Lin Xi was stunned by Hang Xingyue's words: "Are the fans here... all so lawless?"
Hang Xingyue gave Lin Xi a smile: "People here don't have much life pressure, so they project their emotions onto intangible things. Cultivating idols has become the lowest-cost 'commodity' capitalists have found. Those like me who follow the acting path are still considered okay. Some take the talent show route; they are the ones with no rights at all. It's all up to the fans."
"From major career decisions down to their private lives, whatever the fans say goes. In the eyes of some more extreme fans, idols aren't idols, but their personal toys. While they appear to be boosting their idol's fame, more often, they're playing a real-life raising simulation game." Hang Xingyue spoke of these matters with particular indifference.
Because she had grown up seeing such things and was no longer surprised by them. Before awakening her memories of her past lives, Hang Xingyue didn't have many thoughts about this phenomenon. After awakening and learning the so-called plot, she had even fewer thoughts about it.
Xia Xuerong might seem pitiful, but think carefully about the plot—were the female stars more beautiful than Xia Xuerong not pitiful too? Just because they crossed paths with Xia Xuerong, just because they were prettier than her before she obtained her desired looks, they were harmed by fans she incited. Weren't they innocent?
Now that Xia Xuerong was being harmed by fans, and by her most loyal 'dog' from the plot at that, it was merely the boomerang coming back to hit her. Hang Xingyue didn't entertain the thought that Xia Xuerong was innocent just because she hadn't committed evil acts yet. The reason Xia Xuerong hadn't acted yet wasn't because she didn't want to, but because she hadn't had the chance. Once Xia Xuerong got an opportunity, they would definitely end up worse off than in their previous lives.
In the crowd, Xia Xuerong covered her face. After being the subject of widespread gossip, she felt as if she had returned to her first life, after her looks were ruined, every time she went out, people would gossip about her just like this. Through her transmigrations into the book's worlds, Xia Xuerong had always been the one praised. It had been a long time since she last felt the sting of public commentary on her appearance.
Those astonished and disdainful gazes drove Xia Xuerong nearly mad. She instinctively wanted to pull out a talisman to teach these onlooking lowlifes a lesson. But even after touching the talisman, she couldn't activate it at all. The talismans that had once made her unstoppable were now like ordinary yellow paper, utterly ineffective. A gust of wind blew one directly into the roadside flower bed.
Xia Xuerong's gaze followed the yellow paper as it drifted away. Splat! An egg hit her face. Egg white and yolk dripped down her face.
"Pah! How dare an ugly monster like you try to be a star? Who do you think you're fooling?" a young voice shouted loudly, his opinion gaining agreement from many in the crowd.
"Doesn't the government regulate this?" Lin Xi looked at the speakers; they were only about eleven or twelve years old, still children. Yet the malice on their faces destroyed their childlike innocence. She asked Hang Xingyue.
Hang Xingyue took Lin Xi's hand and led her out of the crowd: "They do. A couple of years ago, the government cracked down hard on those extreme fans, even giving severe sentences to several people as a warning to others. If not for that, fans today would be even crazier."
"In the past, extreme fans were even worse. For example, if someone was considered a rival of their favorite idol, and fans felt their idol's resources were being snatched, they might even resort to kidnapping or throwing acid. Now, adult fans have toned it down a lot. It's mainly the underage ones who are so brazen."
"Things are genuinely much better now, and the government's management in this area is stricter. It's just hard to completely eradicate it all at once. It'll take time. It will get better eventually." Hang Xingyue didn't know if she was explaining to Lin Xi or comforting herself.
After all, she had genuinely loved this industry. Even though she had decided to leave it, she still hoped its culture would improve.
"What do you plan to do in the future?" Lin Xi asked Hang Xingyue.
"There are places here similar to Yunnan Province. I want to go see them. If I find a place like that, I'll open a guesthouse there. I really envy your current lifestyle." Hang Xingyue felt utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to relax.
"Alright. When you find such a place, remember to livestream it for us." As the time for departure drew nearer, Hang Xingyue took Lin Xi to her nearby apartment. The moment they entered her apartment room, Lin Xi was extracted from that world by the system.
She opened her eyes again, still in her bed at home. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Although she had spent a long time in Hang Xingyue's world, no time had passed in the real world.
Lin Xi couldn't sleep anymore. She sorted out the local specialties she bought from Hang Xingyue's world, setting aside those to share with her friends and keeping the rest for now.
