With expectations in heart, one will persevere.

Lin Wanning shot a slightly reproachful glance at her three roommates. "If you keep eating like this, I wonder if you'll still be able to maintain your figures."

Seeing Lin Wanning's aggrieved little pout, her roommates covered their mouths and giggled, casting teasing, knowing looks her way.

But they also knew their limits—some jokes could go too far and have real consequences.

So they excused themselves, claiming they had things to do in the afternoon, though they couldn’t resist glancing back every now and then, huddling together and chattering as they walked toward the music school.

Watching them leave, Lin Wanning said sheepishly, "Brother, don’t mind them. They just like to joke around."

"It’s fine. They seem like cheerful people," Long Aotian replied, unfazed.

At their age, that’s how they should be.

"By the way, brother, where are you headed?"

"Just taking a walk. Might look at some houses while I’m out."

"Look at houses? Are you renting?"

"Yeah, something like that. Just scouting for now."

"Can I come with you?" Lin Wanning asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.

She thought to herself that if Long Aotian dared to refuse, she’d just pout and insist—there was no way she’d let this slide.

Why was he looking for a place off-campus? She wasn’t naive anymore. Something was definitely up...

"If you’re free, sure," Long Aotian said. It wasn’t some big secret, so he had no reason to object.

"I’m totally free! I’ll just tag along," Lin Wanning said with a bright smile. "Besides, I wanted to ask you about the online shop stuff too."

"Alright, we can talk while we walk."

As she watched Long Aotian’s back, Lin Wanning’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. Sure, Yu Ying and Qingxue had known him longer, but now that they were at schools so close by, she could see him often—even grab meals together. Bit by bit, she’d make up for all the time she’d missed with him.

She quickened her pace to catch up, falling into step beside him.

"Brother, isn’t that the film school up ahead?" From a distance, they could already see a huge crowd gathered near the campus.

Long Aotian noticed it too—men and women, young and old, some squatting, others standing, smoking and chatting in small groups. They didn’t look like students.

It reminded him of a phenomenon from his own world.

People with dreams of stardom would gather like this, waiting for casting calls for extras whenever a new production started.

They lingered here, hoping for even the slimmest chance. He remembered that in his world, some had struck gold this way, rising from obscurity to fame.

And whenever one lucky soul made it, countless others would flock here, praying to be the next big discovery.

"Those people are probably waiting for casting calls as extras," Long Aotian said. "I’ve heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person."

Lin Wanning studied the crowd. Some were young, brimming with energy and determination, while others—just as young—looked utterly exhausted. "They must have it rough," she murmured.

"They’re just holding onto their dreams, no matter how hard it gets."

"Do you think it’ll work out for them?" Lin Wanning asked quietly, turning to Long Aotian.

Somehow, she always felt like her brother had the answers to everything.

Somehow, she just knew he’d explain it all to her.

"Maybe. Every one of them carries hope—hope that one day, they’ll shine bright as stars. As long as that hope remains, they’ll keep chasing it..."

Lin Wanning understood what he meant.

It was that very hope that kept them going, regardless of success or failure. They pursued it simply because it mattered to them.

Maybe one day, when that hope finally faded, they’d leave. But at least they would have tried. At least they would have fought for their dreams.

As they spoke, Long Aotian led Lin Wanning away from the crowd.

They hadn’t gone far when he spotted a man in a white dress shirt and black slacks, a slight paunch visible, standing under the shade of a tree. He looked to be in his early thirties, wiping sweat from his brow while checking his phone, as if waiting for someone.

"Hello," Long Aotian greeted.

Hearing the voice, the man turned to him and, out of professional habit, immediately put on a polite smile. "Hello."

Then he took a step back, as though making way.

Amused by Cui Yong’s reaction, Long Aotian introduced himself. "I’m Long Aotian."

The name, coming from someone so young, made Cui Yong freeze for a second.

He’d heard Long Aotian’s voice over the phone and thought he sounded young—but not this young.

After all, traditional courtyard houses were usually run-down. To put it bluntly, even if they were spacious, they were often overgrown with weeds, lacking even basic amenities like heating—or even a proper toilet.

Earlier, when chatting with this man named Long Aotian, I had advised him that if he used the money intended for buying a siheyuan (courtyard house) to purchase other properties instead, it would definitely be a better deal.

However, under Long Aotian’s persistent insistence, Cui Yong didn’t want to lose this opportunity, which is why they were meeting today.

Cui Yong quickly smiled and said, "My apologies, I truly didn’t expect you to be so young."

Long Aotian simply chuckled in response, understanding the sentiment.

"Shall we go take a look first?" Long Aotian didn’t want to waste time and got straight to the point.

"Sure, it’s nearby. Let’s go check it out." Cui Yong led the way.

Before long, Cui Yong stopped in front of a shabby entrance. "This is the place."

The gray bricks and tiled roof gave it a distinctly aged appearance.

To put it bluntly, it was old, dilapidated, and run-down.

It was unclear how long this courtyard had been left vacant.

Inside, weeds had overgrown, though the overall structure remained relatively intact.

Covering an area of about 300 square meters, it looked more like a chaotic tenement courtyard.

In Cui Yong’s opinion, the price of this dim, outdated siheyuan could easily buy a property in a better location—one that was clean, tidy, and ready to move into.

Here, forget everything else—even going to the bathroom meant running to the public restroom on the other side of the alley. A full renovation would cost several hundred thousand yuan.

That alone made it a poor investment in his eyes, but he wouldn’t say so outright. After all, he was just a real estate agent, and if the deal went through, he stood to earn a handsome commission.

Lin Wanning, witnessing the scene, quietly tugged at Long Aotian’s sleeve, signaling that they should look elsewhere.

There was no denying it—this shabby, cluttered place was hardly worth the cost, whether for renting or living.

...