Chapter 0608: I'm Sorry

"Not qualified?" Zhao Fusheng stared at Fan Baobao, dumbfounded.

"Yes, that's what our counselor said." Fan Baobao looked at Zhao Fusheng with some sadness: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."

Clearly, in her mind, if she hadn't insisted that Zhao Fusheng write it, he wouldn't have turned the story out like this.

What White Snake repaying a favor, what Xu Xian—it was all nonsense.

Zhao Fusheng felt terrible. He looked at Fan Baobao: "Did your counselor say what part of the script wasn't qualified?"

"No, the counselor didn't mean the story was bad. He said your story promoted fatalism and idealism from start to finish..." Fan Baobao lowered her head, embarrassed.

Zhao Fusheng let out a long breath, restraining himself from going to the Central Academy of Drama to drag that counselor out and give him a piece of his mind. No wonder the quality of domestic actors was declining year by year—the entertainment industry was being ruined by these idiots.

"So what did he mean?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Fan Baobao with a sullen face.

Since the other party said the script wasn't qualified, there must be more to come.

Fan Baobao shook her head: "No, the teacher just said the script wasn't qualified and told us to rehearse something else."

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng said nothing.

He felt something was off, but couldn't put it into words.

But regardless, since the teacher had already made arrangements, he couldn't say much.

Seeing that Zhao Fusheng seemed in a bad mood, Fan Baobao blinked her big eyes: "But seriously, I really liked your story. It's much better than the Legend of Leifeng Pagoda."

"Really? I'm glad you like it." Zhao Fusheng smiled indifferently and hummed a tune.

"West Lake's beauty, in March..."

"That sounds great." Fan Baobao listened to his song and said with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng smiled but said nothing, inwardly amazed at his girlfriend's knack for flattery.

"Why don't you read for a while? I'll brew some goji berries for you. My roommate gave them to me, said they're good for your health." Fan Baobao said to Zhao Fusheng.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhao Fusheng connected the words 'goji berries' and 'health' in his mind, suddenly recalling a saying he'd heard.

Life at thirty isn't easy; goji berries in a thermos.

"Ahem..."

Seeing Fan Baobao about to act, Zhao Fusheng quickly waved his hand: "Uh, I'm in good health. No need to supplement."

Huh?

Fan Baobao looked skeptical, but still nodded, stopped what she was doing, washed some fruit, and placed it on the coffee table. The two sat together watching TV and eating fruit.

At the turn of the millennium, TV programming was in an era of change. Local stations, long oppressed by CCTV, were seeking ways to rise. Meanwhile, CCTV hadn't realized that its position as the industry leader was about to be challenged.

Mango TV's talent show was brewing, and no one knew how many new faces of the entertainment industry would emerge from it in the future.

"So boring..." After watching the TV drama for a while, Fan Baobao pouted and said with a look of disdain.

If it had been a year ago, she might have been drawn in by the characters and plot on screen. But now, having been in the film and TV circle herself, played many extras, and seen the performances of seasoned actors, she realized that the dramas currently airing on TV, when viewed with a professional eye, were just so-so.

Or to put it more bluntly, in Fan Baobao's view, these dramas really weren't that good.

Either the dialogue was subpar, or the sets weren't rigorous enough. Some even got the historical background of the story wrong, with characters speaking modern slang while wearing ancient clothes.

What a mess!

Thinking back to Zhao Fusheng's comments while watching TV dramas, Fan Baobao couldn't help but laugh. At the time, it didn't seem like much, but now it struck her as hilarious.

"Darling, are you willing to die with me? In the next life, we'll still be together."

On the TV, the female lead delivered cringe-worthy lines, performing with great emotion.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng wasn't particularly bothered by this kind of Qiong Yao-style dialogue. After all, in later years, things like green-screen acting and number-reciting had happened. This exaggerated performance was still within his tolerance.

Of course, while Zhao Fusheng could tolerate it, he still found the dialogue unbearable. But when he turned his head, he saw Fan Baobao watching with great interest.

"Didn't you say you didn't like it just now?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously.

"That was then. This part now is so romantic." Fan Baobao said, her eyes slightly red.

Clearly, this emotional scene had moved her. Or rather, no girl could resist such an overly romantic plot. To them, it was the kind of love they dreamed of.

"Fusheng, are you willing to die with me?" Fan Baobao turned her head to look at Zhao Fusheng.

She was imitating the scene from the TV drama.

Without a second thought, Zhao Fusheng stood up and answered with five words.

"I'm sorry, goodbye..."

At that moment, Fan Baobao felt terrible.

"You, how can you have no sense of romance at all?" Pointing at Zhao Fusheng, Fan Baobao said angrily.

If she hadn't known him since childhood, she would have had a serious talk with him. How could anyone be so clueless? She clearly just wanted to hear him say 'I do,' but he had to say 'I'm sorry, goodbye.' It was infuriating.

"It has nothing to do with romance." Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and said calmly: "Some things can't be conveyed by words alone."

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng really couldn't agree with some girls' views on love. It was okay now, but a dozen years later, when WeChat public accounts were rampant, those articles that manipulated emotions with so-called 'love theories' would brainwash people with nonsense like 'the one who loves you will go north and south for you.'

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng looked helpless. He only hoped that Fan Baobao would never become that kind of girl.

Not that such girls were bad—everyone had the right to yearn for beautiful love. But if one couldn't distinguish between reality and fairy tales, that wasn't innocence; it was foolishness.

"That's true, but I don't see anything wrong with it." Fan Baobao said with a pout.

Gently rubbing her cheek, Zhao Fusheng smiled and said softly: "Silly girl, after all this time together, do you think I don't have you in my heart?"

Fan Baobao was stunned, and her expression suddenly turned strange...