Xie Zhaozhou’s dark, deep eyes seemed to smile.
His voice still carried its usual coolness, but it was low, and in this snowy night, it sounded almost gentle.
“Came to coax you.”
Ning Shixue hugged the down jacket to his chest.
It was soft and thick.
His arms suddenly felt much warmer.
He felt something was off.
Had the great antagonist stopped being a villain and become a philanthropist?
Targeted poverty alleviation?
If it were anyone else, Ning Shixue might have thought they wanted to sleep with him.
But he had been an actor for a few years.
The industry was a mixed bag.
He wasn’t unfamiliar with that kind of naked lustful gaze.
Compared to others, Xie Zhaozhou’s gaze was too cold and pure.
Ning Shixue didn’t want to overthink it.
Hugging the down jacket, he lay on the sofa, burying the tip of his pale chin in it.
He took out his phone and sent Xie Zhaozhou a message.
– [snow: Thank you. Sea otter kowtow.jpg]
Xie Zhaozhou didn’t reply.
Ning Shixue was used to it by now.
It wasn’t even eight in the morning yet.
The director’s team wanted them to gather at 8:30.
He wanted to sleep a little more.
But before he could close his eyes, the chubby kid, who had been sleeping with flushed cheeks, suddenly sat up.
Xie Yaoyao rubbed his eyes, stuck out his little bottom, and got up.
He planted his chubby hands on his waist, standing on the bed, and stamped his feet, calling anxiously,
“Baby, jump jump!”
Ning Shixue lay on the sofa, picked up the remote, and with practiced ease that made one’s heart ache turned on the TV for him.
A little rabbit instantly appeared on the screen.
It hopped around in a circle a few times, then enthusiastically said,
“Little friends, are you ready? Count down from a few numbers!”
“Baby, ready!”
Xie Yaoyao even answered it in his milky voice.
“Three, two, one!”
Then the little rabbit started doing exercise.
Xie Yaoyao followed, shaking his head, touching his feet, and wiggling his bottom.
This was the exercise He Miao had recommended to him.
According to her, babies absolutely had to do it.
Xie Yaoyao had been doing it for three days straight.
Ning Shixue didn’t want to discourage him, but he hadn’t become any prettier.
Besides the rabbit, later there would be an elephant, a panda, a sea otter… several kinds of animals.
Xie Yaoyao rolled around on the bed with the panda, then suddenly flopped down.
He looked up at Ning Shixue with pleading eyes.
He had done the exercise, but the baby hadn’t.
“Why you, so lazy,”
Xie Yaoyao pattered over and used all his might to try and pull him up.
Ning Shixue argued his case.
“I’m an adult. Adults are supposed to slack off.”
“What is, slack off,”
Xie Yaoyao asked, his eyes blank.
Ning Shixue pointed to the pillow on the sofa.
“Fluff it for me.”
Xie Yaoyao was confused, but he went over and patted it with his little hand.
Ning Shixue lay down comfortably.
He pointed to the down jacket in his arms.
“Cover me for him.”
Xie Yaoyao pouted.
What was going on?
He felt he’d been tricked.
What baby?
This was still the bad stepdad.
But Xie Xingxing was fighting with him in his little head, unconvinced.
Babies wouldn’t trick people.
In the internal struggle, Xie Xingxing won.
Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King still obediently covered him with the blanket.
Then Ning Shixue peacefully closed his eyes, vividly demonstrating what ‘slacking off’ meant.
Ning Shixue: zzzzz~
Xie Yaoyao: “…”
But Ning Shixue was eventually pulled up.
Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King couldn’t bear this injustice.
He pounced on Ning Shixue’s body and launched a chubby cheek attack.
Ning Shixue was rubbed until he couldn’t sleep at all.
He had to sit up, take him to wash up, and then head to the villa.
There weren’t many people on the street yet.
Snow was everywhere.
