Just can’t seem to fly out of this flower-filled world~
The short video kept playing on a loop on the 4K screen, but the teenager lounging on the sofa remained silent.
Chu Xingxing thought he might not have heard her clearly. She cleared her throat and asked again with sincere earnestness: “Little bro, do you know where to sign up for this tour group?”
The boy didn’t even look up. A flash of irritation passed between his brows, a stark contrast to the adorable little dimple at the corner of his mouth.
“First,” the boy said, enunciating each word slowly, his eyes never leaving his phone screen, his tone lazy and arrogant, “I am not called ‘little bro’. My name is Jiang. Chang. Sheng.”
He continued languidly, “Second, if you want to sign up for a tour group, you should go to a travel agency. Who gave you the nerve to bother me with such trivial nonsense?!”
Chu Xingxing’s mouth twitched…
So, the 【Mary Sue Literature】 that left such a vivid mark on ancient Earth’s literary history was actually 【Realism】!
The male creatures in this world were truly not a single normal one…
Her disadvantage stemmed from not being familiar with this world yet.
Otherwise, why would she ask such a question to this immature, pampered, lazy, omnivorous creature marinated in Mary Sue sauce who could never soar into the blue sky???
Chu Xingxing decided not to engage with this spoiled second-generation heir.
She thought for a moment, then tapped into the original host’s memories. She took out her phone, found the commonly used search engines and ChatGPT in modern society, and prepared to search for—
【Where to sign up for elderly tour groups】
【Requirements for joining elderly tour groups】
【Itineraries for elderly tour groups】
【Meal standards for elderly tour groups】
…
Jiang Changsheng simply waved his hand dismissively and grabbed his headphones. “Forget it, an apology isn’t necessary. I never stoop to arguing with women…”
Chu Xingxing, busy with her research, let out a bitter laugh.
Apology my foot!
This kid seemed a bit off in the head… maybe he had some mental health issues…
“Jiang Changsheng! No, my dear Young Master Jiang! Please don’t cause any more trouble.” The flustered agent, Chen Dong, frantically unplugged the 4K screen’s power cord, finally silencing the endlessly looping, bizarrely catchy short video.
Chen Dong wiped the sweat from his forehead.
If you asked, he was filled with regret.
Regret for agreeing to take on the CEO’s youngest son, who had just turned nineteen, for a holiday internship.
This kid had a terrible temper, the kind who could puff himself up like a pufferfish out of sheer anger.
No one in the entire group dared to cross him. He was incredibly difficult to deal with, a far cry from his older brother Jiang Chang’an’s gentle and refined demeanor.
Still, Chen Dong had to admire the CEO’s foresight.
The eldest son, Jiang Chang’an, with his looks and personality, was perfectly suited for the entertainment industry. So, he was pushed into the spotlight early as a star kid.
He started playing minor roles on the big screen at three and, now only twenty-one, had already won numerous awards. With many outstanding domestic and international works under his belt, Jiang Chang’an was hailed as the industry’s most promising young actor.
The younger son, Jiang Changsheng, had been a little firecracker since childhood, full of a young master’s temper, but academically brilliant with a high IQ. He received an offer from an Ivy League business school at sixteen. After the holidays, he would return to the US to continue his MBA, and upon graduation, he was slated to return home and take over the family business.
One son inherited his actress mother’s superb acting skills and entered showbiz; the other inherited his wealthy father’s business acumen and entered an Ivy League business school.
Both brothers also inherited their mother’s stunning looks. The Jiang family were the epitome of life’s winners.
Right!
Agent Chen Dong suddenly remembered! He still had the ace card—Jiang Chang’an—to entice Chu Xingxing into signing the contract!
He remembered Tian Mengtong mentioning that Chu Xingxing was a fan of Jiang Chang’an.
“Chu Xingxing, let me give you some insider information. Do you know who else, besides Tian Mengtong, will be recording ‘Let’s Travel Together’? Countless people would beg for a chance to collaborate with him, and this is his variety show debut! You have no idea how huge the traffic will be…”
Chen Dong stood on his tiptoes slightly, trying to appear taller. He gave Chu Xingxing a mysterious look and mouthed silently, “Jiang Chang’an.”
“Jiang Chang’an?” Chu Xingxing took a small sip of mineral water. The name sounded familiar.
Huh? Wait…
The “little golden retriever” curled up on the sofa just said his name was Jiang Changsheng.
She remembered that the male lead in the book was Jiang Chang’an.
