this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
“Get Zhao Haisheng a reliable variety show director so he can distinguish the main and secondary aspects of the show and doesn’t just try and stuff everything into it,” Xu Yao instructed He Fan as soon as she got into the car.
Xu Yao was genuinely speechless about the production planning. She could see that Director Zhao was putting a lot of effort into the show, but problems kept arising. He wanted to latch onto whatever was trending, and in the end, it turned into a mishmash of disjointed and clashing ideas.
Hand in Hand in Our Later Years was clearly a dating show for the elderly, so the main characters should be the elderly guests participating in the show, not the various young celebrities.
However, since the contract had already been signed, they could only make sure to clarify what the main and secondary aspects were and reduce the screen time of Liu Yingxia and her group as much as possible! If we’re talking about proportions, cutting it down to 30% exposure would already be quite good.
He Fan immediately agreed.
“Brother Lu, Brother Fan, you two haven’t done your jobs properly,” Xu Yao said while looking at her phone. On the other end, Ji Zhengqing was sharing pictures with her, and she suddenly laughed as she changed the subject.
Lu Ye remained as composed as usual, but He Fan, who still held a working-class mindset, shivered at her words. Surely she wouldn’t deduct his salary?
“Zhao Haisheng renting a house is secondary, while getting me to offer an investment is his main goal. Tell me, isn’t this just wasting my rental resources?” Xu Yao asked.
“In the future, apart from passing the online exam, those with certain assets who aren’t genuinely looking to rent won’t be allowed to rent from me.”
The properties were in her hands, and she could rent it to whoever she wanted—no one had the right to criticize her.
Lu Ye and He Fan were somewhat surprised. Since Xu Yao was unhappy with such practices, why would she still invest in him then?
Aside from the elderly Cui Guoqiang, Xu Yao also admired ordinary people who dared to take risks.
In her eyes, the first person to try something new was a brave pioneer, while the second was merely someone who only acted after seeing the money. She admired the former’s courage but wouldn’t hesitate to dismiss the latter with a smile.
The two noted it down, and after a while, He Fan realized Xu Yao hadn’t mentioned anything about deducting salaries, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Money was his lifeline!
Xu Yao glanced at the WeChat conversation she was having with Ji Zhengqing and then looked at He Fan, asking, “Would Ji Zhengqing deduct your salaries?”
He Fan replied tactfully, “The Ji Group has a reward and punishment system for employees.”
Xu Yao felt there was no need for a punishment for such trivial matters. She rubbed her chin and said, “Looking at it this way, Ji Zhengqing really does seem a bit stingy.”
After she lavishly praised Ji Group, a whole building from Ji Zhengqing had ended up flying away from her, and now there wasn’t even a peep from the other man. Whenever she recalled this, her heart ached terribly. Now, He Fan’s words further confirmed that her fiancé was indeed stingy!
Ji Zhengqing shared some pictures of potential engagement banquet venues.
[Ji Zhengqing: Which one do you like?]
Xu Yao’s spirits lifted. Was he going to give it to her? She immediately examined the pictures closely.
There were luxury hotels in the country, European-style castles full of exotic charm, beautiful islands, and mountain villas in scenic areas…
Xu Yao skimmed through them all and suddenly exclaimed, “That island looks so familiar! It’s almost the same as the one under my name.”
Lu Ye explained, “Miss Yaoyao, you do indeed own several villas on that island, but that area is actually an archipelago.”
This archipelago was purchased by the Xu and Ji families eight years ago, with each family buying half. Xu Yao had only inherited a small part of the Xu family’s share.
Xu Yao thought the island was quite nice. She was now trending both domestically and internationally, and getting engaged at an overseas estate might also attract media attention, so going to a deserted island would be quite nice for a change.
Xu Yao replied to Ji Zhengqing and then… there was no further response.
*
Zhao Haisheng might be somewhat lacking in ability, but he was quite perceptive. It was clear that Xu Yao had only been willing to lend him a hand because of a certain someone.
His first reaction was that it was because of Liu Yingxia, but upon hearing that her grand-uncle was also a tenant of Xu Yao, he immediately became cautious, worried that he might mistakenly highlight the wrong person after finally securing investment.
Zhao Haisheng felt something was off and asked, “Hey Yingxia, did Xu Yao respond to your apology online?”
Liu Yingxia was instantly embarrassed. Director Zhao really knew how to hit the nail on the head.
