Chapter 0539: Supporting Role (Part 1)

Gaudy, vulgar, extremely vulgar.

That was Zhao Fusheng's only impression of Jufeng Garden Restaurant. After all, his aesthetic standards were shaped by the various clubs and restaurants of later generations, which emphasized sentiment and atmosphere. He really couldn't appreciate the decoration style of places like Jufeng Garden, which flaunted a土豪 gold aesthetic.

Of course, for Fan Baobao beside him, the impression here was one of splendor and grandeur.

"I heard that the Jinsha Entertainment City across the street and this Jufeng Garden have the same boss," Fan Baobao muttered to Zhao Fusheng as they walked.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. He actually knew this. The owner of the building housing Jinsha Entertainment City was surnamed Li, and most of his profits came from the Jinsha Entertainment and Catering Company on the sixth and seventh floors, which occupied nearly ten thousand square meters and included bars, jazz clubs, coffee bars, and various other entertainment venues. Although its flamboyant Baroque style, copied from high-end entertainment venues in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, was ridiculed, that didn't stop it from being a huge cash cow.

The boss surnamed Li had strong connections. Zhao Fusheng remembered clearly that Jinsha was booming and reckless in those years, reaching a peak of chaos around 2004, with all sorts of things going on. It wasn't until a leader from the provincial public security department had a conflict with them and was severely injured by a security guard using a homemade pistol that things changed. Initially, Jinsha didn't take it seriously and tried to settle the matter with money, first offering two million. But the leader also had backing in the military region and couldn't care less about money. In the end, even after spending nearly ten million, it was useless, and Boss Li had to shut down the business and leave Ninghai.

Zhao Fusheng remembered this incident clearly because later, he met the person who took over Jinsha at a dinner party and heard him talk about the inside story.

Actually, he didn't need that person to tell him. In all of Ninghai, how many older people didn't remember Jinsha? You could find anyone and they'd tell you a bunch of legends and stories about Jinsha.

And now, Jinsha was at its peak, arguably the biggest money pit in all of Ninghai.

"Have they arrived?" Zhao Fusheng asked Fan Baobao.

Fan Baobao glanced at her phone and nodded: "Several have already arrived."

Today's dinner party wasn't expensive. Twenty-something people each paid a hundred yuan, covering the meal and later karaoke, with any surplus refunded or deficit made up.

Although even civil servants only earned ten thousand yuan a year at that time, for most college students, this amount was just right.

The two walked into the reserved private room together. Several people were already sitting inside. When they saw Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng enter, a girl with a few freckles on her face smiled and said, "Oh, isn't this our big star?"

Her name was Zheng Xue. She was the class academic monitor, now studying financial management at Jinling University. She had been Fan Baobao's deskmate for a year in high school, and their relationship was pretty good.

"Mm-hmm, Little Xuezi, quickly pour some tea for your emperor," Fan Baobao said in a playful tone to Zheng Xue. "And let me touch your little face..."

"Ah, Fan Baobao, why are you still such a pervert?" another girl who was close to Fan Baobao exclaimed loudly.

The girls laughed and horsed around together. Zhao Fusheng smiled, greeted a few other high school classmates, and found a place to sit by himself.

He had always been like this. He hadn't had many friends in high school and was usually the kind of invisible person in the class who didn't matter much.

Or rather, most people went through high school like that—not being a big shot or the center of attention, just an ordinary student.

Those who could make waves in high school or start businesses either had deep family backgrounds or were truly gifted prodigies. Zhao Fusheng was certainly not that kind of person.

Ordinary and plain.

These eight words could fully summarize Zhao Fusheng's high school life.

He was different from Fan Baobao. That girl had been popular among students since middle school. She was pretty, did well in her studies, and had a cheerful personality, so naturally, she had many friends around her.

Back then, Fan Baobao was the girl in the class who received the most love letters.

"Baobao, what's it like being a star?" While Zhao Fusheng played Snake on his phone, Fan Baobao sat chatting with a few girls. Zheng Xue asked Fan Baobao curiously.

To be honest, everyone was shocked when Fan Baobao chose to attend a film academy. Later, when she appeared in TV commercials, everyone was even more surprised.

"It's nothing special. I'm studying acting at the Central Academy of Drama now. I feel like I still need to learn more," Fan Baobao replied.

She meant it. At first, when she shot the commercial and became a star, she felt pretty good about herself, thinking she had gained fame and that her future in showbiz would be smooth and successful.

But after a year of studying at the Central Academy of Drama, Fan Baobao realized she still had a long way to go.

In other words, shooting commercials only gave her some recognition. To truly establish herself in the entertainment industry, relying on a few commercials was impossible.

"Central Academy of Drama?" The girls exchanged glances. Zheng Xue blurted out, "Are there a lot of handsome guys there?"

Fan Baobao rolled her eyes, completely speechless at this girl.

"By the way, you and Zhao Fusheng..." Zheng Xue and the others looked at each other. Since she was closer to Fan Baobao, she asked, "What's going on with you two?"

Those who knew them well knew that Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng had grown up together as childhood sweethearts and had an extremely close relationship. Seeing them come together today naturally made everyone curious.

"Oh, he's my boyfriend," Fan Baobao said quite naturally.

"You and him?"

"No way, you're really together?"

All the girls were shocked. In their eyes, although Zhao Fusheng was tall, he was by no means handsome. Fan Baobao was at least a minor star, while Zhao Fusheng was just an ordinary person. How could he be worthy of her?

Fan Baobao shrugged: "I've been used to being with him since we were kids. If I switched to someone else, I couldn't stand their temper, and they might not take me seriously either. He's better—I can bully him without any pressure..."

Everyone burst out laughing. Having been classmates for years, they naturally knew about Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng's little dynamic.

"Enough about me. What about you guys? Haven't found anyone in college?" Fan Baobao deftly shifted the topic to Zheng Xue and the others.

The girls lowered their heads and started chattering among themselves.

At that moment, the door to the room opened again, and a few boys walked in.