Chapter 36
The call went silent for about three minutes before Meng Xueyuan finally heard Lu Xiao speak.
Lu Xiao said, “Baby, let’s stop using the internet. Start a video call—I want to see you.”
Meng Xueyuan accepted Lu Xiao’s video invitation.
Lu Xiao had clearly just finished a meeting. His bangs were combed back, his sharpness fully on display. He was still wearing a business suit, even the blue checkered tie tied perfectly neatly.
Meng Xueyuan’s fair fingers brushed the screen. He was just about to take a screenshot when he remembered the previous mishap and paused at Lu Xiao’s Adam’s apple. So handsome. Thinking of Lu Xiao going abroad for business, standing out in looks among elites from all over the world, made Meng Xueyuan prouder than if he himself were walking the red carpet overseas.
His fingers seemed to actually touch something. Lu Xiao raised a hand, loosened his tie, tugged at it, and casually tossed it aside.
Meng Xueyuan asked, “The candid photos of my daily life I sent you—are you angry?”
Lu Xiao snorted with laughter. “Why would I be angry? You could even send me real bed photos. As long as you’re generous enough.”
Meng Xueyuan pressed his lips together. That line made it sound like Lu Xiao was his private possession.
“Then if I mess with your fans, would you be angry?”
Lu Xiao took a deep breath. “Mess with them? Clearly it’s my wife who’s been scolded for two years. Why don’t you really send me bed photos—then they’d probably chase you every day calling you ‘sister-in-law.’”
Meng Xueyuan said pettily, “I don’t have any photos of your bed.”
Lu Xiao replied, “Neither do I of yours.”
Civilized bed-sharing—no photos taken.
Heat rose to Meng Xueyuan’s face. What did Lu Xiao mean by that? Was he asking for them? Cross-border transmission would be so risky.
Lu Xiao glanced at his schedule on the computer and said, “I should be able to go back for a bit these next two days. Do you have any days off?”
Meng Xueyuan shook his head. “I don’t. If you don’t have anything urgent, then rest properly—don’t travel back and forth.”
Lu Xiao hummed in response, then sent a message telling his secretary to book tickets. That fake chocolate brand—how dare they drag his wife into a CP hype campaign. He absolutely had to visit this production crew.
“Wife, I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too.” Meng Xueyuan heard faint voices on Lu Xiao’s end, as if someone was calling him to attend a dinner.
“You go. I’m getting ready to sleep.”
Lu Xiao reminded him, “Go to sleep right away. Don’t go online.”
Meng Xueyuan said, “I won’t. My IP’s been banned by the moderators.”
Lu Xiao replied, “How did that happen?”
Meng Xueyuan said, “Right?”
Lu Xiao added, “Don’t talk to Fake Chocolate on set.”
Meng Xueyuan answered, “Okay.”
Troubled by online storms and unable to sleep, Meng Xueyuan found that after exchanging just a few words with Lu Xiao, he could easily fall asleep leaning against his pillow.
…
During the next day’s shoot, Meng Xueyuan noticed the looks people were giving him—probably thinking that what his “alt account” had done on the solo-fan forum didn’t match his usual image.
A character collapse.
He opened the latest comments on his Weibo to see how his own fans were reacting.
[Baby, why didn’t you go to the Snowflake Forum? Afraid of seeing us trash Lu Xiao?]
[Yuanyuan, tell us ahead of time when you register—we promise to clear out all unfriendly comments about that Lu guy!]
[Don’t go to Lu Xiao’s side—if you do, tell us first. Snowflake will clear the way for you.]
[The Snowflake family is still the warmest.]
[Nonsense, it’s not your brother being a simp.]
Meng Xueyuan: “…” Such doting fans.
“Action, action.” The director clapped his hands.
Meng Xueyuan handed his phone to his assistant and noticed that the male lead he was acting opposite today didn’t look too good.
Spent money on marketing only to get completely crushed by Meng Xueyuan’s accidental unmasking in terms of heat—so he was unhappy?
No sympathy.
Fei Luoluo hadn’t just wasted money. Today, two already-negotiated collaborations had inexplicably fallen through—just one signature away, and they collapsed at the last moment.
