Chapter 15
“It’s seven o’clock—are you two teachers awake?”
Meng Xueyuan had fallen asleep earlier than Lu Xiao. Hearing the knock, he scrambled up. Sleeping on the inner side, he lifted his leg to step over Lu Xiao—but misjudged the height and brushed against a certain part of him.
!!
The production team kept knocking persistently.
As if burned, Meng Xueyuan jerked his foot back, knelt on the bed, and crawled down from the foot of it.
He opened the door. The cameraman from the crew said energetically, “The director wants to film each group’s waking-up state. Is that okay?”
Meng Xueyuan glanced back at the bed. Lu Xiao had been woken up, sitting up against the headboard with sleepy eyes, still not fully present.
“No,” Meng Xueyuan refused.
Cameraman: ?
Seriously? Over there, the esports group didn’t answer the door at all, and here you open it but won’t let us in.
The cameraman’s surprise was too obvious. Only then did Meng Xueyuan remember that he’d taken the money and was supposed to cooperate with filming.
But he really didn’t want Lu Xiao’s current state to be seen. Netizens could joke around suggestively, sure—but it was best not to let them catch any real evidence. The impression was different. The latter made it easy for antis to accuse them of being sleazy and taking advantage of colleagues under the guise of a variety show.
Like with the same kissing scene: some people would say it was delicious VIP benefits and ask for more, while others would start threads accusing them of sticking out tongues and taking advantage, screenshotting and enlarging the scene to nail it to a pillar of shame.
Meng Xueyuan proposed a compromise. “I’m going out for a morning run. Film me. You can film him when I get back.”
Skinny cameraman: “That works.”
Chubby cameraman: Weren’t we told this show doesn’t have a running segment?
Meng Xueyuan splashed his face with water and hurried out, saying to Lu Xiao, “I’m going for a morning run. You can film me later.”
Then he closed the door behind him.
The door panel hit the frame. Lu Xiao watched Meng Xueyuan disappear, then slowly powered down on the spot—shutdown speed faster than 99.99% of users nationwide.
The mountains were in full bloom, the air fresh and clean. Meng Xueyuan jogged along the mountain path, the refreshing scent of pomelo blossoms lingering at his nose. By the roadside were box after box of beehives, diligent little bees emerging one by one from the openings, fluttering their wings toward the pollen-rich mountain flowers.
The mountain flowers stood tall and unmoving, letting themselves be plucked—envy-inducing to any queen bee.
Running uphill was exhausting. Feeling a bit sorry for the cameraman, Meng Xueyuan stopped by the beehives to observe the bees.
In the city, he rarely had the chance to observe a hive up close. He squatted beside the boxes, straightened the crooked tarp draped over them, and watched quietly.
Yesterday, some bees had probably collected pesticide-treated pollen and died from poisoning, falling outside the hive like withered leaves shaken loose.
Undertaker bees bustled about, picking up their fallen companions and carrying them to the grass a little farther away. Carrying a body equal to their own weight made flying difficult; they’d fly a short distance before the dead bee dropped from midair.
Meng Xueyuan extended his hand. A bee landed in his palm.
The undertaker bee circled his fingertip once, then went back to its work.
The cameraman found the scene magical—a sense of elusive divinity between humans and nature. Watching through the lens, he realized for the first time that he might have the makings of shooting Animal World.
“Teacher Meng, what are you doing here?”
A staff member came up carrying props. “Have you had breakfast? You’re the first one here.”
Meng Xueyuan said, “No, I came out for a morning run.”
He remembered—last night the director had sent out today’s schedule in the group chat. One task was called “Honeyed Harmony.” Could it have something to do with honey?
Looking again at the staff member carrying a box of full-body beekeeping suits—were they going to have the guests learn how to harvest honey?
The staff member gave him special treatment and whispered, “Do you want to learn first and amaze everyone later?”
Meng Xueyuan shook his head. “I’d rather not cheat.”
Did the one who set the questions even need to cheat?
