The sixteenth day of wanting a divorce.
In the face of various rumors online and the suspicions and questions from Lin Jingxi’s fans, An Rao did not want to hide anymore. He posted his first Weibo since transmigrating into the book:
“It is everyone’s responsibility to crack down on evil forces.”
Lin Jingxi’s fans arrived quickly, gathering in the comment section:
“You are the one with the foul mouth, right? You really are not afraid of death.”
“Hahaha, going against Jingxi’s family? I admire you for being a warrior.”
An Rao’s fans, of course, were not having it:
“Your idol broke the law; how can you still be so self-righteous? Have you lost your morals while chasing stars?”
“Let Lin Jingxi try to retaliate. If anything happens to Rao Rao, Jingxi can join his father in prison for life!”
“Ugh, Rao Rao, do not say that! What if they actually retaliate?”
To be honest, An Rao was not afraid of retaliation. Retaliating against someone from the real world? What were these paper people thinking? If they managed to send him back to the real world because of it, that would actually be quite nice.
He closed Weibo, intending to start a new traditional Chinese painting tutorial to earn more money, but his phone started ringing incessantly. Busy painting, he did not check the caller ID and simply answered, “Hello, who is this?”
Zhang Ze’an’s voice, which sounded like a broken gong, blasted through the phone: “When I call you, who else would I be looking for? Your father?!”
An Rao moved the phone away and was about to hang up.
“Look at Weibo! Fast! Mr. A, I love you!” Zhang Ze’an hung up first.
Mr. A? I love you?
Smoothing down the goosebumps on his arms, An Rao opened Weibo. A post from the local Municipal Public Security Bureau’s official account was trending:
“With the full assistance of citizen Mr. A, we have successfully dismantled Jin Zhehui’s underground casino. The Jincheng Public Security Bureau solemnly announces that Mr. A has been awarded the honorary title of Excellent Citizen. We remind the public once again: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Sometimes, what falls from the sky is not a pie, but silver handcuffs.”
An Rao also saw a private message from the official account:
“Hello, Mr. An. The Public Security Bureau is preparing an anti-gambling flyer and needs a chibi character image of you. We remember you are great at painting. We think it would be very meaningful if you drew your own chibi image.”
An Rao replied, “When do you need it?”
Jincheng Public Security: “The sooner the better. Sorry for the trouble.”
The likes, comments, and shares on the bureau’s post were skyrocketing at a terrifying speed.
“Mr. A! Oh, Mr. A is the best! Excellent Citizen! I can brag about this for a year!”
“You can brag for a lifetime! After all, certain loan-shark-dealing lawbreakers will never be associated with this title.”
“I want Mr. A to do a live stream and tell us the whole process. As a law-abiding citizen, I have never seen such a big scene!”
“Mr. A, please go live! The rocket gifts are ready!”
However, someone still commented: “The father is a gambling debtor, and the son becomes an Excellent Citizen for anti-gambling? It is a bit subtle.”
Jincheng Public Security responded directly: “Does a clear distinction between rewards and punishments bother you that much?”
An Rao was a fine arts student, but not an illustrator, and he did not really know how to draw chibi characters. He found a tutorial online, watched it several times, and followed it step-by-step. Before long, a traditional ink-style chibi character appeared on the paper. The little character held a book that read: “Persistent gambling leads to loss.”
Although the police did not directly reveal Mr. A’s name, based on the clues, netizens unanimously agreed that Mr. A was An Rao. News of him becoming an Excellent Citizen spread rapidly, and his follower count surged.
Yin Xueya sent him a WeChat message with a dynamic sticker of a bouncing white dumpling.
An Rao: “Haha, what is up?”
Yin Xueya: “Just here to leech off your popularity now that you are famous.”
An Rao: “We will see each other soon. How have you been resting?”
Yin Xueya: “Very well. Watching the drama and eating sunflower seeds. Crunch crunch.”
An Rao: “Sister, you are so cute.”
