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After reprimanding the disobedient shidi, Shifu and his friend arrived.

Lian Qing first called out to his Shifu and then respectfully greeted the other familiar old man with a Buddhist bow, saying, “Greetings, Shifu Shi Biao.”

Yu Wenning also greeted the two elderly men along with him.

“Lian Qing has grown up!” Shifu Shi Biao sighed. “The last time we met, he was just a child, and now he has grown so big…”

Lian Qing’s Shifu also sighed, “We’re getting old too…”

“Amituofo…” The old man’s gaze turned to Yu Wenning, and he asked, “Who is this?”

The Shifu replied directly, “This is the male spouse of my disciple, as I mentioned to you.” After saying that, he checked the time and said, “Shi Biao, it’s getting late. Let’s set off quickly.”

“Shifu, where are you going?” Lian Qing asked anxiously. “Won’t you stay and rest for a few days?”

“No, we have a train booked in half an hour. We’re going to meet a fellow daoist. Lian Qing, Wenning, take good care of Xiaosan, understand?”

“Shifu…” Lian Qing felt reluctant and held onto his Shifu’s sleeve, not wanting to let go. They had just reunited for a short while, and he didn’t really want his Shifu to leave.

“Be good, Lian Qing. You’ve grown up. You were the one who advised me to go out and see the world more while I was still in good health. Why are you the one reluctant to let go now?”

Reluctantly, Lian Qing slowly released his grip and said, “Then you must video call or call us every day, okay?”

“Alright, I promise you, my disciple.”

“Also, make sure to come back before the Chinese New Year, don’t coincide with the Spring Festival travel rush. We should be together as a family during the New Year…”

“I understand. Why is it that the older you grow, the more words you have? Be good, my disciple. Your Shifu really has to go now. Listen to me…”

…

After seeing off their Shifu, the two of them, along with the little one, prepared to have a meal outside. Along the way, the little one’s mouth didn’t stop as he excitedly talked about what he had seen and heard outside.

Lian Qing was worried that the little one didn’t have much meat while following their Shifu, so he took him to a barbecue restaurant.

Little did he know, the little one smirked and said, “Whenever the Shifu buys buns, he buys ones with meat for me. They only eat vegetarian food. The same goes for meals; they eat vegetarian dishes, but I eat ones with meat…”

“Does it taste good when you eat meat while the Shifu eats vegetarian?” Lian Qing asked as he poured a glass of orange juice for him.

“It tastes great! Shifu said I need to grow taller now, so I have to eat more meat to grow taller than my Shixiong.”

Lian Qing turned the orange juice in his hand and brought it back to himself, his expressionless face saying, “Does the Shifu think I’m short?”

The little one finally realized that he had stepped on his Shixiong’s sore spot. He touched his head, which had grown a bit of hair, and looked to his older brother for help. His Shixiong wasn’t really short, but compared to his older brother…

Yu Wenning patted his head and then turned to Lian Qing, saying, “Maybe the Shifu just thinks you’re slightly shorter than me, so…”

The little one nodded vigorously, that’s it! He comforted his Shixiong by patting his hand and said with an old-fashioned air, “Shixiong, don’t worry, I won’t look down on you!”

Lian Qing: “…”

He glared at Yu Wenning, who was struggling to hold back his laughter. What’s the point of being so tall!

Because of the little one’s presence, the two of them naturally couldn’t engage in certain activities that night. They could only lie in bed, covered with a blanket, and have a pure conversation.

After three days of pureness, Lian Qing painfully said to Yu Wenning, “Big brother, lend me some money, let’s buy a house!”

Yu Wenning also stared at him with a face full of desire and longing. After a while, he said, “I’ve already bought one, and the renovation is almost done. We can move in soon.”

“Huh? When did you buy it? Why have you never mentioned it before?” Lian Qing’s surprise was genuine. Yu Wenning had never brought up the topic of buying a house to him.

“I started preparing after we confirmed our relationship.” Yu Wenning chuckled. As a businessman, he naturally thought ahead. After confirming his relationship with Lian Qing, he started looking for a house and immediately arranged for its renovation once he finalized it.

“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to surprise you,” Yu Wenning said with a smile. “And also, the owner of the house put your name on the deed.”

