Category: Retiring From the Circle to Collect Rent Everyday

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Isn’t holding hands a bit inappropriate?

Do all young people play this wildly nowadays?

Cui Guoqiang stood there rigidly, fidgeting awkwardly.

[Hahaha, wasn’t the old man feeling so smug just now? Who’s more conservative now?]

[I feel like Grandpa Cui will be completely controlled by Grandma Cuilan—the old man was defeated by a single sentence from her.]

[Upstairs, you can remove the words “I feel like,” Grandpa Cui will definitely be the one being controlled. He probably didn’t expect that despite his fierceness on the battlefield, it all disappears in front of Grandma Cuilan, and he practically reverts to being a naive young man.]

[I’m dying here, do men of any age really not get our hints? This is such a clear sign! OMG, I wish I could just jump through the screen to help them hold hands! Glue their hands together with 502 glue!]

[Grandpa Cui probably doesn’t know how wild young people play nowadays, they can even start kissing casually on the street.]

The onlooking netizens jumped around in the comments, anxious to the point of pulling their hair out, seemingly even more worried than the people involved.

Cui Guoqiang naturally understood the hint, but he remained hesitant and indecisive. The old man looked around and saw a brand new 28-inch bicycle parked not far away, clearly prepared by the production team.

Cui Guoqiang thought for a moment, then said to Zhou Cuilan, “How about we push the bicycle together?”

Cui Guoqiang only had one hand, so he could only use his waist and abdomen to stabilize the bicycle, making him feel a bit regretful about his disability. If it were back in the day, he could have carried Zhou Cuilan directly onto the bicycle.

Zhou Cuilan smiled and nodded. They walked on either side of the bicycle, Cui Guoqiang holding the handlebars with one hand, while Zhou Cuilan held onto the seat, slowly moving forward against the sea breeze.

Neither of them spoke, both just enjoying the cool and comfortable evening sea breeze, savoring this reunion that was decades overdue.

They were not the young people of this era—they had their own way of interacting from their own era. There was no need for them to say much either, since both of them knew that everything they wanted to say could already be understood without speaking.

The netizens who had been urging Cui Guoqiang to hold hands gradually decreased in number; this seemed to be the style of their era, after all.

[Looking forward to them reaching the end of the seaside path! They’ll definitely be surprised! The production team has put a lot of effort into the setup.]

[Although the setup is a bit cliché, no matter how old one gets, no one would dislike a sense of ceremony.]

[Apparently the production team prepared a lot of balloons for them. When the air pump broke, the staff blew them up with their mouths, and their cheeks must be sore, but Grandpa and Grandma are worth it!]

[I’m ready to take screenshots, haha, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.]

Countless netizens were eager for them to walk faster, wanting them to see the proposal venue prepared by the production team and all of the younger generations.

However, Cui Guoqiang’s right hand gripped the handlebars tightly, and the sweat seeping from his palm made it hard for him to hold on tightly. Having seemingly made up his mind, the old man suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Under the dim light of the seaside path, Cui Guoqiang stood across from a vintage 28-inch bicycle, saluting Zhou Cuilan as he took a deep breath and mustered up all his courage, saying, “C-Comrade Zhou Cuilan, would you be willing to become my partner in old age?”

The production team behind them froze with awkward smiles on their faces while the livestream chat was instantly filled with question marks.

W-wait a minute, why had the planned proposal happened so early? This wasn’t the expected proposal scene they had planned at all!

[Looks like the production team is about to cry their eyes out in the bathroom—setting everything up for nothing!]

[Ahhh, this is so sweet! Grandpa Cui couldn’t wait to get to the proposal venue at the end of the seaside path and instead just proposed directly!]

[Wahhhh, finally, the bitter times are over! The comrades on the battlefield will never be forgotten in this lifetime, and the women behind them also deserve to be seen too. A salute to all military and police wives!]

Grandma Cuilan’s eyes reddened as she looked at Cui Guoqiang’s nervous face, laughing one moment and tearing up the next. After a long pause, Zhou Cuilan faced him across the bicycle, raised her right hand, and returned the salute, saying, “Comrade Cui Guoqiang, I am willing.”

Xu Yao, who was sitting in front of the livestream, couldn’t help but smile with a knowing grin.

They finally made it.

Grandpa Cui finally found fulfillment in his life. He was no longer just a tool to be used for the male and female leads to meet. He had found the comrade he had treasured all his life, and reunited with the love of his life, who had filled him with so much regret in the first half of his life.

As an excellent landlady, isn’t it normal for her to help her tenants fulfil their dreams?

Regardless if it made money for her this time. After all, she wasn’t short on cash.

Just as Xu Yao was deep in her thoughts, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the livestream, where the newly engaged Grandpa Cui was not only not happy, but instead, frowning at Zhou Cuilan.

He said, “Comrade Cuilan, your salute is not up to standard at all.”

Zhou Cuilan: “…”

The screen was filled with “hahahaha,” “LOL, I’m dying of laughter,” and “straight man’s style of speaking, please do not imitate.”

Cui Guoqiang couldn’t stand Zhou Cuilan’s unsightly salute anymore, so he simply stepped in to help her correct it, revealing a satisfied smile afterwards. “Yes, yes, yes, this is how you should salute properly.”

Cui Guoqiang suddenly froze, looking at his hands that were as dry as old tree bark. He suddenly felt his red hot blood surge up his neck and face, causing the old man to blush deeply.

Oh dear, how did he end up acting like the young people today, and actually touching hands with her? He was such a respectable person.

The old man kept glancing at Zhou Cuilan’s standard salute posture, then proceeded to steal glances at Grandma Cuilan’s expression, his eyes darting rapidly as busy as a bee.

Grandma Cuilan just smiled at the old man’s embarrassed demeanor, his palms clammy with sweat.

Before long, the two exchanged smiles.

They pushed their bicycles forward and saw the beautifully arranged proposal venue ahead, complete with flowers, decorations, and even a seaside barbecue stall. Only then did they belatedly realize they had wasted the good intentions of the production team.

“Thank you to the production team, thank you to all you younger folks, and a special thanks to Yaoyao as well. Let’s all have a barbecue together,” Cui Guoqiang suggested, not wanting to waste their painstaking efforts.

Cui Guoqiang singled out Xu Yao, this young girl, whom he was particularly grateful to.

Without her, the show might not have become such a hit, and there wouldn’t have been so many netizens trying to help him find his comrade-in-arms. Without her, perhaps he and Cuilan would have missed each other once again.

Xu Yao smiled silently in front of the livestream.

[This is the biggest attraction of being Xu Yao’s tenant; you can always expect miracles with this landlady!]

[So regardless of how old one is—even the dreams of the elderly can be fulfilled by Xu Yao.]

[Ummmm, am I the only one who just wants to eat barbecue right now? Slurp.]

[The ingredients look so fresh—foodies can hardly resist!]

“Grandpa, Grandma, these barbecue ingredients were all freshly caught at sea according to Miss Xu Yao’s arrangements.” Director Zhao immediately continued to boost Xu Yao’s reputation, as they all benefited from the influence of these two elderly people.

Cui Guoqiang kept saying, “Thank you, Yaoyao.”

As a group of people started barbecuing, the scene soon became extremely lively, making everyone forget all thoughts about the show and causing netizens to drool with envy.

Cui Guoqiang grilled a large lobster for Zhou Cuilan, blowing on the scalding lobster while peeling its shell. The old lady then shared her lobster meat with Cui Guoqiang.

They were both in their seventies, and their life was already gradually nearing its end.

But if a person’s lifespan is a hundred years, then that means they still have another twenty-seven more years together.

Twenty-seven years was already more than enough.

Cui Guoqiang raised his glass to clink with Zhou Cuilan’s, and through the candlelight, he earnestly said, “I can’t say much else, just… may we live to a hundred.”

Let’s work hard to live to a hundred together.

*

Lately, Xu Yao had been running all over the place with Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, tiring her out into lounging at home like a salted fish.

Xu Yao had plenty of properties in the capital, so after staying at the Xu family’s ancestral home for a couple of days, she soon moved out.

Xu Yao saw many updates about Grandpa Cui online thereafter, reportedly hearing that Grandpa Cui Guoqiang and Grandma Zhou Cuilan had gone straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau the next day to register for their marriage certificate. The Civil Affairs Bureau regarded this couple with great importance, simply regarding them as the best advertisement for marriage of the year.

The two received countless blessings from netizens all over the internet, and for a time, they were all anyone could talk about.

“Miss Yaoyao, President Ji has arrived.” The butler walked in to report just as Xu Yao had sat down at the mahjong table with Lu Ye and He Fan.

While youngsters are filled with the ambition to chase their dreams, she, as a landlady, could only look forward to collecting rent everyday, making her future life seem dull and rather predictable.

So when she gets bored… just play some mahjong to pass the time.

Seeing Ji Zhengqing walk in, Xu Yao smiled in surprise, saying, “Fiancé, you’re here! Just in time, we’re still short on one player. Do you know how to play mahjong? Come sit.”

Today, Ji Zhengqing was wearing a loose white T-shirt paired with blue jeans, giving him the look of a college student. Xu Yao’s eyes lit up at his outfit.

Hmm… a clear-eyed, puppy-like male college student really is too attractive. I wonder if he dressed like this on purpose today…

Ji Zhengqing sat down to Xu Yao’s left. In front of them was an automatic mahjong machine. The mahjong tiles had been specially customized by Xu Yao, with the back being a shiny gold that looked extremely classy.

“I know a little about mahjong,” Ji Zhengqing said, looking at the newly shuffled mahjong tiles that had emerged from the machine. He skillfully picked up four tiles and set them up, one by one. As if just chatting casually, he asked, “Since Grandpa Cui’s wish has now been satisfied, when are you planning on going back to Haicheng? I’ll see you off then.”

He Fan’s focus immediately shot over to him.

Still looking at the tiles in her hand, Xu Yao didn’t think much of it. She replied, “I haven’t decided yet. Anyway, I’m just an unemployed drifter. I can live in Haicheng or the capital.”

Now that she also owned a private jet, she was able to go wherever she wanted.

Ji Zhengqing nodded and played a tile. “Hmm, Xu Jing also lives in the capital. He misses you a lot.”

Ji Zhengqing looked at He Fan. “Are you still playing?”

He Fan didn’t say anything, but still silently played a tile.

After noticing Ji Zhengqing’s arrival, Xu Yao’s already good hand became exceptionally favorable, seemingly able to get whatever tile she wanted.

After playing about ten rounds, He Fan could no longer hold back and blurted out to Ji Zhengqing, “President Ji, could you please stop deliberately feeding your tiles to Miss Yaoyao?”

Can’t you be a decent person?! He still needs to save money for his hair growth! He was no longer Ji Zhengqing’s assistant, so he decided that he was going to confront this love-struck fool today!

Ji Zhengqing discarded a three of circles and said, “I’m not particularly good at playing mahjong.”

Xu Yao slammed her hand down on the mahjong table and reached for the three of circles Ji Zhengqing had just discarded, pushing her tiles forward to say, “Hu¹!”

Ji Zhengqing smiled and said, “Wow, Yaoyao really knows how to play.”

He Fan, who felt like he was suffering from a heart attack, turned his gaze to look at Lu Ye, the real mahjong novice.

Lu Ye’s serious face was tightly furrowed, clearly still not quite understanding the game. He took a look at Xu Yao’s winning hand and agreed with Ji Zhengqing, “Miss Yaoyao is very good at playing.”

Xu Yao laughed heartily, glancing over at Ji Zhengqing. Some things didn’t need to be pointed out; they both understood it clearly in their hearts.

Xu Yao took the initiative to invite him over. “In that case, if you have time in the next few days, why don’t you come over and I’ll teach you how to play mahjong?”

Ji Zhengqing smiled and agreed.

However, Xu Yao still sent a red envelope to their group chat. Playing mahjong was just for fun, and regardless of winning or losing, having a good time was the most important. He Fan was overjoyed when he received the red envelope, repeatedly sending messages in the group like, [Boss is the most generous!]

“Have the generators been purchased?” Xu Yao didn’t forget to ask, even while in the midst of “guiding” Ji Zhengqing in playing mahjong.

He Fan took a moment to respond, “More than a hundred have been purchased and will soon be delivered in batches to areas experiencing high temperatures and power outages.”

Although the wildfire in Jinchang Town was already extinguished, the forest firefighting teams were still on high alert, as the terrifying heat could lead to a resurgence at any moment.

High temperatures can trigger a series of chain reactions, not only potentially igniting wildfires, but also drying up rivers, which could mean catastrophic consequences for regions relying on hydropower.

High temperatures can be deadly.

Xu Yao watched the news, noting that many places had already experienced power outages, and the authorities were already promoting staggered electricity usage.

Although the delivery of over a hundred large generators might not completely solve the problem, it should still be of some help. Xu Yao always held the belief that every little bit counts.

She hoped everyone could enjoy air conditioning and ice cream in the comfort of their own homes, even if they weren’t her tenants.

Her phone on the table vibrated. Xu Yao glanced at it and saw that it was an unfamiliar landline number. When she answered, she was clearly surprised by what the voice on the other end said.

The people around her looked at her in astonishment. After hanging up, Xu Yao said, “The fire department wants to formally commend me as an ‘Advanced Individual.’”

#XuYaoAwardedAdvancedIndividualHonor shot to the top of trending searches, with multiple official media outlets reposting it immediately.

Xu Yao had quite the presence.

Just look at all the other celebrities who donated to the Jinchang Town fire? Who else among them has received this honor?

She spent money recklessly on various supplies, opened up several hotels for free for the displaced citizens, and even used her newly purchased private helicopter, which she hadn’t even been able to enjoy yet, to fetch seawater to extinguish the fire. So when Xu Yao was recognised as an “Advanced Individual,” netizens were not surprised at all! They even felt that it was well-deserved!

Xu Yao stood in the middle of the fire department’s leaders, holding her certificate and trophy for a group photo.

[See? Supporting Xu Yao never backfires, right? She’s even received an “Advanced Individual” honor! Who else gets that kind of treatment?]

[Yaoyao looks beautiful, the firefighters look handsome, it’s just a bit funny having her stand right in the center position for the photo, haha.]

[Xu Yao must have spent quite a lot this time. Giving her this commendation is at least some form of consolation.]

[Xu Yao truly deserves it. At her level, money is probably no longer a big deal—reputation is what matters most.]

In Xu Yao’s circle, money could be found in abundance, but who else among them has been officially recognised by the authorities like Xu Yao?

For many wealthy individuals, their reputation is indeed more important than money.

There were quite a few tycoons in the circle who did envy Xu Yao, even regretting why they hadn’t donated more.

“You want to donate money like Xu Yao? Are you not afraid of squandering away your family fortune?” A businessman in the circle grumbled, holding a cigarette between his fingers as he puffed out rings of smoke.

Seeing the puzzled expressions at the table, the businessman, feeling smug about the firsthand information he had overheard from a leading figure in the circle, said mysteriously, “I heard she purchased over a hundred large generators to send to the areas with power outages and told them they didn’t have to return them.”

The first half of the sentence was already surprising enough, but the second half truly caused everyone’s jaws to drop open in shock.

Didn’t…

Didn’t have to return them?

“Apparently Xu Yao said the weather is getting worse, and such extreme heat might become common in the future. Constantly borrowing and returning is too troublesome, so it’s better for them to just keep it there.”

Upon recalling the information he had received, the businessman couldn’t help but feel so astonished that the cigarette in his hand trembled violently, the scalding ash falling to the ground.

Those large generators were definitely not cheap either. Xu Yao, that wealthy woman, dislikes inferior products, so the products she sends out must be the best available in the market.

A friend at the table swallowed hard, incredulously saying, “What’s the difference between this and just throwing money around? Does her family own a gold mine for her to waste money like this?”

Xu Yao invested 200 million yuan in that trash variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years, which only generated a small profit in return. Especially when compared to the billions she made monthly when relying on Ming Chan, it was simply not worth mentioning.

At first, these people had all been watching from the side with a spectator’s attitude, even secretly laughing at how Xu Yao had finally managed to crash this time.

After all, the meager amount of money she earned this time couldn’t completely cover the time and energy spent on that project.

But now, they belatedly realised—

Xu Yao probably never intended to make money from Hand in Hand in Our Later Years. Her main goal was to support Cui Guoqiang, fulfilling the old man’s wishes as her tenant!

And in that process, she happened to incidentally gain the “reputation” that wealthy people desire most.

Did Xu Yao come out at a loss this time?

No, no, no, she didn’t come out at a loss at all! Rather, gaining official recognition was like receiving an invisible pass. Putting aside everything else, she could probably brag about this for years on end, couldn’t she?

“Being Xu Yao’s tenant really is quite nice.” The businessmen present, who were drinking beer and chatting, couldn’t help but sigh sincerely.

However, not everyone could be like Xu Yao, so they didn’t try to emulate her reckless spending.

“With Xu Yao’s level of involvement, I reckon the real estate industry in the capital is probably going to struggle.” A group of businessmen wore expressions of amusement on their faces as they continued eating boiled peanuts.

＊

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:

News of Xu Yao sending large generators to various power outage areas spread quickly. Some residents who had prepared to sleep in the underground parking lot that night discovered their homes suddenly had electricity again.

“The power is back! Hurry home and charge your little electric fan!” The residents with hand fans rejoiced and immediately returned home.

The moment they turned on the air conditioning, they felt like they had come alive again.

Air conditioning is what truly gives life meaning in the summer heat!

However, many were still puzzled. Hadn’t they already been notified? There would still be power restrictions tonight. Wouldn’t it just be a few minutes before the power went out again?

Someone saw in the WeChat group that the property management was tagging all members, informing everyone that power had been restored tonight, and that although there would be continued restrictions tomorrow morning, it would gradually return to normal after that.

[I saw employees from the power supply bureau bringing large generators outside, working overnight to restore power.] A young person excitedly shared this news in the residents’ group chat.

[Ah, it’s Xu Yao! I saw the news online! She purchased over a hundred large generators to send over, helping to alleviate the pressure on our power supply.]

It’s actually Xu Yao again!

Many people took the opportunity to check the timeline of when Xu Yao provided the generators, and they were surprised to discover—

Xu Yao had made arrangements for the large generators before she was officially recognized as an Advanced Individual.

This shows that she definitely didn’t act on a whim because of the recognition, but that she already had plans to donate long before that.

The time difference between the two events touched many netizens.

It was reported that the power supply had also been prioritized for areas with a higher proportion of elderly in the population, truly showcasing the saying, “respecting the elderly and caring for the young.”

[Even though they don’t seem to be Xu Yao’s tenants, they’re still able to benefit from the perks Divine Landlady Xu gives her own tenants.]

[If Xu Yao doesn’t deserve to be named an “Advanced Individual,” then who does? She brought in hundreds of generators and never even planned to ask for them back!]

[Wait—what do you mean she’s not taking the generators back? I’m here for the gossip!]

The news that Xu Yao didn’t plan to ask for the generators back made many netizens sigh, saying this is the right way for the wealthy to spend their money.

Real estate agents in the capital city felt immense pressure from the overwhelming news about Xu Yao online. These tenants were simply delusional! Whenever something went wrong, they would immediately start talking about, “What Xu Yao would do,” or “What would happen if they were renting one of Xu Yao’s properties.”

Can’t you guys face reality? You’re not Xu Yao’s tenants!

They barely paid any rent, but yet had so many demands.

However, Xu Yao’s rental properties were considered the average rent price in the capital, and she didn’t plan on lowering them either. Others who rented properties out at the same price as her simply couldn’t match her level of service, which was why so many people wanted to rent her properties.

“Let’s reach out to Xu Yao!” The head of a real estate company in the capital said with gritted teeth, his eyes shut in agony.

They hoped to collaborate with Xu Yao by, for example, listing their premium properties under Xu Yao Rentals, thus gaining the benefits of being a part of her rental team. This way, they could raise the rent a bit more, relying on the belief that many tenants were eager to rent Xu Yao’s properties and wouldn’t be able to resist such temptation, allowing Xu Yao to profit from the situation too.

It was simply a win-win situation!

After all, there will come a day when a person’s property is all eventually rented out.

This news quickly reached Xu Yao, as the CEO of the largest real estate company in the capital had sincerely invited her to dinner.

Xu Yao simply couldn’t believe it. “Do these real estate companies want me to become a second landlord? Have they lost their minds?”

Xu Yao didn’t understand what these companies were thinking. After all, she had just finished chasing away the second landlord in her urban village in Haicheng! She didn’t want her tenants to suffer under the rule of a second landlord too.

“They probably think that your personal assets will eventually be fully rented out,” Ji Zhengqing chimed in while quickly glancing through his work documents as he sat at the glass table nearby.

Xu Yao thought this made some sense. She turned to He Fan and asked, “How many properties under my name are still available for rent?”

“About 40%, which includes some of your properties in the country and quite a significant amount abroad too,” He Fan reported while holding a tablet dedicated to Xu Yao’s rental properties.

Since her properties in the domestic market hadn’t even been fully rented out, they hadn’t thought to consider her properties abroad yet.

Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, “That’s simple. Once the properties are all rented out, I’ll just buy a few more and continue renting them out.”

After all, she didn’t mind having more properties.

The people present were momentarily speechless from her overwhelming display of wealth.

If only those companies knew—they would probably be so furious they’d faint from anger on the spot.

Ji Zhengqing stopped typing on his computer and gently reminded her, “But properties in the capital city are currently restricted from being purchased.”

Although they were wealthy, they were still law-abiding citizens. It’s not easy to buy properties in big cities. It’s much easier in smaller cities, but fewer people are inclined to develop in smaller cities.

“Miss Yaoyao, do you want to ask President Xu?” Lu Ye suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Xu Yao recalled Xu Jing’s character as a doting brother and suddenly realized what Lu Ye was suggesting.

If she asked Xu Jing for property, he would agree without a second thought. Xu Jing didn’t care much about the Xu family’s real estate—he only cared about the Xu Group, which was practically a super-powered money-printing machine.

Xu Yao thought, That wouldn’t feel appropriate though, right?

Just as Xu Yao was thinking this, the butler at the door heard the doorbell and immediately went to open the door, quickly running back to report to Xu Yao, “Miss Yaoyao, President Xu is here.”

Walking into Xu Yao’s grand mansion in the capital city was Xu Jing, who was still carrying a briefcase. His gaze lingered on Ji Zhengqing for a moment before he stepped forward and affectionately ruffled Xu Yao’s hair.

“Our Yaoyao has been working so hard lately.” Xu Jing felt sorry for Xu Yao, who was always busy running around in the scorching heat—though that didn’t stop him from internally agreeing with her actions.

Regardless of how he was now first on the rich list, it’s hard to say whether the Xu family could have taken advantage of the times to become the richest family in Hua Country without the contributions of ancestors before them, like Cui Guoqiang. 

Xu Yao was pleasantly surprised, “How come you’re here, Brother?”

“Didn’t I hear that Zhengqing is here to teach you how to swim? So I came over to take a look,” Xu Jing said with a smile.

“By the way, Yaoyao, there’s something I want to tell you…” Xu Jing suddenly frowned and paused, as if finding it hard to say, “Forget it, it’s too tiring for you.”

Ji Zhengqing suddenly had a bad premonition.

The more Xu Jing acted like this, the more curious Xu Yao became. She clung to Xu Jing’s arm, urging him to tell her quickly.

“It’s like this, Yaoyao. I can see that your rental business is doing very well lately, so I have an idea.”

At first, Xu Jing thought Xu Yao was just collecting rent for the fun of it, but now, it was clear that she had already become increasingly adept in this field, with many tenants now eagerly waiting to rent Xu Yao’s properties.

If Xu Yao wanted to offload her properties now, it probably wouldn’t be easy. In fact, if the number of rental units she has available decreases, public opinion might even turn against her. Xu Jing doesn’t want to see any negative news about Xu Yao online at all!

Xu Jing said, “Our Xu family owns a lot of properties. If Yaoyao doesn’t mind the extra workload, Brother will transfer all the rental rights of our properties to you, and you can keep the rent money for yourself.”

Those properties would still be under Xu Jing’s name, but he would give the rent to Xu Yao. After all, having all those properties just sitting there seemed like quite the waste of resources.

Xu Jing felt like he was a terrible, scheming older brother. What’s the real bulk of property value? It’s the property itself—the land!

What’s rent in comparison?

Rent is just a petty, insignificant profit, hardly even worth mentioning!

Yet here he was, as the older brother, only giving Xu Yao the small, meager profits while keeping the bulk of it for himself. Xu Jing felt his face flush as he spoke those words, even somewhat regretting saying them. Clearly, this was not a very good idea.

This really isn’t how an older brother ought to act.

Sure enough, Xu Yao stared intently at Xu Jing without saying another word, as if she had discovered a new continent.

“Yaoyao, it’s my fault, don’t take it to heart. I know collecting rent is always a tiring job,” Xu Jing quickly changed his tone, fearing Xu Yao would be upset—he couldn’t bear to see his sister sad.

Standing beside them, Ji Zhengqing’s expression was almost inscrutable. This future brother-in-law really was something else… 

Then what about him?

Fiancé = future husband. The husband is his wife’s closest next of kin, with their relationship being the closest. So how could he, the husband, be less generous than her older brother?

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. Term used in mahjong to signify you’ve won ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Cui Guoqiang was taken aback by this statement. His peripheral vision caught the young people parting into two lines beside him, and his previously excited mood suddenly dipped a bit. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, so he just smiled at Xu Yao and said, “Okay.”

As the flight attendant offered to assist Cui Guoqiang, the old man waved his hand in refusal. He carefully tucked the two-inch photo, painstakingly restored of his comrade Sun Jianping, into the pocket of his left chest and used his right hand to steady himself as he boarded Xu Yao’s private jet.

The interior of the private jet was even more luxurious than its exterior. Cui Guoqiang had already flown once before, and felt that the cabin in here was much more spacious and beautiful than the economy class cabin of the plane Liu Yingxia had booked for him.

“Then, Grandpa Cui, shall we prepare to take off?” Xu Yao smiled from the side.

Cui Guoqiang suppressed the strange feeling of unease bubbling in his heart and nodded at Xu Yao, filled with the anticipation of meeting his old comrade-in-arms.

Today, he would finally have the chance to see his old comrade-in-arms!

The plane that Cui Guoqiang and Xu Yao were on took off first, followed shortly by several other private jets soaring into the sky.

This scene was captured by countless people, watching as the planes gradually shrank to the size of ants and drifted further and further away… 

#GrandpaCuiGuoqiangTakesFlightToVisitOldComrade

#GrandpaCuiStillUnawareOfThTruthI’mCrying

#XuYao’sFleetOfPrivateJetsEscortsRetiredVeteran

Cui Guoqiang didn’t understand much about the internet, but the short video made by “Big Apple” had already spread widely online.

[I just saw a livestream where Grandpa Cui found out about his comrade’s whereabouts—he was so happy he almost jumped up. I couldn’t help but cry.]

[Will Grandpa Cui be able to handle it? I wonder if Xu Yao has arranged medical staff in advance. No matter how strong he is, he’s still in his seventies—what if the shock is too much for him…]

[With so many private jets following Xu Yao, they’re probably not all empty. Though that girl may be a bit unhinged, she still handles things very appropriately—she must have prepared everything in advance.]

[I hope Grandpa Cui stays strong! Remember, you still have Grandma Cuilan waiting for you!]

Countless netizens commented online, hoping that when Cui Guoqiang learned the truth, he wouldn’t collapse. They understood how terrifying it could be when a person’s faith crumbles.

Concerned netizens shared examples, like a grandfather at home who had cancer but was kept in the dark about his condition. He had been fighting hard and was originally on the road to recovery, but once he found out he had cancer, he passed away within a week.

Xu Yao had to make thorough preparations.

[Don’t worry, according to reliable sources, Xu Yao has brought along a medical team—all top experts in the field.]

[By the way, owning a private jet is almost becoming a standard for the wealthy. I used to really hate those rich people constantly flaunting their wealth, but Xu Yao is truly an exception. She directly used a helicopter to participate in aerial firefighting to extinguish fires and now she’s even escorting an old hero. Sure, it’s not a fighter jet, but it’s probably already the highest level of honor that she can offer him.]

[Speaking of which, do you know what kind of water Xu Yao used in the helicopter to support the firefighting? I was stunned when I found out.]

When netizens saw this question, their first reaction was to laugh. What else would you use to extinguish a wildfire? Of course it’s just water! 

The blogger replied to that question: [It’s seawater.]

The mention of seawater left many people momentarily stunned, unsure what the issue with seawater was. After all, seawater is still water, and using it in an emergency fire situation seems quite normal.

The blogger continued to reply: [But that’s a private helicopter, not a shared bike you can find on the street. A model like Xu Yao’s costs tens of millions! If it were any other rich second-generation heir, they would all treasure it immensely! But she’s pouring seawater into it! Seawater can damage the aircraft’s machinery!]

Many netizens suddenly felt enlightened. That’s right.

A new car of theirs would be treated with the utmost care, distressing them even if it’s just the floor mats getting dirty, let alone something that could damage the internal machinery. Just thinking about it could give them a heart attack.

Xu Yao had just bought these private jets and probably hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy them herself yet. And yet she just took them out like that.

After a while, some netizens couldn’t help but exclaim: [Xu Yao truly is an impeccable landlady.]

*

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:

Cui Guoqiang admired the expansive scenery outside the plane. The last time he flew was on a ticket bought by Liu Yingxia, and he hadn’t looked closely since he didn’t have a window seat.

Seeing the view from up here truly was very different.

“If only we had such powerful planes back then. Perhaps we could have ended the war sooner,” Cui Guoqiang sighed.

