Wen Yanyu picked out items according to the shopping list, while Lu Mingxu quietly pushed the cart behind him.
As they passed the condiment aisle, Wen Yanyu picked up a jar of chili sauce and was about to put it in the cart.
Lu Mingxu suddenly spoke up. "Wait."
Wen Yanyu asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Mingxu took the sauce from Wen Yanyu and put it back on the shelf.
Under Wen Yanyu's puzzled gaze, Lu Mingxu patiently explained, "This brand's sauce has peanuts in it. Xiao Yu is allergic to peanuts."
"Oh, right. Sorry, sorry. It slipped my mind just now."
Realization dawned on Wen Yanyu, and he picked another jar from the shelf.
[Lu, could you be any more in love?]
[I'm dying. People were saying earlier that Bro Lu didn't like Xiao Yu. If he didn't, would he remember what she's allergic to?]
[LMAO, Bro Lu, just admit you're in love. Stop denying it, or you'll end up desperately trying to win your wife back.]
[Uh, haven't Lu Mingxu and Sang Yu been friends for years? Isn't it normal to remember each other's allergies?]
[All right, someone's girlfriend fans need to stop quietly getting triggered.]
"Bro Lu!"
At the sound of an energetic female voice, Wen Yanyu and Lu Mingxu both turned to look.
A young woman ran over excitedly, pulling another young woman along with her.
"Bro Lu! Oh my God! It's really you! I'm a fan of your movies! Can I take a photo with you?" the young woman with a bun asked happily, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Lu Mingxu nodded. "Of course. Thank you for your support."
The young woman with the bun was thrilled and quickly took a photo of the two of them.
Then she looked at Wen Yanyu and pushed forward the long-haired young woman beside her, who was trying to hide. "You're Wen Yanyu, right? My friend's a fan of yours. Could we take a photo of the three of us?"
Wen Yanyu paused, then nodded. The young woman with the bun quickly raised her phone and took the group photo.
The long-haired young woman who had been dragged over timidly glanced at Wen Yanyu.
She cautiously said, "Hello, wifey."
Wen Yanyu said, "Huh?"
"?" Lu Mingxu froze. He looked at the stunned Wen Yanyu, then at the equally stunned young woman, and couldn't help laughing.
When the long-haired young woman realized what she had said, her cheeks rapidly flushed red, and she frantically waved her hands. "Ah, no, that's not-I meant, I meant Yanyan. Um, h-hello."
She covered her eyes in embarrassment, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the ground, and kept muttering.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I-I misspoke. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not..."
I'm not a creep! Aaaah!!!
Wen Yanyu came back to his senses and cleared his throat. "It's all right. It's an internet meme, isn't it? I hardly ever go online, so I don't really know much about these things."
She slowly raised her eyes and nodded stiffly, then continued, "Um, I-I really, really like you. I've liked you ever since your debut. I especially loved that children's song you sang during your livestream back then. I remember you saying you wanted to be a doctor, and I also remember you s-saving people in the disaster zone, and at the airport, s-saving someone. That was when I decided I'd be your fan for life."
She stammered through the long speech, nervously picking at her fingers.
Wen Yanyu watched her silently, unable to speak for a moment.
"Even though a lot of things happened afterward, I-I just, anyway, I hope you take good care of yourself, and, um..."
She looked at him earnestly. "I-I'll always, always like you. Um, you joked with us that you were just cannon fodder, that sooner or later you'd have to rot away for the plot. But in our eyes, at least in my eyes, you've always been the protagonist. You're my most, most favorite person."
As though she had used up a lifetime's worth of courage, the long-haired young woman, her face bright red, threw her arms around him. "Wen Yanyu, to me, you're the cutest protagonist! You absolutely, absolutely have to be happy!"
Wen Yanyu stood there in a daze. Only after a long moment did he reply, "Okay."
"Aaaah, baby, be happy!" She let go of him, her gaze darting wildly away, though she couldn't resist stealing a few more looks at him.
