When the elevator door opened, Chen Xingyu was already standing outside holding Miaomiao.
Indeed, his house was playing Lan Heโs version of “Little Donkey” on the speakers, resounding throughout the house. Chen Xingyu teased Miaomiao, “Oh dear, the crybaby, look who’s here!”
Miaomiao giggled upon seeing Lan He and stretched out his chubby hands.
“Senior.” Lan He greeted, taking Miaomiao, “Hmm, seems like you’ve gained a little weight!”
“Of course, it feels like he changes every day. Lan He, come, I made some soup for you, have a bowl first.” Chen Xingyu served him the soup, “I’ve skimmed off the oil.”
Lan He thanked him and drank the soup in large gulps.
The matchbox in his pocket moved slightly, the lid opened, and a wisp of smoke emerged, forming Hu 79’s head. She was drooling, and it was unclear whether she was eyeing Chen Xingyu or the soup.
Lan He remained unfazed, continuing to drink the soup.
Hu 79 floated out halfway, turned sideways to Lan He, and wiped the drool from her mouthโshe seemed to be eyeing the soup, as this angle didnโt allow her to see Chen Xingyu.
She exaggeratedly rubbed her injured leg and took out her severed tail…
Lan He then noticed she still had her severed tail, the bloodstains had dried, and she held it in her hand. Hu 79 might have thought she was evoking pity, but humans only found it eerie and frightening.
Lan He quickly pretended to stretch his arms, knocking her away, and finished the remaining soup.
Hu 79: “…………”
“Are you going back to the set in a few days?” Chen Xingyu asked with concern, “It’ll be tiring again, make sure to take good care of yourself. Are you still filming in the capital?”
If so, they could visit him on set.
Lan He nodded, “Yes, Director Wang Maoโs project.”
“Director Wang Mao is great, he really promotes actors and is willing to teach them. Make sure to learn from him, be humble and work hard.” Chen Xingyu said earnestly.
Being in the same industry and with Chen Xingyu being a senior, they naturally had common topics to discuss. Moreover, with Chen Xingyu showing kindness, Lan He took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
After lunch, the weather looked nice with a warm sun, so they decided to take Miaomiao out for a walk.
Old Lin pushed the stroller while Lan He carried Miaomiao. The three of them walked within the neighborhood, the breeze bringing a sense of relaxation and joy.
At the playground, there were no children playing as it was still mealtime, except for a little girl who looked around three years old, playing in the sand with her nanny while her father sat nearby holding a bowl of food.
“Da Qin?” Chen Xingyu greeted.
There were many colleagues in the neighborhood, and this was Qin Yunfeng, an actor known mainly for his TV dramas, particularly serious ones, with a considerable audience. His wife was also a well-known actress.
The couple, both in their thirties, had a child two years ago and had since alternated their filming schedules to ensure one of them was always home with the child. Currently, his wife was on set.
“Hey, Xingyu, Old Lin.” Qin Yunfengโs weary eyes brightened a bit upon seeing them, “Bringing Miaomiao out to play?”
“Yes, we just finished eating. This is my brother,” Old Lin introduced them.
Lan He extended his hand proactively, having watched many of Qin Yunfeng’s works for learning purposes. “Teacher Qin.”
Qin Yunfeng shook Lan He’s hand. “Hello, hello, Iโve seen you on Xingyu’s Weibo, haha.” He then turned to his daughter. “Baby Lu, look, Miaomiao has finished his meal. Why haven’t you?”
“Is the little princess being fussy and not eating?” Old Lin teased. Qin Yunfeng’s daughter wasnโt afraid of him at all; she ignored him completely.
Lan He mused silently, noting how despite Qin Yunfeng’s commanding presence on screen, he had no control over his daughter in real life.
Qin Yunfeng lamented, “These past few days, she hasn’t been eating well. Today too, she played so much, only had a few bites. I can’t scold her… planning to take her to the doctor to see if it’s indigestion.”
