Before the call had even ended, Su Yu had already sent over the script for the variety show, rambling on and trying to persuade him while doing so.
He genuinely hoped that Qiu Ci would accept this variety show.
Qiu Ci kept the phone connected while skimming through the entire variety show script in ten lines at a glance.
Strictly speaking, this variety show did not quite look like the commercial variety programs commonly seen on the market; instead, it felt somewhat like a documentary.
The program was titled Nameless Figures in the Corners of History. Its content involved exploring celebrated figures who had never been recorded by history, or those whose footprints left behind in historical texts were exceedingly sparse, or whose stories were known only to a localized minority in certain regions, or whose traces could only be found in unofficial histories.
In short, these individuals might have enjoyed some fame during their respective eras in history, but for mysterious reasons, they did not leave behind many traces of themselves in the long river of history.
What this program aimed to do was restore the stories of those nameless heroes tucked away in the corners of history based on extremely scarce historical materials.
Qiu Ci glanced through it roughly: there was a mountain divine doctor who saved an entire county, a general who defended his country, and even an enlightened high monk who sliced off his flesh to save others, altogether ten episodes, meaning there were ten nameless heroes waiting to be explored.
Judging it overall, while this show might not necessarily blow up into a massive viral sensation upon broadcast, it was undeniably a work of profound significance.
Qiu Ci liked it very much. These were all heroes buried deep within the folds of history; even if history had failed to record them, they had still genuinely existed. They deserved to be recognized by everyone, and their stories deserved to be known.
However, Brother Yu, my memory issue.
A program like this possessed an unmistakably heavy historical weight. With his goldfish memory, he figured he would almost certainly end up making a fool of himself.
The fact that his goldfish memory had never leaked out in the past was probably because both he and Su Yu were sufficiently open and honest, always making sure to explain the situation clearly to the director before filming began.
If they could finish shooting within half an hour after he finished memorizing the script, there was zero problem at all. If they needed to give him another five minutes to review it before the next take, that was also completely fine, and typical idol-drama directors wouldn’t mind such things.
Occasionally there were exceptions, and only then would Su Yu have that former assistant help write down the lines to give Qiu Ci prompts outside the camera’s view, which the directors could always understand.
Yet this variety show was rather different. After browsing through the planning proposal, he saw that before the show had even started shooting, several major domestic television stations had already bought the broadcasting rights for simultaneous streaming, which was itself a testament to the program’s recognition.
However, aside from broadcasts on television stations and online video platforms, a live-streaming segment had also been added.
This meant that the moment recording began, he would remain constantly exposed under the lens of the camera.
Live streaming was entirely different from recorded broadcasts. Recorded footage could be edited, but during a live stream, every word, every action, and every single movement would be presented to the audience without the slightest reservation.
Su Yu understood what he meant. I have thought about it. Anyway, since this matter has already blown up, we might as well just let nature take its course and hash it out right there on the show. You do not even need to deliberately do anything; the audience will figure out the clues on their own sooner or later.
By then, they could coordinate with directors or actors they had previously collaborated with to release an official statement clarifying the truth of the matter.
A PR move like this was far more reliable than simply hiring online trolls to suppress the news, and the audience’s acceptance level would also increase dramatically.
In short, it meant speaking with facts rather than relying solely on a simple clarification statement.
Qiu Ci understood. That works too. Then let us sign it.
Alright!
Su Yu was thrilled. By the way, letting you know in advance, the recording for this show starts in a week. You do not have any schedules during this period, so just rest well at home and strive to face the live-streaming camera in your absolute best condition.
Qiu Ci:
For a moment, he genuinely couldn’t tell whether he should praise the show for moving with thunderous decisiveness or lament the fact that he, a top-tier trending young idol, had a whole week without a single schedule.
A week without schedules, coupled with the fact that he had no extra social life, meant that he might, possibly, have to spend an entire week in close daily contact with Jiuer.
In the event that Jiuer brought up that dual-cultivation matter again, what on earth was he supposed to do?
Oh lord, Qiu Ci’s nerves instantly tightened.
He still hadn’t figured out how to coexist peacefully with Jiuer yet.
Just thinking about it felt agonizingly awkward.
Jiuer not forcing him was one thing, but crossing his own psychological barrier was an entirely different matter.
Jiuer outside the door was entirely unaware of how many twists and turns were running through the young man’s head. Qiu Ci, it is time for breakfast.
Rule number one in the Good Partner Manual: be able to handle the kitchen, ensuring all three daily meals are nutritionally balanced.
This was no big deal for Jiuer. Over the past few millennia, it wasn’t like he hadn’t cooked for Qiu Ci before.
Besides, he possessed magical powers; he didn’t even need to exert physical effort to cook himself.
Qiu Ci was equally oblivious to Jiuer’s hidden agendas. Hearing his voice, he involuntarily shuddered.
Fortunately, Jiuer didn’t stand guard outside waiting for him to get out of bed, calling out to him once before leaving. After dawdling for quite a while to finish washing up, Qiu Ci dressed himself completely from head to toe before heading to the dining room.
Noticing his attire, Jiuer looked somewhat astonished: Are you cold?