And the male lead’s intensely brother-obsessed younger brother, a tragic character who played a key role in the plot—in fact, the only supporting character in the entire book that Chu Xingxing felt a pang of sympathy for—was named Jiang Changsheng.
No way, what a coincidence???
In the original story, the Jiang family was soon to experience a massive upheaval. After hitting rock bottom, even the male lead Jiang Chang’an almost didn’t make it. It was actually this “second-generation heir” younger brother, Jiang Changsheng, who held the family together.
After enduring a series of misfortunes—the family business facing a hostile takeover, being rescued by the “white knight” Sheng family from the capital, severe financial problems within the company, the father being ousted, the father sinking into depression and gambling addiction, the mother’s terminal cancer with no hope of recovery, the Jiang family’s complete bankruptcy and massive debt…
Jiang Changsheng decisively dropped out of school. Using his tuition refund, he started a talent agency for his brother and became Jiang Chang’an’s agent.
While helping his brother’s career return to its peak, he also orchestrated the Jiang family’s comeback in the business world at an astonishing speed.
But the subsequent plot had Chu Xingxing frowning the whole way through.
The events were convoluted, hard to explain in a few sentences.
The ending was simple.
At the peak of his business career, Jiang Changsheng ended up in prison, served over a decade, received a reduced sentence, and shortly after his release, drowned in a pond in his mother’s hometown.
From Chu Xingxing’s perspective, Jiang Changsheng wasn’t some heinous villain; there were hidden circumstances behind his imprisonment.
She actually somewhat admired certain shining qualities in Jiang Changsheng.
He valued family ties, loyalty, and was filial.
She never imagined that this future ruthless tycoon was currently still an immature brat who hadn’t been beaten down by society.
And he had a sharp tongue and a foul temper…
It just felt… so incongruous.
“Hah, Agent Chen, has my brother’s resources fallen so low that he has to collaborate with such a low-grade amateur…” Jiang Changsheng scoffed softly, lazily raising his eyelids.
His gaze met Chu Xingxing’s.
The second half of his sentence got stuck in Young Master Jiang’s throat.
Forced by his father into a company internship, only interested in finance, and only familiar with his brother in the entertainment industry, Young Master Jiang had been utterly bored since entering the room. Without even looking up, he put on his headphones and slumped on the sofa, watching the stock market.
After the market closed, Jiang Changsheng saw a funny Douyin video a friend shared. Thinking it was amusing, he wanted to show it to Uncle Dong and cast it to the big screen. He hadn’t even properly looked at the girl sitting at the round table.
Chu Xingxing leisurely screwed the cap back on her water bottle, uncaringly tilting her head. Her thick eyelashes lowered slightly, her pupils shimmering like starlight, looking at him with a playful gaze.
Fresh from drinking water, her pale pink lips glistened with a dewy sheen, the thin curves arching gracefully. Her jet-black, curly long hair cascaded casually behind her.
Today, Chu Xingxing wore a lake-blue square-neck dress that accentuated her slender neck. Below her collarbone, a small patch of delicate skin was so fair it seemed translucent, revealing faint bluish veins, possessing a pure, clean beauty.
In his nineteen years, Jiang Changsheng had never truly looked at any girl properly. Even his brother teased him for not having awakened to romance even as an adult, never having a first love.
Quite a few girls had shown interest and actively pursued him—classmates, daughters of affluent families his age, even some young trainees in his own company would find opportunities to chat him up.
But Jiang Changsheng simply felt nothing, wholly devoted to finance, maintaining an aloof young master persona around the buzzing admirers.
At this moment, inexplicably, Young Master Jiang’s heart skipped a beat.
He didn’t seem to understand what this meant.
He just instinctively felt the need to somehow make up for his earlier words and actions.
“Weren’t you just asking me where to sign up for an elderly tour group? Those low-end tour groups are super boring. Short videos are just for show, deliberately filmed that way to chase traffic…”
Seeing Chu Xingxing no longer looking at him, Jiang Changsheng unconsciously raised his voice a bit, tilting his chin up with a huff. “Hey, do you really want to go?”
“Hmm, of course I do,” Chu Xingxing replied casually.
Jiang Changsheng’s tone was stiff, devoid of emotion. “When do you want to leave? Have you decided on a destination?”
Chu Xingxing: “As soon as possible. Anyway, I’m not going to record ‘Let’s Travel Together.’ Anywhere is fine—good scenery, good food.”
She shrugged, continuing her data analysis and integration.
The search engines in this era were honestly not great, filled with all sorts of fancy ads.
