Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 238 Wedding Dress
Hu Xiaobei and An Xiaoqian combed their hair in the room, made a pact with each other, exchanged a glance, and then slowly walked out of the room.

Stepping into the living room, the aroma of food wafts through the air.

Liu Xiaoli was sitting at the dining table when she saw the two of them come out. She smiled and said, "Xiao Bei, don't help Qianqian next time. Let her have some sense of time and not develop the habit of sleeping in late."

“Okay, Auntie. It’s Xixi’s birthday, so I think she slept in, which is rare for her. Usually, Xixi is quite punctual when filming.”

Hu Xiaobei responded politely, pulled over a chair, and sat down beside An Xiaoqian only after An Xiaoqian had taken her seat.

Looking at the sumptuous lunch in front of her, An Xiaoqian took a deep breath before agreeing, "That's right! I never slept in once when I was filming. Now it's a holiday, a time to rest, so how can it be considered sleeping in?"

Liu Xiaoli glanced at her daughter with affection, then at Hu Xiaobei, too lazy to argue with her about these principles.

During the meal, An Xiaoqian's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes kept drifting towards Hu Xiaobei.

She picked up a shrimp, deftly peeled off the shell with her fingers, and gently put it to her mouth, taking a small bite.

Thinking the taste was quite good, she secretly put the shrimp meat, which she had already taken a small bite of, into Hu Xiaobei's bowl when her mother wasn't looking, with a shy yet proud smile on her lips.

Hu Xiaobei was eating with his head down when he suddenly noticed a piece of shrimp in his bowl and was taken aback.

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze shifting between Xia Rou and An Xiaoqian's tender faces, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

A gentle smile involuntarily appeared on her face as she softly said, "You can eat the ones you peeled yourself, why did you give them to me?"

An Xiaoqian pouted slightly and muttered softly, "I just wanted to peel it for you to eat, this one tastes so good."

Hu Xiaobei shook his head helplessly, then quietly picked up some greens from his bowl and put them on An Xiaoqian's plate, saying softly, "Eat more greens for a balanced diet."

This seemingly ordinary interaction was filled with an indescribable sweetness.

Liu Xiaoli peeled the crab shells while keeping an eye on her daughter.

She keenly noticed her daughter's unusual behavior. Her daughter smiled more often today, and her eyes were full of tenderness when she looked at Hu Xiaobei, as if there was something extra about her.

A sense of doubt arose in Liu Xiaoli's heart, and she wondered to herself: Did she miss something during the few tens of minutes they were looking at the stars last night?
She frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.

Hu Xiaobei noticed Liu Xiaoli's gaze and his heart tightened. He subtly shifted the focus, saying, "Auntie, this seafood dish is so delicious. Your cooking skills have improved a lot."

Hearing the praise, Liu Xiaoli smiled and temporarily suppressed her doubts: "You made most of the dishes; I just finished this one. I must say, learning to cook from you has really improved my skills a lot."

Despite Hu Xiaobei's efforts to distract Liu Xiaoli, An Xiaoqian still glanced at Hu Xiaobei from time to time, her eyes filled with obvious tenderness.

Their eyes met, then quickly looked away, but the subtle atmosphere lingered.

Liu Xiaoli's doubts grew stronger, and she unconsciously put down her chopsticks and carefully examined her daughter.

An Xiaoqian noticed her mother's gaze, nervously swallowed, and her eyes darted away.

Liu Xiaoli frowned slightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them. Finally, she couldn't help but probe indirectly, "Qianqian, did anything interesting happen while stargazing last night?"

An Xiaoqian paused, her hand still holding the food she was picking up. She glanced at Hu Xiaobei with a flustered look and stammered, "It's...it's just looking at the stars, what could possibly happen?"

The suspicion in Liu Xiaoli's eyes deepened.

Hu Xiaobei remained calm and smiled as she continued, "Auntie, the starry sky was especially beautiful last night. We even saw a shooting star. Qianqian made a wish, but she won't tell me."

