TSSRWAB Chapter 31

“!!!”

 

Doubao’s little face looks nervous.

 

Lu Xi didn’t notice and stared at the little fatty “What do you mean ‘this dad’? I can carry both of them at once too.”

 

The little fatty looked unconvinced.

 

Daddy Xiao Lu was determined to prove his point today.

 

With one arm, he held Doubao, who was heavier. “You climb onto Daddy’s back, and Daddy will carry you, Dougao.”

 

Dougao looked worried. “Daddy, maybe we shouldn’t.”

 

“Yeah, Daddy, your back will hurt,” Doubao added, momentarily forgetting his own nervousness.

 

Lu Xi: …

 

These two were worrying about his back now. Was Daddy Xiao Lu supposed to have no pride at all?

 

So at the school gate, Lu Xi put on a performance: one chubby kid on his back, little Dougao in his arms. Parents and kids gathered around to watch, and some even clapped. Lu Xi immediately made a run for it.

 

Doubao’s little arms were wrapped tightly around his daddy’s neck, giggling the whole way.

 

“Daddy, you’re so amazing.”

 

Daddy Xiao Lu was struggling to catch his breath, barely surviving.

 

They played around until they got home. After washing hands and changing clothes, Dahl prepared a whole table full of dishes. Then the doorbell rang.

 

“Master, I’ll get it.” Dahl said and headed to the entrance.

 

Sure enough, the face of the male vixen appeared on the video screen.

 

Jian Huai brought a bottle of alcohol, which is champagne with a very low alcohol content. As soon as he entered, he came face-to-face with a muscular chest. They exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a tension that was both sharp and unyielding, yet neither could do anything about the other.

 

This is the master’s guest and Dahl couldn’t drive him away.

 

This is Lu Xi’s friend; speaking ill of him is not his style.

 

So, without even a pretense of politeness, Jian Huai simply changed into slippers while Dahl went to serve the rice.

 

“Heard you had an audition today, so I specially brought champagne to celebrate.”

 

Lu Xi smiled. “You sure have a lot of faith in me. What if I didn’t get it?”

 

“Then we celebrate aiming for something better next time?” Jian Huai smiled gently.

 

Lu Xi didn’t beat around the bush. “I got it. Director Yuan was very decisive and had me sign the contract to join the production. Sit down and talk. Have you eaten?”

 

“I just brought alcohol to freeload a meal,” Jian Huai laughed.

 

Lu Xi, of course, welcomed him and pulled out a chair for the actor with a smile.

 

Jian Huai looked at the spread of dishes on the table. That Big Pecs might not excel at other things, but his cooking skills were excellent. It seemed he, too, wanted to celebrate for Lu Xi.

 

They sat down and opened the wine.

 

Dougao and Doubao were also in a fantastic mood today. Especially Doubao, whose smile didn’t stop all day. He sweetly called out “Uncle Jian” and praised how delicious Uncle Dahl’s shrimp was.

 

The two could feed themselves, but they still wanted their daddy to pour milk for them into their wine glasses.

 

Lu Xi: …

 

Doubao is a little troublemaker.

 

“Why are you so happy today? You even want to drink milk from a wine glass.”

 

“Baobao is happy,” Doubao said, swinging his little short legs.

 

Lu Xi went to the kitchen and got two small, stemmed crystal glasses, then poured milk into both of them. When everyone raised their glasses, the two little ones followed suit, gently clinking them together. Doubao happily took a sip of milk.

 

“So happy today.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Dougao nodded his little head.

 

Lu Xi couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them. They are smart and well-behaved since they were little. Even when they were babies, Dougao didn’t smile much and was very quiet. Apart from crying a little when he needed a diaper change or was hungry, he spent his time sleeping or staring blankly.

 

Doubao loves to smile. He’s been smiling ever since he was a baby.

 

Anyway, neither cried much. Except for the infant stage, when they were one or two years old, they rarely wailed and screamed. Instead, they’d just look pitiful with big tears silently rolling down, the kind that tugged at your heartstrings even more.

 

The meal was joyful and filled with laughter.

 

The champagne wasn’t very strong, and Lu Xi had drunk a little too much today because he was in a good mood, a faint flush coloring his face. Dahl went to the kitchen to clean up and put the dishes in the dishwasher. He quickly came back, wiping the table with a cloth while keeping an eye on the male vixen.

