TFEDLAM 7

In the days that followed, the internet was a buzz with nonstop discussion about this year’s Golden Wheat Awards, with Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan firmly at the center of it all. The other winners? Practically forgotten.

It’s no suprise since this was TIME’s first public appearance and she turned out to be none other than Xia Shi, the same woman who had dominated the headlines just days before. Adding to that is the blatant PDA between her and Lu Tingchuan— it was media frenzy waiting to happen.

Someone even penned a long-form post titled “A Close Reading of Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan’s Relationship, Through the Details”.

It analyzed everything: from their intimate whispers in the holding area, to how Lu Tingchuan held Xia Shi’s hand protectively on the red carpet, acted as her personal mic stand in the media zone, bent down to check her injured foot in the seating area, subtly held out a hand as she went onstage in case she tripped in her stilettos, gazed at her like she was his whole world during her acceptance speech, and finally, how he held her as she descended the stairs—ending in that unforgettable princess carry.

The writing was sharp and the screenshots crystal clear, each moment annotated with matching with heart-tugging commentary. Readers who thought they’d recovered from the live PDA found themselves re-traumatized by this masterclass in emotional damage.

“Film Emperor Lu’s boyfriend energy is off the charts!”

“No no, this is husband-level love!”

“Omggggg that princess carry—I want a man like that too, mamaaa!”

“Now I understand. The most powerful way to show love doesn’t require words or grand gestures—just one look. That moment when their eyes met from stage to audience? It was like that Xu Zhimo line: ‘In that meeting of gazes, light burst forth.’ EXACTLY that!”

“You could tell Xia Shi was struggling in those shoes. Sure, all female celebs wear sky-high heels at events, but most of them are used to it. She hasn’t been on a red carpet in years—who the heck walks around in heels that high every day? Honestly, I’m starting to believe her excuse about skipping events just because she didn’t have the right shoes.”

“…Wait, you actually believe that line? Come on.”

“Goddess is so stunning! The vibe! The elegance! I’m in love!”

“That username looks familiar. Weren’t you bashing Xia Shi a few days ago, saying she was talentless and unworthy of Lu Tingchuan?”

“Hmph, I always knew my goddess wasn’t that kind of person. Everyone who trashed her before—how’s that crow taste?”

“Okay, okay… my face is still stinging from the slap, but somehow it feels… good?”

“+1. First time getting smacked and feeling this happy.”

“+2. Officially a hater-turned-fan.”

“+10086”

“+my ID number”

“Get out! Anyone who insulted my goddess isn’t welcome in this fan club! As president, I reject your membership request!”

“President-nim, don’t be like this! I swear I’ve always been a TIME fan! I never said anything bad about Xia Shi, really! You can check my comment history!”

“Hmph… fine. I’ll believe you.”

Xia Shi’s fans finally had their moment of vindication after enduring wave after wave of online hate.

The mood had finally started to settle down—until Lu Tingchuan quote-tweeted the long-form post with:

“Thank you for being by my side—my goddess. @XiaShi”

Xia Shi replied: “Thank you for walking with me—my god. [heart emoji]”

Then came a chain reaction—Shen Hui, Sophie, Yu Shuo, and even Lu Tingchuan’s company, Qintang, all reposted the tweet.

After that, everyone in the entertainment industry—whether they knew the couple or not, whether genuinely congratulating or simply riding the hype wave—joined in.

In just three days, the post had been shared over ten million times, surpassing previous Guinness World Records.

Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan once again shot to the top of every trending topic and headline, holding strong for nearly half a month.

For her part, Xia Shi finally logged into her long-abandoned Weibo account—unused for seven years—and gained millions of followers in mere days.

As for the power couple at the center of it all? After dropping bombshell after bombshell, they blissfully ignored the noise and continued living their sweet little life.

But peaceful days never seem to last long.

Because of Xia Shi and Lu Xuan’s return to China, Lu Tingchuan had planned well in advance to reduce his workload. Aside from some light voiceover jobs and prepping for a film scheduled to begin shooting in a few months, he hadn’t accepted any new roles. His plan was to spend quality time at home with his wife and son.

But you wouldn’t  know it when trouble came knocking.

Just days before, a drama he had finished filming ran into a crisis: one of the supporting actors was arrested for drug use and became a “tainted celebrity.” Under national broadcasting laws, any project involving such individuals is banned from airing.

Of course, the crew couldn’t just scrap the entire film. Too much money and effort had been invested.

Thankfully, the director Zhang Huai was an industry heavyweight, well-respected and influential. Together with the producers and investors, they decided to reshoot all of that actor’s scenes with a replacement. Zhang personally reached out to the other actors for help.

Luckily, the timing worked out. Filming had only wrapped the day before Xia Shi returned to China, so most of the cast hadn’t started new projects yet and made arrangements to accommodate the reshoot.

Lu Tingchuan sighed dramatically to Xia Shi, “You really won’t come?”

“You’re filming. What would I even do there?”

He frowned. “There are lots of women on set, you know. Beautiful ones, too. You’re really okay with that?”

Xia Shi burst out laughing. “What, you think you’re some Tang Monk and all the fox spirits want a piece of you?”

That tactic clearly wasn’t working.

Lu Tingchuan changed approach. “Director Zhang helped me a lot back in the day. After our marriage and son got public, he called several times saying I didn’t even trust him enough to tell him. He’s been asking to meet you—don’t you think we owe him that much?”

Xia Shi stayed unmoved. “Didn’t you say the guy who got caught wasn’t even a lead? But he’s in key scenes that can’t be cut, so you’re reshooting just those parts. It’s been a few days already—you should be done in three or five more. After that, we can take Director Zhang out for dinner.”

Lu Tingchuan winced. Why had he explained everything so clearly before?

His gaze landed on Lu Xuan, who was playing with Legos nearby. Inspiration struck.

“Son, wanna come see how Dad works?”

Lu Xuan blinked his big peach blossom eyes at him. Lu Tingchuan coaxed, “There’ll be wire work! People flying through the air, just like those martial arts heroes you love. Want to see how they do it?”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

Lu Tingchuan grinned and glanced smugly at Xia Shi. “See? Our son wants to go. You hear that, son?”

Lu Xuan nodded eagerly. “I do!”

Xia Shi crossed her arms, watching the pair put on their little act. “It’s almost September. School starts soon. I was planning to take another look at the kindergarten we visited, and I still need to find Lu Xuan a piano teacher. I can play, but I’m not good at teaching. I’m also considering a new variety show offer from Capital TV. If I accept, I’ll be busy. Lu Xuan’s lessons can’t fall behind.”

“We already picked the kindergarten, remember? It’s one of the top ones in the city. You liked it. We’ve met the teachers, paid the fees—what’s left to check? As for piano, I’ll ask around. Plenty of people in our circle have kids—they’ll have recommendations. Better than you wandering around blindly after just returning to the country.”

He had a point… but still…

Xia Shi sighed. Why is he so relentless when he wants something?

Sensing she still wasn’t persuaded, Lu Tingchuan crouched beside Lu Xuan and whispered, “If you can convince Mommy to come, I’ll let you have one ice cream every day. Deal?”

Lu Xuan’s eyes sparkled. He ran to Xia Shi and clung to her leg, pleading in his soft voice, “Mommy, please? I really wanna go! Mommy loves me the most, right? Please?”

His chubby little face with eyes full of hope was impossible to resist. Xia Shi caved instantly. She squatted and kissed his cheek.

“Alright. We’ll all go together.”