Chapter 30: In the Dead of Night

Gu Lanxi had a strong heart. Having let things go and leveled her mindset, she suddenly felt that everything was just nothing special. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep shortly after, lulled by the scent of her favorite incense.

Upstairs, Lu Nanting had also retired to bed early.

However, he spent his time alternating between reaching out to look at the ring on his finger and feeling around under his pillow to pull out two marriage certificates. He flipped them open to examine them closely, comparing them side by side to see exactly what the differences were.

A while later, he opened his phone's photo album, staring at his wife with infatuation...

It wasn't until after one in the morning, when he was truly exhausted, that he finally fell asleep.

At the same time, He Xiaoguo, a fangirl, was clutching her phone with eyes shining bright.

To her, it was still very early.

After finishing her data-mining tasks for her idol, she casually opened her WeChat Moments.

It was only as she was about to reach the bottom that she saw the announcement posted by her cousin and his wife yesterday regarding their marriage registration.

She gave it a like, replied "A hundred years of harmony! Eternal happiness!", and then clicked on the photos to take a closer look.

The couple was standing on the steps outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, heads touching, each extending one hand to form a large heart.

The nameplate hanging at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau was framed within that heart. Both of them wore brilliant smiles, looking overflowing with happiness.

Her family had been pushing her hard to get married, and He Xiaoguo had always been impatient to hear about such things, but seeing others fall in sweet love and have sweet weddings felt completely different.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the "sugar" from her cousin and his wife, He Xiaoguo was preparing to leave satisfied when she suddenly sensed something was wrong!

She bolted upright in bed.

She downloaded the photo, zoomed in carefully, and brightened her phone's backlight. There, in the area framed by the arms, just below the Civil Affairs Bureau's nameplate, someone was actually standing!

Because of the distance, the person looked like a typical passerby that a normal person wouldn't even notice.

But He Xiaoguo was different. She had been a fan of Lu Nanting for many years. She knew him so well that even if a crowd of people walked toward her, she could recognize him instantly from the crowd just by his walking posture!

A white shirt, ash-gray linen trousers, sunglasses pushed up onto his head, a mask pulled down to his chin, holding the red marriage booklets in his hand, eyes slightly squinted, smiling faintly while taking a selfie!!

The bright sunlight acted like a perfect filter, making him look youthful and vibrant—he looked exactly like the genius male god stepped out of a campus romance novel!

If only his face wasn't so familiar...

He Xiaoguo didn't even have time to swoon; she felt like she had stopped breathing!

She took a screenshot and immediately threw it into a WeChat group named "Never Resting."

With trembling fingers, she typed: 【Holy crap! It's the middle of the night and I'm suddenly wide awake! Look, doesn't this person look a bit familiar?!!】

After sending it, she went back to her cousin's post.

Sure enough, they had posted a nine-grid layout, and this person could be found in four of the photos.

He was dressed formally. From a distance, he had broad shoulders, long legs, an outstanding temperament, and an excellent physique. The angle of his slight head tilt when stepping down the stairs, his walking posture...

She cropped out the figure from all four photos, capturing the entire process: him exiting the Civil Affairs Bureau, standing there taking a selfie, and finally leaving.

He Xiaoguo felt a massive shock to her system!

Look at what she had just seen?!

Was this God's punishment for a girl staying up late?

This small group consisted of her fellow fans; there were only five of them, all die-hard fans of Lu Nanting.

They were the "top-tier rich female fans"—those with good family backgrounds, stable jobs, and who were single and not a burden to anyone.

Because they often went to pick him up at airports together, attended concerts together, and lived in the same city, they were also in contact in real life.

The other four were also awake, discussing where to stay for next week's concert in Xi'an. Upon seeing the photo, they all sat up just like He Xiaoguo!

Since it was just a corner cropped from a photo, the image was quite blurry after being enlarged.

At a glance, it indeed looked like Lu Nanting, but no one could be certain. Some said he looked like him, while others insisted it was absolutely impossible!

For a moment, no one knew whether they wanted to prove it was him or prove it wasn't.

The five of them were ready to pick it apart pixel by pixel!

