ISWMQ – Chapter 146

Things went pretty much as Chu Feiliang had expected.

After a period of clamor, the trending topics were gradually suppressed due to Zhang Nanchuan’s intervention and Chu Siyue’s team. Once the initial month of intense scrutiny passed, the heat pretty much died down.

However, the comments on their Weibo accounts continued to increase daily, but it was clear that neither of the main parties involved had taken a single look at them.

The filming of The Lover progressed day by day. Ever since they went completely public, Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang found filming together even smoother. Coupled with Zhang Nanchuan’s high spirits from the happy occasion, the production’s progress soared.

Until the day filming wrapped, the entire cast and crew of The Lover once again hit the trending topics—

“Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang’s First Appearance Since Going Public, Looking Haggard, Suspected Relationship Trouble.” By the time this was being said, Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang had already finished work and returned home—Rong Guang had moved into Chu Feiliang’s own small apartment.

In her previous life, she had often stayed in this apartment. Everything was just as she remembered it.

The two of them had even tacitly bought furniture and decorations they were both familiar with from before, arranging everything according to their shared living habits.

Hearing Chu Feiliang speak, Rong Guang looked up from the balcony, confused, and said, “What trouble?”

“Nothing.” Chu Feiliang went over and gave her a natural-feeling kiss, then fed Rong Guang a sweet potato fry. “Just some marketing account spouting nonsense.”

Although she said that, Chu Feiliang still glanced at the clock on the wall.

The weather was getting colder, and in the blink of an eye, the New Year was almost upon them.

This New Year was a very grand occasion for both the Chu family and Rong Guang’s family.

Rong Guang’s grandmother was still young, but after an accidental fall before the New Year, she seemed to have a sudden epiphany. Fearing that an accident might separate her from Rong Guang, she bought a ticket after being discharged from the hospital and agreed to live with her.

Chu Feiliang was used to this. In fact, she and Rong Guang had handled all the arrangements together. In her past life, her grandmother was an unresolved sorrow for Rong Guang. Every year on the anniversaries of Chacha’s and her grandmother’s deaths, Rong Guang would be depressed for many days, spending long hours, day and night, by their gravestones.

After visiting one, she would go to the other.

Chu Feiliang had seen it all with her own eyes, which made her heart ache for her even more.

But Xu Mingli was clearly very understanding. She had also found her own joy, starting a bustling class in B City to teach people how to make spices. Students ranged from seventy or eighty years old down to elementary and middle schoolers. The scale had grown so large that she had even opened three branches.

Because of this, Xu Mingli was actually out early and back late, every bit the busy person.

But today was different.

Tonight, Xu Mingli would be home punctually at eight o’clock—to wait in advance for the premiere of The Eldest Princess at eight-thirty.

It wasn’t just Xu Mingli; the two families had gathered for a small get-together today, saying this moment was worth commemorating.

For them, there could never be too many family gatherings. As long as they had the time, they would naturally get together as often as possible.

Time slowly ticked towards eight o’clock, and Xu Mingli arrived right on time as expected. Trailing behind her was a large, bustling group—surprisingly, Chacha’s recovered family was following them.

Chu Feiliang glanced at the hot pot on the table and decisively doubled the ingredients.

At exactly eight-thirty in the evening, after half an hour of putting away the perishable dishes, everyone sat down neatly at the table, their gazes all fixed on the large 4K television in the living room.

“I heard Tiantian and Guangguang play a tragic couple in this.” Xu Mingli was the first to speak, her eyes glued to the screen without blinking.

Chu Siyue glanced at Zhang Nanchuan.

Zhang Nanchuan said with a straight face, “It’s all the original author’s fault, and the screenwriter’s fault.”

Chu Siyue: “…”

On its premiere, VIP members could watch up to the tenth episode.

But the elders obviously couldn’t stay up that long. As a major historical drama, The Eldest Princess had a total of eighty-eight episodes, each forty-five minutes long.

By the time they reached the sixth episode, the elders from both families couldn’t hold on any longer and had fallen asleep.

As they said their goodbyes before leaving that night, Rong Guang patted Chacha’s head, her eyes curving into a smile. “Chacha is about to turn seventeen. What gift do you want?”

Chacha tilted her head and thought for a moment.

Although she was seventeen, her eyes were still as clear and pure, her pupils as dark as a young child’s.

Hearing this, Chacha said, “I still want the blue fatty. Sister Guangguang, can you give me blind boxes? I want to draw them myself. I only need fifteen more rare blue fatty merchandise items to have the complete set.”

Zhang Nanchuan, not wanting to be left out, squeezed in. “Dad will buy them for you!”

Chacha ignored him and continued to look at Rong Guang.

“Of course.” Rong Guang agreed immediately, but then she started wondering if she should ask someone to pull some strings and buy one for her.

For this kind of merchandise, the rare and limited-edition ones could usually only be obtained by the “Emperors of Europe”—Chacha wasn’t very “European,” but Rong Guang really wanted Chacha to experience the joy of opening a blind box herself.

As The Eldest Princess gradually passed its halfway point, and just as the production team had anticipated, it had completely blown up after only ten episodes.

“Buying anti-explosion measures, they really are something.” Chu Feiliang looked at the documents in her hand and said with a light laugh, “Teacher Rong, it seems many people are envious and jealous of you.”

Rong Guang nodded indifferently, thought for a moment, and said, “There were many in the past, too. I suffered a few hidden losses back then. This kind of behavior can indeed prevent an actor from breaking out for a while, but if the quality of the drama itself is solid, it’s useless.”

