Chapter 33: What's Wrong?

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Nanting hadn't finished eating yet. Thinking that Gu Lanxi might be feeling unsettled since she had just moved in, he sat there to keep her company.

Seeing her frown while looking at her phone, Lu Nanting immediately spoke up to show his concern.

“It’s nothing, just a small matter.”

The whole group was curious whether she had a boyfriend.

However, the photo had been taken very skillfully, leaving no key information behind. Not wanting to talk about it, she simply put her phone away.

“I’ll get you a privacy screen protector later.”

“Hmm?”

His train of thought jumped like a musical note.

Perhaps this was just his natural talent.

“I liked your post last night.”

The green interface was easy to recognize.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but let out a smile.

Gu Lanxi went to bed early, and Lu Nanting had seen that WeChat Moment last night. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He clearly knew why she was frowning, yet he had to pretend!

Gu Lanxi gave him a glare and stood up, intending to stop accompanying him.

“Leave the dishes when you're done; Auntie Wang will clean them up. I have a meeting to attend, so stay here by yourself. If you need anything, ask Auntie Wang. She doesn't know, so wait until after my meeting.”

“Okay, go get busy then!”

Gu Lanxi had been his tutor for half a year. Back then, they spent a lot of time together. Later, when they started dating, although she wasn't the proactive type, Lu Nanting loved to cling to her, and they went on dates frequently. Living under the same roof wasn't actually that uncomfortable.

In truth, there were still over twenty minutes before the meeting started; Gu Lanxi was just feeling a bit shy and didn't want to stay with him.

While Lu Nanting continued eating, Gu Lanxi left the dining room and went straight to the guest bedroom.

The domestic helper arrived on time, so the guest room was always clean. The only person who usually stayed overnight was her cousin, Gu Jiayi, but she was currently head over heels with her new boyfriend and hadn't visited in over two months, so the bed was bare.

When Lu Nanting finished eating and came in, he saw the white wardrobe door open. She was there, leaning over, tugging at a dark gray pure cotton bedsheet.

A thin silk quilt and a light gray cotton duvet cover were piled on the bay window. The white sheer curtains were drawn, and the blackout curtains were dark green.

“It’s all new. I bought them and washed them once before putting them away. If you don't like them, there are more in the storage room; I can change them for you.”

Lu Nanting walked in and closed the wardrobe door for her.

“Don't spoil me! If you spoil me too much, how are you going to live the rest of your life!”

Gu Lanxi grabbed a pillow and swatted at him.

“Can you please stop talking so much!”

“You should say it! If you say 'Brother,' I'll talk more!”

Gu Lanxi wanted to laugh at his teasing, but she had a lot on her plate right now. If they started joking around, time would fly by, and she really couldn't afford the delay.

So, she put down the pillow and patted his back. “Brother, shut up. Go put the duvet cover on.”

Lu Nanting chuckled and made a motion of zipping his lips, then obediently went to work.

The weather was hot, and the central air conditioning ran twenty-four hours a day. To avoid catching a cold at night, a thin quilt needed to be prepared.

Having never eaten pork but having seen a pig run, Lu Nanting tried to bunch the quilt into a ball and stuff it into the cover. He pulled and tugged here and there, but he just couldn't get it smooth.

Gu Lanxi was highly skilled in life tasks, but she didn't like taking everything upon herself.

Seeing him hesitating whether to crawl inside the duvet cover to "smooth out the chaos," she immediately offered guidance

“Pull the quilt out, find the four corners, identify the length and width, and tuck them in. Hold the corners and give them a gentle shake, and it'll be fine. You just haven't mastered the trick yet. You're so smart; if you just pay a little attention, you'll do great. Come on, try it the way I said?”

Gu Lanxi was always this patient in her actions, her words of encouragement sounding exceptionally sincere, as if as long as he wanted to learn, nothing in this world would be beyond him.

In the past, whenever he couldn't solve a problem, he would want to give up on himself; she was like that, and even now, unable to put on a duvet cover, she was still the same.

Gu Lanxi provided him with an abundance of emotional value.

When he was younger, he would throw tantrums like a spoiled young master, expecting her to coax him without ever considering if she was mentally exhausted. Now, he was no longer like that.

