The second day of the show recording is 4:30 PM.
All the guests had arrived early today. With half an hour left before the live broadcast, the atmosphere in the tea lounge was as quiet as a funeral. You could barely hear anyone breathing.
After all, they had just fallen into the time trap yesterday—no one wanted to make the same mistake again. So now, everyone was as silent as a chicken.
Song Qing was pale, his expression dazed, and his body swayed unsteadily as he leaned against Film Emperor Xie. His vacant eyes looked as if he had just endured a grueling, inhumane marathon. The slightest movement made him anxiously glance around. He clutched his milk cup tightly, afraid that if he let his guard down, he’d lose something again.
Even so, he kept sneaking glances at the guest sitting directly across from him—at the freshly brewed tea in their hands.
It smelled so good… Even better than yesterday’s green tea.
Su Weisheng was drinking black tea today. Steam rose in the air, carrying the rich, mellow aroma of tea. His slender fingers grasped the edge of the teacup, gently swaying it. Drama Queen Song’s eyes followed his movements left and right, just like a cat unknowingly drawn to a teasing wand.
Sitting next to him was Su Ran. A thick black paper bag sat on the table beside him, its bulging shape hinting at several books inside. No one knew why a top-tier celebrity had brought it to the show. What was even stranger was that, despite keeping it close, he kept pushing the bag further away, looking as though he wanted nothing to do with it but had no choice but to keep it by his side.
The more Su Weisheng watched, the funnier he found it.
One person was terrified of losing things in public again. The other was scared to death yet still forced himself to carry two copies of Haunted Souls. Thank goodness the last book’s disappearance had been his decision and not Su Ran’s—otherwise, the kid would’ve had to bring four copies today.
If only one of them would swallow their pride and tear down the talisman at the entrance, the problem would be solved. Yet, both of them were weak everywhere except for their stubborn mouths.
Ah, my dear great-grandson, always so proud and unwilling to admit defeat in the most pointless ways.
“Ahem…” The great-grandson shoved the black paper bag far away and turned his head nonchalantly in another direction. When he saw his great-grandfather watching him, he shamelessly leaned in and sniffed the tea in Su Weisheng’s hands. “Smells nice. Where’d you get the tea leaves?”
“Xiao Bai gifted them to me,” Su Weisheng replied calmly, pretending not to notice the obvious attempt to change the subject.
“I had no idea he had those kinds of connections!” Su Ran had only asked casually, but now he was genuinely frustrated. He turned to the door and shot a fierce glare at Bai Songyin. Since their phones were confiscated during the live broadcast, he could only threaten him silently: You little bootlicker, just wait till we’re off-air—I’m gonna deal with you!
Su Weisheng patted his great-grandson’s head. “Stop bullying Xiao Bai.”
Su Ran let out a cold laugh. “I see how it is. That kid’s the real green tea, huh? His tactics are more advanced than the one across from us. It’s only been a few days and you’re already protecting him.”
“You jealous?” Su Weisheng tilted his head and looked at him.
“Who’s jealous?!” Su Ran blurted out a guilty retort, his reaction so exaggerated that it drew everyone’s attention. They all turned to look at him with knowing expressions, which only made the top celebrity flush with embarrassment and anger.
“What are you all looking at? If you love watching me so much, go download all my movies and dramas on the app and binge-watch them!”
That statement was practically a curse. The assistant director was so startled that he immediately waved his hand and looked away, even adding, “Buying the album to support you is fine, but the dramas… let’s not.”
Damn it!
His great-grandson was about to lose it again.
Su Weisheng let out a low chuckle and, at the critical moment, placed a steadying hand on Su Ran’s shoulder, pressing him down. “Alright, stop yelling. My ears hurt.” As he spoke, he pushed a cup of black tea toward him, then ruffled his hair lazily and coaxed, “No matter who bought the tea leaves, isn’t your great-grandfather still the one brewing it for you? Be good, my great-grandson.”
