Chapter Thirty-Nine: I Have No One to Rely on in Old Age, But I Still Have My Dreams!

My name is Li Shixin.

In this era where transmigrating and reincarnating have become as common as daily meals, I too have had the honor of becoming a “plug-in” protagonist. At the venerable age of sixty-five, I took my first step into the entertainment industry, becoming a contract actor for Rongdian.

And today, I have gained the first batch of loyal fans in my acting career.

I’m so happy...

...Happy my foot!!!

Looking at the group of elderly ladies with white hair gathered before me, I, Li Shixin, felt my prospects as a star were bleak.

What does an average age of seventy-two even mean? Heaven help me, how many years has it even been since the founding of the nation? Eighty-six elders, with an average age of seventy-two—that’s a combined age of 6,912 years.

Chinese civilization itself has only lasted five thousand years!

As the saying goes, your foundation determines your destiny. If my fan club continues developing like this, if I ever hold a concert, won’t I have to hand out heart medication with every ticket?

Moreover,

This batch of fans is far too risky!

Winter is coming, which means the peak season for cardiovascular diseases. If a cold snap sweeps through, wouldn’t half of these eighty-odd people be lost?

At that point, the size of my fan base wouldn’t be determined by my popularity, but entirely by the country’s medical standards and average life expectancy!

Li Shixin’s gaze swept across the aged faces before him, and the more he looked, the more hopeless he felt. Could such people come to greet him at the airport, cheer for him live, or even...

Hmm?

Suddenly, among the grandmothers, Li Shixin spotted a beautiful young girl.

His eyes lit up as he carefully examined the girl standing reluctantly in the center of the old ladies—a pair of ponytails, fair and rosy cheeks, pouting as she bit down on a lollipop.

“My, this little one is really cute,” Li Shixin reached out, wanting to pinch her cheek.

Chen Boshi glared at Li Shixin with such hatred, she could grind her teeth to dust!

Just two days ago, her grandmother, to show support for this infuriating old man, had used her own social media account to post all sorts of nonsense.

After coaxing her grandmother to sleep that night, Chen Boshi reopened her computer and was greeted by a scene that shattered her entire existence!

The fan community she had nurtured for three whole years, where her close sisters had gathered, was now filled with accusations: she had not only betrayed their beloved Liu Xin, but had deeply wounded the fragile hearts of her fellow fans.

Once a vice president who commanded instant responses, she was now a traitor everyone wanted to denounce.

Her account, with over a hundred thousand followers and known as the number one Liu Xin supporter, was so bombarded with angry messages that she couldn’t even open her notifications. Soon after, it was maliciously reported by die-hard Liu Xin fans and temporarily suspended.

Three years of effort! The community she had so painstakingly built! All gone.

That night, Chen Boshi cried herself hoarse beneath her blanket.

Now, faced with the instigator of all her woes, Chen Boshi forced down her fury and swatted away the old hand reaching toward her. “Don’t touch me, you old geezer! Who’s your fan...”

“Hmm?” Beside her, Grandma Wu Ming let out a nasal hum when she saw her granddaughter’s attitude toward Li Shixin.

“Hmph!” Chen Boshi dared not openly contradict her grandmother, but she certainly wasn’t willing to get close to Li Shixin either. She just snorted coldly, lifted her chin, and turned away.

“Haha,” Grandma Wu Ming shot her a fierce glare, then laughed and turned to Li Shixin. “Brother Li, this is my granddaughter. You don’t know, she’s really something! She used to be the vice president of Liu Xin’s fan club! I set up this support group with a lot of help from her, you know. But she’s just a kid; she doesn’t understand manners. Don’t hold it against her. I’ll deal with her at home!”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing that the little girl before him was the vice president of Liu Xin’s fan club, Li Shixin raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “So, does that mean this child is also a member of our support group now?”

At Li Shixin’s “ill-intentioned” smile, Chen Boshi exploded: “Damn it! Who wants to be a fan of an old man like you?!”