It seemed as if the older generation could talk about their days on the battlefield a hundred times without growing tired. Upon noticing Xu Yao’s interest, Cui Guoqiang perked up again and began to recount in detail:

“The conditions were tough back then. We were ambushed in the mountains, where snakes, insects, and ants were everywhere. I remember lying in the grass, and about five meters away, a snake was staring at me. The commander ordered us to execute our mission perfectly, even if it meant costing us our lives, so I stared back at it for almost a minute.

“That was still quite tolerable. One time, I was ambushed and ants started crawling all over me. Those ants were poisonous and would leave swollen welts the size of small buns with just one bite. It was both itchy and painful, but I had to remain still in the grass, unable to move or make a sound.”

Before long, Cui Guoqiang began reminiscing about his comrade Sun Jianping. “I was shot in the left hand. Don’t be fooled by how Sun Jianping is just over one meter sixty; he covered my retreat. Even though I was in so much pain I was about to faint, he still carried me and ran.”

“Yaoyao, I’m a bit tired and want to sleep for a while.” Cui Guoqiang recounted their experiences on the battlefield, some moments interesting, and some moments tense. He talked for half an hour, but fatigue finally overwhelmed him, and he had no choice but to tell Xu Yao.

Xu Yao signaled to Lu Ye, who immediately arranged for the old man to rest.

The plane flew steadily through the sky, and Cui Guoqiang fell asleep quickly. This was perhaps the most comfortable sleep he had had in a long time, except he had a dream.

In his dream, he was back in his twenties, returning to that familiar battlefield he saw day and night. He saw his old comrade Sun Jianping carrying a gun not far away.

Before he could get closer, someone threw and detonated the explosives, and Sun Jianping fell to the ground.

“Jianping, Jianping, don’t sleep! Don’t sleep!” In the dream, he seemed to see Sun Jianping’s youthful face, bloodied and disfigured, while he kept urging him not to sleep.

Cui Guoqiang suddenly woke up. He reached up to touch his forehead, his palm drenched in sweat. He had been startled awake by the dream.

As a veteran, this sort of dream wasn’t unfamiliar to him, but now that he was about to meet his old comrade-in-arms that he hadn’t seen in decades, dreaming of such a thing gave Cui Guoqiang a somewhat ominous feeling.

“Let the doctor give Grandpa Cui a basic check-up,” Xu Yao said immediately upon seeing the old man drenched in sweat, his face somewhat pale.

Xu Yao had made thorough preparations before taking Cui Guoqiang to meet his old comrade, and had organised a medical team to prevent any unexpected incidents happening to him.

The head doctor gave Cui Jianguo a basic examination and told Xu Yao, “It’s just that he hasn’t been resting well lately and is too fatigued. A good rest should solve the problem.”

Xu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Cui Guoqiang’s disabled left hand, asking, “Is there any other way to treat Grandpa Cui’s left hand?”

The doctor shook his head regretfully. “Currently, there is no medical solution.”

At that time, in order to save Cui Guoqiang’s life, the doctors had unfortunately had to sacrifice his left upper arm along with his hand.

Xu Yao remembered that in the original novel, there would be significant breakthroughs in research from experts in this area, allowing countless disabled individuals to regain a new lease on life.

“Miss Yaoyao, we’ll be arriving in fifteen minutes,” He Fan came over to remind her.

Xu Yao nodded, while Cui Guoqiang was already adjusting his attire.

Afterward, they successfully disembarked from the plane, with Xu Yao’s team leading Cui Guoqiang to meet his old comrade, while many ordinary netizens had gathered along the roadside, waiting in anticipation.

Cui Guoqiang’s sense of unease grew stronger, especially as Xu Yao and the others led him deeper into the mountains.

Cui Guoqiang forced a smile and said, “I knew it, although that old rascal Jianping was a shy and honest man, he was also the biggest braggart alive. He told us he lived in town, but it turns out his hometown is in the mountains too.”

“He…” Cui Guoqiang looked at the overgrown weeds and the shadowy trees in the forest, with only a small path seemingly made entirely from the footsteps of visitors. He seemed unable to hold it together any longer, covering his face with his hands and saying, “Yaoyao, tell Grandpa, has that old rascal Jianping already passed away?”

Xu Yao looked at Cui Guoqiang apologetically and nodded. “Yes.”

Cui Guoqiang fell silent. Suddenly, he stepped past Xu Yao and walked to the front of the group, smiling. “Who can escape death? Everyone will eventually have to leave when they grow old.”

Cui Guoqiang strode down the path, walking faster and faster, until he was almost running by the end.

He saw a few young people ahead, both male and female, and in front of them was what seemed to be a grave mound, already overgrown with weeds and lacking a tombstone.

Cui Guoqiang held back his tears and asked expectantly, “Are you Jianping’s descendants?”

Seeing them shake their heads, Cui Guoqiang felt as if he were about to collapse.

Xu Yao had gone to such lengths to bring him to meet his old comrade-in-arms. Even if all he saw was just a lonely grave, logically speaking, Jianping’s descendants should have come too—unless he didn’t have any.

Cui Guoqiang almost slammed his hand on the grave mound, unable to hold back his tears any longer as he cried, “You old rascal, you’re always just bragging. You said you’d make sure we’d all go back home together. Well now, we’ve come back, but what about you?”

He had gone home, but Sun Jianping had not.

Cui Guoqiang seemed to suddenly feel sorry for the person in the grave, regretting his earlier harsh slamming. He squatted down, wiping his tears while pulling up the chaotic tangle of weeds on the grave mound.

“Jianping, I finally found you! We old comrades have finally been reunited,” Cui Guoqiang said as he pulled at the grass. The weeds had grown so vigorously that they caused his palms to sting slightly, but he didn’t care.

“I finally know where you are. From now on, we’ll come to sweep your grave every Qingming Festival¹, and we, as brothers, can have a good chat.”

Xu Yao and the others did not step forward to help pull the weeds. She knew this was the only thing Grandpa Cui could do for Grandpa Sun at this moment.

“There must be a lot to talk about when two old comrades meet again. Let’s keep our distance,” Xu Yao reminded softly.

Everyone stepped back several meters, watching Cui Guoqiang sitting in front of the grave, murmuring to himself. Cui Guoqiang didn’t know how long he had been talking for, but he finally choked up and started crying uncontrollably.

“Grandpa Cui, would you like to have a drink with Grandpa Sun?” Xu Yao approached with a bottle of baijiu².

“Of course, we have to have a couple of cups,” Cui Guoqiang wiped his tears, his dirt-covered hands mixing with the tears on his face, making him instantly dirty.

Cui Guoqiang took the white liquor from Xu Yao and poured two full cups.

The strong liquor flowed down his throat, while the other cup was poured into the dirt.

“Good liquor. Jianping likes to drink, so he should really like it too.”

Xu Yao and the other young people listened silently to Cui Guoqiang as he spoke. They then took out the fruits and flowers they had prepared earlier.

“Grandpa Sun, these are the photos of our current era. I hope you can rest easy when you see them,” Xu Yao said as she took the photos from Lu Ye and the others.

These were among the items transported by one of the planes—photos!

The photos depicted bustling skyscrapers, busy overpasses, scenic spots from various places, and various powerful weapons. Their once tattered country had now transformed into a new one.

These photos had come from all sorts of netizens, taken voluntarily for Cui Guoqiang and Sun Jianping, and Xu Yao and the others had selected the most beautiful ones to print.

Cui Guoqiang held the liquor cup and smiled, “Jianping, do you see? Times are really good now.

“Back then we were busy fighting literacy campaigns, but kids these days have it so much better. There’s nine years of compulsory education now, and the country has nurtured so many well-educated university students.

“Transportation is incredibly developed now too. You’d never guess it, you old rascal—I’ve even flown on a plane, twice!

“Old comrade…”

They stayed by the grave for a long time. It wasn’t until dusk approached that Cui Guoqiang finally staggered to his feet beside the grave mound.

He refused others’ assistance, bending down to take a small handful of yellow soil from the grave and placing it into the red cloth he once used to wrap his medals with.

“Let’s go,” Cui Guoqiang said hoarsely to Xu Yao and the others as he looked at the grave mound.

They took a few steps, but Cui Guoqiang suddenly stopped, looking at the offerings in front of the grave, and said to Xu Yao, “Yaoyao, take the fruits and food back. Jianping has already received your heartfelt wishes.”

The idea of not wasting anything was a timeless consensus that the elders of that era will always share.

Xu Yao and the others tidied up the fruits as instructed by Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, taking everything back while leaving behind only the bouquets of fresh flowers and the photos at the grave.

When Cui Guoqiang returned from the tomb-sweeping, many netizens felt that although Grandpa Cui seemed to have become much quieter, his health was still robust.

[The older generation is much stronger than us. Those who are still living must face life with strength.]

[Grandpa Cui, you can rest assured. In the future, Grandpa Sun’s grave won’t be visited by you alone—I’ll go pay my respects too.]

[I will always be grateful to those martyrs who sacrificed so much for us. We must live well and cherish everything that was so hard-won.]

[All my recent tears have been shed for Grandpa Cui and the others. I’m just a high school student and don’t know what I can do, but after thinking it over, the best thing I can do right now is study hard—that’s the best way to give back.]

Countless netizens expressed their thoughts online, and many even agreed to go together to sweep Grandpa Sun Jianping’s grave.

What does it matter if Grandpa Sun has no descendants? In the future, countless sons and daughters of China³ will be his descendants, and during the Qingming Festival, there will always be a stick of intense burning eternally at Sun Jianping’s grave, never to be extinguished.

Cui Guoqiang found Xu Yao again and, feeling a bit shy, asked, “Yaoyao, can your plane take me to the capital again?”

Cui Guoqiang finally realized who Xu Yao was—she was the landlady of the siheyuan he rented.

She was the one actively participating in the mountain wildfire relief efforts, and she was also the one who invested heavily in the variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years to help fulfill his dream.

Cui Guoqiang felt a bit embarrassed to trouble Xu Yao again.

Seeing him tightly clutching the red cloth, Xu Yao suddenly understood what Grandpa Cui wanted to do. She smiled and nodded, “Yes, I want to go too.”

Xu Yao asked He Fan to arrange the flight route, and they prepared to head back to the capital.

On the way, Cui Guoqiang sat by the window of the plane, holding tightly to the red cloth as he looked out and mumbled, “Jianping, you can be considered someone who has flown on a plane now, this is a top-notch plane.

“We’re about to arrive in the capital. Hey, you old codger, you’ve never been to the capital before, right? Well this time, we’re going together.”

They soon arrived in the capital, and Xu Yao led a group of people to the siheyuan where Grandpa Cui was renting a room, while Xu Yao and the others settled in the other unoccupied rooms.

Just past three in the morning, Xu Yao woke up before her alarm went off. Normally, she would sleep until noon, but for some reason today, her body reacted quickly, and her mind was alert.

Not long after Xu Yao woke up, the entire siheyuan lit up.

Everyone was washing up, and after they finished, they went with Grandpa Cui Guoqiang to the square, looking for the best spot.

More and more people gathered around, yet everything remained orderly as everyone chose their own spots.

Many people recognised Xu Yao and Cui Guoqiang, but no one screamed like a fan. They just exchanged glances with Xu Yao, smiled at each other, and then turned their attention back to the front.

As dawn broke, the national flag guard appeared before all the citizens with vigorous strides and solemn expressions, marking the start of the flag-raising ceremony.

Cui Guoqiang placed the red cloth that was wrapped around Sun Jianping’s grave soil into his left chest pocket. As the bright red national flag was raised, he saluted with his only working right hand and sang the national anthem with everyone.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Cui Guoqiang looked at the flag fluttering in the wind. He took out the red cloth from his left chest pocket and smiled, “Jianping, both of us old brothers can now be considered as having come to the capital together to witness the flag-raising ceremony.”

Jianping, although you never visited the capital during your lifetime and never witnessed the flag-raising ceremony in front of this square with your own eyes, you still remain a hero in everyone’s hearts.

That is enough.

Their wishes were vast beyond measure—yet also so very small.

They only wanted peace and prosperity for the country, and for its people to be safe and secure… and now, that wish has come true.

Cui Guoqiang’s ultimate goal in participating in the Hand in Hand in Our Later Years dating show had already been fulfilled. The old man successfully used the power of the internet to find his old comrade from decades ago. Although this comrade-in-arms had long since passed away, he still managed to find them.

The old man’s wish has been fulfilled!

“How has the show been lately? Will it be affected?” After a few days of recuperation, Cui Guoqiang finally remembered the variety show.

Although he didn’t understand much about how variety shows operated, he had taken so many days off to support the mountain wildfire relief and even gone to meet his old comrade, undoubtedly taking up a lot of time.

Cui Guoqiang wondered if the show would be negatively impacted by him.

Feeling a bit guilty, Cui Guoqiang asked, “Has the audience for the show decreased?”

He wasn’t sure about other people’s habits, but he personally liked to binge-watch dramas, and even waiting through a commercial break left him feeling anxious, let alone his absence of so many days.

Although Cui Guoqiang did not regret going to help, he still felt a bit sorry for the production team.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “Grandpa Cui, you’re worrying too much, that’s not the case at all. In fact, there are even more people watching now.”

Xu Yao wasn’t just saying that to comfort Cui Guoqiang. She was genuinely speaking the truth.

The quality of Hand in Hand in Our Later Years was indeed lacking, but it was buoyed by the presence of Xu Yao and Cui Guoqiang, especially the celebrity grandpa Cui Guoqiang, whose story had moved countless netizens to tears.

More and more netizens learned about Cui Guoqiang, about Sun Jianping, and about the smoke of war from the past.

They may not be able to do much else, but they could still support the show by watching it.

Even though Grandpa Cui hadn’t been back on the show in recent days, the show’s usual viewership had already easily surpassed 100 million, with countless netizens sending comments online, creating a lively atmosphere.

Hearing Xu Yao say this, Cui Guoqiang felt much more at ease.

“Then I’ll continue to appear on the show, oh wait.” Cui Guoqiang suddenly blushed when he recalled how he had boldly invited Zhou Cuilan to go on a date with him to the island.

He felt a bit embarrassed, especially after hearing that the audience had increased. The production team estimated that when he returned to the show, the livestream viewership would at least reach several tens of millions, making Cui Guoqiang wish he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Tens of millions of people!

You mean tens of millions of netizens were going to watch him on a date?

No matter how thick-skinned he normally was, Cui Guoqiang couldn’t help but feel extremely embarrassed.

After confirming that Cui Guoqiang could continue participating in the show, the staff of the program quickly coordinated and brought him a task card:

“Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, this is a task card written for you by Grandma Zhou Cuilan.”

Cui Guoqiang took the task, opened the envelope, and pulled out a letter written in Zhou Cuilan’s very own fountain pen.

[Comrade Cui Guoqiang, would you be willing to meet with me on the island? — Little Cui.]

Cui Guoqiang treasured the task card written by Zhou Cuilan and put it away carefully in his bag, planning to keep it well. He felt a bit shy in front of the camera and said, “I’ll be right there.”

He would never forget the comrades he fought alongside, nor could he ever forget the woman who had once waited for him in the distance.

Time and again he had broken his promises—he was a man who had wronged Zhou Cuilan, yet she had never once said a word of blame.

Even when they met again decades later, Zhou Cuilan never resented his leaving back then.

While Cui Guoqiang was out supporting the wildfire relief efforts, Zhou Cuilan was mobilizing her own connections, sending food and clean water to Jinchang Town, doing everything she could to help.

In the face of a greater cause, whether they were men or women, whether their positions differed or not—none of it mattered when they were all contributing their part.

Cui Guoqiang changed into what he considered his best outfit, boarded the luxurious yacht provided by Xu Yao, and set off for the Lipana Islands.

This island date, delayed by more than ten days, was still going forward. After all, good things never come too late.

The livestream camera followed Cui Guoqiang closely. The old man’s sparse gray hair was tousled by the sea breeze, and he awkwardly reached up to smooth it down, occasionally adjusting his clothes.

[Grandpa looks very handsome today, hope everything goes smoothly! Last time, because there was a sudden wildfire, Grandpa Cui rushed to put it out. I was really worried then.]

[Making a dazzling entrance by arriving on a luxury yacht! This entrance is pretty cool too. Xu Yao is so goated⁴.]

[Cameraman, make sure to take a few more handsome shots! If the edited photos turn out ugly, you better watch out.]

[It’s a bit funny, Liu Yingxia pouted and begged Xu Yao to lend her her luxury yacht, but Xu Yao refused without hesitation. Then, she immediately turned around and gave it to Grandpa Cui. But Grandpa Cui deserves it; what qualifications does Liu Yingxia have to compare herself with a retired veteran?]

Liu Yingxia didn’t get to board this top-of-the-line luxury yacht, but her grand-uncle did.

The key point was that in the livestream, Cui Guoqiang didn’t treat the luxury yacht as anything special, he just saw it as a means of transportation. Liu Yingxia couldn’t quite describe her feelings at that moment, just feeling a tightness in her chest.

The variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years became a hit thanks to the popularity of Grandpa Cui Guoqiang. Now, netizens had all focused their attention on her grand-uncle, and she not only had no screen time but also had a major blunder in the only livestream appearance she had made.

The drone was seized by Xu Yao’s people, and a lawyer’s letter from Bo’en Law Firm was on its way.

In this variety show, she not only didn’t gain any benefit from it, but also lost fans and got herself into legal trouble!

To regain her fans, Liu Yingxia gritted her teeth and donated 100,000 yuan to the disaster-stricken people in Jinchang Town, even making sure her team promoted it well.

Sometimes, celebrities do charity just to deflect criticism. Liu Yingxia’s team immediately bought a trending topic #LiuYingxiaDonates100KToWildfireVictims.

But now, netizens seemed to be more discerning than before; not only did she not receive much praise, but she was also met with ridicule from many netizens—

[LYX, you probably spent more on this trending topic than your actual donation, right?]

[Can you not buy these trending topics? Your intentions are already obvious to everyone.]

[First off, thanks to Liu Yingxia for donating to the disaster victims. Secondly, wishing you luck in finding a good legal team to take down Bo’en Law Firm, haha. (Mm, I’m definitely not being sarcastic.)]

Anyway, the result wasn’t great.

Liu Yingxia only regretted how stupid she had been to join this variety show! She hadn’t gained much exposure from this herself but had instead boosted the popularity of a grand-uncle she had no connection to. She was clearly at a huge loss.

So, Liu Yingxia had been feeling a bit weary these days, and hadn’t been particularly attentive in setting up the date venue for Cui Guoqiang and Zhou Cuilan.

“Grandpa Cui Guoqiang has landed,” someone in the production crew on the island whispered.

Cui Guoqiang didn’t get seasick. He had finally arrived at one of the small islands in the Lipana Islands. As he stepped off the yacht, he caught sight of an elegant old lady wearing a sun hat under a tree not far away.

Cui Guoqiang took a few deep breaths and walked over in big strides, but when he looked at Zhou Cuilan, he suddenly felt a bit tongue-tied, “I—I—”

“I understand. I know.” Grandma Cuilan smiled. She understood everything—there was no need to say it out loud. If she were the kind of person who minded such things, then there wouldn’t have been this variety show date, nor would there be a lonely old woman who had spent decades clinging onto memories of the past.

She knew that the comrades who had shared life-and-death moments with him on the battlefield held an irreplaceably important place in Cui Guoqiang’s heart—and that was only right.

Cui Guoqiang’s eyes reddened almost instantly. “Then how about… we take a walk together? Th-the scenery here is quite nice.”

Cui Guoqiang felt a bit shy. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Zhou Cuilan, scratching his head as he looked at the small path ahead.

It was a seaside path, lined with trees and island scenery on both sides, beautiful and picturesque.

As young people would say, it was perfect for photos.

The two of them strolled along the path, while the filming crew quietly followed behind, capturing the moment.

It felt as though they had returned to decades ago—walking side by side, yet instinctively keeping a distance, not daring to look at each other, both gazing only at the vast ocean ahead.

After a long while, Cui Guoqiang hesitated and began secretly inching closer, little by little, until he was within less than a meter of Zhou Cuilan.

When he caught the look she cast his way, the old man’s face flushed red. His heart pounded wildly, yet he stubbornly raised his voice to retort, “Comrade Cuilan, you’re just out of touch with the times! These days it’s perfectly normal to walk close together, young people are all like this.

“Who still walks as if there’s a boundary between them like the Chu–Han divide⁵? That’s ancient history from decades ago!”

Cui Guoqiang had a habit where the more nervous he got, the more he talked, often rambling incoherently.

He didn’t even know what he was saying anymore, and the only sound he could still hear was the sound of his own heart racing.

Zhou Cuilan felt he was just the same as when he was young—he was always like this in such moments. She asked, “So this is what the younger generation is like?”

“That’s right, this is how young people are!” the old man said proudly, chin lifted.

Nowadays, when young men and women date, who still walks that far apart? They stick close together, sometimes so close they’re practically glued to each other!

He couldn’t quite manage that, but walking within a meter… even half a meter… that he could do.

Looking at the old lady, Cui Guoqiang felt that he was the one that was more hip, much more similar to young people these days.

The old man even shot Zhou Cuilan a slightly smug look.

Grandma Cuilan smiled warmly and said to Cui Guoqiang, “But from what I’ve seen, young people nowadays walk hand in hand.”

Old Master Cui Guoqiang was stunned.

Huh? H-hand in hand?

---

damn, i won’t say who cried translating this chapter and the last one QAQ (it’s me)

also sorry for the footnote dump lawl

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. The Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day) is a traditional Chinese holiday observed in early April. It is a time for families to honor their ancestors by visiting graves, cleaning tombstones, and making offerings. Beyond mourning, it also carries themes of remembrance, filial piety, and the continuation of family ties across generations. In this case, since Sun Jianping has no descendants, no one has been maintaining his grave, hence the weeds on his grave mound. ↩︎
2. Baijiu (白酒, “white liquor”) is a clear, traditional Chinese spirit, typically distilled from sorghum with an ABV of 35-60%. As the world’s best-selling liquor by volume, it is renowned for its pungent aroma and complex flavor profiles—ranging from fruity to savory—categorized into aroma types like sauce, strong, and light. ↩︎
3. This novel takes place in the fictional country of Hua Country, an equivalent of China. Of course, I try to keep it so that naming is consistent, but a lot of the euphemisms to China but aren’t exactly “China” perse (中国) still lead to the english translation being China—there’s simply no english equivalent. In this case, the term is “Huaxia” (华夏) which is a historical concept representing the ancestral Chinese people (though it was primarily to denote the Han people apart from other surrounding nomadic tribes at the time) To be honest, even the first character “Hua” 华 in Hua Country still refers to the Chinese people ↩︎
4. “Goated” is a slang term derived from the acronym G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) that describes a person, object, or experience as being the absolute best, top-tier, or legendary. ↩︎
5. The “Chu–Han divide” refers to the historical rivalry during the Chu–Han Contention, when the states of Chu and Han were in opposition. In this case, it’s a metaphor for the clear distance that couples had to adhere to back then to avoid suspicion. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The news of the wildfire in Jinchang Town spread across the country in no time, with various real-time photos uploaded online, and short videos taken by local residents circulating everywhere.

It was like a chain reaction. Under the terrifying heat, the moisture content in the trees dropped sharply, leading to multiple wildfires in the nearby mountainous areas. Almost every update video showed raging flames visible in every direction. The town seemed to be surrounded by the light of flames, almost resembling an apocalypse movie.

In the face of such a severe disaster, a scandal about honor shame, as well as entertainment programs were insignificant. The hearts of the vast majority of netizens were gripped tightly by the wildfire in Jinchang Town.

[Damn this weather—44°C is bad enough, and not a drop of rain. I checked the local forecast, and Jinchang Town is set for more extreme heat for the next half month. I’m honestly feeling so hopeless.]

[I’m from the area—everyone’s already packing up and evacuating. Wahhhh our village chief is going around with a loudspeaker telling us not to bring too much in case it slows things down, so I could only take my dog with me first.]

[From what people are saying, the situation is really serious. All the local firefighting personnel have already been deployed. I’m guessing they’ll have to start recruiting volunteers soon. I just hope everyone stays safe.]

[If they really do start calling for volunteers, I’ll sign up. I don’t have any special skills, but at least I’ve got strength.]

In this world, water and fire are always merciless. Whether it’s a wildfire or flooding, they are both tremendous blows to humanity.

Experts have even stated that even if Jinchang Town temporarily extinguished the wildfire, there was still a significant possibility of it reigniting given the current high temperatures.

Although what the experts said was the truth, the anxious and worried netizens bombarded him with criticism. “If you can’t say anything auspicious, just don’t say anything at all, okay?”

“I may be old, but I still have plenty of strength,” Cui Guoqiang retorted directly. “Young people these days are so weak, and many of them are not as strong as me, an old man!”

The entire production team was trying to dissuade Cui Guoqiang from going, but he was directly rebuked by the old man himself.

Many staff members in the production team felt that Cui Guoqiang’s words were a subtle jab at them, as their physical fitness might truly not be a match for this retired soldier.

Some of the younger production crew felt a bit guilty, realizing that they lacked the awareness and resolve that this old man possessed.

Although Cui Guoqiang said this, he also understood that he was already in his seventies. Even though he felt he was in excellent spirits, he still had to consider the thoughts of the younger people, who would undoubtedly worry about him.

Therefore, Cui Guoqiang did not plan to venture deep into the mountains. There were already officers, soldiers and forest firefighters up there, and if he went up rashly, it would violate organizational discipline and hinder their overall rescue efforts. So instead, Cui Guoqiang decided to volunteer at the base.

Cui Guoqiang asked the production team for leave and threw himself into volunteer work.

Thus, an elderly figure appeared in the volunteer team fighting the wildfire. He wasn’t as tall as the young men, nor did he have their sturdy physique. He was just a little old man with a disability in his left hand, struggling to weave through the crowd of volunteers.

Cui Guoqiang picked up a crying child who had gotten separated from their family with one hand, soothing the little one as he took them to the temporary volunteer point for lost children.

When he discovered that the soldiers on the mountain were short on water, the little old man immediately hoisted a box of mineral water onto his shoulder and ran swiftly in his rubber military boots to deliver it to the front lines.

This little old man was always the last to eat. He waited until everyone else had their meals before taking the last portion for himself. However, he ate quickly and heartily, and after finishing his meal, he hurried to transport supplies like towels and ice water.

“Grandpa, how come you’re still volunteering at your age? Are you a local?” 

Taking advantage of the volunteers’ meal time, a local reporter finally had the chance to interview him. Among the crowd of young people, Cui Guoqiang, with his slightly graying hair, stood out amongst the crowd, and the reporter quickly approached him with a microphone.

Upon closer inspection, the reporter noticed the old man’s left hand was disabled.

Cui Guoqiang was shoveling rice into his mouth, swallowing it in big bites, and with a glare, he mumbled, “So what if I’m old? Does being old mean I’m not a person from Hua Country anymore?”

“Don’t say that, Grandpa Cui is in great shape,” a volunteer nearby laughed.

“That’s right! Grandpa Cui has sharp eyesight. He even spotted a place with thick smoke, and only after investigating it did we find out that it had reignited.” A chubby young man joked, “Grandpa, were you a scout on the battlefield before?”

Cui Guoqiang hadn’t been a reconnaissance soldier, but that didn’t stop him from being delighted by the young man’s speculation.

Under the blazing sun, Cui Guoqiang wore a white jacket that had been popular in the last century, revealing two arms with sagging skin, his left arm ending at the elbow. In front of him was a half-eaten box of lunch, and a drop of his sweat was rolling down his forehead into the lunchbox. Behind him was a wildfire, still raging fiercely and billowing up thick smoke.

The cameraman behind the reporter was moved by the scene in front of the camera and immediately pressed the shutter.

#SeventyYearOldVeteranBecomesWildfireVolunteer This trending topic instantly went viral, and countless netizens following the wildfire situation saw the news right away.

This is the charm of photography. That cleverly composed photo spread across the internet in an instant, appearing on numerous news platforms.

[A grandpa in his seventies went to volunteer? Carrying cases of bottled water, delivering boxed meals? Grandpa is a role model for all of us!]

[Isn’t this Grandpa Cui Guoqiang from Hand in Hand in Our Later Years? I was wondering why we haven’t seen him in the livestream these past couple of days—turns out he went to volunteer.]

[If even the elderly are volunteering, does that mean the wildfire in Jinchang Town is still seriously short on manpower? I’m signing up too!]

[That’s right, that’s right! Not sure if the news hasn’t spread widely enough, but we’re still lacking a lot of volunteers QAQ]

[Grandpa should’ve been focusing on finding a partner, and he still went anyway. So how can I, a guy in my early twenties, fall short of him? I’m going too!]

In the time it took for a single photo to circulate, a wave of young people was inspired to sign up as volunteers.

A burly man, nearly two meters tall and weighing over 200 pounds, spoke bluntly in front of the camera, “The comfortable life we have today was bought for us with the blood of those grandpas and grandmas. Are we really going to make them carry the burden for us even now? We are not a lost generation¹!”

A young woman refused to be outdone and said, “I may be a bit weaker than men in terms of physical strength, but I’m very good at coordination—I can help organize different tasks.”

This ability shouldn’t be underestimated. Volunteer work depends heavily on coordination, and without it, everything falls into chaos.

Xu Yao was also preparing to step in!

As an ordinary citizen of Hua Country, since she had the means, she naturally had to act!

In the original novel, Grandpa Cui Guoqiang didn’t even get a chance to speak. His first appearance was at his own funeral, which the author used to introduce Liu Yingxia to the original male lead.

