I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability! - Chapter 258

Just like how he forgot to bring Chenpi back after going to Bai Xiaoxiao’s house twice, Bai Xiaoxiao also forgot to take her kitten with her.

Xu Lin, hearing Bai Xiaoxiao’s slightly hoarse voice, knew she must be feeling guilty for not fulfilling her promise.

“You can go tomorrow if you want. If you don’t show up and say you want the kitten, it will be brought back and placed in the garden.”

“But I clearly promised, and they might think I didn’t take it seriously…”

“Don’t worry, they won’t say anything. I’ll let Teacher Su know and take you there tomorrow at noon.”

“That’s too much trouble for Teacher Su.”

“Then how will you get there? Or ask Chu Fengyi, she might have some time.”

“Please thank them for me.”

“Okay, I’ll arrange it.”

“The cat wasn’t brought back, right?” Liu Qinnuan asked after Xu Lin hung up the phone.

He nodded.

“My little orange cat is still at her place. It’s really frustrating.”

“You say, I came all the way to Linshui, and you didn’t even take me around?”

“But we’ve already spent a whole day together.”

“You didn’t take me with you. It was a group of people together.”

“Isn’t that the same?”

“It’s not the same.”

“Linshui is a small city, with not much nightlife. At this hour, the malls are closed, and besides, I still have to work.”

“Oh, I forgot you’re still writing novels. How’s that going?”

“That’s fine, but it’s already 9 o’clock. Are you sure you don’t want to go back? Ji Yun might worry about you.”

“Sister Ji Yun said if dinner is late, I should rest at your place.”

“…”

Xu Lin felt that recently Ji Yun had been getting more lenient with him, but she still hadn’t told him about the answers to his previous life dreams.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing. Come to my room, but don’t complain if it’s boring. I can’t chat with you all the time while I write.”

“It’s fine.”

“Alright then.”

Liu Qinnuan followed Xu Lin into the bedroom, and as usual, she scanned the room.

“My room doesn’t have anything special.”

“It just feels very tidy. You can tell you love reading.”

“Yeah.”

Xu Lin glanced at his bookshelf.

It wasn’t very full initially, but since he crossed over, he had added a few books whenever he had the chance, and now it was filled with two shelves of books.

“Brother Xu, what’s it like to write online novels?”

“It’s just about writing stories. If you have something you really want to express, you can write it out.”

“No, I’ve tried. I couldn’t even stick to 200 words.”

Liu Qinnuan remembered her original dream of becoming a screenwriter, but back in elementary school, when she couldn’t even come up with 300 words for an essay, she realized that having a lot of ideas in your head doesn’t mean you can write them down.

“If you like writing and reading, that’s part of the foundation for writing novels. Many people can write if they enjoy it. But if you don’t like writing or reading, even if you do well academically, it will become tedious over time.”

Xu Lin recalled a well-known short-story writer online who often posted on forums but said he didn’t really enjoy reading or creating, just did it for the money.

This was actually quite annoying because many people who genuinely liked it didn’t have his talent, but he simply used it as a tool for making money.

“Do you think you’re more of a talent person or a hard worker?”

“I’m a bit of a talented hard worker.”

“Everyone says they have talent and work hard. How do you explain it?”

“It’s more like having a bit more talent than others, but without hard work, you’d be eliminated anytime.”

Xu Lin honestly evaluated himself like this, not out of modesty but self-awareness.

“Then you also act. What’s that?”

“Is it like an extra window that heaven gave me?”

“Made you show off!”

“Haha, I’m just speaking honestly,” Xu Lin said as he opened WPS and started writing.

“Do you write with this?” Liu Qinnuan asked.

“Yeah, I need to get into writing mode. You can tell me a story. Once I’m in the zone, I’ll speak less, but I can still hear you.”

“Alright, what would you like to hear?”

“Anything you like.”

“Then I’ll talk about my acting career from childhood to now.”

“You’re still young now, aren’t you?”

“Haha, true. Sometimes I feel like I’m way behind my peers… Do you want to hear about it?”

“Please.”

Xu Lin nodded and his fingers danced across the keyboard. Liu Qinnuan sat on the edge of the bed, leaning against the wall, and began to speak softly.

“I mentioned before that my father and one of his friends were why I entered the entertainment industry, right? But actually, I didn’t start out wanting fame or money. I was left with no choice.

I said my father owed some debt, but it wasn’t much—just 2 million. We sold one of his properties, and that was enough to cover it.

But the bigger issue was the car accident. The compensation demanded was up to 3 million, and we had no way to cover it at the time.

So, I entered the entertainment industry, hoping for a last chance and some hope. I was only 7 years old then. I didn’t know anything, only that I didn’t want to see my mother cry.

Unexpectedly, I did inherit some of his talent. One movie took off, which was the dream of many actors. But we didn’t have many resources, and continuing in acting required others’ help.

At one point, I signed a contract with a 28% cut, and my salary and endorsement fees were kept very low.

The first few years were tough, just repaying the debt. What was even worse was the family who demanded more when they saw I was successful. They weren’t satisfied with 3 million and greedily wanted more.

My mother refused them, saying that if they didn’t want the 3 million, we’d go to court. That’s how we managed to silence them.

My mom used to be very gentle, but after my father’s death, she became impatient and irritable. She had to be that way to avoid being trampled on.

By the time I was 10, I had successfully cleared the debt and joined the current company. Just when I thought everything was over, my mother, without telling me, took out a loan to invest in a project… and ended up losing 11 million. I had to start repaying debt again.

I had a huge fight with her. It was the first time I ever cursed someone, and it was my mother.

I told her she was lazy and lived extravagantly. While I worked hard acting outside, she was dining and drinking in high-class places. She used my money to invest in strange projects, and in the end, I had to pay it back!

But no matter how angry or helpless I felt… she was still my mother. I could only continue to work hard and keep going.

As my career in the entertainment industry progressed, I had to pretend even more. Outwardly, I was always the perfect little fairy. But every day when I came back to bed, I wished I could just die!”

“You’re just being melodramatic!”

“Can’t you avoid ruining my mood?” Liu Qinnuan’s well-prepared emotional story was disrupted by Xu Lin’s comment.

“But that’s how it is. Every young person has their moments of confusion. But you are indeed a talented and hardworking person, I can’t deny that. However, there are many people who have it worse than you. They might never earn 2 or 3 million in their lives and have no hope at all.

Yet they still live, doing their best to live. That’s the reality for most people.”

“You’re being melodramatic too, lamenting about the world. You can’t change the world; it’s just idealism.”

“Yes, that’s why I feel powerless. In the future, I hope to help some people within my capacity. That’s one of the reasons I want to go into business.”

“‘One of the reasons,’ what else?”

Xu Lin quickly answered to himself, ’12 wives, which costs money.’

But he couldn’t say that out loud.

Instead, he casually remarked, “Just to earn some money for myself, simple desires.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it or not.”

Just after he finished speaking, he paused his typing as his phone suddenly rang. Liu Qinnuan’s phone rang at the same time, and both of them picked up their phones together.

“Is it Director Sun?”

“Mine too!”

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