As soon as she spoke, she felt a vice-like grip clamp down on her inner thigh—the hand belonged to none other than her grandmother, Wu Ming, who was smiling ominously.

“No, Boshi, you do want to.”

Right after, Chen Boshi felt that tender flesh on her thigh twisted mercilessly by those iron pincers.

With tears welling up from the pain, Chen Boshi sniffled and nodded heavily, “Yes, I do.”

“Come, everyone! Let’s welcome the youngest member of our fan club!” Li Shixin raised his hand and clapped.

Amidst a sea of kindly gazes and applause,

Chen Boshi shot a deep look at her delighted grandmother, then choked back sobs as she bowed deeply to Li Shixin.

“Chen Boshi, outcast of the Liu Xin Fan Club, willingly becomes your disciple, Grandfather!”

“Heh,” Li Shixin raised his brows and patted the twin-tailed head before him. “Good girl. Now that you’ve joined, our club’s average age just dropped by a year. You’ll have to work hard from now on.”

(ಥ﹏ಥ).

“Alright, alright!”

Fighting back a flood of tears for her beloved Liu Xin, Chen Boshi replied loudly.

As she felt her ponytails being stroked in humiliation by Li Shixin, her heart bled.

Xin dear, I haven’t truly betrayed you; I’m just... just temporarily giving in to this old man’s tyranny.

I may be in Cao’s camp, but my heart belongs to Han!

Yes, this is strategy!

This is definitely a tactic of trading space for time—when the enemy advances, I retreat!

I’m so clever!

Finding ten thousand excuses for herself, Chen Boshi lifted her tear-stained face. “Grandpa, no, please stop, you’re going to ruin my ponytails…”

“Oh.” Only then did Li Shixin withdraw his hand with a beaming smile.

Grandma Wu Ming, unaware of her granddaughter’s inner turmoil, cheerfully said to Li Shixin, “Brother Shixin, today marks the official founding of our support club. Since you’re here, why don’t you say a few words to everyone?”

“Alright.”

Li Shixin folded his hands behind his back and surveyed the crowd of... fans... so old and so sturdy, perhaps “fan noodles” would be more accurate... or “rice noodles,” maybe?

Clearing his throat, he began, “I’m sure Little Wu has told you all about my situation?”

“Yes, Shixin, we all know! You have no one to rely on, your son’s no good, and you don’t have much time left. But it doesn’t matter; as long as you’re still here, as long as you’re at Rongdian, you’ll have all us sisters caring for you!”

“That’s right! Shixin, you must be strong! Be brave! Set an example for us!”

“Ahem,” Li Shixin coughed to suppress the old ladies’ emotions. “Well, no need to dwell on my situation. Let me just say a few words from the heart.”

Everyone fell silent.

“We’ve all lived through hard days, raising children and providing for our families. In the blink of an eye, our youth is gone, and life is nearing its end. We’ve grown old, useless, and even become a burden to others.”

Li Shixin’s words clearly struck a nerve among the elders, and sighs filled the air. Then, he changed his tone:

“But does that mean we have no right to pursue youth anymore?”

“No!”

“Whether life is meaningful has nothing to do with age. Even if someone is in their twenties or thirties, if he muddles through life like a walking corpse, he’s old in spirit! But even at eighty, as long as we still have dreams in our hearts, as long as we can chase them, we can proudly say we are still young!

Though our minds may slow and our steps may falter, as long as we are willing, as long as we dare, as long as we act, the future will not be decay, but rebirth!”

“So here, in the final stretch of life, I officially invite you to join me as we walk this path of chasing dreams together!”

“Yes!”

Watching the elders’ faces flush with enthusiasm, Li Shixin slowly raised his right middle finger to the sky.

“Who dares say there is no youth left in life? Old friends, starting today, let’s all... stand tall together!”

“Stand tall!!!”

The thunderous cry from this side of the square startled all the nearby passersby who had no idea what was going on.