After the staff and guests received the red thread from Qiguan Yuan, the courtyard was bustling for a while before gradually dispersing.
Some people tied the red thread to their wrists and held it up to the light to look at it, while others carefully tucked it into their inner pockets.
The production assistant tied a knot in the red thread and fastened it to her name tag string, grinning from ear to ear. "Now I'll have a fairy godmother protecting me at work!"
Qiguan Yuan's photographer held up his red thread and studied it for a long time before silently putting it on his wrist.
He would never tell these people that he bought a lottery ticket and won five million.
That evening, people started posting pictures on Weibo.
Lin Yanru was the first to post.
She posted a photo.
Her hands were folded on her knees, and there was a faint red mark on each of her ring fingers.
The caption was just two words: Signed.
Su He'an retweeted this Weibo at the same minute, adding only two words: "Signed."
The comments section for the two was instantly flooded by fans, with the top comment being "You two have finally officially announced your relationship."
Theirs weren't very obvious, but the others' were.
Jiang Wantang showed off a red string wrapped around her wrist, with a knot at the end that connected to the string on Ji Shiyu's wrist.
Her caption read: Thank you, Teacher Qiguan. Grandma was right, the Yue Lao Temple in Cloud-Hidden Town is truly effective.
Other guests also explained that the red string was obtained from Qiguan Yuan.
The staff were also busy.
The production assistant posted a photo of her name tag with a red string tied to it, along with a string of exclamation marks and the caption, "Given personally by Teacher Qiguan!"
This made all the fans who wanted to get Qiguan Yuan's red rope extremely envious.
Tears of envy streamed down their faces.
Although they couldn't say it outright, they all knew perfectly well what was going on!
This is the red thread from the Yue Lao!
Who wouldn't want that?
What really caused Weibo's servers to overheat was Qiguan Yuan's account.
Since registering his account, he has never posted anything voluntarily; the few posts he has made are all automatically generated by the system.
But tonight his account was suddenly updated with a photo.
Their hands were clasped together, each with a plain ring on its ring finger, the face of which was engraved with an extremely fine three-ring pattern.
Between her two hands, a red string was wrapped around the ring and her knuckles, the end of which was tied into a tiny, delicate knot that blended into the pattern on the ring.
No caption.
The Xiao Yuan Grains were stunned for three seconds. Then someone typed three words in the comments: What is this?
The number of comments then plummeted at a visible rate.
Holy crap, is this a marriage proposal?
Some quick-thinking individuals immediately switched their attention to Pei Yubai's Weibo.
As expected, Pei Yubai's account pinned a new Weibo that was exactly the same as the photo posted by Qiguan Yuan.
Two Weibo are no different from copying and pasting.
The Xiao Yuan Grains understood instantly.
It's obvious at a glance who's trying to show off on Weibo.
Their grandparents' generation... no, their ancestors' Yuanyuan, would probably only know how to use WeChat Pay and rarely use their phones, so how could they possibly post on Weibo on their own initiative?
It's obvious that someone wanted to show off their Yuanyuan. They took Yuanyuan's phone and posted it themselves, and even pinned their own account to the top of the chat. The whole operation was very smooth.
Tsk.
Just as fans were about to leave comments criticizing Pei Yubai cunning, Pei Yubai account started showering people with red envelopes. One hundred red envelopes, each worth 50,000 yuan, were being thrown out in groups.
Qiguan Yuan's account was also giving out red envelopes at the same time, with the exact same amount, the exact same timing, and even the same text on the red envelope cover. "May you have a long and happy marriage."
The fans, who were initially typing away to vent their frustrations, instantly changed their expressions.
The comments section's tone shifted from " Pei Yubai, you have eight hundred schemes in your heart" to...
It instantly transformed into: [ Film Emperor Pei is the most handsome!]
[You and Yuanyuan are a match made in heaven!]
Wishing you a long and happy marriage! May you have a child soon—no, I mean, may your marriage be blessed with many children!
[Happy wedding, Baobao!]
The red envelope rain lasted for a full half hour, and several more items jumped up the Weibo trending list.
That night was a veritable carnival for the fans.
Pei Yubai sat cross-legged in the tent, with three cell phones spread out on his lap.
My own, Qiguan Yuan's, and a backup phone.
He was adjusting the frequency and amount of red envelopes on his backup phone, checking the comments on his own phone with his left hand, and blocking several accounts that were making offensive comments on Weibo 'Qiguan Yuan phone with his right hand.
The movements are skillful.
Suddenly, I felt a furry touch on the side of my face.
He turned his head, Qiguan Yuan had come close to him at some point. His silver hair was loose over his shoulders, and a pair of snow-white fox ears stood up from his hair, with the tips slightly turned outwards and the inside of the ears covered in pinkish-white down.
