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On the day Chu Yao’s episode aired, he and Jiang Beibei booked a hotel room to watch it alone together, avoiding family and friends.
Qin Yuan complained in the group chat: “How come things are so different for Chu Yao?!”
Tang Xizhou chimed in: “Today, I’m siding with Yuan. You two are going too far—how dare you hog all the fun?”
Song Lang chuckled: “Come on, understand them. They’re getting engaged tomorrow. Let’s be considerate and give the couple some private time to say goodbye to their single lives.”
Qin Yuan shot back: “What nonsense about Big Song’s cat! Saying goodbye to single life means taking Yao out for drinks!”
Yan Qingming interjected: “Stop wasting breath—they’re not coming back anyway. Let’s disperse.”
At that moment, a notification popped up in the main group. Captain Yao issued an invitation: “Kids, come over to my place to watch TV and join the Chu Yao Roast Session! Food and drinks will be served, and there’ll even be gifts!”
“I’m in!” Qin Yuan eagerly signed up. “I’m definitely winning first place in today’s roast session!”
“Let’s go!” Tang Xizhou said. “We’ll be there soon.”
Chu Yao turned off his phone and took out all his cards from his wallet, lining them up neatly on the bed for Jiang Beibei to see.
“I’ve changed the linked phone numbers for these two cards,” Chu Yao explained. “You can use them for online payments. The salary card—you can withdraw from it freely. All of this will eventually belong to you, whether you remember or not—it’s not much.”
Jiang Beibei nodded.
“This card has a credit limit I’ve been building for years. Use it if you need to buy something big.” Chu Yao pushed another card toward her and pointed at the remaining ones. “These are all my current assets. I see you don’t use them much, so I’ll keep managing them for now.”
He pulled out a file folder and extracted several documents. “These are investment products. This one matures in June this year, and this one next year. The amounts aren’t small—take a look. The rest are insurance policies.”
“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Beibei nodded again.
“All of this is mine—a basic overview of my finances,” Chu Yao continued. “My parents don’t need money right now—I give them separate allowances, which aren’t included here. Additionally, there’s a share for Grandma in this card. Hold onto it for now. If the day comes when it’s needed, remember there’s money on it.”
“Okay.”
“I noticed you don’t pay much attention to investments, so you probably only have your salary and corresponding state benefits.”
“My parents and grandma do,” Jiang Beibei replied. “Money isn’t an issue.”
Chu Yao smiled. “Right. So, that’s everything before marriage. Once we resolve the biggest issues, we’ll go register. The notarization you applied for last time should still be under review, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“The assets I’m gifting you—remember to get them notarized as well.”
“Got it.”
After finishing his explanation, Chu Yao carefully reviewed everything again to ensure nothing was missed. Finally, he nodded with relief. “Alright, no problems. That’s the total value of my assets: one property fully renovated (you’ve already seen it), one car, and my job—that’s it.”
Jiang Beibei scribbled calculations on a piece of paper, adding up the totals, then happily nodded. She also factored in her own salary. “So, starting next month, it’s like I’ll be earning double my monthly income, plus the money you’re gifting me…”
“Mm-hmm.”
“For large sums, you’ll still manage them.”
“Correct.”
Jiang Beibei hesitated. “Control over finances… I thought you’d hand it all over to me.”
“If I did, these would just be numbers,” Chu Yao said. “You can’t rely on them sitting in the bank and magically multiplying. But if you really want full control over our finances, I can hand it over. I know you wouldn’t bankrupt me.”
“In that case, you handle it,” Jiang Beibei decided. “Managing money sounds exhausting.”
Chu Yao teased her. “You truly understand me.”
“Let’s move on to the next topic,” Jiang Beibei asked. “Where will we live?”
“You definitely don’t want to move away—I know that much.”
“So…?”
“My parents will move out, and you’ll stay at my place,” Chu Yao said. “That way, we’ll be closer to Grandma, making it easier to take care of her.”
