"Before becoming a good mother, I want her to become a better self first," Chen Huaixiao said. His words resonated with many women on the Internet. Especially some married mothers, who joined in discussing this topic, causing the heat to continue rising for a time.
Netizens also saw that although Chen Huaixiao and Bai Yin were competing with each other in secret, in fact, their marriage was not the kind of loveless, performative relationship they claimed it to be.
Even without being as intimate as Lu Shen and Yun Moli, saying things like "darling" and "baby", the little gestures and glances between the two of them showed the affection they had for each other.
For example, every morning when getting up, Chen Huaixiao would take a lot of time to brew artisan tea for Bai Yin to drink, and every time he handed it to her, it was already cooled down tea.
And whenever Chen Huaixiao was very tired after a video conference, Bai Yin would walk over, pretending to casually look out the window while reaching out to give him a shoulder massage.
These two were absolutely not an affectionless, performative celebrity marriage!
Their relationship was sweet as honey!
And it wasn't the kind of affected intimacy they showed in front of the camera. Their affection was not for show at all, it was full of sugar everywhere!
The reality show would often arrange small games to test the couples' tacit understanding, and Chen Huaixiao and Bai Yin would always get high scores.
Although they were always complaining about each other, the two had incredible chemistry, as if they were a natural match.
If they didn't have long acquaintance and time spent together, it would have been impossible for them to understand each other so profoundly they were like twins.
The other two couples, who seemed intimate and sweet, were actually very poor in tacit understanding. When the host asked Lu Shen what Yun Moli's favorite food was, he got it wrong several times, and didn't even know Yun Moli's birthday... he knew nothing.
Although Yun Moli still had a smile on her face, it had already become very forced.
Late at night, Bai Yin was sleeping hazily when she was woken up by the sound of crying and shouting.
She looked at Chen Huaixiao beside her, and he also seemed to be sleeping uneasily.
The clamor outside the door continued, and Bai Yin covered her head with a pillow and slept for a while, but unable to endure it, she got up and went out in a coat to see what was going on.
Yun Moli and Lu Shen were arguing on the common balcony.
Without the cameras on them now, they spoke more openly —
Yun Moli's voice was choked with sobs: "It was so embarrassing today! How could you not even know what I like to eat! You don't even know my birthday!"
Lu Shen was no longer as attentive as he was in front of the camera. He sat in a recliner with his eyes closed, looking very tired, and lazily said, "What's the big deal."
What he thought was no big deal, seemed like the sky was falling to Yun Moli: "Now people online are speculating that you and I are just pretending! Look at Bai Yin and Chen Huaixiao, the sweetness ranking, they surpassed us!"
There was a sweetness ranking vote on the show's official blog, where viewers could vote for which couple they thought was the sweetest, and the final votes would win a sponsored island vacation from the advertiser.
Yun Moli started crying, "You've ruined everything!"
Lu Shen was looking more and more impatient. He glanced at her sideways with a frown, "What's the use of an island vacation, I have to prepare for my new album release right after filming, no time to go even if we win. It's useless."
"But I must get the highest sweetness ranking out of all couples! I want every girl to envy me!"
"What's the point, you know in your heart what's real and what's not."
Yun Moli looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Lu Shen, didn't we agree on everything before coming on the show? For your new album release, my family would provide the funds, but you have to accompany me on the reality show 'Summer Love', and cater to my every need."
"But you didn't say our future child would take your surname Yun." Lu Shen's face showed some anger.
But Yun Moli thought it was very understandable, and said matter-of-factly, "You married into my family Yun, of course our child has to be surnamed Yun!"
When it came to this, Lu Shen finally couldn't hold back his emotions anymore, "You still have the nerve to mention I married into your family. If you hadn't cried and made a scene, threatening me with your family's power and resources, that if I didn't marry you, you'd blacklist me and I'd never make it in the industry... And now you still say I married into your family!"
Yun Moli looked at him in disbelief, "What's the point of bringing up old stories now? Didn't my family give you resources after we got married these past six months? We got you a top international mixing engineer and well-known producers for your new album. When you caused that scandal with another actress, it was also my family who cleaned it up for you. You... what more do you want?!"
Lu Shen looked at her coldly, "I never needed your family Yun, I could have made it with my own ability. Marrying you, I lost almost half of my fans, you owe me all of that."
"You... you're blaming me?!"
Since Lu Shen already said it, he simply let it all out, "I hate having to pretend to be loving with you on camera, to satisfy your vanity. You order me around like a slave! A normal married couple is like Chen Huaixiao and Bai Yin. Us? Frankly, our acting skills are worse than Zhang Duo and Lin Qianxi's couple! Don't you think the audience and fans can see through it?!"
Yun Moli was so angry her face turned red and her whole body shook, she couldn't get a word out.
...
Hearing the couple's argument, Bai Yin felt it would be inappropriate to intrude on such private family matters, and was about to leave, when Yun Moli happened to spot her, "Bai Yin! What are you doing here?"
