Moonlit: This extra chapter is sponsored by Sagey.
Su Ran had just finished typing when he looked up and saw two pairs of eyes staring intensely at him. Startled, he quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, cleared his throat, and greeted them casually, “Great-grandfather, Sunny, good morning!”
Su Weisheng asked suspiciously, “What kind of mischief are you up to again?” Every time, it’s a case of hurting the enemy a thousand but damaging yourself a thousand too—why can’t you learn your lesson?
“How could it be mischief? I’m absolutely outraged on your behalf!” The great-grandson, ever quick with words, switched from the WeChat screen to a flower market website on his phone. Pointing at a series of book titles all tagged with [Black and Red], he accused:
“Great-grandfather, look! Now everyone is obsessing over pairing you up in fan content, and they’re all saying you’re the submissive one! I couldn’t take it, so I was venting to Jiang Yimian about it!”
Su Weisheng took the phone and scrolled through the page carefully. Rather than being even slightly uncomfortable, his expression was one of genuine interest. Occasionally, he asked Su Ran, “What’s the difference between Red and Black versus Black and Red?”
As a mixed-race individual, Sunny’s grasp of Mandarin was fairly average, not to mention the complexity of these niche fan-fiction terms. Leaning closer to take a peek, he quickly found himself overwhelmed: “So many complicated terms, I can’t understand any of this. These authors are really amazing.”
The top star, who had studied fandom terminology to outdo his nemesis, launched into an explanation at great-grandfather’s question: “Red and Black means you’re the dominant one, leading the submissive; Black and Red is the reverse, where you’re the submissive one. These fans are being excessive! Originally, the breakout pairing was Red and Black, but now they’re all obsessed with you being submissive—I can’t stand it!”
Su Weisheng glanced at his great-grandson and asked, “Are you upset about me being submissive in fan content, or are you struggling with the idea that fans imagine you as the one being dominated?”
He wasn’t like Su Ran, who was outraged, nor did he have any “top position” complex. To him, it didn’t matter whether two men were together as equals or with one in the lead; his primary concern was ensuring he could keep Yuan Le in check and prevent him from running wild and causing trouble. For other minor matters, he could be accommodating, because after all, one should dote on their partner.
However, the immature elementary chicken clearly didn’t feel the same way.
To the great-grandson, issues about being straight or not could be clarified later, but right now, he had to prove that he was the dominant one, while Lu Huanjin was the submissive. Only then would he feel victorious—ah, this cursed desire for competition.
The great-grandson fidgeted and asked, “Great-grandfather, aren’t you angry?”
A soft, curious voice suddenly joined the conversation: “Good afternoon, everyone! What are you talking about?” It was Su Anyao. Today, she wore a light pink dress with a white collar, resembling a graceful lotus flower. She casually picked a chair to sit on, her bright almond-shaped eyes looking around curiously. She said, “I think I just heard something about Black and Red/Red and Black?”
Seeing her, Sunny instantly recalled the psychological trauma from the night before. His body stiffened, and after hastily greeting her, he quickly fled the scene. Su Anyao blinked in confusion, staring at his retreating figure, a bit at a loss.
“We’re talking about fans’ matchmaking and various ‘pairing’ content,” surprisingly, it was the usually reserved little great-grandfather who initiated the explanation. Su Weisheng played with the website on his phone and casually smiled as he explained to her, “For instance, your ‘Guan Liu’ pairing with Gu Shuangshuang from the drama, the playful ‘Lu Su’, and my Black and Red/Red and Black with You Sui.”
‘Guan Liu’ refers to a fan pairing derived from their historical drama roles. The female lead was Miss Guan, and the third lead played a willow spirit, hence the name.
Su Ran scoffed disdainfully, “This generation of fans just loves to make up baseless connections out of nowhere.”
“Then don’t let them get to you!” Su Anyao earnestly advised Su Weisheng. “Fujoshis are completely absorbed in their pairings. Don’t let them influence you, and don’t hold a grudge against Director You because of them. There’s no need to deliberately avoid suspicion because of bystanders. That would only hurt the bond between you two!”
Su Weisheng raised an eyebrow slightly at her words. “You think it’s their fault?”
“Of course!” Su Anyao was very confident. “If anyone’s at fault, it’s the fujoshis. I believe the relationship between you two is the purest form of friendship.”
Knowing the ship was real, Su Ran couldn’t take it anymore. “How can you be so sure it’s pure friendship? I remember yesterday, Director You wouldn’t stop coming over here to get snacks from my great-grandfather. What do you say to that?”
Su Anyao retorted firmly, “What’s wrong with good brothers sharing snacks with each other? There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Su Ran added, “My great-grandfather scolded Director You, and he didn’t even talk back.”
Su Anyao’s gaze flickered slightly, but her tone remained resolute. “So what? I scold Gu Shuangshuang all the time, too!”
Su Ran refused to give up. “Director You and my great-grandfather are even more in sync than most couples.”
Su Anyao declared righteously, “That’s just you seeing things through a biased lens! From my perspective, it’s completely normal for good brothers to be this in tune. They can stay this synchronized in the future, too, and however they want to be in sync is fine. This is all normal! So, you two should just act as you always do and ignore those fans. Let them ship what they want, while you just interact naturally!”
She seemed genuinely worried about Su Weisheng being affected by the fujoshis’ obsession with pairings. Her concern came from a sincere place, with no pretense whatsoever. But it was precisely this honesty that made Su Ran feel something was slightly off.
“Why are you so worried about my great-grandfather’s relationship with the director?” he asked suspiciously. “Don’t tell me—you’ve fallen for my great-grandfather? Or is it Director You?”
“How could that be possible!”
Su Anyao abandoned her usual calm and composed demeanor from the show, immediately reacting with an agitated rebuttal: “There’s no way I’d fall for either of them! I simply want the best for their relationship to continue smoothly… Ahem! What I mean is, Director You invited me onto his show, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity. So naturally, I hope everyone gets along well!”
She adjusted her mood and sighed sadly, adopting a sympathetic tone as she explained: “After all, Shuangshuang and I used to have plenty of fans who shipped us, too. But our sexual orientations are normal, and we both have our own partners and lovers. So when it comes to outsiders making up fan pairings, I can completely empathize with Great-grandfather.”
Su Ran remained skeptical: “… Really?”
“Of course!” Su Anyao replied confidently.
Meanwhile, Su Weisheng was entirely unaffected by their argument and instead seemed intrigued. He casually opened the number-one trending fanfic tagged under Black and Red and read a bit of the text. Curiously, he asked, “This story’s premise is interesting—the Little great-grandfather loses his memory and wakes up as a virtual character kept in You Sui’s mobile game… So there’s also a romance simulation aspect?”
Su Anyao grabbed a couple of snacks from the table and began munching. She explained nonchalantly, “Yes, there are many romance simulation games in reality, especially those targeted at women. Players can spend money to unlock and pursue character targets. For example, in recent years, the most popular game has been “Above the Court”, where players can unlock male and female characters, as well as a hidden boss that only appears after spending over 100,000.”
Su Weisheng gave her a thoughtful look. “You seem to know quite a lot about this.”
Su Anyao coughed twice and quickly composed herself, gently explaining, “My assistant enjoys playing these kinds of games, so I’ve heard a bit about them.”
Su Ran, who had no interest in romance games, leaned over to peek at the phone screen and angrily pointed to the author of the story. “Great-grandfather, it’s that Si Yue Si! She’s the one who wrote the ‘Lu Su’ piece I read during my live stream the other day. Now she’s here to mess with you, too!”
Su Anyao seemed genuinely choked by her snack, coughing several times before gulping down a large sip of water to recover. She then donned the demeanor of a wise older sister and advised Su Ran, “Don’t let fujoshis affect you. Just focus on yourself and concentrate on competing with President Lu.”
“Of course.” Su Ran raised an eyebrow proudly. “How could I possibly be influenced by them?”
Encouraged by Su Anyao’s words, his mood instantly lifted, and he even began to see her in a better light. He went as far as to comfort her in return: “You too—don’t let the shippers affect your friendship with Gu Shuangshuang.”
