Marry a female star at a bargain price

It's 11:30 a.m.

The bedside lamp in the master bedroom, which had been turned off, was turned on again. Lin Xiao leaned against the headboard with a satisfied look on his face, while his wife lay on her side in his arms, almost unconscious.

Outside the window, autumn rain falls softly, without thunder or lightning, only the quiet sound of it pattering.

The couple had a rare moment of tenderness after their playful argument, and neither wanted to spoil the moment, so they simply held each other gently.

After a long while, Lin Xiao suddenly remembered something.

"Wife, wife?" He shook Xixi's arm, which felt smooth and tender to the touch, and couldn't help but pounce on her and kiss her.

"Um……"

Xixi answered weakly, so tired that she couldn't even open her eyelids, and her whole body felt like it was falling apart.

"Wake up, wake up, I have something to ask you."

"Ask away..."

"What did Chen Jiajia want to see you about that day?"

"Which day..."

"On Sunday."

"Sunday..."

Han Xixi was like a broken machine, uttering two words at a time, her voice weak and emotionless.

Lin Xiao was delighted to hear this, finding his wife both adorable and charming.

"If you don't pay attention to me, I'm going to start a second round!"

"Huh? Huh?!"

Startled, Xixi's eyes widened instantly. Meeting her husband's teasing smile, she punched him in annoyance and turned to the other side.

Lin Xiao immediately pounced on her, hugging her from behind, and gently kissed her delicate, fair shoulders, which were glistening with sweat.

Xixi felt ticklish from the kisses and playfully shook him off.

"Hey, what are you doing...?"

"Dry!"

"Ok?"

Xi Xi was stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant. She was both shy and speechless, and rolled her eyes.

Xi Xi threatened, "If you keep acting so indecently, I'm really going to ignore you!"

Lin Xiao immediately laughed.

They lifted the thin sheets covering the two of them, revealing a glimpse of their intimate moments.

"We're both in this state, how serious can we possibly be?"

"Humph!"

Xi Xi decisively got up to leave.

Lin Xiao quickly pulled her back, using both his hands and feet to hold her tightly in his arms.

He pouted, pinched his wife's cheeks, and showered her soft, red lips with kisses until she was completely dizzy.

"I was wrong, I'm serious now, go ahead and tell me!"

"What did I say? Didn't you ask me something?"

Xi Xi was speechless, her pretty face flushed with shyness, her heart pounding.

Lin Xiao slapped his forehead: "Right, right, I have something to ask you. What did Chen Jiajia want to talk to you about yesterday afternoon? And she wouldn't let me hear!"

It was in Dafeng Village at the time, and the third recording of "Rebirth" had just ended. Cao Yuanzhi and Chen Jiajia appeared at the same time.

Old Cao came to catch Lin Xiao to record a song in Ninghai.

It was normal for Chen Jiajia, as Xixi's agent, to come and pick her up, but she clearly seemed to have something on her mind. When Lin Xiao asked her, she refused to say, making it all very mysterious.

Lin Xiao was very curious and thought about asking his wife that night.

But we finished recording the song at 10 p.m., and then we had dinner together, which made it very late.

I worked another day today.

Lin Xiao had forgotten about it, and only now, in his post-coital state, did he suddenly remember it.

Han Xixi had fully woken up by this time and laughed, "It's nothing serious. Jiajia just told me that I'm very popular lately and I've received a lot of business offers, such as endorsements, variety shows, and performances—all top-tier. The company has always been very lenient with me, letting me take whatever work I want. But now, faced with so many big-name opportunities, the company can't sit still anymore. They're too embarrassed to contact me directly, so they secretly contacted Jiajia and asked her to persuade me to accept all these offers and monetize them while the hype is still going strong, so as not to waste such incredible popularity!"

Lin Xiao burst into laughter upon hearing this.

I can understand Fei Hong Entertainment's attitude. After all, they run a company, not a charity, so making money is their primary goal.

In today's entertainment industry, popularity is the lifeblood, regardless of the size of the star or whether they are considered to be talented, well-connected, or popular.

In today's drastically changed industry ecosystem, traffic equals commercial value; status and strength all take a backseat.

