Chapter 23: Clearly Rational

Chapter 23: Clearly Very Rational

Zhang Mingyuan checked the delivery app and said the crayfish would be here any moment.

They had just finished a period of high-intensity work and had more to do shortly; no one knew what time they would finally finish. Having been called back on short notice during a holiday, everyone was naturally in a bad mood.

However, partly because Zhang Mingyuan was excellent at logistics and partly because the boss's involvement today was quite thrilling—giving them a front-row seat to the latest gossip—everyone was actually in decent spirits.

In the interval while waiting for their late-night snack, the group couldn't help but chat

"Speaking of which, our boss is truly blessed to have married Gu Lanxi. If this news ever breaks, I don't know how many people will be weeping bitterly. Gu Lanxi's 'boyfriend fans' are probably the largest in the industry, even more than those of idols. It's quite miraculous how she doesn't even promote herself much."

"How should I put it? First, it's her looks—that mix of pure and sultry, sweet and salty. She's the kind of beautiful that any normal person would find stunning. Second, it's her personality—frank, sincere, gentle, and inclusive. Sometimes she's even incredibly cute, that kind of natural cuteness. You never feel like she's being performative... Why are you all looking at me? I'm a single dog; is it weird for me to have a crush on her?"

"Haha, not weird at all! To be honest, if you ask me who my favorite female celebrity in the industry is, it's her."

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't say this in front of the boss, or he'll dock your bonuses."

"The boss isn't that petty; he'll probably just praise us for having good taste."

The studio staff were generally young, and the atmosphere was usually good, but such sharp banter only happened because the boss wasn't there and they were working overtime late at night.

"She really is amazing. I just looked up her educational background, and honestly, I read it while kneeling. She was in a gifted class in middle school, graduated with a master's at twenty, and she's from the Finance Department at A University. She's practically a god among scholars. Tell me, why is she so low-key? She never uses it for marketing. Several alumni have recognized her, but instead of chasing trending topics, she suppresses them. Tsk~"

"She probably just simply loves acting! She doesn't seem like a high-profile person. Just be careful later; don't offend the Madam."

The group burst into laughter, truly committing the matter to memory.

Someone else couldn't help but sigh: "Smart, great personality, and beautiful. I have to say, the boss has excellent taste. There's hope for improving the family genes!"

"Hahaha, don't say that in front of the boss, or he'll dock your salary! The Lu family genes are great too, okay? I've seen their family portrait—handsome men and beautiful women, and everyone is outstanding. A power couple merger might even be better."

"Pfft~ Maybe he'll even give me a bonus and tell me to say more if I'm good at it."

The group laughed again, feeling their spirits lift significantly.

"I just checked the companies associated with Actress Gu, and it totally blinded my dog eyes! I'm starting to suspect she only acts in movies as a part-time job. Come, come, I'll post it in the group chat so you guys can worship her too."

"Oh my god! Has our young master married into a wealthy family? *Slurp*, I'm so jealous~ Why is my CEO so fond of being late? That deadbeat, he still hasn't come looking for me."

"Hahaha! She was born into wealth, okay? A genuine, multi-billionaire young lady."

"Wait! There's a pitfall here, everyone watch out! I just discovered that Miss Gu's business empire has a very high overlap with Madam Lu's investment projects. Do you think fans will eventually say it's a commercial marriage?"

As soon as the question was raised, the brains of the group, which had been satiated by "shipping" the couple, instantly cooled down.

Exactly!

Aside from small-talk romance dramas about marriage before love, where in reality is a commercial marriage ever sweet?

The CP fans would probably burst in only to leave cursing.

The reason Lu Nanting had made this trip was to see how the studio staff handled the PR contingency plan. He wanted to personally oversee it, fearing they might guide the direction incorrectly and cause Gu Lanxi to be cyberbullied.

As it turned out, he had just arrived to hear his employees gossiping about him being "love-brained." He had intended to walk straight in, but feeling awkward, he stood at the door for a moment.

Then he heard everyone discussing Gu Lanxi.

Driven by a bit of selfishness, he wanted to hear what they had to say.

