Twilight had deepened, and the lanterns in the courtyard cast a dim, orange glow.
Bai Songyin had already gone out with the production crew to search for the missing guest. Su Weisheng sat on a stone bench, enjoying the cool evening breeze. He turned his head to look at the deeply troubled Lu Rong and asked, “Worried about your son?”
Old Lu sighed and said, “Even though I always call him a little bastard, he’s still my own son whom I raised. How could I not worry about him? Honestly, I just wanted to rub down his arrogant streak and make him take the initiative to patch things up with Ran Ran. If I had known it would turn out like this, I definitely wouldn’t have pushed him so hard.”
Seeing how troubled he was, Su Weisheng didn’t offer comfort. Instead, he said, “Everything he went through today was caused by Ran Ran’s prayers. As long as the two of them appear together, this kind of thing is bound to keep happening. Are you sure you still want to keep investing in this kind of falling-limit stock?”
“Ran Ran isn’t a falling-limit stock.” Even now, Old Lu still insists on defending him. “It was that brat Lu Huanjin’s fault back then. He never admitted he was wrong, never explained a thing. Of course, Ran Ran would hate him—who wouldn’t? If I were Ran Ran, I’d have cursed him to get a flat tire every time he left the house, too!”
Hearing how firmly he stood on Ran Ran’s side, a faint smile appeared in Su Weisheng’s eyes.
“In that case, there’s no need to worry. They won’t have any major disasters in this lifetime. But these small disasters, where they trip over their own feet, will never stop,” he said.
Old Lu’s eyes lit up at those words.
As they spoke, the sound of a business vehicle arriving came from outside. When they turned around, they saw a whole group of people marching in. At the front was President Lu, his face dark as thunder. The high-end tailored suit he wore had long since been crumpled into a ragged mess. One could only imagine the inhumane ordeal he’d been through along the way.
Su Ran followed closely behind, his short hair on top of his head was a disheveled mess, resembling a bird’s nest. His white shirt was stained with blotches of black smudges, making him look like a vagrant just found by his family.
However, his handsome and striking face bore an inexplicable, triumphant smile. As soon as he saw Su Weisheng, his eyes lit up instantly. Like a little beggar showing off treasure, his great-grandson raised the large takeaway bags in his hands high and proudly placed them on the stone table.
“Great-grandfather, meal’s ready!” he declared with pride. “Late-night snack, rest assured, I carried it the whole way without spilling a drop!”
When the soup bowl was opened, a rich fragrance wafted out, still steaming hot. It was clear how much effort the little rascal had put in during the journey.
Su Weisheng’s heart was moved, and he asked, “Did the tricycle break down on your way back after buying food?”
Lu Huanjin, standing nearby with his arms crossed, ground his teeth and growled, “What do you mean, it broke down on the way there!”
Just thinking about it was infuriating. On their way, the electric tricycle had a flat tire. Lu Huanjin suggested abandoning the vehicle and heading home. Still, Su Ran insisted it was closer to the city center to get the tire fixed and buy a late-night snack for Great-grandfather before returning.
Lu Huanjin couldn’t believe he’d fallen for Su Ran’s nonsense.
After much difficulty pushing the tricycle to the city center and finding a repair shop to fix the flat tire, they bought the food and headed home. The journey was relatively smooth until they passed the same spot where the earlier flat tire had occurred. Whether it was nails on the ground that went unnoticed or some deity they’d offended, the electric tricycle had yet another flat tire in the exact same location.
To make matters worse, their phones had both died and shut off at that moment. So there they were, pushing the tricycle and carrying the late-night snacks, struggling their way home. Just as they were about to collapse, Bai Songyin and the show’s crew finally rescued them.
Then, because someone in the group let something slip, Lu Huanjin had already learned about how his dear nemesis had wished for his car to get a flat tire—and ultimately the tragic reason behind their mutually-assured destruction scenario, where they took each other down in a one-for-one trade.
Lu Huanjin briefly recounted the whole chain of events, then mocked in a tone thick with sarcasm, “As expected of our dear Ran Bao’s wish—it really came true. Two flat tires, one round trip, not bad at all.”
