YA Ch37: Transformation

The live broadcast resumed.

The scene changed from night to day.

Hua Wenyuan returned and was surprised to see his second uncle and aunt still standing in the corridor: “Have you two been standing here all night?”

“No, we’re old, don’t sleep much, so we got up early to wait for you,” Lu Yu lied smoothly.

Hua Wenyuan looked at his second uncle, who seemed only in his twenties, and wondered where this “old age” claim came from.

Yesterday, the engagement was called off in a hurry. They only had time to take back the betrothal gifts and compensation, with nothing else explained. Early in the morning, the gongs and drums of the wedding procession began, and guests arrived to congratulate the Hua family on the marriage.

Father Hua felt humiliated and was furious. The stepmother suggested, “Why not find a maid to take the bride’s place, just to fool the guests for now?”

“Absurd! How can my son marry a maid?” Father Hua slammed the table in anger.

The stepmother dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, “I have no choice. If people find out the bride ran away, how will Yuan’er keep his face?”

Before they could come up with a plan, Hua Wenyuan had already dressed in his groom’s red attire and went to the front hall to entertain the guests.

Upon learning that the Cheng family had called off the engagement overnight and there would be no bride today, the front hall was abuzz with chatter.

Standing on the steps, Hua Wenyuan calmly raised his cup and cupped his hands: “This marriage was not meant to be, as a sign from the heavens—times are unstable, and the borders are unsettled. Hua Wenyuan cannot marry. Consider this gathering as a farewell banquet before I leave for the frontier. Once peace is restored, I will invite everyone to celebrate again.”

With these words, the stepmother’s plan was foiled. However, she wasn’t disheartened. Hua Wenyuan not getting married was also good for her. If he died on the battlefield, her children would be the only heirs of the Hua family. She would ensure her son focused on studying, aiming to become a top scholar rather than a warrior.

“The food has been eaten; why let them take the betrothal gifts?” This was her only dissatisfaction.

After the wedding banquet, Hua Wenyuan took his gear and left directly.

The emperor had tasked him with leading troops to guard the frontier, specifically the soldiers from Jiangzhou. The mission wasn’t urgent, and he had plenty of time before reaching Jiangzhou. He had other matters to attend to first.

The Hua family had a personal guard, inherited and kept elsewhere. Hua Wenyuan planned to gather these personal guards before heading to the Jiangzhou camp.

Since there was still time and the matter needed to be kept secret, Hua Wenyuan hired a carriage and quietly left. By the time Father Hua realized and came looking for him, he was long gone.

The weather was hot, and although the carriage had a roof, the doors were open.

Hua Wenyuan wore a straw hat, sitting in the coachman’s seat with a dogtail grass in his mouth, swaying left and right with the carriage.

Lu Yu and Ming Yan sat inside the carriage. Lu Yu sat cross-legged with a seven-stringed guqin on his lap, looking like a master. He whispered to Ming Yan, “Yan-ge, I want to eat sunflower seeds.”

Ming Yan ignored him. Drawing a pack of sunflower seeds was tedious, and transforming them into spiced sunflower seeds in front of Hua Wenyuan would change the genre from political intrigue to fantasy cultivation. He drew a fan in his sleeve and handed it to Lu Yu, then asked Hua Wenyuan, “Where are we going?”

Lu Yu opened the plain white folding fan and diligently fanned Ming Yan, whispering, “To his maternal grandfather’s home.”

Ming Yan glared at him, “I know that.”

Hua Wenyuan, chewing on the grass, turned his head to look at them, “I can hear you.”

Handing the reins to the servent, Hua Wenyuan took off his straw hat, entered the carriage, lowered the curtain, and sat in front of them: “Who are you two really?”

Lu Yu remained calm, “I am indeed your second uncle, and he is indeed your second aunt. We have been married.”

Hua Wenyuan said nothing, still staring at him.

Lu Yu put down the fan and placed his hands on the guqin, “However, I am from a thousand years in the future. Your second uncle died, came back to life, and traveled to the future.”

Hua Wenyuan frowned, “How is that possible?”

Lu Yu smiled slightly, “You were reborn, so why can’t I time travel?”

Hua Wenyuan’s head shot up, his gaze sharp.

Lu Yu met his gaze with a smile.

After a long pause, Hua Wenyuan asked, “Why do you play the guqin while talking?”

This question made Lu Yu pause. The kid had improved and could find bugs in the story. He stroked his nonexistent beard and replied profoundly, “It adds elegance.”

Hua Wenyuan said, “But your guqin makes no sound.”

Playing the guqin without sound would scare anyone else, but Hua Wenyuan remained calm, likely due to his battlefield experiences.

“Have you heard of the Heavenly Book with no words? This is the Silent Immortal Guqin,” Lu Yu began to run out of ideas and resorted to bluffing, “Besides, if it made sound, you wouldn’t hear me speak.”

Hua Wenyuan: “…”

Ming Yan nudged Lu Yu with his elbow, signaling him to tone it down and not confuse the kid.

After a moment of silence, Hua Wenyuan relaxed and leaned back, asking, “What is the future like?”

“Rich in resources, everyone has food and shelter. Technology is so advanced it’s almost magical; carriages travel three thousand miles in a day, and communication is instant,” Lu Yu said, snapping his fingers rhythmically, “Hey…”

Before he could finish, Ming Yan covered his mouth.

Lu Yu leaned back, resting his head on Ming Yan’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear, “What’s wrong? I just wanted to make a couplet.”

Ming Yan glanced at him sideways, “That’s not a couplet.”

