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

Chapter 116: Continuing the Argument 【What’s this? Young lady, why are you blushing?】 【If I don't go, Master will be upset when she finds out later. I won't be able to explain it completely to her.】 【Master, look, we won.】 【Nothing happened, just as I said there wouldn’t.】 【Please don’t be mad anymore, okay?】 【Isn’t that door left by Master for me?】 【Moreover... nothing happened at all...】 【Master still thinks I’m risking my life adventuring.】 【It won’t happen, definitely not.】 That night, the long-shut gate to the back mountain opened once more. After instructing a few of the mature disciples to take care of matters around the property, Ning Song Wu dragged Lin Xin Ran to the back mountain. “What are you doing!” The first senior sister clung desperately to a tree at the sideline, scrambling up it in panic. Ning Song Wu raised her hand to set a barrier, took out a fan, and pointed it at Lin Xin Ran, her voice cold, “I’ve been irked for a while, let’s have a fight.” “I’ll plan my expenses better next time,” the senior sister said, clutching the tree tighter. “It’s not about that.” “Huh? Then... a couple bonded by shared affections...” Ning Song Wu's face darkened further. She unfurled the fan, a white shadow streaked across, “Are you coming or not?” “A Ning, do you have a crush on this girl? Senior sister doesn’t mind you liking girls; you should boldly pursue love.” “Lin Xin Ran, you really deserve a thrashing today.” With a gentle wave of the fan, a bolt of lightning struck, toppling the tree Lin Xin Ran clung to. Thankfully, it was within the barrier, causing no real damage to the physical tree. Forced down from the tree, Lin Xin Ran ceased resisting and, after stretching a bit, took out a flute. “Really, liking and not allowing to speak, not liking and still not allowing to speak, you really are...” A burst of white lightning aimed directly at her face, followed by a wall of fire flaring up to form a barrier. If she didn’t fight now, she’d not stand a chance against Ning Song Wu soon. With these few days where the latter was still practicing, she could seize the opportunity to gain some upper hand. Within the barrier, one summoned lightning, the other unleashed fire, causing a dazzling, lively spectacle. As things were heating up there, the others, reviewing the events of the day, were happily oblivious to an issue. If it was indeed about monetary gain from the paparazzi, wouldn’t they have known it would end up in Su Yue’s hands, whose thunderous methods surely wouldn’t let them profit? They went in circles and ended with nothing—truly unfortunate. This minor bug was also merely dismissed as a rookie mistake by the new paparazzi during Su Yue's review of the work. Indeed, it was just a minor flaw. Ran Fan Yin was hurrying to the filming set, too busy to handle her phone notifications. It wasn’t until after she landed that she discovered Ning Song Wu had sent her a farewell message, unfortunately while she was in the air. She quietly rejoiced a bit and happily replied, even wanting to stop and chat a bit. But work was paramount; even though this show wasn't a major production, it was a role she had arduously auditioned for. Taking one step at a time was the only way to reach her destination. The show was a modern drama. Her shooting schedule was at night, but she returned to the set right away, sitting next to the director, observing her peers showcase their skills, silently learning. As she watched, her thoughts wandered a bit—Teacher Ning hasn’t done many modern dramas, but her face in modern attire looked good. There seemed to have been a set of photos before... Speaking of which, when they parted ways yesterday, Ning Song Wu gave her a small pouch to carry with her. She hung it around her neck, hidden under her clothes safely. That little thing, ancient and charming, resonated with the aura of Teacher Ning’s roles. Ran Fan Yin pondered and gently chided herself, thinking: Teacher Ning, Teacher Ning, Ran Fan Yin, you're really doomed. Just one successful encounter, but if you keep dwelling on it, the collaboration might just become unpleasant! Meanwhile, the person she was fixated on was supervising her senior sister in copywork. “A Ning, we’ve already fought; the ledger is normally handled by Qian Duo Duo. I really don’t want to do this.” “No, continue copying. Let’s see how much you all overspent!” “A Ning, when do you start work?” “Next month, don’t rush; I have a month’s vacation time.” “Yueyue, give her some tasks—” Su Yue, who was in the office assigning work, sneezed. Ning Song Wu sat by with a script, crossing her legs, reading one moment and supervising... no, tormenting the senior sister the next. She solemnly apologized to the script for her hasty judgment earlier; she thought it was a happy ending but hadn’t expected that the duo would perish in the end. What’s that saying again? A double demise is also a HE (happy end)? The script was original, and the audience wasn’t aware of the coming plot, hopefully, when they see the bittersweet narrative, they won’t want to send razor blades to the production team. She’d gladly provide the address. Her character, Bai Qi Xin, entered the scene grievously injured, more mentally than physically; Hu Xin Er was like a bright moon that barged into her world. In the first half of the plot, Hu Xin Er approached while investigating why Bai Qi Xin became that way. In the second half, she tried to prevent Bai Qi Xin from walking down a predetermined fate while attempting to warm her heart. Unfortunately, the scriptwriter was merciless. As she read to the end, where one of the characters sacrificed herself to seal the heavens and completely isolate the demons, while the other sat at the cliff edge pondering a future she’d never experience, she lost the courage to turn another page. “What’s the story this time?” Lin Xin Ran eagerly leaned over. Ning Song Wu glanced at her and didn’t scold her for stopping the copywork, her voice a bit hoarse as she slowly narrated