The coaxing was half-hearted at best, but Su Ran still instinctively took the tea. He kept his jaw tight and his lips pursed, wanting to argue a bit more, but his reddened ears completely gave away his true emotions. In the end, he could only mumble a barely audible response before lowering his head to sip the tea, pretending nothing had happened.
The others peeked over curiously. Even though they had already witnessed the little great-grandfather’s expert “dog-training” methods before, seeing the top celebrity getting completely played every single time still left them marveling in astonishment.
What a skillful hand, truly a case of one thing overcoming another.
Su Weisheng was in a good mood today. He poured a few more cups of black tea and handed them out to the other guests and crew members. When he finally turned to Song Qing, the little drama queen stretched his neck out eagerly, his eyes fixated on the cup.
However, the black tea spun in front of him for a moment before being retracted by his mischievous great-grandfather. “Oh, I forgot—you just said yesterday that your health isn’t good and you can’t drink tea.”
Song Qing choked on his own breath and sullenly withdrew his gaze. Damn it, hoisted by his own petard. So frustrating! He turned his head toward You Sui and complained, “Director, isn’t it time for the livestream to start?”
Director You had switched to a black trench coat today, which made his broad shoulders and narrow waist stand out even more, giving him an effortlessly commanding aura. His long legs were crossed and he leisurely swirled his cup of black tea, taking in its aroma with the relaxed air of a man on vacation—rather than a variety show’s chief director working in a live broadcast studio.
Lounging against the back of his chair, he lazily pointed toward the wall clock and smiled. “4:55 PM. Not time yet.”
Last time, the live stream had already started at 4:40!
Damn it, You Sui must have reset the clock to the correct time again. This cunning old fox—of course, he wouldn’t use the same trick twice! They had come extra early today, sitting up straight and on guard against his antics, yet they still got played!
All three guests, except for Su Weisheng, glared at the director. But he acted completely innocent, waving his hand as if he had done nothing wrong. Then, after taking one last glance at the clock’s hand ticking toward five, he grinned and said, “Oh my, would you look at that—time’s up.”
So infuriating! He deserves a beating!
Too bad he was the chief director… They didn’t dare.
Under countless watchful eyes, the livestream screen slowly lit up. Within moments, fans from all sides flooded in, spamming the chat with wild screams.
【Aaaaah! Zhaocai! Su Zhaocai, Mama loves you!】
【Opened the stream and immediately saw Old Xie coaxing the little drama queen. He’s really such a doting husband—this sweetness is killing me!】
【What’s this? Great-grandfather’s brewed black tea! Gulp down a cup! What’s this? Black tea! Gulp down a cup! What’s this? Black tea! Gulp down a cup! What’s this? Great-grandfather’s health supplement! Pop a pill! Dies.】
【Huh? Why does the atmosphere feel kinda weird today?】
【LMAO. As if they’ve ever been normal.】
【No, but seriously, I thought we’d see the little drama queen causing chaos today, but why does he look so deflated? Even the top celeb isn’t snapping at people. Did his rabies get cured?】
【Maybe they just haven’t adjusted to the new place yet.】
【Shhh, quiet! The show’s about to start!】
As per tradition, the host began with a self-introduction before moving on to cue the program flow and greet the guests. “Today marks the second day of our guests living together. How is everyone feeling? Any interesting stories to share with the production team and audience?”
Interesting stories? After everything that had happened today, did they really need to ask? This was a case of asking the obvious. The guests responded with uniform cold smiles toward the host.
Only Su Weisheng remained calm as he mercilessly called them out, “So many interesting things happened today. Didn’t your crew rush over every single time to record it? Do you still need to ask us?”
Host: “…Ahem!”
The internet exploded with laughter.
