Chapter 128
Xu Ying and Lin Zhongxu got together.
Their relationship wasn't dramatic; it was just an ordinary afternoon when Lin Zhongxu confessed his love with flowers and gifts, and Xu Ying accepted.
After agreeing, their relationship remained the same as before.
Lin Zhongxu always liked to cling to her, and now that they're together, he's become even more so, even staying at her house during his holidays.
"Grandpa and Grandma probably don't know we're together yet, right?"
Looking at their clasped hands, Xu Ying couldn't help but imagine how her grandparents would react if they found out.
"Hmm, they don't know yet. Let's go back and scare them."
Lin Zhongxu pulled Xu Ying along as they walked and laughed.
He preferred returning to the small town where Xu Ying and his maternal grandparents lived rather than going back to his own home.
Life there may not be as convenient as in big cities, but the people are very friendly, especially when the three of them are around; there are no arguments, only warmth...
"You two are together?!"
When Grandma Wang returned home, she immediately noticed how attentive her grandson was to Xu Ying. While Xu Ying was tidying up her things in her room, she quickly pulled Lin Zhongxu aside and whispered some gossip.
"Yes, we're together now."
Lin Zhongxu made no attempt to hide his admission.
After he finished speaking, he stared intently at his grandmother's face, trying to immediately discern her thoughts—whether she agreed or disagreed.
"Oh, that's wonderful! I've always been worried that Xu Ying would have no one to take care of her in the future. Now that you're with her, I feel relieved!"
There wasn't a hint of opposition on Grandma Wang's face.
Both of them were children she cherished, and both were well-behaved and upright. Now that these two children had come together, she was too busy applauding and celebrating.
"You too, with your stubborn temper, I always thought you'd have a hard time finding a partner, but who knew Xiaoying would actually fall for you, great, great, great!"
Grandma Wang didn't even have time to talk to her grandson. She turned around and walked out to go home to find her husband.
She wanted to tell the other party the good news as soon as possible.
Where is Grandma?
As soon as Xu Ying came out of her room, she saw Lin Zhongxu standing alone in the living room. She was a little confused, because her grandmother had just been chatting with him.
"She went back and was happy."
Xu Ying understood in a second: "You told her..."
When she came back, she was just joking about scaring them. The two elderly people are getting on in years, and she was actually a little worried about them.
Hearing Lin Zhongxu's words, she immediately felt relieved.
"Grandma is very happy?"
"Yes, she was so happy. As soon as she heard that we were together, she rushed back to tell Grandpa."
*
Xu Ying had a very happy New Year.
Fireworks flashed outside the window, and friends sent congratulatory messages one after another on her phone. At the dinner table, the person she liked sat next to her and kept putting food on her plate.
"Try this fish, I cooked it, it tastes pretty good."
Learning from his grandmother that Xu Ying loved to eat fish when she was little, Lin Zhongxu searched for a recipe on his phone and specially made this braised fish dish.
Xu Ying took a bite: "Mmm, delicious. Is this really your first time cooking?"
To produce this level of quality on your first attempt at cooking is quite impressive; you're very talented.
Lin Zhongxu raised his head: "Of course it's the first time. How is it? It tastes pretty good, right? Do you like it? If you do, I'll make it for you again in the future."
"Sure, try other dishes too. Maybe you can cook them really well."
Xu Ying herself doesn't have much talent for cooking, and the food she makes is barely edible. If Lin Zhongxu could take over the cooking in the future, that would be quite good.
"Okay, I'll go back and research the other dishes."
Lin Zhongxu didn't mind cooking for Xu Ying at all. He even liked it when Xu Ying ordered him around. It made him feel like she treated him like one of her own. She would never order others around like that.
*
During the New Year period, the TV series "Journey to the West" on Zhongyu Channel 8 continued to air.
The show is fast-paced, with almost every episode telling a short story about exorcising demons. The Yellow Robe Monster, the Golden Horn King, the Silver Horn King, Red Boy... one monster after another appears, leaving the audience dazzled.
When the episode featuring the Kingdom of Women aired, the viewership ratings broke through the 7% mark.
The concept of a women's kingdom is still too ahead of its time.
The water from the Mother-Child River, which Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie mistakenly drank, caused them to develop pregnancy, which was truly eye-opening for the audience.
They thought this was the ordeal that awaited the four travelers, but when the Queen of the Women's Kingdom appeared, everyone immediately realized that things were not so simple.
So beautiful!
The Queen of the Women's Kingdom had eyebrows like emerald feathers, skin like sheep fat, a face like peach petals, and hair piled with golden phoenix silk[1]. Such a beautiful woman, whose appearance surpassed that of Xi Shi, revealed her tender feelings. Who could resist her?
Inside the boudoir, Tang Sanzang kept his eyes closed, not daring to look directly at the Queen.
“You say that all is emptiness, yet you keep your eyes closed. If you open your eyes, I don’t believe you see nothing.” [2]
As soon as the Queen said this, not only Tang Sanzang on the screen, but even the audience outside the screen were captivated by her bright and beautiful eyes.
-Brother, just give in...
The Queen of the Women's Kingdom is so beautiful! What's the actress's name? I need all her information in three seconds!
- Tang Sanzang didn't dare to open his eyes at all, hahaha, because opening his eyes would mean breaking the precepts.
I would call it a honey trap.
-The most difficult hurdle, bar none.
The most terrifying thing about this episode isn't whether Tang Sanzang can control himself, but the viewers outside the screen. Even though they know that Tang Sanzang still has to go to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures, they are still moved by the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, and a few inappropriate expectations rise in their hearts.
