After being universally criticized online, I went viral on military-themed variety shows.

Chapter 523 Different Stances, You're on My Side
Gong Zhengyu gestured to Que Zhiyun, who was standing obediently behind Que Bingchen and Zhu Heng, quietly listening to the adults.

“You know Xiaoyun’s health. Ever since that accident when she was a child, her body has become much weaker. And this child is also very intelligent. Too much intelligence can be harmful, and over time, her body has become even weaker. Yuan Qingzhuo promised us that if we agree to this deal, he would give us a potion that can repair her physical damage. We haven’t been able to do this all these years, but he, and I think only he, can do it.”

“The stone fetus is precious, but what is even more precious is that your own child is healthy and lives a long life. If you, Shuheng, have a child with Hanying in the future, you should be able to understand how your Uncle Que, Aunt Heng, and I feel right now.”

"I can understand."

The moment those four words were uttered, the atmosphere in the main hall immediately relaxed.

“I knew Shu Heng was a reasonable person and would understand why we made this choice.”

"If you ask me, the Stone Embryo is not so easy to obtain. Even without our Que family's obstruction, Yuan Qingzhuo would have a hard time capturing it."

"Although this stone embryo was born in Que Mountain, it does not belong to our Que family. We don't need to rush to protect and guard it so that it can be born safely. Whether it can be born smoothly depends entirely on its own destiny."

"That's right. Stone bodies are precious, but nothing is more important than one's own family."

"If we could use this transaction to get our hands on and thoroughly understand what's hidden in the underground palace, that would truly benefit many more people."

……

Listening to the various reasons given for accepting the deal, Li Chengxiao lowered his eyes to the tea in his cup, listening quietly.

The hall only quieted down again after Gong Zhengyu patted the armrest of the chair.

“Shu Heng”.

Li Chengxiao looked up and met her gaze. "Please speak."

"Xiaoyun has sorted out almost everything about the things underground in Lan Palace, and I've seen them all; they involve a wide range of things. It was only because you risked your life to follow Yuan Qingzhuo that you were able to discover this stone body and inform our Que family. Also, you and Hanying contributed a lot when you sneaked into Lan Palace at night. I was thinking that the Que family and the Li family should cooperate on research and share the results. What do you think?"

Zhu Heng then added, "I remember when we were in the underground lab, Jingmo was very interested in some of the research there. When it comes to the medical aspects, let him and Xiao Lu take the lead and do a good job of researching them."

Li Chengxiao glanced at the crowd waiting for his response, put down his cup, took out his suddenly vibrating phone, looked at the incoming call display, and simply stood up.

As soon as he stood up, most of the people in the hall subconsciously followed suit.

"Excuse me, I need to go outside to take this call."

"It's Hanying, isn't it? Go on, don't keep that girl waiting too long."

Li Chengxiao came out of the hall and stood below the courtyard before answering the call.

The screen flashed, and a magnified face appeared, with eyes still covered in makeup looking intently through the lens.

Li Chengxiao couldn't help but lean back, lowering his eyes to hide his emotions, "Why are you getting so close?"

Jiang Hanying then pulled her phone further away, narrowed her eyes, and said with certainty, "You're unhappy."

"Hmm? How did you figure that out?"

"You can see it everywhere, and you can feel it too."

"So, let's video chat to confirm?"

"Yes." Jiang Hanying glanced at the background behind him again. "You're at the Que residence?"

"Yes, Madam Gong personally called to invite me over for dinner."

"So, they've agreed to the deal Yuan Qingzhuo proposed?"

Li Chengxiao paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I was wondering why you suddenly seemed a bit down. Wasn't this the choice I expected?"

Facing Jiang Hanying, Li Chengxiao was no longer as composed as before, no matter what he heard in the hall. He sighed softly and lowered his eyes slightly. "Although I had expected it and knew that their choice was based on their own considerations, I still can't help but feel a little... uncomfortable."

“Because of our different stances,” Jiang Hanying said bluntly, her tone utterly matter-of-fact. “You’re on my side, so naturally you don’t want Yuan Qingzhuo’s scheme to go so smoothly. But the Que family is the Que family; they will definitely consider their own interests first, and they don’t understand Yuan Qingzhuo as well as we do.”

Li Chengxiao couldn't help but curl his lips and nod, "That makes sense."

"Do you feel any better now?"