Su Ran shot him a look of contempt, not the least bit guilty. Instead, he snapped back righteously, “If you hadn’t insisted on tagging along with me, the tricycle wouldn’t have had a flat in the first place. You dragged me down, and now you’ve got the nerve to yap like a dog here?”
As soon as he finished speaking and turned to look at great-grandfather, he instantly changed his expression. His face, still guilty underneath his innocent act, was full of feigned sincerity, terrified he’d get smacked for secretly using the xuan paper for rituals. He quickly handed chopsticks to Su Weisheng to change the subject: “Great-grandfather, let’s eat, let’s eat! Eat and then rest!”
Su Weisheng squinted at the untouched midnight snack in the bowl, then looked at Su Ran, who now resembled a little beggar. That pretty face was now smeared with dirt, with none of the glamour of a celebrity left. And yet, here he was, clutching that pitiful portion of midnight snack, presenting it proudly to his great-grandfather as if he had just won a Golden Melody Award, grinning from ear to ear.
Where did the Su family pick up a fool like this?
Su Weisheng sighed lightly, took a napkin from Bai Songyin, and wiped the little beggar’s face clean. Looking at that pretty, foolishly smiling face, he asked, “Was it really worth it—being at odds with Su Ning?”
“Who’s at odds with him? Who does he think he is?”
The moment Su Ran mentioned Su Ning, he was full of disdain. His sparkling eyes looked straight at Su Weisheng as he spoke with full conviction, “You’re my only blood relative. It’s only natural that I treat you well. You used to always hit me, so I thought you were too tough to need anyone worrying about you. But Su Ning once said something that really stuck with me. You’ve been used to a life of luxury and comfort all your life. If I make you suffer now, what kind of direct-line great-grandson would I be?”
The thought process of a great-grandson is always simple. When he’s afraid of you, he sees you as fierce and will rack his brains trying to fight back, just to prove he won’t admit defeat. But the moment he suddenly realizes that you are the one who needs protection, that you’re the only one he should protect, then even without any experience, he’ll start clumsily learning to shoulder that responsibility, step by step.
That, too, is part of his pride in refusing to back down.
The smile at the corner of Su Weisheng’s lips deepened slowly. He accepted the little fool’s kind gesture, took the steaming hot midnight snack, tasted a bite, and teased his great-grandson, “Then you’d better work hard to make money. We’re still a long way from the life of luxury I used to live.”
Su Ran scoffed proudly, “Of course.”
Old Lu also accepted the midnight snack his son handed him. As he opened the wrapper, he glanced meaningfully at the distracted Lu Huanjin. Feeling bad now, huh, son? Starting to remember how that sweet little brat used to look at you with those same eyes, so full of sincerity and that innocent urge to protect?
The livestream of «Another Side of Family Life» trended all day on the hot search. The hashtag #LuSuStreetRomance was practically dripping with onlooker mischief and gleeful schadenfreude.
Every time these two nemeses got mentioned, their fans would be at each other’s throats in no time. But there were always people who loved chaos, and that’s where the “LuSu Street Romance” CP was born. It had existed for a while but never really made waves—until that day during the livestream’s game of Truth or Dare, when a CP fan just happened to be picked. Good grief—they flung that cursed ship right into the faces of the people involved, and the two “protagonists” reacted in such a brilliantly unhinged way, it sent the whole thing viral.
The peanut gallery was floored. Holy hell, there’s a CP for these two?! That’s wild. Yes, yes, YES—that’s the flavor. Give us the bitterest, most blood-soaked rivals-to-literal-death chaos ship. That’s what hits.
The topic of #LuSuStreetRomance# has already become a frenzy of laughter.
【Help! The top star truly lives up to the name—reading fanfiction and their first reaction is: “Why should I be the one on the bottom?” No way, swapping names and positions to dominate—this damned competitive streak is hilarious hahaha】
【So childish, but I suddenly get why “Ran Three-Year-Old” nickname is adorable.】
【Did anyone notice Lu’s expression? The way he looked at the top star was full of such suggestive undertones~ Feels like shipping them might actually be real~】
With so many gossiping onlookers, both Lu fans and top star fans were provoked into action, disgusted and triggered, and started furiously exchanging insults.
