Chapter 99 (End of Chapter 99)

Ever since You Jingzhou personally refuted the rumors for her that day, Yu Shuling gradually became more and more addicted to it, and the two of them would be inseparable whenever they were together.

However, You Jingzhou is the service type in bed. Although he sometimes has sudden emotional outbursts, he mostly takes care of her wishes. Yu Shuling even wonders if she is more attracted to You Jingzhou's body. After all, it's hard not to become addicted to a boyfriend like that.

Yu Shuling was never one to restrain herself out of modesty; on the contrary, she was extremely open and enjoyable. Whenever the two were apart, You Jingzhou became increasingly clingy, reporting his whereabouts at all times, much like that little game called Travel Frog—it was rather adorable.

When autumn arrived and vitamins were scarce, Yu Shuling suddenly developed a craving for jelly oranges, so You Jingzhou would buy them for her by the case. When they were in the same city, he would even act as a deliveryman, bringing the cases to her along with himself.

The two of them love staying in presidential suites wherever they go, the kind with kitchens, so it's convenient to cook whatever comes to mind. You Jingzhou never locks his phone in front of Yu Shuling; the password is his birthday, so his girlfriend can play anytime, anywhere. Yu Shuling has recently become addicted to playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). After running out of her "Happy Beans" (a type of in-game currency), she opened her boyfriend's phone but accidentally tapped the notes app.

Yu Shuling never had the habit of checking up on people; for her, there was no need to continue at that point.

The moment I opened the memo, I saw a dense array of notes.

She paused for a moment, then casually clicked on one, only to find that what was written below wasn't an itinerary, but rather the topics she had prepared to discuss with her each day. A small red heart followed a brief summary, symbolizing the sweetness in the writer's heart when it was written down.

Yu Shuling gripped her phone a little tighter, and could even feel a slight pain.

Perhaps if she had a more sensitive personality, she would have been unable to help but overthink things and ask her boyfriend why their interactions felt like reporting to the homeroom teacher. But Yu Shuling didn't have such thoughts.

Not even a little bit.

There was no doubt that You Jingzhou liked her; she had never doubted it. He hadn't seemed like a clingy person before, and she initially thought it was a change that occurred after they started dating. But she never imagined that this change in his habits was actually just to give her a sense of security.

I only did it because I found out she liked it.

You Jingzhou had just finished slicing the oranges, the glistening segments peeking out and looking incredibly tempting. They were neatly arranged on a plate, waiting for their owner to enjoy them. The man was carrying the plate skillfully out of the small kitchen, about to place it on the table for her to take, when he was hugged from behind.

You Jingzhou's body stiffened slightly as he felt the uniquely feminine fragrance and softness against his back, and his ears involuntarily flushed.

"How could you be so stupid?"

Yu Shuling buried her face in the crook of his neck, gently inhaling the pleasant, refreshing scent emanating from him. At the same time, she tightened her arms, pulling his entire waist into her embrace.

You Jingzhou roughly understood what she had seen, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed:

"Those were all from before..."

He's not a very clingy person, and he's actually quite quiet in private. So sometimes he struggles to think of anything to say to keep the conversation going, but he's afraid of not being interesting enough, which is why he resorts to this somewhat clumsy way to please his girlfriend. However, as time went on, he gradually gained a sense of security and stopped using this method to emphasize and confirm his feelings.

But he still turned around, grabbed Yu Shuling's shoulders, and forced her to look up at him:

"At the time, I thought that as long as I could make you like me just a little bit more, it would be worth it to be a fool."

"And now?"

"Now..."

"Want to hear a love song? I wrote one especially for you."

"How old are you, still spouting those love songs..."

Yu Shuling mostly posts about her daily life on social media, rarely mentioning her boyfriend. This isn't to deliberately avoid the topic, but rather because romance is indeed just one part of her life. She also has new script offers, her annual concert, and the release of her solo album. While she has become more affectionate since falling in love, she hasn't completely settled into that small circle; instead, she wants to reach out to the wider world.

Naturally, I'd rather be with him.

The two didn't flaunt their relationship, but two months later, You Jingzhou released an album titled "Four Seasons Love Songs," which immediately piqued netizens' curiosity.

Aside from providing OSTs for TV dramas, You Jingzhou occasionally released songs related to love and romance, but he never wrote any sweet love songs. His creative style is delicate; he writes both the lyrics and music himself. He didn't become an instant sensation, but rather quickly built his popularity through hard work, not through those catchy pop songs.

The album "Four Seasons Love Songs" contains four love songs, with spring, summer, autumn and winter flowing gently through the notes. From tentative exploration to the tender confirmation of feelings, disappointment and warmth are intertwined, encompassing his long process of unrequited love and awakening.