Lian Qing’s radiant smile froze for a moment before he said, “Is it… okay like this?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, unless you don’t want to spend the rest of your life with me.” Yu Wenning embraced Lian Qing firmly, displaying a hint of dominance. “My feelings for you will never change. I hope you feel the same way and that we can be together forever, without any distinction between you and me.”

Lian Qing took the opportunity to rest his chin on Yu Wenning’s shoulder and hugged him, deeply moved. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “By the way, is the house in a good school district?”

Yu Wenning: “…Why don’t you express your gratitude first?”

“I am grateful!” Lian Qing looked innocent. “So, is it a house in a good school district?”

After a long while, Yu Wenning squeezed out a word from between his teeth, “Yes.”

“That’s great! Then we don’t have to worry about Xiao San’er’s schooling… Oh, and how’s the soundproofing in our house?”

“It’s great. I specifically had soundproof panels installed, so even if it’s the next room, they won’t hear a thing no matter how much noise we make.”

“That’s good. Otherwise, I would really worry that one day when we’re doing that, my Shixiong would suddenly come over and ask if we’re fighting…”

…………

Later, the two of them went to see the house together, of course, with Xiao San’er.

In fact, most likely because they were quite satisfied with the environment of this neighborhood, the house Yu Wenning bought was on the other side of the neighborhood. Moreover, it was a detached villa with its own small garden.

Looking at the tastefully decorated house with warm colors, Lian Qing couldn’t help but sigh, “I suddenly feel like I’m dreaming…”

Dreaming of a villa and such! The house he had ever dreamed of buying was just a small three-bedroom apartment. How could he even dare to think of a villa? That would cost so much money!

“I feel the same way…” Yu Wenning followed his words, “I never dared to dream before that one day I would live with you and truly become a family with your family.”

Lian Qing couldn’t help but hold his hand, and they smiled at each other, watching Xiao San’er happily running up and down in the small garden.

Xiao San’er clearly loved their new home. Not only was the space large, but Yu Wenning also thoughtfully installed a small slide and a swing in the yard.

The house had three floors. The first floor was mainly the common area, with the kitchen and storage room, among other things. They even had a large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the small garden.

Lian Qing loved it at first sight and gestured, saying, “We can put a set of tables and chairs here, or maybe a lounge chair. We can lie here and enjoy a cup of tea, feel the breeze, and admire the view of the garden when we have free time. It must be very comfortable.”

Yu Wenning also said, “I had a custom-made rocking chair. It will be delivered in a couple of days. We’ll have one for each of us, including Xiao San’er, although his is a mini version, so it won’t rock as vigorously.”

Lian Qing raised his thumb to him, acknowledging that apart from his big brother, there was no one more considerate.

The second floor mainly had three rooms: a children’s room, one for the two of them to live in, and one for their Shifu, each with its own ensuite bathroom.

“Xiao San’er has never slept alone before, and I always feel a bit worried,” Lian Qing said anxiously as he checked the corners of the bed and table in the children’s room, speaking softly.

The little one, who was examining his own new room, immediately patted his chest and said, “Senior, I’ve grown up, I can sleep alone.”

Yu Wenning also added, “It’s time for him to be independent, otherwise how will he go to kindergarten next year?”

Then, Yu Wenning leaned closer to Lian Qing’s ear and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll have surveillance installed in this room. So, if we wake up in the middle of the night, we can check if he kicked off the blanket or anything. If he has a nightmare and cries at night, we’ll be able to hear it too.”

Lian Qing’s eyes lit up; it was indeed a good idea.

Then he asked, “When should we move in?”

“Just finished the renovation, and we need to let the smell dissipate. We also haven’t bought all the furniture yet. If we want to move in, it will probably take another half a month or so.”

So long…

Lian Qing felt a bit disappointed and whispered in Yu Wenning’s ear, “Then these days, won’t we be unable to do that thing?”

Yu Wenning didn’t catch on immediately, “What thing?”

“Just… just that thing we both like doing!”

Yu Wenning replied, “Oh… I understand.” He thought for a moment and said, “It’s fine, when he’s asleep at night, we can go to my room, do it, and then come back to your room to sleep.”

“That works too, so we don’t have to change the sheets in the middle of the night. By the way, when will our disposable mattress arrive? The delivery is so slow…”

“I told you not to save money and buy online. With all these holidays recently, logistics are inevitably affected.”

