TSBDRA 42: Was the Baby Happy Today?

When Xiao Wang got into the van, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan were already seated as usual—on opposite ends of the back seat with one space between them, both silent.

It looked the same as always, but Xiao Wang couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He nervously sat in the front passenger seat, rolled down the window to signal the driver, then sneaked a glance back. Yan Yushan was texting someone on his phone, and Xu Xishuang was gazing out the window, the tips of his ears suspiciously red.

This odd atmosphere lasted all the way through dinner.

Neither of them was ever particularly talkative during meals, but if someone spoke to them, they would usually respond. Yan Yushan finished first, put down his chopsticks, and said to Xu Xishuang, “I asked Dr. Xu earlier. He said this is normal—the baby is developing well. We can start prenatal education.”

Xu Xishuang nearly choked on his soup.

Xiao Wang froze mid-bite, sensing that the rest of this conversation wasn’t something he should hear. He quickly shoveled the last of his food into his mouth, then picked up his dishes and walked away.

Only after he left did Xu Xishuang speak slowly, “Mm. What kind of prenatal education?”

“Calming music, bedtime stories, that sort of thing,” Yan Yushan paused, then added, “I heard prenatal education can influence a child’s personality and future career choices. Do you have any preferences for what kind of job he should do someday?”

Yan Yushan had heard people say prenatal education was a kind of early enlightenment, a foundation for postnatal learning. He didn’t really believe it could influence something as far off as a career but he asked because when he decided to enter the entertainment industry, his mother had cried, saying she shouldn’t have listened to so much opera when she was pregnant, or else he wouldn’t have ended up influenced by prenatal sounds and become a “performer.”

Older generations often had some prejudice against actors. His parents were considered open-minded, but when they found out he had gone against their wishes—refusing to inherit the family business and becoming an actor instead—they couldn’t help but get angry and say some hurtful things.

His relationship with his family had been extremely tense in the first two years of his career, and only in recent years had things improved a bit.

He didn’t want his child to go through that kind of conflict. He didn’t mind what career his kid chose, as long as it was legal and ethical but he still wanted to know Xu Xishuang’s stance.

“Anything is fine,” Xu Xishuang said. “He can do whatever he wants, as long as he’s healthy, happy, and obeys the law.”

Yan Yushan smiled in relief. “Then let’s go with classical music. Dr. Xu got a few playlists from the OB-GYN. I’ll send them to you and you can play them when you’re resting.”

“And…” Yan Yushan watched his expression carefully, “Dr. Xu said that before bed, the parents can talk to the baby, tell him stories, sing to him—it helps build a bond.”

Seeing no change in Xu Xishuang’s face, Yan Yushan asked, “Can I come by every night?”

Xu Xishuang blinked.

So what he meant was, every night before bed, Yan Yushan wanted to come into his room and do all those bonding activities he just mentioned.

Xu Xishuang was just about to say something when Yan Yushan quickly backtracked, “Three times a week, then? Is that okay?”

His mouth, which had just opened, closed again. He pressed his lips together and said, “Mm.”

The child was Yan Yushan’s too. If he wanted to bond with the baby, three times a week wasn’t too much. Reasonably and emotionally, there was no reason to say no.

Besides… if he ended up dying after giving birth, like the plot wanted, it would be better for them to have that bond. It would make things easier when Yan Yushan raised the child alone.

When Xu Xishuang agreed, Yan Yushan quietly clenched a fist to restrain his excitement. He stood, said goodnight, and returned to his room—where he promptly did two sets of advanced strength training.

After showering, he sat on the sofa with the script in hand, but couldn’t focus.

Who knows how much time passed before his phone buzzed. He grabbed it immediately and saw it was a message from Xu Xishuang.

Xu Xishuang: “I’m going to sleep.”

Yan Yushan tossed the script aside, stood up, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door across the hall.

A soft sound came from inside, and Xu Xishuang opened the door. He glanced at Yan Yushan, then turned and walked back inside.

Yan Yushan followed him in, quietly closed the door, and sat nervously at Xu Xishuang’s side.

