Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 315. The Storm Is Brewing
After dinner, the couple restarted their major project—taking a walk!
The young couple strolled around the village more than three times, from sunset until the moon was high in the sky.

The cameraman was furious, cursing inwardly: "Damn it, are these two even human? You two managed to get a few naps during the day, but we haven't had a break since we opened our eyes this morning. It's late at night and you're not going home to sleep, but instead wandering around here playing with us?!"

Despite cursing in my heart, I still had to follow along.

That's what they earn through hard work.

The cameramen were full of complaints, but after following them all night, they couldn't help but feel impressed, because the young couple had so much to talk about, and their mouths didn't stop for more than two hours.

It's incredible.

In most couples, neither of them has that much to say. If the wife says too much, the husband will get annoyed, or it will be the other way around.

But the young couple had a harmonious atmosphere, chatting happily about everything under the sun.

They don't seem like a married couple, but rather like close friends.

As a semi-professional, director Xiao Fang followed the whole process and gradually figured out the tricks of the trade.

It is often said that couples need to complement each other to go the distance.

This statement is not absolute.

Ideally, a superior marriage should be characterized by complementary personalities, similar interests, and both partners being inherently gentle and kind.

Only in this way can we support each other and move forward together.

Take Lin Xiao and Han Xixi, for example.

Needless to say, the two complement each other's personalities; the woman is introverted and quiet, and has always maintained a cool and aloof image since her debut.

As for the man... a town mayor, he talks nonsense in front of the camera and is not at all intimidated by a group of big shots. He must have a bit of social arrogance.

Complementary personalities naturally make it easier for people to attract each other.

Thus, the couple developed a mutual appreciation for each other.

But mere appreciation is not enough to sustain a marital relationship.

After all, the two come from very different backgrounds.

Even if two people like this are attracted to each other by their appearance and personality, they are very likely to develop various misunderstandings in their marriage.

The most obvious sign is that they can't connect on a conversational level.

However, this problem does not exist between Lin Xiao and Xi Xi.

One was born and raised in a rural area, and the other was the only daughter of a cadre family. Their backgrounds were vastly different, but coincidentally, their professional backgrounds made up for the differences in their origins.

Han Xixi comes from a family of cadres and is the only daughter, but Lin Xiao later entered the system.

Therefore, when he talks about work, Han Xixi isn't completely clueless; she can usually keep up with him and even offer some insightful and experienced advice on many occasions.

Needless to say, this extends to Han Xixi's profession.

She's a singer, and her husband is a government official—they seem to have nothing in common.

But some people may appear to be town mayors, but in private they are genius musicians whose works are enough to amaze the entire music scene, and who can easily elevate their wives to the top of the music scene.

You say irritating is not irritating!
This couple can talk about each other's work without any hesitation; they both have a lot to say to each other.

Not to mention having a child at such a young age.

Having a child creates a bond, and the topics range from basic necessities like eating, drinking, and sleeping to future plans; they could talk for three days and three nights without stopping.

In addition, neither of them are particularly cunning or scheming.

In the leisurely strolls and daily companionship, feelings grow stronger and life becomes more fulfilling, emphasizing that simplicity is true happiness.

After spending two hours with him, director Xiao Fang gradually understood this principle.

I finally began to deeply approve of the decision made by the director, Rutgerdan, to invite these two as the main guests for this season—even though their performance today was subpar from the perspective of variety show performance.

However, they scored a perfect 10 on the theme of "the ideal married life".

However, whether the audience will accept this perfect score remains to be seen.

In the afternoon, Xiao Fang received a call from the director, saying that "Rebirth" would be released online half a month earlier than scheduled.

It is now mid-August.

The original plan was for the show to air on the first Friday of early September.

The schedule is quite ample, allowing the production team time to refine the footage for the first episode and use their planning and post-production skills to compensate for any shortcomings in the program's content.

However, due to some issues with the variety show that was scheduled to air before "Rebirth," two episodes were suddenly cut, so the show had to end two episodes early.

