Ch. 1161..1170
Chapter 1161: 1160 Withdra
Just as Tan Rou turned around, Wang Si’s neighbor came out. It was a young woman with a baby in her arms.
“Are you here to look for Old Wang? Old Wang should be at home,” the young woman asked. “I heard some noise in his house just now. It sounded like an argument. I had to care for my child which was why I couldn’t check up on them. If you know Old Wang, you should take a look.”
“This door isn’t open. I can’t go in,” Tan Rou said as she looked at the door.
The young woman smiled. “The lock of his house is not strong enough. The wind will blow it open if it’s slightly stronger. You just need to use a little strength to pull the door open.”
Tan Rou was skeptical, but she still did it anyway. Just as that woman had said, the lock on the front door of Wang Si’s house was indeed weak. Even a ten-year-old girl could pull the door open, let alone her.
After entering the door, Tan Rou heard the nursing robot’s warning voice. “Warning, warning. Someone has broken in. We will adopt a defensive mode in three seconds.”
“K101, deactivate defense mode.”
When the nursing robot heard her voice, its tone seemed to have changed. “Defense mode has been deactivated! Welcome, Miss Tan Rou.”
Tan Rou walked into the living room and realized that there were two people lying there. One of them was wailing on the floor, while the other was lying on the sofa without moving.
She guessed that the younger person was Wang Jun. Looking at him, he must have been attacked by the nursing robot. Did the nursing robot treat him as a stranger? That shouldn’t be the case. Wang Si should have given Wang Jun the authority to control the robot.
“K101, replay everything that happened in the last half an hour,” Tan Rou ordered as she walked across the sofa to the robot.
The chest of the nursing robot caved in, and a palm-sized electronic display screen appeared. Then, it began to play back.
Tan Rou turned on the 4x speed and finished watching the video in a few minutes. After watching it, she gently held her forehead. “I shouldn’t have asked you to be a volunteer in the first place. It’s too troublesome!”
Wang Si was unconscious, so he couldn’t hear a word.
Tan Rou tidied up the living room and thought about what she should say to the doctor next. She couldn’t possibly say that she was Wang Si’s relative, right?
“That…” The young woman who had just spoken came back after coaxing the child to sleep. She was very surprised to see Wang Jun lying on the ground. “What’s going on?”
“It was like this when I came in,” Tan Rou replied calmly.
The young woman nodded. “Where’s Old Wang? I just heard his voice.”
Tan Rou pointed at Wang Si who was sitting on the sofa. “He’s over there. I’ve already called the emergency number. They should be here soon, but I’m a little busy, so I’d like to trouble you to take care of him until the doctor comes. Do you think it’s okay?”
The young woman said, “If you’re busy, go and do your own things. Old Wang and I are neighbors. Every time I go out to buy vegetables, Old Wang will help me take care of my child. Now that Old Wang is sick, I should take care of him.”
Tan Rou had quite a good impression of this woman. She took out a card from her wallet and said, “The card should cover all of the medical expenses. There are six ones. You can use this card when you pay later.”
The woman was too embarrassed to accept it. “I can also pay for Old Wang’s medical expenses first.”
Tan Rou looked at the woman’s clothes and thought of the environment here. She felt that this woman was not very rich. “It’s okay. There’s not much money in there. It’s just enough to pay for the medical expenses. If you have any money left, use it to buy some food for the child. Treat it as a thank you fee from me.”
The woman thought of her child and accepted the card. “Thank you for your help. May I know your name? If there’s anything left, I’ll return this money to you.”
Tan Rou shook her head gently. “You’re welcome. Keep the money and spend it. I probably won’t come back in the future.”
She stood up and operated the robot’s control panel. “I’ll leave first.”
Tan Rou took the robot away. This incident had made her realize the shortcomings of the robot, and she didn’t want the robot that she had carefully designed to stay in such a place.
Chapter 1162: 1161 Harvest
Tan Rou left Wang Si’s house with the nursing robot. When she went downstairs, she met Zhuang Liu at the stairwell, who was about to go upstairs. She was a little surprised. “Why are you here?”
Zhuang Liu heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Tan Rou walk down safely. “I’m here to look for you. I’m sorry, I didn’t investigate properly when I was looking for volunteers and included people like Wang Si.”
Tan Rou smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. I have to thank you. If you hadn’t invited Wang Si in, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get the experimental data of robots protecting humans. This experiment made me realize many shortcomings, but it also provided me with a direction for future improvements, so I’m still very happy.”
Zhuang Liu blamed himself. “I only heard about the newspaper from Xiao Mo this afternoon. It’s a paper newspaper, the spread of news is very slow, so when I heard the news, many hours had already passed. There’s no way to stop the news from circulating. I called you, but no one picked up, so I went to the company to look for you.”
