That family had also been coordinated with the production team in advance. Everyone followed the script through a short scene pretending to believe the legend was true, and then filming wrapped for the day so they could return for dinner.
On the walk back, Guan Hongyu voiced his deep disappointment to Su Youqi, complaining, “I thought there was actually going to be some paranormal supernatural event. To think it was all fake! If I had known, I wouldn’t have come!”
“Young man, you need to adjust your mindset. Just think of it as a vacation,” Su Youqi patted Guan Hongyu’s shoulder to comfort him, adding in a low voice, “Actually, it’s not fake.”
Earlier, Su Youqi had checked closely and noticed that the individual in question indeed carried the lingering aura of the River of Forgetfulness, proving that the person’s soul had indeed detached and traveled to the underworld.
This meant the Daoist priest had not lied.
As for the spider lilies, seeing how exceptionally well the person’s soul and physical body were currently synchronized, he could confirm that part was genuine too.
That proved he had not come to the wrong place.
Therefore, there was no reason to regret it.
Even so, Guan Hongyu remained somewhat glum. “Since we’re already here, there’s nothing we can do, and dropping out halfway wouldn’t look good.”
Guan Hongyu didn’t mind much for his own sake; his primary concern was avoiding any negative impact on Su Youqi.
Unlike him, Su Youqi didn’t treat the entertainment industry as a casual hobby to fall back on by inheriting the family business if things went south.
Su Youqi genuinely loved the industry and intended to make a living from it. Without any influential background, he couldn’t afford to offend people right now, or his future path would become exceptionally difficult.
For the sake of his good brother’s future, he would just treat it like a sightseeing trip!
Facing Guan Hongyu’s stoic expression of tragic endurance, Su Youqi desperately wanted to ask what wild scenarios his friend was dreaming up this time.
To be fair, Su Youqi believed he had a decent eye for people, but Guan Hongyu’s train of thought was truly beyond prediction.
Fine, if he couldn’t predict it, he wouldn’t try.
Su Youqi let out a heavy sigh and went along with the crowd toward dinner.
After walking for the better part of the day, he was starving.
Guan Hongyu hurried to catch up, calling out, “Wait for me, Third Brother!”
During dinner, Zeng Chu excitedly shared their daytime excursion details with You Sangxi, brimming with camaraderie.
Mid-story, Su Youqi suddenly chimed in, “It seems that family also shares the surname You, just like Mr. You. It’s a real pity you didn’t go take a look, Mr. You.” Su Youqi lifted his gaze to look at You Sangxi, offering a casual remark disguised as a joke, “Who knows, a hundred years ago, you might have even been part of the same family.”
You Sangxi’s denial was immediate. “Impossible!”
Realizing his reaction might have been too intense, he quickly backpedaled, adding, “I’m from City A, completely the opposite direction from here, so no matter how you calculate it, we couldn’t possibly be related.”
Su Youqi said meaningfully, “Why are you taking it so seriously, Mr. You? I was merely making a joke.”
“Right, right, it was just a joke. If you take it seriously, you lose!”
The others noticed nothing amiss, assuming Su Youqi was simply bantering with You Sangxi, and laughed the moment off.
Only Zeng Chu shot You Sangxi a hesitant, complicated look before ultimately saying nothing.
The variety show recording spanned three days and two nights, meaning the guest stars had to stay two nights.
Everyone selected their rooms according to their own preferences.
As night fell, Zeng Chu finally voiced the question on his mind, “Sangxi, I remember you transferred to City A starting in middle school. Your original hometown was around here, right?”
As a boy group member, Zeng Chu possessed a fair amount of familiarity with You Sangxi, knowing his hometown was indeed in this region.
That was why he couldn’t understand why You Sangxi had lied earlier.
Moreover, You Sangxi’s reaction just moments ago made it look as though Su Youqi had hit the nail right on the head.
Yet he vaguely remembered You Sangxi mentioning a completely different hometown previously, with a totally different pronunciation, so perhaps he was mistaken.
Out of lingering friendly loyalty, he chose not to expose You Sangxi on the spot.
“That’s true, but it wasn’t this exact area, and I really don’t care to bring up my family background.” You Sangxi lowered his head with a pitiful expression, though his face hardened into a flash of disdain. The words he spoke remained soft and pitiable, however. “You know how terrible my family situation is, Ah Chu. My dad is an unrepentant gambler, and my mom abandoned me and ran away. If I had any choice, I’d prefer never to speak of that family for the rest of my life.
“Otherwise, with my father’s reckless gambling obsession, if he ever found out I became a celebrity, he’d definitely come back to extort me like a bloodsucking vampire, constantly hounding me for money to fund his habit. If the media caught wind of it in today’s toxic online environment with all these rampant marketing accounts twisting and spinning stories, I’d be completely ruined. I don’t want that to happen.”
When You Sangxi raised his head again, tiny glimmers of tears pooled in the corners of his eyes as he looked pleadingly at Zeng Chu. “You’re so good to me, Ah Chu. You wouldn’t bear to watch me end up like that, right?”
“Of course not!” Zeng Chu mentally pictured the scenario You Sangxi described, shuddered involuntarily, and offered a firm guarantee, “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t tell a single soul!”
Zeng Chu had grown up in a happy, stable household with loving, harmonious parents, making the thought of You Sangxi’s horrific family background terrifying even to contemplate.
Therefore, he agreed without a second thought to keep the secret.
Though dense, Zeng Chu was fiercely loyal to his promises.