After deliberation, the TV station decided to have "Rebirth" take over the broadcast next Friday.

This put a lot of pressure on the editing team, as they only had four days to prepare, as they also needed to allow time for the station's leaders to review and approve the content.

Of course, given Rutgers's position in the television station, he could have firmly rejected this decision.

But she agreed immediately.

This put immense pressure on the three group directors, including Xiao Fang.

The three groups of guests were filmed separately this season, so the editing of the footage was also carried out by three different directors.

And like the lunch gathering of six guests today.

Since the editing took place in Lin Xiao and Han Xixi's house, the task naturally fell to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang was extremely nervous.

He knew that for variety shows, post-production editing was just as important as pre-production planning and regular recording.

Many variety shows are ordinary in their recording, but through the magical editing in post-production, one sentence followed by another can completely change the meaning of the guests' words, and all kinds of conflicts and disputes will immediately emerge.

That's where the show's appeal comes from!

Of course, the production team of "Rebirth" looked down on such unscrupulous practices, and the editing of the first three seasons always followed a fact-based strategy.

But the more challenging it is, the more it tests the skills of the director and editor.

After all, editing a bunch of slow-paced footage into something that attracts and keeps viewers engaged, without creating any drama or gimmicks, is no easy feat.

This season marks Xiao Fang's first time serving as an executive director, and he is both eager to prove himself and extremely nervous.

After realizing that there was no way out.

His passion was rekindled, and as he watched his two ancestors finally finish their stroll and return home, he immediately announced that his brothers could call it a day.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, took the car back to the hotel, and lay down on the bed like a lump of mud.

But Xiao Fang couldn't rest.

There's one more day of recording tomorrow, so he can't go back to the TV station for the time being, but that doesn't mean the editing work can't go on.

He exported all the footage he had shot over the two days and reviewed it one by one.

According to the filming schedule, there will be a total of six recording sessions this season, each lasting three days and two nights. The content from these three days and two nights will be edited into two episodes for broadcast.

In other words.

The first episode should be ready by the time we finish lunch today.

This is also a major storyline, so it's perfect for concluding the first episode.

Xiao Fang had an idea in mind, so she used her evenings to review materials and develop the structure for the entire episode.

I stayed up until after 2 a.m.

After skimming through all the content, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling quite confident about the final product of the first episode.

……

The next day, another full day of recording took place.

On this day, Lin Xiao finally stayed on duty all day and did not ask for leave or leave early again.

Not only that, after a night's rest, he immediately became energetic and his mental state was completely different from the previous two days.

Just one morning of recording gave Xiao Fang confidence in the content of the second episode.

This was already a pleasant surprise.

As it turned out, Lin Xiao had a double stroke of good luck. He did a big thing during the afternoon recording—he sang a new song while playing the guitar.

This made the entire production team extremely happy, including the director, Rutgerdan.

As the group director, Xiao Fang was filled with pride, feeling like his own brat had suddenly become successful, and he was extremely pleased with himself.

Only then did Xiao Fang understand why Director Lu had agreed to the Lin couple's "unreasonable" request not to arrange a script.

Because they are truly capable.

To casually toss out a pleasant and soothing new song—that's real skill.

The couple's interactions are simple, genuine, and sweet—that's what you call skill.

Even though Lin Xiao was late and left early the other day, and even when he was on camera he was lazy and cunning, that still shows his ability.

Because his laziness won't harm the production team, it will only infuriate the audience and trigger a major plot point in the show.

The recording of the program took place over three days and two nights.

Lin Xiao's screen time was undoubtedly the shortest, but the highlights and content he brought were the most exciting, concise, and captivating.

In just these three days, Xiao Fang developed a deep admiration for Mayor Lin and immediately became incredibly confident in the program's content, popularity, and reputation.

The recording for the day has ended.

He returned with the main group, arriving back at the TV station at 10 p.m., but instead of going home, he went straight into the editing room.

Even the chief director, Rutgers, was stunned.

