Fu Yunshen walked to the end of the alley, arriving at the Qiwutang Teahouse. He looked up at the aged, wooden signboard that bore the name “Qiwutang Teahouse.” The characters flowed with the grace and power of a dragon in flight, carved deeply into the wood, revealing the writer’s carefree yet accommodating spirit—qualities that his own handwriting could never quite capture.

Lowering his head, he walked inside, folded his umbrella, and placed it in the stand by the door.

The system spoke incessantly: 【Fifth Master, Fifth Master, you agree he’s no ordinary person, right? It’s true, great minds always sense each other!】

Fu Yunshen: Not exactly… Just now, his main thought was finally having met a man who made him willing to… Hmm, never mind. Back to business.

Fu Yunshen had considered whether anyone else could perceive the system’s presence. Though he wanted to rid himself of it, he wasn’t keen on letting others know and then probing his abnormalities. These matters were best kept as his own secret, under his own control.

Now, the man who had appeared at the alley entrance seemed, according to the system, to have noticed it. Was it some form of metaphysics or science? The man was selling amulets from a fortune-telling stall, so metaphysics seemed more likely, but that was beyond Fu Yunshen’s understanding.

Still, it could also just be a misunderstanding on the system’s part. After all, he knew very well that his system was both foolish and timid.

Although the teahouse was nestled deep within the alley, the interior was spacious, elegantly traditional, with tables, chairs, stools, and stair railings all bearing a polished, time-worn charm. Every piece seemed to exude a sense of antiquity, and Fu Yunshen, with his modest appreciation for antiques, felt that they might actually be genuine. Since when did A City have a place like this?

Fu Yunshen went upstairs to the spot where he had arranged to meet Xie Lanze. Xie was already waiting—a tall figure, dressed today in a white shirt with a light gray cardigan draped over it due to the rain, giving him a clean, aloof appearance that radiated a sense of distance.

Xie Lanze stood up and extended his hand to Fu Yunshen. “Mr. Fu, please have a seat.”

“Mr. Xie, good to see you.” Fu Yunshen sat down.

Xie Lanze signaled to the server. “You may serve the tea now.”

Xie Lanze brought up the topic to Fu Yunshen, saying, “Sorry for bothering you. I’m a writer and wanted to learn more about the stories from the time of my great-grandfather and your grandfather as inspiration for my work. I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time?”

Fu Yunshen smiled. “Not at all.” In truth, he knew very little about those past events. He was more interested in finding out what Xie Lanze’s real intentions were. Neither of them mentioned their rather awkward backstage encounter from the other day.

The tea was soon served in the private room, and the server nodded politely before closing the door behind them.

The tea cups were elegant blue-and-white porcelain, as white as jade and impeccably crafted, making Fu Yunshen curious enough to almost check for the maker’s mark underneath.

Xie Lanze sat with the refined posture of someone from a scholarly family. “Then I’ll start,” he said.

Xie Lanze was an excellent storyteller, recounting the past he’d learned about in a way that flowed naturally. Yet, as he spoke, he occasionally rested his chin on his hand, striking a pose, or looked directly at Fu Yunshen with intense focus.

The system chimed in: 【Fifth Master… I get it now. It looks like he’s seriously trying to seduce you!】

Yet Xie Lanze, with his low emotional intelligence and clear resistance to others, was somehow clumsily attempting to attract Fu Yunshen, all the while oblivious to how obvious his actions were—making it a strangely endearing kind of awkwardness.

Faced with the flirtation from his nephew’s ex-boyfriend, Fu Yunshen felt a complex mix of emotions; he truly had no desire to engage in a family drama.

Yet Xie Lanze seemed to think his approach was working, leading him to his final line: “Mr. Fu, did you know? Back in the day, my great-grandfather once jokingly suggested to your great-great-grandfather that they should become…”

Just then, Xie Lanze’s phone rang, interrupting him. He glanced at the screen, which displayed “Dad,” and had no choice but to answer. “Mr. Fu, excuse me, I need to take this call.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Xie Lanze didn’t mind Fu Yunshen overhearing and started the conversation openly. “Dad, is something wrong?”

“Hm? Who is Fourth Uncle?”

“Oh, so he owns this teahouse?”

“It’s necessary?”

“All right, I’ll come back right away.”

From Xie Lanze’s brief words, Fu Yunshen gathered that this Qiwutang Teahouse was likely owned by Xie’s Fourth Uncle. Judging by the teahouse’s setup, Fu Yunshen thought this Fourth Uncle must be quite an extraordinary person.

It seemed the Xie family was more distinguished than Fu Yunshen had anticipated. His nephew using money to insult Xie Lanze was truly an embarrassment to the Fu family.

