One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 21

"Mom, put down the knife and achieve enlightenment!" Song Xici extended her hands dramatically.

Tang You'an clasped her hands in prayer: "Amitabha, saving a fish's life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Lin Xing furrowed her brow: "I don't believe in Buddha."

But at that moment, the slippery grass carp, driven by an intense survival instinct, wriggled free from Lin Xing's grasp and plopped back into the tank.

A few minutes later.

"Well, well, keeping an edible grass carp as an ornamental fish. I've learned something new... So where are Big Fur, Second Fur, and Third Fur?" Lin Xing took a sip of water, then used the glass as a gavel, tapping it on the table and splashing water.

Without her apron, Lin Xing instantly lost some of her graceful air, gaining an imposing presence. Perhaps due to her thinness or prominent bone structure, her features appeared somewhat harsh.

"They're asleep..." Song Xici fidgeted with her fingers.

"Asleep where?" Lin Xing asked.

"In the netherworld." Tang You'an answered.

"Dead?" Lin Xing paused. That was quite poetic.

"Mainly because I..." Tang You'an hesitated, unsure whether to reveal the truth, but was cut off by a subtle kick from Song Xici.

"I accidentally killed them." Song Xici replied.

"A ditz is indeed only fit to keep grass carp." Lin Xing muttered, glancing at the fish tank with exasperation. She then reached for the crab Tang You'an had placed on the coffee table, examining it.

Song Xici and Tang You'an exchanged glances, then lowered their heads without a word.

"This crab tastes good. Where did you buy it?" Lin Xing asked, picking at the crab.

"Chubby Meat Crab Pot. We couldn't finish it, so we packed it up." Tang You'an smiled in response.

After Tang You'an spoke, Lin Xing couldn't help but look her up and down several times. Truthfully, her demeanor and aura were vastly different from before.

"I heard you've been visiting the set to see Xici whenever you're free lately?" Lin Xing inquired.

"Yes." Tang You'an replied.

Lin Xing nodded, glancing at Tang You'an, then at Song Xici. "By the way, you've already had dinner, right?"

"Mm, we just finished. Mom, haven't you eaten?" Song Xici asked.

"Song Jianjun filled me with anger." Lin Xing set down the crab, wiping her fingers with a napkin.

"You two fought again?" As she spoke, Song Xici picked up her phone and messaged Tang You'an: "Quick, say you need to find clothes for tomorrow, then go to your room and grab your usual clothes and stuff. Put them in my room and lock your door!"

After receiving the message, Tang You'an looked up: "Mom, I'll go back to my room for a bit to prepare what I need to wear tomorrow."

"Oh..." Lin Xing stared at her intently, then smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

Seeing Tang You'an leave, Song Xici finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xici, come with me to the kitchen." Lin Xing said.

"Are you hungry?" Song Xici asked.

"I'll cook something. I also want to chat with you." Lin Xing tossed the crab into the trash and headed for the kitchen.

"Oh, okay!" Song Xici replied, following her.

"You two always had rumors circulating outside, but whenever I come, you behave like obedient puppies. Honestly, I've been wondering if your claims of getting along well are just to fool me." Lin Xing opened the refrigerator, taking out two eggs, a head of lettuce, and some noodles. "You've always been good and obedient since childhood. I don't even know if you truly agreed to this marriage from the bottom of your heart."

"Mom." Song Xici stepped forward, reaching out. "Let me cook for you."

Song Xici didn't dare tell her that she had agreed to the marriage simply because she was indifferent to marriage and love. Plus, with the family company facing issues at the time, she thought a marriage alliance to get help from the Tang family was acceptable. As long as Tang You'an didn't have any designs on her.

"No need, I cook better than you." Lin Xing sidestepped her, moving to the side.

"Where were we? Oh, right. Well, it seems she's been making an effort to improve." Lin Xing washed the vegetables. "To be honest, I felt guilty for quite a while after your marriage. After all, seeing no interaction between you on Weibo, it did seem like she didn't care about you, as people said... So, I've been thinking lately, if you really can't make it work, it might be better to divorce. Our family doesn't need to rely on the Tangs anymore."

Hearing the words "better to divorce." Song Xici suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

"Mom, don't worry. She's been treating me well lately..." Although Song Xici often complained about her parents to others, she truly loved them in her heart. At this moment, she couldn't bear to see her mother's self-reproach.

"That's good." Lin Xing nodded. "Actually, I've made some inquiries. People from your crew, even your driver Old Ji, all say she's been exceptionally good to you lately, even in private."

"So, you should learn to be good to her too." Lin Xing added, turning her head.

"I am good to her!" Song Xici startled, immediately retorting.

"That's good then. Anyway, don't end up like your father and me." Lin Xing said, rinsing the pot before frying an egg. "Just stay together happily for a lifetime like this."

