Chapter 30
At the coffee shop
When Yin Ru saw Chu Xun walk in, she was overjoyed. She nervously straightened her hair.
“You came?”
Chu Xun sat down, ignoring the cup of coffee she pushed toward him.
“Mm.”
Yin Ru’s expression dimmed. “Ah Xun, must you be so cold to me? Are you still angry?”
“No. I just think… there’s no need for us to be entangled any further.”
Yin Ru froze, then laughed bitterly.
“No need? Ha! If there’s no need, then why did you even come today?”
“Sister Ping called me. She asked me to talk to you. She said lately you’ve been—”
“What did she say to you?” Yin Ru slammed the table before he could finish. “She has no right to meddle in my business!”
Chu Xun frowned. He could already guess why Ye Ping had called—something was off about Yin Ru lately.
“Sister Ping is just worried about you. That kind of stuff—you can’t touch it. Once you’re addicted, you’re ruined. You haven’t gone too far yet, you can still quit now. But if you keep going, you won’t be able to stop. You’re a singer—your voice is everything. Keep this up, and what about your dream? Your career?”
“Dreams? Career?” Yin Ru suddenly broke down in tears, grabbing his hand. “Ah Xun, can’t we start over?”
Chu Xun frowned with irritation and tried to pull his hand back, but she held on too tightly. In the struggle, the coffee spilled, drenching his clothes. He stood up to go clean himself, but Yin Ru wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Ah Xun! I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have gone to Guo Zihua behind your back. But I had my reasons! You and Xia Shi had talent—you were the champion and runner-up, the company promoted you and gave you albums. But me? I was just tenth place. If I didn’t use some tricks, didn’t fight a little, how could I ever have a chance? If I didn’t climb up, how could I ever stand next to you—how could I be worthy of you?”
Chu Xun felt a mix of emotions. He had once felt a trace of guilt toward Yin Ru, but hearing this made him almost laugh. That was her justification?
He hadn’t planned to argue with her, but couldn’t stop himself from asking, “And what about Liang Feng?”
Yin Ru’s body trembled—Liang Feng!
“When Guo Zihua went down, all those scandals… every female artist under him got dragged down. You think that was easy for me? The rumors destroyed what little popularity I had left. If it weren’t for Liang Feng, how could I have made a comeback?”
Chu Xun felt only exhaustion.
“You see? You gave what you could give, and got what you wanted. Isn’t that good enough?”
Good enough? What was good about it?
Yin Ru gritted her teeth. Liang Feng had indeed given her opportunities, resources, and everything she wanted—but he was also her personal nightmare.
Liang Feng…
The name alone made her shudder. He was like a devil. She’d thought it was just a transactional relationship with a powerful backer. Who knew—
Liang Feng had twisted preferences when it came to women. What he couldn’t do with Mrs. Liang, he took out on her. He craved her youth, her submission, the thrill of control. Every time, he left her bruised and broken. A few times, she’d nearly died on that bed.
She regretted it, but there was no way back. Once aboard that ship, there was no getting off—unless Liang Feng himself kicked her into the sea.
With tears in her eyes, Yin Ru looked up at Chu Xun, voice trembling with desperate hope.
“Ah Xun, can’t we start over? I don’t need dreams or a career anymore. I just want you.”
“Impossible. Yin Ru, you know very well—it’s not possible between us.”
Chu Xun pushed her away and turned to leave, but her voice stopped him cold:
“Is it because of Xia Shi?”
Chu Xun froze. Yin Ru sneered.
“Chu Xun, what right do you have to judge me? Yes, I betrayed you for Guo Zihua. But you—can you really say you ever loved me? That you were ever truly with me heart and soul?”
Chu Xun’s chest tightened.
He remembered the day Xia Shi had brought Lu Tingchuan to meet him—how radiant she’d looked, introducing her boyfriend. It had stung more than he’d wanted to admit. Back then, he’d told himself he was just another single guy jealous of couples. So, he decided to try love too.
Yin Ru had been simple then—long hair, shy smile, softly stammering out her confession: I like you. He’d felt something stir, and agreed.
He’d tried to care for her, to love her. But when she dumped him for Guo Zihua, he hadn’t felt angry or heartbroken—only relief. As if a heavy burden had been lifted.
It was only then that he realized what his heart had been trying to tell him all along—his jealousy hadn’t come from loneliness. It was because he’d fallen for Xia Shi.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Yin Ru pressed, triumph flickering in her eyes. “Xia Shi’s married now, Chu Xun. She’s married!”
“Yin Ru, this has nothing to do with Xia Shi. Even without her, we’d still be impossible.”
He left the café. Behind him came the crash of breaking cups and a hysterical scream.
Chu Xun exhaled deeply. Outside, Ye Ping was waiting anxiously.
“Ping-jie, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I don’t think I can get through to her.”
Ye Ping sighed. “I know. I heard everything. It wasn’t really proper to ask you to come, considering your past with her. But I thought—since she still loves you, maybe she’d listen. I didn’t expect it would make things worse. Thank you, Ah Xun. I shouldn’t have troubled you.”