His chin rested on Pei Yubai's shoulder, his ear brushing against Pei Yubai's cheek, and with each twitch, it swept past Pei Yubai's sideburns.
"What are you fiddling with?" Qiguan Yuan's voice had a slight nasal tone, as if he was blinded by the light from the phone screen. His fox-like eyes were half-closed, and his tone trailed off lazily.
Pei Yubai locked all three phones at the same time, threw them onto the sleeping bag, and turned around to pull Qiguan Yuan into his arms.
Caught off guard by his grab, Qiguan Yuan instinctively spread his legs and straddled his lap. His nine tails hadn't even had a chance to emerge yet, leaving only the pair of ears on his head sticking out.
Startled, the tip of his ear snapped back and then bounced back.
Pei Yubai held his waist with one hand, and with the other hand he gently pinched his left fox ear.
The earlobe felt slightly warm under his fingertips, the downy hairs brushing against his knuckles, and the whole ear trembled gently in his hand like a startled little animal.
He lowered his head, pressed his lips to the tip of his ear, and gave it a quick kiss.
Qiguan Yuan's tails finally emerged, nine snow-white fox tails spreading out and intertwining behind him, one of which wrapped around Pei Yubai's calf, its tip gently patting his ankle.
Pei Yubai buried his face between Qiguan Yuan's ear and hair, his lips pressed against the still trembling fox ear, and whispered in his ear, " Yuanyuan, when we get back to the Jing City, shall we get our marriage certificate?"
Qiguan Yuan raised his hand and touched Pei Yubai's apple. His fingers were very light, and his fingertips slowly drew a circle around the small protrusion.
Pei Yubai's apple bobbed slightly under his fingertips.
"Good."
The lights outside the tents had mostly dimmed, with only two small lamps still lit at the edge of the campsite.
The night wind in the Gobi Desert caused the tent fabric to flutter gently, and the shadows of two people were cast on the tent wall, overlapping each other.
The next morning, as soon as Meng Xu had the cameraman turn on the equipment, before the live stream had even stabilized, the chat was still flooded with messages:
[morning]
[What are we filming today?]
[Is Yuanyuan awake yet?]
A deep rumble came from the horizon.
It wasn't the sound of the wind, but the sound of a propeller.
The sound grew louder as it approached, changing from muffled thunder to a deafening roar. Three helicopters, arranged in a triangular formation, flew in from the east, their dark blue fuselages gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the morning light.
The wind whipped up by the propellers sent the fine sand flying everywhere, and the tents in the camp were billowing in the wind. Several staff members ran over to hold down the tent poles, not even bothering to pick up their hats that had been blown off by the wind.
Three helicopters landed one after another on the flat ground next to the camp, and the speed of their propellers gradually decreased.
The cabin door of the first plane opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair was neatly combed, and he walked steadily in the strong winds of the Gobi Desert.
He walked through the camp, which was being tossed about by the helicopter, and arrived at where the guests were.
Just then, Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai came out of the tent. Qiguan Yuan had just woken up, and his silver hair was not completely combed, with a strand sticking out behind his ear.
Pei Yubai walked beside him, holding his water glass in his hand.
"Young Master, Mr. Qiguan." The middle-aged man approached the two. "Madam sent me to fetch you."
Pei Yubai nodded.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at Pei Yubai, Pei Yubai whispered, "It's my mother."
Qiguan Yuan blinked. "Oh."
Shen Lingyi was excited all night when she learned that Pei Yubai was going to take Qiguan Yuan back to the Jing City.
I started directing the servants to clean the manor yesterday.
I couldn't wait any longer as evening approached.
She originally wanted to arrange a private jet, but when she inquired, she found that the flight routes from Dunhuang to Jing City were fully booked, and it would take at least a day from application to takeoff.
She couldn't wait even a day, so she temporarily requested three medium-to-large helicopters from the company to fly directly from Jing City without stopping.
Considering that Qiguan Yuan was still filming the show, the three helicopters were just enough to take all the guests and the production crew.
After the helicopter doors were fully open and the rotors came to a complete stop, the people in the camp finally snapped out of their stunned silence.
The photographer instinctively panned the lens to the three helicopters; their dark blue fuselages were adorned with silver emblems, and their streamlined bodies gleamed coldly in the morning light.
The comments section was silent for a second, then started scrolling rapidly in shock.
Someone typed the model name in the public chat.
[This is a Sikorsky S-92 Executive/VIP, a custom model, awesome!]
Not everyone recognized him, and someone asked curiously, "How much does it cost?"
[This should be a custom-made model; one should cost over $30 million, which is more than 200 million RMB. Three would cost over 600 million RMB.]
The chat went silent for another second.
Then someone slowly typed out a line of text: [I'm numb.]
How can Pei Yubai's family be so rich?
[Born into a good family, rich, good-looking, and so successful in the entertainment industry, plus an enviable wife. Pei Yubai, how come you're so lucky? [biting a handkerchief]]
Below this was a row of emojis of someone biting a handkerchief.