Yin Xueya: “Do not flirt! Let me hear you call me Sister again.”
An Rao: “Sister, you are a world-class beauty.”
Yin Xueya transferred 88,888 RMB. “Take this and spend it.”
An Rao did not dare to accept such a large sum and asked why.
Yin Xueya: “I am afraid you will be retaliated against. Go hire a professional boxing champion.”
An Rao: “Sister, you are overthinking it.”
Yin Xueya fell silent for a long time before sending one last message: “Be safe. Do not make me worry.”
An Rao returned the transfer: “I will protect myself. Do not worry.”
After finishing the chibi drawing and sending it to the police, An Rao felt like cooking. He busied himself in the kitchen to prepare a delicious feast. He assumed that Chu Guannan, after seeing Lin Jingxi’s tearful state, would be heartbroken and angry, thinking only about how to divorce a vulgar person like himself as quickly as possible. As long as An Rao pushed a little harder, traveling the world would be within reach.
He did not care about Chu Guannan’s current impression of him. As soon as the man returned, An Rao ran over, pressed his shoulders, and pushed him toward the dining room.
“Hurry, Hubby! Look at what I prepared for you.”
On the long table draped in a white cloth, candlelight flickered, illuminating a charred, blackened steak. A vivid red rose stood quietly in a wine glass; the atmosphere was unmistakably romantic. Chu Guannan was visibly stunned. An Rao sat opposite him, intentionally pulling his collar down to reveal a shoulder. Under the table, his bare foot restlessly searched for Chu Guannan’s ankle. Once he found it, his toes hooked into the hem of the man’s trousers and pulled upward gently.
“Hubby, I was awarded the title of Excellent Citizen. Hurry and praise me.”
When I mention Excellent Citizen, he will surely think of the pitiful Lin Jingxi, An Rao thought slyly.
Chu Guannan did not speak. He picked up his knife and fork to cut a piece of the burnt steak. It was as hard as a steel plate; it took several attempts to cut through. He studied it closely before putting it in his mouth. An Rao watched in disbelief. He actually ate it?
“Thank you,” Chu Guannan said suddenly.
An Rao thought he was thanking him for the dinner and was about to say something when Chu Guannan continued: “You actually remembered my birthday.”
An Rao: ?
Today was Chu Guannan’s birthday? If so, why was there no activity on Weibo?
An Rao asked tentatively, “Then why did the fans not celebrate it?”
Chu Guannan finally managed to swallow the steak and wiped his mouth. “The date on my ID card is the Gregorian calendar. The fans always celebrate based on that date.”
An Rao was dumbfounded. Had his plan backfired?
“Haha, well, of course! I am your dearest wife; how could I forget your birthday?” An Rao gave a dry laugh, his voice trailing off.
Chu Guannan suddenly stood up and turned off the lights. The room fell into darkness, with only the red candle flickering, casting their shadows on the wall. An Rao felt a bit panicked. Why did he turn off the lights? Was he going to do something? An Rao instinctively covered his chest and pulled back.
Chu Guannan went to the living room and turned on the stereo. Amid the static of the intro, he walked slowly back to An Rao and leaned down, his hands supporting him on the table. An Rao watched his face approaching and instinctively turned his head away.
“Would you like to dance with me?” Chu Guannan asked softly.
An Rao froze, then slowly looked up. The candlelight softened the man’s handsome face. His eyes were like a deep, quiet pond. After a long pause, An Rao slowly reached out. The song was Lan Jiao’s The Moonlight is Thick. The gentle, melodic tune was tinged with a faint sadness.
Chu Guannan pulled him up from the chair and held his waist, moving slowly to the rhythm. He smelled the scent of laundry detergent on An Rao and lowered his face, his nose near An Rao’s hair. It was soft and fine. An Rao looked up and met Chu Guannan’s gaze. The man was looking back at him silently. Warm fingers rested on his waist through his thin shirt.
“You like Lan Jiao too?” An Rao looked away, trying to break the awkward tension.
