Chapter 25

At the moment, both of them were in good spirits, still looking handsome in their military coats. Taking those pictures of them making pot stickers at the stove not only touched the hearts of young girls but also had some humor and cute contrasts. Xiao He got excited and acted as a half photographer, directing Shen Mofeng and Ye Chen to pose for several shots in the courtyard of the farmhouse, and then sent them to Shen Mofeng.

As WeChat kept buzzing with notifications, Shen Mofeng sat down on the left half of the farmhouse doorstep to look at the photos, and Ye Chen sat beside him, occupying the right half, like a pair of door gods.

Shen Mofeng slightly tilted his head to the right, feeling cold, he clenched his right hand into a fist and stuffed it into the pocket of his military coat, then switched to his left hand to hold the phone, commenting on the photos as he scrolled through them, intriguingly, “This one’s not bad, Ye Chen’s expression is a bit stiff here, he could be a meme in this one…”

“Huh? Am I stiff? Which one makes me look like a meme?” Ye Chen thought he had a good sense of posing for the camera and eagerly leaned his head towards Shen Mofeng, wanting to see it more clearly.

But at this moment, Shen Mofeng suddenly lost his focus, his eyes and brows showed signs of being overwhelmed, and he quickly moved his left hand, which was already farther from Ye Chen, even farther to the left. Ye Chen, who was eager to see the photos, followed the movement of the phone like a little fish biting the bait, leaning his upper body more and more towards Shen Mofeng, almost about to fall into his arms.

“Ha…” Shen Mofeng’s act was ruined, leaning against the door frame, he chuckled.

“Uh, sorry, Shen Ge.” Ye Chen was taken aback, and quickly straightened his upper body like a javelin.

Afraid he lost etiquette in front of his Emperor Father!

…WTF? Xiao He, who knew Shen Mofeng’s sexual orientation, stared at the scene in front of him blankly for a moment, suddenly enlightened. However, this look of understanding only stayed on his face for less than two seconds before quickly turning into one of reluctance to look directly.

Is my Shen Ge acting like a rogue with another family’s child…? Xiao He’s gaze turned chilly, when he glanced at Ye Chen’s innocent and slightly childish face, that chilliness intensified a few degrees. Suddenly, those words “old rogue” that Ye Chen’s mother fans kept saying online didn’t seem so unjustified.

“You took the photos quite well.” Shen Mofeng, feeling quite pleased with his little act of teasing, smiled and handed the phone back, “I was just messing with you earlier.”

“Oh…” Ye Chen blinked, feeling that the teasing was a bit strange, but he was simple-minded and didn’t dwell on it. He lowered his gaze and focused on looking at the photos, picking out three that he felt were not good-looking, and let Shen Mofeng decide which ones to post.

Shen Mofeng smiled as he took a drag of his cigarette and posted on Weibo.

His Weibo post was extremely brief, just two words plus an ellipsis, as if implying something.

Shen Mofengv: Me and…

Though the words were concise, those CP fans were incredibly quick-witted. While ordinary people might need a hint or two, CP fans were born to understand, they understood even without the hint. In the blink of an eye, Shen Mofeng’s comment section was flooded, all filling in the blanks:

“My little wife, right?”

“And wife.”

“Me and my darling wife Chen Chen’s rural life.”

That evening, it became the number one trending topic: #Me and#

These fujoshis really have really big brain holes… Ye Chen thought to himself straightforwardly, you guys don’t understand the relationship between me and my Shen Ge.

Fortunately, after the initial frenzy, some people gradually started to shift their focus to other aspects. These photos were quite rich in content: one showed Shen Mofeng pretending to split firewood while Ye Chen was nearby cutting pigweed with a scythe; another showed the two squatting in front of the stove, Ye Chen obediently resting his hands on his knees while Shen Mofeng manipulated the firewood with tongs; and one showed one person holding a big rooster under his arm, smiling and talking… With the rendering of soft light filters and the blessing of the peak handsomeness of the two male leads, these photos, besides being funny due to the contrasts, also exuded a sense of leisurely relaxation in rural life.

—”Suddenly, I have a bold idea. It would be great if Chen Chen and Feng Ge did a reality show about country life together.”

This comment sparked a lot of agreement.

“F*ck! I suddenly want to see it!”

“I want to see it too!”

“This is totally doable. Not to brag, but I can keep a motherly smile on my face and watch them chop wood all day long…”

The fans in the comment section became more and more enthusiastic, but Ye Chen didn’t pay attention. After scrolling through Weibo for a while, he put his phone away because, firstly, he needed to watch the chicken stew, and secondly… he didn’t want to waste his data.

