Chapter 104 Plastic Husband

Zhou Pingchuan was in a hurry to get back to the company, and Xia Mian also wanted to go out for some fresh air, so she asked the driver to take her to the shopping district and got out of the car in front of a shopping mall.

After a hangover, his stomach was a little upset. He put on a hat and mask, ordered a hot milk tea, and wandered aimlessly around the first floor.

After waiting all morning without receiving a reply, Xu Ning simply sent a WeChat voice message: "Xia Xiaomian, quickly explain to the organization what's going on with you. You got married without saying a word and haven't even replied to my WeChat messages!"

How dare you ask?

If it weren't for your message, this morning wouldn't have been so awkward!

But it seems like it really isn't their fault. Xia Mian said weakly, "It's been two days since the ceremony, your reaction time is so long."

"I'm currently in Switzerland, and the signal keeps dropping, so I can't keep up with news from back home."

What are you going to Switzerland for?

"Make vlogs. You want me to build a career, so I'll make some travel-related videos."

Thanks to her pretty face, Xu Ning has quite a few followers on YouTube despite her terrible fashion sense. She's usually too lazy to manage her YouTube channel; two-thirds of her videos are unboxing videos, along with some random snippets of shopping and fashion show footage.

Speaking of this, Xu Ning suddenly remembered something: "I have a great idea. Have you moved into your new house yet? You could do a room tour for your new house and film an unboxing of the betrothal gifts. It would be a huge hit."

Xia Mian replied with little interest: "Really? I'll discuss it with the company."

Xu Ning didn't realize how perfunctory he was being; she hadn't chatted with her little brother for several days and was in high spirits.

"Are you about to record the final interview segment for 'Little Days'?"

"Yes, tonight."

"What are your plans after filming? Continue in the entertainment industry, or go back to being a rich young master? The entertainment industry is too tiring. Filming and editing videos recently has made my skin turn yellow. I'd rather be a rich young master and spend my husband's money. It's easier and more enjoyable."

As he asked this question, Xia Mian happened to pass by the HARRY WINSTON counter. In the window, all kinds of wedding rings were displayed under the spotlights, super dazzling and super beautiful.

...What a rich kid! He didn't even have a wedding ring. Xia Mian bit her straw hard: "I want to work! Work makes me happy!"

"Impressive, truly impressive, a natural-born physique fit for cattle and horses..."

Even if Zhou Pingchuan wasn't in a hurry to go back to the company, he was anxious. The final episode of "Little Days" was indeed scheduled to be recorded tonight, and before that, he had to go back to his apartment to get Da Huang to do his hair and makeup.

The recording took place at the platform's Beijing branch office. At 6:00 PM sharp, the "Drinking Talk" segment of "Our Little Life" officially began.

The production team decorated a corner of the studio to resemble a family dining room, with a dining table, two chairs, warm colors, and yellowish lighting, making it easy for people to let their guard down.

As the name suggests, drinking is a must, and tonight's appetizer is hot pot. The broth is already boiling, and the host greets him: "Sit down, let's put some mutton in to warm up, okay?"

"Beef, beef, no lamb," Xia Mian said bluntly. "Beef is low in fat and high in protein, so you can eat as much as you want without feeling guilty."

The host, who was one of the observers on the observation team, had experienced firsthand how heavy Xia Mian's idol image was, and joked, "You're engaged now, so you can let loose a bit."

The "drinking and talking" segment aims for authenticity; otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen this format of chatting over drinks. The entire recording was unscripted. However, the production team did discuss with Zhao Wei beforehand what topics could and couldn't be discussed. Marriage was something that could be mentioned, since the whole internet already knew, so there was no need to hide it.

"Maintaining my condition is for better work," Xia Mian replied.

The host sensed something was up and opened a bottle of liquor: "How's your alcohol tolerance? Can you handle liquor? It's 16 degrees, not too strong."

Xia Mian took the bottle and looked at the ingredient list. He had chosen a fruit-flavored liquor. Apart from having a little too much syrup, the other ingredients were fairly clean.

"OK."

The host poured wine for the two of them and, as Xia Mian requested, started with beef. The two chatted and ate at the same time.

"Xia, I really didn't expect you to get engaged so early."

“I also think it’s quite frightening to get married so young.” Xia Mian made a horrified expression, not answering his question directly.

"So, do you plan to retire after marriage? From what you just said, it seems you want to continue working."

In fact, many people who marry someone from the entertainment industry or not choose to retire from the industry, especially those who marry into wealthy families.

Prestigious families don't like their members appearing in public. The entertainment industry is a mess, and it's so shameful to get involved in scandals. It's better to stay at home; it's not like they can't afford to support their families.