She specially found two shelves for Chu Qianmo's medicinal pills. She took inventory of all the pills, made a catalog, took photos, and sent them to Chu Qianmo. She also brought a notebook from outside into her space; from now on, she would need to record whenever she used any of these pills.
Chu Qianmo might not mind, but she still wanted to handle things properly, especially since there were many spatial storage items among them.
Checking the group chat, it had quieted down. Everyone was probably asleep by now. In the member list on the side of the chat, the status indicators for Chu Qianmo and Bai Qingting had changed from a green online dot to a red line.
Clicking on the line would show a 'busy' status.
Lin Xi marveled at how the chat group was becoming more and more sophisticated. Still without any sleepiness, Lin Xi chatted with Hang Xingyue, who had already arrived at the villa in Jinxiu Huacheng.
Opening the door, Hang Xingyue discovered many people sitting in her living room. Her parents sat on a loveseat, one smoking, the other resting her head in her hands with eyes closed, feigning sleep. Hang Xinghui and Hang Xingyu occupied the large sofa, both typing rapidly on their phones, sending messages.
Hang Xingwen sat at the long dining table working on a laptop, likely handling work matters.
Besides them, the room also contained her manager, Sister Xia, her assistant Little Le, and Aunt Zhang, who was dusting ornaments with a cloth. Seeing Hang Xingyue, Aunt Zhang pulled her aside: "Sir and Madam arrived last night. The eldest young master and second young lady came this morning."
"They just arrived not long ago." Aunt Zhang had taken care of Hang Xingyue since childhood. Although she was a servant of the Hang family, in Aunt Zhang's heart, she was Hang Xingyue's person, so she always stood by Hang Xingyue's side in all matters, big or small.
She wasn't exactly a hermitic old lady. She had looked up the news about Hang Xingyue online and had seen the Weibo post where Hang Xingyue announced her withdrawal from the industry. She felt that Hang Xingyue must have suffered some great injustice at work; otherwise, given Hang Xingyue's dedication to her career, she would never have done something so irresponsible.
Therefore, Aunt Zhang glared at Sister Xia and Little Le with fury.
"I know, thank you, Aunt Zhang." Hang Xingyue's attitude towards Aunt Zhang was very good.
The people in the living room had noticed Hang Xingyue's return much earlier. Hang Xingyue's mother, Jiang Xiyun, seeing her daughter being so affectionate towards Aunt Zhang, felt a sudden pang of bitterness in her heart.
Hang Xingyue had been a cold-natured child since she was little, showing little of the natural attachment a child should have for her mother even at a young age. Jiang Xiyun, who had been doted on by her parents since childhood, tried a few times. When Hang Xingyue still didn't warm up to her, Jiang Xiyun simply stopped paying her much attention.
Moreover, she soon became pregnant again. Hang Xinghui perfectly matched her fantasy of a daughter—delicate, soft, adorable, and clingy, crying terribly if she couldn't see her for a while. Jiang Xiyun doted on Hang Xinghui more and more. With Hang Xinghui by her side for comparison, she had even less maternal affection left for Hang Xingyue.
So, after meeting Xia Xuerong and seeing this icy-cool girl shed her cold demeanor, showing a face full of admiration and attachment just for her, Jiang Xiyun's heart softened. Every time she saw Xia Xuerong, she would think, if only Hang Xingyue could be as close to her as Xia Xuerong was.
As Jiang Xiyun grew older, she also came to realize the problems in how she and her husband had raised their children. She became even more acutely aware of how derelict she had been in her duties towards Hang Xingyue.
Just as her own mother had advised her back then, every child responds to the outside world differently. Some are slower, some are faster. Slower children observe the world cautiously, approaching everyone they meet with a mix of wariness and curiosity.
Such children require more companionship and guidance. Hang Xingyue was that kind of child. But Jiang Xiyun hadn't taken it seriously at the time. She believed every child should unconditionally trust and be close to their mother. Since Hang Xingyue wasn't close to her, she didn't reflect on her own mistakes. Instead, she left her to the care of the nanny and said certain things in front of her husband, indirectly influencing his attitude towards Hang Xingyue.
Jiang Xiyun regretted it. But she was too proud, unable to admit her mistakes to her children, let alone be the first to extend an olive branch to Hang Xingyue.
