Fu Shijin's eleventh Weibo post, appearing out of the blue after half a year, was like a thunderclap in a clear sky, blasting his lurking fans from the inside out until they were thoroughly charred!
Southern Wind after Rain: Caught a glimpse of the male god! [Microphone] Finally waited for you, luckily I didn't give up...
Lemon You Orange: Think it over carefully, my male god's only follow is you, his eleventh Weibo is also about you. Tell me, how did you save the galaxy in your past life?! [Crying a River][Heart Shattered to Pieces]
Backlit Goddess Jing: Male god, look at me! Even though you're now spoken for, my love for you will never change!!
Southern Wind Little Fox: Am I the only one who noticed the male god's tone seems to suggest... an unfulfilled wish? Could it be he's already prepared to be loved, and you, 'Think It Over Carefully,' are still hesitating?
From Now on, Please Call Me Elder Monster Great Person: Wuwu, that really seems to be the case! The truth is always too cruel, my heart aches for my male god for ten seconds!
As expected, comments, reposts, and likes under this Weibo post erupted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, quickly skyrocketing. Fu Shijin and 'Think It Over Carefully' appeared together for the first time, trending side-by-side on the hot searches.
Fans from both sides were already so excited they could hardly contain themselves, taking turns camping out under the two individuals' Weibo accounts. After venting their emotions under Fu Shijin's post, they'd rush over to 'Think It Over Carefully,' pleading with her this time to respond quickly and not keep their male god waiting too long.
Scrolling through these comments, Mei Ran felt a tingling sensation creeping up her scalp. How exactly was she supposed to respond?
How much more courage is needed? That part of the question was easy to answer, of course, but it was followed by that hot potato—she stared at those two words brimming with ambiguous meaning for a long time, as if trying to bore a hole through them with her gaze.
While Mei Ran hesitated, her best friend leisurely waltzed in to add fuel to the fire. Best friends being best friends, each word struck right at the heart of the matter.
Yu Sheng v: The original post's phrasing is unclear. May I ask, is the courage you want to know about for "love," or for... (you all understand)// Fu Shijin v: Tell me, how much courage is still needed now?
Truly someone who relishes chaos!
Her own fans also started howling.
Little Dingdang: Never imagined the virtuous heavenly queen I've been following for years also has such a gossipy side, totally cool! Feel like I love you even more now!
Midsummer Light and Shadow: Kneeling and begging the goddess to tell us who 'Think It Over Carefully' is. I haven't been able to eat well or sleep soundly for days because of this [Big cry]
Memories of Mulberry Groves: To be honest, I'd really like to know the answer to this question too [Shy]
Watching more and more new messages flooding in, Mei Ran couldn't help but rub her temples. She exited and opened WeChat, sending a message to the instigator.
A few seconds later, Yu Sheng's reply cheerfully landed on the conversation page with a "ding."
Yu Sheng: How could I possibly back down easily? One finally finds a little bit of fun in life [Doge]
Mei Ran: ...
Yu Sheng: Speaking of which, which stage have you two progressed to now? Holding hands, definitely. Kissing? Absolutely. That leaves only...
Mei Ran hurriedly interrupted her before she could utter the rest: "Has the recording for your 'China's Good Singer' reached the semi-finals now?"
Yu Sheng: Hehe, getting shy? Don't change the subject!
Yu Sheng: Has he been rolled yet?
Mei Ran momentarily couldn't follow the tangent. "Rolled what?"
Yu Sheng: Ahem! Let me rephrase it in a more easily understandable way. Has he started sowing seeds?
Sowing seeds?
Sowing...
Seeds?
Mei Ran's face flushed hot with embarrassment and annoyance. She sent a voice message directly: "Yu Shengsheng, the black room for seven days is settled!"
Before being blocked, Yu Sheng sent one last message, risking life and limb: "He's Ansel, you know. I don't believe you can resist."
Mei Ran's reaction again: "..."
In the evening, Fu Shijin was usually in his study organizing materials, but at this moment, he was lying on his bed, patiently browsing Weibo on his phone.
He hadn't expected that just one Weibo post would cause such a sensation. Watching the fans' comments, a slight smile curved his lips.
Rather amusing.
Message notifications kept popping up. Fu Shijin intended to dismiss them but accidentally tapped one instead. The latest private message jumped clearly into his view.
The Weibo username was just a string of numbers, clearly an alternate account. The content was unseemly.
"Mr. Fu, hello... Please don't be fooled by 'Think It Over Carefully's' beauty... She's very vain. She's even had plastic surgery before..."
A thin layer of anger surfaced in Fu Shijin's eyes. He chuckled coldly and tapped his fingers rapidly on the screen a few times.
Over there, Mei Mengran immediately discovered that the edited private message could no longer be sent. Unconvinced, she tried a few more times before finally accepting the fact that her alternate account had been blocked by him.
