Bai Songyin flipped over and over the brand-new ID card, looking at it several times, but found no signs of forgery. Yet, the shock in his eyes grew stronger and stronger. He recalled how two months ago Brother Ran had been so resistant toward Great-Grandfather, remembered Brother Ran’s expression when he once swore he would rather die than change his name, then looked at this ID card and glanced up to see the top star’s proud expression…
He collapsed, clutching his head, mumbling to himself, “Damn, doesn’t that mean from now on it’s the top star Su Zhaocai? Joking aside, he really changed his name!” Even Xiao Bai started feeling sympathy for the little sparks. Is this the kind of embarrassing idol every fan would have as their personal shame?
Even more broken than Bai Songyin and the fans was Lu Huanjin. After all, fans could stop supporting a fallen idol, but what about him? What would happen to the idol’s husband! Mr. Lu picked up the ID card and looked it over several times. Finally, in pain, he covered his face with one hand and began reflecting on why exactly he had fallen for this embarrassment.
Su Ran was very confused by their weird expressions. “Tsk, what’s your attitude? Didn’t I change my name well? You’re obviously just jealous I got a name personally approved by Great-Grandfather. You don’t have that!” He said this proudly, glancing at Su Ning.
Looking at the great-grandson with the name 【Su Zhaocai】 above his head, Su Ning’s expression was already filled with speechlessness, with no desire to argue with an idiot, “Even a name like that can be written on an ID card, you’ve already won.”
“Alright!” Su Ran, who had the upper hand, immediately grabbed onto the loophole in Su Ning’s words, angrily condemning, “Great-Grandfather, listen, he’s even criticizing the name you gave me; he’s questioning your taste!”
Everyone: “……”
Lu Huanjin shook the ID card in his hand, his expression hard to describe, “What exactly are you proud of? Are you sure Great-Grandfather will be happy you changed your ID card…?”
Before he finished speaking, a slender, fair hand took the ID card away. Turning back, he saw Su Weisheng playing with the new nameplate 【Su Zhaocai】 with great interest. Not only did he not feel embarrassed, but there was actually a hint of joy in his expression.
Suo Weisheng asked curiously to the great-grandson, “When did you change your name?”
The great-grandson proudly said, “More than half a month ago, I went to handle it. I didn’t leak it early; otherwise, would today have had such a big surprise effect?”
Are you sure this damn thing is a surprise?
Damn, with Great-Grandfather, maybe it really is.
Because Su Weisheng admired the three characters “Su Zhaocai” on the ID card for a moment, then took out his phone and transferred two thousand yuan to Bai Songyin, smiling as he arranged, “We can’t let Zhaocai change his name for nothing. Go buy some lottery tickets in my name and try your luck. If you win, treat the whole crew to a meal to celebrate.”
Everyone was speechless.
No need to say more. It’s obvious they really are biological great-grandfather and great-grandson.
Xiao Bai was assigned to buy the lottery tickets. From this alone, you could feel Great-Grandfather’s satisfaction with Zhaocai, which undoubtedly fueled the eldest grandson’s arrogance.
“Great-Grandfather, can I really boost your fortune just by changing my name?”
Su Ran tasted the feeling of being favored by Great-Grandfather. He was so proud he lost all sense of restraint. His gaze shifted directly onto his own husband. Lu Huanjin felt a bad premonition but couldn’t stop him in time before hearing him shout, “Then how about changing the eldest great-grandson’s wife’s name too? Maybe that would bring even more luck! I’ll be called Zhaocai, and Ah Jin, you’ll be called Jucai from now on—how about that?”
No way!!!
Lu Huanjin’s face immediately turned green. He covered Su Ran’s mouth with one hand, trying to keep his tone gentle and polite, though it was hard to hide his grinding teeth: “Naming is serious business. We should think about it carefully.”
Su Ran shook his head in despair and sighed deeply. The eldest great-grandson’s wife just doesn’t have any backbone!