Lu Nanting looked at her warmly and nodded. “Okay, you go to your meeting first! I'll practice a few more times. Once I learn, I'll change all the duvet covers in the house!”

By now, there were truly only a few minutes left before the meeting.

Gu Lanxi checked her watch, patted his broad back, and turned into the study, her gesture carrying a hint of encouragement.

Following Gu Lanxi's instructions, Lu Nanding successfully put on the duvet and pillowcases. He then hung his clothes in the wardrobe and placed his toiletries in the bathroom.

As he entered this room for the first time and looked around carefully, he found it quite cozy.

Although it was a guest room, the layout had been adjusted during renovation; it not only came with an en-suite bathroom but had also been extended a meter toward the living room, so it wasn't actually small.

The dark walnut wood flooring throughout the house was polished and shiny. Besides a white solid wood carved bed, there was also a set of a table and chairs.

A blooming pot of *Cymbidium goeringii* sat on the table, with two flower spikes emerging from the long, dark green leaves, blooming with cute yellowish-green flowers.

The room was filled with a faint, elegant fragrance.

Lu Nanting tidied his things simply and lay on the bed to test it. Feeling the pillow was a bit low, he found a taller one from the top of the wardrobe, put on a matching pillowcase, patted it gently, and placed it on the bed.

His phone was charging on the nightstand. Seeing it was full, Lu Nanting picked it up and pressed the power button.

As soon as it turned on, a call from Zhang Mingyuan popped up.

Lu Nanting answered, and the voice on the other end was concise

“The rehearsals are mostly done. Don't come today. I've also pushed back those few commercial activities for you. Just lay low for a few days.”

“Also, don't cancel the variety show with Mango TV yet.”

Whether considering the feelings of the fans or to avoid chaos during the concert, it was necessary to make a public response regarding the marriage.

Therefore, he planned to follow the original schedule: participate in the variety show first, then rush to the concert city overnight.

“That’s what I was thinking, so I didn't cancel it.”

After hearing Lu Nanting's thoughts, Zhang Mingyuan expressed his agreement.

“Right. What's the situation like now?”

Lu Nanting had married openly; the only reason for the secret marriage was for Gu Lanxi.

He was worried that if his family knew, Gu Lanxi would be unhappy, and if it were exposed, he only cared about her feelings.

“Don't worry about the endorsements. This isn't a scandal, and there are no clauses in the contracts prohibiting marriage during the endorsement period that violate marriage laws.”

Zhang Mingyuan spoke firmly, but in truth, he did have concerns.

Because Gu Lanxi was unwilling to make an official announcement, no matter how many contingency plans they made, the "CP fans" (couple fans) could not develop.

The resulting massive loss of female fans and "girlfriend fans" would likely cause his traffic to decline after marriage.

When that happened, brand owners might hesitate, making it harder for him to secure new endorsements.

Zhang Mingyuan's income was directly linked to Lu Nanting's, so this affected him to some extent.

But he was not a man who would abandon principles for profit.

Moreover, as Lu Nanting grew older, marriage and children were inevitable.

Although this day had come a bit early, Zhang Mingyuan was mentally prepared and accepted it quite quickly.

Lu Nanting understood this as well. To put his manager's mind at ease, he proactively suggested producing a new album

“I've already gathered quite a few new songs. I'll pick some out later and see if I can get them done after the New Year.”

Even though a digital album only costs a few yuan, it was a very profitable business.

“You have tours to do and a new album to produce. Aren't you afraid of working yourself to death? I'm afraid of going bald!”

“It's fine, Brother Yuan. Even if you go bald, you'll still be handsome.”

Zhang Mingyuan finally let out a long sigh and agreed to the matter.

“Try not to go online these next few days. People are really cursing quite harshly. Since you have a few days off, try to write as many songs as possible so the second half of the year can be a bit easier.”

Lu Nanting gave a light laugh and said calmly

“I don't care. Let them curse if they want. Just protect my wife and don't let her identity be exposed. She cares quite a bit about what the fans think.”

Zhang Mingyuan knew his bottom line, so he agreed and hung up the phone.

(End of Chapter)