Jiang Xiyun had watched yesterday's livestream. After all, that variety show livestream featured not only Hang Xingyue but also Jiang Haocheng and Xia Xuerong, whom she had recently grown quite fond of.
As soon as the program started, Jiang Xiyun sent a message telling Hang Xingyue to take good care of Xia Xuerong. Hang Xingyue wasn't old, but having struggled in the entertainment industry for so many years, she had status and resources. Jiang Xiyun hadn't expected things to escalate to that point.
To be honest, when she saw Jiang Haocheng say those things to Hang Xingyue, Jiang Xiyun was angry, and she felt a bit of resentment towards Xia Xuerong as well.
But she had already sent that message earlier. Jiang Xiyun couldn't bring herself to do something that would make her lose face. Her shame turned to anger, and seeing Hang Xingyue not even reply with a single word to her message, the anger overpowered the shame.
But Hang Xingyue never replied, which started to make Jiang Xiyun anxious.
Despite all her dissatisfaction with this daughter, Hang Xingyue was still her daughter after all. Especially since Hang Xingyue's achievements in the entertainment industry over the years had also boosted the businesses of both the Hang and Jiang families. Without a second thought, they came to the Splendid City residence.
Aunt Zhang had opened the door for them. It was laughable, really. Aunt Zhang had her own dedicated room and a small sitting area in Hang Xingyue's villa, while they, the parents, didn't have a single guest room reserved for them.
They couldn't enter Hang Xingyue's room and had slept in Hang Xinghui's room last night.
Hang Xingyue ignored their complex gazes. She walked straight into the living room and sat down. Aunt Zhang brought her a bowl of silver ear and red date soup.
The sweet aroma of the soup wafted through the air. Jiang Xiyun's gaze fell on Aunt Zhang, and her feelings grew even more complicated.
Aunt Zhang was the nanny she had assigned to Hang Xingyue from a young age. All these years, she had been the one paying Aunt Zhang's salary. Shouldn't she, by rights, be her employer? They had been sitting here all morning. Apart from meal times, if they wanted water, they had to pour it themselves, let alone have any silver ear and red date soup.
Jiang Xiyun faintly understood the reason for Hang Xingyue's closeness to Aunt Zhang, but she wished she didn't.
Hang Xingyue sat in the armchair, her eyes falling on Sister Xia and Little Le, who were seated on the soft stool: "What are you here for?"
The old Hang Xingyue had always been very kind to Sister Xia and Little Le, always greeting them with a smile. This cold, hard attitude of today was unprecedented.
Sister Xia's heart tightened, and she grew even more flustered. She licked her lips: "Xingyue, I saw you hadn't been replying to messages, and I was worried about you, so I came to check on you."
After speaking, Sister Xia instinctively glanced at the expressionless Hang Zaixing and Jiang Xiyun beside him.
Little Le sat next to Sister Xia, not daring to breathe too loudly. She had been with Hang Xingyue since graduating from university. Compared to stars in the industry who casually scolded or even abused their assistants, Hang Xingyue was simply the best boss.
She paid high salaries, had an easy-going personality, and wouldn't say much even if you made a mistake or suddenly asked for leave. Sometimes, when work was particularly hard, she could even get a large bonus.
Little Le had been with Hang Xingyue for three years and had already bought a fully furnished apartment in her hometown. Little Le was genuinely grateful to Hang Xingyue, but humans are contradictory. She was grateful, yet at times, she was filled with jealousy towards Hang Xingyue.
Little Le was jealous of Hang Xingyue's good family background, jealous of her professional achievements and her money, and jealous of the special attention the award-winning actor He showed her. So, when Xia Xuerong approached her, Little Le only hesitated for two seconds before agreeing to help her, even though the money Xia Xuerong offered wasn't much, less than half her salary.
But she did it anyway. Now that Hang Xingyue had announced her retirement, it finally dawned on her: if Hang Xingyue wasn't working in the entertainment industry anymore, her role as an assistant would be utterly useless. Little Le had grown accustomed to the high pay and low stress of working for Hang Xingyue. The thought of serving other stars who were demanding and paid poorly was something she was no longer willing to do.
She still had a mortgage and car loans to pay. If she changed bosses, the monthly car and mortgage payments alone would crush her.
Sister Xia's intentions towards Hang Xingyue were even easier to guess. She was Hang Xingyue's agent, but she possessed none of the privileges that typically came with the role. As the owner of her own studio and its sole artist, Hang Xingyue had absolute control over her career. What movies or TV series she filmed depended entirely on her personal preference.