Her apology letter had already been fermenting online for two or three days now, but Xu Yao acted as if she never went online, giving her no response and leaving her hanging.
Liu Yingxia secretly regretted revealing that her grand-uncle was also a tenant of Xu Yao. She forced a laugh and said, “Not yet.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Haisheng understood completely. If Xu Yao really was investing in his variety show because of Liu Yingxia, how could she not respond to Liu Yingxia’s apology letter online? That was impossible.
Having already come to a conclusion in his mind, Zhao Haisheng smiled as he nodded and decisively hung up the call with Liu Yingxia.
Liu Yingxia felt uneasy after receiving Director Zhao’s call and could only keep reassuring herself that she had already signed the contract with the production team a long time ago. Plus, Xu Yao’s increased investment would also be beneficial for her exposure. However, Liu Yingxia always felt that this matter was not that simple. After all, Xu Yao was quite unpredictable.
The divine landlady Xu Yao had helped another one of her tenants again!
Zhao Haisheng’s elderly dating show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years secured a two hundred million investment from Xu Yao, making countless people in the entertainment industry green with envy.
Did this landlady really not care about losing her own money just to make her tenants happy?
This elderly dating show was not well-regarded in the industry and was considered a chaotic mess of ideas. Yet Xu Yao actually invested in it, and rumour had it that she also arranged for professional directors to come in and revise the show’s rules.
Originally, Zhao Haisheng had to sell his house and scrape together investment to fund the show, but now he could confidently produce the show with peace of mind.
“My goodness, sell the house then! I want to sell my house too,” someone exclaimed with red eyes after seeing the news. “I’m going to rent Xu Yao’s property too.”
Once they made money from Xu Yao’s investment, they could always buy another property, and who knows, they might even be able to afford buying a super-sized villa. Putting aside everything else, this group of people believed they were far superior to Zhao Haisheng, so if he could secure Xu Yao’s investment, then so could they!
With Zhao Haisheng being the first to take the plunge, others seriously followed suit, selling all their properties and planning to seek out Xu Yao.
“Shouldn’t we reconsider this? I feel like I heard that Xu Yao isn’t doing this for Director Zhao, but rather to support Liu Yingxia?” Someone expressed hesitation.
One of the friends beside her immediately spat in disgust, “Would Xu Yao really support Liu Yingxia in that terrible variety show? You might as well be trying to fool Liu Yingxia’s fans—and even they wouldn’t believe it!”
Excluding a few die-hard fans, netizens these days were all quite sharp.
Liu Yingxia had forced Xu Yao out of the industry, creating this irreconcilable grievance. Even if Xu Yao truly was a saint who let bygones be bygones, fine—but would she really go out of her way to fawn over Liu Yingxia despite all that? How pathetic would that make her?!
Netizens had all witnessed how crazed and vengeful Xu Yao could be. After all, she was the type to go head-to-head in court just for her tenants. So there’s no way she’d go sucking up to Liu Yingxia, right? It’s not like she was crazy.
Especially when the news broke about the elderly dating show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years and the exposure rate for celebrities dropped to 30%, it became even more obvious.
If Xu Yao really were trying to support Liu Yingxia, would she reduce Liu Yingxia’s exposure? Impossible!
That was the normal logic.
When Liu Yingxia received this news, she was utterly devastated.
“Our screen time as younger celebrity guests has been reduced to 30%? Is Director Zhao out of his mind?!” Liu Yingxia shouted in anger, barely able to control herself.
She had been secretly relieved that Xu Yao was investing in the show, thinking she could take advantage of the hype, but now all her plans had fallen through.
No matter how popular the show was, without exposure, how could she make a comeback? The only reason she’d been willing to participate in this crappy variety show was precisely because of that tiny bit of exposure!
Liu Yingxia was so angry she gritted her teeth, practically almost about to scream on the spot. The contract had already been signed, and if she tried to bail out now, it would be a breach of contract. She couldn’t afford a lawsuit from the production team in her current situation.
Liu Yingxia was unable to come to terms with it, asking incredulously, “So… you’re telling me I have to be a supporting character for my grand-uncle?”
Her manager smiled awkwardly, “It seems that way.”
It felt like she had taken a blow to the head. Liu Yingxia was so angry her chest started hurting. Her recent reputation wasn’t great, but she could still be considered a rising star, right? Having a rising star like her play second fiddle to her grand-uncle, who was both uneducated and somewhat disabled? Liu Yingxia felt a surge of resentment.