They thought how wonderful it would be if Tang Sanzang could stay and be with the Queen of the Women's Kingdom.
This is the scariest place!!!
The king not only broke through Tang Sanzang's defenses, but he also targeted the spectators! How terrifying!
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the Scorpion Demon suddenly appeared and kidnapped Tang Sanzang, leaving the audience feeling both disappointed and relieved.
-Scorpion Demon, I hate you!
Why did it have to happen at this time? It's so close to the Queen and her brother getting married, sob sob.
-I'm not some delicate queen, I have plenty of strength and tricks up my sleeve, hahaha, who knows how funny this line is!!!
- I almost lost my reputation as Tang Sanzang. Thank you, Scorpion Demon, I am truly grateful.
......
Tang Sanzang ultimately did not choose to stay.
Under the reluctant gaze of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, he rode away slowly on his white horse.
After this episode ended, the ratings of Channel 8 exploded again, and the internet was in an uproar, with clips of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom's beauty appearing everywhere.
Her brief exchange with Tang Sanzang garnered millions of likes.
- The most dangerous person in this episode is not the scorpion demon, but the powerless queen. Who agrees and who disagrees!
-I agree.
Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of beautiful women, and even monks are no exception. Tang Sanzang must have been moved by the affectionate queen, and he even lied to her, telling her that they would stay together in the next life.
-It might not necessarily be a lie; Tang Sanzang was clearly sincere when he said those words.
-Once Tang Sanzang succeeds in his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, he will instantly become a Buddha, so there is no question of an afterlife.
Holy crap, I didn't even think of that until the person upstairs mentioned it.
- It's over, Tang Sanzang and the Queen have absolutely no chance.
Tang Sanzang only lied twice in his life: once to trick Sun Wukong into wearing the golden headband, and once to trick the Queen into staying with him in the next life.
......
The Kingdom of Women has sparked another wave of widespread discussion, and before this wave has even ended, another has already arrived.
The TV series "Journey to the West" aired a segment about the real and fake Monkey Kings.
After the previous "Three Battles with the White Bone Demon," viewers thought they were immune to all poisons, but then a Six-Eared Macaque appeared in the later plot.
This six-eared macaque impersonated Sun Wukong, not only injuring Tang Sanzang and stealing his luggage, but also occupying Flower Fruit Mountain and becoming its king, making the audience outside the screen clench their fists.
I really want to punch this imposter into the screen and kill him!
The Sun Wukong on the screen was equally furious. He fought fiercely with the fake Sun Wukong, and the outcome was uncertain.
The two then went to Guanyin and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to distinguish the truth from the falsehood, but unfortunately, none of them could tell the difference. In the end, they had to go to the Buddha to find out the truth.
......
"Great! The ratings have broken 8%!"
Zhongyu Eight Platforms.
Li Hao was overjoyed to receive the notification that the ratings had broken 8.
They had already seen the show internally, and he knew that the episode about the true and false Monkey King wouldn't disappoint him. If the ratings for this episode didn't break through, then there wasn't much hope for the later episodes.
He stayed in the office all night, waiting for this moment!
"Hurry up and get the publicity department to release the posters."
The posters for achieving a viewership rating of over 8% were already prepared, and they were just waiting for the moment when the ratings would truly live up to the hype so they could immediately distribute them.
The official website of Zhongyu Batai updated at 11 p.m., an unprecedented event.
Viewers flocked to watch out of curiosity, only to discover the exciting news that "Journey to the West" had broken the 8% viewership mark, sparking a new round of celebration late into the night.
Since the rise of the internet, TV drama ratings have been declining sharply, and satellite TV channels haven't produced a drama that breaks the 8% mark for many years.
Who would have thought that such high viewership ratings would be broken by "Journey to the West"!
A viewership rating exceeding 8% means that everyone who watched the show contributed to its success. Now that everyone sees this achievement, aren't they all feeling proud and honored?
- The ratings broke 8%, I can't believe my eyes.
- No doubt about it, bro, this show is a huge hit. My dad, my mom, my grandpa, my grandma, my brother, and I are all watching it. This is the first show in history to unify our whole family's tastes.
- Hahaha, my family is pretty much the same. We've never had so many people together when watching TV during Chinese New Year.
All I want to say is that February is awesome.
- Where did February go? It feels like I haven't heard from her in ages. Wasn't she always so busy, filming one movie after another? I'm a little scared that she's suddenly gone silent this time.
- Can't a person get a rest during the Chinese New Year? [doge]
- What are you afraid of? Maybe she's been working hard behind the scenes. Wasn't that "Qin Shi Huang" project she quietly produced last time?
- I hope so.
"Qin Shi Huang" is the only anime I've ever watched, and it's really, really good. I hope February doesn't give up on the anime industry and comes back soon. I'm still waiting for the next one!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a secret: February got together with that director.
-?
- What's so secret about that? They've been together for a long time. The incident with the B-team director of "Ming Dynasty" caused such a big stir. Anyone with eyes could see that they were not a simple couple.
-If they really get together, I'll wish them well. I love "Journey to the West" so much. If they get together, wouldn't they be able to work together forever and make movies for us for a lifetime? Hehe!
-Wow, how come I didn't think of that? It's a total no-go, and there's also that producer surnamed Zhou. All three of them are locked up together.
-Why isn't anyone surprised?
Isn't it great for a handsome man and a beautiful woman to be together? Besides, these two have always been open about their relationship and haven't hidden it from each other. Anyone who wanted to know would have known long ago.
(over)
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Author's Note: [1][2] From the original novel and TV series Journey to the West
Everyone, this book ends here, but there will be a few extra chapters later.
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