“You’re too polite. My first album wouldn’t have happened without your help.”
From inside came another burst of crying and crashing. Both frowned. Ye Ping sighed again.
“Ah Ru’s been through a lot these years. Liang Feng… he…”
Chu Xun cut her off. “Everyone has to pay for their choices. You pick your road—you walk it, even on your knees. You’ve already done more than enough for her, Ping-jie.”
Ye Ping paused, then nodded faintly. “You’re right. Still… please don’t mention what happened today.”
“I understand the rules. Don’t worry. But…” he glanced at the closed door, “Ping-jie, maybe get her a therapist.”
Ye Ping gave a bitter smile. “I could. But she has to be willing to see one.”
Friday.
Time to record the new episode of Where Are We Going, Baby?
This trip was farther away—they had to fly—so on Friday afternoon, Lu Tingchuan and Xia Shi picked up Lu Xuan early from kindergarten.
With experience from the last trip, packing was much easier this time—just the essentials.
Lu Tingchuan hugged Xia Shi, reluctant to let go. “You really aren’t coming with us?”
“The show rules—no agents, no assistants, and definitely no wives allowed!”
He chuckled. She was trying to fool him. The production kept the “secret guest” under wraps, but with his memory of his past life as a cheat code, he already knew—the moms would be joining later as a surprise.
He brushed his chin against her hair. “Then I’m off. Don’t overwork yourself on I Am the King of Songs. Take care of yourself.”
Xia Shi grinned proudly. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
“Already? How are you planning to rearrange the song?”
She winked. “Secret! The mountain man has his tricks!”
Seeing her confidence, he smiled. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
“Daddy, let’s go!”
Little Lu Xuan came downstairs, dragging his tiny suitcase. Xia Shi quickly stepped aside as father and son left.
After sending them off, she began packing her own things. Her flight was tomorrow morning—no rush. Tonight, she could even watch the live broadcast of Where Are We Going, Baby?
Last time the show aired, they’d been in the U.S., and because of time zones and streaming restrictions, she’d only caught it online later.
This was episode two.
After a day of bonding, the dads and kids were familiar with each other. Morning sunlight poured over the countryside; roosters crowed; everyone woke up one by one.
At home, weekends were Lu Xuan’s morning reading time—twenty minutes of Tang poetry, followed by calligraphy practice.
Lu Tingchuan unpacked the brushes and ink, guiding Lu Xuan by hand. The female director was surprised.
“Teacher Lu, your family’s routine is just like Teacher Ye’s. His daughter Fang Fang practices calligraphy too.”
Lu Tingchuan smiled. “Same roots.”
The director blinked in confusion, then stared as he demonstrated—his handwriting was elegant and firm.
“Teacher Lu, you’ve practiced before, haven’t you? It’s beautiful!”
“Just when I was young. Can’t compare with Ye Zheng. I’m only showing off and embarrassing myself—please cut this scene out, or someone will get mad at me for losing face.”
Embarrassing? The director was speechless. In this day and age, few even knew how to hold a brush properly, let alone write that well.
But who was this “someone”?
“Do you mean Teacher Xia?”
He shook his head. Lu Xuan piped up, “He means my grandpa! My grandpa’s amazing! He’s won tons of awards and has lots of students! Uncle Ye is one of them! Grandpa said Uncle Ye was his most talented student! At the last national calligraphy competition, Grandpa was the honorary judge—he was even on the news!”
His little voice was full of pride.
The director was stunned. Wait—Ye Zheng’s mentor? That was a master in the national calligraphy world!
So…
She gaped, while Lu Tingchuan ruffled his son’s hair. “Keep practicing. I’ll go get breakfast.”
The director kept quiet—but netizens didn’t.
“I checked—Lu Tingchuan’s father was rumored to be a professor at Capital University, name never disclosed. Ye Zheng studied under Lu Jingshan, who’s also a Capital University professor. Both surnamed Lu… So Lu Jingshan is Lu Tingchuan’s father???”
“Has to be! Remember that Weibo photo when he apologized to Xia Shi? The study wall had a calligraphy piece with Lu Jingshan’s seal!”
“No way—the actor’s dad is a calligraphy grandmaster? Talk about talent running in the family!”
“He called that ‘embarrassing’? Please, embarrass me like that!”
“Compared to Lu Jingshan and Ye Zheng, maybe it is—those two are legends! Still, if I could write half that well, my parents would light incense to thank the ancestors!”
Watching both the broadcast and the live comments, Xia Shi burst out laughing. The show’s editing team is devious—didn’t they promise to cut that part?
Lu Jingshan was famously strict about art—he hated show-offs and half-baked talent. He’d probably blow his beard off in indignation, though in his current condition, he’d only grumble privately.
Thinking of the father-son tension, Xia Shi sighed softly.
On screen, the dads and kids had finished breakfast and were tackling their next mission: learning traditional crafts—paper cutting, lantern making, etc.—and selling them at the local market.