It seemed the morning task would be easy. In a relaxed mood, Meng Xueyuan headed down the mountain. Today it was his turn to have Lu Xiao covered—Lu Xiao wouldn’t need to do anything, just like how he’d once carried over a chair and sat to the side watching Lu Xiao wield the ladle.
Will Lu Xiao think I’m handsome and reliable?
He took out his phone and opened the variety show group chat. Sure enough, the director had posted a message: “All guest groups, please solve your own breakfast and gather here. Points will be added according to arrival order. The group with the highest score gets priority in choosing transportation home.”
To earn points, the other groups all settled breakfast quickly.
In the center of the village, the production team had set out a table of fresh ingredients: seafood freshly brought ashore, bamboo shoots just dug from the mountain bamboo groves, all kinds of vegetables and fruits, plus staple foods like rice and noodles.
The guests slung baskets over their arms—some grabbed eggs, others noodles—everyone moving fast.
Only Lu Xiao remained unhurried, calmly picking through several giant grouper, finally scooping up the one with the most tender flesh, still alive, and placing it into the basket.
Steamed grouper, chicken broth with napa cabbage, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, paired with thin congee.
That would do—no need for anything too greasy early in the morning.
Lu Xiao subconsciously picked up an extra egg, thought for a moment, then put it back.
Eggs were filling. He’d let him off once—today they’d eat something else.
Liu Qingqing, who was pushing a “master chef” persona on the show, had been utterly crushed by Lu Xiao yesterday. Seeing Lu Xiao clearly preparing a full spread, she rolled her eyes—deliberately overlapping with her persona, was he?
She could only avoid his edge and say to the camera, “No time to cook properly in the morning, so I’ll make something simple. Anyway, whatever I make, my husband eats.”
Meng Xueyuan silently thanked the director team for coming up with this segment and headed down the mountain path with light steps. On the way back, he ran into Lu Xiao in the courtyard, killing the fish.
The giant grouper had few bones. Cut into sections, it could still be plated as a whole fish.
Lu Xiao said, “No rush. Let’s finish breakfast first.”
Meng Xueyuan wasn’t in a hurry at all. He nodded.
After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, they strolled up the mountain. By the time they arrived, the other four groups had already put on their gear, selected hives rich in honey, and—under the beekeeper’s guidance—removed comb after comb, placing them into centrifuges and spinning out the honey.
Many people got stuck at the very first step: opening the hive lid. Even in protective suits, having tens of thousands of bees buzzing angrily around your ears gave the illusion you’d be stung into a bear.
Meng Xueyuan reached out to take a protective suit—though he actually didn’t need one. The bees wouldn’t sting him.
Lu Xiao caught his wrist. “I’ll do it alone.”
Meng Xueyuan said, “You got stung by bees last time when we went to sweep graves. Let me do it. My parents keep bees—just light some mugwort.”
He gave Lu Xiao a meaningful look. “You’re more… popular with bees.”
For some reason, Lu Xiao felt that line sounded almost like a love confession. What the hell—was it because the air was filled with the sweetness of honey, making even words from Meng Xueyuan’s usually cool face sound sweet?
While Lu Xiao was momentarily dazed, Meng Xueyuan quickly put on the protective suit and hood. He sniffed the air, walked to a tree, and stopped in front of a hive—the one with the most honey and the neatest combs.
Lu Xiao also finished gearing up, lit a ring of mugwort, opened the lid, and drove the bees away.
Meng Xueyuan held his breath. His view, separated by two layers of mesh, was like seeing flowers through mist.
“I’ll cut the comb,” Meng Xueyuan said, pushing Lu Xiao aside. “Stand farther back.”
He took up the blade and cleanly sliced off a golden, honey-dripping comb, trimmed away the wax, and placed it into the bucket. The bees seemed to quiet down all at once, retreating slightly, as if willingly offering up their honey.
Meng Xueyuan left one-third behind as food for the bees and closed the hive.
The bees gradually flew back inside. One bee, with a perkier tail and darker body, fluttered over, hesitated at the entrance, and tried to go in.
“Mm.” Meng Xueyuan intercepted the bee on the spot—a queen bee that had wandered into the wrong hive.