Liu Xiaoli nodded, temporarily suppressing her doubts, but she had no further suspicions.

Then, as if realizing something, she smiled and teased, "Sisi, who did you wish for? Why don't you let Mommy guess?"

As he spoke, he even winked, as if he already knew the answer.

Upon hearing this, An Xiaoqian blushed slightly and muttered shyly, "Mom, why are you just like Xiaobei? Your wishes won't come true if you say them out loud."

After saying that, she couldn't help but glare at Hu Xiaobei with a cute but fierce look.

Hu Xiaobei spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said, "Staring at me won't do any good, it wasn't me who asked..."

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at An Xiaoqian and then winked at Liu Xiaoli. Seeing this, Liu Xiaoli calmed down slightly. After thinking it over, she concluded that nothing should have happened in such a short time last night.

Besides, my daughter went to bed early last night, so it's normal that she woke up late.

Furthermore, Hu Xiaobei has always been steady and his daughter is very naive, so the two of them probably didn't end up together.

Well, most importantly, there was nothing wrong with my daughter's body, and her walking posture was normal. She didn't look like she had eaten the forbidden fruit at all.

Perhaps it's because I just turned 18 yesterday and feel like I'm an adult now, and my thoughts have changed, which is why I've had these changes.

With that thought in mind, Liu Xiaoli stopped worrying and continued eating.

Seeing that Liu Xiaoli hadn't figured out the change in his relationship with An Xiaoqian, Hu Xiaobei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense body relaxed.

But the thought of having to keep it from Liu Xiaoli every day in the days to come filled him with guilt, and his expression turned slightly serious.

He turned to look at An Xiaoqian, who was enjoying her meal with great relish, completely unaware of his strange behavior.

Hu Xiaobei thought to himself: 'I still need to control the boundaries when the two of us are together and gradually change this relationship.'

Otherwise, if Auntie finds out one day, it will not only make Auntie sad, but it may also affect her relationship with Xixi.

It seems I need to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Sisi again…

As Hu Xiaobei pondered, he sighed softly, his eyes filled with conflict and helplessness.

I can only blame myself for not having a strong enough will and letting lust take hold.

Sigh... If only it had been a year or two later, it would have saved me from all this trouble.

I still need to find a way to make the superficial intimacy between myself and Sisi a reasonable transition.

Otherwise, the days ahead will be tough; we'll have to be on guard every day.

Thinking of this, Hu Xiaobei suddenly had an idea.

If I were to act in a film, playing a married couple with Sissi... and filming a wedding scene... and portraying some scenes of a couple's daily interactions...

This was essentially a preventative measure for Liu Xiaoli.

And the fact that my relationship with An Xiaoqian has become closer as a result is understandable, right?
That evening, Hu Xiaobei found an opportunity to be alone with An Xiaoqian and took her to the balcony.

The moonlight, like water, shone down on the two of them.

Hu Xiaobei carefully considered his words before speaking: "Qianqian, I've thought of a way that might allow us to be less cautious."

An Xiaoqian tilted her head curiously and asked, "What method?"

Hu Xiaobei spent an afternoon thinking about the plot, and only then did he feel confident enough to reveal his idea of ​​playing a married couple in the film.

Upon hearing this, An Xiaoqian's cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she said hesitantly and coquettishly, "This isn't very appropriate... It's so embarrassing."

Hu Xiaobei patiently explained: "This way, we can transition our feelings openly and honestly, and also give Auntie a buffer so that she can gradually accept our usual way of getting along."

After all, you can hide something like that for a while, but not forever.

An Xiaoqian lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said softly, "It seems... to make sense. But... but can I design my own wedding dress?"

"..."

Hu Xiaobei was slightly confused, feeling that he and An Xiaoqian were talking about different things, but it was indeed the same thing.

However… what he couldn’t understand was why An Xiaoqian wanted him to design her wedding dress.

(End of this chapter)