Chapter 24
“Really?” Only then did Lu Xiao realize he hadn’t prepared a soft cushion for his wife. If Meng Xueyuan said he could sit, that meant he was barely able to—his butt must hurt.
“Does your butt hurt?” Lu Xiao raised the front-and-back partition in the car, summoned his courage, and reached out. “Let me take a look?”
He’d been refused an examination last night, and it had driven him crazy all night and into the morning. Now it was just the two of them in the car—he truly wanted to check the situation without any ulterior thoughts.
Once they left the office building, the fans dispersed, and the crew also packed up and headed to the hotel to prepare for filming.
Only now did they have time to be alone.
Lu Xiao took a tube of ointment out of the inner pocket of his suit. The one he’d bought in a hurry last night had already been eliminated—this was something he’d had the housekeeper rush over from home that morning.
His dad used it, so it had to be top-tier.
Holding the tube horizontally, Lu Xiao frowned as he read the tiny printed instructions and contraindications.
If he’d known he’d catch up with his wife this quickly, he should’ve done some homework earlier.
“…Mainly repairs mucous membranes that have been excessively abraded but not broken…” Lu Xiao read in a businesslike tone. “Before using this, I really do need to examine you carefully.”
Meng Xueyuan stared at the ointment Lu Xiao had pulled from his suit pocket, utterly incredulous. “You carried this with you while filming all morning?”
That elegant, cold, stern CEO—who would’ve thought that during a meeting he had this stuffed in his chest pocket? Meng Xueyuan felt he wouldn’t be able to look straight at that scene anymore. When the movie came out, he’d definitely skip it.
Lu Xiao said righteously, “This morning was all my major scenes. Who knew when I’d get time alone with you? Of course I had to keep it on me.”
“Fine.” Meng Xueyuan thought that Lu Xiao was just being considerate. He himself had said it was fine, yet Lu Xiao still insisted on seeing it with his own eyes. He leaned over to read the instructions together with him.
Though he felt it really wasn’t necessary.
Lu Xiao shifted closer to the middle, patted his thigh, and suggested, “Lie down here?”
……
Two idiots successfully completed an inspection and applied the ointment.
After finishing the check, Lu Xiao reflected deeply on his rough behavior from the night before—his wife’s thighs even had marks where he’d gripped them.
When he was young and ignorant, he’d once rummaged through his father’s bedside drawer, tossed everything out in disinterest, and gotten beaten for it. Now he was desperately trying to recall what essentials there were, terrified of overlooking anything in caring for Meng Xueyuan.
This ointment worked really well. It seemed to absorb easily—everything went right in.
When the car arrived at the hotel, Lu Xiao stuffed the ointment back into his pocket, got out first, and carried his wife all the way through to the end.
Meng Xueyuan hurriedly looked around. Thankfully, it was the underground parking garage and there was no one around. Relieved, he lay against Lu Xiao’s back.
Did a queen bee become lazy after a successful nuptial flight?
Lu Xiao treated everyone to a meal at the hotel restaurant, and the crew rushed over as well.
Originally, the entire crew was scheduled to eat at the hotel anyway. Because the filming team had been delayed past mealtime by fans, Lu Xiao paid out of pocket and had the hotel kitchen upgrade the meal standard to a seafood buffet as an apology.
While everyone else dug into the luxurious buffet, Meng Xueyuan couldn’t eat much seafood for the time being and instead had Western food with Lu Xiao.
Seeing the two of them still romantically eating Western food—with silver candles in broad daylight—completely devoid of any sign of the earlier chaos of being chased by fans, the director was a little speechless.
Lu Xiao was in a great mood and didn’t mind the interruption. “Want to sit down and eat with us?”
The director scoffed. “No way I’m eating salad.”
Meng Xueyuan received over ten thousand @ mentions on Weibo. Fans were worried he was injured; CP fans were sneakily trying to find out exactly where he was hurt.
He calmly replied to one @ mention: “Twisted my ankle while filming, rubbed on some medicated oil, it’s fine now.”
Meng Xueyuan’s attitude toward the public hadn’t changed. Let them imagine whatever yellow trash they wanted—but they couldn’t be allowed to catch any evidence. First, it didn’t fit his cool, aloof persona; second, if it went too far, it would attract attention from Lu Xiao’s family.
After all, they were just “working” together. If the fake act turned real, Lu Xiao’s family would definitely question him—maybe even think the entertainment industry was truly chaotic, that a perfectly normal “work arrangement” had corrupted someone.
