industry, they won't have to search through piles of information to find out which male stars were the most popular. They'd just need to look at a list – Zheng Baozhu's ex-boyfriends – and they'd know who the hottest male stars are. Hahaha!"
Qu Zhi: "…"
Your dreams are getting more and more wild. 🙂
"I think you should recognize reality and give up on these fantasies," Qu Zhi forcefully peeled another segment of the orange and fed it to Zheng Baozhu, and some orange juice splattered on her face.
"Hey, could you be a bit more gentle when peeling? Are you peeling an orange or torturing it!" Zheng Baozhu wiped the orange juice off her face with her hand.
"…"
Qu Zhi peeled off another segment of the orange, fed it to her, and said, "This orange is so sour! What kind of orange is this?"
"It's a jelly orange, how could it be sour?" Zheng Baozhu grabbed the orange from Qu Zhi's hand, peeled off a segment, and fed it to herself, "It's fine; it's not sour at all. Maybe you just had vinegar and thought it was sour."
Qu Zhi: "…"
He held the orange, stood up, and walked away without looking back.
"…"
Zheng Baozhu looked at his back and shrugged, "What a strange person. So mysterious for no reason."