Although it was already winter, spring reigned eternal inside this house, hovering permanently around twenty-five degrees Celsius. No matter what, there was no reason to dress this thickly, right?
Were mortals’ physical constitutions really this bizarre?
A turtleneck sweater paired with an ugly padded down jacket, and if that weren’t enough, why was he even wearing gloves?
From head to toe, the only exposed part of his entire body was his head.
Qiu Ci cleared his throat. Not cold. Just wanted to try a new dressing style.
Jiuer:
He often felt that his mindset fell short of being truly human, making him seem deeply out of sync with Qiu Ci.
Let us eat first.
Seeing that Jiuer didn’t probe any further, Qiu Ci let out a sigh of relief. The moment he sat down, he heard Jiuer say unhurriedly: I made breakfast with my own hands.
That little tone of voice was an exact match for a kindergarten pupil waiting for praise.
Yet Qiu Ci could only pretend he didn’t understand, saying calmly: Thank you. I’ll make lunch then.
What he meant was that one person cooked breakfast and the other cooked lunch, placing their status and interaction mode on an equal footing.
However, Jiuer understood it entirely differently.
He remarked: That works well. I’ll make breakfast, you make lunch, and we’ll cook dinner together.
Pausing for a moment, he added softly and contemplatively: Is this how mortals cultivate their relationship?
Qiu Ci:
Breakfast was eaten in an awkward, neither-here-nor-there atmosphere. With magic involved, chores like washing dishes and wiping tables didn’t even enter the picture.
Qiu Ci pondered picking up the variety show script he had read that morning; although he had already forgotten most of it by now, reviewing it more times would surely help reinforce his memory.
The ideal was plump, but reality was rather helpless.
With a silver-haired handsome man planted right in front of you, no matter how exciting your script happened to be, you couldn’t bring yourself to read a single word of it.
Noticing him clutching a tablet and studying something, Jiuer guessed what he was doing and refrained from disturbing him. Quietly fetching an ancient book to keep him company by his side, he occasionally warmed a pot of tea.
Rule number two in the Good Partner Manual: give him sufficient companionship while also providing enough personal space.
He felt that companionship under the same roof meant he could respond immediately to whatever Qiu Ci wanted or needed to do. As for enough personal space, well, he chose to sit directly across from Qiu Ci rather than right next to him.
It perfectly met the manual’s requirements.
Half an hour later, Qiu Ci finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
Brother Jiu, are you not busy lately?
Originally, Jiuer had told him to call him by his name directly, but Qiu Ci felt that was impolite, insisting on addressing him as Brother Jiu. Eventually, Jiuer let him call him whatever he liked.
Jiuer raised his eyes, his fox-like eyes both gentle and piercing. I am not particularly busy. Does Ah-Ci want to go out?
No, I am not going out. Qiu Ci asked with furrowed brows. Aren’t you an immortal? Don’t immortals have to stay at their posts or something?
During the past two years, the time he saw Jiuer was limited, and he had always assumed Jiuer was busy handling important matters.
Come to think of it, just like the Earth God protected a specific region of land or the Matchmaker God governed marriages, immortals all had their respective duties. But what kind of immortal was Jiuer anyway?
With that thought in mind, the question slipped out unconsciously.
Want to know? Jiuer closed his book. When you are finally willing to dual-cultivate with me, you will naturally find out.
Qiu Ci:
All morning, and the conversation still circled right back here.
He forcefully pivoted the topic: Then do you know any other immortals? Like the Jade Emperor or Taishang Laojun, are those figures real?
Jiuer shook his head slightly. The immortal system in mythology differs somewhat from ours.
Oh. Qiu Ci looked thoughtful. Then, immortals aren’t allowed to fall in love with mortals, that part has to be true, right? You immortals live forever without aging, while we mortals only get a few decades, so there’s no way to date anyway.
You don’t need to worry about any of these issues. Jiuer felt the manual was actually somewhat useful; at least Qiu Ci was now willing to face their relationship head-on.
He decided he wouldn’t beat up Xuanwu next time.
Jiuer continued: I know you find it strange why I asked you to dual-cultivate with me and even signed a contract with you so early on, but now is not the time to discuss this. You will understand in due course.
Qiu Ci was completely numb, his mouth running ahead of his brain: Must it be in due course? Can we not do it now, I mean, can we not talk about it now?
Jiuer:
He was forced to re-evaluate the aloof and noble Qiu Ci sitting before him.
What on earth had he been learning in the entertainment industry these past two years?
For thousands of years, this was the first time he had ever witnessed Qiu Ci dropping a suggestive double entendre.
He had to admit, it was rather entertaining.
After Qiu Ci registered what he had just said, a flush of red stained his detached cheeks.
He feigned calm: I meant, must I wait until the future to be told? Can’t you tell me now?
Jiuer’s face was full of teasing, though he didn’t have the heart to make him too embarrassed, choosing instead to follow his thread: It is not a matter of me telling you, but of you understanding it yourself. Therefore, if you wish to know, you should seriously consider the matter of dual-cultivating with me.
