Zuo Ning went viral.
While he was still wondering how to give out the gift, the internet was already flooded with discussions about him. The most direct reflection of this was his Weibo account, which he had just opened and which previously only had a three-digit follower count, suddenly skyrocketing overnight and surpassing one million.
Although that follower count was still less than the Weibo account for his dog form, it was more than enough to prove just how much impact this character had on him.
His Weibo page, apart from the reposted official announcements, was practically empty. You could even call it barren and uninteresting. And yet, there were still tons of people leaving comments below, fangirling in the replies, begging him to post more daily life photos.
Zuo Ning gave it some thought, then pulled out a few selfies from his phone that he thought looked pretty good. He sent them to Bei Xiao first, and after confirming there was nothing wrong with posting them, he finally uploaded what would become the very first personal post on his Weibo since he opened the account.
There were four photos in total.
Two of them showed him facing the camera, with the courtyard of the Lu family estate in the background. It was early morning, just after sunrise, and the boy in the picture was smiling with a face full of bright sunshine.
One was taken from behind. Due to the angle, the photo was overexposed, turning the entire person in the shot into a silhouette. The boy was holding up a V-sign above his head, and the sunlight happened to shine right on top of him, giving the image a lot of mood and atmosphere.
The final photo was a side profile. The person in the photo was smiling brightly, walking toward the sun. His long, slender eyelashes, seen from the side, looked impossibly long. Even through the screen, the photo made viewers smile without realizing it.
After Zuo Ning uploaded the photos, he only wrote two words: Good morning. Almost the moment he hit send, people began liking and commenting.
【This isn’t the same vibe at all! How can you smile like that and still be the same melancholy celestial being?!】
【WTF. Our little fairy man just turned into a warm-hearted boy-next-door! So much more down to earth now, but that face is still flawlessly good-looking!】
【Aaaaahhh Ning baby finally posted! I’ve waited so long for this. Thank god I didn’t give up!!!!】
【Slurp slurp slurp. Is our fairy boy waking up every day stunned by his own handsomeness? He’s so freakin’ good-looking! Please post more! Post a nine-grid!!】
【I went to the theater for a second watch yesterday. He’s such a warm character. I didn’t cry the first time, but the second time I actually cried. My poor celestial lord TT】
【Face-stan has already collapsed. Mom said the early bird gets the worm, and damn, she was right! Just for that face alone, I’m becoming a fan of Ning baby!】
【Wuwuwu, my Celestial Lord is absolutely flawless from every angle. He totally lives up to the title of “little fairy boy”! Ning Ning, please do more historical costume dramas in the future. Your costume look is downright breathtaking!】
【A little fairy boy appears out of nowhere. Director Tang’s star-making skills are as amazing as ever. Aside from that already cliché love-and-hate drama plot, the most beautiful highlight of the whole series was that sea of flowers… and that white-robed Celestial Lord. I heard they’re going to film a drama version of it. Please let our little fairy boy keep playing the Celestial Lord!】
【My Ning baby is absolutely deserving of the title “Most Stunning in the Three Realms”. If this gets turned into a TV drama, they must cast him again. If anyone else plays the Celestial Lord, it’s probably going to be a disaster. Not even talking about acting, just look-wise, there’s not another male celebrity in the entire entertainment circle who naturally radiates this kind of ethereal vibe!】
Lu Chenghe returned to the office after finishing a meeting. When he saw the door to the small room was open, he walked over to take a look, wanting to see what Little Pudding was up to.
What he saw was Zuo Ning sitting on the bed, staring blankly out the window.
Lu Chenghe paused for a moment. “Little Pudding?”
Hearing his voice, Zuo Ning turned around. There was a slightly aggrieved expression on his face as he looked at Lu Chenghe.
Lu Chenghe glanced at the phone in his hand, walked over, and gently patted his head. “What’s wrong?”
Zuo Ning suddenly wrapped his arms around Lu Chenghe’s waist and rubbed against him. “Chenghe, I think I’m… famous now.”
Lu Chenghe chuckled. “Weren’t you already famous? You even got chased down two streets by fans last time.”
Zuo Ning said, “That felt more like a novelty back then. Like, oh wow, someone on the street seemed to recognize me. It was surprising, a little exciting. But I just posted a Weibo, just a few ordinary photos… and then so many people liked and commented. Suddenly, I got a little scared.”
Lu Chenghe gently stroked his head. “Scared of what?”
