Chapter 13: It Seems Your Married Life Is Truly Exhausting

When the atmosphere finally lightened, Pan Yun shifted the topic to Chen Linye, joking and chatting animatedly.

At that moment, Xu Shujian grew quiet. He glanced first at the guitar cradled in his arms, then at Yu Hui, who sat just a seat away from Huang Lili.

Yu Hui was watching Xu Shujian as well. Xu Shujian thought Yu Hui might say something, but he remained silent, his eyes seeming to say, “Got you, brother.”

Xu Shujian turned his body slightly, leaning in toward Yu Hui—and inadvertently closer to Huang Lili. She immediately tensed and leaned back against the chair. Xu Shujian didn’t pay much mind to these subtle signs; he quietly asked Yu Hui, “Want to talk for a bit?”

Yu Hui hesitated, then replied, “No.”

“Not brave enough?”

After a brief pause of two or three seconds, Yu Hui stood up.

Xu Shujian put down the guitar as well.

Though no one overheard what Xu Shujian said to Yu Hui, the cheerful chatter ceased as eyes turned toward the pair rising and walking into the darkness by the lakeside.

A cameraman immediately prepared to follow, but Tang Mingyue stopped him.

The cameraman looked puzzled. “Not filming this?”

Tang Mingyue said nothing, merely took the camera and followed.

Xu Shujian, with the calmness of someone who has lived twice, was not a man to seek momentary thrills.

Troubles aren’t truly troubles once they’re resolved.

It was only the second day of filming and there were still over ten days ahead. Xu Shujian didn’t want any uncontrollable incidents. Besides, these two natural subjects presented an opportunity too good to waste.

Since they were here, Xu Shujian felt they might as well gain something meaningful.

The beach by Qionghai featured large palm trees reminiscent of those in coastal areas, though being inland, Xu Shujian wasn’t sure if they were the same species.

Yu Hui stopped two paces ahead beneath a palm, then turned to look at Xu Shujian. “Go ahead. What do you want to talk about?”

Xu Shujian thought for a moment before saying, “Song Yue and I came here because we couldn’t carry on. To quote her, since we can’t go on, she’s handing me back to the screen. So here we are.”

Yu Hui chuckled twice.

Xu Shujian chuckled twice in return. “I don’t think that song just now embarrassed you at all. On the contrary, it helped you.”

Under the night sky, an expression unseen by others stiffened Yu Hui’s face. He subconsciously turned sideways. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You do understand. If it really embarrassed you, given your temper, you’d have snapped at me already. That’s why I thought I could talk to you. Compared to that, I think you’re pretty manly.” Xu Shujian’s voice was steady.

Yu Hui was silent for a long while before replying, “I still don’t get what you’re saying.”

Then he walked past Xu Shujian and returned.

A smile crept onto Xu Shujian’s face. It was impossible for Yu Hui not to understand; he simply didn’t dare to talk, especially with a camera present.

Yu Hui didn’t even dare respond when the camera was on.

Xu Shujian wasn’t afraid. As Song Yue had said, would the production dare to air these scenes?

This was Mango TV, a respectable organization—they wouldn’t pull stunts like that.

Besides, even if they did, so what? Xu Shujian had witnessed far stranger things. His thinking transcended ordinary bounds. Having even encountered time travel, he wasn’t worried about this.

At first, Xu Shujian was surprised. The cracks in Yu Hui and Huang Lili’s marriage were so glaring, why would they still dare to come?

Putting himself in their shoes, if he and Song Yue were really moving toward divorce, they had their private agreements. But what about these two?

Xu Shujian didn’t want to play mediator. Actually solving the real conflicts in Yu Hui and Huang Lili’s marriage, especially on camera, would make him look foolish. He only wanted to tell Yu Hui that he was upfront about why he was here, and he knew why Yu Hui was here too. Yu Hui could badmouth others all he liked, but not him.

This was a clear warning, and Xu Shujian felt Yu Hui understood.

Xu Shujian began to head back but suddenly heard a sigh.

Tang Mingyue’s voice said, “It seems that’s been your biggest change. I can imagine how exhausting your married life must have been.”

Xu Shujian glanced back at the figure, then walked toward the filming area.

...

As soon as Xu Shujian sat down, Song Yue leaned over and asked, “What did you two talk about?”

Xu Shujian smiled. “Just a friendly nudge. Marriage can blind those involved; sometimes you need someone to point things out to find a way forward, right, Brother Hui?”

Yu Hui gritted his teeth. “Aren’t you usually quiet?”

Xu Shujian chuckled softly.

Huang Lili sat between Yu Hui and Xu Shujian, glancing from one to the other with a look of astonishment.

One person on set had noticeably less to say—Zhang Qidong. He rubbed his nose and darted his eyes around.

On the LCD screen appeared another photo.

An abstract image of Lin Xiaoxian and Zhang Qidong.

It was a seesaw. On one side was a simple platform enclosed by railings; on the other was an outline of a house, roughly furnished with a few fixed children’s toys.

Lin Xiaoxian sat on the edge of the house outline, legs dangling in midair. She gripped the pillar tightly, her face full of anxiety.

Zhang Qidong wasn’t standing on the other platform; likely due to balance issues, he stood cautiously on the plank between the fulcrum and the platform to keep the seesaw level.

Yet even when the “house” side was balanced, it was actually tilted; the house would be truly level only when resting on the ground. Lin Xiaoxian’s posture was uncomfortable.

“This looks dangerous,” Pan Yun pointed at the screen.

Zhang Qidong shook his head. “Not dangerous. As long as I keep balance on my side, it’s completely safe.”

Yu Hui interjected, “It’s not dangerous for you, and you’re even showing off. But look at Sister Xiaoxian—doesn’t she look scared?”

Zhang Qidong looked at Yu Hui, eyes filled with disbelief—as if to say, “Brother, I was helping you before, and now you’re undermining me?”

Yu Hui broke eye contact with Zhang Qidong. Vaguely, he felt that Zhang Qidong’s presence was less imposing than Xu Shujian’s.

With this realization, Yu Hui glanced again at Xu Shujian.

He seemed to finally understand that the “idol artist” he once looked down on had more to him—not just in songwriting but in his demeanor and way of handling things.

Zhang Qidong rubbed his hands together and explained, “Here’s the situation with my family, as you can see. I work hard outside to support the family. Though Xiaoxian’s posture looks uncomfortable, she’s actually stable. The real challenge is that I have to manage the weight balance on both sides. The pressure on my shoulders isn’t visible to her. If I falter, everything falls apart. But I believe that’s a man’s responsibility. Even if misunderstood, you have to do these things.”