After a virgin queen successfully completes her nuptial flight, there’s a chance she’ll return to the wrong hive. If a hive already has a queen, a mistaken queen entering it will be killed by the worker bees.
Lu Xiao watched the bee in Meng Xueyuan’s hand nervously. “Be careful.”
Meng Xueyuan said, “Relax. Queen bees don’t sting. She’s entered the wrong hive—there’s already a queen inside. She’d be killed if she went in.”
He scanned the woods, then walked over to an inconspicuous hive and opened his palm. The confused queen buzzed and slipped inside.
Lu Xiao asked in confusion, “How did you know it was this hive?”
Meng Xueyuan improvised. “Haven’t you watched Animal World? There were a few guard bees waiting at the entrance for the queen to return.”
Lu Xiao stared hard and couldn’t see anything special.
Meng Xueyuan said, “She went in—that means it’s the right one.”
Lu Xiao found himself worrying about that confused queen for a fleeting moment.
He couldn’t help thinking of Meng Xueyuan. Fortunately, the first person Meng Xueyuan met after entering the entertainment industry was him. If he’d met the wrong person, who knew how much suffering he might have endured.
He needed to cherish this stroke of luck, live up to it, and not become one of those people he despised—those who would stop at nothing to possess Meng Xueyuan.
The director really did have a knack for this. The tasks he arranged even raised Lu Xiao’s moral standards a notch.
Meng Xueyuan harvested honey quickly, finishing several hives in rapid succession.
“Time’s up!” the director shouted through a loudspeaker.
“Bring back the honey you’ve collected for weighing.”
The other guests couldn’t wait for it to end. Hearing this, they immediately stopped and came back to weigh their harvests.
Meng Xueyuan arrived last. He and Lu Xiao had actually finished the earliest, pouring the extracted honey into a large container.
“Your group’s honey is so clean,” the director said, coming over to supervise, licking his lips—the aroma was so sweet.
Meng Xueyuan picked up a spoon. “You can try some.”
Lu Xiao took the spoon and helped scoop up a spoonful.
The flattered director: “……”
No—something about you two’s attitude is off, isn’t it? At a moment like this, shouldn’t Lu Xiao be saying, If you want to eat, go harvest it yourself—Meng Xueyuan cut this, I’m taking all of it home?
Shouldn’t Meng Xueyuan have stayed silent?
What good deed did I do? the director wondered.
The other four groups returned one after another. Judging by volume alone, Meng Xueyuan had already won; now it just depended on how many bonus points the director would give to the couple who arrived first that morning.
“I cut such a perfect honeycomb!” Liu Qingqing exclaimed excitedly, holding up a palm-sized piece of comb honey. Every hexagonal cell was filled to the brim—golden and even, no impurities, no bee larvae—just like the comb honey online sellers pass off as real with sugar water.
“Meng Xueyuan, want to try some?” Liu Qingqing carried it over. Suddenly, she tripped on a stone, and when she was just one step away from Meng Xueyuan, she fell toward him.
The entire piece of comb honey was pressed against his waist, right along his ribs.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Liu Qingqing apologized repeatedly.
“It’s fine.” Meng Xueyuan pinched at his protective suit, wanting to wipe it off and return the honey to the bees. As his fingers pressed down, something felt wrong. The suit was waterproof—so why had the clothes underneath also gotten honey on them, sticky and clinging to his skin?
Suddenly, a loud buzzing rose in the air. Drawn by the scent of honey, a swarm of hornets flew over.
“Your suit is torn—don’t pull at it!”
Lu Xiao’s expression changed instantly. In one swift step, he rushed forward, wrapped his arms around Meng Xueyuan, and pressed him tightly against his chest, using his own body to completely block the tear in the clothing.
The hornets buzzed around Meng Xueyuan. Cold sweat broke out on Lu Xiao’s forehead as fear set in. “Light the smoke—now!”
The surrounding guests immediately backed away. Being stung by hornets could mean facial damage, enough to keep them off camera for days.
