Chapter 54.2

After showering in the evening, as usual, the two of them lay on the bed watching TV.

Meng Zhengrong occasionally touched Xu Yuan.

The atmosphere was warm and harmonious until a drama starring Song Chaowen started playing on the screen.

Song Chaowen had already established his status and rarely appeared in dramas anymore. This year, he managed to release a drama, which immediately topped the ratings, leaving people amazed at his popularity.

Xu Yuan watched this drama every night, and Meng Zhengrong followed along with her.

It was true that Song Chaowen had a good eye for scripts; even someone as selective as Meng Zhengrong thought the drama was quite good.

If it had been before today, Meng Zhengrong would have simply watched TV with Xu Yuan without thinking much. But now, seeing Song Chaowen on the screen, he couldn’t help but recall Song Yu’s words.

This was a period drama, and Song Chaowen was indeed easy on the eyes. After so many years, among all the young idols, his presence was still unique.

Meng Zhengrong casually remarked, “Song Chaowen is quite handsome.”

Xu Yuan immediately sensed that Meng Zhengrong was testing her.

How did she know?

Meng Zhengrong was a very self-absorbed man who loved to show off. He had never genuinely praised anyone’s looks in front of Xu Yuan.

This was his pride as a man, his confidence, as he always felt he was the most handsome man in Xu Yuan’s eyes.

How could he casually mention someone else’s good looks in front of her without reason?

For the sake of family harmony and to avoid conflict, it was better for her not to admit she was a fan of Song Chaowen.

Xu Yuan maintained a calm demeanor and replied, “He’s alright, I guess.”

While Meng Zhengrong was pleased with Xu Yuan’s attitude at that moment, he still felt a bit uneasy and continued to ask, “Don’t all women like him? When he got married, weren’t you upset?”

When Song Chaowen announced his marriage, although many people sent their blessings, there were also plenty of fans crying on Weibo, lamenting that their idol had been taken away.

Xu Yuan glanced at Meng Zhengrong and lied without missing a beat, “Not everyone likes him. I’m just indifferent; I think his acting is good, but I didn’t pay much attention when he got married.”

People are like that; one lie leads to many others.

Of course, Xu Yuan was particularly skilled at speaking differently to different people.

Xu Yuan’s expression remained calm throughout, showing little change, which made Meng Zhengrong unconsciously choose to trust her.

“So do you think he’s handsome?” This was the final question.

Meng Zhengrong wasn’t so shameless as to ask Xu Yuan whether he was more handsome or if Song Chaowen was. He knew that even if Xu Yuan said he was better looking, it would be a lie—just like how Zou Ji’s wives would respond.

Meng Zhengrong asked the right question. Xu Yuan thought for a moment. If she said he wasn’t handsome, Meng Zhengrong would definitely be suspicious. After all, even Song Chaowen’s haters couldn’t deny that he was indeed quite attractive.

She couldn’t lie with her eyes wide open.

Xu Yuan said, “Yeah, he’s pretty handsome. Otherwise, how could he be a star?”

Her tone was very casual, as if she were discussing the weather for tomorrow—there was nothing inappropriate or unnatural about it.

Meng Zhengrong concluded that his wife was definitely not a fan of Song Chaowen.

He shouldn’t have listened to Song Yu’s words; he knew his wife well. She wasn’t a shallow person at all!

Meng Zhengrong stretched out his arm and pulled Xu Yuan into his embrace. “He is pretty handsome, but then again, maybe when you see him in person, you’ll think he’s just average. Stars are like that.”

He could now confidently participate in this variety show, knowing his wife wasn’t a fan of Song Chaowen.

Xu Yuan also secretly felt relieved.

Why did she have to lie? Her husband was a jealous type!

If he found out that she liked Song Chaowen, their home wouldn’t be peaceful.

A week before the recording of the program, Zhang Mian, as the planning director, invited three couples to dinner to meet and get to know each other a bit.

After all, they would be recording together soon; it wouldn’t do to be complete strangers!

Song Chaowen had just wrapped up filming a drama and had time to join the variety show, while Shen Li’s new drama was still under review, so she had time as well.

As for the veteran actors, they rarely acted anymore, so they had plenty of time.