【Waaaah, it's definitely him! I just processed the photo, look, his face is crystal clear!】

One person in the group was a design student, skilled in various image processing software. After a moment of panic, they quickly finished processing the photo and reposted it.

This time, there was no room for doubt; it was hard evidence.

【No! I don't believe it! This definitely isn't real!!!】

【Right, someone must just look like him!!!】

【Or else this person had plastic surgery! These plastic surgery freaks nowadays try to look like celebrities all the time, it's disgusting!】

The others were either "girlfriend fans" or "wife fans." Faced with the hard evidence, they refused to believe it, turning into screaming chickens and desperately making excuses to defend Lu Nanting. Only He Xiaoguo remained calm.

Because she was a "mother fan." Long before Lu Nanting debuted, she had seen him perform in bars.

As long as he was in good form, as long as he was happy, she could convince herself to accept it.

The four in the group started with text, their screens filled with flying exclamation marks, but eventually, finding typing too slow, they started a group voice call. Everyone was there wailing about how their years of devotion had gone to the dogs.

"Waaaah, even if he's getting married, he should have had a relationship first to buffer it! There was zero psychological preparation! Ah! I'm dead!"

"I never expected him to be such a frivolous person. He's taking marriage too lightly! I feel so disillusioned!"

"It's too sudden! I really can't accept this. Who is that woman? I won't sleep tonight until I find her!"

"Why him? I don't believe there's such a good girl in this world that he would do this for! He must have been tricked!"

To the others, this happened without warning; it was even more painful than discovering a boyfriend was cheating!

After all, if you lose a boyfriend, you can find another. But when an idol's reputation collapses, it leaves a psychological shadow that makes it impossible to enjoy being a fan for a long time, greatly affecting one's quality of life.

"I'm also curious, who is that woman? Everyone else is in a pair, so why is he the only one taking a selfie?"

He Xiaoguo's calm voice was like a ladle of cold water, causing everyone to cool down and begin thinking about the matter.

"Where is the original photo? Look carefully, maybe you can see more."

"There really isn't any more!"

Fearing they wouldn't believe her, He Xiaoguo blurred out her cousin and his wife and sent all nine photos.

Five pairs of eyes stared for half an hour, only managing to find half a skirt hem and a small calf in the corners.

No one was satisfied. They begged He Xiaoguo to contact her cousin, attempting to find this woman in other photos.

After all, the reason they posted nine photos wasn't because they only took nine.

What if they got lucky and caught her in another one?

Fortunately, although she was a fan, she wasn't obsessed to the point of madness.

"Please, look at what time it is?! My cousin just got married. Do you think it's appropriate to ask him for photos at this hour?"

Moreover, her parents didn't even know she was a fangirl. If they found out, they would certainly make a huge scene.

Money was a small matter; her family wasn't short of it. She was just afraid her mother would attribute her refusal to go on blind dates to the "aftereffects" of being a fangirl.

"At least wait until dawn, okay?"

"Xiaoguo, you're being unfair!"

"He's your own cousin, what's wrong with making a phone call?"

"Do you really have the heart to let us stay awake from anxiety?"

"Don't tell me you've already looked at the photos alone in secret? He Xiaoguo, I really misjudged you!"

Emotions ran high, and various suspicions and insults emerged; the small boat of friendship capsized in an instant.

He Xiaoguo simply muted her phone and lay in bed.

Let them curse all they wanted!

After the other four spent a long time cursing and seeing her "play dead," they couldn't wait any longer and simply forwarded the photos.

With more people knowing, someone would eventually find a clue!

Fangirl WeChat groups and QQ groups are as numerous as the hairs on a head. Once the news spread, it was quickly moved to high-traffic platforms like Weibo and Douyin, hitting the trending searches in the blink of an eye!

Various topics dominated the charts

#Lu Nanting Flash Marriage#

#Just How Desperate Is He#

#Unbearable Betrayal#

#Heartbreak Night#

#Lu Nanting's Wife#

...

It's officially launched, beginning to create a new world.

Today, someone finished reading and said it carried a "33°C gentleness." I really like that evaluation.

I am working hard to make this story beautiful and sweet enough.

The new book is launched, seeking monthly tickets.

The first three months of monthly tickets are very crucial. Please, everyone~

(End of Chapter)