The layout of the hotel suite was well-designed, with floor-to-ceiling windows on both the north and south sides. These corresponded to the reception area and the study room, respectively. At the moment, Su Weisheng was at the desk, flipping through the dozen renovation plans brought by Su Ning.
At the door, Su Ran overheard the young man addressing Su Weisheng as “Great-grandfather”. His expression immediately darkened, resembling a burnt pot sticker. “Who the hell are you? Where are you from? Coming here to swindle people? My family has been a single line of descent since my grandfather’s generation. Now, with me, there’s only one heir left. What nonsense is this about any cousins?”
As he spoke, he forcefully pushed Su Ning aside and stormed toward Su Weisheng. “Great-grandfather, who is this that you’ve let in——”
“Your cousin.” Su Weisheng put down the renovation plans in his hand and casually answered, “A descendant of the Su Laiyin branch. Your cousin. My grandson.”
Su Ran was utterly stunned.
Su Ning, however, proactively stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and added with a smile, “Ran Ran, from now on, we’re family. Rest assured, apart from me, there are many other cousins in the Su family who are close to your age. You and Great-grandfather won’t be lonely anymore.”
Who the hell wanted a whole bunch of cousins!
Su Ran’s face turned alternately blue and white as he stared at Su Ning, who looked smug and radiant. He gritted his teeth and said, “Stop calling me Ran Ran. Grown men repeating syllables sounds disgusting.”
Su Ning looked completely innocent and replied, “How could that be? Great-grandfather calling me Ning Ning sounds lovely.”
Another emotional blow.
Su Ran immediately turned to his grandfather, crying out in a heart-wrenching accusation, “You call him Ning Ning? You’ve only ever called me Zhaocai, never Ran Ran! You even said my name is unlucky! And now you’ve only seen him a few times, but you’re already calling him Ning Ning?”
The recently arrived Bai Songyin and He Heng stood dumbfounded at the doorway. Listening to the top star’s outburst, they exchanged bewildered looks. The tearful accusation and heartbroken expression didn’t merely suggest he had gained a cousin; it seemed more like he had just witnessed a partner’s infidelity—utter devastation.
Su Weisheng, entirely unfazed, rubbed his ear and lightly reminded, “Too noisy. Lower your voice. Don’t disturb my work.”
Su Ran immediately fell silent, sulking on the sofa.
The argument eventually settled into quiet, leaving the newly minted cousins glaring at each other on the sofa. Meanwhile, Bai Songyin and He Heng, unable to join the conversation, stood awkwardly nearby, creating a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere.
Su Ning subtly assessed Su Ran. He had done meticulous research and clearly understood this person’s status, including their great-grandfather’s control over him and occasional favoritism. Thus, Su Ning knew this new cousin would surely become his rival in the battle for affection.
Although Su Ran resembled their great-grandfather more, his rebellious personality and emotional volatility were glaring weaknesses. Add to that the inexplicable scent of disinfectant lingering on him… hmm. From the very moment they met, Su Ning immediately determined this person was no match for him.
On the other hand, Su Ran wore an expression full of disdain.
Tensions ran high between the two, while Su Weisheng carefully selected and repeatedly compared a few satisfactory renovation designs. After some thought, he waved at Bai Songyin. “Xiao Bai, come here.”
Both cousins turned their heads in unison to look at Bai Songyin. Unfazed, Bai Songyin casually dropped his backpack and eagerly ran over. “Great-grandfather, what do you need me to do?”
Su Weisheng pointed to the renovation plans on the table, seeking his opinion. “If we’re moving to a new house for a while after the show ends, which of these do you think would be the most comfortable to live in?”
The mention of a new house immediately made Su Ran glare at Su Ning with an intense, murderous look. This guy is so despicable, trying to bribe Great-grandfather with money!
Bai Songyin looked over each design one by one, then finally pointed to one and said, “I think this one is the best. While it’s not as stunning in style compared to the others, its comfort level is definitely the highest. Especially this three-meter tatami mat—it would be incredibly cozy for rolling around at night! Plus, the study connected to the bedroom is a thoughtful design. Since Great-grandfather often works late in the study, it’s all about convenience!” His reasoning was clear and well-structured.
“Hmm, makes sense.”
Su Weisheng nodded in approval, then beckoned to Su Ning. “Ning Ning, finalize this one.”
Su Ning stood up and took the plans. “Alright, I’ll have the team get started right away.”
As he walked past, he met Su Ran’s furious gaze head-on, which seemed to curse him for being utterly despicable, even resorting to bribery to win Great-grandfather over!