Making it sound so mysterious? Qiu Ci pouted. You won’t tell me anything, yet you expect me to consider it? I don’t want to consider it.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qiu Ci began to feel self-conscious; why did it sound so much like he was acting spoiled?
Jiuer caught that subtle nuance as well and smiled: Ah-Ci, it’s all in black and white, and you signed it yourself. Are you trying to back out of it now?
My memory is bad, as you know. Qiu Ci stubbornly refused to admit it. Anyway, I only remember signing some cultivation contract, definitely not any marriage contract.
It is indeed a cultivation contract. Jiuer nodded in agreement.
Qiu Ci’s eyes brightened for a split second. Before he could feel happy, he heard Jiuer add word by word:
Could dual cultivation possibly not count as cultivation?
Qiu Ci:
Horrified inside, he couldn’t help letting out a mental curse: Holy crap, I actually read the contract.
Which meant he had originally agreed to it, and now he wanted to renege?
That wasn’t scientific!
Even by his own logic, backing out felt pretty unprincipled. He had been eating and drinking off Jiuer for two years and received countless resources, transforming from an unloved orphan into a celebrity with over twenty million fans.
And now he wanted to default on the debt?
Defaulting on debts was just not something a human being should do, right?
But dual cultivation, absolutely not.
He swallowed hard, gulping down his saliva.
Uh, the time is getting late. I’m going to go prepare lunch.
Time to bolt.
Recognizing his guilty conscience, Jiuer didn’t let him off the hook this time, taking two steps forward to block his path: Is Ah-Ci truly not curious about how dual cultivation works? Don’t you want to try it? Perhaps it is different from what you imagine.
No thanks, no thanks. Qiu Ci slipped away like an eel, scurrying far off. Another day, another day, let’s talk about it another day.
Jiuer chuckled: Are you certain you were not dropping suggestive remarks just now?
Qiu Ci:
With a slam of the kitchen door, he pretended he couldn’t hear a thing.
Only the two of them lived in this ancient courtyard. He had wondered about it previously, such a massive estate without a single nanny or gardener, surely an immortal couldn’t personally manage all these trivial chores. Jiuer had told him there was no need.
Later on, after witnessing Jiuer’s magical abilities, he learned that there truly was no need.
With a wave of his hand, whatever was needed simply materialized.
Inside the kitchen, the ingredients looked ordinary enough, but the moment they touched his tongue, the difference was obvious, meaning those vegetables and fruits were probably not mundane items either.
Qiu Ci surveyed the area; the ingredients and seasonings were fully stocked, but since he rarely ever stepped foot in a kitchen, he felt a bit hesitant, worried his culinary skills might ruin such fine goods.
Until his eyes landed on a basket of chili peppers.
Chilis were wonderful things, chilis were fantastic things.
Eating chilis in winter warmed you up.
More importantly, after eating chilis, Jiuer surely wouldn’t drag him into dual cultivation anymore.
After all, cough, cough.
He had recently crammed quite a bit of knowledge on the subject; if he couldn’t remember texts, well, he had looked at pictures instead.
At least the imagery remained firmly etched in his mind.
Consequently, at high noon, the four dishes and one soup served up by Qiu Ci all featured fiery red chili peppers in every single dish.
Jiuer: Ah-Ci, I can understand putting chilis in stir-fries, but why are there chilis floating in the soup?
He fancied he could hear the clicking of an abacus.
Only, he hadn’t quite figured out what kind of scheme that abacus was calculating yet.
With a completely straight face, Qiu Ci explained: I saw someone from Sichuan doing it this way online, so I gave it a try. It tastes pretty good.
That works too. Jiuer didn’t mind at all, feeling rather touched instead. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever eaten a meal cooked by you, Ah-Ci.
Qiu Ci’s motion of dishing out rice paused, suddenly feeling a bit guilty and embarrassed.
T-Then I’ll cook for you in the future when I have time.
Though he had no idea why an immortal needed to eat in the first place, he figured he’d just treat it as Jiuer experiencing mortal life.
Naturally. Jiuer accepted it quite happily. As long as it doesn’t tire you out.
Qiu Ci’s face heated up: Don’t say such mushy things.
Does Ah-Ci dislike it?
Shut up and eat your food.
Seven days flashed past in the blink of an eye.
Qiu Ci had spent a week matching wits and courage with Jiuer inside the ancient courtyard, and his precious little chrysanthemum had barely managed to survive intact.
As for why it was only a narrow survival, it was probably because he had stubbornly demanded that all three daily meals consist entirely of Sichuan cuisine for the whole week, down to even opting for mala crayfish as a heavy-flavored midnight snack on occasion.
Jiuer humored his antics, and aside from occasionally bringing up considerations for dual cultivation, their life together remained quite harmonious.
Heading out to record a variety show meant being away for several days, and Qiu Ci unexpectedly felt a trace of reluctance to leave.
When Su Yu arrived to pick him up, he noticed that Qiu Ci’s walking posture seemed slightly off.
Having been around the block a few times, he seemed to realize something instantly, and the moment Qiu Ci got into the nanny van, he crept over sneakily.
The big boss finally couldn’t hold back and had his way with you?
Qiu Ci: Sichuan cuisine had its way with me.
Su Yu: