The night was deep and quiet, a lone crescent moon shining gently in the sky.
In the hotel suite, Liang Yan’s eyes were half-closed. She bit her lip softly, struggling to face one undeniable fact: She’d been with him again.
Men really weren’t to be trusted after dark.
They lay facing each other. Last time, it had been pitch black, and inexperienced as she was, she had simply endured. This time, with a small lamp on, the warm light made her bolder. She saw Lu Lincheng’s strong chest and the faint flush of desire coloring his handsome face—and somehow, she thought of those fan videos online filled with comments like: “Ahhh, God please face me directly!”
Embarrassed, Liang Yan turned her face away.
She vowed never to watch those crazy fan-made edits again.
The next morning, Liang Yan rubbed her messy, hungover head and sat up, noticing the bed beside her was empty. Gradually, the memories of last night began to come back.
The bar. Zhou Zhibo. The talk about the project. The drunkenness. Lu Lincheng. Then here.
She vaguely recalled Lu Lincheng leaving before dawn while she had been fast asleep. He had to rush to the crew each morning to get makeup and start filming.
Liang Yan gathered her thoughts and awkwardly realized that her fragmented memories mostly revolved around this very bed. She’d been with Lu Lincheng front and back and even from the side.
Luckily, she’d been practicing yoga and was flexible enough that despite the wild positions Lu Lincheng had put her through all night, her waist hadn’t snapped.
Damn!
Suddenly aware of where her thoughts were going, she cursed herself silently, shook her head hard to dispel the inappropriate memories, and glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already eleven a.m.
Only then did she remember her one o’clock flight back to B City. She quickly threw off the covers, got up, washed, changed, packed her things at the hotel, grabbed her luggage, and rushed to the airport.
On the way, the taxi passed a mall plastered with a giant Lu Lincheng ad. Liang Yan looked down at the silhouette in the poster and quietly lowered her head.
No matter what, she felt she should have thanked him this time. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t line up. She pulled out her phone to send him a thank-you text—only to remember the number was now disconnected.
Sighing, Liang Yan opened Weibo and scrolled to the #DidLuLinchengGetDivorcedToday?# supertopic. Aside from daily fans setting up their little seats waiting for the divorce, the page posted updates on Lu Lincheng’s schedule—like a branch off his main supertopic.
The top post was from a big fan:
“Lu Lincheng’s live visit to the Dark Night Walk film set today at 2 p.m., don’t forget!”
“How could I forget seeing brother?!”
“Got my seat ready, hehe.”
“Will he wear the costume from the movie? It’s been so long since I saw him in historical clothes, sob~”
“Today’s another day Liang Yan has no roles—ding ding, divorce card!”
Liang Yan: “…………”
That stung.
She remembered how, three years ago, some crews would open their sets to the media for promotional visits. Now, with the internet, many had switched to live streaming to interact with fans and hype their projects—a perk for fans.
Perhaps because of last night’s very up-close experience, Liang Yan blushed suddenly when she saw Lu Lincheng’s photo in the supertopic. She quickly exited the page and fanned herself.
The taxi pulled up at the airport just as Liang Yan hurried through security, barely making her flight. Sitting in her seat before takeoff, she leaned back and took several selfies. After picking the best one, she started posting on Weibo, ready to engage with her fans again.
Since that last Brave Challenger clip went viral—the one with the “hardworking girl × overbearing CEO” edit—Liang Yan had gained a small but steady fanbase. Some were ship fans who loved her pairing with Yan Zhun, tagging him under every one of her Weibo posts. Others were simply drawn to her personality—admiring her hardworking, down-to-earth attitude. A few even sent her private messages, telling her how unfair it was that so many people online were eagerly waiting for her and Lu Lincheng to divorce, and urging her not to be upset.
When Liang Yan read those messages, she nearly burst into tears of gratitude, overwhelmed by the kindness. These few lovely fans gave her the motivation to keep posting on Weibo every day. She read every single comment, and sometimes a funny one would brighten her entire day.
“Just made it in the nick of time, yay~” Liang Yan typed happily, attaching one of the selfies she’d just taken, then posted.
The plane gradually took off. Liang Yan turned off her phone, looking forward to reading fan comments after landing and chatting with them.
The flight from Gucheng to B City took about two and a half hours.
By the time Liang Yan landed, it was nearly four in the afternoon. She’d pre-booked a car to take her from the airport to her apartment. Once inside, she settled comfortably into her seat and pulled out her phone to check her fans’ reactions.
The moment she opened Weibo, she was startled by the notification count: “999+.”
W-what was going on?
Her original Weibo posts usually got around a hundred comments and shares. This trip was only a bit over two hours—how did her latest post suddenly explode with so much attention?
Liang Yan swallowed nervously, trying to convince herself it might be because she was finally gaining popularity. But her rational side knew it was unlikely to skyrocket just from a flight. Something must have happened.
With trembling fingers, she opened the comment section on the post she’d made three hours earlier.
“Liang Yan, is that really you?”
“Liang Yan, please tell us it’s not true—you and Lincheng have just been a fake couple all along.”
