TFEDLAM 35

Chapter 35

Celebrity Interview

The live broadcast of A Date with a Celebrity aired every Thursday night at eight o’clock — prime time.

By six, a large crowd of fans was already lining up to enter. Liang Jing held Xie Ning’s hand, trembling with excitement. They were incredibly lucky — both had managed to get live audience tickets. One was obtained through the fan club, and the other by winning a Weibo lottery.

Ever since learning that their beloved “male god” and “goddess” would be guests on this interview show, neither had been able to sleep from excitement, spending days reposting, tagging, and begging for tickets. Unfortunately, Yuan Yuan wasn’t as lucky — she’d been defeated in the fierce competition among fans and couldn’t attend.

Xie Ning giggled, hugging Liang Jing tightly.
“I’m so excited! We’re finally going to see our male and female gods up close — my heart’s about to explode!”

“Right? And it’s this program too! Yu Da-da never plays by the rules. I’m so curious how our male god and goddess will handle it!”

“The male god’s image is already completely shattered. Whatever happens now, I don’t think anything could surprise me anymore!”

The fans around them burst into laughter and nodded in agreement.

“In Where Are We Going, Baby? the male god was basically a walking disaster! He used to be a lady killer — now he’s a kitchen killer!”

Everyone snickered. Of course, that “killer” meant something entirely different.

“Remember in that show when baby Xuan Xuan said, ‘Male god just wants to be conjoined twins with the goddess’? I can totally imagine him begging for hugs and kisses again once he sees her! I wonder if we’ll see that on tonight’s show!”

Liang Jing clenched her fists in mock determination. “Even if it kills me with all the sweetness, I’m ready! Come on, male god — shower us with dog food!”

The fans echoed her cheer. “Male-god-brand dog food — you deserve it!”

Just then, a black GMC nanny van rolled up. The six-meter-long vehicle immediately drew everyone’s eyes.

The door opened — out stepped the assistant Xiaoyang and Tian Tian, followed by Lu Tingchuan and Xia Shi. Both were tall with long legs, and tonight, their outfits were…

Different styles for man and woman, but identical in color, material, and even the metallic belt accents on their trench coats.

Oh my god — couple outfits!

The fans’ eyes sparkled as they screamed in excitement, chanting,
“Lu Tingchuan! Xia Shi! Lu Tingchuan! Xia Shi!”

The atmosphere was electric.

Lu Tingchuan held Xia Shi close with one arm, while extending the other like a bodyguard to block the crowd as they made their way down the aisle. Though a safety line had been set up, it was just a flimsy ribbon — not enough to contain the feverish energy of fans pressing forward. The security guards couldn’t push them back too hard for fear of injury.

Lu Tingchuan frowned. Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a voice shouted:

“Don’t push! Don’t push! You all want the little princess, right? What if you squish her! Be quality fans!”

The fans froze — then, as if waking from a spell, they collectively backed up. Those at the front even joined hands to form a protective human wall, murmuring, “Be careful, don’t hurt the little princess!”

Lu Tingchuan chuckled softly. Xia Shi covered her face with one hand and glanced down at her stomach. With fans this enthusiastic, how was she supposed to explain herself?

Once inside the studio, Xia Shi let out a long sigh of relief and pulled out her phone. As expected, clips of their arrival were already online — some gushing over the “male and female gods,” others praising the human-wall fans. But the vast majority were once again obsessing over the “little princess.”

Especially her mischievous mother, who was stirring the pot again:

[Little Darling’s Grandma]: Don’t worry, everyone! Lu Tingchuan promised Xia Shi’s mom there will be a little princess. He wouldn’t dare not! Look at the clothes I bought for her — aren’t they pretty? [Image]

Someone commented:

“Ugh, there she goes bragging again. How would you know what Lu Tingchuan promised Xia Shi’s mom? You talk like you are her! I’ll admit the clothes are cute, but you’ve gotta have someone to give them to first!”

Xia Shi stared at the flood of comments, lips twitching. That fan wasn’t wrong — this really was Xia Shi’s mom!

But about the “little princess”…

She turned to Lu Tingchuan. “When did you promise my mom that? From the way she’s talking, it sounds like you made a guarantee! You know her temper — if there’s no little princess, she’ll fly back from the U.S. and tear the roof off our house!”