Young, handsome, and talented male singers always attract many female fans, but You Jingzhou is an upright man who makes a living entirely through his work and is in a normal relationship, so very few of his fans have left. However, after hearing that her favorite artist wrote a love song for a girl, she was still slightly heartbroken, but after the heartbreak, she couldn't help but start appreciating it again.

While passersby were enjoying the romantic scenes and fans were appreciating the music, Yu Shuling noticed that these songs were all taken from the demos he had previously sent her, with only minor modifications.

She said it was impossible not to be moved.

On his birthday, You Jingzhou was out of town and had planned to call his girlfriend after finishing his work. However, he had a lot of things to do that day, and the brand kept finding fault with him. He spent a long time working on his job and finally managed to keep the people there happy. This industry looks glamorous, but there are many shady things behind the scenes.

You Jingzhou had always disliked the decadent and extravagant lifestyle in the industry. He had been almost blacklisted by the company because of this incident, which gave Lyra a chance to benefit from his experience.

However, at that time I was just trying to help, but I never expected that this back and forth would lead to me getting a girlfriend.

A light rain was falling outside. As the drizzling winter rain fell and the cold wind blew, the temperature suddenly dropped several degrees. You Jingzhou rubbed his slightly cold hands as he walked out of the house and saw a familiar figure smiling at him from under an umbrella in the rain.

"Big producer, you got off work so late today, did you not have time to eat cake?"

Yu Shuling raised her eyebrows and shook the exquisite packaging bag in her hand, as if she were asking for praise or being coquettish.

You Jingzhou's birthday is in December, which coincides with the year-end awards ceremony. This year's first music awards ceremony is being held overseas, and many artists are traveling back and forth between China and abroad. The end of the year is already quite busy, with various jobs coming in like snowflakes. You Jingzhou was already planning to return to China tomorrow, but he didn't expect Yu Shuling to come to see him overseas.

Hmm, why do my eyes feel a little sore?

Seeing him standing there dumbfounded in the rain, Yu Shuling scolded him playfully:

"What are you standing there for? Get in the car now, or you'll freeze me to death!"

"They're here!"

A black van was already parked not far away. You Jingzhou bent down slightly and slipped under Yu Shuling's umbrella. As soon as Yu Shuling got into the car, she and the cake were embraced by her boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen for many days. She smelled the faint scent of You Jingzhou's perfume, like the fragrance of grass after rain, with a warm and moist quality.

As soon as she got on the bus, it felt like she was on a pirate ship. Before she could even settle in, her boyfriend's kisses rained down on her. Yu Shuling couldn't dodge them. Her breath caught in his kisses, and her red lips glistened with a thin layer of moisture, making them look exceptionally beautiful.

Yu Shuling put down the cake and quickly pushed him away.

The driver in front was a foreigner, quite open-minded. Seeing the young couple start being all lovey-dovey as soon as they got in the car, he smiled knowingly, humming a tune to himself. The two bickered a bit in the car, and when they returned to the hotel, the cold room felt warmer and more inviting thanks to the girl and the sweet cake.

Yu Shuling cut the cake for him with a plastic knife, then scraped off the bits stuck to the plastic sheet and mischievously smeared them on You Jingzhou's face. She lowered her gaze slightly and could see the boy's Adam's apple. The next moment, she was seized by a playful impulse, and the soft cake fell onto that spot with her fingertips.

You Jingzhou felt as if a tingling electric current had surged through his body, even his breath became hotter, his eyes darkened slightly, and he gripped her wrist with unwavering strength, yet his voice was gentle and coquettish:

"Stop fooling around, we have to catch a flight tomorrow."

Tomorrow morning's flight is to another city in this country for a music awards ceremony. Many well-known artists in the industry will be attending. Winter red carpets are always a battleground for celebrities to outshine each other. Although it's a bit boring, You Jingzhou still hopes to maintain his best appearance to avoid giving anyone any "handle" to use against him.

He doesn't want to see rumors of his "relationship declining."

Knowing he was tired lately, Yu Shuling decided to stop while she was ahead. After showering, she snuggled into the covers, claiming the spot You Jingzhou had already warmed up, and buried herself in his arms. Perhaps because she had rushed to the airport right after class, the journey had indeed been tiring, and she fell asleep in her boyfriend's arms.

The next day, You Jingzhou asked the hotel for breakfast, specially heated up some red wine and asked for eggs, carefully peeled the shells, and helped her wipe away the swelling. Yu Shuling's face was already small and delicate, so a little swelling wouldn't have been a big deal, but she still closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being taken care of by her boyfriend.

"Okay, the big star looks beautiful today."