Xu Yao knew Liu Yingxia was the type who would do anything to climb to the top of the entertainment industry. The fact that she attended the funeral of such a distant grand-uncle, along with Grandma Zhou Cuilan’s presence, suggested that the fire leading to Cui Guoqiang’s death was no ordinary incident.

Given the recent abnormal heat, Xu Yao had a rough idea of what might happen. So when the wildfire broke out in Jinchang Town, she responded immediately.

[Xu Yao Rentals Official Account v: A sudden wildfire has broken out in Jinchang Town, forcing countless residents to evacuate their homes. Those currently without accommodation are welcome to stay free of charge for one month at hotels under Xu Yao’s name. Addresses as follows: [image] [image] [image]]

The official account of Xu Yao Rentals often got scolded by tenants who couldn’t secure a place—but today, the comment section was unusually harmonious.

Countless netizens were deeply moved.

[Xu Yao reacted this fast? She already has a response plan in place?]

[Xu Yao is opening up her hotels near Jinchang Town for victims to stay for free? Ahhh my Yaoyao… But the kinder she is, the more I hate that unknown pretty boy she got engaged to.]

[Are these hotels also owned by Xu Yao? These hotels are all high-end hotels, with a daily net income of at least six figures, right? If they’re open for a month, how much rental income will Xu Yao lose?]

[The news is real. These hotels are all relatively far from the wildfire and currently safe. Go stay there if you need to. Spread the word so more people can see this!]

[Waaah I’m one of the evacuees. We were originally told to gather at the apartment square, but now we actually have somewhere to stay.]

The government would naturally arrange for resettlement, but fighting a fire is a matter of life and death. In such a chaotic and busy time, there are bound to areas that have shortcomings in care. Xu Yao’s decision to open her hotels to those without shelter was also her doing her part to help.

“Little Li, you still have a six-month-old baby. Why don’t you go and stay at Xu Yao’s hotel?” A middle-aged woman remembered something amidst the tense evacuation and said to the young couple next door.

The young couple, who was still carrying their sweetly sleeping baby, hesitated visibly upon hearing this.

The young man, holding the child in one arm and supporting his wife with the other, said, “We’re young and can endure hardship. But Auntie Liu, you and Uncle Huang both take medicine regularly and need to rest well. Why don’t you go stay at Xu Yao’s hotel? We can manage.”

The man pinched the child’s soft cheek, smiling proudly, “As for the child? This child is definitely my own flesh and blood, he’s always been a tough little thing.”

This is perhaps the quality of the Hua Country people. They may have minor disagreements in daily life, but in times of great disaster, they can unite in perfect harmony!

Did they not want to stay in the hotel? Of course not! The hotel had clean, soft beds, air conditioning, and the ability to easily take a shower.

And the hotels Xu Yao offered would certainly not be bad; even if they were, wouldn’t it still be better than their current situation?

But they would subconsciously think of how the number of hotel rooms is limited, while the number of disaster victims affected is quite considerable. So they should give way to those who truly need it!

Young people felt they were young and could endure, so they could give way to the frail elderly, while the elderly, in turn, felt sorry for the young people who were exhausted from fighting the fire, and insisted the young people stay instead.

What is love? Love must be mutual.

Some people say that traditional virtues like “respecting the elderly and caring for the young” are gradually disappearing—but have they really? Values like these have been deeply ingrained in us over five thousand years of Chinese history, etched into our very bones.

“Everyone, please be quiet. The elderly, the weak, the disabled, pregnant women, and children should be prioritized to stay at Xu Yao’s free hotel. The rest of us will just have to tough it out,” the village chief, who was skilled at organisation, proposed loudly.

“I agree! Wife, you’re still pregnant, so you should take Mom and Dad to Xu Yao’s hotel so I won’t worry. I’ll go help them.”

“I can’t go to the hotel to enjoy the air conditioning in this situation, I still have to help out. Good neighbor, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of my little bichon and my big orange cat.”

As soon as the village chief spoke, this arrangement immediately received the agreement of the vast majority. The young and strong rested in the schoolyard and shopping mall squares, while the elderly, the weak, the disabled, pregnant women, and children went to the hotels Xu Yao had opened up to them.

When Xu Yao was receiving her inheritance, she chose hotels near Jinchang Town simply because she thought it was a coastal tourist area with high hotel occupancy rates, making it easy to earn money.

The hotels received Xu Yao’s orders immediately and received the disaster victims. Because they were prepared in advance, there was no panic in the hotels.

Xu Yao didn’t stop her disaster relief efforts there. After considering for a while, she found the group chat for a rental building nearby and @ed everyone to inform them.

[AAAA Professional Rentals Little Xu: @everyone, rent for a month will be waived.]

These were all tenants living near Jinchang Town. After much consideration, Xu Yao decided to waive the rent. She wasn’t short of money, but this money might be a lifeline for ordinary people during this special period!

Would the wildfire only affect some people? No, of course not. The sudden wildfire had varying degrees of impact on nearby workers, even affecting their monthly wages, and for adults, these wagers are their lifeline.

The tenant group chat had been discussing the wildfire. Xu Yao’s message popped up like a bomb, exploding on the spot.

[??? Rent waived for a whole month? So I don’t have to pay rent this month?!]

[Waaah thanking the divine landlady! Our company is on the verge of collapse, and we’re still actively helping with disaster relief this month.]

[I work as a shop assistant at a small store in the mountain scenic area. I basically lost my job this month. I was so worried about not being able to pay rent and it affecting my reputation. Thank you, Sister Yao.]

By now, everyone knew that Xu Yao only rented to tenants of good character. If she terminated your lease, what would others think? That there was something wrong with your character? For that reason alone, people would grit their teeth and even borrow money just to keep up with rent.

But now, Xu Yao has directly waived the rent!

[Xu Yao, you’re my goddess. I rent and work in the city, while my parents live in Jinchang Town. Now that disaster has struck, I’m going to bring them to stay with me right away.]

Seeing everyone’s responses, Xu Yao smiled.

[AAAA Professional Rentals Little Xu: @everyone Dear tenants, if you’re experiencing any difficulties in daily life due to the wildfire, please contact our rental team immediately. We will do our utmost to help resolve your problems. Though the wildfire may be ruthless, we are not.]

This is the relationship between landlords and tenants!

Xu Yao loves to remain invisible in various tenant group chats, but every time she appears, she brings countless tenants to tears. Xu Yao’s sudden appearance in the tenant group chat never makes them, as tenants, worry about the landlord suddenly raising the rent. Xu Yao’s appearance in the tenant group chat often means that there is big news to share, with this big news usually benefiting them.

It’s easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in the snow².

And Xu Yao has always been the one sending charcoal in the midst of heavy snow.

Can fans of celebrities in the entertainment industry brag about their idols going this far? They can’t! They could only retweet and shout it out on Weibo, at most donating money. But what’s funny is that the donation money might not even be enough to cover the cost of buying that trending topic on Weibo³.

But fans of Xu Yao can! Xu Yao is always worth being a fan of!

Xu Yao opening up her hotels and waiving rent for her tenants directly ignited everyone’s enthusiasm. What is passion? This is passion!

Netizens from other places donated online, with the mineral water manufacturer directly sending truckloads of ice water.

Rumour had it that even companies on the verge of bankruptcy were trying their best!

Young people near Jinchang Town were deeply moved, and even those with jobs asked their bosses for leave to become volunteers.

Conscientious bosses granted leave without a second thought and reminded them to stay safe. As for those stingy bosses who were unwilling to let their employees go? Sorry, boss, you’re fired!

Since they aren’t wealthy like Xu Yao, they might not be able to contribute much money, but they can still lend a hand!

Those with money should contribute their money, while those with strength should contribute their efforts.

You say Grandpa Cui Guoqiang is a retired veteran who has been on the battlefield, with better physical fitness than many young people? But his hand is still disabled! And yet he continues to protect them. Can this generation of young people really shamelessly enjoy such protection?

Those once-budding flowers have now fully grown into vibrant blooms that no longer need protection from their elders, with many even growing into hardy, formidable blossoms.

Netizens know quite a bit about Xu Yao. Although they still don’t know her true identity or background, nor who that pretty boy she is engaged to is, there is still plenty of news about Xu Yao online.

Xu Yao’s various public statements have almost been dissected to smithereens by her fans!

But Grandpa Cui Guoqiang is different, and there isn’t much news about him. Many netizens who can’t volunteer on-site are frantically searching for information about Grandpa Cui. Old Master Cui Guoqiang has touched countless netizens this way, with the trending topic #CuiGuoqiang appearing three or four times!

Apparently Grandpa Cui is also a guest on the elderly variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years, so they specifically went to check out this show!

Especially the iconic scene in the show where all ten grandmothers lit up their lights for Grandpa Cui, not to mention the famous singer in Hong Kong from the last century, Grandma Zhou Cuilan, who met him in his youth and never married for his sake. It was as if the variety show had been tailor-made for him.

Countless netizens were moved to tears, and many cried as they typed: “I will always envy the love of that era.”

[Waaah I hope the wildfire ends soon, I’m still waiting for the grandpa and grandma to get married!]

[Grandma Zhou Cuilan has both looks and background, so I couldn’t understand why she’d stay hung up on a so-called “ordinary” Grandpa Cui for decades. Now I get it. If it were me, I’d fall for that kind of character too.]

[Looks will fade, and family status can rise and fall, but a steadfast, admirable character is both rare and enduring. Xu Yao renting that courtyard house to Grandpa Cui seriously proves her formidable judgement of character.]

Hand in Hand in Our Later Years didn’t really make Cui Guoqiang famous. On the contrary, Cui Guoqiang has already given back ten-fold to this not-so-great quality show!

Director Zhao is well aware of the reason behind the sudden rise in the variety show’s popularity these days. He was grateful to Grandpa Cui and, moved by him, decides—

“Our production team will also assist in extinguishing the wildfire.”

They have connections in the entertainment industry and are wealthier than ordinary people, allowing them to connect with resources from other places.

It’s been reported that many people had to evacuate suddenly and left behind many things. Most items can still be managed without it, but baby formula, diapers, and women’s sanitary pads cannot be compromised.

So the entire production team was mobilized!

So what if they delayed the recording of the show? They have money! Can a variety show be worth more than human lives? At worst, Xu Yao will back them up! With someone backing them, they can dare to be bolder.

Director Zhao simply decided to go with the flow. After all, his skills in making variety shows aren’t that great anyway, so what’s wrong with him taking time off to do rescue work? Which law forbids it?

Zhao Haisheng was on the phone with a noodle company, negotiating with them to send some instant noodles as disaster relief.

“Director Zhao, didn’t Old Master Cui Guoqiang ask me to restore an old photo before? I’ve finished restoring it,” the photographer rushed in, breathless.

Zhao Haisheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly took the photo the photographer handed over.

Originally, this black-and-white two-inch photo was barely recognizable apart from the sheepskin hat, but after the photographer’s post-processing, the face became clear.

The photo showed a very young face, even with a hint of childishness. Just based on his features alone, he seemed to be an ordinary young man, not particularly handsome, but that determined gaze added a lot to his appeal.

Is this the person Old Master Cui Guoqiang is looking for?

Director Zhao immediately pushed the photo in front of the livestream camera and appealed loudly, “Dear netizens, this is the person Old Master Cui Guoqiang wanted to find on the show. If any netizens have relevant information, please contact the production team, and we will definitely reward you generously.”

Netizens were surprised to hear that Grandpa Cui actually really did have someone he was looking for.

When Grandpa Cui introduced himself on the show, he said he wasn’t looking for a partner, just trying to find someone.

But that statement was instantly contradicted less than a minute later when Grandma Zhou Cuilan appeared! The old man was stunned on the spot, unable to say a word.

This scene was deliberately edited into a short video by many netizens, and countless people teased Grandpa Cui.

Hey, Old Man, didn’t you say you weren’t looking for a partner? How come you’re so mesmerized by Grandma Cuilan that you can’t move?

Oh right, Old Man, you said you came on the show to find someone, right? That someone is Grandma Cuilan, isn’t it? Don’t deny it, we all know, hehe.

Almost all netizens thought Grandpa Cui’s initial statement was just a cover for his pride, but in the end—

It turned out to be true?

Grandpa Cui really is looking for someone, and it’s a man!

[Who is this person? It’s a black-and-white photo and they’re wearing a sheepskin hat, so I guess he’s around Grandpa Cui Guoqiang’s age? Could it be his brother?]

[Could be a brother or a friend. Honestly, no matter who this person is, since it’s Grandpa Cui’s wish, we have to help him fulfill it!]

[Most people online are young, so not many will recognize them. I suggest everyone help by showing the photo to the elderly at home—your grandparents might recognize them. We might get some leads that way.]

[Exactly! We might not be able to fight the wildfire in person, but can’t we help in other ways? Let’s all work together to find clues—I’m going to ask my grandpa right now. We can’t let a hero bleed and shed tears as well⁴!]

The hashtag #ContactHandInHandProductionTeamIfYouRecognizeThisPhoto immediately went viral, shooting to the top of the trending searches. Countless netizens enthusiastically joined the effort to help Grandpa Cui find the person in the photograph.

*

“Miss Yaoyao, President Xu has purchased the more than ten private jets he bought for you, and all the procedures are complete,” Lu Ye walked in from outside and said to Xu Yao.

Buying private jets wasn’t difficult, but maintaining them was. Private jets couldn’t be flown at will, and the corresponding flight routes still needed to be applied for. However, these weren’t major issues for Xu Yao.

Xu Jing was very thoughtful. Considering that Xu Yao might also need a private helicopter, he bought one as well.

Xu Yao was very satisfied with having this kind of top-tier gear that only a tycoon should have. A top-tier landlady ought to be equipped like this.

Thanks to the large number of volunteers joining in, the wildfire in Jinchang Town had been significantly brought under control, though some hills were still burning with flames and smoke.

How would she know if her new toys worked without trying it out? And if she was going to test it, she might as well do it like this.

Xu Yao said directly, “Ask the fire department if they still need aerial firefighting. We can help.”

Lu Ye never questioned Xu Yao’s orders and immediately went to coordinate with the relevant departments. The fire department was overjoyed to hear that Xu Yao could provide the aircraft for water bombing.

That’s great!

They also had aircraft for waterbombing and aerial firefighting, but helicopter applications were limited. Having Xu Yao’s assistance was, of course, a great help.

So, Cui Guoqiang and the other volunteers often saw helicopters carrying over a ton of water flying to the heart of the fire, performing low-altitude water drops.

It seemed like quite a few!

Cui Guoqiang looked up at the planes and smiled, saying, “Technology really is advanced nowadays. To think we can even use planes to drop water and fire retardant.”

“Old man, there’s even technology to make artificial rainfall now, but unfortunately, the experts say the conditions for artificial rainfall are lacking recently,” a young man who had become friendly with Cui Guoqiang said regretfully.

Indeed, artificial rainfall required specific conditions and wasn’t something that could just be done at will. The weather conditions in Jinchang Town recently were simply unsuitable for artificial rainfall.

Otherwise, Xu Yao would have used her financial power to give them a dose of artificial rain sooner or later.

A group of helicopters, like diligent bees, carried over a ton of water each, cooperating with the firefighters’ progress and diligently dropping water.

Wherever the fire department pointed, the helicopters dropped water there, incredibly obedient, significantly improving fire extinguishing efficiency.

Some netizens watching the photos taken by reporters felt something was amiss.

Why were the helicopters flying over the hills these days different from the previous models? There were two English letters in the corner—XY.

[XY? Is there even a helicopter model with this designation?]

[Umm… XY looks like Xu Yao’s initials. Could that be her helicopter? I mean, she owns the Lipana Islands, and there are already over a dozen luxury yachts worth tens of millions on just one island. Buying a helicopter would be nothing for her.]

Some netizens even went to ask Xu Yao Rentals directly. After getting Xu Yao’s approval, the staff replied:

[Xu Yao Rentals Official Account replied to @user: Yep, that’s right! Our boss just wanted to test if her newly bought helicopters worked well.]

Seeing this response, netizens were completely dumbfounded. Wait—what??

Xu Yao just wanted to test whether her new helicopter worked… so she went and coordinated with the fire department to carry out rescue operations??

What kind of rich people is this?!

[This suddenly reminds me of how I also test-drive a new car before buying it—but I treasure my car like crazy, and even a scratch hurts my heart. Xu Yao just uses it directly to drop water on wildfires…]

[Xu Yao is insanely rich. That damn pretty boy she’s engaged to—get out here right now! The more I think about it, the more heartbroken I feel.]

[Ahhh thank you for helping! At this rate, the wildfire can be put out much faster.]

[Xu Yao probably didn’t just buy a helicopter, right? She must own quite a few private jets too… Buying aircraft for her is like us buying toys.]

[Don’t talk nonsense upstairs, I wouldn’t even dare buy toys like that! I’m crying.]

For Xu Yao, the planes practically were like toys. Xu Yao was leaning back on a lazy sofa, scrolling through short videos. She saw many updates with good news about the gradual extinguishing of the wildfire in Jinchang Town, and her heart felt much more at ease.

This wildfire in Jinchang Town had occurred suddenly. Because she had made preparations in advance, she also had someone secretly keep an eye on Cui Guoqiang’s condition. Although the old man was tired these days, nothing serious had happened to him.

As she was browsing, her fingers, adorned with crystal nail polish, suddenly paused, pulling back the short video she had just scrolled past.

It was a video by a popular influencer named “Big Apple,” with over three million likes and hundreds of thousands of comments, boasting an enormously high traffic rate.

In the video, this influencer held up an old black-and-white photo, excitedly saying to the camera, “Guys, I think I found the person Grandpa Cui is looking for!”

Big Apple was a video content creator focusing on rural themes. She was also deeply moved and showed the two-inch black-and-white photo to her grandfather. At first, her grandfather didn’t react, but after a closer look, he was shocked.

Her grandfather sat on the doorstep, suddenly slapping his thigh and saying in his local dialect, “Isn’t this our cousin? Jianping, Sun Jianping! It must be him.”

The old man took out a treasured photo album from the house, took out several somewhat blurry family photos, and handed them to his granddaughter, saying, “This is a group photo of our whole family back then. See? The short one in the second row on the far left is Jianping.”

Big Apple looked at several photos and thought they really did look like the same person.

“My cousin went to war in his twenties,” the grandfather sighed, taking a puff of his dry pipe, “and never came back.”

Big Apple’s heart sank. At that moment, she wished her grandfather had mistaken the person for someone else. She immediately searched for information about Cui Guoqiang online. A neighbor of Grandpa Cui had revealed Cui Guoqiang’s time in the army, which seemed to match.

Big Apple held the old family photo and looked at the camera, her face showing a look of regret. “I’m sorry, everyone. The person Grandpa Cui is looking for… my paternal grand-uncle, has already passed away.”

This news sparked a huge reaction online, with many netizens expressing their regret, though they could also guess the situation.

They speculated that this person was likely the same age as Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, possibly even his comrade-in-arms. Now, Grandpa Cui is already seventy-three years old, and many elderly people do not necessarily live to seventy, so passing away is quite normal.

Yet, life seems truly full of regrets. Grandpa Cui must be very sad about the death of his comrade-in-arms, right?

“My grandpa said that my grand-uncle left with the army at the age of twenty-three and never returned.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the netizens were first stunned, then found it very hard to accept. Some even stood up in agitation upon hearing this.

They could accept him dying of old age, after all, everyone has to die eventually. But to die on the battlefield at such a young age? It’s truly unbearable.

[Was he killed in the line of duty? Oh my god, I’m instantly in tears!]

[Grandpa Cui is still out there finishing the final wildfire extinguishing tasks—when he finds out about this news, will he be able to handle it? After all, he didn’t even dare hope to reunite with Grandma Cuilan, but has only been single-mindedly trying to find this comrade!]

[My eyes are watering, help—why is fate so cruel? Does Grandpa Cui not know his comrade has passed away yet? What exactly happened here?]

Big Apple also felt heavy-hearted and planned to inquire about the situation in more detail on behalf of the netizens.

Xu Yao also arranged for someone to investigate immediately. As long as they knew who Cui Guoqiang was looking for, they would be able to find more information step by step through Sun Jianping’s hometown.

Xu Yao soon quickly learned about the circumstances of Grandpa Sun Jianping’s death. After reading it in silence for a long time, she said, “Arrange a private plane for Grandpa Cui Guoqiang to see his comrade-in-arms.”

He Fan nodded emphatically. “Understood.”

*

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:

After more than half a month, the mountain fires that had flared up only to be smothered again through sheer human effort were finally considered completely extinguished. Countless people who had taken refuge in Xu Yao’s hotel began to return home.

Fortunately, aside from a few rescue workers suffering minor injuries, no one had died as a result.

Cui Guoqiang felt exceptionally tired after half a month of work. He wanted to have a good sleep after talking to Cuilan. He felt he had let Zhou Cuilan down, making her wait for him once again.

As soon as Cui Guoqiang stepped out, he noticed the young people around him looking at him with extremely complicated expressions.

Cui Guoqiang couldn’t understand why these young people were looking at him like that until he saw a beautiful girl standing not far away. The girl introduced herself as Xu Yao.

Everyone likes a pretty girl, especially one who is so polite. Cui Guoqiang had a very good first impression of Xu Yao.

“Grandpa Cui, I heard you’re looking for this gentleman? Is his name Sun Jianping?” Xu Yao didn’t engage in small talk but directly showed Cui Guoqiang a photo.

Cui Guoqiang took the two-inch black-and-white old photo and was instantly overjoyed, bursting into laughter. “The technology these days is really amazing! To think this kind of faded photo can still be restored. This restoration is great, it’s him, it’s him, that’s Jianping! Have you found him?”

Before Xu Yao could answer, Cui Guoqiang nodded happily and said, “Yes, of course you have! Now many people say that I’m a celebrity grandpa. It must be that old rascal Jianping saw me on TV! That’s why I’ve always said it’s much easier to find people on TV shows.”

His decision to participate in this program hadn’t been an incorrect one. No wonder so many young people want to enter the entertainment industry; it seems to make some sense.

The two-inch photo was specially preserved via lamination by the photographer, and Cui Guoqiang held it in his palm, cherishing it greatly.

“You don’t know how dangerous the battlefield was back then. We could hear the sound of bullets everywhere. Jianping and I were in the same platoon. That kid looked small and shy, but he was incredibly skilled at handling a machine gun, and he even taught me a few tricks.”

Cui Guoqiang seemed to fall into memories, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, his incomplete left arm waving in the air. “Just by watching him, I saw he killed five enemies!”

“My left hand was injured by a bullet, and I had to leave for treatment. Before I left, he comforted me, saying, ‘We’ll all go home together.’” Cui Guoqiang didn’t regret becoming disabled. He was completely immersed in the joy of finding his comrade-in-arms. “That old rascal told me he had a fiancée back home and was going to get married soon. I bet he has grandchildren that are already working by now!

“Hahaha, unfortunately, I’m an old bachelor that doesn’t have the blessing of having grandchildren, but his grandchildren can be considered as my own great-grandchildren!” The more Cui Guoqiang spoke, the more smug he became, not caring at all about how shameless he was acting.

Cui Guoqiang wanted to see his old comrade-in-arms. He had so much to tell Sun Jianping. His body, which had just felt extremely fatigued, was instantly revitalized the moment he received news of his comrade!

“Please this way.” Xu Yao looked at the cheerful old man with a complex expression as she led him to board her private plane.

Cui Guoqiang was particularly eager to meet his old comrade. While fighting fires, he often heard young people mention the name “Xu Yao,” and she was definitely a very good and kind-hearted child. So when Xu Yao invited him, he did not refuse.

Cui Guoqiang thanked Xu Yao for taking him to see his comrade. He followed her to the private plane’s landing area and saw other planes parked not far away. They didn’t look like they were just sitting idle as each cockpit had pilots in them, seemingly ready for takeoff.

Old Cui Guoqiang marveled at how cool these planes were, wishing they had existed in his earlier days.

Cui Guoqiang asked, “Are all these planes going too? Just one aircraft is more than enough for us.”

The plane’s cabin already felt spacious to him, and there was plenty of room for more people. As an old man who had lived through that era, frugality was ingrained into his very bones.

“The other planes will go as well.” Xu Yao nodded. She had impulsively decided to buy a bunch of private planes, but now, they finally had a real purpose. 

Xu Yao softly said, “To escort you.”

---

cue chinese national anthem bc i’m feeling patrioticccccc the motherland causes me to shed tears once more QAQ

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. “Lost generation” originally refers to the group of young people disillusioned after World War I, popularized by writers like Ernest Hemingway. In this instance, it’s used more loosely to describe a younger generation perceived as lacking drive, resilience, or a sense of responsibility. ↩︎
2. The idiom “锦上添花，雪中送炭” literally means “adding flowers to brocade” and “sending charcoal in the snow.” It contrasts two kinds of help: the former refers to offering extra embellishment when things are already going well, while the latter describes providing timely aid in moments of real hardship. In Chinese culture, “sending charcoal in the snow” is especially valued, as it signifies meaningful support when it is most needed. ↩︎
3. This isn’t to indiscriminately bash celebrities but rather netizens highlighting the hypocrisy behind a donation that wouldn’t even cover the trending topic the artist’s team would buy to highlight that celebrity’s act of donation. How can your donation be even less than the amount of money spent to promote yourself to the public? That’s the general sentiment. ↩︎
4. The phrase “不能让英雄流血又流泪” literally means “we must not let heroes both bleed and shed tears.” It conveys the idea that those who have already sacrificed for others—especially in service, war, or crisis—should not be left to suffer further injustice, neglect, or emotional pain. It reflects a strong cultural emphasis on repaying sacrifice with care, respect, and support. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Xu Yao was so shocked by Ji Zhengqing’s wealthy aura that she momentarily froze into a pillar, rooted to the spot.

I-It can’t be, right?! Handing over the ownership of the Ji family’s share of the Lipana Islands as an engagement gift to her?

This isn’t just a small island, but an archipelago, you know?! 

The Lipana Islands consist of more than a dozen islands, with the Ji family owning seven or eight of them. And now Ji Zhengqing has just given her several of those islands!

Xu Yao roughly knew the prices of these islands. She had heard that even the smallest island in the archipelago was acquired for several hundred million, while the larger islands were even more expensive.

Which man could be so generous? It’s just an engagement—they haven’t even gotten a marriage certificate yet—and he actually gifts her a few islands?

In an instant, the importance of Ji Group Tower in Xu Yao’s heart plummeted.

At that moment, Xu Yao felt extremely ashamed for having previously complained in her heart about Ji Zhengqing being stingy.

Xu Yao’s inner self was deeply repenting.

I’m sorry, fiancé, I underestimated you, I was wrong! I admit my mistake!

Little 6 was incredulous: […How can someone who’s even more extravagant than the host possibly exist in this world?!]

Retirement Assistant Little 6, usually didn’t make an appearance unless necessary, but now, its system was once again running another detection scan.

What is the host doing in this world? It’s to enjoy a happy retirement! She should be the happiest and most extravagant person in this world!

Yet, unexpectedly, a Ji Zhengqing appeared, who was even more extravagant than the host. What does this indicate? It indicates that the host is not living as well as she should be in this retirement world. How could that be acceptable?

Little 6 immediately reported: [Ding! It has been automatically detected that the host has not reached the perfect retirement standard in this world. The Quick Transmigration Bureau feels deeply ashamed and will issue an additional pension of 100 million next month.]

Xu Yao: “!!!”

What kind of unexpected joy is this?

Xu Yao’s gaze towards Ji Zhengqing changed completely. What kind of divine fiancé is this? Not only is he generous, but he can also help her continuously reap benefits from the Quick Transmigration Bureau.

Giving her an entire archipelago as an engagement gift… Xu Yao’s eyes seemed to bore a hole through Ji Zhengqing, almost desperately wanting to ask him when they could get married!

“Don’t you like it?” Ji Zhengqing noticed Xu Yao staring at him without taking the envelope in his hand.

Ji Zhengqing caught a glimpse of the border collie and husky chasing and playing in the preparation room and said awkwardly, “Raising pandas isn’t possible, so I can only make do with this.”

Make do? Is this what he means by making do?

Xu Yao decisively reached out to take the envelope, revealing her sweetest smile. “No need, I like it very much.”

Who wouldn’t like an island? Especially a group of islands!

“So… when the engagement banquet is held later, I might have to…” Ji Zhengqing cleared his throat, “kiss you.”

The guests invited are all friends and family of the two, and friends naturally don’t have the caution and restraint that others have when encountering President Ji in the business world. So it’s almost certain that there will definitely be someone urging them to kiss.

As a mutual friend of the two, Xie Zhengtian would most definitely take the lead in that!

“Is there anything you can’t accept?” Ji Zhengqing sought Xu Yao’s opinion.

Xu Yao: “How many minutes do you want to kiss?” If it doesn’t leave her lips swollen, she’d feel uneasy accepting that engagement gift.

Ji Zhengqing: “…?” How many minutes? How many minutes does she want to kiss?

Xu Yao noticed the fleeting shock in Ji Zhengqing’s dark eyes. She stepped closer to him in her diamond-studded high heels and asked, “Right, just a quick peck doesn’t really count as a kiss, right? We’re not elementary school students anymore. A few minutes should be fine, right? And it needs to be deep—”

Before Xu Yao could finish her sentence, a knock at the door interrupted her spell-casting. Xu Jing stood awkwardly at the door and said, “Sorry to interrupt.”

Xu Jing felt a pang of heartache. He had only just reunited with his younger sister not too long ago, yet she was already engaged to his best friend today. It seemed like they were getting along particularly well. With an engagement, marriage would be inevitable, and just thinking about it made him feel frustrated.

Xu Yao originally wanted to discuss how to kiss at the engagement banquet with Ji Zhengqing, but upon seeing Xu Jing enter, dressed in a dark gray suit and looking exceptionally handsome, she ignored the awkward look on his face and approached him. “Brother, what are you doing here?”