Hearing the familiar word, his daughter, nicknamed Baby Lu, immediately turned and spit twice, like all children who dislike seeing doctors, as it often means shots and medicine.
Qin Yunfeng suddenly looked at Lan He. “Hey, Old Lin, isn’t your brother good with kids?”
Lan He: “…”
Old Lin chuckled, saying, “That’s when the kid is crying. This is different.”
“My daughter also likes handsome guys. Can you help persuade her, brother?” Qin Yunfeng, at his wit’s end, knew his daughter was more compliant around attractive people.
“Uh… I’ll try.” Lan He thought to himself how he ended up with a preschool teacher’s job but couldn’t refuse his favorite teacher. He handed Miaomiao to Chen Xingyu and approached Baby Lu, awkwardly asking, “Little friend, aren’t you hungry?”
Hu 79 popped out again, eyeing the child with excitement, ignoring Lan He’s warning look, and circled around her twice.
Luckily, Baby Lu was already three years old. Young children could easily see spirits, but the most dangerous period was before three, when their third eye was open and particularly sensitive to spirits. Besides, she was too engrossed in playing to notice.
Baby Lu looked back at Lan He. She didnโt spit at him but didnโt give in either, saying while playing, “Not hungry, tummy is fullโ”
“Ah, it’s indigestion, bloating!” Hu 79 said, hopping excitedly. “That’s simple. Let me rub her tummy! You make her stand up; I canโt reach her stomach like this!”
She had already rolled up her sleeves, ready and eager. One could imagine how enthusiastically she used to massage Liu Chunyangโs belly.
Seeing her about to dig her hand in, Lan He had no choice but to tell Baby Lu, “Alright, stand up so I can check if there’s still food in your stomach. If there isn’t, we can stop eating, okay?”
Baby Lu replied, “But you have to hold my hand.”
The adults laughed at her innocent words.
“Okay.” Lan He held her hand and helped her stand. He massaged her belly twice, and simultaneously, Hu 79 extended her furry paw to rub her tummy too.
Baby Lu looked puzzled, staring at Lan He’s hand, but didnโt see anything, scratching her head.
“Yep, no food left. Time to eat.” Lan He said.
To everyone, Lan He’s words seemed simple and straightforward. His persuasion relied entirely on his looks.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Baby Lu touched her tummy and said, “Yes, I’m hungry. I want to eat.”
Then she took the initiative to open her mouth.
The nanny saw this and immediately took the bowl from the dazed Qin Yunfeng, feeding her a mouthful.
Baby Lu ate mouthful after mouthful, with great relish and focus. This was even stranger, as she hadnโt had a good appetite these past few days. Even before, she would eat and play at the same time, taking more than half an hour to finish a bowl of rice.
Qin Yunfeng was simply dumbfounded.
Hu 79 was still holding up her furry paws, boasting proudly, โNot only am I good at treating illnesses, but Iโve also seen many children. The younger generation of the Yang family grew up safe and sound thanks to me. Iโm telling you, my medicinal concoctions are even more effective. If you want a spiritโฆโ
Lan He directly tuned out the rest of her sales pitch, just like everyone else who couldnโt see Hu Immortals. His gaze passed over her head.
โBrother, youโre quite something!โ Qin Yunfeng said excitedly, extending his hand, โHow did you do that? Just a few rubs and she has an appetite? Iโve heard doctors say to rub her belly to help digestion and relieve constipation, but itโs never been this effective.โ
โOh, it might be because I learned the technique from my grandmother. She sometimes helps treat the children in the village,โ Lan He used his grandmother as a shield. She did have some traditional medicinal recipes and techniques, so he was telling the truth.
Qin Yunfeng wanted to learn more, but Lan He told him it wasnโt easy to master the technique and that random pressing could be harmfulโactually, it was Hu 79 who did the rubbing, and he had no idea about the acupuncture points. He couldnโt just make things up, in case Qin Yunfeng tried it himself and caused harm.
