LOI Chapter 63 — Ancestral Blessings

Jin Qiulan and her husband left by plane the next day. Rong Ke didn’t see them off, but he bought them business class tickets, fulfilling his duty as a host.

Before takeoff, Jin Qiulan sent Rong Ke a message: [I don’t know if we’ll meet again. I hope you have a wonderful life, a successful career, and happiness every day. If you want to visit your father, his address is: North Mountain Cemetery, No. X, X Road, X City.]

Rong Ke stared at the message, lost in thought. He had many questions and much to say, but in the end, he simply replied: [Okay.]

After the holiday, Rong Ke’s first job was shooting SPL’s New Year campaign. The photos would be published in MQ Magazine’s inner pages, so MQ was fully responsible for the shoot.

Early that morning, Rong Ke and Yan Zhi arrived at the familiar MQ office.

SPL’s styling team took Rong Ke to the makeup room, while Yan Zhi, who only came to accompany him, was pulled into a planning meeting by Editor-in-Chief Chen Wen. She claimed that with the approaching New Year, the employees were getting lazy and urgently needed “Yan Wang” to whip them into shape.

Rong Ke changed into a well-fitted deep red suit. When he first received it, he thought SPL had finally produced a normal style. To his surprise, the stylist handed him a bright red, tight-fitting sheer shirt to wear underneath.

After a moment’s hesitation, Rong Ke put it on. After all, provocative was SPL’s signature. Wearing a white dress shirt underneath would have been the odd choice.

As the shoot began, Yan Zhi returned from his meeting.

He stood beside the photographer, occasionally guiding Rong Ke’s gaze. But barely ten minutes into the shoot, everyone noticed something off about Rong Ke’s state.

“Teacher Rong, try to move around more,” the photographer gently suggested. “After I press the shutter, you can change your pose. Don’t maintain the same position.”

“Sorry,” Rong Ke said. “Let’s continue.”

It wasn’t that Rong Ke didn’t know how to pose, but the photographer was being too polite, giving him almost no direction. The studio fell silent except for the sound of the shutter, and as the shoot progressed, Rong Ke found his mind wandering.

After a few more minutes with Rong Ke still out of sorts, Yan Zhi decided to intervene. “Let’s take a break,” he announced.

He then gestured for Rong Ke to follow him.

They went to the stairwell outside the office. Few people rarely go to this place, but it was occasionally used by MQ employees for smoke breaks.

After confirming the stairwell was empty, Yan Zhi asked, “What’s wrong today? You keep zoning out, which isn’t like you.”

“I don’t know,” Rong Ke frowned, upset at holding up the work. “It’s just that when the flash goes off, I keep thinking about…”

He paused before continuing, “About my father dying alone in a foreign land, without any family by his side.”

Yan Zhi sighed, pulling Rong Ke into an embrace. “I knew you hadn’t let it go.”

“Do you think my grandmother guessed something happened to my father? Or did she always hold onto hope, believing he was living well somewhere?”

The questions without answers were the most regrettable. These past few days, Rong Ke kept wondering: if people go to another world after death, did his grandmother and father reunite there?

“You can tell her,” Yan Zhi said. “Let’s visit the grave tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Rong Ke lifted his head from Yan Zhi’s shoulder, stepping back slightly to look at him. “Or would you be willing to meet my father with me?”

Even if Jin Qiulan hadn’t mentioned it, Rong Ke would have asked. After all, matters with his mother were settled, but those concerning his father remained full of regret.

“Of course,” Yan Zhi said. “But today, focus on your work first.”

Rong Ke nodded.

Yan Zhi kissed his forehead. “Alright, let’s go back.”

An MQ employee who saw this scene through the fire door quickly returned to the office with their cigarette.

[MQ Slacker Squad]

[Oh my god, I just saw Yan Wang comforting his wife in the stairwell. How can he be so gentle? It must be an illusion!]

[What happened to his wife? Why does he need comforting? /popcorn]

[I heard the shoot next door isn’t going smoothly. RK’s not in the right state.]

[Did you hear how Yan Wang comforted him? It’s hard to imagine anything nice coming out of his mouth.]

[Couldn’t hear, but the couple was so lovey-dovey. Yan Wang was holding RK and kissed his forehead. I thought I was seeing things.]

[Public display of affection in broad daylight, they should be beaten to death.]

[You go ahead, I don’t dare.]

[Real-time update from next door: Yan Wang’s wife is back on track.]

[Damn, I want a husband to comfort me, kiss me, encourage me. I don’t want to work anymore TT]

[Never want to work every day.]

[Never want to work +1]

Back at the studio, Rong Ke was much more focused.

It wasn’t that he had let go of his father’s issues in those few minutes, but rather that Yan Zhi began giving him constant directions, adjusting his gaze and poses. He had no time to think about anything beyond work.

When the shoot finally wrapped, the photographer repeatedly thanked Yan Zhi, and a certain slacker group chat buzzed with activity once more.

[As soon as Yan Wang started directing, RK’s state improved. They’re a perfect match, I’m telling you.]

[Looks like RK really relies on Yan Wang. What were those RongYan shippers thinking before?]

[What does this have to do with reliance? Who says the top can’t rely on someone else?]

