Four Times the Health and Beauty Secrets!
“Wow…”
Chu Xingxing let out a small, subconscious gasp.
The four ladies sitting around the round table in front of her were very different from the image she had imagined of grandmothers.
Not yet fully adjusted to this new world, Chu Xingxing kept instinctively judging age based on the standards of people from the apocalypse.
In the apocalyptic wasteland, the natural environment was terrible, disasters were frequent, and radiation and pollution were everywhere. The average human lifespan had drastically decreased, and people aged rapidly.
Most adults around forty years old already looked incredibly aged and worn down.
Even though she already knew the ages of the four grandmothers beforehand, seeing their youthful, vibrant faces, their energetic smiles, and their fashionable, well-chosen clothing with her own eyes…
Chu Xingxing even wondered on the spot if the show’s production team was committing age “fraud”?
But then she thought again, isn’t this exactly what she wanted?
These four grandmothers are so healthy, so full of energy, with such good complexions and skin, and such thick hair. They must have so many little secrets for maintaining their health and beauty!
Learning a few health tips from just one grandmother would already make her happy enough.
But four grandmothers…
That means four times the health and beauty secrets!
Oh my god, a conservative estimate means she could live for decades longer just thinking about it makes her happy!!!
Her eyes crinkling into crescents, Chu Xingxing asked sweetly, “With so many beautiful sisters here, could I join your trip and play with you all?”
Although what the show currently lacked was a young “porter” (and specifically a male one at that)…
Chu Xingxing was very confident that she was no worse than any man.
With the martial arts skills she brought back from the apocalypse, forget small tasks like helping the grandmothers carry luggage, she could even carry the grandmothers themselves with no problem.
Retired business tycoon Sheng Shuwen, long-unseen national treasure golden-voiced singer Ai Minli, past-her-prime best actress Jiang Yao, and film goddess Wen Xuelan who had retired from the spotlight years ago…
The eyes of the four main cast members all landed on the young girl standing at the conference room door, smiling like a bright and beautiful rose.
No one dislikes beautiful things.
Especially for these grandmothers who had seen and experienced so much in life.
Seeing a pretty and well-behaved young girl reminds them of their own younger days and brings them extra joy.
What’s more…
This young girl named Chu Xingxing was not simple at all.
They had all overheard what happened just outside the door just moments ago.
Among the four grandmothers, one was a master of corporate warfare and “scheming,” and the other three were all entertainment industry insiders, each an expert at gossiping.
Although the grandmothers’ acting careers had long since taken a back seat, their hearts were always at the forefront of the gossip grapevine.
Not a single ripple in the industry escaped their notice.
Initially, they had pricked up their ears and collectively fallen silent, purely in a gossipy mood, listening to the argument in the hallway. They had heard so much gossip at CBM Entertainment these past few days, they were practically stuffed!
The grandmothers never expected that the gossip would eventually involve them.
In reality, being teased by the CBM Entertainment agent about their show lacking traffic wasn’t a big deal.
The four grandmothers weren’t angry about that at all.
They weren’t chasing popularity anyway; “Grandma’s Day” was just a fun trip with friends.
But what happened next, when Chen Dong casually insulted the appearance of elderly people, that touched on basic human decency.
The eldest sister, Sheng Shuwen, was about to go out and teach this agent named Chen Dong a lesson. She hated people who were impolite and lacked manners more than anything in her life.
Unexpectedly, before she could make a move, the young girl outside, who seemed to be the one being “bullied,” had already retorted logically and forcefully on their behalf, even reminding Young Master Jiang of CBM Entertainment to keep his “dog” in check.
This young lady had some skills! It seemed she wasn’t just some naive sweetheart.
“Excuse me…” Chu Xingxing, thinking they hadn’t heard her clearly, repeated herself: “Could I sign up to join you sisters’ travel group?”
“Hahahahahahaha!” Grandma Sheng Shuwen was the first to burst into hearty laughter.
She strode over to Chu Xingxing and gave her a big hug. “Hello, little friend Xingxing! Of course, you can! My surname is Sheng, given name Shuwen. Just call me Grandma Sheng.”
“Hello, Grandma Sheng.” Chu Xingxing greeted her generously.
“Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!” The youngest, Jiang Yao, stood up from her chair next, clapping excitedly.
As she clapped, Jiang Yao didn’t forget to nudge Wen Xuelan privately and whisper excitedly, “She called us sisters!”
“This young lady’s mouth is so sweet.” Wen Xuelan smiled gracefully and clapped her hands lightly.