Hua Wenyuan remained silent for a while longer, then asked, “What happened to the Great Zhou after I died?”

Lu Yu, still lying on Ming Yan, refused to get up even when pinched on the back: “You can probably guess.”

Hua Wenyuan sighed. The Tatars invaded, the Great Zhou fell, and warlords divided the land. If there was a wise ruler, peace could be restored in ten years; without one, chaos would reign.

This was Lu Yu’s plan, to slowly introduce modern knowledge to Hua Wenyuan through his time-travel identity, integrating it into the story. It wouldn’t be too abrupt and would be interesting.

Hua Wenyuan’s maternal family, the Xie family, was a prestigious and wealthy family in Jiangnan. However, the current generation lacked achievements, with no one passing the imperial exams. Hua Wenyuan’s cousin, Xie Chongyun, was burly and strong, clearly not suited for studying. He aspired to be a wandering hero who eliminated evil.

Old Master Xie was so worried that his beard was almost falling out. At this time, Hua Wenyuan arrived, and his cousin saw him like a god, crying and begging to go to war with him.

Lu Yu and Ming Yan did not go to see Hua Wenyuan’s maternal grandfather. They let the kid handle his own storyline while they explored the area.

Sitting in a cool pavilion, Lu Yu was indulging in a feast and didn’t forget to serve Ming Yan some food. “This hologram is so realistic, you can even taste the food. If it keeps developing, it will be like those star networks in novels, where you can do anything in the virtual world, and people will gradually lose track of what’s real and what’s virtual.”

“But it’s all fake. It doesn’t fill you up. No matter how much you eat, you’ll still be hungry,” Ming Yan said, uninterested in the fake food, after tasting a bit.

Lu Yu took a sip of virtual wine and squeezed onto the same bench as Ming Yan, whispering, “So, if we consummate our marriage here, it doesn’t count as a real consummation, and I remain a virgin.”

Ming Yan punched him, looked around anxiously, and said, “This is live. The stream will be shut down.”

The live broadcast on the Niao Shu platform instantly muted Lu Yu’s words, so the audience didn’t hear anything.

[What’s going on?]

[Help, where are my royal lip-reading skills?]

[They are so compatible. Is it really just a contractual marriage?]

[“Consummate the marriage,” they said. Can someone clarify? If not, I’ll spread rumors!]

The ten-chapter live broadcast ended quickly. Everyone felt unsatisfied and demanded more updates, asking Shen Yu to write more and Lu Yu to work overtime.

Many also complained that the split-screen on Niao Shu was too small. They wanted to watch the “love variety show” but didn’t want to miss Hua Wenyuan, making it hard to see clearly.

In the afternoon, they had a meeting to discuss the Bajiao contract.

The contract was very detailed, covering everything from advertising revenue, merchandise sales, and live commerce rules.

“Bajiao also suggested editing videos of Mr. Lu and Mr. Ming separately, making a love variety show-like entertainment program. The ad revenue for this segment will go to the individuals,” the business director said, somewhat nervously looking at the two at the head of the table.

A love variety show? Lu Yu’s eyes lit up, and he almost agreed. Seeing Ming Yan remain silent, he swallowed his “okay” and waited eagerly for Ming Yan to speak.

Ming Yan frowned slightly, “We can do it, but the details need to be negotiated.”

The business director breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, “There’s no rush. The edited videos will lag behind the live broadcasts.”

Lu Yu was instantly happy. This really turned into filming a love variety show. The whole country would witness him chasing Ming Yan, and they could earn some pocket money. How great!

The contract was mainly a standard one from Bajiao, with only some personalized adjustments. The legal team didn’t find any major issues.

Bajiao’s boss, Jiao Qi, was a super-rich second generation. The Jiao family’s business reputation was impeccable, and Jiao Qi himself was even more outstanding, strict with others and even stricter with himself. Without any grievances, there wouldn’t be any deliberate traps in the contract.

So, the matter was settled.

After the meeting, Lu Yu pulled Lao Yang aside for a chat.

Leaving the company, Ming Yan was about to get the car when he saw Lu Yu and Lao Yang standing together, looking suspicious.

Lu Yu arrogantly said, “I’m not coming home for dinner tonight. You go back by yourself!”

The employees heading to the lobby stopped, curious about the confrontation. Today, Mr. Lu actually spoke to Mr. Ming like this.

Ming Yan was also surprised, “Where are you going?”

Lu Yu waved his hand grandly, “Men’s business. None of your concern!”

There was a collective gasp in the lobby.

Yang Chen was startled and elbowed Lu Yu, “Are you crazy?”

Lu Yu chuckled, let go of Yang, and whispered to Ming Yan, “Going drinking with Lao Yang. I’ve finally become a mature adult and want to enjoy the fun of drinking with friends. I promise I won’t drink too much, won’t relapse, and will be home before nine.”

Ming Yan looked at them worriedly, “How are you getting there? I’ll drive you.”

“No need,” Lu Yu patted his chest, “We have a car.”

Then, they pulled out two highway skateboards.

Yang Chen looked excited, “Hehehe, it’s been a while since we skated.”

Lu Yu stepped on his skateboard with one foot, “Whoever gets there last is a dog.”

Yang Chen rubbed his hands, also standing on his skateboard, ready to start, “Bring it on!”

Lu Yu crouched down, “Ready, 1!”

Without saying “3, 2,” Lu Yu quickly shouted “1” and shot off.

“Damn it, Lu Yu, you dog! Wait for me!” Yang Chen chased after him.

Ming Yan stood there speechless: “…”