Su Ning raised an eyebrow smugly at him, then opened the door and went downstairs to hand the renovation plans to Su Qian, who was sitting in the car. He instructed Su Qian to handle it immediately. Su Qian agreed, but also reminded him:
“Brother Ning, the matter with Su Ping is almost settled. As per your instructions, his mouth has been shut, and he’s been prevented from spreading rumors. However, the elders have been asking for you to return and report to them in the past couple of days. You can’t delay much longer without it becoming an issue.”
“No rush,” Su Ning replied calmly. “Once I finish things here, I’ll naturally return. Besides, as long as things are finalized here, there won’t be any issues to explain over there.”
He leaned casually against the side of the car, his tall frame relaxed, a cigarette lightly clenched between his lips as he frowned slightly in thought. A few camera crew members heading into the hotel couldn’t help but steal a few glances at him. But the moment they met his cold, emotionless eyes, they were so startled that they quickly averted their gazes and hurried away. Chen Kang, the assistant director leading the group, even muttered under his breath:
“He looks kind of familiar. Isn’t he some rich family’s young master or something?”
Su Ning shifted his gaze away without any emotion.
He was replaying everything that had just happened upstairs in his mind. When Su Weisheng introduced him to Su Ran, he had said, “Your cousin. My great-grandson.” Su Ning keenly caught this phrasing and found it increasingly peculiar the more he thought about it.
If Great-grandfather were a descendant of the Su Laijin branch and Su Ning himself a descendant of the Su Laiyin branch, then the proper term shouldn’t have been “great-grandson” but “grand-nephew”. This phrasing clearly had a flaw.
Was it just an offhand remark with no attention paid to accuracy, or did this sentence itself reveal significant hidden information?
Su Ning spat out the cigarette filter he had bitten through, tasting the bitterness of tobacco lingering in his mouth. His eyes gradually narrowed. If it were the latter possibility, then either his great-grandfather and he were from the same branch of the family, or his true identity surpassed even the original Su family founders, Laijin and Laiyin, giving him the right to say, “You are all my direct descendants.”
He muttered to himself, “If it wasn’t a slip of the tongue, then any of these possibilities is downright terrifying.”
Playing mind games and solving riddles with a powerful and unfathomable figure felt like walking a tightrope. This thrill… it was simply too exhilarating!
Su Ning took a bottle of water from the car to rinse his mouth. The smile on his face gradually returned to normal as he hummed a little tune and walked back upstairs. When he opened the door, he saw that the crew of the show «Another Side of Family Life» was already recording material. Upon seeing him, the group appeared somewhat startled.
“Huh?” A young girl let out a surprised sound, as though to say, Isn’t this the scary guy from downstairs?
But in the next second, they saw the once-cold man from downstairs transform, beaming warmly as he greeted them, “Hello, everyone. I’m Ran Ran’s cousin and Great-grandfather’s great-grandson, Su Ning.”
What the heck—! Does the top star actually have a cousin? Is this for real?!
A group of astonished eyes darted back and forth between the two Su family brothers.
Su Ran, scowling, snapped in irritation, “Why are you still here?”
“Since Great-grandfather has a show to record, of course, I’m here to help out.” Su Ning effortlessly adopted the manner of a perfect host as he stepped into the bar area. Smiling, he welcomed the guests, “I’ve made tea for Great-grandfather. I’m not sure if you all enjoy tea, but there are also drinks and red wine at the bar for you to help yourselves.”
“Ha!” Su Ran finally seized his chance to fight back. With a disdainful laugh, he pointed at the steaming hot tea and sneered, “Great-grandfather doesn’t like this stuff. You don’t even know that? Your flattery is a waste!”
Su Ning frowned slightly, “Then what does Great-grandfather like to drink?”
“Of course, the cold brew tea I make myself!” Determined to defeat Su Ning, Su Ran started spouting exaggerated claims and even rushed to the bar counter to grab ice cubes, preparing to showcase his skills and win back Great-grandfather’s favor.
Seeing this, Su Ning immediately followed suit. Flashing a bright smile under Su Ran’s wary gaze, he said cheerfully, “Since that’s the case, I absolutely must learn from my dear cousin.”
Su Ran responded with a derisive snort and got right to brewing tea.
The production crew, holding their cameras, stared dumbfounded as the two rummaged through the bar. One moment they were tossing ice cubes into the teapot, the next they were boiling water and pouring it over the ice cubes. No one could tell where they had learned these chaotic methods, which left the bar in utter disarray, smoky and cluttered.
It didn’t look like they were making tea for Great-grandfather—it looked like they were dismantling the place.
