Chapter 336: But I want you to watch with me

Midday meal provided by the production crew, afternoon site inspection—still, a cameraman followed her all day. No one knew the villa's layout better than Xia Xi; she could walk around it with her eyes closed.

After the first day's filming ended and she parted ways with the production staff, Xia Xi finally got a breather—it felt so good not to face the camera. She whirled around, let loose, and settled accounts with Xu Yanfeng.

"Xu Yanfeng." Xia Xi called his name sternly, "You're just messing around."

She looked just like she was lecturing Zi Heng. In fact, Zi Heng rarely disobeys; usually Xia Xi doesn't need to scold him—just explain the reasoning and he'll understand.

Xu Yanfeng laughed: "Where am I causing trouble?"

Xia Xi: "How could you join the show and then, on camera, say I'm your… fiancée?"

"I've explained it—Xu Clan sponsored the show, so I'm leading by example, coming to inspect." Xu Yanfeng said righteously, "As for calling you my fiancée, what's the problem?"

"The problem is… the problem is…"

"Hmm, what is it?" Xu Yanfeng asked patiently.

Xia Xi was dazed by his words, no longer forceful; she stared at him for a while, then said weakly, "You'd better hope the first half of our conversation gets cut out."

Xu Yanfeng said leisurely, "I'm the villa's owner, and coincidentally your fiancé—everything's within the rules; I don't see anything wrong."

In argumentation, no one can beat Xu Yanfeng; Xia Xi declared him the winner: "Just be happy."

"Let's go home and eat." Xu Yanfeng naturally put an arm around her shoulders, smoothing her hair, "Don't worry—I won't appear in the later episodes; you just follow the normal process and film as you should, until the final acceptance stage, when I'll show up."

Xia Xi couldn't laugh, still feeling his move was a bit playful: "You're not afraid of gossip, you're the president of the Xu Clan Group." She poked his firm chest, "You couldn't possibly think no one would recognize you, right? Never mind that—Xu Clan employees would spot you instantly." Then she discussed it with the people around her: in the internet age, one tells ten, ten tell a hundred—nothing can stay hidden.

"So what if they recognize me?" Xu Yanfeng grasped her fingers, unbothered, "No matter my status, first and foremost, I'm a person."

Xia Xi was completely convinced by him. But she couldn't predict the effect of the show's broadcast, so she inevitably felt some worry.

After a moment of silence, Xia Xi spoke again: "I don't dislike the villa's current style; there's no need for an extravagant redesign. You joined the show without consulting me first, and now we're stuck—we really have to tear it down and start over."

Xu Yanfeng gave a soft hum and said matter-of-factly, "I don't want to force things; I want you to be completely satisfied. Do you understand?"

Xia Xi: "Wasteful."

Xu Yanfeng: "Don't worry, wife, I'll work hard to earn money and support the family."

Xia Xi: "……"

There was nothing more to say to him; shameless Xu Yanfeng was unbeatable.

Just as Xu Yanfeng said, he didn't appear in the later episodes; the focus shifted to filming several designers at work. Each designer had a different approach, faced various difficulties, and occasionally they'd gather for a meeting, exchange opinions, spark some points of contention, argue until their faces flushed—but all in the search for solutions, nothing serious.

Renovating the villa wasn't difficult for Xia Xi, since she only needed to follow her own preferences.

Interspersed with some interviews, Xia Xi was no longer as nervous as at the start; now she could face the camera and speak fluently.

Everything went smoothly—so smoothly it was almost unbelievable.

By the time the sixth episode was recorded, the first episode had officially aired; before the broadcast, it had been promoted online for a while. Although its buzz couldn't match that of entertainment variety shows, among professional programs it was considered hot.

The bathroom filled with the sound of splashing water—Xia Xi was showering, her skin turning red and soft from the spray. Wrapped in a towel, she came out, didn't see Xu Yanfeng in the bedroom, changed into pajamas, and headed to the living room while drying her hair.