“If you dare touch Lu Lincheng, I’ll hate you forever!”
“Liang Yan, come out and explain yourself!”
“Please don’t ruin Lincheng for us, even if you don’t become famous, I’ll support you anyway, please!”
…
Liang Yan scrolled through thousands of fan questions and accusations, feeling headache and frustration building.
It all seemed connected to Lu Lincheng.
She opened her Weibo homepage, and didn’t even need to search—the trending list was dominated by “Lu Lincheng Scratch Marks,” marked with a hot “🔥” tag.
Clicking on it, the top post was from a major entertainment account:
“Shock! During this afternoon’s Dark Night Walk live visit to the set, fans spotted suspicious red scratch marks on Lu Lincheng’s body. The marks are ambiguous, sparking endless speculation.”
Liang Yan nearly choked on her own saliva.
Attached was a clip from the Dark Night Walk livestream. Lu Lincheng, dressed in a black down jacket to hide his costume, sat in front of a makeup mirror. True to his usual cool demeanor, he briefly greeted fans with a nod before the stylist adjusted his jacket zipper. The camera angle from top to bottom revealed faint red marks just below his collarbone.
Sharp-eyed fans zoomed in on the screenshot, horrified to see what looked like scratch marks.
Some fans started a minor uproar:
“What’s the big deal? Maybe a mosquito bit him and he scratched it.”
“It’s been ten degrees in Gucheng City lately—try finding a mosquito!”
“Focus on his work, not his private life. Some people really love stirring drama.”
“Instead of arguing, why not save up and buy more movie tickets?”
At first, the debate wasn’t too heated. But then Liang Yan posted her selfie from the plane, tagged at “Gucheng City Airport.”
That’s when the fandom and onlookers went wild.
“Oh my god, Lu Lincheng… I need to calm down.”
“He’s an adult man and married. Of course couples have things like this. Some fans are overreacting.”
“Weren’t he and Liang Yan always just a fake couple? I don’t believe it!”
“Impossible! It can’t be Liang Yan! Lincheng would never be interested!”
“If not Liang Yan, then who? She’s in Gucheng City too.”
“This woman is just trying to ride the hype. Gross.”
“One scratch mark means what, exactly? I scratched myself yesterday because I was itchy—does that mean if someone saw it today, I must’ve slept with someone? Ridiculous.”
…
Liang Yan stared at her phone in shock. She never expected that during her nearly three-hour offline trip, so much would happen.
This was moving way too fast; she needed time to process.
Lu Lincheng. Scratch marks.
Staring at the screenshot, she racked her brain trying to recall last night. Besides being with Lu Lincheng face-to-face, side, and behind… what else had she done? Had she scratched Lu Lincheng?
She couldn’t remember a thing!
Looking at the flood of accusations under her post, she slapped her hand in frustration. Why did she have to post right now, with a location tag?
The entire entertainment circle was already waiting for their divorce; the “abandoned wife” narrative was in full swing. Now if people believed those scratches were hers…
Liang Yan shuddered.
That would be an indirect admission she’d slept with Lu Lincheng—the untouchable “high mountain flower” in the public eye.
There was no way the fans wouldn’t tear her apart!
…
Gucheng City, Dark Night Walk set.
Lu Lincheng touched the new scratch mark below his collarbone. It still stung faintly when he pressed it with his fingertip.
Zhuo Yang stood beside him, stunned.
Lu Lincheng had just told her outright—the infamous scratch marks on the trending topic were all thanks to Liang Yan last night.
Zhuo Yang forced herself to stay calm, relying on years of experience handling crises. Her mind raced through a hundred different strategies, finally settling on two:
“First, we don’t respond. If the lead actor ignores it, the fuss dies down by tomorrow.”
“Second,” Zhuo Yang took a deep breath, looking at Lu Lincheng’s profile, “You post on Weibo that the scratches are just you being allergic and scratching yourself, and have nothing to do with Liang Yan.”
Lu Lincheng furrowed his brow. “Nothing at all to do with Liang Yan?”
Zhuo Yang suddenly smacked her forehead. “Damn it. What if Liang Yan comes out now and admits it?” She reached for her phone. “I’ll call her.”
Just as Zhuo Yang pulled out her phone, a notification popped up — Liang Yan had just posted a new Weibo.
“Damn!” Zhuo Yang growled, furious without even checking the post. “I knew she wasn’t any good. Of course she’d jump in and confess! Lu Lincheng, when will you finally tear her off you?”
Lu Lincheng wasn’t as outwardly angry as Zhuo Yang, but his brow tightened the moment he realized Liang Yan had immediately admitted to scratching him. His lips pressed into a thin line.
He didn’t want to deceive fans or the public, but Liang Yan’s sudden confession made his chest tighten with frustration.
Frowning, he pulled up Liang Yan’s Weibo page.
The top post was her reply to fans’ comments:
Fan: “Liang Yan, are you really the one who scratched Lu Lincheng? Please don’t get involved with him, we’re begging you.”
Liang Yan: “I’m not, I didn’t, I’m not worthy, please don’t overthink it (crying emoji).”
Lu Lincheng: “……………”
***