He’d long heard that Lu Xiao had deep connections. He’d only been possessed by a moment of madness, wanting to do some small-scale marketing to siphon a bit from the massive CP fanbase of “Snowy Night.” This was a serious drama, after all—they didn’t dare hype it too much.
Who knew they’d run into unethical CP fans. Damn it—how could they dare to ship anything and everything? Even calling Lu Xiao “ex-husband bro.” Bro! He’d kneel to this group of CP fans. How did he ever dare to think of drawing them in? This was no different from trying to snatch a bride at someone else’s wedding and expecting the groom’s underworld relatives to help!
…
Meng Xueyuan bought some finance books and read them whenever he had time after filming, so he could keep up with Lu Xiao. He also asked Lin Xilan and Bai He to recommend books and to tutor him on things he didn’t understand.
As Meng Xueyuan read, his assistant sat beside him scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, she saw a piece of news and hesitated before glancing at him.
Meng Xueyuan looked over from the corner of his eye. “What’s wrong?”
Assistant: “I saw some international news—there’s been a localized conflict in the Middle East.”
Meng Xueyuan’s expression tightened. “Where?”
The assistant named a location. “Don’t worry, it’s not where Brother Lu is. It’s a neighboring country. His place is stable—if fighting broke out there, that’d be huge.”
Meng Xueyuan’s worry didn’t lessen at all. His geography was better than the assistant’s. As soon as he heard the location, he knew it was very close to Lu Xiao. And Lu Xiao wasn’t staying in just one country on this trip—he was visiting many. More importantly, the conflict had broken out between the country Lu Xiao was in and China. The airspace was closed; planes would have to detour to return.
Wait—Lu Xiao said yesterday that he had time. Was he planning to fly back today?
Meng Xueyuan’s heart lurched. Without even sending a WeChat message first, he directly called Lu Xiao.
“Hello.” Lu Xiao’s voice came through with a smile.
Meng Xueyuan heard the sound of pages turning. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed as he leaned back against the chair. “What’s your schedule today?”
Lu Xiao tapped the pen in his hand lightly against the desk and laughed. “Checking up on me?”
“Kind of.”
Lu Xiao had just finished breakfast and reported what he’d eaten, the time of his upcoming meeting, the attendees…
A long list of itinerary details. Meng Xueyuan listened very carefully.
Lu Xiao said, “Want me to have my secretary livestream the meeting for you?”
“No need.”
After teasing his wife a bit, Lu Xiao said seriously, “Worried about me? I’ll be honest—I had planned to fly back around noon today. But now… I can’t go.”
Meng Xueyuan’s heart leapt again.
Lu Xiao continued, “It’s my first time leading a team. Leaving the country at a time like this wouldn’t be appropriate. It wouldn’t affect us much, but if I left, it’d make things seem much more serious than they are.”
Meng Xueyuan understood. “Then you still need to be careful.”
Lu Xiao said regretfully, “Aren’t you switching to another crew in a few days?”
So he wouldn’t be able to visit the set.
Because he’d temporarily taken on an additional variety show, Meng Xueyuan’s upcoming schedule was packed, with no gaps between crews. In this Republican-era drama, he was only a supporting role and would “die” midway through.
“The next drama is modern, in Nan Cheng. I can live at home,” Meng Xueyuan said.
Lu Xiao said decisively, “I’ll get you a cooking aunt.”
Hearing this, Meng Xueyuan felt guilty for a second. For this Republican-era drama, when his character exited, he needed a lean, hollow look in a military uniform. Plus, filming was exhausting. Any weight he’d gained while being well taken care of by Lu Xiao on Harmony of Marriage had all been lost.
The camera adds weight—Lu Xiao probably hadn’t noticed yet from video calls that he’d slimmed down.
Meng Xueyuan didn’t refuse the cooking aunt. He’d eat more and secretly gain the weight back.
“Alright, then I won’t bother you anymore. Bye.”
After hanging up, Lu Xiao thought for a moment. Agreeing so readily—had he gotten thinner?
So far away, with the emperor beyond the mountains—this really was hard to manage.
Ten days later, Meng Xueyuan returned to Nan Cheng to film, and sure enough, Lu Xiao had hired him a cooking aunt.