Li Fei from the esports group quickly picked up the mugwort that hadn’t finished burning earlier, fished out a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and waved it around Meng Xueyuan.
“It’s okay.” Sensing Lu Xiao’s tension—his grip so tight Meng Xueyuan could barely breathe—amid the swirling smoke, Meng Xueyuan suddenly buried his face into Lu Xiao’s shoulder.
The next second, Lu Xiao grabbed the back of his head and shoved him away, his tone nearly harsh. “Don’t get close.”
Meng Xueyuan: “……”
He coughed twice and said to Li Fei, “The hornets are gone. No need to smoke anymore. Thank you.”
Li Fei didn’t immediately throw away the mugwort, keeping it just in case. He stepped aside and complained to Ouyang Lai, “I think Lu Xiao’s homophobic—can’t even stand a little closeness. Teacher Meng is way calmer.”
Ouyang Lai: “…He reacted fast.”
Li Fei curled his lip. “Heh.”
Ouyang Lai explained, “There’s a gap between our protective mesh hats and our cheeks. When Meng Xueyuan pressed his face to Lu Xiao’s shoulder, his chin was against the mesh—the hornet’s stinger could still reach the skin.”
Li Fei: ?
Right—Meng Xueyuan hadn’t even changed expression when he was yelled at. Clearly, he understood too. Only Li Fei himself had been fooled by appearances.
An assistant brought over a piece of clothing. Lu Xiao shifted slightly and tightly wrapped it around Meng Xueyuan’s waist.
Meng Xueyuan suspected this was some kind of modern Immortal-Binding Rope—it bound very effectively.
Before he could protest, Lu Xiao gripped the cloth at his waist, held him close, and escorted him straight back to the car. Only after closing the doors and windows did he let go.
Just as Meng Xueyuan caught his breath, he saw a lowered head right in front of his chest. Afraid of missing anything, Lu Xiao bent down and checked his clothes back and forth, worried a bee might have gotten inside.
Meng Xueyuan calmly pushed him away. “There isn’t one. No need to look.”
Lu Xiao straightened up. “We’re not going back down. Let the director tally it himself.”
Meng Xueyuan dabbed a bit of honey and held it under his nose to smell. He didn’t have lab-analysis superpowers, but this honey really was pure and unadulterated.
As a queen bee, he naturally exerted a deterrent over all bees. Yet today, hornets had circled him—what had attracted them?
Hornet secretions? Something that made them think their nest had been raided?
If that was the case, it would be hard to say—there was no way to prove whether the honey contained something added by humans, or whether it came from hornets crushed while being driven away.
The props team had bought the suits—was it really such a coincidence that he got the torn one?
What if Lu Xiao had been the one wearing it today?
The protective suits were kept in a big box for guests to take and put on themselves. Meng Xueyuan had arrived last; anyone before him could have cut the one at the bottom while grabbing a suit.
Amid all the chaos, any fingerprints would’ve been wiped clean—but he’d gained a hug from Lu Xiao.
Relying on the fact that he wouldn’t get stung, Meng Xueyuan hadn’t checked carefully.
Lu Xiao suddenly said, “I’m sure—when you first put it on, the suit wasn’t torn.”
Or it had been on the verge of tearing.
It was when Liu Qingqing fell against Meng Xueyuan that she’d torn it with a grab.
Lu Xiao’s face was icy, storm clouds gathering. He’d been too careless—checking the suit by eye alone. He should’ve thoroughly inspected it before Meng Xueyuan put it on.
The moment Meng Xueyuan mentioned his family raised bees, Lu Xiao had been stunned by that confident, radiant pride—and his brain had short-circuited.
Rubbing the back of his hand, Lu Xiao reviewed everything. He’d only been guarding against Xie Jingfeng and Yao Quan, never expecting Liu Qingqing as well.
Just because she’d married into a wealthy family like Sun Zhi’s, did she now dare to make a move against a peer?
That didn’t quite fit. Liu Qingqing was focused on making a comeback and blowing up again—more likely, someone had promised her benefits behind the scenes.
Lu Xiao got out of the car and went to the props team, asking whether they’d carefully checked beforehand.