Su Ning watched the scene with schadenfreude and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. Lu Huanjin was quite well-known in the business world, so how did he end up willingly falling for such an embarrassing fool?
Wow, looks like big investor Lu is going to have to change his name to Lu Jucai, too.
Fortunately, Su Weisheng didn’t have that plan for now.
“Indeed, there’s no rush. Changing names also has to follow a proper order,” Su Weisheng said, then glanced over at Su Ning, who was eagerly watching the drama unfold, and smiled as he casually added, “Ningning, I remember when you handled Gu Shuangshuang’s case, you said the reward you wanted was to change your name?”
Caught off guard by the joke turning back on him, Su Ning’s smile froze.
What Su Zhaocai had done in terms of embarrassing incidents was nothing compared to the things Su Ning had done before recovering his memory—it was like a small witch meeting a big witch. If we’re talking about the most uniquely embarrassing descendant of Su Weisheng, then our youngest son definitely takes the crown.
Su Ning painfully covered his face. “I just managed to push those socially mortifying memories out of my mind, and you’ve just made me relive them all over again. Dad, do you have to be this twisted?”
Su Weisheng, with a mischievous gleam, admired the youngest son’s mortified expression once more. Then he stood up and patted his head with meaning, saying, “If you still want to change your name, I can offer new names, too.”
Su Ning looked at him with a completely hopeless expression.
Having satisfied his mischievous side, Su Weisheng finally started announcing the serious matter: “Laijin and the others should be arriving soon. Let’s head to the study—today we’re having a family meeting.” He glanced at the couple in the corner and especially reminded, “Zhaocai, take your eldest great-grandson’s wife with you.”
Suo Ran’s eyes lit up, “Got it, Great-Grandfather!”
The study was fairly spacious. Su Weisheng closed his eyes to rest behind the desk, Su Ning sat in the wicker chair by the window, enjoying the breeze, while the great-grandson couple sat quietly whispering on the sofa in the corner.
Su Ran, still riding the high, was flipping through a dictionary, trying to find a lucky yet elegant name for the eldest great-grandson’s wife. Lu Huanjin, sitting beside him, felt a headache coming on and couldn’t help but advise again, “If Great-Grandfather needs money, I can just give it to him directly. No need to change names to boost fortune…”
“You don’t understand!” The eldest great-grandson sternly instructed the eldest great-grandson’s wife, “Since Great-Grandfather has let you come to the family meeting, that means he regards you as one of us. He values you so much. Why don’t you take the opportunity to change your name and enter the Su family genealogy? You have to know, some people still haven’t even had the chance to be granted a name by Great-Grandfather!” Saying this, he arrogantly raised his eyebrows at Su Ning, his expression full of provocative arrogance.
Su Ning, who had not changed his name, narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly feeling a bit itchy in his hand.
Su Ran didn’t realize he was repeatedly testing the edge of self-destruction, and kept whispering with Lu Huanjin about family traditions and such topics.
Lu Huanjin listened, confused, “Isn’t it just you and Great-Grandfather in your family? Who else is coming to the family meeting?”
“My dad, my grandpa, my great-grandfather, and my great-granduncle!” Su Ran answered, while to reassure the eldest great-grandson’s wife, he patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, although Su Ning is a descendant of my great-granduncle, I have more elders on my side, a strong group. With my great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my dad backing me, those two, grandfather and grandson, aren’t a match for our branch at all.”
Lu Huanjin was puzzled, “Wait, your great-grandfather and great-granduncle are still alive?”
“No, they’ve both been dead for over a hundred years.”
Su Ran glanced toward a corner of the study and excitedly said, “Here they come, my grandfather and the others have arrived!”
Lu Huanjin turned his head and saw thick smoke billowing in the corner of the study, then three old men with white hair and pale faces floated out from it. A cold wind swept past; the old men raised their heads and looked at them faintly. The scene was extremely eerie, and even someone as bold as President Lu instinctively got goosebumps all over.
