Chapter 21
Perhaps because she had been thinking about the show recording, Xia Shi woke up around five in the morning. After lying in bed for an entire day and night, she couldn’t bear it any longer. She got up quietly and glanced at Lu Tingchuan, who was still sleeping soundly beside her, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Last night, he had taken care of her all night long—they hadn’t left the hospital until after one in the morning, after her IV drip was finished.
Xia Shi moved as lightly as possible. When she went downstairs, she happened to see Aunt Wu coming out of the nanny’s room on the first floor.
“Aunt Wu, you should go back to sleep. I’ll make breakfast today. It’s been a long time since Xuanxuan had something I made myself.”
Aunt Wu didn’t insist, but since she was already awake, any drowsiness had vanished. She simply started cleaning the house.
In the kitchen, Xia Shi got busy. She was flipping through the ingredients and pouring flour into a bowl when suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
“You’re up this early when you’re still not feeling well?”
“I’m fine now. I stayed in bed all day yesterday—my whole body’s sore. I need to move around a bit.”
Lu Tingchuan had been a little displeased and was tempted to scoop her back into bed, but when he heard her reasoning, he gave up on the idea and rested his chin on her shoulder. “What are you making?”
“I thought, since it’s still early, I’d make some snacks to bring along. Just in case you can’t manage to cook later, at least Xuanxuan won’t go hungry.”
A hint of jealousy crept into his tone. “Only for the little one? What about me? You’re worried he’ll starve, but not me?”
Xia Shi couldn’t help laughing and jabbed her elbow back at him. “Honestly! How old are you? You’re jealous of your own son? You can take care of yourself. Or are you really waiting for him to feed you?”
Lu Tingchuan let her push him away, only to pull her back in tighter.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Aunt Wu opened the door, and the production crew poured in—only to immediately catch sight of the couple cuddling in the open-plan kitchen. It was the same team from the previous interview: two cameramen and two female directors. Director Song, the chief director, hadn’t come this time.
Whether it was because they had already witnessed something similar before or had been “briefed” by Director Song, the two female directors remained composed.
“Good morning, Teacher Lu, Teacher Xia!”
Lu Tingchuan turned around, frowning as he checked his watch. “You’re here this early? It’s only six.”
“Well, even though today’s filming location is close—just on the outskirts of the capital—it still takes a few hours to get there. We need to arrive before noon. But we’re not leaving just yet—we’ll set out at seven. You can have breakfast as usual. We’ll keep the cameras rolling in the meantime for extra footage. We’ll decide what to include later in editing.”
Lu Tingchuan nodded. “Should we wake Xuanxuan now?” he asked, though he was already heading upstairs. The cameraman followed immediately.
“He usually wakes up around seven on his own,” Lu Tingchuan explained to the camera. “But since it’s early today, he might be a little cranky. Please bear with him.”
Children always have some morning grumpiness; the crew expected it—and maybe even welcomed it as potential “highlight footage.” One of the female directors chuckled. “Think you can handle him, Teacher Lu?”
Lu Tingchuan gave her a “what kind of dumb question is that?” look. “Of course. He’s usually pretty obedient. He only gets difficult with Xia Xia. With me, he won’t dare—he’s kind of scared of me.”
“Oh? So you’re the strict one in the family?”
“Well, someone has to be. Xia Xia can’t play the bad cop to save her life.”
As they entered Lu Xuan’s room, everyone froze.
Where was the kid?
Not only was there no sign of him—there wasn’t even a bed. Instead, there was a huge Batmobile!
Lu Tingchuan walked over and knocked on the car window. “Xuanxuan? How many times have I told you—you can’t close the car doors and roof completely when you sleep. Only the skylight is open; it’s not safe, and you won’t get enough air.”
No response.
He sighed, searched the room for the remote control, didn’t find it, and finally went back to the master bedroom to grab the spare one.
When he pressed the button, the cameramen and directors watched wide-eyed as the car doors and roof folded away, transforming into a bed. On it lay a little boy, clutching a giant Baymax doll that was bigger than he was.
“Teacher Lu, that bed must be custom-made, right?”
“Yes. I had Zhou Zhang find a designer for it. Later, Lin’s Furniture asked me to endorse them, and I agreed on one condition—that they make this bed.”
…So much for being the “strict parent.” What level of spoiling was this?
Completely unfazed, Lu Tingchuan gently nudged his son. “Xuanxuan, time to wake up.”
The little one rolled over, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and mumbled, “Am I dreaming?”
“Nope, you’re awake.”
Lu Xuan flopped back down. “Not awake.”
“You are awake.”
“Not awake!”
“You are!”
He scowled, rubbing his head against the pillow. “Not awake!”