Lu fans: Little Sparks, can you chill? Stop pretending to be neutral passersby shipping the CP to leech off your idol’s popularity—it’s so gross. Do you really think that if CP’s popularity rises, your idol can marry into a wealthy family? xs
Little Sparks: Oh my, who is this, turns out it’s a watchdog of that scumbag’s family, eh? Tsk tsk, how wild, mocking the top star for wanting to marry into wealth—did you forget how your precious Lu was licking up to the top star during the Ruby talent show days? Oh, but it makes sense since your idol loves backstabbing, and chaotic fans like you are normal.
Lu fans: xs No wonder, it’s the gangster fans of the top star spewing filth. Still dare to bring up the talent show era? Think no old fans are still around? Forget how your idol bullied team members and caused Lu to leave the scene?
Little Sparks: Stop spreading brainwashing nonsense.
Neutral fans trying to ship the CP were overwhelmed by the battlefield of insults: What’s even going on? Can someone explain this drama?
A fan shipping Lu and Su Street Romance popped up to explain: It’s a messy account that’s hard to untangle. Basically, Yanyi Entertainment held a talent show to form the Ruby boy band. Su Ran debuted at the peak as the predetermined leader, while Lu Huanjin, despite being handsome and a good dancer, was tone-deaf and flawed, making him a backup member. Later, many things happened within the group—some claimed the leader bullied the members, while others said it was slander.
At the time, reporters captured several instances of the leader hitting Lu Huanjin with a book, but Lu Huanjin denied it, saying it was just playful. Fans suspected it was internal bullying that wasn’t allowed to be disclosed.
Later, when the group was about to officially form, Lu Huanjin withdrew from the competition. This was followed by news of Su Ran and Lu Huanjin falling out and never speaking to each other again. To this day, they still don’t see eye to eye.
After this explanation, the place once again turned into a battlefield of insults between the two fan groups. One side insisted the top star was trash who bullied team members, while the other claimed Lu Huanjin was a scumbag who betrayed his friend.
Amid this chaos, a new hashtag emerged: #SuRanAndLuHuanjinLateNightTricycleRide#
According to a netizen’s report, they saw the two riding an electric tricycle late at night, sneaking out of the studio, looking quite close. The show’s official team neither denied nor confirmed this, acting clueless and waiting to watch the drama unfold.
This time, both fan groups panicked, stopped fighting, and unanimously stepped forward to refute the rumors: Shut up, marketing accounts, stop spreading lies. My idol and the rival will never reconcile!
The gossip wasn’t limited to netizens but also involved the protagonists’ friends and enemies, such as Xie Wei and his mischievous wife, Song Qing.
Song Qing, the little drama queen, now holds authority at home. After a previous argument with his husband, he deeply felt that being “employed” by Xie Wei was a black mark in his history. So, when Xie Wei’s company suffered severe losses, he decisively took out the two million he earned with his great-grandfather and confidently declared, “This money is for keeping you. From now on, you’re my little lover!”
For the first time in his life, Teacher Xie was “kept”, and he was utterly speechless.
But without being “kept”, he wouldn’t have a wife. Plus, his company was indeed suffering significant losses, so he reluctantly accepted the “allowance” from the little drama queen. Thus, their CP dynamic transitioned into a brand-new one: #DramaQueenSugarDaddyAndHis”Fallen”Actor#
Of course, the term “fallen” is in quotation marks because it was a label forcefully pinned on Teacher Xie by the drama queen.
Now, Song Qing was lying on the bed at home, playing on his phone and casually enjoying the gossip. When he stumbled upon the LuSuStreetRomance CP, he let out a loud “What the heck!” and deeply regretted not insisting on joining the second episode of the show with Xie Wei, which meant he missed out on firsthand gossip. But thankfully, he still had his great-grandfather.
My Husband Can Screw a Cactus: Great-grandfather! Great-grandfather! Is the LuSuStreetRomance CP real?
Su Weisheng: It might come true.
