63: My heart is broken into a QR code, but when I scan it, I still love you so much

Inside a university dormitory in Yangcheng.

Liu Kexin, a junior student, walked into the dormitory listlessly, threw her backpack onto the stool, placed her takeout box on the table, and slumped wearily into the chair, letting out a long sigh.

Preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam is so tiring.

Every day, she had to wake up early and queue up for a seat even before the library opened. It was all about doing exercises, memorizing, doing exercises, and memorizing. But this was another opportunity to change her destiny. She had to seize it.

Hang in there! There are only a little over six months left, hang in there!

Although it was truly exhausting.

She covered her face, took a long breath to compose herself, then looked up at the clock on the wall.

It was eight o'clock, and she finally had the only night of rest in the week.

She wanted to eat and watch variety shows.

Liu Kexin placed her phone on the stand and clicked on the live broadcast of the third group of the adventures.

This week, she frequently saw promotions for the adventures, saying that the weekend activities were peaceful and serene, helping everyone cast aside the city's hustle and bustle, relieve all their fatigue and worries, and enjoy the tranquility and beauty.

She indeed needed some quiet time to let her knowledge-battered mind rest.

Just as she opened the takeout box with its traditional Chinese packaging and broke apart her chopsticks, the dormitory door opened, and her roommate returned.

Her roommate walked behind her and exclaimed, “You’re still watching Chen Fang?”

Her roommate put down her backpack and said with a laugh, “Your heart must be broken into a QR code, and when you scan it, it still says ‘I love you so much’.”

“I... I’m watching this variety show for the show itself, not for him,” Liu Kexin pouted, breaking apart her disposable chopsticks.

She used to be a fan of Chen Fang, and even the group leader of a fan group. She had supported him since he started in the idol survival show, especially liking his stubborn and pure demeanor.

When she decided to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam late last year, she encouraged herself daily, saying that her idol’s company was in the Capital, and if she could get into a university in the Capital, she might just run into him!

Of course, her desire to attend a university in the Capital had nothing to do with Chen Fang; it was just an excuse she used to motivate herself, but it did give her some drive.

However, in April, she was troubled by mathematics and wanted to watch videos of Chen Fang doing math games in a previous variety show to motivate herself. Instead of motivation, she got a lot of shock.

Scandals about Chen Fang came one after another. She was already annoyed during that period, and seeing everyone arguing in the group made her even more irritable, so she simply disbanded the chat group.

Although she hadn't spent much money on Chen Fang, her parents always felt that following a celebrity would ruin her. When Chen Fang's career collapsed, she also gained a 'dark history' that her parents frequently brought up to lecture her about.

In the past month, her parents used Chen Fang as an example to repeatedly prove they were right, muttering, “Those who don’t listen to elders will suffer losses,” to persuade her to be obedient and return to her hometown after graduation to find a stable job.

Thinking of this, Liu Kexin felt a bit angry, “I’m just watching his last performance, considering it his funeral.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Liu Kexin paused her action of picking up food, and her nose instantly felt a little sore.

What was wrong with her? Why was she so full of resentment? Was it due to the pressure of the postgraduate entrance exam and her family’s opposition? Oh, perhaps she needed to make an appointment with the school’s psychological counseling center to relieve the stress.

She took a deep breath and looked at the screen.

Fortunately, the interactive segment on the screen was as lively and joyful as the show’s promotion. The mountains, villagers, and local dances provided a temporary escape from real life.

An hour later, the interactive game segment and the show's performances ended.

Villagers gathered in small groups to chat about daily life, and the show's live stream split into two: one group went to randomly interview the villagers present, while the other live-streamed the “Dialogue of Innocence and Dreams” segment with Chen Fang and the four other participants and two children.

Most viewers flocked to the latter, but a small number of viewers who really enjoyed the atmosphere went to the live stream interviewing the villagers.

In front of the leaping bonfire, Chen Fang and the four other participants sat in a semicircle with two children. The two children sat in the middle, flanked by Zhao Jin and Pan Pengpeng, while Chen Fang and Xie Yunxuan sat on the outside, acting as hype men.

The leaping bonfire illuminated everyone’s faces, making the scene look very warm.

The two children nervously introduced themselves first.

The little girl with wheat-colored skin and bright eyes stammered a bit, “My name is Zhenzhen, I’m six years old this year. My parents work out of town, and I live with my grandma.”

The slightly chubby boy with a rosy complexion, characteristic of the plateau, rubbed his fingers and said a bit nervously, “My name is Tian Haoyu, I’m also six years old this year. My parents are farmers.”

Zhao Jin tilted her head, her hand resting on Zhenzhen’s shoulder, and asked with a slight smile, “Don’t be nervous, big brothers and sisters just want to chat with you. Zhenzhen and Haoyu, do you usually help with chores at home?”

The two nodded, exchanged glances, and then Zhenzhen raised her hand first.

She gently twisted the corner of her clothes, her voice small but with a hint of seriousness: “I help grandma feed the chickens. In the morning, I scatter the grains, and in the evening, I herd them back into their coop. I also go to the back mountain to pick up firewood, but once the wood I picked was too wet to burn. Firewood needs to be dried before it can burn. So everyone, remember to pick dry firewood!”

Tian Haoyu rubbed his fingers, his cheeks slightly flushed, appearing a bit nervous yet with a hint of pride: “I help my parents watch the grains and chase away sparrows! Dad says sparrows steal the grains, so I stand there with a bamboo pole, running back and forth. And… um, I also have to help pick up eggs. Sometimes the hens lay eggs in the haystack, and I have to find them.”

[How interesting, unlike my child who just knows how to play on his phone all day.]

[6, comparing their own conditions to worse ones, but demanding their children's achievements to be like those from better conditions. In short, isn't it 'I've given you a better life than children in mountainous areas, why can't you help out at home like children in mountainous areas, and also be talented like children from wealthy families?' Wanting both, why don't you demand it of yourself?]

[If a family has fewer resources, then they should love, tolerate, and care for each other. Don't repeatedly bring up problems without solving them, constantly draining each other.]

[Don't argue, what's wrong with variety shows these days, why does every plot have someone arguing?]

[Exactly, can't we just watch the children? They just want to experience life in the mountains on the weekend, don't derail the topic.]

[They are so simple, my heart aches.]

After asking a few more questions like “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, “How long does it take you to walk to school every day?”, and “Where do you most want to go?”

Xie Yunxuan rested his hand on his knee, turned sideways, and asked a question he had obtained the director’s permission to ask, “Hey, let me ask you two, who among the four of us do you like the most?”

Zhao Jin crossed her arms. Here we go again.

Chen Fang looked curiously at Xie Yunxuan. Hmm? How did he manage to repeatedly seek external validation, and still stubbornly admire himself after being hit by setbacks?

His mindset was truly good, without a trace of inferiority, only full of narcissism.

Under Xie Yunxuan’s expectant gaze, the two children simultaneously pointed at Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin pointed at herself in surprise: “Eh, me?”

Xie Yunxuan had a big smile on his face, but he was very jealous inside.

Chen Fang's face was impassive, but he was also very jealous inside. If they said he was their favorite, wouldn't he just gain a bunch of negative emotional value for nothing?