Chapter 31: A Husband Taken Through Proper Marriage

Chapter 31: My Lawfully Wedded Husband

There was a moment of silence.

Lu Hechi was still debating whether to eat the stinky tofu, looking at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Shen Lanxue was quiet for a few seconds.

He started to say something, then stopped.

"...Alright."

"Then can I move back into the master bedroom tonight?" Lu Hechi asked eagerly.

Shen Lanxue just looked at him, saying nothing.

Lu Hechi pouted and whined, "I can't sleep without you. I toss and turn all night, and you're all I can think about."

"You're right next door, but I can't see you or hold you. It's torture. I finally managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night, and the second I closed my eyes, the alarm went off!"

Shen Lanxue glanced at him. "...Alright."

Before Lu Hechi could celebrate, his phone rang.

He frowned and took out his phone.

No name saved. Just a local number.

Lu Hechi hesitated, then answered, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Mr. Lu."

"Who's this?"

The man paused. "...I'm Ji Ziyang."

Lu Hechi was confused. "Why are you calling me?"

"The crew's doing a pre-interview tomorrow. They need to film a short personal video. I'll send you the address."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Just as Lu Hechi was about to hang up, Ji Ziyang said, "Mr. Lu, tomorrow's interview will also ask how long you've known each other, how you met..."

"Just send it to me. You talk too much."

After hanging up, the irritation on Lu Hechi's face instantly turned into a sheepish grin when he met Shen Lanxue's eyes.

"Bro, did you just say yes?"

Shen Lanxue's lips twitched. "Say yes to what?"

"Agree to let me move back into the master bedroom tonight!" Lu Hechi's eyes widened. "I heard you! You can't take it back!" He slapped his forehead. "I should've recorded that!"

Shen Lanxue sighed. "I didn't say I'd take it back."

Lu Hechi immediately slung an arm around his shoulder.

"You scared me. You can't just kick me out of the bedroom from now on. I'm your lawfully wedded husband, after all."

"You have no idea—last night without you, the bed was so big and empty. I was lonely as hell."

Shen Lanxue: "Cut the crap."

"I mean it." Lu Hechi buried his head in Shen Lanxue's shoulder. "Don't kick me out again."

Shen Lanxue looked down at his fluffy head and was quiet for a moment.

"...What if you're the one who doesn't want to stay and moves out on your own?"

Lu Hechi looked up. "How could that happen? I'm not stupid."

He thought for a moment, then added, "If I ever become that ungrateful, you can take a cane and beat my ass raw."

Shen Lanxue said nothing.

"Bro?" Lu Hechi called him.

Shen Lanxue looked down, reached out to redo the buttons on Lu Hechi's shirt, and straightened his clothes.

"Let's go," he said.

"No workout today?"

Shen Lanxue: "Didn't you say you didn't get enough sleep?"

Lu Hechi caught on. "Bro, you're coming to bed with me!"

＊＊

The crew had scheduled the recording for 2 PM.

Lu Hechi arrived at the studio twenty minutes early. He thought he'd see Chen Jiadong, but the staff told him the guests were recorded separately.

This session only had him and Ji Ziyang.

"These are the questions that might be asked during the recording." A staff member handed him a piece of paper and said, "You can look it over first."

Then the staff member walked off.

Lu Hechi took the paper, found an empty stool, and scanned the questions.

There were ten questions in total, all about the emotional connection between friends.

One question was: If your friend isn't closest to you, would you get jealous?

What kind of question is that?

"Mr. Lu." Ji Ziyang's voice rang out. "Why are you sitting here? I waited at the entrance forever and didn't see you."

Lu Hechi was confused. "Who told you to wait?"

Ji Ziyang's words died in his throat.

A nearby staff member noticed and thought it was weird—is this how normal friends talk to each other?

Once the cameraman finished setting up, the director called everyone in to start filming.

Ji Ziyang had the least fame among all the guests, and the staff clearly didn't take him seriously.

The director looked at the two people on screen and asked, "How did you two meet and become good friends?"

Ji Ziyang answered first: "We met three years ago. Hechi had just started an entertainment agency, and I ended up at an audition there by chance. We became good friends afterward."

The director looked at Lu Hechi.

Lu Hechi: "...Yeah."

The whole pre-interview was mostly Ji Ziyang answering while Lu Hechi just said "yeah." By the end, the director was totally done.

He even thought about kicking him off the project.

After the interview, Lu Hechi approached the director. "Director, any new twists for this season?"

The director, looking like he wanted to kick him out, asked, exasperated, "What kind of twist do you want?"

Lu Hechi laughed a little. "Like swapping friends, for instance. Your first three seasons were just two people doing their own thing—audiences are probably getting tired of that."

"But swapping friends would be such a fresh idea. Look at dating shows in other countries—they're all doing 'swap romance' these days. Shouldn't we have a breakthrough too?"

The director... actually gave it some serious thought. It did sound pretty intriguing.

He raised an eyebrow. "Keep going."

Lu Hechi felt hopeful and cleared his throat, then continued. "Think about it—originally A and B, C and D are couples. But after the swap, A and C really hit it off. Isn't that interesting?"

The director nodded. "True."

Lu Hechi said excitedly, "So..."

The director smiled. "Not this time, but we can try it in the future."

So all that talk was for nothing!

Lu Hechi gritted his teeth and said goodbye. "See you, Director."

The director grinned. "Alright, if you have more ideas next time, feel free to share."

Lu Hechi turned and walked off without another word. Ji Ziyang was waiting at the door and hurried over when he saw him come out.

"Mr. Lu, what did you and the director talk about..."

"Nothing." Lu Hechi thought the guy talked too much and waved him off, annoyed. "That's it. You're done here. Get going."

With that, Lu Hechi stopped paying him any attention and turned to leave. Just then, he spotted Chen Jiadong walking in, dressed simply but sharp.

Lu Hechi's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed.

As he got closer, he noticed a man behind Chen Jiadong, dressed like a young aristocrat—it was Song Jiyao, whom he had seen at the club last time.

Lu Hechi paused, frowning in confusion.

Could this guy be here to tag along with Chen Jiadong for the show?

Song Jiyao noticed him too. He pulled Chen Jiadong into his arms and asked with a smile, "What's this? Has Mr. Lu really taken a liking to our Jiadong?"

Lu Hechi frowned and retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Chen Jiadong and I are just friends. Besides, I'm married and even have kids!"

Song Jiyao looked him up and down, seemingly unconvinced.

Ji Ziyang caught up and noticed Chen Jiadong was there too. He called out with feigned intimacy, "Hechi, why are you walking so fast?"

Song Jiyao and Chen Jiadong both had weird looks on their faces.