ALWARFC Chapter 89

The hype for #Seaside Island scheduled New Year film# has already soared to the top of the trending list. In the entertainment circle where information updates at lightning speed and traffic stars are all fleeting idols, the live variety show «Another Side of Family Life» ended more than half a year ago, yet the moment Great-grandfather’s name appears, it instantly floods the entire internet.

【Whoa, is this for real? It can’t be some marketing account milking fans, right?!】

【The official account posted it! Ahhhh, I’m wishing great-grandfather could do a cameo! Even if it’s just one scene, I could watch it two, three, four times!】

【Back when I watched the «Another Side of Family Life» live, I didn’t cherish it properly. Now, half a year has passed since the show ended, and I’m still clinging to the old videos to keep going QAQ】

【Can someone who hasn’t had a workout for half a year really have such high heat? Or is it just bots hyping things up…?】

【Sis, have you not watched «Another Side of Family Life»? Go watch it and you’ll understand.】

【Understand +1. Half a year without works or news, and still this much hype, simply because whether it’s looks or personality, there’s still no substitute online.】

【Most importantly, this person simply doesn’t bother to do anything to please the fans. With his status and identity, just a single glance from him is a huge gain for you…】

【I heard it’s a horror movie. If it’s too scary, I’ll have to bring my whole family to go watch it together for courage.】

«Seaside Island» hasn’t even been released yet, but the discussion about Su Weisheng has stirred up another wave of stormy controversy. There are radical fans, loyal haters, and even bystanders who love the drama, all stirring up trouble and unintentionally boosting the movie’s hype.

*

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, cinemas everywhere are packed.

Groups of young people snatch up movie tickets, holding popcorn in their hands, still chattering noisily as they enter the theater.

“Hey, I wonder if Ran Bao’s acting has improved. Don’t want the little sparks following him to embarrass themselves again…”

“With Emperor Xie around, it should be fine, right?”

“Hard to say. Xie Wei got dragged down by Jiang Jinbao before, and the movie flopped.”

“Su Zhaocai and Jiang Jinbao really are the two biggest jinxes in the industry. Let’s see if Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother are tough enough. If not, they might just bag this year’s first Golden Broom Award.”

“After Shuangshuang passed, Sister Yao has been down and out. If she ends up with a Golden Broom Award, too…”

“Anyway, I’m watching this movie because of the original cast from «Another Side of Family Life». No matter how bad it is, I’ll endure it just to see Great-grandfather’s flawless beauty.”

A group of people settled in the fourth row, their chatter never stopping, completely unaware that two people sitting behind them were listening to their conversation with great interest.

The young man in a beige sweater wore a brown hat. Behind him, faintly visible, were several thin braids tied up. His face was hidden in the dimness of the cinema, unclear to see, but in his hand, he toyed with a jade-colored fan.

Hearing the chatter ahead, he silently smiled and turned to the person beside him, teasing quietly, “Director You, looks like the public doesn’t have much confidence in your work. What if you actually win a Golden Broom Award?”

The man beside him wore a brown trench coat, matching the young man’s hat in color, giving off a bit of a couple’s vibe.

He adjusted his posture, crossing his long legs that had nowhere to rest, slightly leaning toward Su Weisheng’s ear. With a lazy voice laced with amusement, he retorted, “No choice. Then we’ll just rely on Great-grandfather’s face to rake in some box office. For the director to break even, he’ll have to sell his wife for glory.”

Su Weisheng playfully tapped his head with the fan.

They didn’t attend the premiere but happened to have free time today, so they followed the crowd into the cinema to soak up the festive atmosphere.

The movie began with a heavy musical prelude. A scroll bearing the words «Seaside Island» slowly unfurled. The audience, realizing this might be a heavy drama or horror film, collectively held their breath.

On the big screen, a luxurious cruise ship sailed into the sea. At a banquet, a pianist played a long, faint melody, while guests dressed in elegant attire indulged in a life of decadence.

A young man with a straight posture and handsome face raised his glass toward the camera. The shot zoomed in for a close-up. It was an aggressively handsome face.