His mind went completely blank for a full minute before he reacted. So the so-called family meeting even counted the ghostly ancestors from the underworld? No wonder Great-Grandfather could act so recklessly in the living world—he actually had backing from below! Lu Huanjin suddenly understood.
He calculated the generational ranks of the ancestors Su Ran mentioned. These ghostly ancestors must be the direct descendants of that legendary High Priest of the Su family. No wonder they had such supernatural power, still able to protect Su Weisheng and Su Ran even after death.
Thinking this, his gaze toward those ghostly ancestors was tinged with awe. It seemed the ancestors still held high status and power underground, and probably weren’t easy to get along with in terms of personality, so they must be treated with caution.
However, he noticed the atmosphere in the study was a bit strange. The young Great-Grandfather, who clearly ruled arrogantly in the living world under the protection of the ghostly ancestors, was lazily sitting in his chair, paying no attention to them at all. Why was that… Wasn’t he afraid of angering the ancestors?
Just as he was about to step forward respectfully as a junior to greet them first, the three ghostly ancestors suddenly moved.
The leading elder, with crane-white hair and a silver beard, carried an extraordinary air. At this moment, he slowly walked toward Su Weisheng by the desk, stared at him for a few moments, then lowered his head and slowly called out, “Father, I have come.”
“Su Yinian greets Grandfather.”
“Su Cheng greets Great-Grandfather…”
The three old men stood clumsily by the side of the desk, looking obedient as if waiting for Su Weisheng to inspect them. Only after Su Weisheng waved his hand to signal that all was well and scolded them did the three slowly relax and show expressions of having survived a calamity.
It was obvious these three ghostly ancestors often got scolded and dealt with by Su Weisheng.
Lu Huanjin was stunned. He slowly turned his head to look at the calm, indifferent Su Ran and said, “What did I just hear? What did your Great-Grandfather shout to the young Great-Grandfather?”
Su Ran looked disdainfully at the inexperienced eldest great-grandson’s wife and answered, “He called him ‘Father’. Haven’t you realized after being with Great-Grandfather for so long? I call him Great-Grandfather because he is my own great-grandfather, the legendary High Priest Su Tiao you immediately think of when you hear the Su name.” Saying this, he proudly raised his chin, clearly honored.
Lu Huanjin rubbed his ear in disbelief, “But didn’t the High Priest already pass away over two hundred years ago? He’s a ghost?”
“Not dead, just sleeping. He only recently woke up.” Su Ran clicked his tongue, tapped his head, and said earnestly, “Ah Jin, you’re already the eldest great-grandson’s wife in a prestigious noble family. Don’t always act so ignorant—calm down.”
Lu Huanjin felt utterly bewildered, “…”
He had always thought that the title “eldest great-grandson’s wife” was just Su Ran’s self-entertainment, a joke that Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother took lightly. But now, he suddenly realized—this might really not be a joke…
After all, the Su family of the High Priest was far beyond what any noble family could describe; it should be the foremost clan worshipped by all tribes.
Su Ran decided to let Lu Huanjin digest this overwhelming information on his own. Meanwhile, he quickly slipped over to the three generations of grandfather, naturally repeatedly reminding them at this crucial moment that they must unite under his banner to suppress the descendants of the second branch and secure the position of the eldest great-grandson.
But after he said just a few words, he noticed Great-Great-Grandfather sitting on the sofa, gazing steadily toward the window. Following his line of sight, Su Ran saw only Su Ning quietly drinking tea with his head lowered.
Occasionally, Su Laijin and Su Ning accidentally locked eyes, then quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Su Ran began to form factions: “Great-Great-Grandfather, you also think Su Ning is suspicious, right? The moment I saw him, I knew he wasn’t a good person!”
“Hmm…” Su Laijin was distracted and didn’t bother with him.
Su Weisheng glanced at the awkward brothers, then at their reckless great-great-grandson who was causing trouble. Amused, he beckoned to him, “Zhaocai, come here. Don’t disturb your great-great-grandfather.”