 

“Drink some water,” Jian Huai handed over a cup of warm water.

 

Lu Xi: “Thanks.” He took a sip, sat up straight, and chatted with Jian Huai about the movie, then about Jian Huai’s work.

 

“I’ve been busy opening my studio lately and planning to sign two new talents. I also have one film to start after the New Year. I want to rest a bit during this time,” Jian Huai said.

 

Since his debut, Jian Huai has been working nonstop for the past four years, with very little time to rest. He still have some unreleased projects lined up: two TV dramas and one movie where he was the lead, plus a few guest roles.

 

“Looks like the contract termination went smoothly,” Lu Xi said.

 

Jian Huai was also surprised. He had prepared for a major setback in terminating the contract, but it went very smoothly.

 

“Just like when I signed the contract back then,” he said, glancing at Lu Xi. “You helped me.” Otherwise, as the least popular member at the bottom of the rankings, Starlight’s contract offer for him would have been a B-level, with the term left entirely up to him.

 

Lu Xi smiled. “Let’s not talk about the past.” Actually, it was Xie Zhuhan who helped.

 

Back then, Jian Huai didn’t stand out much and didn’t like singing or dancing on stage. When asked about his dreams and future, Jian Huai just wanted to earn money quickly to pay off his family’s debts, take care of his parents’ medical needs, buy a house, and then continue his studies for a master’s degree to do research.

 

As soon as Jian Huai saw this, he realized that Mr. Xie had probably helped him secure his contract back then. He immediately felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he’d had one too many drinks, and the atmosphere was so lively that he’d brought up the subject, causing Lu Xi to recall those unpleasant memories again.

 

“Don’t make that face. It’s not like I have some incurable disease,” Lu Xi laughed. “Everyone’s afraid to bring up what happened five years ago. You, Dahl, Pete, my Da-ge – all the same. Honestly, I don’t even think about it anymore.”

 

Back then, he was young and hot-headed. He fled this place, thinking his dignity was shattered. He couldn’t even bear to mention Xie Zhuhan.

 

When his older brother asked, Lu Xi wouldn’t say a word, and he wouldn’t let him look into it either.

 

As he grew older and more rational, he stopped thinking about it. However, his friends and family were very protective of him, and no one dared to ask what had happened four years ago.

 

“It was just me and Xie Zhuhan dating, and then finding out I was just like his first love.” He doesn’t seem to be as angry or heartbroken as he thought he’d be.

 

Jian Huai frowned, clearly angry. But he didn’t comment further.

 

It was in the past.

 

At the end of November, Lu Xi was set to leave for the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix production crew. Before leaving, he explained things to Dahl. The two little balls were obedient, nodding their heads to reassure their father that they would take good care of themselves.

 

“The weather is too cold. Daddy’s scenes will only take about twenty-something days this time. If you miss Daddy, we can video call. Don’t come over for now, okay?” Lu Xi asked their opinion.

 

Doubao was a bit reluctant. Twenty-something days felt incredibly long, but remembering he is a gege and a little man, he puffed out his little chest and said in a childish voice, “Daddy, me and didi will hold on. If we miss you too much, can we come then, okay?”

 

Daddy Xiao Lu’s heart melted.

 

He hugged and kissed him.

 

“Okay, okay, okay.” He gave Dougao a kiss too. “Come see me if you miss Daddy. I’m just worried you’ll be too tired. Don’t eat too many candies at home. Listen to Uncle Dahl. I love you both.”

 

Little Doubao sends a flying kiss.

 

“I love Daddy too. Love Daddy the most.”

 

“Goodbye, Daddy.” Dougao walked his daddy into the elevator.

 

Pete was dragging his suitcase when he saw this scene, and he almost softened and wanted to suggest they take both of them along. But Director Yuan’s production wasn’t like Little Male Fox, where Boss Xi invested and served as the big-spending backer. This is a big production with many rules, so they had to follow arrangements.

 

The elevator doors slowly closed.

 

It’s raining heavily today, so Lu Xi didn’t have Dahl drive them. It would be dangerous to take the two of them back and forth.

 

As he stepped out of the elevator, a cold breeze hit him in the face.

 

Lu Xi remembered something. “Wait, Pete, get in the car first. I forgot something.”

 

Since he’ll be gone for so long, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

 

“What did you forget? Isn’t everything right here?” Pete had just checked upstairs.