“But…” Jiang Beibei frowned. “I don’t want your parents to move out either.”
“How far will they really go?” Chu Yao smirked. “They’re eager to move back to East Mountain. Once they leave, we’ll go pick out a new double bed.”
“Still…” Jiang Beibei hesitated. “It feels like… by talking like this, it’s as if you’re kicking your parents out after marrying me.”
Chu Yao burst into laughter. “Exactly. Why don’t you go home and try to convince them to stay? If they refuse, I’ll move in with you.”
As The People Around Us episode began, the familiar group photo appeared again. Chu Yao suggested, “Let’s take another group photo during the engagement ceremony tomorrow.”
“Great idea!”
Chu Yao asked further: “What are you wearing tomorrow?”
“The little cocktail dress I bought.”
“Here’s a gift for you.” Chu Yao magically pulled out a small box from somewhere. “Earrings.”
Inside were a pair of white pearl earrings—round, lustrous, and beautifully colored.
Jiang Beibei accepted them with delight. “They’re beautiful!”
“I figured pearls would go with anything,” Chu Yao said. “If they match your outfit tomorrow, even better.”
“I’ll take them! Absolutely!” Jiang Beibei nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll shamelessly accept them as the last gift from you as my boyfriend. Agreed? From now on, we won’t be overly sentimental about exchanging gifts.”
“Deal.”
While the two of them exchanged sweet words, everyone else gathered at Chu Yao’s house for the roast session.
When the screen showed footage of Chu Yao working—specifically sewing up the severely damaged head of a suicide victim—the narrator provided context.
Qin Yuan spoke seriously: “I originally wanted to roast him, but I can’t find any flaws.”
Mr. Chu chimed in: “There’s still something—he could improve his stitching technique.”
Professional Yan Qingming suppressed a laugh. “Uncle Chu, stop nitpicking. His hands are steady enough.”
Mrs. Chu sighed: “…Sigh, my son works so hard. It’s hard to criticize him for being serious. Complaining about his dedication doesn’t feel right. Having nothing to roast makes me uncomfortable.”
This episode was exceptionally well-made. Huang Yuandao’s efforts to promote death education were evident throughout. The tone remained calm and matter-of-fact, discussing how funeral workers viewed their jobs, the challenges they faced due to their profession, and their hopes for future development.
In the second half, the focus shifted to innovation and education. Through examples, interviews with staff, and Chu Yao’s three-minute speech at an international conference about the current state of China’s funeral industry, viewers gained a fresh perspective on the field.
“We’ve always strived to keep up with the times,” Chu Yao said. “Finding balance between tradition and innovation is crucial for development. Helping the public understand and accept these professions—and approach death with a normal mindset—is an essential part of progress.”
Song Lang praised: “This episode is excellent!”
Huang Yuandao responded: “Thank you. We’re aiming to submit it for awards. The station values it highly. Initially, it was rushed. When Beibei mentioned wanting to film this topic, I proposed it, and the planning draft was ready within a week. Filming took another week. Later, when the executives reviewed the rough cut, they decided to refine it. Damn, I had to coordinate with the funeral home again and send a camera crew to reshoot for half a month. Even during the New Year holidays, post-production didn’t stop. Thankfully, the final product turned out well.”
“You reshot parts of it?”
“The conference footage was provided by Chu Yao, and I added some shots too,” Huang Yuandao explained. “Wait until you see the ending.”
Chu Yao heated up an instant hot pot and brought it over to eat with Jiang Beibei. As the program neared its conclusion, Chu Yao let out a soft “Ah” and chuckled.
Jiang Beibei, munching on spicy potato strips, glanced at the screen. “What’s so funny?”
At the end of the program, a vertical smartphone recording appeared onscreen—low resolution, showing Chu Yao in a black trench coat stepping out of a car and turning toward the camera when someone called him.
A caption read: Additional footage recorded by staff.
Huang Yuandao’s voice came through: “Chu Yao, let me interview you.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you have a girlfriend now?”
