Chapter 20
When Xia Shi woke up, both Lu Tingchuan and Lu Xuan were already gone. After a quick breakfast, she hurried to the recording studio. She and Shen Hui had arranged to start recording the ending theme song for In Paris that day.
As soon as she walked in, Shen Hui gave her a wicked, teasing look, curling her finger to brush Xia Shi’s cheek.
“Had a fight with Lu Tingchuan? Look at that glow on your face, so dewy and rosy. Tsk tsk tsk… seems like Lu Tingchuan really took good care of you last night. Come on, tell big sis—was he… well-endowed and skilled?”
Xia Shi’s face turned bright red in an instant. What the hell?! Well-endowed and skilled…
Thinking back to last night… well, maybe that wasn’t entirely wrong?
No, wait—how did Shen Hui even know that?! Xia Shi frowned, looking at her suspiciously. Shen Hui laughed so hard she was clutching her six-months-pregnant belly, the housemaid behind her supporting her nervously, afraid she’d fall.
“Xia Shi, don’t tell me you don’t know yet? Not only do I know—probably the whole country knows by now.”
Xia Shi’s heart skipped a beat. A strong sense of dread rose inside her. She quickly pulled out her phone—and sure enough, she didn’t even need to search. It was already the top headline. Clicking the link led her straight to Weibo.
[@LittleYoungMasterIsMySweetheart]:
I–I–I checked it like ten times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. My idol actually DM’d me a private red envelope with 10,000 yuan! So… so… does that mean he really agreed to my suggestion yesterday?! And even tested it out already? And thought it worked well??
[@WindBlownMess]:
Mom help me! My idol’s whole vibe has changed overnight! I can’t handle ittttt!!!
[@LifeLikeSummerFlowers]:
So the goddess gave in that easily?
[@LuTingchuanLegPendant]:
Our idol sure has a… simple and direct way of solving marital issues!
…
Xia Shi’s hand tightened around her phone, her face dark as ink. Through gritted teeth, she spat out three words:
“Lu. Ting. Chuan!”
Shen Hui coughed twice, clearing her throat. “Alright, alright, time to work! Let’s focus on work!”
Inside, Xia Shi felt like ten thousand wild horses were stampeding through her chest. A tiny version of herself was cracking a whip, desperate to drag Lu Tingchuan over and thrash him.
Fine, she could handle embarrassment—but did he have to drag her down with him?! Their private matters had now become a national spectacle. Did he have no shame?
Still, as furious as she was and as much as she planned to “settle accounts later,” once she and Shen Hui entered work mode, she completely forgot about it. After several days of recording—barely catching her breath—she finally turned in the demo to Director Guo, only to realize it was already time for the show Where Are We Going, Baby? to start filming.
And to make things worse—her period came.
Single hospital room.
Xia Shi lay weakly on the bed, pale and miserable. Her cramps were so bad that she trembled and broke out in cold sweat, to the point that she had to be hospitalized. Eyes closed, brows furrowed, her colorless face made Lu Tingchuan’s heart ache.
“Still hurting?” he asked softly.
The painkillers and IV had finally eased the worst of it, but she was exhausted, too drained to speak. She weakly shook her head, frowning a little more. “Tingchuan, go home. There are doctors and nurses here—I don’t need you staying. Xuanxuan’s still at home, and it’s late. I’ll worry if you’re gone. Besides, you have to leave for the show tomorrow.”
At a time like this, who cared about some stupid show?!
But knowing Xia Shi’s temperament, Lu Tingchuan understood it was pointless to argue. So instead, he quietly wiped her sweat with tissues, deliberately ignoring the show topic.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Aunt Wu’s at home—I told her to take good care of Xuanxuan. The doctor said it’s nothing serious; you don’t need to stay overnight. Once this IV is done, we can go home.”
Xia Shi opened her eyes a little, glanced at the nearly finished IV bottle, and said nothing more. Seeing how tired she was, Lu Tingchuan stopped talking as well. He tucked her blanket in gently and walked to the vending machine at the nurse’s station.