Lu Tingchuan sighed dramatically and leaned closer. “That’s why I need your cooperation! Otherwise, how can I face Mom? Look — the fans are excited, Mom’s excited… how could we disappoint them all?”

Xia Shi rolled her eyes. “You think little princesses are like cabbages you can just pick off the street?!”

Inwardly, she chewed her lip. Should she post something clarifying she wasn’t pregnant? But seeing the massive wave of hype online, she didn’t dare. Too late now! She regretted not clearing it up earlier — she’d thought it would blow over quickly. If celebrities had to clarify every rumor, they’d never live in peace.

But now… she was riding a tiger she couldn’t dismount.

Lu Tingchuan looked a little down. “You don’t want another child?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t. Lu Xuan wouldn’t mind a sibling, but you couldn’t exactly choose the gender.

She sighed. “What if it’s a boy?”

He smiled, looping an arm around her waist. “That’s fine too. He and Xuan Xuan can be brothers and look out for each other. President Qin keeps saying his daughter’s married and settled abroad, and he’s thinking of retiring overseas in a few years. He even asked if I’d be interested in buying out his shares of QinTang. Sounds like he’s really ready to step away. That way, one of our sons can inherit our business empire, and the other can grow up to be a domineering CEO. Girls love those now, right?”

Xia Shi blinked — they didn’t even have another kid yet, and he was already fantasizing about their future careers?

President Qin was QinTang’s largest shareholder — those shares weren’t cheap.

“Do we even have that kind of money?”

Lu Tingchuan raised an eyebrow. “You manage our finances and don’t know how much we have?”

She frowned. Okay, maybe she hadn’t calculated it carefully. Between her partnership with Shen Hui and his booming acting career, they were doing well. But most of their wealth came from dividends from QinTang and Huanyu — not from acting or endorsements.

“Anyway, there’s no rush,” he said. “Huanyu’s about to go public. With Zhou Zhang’s abilities, it’ll dominate the industry in a few years. We’ll just sit back and count our money.”

She laughed. “And who’s going to run QinTang once you buy it?”

“Don’t you trust me? I majored in finance! Zhou Zhang was my mentor — I even got scholarships back then!”

She smirked. “Alright, scholar-boy.”

Though Lu Jingshan’s strictness had scarred him in childhood, it had also instilled deep discipline and self-control. In some twisted way, his father had both ruined and shaped him.

Before long, the crew signaled that lighting and staging were ready.

At eight, the show began.

The atmosphere was warm and casual — the studio looked like a cozy living room, complete with sofas and coffee tables, designed to make guests feel at home.

“Dear viewers, welcome to A Date with a Celebrity, live every Thursday night! Tonight’s guests are a couple whose popularity has skyrocketed recently. Who are they?” Host Yu Siyuan teased, stretching out his words before handing the mic to the audience. “Say their names!”

“Lu Tingchuan! Xia Shi!”

“That’s right — our headline couple! Please welcome my good friends, Lu Tingchuan and Xia Shi!”

As they entered, the audience erupted in cheers. Yu Siyuan grinned. “Quiet, everyone, quiet! Don’t worry — I already know all the questions you want to ask, and I promise you’ll be satisfied!”

Laughter rippled through the studio.

Once they settled in, Yu leaned forward. “So, who’s in charge at home?”

Lu Tingchuan immediately answered, “Me, of course! I’m the man of the house — they all listen to me!”

The audience snorted with laughter. Xia Shi turned to him. “What was that? Care to repeat?”

He grimaced. “Honey, didn’t we agree? In public, you let me say I’m in charge — gotta maintain my image!”

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Yu Siyuan shook his head. “No wonder Chu Xun said you’re shameless. Everyone’s seen Where Are We Going, Baby? Even Xuan Xuan knows his mom’s the boss at home! Who would believe you?”

Fans shouted in unison, “We don’t believe it!”

Lu Tingchuan sighed dramatically, propping his head on one hand.

“Not afraid your wife will make you kneel on a washboard for that?” Yu teased.

He grinned. “We don’t have a washboard!”

A brave fan yelled, “Goddess! I have one — I’ll send it to you!”

The room exploded in laughter.

Lu Tingchuan pointed accusingly. “Are all of you her fans? None of mine?”

“Yes!” the crowd shouted.

“Then why aren’t you helping me?! You’re just letting me get bullied!”

The fans laughed even harder.

