1. A family tragedy that stems from the dream of chasing stars
In 1994, Yang Lijuan, a 16-year-old girl in the prime of her youth, had an amazing and strange dream! The man in the dream was handsome and gentle, which made her infatuated and dreamed.
After in-depth understanding, what shocked her was that this mysterious man happened to be Andy Lau, the star who was in full swing at that time! Since then, Yang Lijuan has become an inextricable obsession with Andy Lau as if she had been enchanted.
Yang Lijuan's father, Yang Qinji, is a loving father who loves his daughter very much. When he learned of his daughter's dream, instead of stopping it, he actively encouraged: "It's a good thing to be able to see Andy Lau!" Yang Qinji's indulgence undoubtedly added fuel to the fire, making Yang Lijuan's obsession more and more difficult to control.
That year, Yang Qinji had retired at home, and he still had 9,900 yuan in savings. In order to fully support his daughter's star-chasing, he did not hesitate to give everything he had and took Yang Lijuan on a long and difficult star-chasing journey.
However, after repeated disappointments, the family fell into financial difficulties, and Yang Qinji had to borrow loan sharks to make ends meet, and finally even his hometown in Lanzhou was forced to sell, and the family had to live in a cramped rental house.
Just when the funds were about to run out, Yang Qinji had a jaw-dropping idea - he decided to sacrifice his health and sell his kidney in exchange for a sum of money in order to continue to support his daughter's dream of chasing stars.
"I was able to survive without losing a kidney, so that I could raise enough money to help my daughter realize her wish to go to Hong Kong to find Andy Lau," Yang Qinji's tone was sincere and his eyes were firm, as if he was talking about an ordinary matter.
2. Review: A crazy star-chasing journey
Since 1997, Yang Qinji has always been by his daughter Yang Lijuan's side, and together they have embarked on a crazy star-chasing journey across Beijing, Hong Kong and other cities, trying to find the figure of idol Andy Lau.
What is still fresh in my memory is that there was a time when they stayed in Hong Kong for a whole day and night, but they finally failed to meet their idol who had been dreaming of a long time. Yang Lijuan burst into tears and was overwhelmed with grief, but her father Yang Qinji still firmly encouraged her to persevere: "Even if I crawl, I will accompany my daughter to find Andy Lau."
Yang Qinji reaffirmed the vow he made eight years ago when he supported his daughter to chase stars.
In 2003, the Yang family's financial situation was already overwhelmed. In order to continue to support their daughter's pursuit of stardom, they resolutely decided to sell their property, including their ancestral house in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and rented a simple and simple living room instead.
With the hard-earned money from the sale of the house, the father and daughter once again embarked on a long road of chasing stars, hoping to meet their idol Andy Lau again on the road in the future.
After a year of waiting, after learning the news that Andy Lau was going to Gansu to shoot a film, they rushed to the set to look for their idols in ecstasy, but they still passed by the god of luck, and a heavy sense of loss shrouded their hearts.
Yang Lijuan was grief-stricken, and Yang Qinji was also sad, but they did not give up, but strengthened their belief in pursuing their dreams.
By 2005, the Yang family's life was on the verge of collapse, and Yang Qinji's savings were almost exhausted. In desperation, he made a shocking decision - he planned to sell his kidney in exchange for funds to continue supporting his daughter's star-chasing journey.
"One less kidney, at least I can still live, this money is enough to support my daughter to go to Hong Kong to find Andy Lau", Yang Qinji's words were loud, and his face was full of perseverance and determination.
This once gentle teacher is now willing to pay such a painful price, just to fulfill her daughter's dream of chasing stars.
3. Andy Lau in the whirlpool of public opinion
As soon as Yang Qinji's decision to sacrifice himself was revealed, it immediately caused an uproar in all walks of life. What seemed to be a simple star-chasing story instantly turned into a farce that shook the world.
Under the full tracking and reporting of the media, on March 25, 2007, Yang Lijuan finally got her wish and met her idol at Andy Lau's Hong Kong fan club.