Securing the guarantee allowed You Sangxi to visibly relax. He offered a strained smile and claimed he was heading off to wash up and sleep.
Zeng Chu had no idea that the moment You Sangxi stepped into the bathroom, he muttered a contemptuous insult calling him an absolute moron.
Meanwhile, Zeng Chu remained outside, still wrapped in pity for You Sangxi’s tragic upbringing.
Down the hall in a nearby room, Su Youqi asked Guan Hongyu, “Second Brother, fancy a walk up the back mountain?”
“No, no, no, absolutely not!” Guan Hongyu, exhausted from the day’s events, flipped over and clung tightly to the mattress. “I’ve been sealed away by this bed!”
Predicting this exact response, Su Youqi didn’t push him. “Very well, get some rest then. I’m going out for a stroll.” He hadn’t planned on dragging him along anyway.
Feeling safe, Guan Hongyu propped himself up into a sitting position. “I swear, Third Brother, your energy levels are inhuman. We spent hours grocery shopping and visiting that family today, and you’re still not tired enough after all that walking?!”
Guan Hongyu felt like he was ready to cry from fatigue.
Su Youqi paused at the doorway, looked back, and flashed a practiced, professional smile. “Life lies in motion.”
He didn’t particularly want to go out either, but he had to do it for the Big Boss.
Since today was the first day with an intense schedule that had completely exhausted everyone, most people would likely stay in just like Guan Hongyu. That made tonight the ideal window to slip out and look for the flowers.
Guan Hongyu was indeed spent. Within half a minute of sitting up, he collapsed backward into a sprawling star shape. “Fine, fine, fine. Go get your motion in. My life is hitting the pause button for a while!”
With a brief acknowledgment, Su Youqi stepped out of the room.
The village took on a unique charm after dark.
Unlike the city, rural pathways only featured streetlights spaced far apart. Because of the filming schedule, the production crew had coordinated closely with local residents to ensure the immediate area around their lodgings remained quiet and undisturbed, giving it an exceptionally serene atmosphere.
Though referred to as the back mountain, the destination sat quite close to their accommodations. Walking at a brisk pace, Su Youqi reached the base in about ten to twelve minutes.
The back mountain lacked streetlights entirely, prompting Su Youqi to switch on his phone’s flashlight for illumination.
Instantly, a vast sea of vibrant, blooming crimson washed into Su Youqi’s field of vision.
The moonlight overhead was exceptionally bright, its pristine white glow dancing and interweaving with the brilliant crimson of the spider lilies to create a breathtaking sight reminiscent of an isolated paradise.
“What do you think? Beautiful, right?”
A voice suddenly rang out, startling Su Youqi.
Focusing his eyes, he realized the speaker was Xu Yangjia.
Su Youqi greeted him, “Brother Yangjia.”
Xu Yangjia acknowledged the greeting with a chuckle as he walked over. “You’ve got impressive stamina, Youqi. Everyone else from your group is sprawled out in their rooms completely wiped out, and you’re the only one still energetic enough to wander around the back mountain.”
“It’s nothing, mostly just a habit. I usually like to take a couple of laps after dinner,” Su Youqi lied smoothly without batting an eye.
“Me too!” Finding someone who shared his daily routine brought a flicker of excitement to Xu Yangjia. “I always come up to the back mountain for a stroll after eating. The scenery here is truly top-tier. Gotta take it all in while we’re filming because once we head back, you don’t get to see this anymore.”
Xu Yangjia fell into step beside Su Youqi, chatting as they walked.
“With this many spider lilies, it really is a stunning view.” Su Youqi balanced casual conversation with Xu Yangjia while carefully scanning the flowers lining their path.
Multitasking like this felt slightly exhausting.
Mentioning the flowers prompted Xu Yangjia to grumble a bit, “Names like Two-Life Flower, Manjusaka, and spider lily sound so poetic, but listening to the locals call them red spider lilies all day has me messed up. Now whenever someone says spider lily, my brain’s immediate default image is a giant head of garlic.”
If the legendary flowers blooming along the underworld paths turned out to be mere cloves of garlic, the visual was so absurd Xu Yangjia didn’t even dare picture it.
Yet an even more disillusioning realization awaited him.
As an expert in the field, Su Youqi informed him, “If I told you they are also commonly called cockroach flowers or crow garlic, would you still think red spider lily sounds decent?”
“…” Xu Yangjia struggled to comprehend how such gorgeous blooms could share names with mantises and crows. “Forget it, red spider lily it is.”
Comparison bred gratitude, and Xu Yangjia instantly decided red spider lily was a thoroughly acceptable name.
Primarily because he desperately wanted to avoid picturing mantises and crows every time someone mentioned spider lilies in the future.
Suffering a second wave of aesthetic disillusionment, Xu Yangjia lost all desire to continue his stroll. After a quick exchange with Su Youqi, he turned back toward the lodgings.
Su Youqi was more than happy to see him go, bidding him farewell while internally shielding his excitement.
Sometimes good things happen when you least expect them. Unbeknownst to Su Youqi, his relaxed, indifferent demeanor left a genuinely positive impression on Xu Yangjia.
After all, the other minor unknowns accompanying him treated a trending star like Xu Yangjia with extreme flattery, swarming him at every opportunity to leach a bit of exposure.
While that was standard operating procedure in the entertainment industry and Xu Yangjia was well accustomed to it, constantly being surrounded by ulterior motives grew tiresome.
Thus, running into an unknown like Su Youqi who interacted with zero hidden agenda caused Xu Yangjia’s favorability toward him to skyrocket.