Tan Rou rummaged through her pockets. Other than a pack of napkins and a wallet, there was nothing else. “Oh, I used my phone to record the conversation. After recording, I put my phone next to the keyboard, so I didn’t bring it with me.”
Zhuang Liu apologized, “I’m sorry…”
Tan Rou interrupted him. “This is not your fault. Don’t blame yourself anymore. And didn’t I say it already? This experiment has really helped me a lot. If you blame yourself again, I’ll be angry.”
Since Tan Rou had said this, Zhuang Liu could no longer show that sad expression. “Alright, then I’ll treat you to a meal to make up for my mistake.”
“Only a meal?” Tan Rou asked.
Zhuang Liu did not even think about it. He replied subconsciously, “I’ll pay for the research funding for this robot. Before your robot goes on the market, this promise will be effective.”
Tan Rou revealed a satisfied smile. “You said this yourself, I didn’t force you.”
“Of course, I won’t go back on my words,” Zhuang Liu said.
They were not people who lacked money. A few million or tens of millions were just a small amount to them. Any property that the two of them owned in the capital was worth more than a few million.
Tan Rou nodded. “I’m hungry. I’m giving you a chance to treat me to a meal. Seize it.”
“Alright, then let’s go to your favorite restaurant often,” Zhuang Liu chuckled.
Tan Rou ordered the dishes in advance. “I want some prawns. Do they have them now?”
“As long as it’s something you want to eat, it’ll be available in any season,” Zhuang Liu replied domineeringly.
Tan Rou knew that Zhuang Liu had the ability to do so. “Then let’s go quickly!”
Zhuang Liu glanced at the robot behind Tan Rou. “How do we arrange this robot? Is it going to eat with us?”
The nursing robots could walk on their own. Not only could they take the stairs, but they could also take the elevator. If the program and route were designed well, their behavior would not be much different from that of a human four or five-year-old child.
Tan Rou looked back at the robot, then turned around and pressed on its limbs and neck a few times. The robot, which was about 1.7 meters tall, immediately turned into a small robot that was only one meter tall which could now fit into the back of their car.
Zhuang Liu was very surprised. Although he had seen this robot before, he had only seen it once and did not know much about it.
“This robot can change its dimension? What other functions do I not know?” asked Zhuang Liu.
Tan Rou revealed a proud smile. “There are many functions that you don’t know about. It’s just that it’s still in the experimental stage, so we can’t input too many instructions to the robot. We’ll add more instructions when the system matures in the later stages.”
Zhuang Liu was looking forward to it. “I really hope I have a robot like this when I’m old.”
“When that time comes, I’ll be by your side. Why do you still need a robot?” Tan Rou asked.
Zhuang Liu’s heart felt warm. “When you’re old, I’ll be by your side too. The two of us will support each other until the end of our lives.”
Tan Rou placed the folded robot into the trunk of her car. “Let’s go eat.”
Chapter 1163: 1162 Campus Adventures
It would take some time to improve the robot, and the experiment was not over yet. Tan Rou had to collect all the data before she could proceed with the next experiment. Before the experiment was completed, Tan Rou had to go back to school.
Once she started school, Tan Rou would have to spend half of her time in school, and work matters would be handed over to Hang Wei. Fortunately, the R & D department had recruited a lot of new people, and employees like Shang Jin could take charge of their own work. Tan Rou’s work was much easier.
The day before Tan Rou started school, she received an invitation to a foreign scientific research exchange meeting. The organizers there wanted to invite TR Company to participate in this exchange meeting.
To Tan Rou, this was a good opportunity to break into the international market. She didn’t grasp the opportunity last time, so she wouldn’t let go of this opportunity. However, the scale of this exchange meeting was large, and the duration of the exhibition was relatively long. It was fine for Tan Rou to go and watch a few shows, but it was probably not feasible for her to stay there for the entire exhibition.
After some consideration, Tan Rou decided to send Shang Jin and Lang Yue to the exhibition with their team. They had worked in the company for a few years and were familiar with the company’s processes and business model. They had also participated in the exchange meeting, so they were the best candidates for this exchange meeting.
Winter was not over yet, and the campus in Capital was still very cold. Tan Rou was walking on the road in a thick down jacket. She was wearing a headset and was discussing something with Shang Jin on the other side of the ocean.
“You have to think about the cooperation carefully. If you can’t make up your mind, you can discuss it with seniors a few times.” Tan Rou said, “If it still doesn’t work, I’ll go overseas in the next few days. If you have any questions, you can tell me.”
Shang Jin said something that made Tan Rou laugh. “Senior Shang, I’m not by your side. You’re the representatives of the company. The decisions you make are my will. I still trust you very much.”
As she spoke, Tan Rou suddenly saw a familiar figure appear in her line of sight. Upon closer look, wasn’t that her second brother?
Didn’t Second Brother say that he had a new drama to shoot recently? Why would he have time to come to school?
“You guys do as you see fit. I have something to deal with here.” Tan Rou quickly said a few words and hung up the phone. Then, she quickly walked towards Tao Zheng. When she was almost there, she realized that there was someone in front of Tao Zheng.
That person was wearing a red down jacket, and her long curly hair was draped behind her. She should be a very beautiful woman.
From Tan Rou’s angle, she could only see the woman’s back. However, she felt that the person’s back was very familiar. It must be someone she knew. After the woman finished her pose, she turned around and Tan Rou saw her face. The woman also saw Tan Rou, so she asked Tao Zheng to take photos later.
“Miss Tan Rou, what a coincidence!” When Meng Xiao saw him, she was pleasantly surprised. “I was just wondering if I would meet you. I didn’t expect you to really appear in front of me.”
Tan Rou smiled at her. “Are you filming a new TV series here?”
Meng Xiao answered before Tao Zheng could. “President Tao said that he wanted to invest in a youth campus drama and asked me to play the second female lead. We came here today to take some photos for reference.”
The scenery of Capital University was indeed good. Even in winter, there were many green leafy trees.
Tan Rou nodded slightly and suggested, “There’s a man-made lake on the east side and there’s a pavilion beside the lake. There are plum blossoms blooming on both sides of the lake. You can go there to take a look.”
Tao Zheng walked over with a camera. “Is Rourou free now?”
Tan Rou thought about it carefully. There was indeed nothing much to do now. “I only have an experiment tonight, so I should have plenty of time in the day.”
Tao Zheng waved the camera in his hand. “Do you want to take a few photos with us?”
Tan Rou originally wanted to refuse, but she was a little curious about the relationship between Meng Xiao and Tao Zheng. Why didn’t Tao Zheng bring the female lead over for the photo shoot, but Meng Xiao?
“Alright! I also want to see the plum blossoms by the lake, so let’s go together. The scenery along the way is also very good. You can take more photos as a reference.”
“With you leading the way, our filming should be much easier,” Tao Zheng said.
Chapter 1164: 1163 Very Good Relationship
Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao took a lot of photos on campus. The scenery here was very beautiful and it had a very studious aura; even on a cold day, many students were studying in the open air.
Tao Zheng sighed. “Capital University is indeed the best school. The atmosphere here is so good. It makes me want to go back to school to study.”
Meng Xiao laughed at him. “It’s been six or seven years since you graduated from university. How are you going to go back to school? Moreover, even if you want to go, the school might not accept you because the scores needed to enter Capital University are very high. According to your results, you will probably be able to get by in your next life.”
Tao Zheng chuckled as well and answered honestly. “I’m just fantasizing. I won’t come here to study. I’ve long forgotten all the knowledge I learned in university. If I were to take the college entrance examination now, I’d definitely die of exhaustion.”
Meng Xiao wasn’t cut out for studying either. When she was overseas, she had to spend all her money. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to go to university. Therefore, when Tao Zheng said that he wanted to come to Capital University to take photos, she was a little afraid. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if the university students knew that they weren’t university students?
But now, Tan Rou has come to accompany them. With Tan Rou’s popularity in the school, the other students would definitely not laugh at them.
Along the way, no less than ten people came to greet them. It was obvious that Tan Rou was very popular. Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao were also greeted by those students. The two of them were very good-looking. Although they could not compare to Tan Rou, they were still very good-looking.
“Miss Tan Rou, you’re really popular in school. If you were to enter the entertainment industry, then the title of the number one beauty in the entertainment industry is probably yours,” Meng Xiao said.
Tan Rou wasn’t interested in acting, and she didn’t want to compete for the title of the most beautiful woman in the entertainment industry. “Let’s hurry up. It won’t look good if there are too many people there.”
Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao were still very slow. To them, as long as this place was beautiful, it was their destination. They did not have to go to the lakeside.
Tan Rou had no choice but to stop and accompany them. After taking pictures for an hour, the three of them finally walked to the lakeside.
Meng Xiao was a little tired because she had been standing for the photo shoot. She sat on the stone chair in the pavilion to rest and then asked Tao Zheng for the photo back.
Tao Zheng handed the camera to her. “Take a look for yourself.”
Meng Xiao took the video camera over to take a look. If she saw any good photos, she would send them to her phone. Tao Zheng was explaining the design of the shooting angle, and the two of them were chatting happily.
Tan Rou looked at their smiling faces and suddenly had a strange thought. “I remember that the last time we met was after the new year. You only took a few photos and weren’t very familiar with each other.”
Tao Zheng scratched his head in embarrassment. “That night, I asked the HR department for Xiaoxiao’s latest contact information.”
“Xiaoxiao?” Tan Rou asked deliberately.
“Isn’t the way you two address each other too intimate?”
Tao Zheng immediately said, “Xiaoxiao is actually the name of the second female lead in the script. I’ll call her that first to get used to the script.”
Tan Rou didn’t believe him. She chuckled. “Oh, I see.”
Tao Zheng quickly changed the topic. “The scenery here is really good! Xiao Rou, sit in the southeast corner of the pavilion and lean against the bench. Look at the west side of the lake. I’ll take a few photos for you.”
Tan Rou’s gaze swept across Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao, then she smiled. “Sure, you can take a photo of me but if you take a photo of me, won’t Meng Xiao be sitting there alone?”
Tao Zheng hesitated for a moment, but he still decided to take a few photos of his sister first. His sister was too busy. If she hadn’t come to Capital University today, he might not have been able to see Tan Rou.
Tan Rou naturally noticed Tao Zheng’s expression. It seemed that the relationship between Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao was not simple! Her parents were always worried that Tao Zheng wouldn’t be able to find a girlfriend, but in a place where no one could see, Tao Zheng had already met someone he cared about.
She believed that the Tao family would hold another wedding soon.
Chapter 1165: 1164 Participating
After the photos were taken, Tan Rou invited Tao Zheng to the cafeteria for a drink. The weather was cold, and they had been outside for so long. They could drink a cup of hot cocoa to get rid of the marks on their bodies.
Tan Rou and Meng Xiao sat at the side while Tao Zheng sat opposite them, fiddling with his camera.
“When do you plan to shoot the next drama?” Tan Rou asked.
Tao Zheng replied, “We’re still at the stage of looking for a good site. All the preparatory work is done, but the weather is a little cold. We should wait another two weeks before we can shoot. We’ll shoot the winter scenes first, then shoot the summer scenes when the weather is hot.”
Meng Xiao suddenly asked, “Miss Tan Rou, do you want to try acting? I’m not asking you to follow the production team all the time, but to guest star in a role. We’ll definitely be filming at Capital University. Miss Tan Rou happens to be studying here, so it’ll be very convenient for you to join us.”
Tan Rou wasn’t someone who liked to be in the limelight. She didn’t like to show her face on the big screen. However, things are different now. In the past, she needed to keep a low profile. Now that everyone knew that she was the boss of TR, there was no way she could keep a low profile.
“What role would I be playing? Let me think about it.”
Meng Xiao smiled and said, “It’s a student love story. You’ll definitely be paired with someone. If Miss Tan Rou is too embarrassed to act alone, you can bring Mr. Zhuang along.”
Before Tan Rou could react to what she was saying, Tao Zheng also spoke up. “Zhuang Liu should be busy too. Moreover, our TV series is a low-cost production. We shouldn’t have that much money to pay Zhuang Liu for his appearance.”
“If we don’t try, how will we know?” Meng Xiao still wanted them to participate in the drama. The addition of handsome men and beautiful women would definitely increase the viewership ratings. “If we tell Mr. Zhuang that he can act as a couple with Miss Tan Rou in the drama, I’m sure Mr. Zhuang will be very happy to participate.”
Tao Zheng seemed to have been persuaded by Meng Xiao. “If that’s the case, Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law can also play two cameo roles. They can play a newlywed couple.”
Meng Xiao really began to design the scene. “We can arrange two scenes. One will take place on a university campus. When the male and female leads confess, there will be a couple watching from the side. They can cheer for the two leads at the same time.”
Tao Zheng added, “Big Brother said that he wants to bring Big Sister-in-law to the beach to play, but he hasn’t had the chance yet. Then, we can arrange a play by the beach when the weather is warm. Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law can participate in it.”
Meng Xiao clapped her hands and cheered. “They won’t have too many scenes. There will only be one or two lines. It’s similar to hiding surprises for the audience in a TV series. It will definitely be very interesting.”
Tao Zheng and Meng Xiao were chatting happily. Tan Rou, who was beside them, couldn’t interrupt.
She interrupted them helplessly. “My dear great director and screenwriter, can you talk about this later? Ah Liu and I haven’t agreed to participate in the show yet, right? Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law also have no intention of participating.”
However, Meng Xiao was not worried. “I saw Miss Tian Tian at the company last time. She kept staring at our poster in a daze and said that the person on the poster was really beautiful! This time, we’ve invited the person she mentioned to be the female lead. If she sees this, she’ll definitely be very happy to participate in our TV series.”
Tan Rou really didn’t know what to say. She had always heard that artists had some romantic cells in them. Tao Zheng liked photography and could be considered an artist. Sometimes, she could see romantic colors in him. Meng Xiao’s appearance allowed Tao Zheng to find a soulmate. She was also a very romantic person. She liked the camera and beauty. The two of them often had the same thoughts.
“Second Brother, are you the director of this shoot?” Tan Rou asked.
Tao Zheng replied, “I’m just a director by name. The real director is someone who’s more capable in filming school dramas in the industry. However, I’m in charge of the filming this time. I’ll still follow the crew.”