The new director scheduled scenes quite scientifically. Meng Xueyuan checked—during the first week, everything was daytime shoots, no night scenes, so he could sleep early and wake early every day.
But the weather was hot, and idol dramas were always rushed. The director and assistant director were filming two locations simultaneously. As soon as Meng Xueyuan finished one side, he had to rush to the other. The entire day was packed to the brim.
Every morning, the cooking aunt would go buy groceries, make breakfast, and boil a pot of cooling sweet soup for Meng Xueyuan to take to set. Lunch was boxed meals on set. In the evening, when he came home, the aunt would prepare three dishes and a soup—large portions, plentiful and rich. Meng Xueyuan suspected Lu Xiao had given her instructions to feed him like a pig.
The aunt laughed cheerfully. “You really know Lu Third Young Master. He said if you gain one jin, he’ll reward me with twenty thousand.”
Meng Xueyuan: “…I’ll drink more water before weighing myself, Auntie. You don’t need to make so much food.”
“Alright, alright.” She agreed—next time doing exactly the same.
…
Nan Cheng International Airport.
Lu Xiao and Chu Hao got off a private jet low-key and left through the VIP channel just as discreetly.
Chu Hao lifted his sunglasses. “Parking fees are thirty thousand a night. How long are you planning to pay for?”
“One night,” Lu Xiao said.
“Holy shit.” Chu Hao looked at Lu Xiao with new eyes. Just one night? The guy who talked every day about coming back to see his wife—satisfied with just one night?
Lu Xiao said, “My wife has his own career. He’s very busy. Even if I go back at night, I might not run into him.” Mainly because he’d sworn in front of Lu Fengge and his two older brothers that being on a three-month business trip was no problem at all.
He could come back briefly without affecting work—but he couldn’t stay too long.
He planned to first go home to see Shen Dad, then go find his wife.
Chu Hao snorted. “Like I don’t have a wife. I’m different—I should be able to run into mine when I get home.”
Lu Xiao said, “Then we part ways here.”
Seeing the driver approach, Lu Xiao strode over, got into the car, and said, “Go home first to see Dad.”
After not seeing his son for a month, Shen Ning quickly had the aunt bring Lu Xiao a bowl of honey pomelo four-fruit sweet soup to welcome him home.
As soon as Lu Xiao smelled the honey, he thought of his wife and couldn’t sit still. He didn’t even have time to drink water. “Yuanyuan’s honey tastes better. I’ll drink his when I get back.”
Shen Ning said, “This honey was sent by Yuanyuan.”
Lu Xiao had no choice but to sit back down and lift the bowl.
Lu Fengge chuckled softly, seemingly mocking him.
Lu Xiao turned to Shen Ning and said, “Dad, how did you manage to live apart for a year right after getting married without seeing each other? Did Big Dad ever come back like I do, stealing time out of a packed schedule?”
Shen Ning cooperated and thought for a moment. “Seems like he didn’t?”
Lu Xiao said, “Oh? Why’s that?”
Shen Ning patted Lu Xiao’s shoulder. “That’s the difference between love and not loving. Alright, go find Yuanyuan after you finish.”
Lu Fengge: “…”
Before leaving, Lu Xiao said, “I’m leaving again tomorrow. Don’t tell my brothers.”
No giving Lu Lou and Lu Yushu a chance to laugh at him.
Lu Xiao was eager to return. As soon as the car stopped, he sprinted upstairs. The building wasn’t tall, but every second in the elevator felt like a year.
Finally, the elevator doors slowly opened. Lu Xiao turned instinctively toward Meng Xueyuan’s place, only to find the door not tightly shut. He pushed it open—his bedroom door wasn’t closed either, and no one was inside.
Had he really guessed right—that Meng Xueyuan wasn’t home?
Lu Xiao was about to pull out his phone when inspiration struck. He walked to his own door and unlocked it with his fingerprint.
The door opened a crack, warm yellow light spilling from the entryway into the hall.
Holding his breath, Lu Xiao quietly opened the bedroom door. Inside was pitch black. Using the light from the entryway, he could vaguely make out a rising and falling silhouette on the bed.