The chestnut stewed chicken and pot stickers in the big iron pot were ready to be eaten. Ye Chen served a large plate of stewed chicken and some pot stickers, then knocked on the pot lid and carried the food into the inner room, placing it on the low table on the kang bed, and inviting Shen Mofeng in to eat.

As soon as these two entered the inner room, the hidden divine beasts rushed to the stove. Each of them held a small bowl, ready to take over the remaining half of the pot of stewed chicken.

The stove was quite high, and the big brother of the Qiong Qi flew up to squat on the edge of the iron pot, taking the bowls handed up from below. After filling each bowl with two pot stickers and a large spoonful of chestnut stewed chicken, he carried Fenghuang’s portion and went to the western wing room to deliver the food, quite living up to the title of “big brother”.

In the room, Ye Chen and Shen Mofeng sat cross-legged on the warm kang bed, facing each other and having dinner.

In the plates, the diced spirit chicken meat absorbed the soup, and the chicken skin and meat, which were white before going into the pot, turned into a caramel-like color after coming out. With each bite, the meat was incredibly plump and tender. The unique nutty aroma and sweetness of the chestnuts melted into the soup, then rolled into every muscle fiber under the simmering fire, making the chicken unbelievably soft and juicy, as if each chew could squeeze out a few drops of sweet chestnut soup… Whether in taste, texture, or appearance, this stewed chicken was worlds apart from the tough chicken pieces from a few days ago.

The deliciousness was not only in the chicken meat; these past few days, Ye Chen noticed a millstone in the courtyard of the local villagers, so he tried grinding some cornmeal from dried spiritual corn, wanting to make some pasta for his Shen Ge to try a different taste. This time, he used this cornmeal to make pot stickers, and the texture was solid and dense when roasted. The fragrant aroma of grains lingered in the air, as if one could smell the natural breath of the sun-drenched cornfield with every bite.

Shen Mofeng couldn’t guess that most of this was thanks to the ingredients and the ancient god’s bloodline. Curiously, he asked, “Do you often cook?”

Even with guidance from a famous chef, it’s hard to cook so deliciously without practicing often.

Ye, the little liar, quickly reviewed the latest version of the character biography in his mind, feeling that there were no contradictions in the character, so he rarely spoke the truth, “Hmm… I started living alone when I was seventeen, so I cook for myself whenever I have time… Takeout is too greasy.”

Greasy food is bad for the skin. Although he has a good foundation, he dare not neglect it.

Seventeen… Shen Mofeng imagined the lonely teenage Ye Chen who insisted on entering the entertainment industry and fell out with his family. During the day, he was an extra on the set, and at night, he returned home alone, cooking, washing dishes, moving heavy things, talking to himself in an empty room, doing everything alone, and silently longing for… him.

He felt a pang of tenderness for the Ye Chen in his own imagination.

Suddenly, Shen Mofeng remembered a sentence he saw in the CP forum these days.

He had been browsing the forums a lot these days, and his way of thinking had been led into a ditch by the Feng Ye girls, and even a crane couldn’t lift it out…

But this wave of imagination wasn’t too far-fetched. Except for the parts about “longing for him” and “he is his light,” the rest of his fantasies had a high degree of overlap with reality. The teenage Ye Chen who had been living alone since he was seventeen was indeed as resilient, hardworking, bright-eyed, and optimistic as he had imagined, like a little sun that could not be extinguished no matter how many hardships it faced.

These were all true.

“…” Ye Chen seemed to eat calmly, but his little eyes kept stealing glances at Shen Mofeng, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind.

He felt that Shen Mofeng’s expression was slightly strange, worrying if there was any flaw in his fake fan persona, and hesitated about whether to add another layer of acting to strengthen it.

After a minute of mental struggle for Ye Chen, Shen Mofeng didn’t raise any objections, just kept eating silently. Ye Chen then dropped the idea of adding more drama.

He already had enough drama, and the train of lies had already run off the rails. Plus, there were the parts that Shen Mofeng accidentally overheard, not intentionally lied about… Ye Chen mechanically chewed on the pot stickers, thinking it would be better not to add any more drama. In the entertainment industry, one must know when to stop, and if lies have been spun to this extent and are still being embellished, what if one day things turn sour and it all backfires…

…

…

Even if it doesn’t cost his life.

