Because the two of them had been sweet-talking for too long, the hard-earned results of their effort were delayed past the best time to savor them. Lu Huanjin looked at the now-cold lunch on the table and suggested, “At such an important moment, why don’t we not cook at home? How about inviting both parents out to eat? I’ll book a restaurant.”
Unexpectedly, such a thoughtful and suitable proposal was met with strong disagreement from Su Ran, who shook his head firmly. “How can we go out to eat at a time like this? I know how good my Ah Jin is, but Great-Grandfather doesn’t know. We should strike while the iron is hot and make a big meal to let Great-Grandfather see how virtuous and sensible the eldest great-grandson’s wife is!”
“My own strength isn’t enough, but having you as my capable wife to boost me—why worry about chasing the wild great-grandson out of the house early?”
Lu Huanjin said, “What you said… makes sense.” Mr. Lu didn’t want to keep circling around the stove, but he couldn’t refuse Ranbao’s sweet words and somehow agreed without realizing it.
And so, in this funny twist, Su Ran, who had learned almost no cooking skills, somehow trained Lu Huanjin, a kitchen disaster, into the home’s capable head chef.
When one dish after another was brought to the table, Su Weisheng was quietly amazed. He never expected these two to be so persistent. He tried picking up a forkful of the potato and ham and tasted it. Surprisingly, it was actually edible.
Su Ran leaned over to observe his expression. Seeing he didn’t spit it out, he immediately cheerfully took credit: “Great-Grandfather, this dish was made by Ah Jin and me together!”
Su Weisheng gave him a sidelong glance. “What role did you play in it?”
Su Ran proudly lifted his chin and said, “I read the recipe to Ah Jin!”
Pfft—
You Sui and Old Lu, sitting nearby, were both choked up by his claimed contribution.
Yet Lu Huanjin still smiled and cooperated with Su Ran. “Yes, the recipe he read really helped, otherwise, this dish definitely wouldn’t have come out.” The tone was so sincere it almost sounded like a strange kind of sarcasm.
Normally, Mr. Lu was a sharp and formidable, and domineering CEO in the business world. But whenever he met Su Ran, he instantly turned into a love-struck fool.
Seeing him completely wrapped around Su Ran’s finger like that, Su Weisheng shook his head with amusement and said, “I was still thinking about what betrothal gift to give, but looking at you like this, it seems I don’t need to rack my brain anymore.” Saying that, he pulled out a small, exquisite brocade box from his pocket and pushed it over.
Lu Huanjin thanked Great-Grandfather before taking the box and opening it. Inside was a delicate white jade ear clip, exactly the same as the one on Su Ran’s ear, except one was for the left ear and the other for the right—just the perfect matching couple’s set.
Lu Huanjin was momentarily stunned.
Su Ran, however, looked pleasantly surprised. He reached out to pinch the ear clip and curiously asked, “Great-Grandfather, does this ear clip have any special function?”
Then he pouted and complained, “I remember the ear clip you gave me before had so many tricks. I showed it off for days before realizing it was made just to make it easier for three old men to beat me up!”
Su Weisheng paused thoughtfully. “The function of Lu Huanjin’s ear clip… probably that your dad might see it when he’s beating you.”
“That kind of function is totally unnecessary!” Though he complained, his hand was honest as he eagerly put the ear clip on Lu Huanjin’s ear. Seeing the same jade color now between their ear folds, he proudly raised his eyebrows and said, “Great-Grandfather only gives good things—he won’t shortchange the eldest great-grandson’s wife, but Great-Grandmother might not be so generous.”
Everyone was simultaneously taken aback by this strange title, “eldest great-grandson’s wife.”
Su Weisheng teasingly glanced at the Great-Grandmother, who had just been roasted.
Has Great-Grandmother brought any gifts?
You Sui looked at his lively wife with a slight smile. He casually picked up a forkful of food to taste, then casually tossed a small brocade pouch over and lazily said, “This is Great-Grandmother’s betrothal gift for our eldest great-grandson’s wife.” He then raised an eyebrow at Lu Huanjin, who understood and nodded back at him.
—Everyone minds their own wife.
With Lu Huanjin clinging to Su Ran, Su Weisheng’s side was relatively peaceful. He took the chance to open the Underworld app’s live-stream feature, casually drew a wish list, and forwarded the prize tickets accumulated over the past few days to Su Ning. Using his own son like this was incredibly convenient.
Especially now that Yinzi still had a usable Su family member under his command—even though they were all hatched from eggs—wouldn’t a human-jiao hybrid be even more useful? The High Priest was in a good mood, happily enslaving his “little slaves”.
Looking at the app’s scrolling comments, they were all the same: [High Priest, bless me to be chosen], showing that after a non-lucky person dies, they don’t turn lucky—they just become a dead non-lucky.
He was rare in having the mood to scroll through the comments when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching outside. Looking up, he just caught Jiang Yimian poking his head in. “What are you doing…?”
“Great-Grandfather!” Jiang Yimian eagerly sat down next to him, legs neatly together, tone full of concern: “Great-Grandfather, you and Brother Ran talked about investing in making a movie before. Have you decided what to film? Have you chosen a screenwriter? What do you think of me? Isn’t the movie you want to invest in a low-budget one? I won’t charge a single cent and can even bring resources into the crew!”
He shamelessly leaned in, volunteering himself.
Su Weisheng was indifferent: “The Legend of the High Priest? Not so great.”
Jiang Yimian was heartbroken and indignant: “Great-Grandfather, you’re biased against me and my script. You don’t even know how hard and meticulous I worked on writing ‘The Legend of the High Priest’. There isn’t a single flaw in the plot!”
[?]
[What nonsense? His “meticulous” means creating ‘Le’er’?]
[Good grief, does he even know who he’s talking to? Still stubborn like a dead duck. I’m so embarrassed for him I almost want to dig out a three-room apartment for him…]
I have to say, when it comes to stubbornness, Jiang Yimian and Su Ran are truly kindred spirits and best buddies.
Su Weisheng wasn’t in a hurry to refute him either; he lazily leaned back and said casually, “Since you think your writing has no problems and every plot point has real historical evidence, then show me the proof to convince me. How about that?”
“Convince you?”
“Yes, convince me.”
Su Weisheng carefully recalled the plot and then clearly pointed out the ridiculous parts in “The Legend of the High Priest”: “For example, you wrote that Le’er died in Su Tiao’s arms, and that Su Tiao started the uprising to avenge Le’er, the beautiful maidservants who were devoted to Su Tiao and died for him, and that part… where Su Tiao often went to the palace to secretly meet the princess and the second female lead?”
“That’s right!” Jiang Yimian answered confidently, “I checked that period of history. After the new dynasty was established, the High Priest frequently stayed overnight in the palace. Because of this, the monarch and his sister quarreled many times, and the princess always returned home sorrowfully with tears. It’s obvious the brother didn’t approve of the marriage and forcibly separated them!”
Su Weisheng was amazed by his interpretation and followed his reasoning to ask, “Then, since there was the princess, why did Su Tiao ultimately die for Le’er?”
Jiang Yimian had his own logic and sincerely answered, “Because although the princess was good, she could never surpass Miss Le’er’s position in his heart. Once you’ve experienced the vast ocean, other waters are hard to appreciate. The High Priest must have tried being with the princess, but still couldn’t forget his first love, so he chose to die with her!”
[…6]
[Where did the rumor about the beautiful maidservants devoted to Su Tiao come from? People actually believe that?]
[As a local resident from 200 years ago, I’ll tell the truth: the High Priest did have many admirers and followers, but most women just deified him; those trying to get into his bed were mostly men.]
[Isn’t there a possibility he wasn’t chasing the princess every day in the palace but sleeping with the monarch instead?]
Obviously, Jiang Yimian had never thought in this direction.
Su Weisheng wasn’t in a hurry either. He picked out these plot points and said calmly, “Jinbao, since you believe what you wrote is all correct, then bring strong evidence to convince me. As long as you can prove these scenes roughly existed in history, I’ll hire you as the official screenwriter.”
“Deal!”
Jiang Yimian happily jumped up. “Great-Grandfather, just wait and see. Everything I said has traces to back it up. Wait for me to bring proof and convince you!” With that, he ran off excitedly.
[This kid is confident, but unfortunately, in the wrong place.]
[Hmm… looks kind of familiar?]
[Wow, isn’t he the grandson of Old Jiang’s family?]
[…]
Old Jiang was already frantically wanting to send a dream to this disgraceful grandson, telling him to behave.