Moreover, doing well in any profession is extremely difficult, especially in the world of fame and fortune. Not only do you need high emotional and intellectual intelligence, but luck is also crucial, and you might even have to pay a price that most people cannot accept. If you're just trying to make a living and have a stable meal ticket, there's really no need to continue struggling like this.

So the host was quite surprised to learn that Xia Mian wasn't retiring from the entertainment industry. This can only mean one thing: Xia Mian's marriage to the Zhou family isn't as perfect or stable as it seems on the surface. Xia Mian lacks a sense of security and needs to continue working to secure her future.

Xia Mian: "Yes, the next work plan has been finalized."

The host became increasingly excited.

The topic of "sky-high dowry" is currently trending. If some inside information can be uncovered, his value in the industry will definitely skyrocket.

"Why? Balancing work and family is incredibly tiring," he said, using his own experience as an example. "I started dating when I was three or four years older than you, then got married, had children, and haven't had a single day of my own since."

Xia Mian didn't fall for his trap and instead asked, "Then do you regret it?"

The host paused for a moment and said, "Well, before I got married, I was very free. I could travel whenever I wanted, and I could play games all night whenever I wanted. But if I were to go back to my pre-marital state, I wouldn't want to go back. Time always moves forward, doesn't it?"

“Actually, it’s not the fault of time. Whether you are free or not is a personal choice,” Xia Mian shook her head. “Like you said, doing whatever you want is a kind of freedom, and enjoying the happiness brought by family and children is also a kind of freedom. True freedom is in the heart, not in the outside. For example, I think I can balance family and work, so I do both.”

After going around in circles, we finally came to a conclusion here. When he was an observer, the host only thought Xia Mian was a handsome and lucky young man.

Now it seems that Xia Mian is much smarter and more insightful than he imagined.

But he didn't want to give up. After chatting for a while about his thoughts on the recording, he started looking for opportunities to dig up evidence of the instability of the other party's marriage.

Xia Mian rejected them all. He and Zhou Pingchuan's relationship was indeed unstable. They had registered their marriage but didn't even have matching rings yet, but he couldn't let others know.

After repeated setbacks, the host finally gave up: "We were just talking about the next step. What's your next plan?"

"Choose one: web series or variety show."

The host sincerely suggested, "For you, choosing a variety show at this stage would definitely be better."

"Thank you, I'll go back and compare them. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll bother you."

"No problem, hahaha."

The filming of "Little Days" has now come to an end. After the cameras rolled, all the crew members and Xia Mian took a group photo together. It was a very pleasant time working together, and I hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future.

After taking the wrap-up photos, Xia Mian dragged his tired body into the van. In order to stay alert and not say the wrong thing during the recording, he had been on high alert the whole time. Now that he relaxed, he felt a sharp pain in his head.

Chestnut drove him back to Longxi. Xia Mian went inside and found that her workaholic husband wasn't working, but was sitting on the living room sofa reading a magazine. He didn't want to investigate, so he pretended not to see him and went straight to the elevator.

Who knew that his workaholic husband would also come along?

Xia Mian bit her lower lip and remained silent.

When they reached the master bedroom door, Xia Mian was still angry with him. After going in, she deliberately slammed the door shut, and as expected, Zhou Pingchuan blocked it with his antler staff.

“I’m sorry for the trouble you had last night, Third Master. My mom’s not here tonight, so you don’t have to sleep together,” Xia Mian said.

Zhou Pingchuan pulled two books out of his pocket and waved them in front of him: "We've already gotten our marriage certificate."

Xia Mian was taken aback when he revealed this, and was momentarily speechless with anger: "...I'm used to sleeping alone, I don't sleep well with others, please leave!"

Zhou Pingchuan didn't argue much, and put away the documents: "Okay. Before you leave, I'll give you something."

As he spoke, Zhou Pingchuan handed him a dark blue velvet box. Xia Mian had no idea what he was up to, but she took it and opened it.

— Inside lay two men's wedding rings, with a simple and elegant design. The larger ring was engraved with patterns, while the smaller ring was set with a few small diamonds.

This was probably the cheapest gift Zhou Pingchuan had ever given him, but it was also the gift that made his heart race the most.

Xia Mian took a deep breath, and before she could catch her breath, she took another deep breath before whispering, "What... what is this?"

Wedding rings.

"...Why did you suddenly decide to buy wedding rings?"

Asking a question you already know the answer to.

My eyes were practically glued to that girl's fingers all morning.

Zhou Pingchuan didn't expose Xia Mian, which would only make her angry for no reason; it wasn't necessary.

He took the box back, picked out the one with the rhinestones, and gently slipped it onto Xia Mian's ring finger: "You're married now. If other kids have it, you should have it too."