【Su Huoran, male, 27 years old, popular singer, mature, steady, and almost demonic in intelligence.】 The words were typed out rapidly on the screen.

Outside the screen, the audience, still holding their breath in tension, suddenly all showed confused expressions at these words. What? What did you say? Are you joking internationally?

The camera continued shifting, zooming in for close-ups to introduce each main character. Each used names and identities similar to their real-life counterparts. Some personalities were fairly normal, but some, like Su Huoran’s, were just ridiculous.

The audience couldn’t help but start breaking out of the immersion. A girl in the front row couldn’t hold back anymore and took out her phone to text her best friend: “This is bad, already breaking immersion from the start, this might be a flop…”

Small murmurs of discussion began to spread throughout the cinema.

The flop director and investors sat there as steady as a mountain, completely unfazed.

Meanwhile, on a certain forum, the discussion thread had already been flooded.

【Title: It’s over, this might be another Golden Broom Award nominee. Live updates in this thread, don’t enter if you don’t want spoilers.

Main post: Seeing the actors use their real names instantly ruined the immersion for me…

1L: Totally broke immersion. The phrase “almost demonic in intelligence” made me want to suffocate. Don’t understand why Su Ran was given such a character and script. Does the director even think he can pull this off?

5L: The tag says horror film, and the atmosphere does seem pretty serious. But who would’ve thought the horror actually refers to how ridiculous Su Ran’s character setting is…

11L: Aaaaaah, I’m going to shut down. Looks like another guaranteed flop.

20L: Don’t rush, don’t rush, keep reading, maybe it’ll get better…】

The movie continued.

The cruise ship encountered a tsunami and finally ran aground. When the unconscious guests opened their eyes, they had already been stranded on a deserted island. Shockingly, only seven of them remained on the ship. The distress signal couldn’t be sent out. Everyone harbored their own thoughts. In the end, they simply parted ways.

From here, the movie splits into three groups: the cave group, the cruise ship group, and the peach orchard.

Next, the three from the cruise ship group experienced a sudden incident in the elevator. Two screamed in panic, while one forced himself silent and fainted from fright. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the guest room.

【136L: Those two who screamed like dogs were pretty realistic, but Su Huoran forcing himself to stay silent was really not cool at all, and his acting was awkward. How did he even get this role? What’s the inevitable connection to “mature and steady”?

150L: If the movie rewrites his character to be a poser, it might still be saved.

177L: Having a problematic self-service buffet, going fishing with companions to be self-sufficient—that part’s okay.

200L: Fans, stop hyping this, isn’t this basic stuff?

219L: Damn, there was a finger in the fish…

256L: Help, Qin Xiaohe crying and gagging while shouting “I ate my goddess” was kinda funny.

299L: The funniest thing isn’t Su Ran forcing a pale face and stubbornly refusing to spit it out? Hahaha, 150L’s prophecy was spot on. Ran Bao’s character might really be a forced poser pretending to be mature and steady.

315L: So they just went and stole roast chicken from the neighboring cave group?

351L: Relying on stealing roast chicken to feed the little brothers and maintain his “mature, steady, and almost demonic in intelligence” image—truly you, Su Huoran.

444L: Help, hahaha, Teacher Xie forced to gnaw on chicken butt—looking forward to the “catching the thief” plot tomorrow.

500L: I’m dumbfounded… Every step of this plot is beyond my expectations. They didn’t catch the thief, so they threw out the counter-theft against the cruise ship group?

515L: The key reason for the counter-theft wasn’t because they found anything, but because they got rained on and still tore up someone else’s umbrella. (Silent)

555L: I was worried about breaking immersion before—how naïve of me! These folks are basically playing themselves in a comedy…】

The cinema was already in a fit of laughter.

Watching the plot grow more ridiculous by the minute—from stealing from each other, to working together to cook, then both sides getting stolen from, catching the thief only to find countless ghosts staring at them, and five of them getting captured together.

Just as everyone was guessing the next part might be a thirty-minute ghost battle, the evil spirits suddenly started fighting among themselves. Then Su Huoran and his group ran off, sprinting wildly into the peach orchard, where they just happened to run into Zhi Yu, who was about to leave.