My Husband Can Screw a Cactus: !!!
My Husband Can Screw a Cactus: Ahhhhh, if I’d known, I would’ve joined the second episode. So regretful right now.
Su Weisheng: If you’re free, you can come over to hang out. It won’t affect anything.
What? Such a good opportunity?
Little drama queen Song immediately sat up straight in bed, exclaiming, “What the heck. I’m going to the live gossip scene!”
By the time Song Qing arrived at the courtyard, it was almost noon. After greeting Assistant Director Chen Kang, he was quickly let in. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he ran into one of the protagonists, “Su Ran?”
The top star was sitting on the stone steps, head bowed in deep thought. When he noticed Song Qing, he looked slightly surprised. “Why are you here?”
“Great-grandfather told me to come by when I’m free~,” the little drama queen cheerfully replied, then asked, “By the way, what’s troubling you? Why the frown?”
“Tch.” Su Ran thought for a moment, still feeling conflicted. Unable to hold it in, he asked, “If you hate being forcefully paired up with someone in shipping and want to lower the topic’s heat, but ordinary methods don’t work, what would you do?”
Song Qing considered it and answered honestly, “Better them than me! I’d definitely find a more exciting ship, push it onto trending, and shift their attention.”
Su Ran: “Hmm…? That actually makes sense!”
He suddenly jumped up and headed excitedly to his bedroom. Song Qing vaguely heard him making a phone call: “Old Chen, Old Chen! I’ve thought of a way to lower the trending topic. Go find a more buzzworthy and wild ship topic and push it to the trends to divert attention. Doesn’t matter who it is—yes, anyone will do. No need to run it by me; just handle it. The company will reimburse you later!”
Song Qing scratched his head and murmured quietly, “Is there really a more buzzworthy wild ship than LuSuStreetRomance? Probably not.”
Meanwhile, no matter how noisy it got outside, Su Weisheng was in the study attending to important matters.
A paper figure placed a scroll in front of him and pointed to the name on it while explaining, “Gu Shuangshuang, a very fortunate wandering soul. She passed away less than three days ago and was already randomly selected for reincarnation in the Book of Life and Death. However, she hasn’t gone for reincarnation yet, and strangely, the underworld messengers haven’t been able to retrieve her soul either. So, she’s currently stuck in a state awaiting processing.”
It was evident that this was a program loophole discovered by Bug.
Su Weisheng mused, “If we can locate Gu Shuangshuang ahead of time, perhaps we can start with her. By helping her reincarnate, we might implant a ‘virus’ into the Book of Life and Death to gain access rights.”
Bug adjusted his glasses and corrected him earnestly, “It’s not a virus; it’s a legitimate procedure!”
“Alright, legitimate procedure.” Su Weisheng attempted to calculate Gu Shuangshuang’s whereabouts, but since he hadn’t interacted with her before, he couldn’t determine her current state.
He glanced at her photo, which showed a young, beautiful, and sweet-looking girl. Su Weisheng tried searching her name online and actually found results.
Gu Shuangshuang, 25 years old, was a small-time actress with little fame. However, she was closely connected to Su Anyao, a currently popular celebrity, which brought her some attention and minor notoriety.
The most striking detail was that there was no news in the human world regarding her death. The latest piece of information about her was a travel-related post she made on social media a week ago.
Su Weisheng considered asking his great-grandson if he knew this person, but Su Ran had disappeared somewhere and couldn’t be found. After thinking for a moment, Su Weisheng sent a message to Su Ning:
——Investigate actress Gu Shuangshuang’s current situation and whereabouts. Report back to me as soon as possible.
Su Ning replied almost instantly: Got it, Great-grandfather. I’ll update you in ten minutes.
Look at that, the little rascal sure gets things done swiftly.
Su Weisheng smiled faintly and replied: No rush, there’s more I’ll need you to handle afterward.
Su Ning understood this was Great-grandfather assigning him tasks and naturally agreed without hesitation, quickly setting to work, having trusted aides investigate the person.
Meanwhile, Su Weisheng thought for a moment and sent a message to one of his underworld subordinates.
