"Yeah, a little."
"But actually, Da Fei wasn't acting. He just calmly sang a song. We imagined all the rest."
"Brother Fei's lyrics hit way too hard. The calmer he is, the more they make you want to cry."
"At the end of the day, it's just a great song. Da Fei's musical talent is incredible."
Lin Chudong slowly stood up. His guitar playing slowed, and a few gentle arpeggios signaled that the song was ending.
"Your meeting him was such good fortune
I hope he loves you even more than I did!"
The final arpeggio rang out, and the song was over.
Then Lin Chudong slung the guitar over his back, turned around, and walked away.
His retreating figure, never once looking back, was unbearably heartbreaking.
Zhang Yao said in a low voice, "Honey, if I didn't know what was really going on, I'd think something was up between you two."
Li Dan rolled her eyes. "Be serious. Don't make me laugh."
Cheng Huanhuan quickly came back to her senses. "Thank you, Da Fei, for that wonderful performance. Now, let's begin the ceremony. Will the newlyweds please exchange rings?"
Every part of the ceremony brought the lyrics of Lin Chudong's song to mind.
Every scene of the wedding now seemed to pierce straight through their hearts.
Everyone there, and everyone watching the live broadcast, put themselves in Lin Chudong's shoes.
Li Dan's happiness only left them feeling heartbroken and stung with pain.
"I swear, I'm never falling in love again. I really don't want to be torn apart like Da Fei."
"Love is something you should stay away from. Touch it, and you'll end up covered in scars."
"I'm putting this song on single loop. I want to remember the love I lost."
"Enough talk. I'm going to crash a wedding and stop my relationship from ending like this!"
"Da Fei really is a god among men. What kind of life has he lived to put so much feeling into every song he writes?"
"Da Fei, the number one genius in the Music Scene!"
"Number one genius!"
"..."
Seeing those bullet comments, Shen Jianbin cursed, "Genius my ass!"
He switched to his alt account and hurled an insult, but it was quickly buried. No one paid him any attention.
"Da Fei is so shameless."
Just then, everyone thought this heartfelt idol drama was about to end.
Suddenly, a voice as sweet as a songbird rang out.
"Da Fei, wait for me!"
It was Lin Qiqi!
Lin Qiqi stood up from the crowd and hurried out.
Liang Yin and the others were baffled. What was going on?
Lin Chudong was stunned too. He stopped and looked at her, bewildered.
Lin Qiqi ran a couple of steps, then realized her high heels were getting in the way. She took them off, held both shoes in one hand, and hurried toward him.
Like Cinderella after losing her glass slipper.
Lin Qiqi ran up beside Lin Chudong and called out loudly,
"Don't be sad. Even without her, you still have me!"
As she spoke, Lin Qiqi linked her arm through Lin Chudong's. The two walked out of the venue like a couple.
The entire crowd was left dumbfounded.
The live broadcast chat exploded.
"Holy crap! Someone just took my wife away!!"
"What happened? Where's my wife? Come back! Even if it's Da Fei, you can't go with him!"
"Waaah, I'm heartbroken. I just finished listening to 'Guest' and now I'm heartbroken. Turns out I was the clown all along!"
"There's too much drama to keep up with. I can't take any more."
Lin Qiqi's agent, Song Jing, nearly choked. She quickly pointed at Cheng Huanhuan.
"Turn the camera over there!"
Cheng Huanhuan hurriedly tugged at the camera operator, and the lens finally swung around.
They hadn't known what was going on. They'd assumed Lin Qiqi's team had planned this, but she'd acted entirely on her own.
Wang Zhi stared, dumbfounded. "Boss, was this part of the script?"
Liang Yin said, "I have no idea!"
This was going to blow up!
Lin Qiqi pulled Lin Chudong into a car.
It was a four-seat, top-of-the-line luxury Toyota Alphard, the kind reserved for celebrities.
"Just drive somewhere."
Lin Qiqi said it casually, and the driver immediately started the car.
Her hand was still linked around Lin Chudong's arm. Her cool little hand felt wonderful against him.
Up close, Lin Qiqi was breathtakingly beautiful, like a porcelain doll. Her big eyes were crystal clear, and the slight parting of her lips glistened with lip gloss, making him want to swallow just from looking at her.
"Um, Qiqi, you've got the wrong idea, haven't you?"
Lin Qiqi let go of his arm and smiled brightly. "I haven't. Don't be too sad. I just wanted to help you save face in front of your ex. I couldn't stand watching that."
"..."
Lin Chudong's mouth twitched.
His publicity stunt did seem convincing. People outside the industry would believe it and start speculating, then gossip accounts would make a mess of things and drive up the buzz. Once fans learned the truth, they'd blame the gossip accounts, and everyone else's reputations would be cleared.
That was the plan.
But he never expected Lin Qiqi to believe it too.
"You think she's my ex-girlfriend?"
"Yeah. You sang about her, and she cried. I saw her. You two seemed like a good match. She must have let you down."
"..."
Lin Chudong thought for a moment, then asked, "When you heard that Tian Yingxiong came from a poor rural family, did you think it was true?"
Lin Qiqi nodded. "Of course. I saw the news at the time, and I even got a text asking me to donate. I gave a little."
"But it seems Tian Yingxiong didn't appreciate it. Once, he saw me and pretended not to know who I was."
Lin Chudong was stunned all over again.
Girl, did you fall for a phone scam?
Tian Yingxiong was a low-key Second Generation Rich. That story about his poor upbringing had been made up to stir up attention.
Fans might believe it, but how could a top female star like her fall for it too?
Lin Chudong drew a deep breath. He'd planned to stir up a dating rumor with Li Dan, but now he had a scandal with Lin Qiqi instead. Things had gotten out of hand.
"All right. Either way, I'm grateful."
How could there be such a gullible girl in the Entertainment industry?
"How do you want me to thank you? Should I write you a song?"
The buzz from this dating rumor was definitely worth writing her a song in thanks.
Lin Qiqi shrugged. "I'm not much of a singer, so forget that. Could you take me somewhere good to eat instead? I don't have any work today since I'm at a wedding, so I'm free."
"What do you want to eat?"
"I want... ice cream! My agent never lets me have any. She says I'll get fat."
Lin Qiqi pouted, her complaint plain to see.
Lin Chudong was at a loss. There was nothing he could do about it. Female actors had to watch their diets to stay in shape. A lot of girls couldn't control themselves, so their agents had to keep an eye on them.
If they gained weight by accident, their careers could be ruined!
"Driver, pull over at that ice cream shop!"
Lin Qiqi said, "Put on a mask and go buy some. I'll wait in the car."
Lin Chudong shook his head. "I don't need a mask."
He wasn't famous enough yet for people to swarm him the moment he showed his face.
Soon, Lin Chudong returned to the car holding a strawberry-and-chocolate twist ice cream cone.
"Here."
Lin Qiqi's eyes lit up at the sight of it. She swallowed and said,
"I have to listen to Sister Song. I'll just have one bite, and you can have the rest."
Lin Qiqi took a bite, her face immediately filling with contentment.
"It's so sweet. You can have it."
The ice cream still bore the marks of Lin Qiqi's teeth. As she watched, Lin Chudong took a bite right where she had bitten.
"Mm, not bad."
After watching Lin Chudong take several bites, Lin Qiqi licked her lips.
"I... I want another bite."
Before you continue