the story. Lin Xin Ran had an indistinct expression, asked her to flip to the page with the scriptwriter's name, and looked even quirkier. The scriptwriter was named Qing Jin Shi, a recently active original writer in the industry known for writing little sweet dramas. But this script... was quite the surprise. She patted Ning Song Wu’s shoulder, “Are you playing the Master or the disciple?” “Master.” “Act well!” She slapped more forcefully. “Lin Xin Ran, is there something about this story?” “Nothing, just do your best. I quite like this story; it’s up to you now.” Ning Song Wu watched her, swallowed hard, and shimmied a few steps away, “I never thought it, Lin Xin Ran, that you’d have such ideas?” “What?” “Master and disciple.” Lin Xin Ran sneered, “I also didn’t think you’d be about couples bonded by shared affections!” “……” “……” This incident ended unpleasantly, but they spared each other some dignity. If one discounted the hole burnt in Lin Xin Ran’s back by lightning. And ignored the hem of Ning Song Wu’s garment singed by fire. Cradling a long dress gifted by a brand, Ning Song Wu felt her teeth grind sharply against each other, the script in her hands no longer of any interest, she just wanted to leave this place. Moments later— Qian Duo Duo burst into his Master’s office nervously, finding Lin Xin Ran changed into fresh clothes, tearfully mending the old ones. The fright from the sudden entrance made her hand slip, distorting the pattern. Perhaps it’s best to let it go... But, it did cost several hundred! She clutched the fabric, wrinkles forming across the smooth material, and looked up at Qian Duo Duo with a gaze that ominously suggested “if you don’t explain, you're done for today.” “Little Sister Ning has run away.” “……” “Master, could you give her a call?” It wouldn’t work now; she’s resolved to go, her gold-chained—no, her little sister was determined and wouldn't answer the phone. Lin Xin Ran simply sent over a divine message— “Your little sister has closed off her sea of consciousness, not receiving transmissions.” Lin Xin Ran said serenely, calculating slightly and relaxing, “Don’t worry, she’s gone to find her dear companion.” “What?” Which companion? He had been away for half a day and missed something big? “Grown-ups’ matters, don’t meddle in them, go count your accounts.” * Ning Song Wu packed a couple of clothes into a bag and set off, knowing her storage ring had everything she needed, worrying about little else. She randomly picked a flight without caring about the destination, and upon reaching the airport, boarded the plane promptly, swiftly leaving the “wounded” city behind. She didn’t want to see Lin Xin Ran for at least a week. After all, having looked at each other for hundreds of years, they long grew sick of the sight. …… Teacher Ning realized the odd idiom used, internally cursed mildly, and blamed Lin Xin Ran for diverting her thoughts. Yes, it was that phrase about bonds of shared affections to blame. All Lin Xin Ran’s fault. By the time the flight landed, it was dark. She had read through half of the script and opened her phone to handle pending messages. At the top was a message from that pink weather doll, likely seeing her social media post with the ticket image: “Teacher Ning, are you visiting B City? How coincidental, I’m filming in B City too; we should hang out!” She wanted to reply positively, but Lin Xin Ran's devilish whispers still hovered around her ears, making her shiver instinctively. Whether it was the notion of shared affections or the idea of being bonded like sisters, it was hard to say. Regardless, she decided to set the conversation aside for now. The rest of the messages were mostly from acquaintances trying to catch up. Ning Song Wu rarely posted personal updates on her social media, but this time she inadvertently revealed her destination. Naturally, some local acquaintances wanted to connect. After politely declining each of them, the conversation with the pink weather doll sank to the bottom of her chat list. Ning Song Wu sighed with relief, put away her phone, and headed towards her booked hotel. Meanwhile, the pink weather doll was still holding onto her phone, eagerly waiting for a response. Her turn to film was coming up soon, and if Teacher Ning didn’t reply, she wouldn’t have time to see the message. It seemed reasonable that Teacher Ning must have landed by now. Ran Fan Yin double-checked the flight information, confirming that Ning Song Wu had indeed landed. Beside her, the director checked his phone after pausing a scene and saw the expected rejection message. He commented to the assistant director next to him, “Look, Ning Song Wu is still keeping to that aloof demeanor. What do they call her online? A celestial being fallen to earth? I’d say it’s just the temperament of a spoiled heiress.” “That’s not entirely fair to say. She equally declined everyone, so who knows what she's thinking.” ⊿ “Who knows, can’t even arrange a simple meal. Well, let’s get back to work.” Ran Fan Yin wanted to refute them because the Ning Song Wu she met was nothing like their description. She could laugh and cry, her eyes would light up when discussing her expertise, and she loved sending emojis... Yet she did reply to others but not to her. Her defiant energy fizzled out, but fortunately, her scene was up next. Her co-star pulled her aside to rehearse, allowing her to temporarily shelve the whole matter. Perhaps Teacher Ning was just busy. Handing her phone to an assistant, it was placed face down, hiding the brief flash of the screen that no one noticed. 【Even without Xiao Wan Cheng, there's still Little Zhen Ling, she...】 【Forget it.】 【But if I’m not here, there’s nothing I can do.】 【Going to the inner sect leaves no room for turning back.】 【I refuse to leave; even if I die, I want to die here.】 【Since we must part and calm down, I might as well go pick some herbs.】 【Better than going to the inner sect.】 【I won’t go to the inner sect; I absolutely won’t.】 【If things are a bit harder, Master might... be happier.】