Lu Xiao stared at Meng Xueyuan. He felt like a brand-new version of himself, and that his way of thinking should be updated. For example—something he’d never dared to imagine before—bringing Meng Xueyuan home for dinner.
The phone on the table lit up with an incoming call from Chu Hao.
Meng Xueyuan reminded him, “Answer it.”
Originally planning to ignore it, Lu Xiao had no choice but to pick up.
Chu Hao sounded shocked again. “What kind of day is this? You answered instantly again. I saw the trending topics saying you’re retiring from the industry? I thought you’d drag it out for a while longer.”
After all, his wife was in the entertainment industry.
Lu Xiao said gravely, “Times are different now. I have my own rhythm.”
Chu Hao snorted. “Give me a break. Rhythm? Your rhythm is staying colleagues with Meng Xueyuan until you’re seventy or eighty.”
Suddenly, he became sharp, sensing that Lu Xiao’s tone was different from before. In the past, when he mocked Lu Xiao, Lu Xiao was never this steady. Thinking of how Lu Xiao had unusually taken the initiative to call him last time, Chu Hao probed, “Did my bee pupa work?”
Lu Xiao replied, “It has nothing to do with you.”
Chu Hao was shocked, confused. “You just got what you wanted and then you retire? No wonder people online are calling you a scumbag!”
Lu Xiao: ?
Chu Hao continued, “You sleep with your partner, and the next day your partner packs up and runs off—how do you think that looks?”
“Haozi, all these years of being friends with you weren’t for nothing.”
Lu Xiao hung up the phone. It felt like a boulder had smashed into his temples, deafening. From Meng Xueyuan’s perspective, did this really count as scumbag behavior?
He ought to be dragged out and shot.
Meng Xueyuan asked, “What’s wrong? You look awful.”
Lu Xiao said, “I—” I retired to give my wife a better life and reputation…?
Who would believe that? In the end, wasn’t it still for his own sake?
Lu Xiao steadied himself and, following the original plan, pushed things forward more quickly. “You promised before to cooperate with me and put on a show of marital stability for my dad. Does that still count?”
First, he needed to show that even though he was retiring, he hadn’t abandoned his teammates—and that he still needed their help.
Meng Xueyuan replied, “It counts.”
Lu Xiao lifted his gaze, eyes burning. “Come home with me for dinner tonight, okay?”
He’d already met Meng Xueyuan’s parents. It was only right that Meng Xueyuan also understand his family. The Lu family’s makeup was somewhat special, and Meng Xueyuan should know these things.
After thinking it over, Meng Xueyuan decided his current state was fine for acting. “Okay.”
Lu Xiao stood up, pulled his chair closer to Meng Xueyuan, and massaged his waist while lowering his voice to explain honestly: “Before you agree, let me introduce my family. I have two older brothers, Lu Lou and Lu Yushu. Neither of them is married yet.”
Meng Xueyuan nodded and, like two underground agents making contact, whispered back, “Got it. Two bad guys.”
Lu Xiao said, “Right… and then I also have two dads.” After saying that, he observed Meng Xueyuan’s expression.
Unfazed, Meng Xueyuan replied, “Oh. It’s written in biology textbooks—some men can give birth.”
Seeing how calm he was, Lu Xiao added, “They’re both really nice, and they both like you a lot. I already asked my dad—he didn’t pass that ability on to me, so you don’t need to worry about getting pregnant.”
Meng Xueyuan wasn’t sure whether he himself could get pregnant; in any case, the probability was very low. Learning that the Lu family had precedent, he felt a faint sense of relief—at least Lu Xiao would be more accepting of it than anyone else.
Meng Xueyuan hypothesized, “You never wear… what if I…”
Afraid Meng Xueyuan was worried about pregnancy affecting his acting career, Lu Xiao said firmly, “That won’t happen.”
Meng Xueyuan replied, “I mean, hypothetically.”
Lu Xiao curled his lips into a smile. “Then I’ll quit working and stay home to raise the kid.”
From the bottom of his heart, Meng Xueyuan said, “You’re really responsible.” Since Lu Xiao put it that way, he’d just let things take their natural course.
Lu Xiao asked, “Then are you still willing to come to my place for dinner tonight?”
“Of course. Oh, right—what do your two dads like? I can’t show up empty-handed.” Meng Xueyuan started recalling what gifts Lu Xiao had brought when he visited his parents. There had been too many to remember clearly—anyway, a lot of supplements. He could just copy that.
The only problem was that Lu Xiao had met his parents before buying gifts, tailoring them to their personalities. He hadn’t met Lu Xiao’s dads yet, so copying a top student’s answers might not guarantee a top score.
