Chapter 19
The interview was simple—it was just a short segment where father and son briefly introduced themselves to the camera, followed by one or two standard questions like, “Why did you decide to join this show?”
Director Song only intended to go through the motions, but to his surprise, he got way more than he expected. What he didn’t anticipate at all was that Lu Tingchuan—who rarely, if ever, appeared on variety or reality shows—turned out to have such a strong variety sense. And with that little kid next to him? It was like divine assistance!
Song Pei happily packed up his things and told the two female assistant directors behind him to note down the highlights for easier editing later.
After sending the crew off, Lu Tingchuan naturally and dutifully gave his son Lu Xuan a bath, coaxed him to sleep, and then went back to his room—only to be met with a flying pillow.
“Go sleep in the study!”
Lu Tingchuan froze, holding the pillow. When he stepped inside, he saw Xia Shi sitting on the bed with a face mask on—expression unreadable, but her tone made it clear she was very unhappy.
“Still mad?”
Xia Shi patted her face mask and picked up a book from the bedside table, clearly not planning to talk to him.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
No response.
Lu Tingchuan looked helpless. “I was wrong, okay? How about I call Director Song and explain? They misunderstood!”
Xia Shi glared at him, snorting through her nose. Explain? That would only make it worse—some things just get darker the more you try to fix them.
She got out of bed with her pillow, brushed past him, and walked straight out as if he didn’t exist. Lu Tingchuan was left dumbfounded. But just as she reached the door, she turned around and curled a finger at him.
“Come here.”
Delighted, he hurried over without thinking. But as soon as he got close, she shoved the pillow into his arms, gave him a push, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Lu Tingchuan stared at the pillow, then at the closed door—completely baffled. Reluctantly, he shuffled toward the study, but the more he thought about it, the less willing he was to let it go. The study bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the master bed—especially without her beside him.
Then an idea struck. He pulled out his phone and, thinking himself quite clever, opened Weibo.
@LuTingchuanV: Made the goddess angry and got kicked out of the bedroom. Please, anyone got tips for quickly cooling her down so I can go back to bed? Urgent!
Fans who saw the post were utterly bewildered.
“Fake account?”
“Checked three times—it’s not fake! So… did our idol get hacked?”
“Who’s crazy enough to hack his account? Don’t they know he’s a partner at Huanyu Group? You know, the tech giant with a legion of cybersecurity geniuses? You’d be stripped clean in seconds!”
“Hacker, get lost! Give our idol back his account!”
Nearly all the comments were scolding the supposed hacker.
Frowning, Lu Tingchuan had no choice but to post again.
@LuTingchuanV: Not hacked. It’s really me.
He even attached a pitiful selfie of himself hugging a pillow.
Fans were stunned all over again.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I–I–Idol, are you… on medication??”
You couldn’t really blame them—his Weibo had never been personal. For years, it was all professional posts, except for one time when he publicly defended Xia Shi during the hidden marriage scandal.
But now? Apparently when it came to his wife, his entire persona just… collapsed.
Of course, once the initial shock passed, some fans started earnestly offering advice.
“Apologize sincerely! Even if it’s not your fault, make it sound like it is!”
“Buy her a gift! Women love that!”
“Forget all that—just go back in there and pounce on her! Nothing can’t be solved after a good night. If it doesn’t work, go for round two!”
Lu Tingchuan raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin, lips curling into a mischievous grin.
Meanwhile, Xia Shi, already fast asleep after her skincare routine, had no idea her husband was embarrassing himself nationwide.
He quietly pushed open the door, tiptoed in, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside her. Listening to her soft, steady breathing, he smiled, reaching out to wrap his arms around her.
Disturbed in her sleep, Xia Shi frowned faintly and turned over—but he had predicted the move perfectly. She rolled right into his arms.
Her freshly washed hair carried a faint lemon scent. The silky waves brushed across his bare chest like soft fingertips, sending ripples through him.
His throat tightened; heat spread through his chest and belly. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
Feeling herself held too tightly, Xia Shi stirred uneasily and opened her eyes—startled.
“Lu Tingchuan!”
Her voice was full of anger and disbelief.
He ignored it, brushing the hair from her temple, his deep, magnetic voice whispering in her ear,
“Seems like I’ve got a pimple. Must be all this heat lately.”
Completely random. Xia Shi blinked, confused—and before she could react, he kissed her, cutting off her words entirely.
When the kiss finally ended, her cheeks were flushed. “I’m still mad! What are you doing?”
He smiled. “Cooling your temper.”
So righteous and shameless that Xia Shi could only gape at him.
Before she could protest again, his large hand slipped beneath her clothes. He knew exactly where she was most sensitive. She bit her lip, a soft, involuntary sound escaping her throat.
His eyes darkened as he trailed kisses down her ear and neck. Her resistance melted, arms looping around his neck almost on instinct.
With a satisfied smile, he pulled her closer and rolled her beneath him.
———
At seven the next morning, the alarm rang. Lu Tingchuan quickly turned it off, looking over at the still-sleeping Xia Shi with a gentle smile.
Just then, little Lu Xuan burst through the door. “Daddy! Mommy!”
Lu Tingchuan put a finger to his lips. “Shh.”
Lu Xuan immediately lowered his voice. “Mommy’s still asleep?” he whispered.
Lu Tingchuan scooped him up and quietly closed the door behind them.
“Daddy, is Mommy’s back hurting again?”
It took a moment for him to remember—that was the excuse he’d given their son last time. He smiled helplessly. “No.”
Lu Xuan frowned. “But Mommy’s face was red last night. You said you weren’t fighting. She always wakes up before me, but not today. Daddy, is Mommy sick?”
“She’s just tired, sweetheart. A little rest will fix it.”
Reassured, Lu Xuan nodded obediently, making his father sigh in relief.
Aunt Wu, the housekeeper, had overheard everything, smiling knowingly. She’d worked for the Lus for five years—seen plenty of couples, but few as genuinely affectionate as these two. Even their quarrels turned into flirting before the day was over.
“Ms. Wu, about Xia Xia—”
“I know, sir. Don’t worry, I won’t wake her. I’ll keep breakfast warm for her.”
Cut off before he could even finish, Lu Tingchuan just chuckled and led his son off to wash up. After breakfast, he took on the duty of driving Lu Xuan to school himself.
When they arrived, Teacher Fang Peipei noticed Xia Shi’s absence. “Mrs. Lu didn’t come today?”
Before Lu Tingchuan could answer, Lu Xuan piped up, “Mommy’s a little tired, so she’s resting at home.”
Peipei, being unmarried and a bit innocent, didn’t catch on right away—just looked concerned. “Oh no, is Mrs. Lu okay?”
Lu Xuan cheerfully added, “It’s fine! Daddy said she’ll be all better after she wakes up.”
Peipei’s face instantly turned scarlet. She was a fan of Lu Tingchuan—how could she not know about the viral Weibo post from last night?
So that’s why Mrs. Lu’s “a little tired” today…
Mortified, she stammered, “I—I’ll take Lu Xuan inside then!”
“Thank you, Ms. Fang.”
Completely composed, face calm and steady, Lu Tingchuan’s poise only made her more flustered. She hurried off with Lu Xuan as fast as she could.