It was clear from the start that Jiang Yimian’s dream of writing scripts for Great-Grandfather was impossible. After brushing him off, Su Weisheng slowly pulled up the Underworld app page. Looking at the sea of mocking comments, he thought for a moment and then wrote a line in the nearby bulletin board:
“Recruiting 1-5 movie screenwriters from the living world. Requirements: Must have won positive awards. Please submit resumes. Salary: none. Accommodation and meals are provided in the living world until filming ends.”
[?]
[What did I just see? He’s recruiting living-world screenwriters in the Underworld app, and the salary is none?]
[Good grief, no wonder Su Tiao didn’t care about that little screenwriter bringing resources into the crew—he planned to freeload off the spirits from the start, didn’t he!]
[Working for the boss while alive, and after death, you want me to work for free? Dream on!]
[Holy crap, here comes that bloodsucking capitalist again!!!]
The comments were full of curses, strongly opposing the capitalist Su Tiao’s freeloading behavior. Seeing this, Su Weisheng checked his private messages—hmm… There were already 130 submissions, and they kept increasing.
[Damn, how many ghosts are cursing and submitting at the same time? My inbox is totally clogged!]
[Um… honestly, no salary is fine, but the temptation to live in the living world until filming ends is too great. I want hot pot, spicy skewers, grilled meat, mala crayfish, milk tea, strawberry cake, chocolate…]
[Stop, I want to eat, too! High Priest, I was wrong to insult you. Besides recruiting screenwriters, can we recruit other kinds of crew? Like, you’re filming a movie, you definitely need extras, right? A few of us bros can work for zero pay, just feed us, please QAQ]
[Filming needs crew, too—props, photographers, costume designers, stylists, etc. Hiring living people is expensive. Hey ladies, how about us? No wages needed, just let us surf the internet QAQ I’m going crazy stuck in the Underworld!!!]
Before Su Weisheng could finish speaking, the spirits had already volunteered and arranged themselves for the unpaid labor. It was obvious they were all bursting with pent-up energy.
“Not urgent.” Su Weisheng mused for a moment, feeling that there really is strength in numbers. They had given him lots of new ideas. He opened the Underworld app intending to summon Bug to discuss things, but lately, Bug had appeared less and less frequently and responded more sluggishly, as if silently devolving from a human-like consciousness into the form of a mere spirit artifact.
He even suspected that Bug, currently appearing in the app, wasn’t really Si Ming anymore. So, where was Si Ming now? His permissions still weren’t enough to access the Book of Life and Death. If Su Weisheng wanted to uncover the truth, he had to further solve the Underworld’s difficult problems, accumulate merit, and upgrade his permissions. Now was a good opportunity.
But all of this required careful, long-term planning.
Thinking this, Su Weisheng sent a message to his capable aide, Yan Wan:
— Yan’er, come over for a meeting after you finish the weekend.
Friday, 4:50 PM, Main Hall Live Streaming Room
Due to changes in the production team’s requirements for this episode, the assistants of various artists had no tasks to perform. Assistant Xiao Bai had been recalled by headquarters for half a month and only returned to the Siheyuan compound in the last few days before the show ended.
With ten minutes left before the live stream started, Bai Songyin’s first action upon returning was to hum a little tune while preparing the cold brew tea he had brought, because Brother Ran always liked to sneak sips of great-grandfather’s tea. Today, he had specially brought enough tea for the two of them.
Assistant Xiao Bai shook the teapot, holding a teacup in his hand, and then briskly stepped into the main hall. One cup of clear tea was placed in Su Weisheng’s hand, and the other by Su Ran’s—a perfect arrangement.
He nodded, placing the teapot on the table for both to enjoy anytime, and at the same time winked at Su Ran, giving a subtle expression like, “Brother Ran, how about it? Only Xiao Bai really cares about you.”
The next moment, Su Ran did not immediately drink the tea but instead swirled the crystal-clear cup, then casually pushed it over to Lu Huanjin’s side, signaling him to drink.
Bai Songyin looked at Brother Ran in disbelief: “Brother Ran, we’ve only been apart for half a month, and you already suspect I poisoned you? And you want Mr. Lu to test the poison for you?” What was even more outrageous was that Lu Huanjin didn’t mock him back, but instead took the tea with a calm and composed expression and drank it all! What’s going on between you two?!
“Who’s suspecting you? Stop adding unnecessary drama to yourself,” Su Ran replied irritably, then pointed at Lu Huanjin, saying, “Next time, bring a few more cups. Your sister-in-law will get thirsty after a whole day of filming!”
That last sentence, though sounding like a complaint, was actually full of deep boasting.