Among the four grandmothers, only Ai Minli, who had the most serious expression, was still frowning and hadn’t said any words of welcome.
The sensitive Jiang Yao was the first to notice Ai Minli hadn’t stood up to welcome her.
Turning her back, Jiang Yao lowered her voice and asked, “What’s wrong, Sister Li? Don’t you like Xingxing?”
“It’s not that I dislike a younger person…” Ai Minli shook her head and said cautiously, “It’s just, I carefully read the CBM Entertainment contract. It clearly states that the ‘porters’ filed for the show are two young male artists.
If we arbitrarily change the ‘porter’ to this young lady, could it cause problems with the show passing the review?
Besides, we haven’t signed a contract with her yet. Promising her so rashly, if something changes, wouldn’t that be breaking our word?”
Ai Minli was very cautious and meticulous in everything she did, and she also had a strong tendency to stick to rules and be meticulous.
She wasn’t opposed to Chu Xingxing joining.
She was just worried about the contract and filing issues.
In recent years, the relevant authorities have been very strict about variety show control, and the cast must strictly follow the filed details. Any changes could make the re-approval process very troublesome.
“Ah… what Sister Li says makes sense too.” Jiang Yao, who had been so excited just a moment ago, calmed down now and looked at Chu Xingxing with regret.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen held Chu Xingxing’s hand and introduced everyone to her one by one.
Held by that warm, thick hand, although Chu Xingxing wasn’t used to it, her heart felt inexplicably warm.
This unfamiliar emotion was something Chu Xingxing had never felt in her past twenty years.
—
Jiang Yao and Wen Xuelan greeted Chu Xingxing warmly.
After greeting Ai Minli, Chu Xingxing politely extended her hand.
But only received a slightly indifferent nod in return.
Ai Minli thought she would wait until after Chu Xingxing left to discuss her concerns with the others and see if there was a solution.
Discussing it in front of her would be too embarrassing for the young lady; kids these days all have strong self-esteem.
Sheng Shuwen smiled and smoothed things over: “Your Grandma Ai is like this with us too. Cold on the surface, warm at heart. You’ll get used to it once you get to know her.”
Chu Xingxing smiled and nodded, not minding at all.
She had already seen that there was no hostility or dislike in Ai Minli’s eyes, only worry.
She just didn’t know yet what Grandma Ai was worried about.
Just then, a few knocks came from the conference room door.
“Come in.” Sheng Shuwen turned her head.
The frosted glass door opened.
The first thing that came into view was a head of hair so blonde it was almost white.
However, this time the expression on Young Master Jiang’s face was no longer filled with that arrogance and coldness that seemed marinated in CEO novel tropes. Instead, it held a trace of weird… politeness?
“Jiang Changsheng?” Chu Xingxing was stunned for a moment, her heart tightening.
When this “little golden retriever” shows up, it’s never good news.
Jiang Changsheng gave the grandmothers a bow of approximately 0.00001 degrees.
He seemed to be exerting great effort to control himself, using a somewhat gentler tone as he said, “Hello, ladies. I am Jiang Haidong’s youngest son, Jiang Changsheng.
On behalf of CBM Entertainment, I’d like to remind you all of one thing.
When the variety show “Grandma’s Day” was registered with the authorities, it was registered with two male ‘porters.’ Chu Xingxing doesn’t meet the requirements. Reapplying for approval would take at least a month, and…”
Jiang Changsheng paused, looking down at Chu Xingxing. “‘Grandma’s Day’ is a senior travel variety show produced by CBM. The ‘porter’ position was created to make your trip easier and ensure your safety while traveling.
Traveling abroad involves heavy checked luggage that needs to be loaded and unloaded. This kind of heavy work is very difficult for a girl to handle, both physically and in terms of stamina.”
Chu Xingxing was utterly dumbfounded.
This “little golden retriever” could really put on an act!
Just a moment ago in the conference room, he was an arrogant, domineering rich kid, and now he instantly transforms into a considerate, polite company successor?
What he said was logical and well-reasoned. No one could find fault with it.
This “little golden retriever” should be renamed “little fox” sly, sly!
Chu Xingxing understood that Jiang Changsheng’s words had hidden meanings.
Lowering her head, she noticed…
The hand of Grandma Sheng, which had been holding hers tightly just moments ago, had loosened at some point.
“Sorry, I have something to attend to for a moment.”
Sheng Shuwen’s expression was calm, revealing no superfluous emotions. She picked up her phone and reading glasses and walked out of the conference room.
—
Jiang Changsheng held the door, respectfully stepping aside.
He couldn’t afford to offend Old Madam Sheng.