The dads were thrilled to finally relax, cracking open beers and chatting while the kids worked.
The children were adorable—especially the girls, who handled the selling while Lu Xuan managed the money.
But the kids had no real sense of value, shouting random prices—ten, a hundred, whatever came to mind. The locals were generous, happily handing over bills.
Lu Xuan scratched his head, utterly confused. “Wait, wait, I can’t count this!”
Growing up in the U.S., he knew dollars better than yuan, and since his parents never let him handle money, this hadn’t come up before.
Fang Fang smirked and pushed him aside. “I’ll do it! You’re bad at math!”
Naturally, a first grader beat a kindergartener. When they rejoined the dads later, Fang Fang was still bragging.
“Daddy! Lu Xuan can’t count money! Uncle Lu, Lu Xuan doesn’t know money! He can’t even tell which is which!”
She’d finally found something she could do better, so she preened and tugged Yuan Yuan over.
“See? He doesn’t even know money! If you marry him someday, he can’t feed you!”
The dads roared with laughter. Netizens did too.
“Justice for little master Lu! He grew up in America—he knows dollars!”
“LOL he looks so wronged—just because he can’t count doesn’t mean he can’t earn money!”
“Fang Fang’s such a protective big bro! Whoever wants to marry Yuan Yuan will have to get past him first!”
Yuan Yuan crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at Fang Fang. She didn’t know how to argue.
Mo Jia’ang chimed in gallantly, “Lu Xuan’s smart—he’ll learn fast! Next time he’ll know them all!”
Fang Fang scowled. Why did Mo Jia’ang always defend Lu Xuan!
“Anyway, Lu Xuan, you’re not allowed to like my sister! Even if you learn money, I won’t let her marry you!”
Lu Xuan sighed helplessly. “I don’t want Yuan Yuan to marry me.”
Everyone turned to Yuan Yuan, expecting tears—but instead, she beamed.
“That’s okay! I’ll marry you! Mommy said if you like someone, go after them and bring them home! Girls can marry boys too! Brother Xuan Xuan, I’ll marry you!”
The dads and crew collapsed laughing.
Lu Xuan looked up at his father, utterly lost. But Lu Tingchuan only crouched down, eyes glinting with mischief.
“So, will you marry her?”
Lu Xuan’s face went scarlet. He hid behind his dad, shouting, “No! No! No!”
Even Lu Tingchuan had to admit—this little girl had skill, managing to make his calm, polite son lose his composure.
The episode moved on. After lunch and a nap came the “village chief’s interview” segment—each child was questioned while the dads watched on a monitor.
The questions were simple, testing parent-child understanding—What does your dad like best? Hate most? What’s his wish? Would you help make it come true?
“Your dad likes… what the most?”
Lu Xuan: “Mommy!”
The village chief blinked. That was… unexpected, though technically not wrong.
“Then doesn’t he like you?”
“He does! But he likes Mommy more! He’s always whispering with Mommy and kicking me out when they do!” Lu Xuan said, a little sulky.
“Oh really?”
He nodded seriously.
“What does your dad dislike the most?”
“He hates the uncles who send Mommy roses!”
The chief’s eyes lit up—this was juicy. “Which uncles sent her roses?”
“A lot! Back in America, lots of uncles sent Mommy flowers! But Daddy saw them. He threw all the flowers away and bought tons from Aunt Katie’s flower shop—he filled the whole house! Living room, study, bedroom, hallway—flowers everywhere!”
The chief tried not to laugh. “And after that?”
“Then Daddy made a deal with Aunt Katie—whether he’s home or not, she has to send Mommy flowers every day! And he told me, if any other uncles send flowers again, I have to throw them all out! Don’t tell anyone, Uncle Chief—Mommy doesn’t know! We threw them away together! Daddy said we can’t let Mommy find out!”
In the monitoring room, all the dads turned to look at Lu Tingchuan. He covered his face. Son, must you be this honest?
The chief could barely contain his laughter but pressed on. “Does your dad have any small wishes? Should we help him make one come true?”
Lu Xuan shook his head hard. “No!”
The chief was stunned—every other kid had said yes.
With a small pout, Lu Xuan added, “I don’t want to help him, because I want to be with Mommy too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Grandma said Daddy’s biggest wish in life is to become Mommy’s conjoined twin, never apart, always following her everywhere. Grandma also said when Mommy’s not around, Daddy’s nice to me. But when Mommy’s there, he acts like I’m a light bulb—always avoiding me. Grandma said when that happens, I look like a free phone plan bonus, and Daddy doesn’t act like my real dad at all.”
Wu Jie, the housekeeper watching with Xia Shi, burst into laughter. When Xia Shi turned, she quickly waved her hands. “He’s just so cute! Really!”
Wu Jie, you’re terrible at lying, Xia Shi thought, face burning red.
Son, can’t you keep anything to yourself?
And Mother, what exactly have you been telling him?!
She didn’t even dare check the comments—they were definitely blowing up.