【HAHAHAHA no need to be THAT direct!】
【I’m crying—this chaotic production team has probably never encountered someone as blunt as Great-Grandfather before.】
【Is there drama? Drop a hint!】
【Patting the one above.】
【Do we even need to guess? It’s obviously those two shameless great-grandfather and grandson bullying people again!】
【Let’s not jump the gun here. Your family’s Versailles Film Emperor brags about how much he dotes on his little drama queen wife every damn day—it’s a well-documented fact.】
【Stop arguing, stop arguing. No matter how heated you guys get, can you beat the drama between the top celeb and the film emperor? Please, leave the battlefield to the guests, okay?】
Thankfully, the host was professional enough to recover quickly. After a brief moment of awkward silence, he swiftly moved on. Picking up a remote control, he turned on the projector and seamlessly continued, “That’s right, just as Great-Grandfather said, our attentive production team has already recorded everything that happened today. Now, let’s take a look at the VCR—”
As the video unfolded, the first shot that appeared was of Song Qing standing at the entrance of “Star Lord Blessing”, with a Bagua mirror hanging above the doorway—its reflective surface shining directly toward the grandchild-and-great-grandfather’s home.
Su Ran, radiating hostility, stormed forward, ready to take action.
From a distance, Su Weisheng merely called out in a calm, indifferent voice: “Grandson.” A clear command.
The top celebrity halted in his tracks.
The camera shifted. The next shot captured the serene-faced Great-Grandfather and the innocent-looking Song Qing locked in a distant stare-down—one’s eyes completely unmoved, the other blinking with a hint of provocation.
Tension crackled in the air, ready to ignite at any moment.
Yet, unexpectedly, Great-Grandfather asked only one question before directly taking his grandchild away.
The first video clip abruptly ended there.
Then, the second clip played. The doors of the eastern household swung open, and out strutted Grandson and Bai Songyin—each arrogantly holding a door talisman in their hands…
—
Due to the overwhelming buzz and endless discussions, by the second day after the show aired, a certain gossip forum quickly set up a daily chat thread for «Another Side of Family Life».
Title: “Today’s Drama—A Must-Watch 2.0”
Main Post:
《Another Side of Family Life》 Daily Chat Thread—Villa Edition.
Casual gossip, drama-watching, pure entertainment. Viewers who pay for the show have the right to ship whatever CPs they want—no fandom morality policing allowed. Madness is a daily routine here. Read, burn, and deny everything outside this thread.
1st Comment: Checking in with the most stunning grandchild-and-great-grandfather duo in the world!!!
2nd Comment: Only Wei & Qing official CP fans securing a spot!
3rd Comment: Oh, heavens! Please grant me an absolutely gorgeous Great-Grandfather! I, your devoted believer, swear to be a lifelong vegetarian in Su Zhaocai’s honor!
4th Comment: Wow, you’re really out here making grand promises on Su Ran’s behalf to fulfill your own dreams.
179th Comment: THE SHOW IS STARTING! AAAAAHHH!!!
412th Comment: The video editing is FIRE. It’s clearly a full-blown face-off, yet when the powerful Great-Grandfather and the arrogant little drama queen stared each other down, I actually found it… kinda shippable for a second.
422nd Comment: Ship WHAT?! They’re enemies—what’s there to ship? If it were me, I’d have slapped that drama queen already. Why didn’t the top celeb’s Great-Grandfather do anything? Chickened out? Lame.
556th Comment: First, policing people’s ships. Then, coming for Great-Grandfather. Are you sure you’re not just a Film Emperor CP fan losing their mind? Mods, please mute them.
870th Comment: Su Zhaocai and his assistant walk out proudly, each holding a talisman personally written by Great-Grandfather… The whole scene was unintentionally hilarious.
915th Comment: Xie Wei & Song Qing’s doorway: “Star Lord Blessing”.
Su Ran & Great-Grandfather’s doorway: “All Bestowed To Me”.
1132nd Comment: Kinda childish, but honestly, fighting childishness with childishness was the best approach. Great-Grandfather has a high EQ—if Su Ran handled it himself, it would’ve just turned into another public mockery session.
1531L: Song Qing’s firm declaration of “All Bestowed To Me” directed at the other side seemed to be suppressing something. It even sounded a little eerie.