The staff members carefully packed up the equipment.
The photographer disassembled his lens and packed it in a shockproof case, the lighting technician packed up the light poles, and the production assistant ran between the tents with a folder to check the number of people.
The guests helped each other carry their luggage.
Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai walked at the back.
Pei Yubai put Qiguan Yuan's water glass into his bag, then reached out and gently pressed down the strand of silver hair that was sticking up on Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan back and let him massage him, his fox-like eyes half-closed, showing some drowsiness.
It was obvious that he wasn't fully awake.
The propeller started spinning again, and the wind blew Qiguan Yuan's silver hair back from his shoulders.
Pei Yubai reached out and tidied his wind-blown long hair. Qiguan Yuan glanced at him sideways, and then the two walked side by side toward the helicopter at the front.
After the cabin doors closed, the three helicopters took off simultaneously, forming a triangular shape over the Gobi Desert, and flew towards their destination.
Inside the cabin, Qiguan Yuan leaned on Pei Yubai's shoulder, his silver hair cascading over his arm.
Pei Yubai glanced down at him, pulled his hand over and placed it on his knee, gently tucking his fingers between his own.
The two rings clinked together, making a soft, crisp sound that was drowned out by the roar of the propellers.
Pei Yubai put away his phone and glanced at Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan leaned on his shoulder, his silver hair cascading over his arm, his breathing steady, his eyelashes occasionally fluttering slightly.
He held Qiguan Yuan's hand in his own, his thumb slowly circling the ring engraved with a three-ringed pattern.
As the helicopter pierced through the clouds, the light streaming through the porthole fell on the intertwined fingers of the two people, making the rings on their fingers gleam with a warm luster.
The other two helicopters followed behind. Cheng Yanqiu was peering out the window of the second helicopter, muttering to himself that his first helicopter ride was actually thanks to the presence of Film Emperor Pei and Senior Qiguan.
Shen Yuzhou, however, was unfazed and ate his bread with his eyes closed, too sleepy to be surprised.
Jiang Wantang and Ji Shiyu by side, chatting quietly.
Su He'an fell asleep leaning against the porthole, Lin Yanru shared half of her blanket with her.
The third person sitting on the shelf was a member of the production crew.
Meng Xu's head was throbbing from the noise of the propellers. He plugged his ears with noise-canceling headphones and sat on his lap watching a rough cut of footage that the editor had just sent him.
When he saw the scene where Qiguan Yuan smashed the clay statue, he watched it three times in quick succession, then closed his laptop, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
The photographer sat next to him, wiping the lens with a lens cloth.
Three helicopters landed at a private airport on the outskirts of Jing City in the afternoon.
The helicopter formation began its descent over a vast expanse of green sky.
Looking down from the porthole, the outline of the outskirts of Jing City unfolded in the afternoon sunlight, and then the city was left behind, replaced by a continuous expanse of green space.
That was the Pei Family's private estate.
When Pei Yubai was a child, he lived with his family in the old courtyard house.
Later, Shen Lingyi took a liking to this piece of land by chance. She felt that although the courtyard house was nice, it was not spacious enough, so she moved her whole family here.
The place where we used to live has become an old house.
The estate covers an area of 6,000 acres, and its full view can only be seen from the air.
The main building complex is in the center, with white walls and gray tiles. It is a modified Chinese courtyard house, with a corridor connecting more than a dozen rooms. Several old ginkgo trees that were transplanted are planted in the courtyard.
The main house is bordered by a horse farm to the east and an artificial lake to the west, with a separate glass conservatory by the lake.
Further out are a golf course and a horse racing trail. At the foot of the mountain, there is a helipad and a private garage, where dozens of cars collected by Shen Lingyi are parked.
It takes almost ten minutes to drive from the manor gate to the main house.
The butler made a phone call from the helicopter, and the manor gates slowly opened. Three helicopters flew straight over the access control and landed on the helipad behind the main house.
Several cars were already parked next to the helipad.
Shen Lingyi stood by the car door, wearing a dark green silk shirt, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.
The moment she saw the hatch open and Pei Yubai step down, her eyes first curved into a smile, then her gaze passed over Pei Yubai's shoulder and landed precisely on Qiguan Yuan, who was following him down.
Qiguan Yuan squinted slightly as he stepped onto the ground.
The afternoons in Jing City are much more humid and hot than in Dunhuang, with the air filled with the mixed scents of manicured lawns and sun-baked rose bushes.
In the distance, the white walls of the main house reflected a soft gray hue in the sunlight, and the brass bells under the veranda swayed gently in the wind, producing a clear, distant sound.
This place wasn't as secluded and quiet as his courtyard in Cloud-Hidden Town, but surprisingly, it suited his aesthetic taste quite well.