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This was Fang Yuqing's way of dealing with people. If she wished, she could always phrase her goodwill so naturally that it preserved others' self-respect while ensuring they would not take such things for granted. Or rather, while accepting kindness as a matter of course, they would still remember Fang Yuqing and the company's generosity.

What a beautiful and intelligent woman.

Lu Heng gladly thanked Fang Yuqing for her kindness.

However, Fang Yuqing noticed that the boy before her did not seem very fond of talking. Although he answered every question, he always carried himself with a gentle silence. He handled matters properly and behaved politely, exuding a maturity and restraint beyond his years.

Fang Yuqing did not know whether this was what books meant by "poor children grow up early," but he was certainly unlike her Lin Xuan. That boy was always grinning and fooling around, acting on every whim. He never looked settled.

Fang Yuqing sighed silently and suddenly missed her son a little.

Wei Linxuan had never been this far from home before.

Besides, the environment in Lu Family Village was surely inferior to Beijing's. She wondered whether Lin Xuan could adapt over there.

But those thoughts lasted only a moment. Fang Yuqing, with her fine upbringing, would not allow herself to stand there daydreaming while leaving a guest neglected.

Coming back to herself, she took Lu Heng's hand and led him into the bathroom, gently yet firmly explaining how to use the various bathroom fixtures.

Before Fang Yuqing opened the door and left, Lu Heng, finally having a chance to speak, could not help saying tactfully, "I can stay in the guest room, actually. This is probably Boss Wei's room, isn't it?"

Fang Yuqing paused, then immediately understood what Lu Heng meant. Smiling, she said, "Don't worry. Lin Xuan isn't such a petty child. And don't call him Boss Wei. You can call him Brother Lin Xuan or Second Brother. You're far too reserved, child."

The Wei family had arranged things this way mainly for the sake of the show's effect. After all, Lu Heng in this life was not the same as the rural boy from his previous life. It could be said that he had single-handedly driven the entire program forward. To achieve the best promotional effect, and because Lu Heng's performance had truly won everyone's affection, the Wei family sincerely intended to treat him as their own son during filming. They wanted Lu Heng and the viewers in front of their televisions to genuinely experience the warmth of a family, so having Lu Heng sleep in Wei Linxuan's room was only natural.

Fang Yuqing simply had not expected Lu Heng to be so obedient and sensible, and even to understand the importance of respecting someone else's private space!

Unable to resist, Fang Yuqing reached out and ruffled Lu Heng's hair. She set the change of clothes in her hand aside and left in high spirits.

After having his head patted, Lu Heng stood in the spacious, luxurious bathroom for a while before taking off his clothes to bathe.

The camera crew remained outside to film Wei Linxuan's bedroom. From the books and toys arranged on the shelves, to the celebrity posters on the walls, to the neat and tidy desk, they had just been about to film the view beyond the balcony when they heard the door open. The cameraman turned around with his camera and saw Lu Heng stepping out of the bathroom in clean clothes. He could not help staring.

After quite a while, he said in amazement, "Xiao Heng, you were born to make it in the entertainment industry. Forget anything else—just with that face of yours, you'd definitely become famous if you acted in an idol drama!"

Lu Heng puffed out his cheeks. I didn't make a living off my face in my previous life either!

Unable to hold back, the young boy with an old soul finally retorted for the first time, "I'm taking the serious actor route."

The cameraman burst out laughing. Thinking of Lu Heng's formidable skills when confronting the human traffickers, he could not help nodding in agreement. "Right. You can take the route of a serious action star."

After a pause, he asked, "Your kung fu is so good. Who did you learn it from?"

"My dad," Lu Heng said. "I take after my dad. I'm in pretty good health. My brother takes after my mom—his brain works especially well. My mom said my maternal great-grandfather was a scholar back then."

When selecting guests, the production team had investigated Lu Heng's family situation. Naturally, they knew his family circumstances were rather unusual. His paternal ancestors had been hunters, while his maternal family could be considered scholarly. Several decades earlier, they had been quite well-off. Father Lu had served in the military when he was young, but later left the army due to an injury and returned to his hometown. Since he did not know how to farm and was not allowed to make a living by hunting, he could only follow others from the village to find work elsewhere. In the end, he was cheated by a contractor and worked for over a year without receiving any wages. During the New Year, Mother Lu brought several children to find him and take him home, and the humiliation made him sick. Only the following year did he begin learning how to farm, though he was not very good at it.

He tried raising chickens to sell for money like other people, but then a chicken plague broke out and they all died. Someone in the village urged Lu Zhenjun to sell the dead chickens cheaply to small restaurants in the city and recover some of his investment, but Father Lu refused. He specifically asked around about how to handle chickens killed by the plague, then burned every single carcass.

He also burned away the Lu family's savings.

Thinking of this, the cameraman could not help saying, "Your father is someone worthy of great respect."

To lend others a helping hand while prosperous was kindness. To uphold one's principles even in poverty, refusing to do things that would harm others—that was true goodness.

Father Lu was undoubtedly a good man.

Wei Linxuan's king-size bed was the standard size for a double bed. Since it was summer, a bamboo mat had been spread over the thick mattress, with a soft, comfortable beige bedsheet on top. A thin summer blanket covered him, and cool breezes drifted in through the window. Lying on the bed, Lu Heng did not toss and turn as he had expected. Instead, he fell asleep very quickly.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Heng suddenly dreamed that he had encountered a python. The python coiled tightly around him, making him unable to breathe. Yet the python in his dream was not cold-blooded. It had a scorching body temperature, and warm breath brushed against his neck. The python opened its savage maw—

Lu Heng abruptly opened his eyes and sat up, gasping for breath. The vivid nightmare had left him drenched in cold sweat, even soaking his chest and back.

A pained, muffled groan suddenly came from beneath the bed.