 

Lu Xi didn’t reply and continued taking the elevator up. As soon as the doors opened, lo and behold, his two precious babies were still standing guard by the elevator doors, and Dahl too.

 

The three faces were overjoyed when they saw the person inside the door.

 

“Daddy!”

 

“Daddy!”

 

“Master!”

 

Lu Xi felt both amused and a bit choked up. He hugged his two little ones and said, “Daddy forgot to bring something and came back to get it. Let’s make a deal: if you miss Daddy, just come over with Uncle Dahl. And after this job is done, Daddy won’t take any more work. I’ll stay with you for Christmas and the New Year.”

 

“Wow!!!” Doubao was overjoyed. “Can we spend New Year’s with Uncle[mfn]Lu Xi’s brother[/mfn] too?”

 

Dougao also missed Uncle and Uncle Cecil.

 

“Okay, we’ll go visit Uncle for New Year’s,” Lu Xi promised.

 

The two of them were overjoyed and skipped happily into the house behind their daddy. Lu Xi headed straight for the master bedroom, pulled open a drawer, and there lay a vintage emerald ring.

 

“Found it.” Lu Xi put on the ring.

 

He turned back to hug Dougao and touch Doubao’s chubby cheek.

 

“Alright, Daddy is setting off now. I’ll miss you all.”

 

With their father’s promise, the two of them cheered up, nodded their heads, and began looking forward to the New Year.

 

“Bye-bye, Daddy.”

 

“Bye.” Lu Xi said to Dahl, “Thank you for your help these past few days, Dahl.”

 

Dahl: “It’s what I should do, Master.”

 

It isn’t really a matter of “should.” But if they start talking about it, it would lead to an endless discussion. Lu Xi nodded and took the elevator down to the garage, where Pete and the driver were waiting.

 

“What did you get?”

 

Lu Xi flashed his finger.

 

Pete: ??? Just a ring? Since when was Boss Xi so particular?

 

–

 

The opening ceremony for the TV series Phoenix Seeking Phoenix was held on a cloudy day.

 

Dark clouds gathered, the cloud layer low. Director Yuan was also in a somewhat gloomy mood.

 

Pete had been with the crew for only a few hours but had already settled in and learned Director Yuan’s preferences. He whispered, “Director Yuan believes in this stuff. He picked today as an auspicious day according to the calendar, and the weather forecast said it would be sunny, but who would’ve thought—”

 

It was a cloudy day. Very gloomy with an air of unease about it.

 

Lu Xi, with his righteous spirit, claimed not to believe in such things. Then he looked at the ring on his hand and scanned the area around him. He saw nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of evil energy. Yeah, he didn’t believe it.

 

The ceremony ended, and filming began.

 

Zhao Yu was also in the cast. Lu Xi didn’t react much, but Pete and the agent accompanying Zhao Yu aren’t getting along.

 

“It’s that copycat.”

 

“Don’t call him that,” Lu Xi told Pete seriously.

 

Pete nodded, secretly cursing in his heart.

 

It was true. When Lu Xi returned and the airport comparison photos surfaced, while the marketing accounts were acting unscrupulously, Zhao Yu’s side also hired water army[mfn](shuǐ jūn – 水军) paid online commentators or bots hired to post specific comments, manipulate public opinion, or create trends on social media platforms. Often used in the entertainment industry to hype or attack celebrities.[/mfn] to bring up Lu Xi’s scandals. Lu Xi wasn’t aware of this, but Pete held a grudge.

 

After asking around, ha! Zhao Yu has a minor role, playing a servant attending the swordsman played by Lu Xi.

 

Pete was pleased.

 

Zhao Yu’s agent snapped, “Just look at that burly guy’s effeminate expression. He’s clearly here to watch us make fools of ourselves. Why didn’t you mention that Lu Xi is playing Wuji?”

 

“How should I know?” Zhao Yu said impatiently.

 

The agent said, “Well, it’s fine. We can use it for marketing and generate buzz when it’s released.”

 

“Don’t stir up any more marketing stuff involving Lu Xi and me,” Zhao Yu said angrily.

 

Stung twice in a row, the agent replied, “…Fine, it’ll save money on buying water armies anyway. He was worth stepping on four or five years ago. Now he’s a nobody, not worth it.”

 

Zhao Yu didn’t respond.

