Chapter 8: Thirty Thousand Acres

The current scene is actually a bit incongruous.

Lucy is one year older than Alex, and this one year is quite crucial. Alex has just graduated from high school and doesn't even know what college is like.

It can be said that he only knows about studying and is completely ignorant of society. Lucy, on the other hand, is already almost an adult.

She has witnessed the prosperity of the imperial capital and has also faced various temptations head-on.

Even if one really needed someone to talk to, it seemed that Alex shouldn't be the one.

But at this very moment, Lucy suddenly and inexplicably wanted to pour out her heart, and the person she wanted to talk to was the young man right in front of her.

Perhaps it was because of his clear eyes?

Well, then let's talk!

"Junior, dancing is actually a very difficult and bitter thing."

"Without talent, one can't learn dancing well. From primary school to high school, there are layers of selections, and those who can't make it have already given up long ago."

"If one's talent isn't outstanding enough, one can't get into the Imperial Dance Academy. There are so many art examinees across the country, but we only recruit 300 students a year."

"Conversely, getting into the Imperial Dance Academy means that you have already become one of the few hundred best dancers among your peers in the whole country."

"And then?"

"The artistic career of a dancer is only a short ten years. Once you reach 30, you will definitely start to decline."

"Your highest achievement will be forever fixed at the age of twenty-five or twenty-six."

"Having studied for so long and endured so much hardship, haven't we all persevered with love and the pursuit of art?"

"If it's for money and fame, wouldn't it be good to take the entrance exam for the Imperial Film Academy?"

"There are many misunderstandings about us from the outside world.

But to be honest, many of my classmates only think about stepping onto the stage of the National Grand Theatre and blooming with all their might, even if it's just for once."

"We are not competing with our classmates, but rather competing with ourselves. Because once we let go, it will all be over."

"But it's really too hard. Sometimes I don't even know how I've persisted until now."

"Is it that easy to get on the stage of the Grand Theatre?"

"Is it really worth sacrificing so much?"

"Where should we go after thirty?"

"Every time I start to think about these things, I feel scared."

"Some senior sisters in their junior or senior years have already given up. Every time I see the luxury cars coming to pick them up, I even tremble.

If one day I also get into one of those cars, what kind of mood would that be?"

Lucy's voice wasn't loud, her speaking speed was steady, and her sentences were coherent.

Obviously, she wasn't thinking about these problems for the first time. She had been troubled by them for a long time.

Alex wasn't surprised or found it hard to understand. Because when he used to think about the future, he often felt that suffocating oppression. Poor people, even their breathing seems wrong.

How could they have the right to look forward to the future? The future is just too heavy.

Alex was especially grateful to that aloof system without any nonsense. It was that system that pulled him out of the quagmire and gave him true freedom.

Lucy was hardworking, and Alex was no less. He upgraded the system to level 5 in just one week. Without that fighting spirit, how could he have achieved that?

Therefore, Alex understood Lucy very well, and his favorable impression of this girl immediately surpassed that of Ellie.

Ellie was a lovely young lady, but after all, she was just a young lady. Lucy, on the other hand, was like his own reflection.

Although she was far prettier, more hardworking, and more talented than himself, essentially, she was also just a little girl who was confused about the future.

If there was a chance, Alex would like to help her. Because... she was really pretty. Well, Alex admitted that he was that shallow, and he knew it himself, so he felt quite at ease about it.

Of course, the key point was that there had to be an opportunity. That meant that Lucy had to show the same kindness before Alex would return the kindness.

Alex would never do something like fawning over someone and being a backup. He wouldn't do it when he was poor, and he definitely wouldn't do it when he was rich.

Thinking of this, Alex's heart skipped a beat, and he asked out of the blue, "Senior sister, I'd like to see the nightclubs in the imperial capital.

If you're free tonight, I'll treat you to go and have some fun, just to relax. What do you think?"

Lucy was waiting for Alex's response, not knowing how he would evaluate her or if there would be any heartwarming comforts...

As a result, she suddenly heard such a sentence and her eyes widened immediately.

"Junior, what on earth is going on in your mind?"

After staring at each other for a while, seeing that the young man's gaze didn't flinch at all, Lucy finally confirmed that this little kid didn't seem to have any implications.