1533L: Can our little ancestor really make a simple talisman this effective? Is this for real?
1632L: This is getting a bit ridiculous. There’s no such thing as supernatural events. Even if there were, they wouldn’t take effect this fast. Did the production team prepare a script for this?
1700L: No way. Director You’s shows have never had scripts because he himself is a troublemaker who enjoys watching guests lose their composure and reveal their true selves. Haven’t we seen enough of that in past seasons?
1739L: I just checked Weibo—people from 【EscapeStar】 are already mocking this. They don’t dare criticize the production team for fear of offending You Sui, so now they’re claiming Xie Wei and Su Ran must have a private connection and are collaborating to create hype.
1799L: What kind of logic is “collaborative hype”? I don’t get it.
1817L: Basically, they think the Best Actor and the top idol pretend to be at odds publicly while secretly working together. They believe they’re deceiving the production team, faking conflicts, and actually coordinating this supernatural act to build their personas.
1830L: Yeah, that’s what 1817L means. People are now saying that the top idol has realized how effective this supernatural gimmick is. Seeing how popular the metaphysical master 【Lucky Money, You’d Better Behave】 has become online, his company must want to market our little ancestor in the same way. So they deliberately worked with the Best Actor to put on this show.
1839L: …This is some serious paranoia.
1900L: Quick, watch the live stream! They’re arguing again, hahaha.
After watching the two video clips, Su Ran feigned surprise and said to the other side, “So after putting up the talisman, a lot of interesting things happened on your end, huh?” He nodded solemnly, adding, “Lord Ji Sui Xingjun is indeed very effective.”
Song Qing refused to back down. He coughed weakly and said in a ghostly tone, “I recall hearing several screams coming from your side later. I wonder what happened?”
Su Ran’s expression stiffened. He instinctively pushed the black paper beside him a little further away before forcing himself to stay calm. Raising an eyebrow confidently, he said, “Yes, yes, of course. After putting up the talisman, fortune came, luck improved, and everything went smoothly. Xiao Bai was just so lucky that he screamed a few times. You even heard it?”
Xie Wei scoffed. “You actually believe in this kind of baseless superstition?” He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, then added, “Oh, right. You did change your Weibo name because of something like this before. It’s normal for your mindset to be affected.” He nodded as if he deeply understood him.
Su Ran let out a cold laugh.
The tension thickened once again. At a crucial moment, the host quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Talisman blessings from Star Lord were once a common household tradition for praying for safety. It’s not necessarily superstition—just a psychological comfort, a hope for a better life.
“As you’ve all seen, today’s [Star Lord Blessing] has already caused quite a stir. So the production team has decided that tonight’s Neighborhood Interaction theme will be Star Lord Blessings. Everyone can share their own stories—either personal experiences or tales they’ve heard—related to Star Lord.”
“Stories about Star Lord?” Su Weisheng’s expression turned a little strange. How was he supposed to tell one? Should he talk about Star Lord’s Promotion Story? Maybe “How I Exploited Bugs to Climb the Ranks”?
Because no one had gained the upper hand in the earlier exchange of insults, the remaining three guests were all visibly annoyed and had no interest in following the show’s planned activities.
Seeing this, the host added, “Anyone who can’t tell a story, or whose story is voted the worst by the audience, will receive a small punishment.”
“Wait a minute…” As an atheist, Xie Wei was about to refuse, but he didn’t even get to finish his sentence before being cut off.
“I’ll go! I have a story!” Song Qing, who had been disinterested just moments ago, suddenly lifted his head and was the first to respond enthusiastically. He even drowned out his husband’s protest without mercy. As he spoke, he shot a provocative glance at the grandchild-grandfather duo across from him. “As believers of Star Lord, you must have stories to tell, right?”
It was obvious—he wasn’t here to prove himself; he just wanted to see others get punished.
Su Ran refused to back down. “Of course, I have a story. You should worry about your own people first.”
