The night Super Typhoon 'Alice' made landfall on City A, a frenzy was also swept up online by the official results announcement for the third round of *The Great Singers of China*. Mei Mengran had managed to beat the Queen Yu Sheng and several veteran music industry figures to secure the top ranking this time.
Fans flooded the comments with congratulations and declarations: Congrats, congrats! Once my goddess makes a move, there's no doubt about it!
– Bawling with emotion! MR, I'm your die-hard fan, supporting my goddess for life!
– This No. 1 spot was what the music industry owed you, what we owed you! Goddess, you are the forever No. 1 in our hearts!
It soon climbed to become a hot topic again: ‘MR Returns, Invincible on All Fronts.’
Mei Mengran first re-posted the latest Weibo from the official *The Great Singers of China* account, adding, “Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard! [Heart]”
Turning back, she saw the topic's discussion volume had already skyrocketed to over thirty million and was still rising. Mei Mengran clicked in, finding her own fans locked in a verbal battle with Yu Sheng's fans.
LeftUnsaid: That Mei Mengran sings quite ordinarily, still a step down compared to my queen. I don't accept this result!
LittleKittyFromSanSiro: If our MR had returned a few years earlier, what place would your queen have left in the music industry?
AFishLovingDoggo: Heh, so if someone adds 'MR' after their name, they become MR? Better go crawl back into your mom's womb and get a brain installed before coming out again [smile].
GreenFancy: Some folks really shouldn't embarrass themselves here. That sour-grapes stench seeps right through the screen. Fans' actions reflect on their idol, so better not invite trouble for your darling idol [wave goodbye][wave].
Mei Mengran frowned. Although those doubting comments were ultimately drowned out by the enthusiastic support from fans, some remarks had hit a nerve. “If one day it's exposed that I'm not MR, then wouldn't it...”
Her manager smiled meaningfully. “Does it have to be that ‘MR’ can only be ‘MR’ and not be the abbreviation of ‘Meng Ran’?”
Yes! A revelation hit Mei Mengran. She had never publicly stated on any occasion that she was the music industry legend MR from all those years ago. Everything was just the subjective assumptions and hype from MR’s crazy fans. Even if one day the lie was exposed, she could wash her hands clean of this ‘beautiful misunderstanding’.
“By the way, has there been any response from Mr. Fu?”
Mentioning that, Mei Mengran immediately wanted to pour out a bellyful of grievances. “It's this hot online. My fans are all calling him their ‘Male God’, rushing to his Weibo to crazily ‘help’ me confess to him. I even sent him a private message. He replied,” she sighed lightly, “but just with two words: ‘Thank you.’ I really can't read his mind.”
The manager asked again, “Then has he followed you back?”
Mei Mengran felt even more deflated. “No.”
“It's fine,” her manager comforted her. “I think that account of his is probably just for work purposes. His last Weibo post was half a year ago. This matter can be put aside for now. The most important thing right now is...”
Even so, Mei Mengran still felt somewhat unwilling deep down. She clicked into Fu Shijin's Weibo profile page and opened his latest post. The top trending comment on it was clearly: “Male God, I originally came here to help my goddess confess to you, but I've decided now to claim you for myself!”
This single comment actually had over 100k likes. Looking further down, there was a whole stream of comments like: ‘Male God I love you,’ ‘Male God I want to bear your children,’ ‘Male God I want to go to your winery and plant grapes.’
Mei Mengran paused. Among the hot comments, there was also this one: ‘Is anyone else noticing Male God's follow count is still 0? Irresponsibly speculating here, could it be that our Goddess’s crush is one-sided wishful thinking?’
It had hit the nail squarely on the head.
Mei Mengran hurriedly closed the page. That sense of unwillingness grew stronger and stronger within her.
Ansel, why is it that even though I’ve already risen so high, you still refuse to give me a second glance?
Why?!
Her phone rang. Seeing the unfamiliar number displayed, Mei Mengran’s first reaction was to hang up. But that side seemed persistent, calling twice more consecutively.
A vague sense of unease suddenly rose in her heart. When the ringtone sounded for the third time, she answered. “Hello.”
The sinister chuckle coming from the other end sounded exactly like a viper hissing. “R-Ran.”
“It's you!” Mei Mengran glanced around frantically, lowering her voice to a tight whisper. “What do you want from me again? Didn't I send you money last time...”
“Ran-Ran, the money you gave last time, Mommy used it all to buy stocks,” Wu Yuwan’s voice laughed thinly. “You know how it is, the stock market's not good these days. The money’s all tied up.”
