31.6 - Crazy! Criticizing the Prime Minister for Being a Servant

**Chapter 30: Moonlight** "Why does his bone age feel like that of a young person? His appearance also doesn't seem like a disguise. Yet, internally, he appears to have cultivation nearing the late stages of Qi Refinement. How can there be such contradictions?" "No, what I meant to say was about the addressing issue—last night we were friends, and today we're sisters... uh, but as long as the master is happy, I'm fine with it." "This is really strange." "Lin Yuxue's rapid improvement in power is quite abnormal. According to the original work, by this time she should only be at the early stages of the Golden Core. In the upcoming disciples' contest, she stood out with her early Golden Core stage, only to narrowly lose to a senior sister at the mid-Golden Core stage. But in reality, she reached the edge of the Golden Core stage a year ago, and now she's already at the mid-Golden Core stage. And just two years ago, she had barely started on the path of cultivation. What about her backlash...?" "And then there was that guy, Ah Xin. Despite being over twenty in bone age, he looks seventy or eighty on the outside. He has the cultivation level of the late Qi Refinement stage but can't use it at all." "This so-called Immortal Master guiding people is definitely fishy!" The weather forecast didn’t mention rain; Fang Qing chose an outdoor shoot on a whim, but now, there's an abrupt downpour... Fortunately, modern equipment is waterproof. “Shall we continue shooting?” Teacher Ning lightly tapped her fingers on the desk in front of her. “If we shoot tomorrow, remember to add more money.” “Why are you so greedy?” “Money is good stuff; everyone likes it.” Ning Songwu wanted to let out a bitter laugh, but it would ruin her public image, so she changed the topic. After all, in her mind, a voice had just calmly told her that if they continued shooting tomorrow, they would need to pay more. Money, money, money—everyone is so greedy! Fang Qing shook her head helplessly. “This rain refuses to stop, and even if it does, we can’t shoot today. Let’s do it tomorrow. Are we keeping that final scene?” There was no kiss scene in the script; she hadn't thought about it. The script just described the junior sister being mesmerized, repeatedly fixing her senior sister's dropped garment, and accidentally falling down. Quite ordinary, but since it’s just a music video segment, they’d only pick key shots, so it was fine. However, Ning Songwu's sudden, albeit inspired, move under the rain—ah, the atmosphere was incredible. Ning Songwu didn’t respond immediately. She waited for Ran Fanyin to change back into her regular clothes and return to the backstage before asking, "Ran, do you mind keeping the last scene?" "I don't mind at all!" She was thrilled about it! Although the segment wouldn't be included in full, once it was paired with the music and the romantic filters, it would be beautiful and might be kept by many people. Their images being cherished and kept by many—just the thought made her happy. Ning Songwu lifted her chin. "Then we’ll keep it." She walked over to Ran Fanyin, pointed her slender finger at her forehead, and gently said, "Remember to drink some hot water when you get home, take a bath, and be careful not to catch a cold." She cared for her as if she were a child. "Got it, Teacher Ning." Ran Fanyin smiled playfully. She was used to this person’s tendency to pat her head. From blushing at first to now feeling indifferent, she even wanted to pinch Ning Songwu’s gaunt face in return. Why are some people naturally so slim while she was born with a chubby face? She weighed just under a hundred pounds, but it seemed no amount of weight loss could remove the chubbiness from her face. Ning Songwu, satisfied with her secret desire, exhaled contentedly without changing her smile. "See you tomorrow." "Mm-hmm, see you tomorrow, Teacher Ning." Dressed in a long skirt, Ning Songwu swirled and left with half a flower disc on her dress. Ran Qiao pursed her lips and retrieved her lingering gaze on her. * As a few more people left the backstage, only Ran Fanyin and Fang Qing remained, staring at each other in astonishment. This scene seemed quite strange. "Your hair is a mess," Director Fang kindly reminded. Ran Fanyin casually straightened it a bit, then moved closer. "What are you doing? Ning Songwu just left." "No, Director Fang, I want... the raw footage of that scene..." The girl’s eyes sparkled with genuine eagerness. Fang Qing, intimidated by her fervent gaze, instinctively clutched the monitor. "Why?" "Director Fang doesn't know? I've been a die-hard fan of Teacher Ning for years. It’s rare to film such a scene; I really want it." "Shuang Dream had many such scenes." "But none as beautiful as this." Ning Songwu's slightly flushed profile, half-open garment, hair swaying in the wind, timely falling rain, misty steam mingling with a heated kiss. There won’t be another as beautiful as this. Fang Qing struggled for a moment but, trapped in the corner by the girl, she had no choice but to agree. "Alright, I’ll send you this segment after editing. Do not leak it." "Okay, thank you, Director Fang." You know what, this little girl is quite charming when she smiles. Fang Qing thought to herself. * Once Ning Songwu got into the car, Xu Yueping was already silently sitting inside, holding a camera. Ning Songwu glanced at Yuan Qiao in the passenger seat, then activated a sound-blocking barrier. Xu Yueping finally spoke, "Actually, there’s no rush." "Didn't we agree on extra pay if the target isn't caught?" "Are you short on money?" Xu Yueping’s voice was always calm, but Ning Songwu still detected a hint of disbelief. Her brow twitched. "Yes." "Isn't it said that celebrities earn well?" "...Let’s skip this topic." Don’t mention it; it just made her want to strangle Lin Xinran whenever it came up. Xu Yueping nodded lightly and didn’t probe further. She opened her hand, showing the camera. "This is what that thing had; it’s broken now." "Roughly what tier of a little monster was it?" "Equivalent to the Golden Core stage." That explained why she fought on par, even summoned the Water God for assistance, yet it escaped. Ning Songwu rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. Tch, this