Han Xixi has been at the top of the list of female celebrities' commercial value for over a week now.

In other words, she is now the most commercially valuable female artist in the entire Chinese-language entertainment industry—not just the music scene.

If any artist had this level of popularity, wouldn't their boss be laughing all the way to the bank?
Unfortunately, Han Xixi is not an ordinary artist. Her company, Feihong Entertainment, only nominally has a complete management relationship with her, but in reality, it can't interfere with her at all.

The reason is that the company didn't invest a single penny in her; she was entirely made famous by Lin Xiao.

Even if Fei Hong wanted to act like a boss or a sugar daddy, she would have to consider whether she was qualified and had the ability.

After all, these days.

A top-tier artist's commercial value is comparable to that of a listed company, and cannot be easily controlled by a single contract.

In the two years since Han Xixi became a sensation, Fei Hong has been quietly making a fortune, and is so happy he's practically rolling in it.

If they were to suddenly appear and act arrogantly now, even the boss would think it's inappropriate. Moreover, they are counting on making more money from Han Xixi. If they were to fall out with her because of a momentary impulse and force her to terminate the contract, that would be a loss for them.

Therefore, Fei Hong Entertainment is both envious of the current popularity and careful to maintain its relationship with Han Yijie.

After a brainstorming session, the only solution they could come up with was to put pressure on Han Xixi's agent, Chen Jiajia, and try to persuade her to take on some business deals to significantly increase his earnings.

This way, everyone will be better off.

But if Han Xixi insists on not accepting... then there's nothing they can do but watch the hype fade away, and all that money just drifts away.

Let alone the directors of Feihong, even Lin Xiao, an "outsider," felt sorry for him.

Because he knew his wife wouldn't go out of her way to make that kind of quick money.

Although she's in the entertainment industry, she's actually a very simple girl. She participated in "The Voice of China" simply because she likes to sing.

Xixi has always been unwilling to do any work other than singing, and now that she has found a new career direction and a new goal in life, she is even less willing.

"So how did you reject Chen Jiajia? Did that girl stop bothering you?" Lin Xiao asked.

“Refuse? I didn’t refuse!” Xixi said.

Lin Xiao was completely dumbfounded by those words.

What does it mean that you didn't refuse?

"Yeah, I promised Jiajia I'd take on some endorsements and commercial performances... What's wrong?"

"You're going to take on commercial performances?"

"yes……"

Seeing her husband's reaction, Xixi quickly said, "Don't worry, I won't miss the recording of 'Rebirth' or my classes at Shiliang Elementary School. Oh, and I certainly won't miss taking care of our precious daughter. I'll arrange the time properly!"

Lin Xiao quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, that's not what I meant!"

Xi Xi asked, puzzled, "Then what do you mean?"

Lin Xiao hurriedly said, "What I mean is, didn't you dislike taking on commercial performances? Why are you taking them now... Did Fei Hong blackmail you, or did they offer you some strange conditions?"

Xi Xi laughed: "No, I asked to take this on my own initiative. The reason... of course, is for the money!"

Lin Xiao frowned upon hearing this, his expression so exaggerated it was as if he had heard that Lin Daiyu had defecated in the street.

"You? For...money?"

"Ah."

"Are we short of money?"

Lin Xiao chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Do you know how much I've earned from the copyright fees alone for my song 'Little Apple'?"

Xi Xi shook her head: "How much?"

Lin Xiao extended one palm.

"Five million?" Xi Xi guessed in surprise.

"Add another zero!"

"Fifty! Tens! Millions?!"

Startled, Xixi let out a high-pitched scream, and even she was shocked after she finished, so she quickly covered her mouth.

Since becoming a singer, she has earned a lot of money, but people who have never suffered material hardship since childhood don't care about how much money they have. So her income has always been managed by her agent, and she doesn't even ask about it.

Later, her on-screen romance with Lin Xiao turned into a real-life relationship, and the income she earned was transferred directly from her agent to her husband.

Lin Xiao has always managed the family's finances, and Xi Xi has never even asked about them.