Su Anyao responded with a cheerful smile, “Of course not. She and I share the same interests, goals, a joint career, and hope for the future. Nothing could ever separate us.”
Thinking of Gu Shuangshuang immediately brightened Su Anyao’s mood. Relaxing, she even made a joke: “On this topic, Shuangshuang and I have talked about it. We both agree that the other knows too many of our dark secrets and holds too much of our shared assets. Even if we ever fell out one day, we’d probably silently endure it for the sake of everything we share.” She teased with a laugh.
Su Ran found it a bit strange. What kind of shared career could exist between a minor celebrity and a top celebrity? He had never heard of them running a studio together. But since she didn’t bring it up herself, he decided not to pry.
Su Weisheng gazed at Su Anyao thoughtfully before suddenly asking, “If Gu Shuangshuang dies, wouldn’t you be the prime suspect?”
Su Anyao burst into laughter, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents as she seemed to take the question as nothing more than a joke. “It couldn’t possibly be me. We’re tied together by our shared career—I can’t function without her. If I killed her, wouldn’t that leave me responsible for handling the work of two people?”
“She’s been away traveling for so long and hasn’t returned. You’re not worried?”
“Not really. She goes once every year. If my schedule hadn’t been so packed this year, I would’ve gone with her. After all, she’s gone to the place we both consider sacred. She’ll need at least a week there before coming back.”
Su Weisheng looked at her serene and unbothered demeanor with a meaningful expression, shook his head, and left her with a lingering remark as he rose to leave: “Well, if she never comes back, you’ll probably end up handling the workload for both of you alone.”
Su Anyao froze for a moment. By the time she looked up, Su Weisheng had already walked away, with Su Ran eagerly trotting after him like a little shadow. Left alone, she sat in her spot as the cold wind blew past, giving her an inexplicable chill and a wave of goosebumps.
“She’ll be fine… right?” she murmured quietly. Growing increasingly uneasy, she took out her phone and dialed Gu Shuangshuang’s number. No one picked up.
Su Anyao sent her a voice message: “Gu Shuangshuang, call me back as soon as you’re out of the mountains! It’s bad enough that you went alone, but you went behind my back and brought Nianyi along. He’s your husband—do you think he isn’t my precious too? Get back here quickly. If anything happens to my darling, you’d better pray I don’t hold you accountable!”
After her emotional rant, Su Anyao suddenly realized she had overreacted. She quickly turned off her phone, glanced around nervously, and only relaxed when she saw no one nearby.
Little did she know that her words had already reached the ears of Su Weisheng and his great-grandson, thanks to their magical tools, which granted them extraordinary hearing.
Su Ran, following behind his grandpa, couldn’t stop rubbing his ears in disbelief. The gossip was so shocking that he could barely speak coherently. “Great-grandfather, did you hear that? Did you hear what she just said…”
“I heard.” Su Weisheng’s tone was calm.
Su Ran was frantic. “That Nianyi guy—is he their shared husband with Gu Shuangshuang? Are they in a throuple? It can’t mean what I think it means, right?” After saying this, he looked back at his great-grandfather, only to find that the older man wasn’t paying him any attention. Instead, Su Weisheng was leisurely scrolling on his phone, clearly preparing to head back to his study.
Before entering, Su Weisheng paused for a moment and casually reminded, “Zhaocai, don’t forget to buy lunch.”
Su Ran: “…” Great-grandfather, your calmness is making me feel like a country bumpkin.
Feeling doubly frustrated, the great-grandson eventually gave in and obediently rode his electric tricycle to buy lunch. At least he had the sense to protect his dignity—he donned a hat and mask before leaving to avoid becoming a trending topic for being a top star riding a tricycle.
Just as he reached the city, Su Ran received a text message from Lu Huanjin’s new phone number: Bring two extra meals. Today’s lunch is on me.
Su Ran smirked disdainfully and replied: Coward. You don’t even dare to go out with me. A little car tire burst scared you this much?
Lu Huanjin: Will you bring it or not?