A lifetime... Song Xici looked down at the floor.

"By the way, what did you two fight about this time?" Although Song Xici was used to their arguments, she still felt compelled to ask.

Recently, Lin Xing had developed a habit of running to Song Xici's place whenever she fought with Song Jianjun.

"I was gone for just a few days, and when I came back, I found out he'd slaughtered Peipei!" Lin Xing said, staring at the frying egg, visibly furious.

"Wow..." Song Xici raised her eyebrows.

Peipei was a large drake that had arrived at the Song household about a year ago. Lin Xing had raised it for a while, finding it particularly intelligent, so she couldn't bear to eat it. She kept it in the backyard, even building a house for it and putting a jade pendant around its neck.

Although she never explicitly called it a pet duck, the servants had all assumed it was the mistress's pet.

While Song Xici rarely visited home, she had heard about this.

"That old bastard, one of these days I'll take a knife and chop him up!" Lin Xing grew angrier as she thought about it. "He even tried to argue with me, saying ducks are meant to be eaten. He has absolutely no compassion, the beast!"

Song Xici puffed out her cheeks, unsure how to respond, and could only say, "That is quite infuriating."

And she was one to talk, keeping strange pets herself. Oh wait, she didn't used to keep pets.

"It's driving me crazy, really, so aggravating..." Lin Xing continued, placing noodles into a bowl.

However, just as Lin Xing was about to carry the noodles to the dining table, Tang You'an, who had entered unnoticed, stepped forward and picked up the bowl, smiling: "Mom, let me."

Watching Tang You'an's retreating figure, Lin Xing raised an eyebrow. Not bad. Although Tang You'an had always been respectful, calling her "Mom." she had never been this considerate and gentle before.

A while later, after Lin Xing finished her noodles and was about to take the bowl to wash, Tang You'an suddenly stood up from beside her and took the bowl: "Mom, I'll wash it."

So Lin Xing sat back down. Once again, she marveled inwardly: Not bad, not bad at all.

Later, as Lin Xing sat on the living room sofa chatting with Song Xici, she suddenly developed a headache and began rubbing her temples.

At that moment, Tang You'an stood behind her, placing her hands on Lin Xing's temples: "Mom, let me massage you for a bit."

Lin Xing paused, then smiled: "Alright then."

Meanwhile, Song Xici curled up on the sofa with a bag of chips, munching away as she watched them.

"An'an is so thoughtful." Lin Xing closed her eyes, enjoying the massage. "So gentle, unlike our Xici. She has no sense of pressure. Once I asked her to pat my back and she nearly fractured my bones."

"Mom's joking." Tang You'an smiled.

"I'm not joking at all. Since she was little, she's always been clumsy at everything..." Lin Xing said.

"Tsk..." Song Xici watched the two, then stood up. "Mom, I'm going to my room now. Get some rest soon, and I'll take you out tomorrow."

"Alright, go on then." Lin Xing lazily waved her hand.

Song Xici tossed the snack bag in the trash and headed upstairs, still wearing her shoes.

Back in her room, Song Xici let out a sigh, walked to the bed and stood there for a moment before grabbing a blanket and tossing it onto the bed. She then retrieved her phone from the dressing table and sat down to browse.

Unlocking the phone and opening Weibo, Song Xici scrolled through her private messages and comments. People on Weibo were wishing her and Tang You'an happiness every day.

Someone had even created an account called "Tang-Song Alliance." with the profile description: "This account is dedicated to sharing sweet moments between Tang You'an and Song Xici."

"Pfft—" Song Xici scrolled down the page. "Unbelievable."

She then tapped into Tang You'an's account.

Tang You'an hadn't posted anything since appearing on that show, but she had liked quite a few posts. Song Xici decided to check what she had liked.

The first post:

TV Drama "The Subject":

"This child says she's never eaten anything so delicious in her life — @ActressTangYou'an."

Below was a short video showing her in ancient-style robes, sitting on a stool, happily eating from a nearly empty bag of Weilong spicy strips. After finishing, she licked her fingers, held up the empty package, and asked Xiao Meimei beside her for some spicy dried tofu, extending her hand.

After watching, Song Xici nearly died laughing. Of course, that girl had never eaten these things before.

Opening the comments, Song Xici almost burst out laughing again at the netizens' reactions.

- She looks so pitiful, I want to send her money...

- Licking her fingers is absolutely adorably illegal, okay?! Ahh!

- An-baby, look here, big spicy chips are delicious too!

- Hahaha, oh my god, finishing her own and then asking others for more, just like kindergarten kids. So cute!

Seeing people praise Tang You'an, Song Xici felt quite happy. She had to admit, sometimes Tang You'an was indeed quite adorable.