However, this brief meeting did not satisfy her heart's deepest longing. Yang Lijuan looked forward to staying with Andy Lau for a while, and her father Yang Qinji also pleaded earnestly in an interview: "I hope Andy Lau can meet our children alone."
However, Yang Lijuan's wish failed to come true, which made Yang Qinji fall into extreme pain and anger. In the early morning of the next day, at the age of 68, he chose to come to Hong Kong's Star Pier, jumped into the sea, and left a 7-page suicide note, trying to force Andy Lau to agree to meet his daughter Yang Lijuan at the cost of his life.
Yang Qinji's suicide was like a giant bomb thrown into an incident that had aroused widespread concern from all walks of life, and instantly triggered a storm in the public opinion circles.
The innocent Mr. Andy Lau was also swept by the storm and was deeply troubled, so he had to suspend all his work and temporarily avoid the public eye and go to the hospital for treatment.
During that time, Mr. Andy Lau was under tremendous pressure, and his life and work were seriously disrupted. There is no doubt that in this crazy star-chasing farce, Mr. Andy Lau is the biggest victim! .
Fourth, the current situation: Yang Lijuan's real life
The death of her father Yang Qinji undoubtedly brought a heavy blow to Yang Lijuan, and her soul suffered indescribable trauma. After a painful time, she began to deeply reflect on her behavior and gradually let go of her obsession with her idol Andy Lau.
In order to say goodbye to the past, she resolutely decided to destroy all the items about Andy Lau at home and go all out to return to the lives of ordinary people.
Today, 42-year-old Yang Lijuan lives with her elderly mother in a low-rent house provided by the government. Although rent is not expensive, it has become a significant burden on the family's expenses for the mother and daughter who live on a meager subsistence allowance.
In order to maintain basic living needs, Yang Lijuan found a job as a shopping guide at a local supermarket, and although the salary is not very good, it is enough to support their daily needs.
Yang Lijuan, who was once controversial because of the crazy star-chasing incident, has now become an ordinary worker who is diligent and down-to-earth and abides by the rules in the eyes of her colleagues. At first, she also subconsciously avoided communicating with others, fearing that she would be instructed by others.
However, as time went by, in the process of getting along day after day, she gradually let go of her guards, established a good relationship with her colleagues, and got along very well.
In addition to work, Yang regularly visits local Christian churches and choir prayer activities to find spiritual comfort. She has severed all contact with her former friends and classmates and has lived a relatively closed life, trying to heal her wounds and forget the pain of the past in this way.
5. Reflection: Lessons and regrets on the road to stardom
Looking back on the past, Yang Lijuan is full of endless regrets for the crazy years of chasing stars. "If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't make the same choice. ”
When faced with this sensitive topic, Yang Lijuan said affectionately and deeply guilty: "For the blind worship I once had for the superstar Andy Lau, I have gradually broken free from the shackles and regained my senses! I resolutely no longer use words like 'crazy' to describe that time."
She hopes to share her own experience to warn fans to treat star worship rationally and not to fall into the crazy situation she used to have, which eventually leads to misunderstandings in life.
The deepest pain in Yang Lijuan's heart is that she acted willfully and recklessly, ignoring the feelings of her family, which made her parents pay a heavy price for her dreams. "There was a lot of financial stress and mental suffering.
Whenever she recalls the scene when her father Yang Qinji even sold her kidney in order to raise money for her star-chasing, Yang Lijuan's heart hurts like being cut by a knife.
However, Yang Lijuan also understands that life needs to go on, and she will do her best to take care of her elderly mother. "We will try to live and I will do everything I can to take care of my mother. Now, Yang Lijuan's greatest wish is to let her mother spend a peaceful and harmonious old age.
Although she is currently only a shopping guide with a modest income, she will work hard to accumulate wealth and make her mother's life better.
Looking back on her life, Yang Lijuan is full of emotion, she has experienced countless twists and turns and tribulations, and now it is not easy to get back on track. She is deeply grateful that the god of fate did not give up on her completely, but instead gave her a chance to be born again.
From now on, she will learn to forgive her younger self and cherish the ordinary but quiet life of the present.