After scanning through the options, he chose a bottled hot chocolate. But once he held it, he realized it was cold—bad for her condition. So he went over to the nurses’ desk.
“Excuse me, could I borrow a microwave for a moment?”
The young nurse blinked at him in a daze. Lu Tingchuan frowned slightly. “Excuse me?”
She jolted back to her senses. “O-oh! Um, sure—what do you need it for?”
“I thought my wife shouldn’t drink anything cold right now. Could I warm this up a bit?”
The nurse jumped up immediately and led him to the staff pantry, even preparing a disposable cup for him. “M-Mr. Lu—sir—you can’t microwave the bottle directly. But this cup is for one-time use, safe and clean. The hospital keeps them for patients who need it.”
Lu Tingchuan smiled and took it. “Thank you.”
When his fingers brushed hers, a tiny shock ran through her. She jerked her hand back, face flaming, and practically fled the room. Lu Tingchuan sighed helplessly and shook his head with a faint smile.
Too many fans—it really wasn’t his fault.
At the nurses’ station.
The nurse grabbed a few colleagues, squealing. “He talked to me! He touched my hand! Aaaahhh I don’t think I can wash it for a month!”
“You mean the guy who carried Xia Shi in earlier? That Lu Tingchuan?”
She nodded vigorously. “Mhm mhm! He’s even more handsome in person—like, a hundred times more! I never thought I’d be this close to my idol! And he touched my hand!”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “Touched your hand? Girl, that was an accident. Don’t start daydreaming. Didn’t you see how he looked at Xia Shi? Trust me, I’ve been around—Lu Tingchuan’s done for in Xia Shi’s hands. No one else stands a chance.”
The nurse didn’t seem disappointed—in fact, she looked thrilled. “Yeah, he totally dotes on her. Only someone like Xia Shi deserves a man like that.”
Once she started, she couldn’t stop. It was a quiet night at the hospital, and with little to do, she kept chatting excitedly with her coworkers.
“You don’t know! Dr. Li was the one examining them, and I happened to be there. You know how thorough Dr. Li is. Xia Shi was in too much pain to talk, so he answered everything for her. He even knew her cycle, timing, color, and flow! So embarrassing—but he answered without missing a beat!”
Her friend nodded. “That’s rare. Not many men pay that much attention.”
Another nurse joined in, fresh from another task. “I was the one who gave her the injection earlier. He was holding her with her head in his lap, wiping her sweat and fixing her messy hair. The way he looked at her—so tender. If he looked at me like that once, I could die happy.”
“Right? I saw that too! I went in to change her IV bottle. When she woke up, he asked her softly if she still hurt, if she felt uncomfortable. His voice was so sweet I nearly melted. I had to go in twice to check on her, and the whole time, it was like he couldn’t see anyone but her.”
“Oh my god, I can’t take it anymore! I want a husband too—but not every man’s like him. I’m gonna cry!”
When Lu Tingchuan returned to the ward with the warmed chocolate, Xia Shi was already asleep. He set the cup down quietly, moved softly to sit by her bedside, and relaxed only when he saw her face had regained some color.
Soon, the IV was finished. The nurse came in to remove the needle, and Lu Tingchuan whispered, “Be gentle—she just fell asleep.”
His serious tone made the nurse tremble, moving as lightly as possible, as if they were acting out a silent play. Once the needle was out and bleeding stopped, Lu Tingchuan gently lifted Xia Shi into his arms. The motion stirred her a little—she frowned faintly in her sleep.
He stroked her hair. “Shh, sleep. We’re going home.”
His voice was tender, almost coaxing, and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Too tired to resist, Xia Shi shifted in his familiar embrace, nuzzled his shoulder, and fell asleep again.
Lu Tingchuan smiled, his expression full of warmth and affection.
The nurse changing the sheets nearly stumbled, barely keeping her balance.
Covering her face—this scene was too much. Single people couldn’t take this level of sweetness!
Hello, police? I’d like to report a public dog abuse incident!
Author’s Note:
This chapter’s mostly a transition, but it also plants a small plot thread.
Next chapter—the show recording begins!
I’m so excited! Are you?
I’m super excited!