Someone whispered to their companion, “Next should be the team-up, seven people joining forces to fight the boss, right…” The words stopped halfway because all six of them had been captured by Su Anyao.

Su Anyao is the island’s insider.

When the six slowly woke up, they saw Su Anyao standing before them, together with Gu Shuangshuang.

A close-up of Gu Shuangshuang’s pale, bluish face appeared on the big screen.

The six characters in the movie and everyone in the cinema simultaneously let out a terrified scream, even their shocked questions were identical: “Wasn’t Gu Shuangshuang dead?”

【798L: Holy sh*t, I’m so scared, I’m dying!!!

822L: Why is Gu Shuangshuang here… Am I remembering wrong? Didn’t her obituary come out last year?!

823L: Su Huoran and the others scared me so much I almost peed myself. I truly feel this moment.

855L: Seems like an actress who looks like Gu Shuangshuang. The crew must be real jerks to do this, totally deliberately trying to scare the audience.】

All six were killed by Gu Shuangshuang and Su Anyao.

The first run ended.

Then the screen went dark and lit up again. A group of people had returned to the day they were stranded on the cruise ship—they were reborn, starting the second run.

After the joy of surviving the disaster faded, since there was no signal for help, they skipped the chicken-stealing part from the first run and prepared to sharpen their knives against Su Anyao and Gu Shuangshuang.

But it failed; the second run was lost. They were robbed by the couple Xie Wei and Song Qing.

Because Xie Wei and Song Qing realized they simply couldn’t beat the living dead, they just joined them, recognizing the living dead leader Yan Wan as “mom” and turned around to kill their own companions.

Amid Su Huoran and the others’ furious curses, they faced the third run. This time, they traveled to the period when Qin Xiaohe’s goddess was trapped on the cruise ship. They tried to rescue her but failed and were killed together.

Then came the fourth run, the fifth run, the sixth run…

Each timeline was different, and the villains they faced were all different.

Finally, they reached the grand finale. After countless playthroughs, they understood all the island’s hidden secrets and faced the biggest final boss of the entire story.

The moment the boss appeared on screen, casually sitting on the sofa and playing with a jade fan, the entire cinema erupted in screams.

【1511L: Ahhhh, it’s Great-grandfather!

1555L: I’ve switched sides, too! I want to see Great-grandfather take down everyone and achieve the villain’s victory ending!!!

1598L: OMG, the villainous aura of Great-grandfather hits me right in the face.

1611L: Stop, stop, I’m Great-grandfather’s fan, sob sob sob sob.】

In the final ending, the villain remains undefeated, but cooperation is possible. Su Huoran exchanges half his lifespan for a divine medicine that can save his loved one; Tong Wei trades love for wealth; Su Anyao sacrifices her glory for a chance to take Gu Shuangshuang away. Everyone gets what they want, and Qin Xiaohe trades his life so his goddess can live.

The story’s ending isn’t a perfect happy ending, but it’s the most satisfying for everyone.

After the movie ended, everyone lingered, reluctant to leave. Then the post-credits scene appeared: Qin Xiaohe was reincarnated, born inside the goddess’s womb as the child of the goddess and her husband.

The entire audience was stunned into silence by this wild twist.

【2671L: Dying early and reincarnating as the goddess’s son. Is this the ultimate level of being a simp?

2711L: Hahaha, is this Su family humor? A bit savage but also funny.

2731L: So Seaside Island ends like this. A bit unsatisfying, but unexpectedly a pretty good comedy. I like it.

2750L: Pretty good, no preachy “dad talk” to educate the audience. A comedy should look like a comedy. I give it full stars.

2799L: The production letting them freely play their true selves is really impressive. I hope Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother star in more movies. I love watching them!

3000L: No idea when the movie will be out, but the official Weibo just released some behind-the-scenes clips. Go watch them!】

The fans, still craving more, rushed over to the official Weibo to watch the behind-the-scenes clips. Just as the video started, they heard the line: “Fifty fanfictions about LuSu on the street, all featuring you as the top and Lu Huanjin as the bottom, with both long and short stories totaling over a million words.”