Meng Xiao continued, “This is a low-budget production. We don’t have that much money. Why don’t we invite so many big stars? Miss Tan Rou, please come and participate in the production.”
Tan Rou smiled. “Let me go back and discuss this with Ah Liu. If he’s willing to do so, I’ll join as well.”
Chapter 1166: 1165 persuasion
Meng Xiao, upon hearing Tan Rou’s words, felt there was great hope. As long as Zhuang Liu was willing to act, Tan Rou would definitely join the cast. Miss Tan Rou was her idol, and with her idol participating, Meng Xiao would certainly do her utmost to perform her own role excellently.
Indeed, Meng Xiao now regarded Tan Rou as her idol. She found Tan Rou gentle and kind, as well as extraordinarily talented and beautiful—the perfect embodiment of her ideal idol.
The only issue was that she had barely exchanged a few words with Zhuang Liu. Due to an incident involving her elder sister long ago, the Zhuang family and the Meng family had split. Zhuang Liu probably did not want to see anyone from the Meng family.
However, for the sake of ensuring her TV drama shone brightly, Meng Xiao decided to find Zhuang Liu and persuade him to participate in the TV drama.
Meeting Zhuang Liu was no easy task; he was extremely busy. Even his parents had to call in advance to see him. There was one exception, however, and that was Tan Rou.
But Meng Xiao didn’t dare approach Zhuang Liu under the pretense of Tan Rou’s name. If Zhuang Liu didn’t get to see Tan Rou, he would likely be very angry. After much consideration, Meng Xiao decided to put in a formal appointment request.
Just as she was about to make an appointment at the front desk, Zhuang Liu walked past her from behind, “Huh? You actually came.”
When Meng Xiao turned around, she saw Zhuang Liu, dapper in a suit, appearing behind her, looking as handsome and domineering as a CEO from a TV drama—indeed in reality, he was a CEO of the same kind.
“Good day, Mr. Zhuang!” Meng Xiao greeted politely.
Zhuang Liu stopped to talk with her for a bit longer, “Last night, Tan Rou mentioned meeting you during the day and also told me about your invitation to participate in the TV drama. However, we’re both very busy and likely won’t have time for your drama. You should find someone else.”
Meng Xiao said, “Please give me five minutes. If I can’t convince you within five minutes, then I’ll leave immediately and never bother you again.”
Zhuang Liu was curious to hear Meng Xiao’s arguments, “Fine, I’ll give you five minutes. Come to my office.”
Meng Xiao psyched herself up internally while she pondered what she would say in the meeting.
Zhuang Liu’s office was very minimalistic, with only work-related items and one special table, which was covered with fresh fruit, seemingly prepared for one person.
Zhuang Liu sat down on the sofa and gestured for Meng Xiao to sit on the adjacent couch, “The time starts now, go ahead and speak.”
Meng Xiao hurried to persuade Zhuang Liu, “We’re currently shooting a TV drama about youthful love, set in a campus backdrop, where the protagonists meet and fall in love at school, eventually walking down the aisle together.”
Her words sent Zhuang Liu into contemplation. His biggest regret was not attending school with Tan Rou. Love during one’s school years was incredibly beautiful. Still, by the time he met Tan Rou, she was a high school student, and he was nearly finishing his Ph.D.
Seeing Zhuang Liu’s expression, Meng Xiao smiled and said, “Mr. Zhuang, then you and Miss Tan Rou will play a couple in the drama. You’ll go to school together, come home together, and even dine together. Even at night, you’ll spend your time together.”
Zhuang Liu did not speak, but his expression showed he was indeed somewhat yearning for such a life.
“And you’ll be childhood sweethearts,” Meng Xiao added to the setup. “You were both born in the same hospital, then grew up in the same nursery school—from primary to university, you’ve always been studying together.”
Zhuang Liu was truly tempted, yet he still had to remain composed, “Hmm, I’ll consider your proposal. We’ll get back to you after we’ve thought it over. The five minutes are up; if you have anything else to say, we can talk some other time.”
Meng Xiao smiled and picked up her bag, “Mr. Zhuang, I hope you’ll seriously consider it. After all, such opportunities are rare. Once Miss Tan Rou graduates, you’ll have no chance to act together.”Zhuang Liu said evenly, “Hmm, I know.”
Meng Xiao didn’t linger. She grabbed her bag and left. When she reached the door, she heard Zhuang Liu making a phone call. The first sentence was, “Tan Rou, are you still busy? I have something to tell you.”
Chapter 1167: The issue with the shooting of 1166
When Tan Rou appeared in front of the camera with a prop in her hand, she was still a bit bewildered. Honestly, she didn’t like acting in TV dramas, but Zhuang Liu was looking forward to this shooting.
It was unclear how Meng Xiao had persuaded Zhuang Liu, a very busy man, to participate. Considering that a TV drama couldn’t be filmed in one day, Zhuang Liu would have to spend a lot of time on it.