In the end, both of them ended up soaked, with water stains all over. Their faces darkened as they began to hurl accusations at each other.
Su Ning challenged, “Do you even know how to make cold brew tea?”
Su Ran retorted without backing down, “If you hadn’t been messing around here, I would’ve finished making it long ago. I just didn’t want to let you steal my techniques!”
Originally, Su Ning and his cousin were acting fairly normal, but as soon as they met, they devolved into childish bickering, embarrassing themselves in the process. Su Weisheng, unable to watch any longer, casually reminded them, “Cold brew tea needs to be steeped and left in the fridge for a while before it can be drunk.”
Bai Songyin slowly walked over, brushing past the two of them, and retrieved a pre-chilled pot of tea from the fridge. With a faint air of melancholy, he said, “Great-grandfather only ever drinks the tea I make. Could you two stop trying to steal my job?”
Su Ran: “…”
Su Ning: “…”
Ah, the dreadful silence.
Su Weisheng unhurriedly took the cold brew tea Bai Songyin handed him, tasted it, and delivered a merciless remark: “Hmm, this flavor is correct.”
At that, the Su family cousins were thoroughly embarrassed.
Great-grandfather was truly ruthless, a master of delivering cutting remarks to his dear great-grandsons.
As the silence dragged on, Assistant Director Xie finally let out an awkward laugh to break the tension and asked, “Speaking of which, why is Great-grandfather staying at a hotel this week instead of at home?”
Su Weisheng glanced at his great-grandson and replied calmly, “Because he opened a can of canned herring at home.”
The production crew: ???
After taking just one week off, the top star had apparently evolved into an even more eccentric creature?
Chen Kang appeared somewhat alarmed. “Why would he suddenly want to eat canned herring? When he joins the crew tomorrow, he won’t start opening cans every day, will he…”
Su Weisheng gave Su Ran a cold smile.
The top star switched his attitude in an instant, firmly refuting, “The canned herring was just an accident. How could I possibly like such a horribly smelly thing? Assistant Director Chen, you’d better not slander me!”
Being rebuked, Chen Kang let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”
The top star’s expression grew gloomier.
The program crew finished recording the current material, and it was soon time for the segment everyone was most excited about: regrouping.
This time, the production team presented four photos of houses. “Please select which house you would prefer to stay in for the next phase!”
Su Weisheng looked through the options one by one: a standalone villa, a duplex penthouse, a traditional courtyard residence, and a Chinese-style garden.
Su Ran leaned closer, nervously watching his grandfather’s hand. After all, this decision would determine his living experience for the next month.
Su Weisheng smiled at him and asked, “Nervous?”
“What’s there to be nervous about?” The top star lifted his chin in disdain. “Whoever I end up grouped with, it makes no difference to me.” Though he said this, he couldn’t resist sneaking glances at Su Weisheng’s hand.
The production crew was also curious: “Great-grandfather, do you have any predictions about who you’ll be grouped with this time?”
Su Weisheng didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Su Ning thoughtfully and asked, “Have you learned prediction techniques at home?”
“I have, but I’m not very good at it.” Su Ning stepped forward and obediently sat down across from him. Predictions, taught in the Su family’s “Tingfeng Hall”, were considered an advanced skill, said to be a mandatory course on the path to becoming a High Priest. However, it had been generations since the Su family had produced a new High Priest.
Su Ning, a prodigy of this generation in the Su clan, was the only student truly proficient in the art. His modest response was likely an act of humility.
Su Weisheng casually picked up the photo of the courtyard residence, deciding on their destination for the next month. Knowing that his great-grandfather was testing him, Su Ning calmly took the photo and scrutinized it carefully. Closing his eyes for a moment to sense something, he confidently announced a name: “Sunny.”
Chen Kang asked, “You mean Sunny also chose this photo?”
Su Ning nodded with poise. “Yes.” He smiled, exuding powerful confidence, and said to Su Weisheng with conviction, “Great-grandfather, the guest grouped with you will be Sunny and his cat.”
Su Ran’s eyes lit up briefly, but he quickly scoffed, feigning disdain. “Really? Did you just guess randomly?”
Could predictions truly be this magical? The crew exchanged curious and slightly skeptical glances. Chen Kang went so far as to take out his phone and, in front of everyone, called another assistant director to verify. “Old Li, has Sunny made his choice yet?”
“He has. He chose the courtyard residence—he said he’s used to living there.”
“Oh crap—!”
A collective gasp echoed from the other end of the call, leaving everyone stunned as they stared at Su Ning. Meanwhile, he remained calm and composed, without a trace of arrogance. For the future heir of the Su family, making predictions was merely a minor skill—he only wished to demonstrate his abilities and earn Great-grandfather’s full approval.