If she didn't want to take on a job, even if Sister Xia talked herself hoarse, she would never agree. Sister Xia naturally harbored resentment towards her over this. After all, some jobs, despite being terrible in every other aspect, offered extremely high fees, and Sister Xia worked on commission.
Over time, this resentment had undoubtedly built up. Hang Xingyue had vaguely sensed it before and had even considered parting ways with Sister Xia. But years of shared history held her back, and her thoughts had always been on how to end things with Sister Xia amicably.
Sister Xia probably knew this too, which was why she had been scouting new, up-and-coming stars outside. Her plan was clever: first, have Hang Xingyue sign the newcomer to the company, then use Hang Xingyue's resources to build them up. Once the newcomer was established, she would leave, taking both the talent and the resources with her.
The star she had her eye on was Xia Xuerong. Sister Xia's plan was sound, but she was up against a Hang Xingyue who had now "awakened." By directly announcing her retirement from the industry, Hang Xingyue rendered all of Sister Xia's schemes useless.
Especially now that Hang Xingyue wasn't responding to messages, Sister Xia began to feel scared. Her mind, once clouded by greed, finally cooled down.
Before the new talent could fully grow, she couldn't afford to lose Hang Xingyue, her cash cow, just yet.
This was the purpose behind these two women's visit.
But they hadn't expected all of Hang Xingyue's family—parents and siblings—to be present. They wanted to leave but found they couldn't.
"Is that so? Are you worried about me, or are you worried that if I'm not in the industry anymore, you won't be able to use my resources to nurture your pet project?" Hang Xingyue hit the nail on the head. Sister Xia's face instantly turned pale.
Hang Xingyue then turned to Little Le. "I already know about your betrayal. I've hired a lawyer. She will sue you for corporate espionage. Don't feel wronged. The moment you betrayed me, any possibility of a clean break vanished."
Little Le, as her personal assistant, knew everything about Hang Xingyue. In the original storyline, to curry favor with Xia Xuerong, Little Le had fabricated numerous stories about her. Being Hang Xingyue's close assistant gave her words immense credibility. After Little Le posted those fabricated stories online, Hang Xingyue suffered vicious retaliation from fans.
Yet, the ironic part was that Little Le, having betrayed her, didn't get to stay by Xia Xuerong's side as she'd hoped. Apart from a sum of money that wasn't particularly large, Little Le gained little else. She drifted from one celebrity to another, working as an assistant, but never held a job for long. After all, bosses like Hang Xingyue were rare.
Little Le wasn't lucky enough to encounter a second one.
Sister Xia's fate was similar. She successfully built up Xia Xuerong, but the latter immediately attached herself to a top-tier agent in the industry. All Sister Xia got were a few words of thanks. Without access to Hang Xingyue's premium resources, and unwilling to settle for being Xia Xuerong's assistant-agent, she faded into obscurity within the entertainment circle, unable to make even a decent splash.
For those who betrayed her, Hang Xingyue saw no need to spare their dignity. "Sister Xia, you should prepare for litigation as well. Every year before, you embezzled large sums from my accounts. Now you need to account for the use of those funds and repay the money. If you can't repay it, you can go to jail."
Sister Xia's face changed dramatically. The money she had embezzled had all been invested, but her judgment was poor. She'd be lucky to recover even thirty percent of it.
Hang Xingyue hadn't paid much attention to finances, which made Sister Xia bolder and bolder. Starting with a few million Long coins, it had escalated to tens of millions in recent years. Just a few days ago, she had withdrawn another sum for short-term stock trading and lost everything.
Over the years, the amount she had taken from Hang Xingyue's accounts was nearly two hundred million Long coins. Sister Xia had considerable savings, but her spending was lavish too!
Sister Xia was frantic. In recent years, Long Country had been revising its laws annually, and enforcement had become extremely strict. Crimes that could once be mitigated with money were no longer pardonable. If the evidence was solid and a conviction was made, prison was the only outcome.
Sister Xia didn't even want to say another word. She and Little Le rushed out one after the other. Little Le wanted to flee as quickly as possible, while Sister Xia wanted to transfer as much of her money as possible back into the company account. That way, when she was inevitably caught and convicted, the judge would see her strong intent to repay and might reduce her sentence.
