The Bamboo Shoot Who Married into a Wealthy Family [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 3

Feng Jingbo stared fixedly at Lin Xiaozhu, his hand instinctively reaching for the water glass on the table. He took a sip of water, calmed himself, and then said: “Grandpa, you want me to have a child with him?”

Lin Xiaozhu put one hand on his hip and stuck out his stomach: “Yes, I’m going to give you a big, fat baby!”

Materialist Feng Jingbo: “…”

“Yes, the Master calculated it carefully for you. The two of you are a marriage made in heaven…” Old Master Feng laughed so hard his teeth showed but his eyes disappeared into creases, chiming in from the side.

The smile on Feng Jingbo’s face had already cracked. He propped his forehead with one hand and grabbed his mouse, using work to escape this absurd world.

What does it feel like to be the only normal person in the family? Feng Jingbo was experiencing it profoundly right now.

“You young couple take your time cultivating your feelings. I’ll leave the household registration booklet on the table. After you get your certificates tomorrow, just send me a photo. Happy wedding.” Old Master Feng leaned on his cane and left.

Lin Xiaozhu took the initiative to walk over, picked up the kettle, and refilled Feng Jingbo’s water glass.

“Hubby, you have so much official business, it’s really hard work.”

“A creature like a man needs a lot of care. Start from the little things; let it soak in like a silent, moistening spring rain. —Hu Li”

“We aren’t getting married until tomorrow.” Feng Jingbo reminded him.

“Oh, future hubby.” Lin Xiaozhu corrected himself seriously.

Feng Jingbo: “…” Forget it.

“Xiaozhu, why did you agree to Grandpa’s request? If you have any trouble, you can call me directly, and I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Grandpa did me a great favor, he saved my whole family. The director at your company wants to kill my whole family, dig up my ancestral graves, and change them into peach trees. Grandpa has already given me the usage rights to that land. I must give him a little great-grandson to fulfill his wish.”

Lin Xiaozhu’s gaze was clear and his thoughts were simple, making one not know whether to laugh or cry, yet also feeling an irrepressible pity for him.

“Your whole family?” Feng Jingbo’s brow furrowed slightly.

Didn’t Xiaozhu have no relatives and was raised by his friend’s grandfather?

“Yes. You saw it the other day when you went to my house, right? That huge bamboo forest. I’ve lived for 500 years. Those of my generation who failed to gain intelligence are long gone. Those are all my juniors. After we get married, we’ll go there for a stroll so they can recognize their elder’s partner.”

Feng Jingbo nearly crushed the mouse in his hand: “Contract marriage. We divorce after the child is born. As for those juniors of yours, I won’t bother meeting them.”

“Oh, okay. But they haven’t gained intelligence and can’t communicate with you, so it’s fine if you don’t meet them.” Lin Xiaozhu smacked his lips and drank water continuously, gulping it down.

Feng Jingbo looked up and rubbed his throbbing brow.

This time, Grandpa had truly met a kindred spirit. If Grandpa hadn’t been making a scene in the living room yesterday, acting as if he’d die if he didn’t get his way, Jingbo wouldn’t have agreed to the surrogacy just for the sake of peace and quiet.

Thinking carefully, marrying Lin Xiaozhu was actually quite good. Lin Xiaozhu was simple enough; there was no need to worry about him betraying or sabotaging the Feng family. Moreover, Xiaozhu was a man and couldn’t actually bear children. Jingbo could act as a filial son and grandson while avoiding the need to take care of a noisy child.

His original plan for children was for after he turned 30 anyway.

Feng Jingbo held his laptop to continue working while Lin Xiaozhu played with his phone. No matter how you looked at the scene, it was a ‘same bed, different dreams’ situation.

“Fox, I’m going to marry Feng Jingbo. My whole family is safe…” Lin Xiaozhu smiled as he sent a voice message to Hu Li.

“Marrying him doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all. He’s so gentle and handsome. He looks so good when he drinks water, he looks so good when he works, and he even looks so good when he goes to the bathroom…”

“Cough, cough, cough…” Feng Jingbo had just taken a sip of water and was nearly choked to death.

At this moment, he realized deeply: his little bride needed some profound education!

Lin Xiaozhu quickly put down his phone, leaned over, and raised his hand to gently pat Feng Jingbo’s back. His movements were very light, one after another, showing a hint of greenness amidst the gentleness.

He looked at Feng Jingbo with a nervous expression, as if he were looking at a small baby that needed meticulous care.

“Hubby, are you okay? Are you better?”

“I’m fine, I just choked.” Feng Jingbo caught Lin Xiaozhu’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks.”

The smile on his face deepened slightly, carrying a hint of longing and expectation he hadn’t noticed himself. Originally, he was just going along with it, just getting by, but this cute little wife possessed a warm power that was somewhat hard to resist.