As for Su Ran, upon learning he wouldn’t be grouped with his most detested rival, the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted in satisfaction. However, not wanting his cousin to bask in triumph, he suppressed his delight and stubbornly muttered, “Tch, boring. I thought I could use this opportunity to crush Lu Huanjin’s ego, but we’re not even grouped together after all.”
Chen Kang made a few more calls to verify, and according to the staff, both Lu Huanjin and his father, as well as Xie Wei and his partner, had coincidentally chosen the Chinese-style garden. With that, the group allocation was practically set in stone.
Su Weisheng chuckled lightly and commented, “Not bad—70 points.”
Su Ning looked up at him in shock, his calculating demeanor now giving way to puzzlement. “Only 70 points?” he asked, bewildered.
Su Weisheng offered no explanation. Instead, he casually pushed the remaining photos forward and remarked indifferently, “The outcome is already decided, but your perspective isn’t far-reaching enough.”
Su Ning froze, increasingly perplexed.
Standing up to go wash his hands, Su Weisheng paused before leaving and glanced mischievously at Su Ran, adding, “Zhaocai, don’t worry—you’ll get what you want.”
“How is this possible!”
“This can’t be happening…”
The two cousins spoke in unison, their rare moment of agreement: “Wasn’t the result already decided? We and Sunny chose the same house, and the other two groups chose their respective houses as well.”
Su Weisheng shook his head and remained silent, leaving them with endless suspense.
After the program’s recording ended, the crew tactfully departed. Meanwhile, Su Ning, typically the flawless genius, was still wallowing in his defeat over earning only 70 points. He had no mood to engage in childish squabbles with Su Ran and instead left in haste.
Returning to the Su family residence in Beijing, he immediately summoned his trusted aide. “Investigate all the guest profiles from the show «Another Side of Family Life». Include their recent statuses, schedules, financial situations—everything.”
“OK.” Su Qian responded quickly, and within the span of a single evening, the information was delivered to Su Ning’s desk.
In the dead silence of night, Su Ning pored over the data on each guest, repeatedly performing prediction calculations. However, no matter how many times he checked, the results remained the same: the top star’s grandfather-grandson duo and Sunny’s group had chosen the courtyard residence, and none of the four groups showed any intention of changing their choices.
“Why only 70 points?” Unable to figure it out, he leaned back against his chair, staring blankly at the breaking dawn. “What critical piece of information am I missing?”
Elsewhere, in the hotel suite…
Su Weisheng was in the bedroom flipping through the family genealogy, attempting to uncover clues in the ancestors’ biographies about how Su Laiyin’s lineage propagated. Meanwhile, Su Ran was unusually quiet in the study, diligently writing and composing; he was working on lyrics and music.
Time passed unnoticed until Su Weisheng heard the sound of the door opening. A fluffy head peeked in, eyes blinking innocently, as the person feigned ignorance and asked:
“Great-grandfather, you’re still awake…?”
Su Weisheng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Zhaocai, do you need something?”
Su Zhaocai grumbled and pouted, “Why is he Ning Ning and I’m just Zhaocai? Great-grandfather, this kind of unfair treatment…”
Su Weisheng replied calmly, “Then I’ll rename him to Zhaocai?”
“No way!” Su Zhaocai instantly bristled. “Isn’t it true that only direct descendants of the family patriarch are qualified to be named by you? Why should someone from a wild offshoot get the same privilege as me?”
Well then, he suddenly didn’t seem to mind the name Zhaocai—it had become his unique badge of honor.
“You came just for this?”
“Not exactly.”
Su Zhaocai hugged his guitar and eagerly ran over, plopping down on the chair by the bed. Beaming, he presented his work to his grandfather. “I composed a song and want to perfect it. I’d like Great-grandfather to be the first listener.”
Moonlight spilled across his face. The top star’s beautiful eyes sparkled, brimming with a lively energy that seemed almost alive. Unbeknownst to him, they also carried a trace of childlike admiration for his great-grandfather, much like a puppy instinctively relying on its sole caretaker.
Su Weisheng smiled softly and didn’t refuse. “Go ahead and sing. Let me hear what you’ve written.”
Late at night, under the gentle moonlight, the top star picked up his guitar and began playing with focused attention beside his great-grandfather. His fingers lightly plucked the strings, and a cheerful musical prelude poured forth.