The props staff looked like they were about to cry. “I’m sorry—this segment was added last night. We bought the suits overnight and didn’t inspect them.”
Calling the police wouldn’t help—there was no evidence.
And if it ultimately proved to be Liu Qingqing, under current industry rules her face would have to be mosaicked, making the episode unwatchable.
Meng Xueyuan had worked hard filming it, too.
Leaving his wife with the words “I’ll give you an explanation,” Lu Xiao went to find the director. With a bit of pressure, he secured veto power over post-production editing.
“Air it as soon as possible,” Lu Xiao said. “If it’s delayed, who knows what might happen.”
Director: “……” Help.
On the surface, the first episode of Harmony in Marriage wrapped up smoothly.
After the honey-harvesting segment, Lu Xiao and Meng Xueyuan still placed first after scoring—and left the village in a Rolls-Royce.
The others had ox carts or tractors; only Yao Quan, who came in last, still had to walk.
The next day, Lu Xiao stormed straight into the post-production editing room of Harmony of Marriage.
He didn’t have time to worry about anyone else’s footage—he focused solely on the rough cut featuring himself and Meng Xueyuan.
The more he watched, the deeper his frown became.
That skinny cameraman was way too good at filming. The way he had captured Lu Xiao looking at Meng Xueyuan— the naked possessiveness practically overflowed off the screen!
The angle and the atmosphere were simply…something that would make one’s wife want a divorce just to stay safe.
Lu Xiao closed his eyes briefly. When they held their wedding in the future, they had to hire this cameraman—but right now…
“Delete it.”
The skinny cameraman felt like his heart was bleeding as he deleted all his candid shots of Lu Xiao.
Why must young couples be like this?!
Lu Xiao said, “Send me a copy.”
…
Lu Xiao merely had someone keep an eye on Liu Qingqing, and soon he received news: on the very night the variety show wrapped up, Liu Qingqing had dinner with a producer who intended to cast her as the female lead in a xianxia drama.
The intermediary was a senior executive from Sea Star Entertainment—surname Wang. According to Lin Mu, Miss Wang had recently gone out of her way to pick a fight again.
Lu Xiao’s gaze sharpened. He hadn’t yet found the time to seek justice for Meng Xueyuan; he had planned to deal with Sea Star’s internal issues after finishing this variety show and the film.
Fine then—he’d do it early.
—
Lu Group Headquarters.
Lu Lou looked at his younger brother and asked, “You want to remove Director Wang from Sea Star Entertainment and make Miss Wang withdraw from the industry?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t very well let them keep working in the same industry as his wife. “Liu Qingqing has already confessed.”
He had Chu Hao put business pressure on Liu Qingqing’s husband’s company, and she soon came knocking to apologize.
Lu Xiao continued, “Or there’s a second option—separate Lu Group from Sea Star Entertainment and establish a new entertainment and cultural conglomerate on an even larger scale.”
Lu Lou said, “With your wife as the legal representative, right?”
“He’d be a shareholder.”
Lu Lou rubbed his temples. “Let’s stop at Miss Wang and Liu Qingqing leaving the industry. Anything beyond that is too much trouble.”
Sea Star Entertainment was a multi-sector entertainment company with considerable profits. Lu Lou preferred to maintain the status quo. Even though controlling Lu Xiao and Meng Xueyuan—two massive traffic magnets—might make a new venture even more lucrative, there were reasons to hold back.
First, Lu Xiao’s ‘traffic value’ might disappear the moment he decided to retire from the industry. Second, this wasn’t Lu Group’s strategic focus this year. Swallowing Sea Star Entertainment would require long-term planning, revealing intentions only at the right moment—an operation best carried out quietly.
Lu Lou flipped through the documents on his desk. “Next year. I’ll put you in the queue.”
“Pfft.”
Lu Yushu, standing at the door to deliver contracts, seemed amused by his elder brother’s tone, like he was humoring a child.
Lu Xiao: “……”
One truth he had learned only after getting married: relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself.
Lu Xiao turned around and went straight home to look for Lu Fengge.