Lu Tingchuan finally gave in. “Okay, okay, you’re not awake. Can you wake up now?”
Lu Xuan peeked at the clock. “It’s not seven yet, Daddy.”
“We have to go film the show today, remember? We’re leaving soon, so you need to get up now.”
With a sigh of defeat, the little boy sat up, greeted the staff politely, then went quiet and refused to move.
When Lu Tingchuan handed him clothes, he wouldn’t cooperate.
“You see? You promised you’d be good for the show, take care of yourself, and even take care of Daddy. But look at you now…” Lu Tingchuan spread his hands, looking very disappointed.
Lu Xuan froze, then silently started dressing himself. He waved a small hand at the camera. “Turn around! Don’t film me!”
The cameraman laughed softly and turned away.
When he finished getting ready, Lu Tingchuan had already squeezed toothpaste for him. Lu Xuan looked up and asked, “Daddy, I got up and behaved. You said your promises count, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said I could have one ice cream every day. But I’ve only been getting half. Yesterday, I didn’t get any. So can I have two today?” His little face was full of hope.
Lu Tingchuan rubbed his temples. How did he still remember that? Wasn’t that promise already overruled by Xia Shi ages ago?
“There won’t be ice cream where we’re going.”
“Then we can bring some from home.”
“If we bring it, it’ll melt. You can’t eat melted ice cream.” He tried to reason and distract him, but this morning, the little one wasn’t easy to fool.
“Then I’ll eat it now—before we go!”
Lu Tingchuan sighed helplessly. Xuanxuan wasn’t usually a foodie like his cousin Yuan Yuan, but he was oddly fixated on two things: anything made by Xia Shi and ice cream.
“Xuanxuan, it’s too early. It’s cold in the morning—you’ll get sick if you eat ice cream now.”
The boy frowned, unhappy. “But you taught me that if you make a promise, you have to keep it! You never keep yours!”
That one hit hard. Lu Tingchuan was momentarily speechless, then resorted to his ultimate weapon. “Lu Xuan!”
The boy froze. Father and son locked eyes for two tense seconds. When Lu Tingchuan’s face hardened, it was intimidating enough. Xuanxuan quickly turned away, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and finished his morning routine in record time.
Lu Tingchuan exhaled quietly, wiping away a bit of cold sweat.
Downstairs, Xuanxuan immediately ran into Xia Shi’s arms. She bent down, and he whispered in her ear, “Mommy, Daddy scolded me! It was totally his fault, but he still yelled. You have to help me. Let’s punish him—when we get home, we’ll sleep together and kick Daddy out!”
He thought he was whispering, but the mic on his shirt picked up every word. The crew stifled their laughter; Lu Tingchuan was dumbfounded. Since when had the kid learned to plot revenge?
Realizing something was off, Xuanxuan turned around and saw his dad’s stunned expression. He froze, covered his mouth, shook his head furiously, then tried to change the subject: “The weather’s great today!”
His attempt to cover it up was… painfully clumsy.
Lu Tingchuan burst out laughing and carried his son to the table. When Xuanxuan saw the breakfast laid out, his eyes lit up. “Shrimp steamed egg! Mommy made it herself!”
Everything his mother made seemed extra delicious. He ate happily, finishing a bowl in no time. Lu Tingchuan handed him a napkin to wipe his mouth. Xia Shi came out of the kitchen with some snacks packed up and saw the two of them whispering again.
When she approached, Lu Tingchuan cleared his throat nervously and said, “Xia Xia, can Xuanxuan have an ice cream? Just one? I already promised.”
Xia Shi’s expression hardened. “Lu Tingchuan, what’s wrong with you? Xuanxuan’s still a child—do you have to act like one too? It’s mid-September already! Mornings and evenings are chilly. How can you let him eat something so cold? He’s still little; his stomach’s not strong. You know that!”
Xuanxuan knelt on the chair, looking up at her with big pleading eyes. Xia Shi turned away, pretending not to see. After three seconds, his smile faded, and he sat down quietly, tugging at his dad’s sleeve, looking dejected.
Lu Tingchuan gave her a pitiful look. “How about half? I’ll eat the other half, and he can have just a bite or two? I did promise him. If I don’t keep my word, I’ll lose all credibility with my son.”
Xuanxuan nodded vigorously. The two of them looked equally pitiful and hopeful—it was like she had two sons instead of one. Feeling helpless, Xia Shi glared at Lu Tingchuan and said firmly, “No!”
Lu Tingchuan turned to his son, looking utterly defeated.
Xuanxuan drooped his head. “Knew it. Mommy’s the real boss around here. Daddy, you’re totally useless!”