Zuo Ning let out a sigh. “I’m afraid that I won’t perform well in the future and disappoint the people who like me. I’m afraid that if I make a mistake someday, it’ll cause a big mess. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to grow the way I originally wanted to, that I’ll lose control over myself. I’m afraid I’ll never again be able to walk freely on the street, that I’ll have to be cautious with everything I say and do. I won’t even be able to just roll up my sleeves and throw a punch when I see someone I can’t stand. I know there’ll definitely be people trying to bring me down, digging into my background, attacking my family… Just thinking about all this makes me really scared.
Before choosing this career, I guess I had thought about all these possibilities. Back then, I felt like it didn’t matter. I believed I could always keep a calm mindset. But now that it’s actually happening, it’s not the same as I imagined. It’s not that simple.”
Lu Chenghe looked at his tightly furrowed brows and let out a small laugh. “There’s still time to quit now, you know. Don’t worry. If you quit, I won’t call you a coward.”
Zuo Ning immediately shot him a glare. He came here looking for comfort! Couldn’t this guy say something nice for once?
Lu Chenghe grabbed his cheeks and gave them a gentle squeeze. “If you want to walk freely on the streets, we can go abroad. You don’t need to be afraid of people digging up your background. It’s clean and simple, nothing to attack. And you don’t need to worry about your family getting dragged in either, because there’s no media outlet out there that would dare to go after the Lu family. If you enjoy flowers and applause, then you have to get used to the negativity on the internet, too. If you’re afraid of losing control over your own life, then don’t let outside noise sway you. When you have a role, go film. When you don’t, go to class properly. Or just come to the office and hang out with me. Worst case? Quit the industry. You quit, I won’t let you starve. The sky’s not going to fall. So there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Zuo Ning looked up at Lu Chenghe. “Was that supposed to be you comforting me?”
“You don’t think it was?”
Zuo Ning pouted and gave a little hum. “But what I wanted to hear was: ‘Don’t be scared. No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side’.”
Lu Chenghe flicked him on the forehead and gave him a light push. “Didn’t I just say I won’t let you starve even if you quit? Isn’t that the same thing?”
“But the way you said it just now sounded better.”
Lu Chenghe turned and started to walk away, but Zuo Ning immediately jumped off the bed and pounced onto his back. “Are you busy today?”
Lu Chenghe instinctively reached out to support him. Summer clothes were thinner, and even though he was wearing a dress shirt and suit, he could still feel the warmth and the rhythm of a heartbeat pressing against his back. He froze for a moment, adjusted his breathing slightly, then finally asked, “What do you want to do?”
Zuo Ning lay on his back like that, one arm hooked around his neck, while the other fished around in his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled flyer. “Grand opening today. Buy one, get one free for two people!”
Lu Chenghe glanced at it. It was a flyer for a newly opened amusement park.
Zuo Ning waved the flyer in front of his eyes. “Are you free? If you’re busy, I’ll just have an assistant go with me. Then, when you’re not busy anymore, I can go again and play with you.”
Lu Chenghe let out a snort of laughter and looked at him. “So I should thank you for going once and being so gracious as to go again just to keep me company?”
Zuo Ning gave a generous wave. “You’re welcome, it’s what I should do!”
Without any hesitation, Lu Chenghe tossed him straight onto the bed. This little thing was getting more and more brazen.
The newly opened amusement park was built on the foundation of the old one, expanded and renovated. Inside, it was divided into three zones: the amusement zone, the aquarium zone, and the ice sculpture zone. You could buy a combo ticket, which included entry to all the attractions, or you could buy individual tickets for just the zones you wanted to visit.
Coming to a theme park in the middle of a scorching summer was practically asking to be roasted alive, but the line at the entrance was still long and winding. Zuo Ning wore a cap and sunglasses. During this kind of blazing sunny season, plenty of other tourists dressed similarly, so he didn’t stand out too much. Besides, although he had recently gained popularity, it was still tied to that single character—his fame hadn’t fully taken off yet. He hadn’t reached the point where just a hat and sunglasses would get him recognized. So this was probably the best chance to go out and enjoy himself. In the future, such chances might become rare or impossible.
Zuo Ning noticed that the line for full-access combo tickets was shorter, so he trotted over with his backpack bouncing behind him. But halfway there, he turned around and ran back to Lu Chenghe, holding out a hand. “I didn’t bring any money.” He hadn’t linked his phone to any payment method yet, so it was useless.