“Useless or not, it’s still not okay.” Chu Feiliang pouted, glanced at the TV, and asked, “What part is on tonight?”

Rong Guang glanced over. “You don’t know?”

“I know.” Chu Feiliang smiled. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

Rong Guang was tending to a small stove, brewing medicine.

Inside was the traditional Chinese medicine prescribed by the doctor for Chu Feiliang not long ago to strengthen her constitution… It was clearly meant to regulate her body, but after drinking it for two or three days, Chu Feiliang’s needs in other areas seemed to be growing, while she hadn’t noticed much of the intended medicinal effect…

She turned her head, glanced over, and said, “I think it’s almost time for my character to go offline.”

The entire drama has eighty-eight episodes, so it’s already past the halfway point.

Wen Mou going offline is a signal, and also a warning that the plot is truly entering a white-hot, deadlocked stage.

“Then it seems it’s time.” Chu Feiliang watched the TV quietly. It wasn’t until the time approached ten-thirty at night that she slowly opened her phone.

In her drafts was a Weibo post that had been saved for a long time but never sent.

Chu Feiliang hit send.

Rong Guang’s phone immediately chimed with a notification for a special follow.

She froze, subconsciously gripping the small cattail fan as she turned her head. However, Chu Feiliang had already flopped back onto the sofa, looking pleased and leisurely, and said nothing.

So Rong Guang opened Weibo herself.

The first post on her feed already had a ‘爆’ (Explosive) character in the top right corner.

Rong Guang felt the corner of her eye begin to twitch.

Chu Feiliang:

Where are all the people who were spamming “I don’t approve of Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang being together”?

Come out and let me see you?

Rong Guang: “…”

Teacher Chu’s childishness and grudge-holding levels were increasing by the day.

The people who spammed that were from half a year ago, and she still remembered!

Although she thought this, Rong Guang still opened the comment section and diligently took a look.

【Help, the main couple I ship is giving out candy!!】

【You’ve saved my heart that was about to stop beating】

【Please continue!】

【It’s confirmed, Teacher Chu is the bottom, and a tsundere bottom at that…】

Chu Feiliang frowned. “Tsundere bottom? What does that mean?”

Rong Guang paused, then said with a straight face, “It’s probably just a descriptor, likely some new slang from netizens surfing the web. Sister, do I need to respond?”

“Go ahead.” Chu Feiliang was no longer surprised by this sort of thing. Her eyes curved, and she suddenly said, “Guess if the Big Dipper’s PR department will come looking for us tonight?”

Rong Guang slowly switched her phone to airplane mode, then said, “Want to watch a movie, Sister? We have to sleep by eleven tonight, so we can only watch a ninety-minute one.”

“Sure.” Chu Feiliang smiled.

After she finished the Chinese medicine, Rong Guang had already placed a prepared candied fruit in her mouth.

“What did you just post?” Chu Feiliang recovered from the bitter taste, bared her teeth slightly, and grabbed another piece of dried fruit to eat.

Rong Guang paused, a mysterious smile appearing on her face. “I just told them that on New Year’s Day, The Lover will be there, be it rain or shine.”

So, late that night.

While on a trip to the bathroom, Chu Feiliang secretly took her iPad, opened Weibo, and started reading it like bathroom literature.

She switched to a side account, and upon refreshing her feed, she saw a post from her special follow.

Rong Guang was the only person in it.

Rong Guang:

New Year’s Day, The Lover will see you there.

[Sprinkles flowers][Knife]

It’s super sweet!

Chu Feiliang’s lips curved into a smile.

Rong Guang had learned to be bad, too.

Telling the fans and audience at a time like this that The Lover was a sweet story?

As if they would believe that!

Sure enough, when she opened the comment section, she saw strings of wailing comments. She randomly clicked on a few messages that had images attached, and they were all filled with crying reaction memes.

【What’s the point of luring us dogs in just to kill us?】

【Please, life is hard enough, leave some happiness for this child wuwuwuwu】

【You guys don’t get it. This is so I can cry out loud. As everyone knows, having a good cry is good for your health.】

【Person above, you can go cry by yourself】

【Third floor, you can go cry by yourself】

…

Finally satisfied, Chu Feiliang put away her phone. She thought for a moment and decided to start a little trend in their shared Super Topic, and then find the team later to build some hype.

However much those people had disapproved of them being together before, she was going to make them beg for her and Rong Guang to be together now.

She wanted to make #TheWholeWorldIsBeggingRongGuangAndChuFeiliangToBeTogether# a classic hashtag.

The kind that would still be brought up again even many years after they got together.

The kind that would, in the future, frequently top the nominations in topics like #WhatAreSomeFairytaleRomancesYouHaveSeen#.

Chu Feiliang thought for a moment, put away the iPad, and tiptoed to the bed.

She had been pestering Rong Guang for several hours, tiring her out quite a bit, so Rong Guang was sleeping much more soundly than she was, all soft and pliant.

Chu Feiliang leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Teacher Rong, I’ve received an offer for an observational variety show. Would you be willing to go on it with me?”

Rong Guang hummed twice in her sleep.

Chu Feiliang said, “If you’re willing, just nod… oh, no, if you’re willing, give me a kiss.”

Half-asleep, Rong Guang instinctively puckered her lips.

Chu Feiliang was delighted. “Then I’ll take that as a yes.”

And just like that, the matter was settled as a matter of course.

That night, Chu Feiliang got up again and posted on Weibo:

Chu Feiliang:

Don’t worry, I’ll let you have some candy in a little while.