I thought to myself: This young man, tired of being a kept man, is he looking for something tough to work with?!

Rutgers, however, was pleased with the outcome.

After all, the quality of the program is her most important career. As long as she does a good job with the program, her position in the station will be secure. Once her position is secure, she can have any fresh and popular young men she wants.
These days, there are plenty of people who want to take shortcuts; if there's no small square, there are small round, small flat, and small pointed ones.

How wonderful it is to have a young body!

Director Lu thought about it and his mouth was watering. It was rare that he didn't have to work overtime like a female demon and leave Xiao Fang behind to go straight home.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Han Xixi returned to their home in Mashan County.

They lived nearby, so they arrived at eight o'clock.

Upon entering the house, one immediately senses a somber and gloomy atmosphere, a stark contrast to the usual cheerful merriment.

The couple keenly noticed this, exchanged a glance, and were both completely baffled.

After putting down their suitcases, the two tacitly split up and went their separate ways to find their mothers.

five minutes later.

The couple met in the room and discovered the truth—the two mothers had a fight!
This is surprisingly reasonable.

The reasons for the conflict are quite simple; they are nothing more than a struggle for control over childcare.

Ms. Zhou Xiuping felt that she had been working hard since her child was born, following the child wherever the child lived. Although being a grandmother was her duty and she couldn't say she had done anything particularly meritorious, she still deserved to be called a hard-working and meritorious person.

Ms. Liu Liyun, on the other hand, felt that as an intellectual who had served as a senior cadre for so many years, she was definitely better at raising and nurturing children than her in-laws who only had a primary school education.

Ms. Liu Liyun also felt that she had to reluctantly hand over the responsibility of taking care of her granddaughter to her mother-in-law because she was not yet retired and was too busy.

Now that he has taken early retirement and moved to Mashan County with his daughter and son-in-law, he naturally has to shoulder this heavy responsibility again and raise Lin Xiaoxi in a scientific and rational way.

Ms. Liu Liyun also put forward a shocking view: Ms. Lin is already six months old, so it's time for early childhood education!
Zhou Xiuping has always been very respectful to her mother-in-law.

After all, he is a leading cadre, whose knowledge, achievements, and temperament are far superior to mine.

She admired him from the bottom of her heart.

Upon hearing that the older woman was going to harm a six-month-old baby, all the good impressions Zhou Xiuping had previously accumulated vanished without a trace.

At this moment, she had only one assessment of Liu Liyun: She's gone mad! Utterly mad!
From the moment Liu Liyun completed her early retirement and officially moved to live with them in Mashan County, the two in-laws quickly showed signs of discord. However, one was wary of the other because he was a leader and had just gotten divorced, while the other respected him for taking care of his family tirelessly.

Both of them tried hard to suppress their emotions and maintained a polite facade.

But no matter how much they suppress it, they still can't stand the other party.

Moreover, this dislike will only intensify as the time spent living together increases.

Before Lin Xiao and Xi Xi even set off to record the show, the two of them couldn't hold back any longer and started bickering.

While the two were recording a program.

The conflict between the two middle-aged women was indeed about to erupt, and now it was the post-war recovery phase.

After exchanging statements, Lin Xiao and Han Xixi felt utterly helpless.

The reason they persuaded Liu Liyun to come to Mashan County and live with them was to save this strong-willed woman who had been ruthlessly abandoned by her husband.

A person who is determined to succeed will succeed wherever they go.

Her arrival immediately turned the originally harmonious family atmosphere into a chaotic mess.

Lin Xiao understood why his father-in-law was willing to risk being infamous to divorce his wife of over twenty years.

Of course, Lin Xiao wouldn't complain about his mother-in-law.

After all, he has been a leader for so many years and is a person with a grand vision. Naturally, he cannot be like his peasant mother, who can feel satisfied and content just by spending her days around the stove.

Even at eighty, a person like Liu Liyun will still strive to discover her own value.

She's only fifty now, just past the halfway mark of her life, and after a lifetime of struggle in the workplace, she's naturally unwilling to give up.