Unexpectedly, the busiest ones turned out to be Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan.

But no matter how busy they were, they could still find time for dinner.

Originally, Meng Zhengrong planned to head directly to the dinner, but unexpectedly, during lunch, Xu Yuan said she wanted to go back and change her clothes. Meng Zhengrong didn’t think much of it and agreed. They both left work early and returned to the villa.

“You look beautiful just as you are,” Meng Zhengrong casually said, leaning against the doorway of the dressing room. “There’s no need to go through all that trouble; it’s just dinner, not the recording.”

Xu Yuan thought to herself, how could he know the feelings of fans meeting their idols? It was best not to explain that to him.

“I just feel like it’s more polite this way since it’s our first time meeting them,” Xu Yuan said, looking at the clothes hanging on the rack, struggling to decide. “Come help me pick an outfit.”

Meng Zhengrong approached her, glanced at the clothes, and teased her, “What’s the reward for helping you?”

“Do I need to reward you just for picking an outfit?” Xu Yuan shot him a look. “Then you might as well leave.”

“No, no, no.” Meng Zhengrong shamelessly wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed his cheek against her side. “I think you look good in anything, really.”

“Thanks, but I know you’re being sincere. I still need to put on a face mask and do my makeup. I don’t have much time, so hurry and help me pick an outfit.”

Meng Zhengrong complied, not wanting to waste time. After all, the dressing room play would happen one day; no need to rush it.

Xu Yuan had a lot of clothes, and she had bought even more in the past few months.

It was overwhelming to choose from.

Meng Zhengrong picked out a unique black dress with a V-neck. With a necklace and high heels, it would look beautiful.

“You bought this before, but I don’t think you’ve worn it at all. I remember it looking really nice on you.”

Xu Yuan hesitated as she held the dress in front of the mirror. “Wouldn’t this color seem a bit too serious? That’s not good.”

Meng Zhengrong didn’t say much and continued helping her choose. “How about this one? Red shouldn’t be too serious, right?”

He held up a red dress, a new style from a brand. Xu Yuan had worn it once, and it received many compliments.

Xu Yuan liked the dress, but hesitated again. “Isn’t red too flashy?”

Even though she admired Song Chaowen, it was merely admiration for an idol.

Besides, the idol was already married, and so was she…

Meng Zhengrong knew that women could be very particular about such things. He was patient and helped her pick a pink dress. “This one shouldn’t be too flashy; it looks good. I like it.”

“…Let’s see if there’s something even better.”

Meng Zhengrong: “…”

In the end, they took nearly half an hour before Xu Yuan finally chose a dress.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

The key point was that after all that choosing, she ended up selecting the same black dress Meng Zhengrong had picked at the beginning.

After Xu Yuan finalized her outfit, she happily went to put on a face mask. From applying the mask to doing her makeup and styling her hair, it all took almost an hour.

Even Meng Zhengrong was getting restless.

“You used to do your makeup pretty quickly,” Meng Zhengrong muttered. In the past, they had gone out for meals together, and Xu Yuan would be done in half an hour at most—never like today, taking so long.

Xu Yuan linked her arm with Meng Zhengrong’s as they headed to the garage. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Meng Zhengrong glanced at her. “How could I dare?”

Only then was Xu Yuan satisfied. Today couldn’t be like usual, could it? She was going to meet her idol… If she didn’t dress up well, she’d regret it afterward.

Both Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan sat in the backseat, considering that Meng Zhengrong might drink today, so they let the driver take them.

The autumn weather was pleasant, and Meng Zhengrong rolled down the car window, feeling the comfortable breeze on his face. The scent of Xu Yuan surrounded him—subtle yet captivating.

He realized Xu Yuan looked particularly beautiful today.

Though she was usually beautiful, today felt different. She had a smile on her face, and her beauty seemed amplified, making even Meng Zhengrong, who was used to seeing her, captivated.

To be honest, after confirming his feelings, Xu Yuan had become his goddess.

However, Xu Yuan’s behavior today was quite intriguing, and Meng Zhengrong couldn’t shake off an ominous premonition.

Could it be that what Song Yu said was actually true?