Chapter 0077: Not Enough Fingers!

Zhao Fusheng admitted that he had truly underestimated Fan Baobao, forgetting that this woman could never be judged by common sense.

According to her reasoning, he wasn't just cheating—he was practically lying on the tracks.

But he also understood that Fan Baobao was the kind of strong-willed person who, if her husband really cheated, might actually do something that extreme.

"Let me tell you, before I've repaid Uncle and Aunt, you're not allowed to have a girlfriend outside. Even if you do, you have to inform me," Fan Baobao said softly.

As she said this, she first looked left and right to make sure no one was around.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes: "Why should I?"

"Are you stupid? If you get a girlfriend, what am I?" Fan Baobao glared: "If you dare to cheat, watch out—I won't be nice!"

Zhao Fusheng shrank his neck and didn't dare to make a sound.

He remembered seeing an interview with Fan Baobao in his previous life, where the reporter asked her: 'If your husband cheats on you, what would you do? Would you divorce him?'

At that time, Fan Baobao had already achieved fame and success. After a moment of silence, her answer was: 'In my marriage, there is only widowhood, no divorce.'

The whole room fell silent.

Now it seemed that this girl had been like this since she was little.

'What are you two chatting about, so lively?' At that moment, Li Yuan came out of the room and saw Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao whispering to each other, asking with a smile.

In the eyes of the elders, the two youngsters murmuring to each other was naturally a sign of good feelings, little knowing that the content of their chat was utterly unreliable.

'Nothing, Mom. Please sit down.' Fan Baobao quickly stood up and helped her mother sit on the sofa.

'Auntie, are you alright?' Zhao Fusheng asked Li Yuan.

Li Yuan smiled. "It's nothing, nothing. The doctor said I'm recovering quickly. Probably another half month and I'll be fine."

She had been in a really good mood lately. Her eldest daughter had shot that commercial, not only earning money but also gaining fame. According to Fan Baobao, many manufacturers and advertising companies were now looking to hire her for ads. If it weren't for Zhao Fusheng's earlier words, she might have accepted.

Actually, that wasn't the case at all. The girl was simply trying to comfort her mother.

The real reason was that the school was preventing her from shooting. The principal's reasoning was simple: becoming famous young wasn't a bad thing, but if she got lost in the world of fame and made no further progress, that would be the real problem.

"That's good. I'll go see Beibei." Zhao Fusheng stood up, ready to walk into the bedroom.

But before he could enter, he saw Fan Beibei, dressed in cartoon pajamas, wobbling out.

"Brother..." The little girl, still sleepy, spotted Zhao Fusheng the moment she opened her eyes. She threw herself into his arms, giggling. "Brother, you're home."

"Yeah, I'm home." Zhao Fusheng pressed his face against the little girl's cheek, breathing in her milky scent. "Beibei, have you been good these past few days?"

"Beibei has been very good. Beibei can count now."

The little princess cheerfully began showing off her skill, raising her right hand and gesturing.

"One..." This was one finger.

"Two..." She held up two fingers.

"Three..." She held up three fingers.

"Four..." She raised four fingers in front of Zhao Fusheng.

"Five..." She extended her chubby little palm.

"Six... Waaah!"

The little girl suddenly burst into tears, startling Zhao Fusheng. "Beibei, what's wrong?"

"Wuwuwu, I don't have enough fingers." Three-year-old Fan Beibei looked pitifully at Zhao Fusheng, pointing at her right hand. "Only five, no six..."

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha..."

Li Yuan, her daughter, and Zhao Fusheng all burst out laughing. Even Zhao's father, who had just come out of the kitchen, couldn't help laughing.

Clearly, the question of why one hand only has five fingers was far too difficult for Fan Beibei.

Watching the little girl fret, Fan Baobao whispered soothingly in her ear. Zhao Fusheng himself couldn't help but smile.

"Let's eat, let's eat. Don't tease our Beibei anymore."

Zhao's mother's voice rang out, and the family gathered around the dining table to eat.

Some things begin with a grand opening but end in farce; others start as comedy but turn into tragedy. In his past life, Zhao Fusheng had walked through to the end amidst a mix of joy and sorrow. Scene after scene of opening drums, song after song of closing dirges, now all gone with the wind, leaving only a soft sigh dwelling in his heart.

For Zhao Fusheng, no one could predict what would happen in the next twenty years—whether Shenzhou or the Olympics, SARS or earthquakes. Even he didn't know whether some things would happen or some people would still exist. In the face of an inevitably magnificent era, everyone was just a tiny punctuation mark.

...

...

"Dad, Mom, I want Baobao to go to the capital." After dinner, the family sat watching TV. Zhao's mother held Fan Beibei, Zhao's father read the newspaper, and Li Yuan and Fan Baobao chatted with Zhao's mother. But Zhao Fusheng brought up what Fan Baobao had told him earlier.

"Go to Beijing?"

The elders were taken aback, all staring at the two in surprise.

"You!" Glaring at Zhao Fusheng, Fan Baobao was a bit unhappy because she herself hadn't made up her mind yet.

"It's like this..." Zhao Fusheng recounted the whole story, then shared his own thoughts. "For the first year, tuition and fees should be around eight to ten thousand."

The elders exchanged glances. Li Yuan said nothing; Zhao's father and mother hesitated. The former felt the money didn't need to be spent on this; the latter, honestly, didn't want Fan Baobao to be too far away. If that happened, in Zhao's parents' view, the feelings between Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng could easily fade.

Fan Baobao had actually considered this too, which was why she was indecisive.

Seeing them silent, Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said, "How about this: Baobao and I get engaged first, then she goes to school. Is that okay?"

This was the only way; otherwise, Zhao's mother and father wouldn't be willing to support Fan Baobao's studies.

The money Li Yuan had from selling the house had all gone into surgery. At that time, housing prices in Ninghai City were shockingly low—nearly nine hundred yuan per square meter, and that was for a downtown location. Fan Baobao's family home was small, only about sixty square meters, sold for sixty thousand yuan. Li Yuan's medical expenses had used it all up, and even Fan Baobao's ten-thousand-yuan bonus was mostly spent.

So if Fan Baobao went to Beijing to study, the money would have to come from the Zhao family.

That was why Zhao's father and mother hesitated. With the family about to start a business, Fan Baobao going to school would undoubtedly thin out their capital even more.

The method Zhao Fusheng proposed was undoubtedly the best solution.

It would satisfy the adults and allow Fan Baobao to study at the Central Academy of Drama. Since they would be a thousand miles apart, there was no worry about affecting each other's lives. As for what happened after Fan Baobao graduated, in Zhao Fusheng's view, as long as she became famous in the entertainment circle, he could use the excuse of avoiding bad publicity to tell his parents that they had broken up.

Of course, for these two years, they would have to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

Anyway, his plan was to start a business first, and he didn't intend to date anyone, so it wouldn't affect anything.

Zhao's father and mother looked at each other. Their son's words eased their worries a bit. Their eyes turned to Fan Baobao; clearly, the final decision rested with her.

Fan Baobao's face was now as red as an apple. She never expected that the solution Zhao Fusheng proposed would be this kind of solution.

She wanted to refuse, but seeing her mother's hopeful gaze and the looks from Zhao's parents, the words of refusal just wouldn't come out.

Gritting her teeth, Fan Baobao made up her mind. "I'll go along with you."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing.

Li Yuan and Zhao's parents exchanged glances, all showing satisfied smiles.