Ning Shixue and Xie Yaoyao held hands, swinging them back and forth like little kids as they walked forward.
When they arrived, the other guests were already there.
Ji Qing looked up and saw Ning Shixue.
He couldn’t help shivering.
It was as if the man’s bloody, battered face was still before his eyes.
The original Ning Shixue would have been scared even by fake blood on a film set, let alone hitting someone.
Ji Qing felt that either Ning Shixue had gone crazy, or he had.
The bullet comments hadn’t seen the man being beaten, but they had all seen Ji Qing going to find a staff member to call an ambulance last night.
They also saw Ning Shixue return wearing Ji Qing’s jacket.
[Qingqing is really too kind. It’s one thing to save a stranger, but Ning Shixue treated him so badly before, and he still brought Ning Shixue a jacket. If it were me, I’d let him freeze.]
[It was so cold last night, and Qingqing still ran that errand for him. No wonder he looks so pale today. Hope he doesn’t get sick.]
[The special guests are supposed to arrive today, right? I heard Brother Zhou is coming. Is that true or false?]
[Sniff, I give up shipping them. It’s all because of that drama queen Ning Shixue, constantly clinging to Brother Zhou. After ‘Slaying the Whale’ finished, I barely saw Xie Hanzhou and Ji Qing together at all.]
[??? That’s absurd. Even if Ning Shixue clung to him, could he be with him every single day?]
[He even sold the motorcycle he gave Xie Hanzhou. He probably really doesn’t like him anymore, right?]
[LOL, how many of a simp’s words can you trust? He’s probably just throwing a tantrum with Xie Hanzhou.]
Ning Shixue saw Ji Qing and couldn’t help glancing at him.
He hadn’t wanted to get involved in the original plot.
Now he had no choice.
This key plot point of Ji Xiao getting hurt had been changed.
How would the main couple develop next?
He didn’t know.
He just hoped they would focus their energies elsewhere and stop bothering him.
Today’s main event was the special guests.
But in the morning, the program team didn’t arrange anything.
They just had the guests take the kids to the skating rink to play.
The skating rink was a bit far.
The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable.
But the kids didn’t care.
They were just excited about going out to play.
In the car, Ning Shixue asked Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King,
“Kid, can you skate?”
The planet where he was born had long winters.
Almost everyone could skate.
And he had learned in the instance dungeon too.
Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King was, of course, all-powerful.
He nodded, kicking his little feet.
“Can oh.”
Ning Shixue was dubious.
They arrived at the skating rink.
As soon as they got on the ice, before Xie Yaoyao could even stand, he fell with a plop.
His little face went blank for a moment.
It took him a few seconds to react, and then his eyes started to redden, on the verge of tears.
He simply couldn’t stand up.
How did polar bears walk?
Xie Yaoyao reached his little hand out to Ning Shixue, a gesture asking to be held.
Ning Shixue picked him up and brushed off his pants.
Of the kids, only He Miao could skate.
Once on the ice, she skated off on her own, looking quite professional.
He Lin blew rainbow farts after her, constantly taking photos with his phone like a dedicated fan.
“Daddy, you talk too much,”
He Miao couldn’t help sighing, then raised her hand to cover her ears.
He Lin just laughed.
“Miaomiao is so amazing. You won’t even let me praise you for being this good?”
[Is Miaomiao’s mom coming today?]
[Probably not. Director He married the eldest daughter of the Shen family, right? I remember she does jewelry design abroad… and keeps several male models.]
[This circle is so messy. He Lin was rumored to be involved with someone from the cast last month.]
He Lin and Shen Yi’s marriage was truly plastic.
Back then, Elder He was pushing hard, and the Shen family was also closely watching Shen Yi’s marriage.
Just when Shen Yi got pregnant, they both needed this child.
After discussing it, they got married.
After marriage, they did their own things.
It wasn’t a secret in the industry.
Elder He was furious at first, thinking they were treating marriage as a joke.