“Great-Grandfather…” Su Ran walked over curiously and asked, “What’s wrong with my great-great-grandfather? He seemed strange the moment he arrived.”
Su Weisheng’s tone was calm: “It’s the unease of returning home. Though he and your great-granduncle miss each other, they haven’t met in over a hundred years. Meeting suddenly now, it’s natural to feel awkward.”
Su Ran turned his head in surprise and looked around. “My great-granduncle came? Where is he? I don’t see him.”
Su Weisheng glanced at the two brothers and thought, alright, ten minutes have passed, and still no one has spoken up. Usually, one or two would be sharp enough, but now they seem tight-lipped.
“He’s right here in this room.” Su Weisheng suddenly said bluntly, breaking the subtle deadlock. He said lightly, “Your great-granduncle is just sitting there drinking tea and pretending to be a grandson, isn’t he, Yinzi?”
Su Laiyin, who was hiding his expression behind lowered tea-drinking, was suddenly dissed by his own father and caught off guard, coughing once.
Su Ran, who was still completely confused and trying to figure out where his great-granduncle was, heard Great-Grandfather’s words and went utterly dumbfounded. He showed the exact same “good-for-nothing” expression as his husband, Lu Huanjin, then stammered, “Great-Grandfather, who did you say is my great-granduncle?”
Su Ning had originally been lost in the awkward doubt of “Does my brother even know how I’m producing offspring?” but all his unease was suddenly shattered. Then he saw Zhaocai staring wide-eyed at him with a look of shocked disbelief, so he forced a fake smile and replied, “I’m your great-granduncle, dear great-great-grandson.”
He said coolly, “Weren’t you just concerned whether I had been granted a name by Great-Grandfather? I have. My name is Laiyin, and I’m the biological brother of your great-great-grandfather Laijin. How’s that? Interesting, isn’t it?”
Su Ran: “……………”
Every extra word from Su Ning overloaded Su Ran’s brain and crash for another full minute. By the end, he was a mess, retreating into the corner of the sofa to collapse and pretend to be a mushroom, avoiding reality.
Lu Huanjin had already recovered, but Su Ran was still breaking down.
Lu gently patted his wife’s shoulder, about to comfort him, when he heard Su Ran muttering quietly again and again:
“Isn’t he the wild great-grandson Great-Grandfather has outside? How can he be my great-granduncle?”
“Good grief, no wonder Great-Grandfather always says I’m definitely the only legitimate eldest great-grandson. Turns out it’s because he and I aren’t even on the same track. He’s a son, and I’m a great-great-grandson…”
“I actually asked my great-grandfather to help me beat his own brother. I really am something.”
“Oh no, I’ve completely offended him now. What do I do?”
“No, no, no, don’t panic! Why be afraid? Isn’t it better that he’s a son? That means I’m the one and only, irreplaceable eldest great-grandson, and Great-Grandfather will definitely spoil me alone as the great-great-grandson!”
Lu Huanjin: “……” My wife really puts on quite a show all by himself.
With the lively Zhaocai now there to lighten the mood, the subtle tension in the study finally began to ease. Su Ning took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and looked at Su Ran pretending to be a mushroom in the corner. Calmly, he teased, “Brother, your biological great-great-grandson’s intelligence is a bit lacking, huh?”
To put it in a somewhat anime-style way: if Su Ran’s IQ dropped just a little more, Lu Huanjin would seriously have to consider whether mistreating the intellectually disabled was a criminal offense.
That was how sneakily Su Ning mocked him.
Su Laijin thought for a moment: “Maybe it’s because he’s a human, not something hatched from an egg.”
Su Ning: “…………” He stared blankly at his garbage brother, who stabbed him right in the heart with those words. As expected, sometimes knowing something is the worst outcome. This matter would have him mocked for more than a hundred years.
Su Laijin suddenly realized and slapped his forehead apologetically, “Yinzi, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re different. Whether you came from an egg or not, you’re just as smart.”