Xu Jing looked down at the envelope in her hand and smiled. “Is this from Zhengqing?”

Xu Yao nodded. “It is! Now the ownership of the Lipana Islands is entirely in the hands of our family, the Xus.”

The Lipana Islands were purchased jointly by the Ji and Xu families. Since Ji Zhengqing gave them all away, they naturally belonged entirely to the Xu family.

Xu Jing smiled and snapped his fingers. “Lu Ye.”

Lu Ye quietly slipped in through the door and greeted President Xu. Xu Jing originally wanted to reach out and ruffle Xu Yao’s hair, but seeing her looking so beautiful in her engagement gown, he withdrew his hand and tucked it back in his suit pocket.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll also give you the remaining islands in the Lipana Islands that belong to the Xu family. Once we return, I’ll transfer them to your name,” Xu Jing said with a doting smile. “My beloved Yaoyao, congratulations on your engagement.”

Xu Yao had only initially owned a few villas on one of the small islands in the Lipana Islands. The rest still belonged to the Xu family.

But now—

Xu Yao wanted to scream!

She had become the sole owner of the Lipana Islands!

At first, she only owned a tiny fraction, but within just a few minutes, she now owned all of it.

“Ah, thank you, Brother. I love it so much.” Xu Yao was so happy she felt like she was about to faint. All she could think about now was getting married right away.

Marrying Ji Zhengqing, I’ll become the happiest woman alive, hahaha.

Aside from the day she inherited her fortune, Xu Yao had never been this happy before. As a result, she threw herself directly into Xu Jing’s arms.

Xu Jing gently patted Xu Yao’s shoulder, and exchanged a glance with Ji Zhengqing that seemed to silently warn him to treat Xu Yao better in the future.

Ji Zhengqing remained silent. Having his friend who was the richest man become his brother-in-law was making it harder and harder to deal with him.

Originally, giving Xu Yao the ownership of the Ji family’s islands in the Lipana Islands as an engagement gift was something he had thought long and hard about. But now that her brother had also given her the same gift, Ji Zhengqing felt that it suddenly didn’t seem so impressive anymore.

*

The reality show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years has recently gained some popularity online, with many netizens following the “Double Cui” couple.

Compared to Zuo Ning’s Yin Fate and Ming Chan’s game Shining Star, Hand in Hand in Our Later Years pales in comparison.

Zuo Ning’s short drama completely opened up the short drama market in Hua Country, becoming the pioneer of short dramas. Now, major platforms are all producing short dramas, with various innovative short dramas that have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, appearing in front of the audience in just a few months.

Short dramas are concise and to the point, with every line of dialogue being refined, making them much more appealing than the lengthy dramas that feel somewhat tedious.

As for Ming Chan’s game Shining Star, it goes without saying; it’s a game so popular that it forces foreign wealthy second-generation heirs to find translators just to play it, and it has already become a global sensation.

In comparison, Hand in Hand in Our Later Years, which has only achieved minor success, really pales in comparison.

Many people felt that Xu Yao had finally stumbled, secretly enjoying the spectacle.

But for Zhao Haisheng, this was already the best achievement he had made in the entertainment industry in his entire life!

Many netizens were searching for the “Lipana Islands,” wondering what it was and why the production team chose to film there. However, there was very little information about it online, with only a handful of pictures available, which is hardly enough.

Liu Yingxia and her ten junior colleagues were the first to set foot on the island. They had been given limited screen time by the production team, but since they had all signed contracts, they still had to participate in the show.

So Liu Yingxia and her juniors had the task of—

Being the first to arrive at the Lipana Islands so they could set up a date venue for their grandparents.

Azure seas and blue skies blend into one at the horizon. Seabirds occasionally skim across the water, and unlike crowded tourist hotspots, the water here is crystal clear, and you can see straight to the bottom. Even the air feels fresher. Not far behind the private beach stand several villas, each in a different architectural style.

As soon as they disembarked from the boat, a guest exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful! With so few people here, it’s even more enjoyable.”

“I heard that the villas on this island belong to a single island owner,” a young guest with more knowledge gossiped. “How rich must they be?”

“I just saw a lot of luxury yachts heading to other islands. Are there still people here?” another girl asked curiously.

Grandma Zhou Cuilan’s grandnephew whispered, “I heard that a big shot is hosting a gathering on that island over there. Apparently a lot of other tycoons have already gone over.”

Liu Yingxia’s gloomy mood was instantly lifted, and she felt elated.

To own a small island like this means the owner is truly wealthy. After all, while real estate can be purchased easily, ownership of such a small island can only be obtained through auction, requiring various connections.

With Xu Yao, this retired celebrity, now trending all day, Liu Yingxia could only hope that once this episode aired, this mysterious healthy island owner could somehow suppress Xu Yao’s popularity.

The current Weibo was now littered with Xu Yao’s posts, making it seem like she was the only rich person in the world, which was quite ridiculous.

A butler in a tailcoat emerged from the villa, bowing deeply to them with a respectful smile as he said, “Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I am the island’s butler. Please let us know immediately if you need anything.”

They first went to store their luggage. Liu Yingxia checked into an enormous sea-view room, with the sea breeze gently blowing the sheer curtains. She thought of the scorching 40°C heat back home. Here, she could truly experience a joyful vacation.

Liu Yingxia walked to the balcony of her sea-view room, wanting to take a selfie. It was so beautiful here, even a few random photos should easily turn out perfect, right?

As soon as Liu Yingxia stepped onto the balcony and looked at the tall coconut trees by the coast, she was astonished to see several luxury yachts anchored nearby!

Not just one, but dozens!

Even a wealthy second-generation rich kid with a single luxury yacht could flaunt it around extravagantly, and here there were dozens more.

Liu Yingxia instinctively checked the prices on her phone and gasped. The prices were so high that even someone in the entertainment industry like her found them exorbitant. How wealthy must this island owner be… 

Looking at those luxury yachts, Liu Yingxia suddenly had an idea—

If she could take one of those luxury yachts out to sea, the photos would surely turn out amazing, right?

Even being able to take a yacht trip to that island full of big shots would be quite nice. After all, most female celebrities in the entertainment industry still hoped to break into that circle.

With this thought in mind, Liu Yingxia went downstairs, intending to consult the butler, when she noticed the filming crew not far away. She instinctively straightened her posture.

“Excuse me, do we have livestreaming cameras?” Liu Yingxia asked the filming crew with a smile.

The cameraman suddenly felt a bit awkward and stammered out an excuse, “You all came to the island early to set up a date venue for your grandparents. If we had live streaming cameras, the details might easily leak, and there would be no sense of anticipation, so we’re just filming.”

In short, there were no livestreaming cameras, and they would just edit the footage later.

Liu Yingxia knew this was just an excuse. Wasn’t it just because Xu Yao had limited their exposure rate?

She replied coldly with an “Oh” and went off to wander around, thinking about how to set up the date venue.

Even if it was just for show, she still needed to make a simple arrangement. Liu Yingxia also asked the production staff to help her bring down the prepared packages.

Inside were balloons of various colors and shapes, an air pump, various stickers, and most importantly—

She had prepared a drone!

Although she didn’t like her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang, she thought that to win the audience’s favor, she had to start from these small details. If the date venue was arranged well, it might even attract her some fans.

This drone could fly up to ten kilometers!

Although it was true that this was an archipelago, the nearest islands might only be one or two kilometers away.

Liu Yingxia smiled at the camera and said, “I prepared a drone for Grand-uncle and Grandma Cuilan. That way, I can capture their most beautiful moments with its 360° lens.”

The planning department of the production team was touched by the effort Liu Yingxia had put in, especially with her preparation of the drone for her grandparents.

Although the production team also had professional drones for filming, preparing one herself carried a different meaning and showed her thoughtfulness.

“How about we discuss it with Director Zhao? We could start the livestreaming cameras for the celebrity guests too, right? After all, they don’t have much preparation time, and the later parts will be mostly about the elderly guests anyway.”

After discussing with Zhao Haisheng, he also found it made sense. After all, most of the viewers watching variety shows were young people, and they were all the type that were eager for proposals and such. Starting the livestreaming cameras would foster a sense of involvement with the netizens.

The production team started a livestream, and soon, many netizens flooded in, eager to see the juniors help their grandparents set up the date venue.

[Ahhh my Yingxia is working so hard! Did she blow up all those balloons by herself? So impressive!]

[The decorations are a bit cliché, but you can’t deny Liu Yingxia’s sincerity.]

[The Lipana Islands are seriously beautiful—this is what rich people’s happiness looks like, owning a private island and not having to squeeze around with tourists.]

[? Do the guests not know the livestream has started? If she didn’t know and still worked this hard, that’s honestly pretty impressive.]

The production team was just about to inform Liu Yingxia that they had livestreaming cameras, when she saw the villa’s butler passing by and suddenly threw away the air pump in her hand to head over. “Butler, could you please help me contact the island owner? I have a request for him.”

The butler didn’t expect Liu Yingxia to make such a request, but recalling that Miss Xu Yao had instructed him to take good care of the guests, he thought for a moment. Since Liu Yingxia didn’t have her contact information, he took out his phone to dial a number for her.

The viewers in the livestream immediately got all excited!

[My goodness, Yingxia’s really got some skills! She actually got the opportunity to talk to the island owner! This owner must be insanely rich.]

[Now let’s see what a real wealthy person rich enough to own a private island looks like.]

[Wow, the person above is being so sarcastic. Saying only private island owners count as being truly rich—aren’t you just throwing shade at Xu Yao? A landlady pulling in billions a month isn’t rich? I’m about to die laughing hahaha.]

[Well, these kinds of private islands can’t be bought without having the money or right connections.]

The livestream was in an uproar, and since the production team saw that Liu Yingxia was on the phone, they didn’t go over to remind her.

The call soon connected, and Liu Yingxia, suppressing her excitement, spoke up first, her clear voice sounding as if it had been deliberately sweetened as she said coquettishly, “Hello, Mr. Island Owner, I’m Liu Yingxia. Could you please lend me one of the luxury yachts in the villa? That way, it’ll be convenient for my grand-uncle and grandma to go out to sea for a date.”

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the call.

Knowing there were no livestream cameras, Liu Yingxia became even more unrestrained, pleading, “Mr. Island Owner, please, please.”

Just as the viewers in the livestream were marveling over how Liu Yingxia could act so coquettishly in private, a voice came from the other end—a voice so familiar it was terrifying.

Xu Yao rejected her decisively, “No.”

The smile on Liu Yingxia’s face completely froze and became stiff, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Wait… wait a minute!

Why does this voice sound so much like Xu Yao’s?

Liu Yingxia seemed to be hit by a huge shock, her voice unconsciously rising several pitches, “Xu Yao? How could it be you?”

Xu Yao smiled slightly. “Because all the villas on the island belong to me.”

Because the production team rented her villa.

Liu Yingxia: “……”

The number of viewers in the livestream instantly skyrocketed as the netizens went crazy with this information.

[Xu Yao? The owner of the Lipana Islands is Xu Yao? Holy shit!]

[Liu Yingxia’s fans must be so embarrassed they could die on the spot right now. Xu Yao is just that rich person. Not only does she have so many properties, but she also has an island! Can someone help me out here?]

[I’ve lost all fondness for LYX now. She called the island owner ‘Mr.’, subconsciously assuming that the owner must be a man—like rich people don’t have daughters? Or does she subconsciously think the possibility of women becoming rich is lower than that of men? This makes me a bit uncomfortable.]

[+1, yeah, that did make me quite uncomfortable. Also, I’m already bowing down to Sister Yao, your properties are seriously on another level…]

Xu Yao was making her final preparations, looking at herself in the mirror as she said slowly, “As far as I know, Miss Liu, neither you grand-uncle nor Grandma Cuilan are good swimmers, right? So are you sure they would enjoy going out to sea for a date?”

Liu Yingxia was left so speechless she couldn’t utter another word, “…”

[Speechless. I’m genuinely speechless. Liu Yingxia clearly just wanted to borrow a luxury yacht for herself and used her grand-uncle as an excuse—this is such a turn-off.]

[What wouldn’t Liu Yingxia do for fame? Back then she let Xu Yao take the blame to avoid losing fans over a relationship, and now she’s dragging along a grand-uncle she barely even knows onto a show. I’m done.]

[Told you—stanning Xu Yao the landlady won’t backfire, but stanning an entertainment industry actress will sooner or later. Liu Yingxia’s public persona is starting to crack.]

The livestream was in chaos, and the netizens were truly speechless at Liu Yingxia’s actions. While others went on a show to gain fans, she was actually losing them!

Liu Yingxia suddenly didn’t know what to say. This private island actually belonged to Xu Yao. It was as if she had discovered an invisible, insurmountable chasm between them. She planned to hang up the phone.

Just as she was about to press the end-call button, a voice suddenly came from the other end, “Yaoyao, you’re the star of today’s engagement banquet. Don’t be late.”

Xu Yao then decisively hung up the phone.

The netizens were immediately stirred into another frenzy. What did that last sentence mean? The star of the engagement banquet?

#XuYaoEngagement almost immediately became a trending topic on Weibo right after the call ended, skyrocketing to the top of the trending search list!

Rumour had it that numerous tycoons were all secretly arriving at the Lipana Islands today, with most ordinary people thinking it was just another casual gathering of the wealthy.

But the actual answer???

Xu Yao was getting engaged!

Xu Yao was holding an engagement banquet? Oh my god, what sort of breaking news is this?

Because there were no pictures to prove it, netizens began spontaneously digging for various details, checking the schedules of Xu Yao’s friends Qu Xi and Ming Chan for the past two days. In the end, they uncovered that they had both pushed aside work to take personal leave.

Director Zuo Ning?

Director Zuo Ning and Ran Lingfeng also took two days off for personal matters.

And the talented junior student Yan Xiang seemed to have taken leave from the company as well… 

The more they dug, the scarier it became. They were all away for personal matters, and was it so coincidental that they all landed on this very day?

On the other side, Qu Xi looked at Xu Yao in confusion, not quite understanding why Xu Yao suddenly hung up the phone.

Xu Yao told Qu Xi it was nothing, smiling as she lifted her dress and walked out of the preparation room. She exchanged smiles with Ji Zhengqing, who had been waiting for her for a long time. She stepped forward and took the man’s arm, and the two walked out together.

They held the engagement banquet in the woods by the beach, surrounded by friends and family from both sides.

Engagements are not as complicated as weddings, and since Xu Yao had no close relatives except for her brother, it became even simpler. Xu Yao was formally introduced to Ji Zhengqing’s parents by him and also received a red envelope.

The border collie designated to deliver the engagement ring took a few steps but was unwilling to move, while the other husky treated the box containing the engagement ring as a toy ball, running around the banquet and causing everyone to laugh.

Xu Yao silently looked at Ji Zhengqing.

“Brother Zhengqing, future sister-in-law, the ring.” It was still Xie Zhengtian who rushed over to snatch the ring box from the husky’s mouth and handed it over.

As the two put on their engagement rings for each other, Xie Zhengtian immediately urged them to kiss, and the surrounding crowd erupted in friendly applause.

Xu Yao tilted her head slightly and had a clear view of the handsome man in front of her blushing red right down to his earlobes.

A kiss!

Exchanging a kiss to become the owner of an archipelago was quite a bargain.

Xu Yao’s mind raced with wild thoughts, but when Ji Zhengqing truly leaned in towards her lips, her heartbeat involuntarily quickened. She caught a faint scent of magnolia on him and felt his breath brush against her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes.

He turned slightly and wrapped Xu Yao in his embrace, shielding her from view as his lips landed at the corner of her mouth. The perfect blend of ambiguity and the retreat he reserved for her intertwined wildly. Xu Yao’s curled eyelashes fluttered violently and she opened her eyes abruptly.

Ji Zhengqing’s lips moved to her ear, his gentle and polite voice sounding as if he was barely holding himself back, “This is already perfect, Yaoyao.”

Xu Yao grasped the hem of Ji Zhengqing’s shirt and caught a glimpse of the soft light illuminating his profile. Something in her heart seemed to flutter slightly.

She thought kissing was a necessary step, and had already accepted it before coming out, but Ji Zhengqing suddenly took a step back for her.

Xu Yao curled her lips and nodded at him.

“Hello, fiancé.”

From today on, he was truly her fiancé.

Ji Zhengqing smiled and called her, “Fiancée.”

“A drone has been captured.” A member of the security team reported immediately after bringing it down, promptly informing Lu Ye.

Lu Ye’s eyes sharpened in an instant as he stepped out of the engagement banquet, whispering, “How could there be a drone?”

The head of the security team was quite intimidated by Lu Ye’s imposing presence, lowering his head and saying, “Miss Xu Yao mentioned earlier that the production team might use drones to film the scenery on the islands these few days, so we were told not to worry.”

But they hadn’t expected the drone to be so reckless and fly so close just now!

Lu Ye frowned slightly. Although Director Zhao wasn’t the most capable, he certainly understood the rules well. The arrangement for the drones should have been solely for filming scenery, making it unlikely for it to approach recklessly. It must have been done by some of the other younger guests.

Liu Yingxia’s drone was shot down, but it didn’t prevent them from seeing what they saw before the footage disappeared. Although the footage filmed was very distant and even quite blurry, it was clear that it was Xu Yao.

Amidst the crowd, Xu Yao appeared in a gorgeous gown, where she was being embraced and kissed by a tall man in a suit.

It really was Xu Yao!

[I’m completely heartbroken, I want to jump into the river. My beloved landlady is engaged! Which dog of a man stole my wife?!]

[That guy must be pretty decent, right? He looks handsome at first glance—just not sure if he’s a kept pretty boy.]

[Suspecting he’s a kept boytoy +1. Maybe Xu Yao is keeping the engagement secret to protect him—after all, she’s insanely rich now, a landlady who even owns private islands!]

[If Sister Yao wants a pretty boy, I can do it too—I’m versatile, can act cool or cute, and I’ve got a six-pack.]

[I don’t know about anything else, but Liu Yingxia is definitely screwed. The production crew’s drone was filming scenery, and she actually got close to the island where Xu Yao was getting engaged. So annoying. Hope she doesn’t drag Grandpa Cui down with her.]

[+1, if Liu Yingxia wants to self-destruct, fine, but don’t involve Grandpa Cui. My lifelong wish is for the Double Cui ship to get married—I’m just waiting for Grandpa Cui’s island proposal!]

[Am I the only one who’s curious? In weather this hot, isn’t it unbearable to hold an engagement ceremony outdoors? Won’t Yaoyao’s makeup melt? Just curious.]

[Replying to the above: there are air conditioners you can install outdoors now. Yep, you heard that right—outdoor AC units.]

Isn’t the weather very hot right now? It’s so dry it could even catch fire at any moment.

But the rich are different. They can install air conditioning units outdoors, keeping the surrounding temperature around 24°.

Countless netizens were stunned by this news. Is this the world of a wealthy landlady?

Holding the perfect engagement banquet on the beach outdoors is one thing, but installing air conditioning outdoors to cool it down is really something else!

#XuYaoEngagement shot straight to the top of the trending searches, with countless netizens heartbroken, furiously cursing the man who secretly got engaged to Xu Yao as a kept pretty boy living off her.

Rumour had it that the island where the engagement banquet is held now belongs to Xu Yao. The entire archipelago belongs to Xu Yao!

A proper man getting married and holding an engagement banquet would, in any case, fund it himself, right? 

This pretty boy is really something, holding the banquet on Xu Yao’s island, and contributing nothing but his presence? No matter how handsome he is, he’s still just a pretty boy that everyone hates.

*

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:

There were also concerns that Liu Yingxia’s reckless actions would implicate Grandpa Cui Guoqiang. Liu Yingxia’s impulsive move led her to a dark fate, leaving countless former fans in awe, even expressing their inability to accept the turn from support to disdain.

When Liu Yingxia heard that she had been livestreaming, she felt her vision go dark.

Xu Yao had become popular again because of the mysterious Lipana Islands, where she owned an island and generously rented it to the production crew for filming.

When an ordinary person secretly got engaged, it went viral, directly jumping to the top of the trending searches, but as for her? She’s doomed.

Liu Yingxia was in a complete panic, her mind blanking. After hearing that last sentence before the call was disconnected, she could only think of one thing—she had to see if it was true.

Is Xu Yao the owner of the island? Did Xu Yao really get engaged on the island, with countless big shots coming to congratulate her?

It was true—Xu Yao, this landlady, had extended her rental range to such an exaggerated extent as owning an island!

Now, as Liu Yingxia watched her followers on Weibo plummet, losing hundreds in a second, her heart ached to the extreme.

Losing followers was one thing, but the drone being shot down indicated that the security there was already aware of her infringement. Xu Yao had an elite legal team that was practically invincible. Attorney Pan and Attorney Yao were at a terrifying level, capable of even taking on two listed companies and winning.

What should she do now?

Liu Yingxia’s mind was racing, and the only thought she could come up with was her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang.

Yes, Cui Guoqiang was Xu Yao’s tenant, and Xu Yao invested in the show, Hand in Hand in Our Later Years to support Cui Guoqiang.

As long as she could get her grand-uncle’s help, perhaps things could still turn around.

Liu Yingxia’s long hair was blown into disarray by the sea breeze, but she was in no mood to tidy it up. She immediately dialed her grand-uncle Cui Guoqiang’s old mobile phone.

“Grand-uncle, have you come to the island yet?”

Cui Guoqiang looked at the old lady beside him, who was wearing a fashionable straw hat and smiling joyfully. He grinned, showing his teeth, and said, “Not yet, but we’ll be getting ready to come soon.”

They had already arrived in the city for the trip to the island, and were just waiting to set sail.

Cui Guoqiang was extremely excited. He had already thought about what he wanted to say to Zhou Cuilan on the island, words he had delayed saying for decades. He had never considered finding a partner before, but now, he really wanted to ask Zhou Cuilan if she could be his partner for life.

They couldn’t stay together in their youth, but they had the chance to hold hands in their old age. It was fate that allowed them to leave without any regrets.

Cui Guoqiang had many things he wanted to do on the island. Although he was just a clueless old man who didn’t understand romance, he could still try to be romantic.

After all, he had learned quickly, even when he first held a machine gun!

This was just a small seaside town, but it was considered a tourist destination because of its close access to the sea and the beautiful views.

This area included both the mountains and the sea, with a densely forested mountain situated behind the town.

Liu Yingxia couldn’t help but say, “Then you should come over sooner, Grand-uncle.”

At that moment, the weather was unbearably hot. Cui Guoqiang felt sorry for Cuilan being exposed to the sun, so he decided to go to the island with the production team later on in the day and ended the call with Liu Yingxia.

Cui Guoqiang felt like a young boy again, and after a long mental preparation, he called out loudly to Zhou Cuilan, “Comrade Zhou Cuilan, would you like to go on a… a date with me to the island?”

Grandma Cuilan’s face also turned red with embarrassment.

Before she could respond, someone shouted, “Emergency, emergency! A wildfire has broken out!”

Everyone around them was startled as they saw someone run frantically from a distance, shouting about a wildfire.

Recently, the weather has been dry as bone, with temperatures reaching a terrifyingly high level. Only a spark was needed to ignite a fire in the forest.

“I heard someone was smoking on the mountain and carelessly threw away their cigarette butt. Why do these damned people throw their cigarette butts around like that?”

An experienced elder ran by, saying, “The weather is just too hot. It was only a matter of time before a wildfire broke out.”

Cui Guoqiang stared at the distant mountain, and even his cloudy eyes could see the terrifying flames rising from the mountain, the choking smoke billowing into the sky.

Someone from the production team reacted quickly and shouted, “Quick, call the fire department! The fire is too big!”

With the scorching heat and not a drop of rain from heaven, the fire spread rapidly in the mountains. This urgent news overshadowed the engagement announcement of Xu Yao, becoming the new top trending topic, with countless netizens expressing concern for the local residents.

Cui Guoqiang heard them say, “We need to arrange for the tourists in the scenic area to evacuate, with the residents of the town at the foot of the mountain also evacuating.”

Even though they were still far away, it felt as if the flames were rushing towards them, their skin burning uncomfortably, as if it were being roasted over a fire.

Cui Guoqiang watched as many people quickly retreated with the help of the officials. Some children lost their shoes in their haste and cried out in pain as their bare feet touched the scorching pavement.

Men were helping women carry bags and flee in the opposite direction, with women crying in despair, “My house! I just renovated my house last year!”

It was chaotic, and the scene was extremely disordered.

Some were fleeing for their lives, while others were moving against the wind.

What was more important—going on a date to the island or saving those lives? Cui Guoqiang could make that choice in an instant.

He was a soldier!

Even if he was just a retired veteran!

He might not have the strength of his youth, but saving one person was still saving another life.

Cui Guoqiang looked at those moving against the tide, his sense of honor and shame overwhelming him. When he made his decision, he turned to look at Zhou Cuilan, but couldn’t find the words to speak.

This scene was so reminiscent of what happened decades ago when he had told Cuilan to wait for him by the locust tree. But she waited all night but never saw him return.

Grandma Cuilan looked at Cui Guoqiang with a gentle smile and took the initiative to ask, “Didn’t you ask me before if I’d be willing to go on an island date with you?”

She continued, “Old man, I’m not willing to go now.”

Cui Guoqiang’s eyes instantly reddened. Staring at the flames filling the sky, only one thought remained in his mind—

The people’s interests must always come above all else.

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Under Lu Ye’s protection, Xu Yao went to the zoo in the capital. Perhaps because it was summer vacation, the zoo was bustling with crowds, filled with tourists constantly coming and going.

The panda inside is the star animal of the zoo, attracting a large crowd of visitors.

Through the glass, Xu Yao watched the black-and-white creature inside. Someone nearby was shouting, “sunny, cheerful boy,” while all around her were the constant clicks of cameras, bursts of excited cheers from visitors, and the occasional shout from security trying to keep things under control.

“It’s really too cute,” Xu Yao said, wearing sunglasses and a mask, as she stared at the adorable panda in the air-conditioned room. She couldn’t contain her excitement and resorted to posting it on her social media.

After watching for a while, Xu Yao reluctantly gave up her spot to other visitors and continued to explore the zoo with Lu Ye.

Lu Ye walked behind Xu Yao, holding a small electric fan and directing the breeze towards her.

Noticing the sweat rolling down his neatly cropped hair, Xu Yao suggested he use the fan for himself, but Lu Ye remained unfazed, as if he hadn’t heard her, still holding the fan towards her.

“The weather now is too hot, we’ll need to be mindful of heatstroke,” Xu Yao said, upon recalling her employees who had to constantly run around to collect rent and reminded him, “Make sure to inform the production team to be cautious of fire hazards in this dry weather, and also provide them with some heatstroke allowance for the team members.”

Once summer temperatures rise, the risk of fire increases significantly. Xu Yao still remembered how the author had casually mentioned Old Master Cui Guoqiang’s cause of death during his funeral in the original novel. It had happened through a conversation Liu Yingxia had with the original male lead, and it seemed to have been related to a fire.

Lu Ye nodded, indicating he had noted it down.

“Miss Yaoyao, do you really like that panda?” Lu Ye suddenly asked her.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like pandas? It’s not just that one, but all the other pandas are cute too,” Xu Yao replied with a smile, even taking Lu Ye to buy some panda-themed merchandise to satisfy her affection.

If it weren’t for the risk of getting hauled into the station for a “chat,” most netizens—including Xu Yao—have probably fantasized about keeping one of those black-and-white national treasures as a pet.

“Although pandas can’t be kept as pets, they can still be adopted,” said Lu Ye.

Adopting a panda doesn’t mean purchasing a national treasure outright either. Rather, the adopter gains visitation rights and can be constantly notified about the panda, with some even gaining the right to name it. The adoption fee often goes entirely toward the panda’s care.

Xu Yao was taken aback and then gave Lu Ye a thumbs up. That was a pretty good idea.

After touring the zoo, they hurried home. Xu Yao felt the heat was unbearable and checked the weather forecast, noting that temperatures in many areas had already reached over 40°C.

[Ji Zhengqing: Yaoyao, what are your thoughts on having a dog deliver the engagement ring?]

As someone who had come to this world to retire, Xu Yao was very open to the idea of having pets. After all, who didn’t love furry creatures?

The engagement ceremony was set to take place in just a few days, and many friends had already received their invitations.

Xu Yao quickly replied that it was a great idea, and Ji Zhengqing immediately sent her two pictures to choose from: one was a very clever-looking black-and-white border collie, while the other was a husky with clear and silly eyes.

Xu Yao: “…”

Wait a minute, no, the post she had made on WeChat Moments, “I really want to raise a black-and-white furry creature,” was referring to a panda!

*

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:

“Miss Xu Yao is truly considerate towards our production team, even calling to remind us to be cautious of fire hazards in the filming studio,” said Zhao Haisheng, looking at the several large insulated foam boxes in front of him filled with ice drinks that had just been delivered, feeling so moved he was almost about to cry.

Zhao Haisheng immediately arranged for the staff to check the surroundings thoroughly, ensuring that there would be no chance of any electrical fires.

The more preferentially Xu Yao treated them, the more worried Director Zhao became. With Sister Yao investing so much money, could he successfully push Old Master Cui Guoqiang into the spotlight while still maintaining the show’s popularity? Director Zhao suddenly felt uncertain.

“Alright, alright, the premiere is about to start, everyone take your positions.”

This variety show was an online program, presented to the audience through a combination of livestreaming and post-production editing. As the show began, viewers flooded into the livestream. The online audience wasn’t shockingly large, but it wasn’t insignificant either.

