Chapter 123: The Heart Is on the Left [First Update]

On the way back, Yu Zhile continued to play along with his wife’s self-directed drama.

"Want to win the King of Singers title three times in a row to advance to the semifinals?" Yu Zhile chuckled. "In your dreams!"

He said coldly, "Daring to provoke my wife? Next episode, I’ll show him why the flowers are so red!"

"Why?" Qin Haiyu asked curiously.

"Uh..." Yu Zhile had no idea how to answer. Why? How would I know why the flowers are so red? Coughing, he said, "It’s just an expression! Don't take it literally! The point is, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! There’s no way I’m letting him win three consecutive titles and advance to the semifinals!"

"Mm-hmm!" Qin Haiyu nodded, pouting her lips earnestly. "I'm going to give it my all next episode! I'll save my best performance for the second round and take the King of Singers title with an absolute landslide of votes! I won't give him a chance for a hat-trick!"

"Absolutely!" Yu Zhile said through gritted teeth, while inwardly wondering how he should handle the next episode. He was actually looking forward to the possibility of winning three times in a row and advancing to the semifinals. But if he did that, he would feel like he was letting his wife down.

So the question arose: which was more important, the satisfaction of a three-peat or his wife’s happiness? Yu Zhile didn't even have to think; he already had his answer. Compared to his wife’s happiness, a three-peat was worth nothing.

...

Five days later, the second episode of "Masked King of Singers" aired. Qin Haiyu originally didn't want to watch it, as her mother-in-law was staying with them for the summer to help with their daughter. If she saw that guy called [Patrick Star] singing that song, she might overthink it. She wouldn't know how to explain it then. Fortunately, her heart for her husband was clear to heaven and earth, and her husband wasn't worried about her having a change of heart, so she left the explaining to him.

So, when the program reached the part where [Patrick Star] sang "Light Chaser," Qin Haiyu immediately complained, "Mom, look! This person is so shameless! After knowing I sang a song called 'Light,' he actually sang a song called 'Light Chaser'! He’s going to ruin my reputation! It makes me so mad!"

Yu Zhile’s mother suddenly chuckled and said, "Indeed shameless! I’ve lived a long life, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone so brazen!"

Yu Zhile: "..." Mom, that’s enough! Is it appropriate to speak ill of your son right in front of his face?

Seeing that his mother was complaining but didn't seem angry or dissatisfied, Qin Haiyu felt relieved. Her biggest fear was that her mother-in-law would suspect she had some secret connection with this person; if that happened, she would never be able to clear her name.

She hummed, "I'll give him a taste of his own medicine next episode!"

Yu Zhile’s mother agreed, "It would be best if he doesn't even make it past the first round! Let’s see how arrogant he is then!"

"..." Yu Zhile thought helplessly: Mom, how am I arrogant? I was just playing a little prank while keeping it from my wife!

Qin Haiyu said seriously, "It would be best if he sings an original song again next episode! Otherwise, he won't know what it means to truly submit!"

*Cough*, I don't just know what it means to submit; I often find myself bowing down in admiration to you, my wife!

Yu Zhile watched silently as these two women bad-mouthed him—one doing it knowingly while the other, unaware, treated him as a villain and piled on the criticism. Thinking about it, Yu Zhile felt quite pathetic.

Fortunately, besides these two women, there was still his heartwarming daughter. Yu Zhile lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against the baby’s soft, pink, and bouncy face. Indeed, a little daughter is a treasure.

Seeing her father rubbing his face against hers, the baby tilted her little head, pursed her lips, and suddenly gave her father a kiss!

*Mua~* The sound was quite loud.

Yu Zhile was instantly in a good mood. Daughters are the best! He stroked the baby’s head and said, "Kiss here too!"

The baby understood, pursed her chubby little lips, and gave his other cheek a smack!

Yu Zhile felt wonderful. He held the baby standing on his lap, touched his forehead against hers, and shook his head, saying, "Such a good baby!"

"Giggle giggle..." The baby laughed like a blooming flower. Yu Zhile kissed her forehead and sat her back down on his lap to continue watching the TV.

Half an hour later, the second episode ended. Yu Zhile told the baby a story and, after putting her to sleep, had to return to the bedroom to join his wife, as they had to go to the television station the next morning for another recording.

The third episode was the most anticipated by the audience so far. It was very likely that [White Swan] and [Polar Bear] would face their third consecutive defeat and be eliminated, missing out on the semifinals. They would then face two choices: keep their identities secret and leave the stage with their masks or headgear on, or reveal their identities before leaving.

Because [Patrick Star] and [Red Rose] had performed so impressively in the first two episodes, both making it to the second round twice, it was almost certain that at least one of them would make it to the second round again. There was even a high probability that both would advance to the second round and then successfully reach the semifinals.

In this case, one of [White Swan] or [Polar Bear] would inevitably be eliminated. If [Lone Wolf] or [Old Boy] performed beyond expectations, both of them might be kicked out. Yu Zhile knew that tomorrow’s recording would be the most intense and captivating of the three episodes, and the one where the singers would give it their absolute all.

Before sleeping, Yu Zhile browsed Weibo with his wife. "Masked King of Singers" was very popular, and with the show having just ended on TV, two of the top ten trending topics were related to the program. Both of those topics involved the couple.

Seeing the trending topics, Qin Haiyu reached over, took the phone from her husband, and locked the screen. "Looking at these trends is just upsetting! Time to sleep!"

Yu Zhile slid his hand into his wife’s pajamas and asked, "Is it upsetting here? Let me rub it for you!"

Qin Haiyu was torn between laughter and tears. "My heart is on the left!"

"Oh!" Yu Zhile moved his hand, rubbed it a few times, and asked, "My dear wife, is it not upsetting anymore?"

Qin Haiyu leaned into his ear and whispered, "Honey, we need to sleep early for tomorrow’s recording! Can you just hold back for one night?"

Yu Zhile argued, "What kind of person do you take me for! I saw you were upset, so I was just rubbing your chest! I have absolutely no ulterior motives!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Relax, relax, let’s go to sleep!" Qin Haiyu kissed her husband’s lips, draped her right hand over his bare body, and closed her eyes contentedly.

Yu Zhile pulled his restless hand out, and the two turned to face each other, embracing as they fell asleep.

The next morning, the recording for the third episode of "Masked King of Singers" began. Qin Haiyu was lucky enough to draw a good spot, performing last in the first round!

Watching [Patrick Star] take the stage right before her, she hummed to herself, "Just you wait! I’m going to represent my husband and show you what’s what!"