Sometimes when they chatted about this topic, Lin Xiao would tell her a number, and she would just be surprised for a moment, and then that would be the end of it.

Lin Xiao didn't believe that there was anyone in this world who didn't love money.

But if you ask me if there are people in this world who don't depend on money, Lin Xiao would absolutely believe it, because his own wife is one of them.

That's because Xixi has this personality.

So now, when Lin Xiao heard that she was going to accept commercial performances she didn't like for money, he found it unbelievable and simply couldn't believe it.

present.

Han Xixi was shocked by her husband's earning power. After all, although her songs were all quite popular, none of them could match the earning power of "Little Apple".

Xixi vaguely remembered that at the beginning of the year, her husband said that his current net worth was either 20 million or 30 million.

She thought it was already an astronomical figure, but now it's not even as much as her husband earns in two months from just one song.

Xixi felt as if a new world had opened up for her.

"Little Apple...is it that profitable?" Xi Xi exclaimed in surprise.

"You're only just finding out!" Lin Xiao playfully flicked his wife's nose, shaking his head and laughing. "That's not all. Don't forget, my 'Rice Fragrance' hasn't been officially released yet. And those songs I wrote for you before, the royalties have been flowing in steadily!"

Lin Xiao held his wife's waist, straddled her, and brought her face closer to him.

"You said you'd take on commercial performances for money? Isn't that a slap in your husband's face? Huh?!" Lin Xiao interrogated.

"Uh……"

Xi Xi laughed awkwardly, not daring to look him in the eye, and said guiltily, "How was I supposed to know you had so much money... I just wanted to earn some money to buy some music textbooks for the school, and also to buy a piano. The classrooms are all too hot and don't have air conditioning. I wanted to install air conditioning in all the classrooms, especially the teachers' offices. Principal Shi and the others have already done a great job sticking to the rural school; I don't want them to suffer so much..."

Xixi said all of these things in a row.

Lin Xiao was surprised and touched. He hadn't expected that she was making money for Shiliang Primary School... but that made sense.

"But these things don't cost much, at most two or three hundred thousand. Why would I need you to take on commercial performances?"

Lin Xiao played with her hair with his fingers and laughed, "Besides, it's not like you're short of money. Do you think I'd stop you from doing good deeds?"

Xi Xi became serious: "That money is for Xiao Xi! I wanted to do good deeds and help the children of Shiliang Elementary School, but first and foremost, I am a mother. Of course, I need to leave my daughter with sufficient material support before I can help others!"

Xixi spoke very seriously.

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat, his eyes flickered, and his wife's face suddenly shone brightly.

He couldn't help himself and leaned forward to gently touch her lips.

"How could there be such a beautiful and kind person like you in this world? And I even found you! I must have saved the galaxy in my past life!"

"Hee hee~"

Xi Xi laughed, then worried, "If I had known you were so rich, I wouldn't have agreed to Jia Jia's request. Our daughter won't need that much money in the future; donating some to the school would be enough, right?"

Lin Xiao nodded indulgently: "That's enough. You can donate whatever you want. If it's not enough, your husband will earn more for you!"

Xixi smiled, then frowned: "But I already promised Jiajia, and she's already got me two endorsements... What should I do?"

Lin Xiao shrugged: "Then go for it. Anyway, you've already done endorsements, so things aren't that complicated. And with your current popularity and fame, no one will dare to make things difficult for you anymore... If anyone dares to make things difficult for you, I'll make sure they pay! Just think of it as a vacation, a return to the big city, and relax!"

After this encouragement, Xixi felt much better.

She immediately giggled and threw herself into Lin Xiao's arms, saying sweetly, "Honey, you're so good to me. How could I have married such a wonderful husband?"

Lin Xiao returned a bright smile, and the next second he put his arm around his wife's waist, turned her over, and pressed her down into the pillow.

A passionate kiss descended upon him.

This sudden turn of events caught Xixi off guard, and she quickly shielded him with her chest.

"Aren't you...aren't you tired...?"

"With you here, I'll never get tired!"

As he spoke, he pounced on her and kissed her again.