“Why is Xu Yao so petty? It’s already been so long since everything happened, and she still hasn’t let it go?” Liu Yingxia was speechless at Xu Yao’s behaviour. It had almost been half a year since Xu Yao had seemingly lost her mind and withdrawn from the industry, and she was still angry?
The elderly dating show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years had indeed capitalized on Xu Yao’s current popularity. News in the entertainment industry could never truly be hidden, and Xu Yao had never intended to keep it under wraps anyway, so naturally, it was no surprise when the show made it to the trending topics.
The variety show had indeed gained traction, but Liu Yingxia was left in a terrible position and was almost always constantly being mocked.
[I actually thought Xu Yao and Liu Yingxia had made up at first—but I just knew this girl Xu Yao isn’t that easygoing, hahaha.]
[Honestly, maybe you should just take down that apology, Liu Yingxia. Xu Yao isn’t paying you any attention at all, and she even turned around and cut the celebrity screen time in the show to 30%. Goodness, my secondhand embarrassment is acting up again.]
[This might sound harsh, but Director Zhao probably couldn’t pull in 200 million on his own. If it’s not for him or Liu Yingxia, then it’s definitely because of some elderly guest!]
[I’m betting on Grandma Zhang Fengxiang—she was a singer back in the last century, incredibly capable.]
[Hahaha I think it actually might be Grandpa Zhao Guoli? He used to be a big-shot entrepreneur, very well-off—but, well… he’s already been married four times…]
Nowadays, there are already quite a few elderly matchmaking shows, and many netizens have joined in the fun. Elderly matchmaking primarily emphasizes “sincerity” and laying everything out in the open. Apart from the hype Xu Yao was bringing, netizens really couldn’t see what was so amazing about this elderly dating show.
After receiving Xu Yao’s request to reduce the screen time for celebrities to 30%, Zhao Haisheng already had a complete grasp of the situation. He immediately took the entire production team to the small hutong and knocked on the door of Grandpa Cui Guoqiang.
Cui Guoqiang was practicing his military boxing in the yard. Hearing the knock on the door, he went to open the door and was shocked to see a bunch of people from the production team.
Yingxia was right—just look at how many staff members they had for the show! This truly was a big program that the whole country could see!
“Uncle Cui, we’re here to shoot a pilot episode for you,” Director Zhao greeted first, even asking, “Do you live in this siheyuan1?”
“I’m just renting it,” Cui Guoqiang replied, somewhat puzzled. “I heard houses in the capital are very expensive, so how come this siheyuan isn’t fully rented out? The other rooms are all still empty.”
Since they were all empty, Cui Guoqiang was the only one living in this siheyuan.
He originally had a house with a big yard back in his hometown and thought that coming to the capital for the variety show would mean renting a small and cramped place. But who knew this house would be so big! Since it wasn’t much different from his house back home, Cui Guoqiang adapted quite quickly.
The production team exchanged glances—of course! Renting one of Xu Yao’s properties was now almost as difficult as getting into Tsinghua or Peking University.
Besides, are places around here really that hard to rent out? Not a chance! Even for ordinary landlords, once a listing goes up, it’ll be snapped up in less than half a day.
It’s obvious Xu Yao deliberately didn’t rent out the other rooms to outsiders and gave the whole place just to Old Master Cui—letting him cover the rent for the entire siheyuan on his own.
The production team members exchanged glances, looking at Cui Guoqiang with envy. Many of the staff members were also just ordinary workers renting properties, and they were almost overcome with envy.
Xu Yao, this divine landlady, offered such favorable rental conditions all the while keeping the old man from incurring any burden.
Generally speaking, veterans like this old man have a strong sense of honor and shame. If you openly offered him a discount and told him he could rent a whole siheyuan for the price of one room, he would definitely refuse to accept it. But if it was just a case of being unable to rent out the remaining rooms, he could accept it.
Why wasn’t I one of Xu Yao’s chosen tenants? Countless people couldn’t help but scream in their hearts.
Cui Guoqiang didn’t quite understand what a pilot episode was, so he asked if many people would watch it.
Director Zhao thought for a moment and said, “Not many people watch the pilot episode. More people will watch once the show airs.”
Many people don’t even watch the pilot episode, they just jump straight to the main show.
Cui Guoqiang wanted to say something in front of the camera, but hearing Director Zhao say that, he swallowed back those words. After thinking for a while, he performed a set of military boxing in front of the camera and introduced himself.