Di-di-di… da-da-da-da-da…
The music gradually transitioned from lighthearted to explosive, and the top star, clutching his guitar, launched into an energetic rap. Every rhyming line was an enthusiastic diss aimed at Lu Huanjin—mocking his tone-deafness, ridiculing his canned herring obsession, and declaring that arrogant kings never meet good ends. In short, he tore into him from every angle.
It must be said—being able to write lyrics and sing is truly impressive, especially when the skill is used for roasting someone professionally.
When the song ended, Su Weisheng remained silent.
Su Ran, like an eager husky waiting for praise, looked at him excitedly and asked, “Great-grandfather, how was my singing? Aren’t the lyrics amazing? If Lu Huanjin hears this, he’ll be so mad he’ll spit blood!”
Su Weisheng sighed.
Su Ran, puzzled, looked at him. “I wrote the lyrics specifically to mock him since I couldn’t be grouped with that arrogant king. I didn’t want them to go to waste. Was it bad?”
Su Weisheng sighed again. “Zhaocai, I actually thought I could enjoy some heartfelt grandparent-grandchild time with you. What was I thinking? Your brain is full of holes; is there no part of you that’s normal?”
Su Ran was even more baffled. He had shared his song with his great-grandfather right away—wasn’t that the most heartfelt interaction, the most thoughtful gesture from a great-grandson? Shouldn’t his great-grandfather be proud of his talent, abandon the cunning, wild great-grandson outside, and focus all his love on his good eldest grandson? Where had the script gone wrong?
Before he could figure it out, Su Weisheng added another cruel remark: “Besides, you don’t need to feel regret. Once you join the team tomorrow, you’ll have plenty of alone time with Lu Huanjin. You can even sing to him every day—you’re grouped with him.”
“That’s impossible!” Su Ran firmly refused to believe it. “Great-grandfather, you’re just trying to scare me. It won’t work. I was there during today’s grouping; there’s no way there could be a mistake!”
Su Weisheng gave him a meaningful look and said, “Let’s wait and see.”
The next morning, the great-grandfather and great-grandson duo, along with Xiao Bai, headed grandly to the courtyard residence address provided by the production crew. To prepare for any antics from Director You, they brought only a single suitcase to avoid having to haul their own luggage later.
However, Director You wasn’t playing any tricks this time. They arrived at the courtyard residence smoothly and moved in without encountering any of the expected challenges, leaving everyone suspicious for no reason.
Su Weisheng chose to stay in the eastern quarters as usual. After settling their luggage, the group moved to the living room.
The top star excitedly wandered around the courtyard residence, looking left and right, until he finally found the person he was looking for in a corner of the living room. “It’s Sunny!” Su Ran turned and shouted to Su Weisheng, “Great-grandfather, I told you our neighbor this time is the legendary scriptwriter Sunny, and you still tried to trick me! Ha!”
Sunny, a little socially anxious, sat in a corner hugging his cat and greeted everyone awkwardly, “Uh… hello.”
“Hello, hello!” Su Ran, brimming with extroverted enthusiasm, grabbed his hand and gave it a vigorous shake. Thumping his chest, he confidently assured, “Don’t worry, I’m definitely a top-tier neighbor. I’m nothing like that tasteless former neighbor of yours. We’ll get along just fine!”
As he spoke, the sound of a suitcase being dragged into the room interrupted them, followed by a low and mocking voice. “Well, my apologies, but I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, dear Ran Bao. His previous neighbor happens to also be your neighbor this month.”
The mention of Ran Bao instantly made Su Ran nauseous. Whirling around, he saw a familiar, annoying face walk through the door—it was none other than Lu Huanjin.
What the heck—!
Su Ran turned in shock to his great-grandfather. “Why is he here?”
Su Weisheng replied leisurely, “I told you that you’d get your wish. In this episode, the guest sharing your accommodation is him.”
Assistant Director Chen Kang followed closely behind, bursting into the room with a booming voice. “Amazing! Great-grandfather is truly amazing! I also thought it was practically guaranteed that your group and Sunny’s group would stay together. But when he gave Su Ning that 70-point score earlier, I couldn’t figure out why. Unbelievable, unbelievable… it turns out that early this morning, Teacher Xie had to pull out of the program at the last minute!”
“No wonder it was 70 points. That’s because, with this sudden change, all three groups will now be living together this round!”
Just realised, is the reason why there are no more new High Priest due to the Mc cutting of his lineage, even though he slipped through using a loophole but yeah. That or perhaps it is due to the Mc still being the current High Priest hence no new ones can appear? Perhaps both?
Or is it perhaps due to the Mcs antics, the rest of the family lost the favor and blessings, only scraping by with the remnants of the connection they once had?