My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet's Hottest Power Couple-Chapter 34

Jiang Lan remembered blocking Lu Yicheng back then—such a trivial matter, and he actually told Yu Wanqiu about it!

Lu Yicheng had been too anxious at the time, which was why he asked his mom, "It’s not like that… I’ll be back tomorrow morning, taking the 7 a.m. high-speed train. You’ll see me off, right? If Yu Wanqiu asks you to get up at seven, you can do it. If it’s me asking, you won’t refuse, will you?"

Jiang Lan: "…………"

Lu Yicheng stopped walking and stared at her quietly.

"What show are you watching? Pirated content ruins people. Even when Yu Wanqiu calls me, I get up at seven. A 7 a.m. train means waking up at six."

Lu Yicheng: "Right, right, you just don’t want to go. No need for excuses. Clearly, if it’s me asking, it’s a no."

Jiang Lan: "…I never said I wouldn’t go. You’re really something else…"

Lu Yicheng quickly cut in: "Then wake up at six tomorrow. The driver will take us. After dropping me off, you can come back and sleep… Who knows when we’ll see each other next."

Jiang Lan was in a good mood today. Waking up early once wouldn’t kill her. "Fine, fine, I’ll see you off. We’ll have to wait for Aunt Zhao and the others to finish filming before heading back, probably by evening. Zhang Lin and her group are shooting at the amusement park. Yu Wanqiu and I might go there to play tomorrow."

As long as Jiang Lan was sending him off, Lu Yicheng didn’t care who she spent time with. "Just be careful with the rides. Don’t go overboard."

Lu Yicheng was also in high spirits today. "Are you hungry? Want me to grill some fish for you?"

Lu Yicheng was an excellent cook—even his barbecue was better than most. The grilled prawns turned a perfect golden brown, the veins removed, the meat sweet and tender.

He sprinkled chili flakes over them, crisping the tails to perfection.

The garlic-buttered oysters sizzled, topped with bubbling minced garlic and red chili rings, so tantalizing it made one’s mouth water.

Every time he finished a plate, Lu Yicheng handed it to Jiang Lan to share.

He’d been busy for hours without eating a bite himself. The charcoal grill radiated intense heat beside him.

Jiang Lan: "Go eat for a bit. I’ll take over."

Lu Yicheng shook his head. "No, your dress is too pretty. Don’t get it dirty. I’ll handle this."

"Then aren’t you hungry?"

Lu Yicheng nodded honestly. "Starving."

How could he not be? He hadn’t eaten dinner, it was almost nine, and he was a growing guy.

Jiang Lan glanced around. Everyone was preoccupied with their own activities, seemingly oblivious to them. "How about… I hold it, and you take a few bites?"

She hesitated to say "feed," but Lu Yicheng had worked hard today. A little indulgence wouldn’t hurt.

Lu Yicheng’s eyes lit up. "I want lamb skewers and shrimp. Later, I’ll grill you some honey-glazed bread slices."

His skills had been honed during their barbecue outings—always him cooking, Jiang Lan eating.

The shrimp needed peeling. Jiang Lan shelled one before giving up, opting to feed him lamb skewers instead. Lu Yicheng was more than satisfied with that.

Amid the barbecue feast, Shen Xingyao and Chen Hao were even sweeter, sitting close, chatting between bites.

They hadn’t seen each other in a while. Chen Hao had finally wrapped up filming, but Shen Xingyao was still recording the mother-in-law variety show. Husbands could appear, but not too often.

Shen Xingyao envied Chen Hao’s acting gig: "I have an audition in a few days. Not sure if I’ll get it."

Chen Hao knew she wanted to keep acting. He loved watching her perform. "You will. And if not, there’ll be other chances. Take it slow—you don’t need to be the lead right away. Treat it as experience."

"Sometimes I regret doing so many variety shows. If I’d just stuck to acting, I wouldn’t be in this spot. I keep dreaming about fans saying, 'Shen Xingyao, you’ve gotten worse! You’ve wasted over a year, regressing!'"

She feared disappointing her fans… and herself.

"It’s okay." Chen Hao didn’t blindly praise her. Instead, he offered thoughtful advice: "Xingyao, if you get the role, study the script inside out. Even if there are flaws, as long as you’ve done your best, you won’t regret it. If not, it just means you’re not ready yet. There’ll be other opportunities. Now that I’m done filming, I can rehearse with you."

Who’d ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍have thought a tough guy like Chen Hao could be such a sweetheart? Though his warmth was reserved for his wife alone.

Shen Xingyao nodded, then leaned in, whispering: "But what about your mom? She keeps pressuring us for a baby!"

Parents and their baby fever—it was universal. Shen Xingyao’s mother nagged too, insisting now was the best time, that grandparents could help raise the child, how lonely elders were without grandkids.

Shen Xingyao was stressed. Pregnancy meant over a year without acting, plus postpartum recovery. She’d adore her child—what if she couldn’t bear to leave them?

Would she end up a housewife?

Chen Hao coughed. "Mom’s just bored. Keep her busy, and she’ll ease up. You’re at a career peak—focus on that. Ignore her. If she keeps pushing, blame me."

Say he was too busy, etc.

Shen Xingyao suggested: "Maybe I’ll invite her to do yoga and get a check-up. Last time Jiang Lan interned at the hospital, Yu Wanqiu went for a physical. Mom’s getting older—it wouldn’t hurt."

Du Wanzhou had a sweet tooth and loved greasy foods. Shen Xingyao worried about her blood sugar.

