Chapter 44: Baby

While the studio crew was eating late-night snacks, most of the fans had already finished dinner, showered, and were lying in bed, scrolling through their phones.

After venting about the "haters," the topic drifted back to "Lu Nanting's wife."

This topic wasn't just being discussed by Lu Nanting's fans; many bystanders were also chiming in

[All those A-list actresses, in order to stay popular, keep their relationships secret. Who would actually want to get married before they're in their thirties? Is it possible his wife is actually a staff member nearby?]

Many people in the industry preferred marrying behind-the-scenes staff, but for Lu Nanting, it was absolutely impossible.

[The people who are always by his side—his three assistants are men, his manager is a man, and his bodyguard is a man. Who could he possibly marry? That theory doesn't work. Next.]

On Sunday night, people stayed up late, completely disregarding whether they had work or classes the next day, discussing the matter with fiery passion.

Strength lies in numbers. Because Lu Nanting had frequently looked at someone with deep affection in public settings—without his gaze being explicitly directed at a specific person—Lu Nanting's fans simply decided to compile a list of all the prominent actresses in the industry.

From family background to looks, temperament, works, and awards...

Because the language wasn't offensive and included plenty of praise, fans of various actresses couldn't help but feel tempted—"If those two were together, it actually seems like a decent match, right?"

Setting everything else aside, at least becoming a daughter-in-law of the Lu family meant she wouldn't have to worry about "casting couch" rules.

As long as she worked hard, no one would dare snatch her awards, and her resources would be significantly better.

Not only were the fans tempted, but the actresses in the industry couldn't help but feel a stir of interest as well.

Even if it wasn't real, who wouldn't want to ride the wave of hype?

After all, if an investor said it was "just for clout," it was rarely *just* for clout. As long as they maintained the right balance, they could reap the benefits without any real loss; it would be "purely" for the hype.

In an instant, various "CP" (couple) pairings emerged, leaving people's eyes spinning, unsure whether this "sister-in-law" was better or that one was more wonderful.

After much discussion, someone finally couldn't help but voice the statement closest to the truth

[Speaking of which, among these people, it seems only Gu Lanxi and Brother Ting are the same age. The age gaps with the others are just too ridiculous. Do you think there's a possibility between the two of them?]

It is said that one should achieve fame early, but there aren't many people in the industry who achieve fame at a young age.

An average person is 22; if they hadn't debuted as a child star and had a mediocre background, they'd probably be working some odd job somewhere!

Gu Lanxi was an award-winning Best Actress. Whenever she attended events, she sat with the most popular A-list actresses.

She never sought the spotlight or tried to stand out, nor did she use avant-garde outfits to grab attention. She never acted perfunctorily either; she always appeared simple and elegant. The reason she received attention was basically because her looks were truly top-tier.

Whenever Lu Nanting showed that kind of look, Gu Lanxi was always in the crowd, so naturally, people suspected her.

However, as soon as this suggestion was made, it was quickly rejected.

[To be honest, I once suspected this girl was asexual. Stop bringing her into these kinds of events.]

Looking at this comment, one would think it was a hater, but it turned out to be a die-hard fan of Gu Lanxi.

Although other fans were more laid-back, they couldn't help but join in when encountering something so funny, posting various screenshots to prove the point.

Aside from when she was acting, no matter how handsome a man Gu Lanxi faced, she maintained an air of pure detachment, looking like someone who could join a monastery the moment she shaved her head.

Even more extreme was a leak: a few days ago, Gu Lanxi attended an interview program. The host tried to subtly steer the conversation to her relationship status, but she looked completely bewildered—she didn't understand at all!

[That happened just last week! Everyone there was dying of laughter! The host was so embarrassed he practically wanted to end his life on the spot, so that segment was edited out.]

[Yes, I was there. Xi-bao is truly still a child; don't drag her into these topics.]

[She can't have been married and still know nothing. You can doubt that she's acting, but you can't doubt that your idol is incompetent, right?]

[This child entered university when she was 14. By the time she was doing her master's at A University, her classmates were many years older than her. I heard from a friend that they always treated her like a child. When it comes to "that kind of stuff," they never included her. It's normal that she doesn't understand; don't mock her.]