The makeup artists were already waiting at the door, just waiting for them to come in after they were done. Seeing that Yu Shuling's red lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, You Jingzhou lowered his head and whispered in her ear as a polite knock sounded:

"You're beautiful today, and you'll always be more beautiful tomorrow, okay?"

Yu Shuling gave him a "you know what's good for you" look, and only when the makeup artist entered with her bag did she smoothly switch into work mode in a second.

In the afternoon, the red carpet began to open. Among the group of female celebrities who were "beautifully freezing," Yu Shuling, wearing a down jacket, looked out of place.

In temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius, even the warmest tights will lose their effectiveness in the cold air. Yu Shuling is not one to suffer, so after discussing it with her stylist, she put on a long down jacket over a thermal shirt, with thermal underwear wrapped in her jeans. The outfit was very stylish and definitely not cold.

This was the first time the two had officially attended an event together since going public with their relationship. Countless media spotlights were on their minds, and any tiny detail could become a point of judgment. But throughout the entire event, Yu Shuling didn't interact much with You Jingzhou; instead, she chatted and laughed with Lyra's teammates.

The media cameras certainly didn't let them off the hook, and marketing accounts even started to speculate, with press releases suggesting a breakup and hype already ready to go online.

But tonight, when Yu Shuling's new album "Thorn Forest" won the Best Potential Singer of the Year award for the first time, the atmosphere reached a climax. The music awards at the annual ceremony are all highly prestigious; the Best Newcomer and Potential Singer awards are stepping stones and proof of success, without any exaggeration, and represent the highest recognition for musicians.

Since his debut, You Jingzhou has consistently received numerous music awards, making him a veritable heavy recipient of prizes. Therefore, the award for "Four Seasons Love Song" was no surprise and didn't cause much of a stir. Yu Shuling, on the other hand, has completely shed the so-called "pretty face" label, whereas there was some discussion about her before.

After all, in the field of film and television, he also won the Best Newcomer Award this year. These awards are based on the judgment of industry judges and box office performance, not on the support of fans.

Which pretty face can write its own lyrics and music, sing and dance, and still accept offers from the entertainment industry?

Jiang Wenxi was also nominated this year, but missed out on the award. The Potential Award is awarded within five years of debut; after that, even if she wins other awards, she will forever miss this opportunity.

The girl he once looked down upon, but who later stirred his emotions, has unknowingly risen to a prominent position in the industry. She is still young, like the rising sun, and her future will only get better and better.

Xiao Lin's investments this year did not revive as he had hoped; instead, after a period of initial success, they gradually faded and declined. Not only were his costs wasted, but there were other things that he found even more difficult to accept.

He once thought that Yu Shuling loved him because the bound fate and endless waiting allowed him to be carefree and unrestrained. But in his eyes, she was always the dignified Yu Shi, walking on thin ice in the palace and wielding a sword for the people on the battlefield. If he hadn't seen her with You Jingzhou, Xiao Lin would never have seen such a unique passion in the person in front of him.

Like the sunlight that eventually shines down, he became a completely ignored corner.

And she became the one who was favored without fear of reprisal.

On stage, Yu Shuling accepted her award and thanked her fans with great enthusiasm. After stepping off the stage, although she wasn't sitting with You Jingzhou, Xiao Lin could still see the corners of her lips that couldn't be suppressed turning up, and the occasional light on her phone screen. Finally, the ceremony ended, but the media following them noticed something was amiss when they entered the banquet hall.

It seems like there are two people missing from the group.

A few minutes earlier, Yu Shuling had finished sending a message to her assistant. Before he could reply, she had already taken You Jingzhou's hand, found the North Gate that she had already looked for, and quietly slipped away from there.

Just like every palace banquet in the past, she wanted to escape and find a place to catch her breath. The once prudent and gentle concubine in the palace could not do such outrageous things. Even if she had a moment of rest, she was still imprisoned in the square imperial city.

But now, as she slowly goes through the seasons, she can find her own happiness in the vast world.

Even better, there's this person with me.

The winter waters of the Minglai River had frozen solid, but looking up, countless stars twinkled on a velvety backdrop in the cold winter night. Yu Shuling suddenly wanted to go to the rooftop to watch the star trails. She ran a few steps and turned around, only to bump into You Jingzhou's focused and bright smile.

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Author's Note: After procrastinating for so long, I've finally finished this book. I think I've told the story I wanted to tell! Although the writing was intermittent, I really have a lot of affection for them. I might write some side stories when I have more free time. [Okay]

My next romance novel, "Let's Learn About Tea Ceremony Classes," is a quick transmigration novel. The synopsis will be revised later, but the main content will remain the same, just with some optimizations!