“Can’t we get even a bit of screen time on the livestream?” Liu Yingxia, seated in the juniors’ section, asked softly as she watched the camera stay fixed on the backstage. Aside from the brief ten-odd seconds during introductions, they hadn’t gotten any screen time at all!

A staff member replied apologetically, “That’s how it is for now.”

Liu Yingxia suppressed her frustration and sat gloomily in her seat. So what were they doing now? Despite not having a camera follow them, they still had to sit there without being able to use their phones, feeling as if they were in prison.

Since there were no live cameras on them, the younger generation became much bolder. One girl whispered to Liu Yingxia, “Teacher Liu, don’t you think this is just like getting paid to slack off? I think it’s pretty good.”

Liu Yingxia was speechless. She had always had lofty ambitions; she wanted to become a top star in the entertainment industry and even go global, not to be completely invisible sitting below like a complete nobody, which made her very uncomfortable.

Xu Yao seemed to know exactly what she wanted and deliberately teased and disgusted her with it.

“Old Master Cui, in a moment, you’ll introduce yourself on stage for three minutes, and then a female guest will light up her light for you. If you get chosen, you’ll form a ‘preliminary couple,'” a staff member said cheerfully to the nervous Old Master Cui Guoqiang in the preparation room.

Old Master Cui’s weathered face turned bright red, and his only healthy right hand nervously twisted the hem of his clothes.

How are today’s young people so bold? To think that dating could be done so openly now. Back in their day, matchmaking was done discreetly, and couples even walked far apart when together on the street.

Having lived a solitary life, Old Master Cui had no experience in such matters. The thought of so many elderly ladies waiting for him outside made him even more anxious.

[Hahaha Grandpa Cui is so cute! In the pilot episode, he looked so fierce doing military boxing, but now he’s so nervous he’s pacing all over the waiting room—such an adorable contrast!]

[How did Grandpa Cui’s left hand become disabled? I wonder if those grandmas will like him—after all, he’s missing a hand.]

[Look at Grandpa Cui—he’s in such great form for this matchmaking! And then there’s me… I go on blind dates every day and feel completely numb now. Every person I meet leaves me totally calm, no ripples at all.]

[Ahhh I’m worried about Grandpa Cui. It’s true Xu Yao is really promoting him, but among all the grandpas his overall conditions are probably the weakest, and his looks are pretty average too… Don’t come at me, I’m genuinely just worried about him QAQ]

Many netizens have a strong affection for retired veterans, so there are hardly any trolls in the livestream, and the comments are quite appropriate. Moreover, Director Zhao has specifically arranged for staff in the livestream to act as moderators; anyone who dares to speak nonsense will be directly muted without hesitation.

There are quite a few netizens in the livestream. Originally, based on Cui Guoqiang’s identity as an ordinary person, his livestream viewership should be the lowest among all the guests, but after the production team’s vigorous promotion, Grandpa Cui’s livestream is now among the top three in terms of online viewers.

“Young Lady, are there a lot of people watching the show?” Cui Guoqiang hurriedly asked upon seeing the staff member about to leave.

The staff member immediately stopped and taught Cui Guoqiang how to check the number of viewers in the livestream, which is now currently at around three to four hundred thousand.

Cui Guoqiang clicked his tongue in amazement, “So many people? That’s enough to form several armies.” Three to four hundred thousand is already considered quite a lot for Cui Guoqiang.

Outside, some of the other elderly men who were guests have already introduced themselves. Some old gentlemen are dressed in formal suits and ties, while others seriously recount their previous marital lives or directly lay out their requirements for their blind dates.

Light it up, light it up, light it up!

This program consists of ten elderly men and ten elderly women. These old ladies are all women who have experienced life, so they didn’t bother holding back at all when they complained.

The old ladies didn’t mince their words and continued to unreservedly gossip with the other old sisters present, “Coming in here and saying you want a well-maintained old lady, and that she must be under 65 years old. Why don’t they look at their own face that’s full of wrinkles, not to mention he’s not even 1.7 meters tall but still has the nerve to be so picky. I’m turning my light off!”

Another short-haired grandma chimed in with a sarcastic tone, “Five properties in the capital? Oh wow, how impressive, truly amazing. If those homes aren’t in my name, what’s the use? I’ve got seven or eight places in Haicheng myself! What’s with this light lighting up—don’t light up!”

“……”

[Hahaha, elderly matchmaking is just so realistic, not to mention it’s super blunt too. Honestly, why even bother finding a partner at this age?]

[Looking for a companion is totally normal, after all, everyone has their own emotional needs. And Grandpa Zhao Guoli is impressive! Seven grandmas lit up for him—that’s probably the most out of all the grandpas, right?]

[Grandpa Zhao’s already been married four times, how could he not be impressive? [doge¹]]

[Does anyone know who the second old lady from the left is? I’ve been watching from the start and she hasn’t lit up once, so I still haven’t even gotten a clear look at her face.]

Xu Yao was about to fly to the Lipana Islands for her engagement party and took a moment to check the variety show. This variety show hadn’t been mentioned in the original novel, so Xu Yao wasn’t very clear about what was going on.

Although all the elderly ladies who were guests were going crazy with the roasting, they were still participating and would choose to turn their lights on or off. Only the elderly lady in the left corner had never lit up her light. The dim lighting at the filming site also meant that many netizens throughout the show never knew who she was, making her seem as if she were isolated from the world.

[Found it—she’s Grandma Zhou Cuilan. She was a famous singer back in the last century. Apparently she had a fiancé who died young, and has remained unmarried ever since then.]

[My mom loves Grandma Cuilan’s songs, and we even still have her CDs at home. It’s totally normal for younger people not to recognize her.]

[She’s already come on the show, so isn’t it a bit much to never light up at all? At least give the other old men some face. Showing up but giving zero response, that’s unacceptable. Was she dragged here by her grandnephew or something?]

The grandnephew sitting below was startled by the comments and felt extremely wronged. It was clearly Grandma Cuilan who strongly requested him to bring her here, and he hadn’t forced his elder to participate in the show at all.

Xu Yao looked at the names in the comments and suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise. This grandma had appeared at Grandpa Cui Guoqiang’s funeral in the original novel!

Xu Yao suddenly realized something, and a hint of a smile appeared on her delicate face.

She hoped that Grandpa Cui Guoqiang could fulfill his wish and also truly find someone to share his later years with.

“Let’s go.” Ji Zhengqing reached out to help Xu Yao board the plane. Xu Yao’s gaze wandered around the interior of Ji Zhengqing’s private jet.

Just wait, her older brother had already bought her a private jet; she would soon have one too!

Grandpa Cui Guoqiang was reminded by the staff to prepare to enter, making the old man extremely nervous. He adjusted his clothes with one hand and walked out with his head held high and chest out.

Cui Guoqiang stood on stage, facing the microphone, and said grandly, “Hello everyone, my name is Cui Guoqiang, I am seventy-three years old, and I am a retired veteran.”

Cui Guoqiang paused for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed as he said, “I’m sorry everyone, I didn’t come to the show to find a partner; actually, I wanted to find someone…”

With a ding, someone on the far left, in the second position, suddenly lit up their light first.

An elderly woman with her hair styled in a bun smiled gently. She wore an elegant long dress, with a shawl draped over her arm, and wore a lustrous jade bracelet on her wrist. Truly not even time could defeat this beauty, and though her skin has developed wrinkles, her bone structure remains beautiful.

Cui Guoqiang looked at the old lady who lit up her light, his voice suddenly coming to a halt, his mind going blank.

Both the audience on-site as well as the netizens online were stunned. Someone had lit up their light so quickly!

[Grandma Zhou Cuilan, the singer, actually lit up her light? She didn’t light up for any of the previous seven grandpas, yet she lit up for Old Master Cui before he’d even spoken for half a minute…]

[AHHH, is this seriously not scripted? This feels straight out of a romance novel plot!]

[Hahaha Grandpa Cui is speechless, he got instantly proven wrong, huh? Didn’t he say he wasn’t looking for a partner?]

[Is Xu Yao helping Grandpa Cui because she wants to find him a companion? And the one he’s meant to find is Grandma Zhou Cuilan? This is such a novel-like storyline—I’m obsessed!]

[Replying to the above! So renting from Xu Yao = getting a partner thrown in? Xu Yao, my goddess!]

[Grandma Zhou Cuilan lit up? She didn’t light up for the previous seven grandpas, but Grandpa Cui Guoqiang hasn’t even spoken for half a minute and she lights up…]

A group of netizens started to cheer in the comments, all saying they wanted to rent Xu Yao’s house, waiting for her to arrange partners for them.

“Ding—”, “Ding—”!

One after another, the sound of lights lighting up followed, and after Grandma Zhou Cuilan, all the other grandmas followed suit, lighting up together and illuminating the program’s venue!

They all knew that Xu Yao strongly supported Old Master Cui Guoqiang, and they had to give her this face. But the most crucial point was that they had all experienced that era and held a stronger affection for retired veterans.

Ten old ladies, ten bright lights, all shining tonight for Cui Guoqiang!

Liu Yingxia watched on expressionlessly. This was definitely going to be an iconic scene from the show, but unfortunately, it all had nothing to do with her, not even appearing in a single camera shot.

However, the netizens in the livestream went wild.

[! All the lights are on! So much for my earlier worries, they were all total nonsense. These grandmas are really giving him face. Grandpa Cui is even more popular than Grandpa Zhao!]

[This is a plot straight out of a novel, seriously a novel plot. Grandpa Cui has so much presence—he must be able to brag about this to other old guys for the rest of his life, right? Every old lady seems to think he’s a catch! Grandpa Cui is amazing, hahaha!]

[Grandpa Cui, didn’t you say you weren’t looking for a partner? Don’t be polite and turn them down now! [doge holding a flower.jpg]]

[Just here to watch the fun: Grandpa Cui, hurry up and boldly turn them down! Even if all ten lights are on, reject them anyway, hahaha!]

The viewership of the livestream surged due to the ten lights all being lit up.

Old Master Cui Guoqiang’s face turned red, and he seemed to be completely bewildered, looking at the lights that were all on.

Could a disabled old man like him receive this kind of treatment? His conditions weren’t exactly that great, yet the old ladies had still lit up the lights for him?

Cui Guoqiang stared at the first old lady who lit a light for him, Grandma Zhou Cuilan. He scratched his gray hair and said uncertainly, “You look familiar. Have we met before?”

Look!

Look at how direct the elderly are in pursuing love!

So what if it’s a cliche pick-up line? As long as it works, it’s fine. Our Grandpa Cui Guoqiang is much better than the young people nowadays.

Zhou Cuilan smiled and said, “When I was young, I once went to Dawu Village in Qinglong Township as an educated youth. Back then, they liked to call me Little Cui.”

Cui Guoqiang was completely stunned. The microphone in his hand dropped with a heavy clatter onto the floor, yet his aged, clouded eyes didn’t shift away from Grandma Cuilan for even a second.

Little Cui…

Little Cui!

His mind, which had long since grown forgetful, suddenly became startlingly clear. Cui Guoqiang had been born into an ordinary farming family in a place called Dawu Village in Qinglong Township. When he was young, an educated youth had come to the village to teach.

A young girl in a floral shirt appeared in Cui Guoqiang’s mind, always standing behind the locust tree, watching him with her hands behind her back.

People liked to call her “Little Cui,” because the local accent made it sound like “Little Cui.”² Every time that name was called, Cui Guoqiang would instinctively respond, only to be met with teasing laughter from those around him. And just like that, the two young people gradually grew closer without even realizing it.

It wasn’t until he went to the battlefield and returned that he heard that Little Cui had already gone back home, and her family had taken her to Hong Kong and arranged a marriage for her.

Grandma Zhou Cuilan smiled with boundless kindness and called out to him just like she did decades ago, “Brother Qiang.”

Her parents said he was dead, and that he hadn’t even left a trace of his bones behind. She didn’t believe it and frantically wrote him letters, but she never received a reply. Gradually, she began to believe it.

She thought about obeying her parents’ wishes, but her fiancé died unexpectedly, and she never married again, nor did she have any thoughts of marrying.

Cui Guoqiang instantly burst into tears, large tears streaming down his face. His straight back bent slightly as he cried harder and harder. He raised his only usable right hand and covered his tear-streaked face.

This twist stunned everyone. W-what was happening?

[Holy shit, was it mutual all along? I knew Zhou Cuilan was a songstress back in the day, so why would she stoop to joining this underwhelming senior dating show? She must have come for Grandpa Cui! No wonder she didn’t light up for any of the earlier grandpas.]

[Waaah, the love stories back then are just too shippable. Grandpa Cui lived a lonely single life while Grandma Cuilan never married after her fiancé passed away either… they lost their entire youth, this hurts so much.]

[I get it now, I finally understand Xu Yao’s intention! She’s letting Grandpa Cui make up for the regrets of his youth in his later years. I’m going to cry, my goddess Yaoyao!]

[Who’s crying their eyes out like a dog? Me! I don’t envy young couples showing off their love—I only envy love in old age.]

Director Zhao was completely unaware of this turn of events. He looked at the microphone that had fallen to the ground and at the two elderly people who were shedding tears. He suddenly realized—

His elderly pure love couple might actually work.

Without a doubt, Cui Guoqiang and Zhou Cuilan formed a “preliminary couple” in the show and even made it to the trending searches.

Cui Guoqiang still remembered that he hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye to Zhou Cuilan before he left. He felt he had let down such a good girl, and never dared to imagine that he would see her again in this life.

After that incident, Cui Guoqiang didn’t say what he originally intended to say, and he even developed a slight fondness for the show.

“Photographer, have you gotten around to that photo of mine yet?” Cui Guoqiang asked while picking wildflowers by the roadside, not forgetting to ask the photographer, “That’s the person I’m looking for; don’t lose it.”

The photographer quickly replied, “I’ve been busy with overtime lately, but don’t worry, I’ll definitely get it to you in the next couple of days. Grandpa Cui, are you picking flowers for Grandma Cuilan?”

Old Master Cui Guoqiang smiled somewhat shyly. He even pretended to glare at him and said, “Why do young people talk so much? Aren’t you ashamed!”

[Hahaha, is Grandpa Cui feeling shy again? Picking flowers for his girlfriend, I really wish my dog boyfriend would learn a thing or two from Grandpa!]

[What preliminary couple? I’m demanding the Civil Affairs Bureau to move over here right now! We, the millions of netizens, are collectively witnessing this moment.]

[No matter how long it’s been, true love really does transcend time! I envy the feelings of people from that era; true love lasts forever!]

Grandpa Cui Guoqiang didn’t know much about flowers, but since he thought they were beautiful, he wanted to give them to Grandma Cuilan.

“Where can I borrow a bicycle? Oh dear, your shared bicycles don’t even have a back seat anymore.” Cui Guoqiang asked the production team while holding a bouquet of flowers.

People from that era would ride bicycles with their beloved girls on the back seat, cycling through the woods, watching the sun rise and set.

Cui Guoqiang felt as if he had suddenly returned to his youth, feeling as if he suddenly had boundless energy. He was like a young boy who had just tasted the sweetness of love, feeling that there was never enough time. He had so many things he wanted to do with Little Cui.

Cui Guoqiang and Zhou Cuilan, this elderly couple, bravely defied expectations and moved countless netizens to tears upon learning that they had missed each other in their youth, only to finally reunite in their old age, both rushing towards each other once again.

In other elderly matchmaking shows, the reality of older people seeking companions is laid bare, and at first, netizens might find it fresh and love the lively atmosphere.

But now, things are different.

Because the pure love “Double Cui” couple has burst onto the scene!

The couple disregarded each other’s circumstances and family background, focusing solely on their pure affection, instantly attracting countless netizens.

It’s common for young people to flaunt their affection only to break up in the end, but such a pure and loving elderly romance is something that countless netizens yearn for and envy.

They had lived on the same land, gazed at the same waning moon, and had both hoped for each other’s well-being despite being in entirely different places.

Grandpa Cui Guoqiang is especially endearing to this crowd of netizens. He seems to have suddenly regained his youth again, acting like a young man in love, engaging in various romantic gestures, his contrasting charm melting the hearts of countless female netizens.

The Civil Affairs Bureau has been tagged by netizens countless times already. Some even boldly declared that Grandpa Cui Guoqiang and Grandma Zhou Cuilan are the best marriage-urging advertisements of the year!

“Grandpa Cui, why don’t you ride a bike with Grandma Cuilan on the island? Pedal along the deserted seaside paths against the sea breeze,” a staff member from the show asked with a smile.

Cui Guoqiang thought for a moment and felt that this scene was beautiful. In his memory, Sister Cuilan had always been a girl who loved beauty. She would braid her hair more beautifully than other girls, and she always carried a faint floral fragrance on her.

Cui Guoqiang suddenly shook his head violently, his old face turning red with embarrassment again. He had blushed more times in this period than in the past several decades.

Cui Guoqiang began to look forward to this show.

“Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, please accept the latest task from the dating show,” a staff member approached with a beaming smile, handing him an invitation.

Cui Guoqiang, who could read, opened the envelope to check. As he read the task aloud, his gray mustache twitched, “Please successfully invite the girl you admire to a villa on the Lipana Islands for a sweet seaside date.”

Cui Guoqiang’s old face turned red again, feeling that the tasks written by these young people were really cheesy, filled with phrases like “admire” and “sweet date.”

[A villa on the Lipana Islands? Wow, the production team really did get their investment from Xu Yao! I heard this is a private island, and the owners are super wealthy! The scenery is breathtaking, and there’ll be no other tourists around.]

[Ahhh, my Grandpa Cui, why don’t you propose to Grandma Cuilan right there at the villa in the Lipana Islands? I support you!]

[Proposal! Proposal! Everyone shout ‘Proposal!’ with me! If you don’t get married, I’ll roll on the ground and refuse to get up.]

Cui Guoqiang held the task letter tightly in his hand and declared confidently, “I accept the mission!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Guoqiang suddenly remembered that decades ago, he had also wanted to formally express his feelings to Cuilan and had even arranged to meet her under that locust tree.

But he hadn’t gone, and Zhou Cuilan had waited under that locust tree all night.

Although he had never regretted the choice he made that night, he also couldn’t bear to part with the girl who waited for him all night. A wave of unease washed over Cui Guoqiang; it shouldn’t be like that night, right?

[Is Grandpa Cui worried that Grandma Cuilan won’t agree to go on a date with you on the island? Don’t worry, that’s absolutely impossible.]

[It’s still possible she might not agree, maybe Grandma is shy? Hahaha, Grandma Cuilan’s grandnephew already revealed online that he will definitely bring Grandma Cuilan!]

[Turns out that all men in the midst of pursuing women will feel nervous and insecure, regardless of their age, and Grandpa Cui is no exception to that.]

[The scenery in the Lipana Islands is insanely beautiful—I’m all set to capture gorgeous screenshots of the grandpas and grandmas, I’m so happy I could spin in circles!]

Not many netizens knew about the Lipana Islands, and there was very little information online, only that it was a private island with multiple owners.

Because it is a private island, the scenery has become exceptionally beautiful after development, with crystal-clear waters along the shore; even a casual snapshot looks picturesque.

This is simply the perfect place for couples to date, propose, get engaged, or even marry!

Xu Yao’s engagement banquet is also on one of the islands owned by the Ji family in the archipelago. Since the archipelago has strong security measures, there is no worry about the production team showing up, so they just staggered the timing. The engagement banquet is scheduled before Grandpa Cui Guoqiang’s date.

Friends like Qu Xi and Ming Chan have already been transported to the island by the yacht arranged by the Xu family.

Xu Yao’s engagement banquet is about to begin.

Xu Yao watched as the husky happily chased the little border collie, deeply doubting whether the husky had enough intelligence to deliver an engagement ring. Could the clever border collie even follow orders to deliver it?

Xu Yao stared at Ji Zhengqing’s back as he walked towards her in a tailored black suit, and she couldn’t help but mentally complain, You bring two pet dogs instead of a building, how stingy! She even doubted whether Ji Zhengqing really intended to give her a building as He Fan analyzed last time. It didn’t seem like it.

Ji Zhengqing had no idea what Xu Yao was thinking. He approached her in his custom-made black suit and handed her a letter.

Xu Yao was surprised, “What is this?”

Ji Zhengqing smiled faintly. “I’ve thought about it for a long time. The Ji family’s ownership of this archipelago, I’ll give it to you as an engagement gift.”

Since he couldn’t give her the Ji Group—at least, not for now.

The author has something to say:

[Note] The adoption of pandas comes from Baidu information.

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. sarcastic/joking tone marker ↩︎
2. Accent confusion (“小翠” ≈ “小崔”) → creates a natural, sweet misunderstanding ↩︎

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!?

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. 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) ↩︎
2. 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. ↩︎
3. internet slang describing someone acting overly sweet, fake, or manipulative in a “white lotus” way ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Assistant Li, who had remained silent in the passenger seat, suddenly whipped his head around to stare at Xu Yao with bright eyes.

Assistant He was right! Working for anyone else meant it was still work, but working for the future boss lady basically made you half an employee of Ji Zhengqing!

Excuse me, but he was willing.

After a moment of silence, Ji Zhengqing said, “Yaoyao, to be honest, our Ji Group isn’t that great either.”

He wasn’t crazy enough to give away the Ji Group Tower as an engagement gift.

Xu Yao didn’t quite understand his meaning, thinking it was just the typical humility of a domineering CEO, so she continued to generously praise, “How could it not be great? Netizens all say that Ji Group is the only company that can rival my brother’s, not to mention the tower’s extremely unique architectural design. The high-tech atmosphere it gives off matches perfectly with your company’s corporate culture, and the president’s office should have a great panoramic view of the entire capital. It’s truly excellent.”

Ji Zhengqing finally realized that Xu Yao was talking about the tower’s appearance. This skyscraper had been under construction since his youth, and he had coordinated with the architectural designer when designing it, and as a result, its design reflected his bold and flamboyant ideas from when he was young.

Ji Zhengqing looked at Xu Yao and suddenly smiled, “Then we have the same taste in architecture.”

Ji Zhengqing had once thought that Xu Yao was like him—she wouldn’t rashly agree to an engagement, and if she did, it would be on the basis of genuine affection.

But he wasn’t an idiot. Ever since the last time, when Xu Yao kept all the fashion designers he’d invited for custom engagement outfits, only to poach them for game costume development, he belatedly realized a fact—

Xu Yao seemed to really just see him as an ordinary fiancé. Despite agreeing to the engagement, she wasn’t in a hurry to marry him, and was only thinking about taking advantage of him.

But now things are different. They had the same taste in aesthetics, which is already a good sign.

Ji Zhengqing asked gently, “Are you staying at the He family’s¹ ancestral home now? I’ll take you back first.”

Xu Yao didn’t quite understand Ji Zhengqing’s intentions, so she nodded and let him take them back to the He family’s ancestral home.

Was Ji Zhengqing subtly showing her all his properties? His main source of income probably shouldn’t come from real estate, right? Company profits and stocks should make up the bulk of it.

Xu Yao really couldn’t figure out what Ji Zhengqing was up to until they got out of the car, and He Fan and Lu Ye accompanied her home.

He Fan, who understood Ji Zhengqing’s style of doing things, whispered, “Miss Yaoyao, it’s very likely that Ji Zhengqing was planning to give you a building as an engagement gift.” And even this had probably been because he was provoked by Ming Chan giving her a building.

Xu Yao was taken aback, and thought, Well why didn’t you say so earlier?

If you had said it sooner, I wouldn’t have been so foolish as to praise his Ji Group Tower! After all, Ji Zhengqing couldn’t possibly be crazy enough to give her his main source of profit, the company building.

But she wouldn’t mind—his other buildings were quite nice too!

Xu Yao’s face was filled with regret. She realised that the divine landlady had actually just lost a building!

Xu Yao felt a pain that made it hard to breathe. She suddenly stopped, then turned around, walking briskly back toward Ji Zhengqing’s black RV in the distance.

The car had just been about to start, but the driver immediately hit the brakes when he saw Xu Yao returning.

Xu Yao stood at the car door, looking up at Ji Zhengqing inside. Although he was slightly puzzled at her sudden return, he still had a gentle expression on his face as he asked, “Why are you back?”

Xu Yao hesitated, thought for a moment, and said, “It’s nothing, I just forgot to say goodbye.”

Ji Zhengqing’s eyes brightened, and his smile deepened, “Mm, goodbye.”

He added, “Go back early and rest. I’ll head home to deal with company documents first.”

Xu Yao: “…” Is that it? Don’t you have anything else to say to me?

Xu Yao forced a smile and said, “Okay,” then watched the RV leave her sight.

Pain—it’s just one word, and she would only say it once.

From the rearview mirror, Assistant Li could still see Xu Yao standing there as her figure grew distant. He couldn’t help but say, “President Ji, Miss Yaoyao seems a bit reluctant to see you go.”

Ji Zhengqing was rapidly reviewing the company documents on his lap. He usually had a habit of working overtime on weekends, and if it weren’t for Xu Yao coming to the capital today, he would probably have either flown straight to Haicheng or continued to work in the study of his own home.

Ji Zhengqing raised his eyes to look at his assistant. He could tell that Assistant Li was secretly saddened about not becoming Xu Yao’s employee. He didn’t take it to heart but seriously reminded him, “Assistant Li, less of that love-struck thinking; work is more important.”

Previously, he had misunderstood the situation, but it was fine; they could take their time in the future. The Ji Group Tower could not be given to Xu Yao, but he could still send her something else during the engagement banquet.

He hadn’t even done anything today, so what would Xu Yao be so reluctant about that she didn’t want to see him leave?

Assistant Li looked up at him in disbelief: “…”

Wait, who on earth are you calling love-struck?! And you’re lecturing me?

*

“They’ve already left, yet you’re still watching? Is he that good-looking?”

Who knew when Xu Jing walked over from behind Xu Yao. His tone was slightly sour as he looked at her standing there like a stone statue. Xu Jing hadn’t expected that his friend could have such a charm, making his sister so infatuated.

Xu Yao came back to her senses and greeted Xu Jing, “Brother.”

Xu Jing nodded, pulling Xu Yao to go home. The Xu family’s ancestral home integrated the aesthetic concepts of Northern architecture and Western garden art, combining ancient simplicity with Western elegance, with the two styles complementing one another rather than clashing with each other.

Xu Yao had also chosen to inherit one of these courtyards.

“Brother, do you have any connections to help me buy a few private jets?” Xu Yao asked.

For the wealthy, private jets weren’t particularly expensive; the real cost lay in their annual maintenance fee. However, Xu Yao wasn’t short on money, and thought having a few more jets to switch around would be nice.

Xu Jing agreed readily, “Sure, I’ll keep an eye out for you in the next few days.”

Xu Jing then inquired about their engagement banquet, and Xu Yao only mentioned that it was probably going to be a private engagement banquet and that it would be held on an island.

The Xu family’s ancestral home consisted of several small buildings, and Old Master Xu had always kept one building exclusively for the granddaughter he had yet to find, which was cleaned daily.

Xu Yao moved into the place immediately with Lu Ye and He Fan.

“Miss Yaoyao, the real estate market here in the capital is slightly different from that in Haicheng. We’ve already started recruiting here.” He Fan thought for a moment and said, “Moreover, we have a slight issue on our end now. Although Han Zhao and his team have developed a website and mobile app and have indeed made things easier for many people, there are still some who are unfamiliar with using the internet.”

Xu Yao understood what He Fan was saying. It was most likely the older generation who still had to rent at their age and couldn’t use the internet, who were the ones truly facing difficulties.

After considering the problem for a while, Xu Yao said, “We can’t just rely on online sign-ups for property inspections. We should also conduct offline registrations simultaneously.”

He Fan took note of this, while Lu Ye held the tablet for rental housing, which displayed the backend used by their team’s employees.

The tenants renting the properties didn’t have Xu Yao’s private WeChat, but they had all registered their accounts on the official website using their ID cards. If there were any issues that needed to be resolved by the landlady, they could send internal messages through the official site.

Han Zhao’s programming team had thought this through quite thoroughly, and aside from direct phone contact, the internal messaging system allowed tenants to choose options like “very urgent,” “urgent,” or “general.”

If “very urgent” was selected, Xu Yao’s rental team would respond within fifteen minutes, “urgent” would get a reply within an hour, and “general” would be replied to within 24 hours.

Lu Ye looked at a private message from one of the tenants and said, “Miss Yaoyao, a new tenant named Zhao Haisheng has sent an internal message, mentioning that he has some difficulties and hopes to discuss them with you in person.”

Seeing Xu Yao’s surprise, Lu Ye added, “It seems he’s the director of a variety show.”

Xu Yao came to a realisation immediately. He must have seen how Zuo Ning had gone viral because of her and wanted to follow suit, right?

Thinking back to the original novel, Xu Yao realized this person hadn’t even left his name or description in the novel.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yao smiled and said, “Meeting is fine.”

Even without relying on the original novel, she still believed in her own judgment.

*

Liu Yingxia was frantically trying to contact Xu Yao, whether by phone or email, but it was as if a stone had sunk into the sea. The other party didn’t reply at all and she didn’t know if Xu Yao had even seen it.

As expected of the original female lead, she could still take things in stride. Unable to reach Xu Yao directly, Liu Yingxia gritted her teeth and hired someone to write a letter of apology for her, posting it on Weibo with very sincere wording.

[Yingxia is really brave—daring to publicly apologize to Xu Yao. It’s okay, Yingxia. Recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is what matters most, Xu Yao will forgive you.]

[Honestly, if you put yourself in her shoes, it’s understandable. Back then Xiaxia was probably completely freaked out by Sheng Zhou’s extreme fans and didn’t know what to do. It’s not too late to apologize now.]