“Yes, I confessed successfully.” Chu Yao asked, “Is this for the show?”
“Yes. Who’s your girlfriend?”
“It’s Jiang Beibei.” Chu Yao smiled.
“Is Jiang Beibei the person you mentioned liking in a previous interview?”
“Yes.” Chu Yao nodded. “It’s her.”
“Would you mind sharing the details of your confession?”
Chu Yao recalled: “It happened before the New Year. Encouraged by my brothers and spurred on by competition, I decided to confess. I prepared myself for rejection—but I succeeded.”
“Where did it happen?”
“At an amusement park.”
“What did you say during the confession?”
“…My feelings for you won’t change, and my love for you will only grow stronger. I’ll always be your brother, but also your lover.” After recalling, Chu Yao quietly added, “I hope I got that right. Otherwise, airing this could cause trouble.”
Huang Yuandao paused for a moment before asking: “What did you do after confessing?”
“…We rode the Ferris wheel together, and I gave her my salary card.”
“One last question: When do you plan to marry Jiang Beibei?”
“This year.” Chu Yao replied. “We’re getting engaged in April. Remember to come.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Chu Yao smiled, his low-resolution image somehow emphasizing his charm.
Jiang Beibei exclaimed: “Wow, Yuandao really went all out for ratings!”
“Mm-hmm.” Chu Yao said. “Now it’s witnessed by millions of viewers. Did I get the confession line right?”
Jiang Beibei hesitated. “…Didn’t I confess to you?”
“You?” Chu Yao asked, surprised. “What did you confess?”
“That I wanted Yao Ge to see me as a woman.”
“…”
Chu Yao: “So that was the confession?!”
He was shocked again. “You thought you confessed first?”
Jiang Beibei nodded vigorously. “Of course! I said it first, and then you responded to my confession.”
“I thought…” Chu Yao said, “I said it first, and you answered with a kiss.”
Both fell silent for a few seconds. Jiang Beibei finally asked: “So… did we just accidentally stumble into a relationship?”
Chu Yao rubbed his forehead. “…Thankfully, luck was on our side.”
Thankfully, they hadn’t misunderstood each other and missed their chance due to confusion.
Jiang Beibei said: “Chu Yao, today’s the last day as boyfriend and girlfriend. Tomorrow, we’ll officially end our dating phase!”
“Mm-hmm.” Chu Yao replied. “Let’s celebrate tonight.”
Jiang Beibei rubbed her hands together. “How do we celebrate?”
“It’s up to you.”
“Hehe, then I won’t hold back.” Jiang Beibei pulled out a set of lingerie from her bag. “Before you officially become my husband, let’s finish this with one last bang!”
Chu Yao stared at the scraps of fabric and chuckled. “I bow to your creativity.”
“You’d better cherish this opportunity.” Jiang Beibei said. “It’s hard for flat-chested girls to find suitable sexy lingerie!”
“I appreciate the effort.” Chu Yao picked her up. “I’ll definitely treasure it.”
________________________________________
After the program ended, everyone dispersed. After bidding farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Chu, they returned to their respective homes.
Song Lang was walking downstairs with Big Miao when he suddenly spotted a shadow peeking through the hollowed-out bars of the newly installed anti-theft door. He shouted, “Who’s there? Who are you looking for?”
The shadow hurriedly left.
Tang Xizhou opened the door, but the courtyard was empty. “Tsk. Which girl is this, wandering around so late at night? What if something happens to her outside? Coming here every day, every day—am I some minor celebrity? Is it worth it?”
“Looked like a guy,” Song Lang frowned. “Sneaky, peering inside.”
Tang Xizhou laughed. “Oh? Do I have male fans now?”
“You never know,” Song Lang said. “These days, weirdos come in all genders.”
Qin Yuan leaned over the third-floor railing and remarked, “Installing this anti-theft door was a wise move. Once my episode airs, you’ll all be thanking this door.”
Tang Xizhou chuckled. “Yuan, can you stop being so self-absorbed?”
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