TFEDLAM 32

Chapter 32

Sweet Upgrade

As evening deepened, night quietly descended.

The five families each returned to their own rooms.

Lu Tingchuan busied himself—first making milk for Lu Xuan, then heating water in the kitchen. His movements were practiced and steady, no longer the flustered mess he’d been in the first episode. Everything was done with calm order.

Xia Shi watched him, dazed.

Just then, Lu Xuan came in from outside, hugging a pillow.
“Mommy, I asked Auntie Wen for a new pillow for you!”

Auntie Wen was one of the show’s assistant directors.

Xia Shi blinked in pleasant surprise. “Thank you, baby!”

Lu Xuan lifted his little chin proudly, lips pursed into a shy yet adorable smile.
“Mommy, I’ll make your bed!”

He climbed up with the pillow, carefully smoothing every corner of the sheets and blankets, then arranged the pillows neatly—two big ones on each side, and the small one in the middle.
“Mommy sleeps inside, Daddy outside, and I sleep in the middle!”

Xia Shi’s heart melted. She hugged her son and kissed his cheek. “My baby is amazing!”

The cameraman sighed softly. “Xuanxuan’s really happy today.”

Lu Xuan nodded so hard his head bobbed.
“Because Mommy’s here! I get to travel with Mommy and Daddy. We even went to Disneyland together before—me, Daddy, and Mommy! All of us together!”

He emphasized the word together several times. It was obvious that having both parents by his side filled him with joy.

Xia Shi’s eyes softened; she stroked his hair with a mix of tenderness and ache.

After washing up, drinking his milk, and brushing his teeth, Lu Xuan lay in bed still bubbling with excitement. He held one of Xia Shi’s hands and one of Lu Tingchuan’s.
“This house isn’t that great,” he murmured, a little pouty. “If Mommy came last time, you’d have liked it. We lived in a mansion! With a Simmons bed and a water heater—it was awesome!”

The pampered young master now thought a bed and water heater made a mansion. Xia Shi chuckled.
“Mommy thinks this place is nice too. See? The bed’s big—so Daddy and Mommy can both sleep with you.”

At that, Lu Xuan suddenly thought of Uncle Mo’s narrow bed and how he had to sleep on the floor. Then he looked at his own parents lying beside him and felt a small surge of pride.

Children fall asleep quickly. Watching their son drift off, both Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan leaned over and kissed his forehead. When they looked up, their eyes met—and they smiled.

Though the bed was large compared to the others’, it was still far from the comfort of home. They both scooted toward the edges to avoid disturbing their child.

Xia Shi didn’t sleep well that night and woke around five.

Lu Tingchuan whispered, “Why don’t we take a walk? There’s a hill behind the village—good view. We could catch the sunrise.”

There’s no greater torment than lying awake in bed unable to sleep, so his suggestion tempted her. Still, she hesitated…

Seeing through her thoughts, Lu Tingchuan added,
“The crew won’t start filming till six-thirty. It’s still early. Xuanxuan won’t wake till seven. The house owner’s an elderly granny—she wakes up before dawn and sits out front every morning. We can ask her to keep an eye on him. You know Xuanxuan—he won’t wake unless someone calls him.”

After a moment’s thought, Xia Shi agreed. They carefully got dressed, slipped out without waking Lu Xuan, and found the old lady sitting by the door. She was kind and readily agreed to watch over the boy.

Morning dew freshened the forest, the air rich with the scent of grass and trees.

Lu Tingchuan held Xia Shi’s hand as they climbed the narrow, winding path. The undeveloped mountain road was damp from dew, the soil soft beneath their feet. Xia Shi had to step carefully, sometimes sinking a little. Lu Tingchuan couldn’t help but laugh and finally crouched down.

“Come on up. At this rate, the sun will be up before we even get there.”

She hopped onto his back, looping her arms around his neck. The gesture stirred memories of youth.

“Remember back in high school?” she said softly. “During the sports meet, I twisted my ankle in the sprint, and you carried me to the infirmary just like this.”

Lu Tingchuan smiled. “Of course I remember. I even tried to walk you home afterward, but your mom chased me out with a broom.”

Xia Shi burst out laughing. “That’s because you always waited at the alley near our house. Every morning, you’d hand me breakfast. My mom said she kept seeing you lurking around, thought you were a thief casing the place! She’d been watching you for weeks, convinced you were up to no good. Then one day, she saw you carrying her daughter home—of course she thought you were taking advantage of me!”

Lu Tingchuan sighed in mock despair. After that broom incident, he had never dared approach her house again.

Reminiscing about their youthful days, they reached the top of the hill without realizing it.

The horizon was turning pale, dawn breaking. They sat together and watched the sun slowly rise, its golden warmth spilling over the world, waking life anew.

Tiny wildflowers bloomed all around, just like those on the hill behind their old school.

Leaning on his shoulder, Xia Shi murmured, “These flowers look just like the ones on our school’s back hill. Remember my birthday? You brought me here and made me a flower crown. I can’t believe I fell for you over such a cheap little wildflower crown.”