 

The costumes in the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix crew were exquisite, but also very cold.

 

In the clothing of the High Tang Dynasty, the female actors all wore sheer gauze blouses and skirts, while the male leads at least had round-collared robes to wear. Only the swordsman played by Lu Xi, whose character is defined by his dashing and graceful demeanor, could never possibly wear a thick cotton coat. Instead, he wore a flowing white robe that left half his chest exposed.

 

“Your physique here isn’t quite right. Do some light training.”

 

Director Yuan had mentioned it during the audition. Over the past week, Lu Xi had been lifting weights.

 

The young swordsman had a lean but not scrawny physique, dashing and unrestrained. By today, when Lu Xi put on the costume, Director Yuan gave a satisfied look. “Not bad.”

 

–

 

Kindergarten.

 

It was the third day since their Daddy left.

 

Doubao and Dougao weren’t enjoying their meals or playtime.

 

The two sat on the slide in the playground. Doubao said, “I miss Daddy.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Dougao nodded, took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his gege’s mouth. Doubao, with the candy bulging one cheek, mumbled unclearly, “Didi, you still have candy?”

 

“Saved from last time,” Dougao said.

 

The candy eased Doubao’s sadness a bit. Then a shadow loomed over his head, and he instantly cheered up.

 

“Big Daddy!”

 

So happy, he drooled and it dripped onto his clothes.

 

Milk-candy flavored drool.

 

Xie Zhuhan, who was a bit of a neat freak, frowned as he looked down at the chubby boy’s chest. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him.

 

Doubao, with a question mark face, let out a sound of surprise.

 

Silly.

 

Xie Zhuhan crouched down and wiped it clean himself.

 

“Big Daddy,” Dougao greeted.

 

The two little bodies unconsciously leaned against him. Doubao thanked him and chattered about why his big daddy came, how his didi gave him milk candy, how his daddy went on a business trip, how he missed his daddy but he is a little man, so he couldn’t disturb his work, and how his daddy was going to take them to celebrate the New Year with his uncle.

 

Like a chubby little sparrow.

 

Xie Zhuhan thought. The other one was quiet, his little face expressionless.

 

The little sparrow is like Lu Xi.

 

“I can take you to see Lu Xi,” Xie Zhuhan said.

 

Dougao’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Big Daddy.”

 

This one is smart.

 

Doubao realized what was happening and threw his chubby little body into Xie Zhuhan’s arms.

 

Xie Zhuhan thought of Lu Xi again. Back then, Lu Xi used to love jumping into his arms, no matter what he was doing or where he was. He’d sneak up quietly, pounce on his back, or into his arms, laughing with sparkling eyes.

 

As for the one in his arms-

 

It was a laugh with the scent of milk candy.

 

Xie Zhuhan took the two little ones instantly to the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix set.

 

Lu Xi was in the middle of filming and wasn’t wearing the family heirloom emerald ring, so naturally, he didn’t see his two little ones waving their little paws and calling out “Daddy” off-camera.

 

“Daddy is so amazing,” said Doubao, propping his cheeks with both hands, while looking up at him admiringly.

 

Dougao hummed in agreement. The two watched their daddy film for ten minutes.

 

Xie Zhuhan stared with deep, focused eyes at the young man behind the camera.

 

“Let’s go,” Xie Zhuhan said.

 

The two little ones were obedient. They didn’t ask to watch their daddy a little longer. They obediently snuggled into Big Daddy’s arms. Doubao asked softly, “Can we watch Daddy tomorrow too?”

 

“Yes,” Xie Zhuhan said coldly.

 

The two were delighted.

 

The kindergarten teacher came looking for them and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Doubao and Dougao sitting on the slide. “Why are you sitting here? I noticed you didn’t eat much at lunch. Did you not like today’s food?”

 

“No, we just didn’t have an appetite before, but teacher, we have an appetite now.”

 

“Little adults,” the teacher laughed, taking them by the hand to the dining hall.

 

Xie Zhuhan reappeared on the film set. He made his way through the crowd and immediately spotted the young man.

 

Lu Xi: …

 

Here it comes again; that persistent, haunting stare.

 

Where’s my ring?

 

—

 

Author’s Note:
Countdown until the B-King loses his cool.

The male lead thinks he’s being aloof and indifferent.

Lu Xi: Damn, so Xie Zhuhan is actually a freaky stalker!!!