Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 211 Movie Tickets and Senior Sister's Boring Summer

Wangchuan Family's Dried Rice King sincerely presents "Senior Sister, Stop Working and Come Home for Dinner," an exclusive first release!

Chen Anran entered the room and placed the paper bag on Feng Xiaolu's scattered mat. Feng Xiaolu immediately came over, opened the paper bag, and looked inside.

"Movie tickets?" Feng Xiaolu took out the two fancy-designed tickets, turning them over and over to examine them. "Ten Thousand Your Names...An animated film? A romance?"

She looked up at Chen Anran suspiciously: "Junior brother, where did you get this ticket? It doesn't seem like something you would buy on your own initiative."

Chen Anran sat down on the only bamboo chair in the room, and the breeze from the electric fan swept over him, bringing a slight coolness.

"It was given to me by Feng Changyuan and Feng Lie. They said it was a gift from a friend, but they weren't interested."

"Those two guys?" Feng Xiaolu's eyes darted around. "They're always being unusually helpful. They've been acting all mysterious lately, I don't know what they're up to in the shop all day."

Chen Anran laughed: "Isn't Third Senior Sister also quite mysterious? Staying indoors playing games in this sweltering heat."

"This is different!" Feng Xiaolu protested. "I'm resting openly and legitimately! Ever since I was punished by having to carry water and copy scriptures last time, I've been much more obedient and haven't gone down the mountain much—"

Chen Anran casually picked up a comic book from her mat, flipped through it, and asked, "So, are you going or not? It's the 7 PM showing."

Feng Xiaolu clutched the movie ticket, her expression shifting. She glanced at Chen Anran, then looked at the ticket again, and finally her gaze settled on the buzzing electric fan, as if she were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

"I'll go!" She finally gritted her teeth, slapped the ticket on the mat, and said, "Why shouldn't I go to the movies when my cousin invites me? Besides, this weather is awful, it's like a sauna inside, it'll be good to go out and enjoy some free air conditioning."

Chen Anran closed the comic and put it back in its place. "See you tonight."

Just as Chen Anran was about to turn and leave, Feng Xiaolu stopped him.

"Since we're already here, how about we play a couple of rounds?"

"No, I have something to do."

Feng Xiaolu pouted, "It's just cultivation. I've always said that the right path is to have both relaxation and exercise."

Chen Anran smiled and shook his head, gently brushing away Feng Xiaolu's hand that was gripping his sleeve: "It really is something. Mengmeng has been doing live streaming for two months, but the number of visitors to the resort hasn't improved, so she wanted to ask me for advice."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaolu had no choice but to give up.

After Chen Anran left, Feng Xiaolu lay back down on the mat, looking at the two movie tickets in her hand, her expression momentarily dazed.

It feels like it's been a long time since I've watched a movie.

When was the last time I went to the movies? It was before I went down the mountain, sneaking off with my second senior sister to the old movie theater in town to watch a martial arts film that was so noisy it gave me a headache. The popcorn was cloyingly sweet, the seats creaked, and my second senior sister kept muttering complaints about the plot's inconsistencies, saying that real sword energy wasn't like that at all…

Thinking of this heartless man made Feng Xiaolu angry. It was one thing for him not to come back last time, but this summer he's not coming back either, always claiming to be busy. If Wei Qingyi hadn't repeatedly assured her on the phone that she was eating and resting well, Feng Xiaolu would have really wanted to tell Chen Anran and Su Wan about Wei Qingyi's plans.

At this moment, Feng Xiaolu turned over and looked at the ceiling. The fan's air, carrying waves of heat, hit her face. The inexplicable restlessness in her heart didn't seem to be entirely due to the weather.

She checked her phone and saw the time: 3:30 PM.

It's still a long time before 7 p.m.

"Fine, I'll just play games!" she muttered, picking up her phone again and tapping the familiar icon. But even after the screen lit up, she hesitated to tap "Start Matchmaking."

What kept replaying in his mind was Chen Anran's casual "See you tonight," and the image of his long, clean fingers as he put down the comic book.

Feng Xiaolu buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled "Ah".

"So annoying!"

…………

When Chen Anran arrived at the operations center at the foot of the mountain, Zhao Mengmeng was frowning at the data charts on the computer screen. Two months of continuous live streaming had resulted in a slight increase in online viewership, but very few actually converted into tourists visiting the resort.

"Master." Seeing Chen Anran enter, Zhao Mengmeng quickly stood up, her face showing obvious fatigue. "Please sit down."

Chen Anran sat down opposite her, her gaze sweeping over the fluctuating lines on the screen: "Still no improvement?"

Zhao Mengmeng sighed, poured Chen Anran a glass of iced tea, and then turned the computer screen towards him.

"I analyzed all the data from the past two months. At its peak, the live stream could attract 50,000 to 60,000 viewers simultaneously, but most of the comments and bullet screen messages were asking questions like 'Is cultivating immortality real?' or 'Can the Taoist priest demonstrate flying on a sword?' There were probably only one in a hundred actual inquiries or reservations."

Hearing Zhao Mengmeng's words, Chen Anran smiled and said, "It can't be acted out."

"I'm actually thinking about that," Zhao Mengmeng stuck out her tongue. "I was thinking that if you, Master, performed something like telekinesis or lightning magic, it would definitely go viral in the live stream!"

Chen Anran chuckled and shook his head, saying, "We opened the resort to let ordinary people experience the atmosphere of 'cultivation culture' and feel the harmony between nature and mind, not to turn it into a circus performance." He paused slightly, then continued, "Besides, I don't think it would be very effective. Nowadays, there are often videos about various abnormal phenomena in short videos."

Zhao Mengmeng is no longer the ordinary person who knew nothing. She also knows that she is currently in the stage of spiritual power recovery.

Zhao Mengmeng remarked, "Yes, some of them are real, while others are created using AI special effects. It's hard to tell the difference between the real and the fake."

"There's no need to rush this; just let things take their natural course."

Chen Anran picked up her iced tea, took a sip, and casually asked, "How's your father? What are his thoughts on the situation here lately?"

Mentioning her father, Zhao Mengmeng's expression relaxed slightly, but then a hint of helplessness crept in. "My father manages the entire group, so he can't be here all day like we are. But he's still quite dedicated. He usually makes time to come over every three to five days. Sometimes it's to check the operational data, and sometimes it's just to have a casual meal at Xian Shan Fang. In his words, 'The food here makes me feel so good, it's better than any tonic.'"

She paused, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "Actually... the resort's few stable customers are mostly brought in by my father. They're his business partners or trusted old friends who learned about this 'healthy place' in the mountains through word of mouth. They come mostly for the spiritual cuisine at Xian Shan Fang and the tranquil environment in the mountains."

Chen Anran said, "Isn't this pretty good?"

Zhao Mengmeng felt depressed after hearing this.

From the father's perspective and from the group's business planning standpoint, this might be a good thing. High-end, private, and profitable...

But what about my junior brothers and sisters?

What about those future fellow disciples who might be hidden among ordinary people, possessing potential and destiny, but living in ignorance of the existence of the other side of this world?

What's the point if all that comes are these worldly-wise, worldly-wise, and mostly unfit for spiritual practice "upper-class people"?

Zhao Mengmeng sighed softly to herself.

My fellow junior brothers and sisters... when are you finally going to arrive? I, your senior sister... can't wait to hear people call me "senior sister" anymore.