He expected a cold man like Chu Guannan to say it was just a random selection. But after a long silence, he said, “During the first episode, you said you liked her.”
An Rao was stunned. After a long time, he leaned forward slightly, resting his cheek against Chu Guannan’s chest, and whispered, “Hubby, Happy Birthday.”
Chu Guannan’s fingers trembled slightly, and his grip on An Rao’s waist tightened. Under the flickering candlelight, the two figures moved slowly to the music.
An Rao sat up abruptly in bed, looking at the still-sleeping Chu Guannan next to him. No, no, no. The atmosphere last night must have been too good, causing his emotions to get out of hand. He peeked under the covers. Clothes: okay. Body: okay. Thank goodness.
He checked his phone. The My CP production team had sent a message for them to gather immediately. An Rao did not wake Chu Guannan; he washed up and dressed in one smooth motion, fleeing the house. He no longer understood what he had to do to get Chu Guannan to divorce him. It seemed the man had no such intention and might even be planning to stay together forever.
How depressing.
At the gathering place, several people were already waiting. Su Xiangming gave An Rao a big hug and a fist bump. “Hey, buddy, you are here!”
An Rao saw Lin Jingxi and Shen Yi there as well. Lin Jingxi did not look well; he had lost weight and his eyes were red. He leaned weakly into Shen Yi’s arms.
“Maybe I should just quit. I do not want my participation to affect the ratings,” Lin Jingxi said aggrievedly.
Shen Yi felt Lin Jingxi was too noble, sacrificing himself for others. He touched Lin Jingxi’s red eyes and said tenderly, “I told you, everything is unknown until the results are out. You can use this show to show your best self and change the public’s impression.”
Lin Jingxi sniffled. “Can I really?”
Shen Yi nodded firmly. “Our Xiaoxi is the best.”
Yin Xueya stepped off her car and saw this scene. She took off her baseball cap and asked An Rao, “What are those two acting out now?”
Su Xiangming replied, “The usual sorrowful beauty act.”
Xu Renyu arrived last. Although his leg injury had mostly healed, he still walked slowly until he saw An Rao. He immediately switched to a fast-walking mode.
“Good morning, Mr. A.”
An Rao had never seen Xu Renyu smile so brilliantly.
The staff announced that everyone was ready and called them to the bus, adding, “Teacher Chu is with the director’s car; we will leave first.”
Everyone thought: double standards. Absolute double standards.
The bus was supposed to take ten hours to reach the mountains, but after only forty minutes, it stopped in front of a massive building: the airport. As they got off, a piercing scream erupted from behind them.
“Ahhh! Brother Jingxi! Look at me!”
“Ahhh! Shen Puppy is out with his wife! So handsome!”
Thousands of fans had gathered at the airport since 4:00 AM. When they saw their idols, they went wild. A girl holding a sign for Nan looked disappointed not to see him, but when she saw An Rao, she shook her sign vigorously: “Rao Rao! Where is your husband? Look over here!”
Dozens of bodyguards quickly surrounded the guests. While there were many fans, the light boards for An Rao were few and far between, looking pitiful among the massive signs for the others.
“Lin Jingxi, I love you!” a scream pierced the air.
A girl climbed onto a safety railing, jumping and screaming. A girl next to her holding a sign for Rao was accidentally kicked by her. She looked up and warned, “Get down. Do not stand on the safety railing; it is rude.”
The girl was wearing a mask, showing only her eyes. Some Lin Jingxi fans thought she looked familiar but could not place her.
“What does it have to do with you!” the fan retorted. “Is it because no one cares about your flop idol that you are trying to find a sense of presence?”
Other Lin Jingxi fans gathered around and began attacking the lone fan of An Rao. The small fan was outnumbered and forced back. Seeing his fans attacking An Rao’s fan in front of everyone, Lin Jingxi’s lips curled upward slightly. It would be better if the fight got even more heated and reached the top of the trending topics. He wanted the public to see the massive gap in their strength.