Only Jiang’s father and a few top company executives knew that CBM Entertainment was about to face a hostile takeover from a competitor.
Jiang Changsheng had overheard this by accident in his father’s study.
Jiang’s father and the company executives had been run ragged lately, contacting several third-party target companies seeking “white knight” or “white squire” help for defense strategies, leaving them no time for company business details.
As things stood now, the most likely and most capable company to lend a helping hand to CBM Entertainment was Sheng Shuwen’s Shengshi Group.
However, until Jiang’s father and Sheng Luzhi reached an agreement, Jiang Changsheng felt the company shouldn’t be overly attentive towards the “Grandma’s Day” show led by Old Madam Sheng.
The relationship was very delicate.
They absolutely couldn’t offend her, but they also couldn’t eagerly fawn all over her and make the company seem cheap.
So, since Grandma Sheng likes Chu Xingxing, it’s not unreasonable for him to do her a favor and let her participate in “Grandma’s Day.” CBM Entertainment is a large, complex company; going through all the application processes normally takes at least a month.
But having been in the industry for so many years, the company certainly had connections. The process and review time could easily be simplified.
But precisely because Old Madam Sheng liked Chu Xingxing, Jiang Changsheng couldn’t make it too easy for the old lady to “get” her.
His plan was to politely state the reasons why Chu Xingxing couldn’t join first.
Then, when the guests showed regret, he could gracefully step down and offer to make an exception for their sake, saying that although it was difficult, he would manage to get it done.
This would show CBM Entertainment as a company that follows the rules while also demonstrating its power and influence.
More importantly, it would naturally make the Sheng family owe CBM Entertainment a favor.
Young Master Jiang’s plan was clicking along nicely.
Others might not know, but Chu Xingxing, familiar with the original book’s plot, could guess it all clearly even from two miles away.
—
No one knew how long Sheng Shuwen would be gone.
The grandmothers all knew that although the eldest sister had nominally retired, the final say on important company matters still rested with her.
Grandma Sheng wouldn’t bring up work matters in front of her friends.
The grandmothers were also used to Sheng Shuwen stepping out occasionally.
Jiang Changsheng naturally didn’t leave and waited patiently in the conference room.
If Old Madam Sheng didn’t come back, he couldn’t continue his solo act.
Grandma Jiang Yao whispered a few words of comfort to Chu Xingxing, but didn’t know what else to say after that.
Without the eldest sister there, Jiang Yao felt lost.
As for Chu Xingxing, the protagonist of this whole situation, she remained very calm throughout.
First, she pulled a small notebook from her Kuromi eco-friendly bag and squatted cleverly beside Ai Minli: “Grandma Ai, may I ask what you have in your thermos?”
Ai Minli glanced at her, cleared her throat, and said, “Sanqi flowers and licorice. It protects the voice and clears heat from the liver. I’ve been drinking it for decades. It’s also very helpful for warming up my voice.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! Thank you~” Chu Xingxing earnestly wrote it down in her little notebook.
Working in entertainment, you always have to talk a lot, so protecting your voice is important!
“Hmm.” Ai Minli nodded slightly.
As she lowered her head, she noticed Chu Xingxing’s Kuromi bag, her eyes flickering slightly.
“I have some here, you can take some to try. The licorice has a lightly sweet taste, much better than the milk tea you young girls often drink.”
Ai Minli took out some portioned sanqi flowers and licorice slices from her own eco-friendly bag and quietly praised, “Nice eco-bag.”
“Grandma Ai likes Kuromi too?” Chu Xingxing turned the bag around, and the two of them started chatting easily.
For the rest of the time, Chu Xingxing also brewed herself a cup of the greenish sanqi flower and licorice tea, conveniently refilled Ai Minli’s hot water, and quietly asked her a few more questions.
After receiving affirmative answers, Chu Xingxing nodded and spent the rest of the time on her phone, searching for something.
—
Before long, Grandma Sheng breezed back into the conference room.
Jiang Changsheng immediately snapped into character.
But before he could even open his mouth, Old Madam Sheng cut him off.
Sheng Shuwen shook her head regretfully. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, this poor little thing, premature graying, right? You need to supplement with trace elements like copper and iron, eat more lean meat, it helps with melanin formation. Remember to get enough B vitamins too. Forget those black sesame pills and stuff, they’re useless except for making you fat.”
Jiang Changsheng: ?
Chu Xingxing blinked, looking at Grandma Sheng’s thick, fluffy black hair. She quickly pulled out her little notebook and scribbled down the remedies for combating gray hair.