Bai Yin turned back and politely said, "Just passing by, didn't mean to intrude, please continue."
Yun Moli was full of pent up anger and had nowhere to vent it, and couldn't unleash it all on Lu Shen. Seeing Bai Yin, she naturally found an outlet: "Bai Yin, were you eavesdropping on me and Lu Shen? What did you hear?!"
Since Yun Moli was being so rude in questioning her, Bai Yin was not one to be pushed around either. She said expressionlessly, "I heard everything I was meant to hear. It wasn't eavesdropping, I was listening openly."
Hearing her say this, Yun Moli was even more furious, "Do you even understand manners? When you overhear others' private conversation, you should leave. So uncivilized! No wonder you have so much dirt dug up about you in the industry!"
Bai Yin gave a cold laugh, "Screaming at each other on the balcony in the middle of the night disturbing others' rest, who's the uncivilized one here?"
Lu Shen grabbed Yun Moli's wrist before she could approach Bai Yin to argue further, and unceremoniously dragged her back towards their room.
"Lu Shen, what are you doing? Are you taking the outsider's side against me?" Yun Moli said in extreme anger and frustration, "I knew it all along! You keep ogling at her, confess, is there something between you two?!"
"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Lu Shen forcibly dragged Yun Moli back into the room, and nodded apologetically at Bai Yin.
...
Finally it quieted down again. Bai Yin returned to her room and saw Chen Huaixiao still sleeping. She leaned over him, gently tracing his straight brows and eye sockets with her fingertips.
Over the years, his looks had barely changed at all, still the same as the boy in Bai Yin's heart.
Seeing him, the corners of her mouth couldn't help curving into a smile.
No matter how Chen Huaixiao called her obsessive or calculating, what she wanted for him, she would definitely obtain.
She absolutely could not let Chen Huaixiao lose anything that should be his because of her.
Bai Yin held his face and lightly kissed his lips.
Sleepy Chen Huaixiao was a bit slow to respond, probably because he had to record the show today, and was busy handling company affairs online, so he was very tired. Bai Yin kissed him for a long time before he finally reacted slightly, instinctively putting his arm around her waist and passionately kissing her back.
Bai Yin didn't try anything more this time, getting right to the point. Chen Huaixiao was stimulated into arousal, and reflexively reached to the bedside table, trying to find something.
Bai Yin brought his hand back and whispered by his ear, "I threw them all away."
Chen Huaixiao quickly calmed down, but had no strength under her assault to push her away, "You're... crazy."
"I'm not, I know very clearly what I'm doing."
"Standing at the pinnacle of fame, gaining so much happiness, do you want to ruin it all with your own hands?"
Bai Yin bit Chen Huaixiao's lip, stopping his words: "I have also reaped a lot of happiness, such as this moment, such as your every breath by my ear."
Chen Huaixiao listened to her sincere confession, his emotions surging.
For Chen Huaixiao, if emotion and reason conflicted, he would choose the latter without hesitation, but when it came to Bai Yin, affection always prevailed.
He pressed her beneath him and kissed her deeply.
Though a thousand voices in his ear told him no, the one voice said: just this once.
...
The next morning, Bai Yin heard the man beside her get up. Still groggy, she scrambled over and mumbled, “Thirsty.”
Soon, warm boiled water was brought to her lips.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she sat up, about to drink, when she suddenly remembered something. She was startled awake and snatched the cup Chen Huaixiao handed her to examine carefully,
afraid he had mixed contraceptive pills into the water for her to drink.
Chen Huaixiao, wearing a well-fitted white shirt, buttoned his cuffs while saying, “What do you take me for?”
Bai Yin scoffed lightly, “With you sly old fox, who knows?”
“I won't make you take those harmful drugs,” Chen Huaixiao said lightly. “Last night I lost control for a moment, but if anything comes of it, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Hearing him say this, Bai Yin drank down the water in relief: “You’ve accepted it, big brother?”
“I checked, last night was a safe period. This was a one-time mistake.”
“I don’t believe your 'one-time mistake'.” She knew Chen Huaixiao too well. He could endure anything, refrain from anything, but with her, he was powerless to resist.
“Chen Huaixiao, I advise you not to struggle in vain.”
“Bai Yin, I advise you not to let love make you lose sight of your career goals.”
The two confronted each other for a few minutes before Bai Yin waved her hand, too lazy to keep talking. After all, having a child would be a long campaign, she didn't expect to succeed all at once.
Dragging her long nightgown train behind her, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and put on makeup.
“Oh, big brother, did you hear that idol couple arguing yesterday?”
“No, I was too tired after work last night.”
Bai Yin looked at him speechlessly, “Too tired, yet you still...” She glanced meaningfully at him, “Came three times.”
Chen Huaixiao walked over and embraced her slender waist from behind, gently nuzzling her neck: “You tempted me relentlessly last night, and now you accuse me first?”
“......”
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