“I bought it because I saw that Xiao San’er will be going to school soon, and I wanted to save some money, accumulate it, and buy a house in a good school district…”

…………

As the end of the year approached, Cheng Lan only arranged one fashion magazine cover shoot for Lian Qing and a small interview. She also enrolled him in an upgraded version of an acting training class, essentially allowing him to manage his own career.

After having a deep conversation with Lian Qing, where he expressed his desire to focus on acting and occasionally participate in variety shows, Cheng Lan didn’t arrange any endorsements or other activities for him.

Ever since she found out about Lian Qing’s relationship with Yu Wenning, she knew that he would probably never accept product endorsements. He didn’t need the money, nor did he need those endorsements to demonstrate his popularity and commercial value.

Furthermore, Cheng Lan and Sha Man, the boss, treated Lian Qing more like a younger brother. They didn’t want to exploit him, so they reached a consensus to prioritize Lian Qing’s wishes when it came to filming and other matters.

Although this meant that the studio would receive less income from Lian Qing, in another aspect, Yu Wenning silently compensated for what they couldn’t obtain.

The resources he provided were not only targeted at Lian Qing but mainly offered to the studio for them to distribute. This was enough to silence those who had objections about the studio’s relatively lenient treatment of Lian Qing’s work.

As for recent variety shows, Cheng Lan had no plans for Lian Qing to participate. It was mainly because this kid had a natural talent for variety shows. If it weren’t for their foresight in suppressing any trending keywords related to him, it was likely that Lian Qing would generate multiple trending topics with just one appearance on a variety show.

For others, this might be considered a good thing, as it quickly gained him a fanbase. However, being too prominent in variety shows could easily overshadow his film and television works. In the long run, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

They didn’t want a future where when people mentioned Lian Qing, they would say, “Isn’t he that funny variety star?” instead of “The actor who played so-and-so in that drama?”

As for new scripts, Cheng Lan decided to put them on hold for now.

With the year coming to an end, if they took on a new script, Lian Qing wouldn’t be able to spend the Chinese New Year with his family. Additionally, there weren’t any scripts that she was particularly optimistic about in the near future. Even if there were, considering the cast consisted of A-list actors, the roles she could strive for would be less than satisfactory.

There’s an old saying, “It’s better to be a rooster’s head than a phoenix’s tail.” Given Lian Qing’s current popularity and status, it wasn’t suitable for him to take on the supporting roles that weren’t particularly outstanding.

Therefore, she wanted to wait until after the new year when the drama “Bondless Frost and Snow” premiered to see if there were better scripts available for selection.

She had confidence that this drama would perform well in terms of ratings. Director Li had also mentioned in their discussion that Lian Qing performed extremely well in this role. After the drama aired, it would completely shut the mouths of those who claimed Lian Qing had no acting skills.

On the day of the New Year’s Eve concert held by the mainstream television station, Lian Qing had already declined all television appearances because he was busy moving into his new home.

After settling into the new house and discussing with Yu Wenning, the next day he invited a few friends over to his place for a housewarming. Cheng Lan reminded him that it’s customary to invite people over for a meal after moving into a new home to create a lively atmosphere.

He invited Zhao Chengyi, Sha Man, Cheng Lan, Director Li, and several others, totaling almost ten people. He also invited his best buddy, Cai Jingfeng. However, his invitation came suddenly, and Cai Jingfeng happened to be abroad for some research project, so he couldn’t make it.

On the day of the housewarming, Yu Wenning also invited a few friends over.

It was the first time Lian Qing had met Yu Wenning’s friends, and to his surprise, most of them were older gentlemen dressed in suits. There was only one young couple who appeared to be around Yu Wenning’s age.

The people present were almost all experienced individuals with outstanding achievements in various fields. Despite coming from different circles and backgrounds, they didn’t foolishly show off. Everyone had a good sense of propriety, engaging in light-hearted conversations, and it felt like being with family. There were quite a few people, but luckily their new home was spacious, and there were enough tables and chairs.

For this housewarming gathering, Yu Wenning personally took charge of cooking, while Lian Qing assisted him, and Sha Man, Bu Youmeng, and others occasionally helped out. The little one was responsible for “entertaining” the guests outside. The child had seen a lot and spoke fluently, without any shyness. With a thought process similar to Lian Qing’s and innocent remarks, he often amused everyone, making them burst into laughter.

The housewarming event started with polite greetings and ended with laughter and joy.