Little Swindler Ye, who was already riding a tiger and unable to get off, drooped his head, nervously nibbling on the pot stickers, swearing to guard this deception with his life!

After dinner, it was time for one-on-one acting lessons with the film emperor. Ye Chen, still somewhat clueless, was teased by Shen Mofeng and called “Teacher Shen” more than a dozen times. In fact, it was common for artists in the industry to call each other “teacher,” but Shen Mofeng felt calluses in his ears from hearing “Teacher Shen,” yet when Ye Chen said it… it sounded especially obedient.

After Shen Mofeng left, Ye Chen remembered he still had a river to claim, so he clicked into the app to check.

In the app, there was an option called “Overview of the Mountain and Sea Realm.” Clicking on it would reveal a rough map of the Mountain and Sea Realm, comparable to a child’s simple sketch. The map could be zoomed in, and after zooming in many times, several crooked and colored squares representing Ye Chen’s plots of land could be seen.

Next to the colored squares, there was a cross symbol.

This cross was made by Ye Chen after the first snowfall in the Mountain and Sea Realm, using two burnt matches and an iron wire.

He inserted this crude cross into the snow, and buried under the cross was everything Ye Chen had stored in the refrigerator…

Including half of a face mask sealed with a food bag clip, a few cans of beer prepared to celebrate after paying off a debt of 140 million, and some leftover chicken breast from the last time he made noodles, and so on.

When it snowed, he could save electricity by not using the refrigerator. A poor boy like him wouldn’t miss any gifts from nature, including snow!

After clicking on the overview of the Mountain and Sea Realm in the app this time, Ye Chen saw that a vertical bar resembling a toolbar appeared on the right side of the map. In the toolbar was an icon resembling a pond, with the words “Wo Shui” below it. Ye Chen followed the prompt to tap on the pond icon with his fingertip and dragged the icon to a location near his plot of land on the map, then released his finger.

Jing Ling: “Once the location is confirmed, it cannot be changed. Do you want to place Wo Shui here?”

Ye Chen: “Yes.”

As a result, the crude map now had a similarly crude pond added to it. The process of placing it was unexpectedly hasty and easy, which made Ye Chen suspect whether Jing Ling was fooling him… Ye Chen didn’t trust this unreliable Jing Ling, so he wrapped himself in his military coat and went back to the Mountain and Sea Realm to check its authenticity. Indeed, he saw a small pond about twenty meters away from the plot of land.

The pond was about thirty to forty meters in diameter, sunken in the remnants of the snow on the ground, and covered with blue-green water plants below. The water plants were as delicate and soft as hair strands, dense enough that one couldn’t see the bottom of the pond. Thin, icy fragments of ice were scattered on the surface of the water, and when the wind brushed over the pond, the ice blades collided, making a crisp sound.

This was Wo Shui.

“…It really exists.” Ye Chen felt relieved.

Jing Ling pondered for a moment and asked, “Of course it exists… What image do I have in your mind?”

Ye Chen avoided answering and just excitedly rubbed his hands, asking, “Can I raise Ranyi Fish now? It’s been a long time since I stewed fish at home.”

The author has something to say:

Ye Qiongqiong’s account book today:

Today’s income: Trending once

Ye Qiongqiong: Fed up with it, seeking cash out…

Shen Mofeng’s account book today:

— Almost fell into my arms cutely while looking at the photos.

Shen Mofeng’s favorability: +20

Current favorability: 110/500, three stars.

— The chestnut stewed chicken is delicious. I think it’s because Chen Chen has a special seasoning, which is his love for me.

Shen Mofeng’s favorability: +10

Current favorability: 120/500, three stars.

— Seventeen-year-old Chen Chen is so obedient it’s heartwarming.

Shen Mofeng’s favorability: +20

Current favorability: 140/500, three stars.

— During the acting class, he called me ‘Shen Teacher’ again. He obediently called me throughout the class. I counted, he called me a total of eleven times.

Shen Mofeng’s favorability: +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10, +10…

Current favorability: 250/500, three stars.

Unexpected, right? Calling once adds 10… [doge]

PS: Answering two questions that were asked frequently in the previous chapter.

1. Is Shen Ge a divine beast?

Answer: He’s not a divine beast, but he has some connection with divine beasts.

2. Will the surviving divine beast bosses become Shen Ge’s rivals in love?

Answer: No, the bosses will only return Chen Chen’s fatherly love. (Although Shen Ge might get a little jealous, he’s too good at imagining…)