Bai Songyin was dumbfounded. He rubbed his ear as if he hadn’t understood, then turned to look at Su Weisheng. “Great-grandfather, what did Brother Ran just say?”
Su Weisheng repeated calmly, “He said you have a sister-in-law now.”
Bai Songyin: ???
He glanced at Su Ran, then at Lu Huanjin beside him with a subtle smile, and was completely stunned.
At the same time, the live stream silently began.
【Ahhh, Great-grandfather, I’m here! I really want Great-grandfather to chase me wildly with a chainsaw for three kilometers in a battle royale!!!】
【What’s this little great-grandfather talking about, ‘sister-in-law’?】
【Shouldn’t it be ‘brother-in-law’?】
【No, it’s definitely ‘sister-in-law’. Do you think little great-grandfather is you? His pronunciation was clear and precise, ‘sister-in-law’!】
【Maybe he’s trying to find a match for Su Ran. LuSu Street is about to be torn down. Watch the next development!】
The topic of “sister-in-law” didn’t continue. The host smoothly steered the program into the rhythm they wanted with a string of opening remarks. Then they cued the next question to Su Weisheng: “Little Great-grandfather, how was your experience a few days ago playing the immersive escape room? Did anything leave a deep impression on you?”
Su Weisheng paused briefly, “Like Lu Huanjin getting beaten by a monkey?”
Lu, who was drinking tea, was suddenly reminded of his embarrassing past, choked on his drink, then looked at Su Weisheng with a helpless smile, saying, “Great-grandfather, your deepest impression is actually me? Well, okay, I suppose that counts as ‘bringing joy to the family’.”
【? Why is Mr. Lu’s attitude so soft?】
【Weird vibe. Even if Little Great-grandfather has seniority, he’s still Su Ran’s great-grandfather, not Lu Huanjin’s. Why is he being so timid?】
【What’s this about getting hit by a monkey?】
As if hearing the confused voices of netizens, the host cheerfully opened the video projection and played the corresponding footage, teasing: “Coincidentally, we collected this video to share with everyone. Mr. Lu was trapped in danger, and Teacher Su heroically saved the beauty with a single sword flourish, stunning the whole scene, completely overturning our previous understanding.”
Although the live broadcast of the immersive escape room game was very popular, many netizens still didn’t pay attention. Watching the replay now, they just felt full of question marks and even doubted reality.
Who the heck do you think that sharp sword master is? Are we really relying on the useless little trash Ran Bao, who just edits videos pretending to fight?
The comments section exploded with disbelief and shocked exclamations.
But the top star remained unusually calm, casually raising an eyebrow and stating matter-of-factly: “I’m just an average learner, only skimming the surface. Saving Lu Huanjin was purely instinctive, but compared to Great-grandfather’s swordsmanship, I’m far behind.”
【The top star actually showed humility.】
【Maybe not humility—just curious how Little Great-grandfather’s swordplay looks.】
The host continued with the flow: “So Teacher Su did such a great favor, how will Mr. Lu repay it?” Without missing a beat, the host glanced at the prompt card, preparing to segue into Lu Huanjin’s repayment by actively training cooking with Su Ran, which led to a kitchen explosion video.
Unexpectedly, the guests didn’t follow the script. Lu Huanjin smiled and replied: “A debt of life should be repaid by giving oneself entirely.”
Netizens: ?
Host: ?
Staff: ?
Mr. Lu, do you want to listen to what you just said?
“Does ‘giving oneself entirely’ mean staying up late cooking and practicing culinary skills with Teacher Su?” the host joked. “Coincidentally, we also have footage of this. Let’s see how Mr. Lu repays his debt!”
As the video played, under the night sky, Lu Huanjin and Su Ran were quietly discussing how to surprise Great-grandfather, while diligently starting to cook.
The rice got burnt.
They kept cooking.
It got burnt again.
Again and again, the sky brightened, but the rice still wasn’t done.
The video froze on the last burnt steaming scene and paused.
The comment section was already laughing uncontrollably.
【They’re so funny now that they’ve made up!】
【Damn, Mr. Lu turned into a little kid after being influenced by the top star.】
【Oh my god, after burning the rice, they still picked through it and ate it. No food wasted, good job!】
【I’m dying laughing. Great-grandfather might never get to eat the rice they make.】
【Embarrassing beyond words.】
One by one, the barrage of comments appeared in real-time on the big screen. The bright red font was especially eye-catching, making the top star’s face immediately turn as dark as a pot lid. “Who said the two of us are embarrassing? Who said we can’t make a proper dish? Nonsense. Keep playing the video, let them see how we went from kitchen killers to Michelin chefs!”