So this enthusiasm was directed towards his granddaughter.

Lin Xiao was furious when he thought about how his chubby little daughter was only six months old, yet already had a whole set of learning plans made for her.

However, the mother-in-law meant well.

He couldn't turn his back on her, after all, he was the one who had painstakingly persuaded her to come.

In addition, my mother always kept telling me: "They've given you their beautiful daughter, so whatever you do is only right!"

Lin Xiao couldn't accept this principle before.

Later, after witnessing my parents-in-law's marriage break down, I gradually understood the reasons behind it and became willing to do everything for them.

There are currently conflicts within the family.

Lin Xiaozong may have connections and a great reputation outside, but no one—from superiors and cadres to netizens and celebrities on TV shows—can do anything about him and has to be mindful of his feelings.

But at home, he was powerless to do anything and could not escape the fate of "even an upright official cannot settle family disputes".

"Brother, what do we do now?" Xixi asked, looking troubled.

"What should we do? We'll take them down one by one!"

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, spoke in a relaxed tone.

Xi Xi asked curiously, "Don't you find it annoying? We just finished recording a three-day program and we're already exhausted. And now our family is causing us trouble too, having to deal with this kind of thing!"

Lin Xiao laughed: "It's tiring, but that's life!"

Xi Xi tilted her head, trying hard to understand the sentence.

Before long, she also started to laugh.

The couple now have a perfect understanding; they don't need to say much, and they can understand each other perfectly with just a few words.

The two exchanged a glance, then went out to find their own mothers and defeat them separately.

After half an hour.

The couple reunited in the room, and from the victorious expressions on each other's faces, they knew that the victory had been remarkable.

The two of them lay down on the bed at the same time.

Goodness, this one hour at home is more tiring than three days of filming variety shows outside.

"Brother, thank you for your hard work~" Xixi suddenly said.

"Did I go through all that trouble? Didn't we both go to persuade them together?" Lin Xiao said.

"Yes, but... if I hadn't brought my mom along, this conflict wouldn't have happened!"

Xixi felt a little guilty. "I know you felt sorry for her being home alone, so you invited her to come live with us. But you didn't expect her personality to clash with your mother, and then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiao waved his hand to interrupt him.

“I don’t like hearing you say that! Although your mother is strong-willed, she’s not an unreasonable person. She and my mother are completely different kinds of people, so it’s inevitable that they’ll have disagreements. It’s not like anyone’s deliberately provoking us! Besides, every family has its ups and downs. It’s all normal. There’s no need to argue about who’s right and who’s wrong!”

After listening, Xixi thought for a while, and then her expression suddenly brightened.

"I understand, thank you, brother."

"no need thank me?"

"Thank you... for everything you've done for my mom!"

Xi Xi said sincerely, "Actually, after my mother came, she told me several times in private that I married the right person and that I should live a good life with you!"

Lin Xiao was overjoyed that his mother-in-law thought so highly of him, but he pretended to be unhappy.

"I don't like hearing that again! Do I need someone else to tell me whether you married the right person or not? Don't you have any feelings about it yourself?"

"Lin Xiao! Don't push your luck!!"

Seeing that someone was taking advantage of her kindness and was not going to listen to reason, Han Xixi immediately raised her voice and roared like a tiger.

Lin Xiao immediately backed down, shrinking his neck: "That just proves my wife is a smart woman. She found a husband that even her own mother can't find fault with. What a wise choice! I give you a thumbs up!"

Han Xixi was delighted.

Are you praising me, or praising yourself?

"Praise them all, praise them all! What's the difference between you and me, husband and wife!"

Lin Xiao smiled obsequiously and tried to take advantage of her again, but Xi Xi kicked him away.

"You stink! Go take a shower right now!"

"dont wash!"

"Huh? How dare you be so self-righteous?" Xixi laughed in exasperation.

"I'm tired and don't want to move. How about I skip the shower today?"

"No !!!!"

"..."

Lin Xiao looked speechless, but then his eyes darted around and he grinned lecherously.

