The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul

In the fabric store, Jing Yu stood beside Tang Shu, watching his girlfriend eagerly selecting fabrics, wanting to say something but stopping. Actually, he wanted to... but four pieces were already more than enough.

Forget it, it's just the beginning; the future is long.

"How about this red one? It looks festive; on the way here, my mom reminded me to choose something bright."

"Too bright, maybe try something else?"

Someone wearing a brighter red than him at his own engagement party? Not even mom could endure that.

"How about this one?"

Tang Shu picked a sky-blue fabric with patterns.

"This one is nice, they will definitely like it."

An hour later, the two came out of the fabric store, making quite the haul.

"My dad's flight is at noon today... oh, Uncle Jing is personally going to pick him up from the airport?!"

After getting in the car, Tang Shu saw the message in the parents' group, which Ms. Xie had set up in person the day before. As for her, of course, she saw news about herself when she took out her phone, but... who cares?

Tang Shu never thought about surpassing her ancestors, let alone wondering if it was necessary.

No need at all, just be yourself.

Jing Yu chuckled, "It's been many years since they've seen each other, whether it's the past friendship or the present, he should go to the airport to pick him up."

"Is Uncle Jing so idle lately? He's been at home for several days, right?"

"Relax, his holidays are too many to count."

They just temporarily pulled an unfortunate soul from vacation to replace him for a short while at his daily work.

"So, should we head over now?"

"No need, old friends might catch up for a long time, it's better not to disturb them."

Indeed, they did catch up for so long that by the evening at Palm Pavilion, the big shots were nowhere in sight, and the people waiting for dinner received a message after half a day.

Ms. Xie almost smashed the coffee table in the living room out of anger.

"Those two are something, aren't they? Went to the Han Family without saying a word! Even said they were staying over at their place?!"

Add their ages together, and they're almost a hundred, yet still so unreliable. Were they planning to corrupt the children?

Mrs. Lin seemed quite open about it, waving her hand to calm her, "Don't mind it, it must be Old Tang's idea, that's his character. Let's eat our own, come on, eat!"

Thankfully, today wasn't the scheduled family dinner.

Tang Shu saw her mother's familiar ease and couldn't help but pull at her mouth. Honestly, mom, the reason you divorced dad must be because you couldn't stand certain habits, right?

***

"Legendary Jiayue" officially premiered during the summer, with the first episode achieving a rating of 4.6, occupying seven out of the top ten trending topics.

This star-studded TV series brought a lot of anticipation from audiences, making many wait eagerly in front of their TVs before the premiere, even those who weren't typically TV fans joined the excitement.

After airing, one character after another, the brilliant fighting styles, and what seemed like a fairyland... oh no, it was a fairyland background that thrilled everyone.

Airing for three consecutive days during prime time laid the foundation for its ratings, and the show's buzz continued to rise.

["Feng Yan Still Charismatic"]

["Feng Yan's Leading Actress Presence"]

["Best Actor and Actress Together, Truly Enjoyable to Watch!"]

...

Apart from various websites pushing news about "Legendary Jiayue," there were endless clips on short-video platforms, perfectly achieving promotional goals.

With six episodes to establish the story, netizens have already basically declared this drama the best of the year.

"As expected from the pros, the ratings say it all!"

"Feng Yan's looks are truly stunning, and all the others are acting well; wow, missing a day makes me uneasy!"

"The actors' skills are indeed impressive, and the special effects are quite good, probably top-notch?"

Praised heavily by netizens, their expectations grew day by day.

As the episodes continued to air over a week, new critiques started to emerge for the series.

"The fighting scenes seem a bit underwhelming, to be honest. Every move is too elegant, and do we really need to cut to actors' faces every time?!"

"Little flaws, little flaws, we have to tolerate little flaws... okay, yes, the fight scenes are a bit lacking, but it's a fantasy drama, God fights should be big moves."

"Too many characters; it's hard to keep track with so many stars. Honestly, feels a bit indistinct."

As the story progressed, viewers, having adjusted to the initial shock, began noticing the shortcomings in the plot, fight scenes, and character development.

Due to the drama's popularity, Starshine Media finally had a breather, at least the public opinion about Tang Shu had simmered down, and everything seemed perfect aside from some disgruntled administrators.

"Perfect? What's perfect?!"

Receiving the engagement news, Luo Lin felt she was nearing a breakdown.

"Little ancestor, you're only 21 this year, just at the legal age for marriage, and you're engaged already? Do you know the average marriage age in our industry is over 40?"

"You might as well say half of them have a no-marriage belief."

"Grateful you know that much."

Luo Lin felt hopeless, "Don't tell me I'll be hearing about your wedding soon, I beg you."

"..."

"What does your silence mean? Explain, clearly!"

"Ahem, this hasn't been discussed yet, don't worry, getting angry hurts your health."

Inside Palm Pavilion, Tang Shu, preparing for the two families' meeting, was clearly a bit short of breath because Ms. Xie, sitting on the living room sofa, was already eagerly suggesting the best month for a wedding.

Even though Ms. Lin objected, the tone of her voice revealed that her stance wasn't very firm.

Luo Lin let out a wail, having lost hope, "Can I still switch to supporting someone else now?"

Tang Shu was surprised, "I thought you'd already switched?"

"..."

This conversation can't continue today, see you in debt!

"Congratulations on your engagement. If there's any wedding candy, bring some next time; I'm sure they'd love it."

"Thank you."

Tang Shu accepted the well-wishes from her friend, who spoke against her heart. After hanging up, she turned and looked behind her; both sets of parents were dressed in new clothes and looked very spirited.

But...

"I think my dad is so happy purely because he hasn't seen Uncle Jing for so long."

Having been subjected to countless side glances in just one week, Jing Yu agreed completely, "That guess is probably spot on."

Hopefully, his mother can win over Mrs. Lin again!

Ten minutes later, the simple engagement dinner started. Rather than calling it an engagement dinner, it was more like a small gathering - a six-person gathering where even Xu Qianyun wasn't present.

The engagement rings were already securely on the hands of the two involved, with no need for formal procedures.