Sister Xia wasn't without thoughts of fleeing the country, but she knew that for economic criminals like her with ironclad evidence, once sued, they would be placed under surveillance. If she was found to have fled, there would be absolutely no room for maneuver; she would be treated directly as a fugitive. If she went abroad, her citizenship would be revoked, and all her domestic assets would be confiscated.
After years of hard work, Sister Xia owned several properties, worth well over a hundred million Long coins combined. She didn't want to run. Moreover, Long Country was powerful, and compared to other nations, its public security was far superior. As a woman alone abroad, whether she could even survive was uncertain.
With Sister Xia and Little Le gone, Hang Xingyue looked at her family, who had remained silent throughout. Hang Xingwen closed his laptop and strode over. Hang Xinghui and Hang Xingyu also put away their phones. The atmosphere grew awkward.
After what felt like a long time, Hang Zaixing stood up from the sofa. His gaze towards Hang Xingyue held a gentleness she had never seen before. "If you've been wronged, you can always come home and talk about it. Home will always be your support."
Hang Zaixing's words genuinely took Hang Xingyue by surprise. Looking at him now, another figure suddenly appeared in her mind's eye.
That figure had held her hand from her first stumbling toddler steps to her days entering school with pigtails. He had never missed a single important moment in her life thereafter.
No matter what she did, no matter how well she did it, the feedback from him was always praise. When a classmate stabbed her face with a pen in elementary school, he took her straight to their doorstep. Her mother was the same. They weren't particularly wealthy, but the Hang Xingyue from before her transmigration had always felt incredibly rich.
Her eyes grew slightly moist. She looked up at the huge crystal chandelier overhead, feeling a great weight lift from her heart. She met Hang Zaixing's gaze. "Thank you, but I don't think I need it anymore."
Hang Xingyue's tone was distant yet sincere. She thanked Hang Zaixing for saying those words, but just as she had stated, she no longer needed them.
Back when she was striving in the entertainment industry, she never returned to the Hang family when wronged. Now that she was leaving the industry, she similarly would not go back.
Jiang Xiyun's heart sank. She wanted to say something, but Hang Zaixing stopped her: "Let's go."
Hang Zaixing led Jiang Xiyun away. Hang Xingwen picked up his laptop from the dining table. Hang Xinghui pouted, somewhat displeased. Hang Xingyu said goodbye to Hang Xingyue before skipping off.
Hang Xingyue sat in the living room, leisurely finishing the entire cup of red date and lotus seed soup. Then she contacted a real estate agent. Apart from the villa where she had stayed with Lin Xi last night, all her properties and cars in Longcheng needed to be dealt with.
She had been to Nan Province in that region before. The scenery there was beautiful, and the culinary culture was very similar to her hometown. If nothing unexpected happened, she would settle there after moving.
Jiang Xiyun was pulled out of Hang Xingyue's villa by Hang Zaixing. Once in the car heading home, her temper finally boiled over: "Why did you pull me out, Zaixing? I hadn't even had a chance to say a word to her."
Hang Zaixing looked at Jiang Xiyun. She was undoubtedly beautiful, and all their children had inherited her looks, with Hang Xingyue being the most striking.
Hang Zaixing was busy with work and had left the children's upbringing to Jiang Xiyun. Since they were young, Jiang Xiyun had constantly complained in his ear about how disobedient Hang Xingyue was.
Her day-after-day remarks had influenced Hang Zaixing. Coupled with having several children, he had never gained a deep understanding of this daughter in the entertainment industry.
It was only today that he realized perhaps she was the most outstanding among his children.
Jiang Xiyun continued, "This daughter is truly such a disappointment. We've provided for her so well all these years. Look at her, buying a villa and moving out on her own is one thing, but she didn't even leave a single room for us."
Jiang Xiyun's temper wasn't particularly bad. She recognized her own poor attitude towards Hang Xingyue, but years of prejudice made her subconsciously critical when facing this daughter, even though she knew she was in the wrong this time.
Hang Zaixing hadn't wanted to chastise Jiang Xiyun. Their marriage was one of business alliance, but after marrying, they actually got along very well. There had been love, and even now, he sometimes looked at Jiang Xiyun with affection.
But Jiang Xiyun's words were particularly grating: "From the age of five, she hasn't spent a single cent from the allowance deposited into her bank card."
Jiang Xiyun's accusations stopped abruptly. Hang Xingwen, sitting in the front, also turned his head.