Xi Xi tried to dodge again, pressing her hands firmly against his chest, and said pitifully, "No, really no... My whole body aches and hurts, and I haven't even showered yet..."

Lin Xiao's eyes burned with anger. After hesitating for a moment, he finally released his wife.

As soon as a gap appeared, Xixi quickly jumped off the bed and darted into the bathroom.

Before going in, he couldn't resist showing off: "You big pervert, all you do is bully me all day. Watch out, you'll regret it when you're thirty...!!"

After shouting, Xixi ran away and locked the toilet door.

Lin Xiao was shocked and speechless. It took him a long time to shake his head with a smile. He never expected that his pure and innocent wife had also gone astray and could now utter such lewd words.

Excuse me, but this mayor is still quite young!

……

Han Xixi acted quickly. Before even negotiating an endorsement deal, she had already delivered air conditioners, teaching aids, and a piano that she had asked Chen Jiajia to purchase to Shiliang Elementary School.

The day the large shipment arrived was a Wednesday.

Three large trucks drove in from the village entrance and, to the astonishment of the villagers, slowly came to a stop at the dilapidated gate of Shiliang Primary School, almost unable to stop.

It was noon.

The teachers and students were having lunch, as they weren't in class, and they were all taken aback by the size of the town mayor.

An iron gate opened, and inside came the excited screams of children, while outside, villagers peeked out and chatted amongst themselves. The entire Shiliang Village was bustling with activity, even more so than during the Lunar New Year.

The excitement reached its peak when several workers carefully unloaded a piano from the truck.

Most people, both inside and outside the door, have never seen this thing before. The few who have seen it have only seen it on TV or in short videos and know it's called a "piano," but they've definitely never seen the real thing.

The children were ecstatic, and the villagers started discussing it excitedly.

"I didn't expect a piano to be so big. I thought it would only be as long as a bench!"

"This instrument must be worth a lot of money, right?"

"Only rich people play the piano; it must cost millions!"

"Oh my god, it's so expensive! Wouldn't it be a waste to buy it for our dilapidated primary school?"

"This woman is all talk and no action! This is what they mean by 'no matter how poor you are, you can't neglect education!'"

"Exactly! Besides, no matter how expensive a piano is, can it be more precious than a big star? Big stars come here to be music teachers, so what's a piano!"

"This teacher is such a good person, contributing both money and effort!"

"Hey, don't say that. Who would do something for no benefit? Don't you see a bunch of cameras following them around every day? They spend a little money for a big reputation so they can make more money in the future!"

"They're donating real money to our school, aren't they? Don't be ungrateful!"

"That's right, I think that little girl looks kind and is a really warm-hearted person!"

"What 'little girl'? She's already a mother!"

"Wow! This girl looks like she's only in her teens, and she's already married and has kids?"

"What have you been listening to all day? Don't you know this? The young lady you're talking about is our town mayor's wife. They're both big stars. To develop our Starlight Town, one became the mayor and the other a teacher... You didn't know that?"

"Amitabha Buddha, there are still more good people than bad in the world!"

"..."

The conversation successfully veered off-topic from the piano to the romantic love story between Mayor Lin and Teacher Han.

Xixi wasn't there today, otherwise she would have secretly laughed when she heard this.

When she has nothing to do, she likes to search for fanfiction about herself and her husband online. The netizens have such rich imaginations, and they can come up with all sorts of taboo descriptions at will. Even she, the real person, blushes and her heart races when she reads them. She never thought that they could be like this, that, and so on!

Han Xixi: It's not that I look down on idol dramas, but it's more cost-effective to follow fanfiction about myself and my husband!
The commotion at the entrance of Shiliang Primary School dissipated quickly after a day.

Today wasn't the day "Back to the Married Life" was being filmed. There were no cameras in the village, and the town's reporters, internet celebrities, and tourists wouldn't have gotten wind of it beforehand and would be staking out the place. So, this good thing only sparked discussion among the villagers and teachers and students, and quickly faded away.

That afternoon, all ten air conditioners were installed, and the piano was placed in the school's dedicated music classroom.

This was something Xixi had discussed with the principal beforehand.