“As for my requirements for a partner? I have no requirements.”
Cui Guoqiang had never really intended to find himself a partner. Earlier, when Yingxia came to persuade him to join the show, she’d even said that those wealthy older ladies probably wouldn’t take a liking to him anyway.
After Cui Guoqiang finished speaking, the slightly disabled old man nimbly approached the camera, intrigued to see himself captured so clearly. He couldn’t help but marvel at how developed the country had now become.
Cui Guoqiang suddenly thought of something and immediately hurried into the bedroom, taking out a piece of red cloth. He unfolded it to reveal a small two-inch black-and-white photograph inside, and asked expectantly, “Young man, can you make this clearer?”
The young photographer, who was holding the camera in one hand, was about to reach out with the other to take the photo when Director Zhao suddenly appeared out of nowhere, glaring menacingly at him and saying, “You brat, don’t you have any manners? Don’t you know how to use both hands2?”
This was his star guest! If he messed up, not only would Xu Yao not let him off the hook, but he wouldn’t either!
The photographer was startled and quickly took the blurry black-and-white photo with both hands. The face was no longer discernible, but it was clear that it was a young man wearing a popular sheepskin hat from the last century.
Under Cui Guoqiang’s expectant gaze, the photographer examined it carefully and frowned, saying, “I can do it, but the photo is too old. I’ll need to take it back to work on it, and it might take some time.”
Cui Guoqiang asked if it could be done before the end of the show.
“Absolutely no problem before the show ends, don’t worry, sir,” the photographer assured him.
Cui Guoqiang’s eyes lit up, and he even saluted the photographer, leaving the young man a bit flustered and smiling awkwardly in return.
After two to three days of urgent editing, the official trailer for the elderly dating show, Hand in Hand in Our Later Years was released featuring all of the main cast.
This wasn’t particularly unusual, as every variety show likes to release preview trailers, but what was surprising was—
The old man named Cui Guoqiang was practically the center of attention among all the elderly guests.
His trailer was the longest, his photo was enhanced with filters and placed right in the center of the group of images. Perhaps what was most exaggerated was that the official account had even pinned Cui Guoqiang’s interview at the top of their page, as if afraid others wouldn’t know who he was!
Isn’t it obvious enough already?!
Netizens were dumbfounded, having speculated for a long time, only to find that it wasn’t Grandma Zhang Fengxiang or Grandpa Zhao Guoli, but actually this seemingly obscure Grandpa Cui Guoqiang?
Putting everything else aside, Grandpa Cui’s military boxing did look genuinely impressive. When he performed this set of moves, it seemed as if you could forget his age for a moment. Every single move was powerful and his gaze was fierce like a wolf or tiger, extremely intimidating!
Whether human or animal, admiration for strength is a natural instinct, and this set of standard military boxing moves, which even contained lethal techniques, left a bunch of netizens staring in awe.
This grandpa… seems to really have some skills.
Especially after he finished boxing—he stood with his hands behind his back, grinning widely to reveal a few missing teeth, exuding warmth befitting a friendly neighbor grandpa. It was as if the fierce old man who could punch a tiger to death moments ago was not him at all.
Wow, what an adorable contrast!
This drastic change in just a few minutes left many netizens breathless. Wow, Xu Yao’s judgment really is something else.
So dashing!
It seems… a dashing aura really knows no age! Many netizens who were initially puzzled by the show’s bizarre operations were suddenly captivated by Cui Guoqiang.
[Oh my god, who’s the photographer? They’re insanely good at capturing moments. This Old Master Cui looks so formidable—apparently his intro says he’s a retired soldier?]
[I’m a martial arts instructor, and this grandpa’s military boxing could be used as teaching material. No wonder—he really did serve in the army.]
[Holy crap, I think I’ve spotted the key point: this old gentleman is the one Xu Yao actually wants to promote, right? It’s all about him. Damn, the show hasn’t even started yet and it’s already turning into his personal showcase!]
[Wait, isn’t this Liu Yingxia’s grand-uncle? So… judging by Xu Yao’s “unhinged” style, if Liu Yingxia weren’t benefiting from her grand-uncle, she’d probably have been kicked off the show by now, right?]
[I didn’t even notice it before, but Grandpa Cui has way more vitality than others his age. His back isn’t even hunched. If I were an older lady, I might like him too!]
[Although this really is funny, the show might as well have “Dear Sponsors, please notice me, I’m super capable” carved on its forehead, hahaha.]