[Have her fans been brainwashed too much? Isn’t she just apologizing now because Yaoyao has gone globally viral while she’s about to fade out? And posting the apology directly on Weibo—are you trying to force Xu Yao to respond?]

[Are Xu Yao’s fans possessed or something? If she doesn’t apologize, you push Liu Yingxia onto the trending list, but if she does, you still attack her. How do you know Xu Yao won’t accept the apology? Looking forward to Liu Yingxia’s new variety show!]

Liu Yingxia looked at the mixed comments online about her apology letter, feeling anxious inside.

Unless Xu Yao publicly accepted her apology, it was unlikely that she would regain any fans. However, she didn’t have much interaction with Xu Yao, and Liu Yingxia regretted not having made friends with her when Seeking Immortality had just been confirmed.

“Let’s not worry about that for now and focus on the variety show coming up first,” Liu Yingxia encouraged herself, looking at her assistant and asking, “How’s my grand-uncle? Has the hotel been booked for him?”

Liu Yingxia only had one apartment in the capital, and since she didn’t want to live with her grand-uncle, she planned to book a hotel for him before the variety show started.

The assistant quickly replied, “He thinks staying in a hotel for two months is too expensive, so… he rented a place himself.”

That variety show was expected to take two months to film, so how could the average elderly person accept paying such expensive hotel prices for so long?

Liu Yingxia was slightly irritated at her grand-uncle’s willfulness; it was truly troublesome. With a dark expression on her face, she instructed her assistant to call her grand-uncle’s clunky mobile phone.

Liu Yingxia didn’t like this grand-uncle very much. He was a lifelong bachelor, and since the elderly man had fought in the war in his early years, he had been living on government subsidies all these years.

Now that her resources had plummeted, the only opportunity that came her way was a variety show directed by Zhao Haisheng called Hand in Hand in Our Later Years.

The requirement was for her to bring a grandparent who was still single onto the show, but her grandparents had long since passed away! Furthermore, none of the elderly relatives around her were still single.

Although Liu Yingxia felt that this variety show would be unlikely to make a big splash, she still wouldn’t give up any opportunity for exposure in the entertainment industry. She knew all too well that without exposure, there would be absolutely no chance for her to make a comeback.

So her gaze fell on her distant relative, Grand-uncle Cui Guoqiang. Apparently when this grand-uncle had heard he was going to appear on television, and that the whole country would have a chance to see him, only then had he agreed despite his earlier consideration.

“Sister Xia, the call has gone through.” The assistant handed her the phone.

Liu Yingxia suppressed her displeasure and gently asked the elderly man on the other end, “Grand-uncle, why are you renting a place by yourself? I can book a hotel for you.”

Cui Guoqiang carried his belongings into his place in a small hutong. In a voice tinged with a thick rural accent, he said, “It’s too expensive. Grand-uncle can just rent a place himself. But is it usually such a hassle to rent in your big city?”

Liu Yingxia didn’t quite understand, “A hassle to rent? Renting in the capital isn’t a hassle at all.” You just look at the property through an agency, confirm it, and sign the rental contract, and that’s it.

Feeling hot after entering the house, Cui Guoqiang unbuttoned his military green coat and carefully removed the badge from his chest, storing it in an aluminum container before saying, “Grand-uncle thinks it’s quite troublesome. I still have to fill out some kind of survey form just to rent. I even misspelled several words.”

Cui Guoqiang continued to ramble on, “Thank goodness the country’s policy is good now. My parents’ generation were all illiterate, but I’ve been educated.”

Liu Yingxia: “…” She didn’t want to hear this.

However, the more Liu Yingxia thought about it, the more something felt off. What sort of tenant in the capital would still need to fill in a survey?

Suddenly a name flashed through Liu Yingxia’s mind, startling her into asking, “Grand-uncle, who’s your landlord?”

Cui Guoqiang replied, “I haven’t met the landlady yet, but I heard her name is Xu Yao. This landlady noticed that I’m a retired soldier and even gave me a discount on the rent. It’s much cheaper than the hotel you booked for me, Yingxia.”

Liu Yingxia couldn’t believe it. Seriously? How had her grand-uncle managed to rent Xu Yao’s place so easily?! Netizens were practically fighting over Xu Yao’s properties now, with even Director Zhao selling his house just for a place!

No, Liu Yingxia thought instead—

Xu Yao actually had properties in the capital too?

As for Liu Yingxia’s apology, Xu Yao still gave no response, but she still quickly started trending again.

#XuYaoInCapitalCity#

[Holy crap! Who was it that said Xu Yao didn’t have any property in the capital? Well, she’s finally here!]

[Heads up for everyone looking to rent from Xu Yao in the capital—her business is expanding here! It’s confirmed she owns property in XX Hutong!]

[Ahhh, places in that hutong start at like 400,000 per square meter, right? Sister Yao is incredible. With her arrival, real estate agents in the capital are probably all crying now. After all, she’s insanely competitive.]

[Has Xu Yao finally noticed us, the starving masses in the capital? I’ve always had my eye on the places she rents out in Haicheng, but I couldn’t move because of work in the capital. Now I finally can.]

[There must be so many young people coming to the capital chasing their dreams, right? I really want to know—just who’s going to be the next lucky person to get help from the great Landlady Xu?]

There are countless young people working in the capital, and the sky-high housing prices also seem like an invisible mountain pressing down on them. Just how many young people are crammed into basements, and how many endure terrifying commutes of two to three hours a day?

Even if they don’t become the lucky ones helped by Xu Yao, just being able to rent Xu Yao’s property would still be considered a stroke of luck.

Liu Yingxia looked at the trending topics, her expression filled with envy. Even after stepping back from the industry, Xu Yao still managed to garner so much attention. Clearly, her Weibo isn’t even that active now; she just occasionally shares bits of her life, yet she still has millions of followers.

“Yingxia, can that variety show really be seen by everyone in the country?” Grand-uncle Cui Guoqiang asked, still somewhat uncertain.

Liu Yingxia felt a bit guilty and replied reluctantly, “Yeah, it should be.”

Unless that lousy variety show encountered a stroke of luck, given its flawed formatting, how could it possibly become popular enough for everyone in the country to see it? In any case, Liu Yingxia certainly didn’t believe it could.

However, Cui Guoqiang took it seriously. He took out a blurry old photo from the aluminum container and wiped it, muttering, “Old brother, just wait for me a little longer. I will definitely find you.”

*

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:

During this time, Zhao Haisheng felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He had truly lost his mind and sold his house in the capital, forcibly moving his entire family to Haicheng. It had to be said that his luck was still quite good. After struggling to understand the rental questions from Xu Yao, he successfully became her tenant.

However, his connections and career were still in the capital, so he remained there.

Xu Yao agreed to meet him, making Zhao Haisheng so excited that he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t help but fantasize about being the next Zuo Ning, going from being unknown to becoming a nationwide sensation, now thriving in his career.

Zhao Haisheng arrived at the agreed location an hour early, taking out a tissue with utmost seriousness just to wipe the already clean European-style round table again and again.

Xu Yao soon walked in with Lu Ye and He Fan. When Zhao Haisheng saw Xu Yao, he was so excited he could almost fly, “Miss Xu Yao… oh no, Miss Landlady, Miss Landlady.”

Xu Yao didn’t burst Zhao Haisheng’s bubble, smiling, “I heard Director Zhao rented my house in Haicheng. Are you having any difficulties in your life?”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Zhao Haisheng’s bronze face. Everyone was clamoring to rent Xu Yao’s house and seek her investment, but when he actually went to find Xu Yao with that mindset, he still felt a bit shy.

Xu Yao was genuinely a kind-hearted landlady and truly wanted to help her tenants. But renting was secondary to him, and his real intention was to seek Xu Yao’s investment.

When Zhao Haisheng thought about it, his face grew redder, and he couldn’t squeeze out a single word from the phrases he had prepared in his mind.

It was Xu Yao who spoke first, “I heard Director Zhao is planning to shoot a variety show called ‘Hand in Hand in Our Later Years,’ a dating show for the elderly? Are you facing some sort of difficulty in funding?” 

Zhao Haisheng looked at Xu Yao’s clear eyes and felt a bit ashamed, nodding as he carefully pushed the project materials in front of Xu Yao.

Xu Yao quickly skimmed through the materials, suddenly understanding why Zhao Haisheng didn’t even have a scene in the original novel.

This variety show really didn’t seem promising at all. Zhao Haisheng wanted to take a different approach and create a dating show for the elderly, but he knew the target audience would definitely be limited, so—

He also inserted celebrities into the mix, having them bring their grandparents onto the show to talk about love, hoping to attract some popularity through their fans. The project proposal gave Xu Yao a sense of confusion about the show’s priorities; it was just a mishmash of ideas that didn’t quite fit together.

When trying to reap all the benefits, the outcome of such actions usually results in ending up with nothing at all.

This variety show was likely to flop without making any waves, after all, it hadn’t even been mentioned in the original text.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “Director Zhao’s show sounds great, I wish you success. I’ll check it out when it airs. If you’re facing any financial difficulties, how about I reduce your rent by half a month?”

Who in the entertainment industry isn’t sharp? As soon as Xu Yao said this, Zhao Haisheng immediately understood her meaning: she was offering verbal support, but… that was all.

Zhao Haisheng felt a lump in his throat. He should’ve understood. He wasn’t like Zuo Ning. Zuo Ning was a young person short on cash, and with Xu Yao’s help, he soared to new heights. Ming Chan was an exceptionally capable female entrepreneur. Both were typical examples of people who just lacked an opportunity. In contrast, he had already been in the entertainment industry for many years, and even reached middle age, yet he still hadn’t gained much fame.

He had always known he was an ambitious, yet ordinary person, clearly only possessing average abilities but unwilling to settle for mediocrity. Netizens said Xu Yao had extraordinary insight; perhaps he really shouldn’t be fighting against fate.

Holding back tears, Zhao Haisheng smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Miss Landlady. You don’t need to reduce my rent. You’re not renting out your property as charity, and I can still afford the rent.”

Xu Yao looked at Zhao Haisheng again, then turned to He Fan for clarification.

He Fan understood and said, “Director Zhao has a house in the capital, but he sold it so he could rent your place, Miss Yaoyao.”

Xu Yao paused slightly upon hearing this. Had he really gone all in on a gamble like this?

Selling all his property just for a chance to meet her? Xu Yao couldn’t help but regard Zhao Haisheng with newfound respect.

Xu Yao had always understood that ordinary people were the majority in this world. Talents like Zuo Ning, Han Zhao, and Ming Chan were ultimately in the minority, and the vast majority lived ordinary lives.

But can’t ordinary people have dreams too? Are ordinary people’s dreams not worth mentioning?

Xu Yao suddenly smiled. Well, even if her whole investment went down the drain, she could still bear it.

Xu Yao continued flipping through the project proposal, moving on to the list of guests drafted by Zhao Haisheng.

There were internet celebrities bringing their grandmothers, second-tier singers bringing their grandfathers, and then—

Xu Yao suddenly stopped, staring intently at a page that read: Liu Yingxia was bringing her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang, onto the show.

She didn’t need an introduction to Liu Yingxia, after all, she was the original female lead, and Xu Yao had no intention of acknowledging her and simply acted as if she were invisible.

But… Cui Guoqiang!

In the original novel, this old man was merely a side character, barely mentioned in passing by Liu Yingxia, yet he ended up being the most memorable and touching figure to Xu Yao out of the entire novel!

This old gentleman’s first appearance is at the funeral of Liu Yingxia’s grand-uncle. Cui Guoqiang was already past seventy, and having gone to war in his early years, he carried old injuries; he couldn’t withstand that kind of shock and passed away.

Liu Yingxia also met the original male lead at Cui Guoqiang’s funeral, and from then on, the two became entangled.

Zhao Haisheng saw Xu Yao staring intently at a particular page and quickly took a peek. Seeing “Liu Yingxia” written there made him want to cry even more.

It was just one word: tragic! He would only say it once!

Liu Yingxia and Sheng Zhou’s fans had all turned against Xu Yao online, driving her to madness and forcing her to withdraw from the industry. Although most of those doing this were Sheng Zhou’s fans, Liu Yingxia had remained silent and did not help her clarify the facts.

What sort of investment could he possibly attract? It would be more of a miracle if he didn’t offend Xu Yao!

Zhao Haisheng quickly said, “Miss Xu Yao, the contract with Liu Yingxia has already been signed.” So there was no way to change it now.

Xu Yao smiled, “I know, Liu Yingxia is quite good.”

If one didn’t consider the negative press, Liu Yingxia had the most fans among all the guests. Zhao Haisheng had truly gone to great lengths to gain a bit of attention.

Xu Yao closed the project proposal with both hands, the sound of her palms clapping through the pages echoed. She smiled, “So, I’ll invest a bit of money to help my tenant.”

“Huh?!” Zhao Haisheng was incredulous!

Clearly… she had just politely declined! How could she suddenly want to invest?

Zhao Haisheng recalled that Xu Yao had been looking at the guests Liu Yingxia and Cui Guoqiang. That grand-uncle, who wasn’t well-known, couldn’t possibly be the main reason, so it must be… Liu Yingxia!

Zhao Haisheng also remembered Liu Yingxia had posted a handwritten apology letter on Weibo, filled with sincerity.

Could this be Xu Yao’s way of accepting Liu Yingxia’s apology?

Zhao Haisheng was overjoyed; no matter what, he was the one that was going to benefit from it!

Zhao Haisheng repeatedly said, “Great, great, thank you, Miss Landlady! Thank you, Miss Landlady!”

Xu Yao and Zhao Haisheng agreed on a time before leaving.

Just as Xu Yao stepped out of the bar, she heard uncontrollable cheers coming from inside and couldn’t help but find it amusing. This director probably didn’t realize he was also one of the reasons, right?

As soon as they left, a delighted Zhao Haisheng immediately called Liu Yingxia, his words filled with gratitude, “Yingxia, it’s all thanks to you! Xu Yao actually agreed to invest in our variety show!”

He had taken a gamble by seeking out Xu Yao, and thankfully it had paid off!

Liu Yingxia was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. How could it possibly be because of her? Wasn’t Xu Yao only helping her tenants?

“It’s really not because I’m her tenant. Xu Yao had politely declined me before, but when she saw you on the guest list, she immediately agreed.”

Zhao Haisheng insisted it wasn’t because of him, and Liu Yingxia thought about the guest list, which included not only her but also her grand-uncle, Cui Guoqiang.

Liu Yingxia said with uncertainty, “Um… Director, my grand-uncle seems to be Xu Yao’s tenant too.”

Since it couldn’t be because of Zhao Haisheng, it must be because of her grand-uncle, right?

Her grand-uncle was over seventy, and was an old man with no education except for having been to war. Would Xu Yao invest in this lackluster variety show just because of him? Did she have that much money to throw around?

Director Zhao was shocked, “Wait, you’re having your grand-uncle rent in the capital?”

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. May or may not be a typo by the author. Should be referring to the Xu family but I’m leaving it in just in case it isn’t a mistake ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Ming Chan giving Xu Yao an entire apartment building set the internet buzzing nonstop. Aside from praising Xu Yao’s incredible instincts as a landlady, a bizarre new ship called “Yao–Chan Has Mines¹” somehow popped up online.

Ming Chan married young, and even though she is divorced now, she was actually only twenty-five. This group of netizens felt that beautiful women being with beautiful women were simply a perfect match.

Yan Xiang, her junior, even came to ask her if she needed help writing fan fiction.

Xu Yao was simply shocked beyond measure by these netizens’ antics.

Xu Yao walked out of the building at Hai City Bay No. 1 and headed towards the lobby of the building diagonally across from it. A few moving trucks from a moving company were parked at the entrance, with everyone wearing the same company uniform.

Ming Chan stood downstairs, watching the moving company employees carefully help her move her furniture,her face filled with disappointment and reluctance.

Ming Chan was moving back to the Mu family’s villa. Of course, this time she was no longer a daughter-in-law, but returning to her own home as the rightful daughter.

Xu Yao walked up to her and smiled as she spoke, “Most people are happy to have their own homes.”

Upon hearing this, Ming Chan turned her head and, seeing Xu Yao, her eyes reddened a bit. She couldn’t help but get choked up and said, “I actually really like it here.”

Xu Yao was very pleased to hear this and turned to He Fan behind her, saying, “Did you hear the feedback from the tenants? Making sure every tenant is happy in my place is my goal as a landlady!”

Little Six chimed in sadly: [Host, you’ve worked hard.]

Xu Yao thought about the more than fifty million yuan that had just been transferred to her and felt she could still continue to work hard a bit longer.

Xu Yao’s rental principles were very clear: aside from commercial properties, personal residences were only rented to those who truly needed them.

Ming Chan clearly no longer met the criteria, and Chairman Mu and his wife missed her very much, so she would move back starting this month.

“Don’t be too sad. You can still rent my office space in Hai City Global Financial Center,” Xu Yao continued as she started calculating, “Given that you’re an old tenant of mine, I can give you a 20% discount.”

The game Shining Star had become a huge hit, and all of its facilities also needed to be upgraded to follow suit. In addition to raising employee salaries, the working environment also needed to be improved.

The original game studio location was not only in a remote area but also lacked proper facilities, so Ming Chan was actually already considering changing her workplace.

Although Ming Chan had heard Xu Yao mention also having an office in Hai City Global Financial Center before, she hadn’t paid much attention at the time. But now, having known Xu Yao for a while, she suddenly realized something.

Xu Yao’s properties seemed to always be measured in “buildings.”

Ming Chan’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you saying I can choose to rent an entire building in Hai City Global Financial Center?”

Xu Yao looked at Lu Ye, who immediately replied, “That might not be possible.”

Ming Chan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that an entire building in Hai City Global Financial Center was indeed too extravagant.

Lu Ye continued, “Many companies in the office building have long-term leases, and we can’t evict anyone during the contract period. However, there are some available for rent on the 7th, 21st, and 23rd floors.”

Ming Chan: “……”

So, the entire building of Hai City Global Financial Center really did belong to Xu Yao… 

Ming Chan felt as if her worldview were shattering. After a long time, she took a deep breath and said to Xu Yao, “I’m honored to be able to continue being your tenant.”

She planned to move the game studio to the Global Financial Center. Since it wasn’t at all wrong for her to call Xu Yao her benefactor, she felt completely at ease renting from her, especially with an additional 20% discount!

It’s worth noting that it was incredibly difficult to rent one of Xu Yao’s properties now.

Xu Yao was very pleased to hear this. This was perhaps the greatest compliment for a landlord—she had returning tenants!

Ming Chan’s personal belongings were loaded onto the moving company’s truck, and the Mu family’s private car soon arrived to pick her up. Ming Chan even leaned out of the window, her eyes red as she waved goodbye to Xu Yao.

Xu Yao: …

Was it really necessary for her to have such a heart-wrenching expression? They were clearly still going to be living in the same city, and it wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to drive to each other!

Behind her, He Fan swiftly pulled out the rental management tablet to input the new information, muttering, “Apartment at Hai City Bay No.1 has been vacated and can be listed for rent after cleaning.”

Of course, although Ming Chan had already cleaned it thoroughly before leaving, the professional rental team still needed to do another round of cleaning.

*

Liu Yingxia was curled up in a soft bean bag chair, hugging a giant dog plushie, staring blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window.

Xu Yao had withdrawn from the industry, yet she still became an internet sensation, while in contrast, her popularity had ironically plummeted within the industry.

Seeking Immortality had clashed with the Yin Fate, the short drama Xu Yao had invested in, leading it to barely make a splash amongst the general public. Now, Xu Yao had even become famous for helping her tenants with lawsuits and investing in a crappy little game, while she herself had suffered.

Sheng Zhou had completely disappeared from the public eye months ago, while Liu Yingxia wasn’t faring much better either.

Xu Yao’s rise to fame led netizens to dig up old grievances, questioning why Liu Yingxia, alongside Sheng Zhou, had pressured Xu Yao to withdraw from the entertainment industry.

Last night, a trending topic with the hashtag #PleaseApologiseLiuYingxia had surfaced, causing her team to, of course, rush to suppress it as soon as they noticed.

Now, the situation had escalated to the point where her offers had sharply dwindled, with the future looking bleak.

“Yingxia, why don’t you just apologize to Xu Yao?” her manager finally spoke after pacing back and forth in the room for a long time.

Liu Yingxia’s expression instantly changed, “Apologize to Xu Yao? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Besides, who apologizes only after such a long time has passed? Isn’t that just kicking a dead horse?

“What can we do if you don’t apologize? Do you know what your offers have turned into now? Do you even know about that small-time variety show you confirmed to make an appearance for?” The manager suddenly said in a low voice.

“Rumour has it that the director of the variety show sold all his properties in the capital.”

Liu Yingxia frowned, “I heard about that too. Didn’t they say Director Zhao sold his properties to make the show? Don’t tell me…”

Liu Yingxia was so shocked that she dropped the dog plushie she was holding. She looked at her manager in disbelief, “Are you telling me that Director Zhao sold all his properties just so he could rent from Xu Yao?” That seemed way too exaggerated!

Liu Yingxia knew Director Zhao, who was known to have a plump figure that looked quite prosperous. However, she never expected him to be so decisive, to even think of selling everything just so he could become Xu Yao’s tenant?

First, there was Zuo Ning, and then Ming Chan, with Ming Chan especially drawing attention for having pulled in an investment of 150 million yuan—it was all truly enviable.

Although everyone was clamoring to rent from Xu Yao and seek help from this divine landlady, very few could actually take the gamble and go all in, selling their entire life savings to seek out Xu Yao for investment.

Moreover, selling properties in the capital is easy; buying them back was the real problem!

Liu Yingxia was badly shaken and couldn’t help wavering over whether she should apologize to Xu Yao. Meanwhile, her assistant glanced at the time and quietly reminded her, “Sister Yingxia, your grand-uncle has agreed to come to the capital—should we go ahead and book his flight for him?”

At the mention of her grand-uncle, a flicker of impatience crossed Liu Yingxia’s face. If it weren’t for the show, she’d never have invited this barely-related grand-uncle of hers in the first place.

Liu Yingxia was just about to have her assistant book the flight when the manager beside her suddenly exclaimed, clutching her phone, “My goodness—Xu Yao’s pulling some new outrageous stunt with her rentals again!”

Liu Yingxia immediately leaned over to take a look and asked in shock, “Is she renting or selling houses?”

How could renting be even more terrifying than buying a house?

Where did Xu Yao get her confidence from?

Xu Yao’s rental team officially announced today that their mobile app is ready!

Nowadays, the younger generation tend to use their phones more, with the frequency of using computer websites actually lower than that of mobile apps. So while learning how to drive, Han Zhao led the entire programming team in developing their app.

Once launched, the download numbers immediately skyrocketed. It didn’t seem to matter whether or not they needed to rent—everyone wanted to join in on the excitement.

The app’s interface was designed to match the official website, and aside from the essential online exam registration, it was also enriched with mini-programs from the various companies partnering with Xu Yao Rentals.

This included the moving service that has been praised to the heavens by Xu Yao’s tenants, and it’s now virally known online that Xu Yao Rentals also includes a moving company that is both friendly and affordable.

This moving company, which had originally only been competing for market share with competitors in the industry, had now actually become industry leaders thanks to Xu Yao’s terrifying marketing power. Now, even if they weren’t Xu Yao’s tenants, other renters would still consider choosing their moving company first when having to move places.

This collaboration with Xu Yao Rentals was publicly declared by the moving company’s CEO as the best decision he had ever made, leading countless other companies in the industry to eagerly seek cooperation with Xu Yao’s rental team, all bidding competitively for a slot.

For example, “Takeout delivery service,” “Telecommunication services,” and so on, had all been newly launched by the team.

Renting Xu Yao’s place? Order takeout without even needing a membership and still get coupons—and high-value ones at that. A full dinner ends up costing only eight or nine yuan out of pocket!

Renting Xu Yao’s place? Get your internet line set up with no hefty installation fee, and enjoy low monthly internet charges!

Who is tempted?!

It’s the renters!

[The younger generation (it’s me) is seriously tempted. I get takeout for at least two of my three daily meals, and in big cities like Hai City or the capital, a single order easily costs dozens of yuan. But Xu Yao’s tenants get coupons like this? I’m honestly so tempted.]

[…You can still pay only eight or nine yuan for takeout these days? My Tuantuan Takeout membership suddenly doesn’t feel worth it anymore QAQ]

[I know right! Just getting the internet installed costs at least 200 yuan, and the monthly fees are super expensive. I checked the latest partnership between Xu Yao’s rental team and telecom companies—monthly prices are insanely good, basically the cost of one takeout meal.]

[Seriously, with a rental team like this, who wouldn’t want to rent from Xu Yao? No wonder I heard some director in the entertainment industry sold all his properties just to rent from her.]

[Sis above, which director sold all his properties? I need the gossip!]

In the housing market, there is actually a hierarchy of discrimination; homeowners in high-priced neighborhoods look down on those living in low-priced areas, while those who buy low-priced houses secretly look down on renters.

But Xu Yao wants everyone to know that renting her house can make you even happier than buying one!

These newly launched services have greatly attracted many tenants and indirectly boosted the influx of talent into Hai City, making everyone satisfied.

However, when they saw Xu Yao’s latest rental policy, they could no longer keep their smiles on their faces.

Previously, renting Xu Yao’s house required participating in an online exam, and after passing, tenants could view houses according to their needs before signing the contract.

But now, they have actually changed to a lottery system for renting! That’s right, renting now requires a lottery! They were now enjoying treatment that used to be reserved for home buyers in advance.

[Even renting now needs a lottery… No wonder people used to say you had to “get on board” early in the housing market—this is getting more and more brutal, QAQ.]

[As someone who already made it in, I’m letting out a huge sigh of relief—good thing I rented Xu Yao’s place early.]

[Wild guess: does Xu Yao not have enough properties on hand? From what I can tell, her business has always been centered in Hai City—does she not own places elsewhere?]

[Her properties in Hai City alone are already insane, okay? The statistics show that it’s already reached dozens of buildings—several thousand units.]

Netizens couldn’t help but speculate over Xu Yao only owning properties in Hai City since that’s where she’s most active. They guessed that the reason she hasn’t developed rental services in other cities is that she doesn’t have as many properties outside, making it difficult to expand.

However, Xu Yao still remains the undisputed divine landlady in their hearts, without a doubt!

So, when exactly will Liu Yingxia apologize to Yaoyao?

Liu Yingxia’s team was still considering this when they saw that Xu Yao’s rental service had now introduced a lottery system for renting. However, seeing the continued online buzz, they decided—

Apologizing is just apologizing; Xu Yao is truly someone you can’t afford to offend.

The manager began to try and get Xu Yao’s contact information, while Liu Yingxia arranged for her assistant to book a flight for that grand-uncle she had only met once or twice with an ashen face.

Meanwhile, the variety show director who had sold all his properties and was betting everything on this one move was now anxiously waiting to rent Xu Yao’s house!

*

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:

“Miss Yaoyao, the business class ticket to the capital has now been booked,” He Fan reported.

Xu Yao’s rental service was gradually getting on track, with a lovely team of employees helping her collect rent, and the company’s website and mobile app now also being updated.

But were her properties limited to Hai City?

No, no, no, her properties in Hai City were just a drop in the ocean!

In China’s high-priced, bustling cities, aside from Hai City, the capital is indispensable. And in the capital, there are still so many pitiful tenants eagerly waiting for Landlady Xu to rescue them from their plight—she really ought to go take a look at her domain there.

Little Six was heartbroken: [Host, can’t you take a break? You’re here to retire and enjoy your old age.]

Every day was spent running around for tenants, and even this trip of hers to the capital was to scope out her properties there.

Seeing that her pension for next month had doubled once again, Xu Yao felt that Little Six had a point.

Xu Yao made a decision, “Then after I finish my business in the capital, I’ll also travel around for a while.”

After reuniting with Xu Jing, she had been brought back to the capital by him in a hurry and hadn’t had the chance to explore the city in detail yet.

It’s just that Xu Yao let out a sigh, “I heard that my brother and Ji Zhengqing both have their own private jets, but I still have to fly business class when I travel.”

Is this the kind of travel gear a big shot landlady worshipped by countless tenants should have? Xu Yao felt somewhat ashamed of herself. She thought she could buy a few private jets for herself, just in case.

Naturally, she also had to inform her brother and fiancé Ji Zhengqing in advance about her trip to the capital.

[Xu Jing: Okay. When you come, let’s first visit Grandpa and our parents’ graves together.]

Xu Jing actually wished Xu Yao would just live in the capital so he could see her, preferably every day. However, Xu Yao had gone to university in Hai City, and all her connections were there, so she hadn’t initially wanted to return to the capital with him.

[Ji Zhengqing: I’ll come and pick you up.]

Thinking about the many details of their engagement party that still needed to be confirmed by both of them, Xu Yao readily agreed.

After switching off his phone, Ji Zhengqing immediately had Assistant Li cancel his flight to Hai City for this weekend.

There were countless direct flights from Hai City to the capital every day. Xu Yao, along with Lu Ye and He Fan, took an afternoon flight and landed smoothly in the capital.

Donning a pair of sunglasses, Xu Yao looked around at the bustling airport and said, “I remember Han Zhao saying he wanted to learn how to fly a plane. I really should arrange that for him.”

If in the future, he wasn’t working on computer programs anymore, he could still come and fly planes for her instead.

Lu Ye suddenly said, “I can too.”

Lu Ye could have never imagined before that knowing how to fly a plane would now become a standard requirement.

“Miss Yaoyao, President Ji has come to pick you up. Let’s head this way,” said He Fan, who was quite familiar with Ji Zhengqing as his former chief assistant, so he led Xu Yao away first.