Lu Tingchuan chuckled. “Hey, what about all those love letters I wrote? And the breakfasts I gave you?”

She snorted. “You dare mention those? My mom found your letters and burned them! I got scolded too.”

He grinned. “I may have written them, but you kept them. If you didn’t like me, you could’ve thrown them out. You must’ve wanted to keep them.”

She shot him a glare, then sighed. “That day, when you put the flower crown on me, you said you liked me—and asked if I liked you.”

Lu Tingchuan laughed softly. “I was terrified you’d say no. I didn’t even dare hear your answer. So I just said, ‘I’ll wait for you here at six tonight to watch the sunset. If you come, I’ll know your answer.’ But the one who didn’t show up wasn’t you—it was me.”

Xia Shi nestled into his chest, hugging him. “It wasn’t your fault.”

His mother’s death had been sudden—no warning, no time to prepare. He’d been forced to face it in shock.

“I waited so long,” she whispered. “When you didn’t show, I was angry for days. But I still wanted an answer, so I went to your house. That’s when I found out from your neighbors that your father took you to Beijing. Later, I saw you on TV—you’d become the talented rising star everyone praised.”

Her tone dimmed. “I thought you’d forgotten me. But I couldn’t forget you. What could I do? So I worked hard to get into a music academy in Beijing. When the show The Most Beautiful Voice held auditions, my parents didn’t want me to join—they said I should focus on school. But I couldn’t wait three more years till graduation. What if, by then, you had someone else? What if you’d forgotten me? So I told Chu Xun I had to go. He signed up with me.”

Lu Tingchuan froze. “You said… time was too long?”

She smiled. “Yes. You were so brilliant—how could I wait three years and risk being forgotten? If I did well in the show, I could sign a contract, release an album, enter the entertainment world… and maybe, find a way to see you again.”

He stared at her, stunned. In both their lives, she’d never told him this part. He’d always thought their reunion was a coincidence—that she joined the show just to chase her dream.

But now he realized…

“Xiaxia… I’m sorry. I…”

He had no idea she had done all this—just for him.

Suddenly, Xia Shi pushed him down and kissed him first—a rare act of initiative. Surprised but delighted, Lu Tingchuan quickly flipped her over and deepened the kiss.

On that wildflower-covered hillside, they clung to each other, lips and breath tangled, hearts entwined.

When they finally broke apart, Lu Tingchuan’s lips curled into a teasing smile. “You’re really not afraid I’ll lose control, coming on to me like that?”

Xia Shi plucked a tiny flower and tucked it behind his ear. “Pretty,” she said impishly.

Blatantly changing the subject. Lu Tingchuan laughed, then leaned down again. Xia Shi stiffened, giving him pleading puppy eyes. “Don’t! This isn’t the place.”

“Then where is the place?”

Her face scrunched up. “It’s already morning! Xuanxuan will wake up soon.”

He licked her ear, voice low. “Fine, I’ll let you off this time. How will you make it up to me?”

“I’ll make it up to you after filming!” she huffed.

“Oh? When we get back then, you’ll come to me? You and Sophie looked up all those position charts online, didn’t you? We can try some of those.”

Her face instantly flamed red. That was Sophie’s doing! She’d been dragged into that embarrassing conversation and forced to answer questions about her and Lu Tingchuan!

“No way!”

“No?” he teased, lowering his voice and his hands.

“Lu Tingchuan!” she gasped as his fingers slipped under her clothes.

He didn’t stop until she gave in, panting, “Alright, alright! I promise! I’ll make it up to you!”

Satisfied, he finally released her and stole another kiss.

Xia Shi pouted, inwardly weeping. How did I end up the guilty one when he was the one being shameless? And now she’d promised such an unfair deal!

Just thinking about those “position charts” made her cheeks burn hotter. Damn you, Sophie! You’re single—why study that stuff?

When Lu Xuan woke up, his parents were gone.

The independent little boy got dressed by himself and padded outside, where the crew was already setting up.

“Uncle Li, Auntie Wen, have you seen my mommy and daddy?”

Before they could answer, Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan came walking in—from outside.

Lu Tingchuan had a small yellow flower tucked behind his ear. Xia Shi wore a flower crown, her face flushed red as an apple—sweet and glowing.

The air between them was practically sparkling with pink bubbles. The female crew members couldn’t help sneaking a few glances before turning away, smiling.

“Daddy! Mommy!”

Xia Shi scooped him up. “Xuanxuan’s awake! You’re up earlier than usual today.”

“All the aunties and uncles woke up early for filming! Mommy, your flower crown is so pretty—did you make it?”

“Daddy made it!” she said.

Not only Lu Xuan, but even the crew was surprised. “Teacher Lu knows how to make those?”

Lu Tingchuan grinned slyly. “Of course! I practiced a long time back in school. That’s how I won Xiaxia over!”

Lu Xuan clapped enthusiastically. “Daddy’s amazing!”

Xia Shi rolled her eyes at both father and son, while the crew chuckled softly.

Oh my—such a romantic couple indeed.