Qin Yunfeng was slightly disappointed but still felt he had gained a lot since the immediate problem was resolved.
Baby Lu particularly liked Lan He, not just because he was good-looking but also because she felt very comfortable when he rubbed her belly, like a cat lying on it. So after eating, she clung to Lan He, wanting to play with him and hold Miao Miao together.
Qin Yunfeng, being talkative, immediately posted a photo of their backs on Weibo: โBaby Lu didnโt want to eat today. Thankfully, I met @Chen Xingyu who lent me Miao Miaoโs favorite @Lan He. Baby Lu emptied her bowl for the first time and is now clinging to the little brother. Looks like Iโm out of favorโฆโ
In the comments section, not only were there his fans, but also Chen Xingyuโs fans, who quickly gathered because Chen Xingyu rarely appeared, and they searched everywhere for traces of her.
ใHuh? @Lan He, is it some kind of childrenโs medicine? You borrowed it, and your daughter ate more?ใ
ใSurprised, did the goddess Xingyu invite Lan He to her home? I remember Qin Yunfeng and the goddess Xingyu live in the same community!ใ
ใSo what exactly did he do to Miao Miao and Baby Lu? He seems really good at taking care of kids. Envy, my daughter also doesnโt like eating.ใ
ใI have a classmate whose cousinโs roommate is from Hunan Province and went to the same school as Lan Heโs mom. I heard both his parents are elementary school teachers, so he probably is really good at taking care of kids.ใ
ใThis is taking an unexpected turn. A young, handsome guy in the babysitting niche?ใ
ใWhatโs wrong with that? Heโll definitely take great care of our children in the future [blush]ใ
ใโฆโฆใ
At this moment, Lan He was playing with the children, completely unaware of this.
It wasnโt until he went back home in the evening and opened his phone that he saw the Weibo posts.
He already had quite a few mysterious fans commenting about pig heads and babysitting on his Weibo, and he rarely engaged. Today, a new batch had appeared, many from Qin Yunfengโs side, with jokes and questions about their own children.
His company even sent him a message on WeChat, saying, โDonโt be so aloof. You can reply to your fans a little, share your babysitting experiences!โ
What babysitting experience do I have? Lan He slowly put down his phone.
Hu 79 rushed over, “What are you doing? It’s just a small favor. Why don’t you help out?”
Lan He: “I don’t know how to take care of kids.”
Due to his parents’ work, he was quite adept at dealing with primary school children. Even if conversations didn’t go well, he could always make them do practice tests. But dealing with infants and toddlers was a completely different matter. Moreover, his parents’ students didn’t need to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom at his house. How would he know anything about that?
Hu 79 said pitifully, “I know how. I can help you post a few tips.”
Lan He replied warily, “No, you still want to show your spirit online? My Weibo doesn’t promote superstitions or distribute furnace ash.”
He was firmly against channeling spirits and didn’t want anyone to discover that his family had a fox spirit. How could he then go online and promote using furnace ash for curing illnesses?
Hu 79 was desperate, “I won’t show my spirit. I’ll just share some tips! For example, massaging this area on little kids is good for their eyes. Stimulating the Baihui point while combing their hair…”
Lan He relaxed a bit. If he openly shared Hu 79’s tips, people might just think he knew a few parenting tricks from his parents. It would also prevent any strange rumors in the future, considering Miao Miao’s situation was indeed a bit odd.
“Alright, go ahead and post,” Lan He said, watching her write to ensure that none of the tips could be linked to a fox spirit, all being normal advice.
Lan He didn’t expect that his Weibo post, due to Chen Xingyu’s fame, would actually lead some parents to try out the tips.
The results were good, of course. These were tips from a centenarian beauty and were helpful for many children. As more parents verified their effectiveness, more of them shared and thanked him under the post.