Xie Wei, betrayed by his own ally: “…”
He twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at the little troublemaker beside him, who gazed up at him innocently and pitifully. Since he had built up this “devoted husband” persona, he had no choice but to maintain it, even if it meant going down on his knees. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say, “…I have no problem with it.”
What a touching love story. Su Weisheng played along and gave a round of applause.
The little troublemaker looked absolutely fired up.
But he wasn’t bluffing—coming from one of the few modern families that still upheld the tradition of pasting door talismans, Song Qing was fully confident. With ease, he recounted a heartwarming childhood story: when he had a high fever that wouldn’t go away after being frightened, his grandmother pasted a [Star Lord Blessing] talisman on the door, and he miraculously recovered soon after.
As he spoke, the light in his eyes shone brightly. Even his voice sounded much more natural.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the livestream brightened significantly.
Even the host was moved. “It’s clear that your mother and grandmother cared for you deeply.”
Xie Wei, proud, chimed in, “Xiao Qing grew up surrounded by love. He may be a little spoiled at times, but he’s simple-hearted and means no harm. That’s exactly what I like about him.”
“And on the other hand, children who grow up lacking love develop all sorts of personality flaws—like being irritable, quick-tempered, overly sensitive, and suspicious…” Even while showing off his relationship, he couldn’t resist taking a subtle jab at Su Ran.
Su Ran sneered. “Respected and well-adjusted Teacher Xie, why don’t you focus on the story you’ve prepared instead?”
Xie Wei: “…” Damn it. He didn’t have a story.
Forced to come up with something on the spot, the Best Actor struggled to string together a barely relevant tale that had little to do with Xingjun. In the end, flustered and frustrated, he shifted the focus onto Su Ran. “What about your story? Have you prepared one?”
Su Ran had never heard any Star Lord-related stories before, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to win. His competitive streak took over, and he was even willing to resort to self-mockery if needed.
“Of course, I’m ready. And my story is something I’ve personally experienced—many people have probably heard about it.”
“Huh?” Everyone turned to him with skeptical expressions. Was he serious?
The next second, the top celebrity spoke up. “A while ago, you all probably heard about me changing my username online.”
He had no shame left. He was actually bringing up, in public, how he once made a bet with a metaphysics master online, offering a hundred thousand as an offering to Star Lord for protection—only for Star Lord to seize the opportunity and take his entire fortune.
The livestream chat exploded with laughter.
【Holy shit, he actually admitted it? Damn, Su Zhaocai, weren’t you the one who cared the most about saving face? You really threw it all away just to beat Song Qing…】
【The former emperor hadn’t even made it halfway in his grand endeavor before blowing the entire budget—this joke never gets old, no matter how many times I hear it.】
【Wait, this really happened? I always thought it was just a meme…】
【No way, isn’t this just a joke? Do people believe it’s real?】
It wasn’t just the viewers laughing—even the studio crew were now looking at the top celebrity with newfound respect.
To win a simple game, he had willingly exposed his most humiliating history and roasted himself. Su Ran… if nothing else, his competitive spirit was truly unparalleled.
Now, the popularity of Su Ran and Song Qing’s stories was nearly tied—one was hilariously absurd, while the other was heartfelt and sincere. That meant all the pressure was now on the final storyteller: the little ancestor.
Su Weisheng, however, wasn’t the least bit anxious. He rested his chin on one hand, listened to the previous stories, and then slowly threw out a topic. “Since we’re talking about Star Lord’s blessings, let’s talk about luck.”
“How so?”
“Luck is a mysterious force. Sometimes, it can save you from desperate situations, but other times, it might backfire.” Su Weisheng introduced a perspective different from the common understanding.
Everyone frowned, clearly not quite grasping his point.
Su Weisheng wasn’t in a hurry. He gave an example. “Over a hundred years ago, there was a family with the surname Zhao. The head of the household had an unusual constitution. Normally, even if someone pasted a [Star Lord Blessing] talisman on their door, they might never receive a blessing in their entire lifetime. But for him, as long as he prayed before the talisman, his wishes would come true with ease.”