“It’s good that you’re okay.” Lin Xiaozhu’s eyes seemed to be lit up by lamps, suddenly becoming radiant. The corners of his mouth tilted up, his face full of tenderness.

“I saw on TV that mothers take care of children like this. Although you’ve reached marriageable age, you are hundreds of years younger than me. Since I’m an ‘old cow eating tender grass,’ I’m quite embarrassed. I must take good care of you.”

Feng Jingbo: “…”

Feng Jingbo raised his hand, rubbed Lin Xiaozhu’s head, and gently pinched his pink, tender little face.

“Little tender grass, clearly it’s you who has been snatched away by this old cow.”

“Ah? You’re hundreds of years old?” Lin Xiaozhu was confused.

Wasn’t Feng Jingbo a human?

“Five thousand years old.” Feng Jingbo teased casually.

Lin Xiaozhu stared at him suspiciously: “No matter how I look at you, you aren’t a spirit. An adult pretending to be a child—how naughty!”

Feng Jingbo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pulled Lin Xiaozhu up, picked up the small bag containing clothes, and pushed him into the bathroom.

“Alright, I’m done teasing you. I’ll find someone to help you move tomorrow, and then we’ll go get our certificates together, how about that?”

“Ah? I’ve already finished moving. All my worldly possessions have been moved over.” Lin Xiaozhu opened the small bag and took out two sets of clothes. He put one set in the closet and took the other into the bathroom.

“Is the moving company’s truck outside? I’m not asleep yet, let them bring things in first.”

Lin Xiaozhu waved the plastic bag with a frank expression: “My entire worldly possessions are just these two sets of clothes, and they’ve all been moved here. Tomorrow, we can just go get our certificates.”

He had seen poor people before, but never anyone this poor!

Feng Jingbo’s gaze was complex, his eyes full of pity.

“Is your friend’s family not very well-off? Did you suffer from any major illnesses and go to the hospital when you were young?”

‘Mental illness’ didn’t sound nice, so to protect his little wife’s feelings, Feng Jingbo specifically changed the term.

“Yeah. His grandpa started from nothing, he was very poor. But Hu Li has a good job now, more than enough to get by. My health is great, I’ve never been sick or gone to the hospital.” Lin Xiaozhu patted his little chest. “In the future, if you get sick, I can take care of you. My health is so good I won’t catch whatever you have.”

To grow so resiliently in adversity—how could he still be this cute?

Feng Jingbo’s pity for Lin Xiaozhu reached its peak. He raised his hand to rub Lin Xiaozhu’s head and coaxed: “Go take a shower. Once we get the certificates tomorrow, Hubby will take you to buy daily necessities.”

He would have to get used to the title “Hubby” sooner or later anyway. It didn’t hurt to start now.

“Mm.” Lin Xiaozhu slipped out of Feng Jingbo’s embrace and scurried into the bathroom.

Just a moment ago he wouldn’t let me call him Hubby, and now he’s calling himself that. Men… they are so fickle!

Stars dotted the sky outside, while the lights inside the house were as bright as day.

Lin Xiaozhu put on his casual clothes, lay on his stomach on the quilt, and used his phone to ask his manager for a day off.

Feng Jingbo passed by, immediately walked in, and pulled him up: “Don’t play with your phone while lying on your stomach like that. Change your posture.”

He had Lin Xiaozhu sit on the bed, leaning against the wooden headboard to play with the phone. After watching for a moment, Feng Jingbo still wasn’t satisfied. He grabbed a pillow and stuffed it between Lin Xiaozhu’s back and the headboard.

“Comfortable?”

“Mm.” Sitting on the bed, Lin Xiaozhu looked up, a naive and simple smile on his face. “Hubby, you’re so good.”

“You should praise a man more while in bed, like ‘Hubby is so good’ or ‘Hubby is so great.’ —Hu Li”

Feng Jingbo laughed: “Don’t play too late. Get some rest early.”

“Mm!” Lin Xiaozhu nodded heavily.

Feng Jingbo touched the fabric of the casual clothes Lin Xiaozhu was wearing and frowned: “It would be more comfortable to wear pajamas when you sleep.”

“I don’t have pajamas.” Lin Xiaozhu said weakly.

“Hubby will buy them for you tomorrow.”

“Hubby is great!”

Feng Jingbo: “…Be good.”

After Feng Jingbo left, Lin Xiaozhu began chatting with his manager.

If he hadn’t thought it was for the sake of repaying a favor, Liu Xin really would have wanted to beat this troublesome brat to death.

“You just signed the contract and you’re already asking for time off?”

“Marriage. I have to go get the certificate and buy things to decorate the new home.”

Liu Xin just wanted to draw a sword: “Weren’t you volunteering to marry Feng Jingbo? How did you manifest a man out of thin air in the blink of an eye and say you’re getting married?”

