A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

Chapter 24: Taoist Priest, are you free tonight? [Please continue reading]

Chen Shouyi stood at the very edge, his gaze sweeping over the parade, his expression indifferent.

He had seen many performances in scenic spots, and they were all pretty much the same. However, the costumes for this Flower Goddess Parade were indeed well-made. The Song Dynasty-style jackets were of a very proper cut, and the color scheme was also exquisite. They were not the cheap kind of bright red and green ones.

As the procession reached the center of the street, the number of tourists on both sides increased dramatically.

An older woman holding a selfie stick squeezed in from the side, almost poking Chen Yao's shoulder. Chen Shouyi reached out and blocked the selfie stick. The woman turned around and said, "Sorry," before continuing to push forward.

"Thanks," Chen Yao said softly.

Chen Shouyi nodded.

The parade stopped at the small square in front of Dasongfang.

The twelve flower goddesses stood in a semicircle in the center of the square, with the leading plum blossom goddess walking to the front and beginning to recite the prayers for the flower goddesses.

The sound quality of the loudspeaker was so-so, a bit harsh, but the pronunciation was still fairly decent.

Nazha watched for a while, then suddenly turned to ask, "Taoist Master, if I were to play a flower goddess, how many months would I be able to portray?"

Chen Shouyi glanced at her.

"April Peony".

Nazha paused for a moment, then laughed happily: "Why a peony?"

"The peony is the king of flowers, and it matches your aura better."

Naza laughed even harder, her shoulders shaking.

Jin Chen rolled his eyes from the side: "Daoist Master, why are you praising her like that?"

"What I've said is the truth."

"Then look at me, how many months can I perform?"

Chen Shouyi glanced at Jin Chen, then at the Flower Goddess's procession, and thought for a moment: "June lotus flowers."

Why?

"The lotus rises from the mud, yet remains unstained."

Jin Chen pondered for a moment, feeling that the words seemed to be praising her, but something also seemed off.

Naza chuckled beside her: "Rising from the mud unsullied, Taoist priest, are you saying she's currently in the mud?"

"That's not what I meant."

That's what you mean.

Jin Chen also realized what was happening and gently pushed Nazha, saying, "You're the one who's in the mud."

Chen Yao stood quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on a flower goddess in the flower goddess procession who was wearing a blue jacket.

This flower goddess stood at the very edge, holding a small bouquet of flowers. She only had a few tiny osmanthus blossoms in her hair. She was quiet and unassuming. Compared to the flower goddesses next to her, whose heads were piled high with flowers, she looked as plain as someone who had wandered onto the wrong set.

Jin Chen glanced at the Flower Goddess on the float and clicked his tongue, "This Flower Goddess isn't as pretty as me."

Naza immediately chimed in, "Then why don't you run for office too?"

"They want the goddess of flowers, not an actress."

"Then how do you know the Flower Goddess can't be an actress?"

The two started bickering, exchanging words back and forth, when suddenly Nazha seemed to remember something and turned to look at Jin Chen:

"Hey, great news! Who do you think will become famous first, me or him?"

Jin Chen was taken aback by her abrupt question: "You changed the subject way too fast."

"Just tell me."

Jin Chen crossed his arms and said seriously, "I'll definitely become famous before you, even the Taoist priest said so."

"The Taoist priest said two years, but he didn't specify which year. Maybe I'll be the first."

"You're already famous, can't you give way to me?"

"Mine was black and red, so it doesn't count."

"Black and red are still red."

"So, do you want to be black and red?"

Jin Chen thought for a moment, then honestly shook his head: "Then let's forget about it."

Chen Shouyi listened to their bickering, his lips twitched, but he didn't interrupt.

Chen Yao stood at the very edge, quietly watching the floats. Occasionally, Nazha would tug at his sleeve to act as a referee, but he would just smile and remain silent.

"What about Yaoyao? Daoist Master, which month do you think she'd be suitable to play?" Jin Chen pointed at her.

Chen Shouyi glanced at Chen Yao, then at the Osmanthus Flower Goddess.

"Osmanthus in August".

Why?

"The osmanthus blossoms do not vie for spring's favor, yet they possess their own fragrance." After saying this, Chen Shouyi turned and walked down the steps. "Let's go, the parade is almost over, and it will be difficult to leave later when the crowd disperses."

Chen Yao stood there, watching his back, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

Naza and Jin Chen had already followed them downstairs, but after taking a few steps, they realized Chen Yao hadn't caught up. Naza turned back and called out:

"Yaoyao, let's go."

Chen Yao responded and quickly followed.

The four people circled around the crowd from the side and walked back the way they came. Most tourists were drawn to the main street by the parade, leaving this side street much quieter.

The stone-paved road was bleached white by the afternoon sun, and the faded shop signs hung in front of the shops on both sides, swaying lazily in the wind.

As Jin Chen walked, he suddenly spoke up: "Daoist Master, are you free tonight?"

Chen Shou turned his head to look at her.

"Let's grab a bite to eat together," Jin Chen said casually, as if it were a trivial matter. "Didn't I say I'd treat you to dinner last time? I happen to be free today."

Chen Shouyi glanced at her and said, "I'll go back and check the site setup first. Just send me the location information."

Jin Chen's eyes lit up.

"Okay, I'll arrange the location and send it to you on WeChat."

"Um."

Chen Shouyi nodded, then cupped his hands in greeting to Nazha and Chen Yao: "Esteemed benefactors, this humble Taoist will take his leave now."

"Take care, Taoist priest." Chen Yao bowed slightly.

Naza waved to him: "See you tonight, Taoist priest."

Chen Shouyi turned and walked towards the shed area. Shouzhuo was still there staring at the water feature. He had to go back and check to make sure the arrangements for tomorrow were okay.

After taking a few steps, I heard Nazha's excited voice behind me.

"I want to go too!"

Naza had already moved closer to Jin Chen, putting her elbow on Jin Chen's shoulder.

Jin Chen gave her a disgruntled look and shook her arm off his shoulder:

"What are you going to do? This is a private time for me and the Taoist priest."

"What do you mean, 'just the two of us'?" Nazha completely ignored her refusal, putting her arm back on Chen Yao and pulling her along. "We're just here to give you some support, understand? Right, Yao Yao?"

Chen Yao pointed to himself with a blank expression: "Uh, huh?"

Nazha casually put her hand on her shoulder: "Yeah, didn't you tell me you had a lot of questions you wanted to ask the Taoist priest? Health preservation, fortune telling, isn't this perfect?"

Chen Yao opened her mouth, wanting to say, "When did I say that?", but swallowed the words back. She was indeed quite curious about the Taoist priest, but she had never been too shy to approach him.

She glanced at the look Nazha was giving her, but ultimately didn't contradict her, giving a vague "hmm".

Jin Chen snorted at Nazha's matter-of-fact attitude, then turned and left.

"Hey, don't rush off!" Nazha quickly caught up with her, her floral skirt swaying with each step. "Tell us where we're going to eat so we can order in advance."

"Who's talking to you about 'we'?"

"You, me, Yaoyao, and the Taoist priest, the four of us, what else could we be but 'us'?"

"I only invited a Taoist priest."

"Can't the Taoist priest bring two friends?"

"..."

"Nazha, can you please stop interfering in my affairs?"

"I'm doing this to help you."

"What did you do to help me?"

"I've invited Yaoyao along too, it'll be more fun with more people."

"I don't need any excitement."

"you need to."

Chen Yao, walking behind, finally couldn't help but whisper, "Actually... I'm not hungry."