“The first time he prayed, he wished for wealth and prosperity. Soon after, he became a well-known local tycoon, with immense riches, a beautiful wife, and several concubines. He was living in luxury. But despite having so many women in his household, he remained childless for years. So, he pasted another [Star Lord Blessing] talisman and wished for many children.”
“He must have succeeded!” Song Qing chimed in.
Su Weisheng nodded. “Yes, the following year, he had two sons—one intelligent and one stunningly handsome. He adored them, spoiling them to no end. However, several years later, due to an accident, he discovered that he had a congenital defect that made it impossible for him to have biological children. The sons he had doted on for years had absolutely no blood relation to him—they were actually born from his concubine’s affair.”
The grandchild nodded thoughtfully. “The blessing only promised him children, but it never specified they would be his own. Honestly, that’s already the best possible outcome.”
“What happened next?” The others were listening with rapt attention.
Su Weisheng continued, “Unwilling to accept the truth and unable to let go of the two children, he decided to use his special constitution to make another wish. He said, ‘I hope these two children are my biological sons.’”
Everyone was stunned. “But the fact that they aren’t related by blood is already set in stone. Can that really be changed?”
“Yes. His wish was granted.”
“This could be granted too? Damn, his luck is insane!”
Su Weisheng chuckled and slowly explained, “Under the influence of the blessing, he took a knife, sliced open his own abdomen, hollowed out his organs, and then stuffed the two children inside his now-empty stomach before stitching it closed. Now, weren’t they his ‘biological’ children?”
The answer sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
The very next second, the tea room lights went out, plunging them into total darkness.
A soft voice whispered in their ears, “The [Star Lord Blessing] talisman is right outside. What wishes would you like to come true?”
At that moment, the story’s protagonist—who had been hollowed out by the blessing—seemed to merge with them, sitting in the dark with longing faces turned toward the [Star Lord Blessing] talisman.
Song Qing suddenly recalled his experience from that morning. Then, just like that, the cup of milk in his hand vanished. He instinctively reached out to grab something—anything—but found himself utterly alone in the enclosed space…
The little drama queen let out a blood-curdling scream. “A GHOST! HELP—!”
“Holy shit!” Su Ran jolted at the sudden shriek. Reflexively, he hurled the unlucky bundle of black-covered books in his hand and immediately reached out to grab Su Weisheng’s hand. “Grandpa, you’re still here, right?!”
The thick black book bundle smacked into Song Qing, but instead of getting angry, he clutched it like a lifeline, holding onto it for dear life.
Just then, Xie Wei rushed over and pulled him into his arms, comforting him in a gentle voice, “There’s no ghost, don’t be scared. I’m right here.” Song Qing burrowed into his embrace, drawing warmth and a sense of security, finally letting out a shaky breath.
“It’s a power outage. The live stream is down too. Let’s use our phones for light and see if we can fix the circuit.” The assistant director quickly stepped in to handle the unexpected situation.
Meanwhile, the crew turned on emergency flashlights, bringing a faint glow back into the pitch-black room.
Phew… The two people most afraid of ghosts let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
In the dim light, Song Qing glanced down at the black-covered book bundle he had instinctively grabbed. His gaze landed directly on the blood-red, wide-eyed illustration on the cover—
“AHHHH—” He let out another scream and fainted on the spot.
At the same time, Su Ran also looked down.
After he had thrown away two of the books, thanks to the blessing, four identical copies of Haunted Souls appeared on the table before him. Four pairs of blood-red eyes stared straight at him.
Su Ran’s vision darkened. “…”
Screw it. Just let me die.
That night, entertainment gossip exploded:
《Did you hear? A paranormal incident occurred on a live stream show. Rumor has it that the little ancestor cast a spell on-site to summon spirits, causing both the top celebrity and the film emperor’s partners to faint and be rushed to the hospital…》
Su Ran lsot his parents early, so even if he fights a lot with grandpa Su, it must be nice to have an adult to scold or take his side when needed.