When he said this, Su Laijin’s expression was unusually sincere, making it hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuinely felt that way.
Su Ning stared at him expressionlessly, took a deep breath, held back the embarrassment that made him want to die on the spot, then forced himself to be calm and turned to Su Weisheng, “Father, I think we can skip the small talk and get straight to the meeting’s main topic.”
At the mention of business, Su Laijin also grew serious and said earnestly, “Father, just give us your instructions and we’ll follow them.”
“Hmm…”
The brothers’ quarrel passed quickly and simply. Su Weisheng, who hadn’t witnessed the lively scene, felt a bit disappointed. But just then, You Sui came in and sat beside him. With the family finally complete, he tapped the table, bringing everyone’s attention back, and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s begin.”
Hearing this, everyone snapped to attention, instantly composing themselves and waiting seriously for his orders.
Su Weisheng roughly explained his needs: he required a large amount of underworld merit to increase his authority and control over the Book of Life and Death. The best way to earn merit was to solve the problem of too many restless souls in the underworld with nowhere to settle. Therefore, he was considering whether there was a way to let these souls come up to the living world to work, achieving a method of coexistence between humans and ghosts.
After hearing his idea, You Sui paused for a moment, then reminded him, “It’s not difficult to bring souls up to the upper world, but you must be fully prepared to prevent them from causing chaos uncontrollably once they arrive.”
Su Weisheng nodded; he had also thought about this issue.
So, after the discussion, they planned to first bring a few souls up for testing. If it worked, then in the future, Su Laijin and others would open a training school in the underworld to mark these souls with a seal that prevented them from harming humans. Only graduates would have the chance to be assigned jobs in the living world, such as background actors on film sets playing vengeful spirits and other specialized roles that would be hard to detect.
However, this brought up more complicated problems, like the currency exchange rate between the yin and yang worlds. Also, when the plan advanced, cooperation and communication with human rulers would be necessary. Fortunately, with Su Ning and his Su family under him, these matters could be entrusted to them.
Su Weisheng decided to personally invest in making a movie. Besides earning money, one purpose was to use his film set as a testing ground for souls coming to the upper world to see if the idea was feasible.
However, there was still one problem to solve.
“If we’re going to arrange for a batch of souls to come to the living world, we can’t summon them each time using talismans, right?” Su Ning said. “Talismans are limited. We need a more convenient way to solve this.”
You Sui replied casually, “That’s not hard to solve. I have a private museum where the yin energy is too strong. In earlier years, restless souls often smuggled themselves through the museum from the underworld into the upper world. Since that’s the case, why not transform it into a connecting passage between the yin and yang worlds?”
Su Weisheng looked at him, “You have a museum?”
“Yes,” You Sui smiled brightly. “And most of the things inside are related to you. Even before I regained my memories, I was always searching for everything connected to you. The museum holds relics from two hundred years ago. Since I’m going to marry into a wealthy family and become Mrs. Su anyway, why not use it as my dowry?”
Everyone: ???
How did the conversation suddenly shift from serious matters to you two flirting?!
And what’s more…
Those who knew the full story behind You Sui’s identity listened to his endless cheeky remarks with increasingly strange expressions. “Monarch, where’s your dignity? Have you really lost all sense of face to say something like bringing a dowry to marry into a wealthy family?!”
Yet, only Su Weisheng could keep him in check. Faced with this shameless, straightforward flirting, the High Priest showed no embarrassment or anger—just a faint smile as he patted You Sui’s head and nodded approvingly: “Not bad. Then I’ll accept your dowry.”
One word: steady.
With the High Priest holding the center, even the most unruly little troublemaker couldn’t cause chaos.
Su Weisheng smoothly controlled the whole meeting and quickly assigned everyone’s tasks. The restless souls had their work arranged in the underworld, and the living naturally had their duties in the living world. Toward the end, after a brief pause and considering the heavy workload in the living world, he said, “Su Ning, I’ll assign you a partner.”
