As night slowly fell, Capital City lit up with countless lights in celebration of the Lantern Festival.
Inside Apartment 1701, Building 7 of the Zichengyuan community, the room was dim and quiet. A phone, wedged between the cushions of a leisure sofa in the duplex, buzzed rhythmically, its red notification light blinking repeatedly.
The phone vibrated for quite a while, but no one picked it up. Just as it finally went silent, another phone on the bedroom floor not far away suddenly began to ring cheerily.
But no matter how insistently it called out to its owner, it was met with complete silence.
After what seemed like an eternity, a figure finally emerged from the cozy warmth of the blankets.
Barefoot, he stepped onto the floor, bent down to pick up the phone, then quickly slipped back under the covers and leaned against the headboard to check the caller ID.
"What's going on?" Chen Fei'er peeked her head out of the covers, asking curiously, "Who was calling?"
Lu Chen replied a little guiltily, "My sister called me… quite a few times just now."
"Quite a few" was an understatement; the screen showed more than a dozen missed calls!
Chen Fei'er shrank back into the blanket, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sure Sister Zhang must've called me too."
Sister Zhang, who had been Chen Fei'er's assistant and manager for ten years, usually handled all her public affairs and media contacts through her personal studio.
Chen Fei'er had posted that blog video on a whim, semi-officially going public with her relationship with Lu Chen. It was bound to cause a stir online. Naturally, Lu Xi and Sister Zhang would call immediately; they set off the fire, now someone had to deal with the smoke.
"Better call them back," she urged quickly. "They must be worried sick."
She felt just as guilty.
Lu Chen's call lasted over ten minutes, during which he was thoroughly scolded by Lu Xi.
As public figures, their love lives weren't just private matters, they carried professional weight. If they wanted to make their relationship public, there needed to be a plan: at the very least, their studios and managers should be notified first so they could prepare a unified statement for the press.
But Chen Fei'er's blog post had come out of nowhere, without a hint of warning or preparation, way too impulsive.
Of course, both of them had the luxury of being impulsive. They each ran their own independent studios and called the shots themselves. Unlike many other celebrities who were tightly managed by entertainment agencies, where even dating needed approval, they had real freedom.
That said, their studios were completely caught off guard. Sister Zhang and Lu Xi had been frantically handling a barrage of media requests while also repeatedly trying to call the two main culprits.
And after calling endlessly and still getting no answer?
In Lu Xi's words: "You two are absolutely unreliable!"
If Lu Chen hadn't finally returned the call, Lu Xi and Sister Zhang were about to storm over to Zichengyuan in person.
Lu Xi knew he had gone to see the house today, and after watching the video on Chen Fei'er's blog, how could she not guess what had happened?
Faced with his sister's fiery temper, Lu Chen had no choice but to bow his head and admit his fault, he didn't dare argue back even a little.
"Yes, I was wrong. I messed up."
But deep down, he had no regrets at all.
After venting her frustration, Lu Xi finally calmed down a little and asked, "Is Fei'er with you right now?"
Lu Chen answered honestly, "Yes."
Lu Xi hesitated for a moment, then asked awkwardly, "…Did you two… you know… do that?"
That? Oh, that.
Lu Chen wasn't easily embarrassed, but even he couldn't help blushing: "Uh…"
The question was way too awkward, he didn't know how to respond, so he simply chose silence.
Lu Xi gave a snort. "I knew it. Never mind, put Fei'er on the phone. Sister Zhang wants to talk to her."
Lu Chen handed the phone over with a sheepish grin: "It's Sister Zhang."
Chen Fei'er stuck out her tongue, took the phone, and greeted sweetly, "Sister Zhang~"
She too got a thorough talking-to, but at least she managed to smooth things over in the end.
After taking back his phone, Lu Chen immediately pressed the power button and shut it off, tonight, he didn't want any more interruptions.
Chen Fei'er had the exact same thought.
At 9:00 PM on the night of the Lantern Festival, Lu Chen's studio and Chen Fei'er's studio issued official statements one after the other, confirming that the two were indeed in a romantic relationship and sincerely hoped to receive the public's blessings.
At 10:30 PM, Lu Chen posted a blog on FMX titled "Meeting You Was the Most Beautiful Accident." The blog contained a single still from Autumn in My Heart, featuring Lu Chen as Yoon Junxi and Chen Fei'er as Yoon Enxi leaning against each other, smiling radiantly in the sunlight.
He also tagged @Chen Fei'er, who replied with a simple smiley face emoji.
At that moment, their relationship was officially and fully revealed to the public, garnering an overwhelming wave of support and blessings from fans.
Although a small number of fans expressed disappointment, sadness, or even discontent, the prior buildup, including the massive success of Blue, had already mentally prepared most people. Many had even been hoping the two would end up together, so the announcement didn't come as a huge shock.
The feared fan backlash simply didn't happen.
Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er first met on the Capital City TV talent show Singing China, where he was a contestant and she was a mentor. From strangers to lovers, they had walked a long and emotional road together, making their story a beautiful legend in the world of pop music.
No one knew how long their relationship would last, but both close friends in the entertainment circle and fellow artists, whether they knew the couple personally or not, sent their warmest wishes. The topic quickly skyrocketed to the #1 trending spot across major blogging platforms.
Unsurprisingly, by the next day, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er's romance had become the top headline in entertainment news.
WeChat News: A Lantern Festival Promise, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er Go Public with Their Love!
Trend Report: No Longer Just a Rumor, The "Morning-Fei" Relationship Finally Confirmed!
NetEase Entertainment: Another "Older Woman, Younger Man" Romance, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er Face Millions of Fans Head-On!
Entertainment Weekly: From Onscreen to Offscreen, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er's Love Story Revealed!
Daily News: A Heavenly Queen and a Musical Genius, The Perfect Match!
New Town News: 'Meeting', A Beautiful Fate Begins.
The buzz didn't stop there. Many media outlets began digging up archives and past stories about Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, piecing together a romantic timeline, pairing it with eye-catching headlines and dramatic language that instantly drew public attention.
Reporters were dispatched to stake out both Lu Chen's and Chen Fei'er's studios, hoping to ambush them for exclusive interviews and firsthand reactions.
But they were left disappointed.
Both studios rejected all interview requests, and Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er themselves were nowhere to be found, as if they had simply vanished into thin air.
The truth was, neither of them had any intention of leveraging their relationship for media hype. They had no desire to turn their love into a publicity tool, nor did they want to become just another entertainment headline.
In an industry where countless stories broke every day, as long as they didn't feed the media, the buzz would naturally fade away, and public attention would quickly move on.
And that was exactly what Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er wanted, to quietly enjoy their time together, away from the noise.
They put their never-ending work aside, handed off daily tasks to their managers, and secretly flew to Bali for a romantic vacation.
It wasn't until March 2nd that they returned to Capital City.
And just two days later, on March 4th, would be the opening day of the country's most famous 72-Hour Grasslands Music Festival, where Lu Chen was set to perform with the Nirvana Band!
(End of Chapter)
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