But since it was already done, there was nothing he could do.
Only He Miao knew nothing.
The kids were all too young.
Although they could go on the ice, learning was very difficult.
Tang He’an was teaching Tang Haohao nearby.
Tang Haohao fell twice in a row.
He immediately sat on the ground, refusing to get up.
He cried until his face was red, letting out pig-slaughter-like wails.
The program team had arranged with the rink to clear the place for filming.
There were no other kids there.
But when Tang Haohao cried, Xie Yaoyao and the others were still distracted.
Tang Haohao felt embarrassed, but his bottom hurt so much.
He couldn’t hold back the tears.
Mixing humiliation and anger, he cried even harder.
Tang He’an was numb to the embarrassment.
He frowned and scolded,
“Boys don’t cry. So what if you fell? How much can it hurt? If you want to learn, you can’t be afraid of pain.”
But the problem was, Tang Haohao didn’t want to learn at all.
His eyes were glued to the candied hawthorns sold outside the rink.
Ji Xiao was too timid.
He tried very hard, but still didn’t dare go on the ice.
Wearing his skates, he hung onto Ji Qing’s arm.
When even Ji Qing couldn’t hold him up anymore, he finally stood up shakily.
But then he simply didn’t dare move, just standing there.
This rink was often used by figure skating teams for training.
The director had even hired a professional coach to teach the little ones.
But none of them stayed put and listened to him.
[Taking care of kids is so hard. I can only vicariously enjoy other people’s little ones online.]
[Where’s my wife? I don’t see my wife?]
Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King was fearless.
He had cried once and then was fine.
He was actually quite daring on the ice.
But his arms and legs didn’t seem to belong to him.
He struggled until his little face was flushed, but he couldn’t move, just spinning in place.
The soft hair on his head was damp.
“I want skate too,”
Xie Yaoyao said, full of grievance.
Ning Shixue went and got an ice sled.
He put Xie Yaoyao on the sled and pushed off with his skates.
Whoosh, away they slid.
Xie Yaoyao’s fair cheeks flushed with excitement, his eyes sparkling.
“Baby, again!”
The bullet comments fell silent.
[Well, skating is skating, I guess.]
[You sure know how to find a substitute.]
[I suddenly realized, Ning Shixue is really emotionally stable. He hasn’t lost his temper with Xie Yaoyao at all since being on the show, has he?]
[You’d be stable too if you slacked off. doge]
[This is killing me. Wait until Xie Hanzhou comes tonight, let’s see if he’s still stable.]
The original host’s simp image was deeply ingrained.
Besides, there were still many fans of Xie Hanzhou and Ji Qing in the live stream.
No one had seen how Ning Shixue treated Xie Hanzhou in private.
The live stream was still full of people questioning or waiting to see Ning Shixue make a fool of himself tonight.
[Last time they just clarified that her husband isn’t Xie Mengyuan, but they didn’t say he wasn’t an old man.]
[I don’t know who she got to accompany her on the show. Honestly, although I’m curious who her husband is, if it really is an old man, I’d rather not know.]
[Imagining my wife lying in the arms of some greasy old man… I just want to gouge my eyes out.]
At noon, the first special guest arrived.
It was Tang He’an’s partner.
The director’s team took the guests to the rink’s cafeteria for lunch.
Tang Haohao had been crying, his face streaked with tears.
When he looked up, his eyes instantly lit up.
He charged over like a little cannonball.
“Little Dad!”
Tang Haohao’s little dad was called Yan Ting.
He was a clean-cut, handsome man wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
The bullet comments were shocked.
After Tang He’an got married, he had never revealed anything about his partner’s appearance, protecting it tightly without the slightest leak.
The paparazzi couldn’t even get a photo.
What circulated online now were all ambiguous rumors.
Age, profession, even gender were wrong.
Before, since he wasn’t sure Yan Ting would come, Tang He’an had Tang Haohao call him ‘mama’ on the show.