She trembled with rage, nearly crushing the phone. Her white teeth chattered as she gritted them. It felt as if all the blood in her body had been diluted by intense jealousy and hatred in that moment. She stomped her foot hard on the ground.
Xia Xia, who was standing nearby, let out a sharp gasp as if greatly startled.
Mei Mengran glared at her. Under the soft lamplight, her face appeared particularly sinister and terrifying. Xia Xia's legs had gone weak with fear, and she collapsed to the ground, covering her mouth as she scooted backward repeatedly.
Her agent, noticing the abnormality, looked over, puzzled. But a look of immense panic flashed in her normally calm eyes. She tried to steady herself, but her voice still trembled, coming out in fits and starts. "M-Mengran... y-your nose... seems... crooked."
Mei Mengran's eyes widened suddenly. Her expression looked utterly terrifying as she covered the lower half of her face. "Don't look! You're not allowed to look!"
A little past midnight, paparazzi staking out at Airport A all night captured a set of exclusive, valuable photos. The next day's entertainment news headline prominently featured: Popular female star Mei Mengran appears at airport late at night wearing a mask, looking rushed.
Weibo hot search: Female star Mei Mengran flies out of the country late at night.
What's more, some marketing accounts jumped on the bandwagon for hype: Exclusive Reveal! With the semi-finals of 'China's Good Singer' recording imminent, why did the red-hot female star Mei Mengran hurriedly fly out of the country late at night?
Reposts and comments on this Weibo post grew rapidly like wildfire.
However, the person involved seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, with no further news coming in. Even the program team couldn't contact her, leading to even more speculative guesswork from the outside world.
When her assistant mentioned this, Mei Ran was also somewhat surprised. Could something have happened to Mei Mengran?
Could it be because of her mother?
This train of thought brought Mei Ran back to Wu Yuwan. Was she really infected with HIV, or was that just her own speculation?
"Senior sister, it's been over twenty minutes," Tian Tian said anxiously, looking out the door. "How come God Fu still hasn't shown up?"
"Maybe there's traffic on the way."
However, after waiting for another ten minutes, Mei Ran also began to feel something was off.
The phone call was answered by the elderly lady, her tone urgent. "Xiao Ran, Shijin had another severe headache when he woke up this morning. He's in a lot of pain right now. Old Yang just happened to have returned to his hometown, and I don't feel comfortable letting him drive alone..."
Mei Ran understood immediately. She comforted the elderly lady gently, "I don't have any other patients scheduled for this afternoon. I'll ask for leave later and come over to see him."
She went home midway to pick up her acupuncture box. By the time she arrived at the Fu family villa, it was almost half-past three in the afternoon.
The elderly lady was pacing anxiously in front of the door. As soon as she saw Mei Ran getting out of the taxi, she hurried forward and grasped her hands. "Xiao Ran, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Mei Ran smiled. "It's no trouble."
Entering the living room, a strange man happened to be coming down the stairs, casting a pair of peach blossom eyes directly at Mei Ran. The elderly lady introduced him, "This is Shijin's friend, Ye Qihan. I was just about to ask him to take Shijin to the hospital, but didn't expect..."
Before the elderly lady finished speaking, Ye Qihan had already walked closer. He looked at the person before him with a meaningful smile. "Dr. Mei, I presume? Truly... I've heard much about you."
Mei Ran inferred from his teasing tone that he probably already knew about their relationship. She smiled gracefully. "Hello, Mr. Ye."
She pondered internally: Ye Qihan? Why does this name sound somewhat familiar?
"It's my pleasure to meet you here," he said with a polite bow, his gentlemanly demeanor on full display. "I won't disturb you. Shijin is still waiting for you upstairs."
However, Mei Ran distinctly felt that his elegant smile seemed to also carry a certain profound insight into everything, which momentarily gave her pause.
Ye Qihan's smile broadened. He pestered the elderly lady into the kitchen to prepare some good food. Seeing Mei Ran appear, the elderly lady felt reassured, so she let him have his way.
Pushing open the bedroom door, Mei Ran entered, but no matter how lightly she moved, she still disturbed the person on the bed.
Slightly disheveled short hair clung to his forehead. Those brown eyes seemed clear and penetrating as if washed by water. The man wore only a black sleeping robe, its front loosely open, half of his chest revealed, which contrasted starkly with his pale complexion.
"You came," his voice was also low, tinged with a hint of coolness.
"How are you feeling now?" Mei Ran walked over and sat by the bedside, directly placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature, then sighed in relief.
Luckily, no fever.
"All right." The man turned his face slightly to look at her quietly.
Mei Ran pressed slightly harder on his wrist where she was checking his pulse. She watched a bead of sweat trickle down from his chin, pass his slightly protruding Adam's apple, and travel along his collarbone toward a place her gaze couldn't penetrate...
She cleared her throat somewhat unnaturally. "It should be because of the physical exertion during the sea swim competition that day..."