With an apologetic expression, Xie Lanze turned to Fu Yunshen. “Mr. Fu, I’m really sorry. Something urgent has come up at home, and I need to leave right away. Let’s continue our conversation another time…”

“No problem.” Fu Yunshen shook his head, smiling lightly. “Take care of your business, Mr. Xie.” Secretly, he was relieved; he had no interest in being flirted with by his nephew’s ex-boyfriend. The phone call was a convenient escape, ending their awkward conversation. He suspected that Xie Lanze had intended to mention a marriage pact, perhaps with plans to take things further.

After their farewells, Fu Yunshen called his driver. He waited for a while, then leisurely walked to the mouth of the alley with his umbrella. The man with the stall was gone, leaving only a scattering of purple paulownia flowers, dampened by the rain.

Once in the car, Fu Yunshen sat in the back seat, taking out the charm and examining it carefully. It seemed ordinary, with a faint osmanthus fragrance, warm and mature—much like the man’s own aura.

There was something comforting about it. Fu Yunshen carefully stored the charm away. At least it had a positive implication; a charm for safety, after all.

Afterward, Fu Yunshen even sent someone to search the alley on Wutong Street, yet the man never appeared there again.

When he questioned the local residents, they claimed there had never been a fortune-telling stall in that area, nor had anyone seen such a man. It was as though he had only ever appeared that one rainy night.

If it weren’t for the charm still in his hand, Fu Yunshen might have thought that night had been nothing more than an illusion.

…

Yu Nuo helped Lu Ning sign a simple contract with the production team of Night Talks, after which he adjusted his study schedule and joined the crew for two days.

The role he was to cameo as was Shen Zhi, a straightforward character—a top student in his senior year of high school. In Night Talks, there’s a case that occurs in a high school, where the police enter Shen Zhi’s classroom to ask questions and gather evidence. In the middle of working on a problem, Shen Zhi suddenly lifts his head and, using a combination of math and physics formulas, offers two crucial deductions.

Throughout the investigation, Shen Zhi continues to assist the police, even forming a silent understanding with Yu Zhou’s character, the male lead. Without a word exchanged, they work in perfect sync to draw out the culprit and help Shen Zhi seek justice for his classmate.

These scenes were scheduled together, so with smooth progress, they could wrap up in just two days.

Though Lu Ning hadn’t taken formal acting lessons, he had a natural charisma. With a few pointers from Director Xu, he slipped seamlessly into character, and his scenes with Yu Zhou flowed effortlessly. Yu Zhou, known for being challenging to work with, even took the time to guide Lu Ning’s acting.

The second female lead, Tang Shiqi, couldn’t help but remark to Xue Ling, the female lead, “Look how gentle Mr. Yu is with this kid compared to us—no surprise there, considering he’s the little princess of the Fu family and a star under Huanyu. Such a sweet bond.”

Xue Ling, however, replied, “No, no, no, I ship the scheming heartthrob and the innocent sweetheart.”

Tang Shiqi defended herself, saying, “What? Little Lemon is so obedient and well-mannered! How could he possibly be a black-hearted lotus?” Within just two days on set, Lu Ning—this polite, high-achieving “model child”—had already become everyone’s favorite.

“I don’t know if Lu Ning’s a black-hearted lotus, but I’m sure that Mr. Yu is a pure-hearted sweetheart…” And so the two of them bantered back and forth, debating their “CP” pairings for quite a while.

They only realized their predicament when Yu Zhou, with a stern expression, suddenly appeared behind them.

Yu Zhou had also caught wind of the online CP trend. What he hadn’t expected, though, was that two people from the production team were leading the charge! Little did they know his CP was, of course, Fu Yunshen! After all, why else would he humor Fu Yunshen and act as his “cat”? His feelings toward Lu Ning were naturally the same as Fu Yunshen’s—purely fatherly!

Xue Ling and Tang Shiqi both let out a nervous chuckle and quickly excused themselves, “Uh, Mr. Yu, my scene is up next, so I’ll go get ready.” They dashed off immediately.

Lu Ning’s role was soon wrapped up, and just ten days later, the entire production of Night Talks also finished filming. The official social media account and main cast members posted celebratory wrap-up messages.

Honestly, the film initially seemed lackluster, especially given the director’s recent streak of critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful works. Without Yu Zhou in the cast, expectations would’ve been low. Even with his participation, some skeptics anticipated Yu Zhou’s “downfall,” eager to see his untarnished record stumble.

Meanwhile, Lu Ning’s cameo as the scholarly Shen Zhi stirred some resentment among so-called “Night Talks” fans. These purist fans mocked him relentlessly, questioning why he, a student who hadn’t even taken college entrance exams yet, was portraying an academic prodigy. They criticized his “lack of self-awareness” and continued to nitpick at his every move.

However, regardless, there is still some time before Night Talk is completed and released, and a major event that has captured the attention of the entire nation is approaching.

The national large-scale horror film—Gaokao—is about to premiere.