"Yes." It's just that we need to temporarily set aside the feelings we've developed over the years with the Que family and think purely from our own perspectives.

"Furthermore, the Que family plans to cooperate with the Li family to jointly study the things underground in the Lan Palace."

“Then let’s cooperate.” Jiang Hanying nodded indifferently, her voice light. “Although Yuan Qingzhuo didn’t want those things underground in Lan Palace, they seem to be quite valuable. It would be great if you could research them and find some useful results.”

Li Chengxiao was infected by her mood and relaxed, letting himself lean gently against the pillar behind him. He then asked, "Have you finished the medicinal food I brought?"

"I finished it all, not a drop left." "You're so obedient."

"Pei Yuanyue brought the food. I'm going to eat now. I'm not talking to you anymore. See you this afternoon!"

"Okay, see you this afternoon."

The moment he finished speaking, the screen went black.

Li Chengxiao: "..."

The deal he just mentioned between the Que family and Yuan Qingzhuo is probably not as important as this lunch.

Indeed, they always maintain a genuine passion for food!

Seeing the person come back in from outside, everyone in the Que family turned to look at them.

I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw it.

It felt noticeably different from when I went out earlier.

Is this all thanks to that phone call just now?

Gong Zhengyu, however, looked at Li Chengxiao, who had sat back down, and sighed silently in her heart.

Although the child's attitude was noticeably more relaxed than before, there was also a subtle but noticeable distance between them.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Li Chengxiao stated, "The cooperation between the Que family and the Li family will be entirely handled by my brother; I have no intention of getting involved."

“Alright, we can come directly to Jingmo if we need to discuss anything in the future.” With a look that stopped the younger generation who still wanted to say something, Gong Zhengyu stood up first. “It’s getting late, let’s move to the restaurant, it’s time for lunch. Shu Heng, let’s eat before you leave.”

Li Chengxiao originally intended to get up and take his leave, but upon meeting the old man's gaze, he nodded in the end, "Alright."

After lunch, the Que family members, who knew their ancestor's habit of taking a midday nap, gradually dispersed, and the once lively Que residence suddenly became quiet.

Zhu Heng finally found a chance to speak with Li Chengxiao alone, "Shu Heng, I, Xiaoyun, she..."

"Aunt Heng, you don't need to say anything more, I understand."

Zhu Heng grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You and Han Ying must take good care of yourselves. Also, if you plan to go to the Corpse Worm's lair in the future, remember to let us know. Your Uncle Que and I can guide you."

Li Chengxiao glanced down at the location that had just been sent to his phone. "Aunt Heng, I'm going to pick up Hanying."

Zhu Heng then let go of his hand, "Then you should go quickly, don't keep people waiting."

Que Zhiyun fought off her sleepiness and followed the car to the front gate. After watching the car drive out of sight, she turned to look at her parents who had also come out to see her off.

The family of three remained silent for a while before returning to their house together.

Although nothing was said, everyone understood.

After this experience, a rift has formed, and things are no longer the same as before!

*
Jiang Hanying sent her location to her cheap owner only after confirming with the director that they could wrap up in about half an hour.

She was just waiting to finish filming the last scene so that her cheap owner, who had come to pick her up, could leave.

However, even directors sometimes have difficulty controlling how long a scene takes to film.

Half an hour had passed, and Pei Yuan guessed that Instructor Li should have arrived by now. Looking at Sister Hanying who was still filming on set, she simply instructed Yue Zhuo: "Go out and see if Instructor Li has arrived yet. If he has, bring him in and wait for him."

Li Chengxiao followed Yue Zhuo, who came out to pick him up, into the film set and immediately saw Jiang Hanying, who was intently filming in front of the camera.

I walked over to her waiting area, sat down, and watched quietly for a while.

When the director finally yelled "Cut!", the person in the shot lifted her skirt, turned around, and ran happily in one direction.

He couldn't help but look up and see the man throw himself into the arms of the man who had just gotten up without any hesitation. The man caught him with a precise movement.

Immediately afterwards, a chorus of "Wow!"s filled the air.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

After taking a deep breath and looking again, a thought struck me.

Thinking that he still hadn't received a reply after half a day, and that no one had volunteered to help him, he impulsively stood up and walked towards the two people who were holding hands and preparing to leave.

"Please wait a moment, I have a favor to ask."