Every Hang child received a bank card from a young age. A monthly allowance was deposited into it, increasing as they grew older.
Hang Xingwen had used the money from that card to start a business in university. Hang Xinghui spent her entire allowance shopping every month, then used money given by Hang Xingyue after it was gone. Hang Xingyu was similar.
As the mother of these children, no one knew better than Jiang Xiyun how much that allowance was. She turned to Hang Zaixing, hoping he would say he had just been joking.
Hang Zaixing shattered her hope: "I only found out about this an hour ago myself. I had the bank check. That money truly hasn't been touched at all."
"Xiyun, we have failed terribly as parents. A five-year-old girl supporting herself—if word got out, how many people would laugh at us?" Although the Hang children never lacked food or shelter, their expenses were considerable.
Gifts for elders' and peers' birthdays were always paid for by the children themselves. In this regard, Hang Xingyue had never fallen short when giving gifts to elders.
The car fell silent, only the sound of the vehicle speeding down the road proving time hadn't stopped.
"The dividends from the Hang family shares, the dividends from the Jiang family side—she would use those, but the money would quickly be replenished. Do you know what that means?" Hang Zaixing asked Jiang Xiyun.
How could Jiang Xiyun not know? It meant Hang Xingyue was always prepared to sever ties with the Hang family, with them as her parents.
Only at this moment did Jiang Xiyun feel genuine regret—regret for everything she had done before, especially for asking Hang Xingyue to take care of Xia Xuerong a few days ago. She regretted it even more.
She couldn't imagine how disappointed Hang Xingyue, who already held little attachment to her parents, must have been upon reading those messages.
Jiang Xiyun asked Hang Xingwen, "Awen, did you send the message I asked you to, telling Xingyue to take care of Xia Xuerong?"
"I did," Hang Xingwen's voice was heavy. He had been jealous of this sister when they were young, but as he grew older, that jealousy faded. He also became aware of the difference in how Jiang Xiyun and Hang Zaixing treated their four children.
They treated Hang Xingyue the worst. Back then, Hang Xingwen pitied her. He hadn't been without thoughts of getting along well with her, but Hang Xingyue's attitude was too aloof. Proud and arrogant, once he sensed that, he never actively sought closeness with her again.
Hang Xingwen looked at Hang Zaixing, who in turn looked at his younger son. Hang Xingyu also said, "I sent it too."
Under the gaze of her parents and brothers, Hang Xinghui said with a grimace, "I didn't send it."
Before anyone could look relieved, she added, "But we spoke on the phone yesterday. After listening to Haocheng-ge, I thought what she said about him on the show was too much, so I sided with him and criticized her. I mentioned Xuerong-jie too. I even put the little deer Xuerong-jie gave me on her bedside table."
"That deer wasn't very well made... she was a bit angry..." Hang Xinghui's voice grew smaller and smaller.
Hang Zaixing said, "It seems not a single brain can be found among the whole family. Xiyun, tell me, why do you favor that Xia Xuerong so much?"
His words made Jiang Xiyun's head buzz: "I just thought they were around the same age. Xingyue is always cold and distant when she sees me. Xia Xuerong has a cool demeanor too, but when she sees me, her aura becomes warm... I thought that was better than Xingyue. I even wished she were my daughter."
Hearing Jiang Xiyun's utterly foolish words, Hang Zaixing didn't know what to say anymore and simply rubbed his temples.
In the splendid city of Huacheng, Hang Xingyue chatted with Lin Xi while packing her things. People in the group chat had also started talking, and everyone was having a good conversation. Hang Xingyue went to the bedroom and placed all her jewelry into the spatial storage she had obtained from Chu Qianmo.
Afterwards, she packed a suitcase with clothes and items she frequently wore and used, stored some quilts and similar items in the spatial storage, and after saying goodbye to Aunt Zhang, she left.
Aunt Zhang was very reluctant to see her go. After seeing her off at the door, Aunt Zhang returned to her room, took out her phone, and called the Hang family. The reason she had stayed with the Hang family was her attachment to Hang Xingyue. Now that Hang Xingyue was leaving the Hang household, Aunt Zhang also decided not to stay.
Her grandson had been born a few days ago, and she felt she must go back to help take care of him. If Hang Xingyue ever needed her again in the future, she would come as long as Hang Xingyue called.