Xu Yao didn’t want to interfere too much. She trusted in Old Master Cui’s personal charisma, so after putting in money to tweak the rules, she basically left the show to run on its own. However, she couldn’t withstand just how overzealous Zhao Haisheng was.
Director Zhao had money now, and after those impressive manoeuvres, he immediately turned around and bought a trending topic for #GrandpaCuiGuoqiang!
“Assistant Director, do you think there are any other channels for exposure? Let’s arrange everything for Grandpa Cui!” Zhao Haisheng said boldly.
The assistant director looked completely bewildered. Director Zhao stroked his chin, asking, “How about buying a big LED screen for a building? Just like how Xu Yao’s fans expressed their love for her last time?”
Before the assistant director could respond, Director Zhao paced back and forth and said, “No, no, that’s still a bit too expensive. We still need to save money for the show.”
Director Zhao wanted to make his show popular, so if Xu Yao wanted to promote someone, he would do everything possible to create buzz. Although he might not excel in other areas, he was very skilled at repaying his benefactor.
The assistant director thought for a moment and said, “Director Zhao, right now, Grandpa Cui Guoqiang is already getting a lot of exposure. He hasn’t even appeared on the show yet, and the audience hasn’t met him in person either, so it’ll be hard for him to attract more fans with additional exposure. I think Sister Yao’s money should be used wisely on the show. After all, making the variety show well will still ultimately benefit Grandpa Cui.”
Zhao Haisheng found the assistant director’s words reasonable, “Then we’ll need to upgrade the dating show venue.”
The initial plan had been to casually rent a studio for the show, but now everything was different.
This was a dating show, so they had to create an extraordinary dating experience!
Director Zhao thought for a moment and said, “I heard that some villas on the Lipana Islands are available for rent. Let’s rent an island location to film. That would help us get a truly romantic atmosphere.”
Zhao Haisheng was a bit excited. The current elderly dating shows were very realistic, but he wanted to innovate and create a pair of “pure love” couples from the elderly!
The assistant director said quietly, “Director Zhao, although we have some money now, it’s definitely not enough to rent an island for two months.”
The two hundred million in investments had to be divided among various departments, so it was impossible for it all to be allocated to rent a villa on an island.
The assistant director was internally ranting, No wonder Director Zhao hadn’t made it big in the entertainment industry all these years. He really had some wild ideas.
Zhao Haisheng also felt he couldn’t waste funds like this, but his plan to create an “elderly pure love ship” was still burning fiercely in his heart. Without giving up, he insisted, “Then let’s not rent for that long. We can just rent it for a few days for one or two episodes.” That way, they would definitely be able to afford that amount of money.
After this plan was set, Zhao Haisheng suddenly felt a pang of unease, “Wait, Old Master Cui doesn’t seem like someone who can create an elderly ‘pure love’ couple…”
Just by looking at Old Master Cui practicing his military boxing, the only thing that could come to mind was seriousness, discipline, and meticulousness. He didn’t seem like a romantic elderly person at all.
The assistant director was out of ideas too. After thinking for a long time, he suggested, “How about we just let Old Master Cui shine on his own?”
But this was an elderly dating show!
Director Zhao sighed; he really wanted to create an elderly pure love couple!
*
The group of people who wanted to follow Zhao Haisheng’s lead and gamble everything to seek investment from Xu Yao were taken aback when they saw the production team frantically promoting Old Master Cui Guoqiang everywhere. They suddenly had a bad premonition.
According to their previous analysis, Xu Yao couldn’t possibly be investing for Liu Yingxia, so the only one left would be Zhao Haisheng.
But the overwhelming promotional efforts didn’t seem to be for Director Zhao; it was for this old man named Cui Guoqiang!
They really couldn’t understand what was so special about this old man that would make Xu Yao want to invest. What could a seventy-year-old man bring in terms of huge benefits?
It was over, it was over.
Some of them had just sold their houses, and feeling an indescribable anxiety, they quickly called the official number of Xu Yao’s rental team.
On the other end was a sweet female voice with a melodious tone, but the words that came from her were like a nightmare. “In order to ensure that our properties are rented to those who truly need them, our rental team will conduct a financial review of future renters. Exceeding the specified amount for each house will disqualify you from the rental lottery. We ask for your understanding.”
These words were like a bolt from the blue!
The group was left dumbfounded, “B-but I’ve already sold my house…”
The sweet voice continued, “Then you’ll have the funds to buy a better and more desirable house. Congratulations.”