Even in sleep, Meng Xueyuan lay neatly to one side. On the large bed, he occupied only a small portion, leaving the other half wide open for the travel-worn male owner. Even if Lu Xiao lay down, Meng Xueyuan wouldn’t be disturbed.
Lu Xiao’s breathing tightened.
His wife—sleeping in his bed, under his quilt, leaving half the bed for him. Not knowing he would come home, yet doing this every night.
Lu Xiao didn’t shower. He first circled to Meng Xueyuan’s side, crouched by the bed, and carefully looked at the wife he hadn’t seen in a month.
He was thinner.
Far too thin.
The wrist exposed outside the blanket was slender and fair—he could grasp two with one hand. Faint bluish shadows hung under his eyes, clearly showing how exhausting filming had been lately.
Lu Xiao regretted mixing business with personal matters and bringing Meng Xueyuan onto Harmony of Marriage. He himself had dropped work and retired from the spotlight with ease, but Meng Xueyuan had ended up with a backlog of scenes because of it.
Lu Xiao gently took Meng Xueyuan’s hand and kissed it softly. But the phone in his pocket vibrated wildly at the worst possible moment.
He closed his eyes. Whoever was calling had better have a good reason.
Lu Xiao let go of Meng Xueyuan, quietly walked outside, closed the door, and only then took out his phone. One look—it was Chu Hao.
“You’d better be calling to say tomorrow’s weather is bad and the plane can’t take off.”
Chu Hao’s voice was filled with immense grievance. “Brother! I’ve been cheated on!”
Lu Xiao froze. Looks like this call wouldn’t be resolved in three sentences.
As he said, “Could it be a misunderstanding?” he walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. No matter what he’d end up doing later, he’d prepare a late-night snack for his wife first.
There were wonton wrappers and seasoned minced meat in the fridge—probably prepared by the aunt for tomorrow.
Wontons, like dumplings, taste better freshly wrapped than frozen.
Lu Xiao took out the meat and wrappers and sat at the dining table to start wrapping. With his right hand, he used chopsticks to pick up an appropriate amount of filling; with his left, he opened the wrapper, rolled and pinched it shut. One wonton was done.
He did everything silently and quickly.
Chu Hao’s accusations sounded especially clear. “I told you I shouldn’t have come home early! I caught them in bed red-handed!”
Lu Xiao said, “My condolences. What’s the situation now?”
His unprecedentedly gentle, patient tone soothed Chu Hao’s wounded heart slightly—until Chu Hao realized something was off. Lu Third Young Master sounded so gentle probably because he didn’t want to wake Meng Xueyuan.
His voice became even more indignant. “What situation? Should I get into a brawl with the adulterer? There were two of them—what if I got hurt? Of course I kicked them both out of my house!”
“I always knew you can’t expect love from a marriage alliance. As long as life is tolerable, what more do you want? Playing around outside is one thing, but bringing it home is absolutely not okay. Just married and already like this—other people’s wives at least pretend for two years! In the future, I won’t even know if my kids are biologically mine!”
Lu Xiao said, “Right. The kids wouldn’t be yours.”
Chu Hao said through tears, “Such a huge green hat! Even if the old man scolds me to death, I have to divorce her! Otherwise I’m not a man!”
“Divorce,” Lu Xiao said. “Not divorcing would be inhuman.”
“But I’ve only been allied with her family for a month—our cooperation will definitely fall apart.” Chu Hao broke down crying. “Luckily, Third Young Master, you switched to business in time. Our partnership is no worse than a marriage alliance. Brother, you’re my backbone for this divorce.”
Lu Xiao finished wrapping two servings of wontons and put the rest back in the fridge. “Don’t say such mushy things. I’m only my wife’s backbone.”
Chu Hao said in heart-wrenching pain, “Good brother, can you come out for a drink?”
Lu Xiao took out a pot and rinsed it under the faucet. Hearing this, he kindly suggested, “This isn’t that big of a deal. You should just drink yourself numb and process it on your own.”
Chu Hao said, “I knew you were the type to forget friends over a pretty face! What’s that sound? Fuck—I’m this miserable and you still have the mood to cook?! Do you have any empathy?! If you were the one cheated on, could you still be this calm?”
Lu Xiao said, “Right now, I feel like you deserved it.”