ChatGPT wasn’t that powerful yet either, not sufficiently trained by enough users, still just a slightly smarter-than-average dumb chatbot.
“Fine. Seeing how clueless you are, I’ll help you out just this once.”
Jiang Changsheng impatiently ran a hand through his hair and called his personal assistant. “Check out elderly tour groups departing from the capital within the next two weeks. High-end groups only, no upper limit on price…”
“… Send the comparison plan to my personal phone in two hours.” After giving the details, Young Master Jiang hung up.
“Hey, stop searching. You’re so slow!” Jiang Changsheng walked over to her.
She didn’t look up at him again.
Jiang Changsheng felt inexplicably irritated.
Chu Xingxing sighed internally at how good it was to be rich, offering a polite smile. “Thanks, little bro. I can’t afford a high-end tour. Please tell your assistant not to bother…”
She had also checked the money in her accounts earlier.
Most of the earnings from the previous reality show with her friend had been transferred to her parents’ accounts, not much left.
Any high-end tour deemed worthy by Young Master Jiang was definitely beyond her means.
Jiang Changsheng: “Who are you calling ‘little bro’?! How could I possibly be younger than you! I’m 22 in traditional age reckoning!”
Clearly, Young Master Jiang had fixated on the wrong thing.
“Young Master just turned 19, right? Chu Xingxing is indeed older; she’s almost 21,” Chen Dong interjected meekly.
“Traditional age! I said traditional age! Count one year in the womb, add another year after your birthday, and another after the New Year—that makes 22!” Jiang Changsheng exploded on the spot, grabbing the short and stout Chen Dong and shaking him vigorously.
Chen Dong, still preoccupied with getting Chu Xingxing’s contract signed, felt his brains were about to shake loose. Rolling his eyes, he tried to think of a solution.
Chu Xingxing shot Chen Dong a sympathetic glance.
Being an agent wasn’t easy either, having to babysit.
She thought Jiang Changsheng’s current behavior was at the level of a primary school kid—nine years old at most.
She couldn’t even imagine how this immature brat would eventually transform into a mature, steady business tycoon.
Maybe people just don’t grow up until they’ve experienced major upheavals.
After all, before she was nine and sold by her parents to the black market, Chu Xingxing had also been a lively, cheerful, occasionally mischievous little girl who unconditionally loved her parents and younger brothers.
She hoped Young Master Jiang could cherish these last carefree days of his life.
As for Chu Xingxing, she just wanted to stay far away from the male and female leads and the main plot of the book, protect her life, and avoid any entanglements with the main characters.
Since she wasn’t going to become famous anyway, she’d just ride it out, earn some money in the entertainment industry during her contract period.
In a year, she’d take the civil service exam, find a stable government job, and live a healthy, routine, peaceful life, safely reaching a hundred.
Seeing Chen Dong whisper something in Jiang Changsheng’s ear, and Jiang Changsheng frown while glancing several times at the contract on the corner of the table, Chu Xingxing decided not to drag this out any longer. Her stance was clear.
She would absolutely not join the variety show “Let’s Travel Together.”
Neatly gathering her belongings, Chu Xingxing slung her eco-bag printed with Kuromi over her shoulder and headed straight for the meeting room door.
“Wait,” Young Master Jiang caught up, grabbing the door handle, his chin arrogantly raised. “I heard you really need money. If you join ‘Let’s Travel Together,’ I’ll help you negotiate double the fee, plus I’ll gift you a high-end elderly tour.”
Double the fee?
Sounded tempting at first, but it wasn’t enough.
Making her do “survival in the wild” and harming her health came at a different price.
Not to mention having close contact with the “high-risk” male and female leads.
Without a compensation package worth a few hundred million to achieve financial freedom at once, it wasn’t worth the risk for Chu Xingxing.
“I appreciate the thought,” Chu Xingxing said, forcing a smile, suppressing the urge to break the door.
It would be easy to pull the door open—while packing, she’d realized she still had her combat skills from the apocalypse.
But she was too poor now.
If she broke the meeting room’s glass door, the company might make her pay for it.
“I’m really not interested in this variety show, just like I’m not interested in younger guys. Can’t force it.”
Chu Xingxing stared into Young Master Jiang’s clear pupils, paused, then reached out and patted his arm like a senior leader encouraging a junior comrade. “Little golden retriever, seeing those dark circles, you stay up late often, huh? Since you’re so rich, I suggest you take your whole family for a comprehensive health check-up. Health is the foundation of everything.”