“Have you really thought this through?” Tan Rou asked, “Once the drama is broadcast, how will you face your employees and business partners?”
Zhuang Liu reached out to adjust Tan Rou’s scarf and said calmly, “I never planned to let our segments leak out. After we finish filming the video, we’ll have the editor cut our parts out separately, and not include them in the drama.”
Tan Rou chuckled, “Does Second Brother know your plan?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “He doesn’t know, and I’m not going to tell him. Since we haven’t signed a contract and they haven’t mentioned paying us, they can’t make a profit from our likeness if we decide not to show our faces.”
Tan Rou raised an eyebrow in admiration, “You’re quite clever. But I’m still curious why you agreed to it in the first place. If you’re not planning to appear on the show, why not just refuse them outright?”
A complex expression appeared on Zhuang Liu’s face, “Actually, I’ve always regretted not being able to sit in a classroom and take classes with you. Meng Xiao’s words reminded me, if we don’t seize the opportunity now, we’ll be old. It would be ridiculous to attend classes on campus in our forties.”
Tan Rou said, “No wonder so many couples like to make various kinds of videos these days, partly for fun and partly to make up for regrets.”
“Yeah,” Zhuang Liu said, “I’ve always wanted to see you sitting in the classroom, listening to the teacher. Now I finally have the chance, even though the teacher and students are actors, we are real.”
Tan Rou felt that Zhuang Liu had a bit of a romantic streak, actually wanting to take classes together in a classroom, something teenagers would enjoy. They were well past the age for such activities. But if Zhuang Liu liked it, Tan Rou was happy to accompany him.
If it were up to Tan Rou herself, she would have no desire to sit in a classroom, as she had already mastered the knowledge taught by the teachers; being in the classroom was simply a means to earn the credits needed for graduation.
With two lifetimes’ worth of experiences, Tan Rou’s psychological age had long surpassed thirty, even older than Zhuang Liu, so in Tan Rou’s view, Zhuang Liu’s behavior was somewhat childish.
No way around it, you have to spoil the man you choose!
“What are we supposed to do next?” Tan Rou asked the director expressionlessly. She hadn’t seen the script, and the director had mentioned they would find out what to do on the spot.
The director scratched his nearly bald head, looking troubled, “Actually, I don’t know how you two should act either because I haven’t seen your script.”
Tan Rou was puzzled, “Aren’t you the director? Why haven’t you seen the script?”
The director replied, “I’m just the unit director. The head director isn’t here with us; they’ve gone to another part of the campus to scout locations. The head director said that all we needed to do was follow your lead and arrange things accordingly.”
Tan Rou was speechless, “You’re not very competent as a director, are you?”
The unit director admitted honestly, “I haven’t even graduated from college yet, this is my first time directing for a TV drama. But don’t worry, the cameramen with us are all professionals, they’ll definitely capture your best states.”
After hearing this, Tan Rou felt like they hadn’t come to shoot a drama, but rather a music video tailored just for them.
“Where is the screenwriter?” Tan Rou looked around but didn’t see anyone who seemed to be a screenwriter, “You can’t be without a screenwriter, can you?”
The unit director glanced at Zhuang Liu, then said, “Our part is mainly improvisation. You just have to act according to the specific setting, like holding hands, or a gentleman placing a hat on a lady.”
The more Tan Rou listened, the more confused she became, yet a clear thought emerged, “Zhuang Liu, you didn’t arrange this as well, did you?”
Chapter 1168: 1167 script
Zhuang Liu cleared his throat and then pretended to be innocent, “I didn’t arrange anything, it’s probably because my second brother and the others didn’t think we were that important, so they didn’t give us a script. Actually, I think this is pretty good, no script means all our shots are real.”
Tan Rou hugged her arms and tilted her chin slightly up, “Keep making stuff up, go on.”
Zhuang Liu’s eyes flickered for a moment, as if thinking about what he should make up next, “Er… Tan Rou, I think it’s quite good this way. If we don’t have a script, then let’s start writing one now.”
Tan Rou stared directly at him, “I suspect you have already written the script, you just haven’t taken it out yet.”
The hand that Zhuang Liu was using to reach for his phone paused; he had indeed already written the script, and it was written by himself. For this shoot, he had stayed up all night reading through many scripts and campus dramas before finally coming up with one he was satisfied with. He hadn’t expected Tan Rou to see through it so quickly.
He couldn’t admit he had a script; otherwise, the plot he had meticulously designed would seem contrived. He still preferred something a bit more romantic.
“I really don’t have a script, and if you don’t believe me, you can search me,” Zhuang Liu said with a smile.
The assistant director and cameraman immediately turned away, leaving space for Tan Rou and him.
Tan Rou didn’t want to waste more time, “Never mind, I’ll believe you don’t have a script. Can we start shooting now?”