Su Ran: I’ll give you a chance. Type out the following line and send it to me, and I’ll bring you lunch. 【Screenshot】
Lu Huanjin: …
Su Ran: Or you can choose to keep competing with me.
Just when the top star thought the matter was over and wouldn’t escalate further, a slow reply came from the other side.
Lu Huanjin: I’m lying down, ready for you. Come on up.
What the—!!!
Su Ran’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted out the message. He quickly took a screenshot to preserve the evidence in case it got retracted, then stared at the words over and over, savoring them.
Lu Huanjin actually gave in? Why did he suddenly give in? Does this make sense? Could there be some kind of scheme waiting for him?
No, no, no—that doesn’t matter! What matters is that he gave in. I won!!!
Su Ran burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting he was straight, fully immersed in the joy of being the dominant one while Lu Huanjin was the submissive. Inspired by the dramatic scenarios he’d read in steamy fanfiction, he slyly sent a reply mimicking those stories.
Su Ran: Wait for me. I’ll be back soon to feed you till you’re full.
After sending the message, Su Ran repeatedly screenshotted their conversation to admire it, basking in a strong sense of victory and satisfaction. The top star was so elated that he hummed a cheerful tune and even felt an urge to run two kilometers to release his excitement.
Carrying this triumphant mood, he quickly bought the food and rushed home. The first thing he did upon returning was knock on the study door, eager to share his joy with his great-grandfather. When he pushed the door open, he saw Su Weisheng practicing calligraphy at his desk, with a phone beside him downloading a game.
“Huh?” Su Ran glanced at the phone screen curiously. “A new game? Great-grandfather, what are you playing?”
Su Weisheng admired the calligraphy he had just completed, set it aside to dry, and even took a photo of it for posterity. Finally, he opened the newly installed game and casually replied, “It’s a romance game for women, something called ‘Above the Court’.”
Su Ran was baffled. “Why are you playing a women’s romance game? Are you trying to understand how girls think when they ship pairings?”
Su Weisheng ignored him and instead dove straight into the beginner tutorial. His patience paid off as he quickly completed the introductory tasks and entered the main storyline. The game presented players with six characters to pursue—three men and three women—ranging from a prime minister and general to a princess and saintess.
Additionally, there was a locked black-framed panel that couldn’t be accessed. It didn’t display a name, only a single-word description: “Emperor”.
Interestingly, this premium character, which required in-game purchases to unlock, was the most popular in the game. According to the global chat’s explanations, this character’s popularity had transcended dimensions, with wealthy players in the real world organizing extravagant displays of support, such as airplane banners, on the character’s birthday each year.
Su Weisheng stared at the game’s revenue stream and fell into deep thought. Developing games seemed far more lucrative than entering the entertainment industry.
With this realization, he glanced at his great-grandson disdainfully and sighed, “No ambition. A money-losing great-grandson.”
Su Ran was utterly perplexed: ???
Why are you scolding me again?
5:00 PM, in the main hall’s live stream room.
【The buzz is real!!!】
【Promoting Lu Su worldwide】
【Official CP, Liu! Official CP, Liu! Official CP, Liu!】
The bullet screen had become a carnival ground for fans of various couple pairings.
The guests were already seated on the main hall’s sofas, entering program mode. Host Qiu Zhi, as usual, began with an opening speech and advertisements, then cheerfully proposed: “Today, let’s play an icebreaker game to bring neighbors closer!”
As soon as they heard “game”, the guests’ expressions subtly shifted in unison. How was this any different from the infamous “leap into the trap” situations before?
Sure enough, Qiu Zhi confirmed their suspicions as soon as the game rules were announced: “This game is called ‘I Have, You Don’t’. Each person states something they’ve done that others haven’t. If anyone else has also done it, the original person faces a penalty!”
Before Qiu Zhi’s voice even faded, Su Ran, who had been wary of great-grandmother setting traps for him, quickly spoke up: “I’ve inherited antiques passed down from my ancestors. Do any of you have that?”
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and turned to look at Su Ran. “Wow, kid, you’ve had such a good experience?”
“I haven’t.”
