Chapter 61: Mother-in-Law

Lin Jianlu honestly never expected that when he only offered twelve hundred a month to recruit a few normal backup dancers with basic dance training, so many people would actually submit their materials.

He had planned to recruit six to ten people, but Old Xue said that over the past half month or so, he had received about three hundred resumes. After his careful screening and vetting, around forty were kept.

There were even two who had previously played female leads in Lin Jianlu's music videos.

The most crucial thing was that a future mother-in-law had actually shown up. "She's already a National Class-One Performer, why would she be willing to come and be a backup dancer for me? I'm only paying twelve hundred a month, and the lead dancer only gets fifteen hundred!"

Old Xue glanced at Liu Xiaoli's resume again, wondering what was on his mind as he secretly grew attentive—it was common knowledge in the industry that Lin Jianlu had a thing for women older than himself.

Yet when he answered, he put on a serious expression. "You're not quite right about that, is twelve hundred low? The average salary on your mainland side is only a few hundred! Moreover, many art troupes in the mainland can't even pay out salaries nowadays. We often get vocalists from professional art troupes submitting applications here. When I chat with them, they even say they only make two or three hundred a month, struggling just to eat! Over a thousand is quite a lot!"

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Besides, when we publicly announced the recruitment, as you said yourself, whenever there's a performance, there's an extra hundred-yuan performance fee each time! That is very tempting! You are the most popular one, and following you, the opportunities to make money won't be few!"

Well then...

Flipping through the stacks, twelve people were preliminarily selected, and they could be notified to come for interviews.

The shortest height was 165, and the tallest was 169. Lin Jianlu had envisioned a scene: putting all these girls in specially customized small suit shorts, or waist-baring police uniforms with tiny shorts, displaying a uniform sea of long legs paired with high heels. At that point, they wouldn't even need to dance much—just walking on stage *kaka-kaka*, and the audience below would go wild!

Ah, that would come in handy for concerts!

And they could use this setup for future music videos too!

Selling tickets, making money—there was nothing shameful about that!

Looking at the resume again, well, the future mother-in-law was actually born in '59, only a year younger than Chen Shuhua, but she truly looked young. In his past life, he had often seen those so-called ageless goddesses on Douyin without feeling much. He figured it was mostly because he had never been obsessed with them when he was young and lacked that sentimental attachment. But coming to the 1990s and advancing in life, having the qualification to meet them face-to-face and communicate with the goddesses in person, Lin Jianlu still had to admit that there truly were some women and girls who simply never seemed to age!

Lin Qingxia, well past forty, was showing some slight signs of fatigue, but women like Chen Shuhua, Maggie Cheung, and this future mother-in-law Liu Xiaoli were genuinely entirely free of fatigue, looking as youthful as girls in their early twenties.

He had to hand it to them!

"Sit down! Liu Xiaoli, right? Is your resume accurate? Born in '59, thirty-seven years old?"

Seeing her in person, Old Xue's words had been spot on. Although her actual age was older, his future mother-in-law genuinely looked young—she could definitely still have children, that was for certain.

She performed a short segment of classical dance—reportedly a piece from *Chu Rhyme: Lady Xiang* where she had danced the solo. To evaluate it seriously, even without professional dance attire, her limbs were extended and her movements graceful. Oh my goodness...

That exact feeling from when he first met Chen Shuhua surged right back up instantly!

Erm...

Although she should be quite "old," it wasn't like he couldn't accept it!

Playing a section of the *Biao Er Shuang* music video, he asked her to imitate and dance to it on the spot. Unsurprisingly, her dance lacked the crisp, sharp snap characteristic of modern dance or street dance styles, but it was clear she had practiced beforehand—virtually every girl notified for an interview had clearly practiced.

Such an obvious test question, after all—she was applying to be Lin Jianlu's backup dancer!

"Not bad, your basic skills are much better than mine, an amateur. However, considering your age, you should have a family, right? If you need to accompany me on long-term tours outside..."