Lu Xiao said, “I’ll prepare everything for you. Don’t worry—I’ll put real thought into it.”
Meng Xueyuan replied, “Then I’ll bring two boxes of honey.”
Lu Xiao said, “My dad loves it.”
In the afternoon, they filmed a cocktail-party scene at the hotel. It wasn’t physically demanding, just crowded with extras, making the blocking a bit troublesome.
Whenever he found a moment, Meng Xueyuan curled up in a corner and quietly searched for information about the Lu family.
Lu Fengge, Lu Lou, and Lu Yushu all turned up online with photos and related reports. Lu Fengge and Lu Lou had the most coverage, having served consecutively as CEOs—media outlets had made a big deal of it during the transitions.
“Uncle Lu and Big Brother Lu look equally stern,” Meng Xueyuan murmured. If he were Lu Fengge, he’d also feel very reassured handing the family business over to the eldest son.
Lu Yushu, on the other hand, clearly had a knife hidden behind his smile.
With the eldest and second brothers forming an alliance, Lu Xiao’s path upward was bound to be difficult.
Meng Xueyuan clenched his fingers. He’d have to perform well.
Lu Xiao glanced over and saw his wife doing homework. His heart softened completely. He unlocked his phone and opened his photo gallery. “This is a family photo.”
“This is my Dad Shen. His name is Shen Ning. And this is the dog he raised.”
At a glance, Meng Xueyuan spotted Shen Ning in the center—his temperament refined and gentle. No wonder people said, orchids and jade trees grow in the courtyard.
It was common knowledge that refined scholars often harbored biases against the fame-and-profit-driven entertainment industry.
“Uncle Shen—”
Lu Xiao cut him off. “You should call him Dad too, or it’ll give us away.”
Meng Xueyuan: “……”
Worried his wife might be nervous, Lu Xiao promptly sold out his father’s secrets. “Don’t let his learned appearance fool you—when he first came back to the country, he was barely better than illiterate.”
Seeing that the extras’ scene on the director’s side wasn’t finished yet, Lu Xiao sat down beside Meng Xueyuan and shared an anecdote. “My dads were in a political marriage. Right after they got married, Dad Lu went to Hong Kong and didn’t come back for a year. My Dad Shen stayed alone in Nan Cheng; they kept out of each other’s way. Later, my Grandpa Shen sent word that someone in Hong Kong was openly trying to become Lu Fengge’s mistress, so he told Dad Shen to get in touch with Dad Lu and assert his position.”
Shen Ning obediently began writing letters to Lu Fengge, copying a line of poetry about longing from ancient texts each time—like ‘Suddenly seeing the willows by the roadside, I regret having urged my husband to seek titles and rank’—and had someone deliver them. He’d only just returned to the country and was still relearning his native language; on top of that, he became obsessed with traditional characters. In a hundred-character letter, he could make seven or eight typos. In any case, Lu Fengge, reeking of money, wouldn’t read his letters carefully.
Lu Fengge circled the typos and kept the letters in his office drawer, sending back little trinkets from Hong Kong. Back and forth—it counted as fulfilling both families’ requirement to stay in contact.
Lu Fengge achieved great success in Hong Kong. Shen Ning became enamored with Li Yu’s lyrics and wrote, “This poem is very beautiful today—it matches my mood, and it even has your name in it.”
It turned out to be Li Yu’s Po Zhen Zi, a poem of ruin and defeat, completely unrelated to celebration. One line read: “Phoenix towers and dragon halls reach the heavens; jade trees and jeweled branches turn to mist and vines,” describing splendor before collapse.
Not only were three characters wrong in a single line, making it impossible to tell where the sentiment lay, the next line was “Once reduced to captive vassal, Shen-waist and Pan-temples wither away,” basically hinting that the political marriage was a disaster.
Lu Fengge received the letter at a victory banquet and laughed in disbelief. He immediately went home to see exactly how this “Shen waist and Pan temples” had withered.
The names of the three brothers all came from Shen Ning’s typos.
With some scheming intent, Lu Xiao recounted this beautiful love story born of a business marriage, hoping to give his wife a bit of inspiration.
No progress for a year after marriage—then sudden rapid advancement. His dad could do it; so could he.
Lu Xiao found a moment to call his dad and give advance notice. “Tonight I’m bringing YuanYuan home for dinner. He’s the legally cohabiting partner I’m currently pursuing. Don’t give it away.”
Shen Ning: …legally cohabiting partner you’re pursuing?
Speechless, Shen Ning said, “You really are just like your dad.”
Lu Xiao beamed. “I’ll take that as a blessing!”