This group of people felt their pupils shake and their hearts stop: “……”
Holy shit!! Xu Yao is trying to kill me! Xu Yao simply isn’t human.
Many of these people had properties in big cities where selling was easy, but buying again would be difficult.
Xu Yao smiled slightly at this. She appreciated Zhao Haisheng’s courage to gamble everything just to see her, but that didn’t mean she was a fool.
As for how they would buy back the property with their money—well that was none of her concern, and she had no right to interfere.
Xu Yao had already confirmed with Ji Zhengqing that they were to hold a secret engagement banquet on the island and planned to stroll around the capital in the next few days.
Xu Yao had heard that a certain zoo in the capital was really popular. There was an animal in there that was known for planning jailbreaks, so she decided to go see it for herself. Apparently, it’s quite famous.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The production team prepared a Weibo account for each guest who didn’t have a social media account. Old Master Cui Guoqiang only had an ancient-looking mobile phone and wasn’t familiar with the social platforms of young people, so the account was handed over to Liu Yingxia to manage.
Liu Yingxia watched her grand-uncle slowly gain followers every day with a blank expression on her face while she herself was losing followers like crazy.
Although Xu Yao didn’t say a word, her silence was more terrifying than a thousand words and gave the netizens endless room for imagination.
Her apology letter online not only failed to force Xu Yao to respond, but was also pointed out by the now very sharp-eyed netizens as being “overflowing with the fragrance of tea3.”
The once-popular young actress could only leech off of her grand-uncle’s fame, and her screen time was drastically reduced, leaving her future looking extremely bleak.
Liu Yingxia wanted to curse.
Cui Guoqiang called and said, “Yingxia, you really didn’t lie to your grand-uncle. I went out to buy vegetables these past few days, and hey, the young people at the market all know us!”
It must be because of that pilot episode, right?
Liu Yingxia gritted her teeth and said, “Yes, Grand-uncle, you’ve gained a bit of popularity and have fans now.”
Cui Guoqiang didn’t think he had anything special to be popular for. He exclaimed, “Yingxia is so beautiful. If even your uncle can gain fans, then you must have gained even more.”
Liu Yingxia watched as several of her Weibo followers unfollowed her in half a minute, feeling as if she were about to have a heart attack.
“By the way, your grand-uncle will cook you a meal before we go on the show. Why don’t you come to Grand-uncle’s siheyuan?” Cui Guoqiang was very satisfied with Liu Yingxia; so many people were watching the show that she had invited him to be on.
The more people watched the show, the greater its influence would be, and it would surely be much easier for him to find someone, right?
Liu Yingxia didn’t want to eat her grand-uncle’s cooking. He was a lifelong elderly bachelor who was used to being frugal. What good food could he possibly make? But if she went and couldn’t stomach it, it would be considered impolite, so it still was better for her not to go.
Liu Yingxia used being an artist as an excuse and said, “Besides, don’t you live in a siheyuan in a hutong, Grand-uncle? You’ll have other neighbors in the siheyuan, and I need to bring quite a few people when I go out. I’m afraid it will disturb your neighbors.”
Cui Guoqiang looked around the large siheyuan and said with a simple smile, “Disturb? What disturbance? This siheyuan only has me, an old man living here. There are no other neighbors.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Yingxia looked around her silently. After working so hard in the entertainment industry for several years, she had been quite satisfied with the 150-square-meter flat she had bought in the capital, given the high property prices here.
Thinking about the siheyuan her grand-uncle lived in from the pilot episode, the rooms, the huge courtyard used for planting flowers and trees—her own 150-square-meter flat suddenly felt completely underwhelming. Liu Yingxia felt even more suffocated by comparison.
She’s struggled in the entertainment industry for years, yet you’re saying she still can’t compare to one set of her grand-uncle’s military boxing!?
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- Siheyuan (四合院) are traditional Chinese courtyard houses characterized by four buildings arranged around a central square courtyard, offering privacy, harmony with nature, and social structure. (see image) ↩︎
- In Chinese etiquette, it is considered respectful to receive items from an elder using both hands. This gesture conveys politeness, humility, and acknowledgment of the other person’s seniority. Using both hands signals that the item and the person giving it are being treated with proper respect, especially in more formal or traditional settings. ↩︎
- internet slang describing someone acting overly sweet, fake, or manipulative in a “white lotus” way ↩︎