[…]

Behind-the-scenes footage was uploaded to the ZhiKe Syrup super topic, quickly surpassing the currently popular Zhou-Qin CP in popularity.

Zhou Lin messaged Rong Ke: [Can’t you two tone it down a bit? Give other CPs a chance to breathe.]

Rong Ke couldn’t reply immediately as he was on the way to North Mountain Cemetery when he received the message.

North Mountain Cemetery was situated near the sea. The cemetery was quiet, with only occasional bird calls and the sound of waves crashing against rocks.

After inquiring about Rong Chao’s headstone location at the cemetery office, Rong Ke spotted the moss-covered grave. Rong Ke was mentally prepared, but the sight still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Jin Qiulan probably rarely visited her ex-husband’s grave. While neighboring graves had flowers or offerings, Rong Chao’s was bare. Even the photo on the headstone was covered in dust.

Rong Ke wiped the photo without saying a word and stared at it for a while before turning to Yan Zhi. “Do you think I look like him?”

“You do,” Yan Zhi tilted his head, studying the photo. “You both have very expressive faces.”

Yan Zhi’s comment broke the gloomy mood. Rong Ke chuckled, “What, thinking of booking him for a magazine shoot?”

“If I’d been born twenty years earlier,” Yan Zhi said thoughtfully, “it might not have been impossible.”

“Stop eyeing my dad,” Rong Ke warned. “He’s not suited for your gay circle.”

“‘Your’ gay circle?” Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow, hooking an arm around Rong Ke’s neck from behind. “Who are you referring to?”

“Okay, stop messing around,” Rong Ke brushed off Yan Zhi’s arm. “I need to burn some money for my dad.”

Rong Ke was not sure how often Jin Qiulan visited, but he figured his father probably wasn’t living comfortably in the afterlife.

He bought a thick stack of joss paper¹, each denominated in units of 100 million.

“Old man, I’m sorry you’ve suffered. You won’t have to live poorly anymore,” Rong Ke said, burning paper money in a metal bucket. “Buy yourself some good food and clothes, and don’t forget to find Grandma. She must have been looking for you.”

“They’re so far apart, can they find each other?” Yan Zhi copied Rong Ke, tossing a wad of paper money into the bucket. He threw in too much, causing a large plume of black smoke.

“Cough, cough. That’s not how you burn money. You do it bit by bit,” Rong Ke frowned, stepping back. “Burning too fast shows lack of sincerity.”

“That’s a misunderstanding.” Yan Zhi obediently slowed down. “Have you thought about bringing your dad home?”

Rong Ke paused. “Home?”

“Chinese customs don’t dictate that one must be buried where they die, right?” Yan Zhi said. “Why not bring your dad back to your grandma? They’d surely meet then.”

“You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?” Rong Ke considered the possibility. “Jin Qiulan probably wouldn’t object.”

“Mm, it’d be easier for you to visit him too.”

Not just easier, but it would also allow Rong Ke to finally put this matter to rest.

In a lighter mood, he turned to the photo on the tombstone and said, “What do you think of the daughter-in-law I found for you?”

“Son-in-law²,” Yan Zhi corrected. “The ‘son’ in ‘son-in-law’.”

The relocation of the grave wasn’t a complicated process, yet oddly enough, there wasn’t a single suitable day for ground-breaking during that period. Rong Ke himself didn’t mind, but the staff at North Mountain Cemetery were incredibly superstitious, insisting that he consult the almanac and cautioning him against carelessly moving Rong Chao’s urn.

Fortunately, an auspicious day eventually presented itself, and Rong Ke managed to relocate Rong Chao’s grave next to his grandmother’s before the New Year, finally putting this matter to rest.

“I’ll visit you both again during Qingming Festival. Remember to bless my career,” Rong Ke bowed to their tombstones before leaving.

Yan Zhi found it strange. “Isn’t blessing people the job of Bodhisattvas?”

“Deceased elders in the family can do it too,” Rong Ke said. “You foreign devil still have a lot to learn.”

“I’m not very interested in superstitious things,” Yan Zhi remarked.

Just as he finished speaking, Yan Zhi’s phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

He checked it, and the next second, his eyes widened in disbelief. “Director Jiang says ‘Express’ has been selected for the main competition at the Sand Harbor Film Festival.”

“See, what did I tell you?” Rong Ke grinned. “There’s some mysticism in the traditions our ancestors passed down.”

Yan Zhi still couldn’t quite believe it, but the facts before him were undeniable. “You’ve been nominated for Best Actor.”

“Really?” Rong Ke was somewhat surprised. “It means they’ve accepted Director Jiang’s eccentric style, otherwise they wouldn’t have recognized my acting.”

“Exactly,” Yan Zhi said. “We don’t have to worry about the film’s distribution now.”

“Of course,” Rong Ke said, in high spirits. “What caliber is the Sand Harbor Film Festival? Each of those judges is an accomplished master. Just being shortlisted and nominated is already quite impressive.”

“Mm-hmm.” Yan Zhi, still looking at his phone screen, added, “Oh, and I’ve been nominated for Best New Actor.”

Rong Ke: “?”

Are those judges okay?