"You're living on borrowed time," the village chief said, looking at Yang Mi.
Female celebrities were indeed on borrowed time in the entertainment industry; losing their looks meant losing their livelihoods.
It was different for male actors. As they aged, they could take on other roles. Female stars, however, had far fewer avenues.
Hearing this, Yang Mi nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Chief!"
"I'll take good care of myself!"
"I'll stay eighteen forever!"
"Hahahaha!"
After that, the three of them laughed in unison.
Their journey was filled with laughter and conversation as the chief began to explain the situation in the village, including the circumstances of the impoverished residents.
"Actually, everyone in our village is quite poor."
"Some children can't even afford shoes and come to class barefoot."
"Others, to avoid wearing out their shoes and worrying about them breaking, would take them off on the way to school, carrying them instead of wearing them, cherishing them like treasures."
Upon hearing this, Su Han and Yang Mi fell into thought.
"Alas!"
"Some children are so poor their families can barely put food on the table; they can only go into the mountains to find wild vegetables. They haven't eaten much meat all year."
"It's really tough."
"The children have it hard."
"Even though life is difficult, they study very diligently, love to learn, and everyone's studies are exceptionally good, no doubt about it."
"There isn't a single child in our village whose studies are not good."
"And they are all very sensible and well-behaved."
As he spoke, the chief's face was filled with pride, his smile brilliant.
It was evident that he spoke the truth.
And it was clear he was proud of the children in his village.
Through this brief conversation, Su Han and Yang Mi gained a general understanding of the situation.
After listening, Yang Mi and Su Han's resolve to help these children, to provide them with better education and environments, so they could be like children in the city, grew even stronger.
While they might not compare to children in big cities, at the very least, they shouldn't go hungry or be without shoes.
This was Su Han's thought.
After an hour of bumpy travel, the car finally stopped.
As they stepped out, they found themselves in an empty expanse.
Before them lay vast mountain ranges and wilderness, with nothing else in sight.
Seeing this scene, they were stunned.
Completely bewildered.
Indeed, it was no wonder the chief had told them not to enter the village, as all they saw was a panorama of mountains and wilderness.
To enter the village meant they would have to traverse a mountain.
Transportation was a problem; it was incredibly difficult.
Seeing this, Yang Mi and Su Han fell into contemplation.
Solving the transportation and road issue was paramount.
"Why don't you two wait here?"
"I can have the students come to meet you?"
"It's truly too difficult to enter our village."
The chief reminded them again, worried they wouldn't be able to endure it, or perhaps couldn't climb the mountain before them.
But Su Han and Yang Mi waved their hands, refusing, and said with firm determination, "It's alright, Chief, we can manage."
"Let us do it."
They had initially intended to present books as gifts, but given the current situation, if they truly had to climb the mountain, they wouldn't be able to carry the books; they would have to abandon them.
Finally, Su Han and Yang Mi could only pack a few candies and a few books into their backpacks as a form of greeting, and then, with practiced ease, began to climb the mountain.
They followed the chief, ascending the slope.
The mountain had a considerable incline and was quite challenging.
During this process, the photographer took out his camera to record everything along the way.
After crossing the small mountain, about ten minutes later, breathless and exhausted, they finally arrived at another location.
Looking out again, they saw a vast expanse of fields.
"We need to cross these fields to get to our primary school."
"If you're tired, we can rest here for a bit?"
Su Han looked at Yang Mi. "What do you think? Do you want to rest?"
Yang Mi was visibly tired, large beads of sweat dotting her forehead, her face pale, her lips also pale.
She didn't look well.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook her head, insisting, "It's fine, I can manage. Let's keep going."
Yang Mi got up and continued to follow Su Han.
The chief, being elderly, should have been the one panting from exhaustion.
However, the chief appeared to be in much better physical condition than them.
Having worked hard for many years, he was accustomed to hardship, so this bit of exertion meant nothing to him; he didn't pay it any mind.
After crossing the fields, they finally reached a proper road.
The road before them was a dirt path.
On a sunny day, the surface was flat, but during rain, it would become extremely muddy.
Su Han could already picture it.
If a vehicle were to pass by, it would likely splash pedestrians with mud and water.
Thinking of this, Su Han took a deep breath.
This village definitely needed a road.
However, the cost of building roads was immense. His own wealth, even if he were to go bankrupt, would likely not be enough.
That was why they had organized this charity program specifically to publicize the village's situation, to let the outside world see, to let the wealthy see, to attract caring individuals, to encourage wealthy people to invest and help, and for the government to offer assistance.
This was Su Han's thinking.
As they reached the end of the road and climbed a small incline, they arrived at the school.
"After this slope, we'll be at our village school."
"It wasn't easy!"
"Truly not easy."
Su Han and Yang Mi sighed deeply.
They had traveled over mountains and crossed rivers, finally arriving at their destination.
At this moment, the students from the village were all eagerly awaiting.
Due to the poor internet connectivity in the village, not every household had access.
It was only through the school teachers playing it for the students that they had the chance to see Su Han's movies and know of his existence.
Of course, Su Han was brought up by the teachers because he had risen from an ordinary extra to an award-winning actor; this inspirational story was shared with the students as an example.
The students were deeply moved upon hearing it, awed by Su Han's journey, and began to emulate him, studying diligently.
Everyone looked up to Su Han as a role model, imagining themselves studying hard, leaving this mountainous region, going to the city, attending good universities, and achieving their dreams after graduation.
This was what the children envisioned.
So today, they had all obediently put on their washed-out school uniforms and lined up, waiting for Su Han's arrival.
They were filled with anticipation for Su Han.
After all, Su Han was an idol in their eyes, someone they could never have imagined meeting in their lives.
But today, Su Han had descended from the heavens to visit their school and see them.
This made them incredibly excited.
"Students, please behave yourselves in a moment."
"Su Han is coming to our school to see us, so we must be well-behaved."
"Do you hear me?"
The teacher instructed the students.
The students nodded obediently, "Understood, teacher!"
"Good!"
And so, even though the students had many thoughts and much curiosity, they dared not speak casually.
Because they had to remain vigilant; Su Han was about to arrive, and they needed to maintain silence to leave a very good impression on him.
This was everyone's thought.
And so, at this very moment, as everyone waited in quiet anticipation, Su Han appeared!
That familiar yet unfamiliar face, stepping out from the screen for the first time.
Upon seeing Su Han, the teachers were overjoyed, their faces beaming with delight.
Many of the teachers were also fans of Su Han.
The children's eyes sparkled, dimples appearing on their cheeks as they smiled.