Hang Xingyue headed for Nan Province. Before her plane took off, she asked Lin Xi to visit her hometown.
[Entertainment Industry Slacker Control Group Hang Xingyue: That year, a major flood disaster struck my hometown. My parents and I all perished in the floodwaters. I'm afraid not even our remains could be recovered. If possible, Little Xi, could you help buy a cemetery plot for me and my parents and set up a cenotaph?]
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Okay.] Lin Xi agreed. She finally fell asleep. The next morning, she headed to the guesthouse.
Xu Fei and Zhang Xuemin, who had stayed at the guesthouse for two days, were also planning to leave. They had other travel plans, but these two days at Lin Xi's guesthouse had felt like a recharge for both their bodies and minds.
It had been a long time since they had gone to sleep before midnight and woken up at six in the morning. The ample sleep and delicious meals made Xu Fei and Zhang Xuemin reluctant to leave. They exchanged contact information with Lin Xi and booked a room at the guesthouse for June.
By June, the lotus flowers would be in bloom. They believed Lotus Flower Village would be even more beautiful then, and staying there would be even more comfortable.
Their car was parked in the lot outside Lotus Flower Village. Since Lin Xi was heading out anyway, she gave them a ride.
Hang Xingyue's home was in Hongzhou City, near Meng City. Her family lived in a small town by the Xunchang River. It was quite far from Pingyuan City; the drive took two and a half hours.
The Xunchang River was beautiful, a wide, jade-green waterway rushing through the mountains.
The road was built along the riverbank. Driving along, the sound of rushing water was a constant companion.
Beautiful houses had been built along the river, all uniform two-story buildings. The area that had been washed away by the flood had been rebuilt into a memorial square.
Lin Xi was livestreaming. Hang Xingyue, sitting on the plane, broke into uncontrollable sobs the moment Lin Xi entered the town.
She missed her parents terribly. She never wanted to be transmigrated to this era. If possible, she would have preferred to die with them.
Lin Xi checked into a riverside guesthouse. While registering, she chatted with the landlady.
The landlady still had vivid memories of the great flood over a decade ago.
"We hadn't seen such a massive flood here in many, many years. Back then, the Xunchang River overflowed, flooding our area until it looked like a reservoir. So many people from that time are gone."
"Most people in the town now have relocated from the mountains."
"What happened to the original townspeople?" Lin Xi asked.
"Most are gone. Some were swept away by the flood, others were killed by debris in their homes. The soldiers back then searched for many months. Those they found were buried on Xun Mountain. Did you know someone?"
"Yes, I know a girl named Hang Xingyue."
"Oh, I know of her. Her family's story was even in the newspaper back then. When the flood came, her parents put her in a laundry tub and told her to escape on her own. The current was too strong. She was swept far away, but after reaching the shore, she came back."
"But her parents were already gone. She helped the rescue teams search for many people. While saving a young girl, her leg cramped, and she never surfaced again. The little girl she saved is now a soldier. She happens to be home on leave these past couple of days. Would you like to go see her?"
Lin Xi hadn't heard the detailed circumstances of Hang Xingyue's family's deaths before. Hearing it now, she felt deeply saddened.
She said to the landlady, "Let's go see her."
"Then I'll take you." The landlady had nothing pressing to do, so she led Lin Xi through the small town. The townspeople now lived peaceful lives. Some elderly residents sat in small groups by the roadside, chatting. Everyone in the town knew each other. They asked the landlady if Lin Xi was a new tourist.
Upon getting a positive reply, they instantly became enthusiastic, calling out for Lin Xi to visit their shops.
"We rarely get tourists here, so everyone gets very excited when one comes," the landlady explained to Lin Xi. Before Lin Xi could respond, the landlady knocked on the door of a house by the street.
This house had many double-petalled hollyhocks planted on either side of the gate, their pink flowers covering the stems.
A young woman answered the door. She had short, ear-length hair and wore an army-green short-sleeved training uniform. Upon learning Lin Xi was a friend of Hang Xingyue's, she warmly invited Lin Xi inside.
The landlady didn't go in. "Practicing that strange martial art of yours again?"
"It's not a strange martial art. It's called Yishu Thirteen Classics, a physical training method used by the military to strengthen the body," the young woman said, seeing the landlady off.
During this time, a notification appeared in Lin Xi's WeChat group: [System Message: Your message in a bottle has a new reply. Would you like to view it?]