Lu Chenghe glanced at him, then rested a big hand on his head. The cap, heated by the sun, radiated intense warmth. Without saying a word, he led Zuo Ning toward the entrance. Usually, getting him to leave the house was like trying to kill a dog. But now that it was his own idea to go out and play, he didn’t seem to mind the scorching heat at all.
When they reached the entrance, Lu Chenghe handed him a small pass, then swiped his own at the VIP gate, which immediately opened.
Zuo Ning looked at Lu Chenghe, then at the card in his hand. Imitating his action, he swiped it too and followed him inside. As soon as they entered, Zuo Ning asked curiously, “Did you buy the tickets in advance? When did you do it? Were you already planning to come play with me today, so you bought them ahead of time? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything. I should’ve waited for you to bring it up first!”
Lu Chenghe gave him a glance. “It’s a VIP card from a partner company. Everything inside is free with the card. I was going to give it to Xuanxuan.”
Zuo Ning’s smiling face instantly collapsed. So what he meant was… even a five-year-old brat got better treatment than him?! Shouldn’t he be the first person Lu Chenghe thought of when it came to fun or delicious things?
In retaliation, Zuo Ning dragged Lu Chenghe to the first ride: the roller coaster. If he couldn’t win with charm, he’d scare him to death!
However, in the end, the one who nearly threw up after getting off was Zuo Ning himself. Meanwhile, Lu Chenghe stepped off calmly, his handsome face completely composed, not even the slightest change in expression.
Zuo Ning clutched his churning stomach and looked at him. “You didn’t feel anything? When it drops that fast, didn’t it make your insides itch like crazy?”
Lu Chenghe looked at his silly expression and patted his head. “Wait until I take you skydiving a few times, you’ll get used to it.”
Zuo Ning turned his head with a mournful face. They weren’t even on the same level. He got crushed again.
Though the amusement park had just opened and was packed, the card they had meant they never had to wait. Zuo Ning completely let himself go. Once again, the advantages of being a Samoyed showed: his energy was off the charts. Since they didn’t have to queue, everything they did was extra fun. The aquarium, the ice sculpture zone—they hit them all. Zuo Ning even pulled Lu Chenghe into countless photos, snapping pictures until his phone ran out of battery.
From daytime to nightfall, Zuo Ning never stopped moving. In the end, he even sweetly massaged Lu Chenghe’s shoulders and legs. “Tired? Just the Ferris wheel left. Once we’re done, we’ll go home!”
Lu Chenghe looked at him expressionlessly and said, “Don’t even think about sleeping in tomorrow morning. Usually, when I ask you to move a bit, you act like I’m taking your life away. Looks like the daily exercise I set for you was still too little.”
Zuo Ning snorted softly. Seeing the Ferris wheel had arrived, he quickly grabbed Lu Chenghe’s hand and pulled him over.
Zuo Ning had naturally been on all those amusement rides before, but he had never ridden a Ferris wheel. He always wanted to wait until he found his future life partner to ride it together. He just never expected that ‘her’ would turn out to be ‘him’.
Lu Chenghe also had never been on a Ferris wheel, and in fact rarely came to amusement parks at all. Playing those so-called thrilling rides wasn’t as interesting to him as doing some extreme sports.
When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Zuo Ning took out a birthday gift he had prepared for Lu Chenghe from his bag. The gift wasn’t in a box. Rather, a crystal ball quietly lay in his palm. Inside the crystal ball floated fragments of starlight; with a slight shake and the built-in light shining, the entire cabin was illuminated by a brilliant glow.
Lu Chenghe stared at the object in his hand in surprise. Zuo Ning, a bit shy, said, “I made this myself. The crystal ball was ready-made, but the little castle inside I made by hand. See? Doesn’t it look like the castle you built on the beach last time? I copied it bit by bit.”
Lu Chenghe reached out and took it, the entire palm brightened by the crystal ball’s light. “This is for me?”
Zuo Ning nodded repeatedly. “Yes, your birthday gift. Happy birthday. Also, I’m really glad I met you. From now on, every year on your birthday, I want to celebrate with you, okay?”
Lu Chenghe looked up at Little Pudding and saw the hopeful look on his face, those eyes he especially loved sparkling so brightly, like stars in the sky seemingly shining for real.
With one hand, Lu Chenghe pulled him into his embrace, gently kissed the top of his head, and smiled, “Okay.”