Hearing the clear inclination to hire in Lin Jianlu's words, Liu Xiaoli replied immediately, "I have no problem with that! I have a child, but she's already nine years old, in primary school, and currently living with her grandparents. If long-term touring is required, her maternal grandparents can also help take care of her. I have no issues with that at all."

Her answer missed the main point Lin Jianlu was concerned about.

He vaguely remembered watching entertainment gossip in his past life and seemed to recall that Liu Yifei had a rather formidable father and an equally formidable godfather. This was something he had to probe into in advance to avoid offending people inexplicably. "Understood. But there's one more point, please forgive my bluntness. I am very willing to hire you, but after all, you have a family. As for your husband's side..."

Her answer was simple, direct, cold, hard, and crisp—the absolute definition of straightforward. "We are getting a divorce."

Lin Jianlu was rendered speechless for a moment—oh, so they were right around the stage of getting a divorce at this time!

In his impression, Liu Yifei's family background was illustrious. This didn't refer to her parents, but rather her paternal grandparents, neither of whom were ordinary figures. Of course, her father wasn't simple either; at the very least, they were figures in official circles. Therefore, even after a divorce, theoretically, the mother and daughter should not lack for care. However, by observing various gossip reports from later times and filtering out the obviously fabricated parts for analysis, that kind of care was likely limited as well.

It was a very simple logic. Lin Jianlu had always believed that no matter how much you bragged about your ancestors, the moment you came to scratch out a living in the entertainment industry, it fully demonstrated that your family had already fallen on hard times!

Or perhaps you weren't valued by your family at all.

He wasn't talking about Liu Xiaoli; her family probably wasn't anything particularly special. He was talking about Liu Yifei!

The entertainment industry was the Shura field and single-plank bridge for the children of poor families, while true second- and third-generation elites disdained it.

Well, especially facing a divorce, this should be the period when the relations on both sides were at their iciest.

It could probably be considered a period of adversity.

Otherwise, there would be no need to apply for a job paying around a thousand a month.

"Good! You're hired!"

"Uh... Hello, Mr. Lin. Here's the thing, I want to communicate with you in advance... I can't guarantee that I will work here for very long. I'm just... uh, just currently in relatively desperate need of a job."

"Oh... Is that so? A year?"

"Uh, I can't guarantee that."

Lin Jianlu was somewhat taken aback—what kind of nonsense was this!

You come to apply for a job, and you can't even guarantee a duration of one year?

Lin Jianlu spread his hands and gave a wry smile. "Understood! Then we'll wait until you've stabilized and want to find a long-term job before contacting us again. I'll still be happy to offer you a job then!"

"Because your dancing is truly fantastic!"

Having said that, he even took the initiative to stand up and extend his hand.

Towards a future mother-in-law, naturally, one had to be polite and leave a good impression.

Liu Xiaoli initially wore a conflicted expression—regretful, disappointed, and reluctant all at once—but soon a look of relief washed over her. She walked over a few steps and shook hands with Lin Jianlu. "Thank you! Uh, I really like your songs, and I actually really wanted to be your backup dancer for a while. But... given my personal circumstances, I'm sorry!"

Letting go of her hand, Lin Jianlu smiled and waved it off. "It doesn't matter!"

Mid-sentence, he even proactively took out his own business card and handed it over. "Facing a divorce, this should be a difficult period in your life. If there's anything you need help with, you can give me a call! I might not be able to help with major issues, but doing a small favor shouldn't be a problem."

A look of surprise flashed across her face, but she still accepted the card. "Thank you!... Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

She turned to leave, and Lin Jianlu turned back to sit down.

Just as she reached the door, however, she suddenly turned around. "If I can promise to stay for at least a year..."

Lin Jianlu looked up in astonishment and burst out laughing. "Then... welcome?"

She smiled as well, looking both happy and slightly embarrassed. "Thank you! Because I really do need a job right now. I've thought about it, and I can work for you for at least a year!"

Thus, Lin Jianlu stood up for the second time with a smile, extending his hand. "Then welcome aboard!"

She walked back as well and shook hands with Lin Jianlu. "Thank you!"