Guest

"Newlyweds, the camera crew is here. Can we start the livestream?"

Li Dan nodded. "Let's start!"

Cheng Huanhuan, a famous host from Magic City, was dressed in festive red. Microphone in hand, she stood in front of the camera.

"Good morning, everyone! I'm honored to be hosting Zhang Yao and Li Dan's wedding today. This model couple has always been an example to the entire entertainment industry."

"After today, they won't be a model couple anymore. They'll be a model married couple!"

"Li Dan, let me ask you something. Are you excited today?"

Li Dan smiled at the camera and nodded.

"I'm very excited. Thank you to all the friends who came to see me, and thank you for your continued support and attention. I'd also like to thank Douyu and Huya. I hope today's wedding goes perfectly."

"Of course it will," Cheng Huanhuan said. "Let's see which guests have come today!"

The camera turned toward the entrance to the venue. One celebrity after another arrived on the red carpet.

Everyone was dressed to the nines, as if they were walking a real red carpet.

The signature wall was covered in names. It was clear the couple had plenty of friends in the industry.

Lin Chudong and his group got out of the car. He had a guitar slung over his back. As they approached, Cheng Huanhuan hurried over to greet them.

"Hi, Da Fei! Your performance at the last music festival was fantastic. What plans does your new band have? Could you tell our viewers? Are you thinking of doing a nationwide Concert Tour?"

Under normal circumstances, Da Fei would have happily talked to the camera.

He might have said something like, "The big shots should hire us—we're affordable, we do great work, and we're no trouble." But today wasn't the time.

Da Fei shook his head and lowered it as he passed by the camera.

All the camera caught was the despondent look in his eyes.

It didn't take long for the Bullet Comments on the livestream platforms to turn snide.

"Wow, Da Fei's really full of himself now. That's Cheng Huanhuan, the famous host from Magic City, and he won't even answer her?"

"Look at him, acting like some big shot. A Concert Tour? Can his band even afford to put on a concert?"

"Da Fei looks like he just got dumped. What happened?"

"Don't ask. He's just full of himself."

"..."

Da Fei had only appeared for a moment. The Bullet Comments only insulted him a few times, though his expression really had been a little disrespectful.

But the next guest to appear quickly stole the spotlight from him.

"It's Lin Qiqi! She's been the female lead in several hit dramas this year."

Cheng Huanhuan stepped forward too. "Qiqi, you look so beautiful today! Is there anything you'd like to say to the audience?"

Lin Qiqi kept her eyes fixed ahead. She had seen Lin Chudong get out of the car earlier and wanted to catch up with him for a few words, but she was walking too slowly in her high heels and long dress, and hadn't caught him.

The camera was already pointed at her, so Lin Qiqi had no choice but to turn back and smile at it.

"Today is Li Dan's big day. I wish the two of them a lifetime of love and happiness."

After saying that, Lin Qiqi hurried inside, as if she were chasing after someone.

Cheng Huanhuan didn't say anything more. There were plenty of other guests still to arrive, all of them major stars, and they all needed their moment on camera.

Guests trickled in for over an hour before everyone had finally arrived.

Everyone took their seats on the lawn. There weren't many guests in person—just two or three hundred—but the livestream had nearly a million viewers.

When Lin Qiqi appeared, the Bullet Comments filled with people calling her their wife. Her popularity blew everyone else's out of the water.

Li Dan wore her wedding dress and stood with Zhang Yao in the middle of the stage. The whole crowd's attention was focused on the two of them.

Even the other actresses hoping to ride the wave of attention couldn't compete with a woman in a wedding dress.

Cheng Huanhuan stood onstage. "It's an honor to host this wedding. Now, without further ado—"

Just as Cheng Huanhuan was about to begin the proceedings, Li Dan suddenly spoke up.

"Wait a moment."

Everyone froze, but the cameras kept rolling.

After all, this wasn't a gala. Even though it was being livestreamed, there was no need for the wedding to follow a rigid script. Any little mishap would still be manageable.

"What is it?"

Li Dan said, "I invited a lot of friends from the industry to my wedding. This morning, Da Fei sent me a WeChat message saying he wanted to perform a song for me here. I'd really like to hear it."

Cheng Huanhuan was taken aback. She hadn't realized Li Dan was so close to Lin Chudong.

With so many big names in attendance, the wedding performance had actually gone to Lin Chudong?

"All right! Let's welcome Da Fei, who'll be giving us a wonderful performance!"

Cheng Huanhuan chose her words carefully. It was hard to say who was right or wrong about Da Fei and his band, so she'd better not say anything that might come back to bite her and offend someone later.

With his guitar on his back, Lin Chudong walked over to the performance area beside the wedding stage.

A chair, a microphone, and a guitar.

The simple, beautiful scene made everyone quiet down without even realizing it.

Lin Chudong sat in the chair, dressed in a formal suit. His pensive expression seemed to hold a story of its own.

He held a natural wood-colored guitar in his arms, his gaze tender and full of feeling.

"I'm happy to be here at Li Dan's wedding. I'd like to dedicate a new song, 'Guest,' to everyone."

He gently plucked the strings, and a mellow, sorrowful melody began to play.

The camera focused on Lin Chudong, zooming in on his face and guitar.

All eyes in the crowd were on him.

"How many winters has it been since we broke up?

What day of the week is it today?

Every now and then, I think of you.

Your unexpected message

caught me off guard,

leaving me rooted to the spot..."

His deep voice drew everyone in.

But many people looked baffled. It was someone's wedding. Shouldn't he sing something festive and cheerful, something full of well-wishes?

What was with all this talk about breaking up? It seemed a little out of place.

Even if he was trying to get famous, he shouldn't be this tactless.

Then Lin Chudong changed his fingerpicking to strumming, and the passage before the chorus began to build the emotion.

"While everyone else is happy for you,

I'm the fool who's only just realized

someone else had your wedding dress made long ago!"

"Thank you for the special invitation, to witness your love."

"I keep reminding myself not to run away."

"With the Wedding Invitation in hand, I walk closer, step by step, to the venue he so carefully prepared."

"But this is your day, and I'm only a guest!"

By then, some people had started to realize something was off.

Wasn't this a little strange?

These lyrics... They fit the mood here a little too well.

Suddenly, a startling thought crossed everyone's minds.

Was Li Dan Da Fei's ex-girlfriend?

"I let go of all our memories, to make your love come true."

"But I still can't bring myself to believe this is fate."

"After so long apart, you seem a little distant. We shake hands and make small talk, so polite."

"Why go out of your way to hide, in front of him, that I was once part of your world?"

The Bullet Comments exploded.

"Breaking news! Huge news! Li Dan is actually Da Fei's ex-girlfriend!"

"When did that happen? I Remember Li Dan was already with Zhang Yao when she first debuted!"

"This is way too melodramatic! A Love Triangle at the wedding, and the woman's already getting married!"

"But Da Fei is so devoted! He must really love Li Dan."

"Wait, is this real? He's just singing a song. Are they actually exes?"

"Obviously! It's happening right here at the wedding. Didn't you see Da Fei's expression? I could tell something was off when Cheng Huanhuan interviewed him earlier. So this is what's going on?"

"These lyrics make it so obvious! I'm about to cry. It's confirmed—they used to date!"

Cheng Huanhuan stood onstage, looking completely dumbfounded. Was he about to cause a scene at the wedding?