Not long after Xu Yao left, an old man in a military green coat also disembarked from the plane. Looking at the bustling airport in front of him, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Our country is getting better and better now. The plane truly is much faster than the train!”

Clearly, this was the old man’s first time flying, and everything seemed new and exciting to him.

Although the old man was over seventy, he stood as straight as a pine tree and was full of vigor. He waited to the side as agreed, waiting for Liu Yingxia’s assistant to come pick him up.

Summer was approaching, and the airport in the afternoon was quite hot. Xu Yao spotted a sleek black car parked under a tree in the distance.

Ji Zhengqing stood by the car door, smiling gently as he watched her approach. He opened the door for her as she came over, while Lu Ye and He Fan had to follow in the car behind.

The car’s air conditioning was set at a moderate temperature, quickly relieving her from the sticky heat she felt.

Ji Zhengqing asked about her plans in the capital for the next few days. Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll need to first go and sweep the tombs tomorrow morning. After that, I plan to take a look at some properties.”

After all, she really didn’t know anything about her properties in the capital.

Taking a look at some properties?

This idea aligned perfectly with Ji Zhengqing’s thoughts. If Ming Chan could afford to give a building as a gift, he certainly could too. Moreover, if it was going to be for their engagement, then he could certainly give her a more expensive gift too.

Ji Zhengqing asked for her opinion first, “Then, shall we go together tomorrow?”

As the Ji and Xu families were old friends, it was only right for Ji Zhengqing to pay respects at the graves of Old Master Xu and her parents.

Xu Yao looked at Ji Zhengqing’s clear-cut profile and suddenly thought of something. In the original novel, the idea that Xu Jing, the richest tycoon, had been brought down by Liu Yingxia was already absurd enough as it is.

It was truly unbelievable for an entertainment industry starlet to bring down a tycoon, yet the original author had merely glossed over this small plothole.

Well, fine—Xu Yao resigned herself to the fact that one day, her brother would be brought down by Liu Yingxia. But as his close friend, didn’t Ji Zhengqing try to help at all? The novel does mention that when the wealthy Xu family ran into trouble, Xu Jing’s friend had stepped in to help, but unfortunately, it was to no avail.

After all, the final boss in a feel-good novel was bound to be defeated in the end.

Xu Yao suddenly began to doubt Ji Zhengqing’s abilities as a domineering CEO. Was he not capable enough? Or was the author just too powerful?

Ji Zhengqing’s long fingers rested on his leg as he asked nonchalantly, “Why do you keep looking at me?”

Xu Yao smiled and said, “I was just wondering if Brother Zhengqing isn’t afraid of the heat. After all, you were waiting for me outside the car just now.”

Ji Zhengqing suddenly fell silent. He turned to look out the car window at the scenery rapidly passing by, seemingly just as nonchalant as usual except for his slightly flushed ears.

Assistant Li, who had been sitting silently in the front passenger seat, smiled inwardly. Just this? Their President Ji was still saving his big move for last.

Her grandfather and her parents were buried in Anlan Cemetery, a famous burial ground in the capital where usually only wealthy people could be buried. Her grandfather and parents’ graves were the largest in this area.

A grave, in layman’s terms, could be considered another place for a person to reside after death. Nowadays, some people can’t even afford to die.

Burial plots need to be rented by the descendants, yes, you heard right, rented.

You might think that the burial plot you bought for several hundred thousand is yours, but in fact, you only have usage rights for twenty years. Once the term expires, if there’s no money to renew the term, your ashes will be disposed of.

This led to a strange phenomenon where some people deliberately bought regular houses just to keep their ashes inside. After all, houses had a seventy-year property right.

Xu Jing, Xu Yao, and Ji Zhengqing placed flower bouquets in turn at the joint grave of Grandfather Xu and their parents.

“Yaoyao, stay in the capital for a few more days this time,” Xu Jing said to Xu Yao after talking at the grave for a while.

Xu Jing was seriously starting to doubt Xu Yao and Ji Zhengqing’s relationship—were they really going through with the engagement? He’d heard that, just for the engagement, Yaoyao had willingly commissioned over a dozen outfits. Xu Jing was beginning to suspect that her trip to the capital this time was really about spending time with Ji Zhengqing and deepening their relationship!

Xu Yao nodded with a smile, “Yeah, I plan to spend more time with Zhengqing these few days.”

After the three had finished paying their respects, they were just about to leave when they saw an old man saluting a tombstone not far away. As they passed by, they noticed a distinct scar on the side of the old man’s face.

Xu Yao faintly heard the old man say in a thick rural accent, “Just wait until I get on TV, then everyone will know about us.”

Xu Jing found an excuse to leave, and Xu Yao and Ji Zhengqing got into the RV. Yes, they were sitting in an RV, which looked similar to the one Xu Yao used for her rental in Hai City, only that this one was pure black.

Xu Yao sat next to Ji Zhengqing, while Lu Ye and He Fan sat behind them, constantly reporting in. Ji Zhengqing’s assistant, Assistant Li sat at the front without saying a word.

“Let’s go,” Ji Zhengqing instructed.

Scanning the buildings was actually quite simple; they just needed to drive around the neighborhood a few times to get a general idea of which building belonged to them. After all, checking each apartment one by one would be too much work, and could be left to the employees.

Through the window, Xu Yao admired the northern-style architecture, even spotting a few small hutongs² that the RV couldn’t enter, which was quite visually striking.

Xu Yao’s properties in the capital were quite varied. Besides the high-rise buildings, she had also circled a few buildings, despite their dilapidated condition, in good locations near the CBD.

Xu Yao prided herself in being a very competent landlady and felt as if she had a general understanding of her properties. After looking out the window for a while, she gradually felt as if something was off.

Why did the buildings they were looking at now not resemble the ones she had inherited in the capital?

Especially when the RV circled around and came to a stop at the Ji Group Tower; Xu Yao felt that the properties they had viewed this afternoon were definitely not hers! Just why did they look like Ji Zhengqing’s properties in the capital?

Xu Yao had never been to the Ji Group, but from the outside, it was certainly eye-catching, with the large commercial building designed in a high-tech fashion. It must have been carefully designed and constructed, and was no less impressive than Xu Group. It could easily be considered a landmark building.

“Yaoyao, which building do you think is the best?” Ji Zhengqing asked, as if seeking opinions.

Without giving it much thought, Xu Yao replied, “From that batch of buildings we just looked at—which one’s the best? I think your Ji Group Tower is the best.”

Ji Zhengqing: “…”

Ji Group Tower???

---

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. A ship name exuding wealth. Since it’s widely believed that if you have mines, you’re wealthy ↩︎
2.  A hutong is a traditional type of narrow street or alley commonly found in northern Chinese cities, most notably Beijing. These alleys are formed by lines of siheyuan, which are traditional courtyard residences. While many were demolished during urban renewal in the mid-20th century, several have been preserved as protected cultural heritage sites. ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Assistant Li looked at Ji Zhengqing with a sense of despair. Has his boss finally figured it out? Where were the decisive methods he usually displayed to dominate the business world? Thank goodness his boss wasn’t like this at work, otherwise, the Ji Group would definitely be on the verge of collapse.

His boss really was a pure-hearted novice who had never dated.

Assistant Li stared at Ji Zhengqing with anticipation. After a long while, Ji Zhengqing raised his head and chuckled, “This must mean that she doesn’t see me as an outsider.”

Assistant Li: “?”

The assistant couldn’t help but crane his neck towards Ji Zhengqing, as if he thought he had misheard.

What? 

Not seeing him as an outsider? Is this how you don’t see someone as an outsider? Well, then he can too!

Assistant Li’s voice trembled as he said, “But… but there are no engagement dresses in the posted photos.” They were all for participating in the game’s latest event, boss!

Ji Zhengqing’s expression was calm as he said, “I was the one who told her to keep our engagement a secret, she is simply honoring the agreement between us.”

Assistant Li’s worldview collapsed: “……”

Stubborn! President Ji clearly understood what was happening, yet he was still being stubborn!

At that moment, Assistant Li really wanted to message He Fan and ask how the former assistant to President Ji was doing with Miss Xu Yao. What to do? He suddenly felt like switching jobs.

*

Xu Yao didn’t actually care about the comments on Weibo; she was currently explaining things to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye listened carefully, jotting down Xu Yao’s instructions. He had always completed Xu Yao’s requests without question.

He Fan, however, asked in surprise, “Miss Yaoyao, Ming Chan is Chairman Mu’s former daughter-in-law. The message you just instructed to send, is it something even Chairman Mu doesn’t know about?”

Xu Yao placed the greeting card into Lu Ye’s hands, asking him to pass it to Chairman Mu when he visited the ailing man who was gravely ill due to Mu Xiyuan’s actions.

Xu Yao smiled and said, “There are indeed some things that Uncle Mu might not know.”

After all, she was the divine landlady with a god’s perspective!

In the original novel, Ming Chan died in a house fire, and after the autopsy report came out, it was revealed that she was the daughter of Chairman Mu and his wife—yes, it was that melodramatic.

Xu Yao watched Lu Ye leave. She was actually waiting for Ji Zhengqing’s reply, but after waiting for a long time, what she received instead was the flowers Ji Zhengqing ordered online. Instead of the typical baby’s breath meant to save the taste of a clueless straight man¹, the bouquet looked very high-end and sophisticated.

Holding the bouquet, Xu Yao sat by the pool, her legs immersed in the clear water, and finally took the initiative to send Ji Zhengqing a WeChat message.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: Don’t you have anything to say to me?]

To be honest, Xu Yao had always held an indifferent attitude towards this marriage—it wouldn’t matter if it happened, but she wouldn’t be sad either if it didn’t.

So even if her fiancé found out she was using the people he arranged for her to work on a game, Xu Yao wasn’t afraid. Rather, she was puzzled as to why he hadn’t taken the initiative to say anything to her!

There was no text reply from him; instead, Ji Zhengqing sent her a voice message. His voice, reminiscent of a cello, had an indescribable quality to it when transmitted through the electronic device. He said, “I’m very happy to have you as my future fiancée.”

Xu Yao listened several times, unable to help but laugh. She hadn’t manipulated President Ji; it was he who wanted to be her big fat sheep all along.

After a long while, Xu Yao replied, “The flowers are beautiful, I like them very much.”

#Xu Yao Shining Star Largest Investor#

#Xu Yao’s World’s Only Limited Edition#

Xu Yao’s Weibo post attracted immense attention, with her dozen or so photos being shared wildly across major social media platforms both domestically and internationally.

The terrifying level of attention that top-tier Chinese actress Fei Jin struggled to gain abroad was effortlessly achieved by the retired ordinary person Xu Yao, leaving nothing but envy in its wake.

Insiders of the international fashion scene repeatedly scrutinized Xu Yao’s photos, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.

As expected of a masterpiece, it was truly stunning! From the intricate pattern designs to the waistline tailoring, every stitch and detail exuded artistry. Moreover, they discovered that Xu Yao, this Eastern girl, truly had an incredible figure.

Why were fashion models needed? Because models can showcase the beauty of fashion to the fullest, and they found that Xu Yao alone could rival countless models on the runway! She could master any style.

After seeing Xu Yao’s photos, one couldn’t help but want to wear the masterpiece, dreaming of donning such exquisite creations.

Ordinary girls might not dare to dream of such luxury clothing, but some rich second-generation heiresses gazed at Xu Yao’s photos, feeling as if millions of ants were quietly crawling all over their hearts, their desire reaching a peak.

They no longer merely wished to obtain the masterpiece through a small game—they wanted to wear it themselves!

[Official Shining Star Weibo Account: Dear players, the stars have felt your enthusiasm! A new event is about to begin, and we welcome all players to participate and create the most beautiful outfits! [Image]]

The game’s official account saw its Weibo followers surge by nearly a million, becoming the undisputed number one on the daily active users ranking list in the gaming sector.

Countless seasoned gamers, upon seeing that Weibo post, immediately thought the game was rushing things. The International Across the Globe event had just begun, and they were already launching a new event. Players would surely get fatigued and burned out.

But when they saw the new event image, they wanted to slap themselves.

Sorry, they were just too naive!

The latest event for Shining Star is the Fashion Styling Competition, and allows players to freely mix and match outfits to compete. The top X thousand stylists worldwide would win custom outfits from international designers, including Master Absalom.

Xu Yao’s outfit was a globally unique custom piece; even if players managed to obtain it, there would be slight differences in the details, making it truly one of a kind.

Once the event was announced, player enthusiasm skyrocketed. Even as night fell, a massive influx of new players rushed in, all eager to start styling their outfits.

Huh? My dressing room has too few clothes to mix and match? Then what are you waiting for? Pull more! Just go pull for outfits! Once you get them, you can start matching again!

Huh? You need small scissors to pull for outfits? What if I don’t have enough small scissors? Then rush to recharge more blue diamonds! Let’s get seven or eight of those 648-yuan gold packages first!

On Jiuzhou Game Network, Shining Star dominated various ranking charts, firmly holding the top spot and leaving the second place far behind. This terrifying scene would be talked about in the gaming community for many years to come.

[So, does that mean a player like me, who has no money but has luck, also has a chance to win a physical copy of a masterpiece after matching?]

[I heard these haute couture pieces from the masters cost hundreds of thousands of yuan each, right? Even if I sell it after getting it, I’ll still make a huge profit! Participating is a sure win!]

[Hahaha, it’s all about participation! I also want to join; who knows, I might get lucky.]

[I’m already numb, my girlfriend wants me to download the game to compete for a world-class designer outfit for her…]

[I’ve gotta say, damn—that’s impressive. This game is really like a sow wearing a bra², one set after another. As long as they can keep up the follow-through, this game could seriously become a phenomenon!]

[Xu Yao is incredible, her vision is so sharp! Who would invest in a dress-up game before? How much did she invest? Tens of millions?]

[Tens of millions? How naive!]

The rumours circulating online that Ming Chan received tens of millions in investment from Xu Yao are all false. Xu Yao, this terrifying landlady, actually poured in 150 million yuan!

Game developers in the industry were left dumbfounded. Can you believe it? That’s 150 million, not just a dollar fifty, okay?! They were practically kneeling before Xu Yao.

Investors specializing in investment ventures couldn’t help but regard this as a classic case, and it was without a doubt that Xu Yao could easily be included in investment textbooks.

This investment by Xu Yao could earn her billions in a single month! Is this how landlords are just lying back and collecting rent these days?

Xu Yao felt quite innocent; she really just didn’t want her tenants to leave. After all, finding a new tenant with good character is quite a hassle.

Investment?

It was really just a casual thing. After all, she just wanted to provide her tenants with a warm home.

Whether it was Xu Yao’s legal team successfully winning the lawsuit against Runda and Junyi or Ming Chan’s game, both brought Xu Yao an immense amount of traffic.

Mu Xiyuan could hardly believe that Ming Chan had actually made that crappy game popular?

A dress-up mini-game had sparked a frenzy both domestically and internationally, raking in billions of RMB in less than half a month since reopening, and it was still wildly gaining traction. But this game was actually just one that had been secretly given to Ming Chan by his adoptive father, who felt sorry for her.

Mu Xiyuan looked at the chaotic group chat and then at the endless reports online about Xu Yao and Ming Chan; these two had suddenly become the center of attention.

He suddenly felt like a joke… was he even worse than an orphaned girl from a rural town?

Now, wouldn’t his adoptive parents think Ming Chan was better than him?

Mu Xiyuan found it extremely hard to accept this reality. He angrily slammed his fist on the brown wooden desk in front of him, a fire of rage flickering in his eyes, nearly burning away the last remnants of his sanity.

What should he do now?

Suddenly, a series of gasps came from outside. Mu Xiyuan, who was already furious, picked up the ashtray on his desk and hurled it at the door, shouting, “Shut up!”

Too many people had resigned from the company in the past few days. Almost every day someone knocked on his office door, but it was only to quit.

The ceramic ashtray shattered on the floor, producing an extremely jarring sound.

“No skill, but quite a big temper!” A familiar voice filled with anger came from the doorway.

Mu Xiyuan quickly looked over, and to his surprise, saw it was his adoptive parents. His adoptive father was wearing a hospital blue-and-white striped gown under his suit jacket, clearly indicating that they had rushed over from the hospital.

Seeing his adoptive mother supporting his adoptive father, Mu Xiyuan suddenly felt an unspeakable sense of crisis well up from within him. He hurried forward, “Dad, why aren’t you resting well at the hospital? Why did you come here at this time? I’m worried about you.”

Chairman Mu kept coughing and sneered, “You little beast, if I hadn’t come over, you would have squandered my entire fortune!”

Chairman Mu was genuinely disappointed in this adopted son. It seems he simply wasn’t cut out for running a company.

Putting aside his poor character and secret involvement with rental loans, the fact was that Runda was indeed in a crisis, with even the stock price in free fall. But that didn’t mean the company would go bankrupt overnight! Yet this kid couldn’t even come up with a way to save it, only knowing how to smash ashtrays.

This was further contrasted with Ming Chan stirring up the global gaming industry with a simple game. At this point in time, Chairman Mu’s disappointment in Mu Xiyuan reached its peak.

Mu Xiyuan felt extremely uneasy, a very ominous premonition creeping in.

“Starting today, you are dismissed,” Chairman Mu solemnly announced as he looked at Mu Xiyuan with disappointment.

To put it bluntly, the president of a company is also an employee—a high-ranking one—but they can still be dismissed.

The employees outside the office were dumbfounded. Little President Mu was fired? Then what would happen to Runda in the future? Chairman Mu didn’t look like he could manage the company with his current health.

Chairman Mu scanned the stunned employees outside and said to the dazed Mu Xiyuan, “I will hand the company over to Little Chan.”

In that instant, Mu Xiyuan’s mind seemed to buzz with static, and he went blank.

Hand the company over to Ming Chan?

Mu Xiyuan clutched his head, almost screaming, “Dad, are you crazy? I’ve already divorced Ming Chan! She’s no longer a member of the Mu family! She’s just an outsider, and yet you want to hand over such a large enterprise to her?”

“A large enterprise? Right now, the entire Runda Group is a mess!” Chairman Mu said angrily, glaring at Mu Xiyuan.

Mu Xiyuan’s brain was racing, and he blurted out, “Dad, are you really going to fire me over this small mistake? Is it just because I’m an adopted son, so you think I can be discarded at will?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Xiyuan immediately regretted it.

Chairman Mu’s face turned completely ashen as he reprimanded furiously, “A small mistake? You and Junyi’s people have caused people to lose their lives! Are human lives so worthless in your eyes?”

Chairman Mu changed his tone and retorted, “Besides, you’re just like Little Chan, and you’re not my biological son. So what’s the difference if I hand it over to you or Little Chan?”

Mu Xiyuan’s face turned pale, and he didn’t know how to respond.

The employees were going completely crazy, discussing it as if they had heard some major international gossip. Mu Xiyuan actually exposed a bombshell about himself!

“So President Mu isn’t Chairman Mu’s biological son? He’s adopted?”

“My goodness, isn’t this going to be huge news in high society?! Mu Xiyuan is actually the only adopted son! No one in the circle knew this news!”

Some employees who were considering resigning became bolder: “Mu Xiyuan’s abilities are still lacking, so it’s still better to hand the company over to the former president’s wife. She made even a small indie game popular overnight! Now that’s a real businesswoman. Men shouldn’t be so self-important; they have to admit that they are often inferior to women.”

“I’ve overheard some juicy gossip today. I feel like I suddenly don’t need to resign anymore?”

“…”

Mu Xiyuan was scared, he was truly scared now. He quickly said, “Mom, Dad, I really know I was wrong now. I will definitely apologize to the public.

“And also, since you both like Ming Chan, I’ll go find her and remarry her right now!”

Hearing this, his usually gentle adoptive mother frowned and immediately stopped him, “Don’t go harming a good girl.”

When Mu Xiyuan heard that even his usually gentle adoptive mother was no longer helping him, his heart sank to the depths of despair.

“We’ve already thought it over. Your mother and I will adopt Ming Chan as our daughter.” Chairman Mu continued, his tone calm, clearly having made a thorough decision with no room for negotiation.

Mu Xiyuan now understood that he was completely finished.

He began to regret, regretting why he had let himself be blinded and got involved in the rental loan business with Junyi.

All he knew was—

The ex-wife he had once kicked out would now walk back into the Mu family as its head.

After announcing this major news, Chairman Mu, supported by his wife, returned to the hospital.

He hadn’t abandoned Mu Xiyuan. After all, he had already raised him for so many years. Even without blood ties, there were still years of feelings between them.

But rationality led Chairman Mu to make a decision: rather than let the company be squandered by him, it was better to hand it over to the capable Ming Chan. He would give his adopted son some money to ensure he wouldn’t go hungry, but that was all.

Ming Chan was called to duty in a crisis; she was currently only thinking about her game, especially since it had exploded in popularity due to the latest event. However, if she didn’t want it to be a mere flash in the pan, she still needed to follow up.

It was Chairman Mu and his wife who personally invited her, their words extremely sincere.

The couple was very satisfied with Ming Chan’s character, as despite going through such a difficult time, she still hadn’t exposed that Mu Xiyuan was an adopted son just to gain benefits.

Ming Chan actually didn’t want a divorce at the time, not because she was attached to Mu Xiyuan, but because she cared about her kind and understanding in-laws.

“Sir, Madam, the identification results are out—it’s true! Miss Xu Yao is truly amazing!” The butler rushed in from outside the ward, only to be stopped by a nurse in the hallway who was very displeased at him speaking so loudly.

But the butler couldn’t control himself!

“Is it really true?” Chairman Mu’s wife asked, her voice trembling in disbelief.

“It’s true, it’s really true!”

Ming Chan looked confused, not knowing what her former in-laws were talking about.

Chairman Mu flipped the examination report back and forth, tears misting his eyes, “Little Chan, Miss Xu Yao sent someone to visit us and left a greeting card saying that you and my wife look very similar, so we did a paternity test.”

The chairman’s wife even held Ming Chan’s hand directly, “No wonder I find you so familiar, my little darling.”

Ming Chan, a rational girl, was momentarily stunned. Xu Yao? Was it Xu Yao, her landlady, who was helping her once again?

After taking a long time digesting her own background, Ming Chan gradually came to her senses, and she also accurately grasped Runda’s current situation.

Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments was so badly affected by the scandal to the point of being forcibly delisted, but Runda was not yet bankrupt.

After much consideration, Ming Chan said, “Mom, Dad, the best way now is for us to cut our losses to survive.”

Having been the daughter-in-law of the couple, it had become a habit for Ming Chan to call them Mom and Dad, so it wasn’t difficult to say it again. In fact, the term felt even more intimate today.

The couple, however, listened to that address with red eyes, staring intently at Ming Chan.

“Since this whole matter started with Mu Xiyuan, we’ll cut Mu Xiyuan out completely.”

Ming Chan thought for a moment and said, “Right, and the property that Junyi Long-term Rental Apartments rented from Runda that caused the incident—it’s that building, right? I think…”

Ming Chan’s voice became firm as she decisively stated, “We should give that apartment building to Xu Yao.”

*

Xu Yao received an apartment building, but the person giving it to her was not her fiancé, but rather her tenant.

“Isn’t this too much?” Xu Yao said with a troubled expression, “This gift is really too big, I can’t accept it.”

Chairman Mu, who was still in high spirits due to the happy occasion, was in excellent health. He not only was able to move around but also didn’t need to remain in the hospital.

Chairman Mu said, “If you say that, Yaoyao, then you’re truly being too polite. I understand the pressure that young people must be feeling with the issue of rent and loans. If we add a few more lives to the mix, the future fallout would be scarier than the current negative public opinion about the company. I know your intentions are good.”

“Besides… transferring this apartment building to you at this time is actually us taking advantage of the situation, after all, your reputation is good right now.”

Xu Yao was now recognized as a divine landlady, and the apartment building that had seen two lives lost, if transferred into her hands, would undoubtedly help influence the negative public opinion.

The chairman’s wife, dressed in a qipao³, chided her, “What are you saying, Little Yao? Besides, if it weren’t for you investing in Little Chan back then, her life would have been far more difficult than it is now. If you hadn’t reminded us, we wouldn’t have even known our own daughter was right under our noses this whole time.”

Just finding their own daughter was worth more than ten buildings, let alone one.

An apartment building was still a huge gift, representing not only their desperate attempt at reversing public opinion, but also their gratitude towards Xu Yao.

Xu Yao smiled, “Then… thank you, Chairman Mu and Madam Mu.”

With the formalities taken care of, the chairman’s wife held Xu Yao’s hand, feeling extremely close, and asked with a smile, “I heard you’re getting engaged soon. Do make sure to invite us when the time comes”

Xu Yao readily agreed, and the chairman’s wife asked where it would be held.

Xu Yao hesitated, “It hasn’t been decided yet. I’ll inform Uncle and Aunt when the time comes.”

The engagement location had indeed not been decided, as Xu Yao didn’t want to hold it in the capital or in Haicheng.

Both places were big cities, with paparazzi everywhere so it would be hard to keep the engagement a secret, especially given her current massive online following.

Xu Yao had initially planned to acquire several villas on an island, planning to discuss with Ji Zhengqing about the possibility of holding a small engagement party there.

*

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:

Runda Group officially announced today that President Mu Xiyuan has been permanently dismissed, with Ming Chan taking over the position instead. Runda will also provide a series of compensations to the victims.

[Mu Xiyuan was fired? I heard the chairman of Runda was extremely fond of this son, so did they really kick him out? At least this shows some sincerity.]

[Isn’t Ming Chan the tenant that Xu Yao invested in? Holy crap, going from being divorced to her game becoming a global hit, and now taking charge of Runda—isn’t Xu Yao’s foresight a bit too sharp?]

[Hahaha, Mu Xiyuan kicked Ming Chan out of the house back then, yet who would have thought he would be kicked out one day too? Hasn’t his ex-wife made a glamorous return? Serves that dog man right!]

Mu Xiyuan had stirred up so much trouble, and in the end, he gained nothing! Just thinking about it is amusing.

What a useless piece of work.

[This is nothing compared to the truly shocking news! @Runda’s victimised tenants have the real bombshell!]

Many of these scammed tenants still lived in Runda Apartments. After all, Xu Yao’s elite legal team had completely exempted them from loans with their victory in the lawsuit, and Runda had provided various compensations to salvage their image. Their attitude could even be considered excellent; it was as if they were practically begging them for mercy.

Although they were still cursing Runda behind their backs, they didn’t move out directly, and accepted the compensation without hesitation, simply continuing to live in the same apartment building.

Just this morning, the latest notice was issued downstairs in the apartment building: the building had changed ownership and had become Xu Yao’s.

Tenants who could not accept this could move out within ten days, and Xu Yao’s rental team would arrange for a moving company to assist for free, while those willing to rent Xu Yao’s properties could stay and would have Xu Yao’s rental team come over to sign new rental contracts.

The Runda Apartments tenant group chat, which had been filled with curses, was now in shock, flooding the chat with messages.

Xu Yao couldn’t help but sigh; what could she do if her tenants insisted on giving her a building? She didn’t want it either.

[??? So I… I became Xu Yao’s tenant? Wow! Is this a blessing in disguise? Ahhhh, Mom, I rented Xu Yao’s house, you don’t have to worry about me being scammed in the big city anymore!]

[I took Xu Yao’s online rental exam three times, always failing to pass by one or two points, and now, you’re telling me I directly became Xu Yao’s tenant? Did I make it? Is this how I made it? I need to celebrate right now!]

[To be honest, I was just packing my things into boxes at home, but seeing this news, I silently took everything out again. In this day and age, which tenant doesn’t want to rent Xu Yao’s house?]

[Wahhhh, I’m truly grateful to Xu Yao! Because of her, I won’t have to bear strange loans at a young age, and now I can even confidently look for a job. I suddenly feel that life is still very beautiful—everyone should live well! My long-standing unhappiness has suddenly eased a lot. I’m so happy!]

[Yes, we should all live well. Thank you to the boy and girl who left us, and I hope you both are doing well in heaven. And thank you for ensuring that us later arrivals will no longer suffer any grievances.]

Today’s breaking news! Runda has transferred their apartment building to Xu Yao, and now Xu Yao is the landlady of this building!

The tenants of Runda, who had previously been grumbling, upon hearing that the landlord had become Xu Yao, were all excited as if it were the New Year .

It was like they had been in the dim light of dawn, and upon finally crossing the endless darkness, they could finally catch a glimpse of the long-awaited sun. The first rays of sunlight truly felt warm on their skin.

Netizens were somewhat dumbfounded. So, it turns out there’s actually another way to rent Xu Yao’s apartment? Why was it so difficult to rent from Xu Yao?

Countless hopeful investors had long been unable to contain themselves. Ming Chan was the best example for them. A small, crappy game had somehow become a global phenomenon! They wanted to be Xu Yao’s tenants, even if they didn’t actually need to rent a place at all!

[Sister Yao, look at me! My variety show is just missing you as an investment tycoon!]

[Does Xu Yao only help her tenants? I want to become her tenant.]

[Wahhhhhhh, Sister Yao, look at me! My little restaurant has great food, but it’s about to close down. I hope the ultimate landlady can lend a helping hand.]

Netizens looked at these comments on Weibo and couldn’t help but frown.

They had a terrible premonition that these people, who already had houses and homes, would soon come to compete with them!

Originally, the rental exam for Xu Yao’s apartments was already very difficult, and now with this situation, renting from Xu Yao was almost like trying to get into Tsinghua or Peking University!

Just as some tenants were feeling anxious, someone posted a reply to a private message on Xu Yao’s rental official website.

[Xu Yao Rental Private Message: Your information has been reviewed. We regret to inform you that you do not meet the rental requirements of Xu Yao Rental. Note: Please do not waste resources if you already own property. Thank you.]