The top star’s rebuttal was forceful and resolute.
Lu Huanjin tugged on his sleeve, reminding him to stay calm.
But the top star couldn’t calm down at all. Finally having some achievements, his personality was not one to accept such injustice.
The host lowered his head to look at the cue card, hesitated for a moment, but still followed the rules and asked once more, “Teacher Su, are you sure you want to continue playing the next part of the footage?”
This question was very delicate. It clearly implied that the upcoming video might be inappropriate to show.
【What does this mean? What’s something our respected members aren’t allowed to see?】
【From what the top star said, it sounds like the big meal is finally made. If it’s made, just show it. What can’t be shown?】
【I saw Lu Huanjin pull Su Ran and shake his head in disagreement, which means there must be something fishy in the next video. The cooking video showing failure must be fake, right?】
【Or maybe it’s not actually cooked, just bought to pass off as homemade?】
【If Mr. Lu is playing such a silly game with the top star, that’s just hilarious.】
Amid all the doubts, the intense desire to win made the top star give a firm answer: “Play it!”
The video continued playing, at several times the normal speed, but it was clear and without any sign of editing that Su Ran and Lu Huanjin had indeed hand-crafted four dishes and one staple food, with no fakery.
Just as everyone was puzzled about why the next part shouldn’t be played, Su Ran excitedly hugged Lu Huanjin’s forehead and kissed it in celebration.
And that wasn’t all. The next moment…
Lu Huanjin grabbed Su Ran and forcefully pressed him into a deep kiss.
【?】
【???】
【??????】
【Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, did I see that wrong?】
【Those two? Those two? Those two are for real!!!】
【Lu and Su on the streets for real!!!! (screaming chicken)】
In an instant, the scene exploded across the entire audience, and even the servers started lagging along with it. Right there in front of everyone’s eyes, under the top star’s own shouted command of “Play”, Lu Huanjin and Su Ran officially announced it.
Lu Huanjin rubbed his forehead and sighed. He turned his head slightly and whispered a reminder to Su Ran, “You’re making such a big scene. I don’t mind, but your company over there is definitely going crazy.”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” The officially announced top star showed a face full of indifference, grabbed Lu Huanjin’s hand, and with a provocative smile to the camera, said arrogantly, “See that? Lu Huanjin, the wife I married into my family, was officially certified. Your LuSu street CP is reversed. Go cry somewhere else!”
At a time like this, his first reaction wasn’t to protect his own image, but to forcibly confirm to the fans who shipped LuSu street that he was the “top”. That damned top star’s intense desire to win was hopeless.
【…6】
【Top star’s elementary school brat persona stands undefeated】
【They really are real. Honestly, I’m not surprised at all. If it were fake drama, that would scare me to death.】
【A bit absurd, but it also feels very reasonable. If it wasn’t true love, they wouldn’t have been tangled up for so many years.】
【LOL, no wonder Lu Huanjin is so respectful to Great-grandfather, turns out it’s his wife’s maternal great-grandfather.】
【Didn’t you hear Ran Bao say earlier? We’re the “top”, and your Mr. Lu is the one who married in, so of course he has to be respectful to his husband’s Great-grandfather.】
【Not convinced.】
【Not convinced +1.】
【The top star must be the one married out, there’s no way he’s just trying to save face.】
Just then, the final video finally played.
Su Weisheng, You Sui, and Lu Rong sat around a round dining table, while the two younger generations stood on one side.
Su Weisheng took a bite of the dish, casually pushed over a brocade box, and said, “Betrothal gift.” Inside was a pair of white jade earrings, the same style as the top star’s.
Up to this point, the footage was still normal, until the next second, You Sui also took a bite, then casually tossed over a brocade pouch and said lazily, “This is the betrothal gift from Great-Grandmother to our legitimate eldest great-grandson’s wife.”
【?】
【Why is Director You sitting in the parents’ seat?】
【Wait, what did you just shout to Mr. Lu? “Legitimate eldest great-grandson’s wife”?】
【Holy crap, no, the key point is what You Sui just called himself — what the heck did he just call himself!!!】
Moonlit: Everyone’s going crazy with all the revelations. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
![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]")