“Who?”
“Jiang Qiao.”
Su Ning clearly had heard of the Jiang family’s name and thoughtfully said, “Father, I know this person. He is a young prodigy who rose to fame early. If you can keep him under control, having such a partner is naturally something I would welcome.”
Su Weisheng commented, “He’s fairly obedient, but talks too much.”
Anyway, with Star Lord’s cover already blown, his followers might be chatty, but are wholeheartedly loyal and capable. It was just the right opportunity to bring one out, promote him to divine messenger, and assign some real work—saving Su Weisheng from endless prayers.
With that, today’s family meeting concluded successfully.
Under Su Weisheng’s instruction, Su Laijin and the others had already returned to the underworld, while Su Ran, unusually, didn’t leap out but instead grabbed Lu Huanjin’s arm and bolted for the exit.
He didn’t get away.
Su Ning grabbed him by the collar, forcing him back into his seat. Leaning down with a half-smile, half-smirk, he looked down at the wary Su Ran and said, “Zhaocai, why are you running? Weren’t you just asking nonstop about Great-Granduncle’s whereabouts? Not coming to catch up?”
“You, you, you… Don’t push me too far!” Su Ran, feeling guilty and frustrated, kept craning his neck to look for Su Weisheng. “Great-grandfather! Great-grandfather, save me!”
Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother had already walked far ahead, hand in hand, and faintly, talk of a “dowry” could still be heard.
No one was able to help Zhaocai.
Once a rival, now his great-granduncle—so much higher in rank and power, completely crushing him.
Su Ran timidly shrank into Lu Huanjin’s embrace, but didn’t forget to bluff fiercely, “I am the Su family’s only legitimate eldest great-grandson. Even if you are older, you can’t do anything to me…”
“I don’t need to do anything to you,” Su Ning raised an eyebrow and said, “I just want to hear you respectfully call me Great-Granduncle. How about that, little great-grandson?”
The great-great-grandson’s face turned completely green.
Impossible!
He would never, not even if beaten to death, call his former rival Great-Granduncle!
Jiang Family, study room.
Jiang Qiao, just finishing his prayers, opened his eyes with a look of joy. Realizing the star lord truly sent divine will, he could hardly contain his excitement and immediately grabbed the keys on the table, ready to head out.
Jiang Yimian was lying on the couch playing on his phone, complaining about how he couldn’t get a reservation to the museum he wanted to visit. At the same time, he asked Su Ran, “So, how is it? The idea I gave you—changing your ID name—isn’t that awesome? It feels amazing to just instantly crush everyone and have no rivals, right?”
Su Ran sent him ten consecutive voice messages, each about 50 seconds long.
Before Jiang Yimian could open them and hear what he said, he looked up and saw Jiang Qiao hurriedly coming downstairs. He asked curiously, “Uncle, where are you going?”
Jiang Qiao casually named a private museum. That was the place the Star Lord arranged for him to meet Su Ning.
Just as Jiang Qiao was about to get in the car, Jiang Yimian dashed after him excitedly and said, “Uncle, take me with you! I’ve wanted to go to that museum for a long time, but I never got a chance to book. Perfect, I can sneak in with you!”
Jiang Qiao looked suspicious. “What do you want to do there?”
“To research!” Jiang Yimian said happily, “I made a deal with Great-grandfather. As long as I can provide enough evidence proving that the plot of “The Legend of the High Priest” perfectly matches history, he’ll let me be his official scriptwriter!”
Jiang Qiao: …?
He recalled “The Legend of the High Priest” story he had glanced at before, and his expression immediately became complicated. You still want to bet on convincing the Star Lord? Then you might as well give up being a scriptwriter this lifetime. Better to retire early, embarrassing one.
![President Huo Wants Me to Restore His Reputation [Entertainment Circle]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/03-cd6f642.jpg "President Huo Wants Me to Restore His Reputation [Entertainment Circle]")