A slender hand suddenly reached out. The warm palm pressed against her fair neck, applying a little force to draw her down, down to a suitable distance. Finally satisfied, the man leaned in gently to kiss those crimson, soft lips.
A mere touch, then he withdrew.
Yet his intense gaze clung to her like thick glue. "But I think the physical exertion after the competition might be even greater."
After the competition ended? He was referring to that time they were in the clubhouse private room...
Mei Ran flushed immediately.
But she still met his gaze calmly. "Next, I'm going to administer acupuncture."
Fu Shijin, seeing her like this, laughed until his chest trembled, cooperatively and neatly taking off his sleeping robe.
Mei Ran took a deep breath, dispelling distracting thoughts, and focused on inserting the needles.
After the acupuncture session, Mei Ran went to wash her hands. When she returned, the man had drowsily fallen asleep again, breathing evenly. It seemed the headache wasn't as severe now. She gently closed the door and walked out.
After some time of recuperation, the little Scottish Fold kitten's injured foot had mostly healed. Mei Ran followed the sound and walked over. The kitten was happily pouncing on a fluttering pink butterfly on the green lawn in the backyard, its chubby little paws swatting and grabbing but failing to catch it, making it so angry it rolled around in the grass.
Mei Ran watched, unable to hold back a laugh. As if sensing something, the kitten turned its head to look over, seemingly recognizing the person before it, and shot over like a small rocket with a "meow."
Soon, the sun was setting in the west. Inside the house, Fu Shijin faintly seemed to hear a soft cat meow and slowly opened his eyes.
The girl sat on the navy-blue patterned carpet, her head lowered as she quietly read a book. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders, the porcelain-white skin at her neck faintly visible. A few strands fell by her cheeks, trembling gently with her breathing.
The golden, soft light of the setting sun was behind her, faintly outlining her clear, beautiful profile, as clear as flowers blooming by water. Her hand gently scratched the kitten under its chin. The kitten narrowed its eyes, looking utterly content.
"Meow~"
She patted its head and gently shushed. The kitten seemed to understand, curling up quietly by her feet.
Fu Shijin squeezed his eyes shut hard, then opened them again. In the deepening twilight, the woman's smiling face was still radiant as a flower.
The beating in his chest was more intense than ever before. He delightfully discovered:
Everything before him wasn't a dream, nor an illusion.
It was a reality he could reach out and touch.
Drowsiness washed over him in waves. Fu Shijin curved his thin lips and peacefully fell asleep again.
In the evening, Mei Ran stayed for dinner. An hour later, Ye Qihan, acting as chauffeur, drove her home.
Just as she pushed open the car door to get out, Mei Ran suddenly remembered something. "Mr. Ye, do you by any chance know Yu Sheng?"
Ye Qihan was taken aback for a moment. "How do you know that?"
Mei Ran played coy. "That's a secret. Thank you for driving me back. Goodbye."
Watching the white figure disappear from view, Ye Qihan smiled faintly. This woman truly was quite interesting.
He turned the car around. Soon, the sapphire-blue sports car gradually vanished into the encroaching night.
Mei Ran closed the door, went to the kitchen to pour a glass of warm water, and after drinking it, sat on the sofa talking to her father on the phone.
The call lasted over half an hour before hanging up. She then casually opened WeChat, scrolled down with her finger, found that name, and tapped it.
The other party is typing...
Mei Ran, her eyes and brows full of a smile, sent a message before his could arrive.
Their messages almost collided at the same time, causing the screen to flicker.
— I'm home.
— Are you home yet?
Truly sharing a heart connected, Mei Ran loved this feeling.
Under the splendid city lights, the night was quiet. Curled up on the sofa, she sent messages back and forth with him, chatting about trivial, everyday things, yet feeling inexplicably happy inside.
The time quickly reached half-past ten.
Fu Shijin: "It's late. You should go to sleep. You have work tomorrow."
Mei Ran: "I'm off work tomorrow. You go to bed soon too. Goodnight."
Fu Shijin: "Goodnight."
"Wait!"
"Hmm?"
Mei Ran: "You absolutely cannot repost or reply to Yu Sheng's Weibo post!"
He could almost imagine her shy expression at this moment. Letting out a light laugh, he leisurely replied, "Then what are you planning to use to bribe me?"
Seeing the word "bribe," Mei Ran automatically constructed a string of unspeakable mental images. She bit her lower lip, typed, deleted, deleted again, then typed...
His message arrived first:
— Come keep me company tomorrow afternoon.
Ah, that's all?
Seems she had been overthinking things. Mei Ran replied without hesitation: Okay.
She was just about to exit WeChat when a new message suddenly came in.
Senior Brother Zhou: Junior sister, I'm back. Can we meet up tomorrow? There's something very important I need to tell you in person.
Could it be the test results are out?
Mei Ran replied: "Sure."