The late October air was already chilly. Xu Xishuang wore a loose-fitting navy blue pajama top. His black hair draped softly down. Half his face was buried in the pillow, and he murmured, “Hurry up.”

Yan Yushan gently tugged the blanket around him, looked at his belly, and said softly, “Was baby happy today?”

Xu Xishuang’s ears tingled.

Even though he knew Yan Yushan was talking to the baby and not calling him “baby,” his whole body still froze. That electric tingle ran from his ears all the way down to his toes. He squirmed slightly, burying his face deeper into the pillow, completely hiding his expression.

He had no idea Yan Yushan could be this talkative. Being called “baby” over and over made his face feel hot. Just as he was about to say it was time for him to go, Yan Yushan started a story.

“Once upon a time, there was a little bear who hibernated in winter…”

Xu Xishuang sighed in relief and turned his face slightly. He saw Yan Yushan sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, his expression gentle as he read the children’s story he’d picked out that afternoon—one with a wholesome message.

Yan Yushan’s storytelling pace was slower than usual. Xu Xishuang, listening, soon grew sleepy and closed his eyes.

“…In the end, the little bear shared his honey with his friends, and everyone was very happy,” Yan Yushan finished. “Oh, right. Dr. Xu mentioned stretch marks. He said your skin’s very elastic, so it’s probably fine without anything, but I still asked him to send a bottle of oil…”

He suddenly stopped talking.

Under the warm yellow light, Xu Xishuang had fallen asleep. His face was relaxed and breathing steadily. The usual faint air of aloofness was gone—he looked completely soft and peaceful.

Yan Yushan instinctively held his breath and watched him quietly for a moment, then stood up gently, turned off the light, and left the room to return to his own.

……

The next morning, Xu Xishuang woke up and found that Yan Yushan had already left.

He couldn’t remember his dream clearly anymore, just that it had something to do with honey and had been sweet. He rubbed his eyes, got up, washed, had breakfast, and headed to set.

Director Cheng Tianwen was already there, shouting through a megaphone for the crew to clear the set. When he saw Xu Xishuang, he lowered the megaphone and asked kindly, “Xiao Xu, how’re you feeling today?”

“I’m fine,” Xu Xishuang replied, tilting his head to let the makeup artist work more easily. “No problem.”

He was used to the baby’s movements now and there wouldn’t be any more surprises like yesterday.

“Good, good.” Cheng Tianwen breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ll pick up where we left off yesterday—starting with your scene.”

“Alright.”

Maybe it was because he had rested well—he was in great form today, and the extras were very cooperative. The fire scene passed in one take.

After the scene ended, Xu Xishuang and the extras stepped aside. Yan Yushan and the others rushed in with fire extinguishers to put out the flames.

In the story, the special ops team hears the gunshot and rushes in—only to find the room already ablaze. Their first instinct is to try to save the informant inside. They desperately try to extinguish the fire.

But it’s already too late. The informant had been shot by Chen Muzhou. The fire spreads rapidly, and the team can only recover a charred corpse. Luo Huai’s character, Song Youwei, swears under his breath, and Yan Yushan’s Yan Zheng looks grim.

Meanwhile, Qu Yue’s Wang Meng returns from chasing the suspect empty-handed, panting and apologizing to his team leader. The mood is somber and heavy.

That scene was done quickly too. Director Cheng told Yan Yushan and the others to rest while they prepared the next chase scene. They hoped to finish all outdoor shoots in the next few days.

Yan Yushan was also in excellent form today. Cheng Tianwen turned to Xu Xishuang and said, “Xiao Yan tends to dominate a scene, but he’s great at pulling others in too. Look—he really brought out the emotions in Qu Yue and Luo Huai.”

Thanks to everyone’s performance, they wrapped up early. Director Cheng glanced at the time and said playfully, “You all did great today. Since you’ve been working hard, how about tonight we let our two leads do a scene together to entertain us and help everyone relax a bit?”

Though he was joking, watching Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan act together was genuinely enjoyable. They rarely had NGs, their performances were smooth and emotionally charged—it was like watching a live stage play. A bit of fun wasn’t out of place.

Yan Yao’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Everyone on set laughed and echoed, “Yes!”