Xu Yanfeng sat on the sofa, clicking the remote back and forth until he found what he wanted to watch; an advertisement was playing on TV, and he stared intently at the screen.

Xia Xi walked over, knelt on the sofa, and said, "I don't recall ever seeing you watch TV before."

Xu Yanfeng tossed the remote aside, took the towel from her hand, pulled her a bit closer, and dried her hair: "You don't know that the show you recorded airs tonight?"

"What date is today?" Xia Xi said, picking up Xu Yanfeng's phone from the coffee table and glancing at it, muttering, "Really, it's airing today."

She sat up, snatched the towel from Xu Yanfeng's hand, and said, "You watch it yourself slowly; I'm going to blow-dry my hair."

Xu Yanfeng was quick-eyed and quick-handed; he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Xia Xi lost her balance, one slipper fell off, and she plopped onto his lap. He seized the moment to hold her waist, preventing her from moving.

"Sit down and watch with me." Xu Yanfeng said, "Don't you want to know how you performed on the show?"

Xia Xi pushed his chest, firmly resisting: "I really don't want to know."

Watching herself on TV, she felt awkward and embarrassed, utterly uncomfortable.

Xu Yanfeng: "But I want you to watch with me."

Xia Xi struggled to break free, pointing at her wet long hair: "I need to blow-dry my hair."

Xu Yanfeng had no choice but to let go: "Come join me when you're done."

Xia Xi hooked her slipper back on with her foot and bolted—she had no intention of keeping him company.

While blow-drying her hair in the bathroom, her phone rang as she came out. Xia Xi fiddled with her hair, picked up the phone on the table, and answered; before the caller spoke, she guessed what they'd say: "Zhao Lei, you're not going to tell me you're pregnant, are you?"

Zhao Lei: "……"

"I don't plan to have kids within two years, thanks." Zhao Lei denied her guess, then teased her, "Besides, no matter how quickly I act, I can't compare to you, miss—your kids could already be selling soy sauce."

Xia Xi: "……"

"Haha." Zhao Lei, having won the retort, let out a clear laugh, then coughed twice and said seriously, "Now for the real talk: I just turned on a variety show, guess who I saw on it? Miss, you're all bundled up! You went on the program without a word—if you'd given us a heads‑up, we could've boosted your viewership."

Xia Xi raised a hand to her forehead: "I don't want to talk about this; if it's nothing, I'll hang up."

Zhao Lei: "Really? Then that's awkward."

Xia Xi really hung up. After thinking, she opened WeChat, swiped a few times, and the screen went dark. The company group was discussing it, but that was fine—everyone knew she was on the show. The key was that several class groups were also chatting, and even Zhou Du and Liang Yuan were buzzing in their three‑person chat.

Zhou Du: "Not cool, Xia Xi—you're a big star now and still didn't tell us. I only heard it from your assistant. @Xia Xi"

Liang Yuan: "Ahhhh, has Xi Xi debuted?"

Zhou Du: "When you strike it rich, don't forget your old friends—if you make it big, sis Xia, remember to promote me. @Xia Xi"

Liang Yuan: "【Image】 Currently watching, Xi Xi looks gorgeous!"

The photo was taken aimed at an iPad, showing the variety show Xia Xi participated in playing; the frame captures her stepping out of the elevator in high heels, wearing a white outfit, composed and beautiful.

Liang Yuan: "And Xi Xi? Won't you come out and say a few words? @Xia Xi"

Zhou Du: "She's probably shy."

Xia Xi felt helpless; she hadn't planned to watch the show, but she couldn't stop the people around her from relaying it to her in real time. She took a breath, silently told herself twice to stay calm, put her phone down, and sat at her vanity to tend to her skin.

Someone knocked twice on the door; she turned to see Xu Yanfeng leaning against the doorframe, tilting his head with a smile: "It's already been going for a while—won't you come watch?"

Xia Xi calmly patted lotion on her face, shook her head vigorously, and bluntly refused: "No, I want to sleep."