Hermit in the Mountains

Many celebrities in the courtyard are still playing a game of guessing movie and TV show titles from pictures.

The surrounding film crews had already quietly turned off their cameras, and all the fixed camera equipment in the vicinity had been shut down.

The director confiscated all the staff's cell phones.

He Jiong led Gu Changsheng and the other two into the courtyard and stood not far away watching the celebrities playing games.

As Gu Changsheng looked at the dozens of familiar celebrities in front of him, his feelings did not change much. In the past, he felt a natural distance from celebrities because of filters and screens, and thought that celebrities were unattainable beings.

Gu Changsheng looked at the celebrities chatting and laughing in front of him. In his eyes, they didn't seem like celebrities now, but more like a group of ordinary people striving for their dreams, for life, and for fame and fortune.

He thought to himself, "What's the difference between celebrities and ordinary people anyway?"

After Gu Changsheng finished his remark, he realized that a certain mirror deep within his heart seemed to have shattered.

The childhood dreams, aspirations, and fantasies of idolizing celebrities fulfill their purpose at this moment, and one's state of mind is elevated.

Gu Changsheng noticed that his perception had become clearer, as if a layer of dust had been wiped away, and his view of the world became much clearer.

The childhood obsession hidden deep in his heart is also a kind of entanglement between him and the world.

My childhood obsession with idols was erased at this moment.

Gu Changsheng clearly guessed Zhang Tianhu's test, so why did he still go down the mountain? One reason was to fulfill his childhood obsession.

Secondly, I wanted to go down the mountain to see the changes outside. Once I got down the mountain, I would have gained something, as the spiritual energy was spreading towards the urban area.

Thirdly, it's to show the higher-ups my stance: I understand your probing tactics, and I've joined them. I just want to stay in the mountains to cultivate myself and don't want to concern myself with outside affairs.

Gu Changsheng stood at a distance watching the people playing games in front of him. Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched and a smile appeared on his lips. The person he was waiting for had arrived.

Zhang Tianhu arrived at the Xiaohe Suiyue Courtyard half an hour later. He walked into the courtyard alone and headed to where Gu Changsheng was.

When Gu Changsheng heard the person behind him stop, he didn't turn around, but greeted them softly, "Director Zhang, you've arrived."

"You did a good job preparing this play. Thank you for your hard work."

"Let's take down the stage. With so many celebrities here, how can you possibly prevent them all? There will always be some fearless individuals who manage to sneak in and take pictures."

"It would be better to use this energy to send people to set up more observation points in the deep mountains and seas."

Zhang Tianhu had just stood still and was about to greet them when he heard Gu Changsheng recognize him without even turning his head, and point out that they were being tested.

He thought to himself, 'No wonder he's the most mysterious person, the first to discover the revival of spiritual energy; he possesses methods unknown to others.'

He Jiong was pulled back a few steps by the National Spirit Bureau personnel next to him without anyone noticing, and Yang Dashan and the other person also took a few steps back.

Zhang Tianhu stood next to Gu Changsheng and nodded in response, "Mr. Gu is right, I have learned a lot."

He tentatively asked, "Since Mr. Gu is already here, would you like to go over and say hello, or call a few people over to meet him?"

Zhang Tianhu, seeing this as a rare opportunity, still tentatively asked a question, even if it was just to get some comments on a celebrity, it would be an unexpected gain.

Gu Changsheng remained calm and casually recited four names, "Have Teacher He bring Hu Ge, Liu Tianxian, and Deng Jiu'er over."

"I'll meet them at the gate." With that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Zhang Tianhu instructed He Jiong to call someone to the courtyard gate, and then he followed Gu Changsheng outside.

Yang Dashan and Zhang Yuanfu followed silently.

Hu Ge, Meng Tianmei, and Deng Jiu'er looked at each other with puzzled expressions, trying to understand what was going on, and followed He Jiong toward the courtyard gate.

At the courtyard gate, Zhang Tianhu saw He Jiong and the other three approaching, raised his hand to signal them, and introduced Gu Changsheng, "This is Mr. Gu."

Hu Ge, Meng Tianmei, and Deng Jiu'er noticed He Jiong's meaningful glances.

The three men, seeing Gu Changsheng's strange attire, greeted him, "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu..."

Gu Changsheng's gaze swept over the three of them, then landed on He Jiong. "The four of you should spend more time in the countryside. The fresh air from being close to nature is good for your health."

He didn't say it explicitly, but whether the four of them could seize the opportunity depended on their individual fates. This was also a way of giving his childhood self an explanation.

After saying this, Gu Changsheng looked at Zhang Tianhu and bid him farewell, "Director Zhang, I'm going back to the mountain. You can contact Yuanfu if you need anything."

"Mr. Gu, let me see you off." Zhang Tianhu raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

On the bridge leading into the village, Gu Changsheng waved to Zhang Yuanfu and Zhang Tianhu, indicating that they didn't need to see him off. He then took Yang Dashan back to Changsheng Peak.

When Zhang Yuanfu saw his car arrive, he greeted Zhang Tianhu and prepared to leave. "Director Zhang, I have some things to take care of. Please contact me by phone if needed."

"See you later, Mr. Zhang!" Zhang Tianhu waved and watched Zhang Yuanfu's vehicle leave.

As the vehicle drove away, Zhang Tianhu's smile vanished, and he turned and strode towards the courtyard of bygone days.

Upon arriving at the courtyard gate, Zhang Tianhu instructed his men to inform Huaying Group that the project was terminated, that they would handle the variety show filming content themselves, and that all staff members should evacuate Xiahe Village by the end of the day.

After giving instructions, he looked at He Jiong and the other three people three meters away and said, "You four come with me."

The four men sat in the Tiger off-road military vehicle with blank expressions. Zhang Tianhu's aura was too strong, and they didn't dare to speak the whole way.

Two kilometers away, at a temporary base of the National Spirit Bureau, inside a tent, Zhang Tianhu handed four confidentiality agreements to He Jiong and his three companions. "You four, sign these confidentiality agreements."

"You must not reveal to anyone what happened during your meeting with Mr. Gu today, nor to any of the words he said to you."

"If anyone asks you who you met today or what you said, call me at the number above." With that, Zhang Tianhu handed a business card to the four men.

The four of them didn't know what Gu Changsheng meant, but Zhang Tianhu did.

The idea that being close to nature and having fresh air is good for your health is essentially saying that living in the countryside will provide you with spiritual nourishment, which is beneficial to your health.

But he also sensed something was off about Gu Changsheng's words.

There must be some secret he doesn't know, otherwise why would Gu Changsheng only call out He Jiong, Hu Ge, Liu Tianxian, and Deng Jiu'er?

He Jiong and his three companions looked bewildered, thinking to themselves, "We meet one person, hear one sentence, and now we have to sign a confidentiality agreement again."

The four of them returned to the courtyard still dazed, only to see staff members dismantling equipment. The variety show had ended so abruptly, what an absurd day.

Three hours after Gu Changsheng left, all the equipment, staff, and guests participating in the variety show left the courtyard, leaving only a few law enforcement officers from the National Spirit Bureau on duty.

Zhang Tianhu directly converted the Suiyue Courtyard into an office space for connecting with Gu Changsheng, which is a shameful waste.

A statement from China Film Group has caused a huge uproar online; the statement contained only one sentence.

The "Years in the Courtyard" project was terminated due to uncontrollable factors.

There was no explanation, it was simply ignored, and after a few days no one paid any attention to it anymore.