Even long after, these posts were frequently revisited and commented on by fans.
To a casual observer, Lan He’s Weibo might look like it belonged to a parenting or beauty blogger, or even a pig-farming blogger due to the pig-related comments. But upon closer inspection, he was a certified actor.
From this point, Lan He gained his first batch of “mom fans”โnot those who saw him as a son but actual mothers who came to learn childcare tips and incidentally found him handsome.
.
“Are you really not taking me?” Hu 79 asked, sitting on the floor and hugging a suitcase.
Lan He stared at her for a while and then said slowly, “Move a bit to the left and clean up that paper scrap.”
Hu 79: “…”
Taking Hu 79 along was out of the question. He would probably be sharing a room with someone, and colleagues might visit occasionally. Hu 79 had to carry an incense burner with her. Even if it was just a stainless steel food bowl, placing it there would still be confusing for others.
Lan He: “And be careful while you’re healing. My neighbor is a Gu master…”
“A Gu master?” Hu 79’s heart skipped a beat, “Is it that dangerous? I’ll be careful.”
Lan He: “No, just be careful not to harm them. They’re very poor… I mean, very weak.”
Hu 79: “Oh.”
Lan He officially joined the crew of “Dreams of Youth.” The male lead Zhang Qingyou and the female lead Shi Xuan were both moderately famous young actors about the same age as Lan He. Since it was an idol drama, the other secondary male and female leads were also young and vibrant.
The others had joined the crew earlier and were already quite familiar with each other. When they saw the latecomer playing the third male lead, they cheerfully welcomed him and expressed their admiration.
Lan He was initially puzzled. What reputation did he have? These people didn’t have children, did they? But then he realized that it must have been Director Wang Mao, probably praising his excellent death scenes or something similar.
Unlike his experience with Liu Chunyang’s crew, here his scenes were scheduled with his characterโs death right at the start.
โSome of his peers, who outwardly showed enthusiasm, harbored inner resentment towards Lan He.
This previously unknown actor had suddenly secured roles from both Wang Mao and Liu Chunyang, with Wang Mao even holding the role for him and rescheduling scenes to fit his timeline.
Wang Mao fought for this role for Lan He, which naturally meant someone else didn’t get the part. In the crew, there were actors who were friends with the ones who missed out. Even though everyone knew that at least Liu Chunyang’s selection was purely based on talent, they couldn’t help but internally question: How good could his acting be?
To their surprise, Lan Heโs first scene left them in awe.
His co-stars, Shi Xuan and Zhang Qingyou, took some time to get into character, especially Shi Xuan, who needed to cry intensely and had to prepare for it. They had already been with the crew for a while and were familiar with their roles.
But Lan He, he just died instantlyโฆ
In his first scene, his performance was so adept that the look in his eyes and his expressions before dying left them stunned. Even though he was the one lying weak on the bed, his acting completely overshadowed Shi Xuan and Zhang Qingyou.
Those who initially planned to criticize him privately felt too embarrassed to say anything further.
Shi Xuan, not professionally trained as an actress but a singer-turned-actor, had some experience but felt somewhat lacking compared to trained actors. After being overshadowed by Lan He in that scene, she was genuinely impressed. Being naturally sociable, she started addressing Lan He as “brother” on set that very day.
The overall tone of the drama was cheerful, with occasional tear-jerking moments to make the story more touching. So after his first scene, Lan He had to quickly switch to a more humorous character, protecting his sister from the antagonist, and often getting into trouble himself just to prevent the male lead from being with his sister.
In one scene, Lan He’s character Yu Yang saw the male lead trying to kiss his sister and got furious.
But he was on the second floor, unable to reach them. Shouting didnโt help, so he started throwing things at the male lead, grabbing whatever was at hand, ultimately causing the male lead to fall into a fountain pool.
Lan He portrayed Yu Yang’s frustration vividly, throwing everything from the roomโs balcony. Due to the character’s setting, there was even a climbing rope hanging there.