The second post:

Idon'tcareifyoulikemeornot:

"Counting Song Xici's six warmest moments — Making cold medicine for staff members on set, helping the lighting technician apply heat packs, reminding newcomers to move to the center during show recordings, instinctively reaching out and taking a few steps when seeing someone almost fall at a fan meeting, helping a lost girl in the mall find her mother, and feeling sorry for the stunt double's hard work and eventually alternating with her."

The post was accompanied by six images, both JPEGs and GIFs.

Song Xici smiled when she saw this.

To her, many of these actions were just small gestures, but because she was a celebrity, they were magnified. Still, it was good, at least it could set a positive example.

As she continued scrolling, Song Xici noticed that most of the posts Tang You'an had liked were related to her. She even managed to find and like some obscure posts from who-knows-where, which was quite remarkable.

"You silly..." Song Xici couldn't help but rest her chin on her hand.

Putting down her phone, Song Xici put on a rabbit-ear headband, removed her nail polish, and grabbed a bottle of makeup remover.

Just then, Tang You'an arrived outside the door.

As she pushed open the door and entered Song Xici's room, a refreshing orchid fragrance wafted over, smelling quite pleasant.

"All settled?" Seeing Tang You'an standing at the door holding the handle, Song Xici paused in applying makeup remover and turned to look at her.

"Mm." Tang You'an nodded, gently closing the door and walking to Song Xici's side.

"Oh, come to think of it, I rarely see you wear makeup when you're not filming. Have you not learned how yet?" Song Xici asked while removing her makeup.

"That's right, I'm not very good at it. I can only apply some lip balm or lipstick. Last time I tried to use the eyebrow pencil in the room to draw my eyebrows, I ended up with two black tape-like strips." Tang You'an said.

"Ah, you're so clumsy. Wait, I'm free now — do you have to film tomorrow?" Song Xici asked while wiping her left cheek with a cotton pad.

"The day after tomorrow." Tang You'an replied.

"Good, I'll teach you tomorrow morning. How can a female celebrity not know how to do her own makeup? What if you're not feeling well? If you go out looking off and get photographed, the media will make a big fuss." Song Xici said.

"Alright, I'll do as you say." Tang You'an smiled, then pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, crossing her legs and resting one arm on the back of the chair, quietly watching Song Xici in the mirror.

"What... are you doing?" Song Xici wiped her forehead with a cotton pad, pressed her lips together, and turned to look at her.

"Watching you." Tang You'an answered.

"There's nothing interesting about removing makeup..." Song Xici lowered her eyes, avoiding Tang You'an's gaze in the mirror. In her distraction, she applied too much pressure, squeezing out excess liquid onto the cotton pad.

"The act of removing makeup itself isn't interesting, but you are beautiful." Tang You'an smiled slightly, turning her head to look directly at Song Xici.

Hearing those words, Song Xici felt her cheeks burning as if scorched by fireworks. A faint blush spread across her delicate earlobes and fair neck.

Tang You'an tilted her head slightly, looking at her: "Isn't that so?"

"Where did you learn to say such... such nonsense..." Song Xici gripped the edge of the dressing table, her eyes flickering.

Tang You'an frowned slightly, then smiled gently and shook her head: "I never learned it. It's just how I truly feel."

Vaguely, Song Xici felt her heart rate becoming strangely erratic again.

"By the way, you really don't kill people randomly anymore, right?" Closing her eyes and biting her lower lip, Song Xici changed the subject.

"I don't." Tang You'an shook her head. "I've studied it. I can't beat the police uncles. The weapons here are too powerful, and bullets are faster than my sword."

"Damn! So you mean if the weapons weren't so powerful, you'd still..." Song Xici turned to look at her, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"That's not it." Tang You'an shook her head again. "I've studied it. The laws here are very complex. Even excessive self-defense can land you in jail, so I won't harm people lightly."

"Damn! So you mean if this wasn't a law-abiding society, you'd still..." Song Xici's teeth chattered.

"No, unless enemies try to harm you or me, threatening our lives, I won't take any action." Tang You'an continued.

"Oh... that's good then... You scared me..." Song Xici held her forehead. Really, every day seemed to bring new worries.

"Back then, I was young and hot-headed, and the legal system there wasn't as robust. Some lawless people went unchecked, so I..." Tang You'an paused, looking at her. "In any case, don't worry, Xici. I won't do such things."

"That's good... I'm going to shower now." Song Xici said, standing up from the dressing table.

"Alright." Tang You'an nodded.

Song Xici nodded slightly without speaking and turned to gather her clothes before heading to the bathroom.

After watching Song Xici's retreating figure for a moment, Tang You'an turned back, smiling softly. She walked to the bedside and picked up the script lying there.

The script said that Gu Moyan would transform from a cold-blooded person to someone who would die for love in the later parts. So what exactly was love? And how should she portray it?

Flipping through carefully, she found several scenes where Gu Moyan cried. But after reading the script, Tang You'an felt indifferent, unable to empathize with the character's emotions or feel sad, let alone cry. She couldn't help but rub her temples.