If you own a house, get lost! Don’t come and waste resources renting!

Xu Yao was very clear about it—her apartments were to be rented to those who truly needed them. As a busy landlady, she only occasionally helped out her unfortunate tenants. After all, she just wanted to give everyone a happy home.

Many people were left dumbfounded—Xu Yao’s rental requirements had actually become stricter.

No renting to property owners! She really only rented to those in need…

Didn’t that mean those hoping to gain Xu Yao’s investment help as tenants would never have a chance? Some people who still lacked investment nearly blacked out from despair. After all, most of them who needed investment for their businesses all owned some sort of property, more or less.

Heavens, why are you so cruel to me!

“I… I’ve made up my mind,” a middle-aged man looked around his home in the capital city. He took a deep breath as if he had considered this for a long time, and solemnly told his family, “I’m going to sell our property and rent Xu Yao’s apartment!”

As long as they sold the house, they would need to rent, thus meeting Xu Yao’s basic rental criteria.

Family: “!!!”

Are you crazy?!

Selling the house, and having the whole family go to rent from Xu Yao? Have you lost your mind? Who will slap him back to his senses?

The tenants of Runda, oh no, now they were also Xu Yao’s tenants, immediately felt as if they had struck a jackpot when watching the frenzy online.

My goodness, wanting to become Xu Yao’s tenant is almost as hard as getting into Tsinghua and Peking University!

After a long time, one tenant seriously said in the group: [Thank you, Runda, for giving this apartment building to Xu Yao, allowing me to become Xu Yao’s tenant.]

[I actually really hated Runda before, wishing I could follow Mu Xiyuan and send him on his way, but now I suddenly feel a bit relieved. That trash Mu Xiyuan deserves to die, but it seems like Runda isn’t completely rotten to the core.]

[Sigh, I’ve also changed my view on Runda quite a bit. This move is indeed a clever tactic, and I truly admire it.]

[Ming Chan is truly a role model for female entrepreneurs! She can make a game a global hit and then turn around to save the company’s reputation, truly impressive.]

[Yeah, this is a whole building we’re talking about! Yet Ming Chan just gave it away! Who else is so generous with gifts these days? Why is this kind of shippable all of a sudden? (jk⁴)]

[Sis, shipping everything will only ruin you. Xu Yao is obviously my wife, okay? Don’t go trying to steal her, thanks!]

They admired Ming Chan’s clever tactics, as this was a win-win situation. Runda cut off its own tail to survive and restore its company image, while Xu Yao effortlessly received a whole building as a gift—this was simply a win-win for both parties!

Ji Zhengqing was also paying attention to the online news, noticing Runda’s clever move to cut its losses to survive, and he watched as the online reputation of Runda gradually rose from its previous low.

Ming Chan was indeed a remarkable female entrepreneur, and Xu Yao’s vision was something everyone talked about.

It wasn’t until Ji Zhengqing saw a comment saying, [Wow, Ming Chan actually gave Xu Yao a building! I dare say her future husband might not even be this generous!]

Ji Zhengqing suddenly remembered that he hadn’t given Xu Yao the land of Zhengde Academy but had sold it to her at half price instead. If this got out… 

Ji Zhengqing could never have imagined that, in this lifetime, he’d be saddled with the reputation of being stingy.

Ji Zhengqing turned his head and stared at the engagement ring he had just ordered on the desk—the one with the massive diamond—for a long time.

Assistant Li hurriedly added from the side, “President Ji, this engagement ring really isn’t bad at all… um, are you thinking of giving her a building too?”

Wearing a dead-inside expression, Assistant Li wondered to himself, Who gives gifts like this? Get a grip, you love-struck fool!

Ji Zhengqing thought for a moment and said, “Two buildings?”

---

i kid u not when i say assistant li is the funniest part of this story LMAOOO poor guy is constantly questioning life im crine

please support the author on JJWXC if possible!
(๑>ᴗ<๑)

any typos or broken links, pls comment or dm me on discord!
support mio on kofi! ◡̈

1. “直男” → slang for a (often romantically clueless) straight man with stereotypically poor taste (think tacky) ↩︎
2. “老母猪戴胸罩一套又一套” is a crude, humorous Chinese slang expression. Literally “a sow wearing a bra, one set after another,” Because sows have many udders, if you put a bra on an older sow, you need to put on multiple bras, hence the saying “one set after another”. The phrase “一套又一套” (“one set after another”) conveys something being produced or released continuously and in large quantity. In context, it praises the game for rolling out content nonstop, though with a jokingly vulgar tone. ↩︎
3. Wearing a qipao often conveys a sense of celebration, formality, and cultural refinement, and may also symbolize good fortune. So the chairman’s wife wearing a qipao now conveys her joy at finally reuniting with her biological daughter. ↩︎
4. Bushi = playful internet slang for “not really” (a joking self-denial after saying something suggestive). Think jk or /j ↩︎

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Liu Feifei was just an ordinary high school girl with a little bit of pocket money. She hadn’t paid much attention to the housing loan, which was the hottest trending topic on Weibo these past two days—after all, she didn’t need to rent a place yet.

Shining Star had inexplicably suspended its servers, with its reopening time still tentative. Liu Feifei had planned to abandon the game since it didn’t really have the allure to keep her waiting for its return.

However, a few days ago, she noticed that well-known concept artists like Sang Sang, Si Qiao, and Monkey Candy were all creating concept art for Shining Star, with the key point being the terrifyingly high commission fees, which stirred up quite a commotion in the gaming community. As a veteran player, Liu Feifei knew just what kind of game that broke little game was, and she was curious to see just what sort of tricks this little game could come up with.

So while ordinary netizens were discussing the pitfalls of housing loans and Xu Yao, the truly divine landlord, she was secretly waiting for the game to reopen.

The official account of Shining Star announcing its reopening didn’t cause much of a stir, garnering only about ten thousand reposts. Of course, compared to the previous posts that only had dozens of reposts, for them, this was still considered significant exposure, though it still didn’t create much of a splash.

The reopening was set for Sunday morning at eight o’clock, and Liu Feifei logged into the game right on time.

The young girl, still wearing a lace nightgown, was snuggled in bed, her eyes half-closed and still a bit drowsy from sleep. As a struggling high school student with classes six days a week, the only time she had to herself was the weekend. Usually, she would be sleeping in at this time before getting up to do her homework.

If the game still turned out to be trash, then it wouldn’t be worth wasting her precious weekend time on it, and she would immediately uninstall it to continue sleeping in.

With this thought, Liu Feifei clicked into the game but was prompted to download an additional update. She took a closer look and was somewhat surprised: “2.5 gigabytes??”

To think that this little game had only been a few hundred megabytes at the start! What on earth had the game studio done to make the file so large all of a sudden?

Fortunately, the internet speed at home was quite good, and it finished downloading just as she was dozing off.

Liu Feifei, who was nestled in bed, yawned as she looked at the screen. A girl appeared on the splash screen against a cosmic starry background, and Liu Feifei’s eyes lit up, “Teacher Si Qiao’s art is simply too amazing, so beautiful!”

She couldn’t help but think that Shining Star truly had a discerning eye; the art style of the artists they hired matched her aesthetic perfectly.

From the main character’s extraordinarily beautiful looks to the dazzling starry background behind her, Liu Feifei couldn’t help but feel a little excited. She immediately logged into her account.

As the game progress bar at the bottom filled up, the screen transitioned, and Liu Feifei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Holy sh*t?” She shot up from her small bed, her previously sleepy eyes now wide open.

“This… is this the same game?” Liu Feifei muttered in disbelief, “How did it become 3D?”

The game interface featured a 3D character, dressed in a simple white shirt and a light blue pleated skirt.

Liu Feifei found the outfit rather familiar. After thinking for a while, she remembered that this was the same exact outfit she had designed just over a month ago before the game stopped service.

Liu Feifei tried to rotate the character with her finger, and sure enough, she could view it from all angles. This made her suddenly realise, “So that’s what the back of this outfit looks like!”

She poked the little figure, and the girl on the screen took two steps back, shyly covering half her face and saying, “Oh my, what are you doing? It tickles!”

Liu Feifei was stunned. Huh? They’ve even voice acting as well?

Her curiosity got the better of her as she tried to explore the other changes in the game. The top row displayed her stamina, general currency, and blue diamonds.

Liu Feifei clicked on the notification in her mailbox and found a letter from the developers apologizing to the few remaining veteran players.

Liu Feifei looked confused, “88 little scissors? What’s that?”

When she clicked into the gacha pool interface, she instantly understood, exclaiming, “88 pulls for veteran players?!”

Moreover, with the reopening, various events followed one after another, making it easy to gather over a hundred pulls in just a few days.

Liu Feifei had played many games before, and she knew that many games required at least a thousand yuan to get a hundred pulls! Was this game really that generous?

This was a decision made after discussions among Ming Chan and the team, as there weren’t enough veteran players to begin with, so it wouldn’t disrupt the overall balance.

Excited, Liu Feifei was eager to try her luck at pulling. Just as she clicked to pull a set, a prompt box popped up—

[Friendly reminder: A new global collaboration event will start on XX/XX/202X. Players are advised to proceed pulling at your own discretion.]

Liu Feifei looked at the date, which seemed to be five days later. She felt a bit speechless about the “new global collaboration event” mentioned above. It seemed that these days, even the smallest of games could anyhow slap the word “global” on their events.

However, Liu Feifei still decided to save up for five days to see what this so-called “new global collaboration event” was all about.

“Let’s check out my little house.” Liu Feifei turned away from the card-pulling page and entered the little house page.

The moment she clicked in, Liu Feifei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, isn’t this just the little house of my dreams?!”

There was a super large princess bed, a beautiful desk, and most importantly, a gigantic wardrobe!

Liu Feifei didn’t know how the game managed to create this, but by clicking on the screen, she truly felt like she was back in her own home.

In the exaggeratedly large wardrobe were her clothes, a complete set of dresses, outfits, shoes, bags, various accessories, and even wigs for different hairstyles!

“Ahhh!! This is simply a fashionista’s dream house!” Liu Feifei was completely awake now, sitting cross-legged on the bed, squirming in excitement.

The wardrobe felt so real, as if she truly owned it.

Liu Feifei checked her dresses and became even more excited, “Oh, oh, these are the dresses and clothes I got in the game before! Hmm, I thought this dress was ugly before, but now it actually looks so good after the update, so cool and stylish.”

Liu Feifei is one of the game’s veteran players. The outfits she previously obtained not only remained in her wardrobe but were also fully upgraded.

Each outfit underwent detailed optimization. As Liu Feifei controlled her character, she could even catch sight of the cute lace trim of the maxi skirt as well as the legs and ankles peeking out from beneath the sheer fabric.

Her mind was filled with the words “so beautiful.” This little dress perfectly matched her aesthetic!

Liu Feifei snuggled in bed, designing outfits. At one moment, she thought that this top paired perfectly with those long pants, and at another, she felt the accessories she had initially paired with it didn’t quite match.

She clearly already had a vast collection of clothes since she was a veteran player, yet she still found it hard to resist the urge to pull for SSRs.

If it weren’t for her persistent bodily urgers, Liu Feifei wouldn’t even want to get out of bed with her phone in hand. While holding her phone in the bathroom, she didn’t forget to share a screenshot with her classmate.

[Liu Feifei: [image] How does my outfit look?]

[Friend A: A dress-up game? Do even dress-up games need to be this refined these days?]

Her friend knew that Liu Feifei enjoyed these dress-up mini-games, but in terms of outfit changes, this world was limited to mini-games, and it was indeed their first time seeing one this exquisite.

Liu Feifei shared another four or five outfit designs in one breath. Unable to resist, her friend searched for the game’s name, wanting to try it out too.

“Wow, they even added a storyline? You can get outfits by progressing through the story?” After using the bathroom, Liu Feifei hurried back to play.

It wasn’t until her phone alerted her that the battery was low at 3% that Liu Feifei glanced at the time and felt a sudden jolt in her heart, “Oh no, I have school tomorrow! I haven’t done my homework yet!”

Liu Feifei quickly plugged her phone in to charge and rushed to her desk to do her homework. Just as she had written a few words, she couldn’t help but grab her charging phone and sent a message in the gaming community:

[Shining Star is amazing after the update! I’ve played at least dozens of dress-up games, and this one is truly exquisite, definitely not something a mini-game like 9934 can compare to!]

In this world, games from China must pass an audit by a platform called Jiuzhou Game Network to qualify for listing. In addition to auditing games, this platform also allows users to check current download numbers, sales rankings, and even upcoming new releases.

Anyone who plays games in the country knows this site, and many players specifically go there to find good mini-games to try out.

The game reviewer “I Am Carefree” was, as usual, browsing Jiuzhou Game Network for games to review. 

After scanning through the new games, he showed a disappointed expression; there hadn’t been any interesting games lately, so he turned his attention to the sales rankings.

The sales ranking on Jiuzhou Game Network has a total of one hundred slots. As the reviewer scrolled through the page, he saw familiar titles, with games like Honor of Kings consistently holding the top spots.

“Ugh, I’ve already reviewed all of these.”

Just as the reviewer was worried about today’s video content, his gaze suddenly caught on the 99th spot on the sales chart—Shining Star.

Despite being at the bottom of the sales chart, with so many games in China, just being able to get into the top hundred meant the quality couldn’t be too bad.

“A dress-up game? I think this is the first of its kind to squeeze into the game sales rankings, right?” Upon seeing this, the reviewer realised that this meant he now had content for today’s video!

The original artwork for the game, priced at 300,000 for a single piece, had already attracted many gamers, who initially came for the artist but ended up staying for the game.

“This damn game, do you actually have to break a single outfit into dozens of shards when pulling? You really have no shame!” A female player cursed while recharging 648 yuan, yet her hand speed never wavered. There was no other reason than that she just really wanted to collect the entire “Celestial Maiden” set!

Once she collected it, the female player admired her 3D character repeatedly, beaming with joy, “Wahhh, my daughter is so beautiful, it’s really worth it, hahaha!”

“Bean Bun, you’re also playing Shining Star? I was also pulled in by the artwork.” A gaming friend saw the post in their WeChat Moments and immediately messaged her, “How much have you pulled?”

“About two hundred pulls, big and small. I don’t even have the mind to care about the event in five days.”

Just the regular outfits were already dazzling enough. She didn’t have a huge wardrobe in real life, but now she had the idea of completely filling up the wardrobe in the game instead!

With just this small wave of players attracted by the artwork, the game had somehow managed to squeeze into the sales rankings.

Jiuzhou Game Network automatically recommends games that make it into the sales rankings, and although the recommendation is just a small corner of text, the platform’s traffic is substantial.

“It’s rising, it’s rising! Boss, our revenue is skyrocketing!” The deputy director of the finance department rushed over to inform Ming Chan.

Ming Chan still had her stare focused on the platform data, nodding continuously.

Since the reopening, Ming Chan had been anxious; that was a 150 million investment after all! If it flopped, how could she ever face Xu Yao?

The originally few dozen game ratings began to grow to a hundred, and then to a few hundred!

Excluding some who criticized the game developers for being shameless for money, the rest were all positive reviews.

—[Deserves a good rating! I’ve loved dressing up since I was a child and even designed various outfits for Barbie dolls when I was little. This game is simply fulfilling my childhood dreams!]

—[It’s my first time playing a 3D dressing game, and every outfit and dress in it is beautifully made. You can still play without spending money.]

—[The original artwork is amazing! I came purely because my Sister Yao is here, and I want to play the same game as her.]

*

I Am Carefree’s lengthy game review, running for over ten minutes, further fueled the high popularity of Shining Star!

“Hey chat, today I discovered a very conscientious game! I won’t even mention how beautiful the clothes are since the female players will know better than I do. I actually found another fun aspect of this game: its face customization system is better than other games. I spent an entire afternoon just customizing faces.”

This content creator has over a million fans, and he’s the type to get increasingly excited the more he speaks, “I molded it based on my own face, hahaha if I were a cross-dressing master, I would definitely look like this, it really resembles me a lot!”

The video also showcased the face he spent the whole afternoon crafting, where a girl’s body appears with a rather heroic face, with the screen immediately filled with question marks in the barrage.

[You’ve ruined the game! Is this really the way to customise a character’s appearance?!]

[…Holy sh*t, I’ve seen I Am Carefree in person before and he really looks like this. The face customisation system in this game is quite good, the rest are just about changing styles and such.]

[I also discovered the face creation system, the key is that it not only allows you to create faces but also lets you input height and weight! I spent three hours creating myself there, aiming for realism.]

More and more players flocked to the game Shining Star, and in just three days, it surged into the top three for most downloads!

Major gaming companies didn’t expect that a dress-up game would see significant revenue on its first day of reopening, and that they’d even experience a terrifyingly explosive growth in the following days.

Money was pouring in almost in the blink of an eye, and within just a few days, the revenue easily surpassed a hundred million.

They even belatedly realized that clothing has an irresistible allure for women, and even in games, female players are truly crazy about spending money.

This made them feel quite a bit of pressure, and they even held a special meeting for Shining Star.

One employee analyzed, “Boss, I don’t think we need to worry too much about Shining Star. Some games do indeed become popular for a while, but it’s just a flash in the pan.”

Another employee chimed in, “That’s true, this little game spent over a million on promotional artwork before, so some popularity is normal.”

The boss felt something was off. How could this be called just “some popularity”? In just a few days, it had easily broken a 100 million in revenue, even making it to the trending searches two or three times. Apparently that top landlord Xu Yao was also playing this game, so this level of popularity would probably continue, right?

However, after being comforted by the employees for a while, the boss’s heart calmed down a bit.

But it didn’t take long before the boss’s expression changed drastically as he stared at the game notifications popping up on his tablet. “It’s over, Shining Star has launched a new event.”

Launching a new event is quite normal; what’s so strange about that? The others were somewhat puzzled.

When they carefully looked at the content of the new event, everyone in the conference room exchanged glances, and almost everyone could see the same expression on each other’s faces— 

How could this be possible?

[Official Shining Star Weibo: The newly released limited-time game event, “International Across the Globe” officially launched at 10:08 this morning. Thanks to the participating co-designers @MasterAbsalom @JesseBlair @DesignerQiuYajun @SakuraDesignerMiyamotoHatsuta @……]

This mention tagged ten internationally renowned designers.

A single Weibo post exploded across the internet!

Many people had already known that these big-name designers would be releasing their latest designs in China, with even reporters rushing to investigate the venue of the fashion show, but there was no news at all.

The level of confidentiality was astonishing.

With the exposure of the rental loan incident involving Runda and Junyi, many people had put this matter behind them, but now it was forcefully brought back to their minds.

Absurd!

This was almost everyone’s first reaction after seeing this official Weibo announcement!

The fact that internationally renowned designers collectively came to China to premiere their designs was shocking enough, but to release it in a game? This completely overturned everyone’s understanding. How on earth could this be possible?

Minutes later, led by Master Absalom, these designers collectively made an official announcement on domestic and international social media.

#Shining Star# instantly topped Weibo’s trending searches, closely followed by the explosive tag!

[I’m completely stunned, internationally renowned designers are collectively joining forces for a dress-up game? How did they even manage to get all these big names involved?]

[OMG, even the national and global gaming scenes are going to be swept up by this little dress-up game, what kind of top-tier collaboration is this?!]

[So in other words, I might also get to pull clothes designed by these internationally renowned designers? I could never afford them in real life, but it seems… quite possible for me to do so in the game.]

[That’s Master Absalom! He’s been in seclusion for five years, and this is the only work he’s done in all these years. I’d go bankrupt just to own it. I’m downloading the game now.]

[Mhmm… I’m just stunned, the foreign fashion scene isn’t doing much better, they’re all shocked to the core.]

If this news was a bombshell in the country, then its impact in the international fashion scene was comparable to that of a magnitude eight earthquake.

It was simply hard to imagine that they were releasing their latest designs in a game.

There was truly no need for a fashion show; these internationally renowned big shots treated a game from China as their platform for launch!

It takes time for games to go international, but this game took only a few hours to break out of the country, trending on Twitter without any signs of stopping.

“Fuck, how come this game doesn’t have a global version?! They only released a domestic server in China!” A blonde, blue-eyed second-generation rich girl from the West kept cursing.

For those in the fashion circle, not getting the latest seasonal items is a matter of losing face, especially since Master Absalom is incredibly attractive.

The most annoying part is that this event is time-limited! If you don’t participate now, it really will be gone in the future. These artistic masters are all so proud, so when they say it’s a limited edition, it’s limited, and if it’s gone, it’s gone—missing it means missing it.

Without an international server, they could only use a domestic proxy accelerator to play the game, which would still result in high latency, lag, and various issues, but now there was no choice; she still had to grit her teeth and proceed.

After finally downloading the game, she initially thought she could change the game language to English, but it turned out that the game hadn’t been developed to that extent yet, and now there were only Simplified and Traditional Chinese options.

In a frantic back-and-forth between angrily smashing her phone and stubbornly continuing to play, the fashion-conscious rich girl finally, with a pained expression, gritted her teeth and compromised, “…I need a Chinese translator to help me!”

Even the most popular game in China has never made them suffer like this!

While waiting for the event to start, she started to explore this game a bit. Although she couldn’t understand Chinese, clothing combinations are universally applicable.

It actually seemed to be quite interesting.

[Hahaha, do they also finally have their day? Foreign sisters, why not take this opportunity to learn some Chinese?]

[Who is enjoying this, I won’t say! Internationally renowned designer’s clothes are released in China, and they can only play while gritting their teeth. I was also clueless about English back then, crying while playing foreign games, and I didn’t even know when I was being scolded, hahaha.]

[I studied abroad, and a rich second-generation girl in my class asked me to translate for her while playing this game, hahaha, making some extra cash, and it’s not a small amount!]

[I just want to know who the big boss behind all this is? How could they invite so many big shots, and the key is that they all agreed to release it in the game! You’re seriously my god!]

As soon as the event started, a shocking scene unfolded that left those in the gaming industry stunned. Later, game producers collectively referred to this day as “Ming Chan’s Massacre of the Rankings”!

The sales rankings were based purely on revenue, and as soon as the event began, Shining Star seemed to sprint ahead of other games like it was a hundred-meter dash, reaching the top of the monthly sales chart within just one hour!

Is this the purchasing power of the fashion industry?

Countless funds from both domestic and international sources poured in frantically. The finance department of Shining Star’s game studio dared to say they had never seen so much money in their lives, to the point where in the end, it all just seemed to be numbers to them.

Is exceeding a hundred million in revenue that great?

They dared to say exceeding even a billion would be a breeze! As soon as the event started, their monthly revenue exceeded five billion! And it was only going to keep skyrocketing.

Just becoming an overnight sensation, it was nothing special!

Countless people were showing off the outfits they had pulled.

[Ahhh, I pulled over two hundred times, and finally collected the entire set of Master Absalom’s dresses. OMG, I finally understand why he is the benchmark in the global fashion industry; the details are truly perfect, and the long black dress just gives off such a noble air.]

[Qiu Yajun’s cheongsam is only 6 yuan! Her designs usually can’t be bought for less than tens of thousands of yuan, so this is simply a bargain! I just bought it and it’s super beautiful!]

[Which big fool hasn’t drawn the complete set yet? It’s me! No more talking, I’m off to recharge my pulls now.]

[Buying accounts, is there anyone selling their account?]

[+1, I also want to buy an account. I heard that veteran players have a ton of SSR outfits, all obtained for free back then! I want to buy it.]

Liu Feifei had been busy with high school coursework these past few days and hadn’t logged into the game for several days. When she saw the trending topics on Weibo, she remembered she could pull for outfits today.

Just as she took out her phone, she found her gaming platform popping up with many notifications.

——[Dear, are you selling your old Shining Star account? I’ll offer 30,000 RMB.]

——[Are you selling your account? I’ll buy it for 50,000 yuan; if you’re interested, please reply quickly, I really want it.]

——[Hey girl, are you selling your account?]

*

Liu Feifei was dumbfounded. Her veteran player account for a mere game could sell for as high as 50,000 yuan? Although her family had a bit of money, 50,000 yuan was still not a small amount for a high school student!

Free money?

Liu Feifei looked at her blue diamonds that could pull over a hundred times in the game and realized that if she collected the masters’ complete set, the price could probably rise even more!

*

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:

Xu Yao also agreed with Ming Chan and their aesthetic when it comes to fashion. Ming Chan had clearly seized the opportunity, and she had many ideas about this game that she could implement once she had money.

Recently, Xu Yao had also been playing the online version of Shining Star, and the gaming experience was quite good.

Internationally renowned designers surrounded her, while an assistant pushed in a rack filled with new clothes.

“Miss Yaoyao, you can try them on. If there are any modifications needed, feel free to mention them,” the designer said with incredibly gentle attitudes.

They made nearly twenty outfits in total, of which only two or three were engagement dresses, while the rest… were all offline physical versions of the Shining Star game!

Xu Yao was quite enthusiastic about wearing new clothes. After changing in the fitting room, she came out, and an assistant immediately eagerly dropped into a half-squat to help her arrange her skirt, while another assistant gently tidied her hair and makeup, with another group holding a jewelry box for Xu Yao to choose from.

She wasn’t just a princess but a queen!

Xu Yao sighed inwardly and thought to herself, it’s so good being rich; being a wealthy rent-collecting landlady is even better, hahaha.

“Take a few good photos of each outfit,” Xu Yao instructed.

Her foolish fiancé had brought in so many talents just to make her engagement dresses, so Xu Yao naturally wanted to share them with Ji Zhengqing as well.

There was no need for Xu Yao to remind them; the assistants, who were very skilled in photography, would definitely take beautiful photos for her.

Xu Yao didn’t even go outside to take pictures; after trying on the outfits, she took photos around the mansion, sitting at an angle in a gray-purple maxi dress by the swimming pool, her legs submerged in the clear water, as well as another shot in an elegant dark green cheongsam.

The assistants watched the sunlight dapple Xu Yao’s nose, casting a warm glow, and secretly marveled at her beauty. Her departure from the entertainment industry was truly a significant loss for the domestic entertainment industry’s beauty standards.

After the photoshoot, Xu Yao shared the pictures to Ji Zhengqing’s WeChat.

Ji Zhengqing flipped through the ten or so photos several times, silently saving them to his phone gallery.

Although he felt that some of the outfits didn’t look like engagement dresses, he didn’t ask and simply replied, [Very beautiful.]

Ji Zhengqing switched out of WeChat and ordered a bouquet of flowers online to send over.

[AAAA Professional Rental Little Xu: If there are no problems, I’ll post it now.]

Ji Zhengqing was momentarily stunned. She… What was she going to post? Going public with their relationship?

Before long, Xu Yao’s Weibo was updated with over ten pictures, which didn’t even need much retouching before being posted online. There were no accompanying words, just images.

In that instant, the truth was revealed!

Xu Yao was wearing the offline physical set from the latest Shining Star event, “International Across the Globe”!

It should be known that right now, there isn’t a single person who can wear the physical outfit of theirs offline, not even those beauties of the West who constantly brush shoulders in the fashion industry abroad.

Netizens aren’t fools, and as soon as this Weibo post was uploaded, they completely understood.

The one who is suing Runda and Junyi on behalf of the tenants is Xu Yao.

The one involved in the soon-to-be-bankrupt small game, Shining Star, is Xu Yao.

The one who invited a group of internationally renowned designers to design the outfits for Shining Star is also Xu Yao.

It’s her, it’s her, it’s always been her!

It’s all been Xu Yao!

Likes, comments, and shares erupted collectively!

[OMG, the behind-the-scenes big shot who caused a global earthquake in the fashion world is Xu Yao? I’m seriously going to kneel down to this landlady, she’s truly the real deal, just what kind of background does she have? Where does all her power come from?]

[Other rich ladies showing off: inviting internationally renowned designers to customize high-end dresses for themselves. Xu Yao showing off: inviting internationally renowned designers to participate in the game she invested in.]

[Xu Yao, the woman who made girls worldwide go crazy for fashion all by herself! A divine landlady!]

[Yaoyao is so beautiful, really, these physical versions of the outfits are stunning, Xu Yao is the first person in the world to wear them. Her looks crush all the female stars in the domestic entertainment industry! Just look at that shoulder curve, I’m dead, I’m dead!]

[Xu Yao, I’m also your tenant, sob sob sob, what do you think of me? I can’t afford rent anymore, please invest in me, I beg you. Breaking three billion in a single day, what kind of investment god’s eye is this, god!]

Xu Yao said nothing, yet it seemed like she said everything.

A set of photos had forcibly increased her follower count by over a million; The Great Landlady Xu was indeed a top influencer!

The comment section was filled with fans crazily shouting that Xu Yao is their wife, making Ji Zhengqing frown slightly.

Do these people not have their own wives?

Leaning back in a high-end black leather swivel chair, Ji Zhengqing scrolled down to look at Xu Yao’s Weibo page, with the latest post being Xu Yao revealing the outfits.

It hadn’t even been that long, yet the likes had already surpassed a million, with even the comments being in the hundreds of thousands.

Ji Zhengqing quietly said to his assistant, “Assistant Li, it seems Xu Yao really wants to go public with me.”

The ten internationally renowned designers he invited all stayed to customize dresses.

Now, they were all revealed online, with tens of millions of netizens witnessing her new clothes, yet she hadn’t said a word, as if she was silently aggrieved.

Assistant Li didn’t respond but brought over a tablet and gently pushed it in front of Ji Zhengqing.

Ji Zhengqing glanced at it, and his gaze suddenly froze.

Wait, wait a minute—

Why are the dresses Xu Yao customized appearing in the game’s latest event in 3D artwork???

---

JZQ: who am i, where am i, what am i ????

support mio on kofi! ◡̈