024 The Quartet of Brothers, Daily Life Upon Returning to the Capital

Beijing, Railway Station

It was the sweltering heat of July, but fortunately, by the time Yan Li stepped off the train, it was already evening, and the temperature had cooled down slightly.

Luggage in hand, he steered clear of the solicitations from illegal taxi drivers. Yan Li scanned his surroundings, but finding no one, he was just about to make a call when he heard a shout.

"Brother Li, over here!"

A handsome, refined young man wearing bell-bottom trousers waved at him. It was Zhou Yiwei, his college roommate.

Having returned from Hengdian, Yan Li had naturally notified his close brothers. Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan were filming out of town, leaving only Zhou Yiwei in Beijing, who had eagerly volunteered to pick him up at the station.

"Whoa, you even brought your dad’s car."

Yan Li hugged his brother and patted the black Passat parked nearby. Among the four of them, Lin Jiachuan and Zhou Yiwei came from the most well-off families.

Lin Jiachuan’s father, Lin Heping, was a professional writer and screenwriter who had created several film and television works and was somewhat well-known in the industry.

Zhou Yiwei’s background was even more impressive. Both his parents were in the military art troupe; his mother was a field-grade officer with some influence in the dance world. Zhou had moved to Beijing with his parents as a child. While not exactly wealthy, his upbringing could certainly be called comfortable.

By comparison, Yan Li’s background was quite ordinary. His hometown of Zaoshi was a small city in the southern part of Shandong Province, and his family ran a small restaurant. They worked themselves to the bone all year round just to earn a few tens of thousands of yuan—not exactly rich, but getting by.

Their other roommate, Zhang Songwen, also had a father who worked for the government. However, due to the small size of his city and the early passing of his mother, his situation was somewhat more bleak, placing him on par with Yan Li.

"My dad went out of town on a慰问 (condolence/tribute) tour, so I borrowed his car," Zhou Yiwei said with a grin, gesturing for Yan Li to get in. The latter, however, felt a bit uneasy.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Among the brothers, Zhou Yiwei was the youngest, born in August 1982. He was still a month shy of his twentieth birthday, and since he had only received his driver’s license the previous summer and had limited driving experience, Yan Li was genuinely a bit worried.

"Don't worry, I’ve been practicing every day since graduation."

Zhou Yiwei was full of confidence. Since he had come all this way to pick him up, Yan Li didn't want to dampen his spirits, so he buckled in with a sense of trepidation.

After a while, seeing that Zhou was driving quite steadily, Yan Li finally relaxed and started chatting.

"How are Jiachuan and the others doing in Dalian?"

Long-distance calls were expensive, so the brothers usually only exchanged brief updates before hanging up. Perhaps because of the distance, the system’s intelligence hadn't been triggered much, so Yan Li only knew that the two had joined a film crew in Dalian, but he lacked the specifics.

"What else could they be doing? Just scraping by."

Zhou Yiwei’s tone was somewhat melancholy. Back when they had first graduated, the brothers had been full of ambition, eager to make a big splash. But ideals are full, while reality is skeletal.

Aside from Yan Li, who had managed to land a role through his own efforts and headed to Hengdian right after graduation, the other three had spent over half a month busy submitting hundreds of resumes and visiting a dozen crews, yet they hadn't found any roles.

Having graduated, they couldn't keep asking their families for money, and sitting around eating into their savings wasn't a sustainable plan. Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan had put their heads together and found a crew—if they couldn't act, they would work behind the scenes.

Thus, one became an executive director, and the other a script supervisor. "Executive director" sounded impressive, but in reality, it carried no real authority; they were just there to shout orders and manage menial tasks on set. The room for advancement was low, and the pay was poor.

Still, those two at least had steady jobs. Zhou Yiwei had it even worse, only able to pick up odd jobs. Not long ago, he had gone to help a senior student with dubbing, and even that was for background characters—the pay was barely enough to survive.

Of course, Zhou Yiwei’s home was in Beijing; he had a place to live and a car to use. Even without asking, his parents would help him out every now and then, so his life wasn't difficult. This was his confidence in staying in Beijing to wait for opportunities. Had he not had his family's support, he would likely have been running errands for a crew just like Zhang and Lin.

But this was not a long-term solution. Even if his parents didn't mind, the proud and aloof Zhou Yiwei couldn't accept living off his parents forever. If he couldn't land a role soon, he might have to swallow his pride and take on more menial jobs just to make ends meet.