Yan Ting was a university professor.
He looked very cultured.
He nodded politely to everyone.
Tang Haohao ate beside him, and the whole kid was much better behaved.
Although he was chubby, his eyes were very similar to Yan Ting’s, both being auspicious phoenix eyes.
His nose was like Tang He’an’s.
No one knew who he resembled for the rest.
Tang He’an once thought this kid had undergone a genetic mutation.
[Holy crap, Yan Ting is a professor at Yan City University. My dream school.]
Yan Ting was only in his thirties and already a professor at a top university.
The program team had put in a lot of effort to get him to come.
The guests all ate together.
This rink wasn’t big, but the little cafeteria was quite good.
Maybe because Yan Ting was a teacher, he naturally had an aura of authority over little kids.
This meal was unusually peaceful.
Even Xie Yaoyao didn’t be picky.
He obediently gnawed on a piece of white radish.
In the afternoon, it suddenly started snowing in the northern city.
The planned outdoor activities couldn’t go ahead.
The director arranged for them to see an indoor exhibition instead.
Halfway through, He Lin’s special guest arrived.
As expected, it wasn’t Shen Yi.
It was He Lin’s father.
“Grandpa!”
He Miao ran over.
He Lin’s parents had been living abroad for years.
He Miao saw them at most once or twice a year.
He Lin’s father picked her up with a beaming smile.
“Miaomiao has grown taller again.”
He Miao wrapped her little arms around his neck and eagerly introduced him.
“That’s Little Ning Gege.”
“Little Ning Gege, this is my grandpa.”
Ning Shixue: “…”
Ning Shixue’s social anxiety flared up.
He had never met his parents and had no relatives.
He was the worst at dealing with elders.
But he had to go over and say hello.
It got dark very early in the northern city.
Before six in the evening, it was already pitch black.
When the guests returned to the villa, Xie Hanzhou had also arrived.
A van was parked outside.
Ji Qing, holding Ji Xiao, walked over.
“Brother Hanzhou.”
The bullet comments were as excited as if it were New Year’s.
Slaying the Whale was still very popular, often ranking high on streaming platforms.
Ji Qing and Xie Hanzhou’s CP supertopic was also in the top ranks, with many fans.
Before, there were rumors that Xie Hanzhou might come, but no one dared to believe it.
He had never acknowledged his relationship with Ji Qing.
No one expected Xie Hanzhou to actually appear in the northern city.
[Help, does this count as confirmation?!!!!]
[I’m shipping them. Real couples are the best.]
[I just want to know, where’s Ning Shixue? Why haven’t I seen him yet? Could he be hiding and crying secretly? doge]
Even though the director said Xie Hanzhou was coming as a friend, that his schedule was busy, and he could only stay for half an hour temporarily and wouldn’t participate in the subsequent filming, the bullet comments were still boiling with excitement.
Tang He’an appearing in public with his partner for the first time was enough to generate buzz.
The number of online viewers in the live stream had already doubled.
Now with Xie Hanzhou appearing to find Ji Qing, they didn’t even need the program team to buy trending searches.
It shot straight to number one.
Below it was a black trending search for Ning Shixue.
#NingShixueBrokenDownYet#
Xie Hanzhou was originally filming a drama in the northern city.
But Ji Qing had been bothering him too much.
Plus, as a lover, he had always been very satisfied with Ji Qing.
They also had a new drama about to air.
The director wanted him to come and promote it.
That’s why he agreed.
And… he had something to say to Ning Shixue.
He didn’t know what medicine Ning Shixue had taken to suddenly throw a tantrum at him.
Before, when Ning Shixue clung to him, wanting to be with him desperately, he just found it annoying.
Now that Ning Shixue ignored him and opposed him at every turn, that face kept popping into his mind.
It annoyed him so much that he couldn’t concentrate on filming.
He had to settle things face to face to get this anger out of his system.