“I’ve never been that lucky.”
“So jealous that you get to rely on family wealth.”
Basking in the envious stares of the crowd, Su Ran proudly raised his head, but when he glanced at his great-grandfather again, he instantly shrank back and lowered his head, meekly muttering under his breath, “I’ll pay off my debts soon, great-grandfather, have mercy!”
Su Weisheng glanced at him faintly without any visible reaction before calmly offering his own answer: “I have great-grandchildren supporting me.”
The crowd: “……” Nope, there’s no competing with that.
After one round of the game, Sunny was the first to be eliminated.
The host enthusiastically announced the penalty: “Sunny, please show everyone the latest photo on your phone.”
That’s all? Sunny was briefly stunned, then obediently opened his photo album to show a beautiful picture of his cat enjoying the view, immediately prompting a wave of admiration for his adorable pet.
It didn’t feel like much of a penalty—was he being given special treatment?
The crowd secretly speculated: If every penalty in the game was this simple, there wasn’t much need to worry.
The second round had the same game rules as before.
This time, Su Ran blurted out: “I’ve taken a bath in a can of canned herring. None of you have!”
The crowd: You’re playing this big?!
Su Ran thought he had it in the bag, only for Lu Huanjin to suddenly chime in: “I’ve done that, too.”
The crowd at the scene: ???
What? What are you two talking about?
The top star’s expression froze. In his haste, Su Ran spoke without thinking, forgetting that he had once used this incident to frame Lu Huanjin—naturally, Lu had experienced it as well.
At this moment, Qiu Zhi cheerfully reminded him: “Mr. Su, you must accept the penalty! It’s the same as last time: please let everyone view the last photo in your phone’s album.”
Su Ran felt a bit dazed. What was the last photo on his phone?
He pulled out his phone and glanced at it. The camera skillfully zoomed in on his screen, and the next second, silence swept through the room.
【Lu Huanjin: I’m lying down, ready for you. Come on up.】
【Su Ran: Wait for me. I’ll be back soon to feed you till you’re full.】
The top star didn’t even have time to bask in the glory of his victory with his great-grandfather before it was unexpectedly laid bare in front of everyone.
The guests were stunned. The staff were stunned. The internet users went wild.
【???】
【What?!】
【What did I just see?! Oh my gosh!】
【Lu-Su pairing is real! It’s real! (Heartbreaking screams)】
【It has to be edited, right? Definitely edited!】
Lu Huanjin stared at the big screen, his pupils trembling. Hesitantly, he asked Su Ran: “Did you… do this on purpose?”
Su Ran’s mind was buzzing, and he awkwardly laughed while holding his head, trying to recover his composure: “Do I look like I did it on purpose?”
Su Anyao, mouth agape in shock, stared at the pair for a long time before muttering under her breath: “Oh my gosh… witnessing drama live. This is just too legendary.”
After a brief moment of chaos, the host composed herself and moved on with the program: “Alright, let’s continue the game relay. Who’s next?”
Terrified of being the next victim, Su Anyao stammered nervously, scrambling to answer quickly: “I-I have a girl bestfriend!”
Alright, with everyone present being male, it’s indeed unlikely for anyone to have a best friend of the “girlfriend” kind.
Old Lu hurriedly said, “I have a son!”
Su Weisheng softly replied: “I do too.”
Old Lu: “……”
Old Lu lost and was eliminated in despair, though fortunately, his photo wasn’t too embarrassing.
By the end of the game, only two people remained—Su Anyao and Su Weisheng—gazing at each other from afar, the tension rising.
Su Weisheng slowly placed his phone on the table and nodded at her, signaling: “Let’s settle this in the final round. My photo is ready; how about yours?”
Su Anyao took a deep breath, preparing to deliver her ultimate move to win the game: “I have a partner—someone I’ve already held a wedding with!” She spoke confidently, her fighting spirit evident.
Su Weisheng replied casually: “I have one too.”
Su Anyao stared at him in disbelief: ???
Su Weisheng nodded seriously and said, “Do you need me to point out who it is?”