Getting a bit carried away, Lan He grabbed the rope, intending to bundle it up and throw it. But holding it, he thought it wasnโt a good idea. On a whim, without much thought, he swung the ropeโs end.
The rope flew at an angle, and the loop at the end landed perfectly on the dodging male lead.
The male and female leads were stunned. This wasnโt in the script! And how did he manage to land it from such a distance??
The next moment, Lan He pulled the rope, and the male lead fell into the fountain poolโฆ
Zhang Qingyou climbed out of the pool, fortunately not stunned, and continued the scene with Shi Xuan, improvising, โYour brother roped me first!โ
โCut.โ Wang Mao tried to hold back laughter. Initially, they thought Lan He deviated from the script out of deep immersion in his role, but it fit the character’s humorous setting well. They considered keeping the spontaneous action if it worked.
To their surprise, he managed to rope accurately. Seeing the male leadโs genuine reaction in the monitor, they all burst into laughter.
โYu Yang, improvising on set? Your aim was spot on,โ Wang Mao laughed, calling out the characterโs name. โYou stunned Zhou Yiran.โ
Zhang Qingyou took a towel, drying off while saying, โI thought, this isnโt in the script!โ
Lan He smiled sheepishly, โSorry, really sorry. Should we do another take?โ
“No need, I think the effect was great, and we got it all on camera,” Wang Mao said. “I’m just curious, have you practiced this? Can you do it again?”
Shi Xuan exaggeratedly praised, “Brother, youโre amazing! From that distance, you managed to rope Zhou Yiran, totally stunning him. If you come to the night market with me, the stall owners would go bankrupt!”
Lan He laughed awkwardly, “Well, sort of… practiced my aim…”
How to put it? He didn’t have this skill before.
He had just realized that he had thrown the rope confidently and without much thought. Until now, he hadnโt connected the dots: the accuracy boost from the ghost-binding rope in the underworld also worked in the real world??
“Hey, what did Shi Xuan just say? Ring toss,” Wang Mao, struck by inspiration, called out, “Where’s the screenwriter? The main characters are supposed to visit an amusement park, right? Let’s add a ring toss scene with Yu Yang, make it funny.”
Lan He: “…”
…Is that necessary?
After confirming Lan He’s impressive accuracy, Wang Mao suggested another take, citing a need to check a specific shot. This time, Lan He only needed to rope Zhang Qingyou, without the water.
Lan He had to repeat the throw, and once again, he hit the mark!
The set was filled with low murmurs of amazement. His aim was impeccable, especially from such a distance, without even grazing Zhang Qingyou’s face.
“Brother, how did you train for this? It’s too accurate, world-class!” Shi Xuan said enviously, her simple joy stemming from her perpetual failure at ring toss games.
Lan He replied vaguely, “I used to enjoy playing around, just average.”
World-class might be an exaggeration. If there were a skill competition in the underworld, he wouldnโt rank. After all, those guys had been practicing for hundreds of years!
Not everyone probed like Shi Xuan, especially as they quickly moved on to the next scene.
Some crew members chatted during breaks, “That was hilarious. How did he throw so accurately, surprising the lead actor like that?”
“He’s trained, obviously. Didnโt you see he hit the mark twice? It’s not luck.”
“Right, didnโt the director mention his mom was from an ethnic minority?”
“Yeah, I vaguely remember. Maybe Mongolian, trained with lassoing.”
…
It was just a small episode, not stirring significant discussion, just a trickle of rumors. It wasnโt until the drama ended that Lan He saw in the news that he apparently had half-Mongolian heritage.
Author’s note:
One day, Hu 79 learned to browse the internet and saw a topic #PigFarmingBloggerLanHe#
Hu 79: ??? Outraged!!!
Well…I have mongolian heritage but I never knew we can throw ropes!!!
People and their rumors ๐ญ๐