The assistant director turned back and said, “Of course, you’re already at the shooting spot, so next, we’re going to start shooting.”
Tan Rou wasn’t ready yet, “So soon?”
The assistant director didn’t give Tan Rou a chance to react; he directly announced the start, and then the lighting technician and cameraman immediately got into position, the camera started rolling, and the shooting officially began.
Tan Rou held a cup of warm milk tea and looked at Zhuang Liu somewhat awkwardly. What should she do? What should she say?
Zhuang Liu, however, was very composed. He took Tan Rou’s hand and said gently, “I heard that the plum blossoms by the lake are really nice. I’ve never had the chance to see them before. Today is Saturday, so let’s drink milk tea and enjoy the plum blossoms here.”
Tan Rou’s lips twitched slightly; now she was convinced that Zhuang Liu had a script, and it definitely wasn’t written by a professional screenwriter because a professional wouldn’t write such poor-quality lines. And what was the logical connection between plum blossoms and milk tea?
In a scene like this, shouldn’t they be composing poetry while enjoying the plum blossoms?
But Tan Rou didn’t say that outright. She sat down with Zhuang Liu and sipped her milk tea.
“What a quiet world!” Zhuang Liu said with a smile, “I hope we can stay in this moment forever.”
Tan Rou didn’t want to say anything disheartening, but she did think that this shot was a bit boring. Even if it was a music video she was watching, there shouldn’t be so many dull shots.
“Why don’t we go take a look at the plum blossoms?” Tan Rou suggested, “I heard from a teacher that the plum blossoms here are very rare, and there are even two green plum trees.”
“Huh? There are green plum blossoms?” Zhuang Liu wasn’t familiar with this area; during his time in school, he rarely went anywhere except for the classroom and the route he took on the day he left school. He didn’t care much about anything else.
“Yes, there are,” Tan Rou said impatiently, standing up and heading toward the plum trees, “Follow me.”
At this point, Zhuang Liu also gave up on the script he had arranged, “Okay, let’s go look together.”
Seeing them leave, the cameraman quietly asked the assistant director, “Director, the script we received doesn’t include this part. Should we still follow them?”
The assistant director answered while running, “Of course, we should follow them. That big boss spent so much money to have us come shoot; we definitely can’t let him down. Plus, he said if what they do doesn’t match the script, then we keep shooting what they do, no need to stick to the script.”
The lighting technician and cameraman immediately carried their equipment and followed; they needed to shoot more footage, which would allow them to edit more video later. This boss was very generous, and if he liked their work, he might provide them with many more resources in the future.
Moreover, since they were not professional actors, there wouldn’t be many demanding shots, making the shooting much simpler.
Chapter 1169: 1168 Classroom
Since there was no script, Tan Rou improvised, mentioning one moment that she wanted to go see the fish in the pond, another moment that she wanted to go to the science building to do an experiment, and then that she wanted to eat in the cafeteria—in short, they had almost visited the entire campus.
During the break, Zhuang Liu sneaked a peek at the script he had written and realized he hadn’t accomplished a single thing he planned. If things continued this way, his script would be wasted.
Actually, what he wrote wasn’t entirely a script, but more of a dating plan, except this time the date was being recorded.
He planned to turn this date into a video to show at their wedding, and they could also watch it when they were old to reminiscence about the good old times.
“Tan Rou, let’s head to the classroom next,” Zhuang Liu decided to seize the final opportunity, as if they did not follow his plan now, he wouldn’t have accomplished anything today, which was very unusual for him.
Tan Rou guessed that Zhuang Liu was going to follow his script. She had known all along that Zhuang Liu had arranged a script, but since Zhuang Liu wouldn’t admit it, she pretended there was no script.
“Sure,” Tan Rou said with a smile, “I’m quite tired from running around. It would be nice to rest in a classroom.”
Zhuang Liu was delighted. “I’ll ask where Second Brother and the rest are to see if they have actors we can borrow. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for our classroom to only have two students; we need a teacher and classmates too.”
Tan Rou quietly watched him perform. “If you want a teacher and classmates, you might as well find a classroom with fewer people and join a class. It’s common for students to sit in on classes at college. As long as we enter before the class starts, the teacher won’t kick us out.”
Zhuang Liu seemed to snap out of a daze; why hadn’t he thought of that? Anyway, their video wasn’t going to leak, so there was no need to pretend; they just needed to film normally.
Later, he could tell the cameraperson to use a small camera to secretly take pictures of them, just as long as the teacher didn’t notice.
“I’ve given it some thought and decided not to bother Second Brother and the others after all. They are probably busy with their own filming. So, we’ll just find a classroom to film in,” Zhuang Liu swiftly changed the plan. “Which classroom should we go to now?”
Tan Rou knew quite a bit about the courses her juniors and sophomores were taking, so she suggested attending a sophomore class; she knew a junior who had a moral education class at four o’clock that afternoon which they could sit in on.