Chen Hao: "Sure, get your parents checked too."

Shen Xingyao smiled. Chen Hao treated her parents well—filial to a fault.

Chen Hao added: "If Mom takes up yoga, great. I’ll encourage her. And… thanks for putting up with her. I know it’s not easy."

Shen Xingyao felt lucky to have such a mother-in-law. Conflicts were inevitable, but Chen Hao always had her back. "I know."

She glanced at Du Wanzhou. The woman genuinely cared for her, though they occasionally clashed.

Still, compared to Li Jia, Shen Xingyao counted her blessings.

Li Jia doted on her grandson, grilling skewers for him, quizzing him about summer classes and extracurriculars.

Xu Yi, six years old, juggled advanced math, English, and two arts programs alongside regular schoolwork.

Li Jia fired questions; Xu Yi answered politely. Once she finished, he trotted to Zhang Lin. "Mom, what would you like? I’ll get it for you."

Zhang Lin avoided crab and most seafood. "Just some honeydew, please. What about you? I can make something."

"I’m not hungry. You eat, Mom." Xu Yi fetched the melon and settled quietly beside her.

"Are your classes tiring, Yi?"

"The extracurriculars aren’t hard, but I don’t like them. When will you finish filming, Mom?" It was the longest they’d been apart—over three weeks.

"By late August. Yi, if Mom has to film and can’t be with you, only video calls… would that be okay?"

Zhang Lin could ignore others’ opinions, but Xu Yi was her child. His feelings mattered most.

Xu Yi thought for a moment and asked hesitantly, "Is it the same as now?"

Zhang Lin nodded.

"Does Mom like it? If she does, then I agree." Xu Yi had classes during the day—it wasn’t like he could be with his mother every second either.

Video calls at night would work just fine.

Zhang Lin’s nose tingled with emotion. This was her child. Only in front of him did she feel that the past seven years had meaning, that they hadn’t been wasted.

Xu Yi asked again, "Does Dad agree?"

Zhang Lin replied, "This has nothing to do with your father. Even if he disagrees, I’ll stick to my decision. Having your support is enough for me."

She and Li Jia hadn’t taken the promotional photos yet—they were scheduled for the next morning. In the afternoon, after Chen Shuyun’s group finished shooting, they’d return to City B.

She and Xu Yi would only be staying for a little over a day.

The seaside at night was pleasantly cool, not hot at all. Zhang Tian enjoyed some barbecue and cracked open two cans of ice-cold beer.

He made a wish—for the show to grow even more popular, for it to resonate with mothers- and daughters-in-law, even just a little. And for all four families to be well.

The next day, Jiang Lan was woken by her alarm at six.

After a quick freshening up, she went to see Lu Yicheng off as he returned to City B.

Lu Yicheng was reluctant to leave. "I’ll come see you this weekend," he said.

Jiang Lan replied, "Don’t plan so far ahead. Let’s talk about it when the weekend comes. Maybe Yu Laoshi and I will go out somewhere."

Lu Yicheng frowned. "You… Spending weekdays with her is one thing, but weekends are just two days…"

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt.

Jiang Lan enjoyed her time with Yu Wanqiu—why was Lu Yicheng getting upset?

"Your mom isn’t mine… Is it time? You should head in now."

Lu Yicheng pointed to his lips. "Just one."

In the quiet of the morning, with few people at the high-speed rail station, Jiang Lan stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Alright, don’t be late. Go on in, and let me know when you arrive."

Lu Yicheng still didn’t want to leave. He wondered—if he’d worn the same outfit as yesterday, would Jiang Lan have been more reluctant to let him go?

Did he not look as good today?

Truthfully, Lu Yicheng wasn’t as dashing as the day before, but that wasn’t the only reason. Jiang Lan was exhausted—she’d stayed up late gaming and hadn’t gotten enough sleep. After returning to the hotel and taking a nap, she asked Yu Wanqiu if she wanted to go to the amusement park.

In the past, Yu Wanqiu would have dismissed the idea, saying those places were for children. At her age, what was the point? It would be undignified.

But now, she had learned to embrace her true feelings.

"Let’s go. What should we bring? Should we make a plan?" Amusement parks had so many rides—which ones were fun, which weren’t? There were roller coasters, pendulum swings…

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Yu Wanqiu asked, "Jiang Lan, are you afraid of heights?"

Jiang Lan stiffened slightly. "N-no? Yu Laoshi, you…?"

Yu Wanqiu had spent years filming, often suspended on wires—how could she possibly be afraid of heights?

Jiang Lan had just wanted to ride the carousel, bumper cars, Ferris wheel…

Yu Wanqiu said, "I’m not afraid. I’ve even walked on glass walkways. Have you been? If you’d like, I’ll go with you."

Jiang Lan shook her head. "…Let’s skip that. I don’t like hiking."

"You can take the cable car up. Walking on the glass walkway feels like stepping on clouds," Yu Wanqiu said with a smile.

She loved wirework—she adored action scenes, the thrill of flying through the air, trading blows mid-motion.

Yu Wanqiu mimicked Jiang Lan’s habit of planning things out. Scrolling through her phone, she said, "I haven’t been to amusement parks much. We’ll start with the carousel, then bumper cars. Save the more intense rides for later. The crew will probably clear the area, so we can enjoy ourselves without crowds."

She looked up from her phone. "Sound good?"

When a beauty asked like that, how could anyone refuse?