The study was shrouded in mist, and before long, Yan Wan appeared in response to the summons. Lowering her head in shame, she admitted, “Great Priest, I’m sorry, I still have no additional information on Yuan Le.”
“It’s alright, I have another task for you.” Su Weisheng instructed, “Use your connections in the underworld to investigate if anyone has seen a female ghost named Gu Shuangshuang. Here’s her information.” He handed her the scroll.
He also gave her an address and said, “Collaborate with Su Ning on this matter regarding Gu Shuangshuang. Get her to me as soon as possible.”
Yan Wan hastily accepted the task and, finally having work to prove her worth, was almost moved to tears with joy. “Understood, I’ll take care of it right away!”
Since she needed to coordinate with Su Ning, she didn’t return to the underworld immediately. Instead, she used the one-day mortal world leave talisman given to her by the High Priest and prepared to head out directly. However, just as she reached the doorway, she bumped into a handsome young man entering with milk tea in hand.
Yan Wan froze when she saw the young man’s face. “You… look a bit familiar.”
Song Qing stared at the beautiful Yan Wan, equally stunned. “You… You look kind of familiar. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere!”
The two exchanged puzzled looks, unsure if they were failing to recognize someone they knew. Feeling awkward, the woman was the first to introduce herself. “Um… My name is Yan Wan. Do you have any impression of me?”
“Oh, I’m Song…” Little drama queen Song didn’t finish his name before suddenly freezing. His eyes widened dramatically, and he stared directly at the woman. “Your name is Yan Wan?”
“Yeah.”
“What a coincidence! My mother-in-law was also named Yan Wan, and you look exactly like her photo on the memorial tablet.” Song Qing blurted out in shock before realizing what he’d just said. Screaming, he threw his phone aside and bolted out the door. “A ghost—!!!”
Yan Wan also recognized him as her son’s mischievous wife and immediately exclaimed, “What the heck?!” She was about to chase after him to explain, but then Song Qing’s foot caught on the doorstep, causing him to tumble outside.
Thud. He passed out cold.
Yan Wan clutched her face in despair. “…” Great, I hope I didn’t scare my daughter-in-law to death while on a mission. That’d be so awkward in the underworld.
Hearing the commotion, Su Weisheng stepped out to assess the situation. He glanced at his subordinate, then at the unconscious drama queen. His expression quickly turned exasperated. The little drama queen came to the studio to enjoy gossip, but instead turned himself into the laughingstock of the scene.
Yan Wan awkwardly tried to explain, “High Priest, I didn’t do it on purpose…”
“You go ahead, I’ll handle this,” Su Weisheng gestured to her. Yan Wan immediately bolted without a trace.
As soon as Yan Wan left, Su Ran and the others followed the sound and rushed out. They stared in confusion at the unconscious Song Qing lying on the ground. “What happened here?”
“He got scared,” Su Weisheng replied calmly. “Help him onto the sofa and tend to his minor injuries. Nothing serious.”
“Oh, alright…” Everyone quickly got to work.
By the time Song Qing gradually came to, it was already afternoon. He groggily opened his eyes, looked around dazedly, and then turned to Su Weisheng, who was seated in a nearby armchair. “Great-grandfather, I think I just dreamed about my mother-in-law who passed away years ago…”
“That wasn’t a dream; it was real.”
Song Qing: “!!!”
He tried to sit up but was so startled that he fell back down with a loud thud, landing on his rear. His face was filled with panic as he looked around frantically, terrified that a ghost might suddenly appear.
Su Weisheng glanced at him curiously and said, “Didn’t Xie Wei tell you about the time his mother appeared to him in a dream?”
“That’s different! You don’t expect to see ghosts in broad daylight!” Song Qing exclaimed, on the verge of losing it.
Su Weisheng reassured him, “Yan Wan is currently working for me, so she occasionally shows up in the mortal world. She’s not a ghost in the ordinary sense. If you meet her again, you can interact normally. She won’t hurt you.”
“Oh, alright. Then I have to tell my husband about this good news… Wait a second?” Little drama queen Song’s expression suddenly turned even more terrified. “Doesn’t this mean that even though my husband is clearly an orphan, I still have to deal with in-laws from the underworld?”