As Tang You'an frowned over the script, the bathroom door opened. Hearing the sound, she looked up.

Song Xici emerged wearing a long satin nightgown, the belt tied in a butterfly knot. The material made her figure appear particularly delicate, even the slight protrusion of her shoulder blades clearly visible.

Tang You'an's gaze followed Song Xici's movements, unconsciously closing the script.

"Well, you... should get ready for bed too." Song Xici picked up her phone and pointed to the bathroom.

"Alright." Tang You'an's lips curved slightly. She tossed the script back onto the bedside table, got up to grab her pajamas, and headed to the bathroom.

Watching her go in, Song Xici sat on the edge of the bed, then lifted the covers and crawled in.

She'd gone mad. She lightly punched her forehead, then unlocked her phone.

In the WeChat group, Meng Meng had shouted five minutes ago: "Sisters!!! Who's here?!! I'm so bored!!!"

Song Xici smiled and typed: "Raising my hand."

Meng Meng: "Finally someone responds... Zhou Yi is like air!"

"Haha, she's always like that, what can we do? But if you tell her someone bullied you, she'd definitely bring people over to fight for you right away~ Or if you tell her you're homeless, she'd immediately hand you a card." Song Xici continued typing.

Meng Meng: "Indeed, our sister Yi is a badass. Tough but not talkative, always taking action!"

Meng Meng: "Hey, Xici, want to voice chat?!"

Song Xici glanced at the bathroom, then typed: "Not tonight, it's not convenient..."

Meng Meng: "Is your mom there again?!"

"Yes..."

Meng Meng: "So you two are sleeping in the same bed tonight?!"

"Yes..."

Meng Meng: "Damn, that's exciting! What's going to happen, I wonder..."

Song Xici's eyes widened at this message, her fingers flying as she replied: "What's exciting?! What's going to happen?! Haven't you and I slept in the same bed before?! I even touched your boobs in the bathhouse back then! Did anything happen? Really, your mind is so dirty a thousand bottles of bleach wouldn't be enough to clean it!"

Meng Meng: "Tsk tsk, such a big reaction..."

...

Just as she finished chatting, the bathroom door opened. Song Xici looked up.

"Um, two blankets. I'll use this one, you use that one over there." Song Xici pointed to the blanket beside her.

"Alright." Tang You'an nodded, then walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down.

"Are you sleepy?" Tang You'an asked.

"I want to play on my phone for a while." Song Xici said, randomly tapping through apps on her screen.

"Okay." Tang You'an placed a pillow behind her back and started looking at her phone too.

After browsing Weibo for a while, searching for her and Song Xici's names, Tang You'an suddenly noticed a post from an account called "Stubbornly shipping Tang-Song CP" with a headline article:

"Fresh off the press, stayed up all night writing this Tang-Song CP fic hehe. Though I'm tired, I'm still so happy! It's super spicy, want to take a look? [Smirking face]"

Below were many comments saying "Thank you, author, it was delicious."

CP fic? Seeing these words, Tang You'an's curiosity was piqued and she clicked in.

Meanwhile, Song Xici was playing Candy Crush, expressionlessly passing level 698.

After clearing the level, finding the game boring, Song Xici switched to PUBG. But after dying immediately upon landing in two consecutive rounds, she quit that too.

"Trash game, ruining my youth..." Song Xici complained, then found herself at a loss for what to do next.

After a while, she discreetly turned her head to look at Tang You'an beside her. Tang You'an was intently focused on her phone.

What was she looking at? Come to think of it, had she fully mastered all the phone's functions?

Was she browsing Weibo? Or Zhihu? Surely not Baidu Tieba, that place had become a mess long ago.

"Slowly caressing downwards..."

Suddenly, Song Xici heard Tang You'an mutter these words.

"Hey, what... are you looking at?" Song Xici immediately put down her phone and turned to her. It sounded suspiciously like something not suitable for children...

Tang You'an was holding her phone, one hand resting under her nose, silently staring at the screen as if deep in thought.

"I'm looking at..." Tang You'an lay down, turning on her side. Her slender left wrist bent slightly, her fist lightly pressed against her forehead as she looked at Song Xici, her hair softly spread on the pillow.

"What?" Song Xici unconsciously pulled the blanket higher, covering half her face.

Then, Tang You'an parted her lips. Perhaps due to her slightly deep voice, it carried a hint of ambiguity: "I'm looking at our CP fic. What does it mean by 'down there was already flooded'?"

Song Xici met her gaze, then frantically averted her eyes...

"Hmm?" Tang You'an reached out and lightly tugged at the corner of Song Xici's blanket.

Song Xici clutched the blanket tightly, feeling her breath tremble in her chest. She turned her head away. Under the covers, her left leg arched slightly, rubbing against her right leg...