He was just telling the truth. She couldn't help but feel a bit amused and exasperated.

"Did you come to the imperial capital just to play?"

Alex thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Mainly to buy things, and secondly to go to nightclubs to have fun.

I've never been there before. I heard that the Workers' Stadium area is quite interesting."

Lucy suddenly felt tired and sighed, lowering her head.

"Students from our Imperial Dance Academy can't eat and drink recklessly, can't drink too much alcohol, and can't stay up too late before we give up our pursuits.

So it's a pity that I can't accompany you, little brother."

"This naughty kid, not learning good things. Talking to him is really a waste of effort!"

What a nice girl! She was beautiful and self-disciplined. She was really likable.

The two of them had different thoughts in their minds and stared at each other for a long time.

Alex suddenly explained, "I've just finished a very important thing, and now I just want to go out and have fun."

Lucy's heart softened inexplicably. Suddenly, she remembered that when she got into the Imperial Dance Academy, didn't she also want to go out and have fun crazily, wanting to release the pressure that had accumulated over the years?

Everyone was the same at the age of 18.

So, as if possessed by something, she said, "We should go singing after dinner. How about... taking you along to join in the fun?"

As soon as she said it, she regretted it and scolded herself in her heart: Lucy, what are you thinking?

Just a chance encounter, and you're going to bring him to your girlfriends' gathering?

So she stared nervously at Alex, having made up her mind that as long as the junior showed a little bit of politeness, she would immediately take back her words!

As a result, Alex immediately took the opportunity and blurted out, "Sure, sure!"

"Oh my god! Seriously!"

The girls from the Imperial Dance Academy often say "Sure, your brother!" or "Laugh at your brother!" But Lucy usually doesn't say such things. It can be seen how frustrated she was now.

However, Lucy was a person who valued her promises. Now that things had come to this, no matter how difficult it was, she could only grit her teeth and accept it.

So she simply exchanged phone numbers and WeChat with Alex and saved his name as "Alex, the Little Brother" in the remarks.

She casually asked, "Where are you going to stay? When will you finish your business?"

Being close, Alex turned his head and saw the remarks name. Following her example, he saved her name as "Miss Lucy" and was about to reply when he was complained about.

"What a strange name! Alex, can't you be more reliable?"

Alex was speechless: "You've already called me Alex. How can I be affectionate?"

"I don't care!"

Lucy didn't care that she was one year older than him and was the elder sister. She simply played tricks.

"If you don't give me a better name, I'll not take you to sing!"

"Alright, alright. You're the boss!"

Alex immediately conceded and thought for a moment, then typed three words again.

"Thirty Thousand Acres?"

Lucy read the words one by one, gritting her teeth in anger.

Alex was too lazy to explain. He searched for Xin Qiji's "The Wedding Song · In Reply to the Previous

Rhyme" on his phone and handed it to her.

"Look, the original sentence is 'For the love of the thirty thousand acres of glassy water'."

When Lucy heard the word "love", her face immediately turned red and she hurriedly lowered her head to look at her phone.

After reading the whole poem, she understood it somewhat but also vaguely felt the beauty of the poem.

She liked the sentence "Who can understand the swallowing of clouds and dreams in the chest" the most, followed by "The dream of spring grass is also suitable for summer".

As for the sentence "For the love of the thirty thousand acres of glassy water", she just glanced at it quickly, not daring to look at it more or think about it carefully.

"This little kid, his ways of flirting with girls are quite clever!"

Alex was really wronged. The original meaning of this sentence was: The vast West Lake with a expanse of thirty thousand miles was what I liked.

The "glassy water" here referred to the West Lake, not a beauty. Alex quoted "thirty thousand acres" because he was touched by Lucy's persistence and pursuit of art.

He thought that this girl had great perseverance and ambition, and her heart was like the vast West Lake, not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside.

The key point was not "love for the glassy water" at all!

But Lucy didn't care about these. Judging by her intuition, she felt that she was being flirted with.

But to be honest, she really couldn't dislike this fresh and romantic way of flirting.

"Alright, little kid. I'll take you to play!"

My girlfriends are all big beauties. Don't be scared then!