[Speaking of which, it was the year before last. She went to a finance circle gathering, and Gu Lanxi was there. Someone made a dirty joke at her expense. She didn't understand it at first and only realized after being prompted. Then, without even finishing her meal, she stood up, slapped the person twice, said, "Sorry, I was a bit heavy-handed, please bear with it," and walked out with her bag. That was when I started following her.]

[Maintaining one's purity is not a flaw. Please stop discussing this topic.]

Someone spoke rationally, but no one paid them any mind.

What people were interested in was other people's privacy and explosive gossip, not whose self-esteem had been hurt.

Because of this leak, another round of heated discussion erupted online.

Gu Lanxi's "boyfriend fans" were particularly agitated, cursing those who were forcing these pairings to death!

Then, the matter eventually fizzled out.

Judging others by one's own standards—if two people had truly loved each other for years and were faced with a top-tier man like Lu Nanting, who could resist?

What normal man, having a top-tier girlfriend like Gu Lanxi, could control his lower half?

Let it go, let it go.

Gu Lanxi and Lu Nanting worked together all day.

The upstairs and downstairs were cleared out, and dozens of cardboard boxes were piled in the living room. Gu Lanxi's books alone filled twenty-eight boxes, leaving them both with aching backs. After dinner, they didn't even watch a movie; they just went to their respective rooms to wash up and sleep.

The next morning, Gu Lanxi woke up on time, stretched, and picked up her phone, only to see today's news push—*A certain Best Actress, GLX, is rumored to be asexual?*

Clicking into it, she saw everyone discussing whether the 22-year-old had ever "done it" with anyone.

With all their wild imaginations, they practically wanted to design the positions for her.

Gu Lanxi's face instantly turned bright red!

Logically, she knew netizens always loved discussing the private lives of actresses, but emotionally, she simply couldn't accept it!

This was too shameless!

The key was that you couldn't even take this seriously; you couldn't exactly go get a medical certification for "that" just to win a lawsuit!

After reading the first article, she couldn't help but open Weibo to keep searching.

It was already past seven; she had woken up late, and many posts had already been deleted (404), but even the ones she saw were unbearable!

The feeling of having a mountain of rage with nowhere to vent made her feel incredibly stifled.

Lu Nanting had been up for a long time. He had just finished a thirty-minute run in the gym, and seeing that she hadn't opened her door, he couldn't help but come and knock

"Are you okay?"

After intense exercise, the body can be incredibly sore. He hadn't let Gu Lanxi move the boxes, but he couldn't stop her entirely.

He was afraid she had strained something without telling him.

Hearing the knock, Gu Lanxi, like a startled deer, threw her phone to the foot of the bed.

Scrolling through her phone upon waking up for over half an hour was a rare occurrence for her.

The phone case hit the footboard with a dull "thud."

After reading those things, she felt as if the phone itself had become dirty.

After knocking, Lu Nanting didn't hear the door open, but instead heard a strange noise. He gripped the handle to try and turn it, and then the door opened.

Gu Lanxi's eyes were red and her nose was flushed, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Lu Nanting felt as if she might shatter just standing there.

He hurriedly reached out to pat her head, leaned down slightly, and asked tenderly, "What's wrong?"

When feeling aggrieved, one is most vulnerable to sincere concern.

Gu Lanxi threw her arms around his lean waist, buried her face in his chest, and tears poured out like a faucet being turned on.

Going to strange places, seeing strange scenery, meeting strange people, and eating unfamiliar food—perhaps this is the meaning of a long journey.

To like a city, besides liking its climate, food, environment, and culture, one must also like its people.

I discovered that people in Luoyang are generally mild-tempered and act with great magnanimity. I have a very good impression of this place and want to visit again if I have the chance.

After staying for a few days, I received all kinds of kindness, especially from a young lady at a JD convenience store.

I was ordering something for delivery, and after placing the order, she called me to say the kind I wanted was out of stock, but they had a different scent. I told her it was fine, I didn't mind, and she should just go ahead with it!

A little later, she called again, saying she had misread the order and the prices were different; she said she would compensate me with a can of Coke.

I agreed to the arrangement, and we hung up after a few words.

When the goods arrived, besides the Coke, there was also a bag of shrimp crackers and a cute card.

She loves to laugh; she was "oh-ho-ho-ho-ing" the whole time, looking so cheerful.

Thinking about it later, she probably liked my voice.

Haha~

Being liked is a very happy feeling.

No matter for which reason.

(End of Chapter)