Considering Young Master Jiang wasn’t a bad person, Chu Xingxing offered a well-meaning reminder.
Mother Jiang was a good person, but her cancer was discovered too late, already at an advanced stage.
If detected and treated earlier, with his mother by his side, perhaps Jiang Changsheng’s fate would have been different.
Faced with the sudden physical contact—even though it was through his sweatshirt and just a light tap—the tips of Jiang Changsheng’s ears instantly burned red, and he let go of the handle.
He hadn’t processed the first half of Chu Xingxing’s sentence at all, only remembering her telling him to take his family for a check-up.
So… she was concerned about him?!
Damn!
This woman was playing with fire!!!
Chu Xingxing seized the chance to slip away, ignoring the agent hopping anxiously, and pulled open the glass door.
But she stopped, one foot out the door.
The small meeting room they were in was partitioned from a larger one, the PVC board walls not offering great soundproofing.
Of course, for signing a contract with a low-profile artist like Chu Xingxing, having a separate office was already above-standard treatment.
At that moment, from the neighboring meeting room came a clear, melodious singing voice—”Just can’t seem to fly out of this flower-filled world~ Turns out I am just a drunken butterfly~”
Having almost no cultural or entertainment life in the apocalypse and being tone-deaf herself, Chu Xingxing was completely captivated by the singing.
Astonishingly beautiful!
Heavenly voice!!
So moving it brought tears to her eyes!!!
She was about to ask the little golden retriever who sang this song when she noticed Jiang Changsheng covering his ears, looking as if subjected to noise pollution, turning to question Chen Dong: “Is there an auntie square dancing? I didn’t know the company signed grandma artists?”
“Not a signed artist. It’s a small project your dad, CEO Jiang, assigned called ‘Fabulous Grannies.’ A few retired little old ladies amusing themselves. They haven’t even formed a proper team yet; no one in the company wants to take it on…”
Suddenly, Chen Dong had another idea. Hurriedly clutching the contract, he shuffled quickly to the door and coldly threatened Chu Xingxing: “Chu Xingxing, don’t be ungrateful! Sign it now, or I’ll send you to that no-traffic elderly variety show next door!”
Next door, the variety show jokingly called by netizens “the least popular show ever,” “Fabulous Grannies”—a travel show for the elderly—was struggling to recruit participants…
An elderly variety show?
Was it what she thought it was?
Chu Xingxing immediately took out her phone and searched.
The agent wasn’t lying; the show was indeed obscure.
Forget traffic—it didn’t even have its own super topic, forum, or official Weibo.
Discussion level? Almost zero.
A web-wide search only turned up a few sparse, related comments, all ridiculing/snarking.
【Shocking! CBM’s new year plan includes an elderly variety show? Ahhh save me! I only want to see the gorgeous faces of my idols!】
【RNM refund! What happened to last year’s promised JAM group variety show?! Who wants to watch amateur old ladies? Is this a mistake or an intern uploaded the wrong copy doge/】
【Seriously, what is CBM doing? The annual variety show slots are limited. Wasting one on a granny travel show, and it’s not even charity? No point at all!】
【CBM planners, come take the blame! Amateur old ladies and retired artists traveling together? Ah… this… who is the target audience? Elderly people have limited stamina, need expensive insurance, who’s responsible if something happens?! I don’t understand, but I’m greatly shocked.】
…
Agent Chen Dong, seeing Chu Xingxing seriously searching for so long, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What a Herculean effort today!
When did this girl become so stubborn, neither yielding to soft persuasion nor intimidation?
But as an artist, who doesn’t want to be famous?
Why be so obstinate, turning down money? Black popularity is still popularity!
She was still too young, hadn’t suffered enough. This comparison clearly showed how much hotter “Let’s Travel Together” was.
Little girl, still think I can’t handle you?
“Alright, sign it. You’re a company artist; you have the obligation to accept work assigned by the company.” Chen Dong said earnestly, stuffing the contract into Chu Xingxing’s arms.
Chu Xingxing secretly turned on her phone’s recording function and asked nonchalantly, “‘Fabulous Grannies’ is also a legitimate company project, right? Anyone can sign up?”
“Of course, but no one wants to go…” Chen Dong scoffed disdainfully, then grew wary. “Why are you asking?”
Chu Xingxing blinked, trying not to let her delight show.
Even after searching, she wasn’t entirely reassured and needed to confirm again.
A free trip, her favorite kind of elderly tour, with social security, high-end accident insurance, and payment…
She could hardly believe such a good thing existed in the world!