“Goddess, I have a keyboard you can use!”
“Keyboard’s too weak — make him kneel on durians!”
“Don’t go easy on him, goddess — train him well!”

Lu Tingchuan stared, dumbfounded. “I swear, these must be fake fans! You’re all black fans!”

The crowd roared.

Yu Siyuan could barely contain his glee. A guest who could banter like this was a host’s dream.

After a few more jokes, Yu steered the topic back. “Okay, okay, let’s be serious. Everyone’s curious — when exactly did you two get married? You suddenly announced it, and then — boom — a big kid appeared out of nowhere!”

Xia Shi smiled. “Seven years ago.”

Lu Tingchuan added, “October 25th, seven years ago, 3:15:43 p.m., U.S. time.”

Everyone blinked. Such precision?!

He smirked. “The exact moment the priest pronounced us husband and wife.”

Yu Siyuan’s lips twitched — the man was glowing with smugness.

“So, how did you two meet?”

Xia Shi: “We were high school classmates.”

Yu looked at him. Lu Tingchuan gazed at Xia Shi tenderly, his eyes soft. Then, instead of a timeline, he said simply: “In our past life.”

Yu raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying it was fate from a previous life?”

Lu Tingchuan just smiled. Only he knew it wasn’t a joke.

Yu turned away dramatically. Even non-single people could feel their sugar levels spiking from this couple!

He asked, “Last time on I’m the King of Songs, Chu Xun publicly challenged you. Any response?”

Lu Tingchuan shrugged. “Didn’t Xia Xia already clap back for me?”

Then he slipped an arm around her shoulders, smiling sweetly.

Yu pressed on. “Chu Xun also said you two once fought over her. Is that true?”

Lu Tingchuan laughed. “Back in high school — yeah, kind of. She was new, came to campus on a bike, and, well… crashed into me. That’s how we met!”

Xia Shi playfully smacked him. “Excuse me, it was crowded! You came out of nowhere — your fault, not mine!”

He nodded obediently. “Okay, okay, my fault. I hit you.”

Yu nearly spat out his drink.

“Funny, that’s not what we heard! We actually interviewed some of your classmates…”

The background screen lit up with a pre-recorded video.

Zeng Peng, an old classmate, appeared:
“Lu Tingchuan and I were desk mates for over a year. When Xia Shi transferred in, she instantly became the school’s beauty. Tons of boys chased her — especially Chu Xun, since they were both in the arts program. Everyone thought they were the perfect pair. Lu Tingchuan was so jealous. He had no clue how to chase a girl — he was the type everyone chased. So one day, he dragged me to a bookstore to buy ‘101 Ways to Woo a Girl.’ Then he started writing love letters — terrible ones! I had to rewrite every single one for him. I joked, ‘At this rate, I’m the one chasing her, not you!’ He punched me! Said I had no loyalty. Next day at the school sports meet, he actually got into a fight with Chu Xun over her. They both got hauled to the office but refused to admit why they fought. We all knew though!”

The audience erupted with laughter.

Another clip appeared — their old teacher, Ms. Su Li:
“I was their homeroom teacher. I once caught Lu Tingchuan writing a love letter during study hall! He wouldn’t say who it was for. Now I know. Oh, and during a debate competition, he completely sabotaged his own team just because Xia Shi was on the opposing side — agreed with all her points!”

The next image was an old group photo — the two of them side by side, in crisp school uniforms under cherry blossoms. He tucked a blossom behind her ear as she blushed shyly.

Fans squealed. “So cute! They really were the perfect couple!”

Back in the studio, Xia Shi glared at him, whispering, “You said this was a last-minute guest spot! You planned this, didn’t you — you jealous man!”

He blinked innocently.

She couldn’t help smiling — warmth blooming in her chest as she intertwined her fingers with his.

More clips rolled — their agent complaining, “He’s impossible! Refuses all work on her birthday, their anniversary, even their meeting anniversary! If I stay at their house too long, he kicks me out for ‘interrupting couple time!’”

Everyone laughed until they cried.

Zhou Zhang added, “He came to a company meeting once, took pages of notes — turned out he was just sketching Xia Shi the whole time!”

Shen Hui chimed in, “Back when we trained for two months together, she’d drag me to eat at the same restaurant every night. I thought she loved the food. Turns out it was because Lu Tingchuan was filming nearby — and that place served his favorite fish!”

By the end, the entire studio was a puddle of laughter and sweetness.