Mei Mengran gritted her teeth so hard they ached. “What do you want now?”
“Such a good daughter after all. How about this, transfer me another million.”
“You're dreaming!”
“Don’t be in such a rush to say no. I heard you got first place in this round of *The Great Singers of China*? If your fans were to learn what kind of person you were in the past...”
Mei Mengran understood all too well. This woman had her at her mercy, and her demands were growing ever more excessive. But she had no choice but to give in because those stains should never, ever reappear in her increasingly bright future!
She closed her eyes, tasting a faint coppery blood tang in her mouth. “Give me the account number.”
**
Outside, rain poured in torrents; violent winds howled their inspection over every inch of land. In an instant, City A was slaughtered by the storm and gales.
Every city has its own predestined fate; everyone has their own destiny. Sometimes these two fates run parallel.
In the face of this once-in-a-century super typhoon, this southern City A, accustomed to gentle breezes and soft drizzles, was like a primary school student handed an advanced Olympiad math problem—instantly crumbling.
As the saying goes, droughts can trigger people's arson urges. This downpour had likely been observing this overly-naive city’s drainage system for quite some time, biding its moment to deliver a critical hit.
City A became a vast ocean.
Mei Ran's upscale residential complex was a disaster zone. There had been no running water or electricity for two days now. Standing on her sixteenth-floor balcony looking down, everything was a muddy yellowish brown. A few cars were inching along, but before they'd gone far, they choked, sputtered, and stalled.
The rain continued. The floodwaters had already risen to thigh height. Mei Ran was fretting. Her fridge had long been emptied, and the last few slices of bread had been her breakfast.
She had never imagined there’d be a day when she’d face a food crisis. Her foot still needed its dressing changed, but now... never mind going to the hospital, it was probably impossible to even leave the residential complex.
As if troubles never come singly, her cousin Mei Liangzhi happened to be away on a business trip. As for her little assistant, Tian Tian's own home was flooded, so she was no hope either.
The TV was saturated with flood news. Everywhere the cameras went, there was wailing and crying. Mei Ran watched for a while then turned it off.
Better just to go to sleep.
She was drifting off in a daze when she seemed to hear the doorbell. Mei Ran sat up in bed and listened carefully for a while.
There really was someone ringing!
She limped out. Just as she opened the bedroom door, someone was pushing the main apartment door open from outside. Mei Ran stared in astonishment at the person who entered.
“Sorry, I rang several times and didn't hear any movement, so I used the key to let myself in.”
It took Mei Ran a long moment to regain her senses.
The man approached slowly, his figure tall and slender, his eyes seemingly shimmering with flickering depths of light.
“Ah? Mr. Fu, you... how are you here?”
Fu Shijin looked at her, his gaze faintly darkening. His voice was low and unhurried. “A nurse called to tell me you didn't come in to change your dressing today.”
Beneath that casual tone hid a layer of suppressed worry, a fear that something might have happened to her alone at home, which was why he had barged in so abruptly.
So...
Mei Ran was baffled. What did that have to do with him appearing in her home?
“Let's go,” he continued. “I'll take you to the hospital.”
His deep voice seemed magnetic. Mei Ran's mind wasn't quite processing. “But... the water downstairs is very deep. Cars couldn't possibly...”
Wait, no! Then how did he get in? Could it be...
Only now did Mei Ran notice the man before her was wearing a set of short-sleeved sportswear that revealed a stretch of firm calf. It wasn't his usual style, and the visual impact was unexpectedly intense.
By the time her thoughts cleared a little, she was already on his back. The elevator was still malfunctioning, so they could only descend via the stairs.
Mei Ran’s eyes widened in disbelief. Sixteen floors? He had climbed all the way up just now?
Their bodies were pressed tightly together. Through the two thin layers of their clothing, she could feel the heat radiating from him. The sensations of certain points of contact and friction also seemed to become clearer and clearer. Mei Ran’s face flushed slightly, and she tried to lean back a little.
“Careful.”
He turned his head slightly toward her. “Don't move.”
They were going down stairs. The center of gravity should be lowered, not leaned back like she'd just done.
“Oh,” Mei Ran replied softly. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her burning cheek and thumping heart against his back.
Her soft breasts also pressed against that broad, solid warmth.
The man with steady strides seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second. His warm breath grazed Mei Ran's reddening earlobe. His strong arms lifted her slightly, repositioning her, then continued their descent.