TRYMBPIETM 76: Hilarious Filial Piety (2)

Chi Qingzhou’s memories were mostly blurry, but he still remembered Yi Shangxiao.

He recalled meeting Yi Shangxiao once a few years ago. At that time, the other party introduced himself as Cheng Xiao, and Ah Shang sat beside him, nodding as he said, “This is my third brother.”

Perhaps because of Ah Shang, Yi Shangxiao had already known some things before meeting him, and his attitude was quite friendly—almost to the point of being respectful.

As Chi Qingzhou recalled the details of their meeting, his impression of Yi Shangxiao remained fairly positive.

The man had good character and had never done anything unkind.

However, from his facial features, his fate was clear—no wife, no children in the future. His eyebrows had a distinct shape: the front half drooping, the back half rising. This indicated that his mother would not meet a good end, and his father would remarry.

Chi Qingzhou vaguely remembered that when Ah Shang brought Yi Shangxiao over, Yi Shangxiao didn’t care about his own life or career. The only thing he wanted to know was how to break the fortune-borrowing formation his father had set up.

At that time, Chi Qingzhou had even asked, “Your family’s wealth was built on this formation. If you break it, you and Ah Shang won’t just lose your inheritance—your entire family might go bankrupt. Are you sure about this?”

Yi Shangxiao immediately broke into a delighted smile.

“That would be great,” he said. “I don’t want to inherit the family business at all. I just want that old bastard and those two idiots to go completely bankrupt!”

“Those three scumbags deserve worse than death. I want them to spend the rest of their lives in poverty and misery, plagued by sickness!”

For this goal, he was even willing to risk his own life.

“But I hope none of this affects Ah Shang,” Yi Shangxiao added. “This has nothing to do with him. I just want him to live a safe and peaceful life.”

Chi Qingzhou still remembered the warmth and determination in Yi Shangxiao’s gaze back then. So what had he replied?

Oh, right…

“That’s not difficult. Since Ah Shang has entered the path of Divination, his ties to family are naturally weak. As long as he stays away for a while, he won’t be caught in the karmic fallout.”

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes flickered as he scrolled further down the page.

The article reported that Director Fang Mingge of Wanxiang had accepted an exclusive interview.

According to Director Fang, he had already discussed with major theater chains that Wanxiang would be temporarily withdrawn from release. He intended to reshoot the film until he was completely satisfied before submitting it for review again.

Surprisingly, the theaters had reacted positively to his decision.

Instead of expressing dissatisfaction, they praised Director Fang’s pursuit of perfection and fully supported the reshoot.

Some theaters even stated that they were willing to wait for the new version of Wanxiang and would maintain the same high screening rates once it was released.

Meanwhile, as the sole investor of Wanxiang, Yi Shangxiao expressed his full support for Director Fang’s decision.

The report did not include details of Yi Shangxiao’s interview, so Chi Qingzhou read through it again before closing the page and searching for the interview video.

Due to Fang Mingge’s recent public meltdown, Yi Shangxiao’s interview was trending at the top of the hot search.

Chi Qingzhou clicked on the topic and quickly found the related video.

After a few years apart, Yi Shangxiao’s facial features had changed slightly. From the subtle shifts in his Sun and Moon Temples, Chi Qingzhou could tell that his father’s business had declined.

But Yi Shangxiao himself was as arrogant as ever.

Facing the reporters’ questions, he spoke with absolute confidence.

“Will I invest in the reshoot? Of course. Whether or not I get a return on my previous investment doesn’t matter to me at all. Wanxiang was always meant as a gift for my little brother. My only requirement is quality.”

“I believe Director Fang’s decision is completely reasonable. If there’s a better option, why settle for less?”

“Besides, in our eyes, the current version of Wanxiang has already deviated from our original vision. How could I possibly gift such a thing to my little brother?”

When asked about his expectations for Wanxiang, Yi Shangxiao was even more resolute.

“I don’t lack money. What I want is a version of Wanxiang that meets my standards.”

“You all know my little brother is an artist. Three years ago, he secluded himself to carve the most important piece of his life. I want this film to be ready before he comes out of seclusion so that the moment he does, he’ll see my gift.”

A reporter then asked, “Rumor has it that you’ve invested billions in Wanxiang. What does your family think about this?”

Yi Shangxiao glanced at the reporter and sneered in disdain.

He scoffed, “Did my eldest or second brother send you to ask me this? Fine, I’ll be honest—my dad has no objections whatsoever. If they have a problem with it, they can go talk to him. What’s the point of whining to me?”

The reporter awkwardly replied, “Understood.”

The video ended.

Chi Qingzhou put down his phone and slowly curved his lips into a smile.

So, Ah Shang had gone into seclusion three years ago.

Given the habits of those on Divination path, once Ah Shang entered seclusion, he wouldn’t leave on his own.

In other words, Wanxiang wasn’t just a gift—it was a tool to guide Ah Shang out of seclusion.

If Yi Shangxiao dared to produce this film and attempt to draw Ah Shang out, then his goal back then had likely already been achieved.

The Hong Kong Yi family, a great tower on the verge of collapse.

In the driver’s seat, Guan Xihua, who had overheard the conversation, was shocked and instinctively clicked his tongue.

“Wanxiang—wasn’t that the movie Chi Qingning had a cameo in? It’s actually getting reshot?”

Chi Qingzhou turned his head slightly, looking out the car window, and responded with an unrelated question, “Brother Guan, are we signing the endorsement contract at Hongzhao?”

“Huh?” Guan Xihua processed for a moment. “Oh, right, yeah. We’re going to their company.”

Chi Qingzhou asked, “Will Yi Shangxiao be there when we sign the contract?”