Su Weisheng: “Mm.”
Realizing he’d have to interact with his mother-in-law from the underworld, Song Qing: “…” Forget gossip; he’d become the gossip himself.
During their conversation, an angry yell echoed from outside, “Why are you here again?”
It was quickly followed by Su Ning’s cheerful voice, “I’m obviously here to report work to Great-grandfather. Cousin, even if you’re unhappy about it, there’s nothing you can do. This is Great-grandfather’s business.”
With that, Su Ning patted his cousin’s shoulder, pushed him aside, and walked straight into the living room.
Upon seeing Su Weisheng, Su Ning’s expression instantly turned respectful. “Great-grandfather.”
Su Weisheng nodded, “Did you find any leads?”
“Some.” Su Ning handed over a file folder containing the gathered information to Su Weisheng, then naturally stood aside, waiting for further instructions as a junior.
Su Weisheng gestured for him to sit. Only then did Su Ning sit obediently on a lower seat.
Su Ran, on the other hand, was much more casual. With a look of annoyance at the overly formal Su Ning, he sneered, “Tch,” before plopping himself down right next to Su Weisheng. He even crossed his legs and fiddled with the white jade ear clip on his ear, grumbling, “Great-grandfather, this ear clip feels a bit loose. Can it be adjusted?”
Su Weisheng glanced at his deliberately boastful and childish great-grandson and replied casually, “I’ll polish it for you when I have time.”
“Alright, then in a couple of days, I’ll bring Bai Song along to move your jade carving tools,” the great-grandson said affectionately, while raising his eyebrows smugly at Su Ning, his pride practically radiating.
Su Ning wasn’t naive; he could easily tell that the white jade ear clip, which seemed to resemble a magical artifact, was handcrafted by their great-grandfather.
Narrowing his eyes, Su Ning looked at his overly smug cousin and let out a silent sneer. Then, he leisurely pulled out his phone and played his trump card: “Great-grandfather, I just noticed a major influencer stirring up drama about you. Should I handle it?”
“What kind of drama?” Su Weisheng asked curiously.
He glanced at the phone Su Ning handed over and immediately saw the hashtag #RedBlackCP#.
The drama stemmed from a video blogger who used the #RedBlackCP# tag and posted a compilation video. The video edited together all the scenes featuring Su Weisheng and You Sui from two seasons, paired with intense and thrilling background music.
In the video, the cold and stunning young great-grandfather, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, sat in a chair observing the crowd. Occasionally, he would lift his gaze, coincidentally locking eyes with the mastermind director in the shadows, who returned the look with a knowing wink and a deepened smile, exuding an unspoken understanding shared only between the two.
Each exchange of glances, each meaningful verbal sparring, carried an air of danger and an ambiguous, fatal allure.
The video concluded with text overlay: The ultimate red beauty as the dominant force, paired with the mischievous black-hearted entertainer as the submissive. A strong rivalry, love-hate dynamic, and secret declarations of affection are conveyed through cryptic language in public. Do you love this RedBlackCP?
Su Weisheng: “……”
Su Ran’s pupils shook with shock, and he immediately realized the problem. He quickly pulled out his phone and frantically messaged the marketing department, but by this point, it was far too late to salvage the situation.
Su Ning added fuel to the fire: “I looked into it. That marketing account is under Cousin’s company. It seems like they forcibly dragged you into this to suppress the popularity of another CP.”
Before Su Ning could even see Great-grandfather lose his temper, the sound of footsteps came from outside. A lazy voice, tinged with amusement, chimed in, “Ah, Great-grandson, I didn’t expect that in your mind, Great-grandmother is the one on the bottom.”
Su Ran raised his head abruptly, only to see You Sui staring at him with his cold, fox-like eyes glinting with icy sharpness.
It was over.
Su Ran’s vision darkened. Whether or not he offended Great-grandfather was uncertain, but he had definitely earned the eternal wrath of his playful Great-grandmother.
All of this was Su Ning’s fault!
![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]")
