Her Cultivation Diary

Lun Chuan had a deeply restful nap.

The soft cotton bedding seemed to have been washed many times, now wrapping him up like a cocoon. The house was quiet, without the sound of cars passing by, neighbors arguing, or babies crying...

All that was present was the sound of rustling rain outside the window, mixed with the wind, gently falling onto the dry leaves.

He had a rare and sweet sleep.

The room was pitch dark, and Lun Chuan vaguely remembered Song Tan helping to pull the curtains when he lay down. Now, turning on the bedside lamp and taking out his phone, he realized—

It was already nine o'clock in the evening.

Thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Song Tan—

[Awake now.]

A moment later, there was a soft knock on the door, and the doorknob turned. Song Tan's happy face appeared: "Did you sleep well?"

Lun Chuan rubbed his temples, pushed himself up from the bed, his messy hair and handsome features showing another kind of cuteness: "Almost too well, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

However, it was a good chance to organize his thoughts for the new book, take a short nap before dawn, and then remain awake during the day to adjust his sleep schedule by tomorrow night.

But during this adjustment, exercise would have to be paused...

This thought had just passed when Song Tan already sat next to him on the bed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek:

"You look so adorable just after waking up!"

Lun Chuan: ...

Caught off guard without any mental preparation, his face, ears, and neck instantly turned a rosy pink.

The next moment, he closed his eyes and slightly turned his head: "I haven't brushed my teeth, only cheek kisses are allowed."

The scar on his temple extended down, and then was kissed softly again by Song Tan who held his head: "Got it!"

…

When Lun Chuan finished freshening up and came out of the bathroom, he saw Song Tan pointing at the milk and scallion pancakes on the table:

"Seventh Uncle left these for you, afraid you might get hungry in the middle of the night, so you can snack on them and have a proper breakfast later."

"However, there's a little bit of tea leaves in the milk, which Qiaoqiao brewed — the milk was brought over by Chen Chi. They both made some paintings they were very satisfied with, specially thanking you."

Lun Chuan was taken aback, then became happy: "As long as they like it."

"They do like it..." Song Tan watched him drinking milk tea with her chin in her hand: "A set of oil pastels over 100 units, paired with my 500-unit big bottle of makeup remover, just to clean the paint off their hands..."

Lun Chuan chuckled: "Since I've known you, you've never worn makeup on your face — is that makeup remover still within its expiration date?"

Of course it's not.

She bought it at a discount, nearing expiration, in a large 800ml bottle, thinking there was no problem using it.

But in fact, it expired in July last year, now used for the kids' painting, there's no heartache at all.

Seeing her not speaking, Lun Chuan took out his phone and handed it over: "Then pick another set. Makeup is something, although you don't use it, it's always good to have it ready just in case you want to try it someday."

The logic was sound!

Song Tan's spirit lifted, she quickly took the phone: "Then I'll buy some more. Doctor Xiaoguo said we could release more hand creams and floral waters this year. Just as well, I'll buy different ones for her to study, and see if any formulations need adjusting."

She didn't have much research on those things, so she searched for some promotions and looked at sales before placing several orders.

After submitting the orders and changing the address, and clicking pay, she finally found time to ask another question:

"Wasn't there not much romance in the book you're adapting? When the director visited our home, why did he mention secondary male leads with unrequited love leading to spitting blood, and such?

"Could it be a transformation from an inspiring immortal cultivation story into some cheesy eternal love triangle?"

Lun Chuan almost choked on his milk tea.

But soon he adjusted and explained:

"A purely inspirational male protagonist story has too narrow an audience, so they invited me over to reference the plot lines."

"The main plot remains unchanged, but the subplots bring out the subtle romance lines in the book, focusing on love lost and unattainable desires."

Reflecting on the plot, he continued: "Since the protagonist's romances are all about loss, the intense emotional scenes will focus on the supporting male and female characters— in their circles' terms: the male lead belongs to the female lead, but the second male lead belongs to everyone."

"I've read the script and invested in it, overall the plot is very smooth."

Only then did Song Tan relax, otherwise, if her riverside beach were mixed into some melodramatic love triangle, it would have been distressing for her to watch.

But—

"You? Investing? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"

Outsiders investing in the film industry face countless risks. Although Song Tan had no direct experience, she had heard the stories.

Lun Chuan remained calm: "The investment amount is not large, and I can afford the loss if it fails — my cash flow over these years has been quite considerable."

"Moreover, I've collaborated with the novel website, and the investment is linked to that, so it should be relatively secure."

Song Tan quietly processed this, realizing that he had a grasp on both the worst and best outcomes, and she couldn't help but laugh again:

"I thought you were a pure, older young man, but I guess I was wrong!"

Lun Chuan: ...

He put down his spoon and said seriously: "I've never been in love, nor had a crush on anyone, isn't that pure enough?"

"Money is just an external object."

Song Tan's eyes crinkled, reluctantly agreeing: "Alright then, I'll acknowledge your purity…"

The two exchanged glances and suddenly both laughed.

Then he curiously asked: "Did the director come to scout locations so early?"

Song Tan shook her head: "He saw the flowering trees on the mountain during Qiaoqiao's livestream, and came with a large storyboard, talking about wind-blown peach blossoms, falling petals, bloody clothes, separation creating hatred..."

"Wow! If it were to be filmed like that, with equipment set up and more people, there wouldn't be any petals left on my mountain's trees."

Though she said this, seeing her relaxed expression, Lun Chuan knew the director must have been turned down, so he also shook his head with a smile:

"Not agreeing is good, because there are plenty of film locations with flowering trees elsewhere."

Although they surely wouldn't be as pretty as those on Song Tan Mountain, they would be cheaper.

"This director's aesthetic for filming is outstanding, emotionally moving in delicate moments. Plus, there are three assistant directors, skilled in both fight scenes and grand narratives... a renowned team in the film company."

"When the crew comes for filming, if extra hands are needed, the villagers might earn some extra money."

If this book hadn't been rated S, they probably wouldn't have been able to get a team like this.

With that thought, Lun Chuan felt fortunate again—fortunately, it was such a team, ensuring the final product wouldn't be disappointing.

Otherwise, if it turned out to be a trashy film, he... might not be able to hold his head high here.