Chapter 60.1

To be honest, Meng Zhengrong hadn’t slept well all night. Listening to Xu Yuan’s even breathing beside him, he was suddenly filled with sorrow.

How could she sleep so soundly?

With tension building, the thought of his wife killing a fish immediately caused his desire to fizzle out. Just thinking about it made Meng Zhengrong feel embarrassed.

But it wasn’t too big of a deal since only he knew about it. What truly troubled Meng Zhengrong was whether this would become a psychological barrier for him.

That was the most crucial point!

If every time he wanted to get intimate, he thought of her killing the fish and became unresponsive, that would truly be tragic.

Meng Zhengrong had been awake until dawn, finally dozing off in a daze just as the sun began to rise. He got out of bed shortly thereafter.

He decided he must overcome this psychological barrier for the sake of their marital happiness; he had to conquer it at all costs.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he found that the production team had prepared breakfast for them. He was the first to wake up, and the staff teased, “Mr. Meng is such a good husband, getting up early to bring breakfast for his wife.”

Hearing this, Meng Zhengrong perked up. The camera was right on him, and he had been careless; he had only slept for a few hours, and it was clear his spirit wasn’t great. He wished he could bribe Zhang Mian to cut that footage out.

Meng Zhengrong considered himself a good husband, and while he didn’t want to deliberately present himself as such on the show, when the opportunity arose to showcase their love, not seizing it would be foolish.

“She likes to sleep in. I’m afraid if she doesn’t eat breakfast, she’ll get an upset stomach,” he said simply, establishing his image.

He took two portions of breakfast and was about to return to their room when he glanced at Song Chaowen’s room, sneering internally. Once the show aired, Xu Yuan would realize that no matter how good her idol was, he couldn’t compare to her own husband.

Would Song Chaowen get up early to make breakfast for his wife? Obviously not, since he hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet.

Meng Zhengrong had woken up early to bring her breakfast and even delivered it right to her bedside; even he felt moved by his own actions.

As he entered the room, Xu Yuan hadn’t yet woken up. She was likely still dreaming, so he didn’t want to disturb her. He gently placed the breakfast on the table and stepped out of the bedroom to prepare warm water for Xu Yuan and even squeezed some toothpaste for her.

Shen Li emerged from her room and, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but sigh, “Mr. Meng is really great.”

How unlike her own pig of a husband, who was still sleeping! Even a kick wouldn’t wake him!

If it weren’t for his handsome face, she would have really smacked him awake. But upon seeing that face, her heart softened.

Meng Zhengrong smiled slightly, not paying it much mind.

He didn’t need to say anything; he believed the audience would see it for themselves.

When Xu Yuan finally woke up, it was nearly nine o’clock.

Meng Zhengrong was sitting in a nearby chair, and when he saw her stretch, he smiled and walked over to sit at the edge of the bed. “You’re awake. Go brush your teeth and wash your face; breakfast is all ready for you.”

Xu Yuan looked at him with suspicion. “Did you do something to betray me?”

“……” Meng Zhengrong raised his hand to touch her forehead. “Are you still half-asleep?”

Xu Yuan had already suspected something was off with Meng Zhengrong last night. While his good behavior was one thing, this morning he had actually gotten up early to bring her breakfast—this was certainly suspicious!

“Why did you bring me breakfast then?”

Meng Zhengrong’s expression turned awkward. “What’s wrong with making breakfast for my own wife?”

“As long as you haven’t done anything to betray me, that’s fine.” Xu Yuan shot him a glance. “If I find out you have, you know the consequences.”

Meng Zhengrong was taken aback; when had their roles switched? Shouldn’t he be the one saying this?

Thinking about it, he firmly retorted, “That’s exactly what I wanted to say! If you betray me, you know what the consequences will be.”

They had reached a consensus on this matter.

Xu Yuan washed her face, brushed her teeth, changed clothes, and applied light makeup before heading downstairs. By this time, everyone else was ready. The tasks for the day were not too heavy; they just needed to film for a few hours before they could head home.

No matter how neat the outside was, nothing compared to the comfort of sleeping in their own bed. Earning this performance fee wasn’t going to be easy.

During lunch, it was the same as yesterday, but Meng Zhengrong insisted on killing the fish. He seriously pointed at the fish in the sink and said, “I want to kill the fish.”

The best way to overcome a psychological barrier was to repeat the same action.

As long as he successfully killed the fish, he believed that thinking of Xu Yuan killing the fish in the future wouldn’t bother him anymore.

This was the plan he had thought of all night.

Song Chaowen seemed to guess the reason behind Meng Zhengrong’s actions and laughed. “Did your wife stimulate you yesterday?”

This was understandable; if Shen Li had been the one to kill the fish, he would have questioned his life for a few seconds too.

Meng Zhengrong shot Song Chaowen a glare; after spending the day together, they had grown quite close. “I just care about my wife and don’t want her to kill the fish. Is that okay?”

“Alright, alright, alright.” Song Chaowen looked around at the people present. “So who’s coming with me to catch the chickens?”