Guan Xihua hesitated. “That… I’m not sure. I don’t know who’s handling this matter.”

Chi Qingzhou said, “Brother Guan, I need to meet Yi Shangxiao. Can you arrange it for me?”

“What? You want to meet him?” Guan Xihua was puzzled. He glanced at his artist through the rearview mirror. “Why do you want to see him?”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t answer.

He blinked innocently, clearly unwilling to explain.

Seeing his expression, Guan Xihua resisted for a moment but ultimately caved. “Alright, I’ll figure something out for you.”

When he saw Chi Qingzhou’s obedient smile and heard his polite thanks, he suddenly realized what had happened and patted his thigh in slight frustration.

But since he had already agreed, he had no intention of going back on his word.

Chi Qingzhou couldn’t help but curl his eyes in amusement and spoke in a lighter tone.

“Brother Guan, if you have Yi Shangxiao’s contact information, this is actually very simple. Just tell him that I want to see him, and he’ll understand what I mean.”

Guan Xihua was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly yanked the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.

The car quickly came to a stop by the side of the road. Guan Xihua awkwardly turned around, unable to hide the shock and alarm on his face.

“Qingzhou, you know Yi Shangxiao?! No, wait—how come I’ve never heard you mention this before?”

Chi Qingzhou maintained his innocent expression and answered ambiguously, “At the time, I didn’t know he was Yi Shangxiao.”

Guan Xihua didn’t understand. “Huh?”

Chi Qingzhou said, “He told me his name was Cheng Xiao.”

Guan Xihua was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized something.

Whatever he had imagined, he clicked his tongue twice in understanding and sighed, “Rich people and their antics.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled without saying anything.

But Guan Xihua was now convinced he had figured it out. He restarted the car, driving Chi Qingzhou back to his residence while muttering,

“Well, since that’s the case, I’ll definitely arrange it for you. Don’t worry.”

…

After the second episode of the variety show wrapped up, Chi Qingning’s manager sent him back to the Chi family home.

Unlike Chi Qingzhou, who had his own place outside, Chi Qingning still lived in the Chi family’s villa.

His bedroom was in the center of the second floor. On the left was his personal study, and on the right was his eldest brother Chi Xiaoyuan’s room.

The Chi parents’ bedroom was a bit farther away, separated by two studies, but still on the second floor.

As for Chi Qingzhou, he usually didn’t stay at the Chi family home. The room they left for him wasn’t on the second floor with the rest of the family but on the third floor.

By tradition, the third floor was where the Chi family’s elders lived. Naturally, Chi Qingzhou’s parents hadn’t voluntarily placed him there.

But they had long since forgotten about this arrangement. They only remembered that Chi Qingzhou had a room at home, but if asked for specifics, they wouldn’t be able to recall.

So, when Chi Qingning returned home alone, the two housemaids glanced behind him and, seeing that Chi Qingzhou wasn’t with him, automatically decided not to clean the second young master’s room.

Chi Qingning didn’t think about it either. He kicked off his shoes and rushed toward the sofa, flopping onto it with delight.

The soft cushions bounced slightly, and he let out a contented sigh.

“Ah, filming variety shows is exhausting—home is the best!”

Especially a home without Chi Qingzhou!

It was the pinnacle of security!

The two housemaids exchanged a glance and saw the same confusion and shock in each other’s eyes.

Chi Qingning was usually very particular about his image.

This was evident in every aspect of his life.

For example, even at home, he would always dress neatly.

And his posture—whether standing or sitting—was always elegant and proper, with a polite, well-mannered smile on his face.

But now, he was sprawled on the couch like this… The two housemaids had never seen him act this way before.

They were so stunned that they momentarily lost the ability to speak, even forgetting to mask their expressions.

Chi Qingning turned over, coincidentally catching their reactions. He paused mid-movement but quickly dismissed it.

“Aunt Yu, is my mom not home? Did she go shopping with her friends?”

The housemaid snapped back to reality, processing for a moment before replying, “Madam left on a trip. She went yesterday.”

Chi Qingning froze, then widened his eyes.

“A trip? Where did she go? Why didn’t she tell me beforehand? Did she go alone?”

Aunt Yu said, “Madam mentioned something about Linghe Village or Xihe Village. She seemed to have only informed the master. When she left, I didn’t see anyone else with her.”

“Linghe Village?”

Chi Qingning was even more confused. He stared at Aunt Yu in a daze, unable to process it for a long time.

Linghe Village—that was the main filming location of Wanxiang!

That place was ridiculously remote, with terrible living conditions. Why would his mother go there? It wasn’t exactly a tourist spot!

Aunt Yu hesitated, then lowered her voice and leaned in closer, speaking uncertainly, “A few nights ago, Madam saw something on the news and accidentally shattered a jar of face cream. While I was cleaning up, I overheard her muttering…”

Chi Qingning was instantly intrigued. “Muttering what?”

Aunt Yu hesitated again.

As a housemaid, she wasn’t supposed to discuss the affairs of the household. It went against her professional ethics.

But the young master seemed genuinely concerned. She hesitated for a moment before giving in.

“Madam said something about going back to her hometown. I’m not sure if someone called her back and upset her or if she decided to go on her own.”

Chi Qingning’s fingers froze mid-motion. He slowly turned to look at Aunt Yu, his cheek twitching as his eyes filled with growing horror.

His voice began to tremble.

“Aunt Yu, are you serious?”

Aunt Yu, confused by his reaction, replied, “Yes, really.”

“But, but my mom’s hometown—”

Chi Qingning couldn’t finish his sentence.

His shoulders trembled as a chilling sensation crept up his spine.

That place—Linxi Village—had been completely destroyed in a massive fire, leaving nothing behind.

So how… could she go back?