That evening, Lian Qing was very excited and went online to post a Weibo update.

[Lian Qing Monk: Moved to a new home, happy! Thank you all for coming to help with the housewarming! #photo#]

The attached photo was posted with everyone’s consent. It showed a room full of people gathered in the living room, regardless of social class or status, all happily doing the scissors hand gesture.

As the group’s beloved little one, the child stood at the forefront of the photo, with the most joyful smile.

In fact, everyone was being influenced by the little one, imitating his scissors hand gesture. He was just too adorable, and besides Lian Qing, there were hardly any people who could refuse him.

This photo naturally sparked a frenzy on Weibo, and the comments section was bustling with excitement.

[Ah ah ah, Little Monk! You finally remembered you have a Weibo?!]

[Shocking! The reason behind the popular star’s late-night update…]

[Ahhh! Little Little Monk! So cute!!!]

[So many big shots! Sha Jie and Fu Miao are here, and even Director Li… Does Little Monk have such close relationships with all of them? So adorable!]

[Hmm, I think those unfamiliar faces look a bit like big shots, their aura is no less than the celebrities present!]

[Wait a minute, isn’t that the chairman of Gu Corporation? How did he end up here?]

[The person at the far left looks like someone I’ve seen in financial news…]

[The fourth person on the right seems to be on the Forbes billionaire list…]

[As someone from the finance industry, let me tell you that everyone present, except for the celebrities, are all big shots! From left to right, they are the chairman of XX Corporation…]

[Oh my goodness, they really are all big shots?! Are they down-to-earth despite doing the scissors hand gesture?!]

[Wow, Little Monk actually knows so many big shots, impressed!]

[Those people should be Mr. Yu’s friends, did you see Mr. Yu with a half-faced appearance holding a spatula behind the crowd?]

[Wait, why is Mr. Yu wearing an apron…]

[Wait, why did Mr. Yu take charge of cooking for Little Monk’s housewarming…]

[Wait, why did Mr. Yu also treat everyone for Little Monk’s housewarming…]

[This is getting mind-boggling! Think about Little Monk suddenly moving to a new house, and the new house looks quite big! And then think about his unnamed lover he revealed on a show…]

[Ahhh, my goodness, did this couple become real?!]

[If it’s Mr. Yu, then I believe they are truly in love. Little Monk mentioned it on the show, saying he mistakenly thought the person he liked didn’t like him back, and he went through a period of lovesickness…]

[In the end, they discovered that they were secretly in love with each other…]

[Let’s review the things Mr. Yu has done for Little Monk, like visiting him on variety shows, standing up for him, and even the incident at the hospital…]

[When you tally it up, you suddenly realize that maybe it’s not just brotherly affection, but love! They are definitely truly in love! I can’t do so much for my own brother!]

[I… Oh my, I actually feel like if it’s Mr. Yu, I could accept it!]

[The previous discussion actually makes sense. As fans, we really have no right to interfere with the love lives of celebrities. They are humans, not toys…]

[Well, fine then. If it benefits men more than other women, I now have this weird mindset.]

[Zhao Chengyi also updated his Weibo, and the photo he posted is particularly funny. It’s a picture of Little Little Monk and Little Monk glaring at each other in the new house, with the big shots and celebrities laughing in the background.]

[That’s not important. What’s important is that my heartwarming couple has actually become real!!!]

[Correction from upstairs, it’s the Qing Ning CP!]

[Everyone, calm down, what if it’s not true, it would be so awkward… Whispering: Although I strongly believe it’s true.]

……..

Lian Qing flipped through the comments for quite a while. Apart from Cai Jingfeng’s comment saying that he would make up for this meal when he returned, the rest were all discussing whether he and Yu Wennin were a couple, as well as the backgrounds and achievements of the influential people in his photos.

He looked at Yu Wennin strangely and said, “They’re all saying we’re a couple.”

Yu Wenning was blow-drying the short hair of their pet dog and asked in passing, “You finally noticed. So what?”

“Surprisingly, not many people are criticizing me!” Lian Qing said curiously. Since the last program, he had noticed that many fans were saying things like not allowing him to date, so he hadn’t been active on Weibo much.

Before posting this photo, he also wondered if some sensitive fans would discover his relationship with his elder brother. It wasn’t that he was afraid of their relationship being exposed and affecting himself, but rather that he was afraid it would affect his elder brother.