Lin Xiaozhu smiled, his voice sweet: “I am getting married to Feng Jingbo.”

“Oh, it’s dark out. It’s time for you to close your eyes and dream.” Liu Xin said expressionlessly. “I’ll give you half a day off tomorrow. Come back to work at noon. Be careful after you get married. Don’t let colleagues or reporters find out. Otherwise, once you gain even a little fame, it will be endless trouble!”

“Lots of people in the entertainment industry have secret marriages, I understand.”

Liu Xin snorted coldly: “You understand shit! If you understood, you wouldn’t be running off to get married at such a young age!”

“But when I said I wanted to marry Feng Jingbo before, didn’t you strongly approve?” Lin Xiaozhu furrowed his brow, his clear eyes showing deep confusion.

Another fickle man.

Liu Xin: “…Are you still dreaming? Where is your husband? Didn’t he try to control you?”

“What else does he need to control? He’s so busy with work, I actually hope he controls me less and rests more.” Lin Xiaozhu replied.

Liu Xin thought of Lin Xiaozhu’s foolish personality and immediately became vigilant. If he ended up with a partner who set him up, and that person went to reporters to cause a scene or spread rumors… the path to stardom would be rocky!

“Is your husband good to you?”

“He’s very good to me. Just now he changed my position and asked me if it was comfortable…”

“Stop! My apologies for asking.” Liu Xin, a single dog, looked weathered. “In the future, don’t mention ‘bed matters’ randomly in front of others, do you understand?”

“Mm, I’ve learned!” Lin Xiaozhu replied seriously.

So playing with a phone on the bed is something you can’t tell others.

Liu Xin sighed lowly. Repaying a favor was indeed not easy.

After reporting to his manager, Lin Xiaozhu still didn’t rest. Instead, he shuffled his slippers over to the window.

He pulled back the curtains, and silver moonlight poured into the room, shining upon him. He circulated his spiritual power and reverted to his original form. His casual clothes fell to the floor.

On the clean floor, in the middle of the messy clothes, a sharp little bamboo shoot stood upright. When he was just a little shoot, he had gained intelligence and transformed by chance. To become a bamboo tree, he could only rely on spiritual power to maintain it.

A faint silver light enveloped the bamboo shoot. The little shoot slowly grew taller, sprouted branches and leaves, and turned into a stand of upright green bamboo. Afterward, he circulated his spiritual power again to put back on his human shell.

“Luckily my cultivation is high. Maintaining the bamboo inner core doesn’t require much spiritual power. I just need to find time to absorb the essence of the sun and moon to ‘recharge’.” Lin Xiaozhu touched his belly. “Once I give birth to the little bamboo shoots, I won’t have to do this anymore.”

Hubby is a rich man who likes to play. He wanted a field battle the first time we met. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to indulge in daylight debauchery in the future. I must stay ready in my bamboo form at all times to welcome the little bamboo shoots~

The next day, the daylight was bright.

Lin Xiaozhu got up to wash, tidied himself up until he was spotlessly clean, and went out for breakfast.

“Xiaozhu, you’re too thin. Eat more.” Feng Jingbo said as he picked up a small steamed bun for Lin Xiaozhu.

“Thank you Hubby, Hubby is so good.” Lin Xiaozhu smiled, his eyes twinkling with starlight.

Feng Jingbo, however, was so scared he didn’t dare do anything else, for fear that Xiaozhu would say “Hubby is so great” in front of everyone.

After breakfast, Feng Jingbo took Lin Xiaozhu to the car.

The two sat side-by-side in the back seat. Lin Xiaozhu was tilting his head to look at the scenery outside the window when he felt his ear turn hot. Feng Jingbo leaned down, moved close to his ear, and whispered: “Xiaozhu, don’t say ‘Hubby is so great’ in the future. Just use ‘Hubby is so good’.”

“Mm!” Lin Xiaozhu nodded heavily.

He felt there wasn’t much difference between the two phrases, but since Hubby liked it, he would just follow along. He was, after all, a considerate, gentle, and capable little husband!

“Hubby, where are we going? The Civil Affairs Bureau is over there, I already saw it.” Lin Xiaozhu pointed out the window, turned back, and looked at the other with confusion.

Feng Jingbo chuckled: “At this hour, the Civil Affairs Bureau isn’t open yet. I’ll take you to buy clothes and daily necessities first.”

Lin Xiaozhu glanced at his phone, it was only a bit past seven. He scanned the street and couldn’t help but frown.

“Hubby, except for breakfast shops, nothing on the street is open yet. Does the place we’re going to open at seven?”

“They usually open after 10, but it doesn’t matter. I had someone call them earlier to have them open early to receive guests today.”

Feng Jingbo’s expression was normal as he dropped the sentence lightly, as if calling an entire luxury commercial mall to open early was just a mundane occurrence.