again. Another low-tier being sent for errands. Were they underestimating her or specifically targeting Ran Fanyin? What is it about Ran Fanyin that makes this group so wary, constantly harassing her? She turned her head, about to speak, but Xu Yueping softly interrupted, "Be cautious with your words." "One day, if I can't take it anymore, I’ll personally summon thunder to strike you." "Your master’s thunder hasn’t reached the celestial level yet." "..." Is she implying I’m weak? As the barrier was lifted, Yuan Qiao curiously glanced at the unusually silent pair, only to be stunned by what he saw. Teacher Ning’s young companion’s hair stood on end, each strand distinctly upright, flaring at the back of her head. "So childish," Xu Yueping muttered coldly. Ning Songwu turned her head as if she hadn’t heard her comment. Really, she had no idea how Jinchen could teach such a peculiar girl. Oh, nearly forgot—Jinchen’s irritating mouth far surpassed her disciple's. * Er Mao followed Ran Fanyin home. Having gotten drenched in the rain, Zhao Siping repeatedly reminded her to take care of Ran Fanyin and ensure she didn’t catch a cold, given the little time left before joining the new crew. Ran Fanyin relaxed, half-lying on the sofa, living a life of complete leisure with food and clothes at her beck and call, while some random drama played as background noise. "Ran, what would you like for dinner?" "Whatever you want to make, kiddo." In the kitchen, the girl giggled and started preparing her specialty dishes. Ran Fanyin rolled over, grabbed the tablet from the coffee table, and began surfing the internet. On Weibo, the topic about her and Ning Songwu had gradually cooled down. Although minor disputes still lingered in obscure corners, they hadn’t erupted, thanks to both parties' official teams' control. Meanwhile, a supertopic for the Ning-Ran ship had already been set up. The number of people was small, and the profile pictures were still the default yellow avatars with a large letter "R" on them. Ran Fanyin's face darkened a bit—she didn't feel like entering. But she gathered her courage and clicked in. The supertopic wasn’t very active yet. However, there were already some decent contributions. A familiar author had posted a piece, receiving only a few comments. One of the comments lamented the low traffic and then reassured themselves that more people would come in the future. Sorry about that. Ran Fanyin whispered an apology, liking the post to give it a bit more traction. She remembered this particular author usually received plenty of comments within minutes of posting. Such a sparse turnout was quite rare. The author must have been online because they quickly sent her a private message. "Yi Yi, don't you think Ning-Ran is just perfect?" Yi Yi, the name of Ran Fanyin’s alternate account, had a simple avatar of the character "Yi." Her entire persona was understated. If not for her regular activity, she’d likely be mistaken for an inactive account. "Teacher Liuli, could you tell me who came up with that name?" "No idea. I was recommended to this ship just yesterday. Want some recommendations?" "No, thanks." Ran Fanyin hesitated for a moment, feeling her response was too brusque, so she added, "I think it’s a great pairing." "Right?! One is tall and cool like an immortal, while the other is adorable like a little princess. An immortal descending to the mortal world, meeting a worldly princess, and then..." "Hold on. Let me ask, do you ship the princess as the top?" "Of course, I do!" Ran Fanyin was stunned. “Just imagine, the cold and indifferent gaze of an immortal infused with the hues of desire, isn't that beautiful?!” "......" Ran Fanyin curled her fingers, unsure of what to say. "Yi Yi! Could you be from the opposing ship?" No, I’m not even on your ship. Ran Fanyin thought to herself. "Yi Yi?" Did I scare her away? "Even if you are from the opposing ship, it’s okay. We’re old friends, we can manage." "No worries, I’m pretty neutral. I was just busy." "Good to hear! Can I continue?" "Are you sure what you’re about to say is appropriate to share?" "I’ll do my best to keep it presentable." Ran Fanyin knew this person would pour out all her thoughts at once, so she exited the conversation to look at other things. ▃ She saw a familiar ID in the supertopic—it belonged to someone who had edited a video featuring a series of unusually paired characters, and this person had already created a new video. It was about Lin Qingchen and Ruan Ping. Not bad. Ran Fanyin liked the video. Given the short duration, the video didn’t have time to develop any dramatic plotlines. It simply depicted Ruan Ping falling into the mortal realm and meeting a disheveled Lin Qingchen, moving forward together towards a better life. A role reversal of the original works. Not bad at all! As the three-minute video ended, Liuli had completed her thoughts and sent Ran Fanyin a lengthy message. Indeed, it was barely acceptable for public consumption. Ran Fanyin skimmed through it. Thanks to Ning Songwu’s frequent head pats over the past days, her skin had thickened quite a bit. Although the words were stimulating, they were nowhere near as provocative as some of Li Kuer’s... files. She felt nothing much. In terms of stirring emotions, it was miles behind Ning Songwu’s kiss through the rain curtain today. But she couldn’t disclose what had been filmed. After some thought, she commented: "Not bad. Have you ever considered portraying Teacher Ning as less aloof? Maybe she’s not that cold in reality?" After a while, Liuli replied, "Not at the moment." Alright then. Ran Fanyin pondered for a moment, then realized they had never seen Ning Songwu in private. It made sense they wouldn’t know she wasn’t that icy. Content, she put aside her thoughts and focused back on her surroundings. [If I hadn’t transmigrated into this world, I’d probably be dealing with children by now. Maybe even pursuing a master’s degree, though my mom probably wouldn’t allow it... Oh, seeing the kids, they’re so adorable.] [In our time, having kids at thirty or forty was rare, and it must be even rarer here.] [Yikes, is everyone in this village like this?] [...Huh? Sister? Father? Mother?!] No pop-up ads on this site, permanent domain.