“There are twenty minutes left until four o’clock; let’s go now, and we should still have about ten minutes left,” Tan Rou looked at the crew and said, “Since we’re filming at a teacher’s location, we need to first ask for the teacher and the students’ permission. If they agree, we can continue filming. If they don’t, you’ll have to put the camera away.”
Zhuang Liu originally planned to film covertly, but since Tan Rou mentioned alerting the teacher, he had to follow through.
The moral education teacher for this class was a woman in her thirties who also followed dramas and knew that some TV shows were filmed on location, so she quickly agreed to their request.
The students were also very excited because they had a chance to be on TV. When the TV show aired, they planned to stay glued to the screen to quickly spot their appearances.
Unfortunately, their hopes were going to be dashed because Zhuang Liu had no intention of including them in the video. He planned to have the editor blur out the other people in the video as much as possible to avoid showing their faces.
When the class started, Tan Rou saw the topic on the blackboard and suddenly regretted choosing this class because it was a debate class with the topic, “Should college students date during university?”
Seeing the topic, Zhuang Liu thought it was rather silly—why couldn’t college students date?
But it didn’t matter much since they were here to shoot a video, and the teacher wouldn’t involve them in the debate.
“Now, we will draw lots to decide the debaters. I will randomly select eight students to come up and participate, and I hope everyone performs well,” said the teacher cheerfully.
Chapter 1170: 1169 Debate Competition
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu sat in the last row, enjoying the show, believing that the teacher wouldn’t pick them since they had already said they weren’t students, just there to film.
However, this teacher’s thought process was clearly not normal; she instantly chose Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, though she did not know their names, but that did not stop her from calling them up, “Those two students in the last row, a man and a woman, please come to the podium. We are going to draw lots for teams shortly.”
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu exchanged glances, puzzled as to why the teacher had picked them, but with filming going on behind them, they couldn’t call a halt and just had to go along with the teacher’s request.
It was quite amusing actually, the topic was “Should students date in college?” and it was obvious to anyone that they were a couple. The teacher had picked them on purpose. Surely she wasn’t planning to split them into opposite teams? That would be really mean-spirited.
The teacher took two different colored sticks, four of each, and stuffed them into an opaque box. Next was drawing the sticks. Those who drew white sticks would be in the supporting team, and those with red sticks would be on the opposing team.
Zhuang Liu stared at the red stick in his hand and the white one in Tan Rou’s, deep in thought. It was bad enough making them go up there for show, and now they had to be on opposite sides; how was he supposed to focus on the debate?
The teacher didn’t give him a chance to back out or withdraw. Even if he didn’t want to play, he had to sit in his seat until the game was over.
Zhuang Liu really wanted to abstain because he couldn’t bring himself to speak against it. Since Tan Rou had started dating him soon after joining college, which essentially meant he supported the proposition’s view. How then could he possibly voice an opposition?
After the teams were divided, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu returned to their respective teams. Tan Rou was somewhat looking forward to the debate today, but Zhuang Liu just couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
“Okay, have both teams clearly understood the topic?” the female teacher stood before the central podium, “On my left is the white team, supporting the idea that students should date during college. On my right, the red team, is opposed to students dating during their college years. I declare the debate competition open, and now, the first speaker from the proposition will present their views.”
The proposition’s first speaker was a chubby boy. He rose slowly and began, “I believe students should date during college because they have more spare time to spend with their loved ones during these years. Moreover, college is the most beautiful age, and dating at this age is the most romantic.”
Tan Rou turned to glance at the chubby boy; unexpectedly, while not particularly handsome, he had good points—his belief that college dating was romantic, clearly showing he’d often indulged in romantic love stories.
After the proposition’s first speaker finished, it was on to the second speaker. Tan Rou was the fourth speaker from the proposition, so she had to wait until her teammates had spoken. Each speaker was allowed no more than one minute for their statement.
Tan Rou stood and said, “I think students should date during college. Observations on campus show that it is common for couples to go to the library together. Moreover, if one partner studies, the other will surely study alongside them because the studying partner understands that they cannot waste their time or jeopardize their loved one’s future.”
Her statement was met with nods from many college students who had boyfriends or girlfriends; after listening to her, they began discussing among themselves, and Tan Rou overheard quite a few agreeing with her.
The teacher nodded in approval at their answers, then turned her attention to the opposing side’s speakers, “Opposition’s first speaker, please present your argument.”
The first speaker from the opposition was a slim boy wearing thick-rimmed glasses. He immediately countered Tan Rou’s statement, “I would like to rebut the proposition’s fourth speaker’s point. You said if one person studies, the other certainly will too. But have you considered that a poor student who likes to play could lead a good student astray? My statement concludes.”
According to the rules, Tan Rou could not respond. She had to wait for her turn to speak.