"Taking a shower is fine... unless you come with me!"

"why?"

"I can give you a back rub!"

"Sorry, it's not necessary!"

Han Xixi directly rejected someone's attempt to cover up their misunderstanding.

Lin Xiao naturally refused to give up, and after much coaxing and pleading, he finally managed to coax his wife into going into the bathroom with him.

I thought the scene that was about to unfold would be incredibly erotic.

As a result, Mayor Lin himself failed to perform properly. He had just taken off his clothes when he felt the urge to defecate, so he sat on the toilet and started defecating.

The smell in the bathroom was incredibly strong.

Han Xixi couldn't take it anymore and quickly slipped away, thoughtfully closing the door behind her as she left.

Lin Xiao was so overwhelmed by his own stench that he almost fainted, and he was filled with regret!
"I was careless; I shouldn't have eaten so much chilled watermelon during the day!"

Lin Xiao thought to himself, "This is ridiculous."

When he came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, his wife was already asleep.

With nowhere to vent his boundless energy, he could only force himself to hold back, quickly took a shower, and went to bed.

Monday the next day was another busy day.

The cooperation project with Dijin Group regarding the second and third phases of Xincun Garden is progressing relatively smoothly.

After several days of procedures, the contract was finally signed on Thursday.

That evening, county leaders hosted a banquet for Jiang Bohan, the general manager of Dijin, and Lin Xiao naturally had to attend.

As the biggest contributor to this cooperation project, and the most renowned and influential cadre in Mashan County, he naturally received enthusiastic "attention" from the dozen or so leaders in the private room as soon as he appeared.

Less than half an hour into the banquet, Lin Xiao had already downed seven or eight glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and his head was starting to spin.

He used the last bit of his reason to think it over and realized that things couldn't continue like this.

So they started thinking of ways to escape.

Tomorrow is Friday, and we'll be starting another recording of "Rebirth." With the collaboration deal with Xincun Garden finalized, recording the show has become his only priority, and he can't afford to miss it.

After much deliberation, Lin Xiao decided to seek help from Jiang Bohan.

After all, because of this cooperation project, he had thoroughly offended the local government and business groups in Mashan County.

These people, mindful of his status as the mayor's son-in-law and his online fame, wouldn't dare do anything to me openly. That's why they resorted to underhanded tactics and sabotage at the dinner table.

If I get really drunk, who knows what even worse tricks I might have up my sleeve.

Lin Xiao was too lazy to argue with them.

Now that you've attended the drinking party and given them face, the right thing to do is to slip away.

Having made up his mind, Lin Xiao took the opportunity to toast Jiang Bohan and walked up to him. Just as they touched glasses, he "accidentally" knocked over a bowl of wild pigeon soup that had just been served, spilling the brown soup all over President Jiang's trousers.

"what!!!"

General Manager Jiang screamed like a pig being slaughtered after being scalded.

The scene immediately descended into chaos. Lin Xiao suppressed a laugh, offered a flurry of apologies in a "panicked" manner, and then, amidst everyone's enthusiastic concern, volunteered to accompany President Jiang back to the hotel to change clothes.

The car had just driven away.

Just now, a portly man walked out of the banquet room with a smile on his face. As soon as he closed the door, his honest smile immediately turned into a sinister and ruthless expression.

He walked to the end of the corridor and made a phone call.

The call connected after two rings.

"Hello." The voice on the other end of the phone was young, excited, and nervous.

"The person has run away, so tell your men to disperse!"

"Ran?!"

"Okay! Let's leave it at that for today, we'll talk about it another time!"

"Next time... will there be a next time?"

"Of course not!"

The pot-bellied man lowered his voice, his tone chilling, "He can't hide forever! As long as he's still operating within the territory of Mashan County, he'll fall into my hands sooner or later. He can't escape!"

On the other end, Yu Yaojun remained silent for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing:

"I'll listen to you! If I don't swallow this grievance, all thirty-odd years of my life will have been wasted!!"

(End of this chapter)