【Whoa, whoa, whoa!】
【Could Little great-grandfather be talking about…?】
【This must be a publicity stunt! Definitely a stunt! It can’t be real, the Black-Red CP just debuted, and now there’s an announcement? Impossible!】
【Hurry, hurry! Sister Yao, make him point the person out; it doesn’t count unless he does!】
Su Anyao clearly wasn’t that unreasonable. The game only required saying whether you had something or not—it didn’t force anyone to reveal who it was.
So, with a sense of hopelessness, she carefully opened her photo album, her pupils constricting as she hastily swiped to the side. Then, pretending as if nothing was amiss, she raised her phone for everyone to see: “It’s just a picture of me and Shuangshuang.”
The photo showed Su Anyao and Gu Shuangshuang, two stunning beauties smiling sweetly and brightly at the camera in a selfie.
Oh~ Well, there wasn’t much drama to be had there.
Su Anyao smiled, seeing everyone’s lack of reaction, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to put her phone away and move past the moment, but as soon as she relaxed, her phone slipped from her slightly weakened grip and fell to the ground.
Su Anyao was instantly pale with fright, scrambling clumsily to pick it up.
Old Lu, standing beside her, acted with gentlemanly courtesy, crouching down faster than her to retrieve the phone. “Why are you so careless? Let me get it for you… Hey, what’s this?” His thumb accidentally pressed on the screen, swiping over a photo and landing on the newest image in the album.
The camera zoomed perfectly onto Su Anyao’s phone screen.
The live broadcast’s large screen revealed the latest photo in its entirety: Two stunning women dressed in traditional phoenix coronets and bridal robes knelt side by side on the ground. Facing them was a massive sofa pillow.
On the pillow was an illustration of Empress Zhang Nianyi, the hidden route character from “Above the Court”. To the left was the Empress in her dashing male disguise, while to the right, she appeared in lavish attire, exuding beauty and authority.
At the top, a banner read: “Husband and Wife Bow to Each Other.”
Clearly, Gu Shuangshuang was bowing in a wedding ritual with the Empress in her male persona, while Su Anyao performed the ritual with the Empress in her female persona.
【?】
【??】
【??? What’s going on? Am I seeing things? Why is my wife with my other wife bowing to my third wife?】
【So Gu Shuangshuang has a husband, and Su Anyao’s married partner is actually this, huh? Su Anyao, you really know how to explain things.】
【Gu Shuangshuang is bowing to Empress Persona A, and you’re bowing to Empress Persona B. So this is what it means to be sister-in-law…】
The live stream was completely filled with question marks, and everyone present was utterly dumbfounded.
Su Ran pointed to the wedding photo of the “husband and wife bowing” ceremony and stammered, “T-this… this is the husband you and Gu Shuangshuang share?”
So, their shared “husband” Nianyi is actually a fictional character on a pillow! Su Anyao, could you be any more absurd?!
Su Weisheng, with great interest, glanced at the photo and remarked, “You three bowing together doesn’t count as a proper wedding ceremony—it should be called the Peach Garden Oath of Brotherhood, like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.”
A double entendre.
The “ship” of Gu Shuangshuang and Su Anyao is called Guan Liu, which sounds like “Guan Yu and Liu Bei”. Combined with the Empress Zhang Nianyi on the pillow, doesn’t that complete the trio of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei?
Su Anyao let out an “Ahhh!” and wanted to disappear into a hole, dying of social embarrassment.
The host awkwardly laughed and joked, “Well, it seems we have our final winner of this game. But it’s still a bit of a pity not to see great-grandfather’s photo.”
“There’s nothing to regret,” Su Weisheng replied casually, slowly unlocking his phone. With a swipe of his finger, the latest photo in his album appeared—a handwritten calligraphy piece with four bold characters:
Rely on your own luck.
Every guest at the scene had metaphorically fallen in battle. The message was clear: please rely on your own luck.
Great-grandfather’s level of sarcasm skyrocketed instantly.
Yametteeeee jshvjydd i can’t this novel keeps me laughing out my soul
Thnx ya for the chappiiee~
Was this new guest actually innocent or? I wonder what happened with that other lady.