Right in front of her was a living, breathing example of healthy hair!
“Ahem…” Jiang Changsheng was just figuring out how to steer the conversation back.
Old Madam Sheng spoke again, this time earnestly, “Young Jiang, I understand you’re young and haven’t taken charge of the company yet. You’re just rigidly following rules and procedures.
That’s okay. Grandma will do you a favor. This small matter of the show filing, I’ve already got it sorted with an old classmate. Consider it correcting a minor oversight. Besides, being a ‘porter’ is a job, it shouldn’t be limited by gender.”
Jiang Changsheng: ?!
Wasn’t that supposed to be his line? How did it turn into the Sheng family doing CBM Entertainment a favor!
Chu Xingxing watched the young master Jiang’s face grow increasingly sour and had to work hard to stifle her laughter.
When a “little fox” meets an “old fox,” Jiang Changsheng was no match for Grandma Sheng.
Having dominated the business world for over forty years, Old Madam Sheng could easily see through Jiang Changsheng’s little scheme.
Now, she could finally join the grandmothers and have a good time legitimately.
However, even if Sheng Shuwen hadn’t stepped in to solve this, Chu Xingxing already had a plan.
During the waiting time, she had quickly looked up the show filing process on the company’s internal network, found the specific approval timelines on the official bureau website, and searched a few keywords on agent forums.
Chu Xingxing discovered that the filing review didn’t take as long as Jiang Changsheng claimed, especially regarding reasonable modifications to the filed content.
But Jiang Changsheng wasn’t entirely wrong either. The relevant authorities’ review wasn’t slow; the slowness was in the preliminary preparation work.
For a large, complex company like CBM Entertainment, you had to apply to different departments for materials separately. Going through that entire process would take at least half a month.
However, given CBM’s completely hands-off approach to “Grandma’s Day,” Chu Xingxing took a chance and consulted Grandma Ai Minli.
Sure enough, all the original contracts and filing documents for “Grandma’s Day” were with the grandmothers themselves.
This made things easy. Since they didn’t need to apply through application company channels, it saved a ton of time.
So, even if Grandma Sheng hadn’t helped her out today, Chu Xingxing could still have joined “Grandma’s Day” on her own.
—
A flurry of hurried footsteps approached the conference room door.
“President Sheng, the contract you requested is printed.” A young assistant with gold-rimmed glasses handed over the stapled document.
“Good, thank you, Xiao Wang.” Sheng Shuwen waved her hand grandly. “Here, Xingxing, this is your contract.”
“Okay, let me take a look.” Chu Xingxing took the contract but didn’t sign immediately. Instead, she carefully reviewed it page by page.
Jiang Changsheng, with a dark expression, endured his frustration and forced himself to stay calm.
He was, after all, just a 19-year-old boy with limited experience. Although losing to a seasoned businessman wasn’t shameful, his strong sense of pride wouldn’t allow him to admit defeat so easily.
The little golden retriever still wouldn’t give up, preparing for one last “struggle.”
While Chu Xingxing was reviewing the contract, Jiang Changsheng put on a sincere face. “Grandma Sheng, one ‘porter’ really isn’t enough. For international travel, each person has at least thirty kilos of luggage. Now that Chu Xingxing is joining, having one ‘porter’ handle all four people’s luggage…”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Chu Xingxing looked up and asked seriously, “How much do you weigh?”
Jiang Changsheng frowned. “Huh?”
“Your weight, how many kilograms?” Chu Xingxing asked patiently.
The tips of Jiang Changsheng’s ears burned for a moment.
This damn woman, how dare she pry into his privacy in public! So bold!
“Weighs sixty-five kilograms,” Jiang Changsheng muttered, volunteering the information. “Height, one meter eighty…”
“OK, didn’t ask your height.” Chu Xingxing turned and asked, “And Secretary Wang’s weight?”
Jiang Changsheng: Are you for real???
Secretary Wang pushed up his glasses. “Ah, I’m seventy kilograms.”
Chu Xingxing rolled up her sleeves. To the grandmothers’ shocked expressions, she hoisted Jiang Changsheng over her left shoulder and Secretary Wang over her right shoulder like they were sacks of rice.
Then, carrying two tall, long-legged men steadily, she walked a full circle around the conference room.
“65 + 70, total 135 kilograms. That’s still 15 kilograms more than the 30-kilo-per-person luggage estimate.”
Chu Xingxing’s face wasn’t flushed, her heart wasn’t racing, and her breathing wasn’t heavy. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with lively light as she smiled calmly. “Hehe, maybe I’m enough as the ‘porter’ all by myself.”