Yan Li listened silently to Zhou Yiwei recounting these days, not saying a word. This industry was cruel; only a tiny fraction became famous and wealthy, while the vast majority were ordinary people struggling to survive. Many seniors from the Beijing Film Academy undergraduate classes had already changed professions; for those of them from the lower-tier vocational classes, it was naturally even harder.

If he didn't have his system, Yan Li figured he would be hitting walls just like Zhou, Lin, and Zhang. He would be picking up random gigs to keep himself alive, and after a few years of waiting in vain, in despair, he would either switch careers or go back to his hometown to take over the family restaurant, disappearing from the industry entirely.

But things were different now. He had found a way to break the mold and change his fate. Once he made it, he wouldn't forget his brothers.

However, Yan Li kept these thoughts to himself. Actions spoke louder than words; he hadn't made it yet, and any grand talk would just be bragging. Instead of wasting his breath, he would rather save his energy to climb to the top sooner.

Zhou Yiwei drove the car to a residential compound near Jimen Bridge called Jimenli. It was an old complex, said to have been built in the 1980s, located very close to the Beijing Film Academy—almost directly opposite, just a ten-minute walk away.

They arrived at one of the buildings and walked up to the third floor. Yan Li took out his keys, opened the door, and turned on the light, revealing a living room that looked somewhat austere and bleak.

Throwing his luggage on the floor, Yan Li sat on the sofa and stretched comfortably.

"Finally home."

When Yan Li had left Beijing, he had just graduated and hadn't yet moved out of the dorms, but it was only a matter of time. To have a place to stay upon his return, he had rented this apartment with Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan, who were still struggling in Beijing.

Zhou Yiwei lived in Beijing, so he didn't share the rent, but he often came over to hang out with his brothers, especially while the other three were away filming. He had been the one looking after the apartment.

The apartment had three bedrooms and one living room, with a kitchen and bathroom. The monthly rent was only 1,200 yuan, which, when split, came to just a few hundred yuan each. For this area of Beijing, such a rent was a rare find. The reason it was so cheap was, naturally, because Yan Li had used his system to find a hidden gem.

He had spent his days obsessing over renting a good place for little money, which inevitably triggered several pieces of relevant intelligence. If Yan Li hadn't been so busy filming in Hengdian, he might have found an even better and cheaper place with a few more days of searching. He often joked to himself that even if he couldn't make it as an actor, he could be an ace real estate agent.

After resting for a moment, Yan Li went to check his bedroom.

There was a reason the rent was so cheap. Aside from the toilet and the kitchen stove, the apartment only had a sofa, a dining table, and a few beds; there wasn't even a closet in the bedrooms. Fortunately, his things from the dorm were still in good order—his bedsheets, quilt, washbasin, and thermos were all there; otherwise, sleeping would have been a hassle.

"You're quite efficient; Songwen even made the bed for me."

Yan Li tested the bed and was very satisfied. Lin Jiachuan was too careless, and Zhou Yiwei wasn't the type to wait on others; only Zhang Songwen could be this thoughtful.

Zhou Yiwei leaned against the door, his expression turning odd at the mention. "It wasn't Old Ghost who made it."

In the dorm, Zhang Songwen and Zhou Yiwei were the closest; sometimes their codependency even crossed the line of normal brotherhood. Because Zhang was older, Zhou had given him the nickname "Old Ghost." "Old" referred to his age, and "Ghost" meant he was clever, street-smart, and a sly fox.

Yan Li’s mind turned quickly. "Did Dong Xuan come by?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Yiwei nodded and promptly sold out Lin Jiachuan: "Jiachuan couldn't keep his mouth shut. Sister Xuan came by twice, took your bedsheets to wash them, brought them back, and made the bed. She even bought you a floor fan, which is in Jiachuan's room."

"Oh."

Yan Li was silent for a moment. "Does she know when I’m coming back?"

"I didn't say a word," Zhou Yiwei said, clearing his name first, then added, "But I don't know if Jiachuan let anything slip. You know how he is—he has a crush on that classmate of Xuan's."

Yan Li felt a toothache coming on. He might have an intelligence system, but it didn't help when people were planting undercover agents around him. When that kid Da Chuan came back, he’d have to teach him what it meant to betray one's brothers...

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PS: Thanks to [Please Cat] for the alliance-level tip. I will add an extra chapter in the next two days. During the ranking period, I ask for your monthly votes!