He hadn't expected their impression of her to be so good. It was nothing but praise from beginning to end, without a single negative word, and they had even taken to calling her "Madam" of their own accord.

Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself, the topic unexpectedly veered into "commercial marriage."

How ridiculous!

They got together clearly because of love, alright?!

Lu Nanting felt indignant and was about to go in to explain himself when Zhang Mingyuan's phone rang.

"The delivery is here? At the door? I'll come out to get it now."

Since it was late at night and they were holding a meeting behind closed doors, there was no one at the front desk to open the door, so the delivery driver naturally couldn't get in.

Just as Zhang Mingyuan was about to call a few people to go fetch the food, he saw everyone staring at the door and turned around to follow their gaze.

A quick-witted person heard the phone call and stood up to open the door, intending to go out and grab the crayfish.

Then, they saw the very culprit who had made them work overtime in the middle of the night standing there with an innocent expression, having clearly been listening for some time.

He had just showered and changed into a comfortable T-shirt and shorts, wearing slippers with a towel draped around his neck, his hair only half-dry.

Admittedly, this fresh and natural look would make anyone's heart race.

But right now, their hearts were racing for a different reason.

Good heavens, they had been gossiping about the boss's family behind his back and got caught!

The feeling was quite thrilling!

Fortunately, the delivery driver, unable to wait, called again.

The tension immediately eased.

Xiao Jiang, an assistant from Tianjin, immediately and smartly stepped forward to greet him, smiling as he pulled Lu Nanting's arm toward the side room

"Aiya, Brother, what kind of luck is this? You caught the late-night snack just in time! Let's go, let's go! Yuan-ge ordered crayfish, all kinds of flavors!"

Lu Nanting took the towel and rubbed his head, saying nothing.

Seeing him head toward the side room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some went to get the delivery, others went to clear the tables.

Soon after, the largest delivery boxes were brought in, filling the long dining table to capacity.

They opened the packaging and put on plastic gloves. Since they still had to work overtime, no one wasted time on small talk and they dove straight into eating.

Lu Nanting took a seat but had no intention of starting.

Since the assistants were all there, they were about to peel for him, but he quickly stopped them

"My wife was afraid I wouldn't eat enough and insisted on adding an extra dish. If I eat too much at night, I really won't be able to finish. You guys eat!"

They had just registered their marriage, and before the day was even over, he was already starting with "my wife this" and "my wife that."

Can he not stop showing off for one second?!

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him speechlessly.

Xiao Jiang even blurted out what everyone was thinking: "Brother, honestly, you haven't been possessed by some love-brained person, have you?"

It was like he had become a different person.

Lu Nanting rolled his eyes beautifully. "I'm just afraid of getting fat and looking bad during the concert, okay? Calling people 'love-brained' at every turn—where are your manners? A rational and intelligent adult like me makes decisions regarding dating or marriage based on a deep understanding of the other person and a high degree of soul resonance. It is a decision made after careful consideration. How can that be lumped together with being 'love-brained'?"

*Rational and intelligent adult, deep understanding, high degree of soul resonance, careful consideration...*

That was quite a profound way of "shipping" himself.

Perhaps all drunk people claim they aren't drunk.

His words completely shut everyone down. For a moment, whether single or married, no one wanted to deal with him; they all just buried their heads in peeling shrimp.

Tearing off the head, pulling out the tender, firm tail, removing the vein, and popping it into the mouth—it was incredibly delicious.

Lu Nanting simply ignored the strange looks from the group.

People always tend to judge others by their own standards. They didn't actually know his past with Gu Lanxi, nor did they know how deep their feelings were, so he expressed his understanding.

While everyone else was eating the late-night snack with gusto, he was the only one playing on his phone.

Fearing he was bored, Zhang Mingyuan tried to strike up a conversation: "Did you come here in the rain? Why didn't you bring an umbrella?"

(Note: Lu's mother's name had been changed; hearing that Zhang Ruonan was a celebrity, fearing her fans might feel uncomfortable, it was changed to Zhang Ruolan.)

The young master could now officially claim the title of "Mr. Rational."

Haha.

(End of Chapter)