His elder brother’s company was doing quite well, and he was worried that once their relationship was exposed, his brother’s company would experience a stock market crash like in the TV dramas.

However, Yu Wenning quickly dispelled his concerns, bluntly telling him to stop watching all sorts of messy and melodramatic TV shows.

On the side of Lian Qing’s studio, both Shaman and Cheng Lan expressed that he should gradually reveal the truth to the fans. They also said that after posting the photo, he shouldn’t respond or make any further statements.

In their opinion, Lian Qing needed to gradually reveal the truth. Once the fans had a clear understanding and adapted to it, then they could publicly announce their relationship. This way, the fans would have a buffer time, and the impact would be much smaller, preventing a sudden rise and fall in Lian Qing’s career.

However, when he posted the photo, Lian Qing had already mentally prepared himself to endure criticism from fans and haters.

Unexpectedly, the fans who had previously shouted against him dating barely criticized him now!

Although it wasn’t a formal coming out, the photo he posted was almost like a semi-coming out. He had thought that he would be heavily criticized.

“Shixiong, why do you want others to criticize you?” Xiao San’er asked curiously, “Is it because fighting is love, and criticism is affection? Shixiong wants to be loved?”

“No, I don’t want that. I have your love, and that’s enough,” Lian Qing immediately replied, then glanced at Yu Wennin and whispered, “I was even prepared to disable comments for everyone except those I follow. But unexpectedly, no one criticized me!”

Yu Wennin said sarcastically, “You forgot that I and my assistant invited some experts previously and purposely started a discussion about the freedom of celebrity relationships.”

Lian Qing thought for a moment; it seemed like there was such an incident. At that time, his elder brother saw fans clamoring against him dating, so he angrily went online, hiding behind a pseudonym, and fiercely criticized the fans. Somehow, it sparked a topic.

“So, did that discussion reach any conclusion back then?”

“No, but it successfully made many idol fans recognize the freedom of celebrity relationships.”

What Wenning didn’t mention was that the previous topic had a great effect, and later he brought up other topics. For example, “Homosexuality is not a crime,” “Have you become a keyboard warrior today,” and so on. These topics not only affected the fan community but also garnered significant attention and discussion in society.

Looking at Lian Qing’s reaction at that moment, it was clear that those topics had quite an impact.

Regardless, the current situation was not bad at least. After Lian Qing didn’t respond to any related messages, he went offline and carried Xiao San’er to the children’s room.

During the following time, he devoted himself to practicing acting, taking care of the child, and enjoying daily affectionate moments with Yu Wenning. It wasn’t until ten days before the Spring Festival that Lian Qing finally completely relaxed.

The Spring Festival has always been the most important holiday for the Chinese people, with activities like buying New Year goods, new clothes, decorating houses, and preparing New Year gifts, making time pass by in a busy manner.

Shifu still managed to return at the tail end of the Spring Rush, on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar calendar.

On New Year’s Eve, the family of four gathered around the dining table to make dumplings. While others were making dumplings, Xiao San’er played with the dough.

“Shixiong, how about this one?” Xiao San’er held a piece of dough and handed it to his shixiong.

Lian Qing glanced at the misshapen dough, with uneven limbs and eyes and nose that were indistinguishable, and shook his head, saying, “What did you make? It’s so ugly!”

The little one looked at his own dough and then at his shixiong, muttering to himself, “It looks pretty good to me.”

Lian Qing, who clearly heard that, “…”

He felt frustrated: “Do you have to put hair on mine? I have hair!”

Shifu also chimed in, saying, “Remember to put a beard on me when you make one later. My beard is the best-maintained feature on me!”

“Got it,” the little one agreed, then looked at Yu Wenning and said, “Brother Yu, do you have any requests?”

Yu Wenning nodded and said, “Yes, after you’re done, hold my hand and your shixiong’s hand together.”

“Then I want to hold hands too, and Shifu should hold hands too.”

“Alright, hurry up and make them, or the dough will get stiff…”

Laughter and joy filled the dining room, complementing the performances on the TV in the living room.

Later in the evening, Lian Qing posted on Weibo.

【Monk Lian Qing v: Happy Spring Festival! May everyone have a joyful and blissful year ahead! #Picture#】

In the picture, four little dough people were holding hands, floating in a pot of boiling water.

TN:

End of main text. Charge onwards to the extras!!!!