But he didn’t expect that when he arrived at the program team’s location, all the guests were there except Ning Shixue.
Xie Hanzhou’s expression immediately soured.
But in front of the cameras, he paused for a second and then hid it.
“Brother Hanzhou,”
Ji Qing called him again.
Xie Hanzhou snapped back to reality.
He grunted noncommittally and followed the guests into the villa.
Ning Shixue had asked He Lin for help, asking him to take Xie Yaoyao back first.
He Lin’s father loved kids.
He held He Miao in his left arm and Xie Yaoyao in his right, letting them both sit on his lap.
He was grinning from ear to ear.
Just as the director couldn’t help wanting to call Ning Shixue, Ning Shixue finally returned.
The snow had stopped.
He stood at the door.
The snowlight and moonlight behind him shone on him.
He wore that white down jacket and a beige scarf.
His skin was pale, his lips slightly red from the cold.
Those beautiful, vivid eyes were also misty.
[I admit I’m looks-obsessed. I will always fall for this little drama queen’s face.]
[Even if fans curse me, I have to say it loud: Is Xie Hanzhou impotent or something???]
Xie Hanzhou met those eyes.
His heart skipped a beat for some reason.
He had known Ning Shixue since they were kids, but this was the first time he felt his palms sweat.
For a moment, he felt Ning Shixue was a stranger.
Not the kid who had followed him around since childhood anymore.
He suddenly lost the urge to talk to him.
Like he was facing someone else.
What was there to say?
Xie Hanzhou even felt a chill down his spine.
He had a strange feeling, like the person he was looking for was already dead.
Ning Shixue glanced at him and then looked away.
When he saw who it was, he even frowned, as if he’d seen something unlucky.
The front of Ning Shixue’s down jacket was bulging.
Xie Yaoyao ran over and looked up.
Ning Shixue unzipped his jacket and pulled out a puppy from inside.
It was a young Alaskan Malamute.
It was all fluffy, its ears soft and floppy, its tail wagging happily.
The director asked, puzzled,
“Teacher Ning, where did you get that dog?”
And where was his special guest? Why hadn’t he arrived yet?
Lu Li had originally said he would arrive in the evening.
Over an hour ago, Ning Shixue had sent him a message.
Lu Li didn’t reply.
Ning Shixue didn’t have the patience to wait for anyone.
Come or not.
Nothing could defeat him.
Ning Shixue’s eyes were beautiful and innocent.
“Didn’t the program team say it was okay to find a friend to come?”
The director was confused.
“That’s right, but…”
Ning Shixue held the puppy and said with unassailable logic,
“Dogs are humanity’s best friends.”
Director: “…”
The bullet comments fell into another moment of deathly silence.
[Director: Are you my blessing or my curse?]
[What’s wrong with dogs! We want dogs!]
Xie Yaoyao bounced like he had springs, hugging Ning Shixue’s leg, looking up at the puppy in his arms.
Ning Shixue crouched down and handed the puppy to him.
He had finally found a dog café and rented this puppy for the night.
He had to return it to the owner tomorrow.
Xie Yaoyao’s little face was blank.
He remembered the baby said he would find him a mount.
This little doggy… how was he supposed to ride it?
Xie Yaoyao put the puppy on the ground, stuck out his little bottom, and carefully tried to sit on its back.
Ning Shixue quickly stopped him.
“What are you doing?”
“Baby, mount,”
Xie Yaoyao pouted, squatting on the ground next to the puppy.
Ning Shixue: “…”
He had forgotten about that.
He had originally wanted Lu Li to carry Xie Yaoyao, so he said he would find him a mount.
“That one’s not coming,”
Ning Shixue told him.
“This is a puppy. You play with it.”
The bullet comments finally started to mock him.
[No way, no way, does someone really not have a single friend?]
[He actually got a dog as a guest??? Can the director tolerate this???]