Although Shiliang Primary School is small and lacks many things, it has no shortage of classrooms.

Because there are fewer children now, with only one class per grade, several classrooms are now empty. There is plenty of room for music classes, art classes, experimental classes, and computer classes as well.

As for this piano, it was certainly not the million-dollar one that the villagers were talking about; it was just a mid-range product worth less than 100,000.

For a primary school, this quality is more than enough. Even the piano that Xixi used when she was learning to play the piano was not as good as this.

Compared to the cost of the piano itself, the transportation, handling, and tuning fees were much more expensive. It cost a full six thousand yuan to transport it from Yizhou, which is equivalent to two months' salary for a school teacher.

Although the process was tortuous, everything went smoothly in the end.

Friday arrived quickly.

Today wasn't a recording day for "Rebirth," so Han Xixi hitched a ride with her husband and arrived at school at eight o'clock.

Lin Xiao put her down and went back to work in town.

Principal Shi Peng was already waiting at the door. When he saw Han Xixi coming over, he was so grateful and incredulous that he didn't know what to say.

He instinctively wanted to shake hands with Teacher Han to express his gratitude for her donation of air conditioners, pianos, and teaching aids.

But as soon as he extended his hand, Shi Peng suddenly realized that the other person was a glamorous top female singer. He subconsciously looked at his own palm, which was rough, dark, and cracked with white skin peeling off the edges. He was immediately caught in a dilemma.

Seeing this, Han Xixi quickly took Principal Shi's hand and gently shook it.

"Principal, why are you still standing here waiting for me? I know the way, you don't need to be so polite..." Xi Xi said with a smile.

Principal Shi felt a warmth in his heart. He squeezed the hand he had just shaken, feeling the muscles in his palm almost out of control.

He adjusted his scratch-covered black-rimmed glasses and said with a simple smile, "Teacher Han is so generous and selfless, donating so many things to our Shiliang Primary School. As the principal, I don't know how to repay you. This is the only way I can express my gratitude!"

Shi Peng spoke with emotion, and even looked like he was about to cry.

Xixi was most afraid of these kinds of occasions. She had already gotten used to the role of Teacher Han and was no longer nervous, but the young yet mature principal made her nervous.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Shi Peng realized his lapse in composure and quickly laughed as he ushered her inside.

Because of the addition of teacher Han Xixi, Shiliang Primary School has adjusted its timetable. The third and fourth periods on Friday mornings are music classes, which are attended by all students.

Xixi arrived early today, so Shi Peng first took her to see the newly decorated music classroom. A black piano stood in the center of the empty classroom, and a white air conditioner hung in the upper right corner of the blackboard.

One black and one white, pure colors, added a touch of life to this old but clean classroom.

Xi Xi followed Principal Shi to the office.

All eight teachers in the school share the same office, with several desks piled high with various books, test papers, and workbooks.

A new, clean table has been set up near the south window in the room. It is tidy and empty, making it seem out of place in the rest of the classroom.

"This is... prepared for me?" Xixi asked in surprise.

"Yes, Teacher Han!"

Shi Peng scratched the back of his head and said with a simple and honest smile, "The table is a bit old, but I've cleaned it very thoroughly, it's absolutely clean!"

Han Xixi felt very touched.

Although it's just an ordinary table, it was placed in the quietest spot with the best view, diagonally opposite the newly installed air conditioner, so it wouldn't be directly exposed to the blast of air.

Xixi could sense that thoughtful and respectful consideration.

Two young teachers were absent from class.

Upon seeing Han Xixi, the two female teachers were naturally excited, but they tried their best to restrain themselves. Only after she sat down did they quietly come over and ask if she had eaten breakfast. Then they took out the shumai and soy milk that they had prepared in advance, both of which were still hot.

Even though Xixi had already eaten, she couldn't bear to refuse their kindness, so she could only smile and accept it, eating small bites.

At this moment, Shi Peng suddenly said, "By the way, Teacher Han, there's something I need to discuss with you... Can students from other schools come and observe today's music class?"

Han Xixi was munching on a warm mushroom shumai when she heard this and paused in surprise. (End of Chapter)