“Just in April 4th alone, fifty stories were written. Add to that the average twenty stories each from our friends and wives who write to make a living, and together the scale is grand, the output so vast it’s endless. In just a few months, it has become a tag that even passersby seeing it are shocked—turns out the top idol top was just your circle’s American fantasy illusion…”

On the screen, it was none other than Su Anyao and Su Ran whispering secrets inside a small cabin.

【?】

【???】

【Holy crap, what did I just hear?】

【So all those tens of thousands of fanfics about Su Ran as the top and Lu Huanjin as the bottom were actually commissioned by the top star himself!!!】

【Su Anyao is actually the big fanfic writer ‘April 4th’… I’m speechless】

【OMG omg omg good news: my ship is real as always; bad news: the lead is paying to sabotage my ship…】

【Stop it, the lead is paying for me to ship, Su Ran, I’m dead crying】

【Never seen two people so shameless. Didn’t they think the crew had cameras when they talked?】

Except for the already dead Gu Shuangshuang, who escaped this disaster, the two who were forced into social death have now become totally withdrawn.

It’s clear: don’t mess with Great-grandmother, because he’s really petty. In this life, besides the losses Great-grandfather caused him that he can still sweetly bear, anyone else who messes with him ends up very badly.

*

«Seaside Island» was a massive box office hit, and Su Weisheng made a fortune. Not only did he recover all the debts owed to him by his descendants, but he also gained a steady stream of funds to enjoy vacations and retirement.

After succeeding as the Lord of the Underworld, he handed over the task of balancing the Yin and Yang realms to Su Laiyin and Jiang Qiao, who had just been promoted to divine messenger. The film company founded to produce “Nanlou Embankment” was entrusted to Bai Songyin for management, with Jiang Yimian assisting.

With Jiang Qiao as divine messenger, Jiang Qiuxin and Jiang Naitang naturally benefited and no longer had to worry about separation.

Meanwhile, the socially ruined Su Ran went on vacation accompanied by Lu Huanjin. But it was said he only enjoyed two days before complaining of a sore butt, and then became even more withdrawn.

Xie Wei and Song Qing’s relationship remained as good as ever, while Yan Wan lived a carefree life underground for years, sweetly attached to her little wolfdog boyfriend.

Su Weisheng and You Sui bought another island and were enjoying a relaxing vacation as a couple.

By the pool, You Sui sat in a chair basking in the sun.

Su Weisheng approached with his phone in hand, puzzled, and asked, “Have you been in contact with Yinzi recently? His phone can’t be reached.”

You Sui hummed softly and replied, “Then he’s probably too busy taking care of himself.”

“How so?”

You Sui took off his sunglasses and winked at him, fox-like eyes full of sly amusement. He said, “That flood dragon disaster found his reincarnation and kept insisting that since they now have so many descendants, Yinzi should take responsibility for him.”

Su Weisheng paused, then laughed, “So the one who hatched eggs with him back then was that flood dragon disaster.”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t a simple cooperative relationship—more like hatch and ditch,” You Sui said, shaking his head, clicking his tongue in amazement. “You Su family people really have the bad habit of using something up and then throwing it away.”

Su Weisheng gave him a sidelong glance, “But I picked you up.”

“It was clearly me who took the initiative to come back.” The man shamelessly hugged him from behind with intimacy, his voice gradually lowering, repeating over and over: “Shengsheng… my High Priest, now that you have become the Lord of the Underworld, you will never be able to shake off your Si Ming.”

Su Weisheng lazily leaned against him. Hearing this, he turned his head slightly and lightly pecked his thin lips. “Don’t worry, from now on, wherever the Lord of the Underworld goes, he will bring along his little follower, Si Ming.”

“Then where will the Lord of the Underworld go next?”

“Haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll rest for a while first, and see what new fun there will be later?”

(The End)

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Moonlit: That’s the end of the story. Thanks a bunch for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to share your thoughts or just say hi anytime. Can’t wait to bring you more stories soon!