Xu Xishuang: …

He sighed. “Alright.”

“Then take the afternoon off,” Director Cheng announced. “Get some sleep, eat well. We’re filming night scenes later so it might go late. Good job, everyone. Let’s head back to the studio.”

The crew piled into their transport and returned to the studio lot.

Back in his hotel room, Xu Xishuang wasn’t sleepy at first. But with the classical music Yan Yushan had sent playing in the background, he gradually dozed off and napped until dinnertime, when Yan Yushan woke him up.

After eating, the two of them headed back to set.

That night, they were shooting a scene where Yan Zheng searches Chen Muzhou’s home. Ever since their meeting at the bookstore, Yan Zheng’s suspicions had eased slightly, but a few new cases had renewed his doubts. He applied for a special search warrant.

Chen Muzhou wasn’t home at the time, so Yan Zheng entered with his team. Just as he was about to enter the bedroom, Chen Muzhou returned.

Xu Xishuang took a few books from the props master, held them in his arms, and quickly got into character. He hurried forward a few steps, spotted Yan Yushan in uniform, froze, and anxiously asked, “Officer, what are you doing in my home? Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Yan Yushan was already in character too. He pulled out a warrant and held it up. “It’s an order from above. I’m not sure of the details myself.”

Chen Muzhou stood there helplessly, playing the part of a gentle and rule-abiding language teacher caught in something far beyond him.

Yan Zheng decided to probe further. “Mr. Chen, you’re well-groomed, have a stable job, and even have tenure—why are you still single at your age? No girlfriend or anything?”

Chen Muzhou was momentarily stunned. His eyes filled with sorrow as he glanced at a photo frame on the table.

Yan Zheng followed his gaze and saw the photo. He fell silent.

He had already remembered who Chen Muzhou was and while investigating him, he had also recalled that old case. The person in that photo… was Xiao He, the girl who had died back then.

“I…” Chen Muzhou’s body trembled slightly. His eyes reddened. “I can’t let her go.”

First love and a tragic death—those two combined were enough to leave a permanent mark on anyone. Yan Yushan watched his performance and felt it was genuine. If it wasn’t… that was terrifying.

Yan Zheng opened his mouth, unsure what to say.

Just then, Qu Yue’s Wang Meng came over and, seeing Chen Muzhou, stood cautiously beside Yan Zheng and shook his head—nothing suspicious was found.

Yan Zheng frowned, but quickly resumed his neutral expression. He stepped forward and patted Chen Muzhou’s shoulder. “Sorry for bringing up painful memories and for the mess.”

Chen Muzhou flinched, visibly uncomfortable with the touch. He said nothing, head bowed. Yan Zheng, knowing he was in the wrong and not exactly likable at the moment, awkwardly withdrew his hand and left with his team.

Once they were gone, Chen Muzhou, standing alone in the living room, pushed up his glasses and surveyed his ransacked home. The soft, confused expression on his face slowly gave way to cold irritation.

He clicked his tongue impatiently, walked to the table, picked up the photo frame of Xiao He, opened the back, and pulled out a piece of paper with his subordinates’ contact info.

So close. Yan Zheng had almost discovered the room’s biggest secret—but he hadn’t.

“So stupid,” Chen Muzhou muttered, eyes narrowing. “Still as naive as back then. All that pointless empathy. After all these years, he hasn’t grown at all.”

He pulled a lighter from under the coffee table and burned the list, watching it turn to ash.

“The first cop I ever met… still too green.” 

“Cut!” Director Cheng shouted, giving Xu Xishuang a thumbs-up. “Perfect. That’s a wrap.”

Xu Xishuang nodded and stepped out of the set. He took the water Xiao Wang handed him, then glanced at the nearby, visibly excited Yan Yao and asked, confused, “What’s with you?”

“Hehe,” Yan Yao whispered, “Chen Muzhou’s lines were so S. Like he was lowkey dominating Yan Zheng—saying stuff like ‘so stupid,’ ‘no progress at all’… I’m shipping it hard.”

Xu Xishuang: …

Xu Xishuang: “You can ship that?”