"W-we have something to do, so we'll go now. Baby, you have to take good care of yourself."
Wen Yanyu lowered his eyes and almost murmured, "I will. Be happy too."
Her face instantly reddened, and she nodded furiously.
[I thought she was just a shy girl, but the first thing out of her mouth was "wifey," hahaha.]
[This girl feels exactly the way I do, sob. Back then, I saw Bunny Baby say in an interview that he'd actually wanted to be a doctor, but couldn't make it happen for certain reasons. So many people called him fake. Then later, I saw him helping rescue people in the disaster zone after the earthquake. Honestly, I can't describe how it felt. I just want to be his fan for life.]
[I also remember that time at the airport. There was a little girl, and Wen Yanyu rushed right out to give her first aid. After it started trending, a doctor even praised how professional his technique was.]
[Yes, baby was filming a variety show when the earthquake hit. Everyone else was evacuated, but baby stayed behind as a volunteer. If someone hadn't taken photos, nobody would've even known he'd stayed. Later, one of baby's classmates spoke up too. Baby was a student at Capital Medical University, aaaah! But he dropped out after just over a year. People even attacked him for that back then, saying he'd entered showbiz for money and all that.]
[Hard to say, but I feel like Wen Yanyu looks as if he had his reasons. Don't ask why. I can tell who's right and who's wrong just by looking at their faces.]
[I've always been a Bunny fan. No other reason than that my mom was injured there, and Wen Yanyu was the one who treated her. I was so scared I kept calling, and Wen Yanyu was the one who answered. He comforted me and told me not to cry, saying my mom was right beside him. For that reason alone, I'll be his fan for life, even though I don't follow celebrities.]
[Oh my God, I remember this. That was what really made Wen Yanyu known outside his fanbase. A lot of people said he was putting on an act, but he genuinely stayed there for a month despite the risk of aftershocks, helping rescue people the whole time.]
Once the little encounter was over, Wen Yanyu sorted out his emotions.
The two continued along, stopping here and there.
After buying the final item, a snakehead fish, and all kinds of little toys and books for the children, they walked out of the mall.
They suddenly remembered there was still one condiment they hadn't bought.
Lu Mingxu was about to head back.
A burst of terrified screams suddenly came from inside the mall.
They all turned at once and saw a crowd running toward them from a short distance away.
"Someone inside has a knife and is slashing people!"
"Call the police!"
The cameraman looked bewildered too.
As several people who had run outside called the police, they explained what was happening.
"There's a man outside going crazy, slashing people with a knife. Several people have already been hurt. Don't go in."
A faint smell of blood suddenly spread through the air, instantly awakening memories buried deep in Wen Yanyu's mind.
Wen Yanyu's expression changed abruptly, and he started walking inside.
"Wen Yanyu!" Lu Mingxu asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"
"Someone's hurt." Wen Yanyu frowned. "Stay here. Don't move."
Alarmed, Lu Mingxu grabbed the young man's wrist.
"What good can you do with that ridiculously underweight, malnourished body of yours? Stay here with us and wait for the police!" Lu Mingxu's expression was stern, allowing no argument.
The cameraman tried to stop him too. "Exactly, it's too dangerous. Let's wait here. The police and security guards should be here soon."
The smell of blood grew stronger. Wen Yanyu used the leverage to twist free of Lu Mingxu's grip and ran outside without looking back.
Lu Mingxu looked stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, gave the others a few instructions, and quickly followed the young man.
[Holy shit? Get out of there!]
[Is this real or fake? Is it scripted or real?]
[Holy shit, it has to be real. The production team definitely wouldn't dare take things this far.]
[It's fake, right? Probably a test of the guests' reactions.]
[Oh my God, this is terrifying.]
[Wait! Wifey, why did you run in there!!!]
[I'm losing it. That person outside has a knife. What good is going in bare-handed? Is he offering himself up to get killed?]
[Please don't make more trouble for security, thanks.]
[It's real, it's real! Someone in our group just posted a video from the scene! Several girls have already been slashed.]
Before you continue