Shen Li and Xu Yuan pretended not to hear, as if they hadn’t caught this remark. They could reluctantly accept killing fish, but catching chickens would seriously affect their image, and they were resolutely against it.

In the end, it was the old gentleman who cheerfully said, “I’ll go, I’ll go. The vegetable garden is nearby.”

Song Chaowen followed the old gentleman to catch chickens. The six of them had eaten two chickens over the two days, hoping that the homeowners wouldn’t come after them when they returned.

However, the taste of home-raised chickens was indeed different from those bought outside.

Yesterday, a plate of chicken with mushrooms had been wiped clean.

Just like the previous day, the old lady went to the kitchen to prepare. Meng Zhengrong, Xu Yuan, and Shen Li stood in the yard.

Shen Li said with a smile, “This is great! I haven’t had to do much since I came here.”

Seeing that Meng Zhengrong was staring at the fish being caught without moving, Xu Yuan thought he was scared and said, “I can do it. I already tried it yesterday, and the old lady said my fish-killing skills are pretty good.”

Meng Zhengrong wanted to roll his eyes but held it back. “It’s better if I do this. You just stay aside.”

If he had to watch her kill another fish, it would be too much!

After a moment of contemplation, Meng Zhengrong picked up the kitchen knife and began to kill the fish, though his movements were not very skilled.

This was a task that tested both technique and mental fortitude.

After all, this was a living creature. Not only did he have to kill it, but he also had to gut it.

Sigh.

Thinking about last night’s events, Meng Zhengrong suddenly felt much calmer. He used the knife to strike the fish’s head hard, stunning it and reducing its suffering as it faced death.

Once it was stunned, he breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been flopping around, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to go through with it.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was being too cowardly. His wife had been so calm while killing the fish; why was he having so many inner struggles?

The actual process of killing the fish wasn’t long, but for Meng Zhengrong, it marked a turning point in his life.

He had killed a fish.

Watching him take it so seriously, Xu Yuan felt like laughing for some reason, and in fact, she did.

Could it be that her fish-killing skills had frightened him yesterday? Was he trying to regain his manhood through this?

After he succeeded, Meng Zhengrong looked at the blood on his gloves and the fish’s innards on the cutting board, then glanced at Xu Yuan, feeling much lighter in spirit.

After all, it was just killing a fish; it wasn’t a big deal. It was nothing difficult; he could easily kill another one.

He didn’t even know what he had been thinking about last night.

If she could do it, as her husband, he could do it well too.

Of course, after the show aired, the couple was affectionately dubbed the “Shark Couple,” which left him feeling a bit vexed.

After killing the fish, Meng Zhengrong sneaked over to Xu Yuan and whispered, “Didn’t I look cool just now?”

Seeing the camera wasn’t on her, Xu Yuan rolled her eyes without hiding it. “It’s just killing a fish; how can that be cool?”

This little thing wasn’t worth all his fussing.

Of course, if Daniel Wu were to kill a fish, it would definitely look cool.

Even though Xu Yuan was trying to bring him down, it didn’t affect his good mood.

Meng Zhengrong felt like he had overcome a barrier. Even if he was driving now and thought about how she had killed the fish, he wouldn’t flinch. His goal had been achieved.

As the recording of this episode approached its end, the group was heading towards the van. Meng Zhengrong and Song Chaowen, with their longer legs, walked ahead.

Even though it wasn’t a weekend, it had only been a short time since the weekend passed. Meng Zhengrong was chatting casually with Song Chaowen, and while doing so, he inadvertently caught sight of a plastic bottle that someone had thrown on the road.

People’s awareness of environmental issues had improved significantly, but there were still some who didn’t care for the environment.

Previously, Meng Zhengrong hadn’t had many opportunities to come to such places. The places he usually visited were not just pristine; at least, there were no visible bits of trash on the road.

He thought this was a good opportunity.

Although it was a little performative, on second thought, wasn’t it also an opportunity to educate the youth?

Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility.

He couldn’t help but quicken his pace, overtaking Song Chaowen by a few steps. In front of everyone, he bent down and picked up the plastic bottle, saying nothing as he held it, preparing to throw it away once he found a trash bin.

Xu Yuan thought Meng Zhengrong was really obsessed, crazy to get famous. Although he always said participating in this program was pointless, he was constantly looking for ways to win favor, wasn’t that a bit manipulative?

This small gesture was recorded by the staff, who planned to edit it later with subtitles. Song Chaowen and the others noticed it, but no one said anything.

Such small actions tend to be exaggerated by society.

Unless something unexpected happened, Meng Zhengrong’s action would likely earn him praise from netizens. However, if they were too deliberate in promoting this matter and praised Meng Zhengrong excessively, it might have a counterproductive effect.

The filming of the program went very smoothly. Even Zhang Mian’s assistant commented that among the several variety shows they had filmed, this group of guests was the most harmonious.

In the van, the three couples were discussing going out to dinner together in a few days.

Everyone felt like they weren’t shooting a program but rather in a relaxed state, as if they were hanging out with friends. It was a unique kind of comfort.