[Why don’t you just tell the truth? It’s not shameful if your husband is an old man. I’ll laugh quietly.]
The director didn’t know what to say.
Even though Xie Hanzhou was leaving tonight, the other guests still had to continue filming.
How were they supposed to film with a dog?
Would it answer if called?
“…”
Damn, it actually might.
The bitterness in the director’s heart was indescribable.
Xie Hanzhou was only staying for half an hour.
The snow had stopped now, and it wasn’t very cold.
The director had everyone go outside to do something, build a snowman or whatever.
Then he could film some warm, snowy night scenes.
Xie Yaoyao and the others went to play.
Ning Shixue sat on the hood of a nearby car and glanced at the live stream.
The cameraman was right next to him, the lens focused on his phone.
Everyone in the live stream could see what he was doing.
[What’s wrong? Checking to see if anyone’s cursing you? I thought you weren’t afraid.]
The director wanted the guests to interact with the audience.
He arranged a special title for each guest in their live stream.
Sending a comment would make it extremely noticeable, with enlarged, bold text and special effects.
Then it would scroll across the comments.
Ning Shixue looked down and typed.
[Afraid of what? Like you could curse me out anyway.]
The bullet comments were sarcastic:
[Really worried about your mental state for your husband’s sake.]
Ning Shixue, legs propped on the ground, continued:
[You look familiar. Like you’re the patient in the bed next to mine.]
The comments were confused and instinctively retorted:
[Who’s your patient???]
Ning Shixue, leisurely:
[Oh, you’re not? Then how do you know my mental state? Paranoid delusions are serious. How long has this been going on for you? Sea otter caring heart.jpg]
[Ha, you have time to care about others?]
[Why not? When I die, I can burn a handful of relics. I’ll give you one if you want.]
Ning Shixue argued with the comments.
But every now and then, a few comments like ‘wife, curse me’ would scroll by, probably from his fans.
Although he couldn’t understand this fetish at all.
You people from Earth are really weird.
Just as Ning Shixue finished replying, someone else said:
[Why are you dragging this out? Why isn’t your husband coming? Is it because you’re too much trouble and he doesn’t want to deal with you?]
Ning Shixue’s peach blossom eyes were lazy.
Leaning on the hood, he continued typing.
He had only typed half a line when he noticed a huge wave of exclamation points and question marks flooding the comments.
Even one of the haters who had been passionately arguing with him suddenly typed question marks and told him:
[??? Help, you keep arguing with me for now, but turn around quick!!! Your husband seems to be here?!!!]
What nonsense was that?
Ning Shixue completely ignored him.
His fingers flew as he sent the comment he had just typed:
[I’m the one who doesn’t want to deal with him, okay?
What do you know? Us drama queens need to be coaxed. If he won’t coax me, why should I care about him?]
But the comments kept flooding in like a tidal wave.
The live stream suddenly lagged.
His comment stayed prominently in the center of the screen under the night sky.
Ning Shixue: ???
Ning Shixue finally realized something.
He turned his head.
Under the night sky, the snowy mountains stretched on endlessly, their lights reflected.
A Mercedes was parked not far away.
Xie Zhaozhou, wearing a long black coat, walked towards him, noble and stern.
Tang He’an was also stunned.
He hadn’t expected Xie Zhaozhou to come.
But now that he knew Xie Zhaozhou was Ning Shixue’s husband, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
Ji Qing’s face, however, instantly went pale.
Xie Zhaozhou walked over.
Ning Shixue’s phone screen was still lit.
Xie Zhaozhou looked down and saw his frozen comment.
He gave Ning Shixue a meaningful glance.
Ning Shixue quickly turned it off, his mind blank.
Embarrassed and mortified, he said,
“Second Brother, why are you here?”
Xie Zhaozhou’s dark, deep eyes seemed to smile.
His voice still carried its usual coolness, but it was low, and in this snowy night, it sounded almost gentle.
“Came to coax you.”
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