Chapter Sixty-Five
After three hours of trending on social media, Xu Li's phone battery finally ran out.
She slumped on the sofa, her feet kicking against Tan Yuze's thighs, the screen displaying a long image of a "ten-year timeline" made by a fan:
Old photos of the drama club in 2014 — candid photos from the film festival in 2017 — her announcement of retirement from the entertainment industry in 2020 — the ginkgo tree kiss tonight in 2024.
Caption: Turns out, someone kept their love hidden for an entire youth.
Xu Li's eyes welled up with tears. Tan Yuze took the phone away, leaned down and kissed her eyelashes: "Don't cry in this heat, be good."
At one in the morning, they decided to do something "boring":
They printed out the trending search terms and pasted them one by one on the living room wall, like performing performance art.
Xu Li took a colored pen and wrote annotations next to it:
[#Who is Tan Yuze?#] An arrow was drawn next to it—"He's my husband."
[#The Truth Behind Xu Li's Retirement#] The caption reads: "So I could go home and cook noodles for him."
Tan Yuze laughed and tickled her waist. The two rolled around in a ball, the printer was knocked off its plug, and the last page stopped halfway.
#The long-standing grievances in the Chinese entertainment industry have finally been resolved#
Xu Li crumpled the paper and stuffed it into his pajamas collar: "Who's upset? I've never wronged you."
Before dawn, Tan Yuze went back to his parents' house.
I opened the door quietly, only to find the living room brightly lit—the elderly couple, wearing reading glasses, were reading comments from netizens one by one on an iPad.
"Old Tan, look, this young girl said 'I'm dying from all this stuff,' what does that mean?"
"Perhaps... he's very happy?"
Tan Yuze coughed and clenched his fist: "Dad, Mom, I'll handle the trending topics. Don't overwork yourselves."
Tan's mother looked up, smiling as if she had stolen candy: "What's there to be tired about? Your father and I are picking out a wedding hotel for you. Does Xiao Li prefer a lawn or a castle?"
Tan's father added, "Let's go to the lawn. Xiao Li would look beautiful twirling around in her wedding dress for photos."
Tan Yuze: "...Mom and Dad, let's not rush this. We want to wait a few more years. Please don't get involved."
He suddenly realized that his parents had entered "married mode" before he had.
Xu Li wasn't idle either.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the former agent arrived with a car full of public relations gifts: masks, sunglasses, and reverse camera devices.
Nan You lamented, "My ancestor, you've been out of the industry for a few months, yet your popularity surpasses that of top celebrities. Brands have tripled their 'comeback price' overnight."
Xu Li shoved a cup of hand-drip coffee into her hand: "Sister Nan, have some water to cool down." Nan You took a sip, then froze: "These beans—"
"Tan Yuze baked it." Xu Li smiled smugly. "From now on, I'll only work for him, not for you."
Nan rolled her eyes, but pulled a thick stack of scripts from her bag: "Even if you don't care about the money, take a look at the story. There's an art film in there, where the female lead retires from acting and opens a flower shop in a small town—"
Xu Li paused, then pushed it back: "I'm busy enough playing 'Mrs. Tan' right now."
In the afternoon, the two went to the used bookstore in the west of the city.
The roller shutter door opened, and dust danced in the sunlight.
Xu Li tiptoed to reach the top shelf for the copy of "Norwegian Wood," but Tan Yuze hugged her from behind, saying, "I'll help you."
As I took the book down, a yellowed sticky note fell out:
—"If you're still working at my shop in 2024, please answer one question: Would you be willing to rent the rest of your life to me?"
The signature is Tan Yuze from 2017.
Xu Li turned around, her nose brushing against his chin: "So you had bad intentions all along."
Tan Yuze lowered his head and kissed the crown of her head: "Back then, I didn't dare to confess my feelings, so I could only hide my crush in a book."
Xu Li took out a pen and wrote on the back of the note:
"The rent has been paid, and the term is for life."
Then, with a snap, the bookstore stamp was affixed, as if completing a contract that was seven years overdue.
In the evening, they went to the supermarket to buy "gifts for meeting the parents." Xu Li pushed the cart while Tan Yuze tossed things into it from behind: two boxes of sugar-free sesame paste—"My mom has bad knees." A bottle of aged Shaoxing wine—"My dad likes to have a drink." Three packets of snail rice noodles—"For you to have as a late-night snack."
When they were paying, the cashier stared at them for three seconds, then suddenly screamed, "You...you're that couple who's trending online!"
Xu Li put her index finger to her lips: "Shh—it's a secret, we haven't registered our marriage yet."
The little girl nodded frantically, her hands trembling as she scanned the QR code.
After leaving the supermarket, Tan Yuze took her hand and said, "Why don't we get our marriage certificate tomorrow, so we don't have to wait and see?"
Xu Li teased him on purpose: "I'm not going if there's no proposal ceremony."
As soon as the words were spoken, the supermarket's loudspeaker announced: "Congratulations to customer number 13, Mr. Tan, for winning today's lucky prize!"
The prize was an apron with the character "囍" printed on it.
Tan Yuze unfolded his apron, knelt down on one knee, and said, "Miss Xu, would you be willing to wear this and fry eggs for me for the rest of your life?"
Xu Li laughed so hard she bent over, her eyes sparkling: "It's barely passable."
Late at night, the two returned home.
The lights in the house were broken, so Tan Yuze turned on his phone's flashlight, and tiny dust particles danced in the beam.
Just before the key was inserted into the lock, Xu Li suddenly grabbed his sleeve: "Tan Yuze, did I ever say—"
"Um?"
"The day I left the entertainment industry, I thought my life was over. But you took me home and showed me that ordinary people's lives can be just as bright."
Tan Yuze didn't say anything, but leaned down and kissed her.
A very light, very long kiss, as if sealing away all the regrets of the past.
In the bedroom, the projector displays trending topics from Weibo onto the ceiling.
#Tan Yuze and Xu Li suspected of living together# is followed by the word "explosive" which has become a viral sensation.
Xu Li rested her head on his arm and softly counted down: "Three, two, one."
At midnight, the top trending topic suddenly changed:
@Tan Yuze: Let me introduce you to the female lead in the love letters I've been writing for ten years. @Xu Li
The accompanying photo is a note he took at the bookstore tonight, with the phrase "rent paid" circled in red on the back.
Weibo's servers crashed instantly.
Xu Li flipped over and straddled his waist: "Hey, Mr. Tan, why didn't you let me proofread your official announcement?"
Tan Yuze held her hand, their fingers intertwined: "Mrs. Tan, please guide me for the rest of my life."
At 2 a.m., Tan's mother sent a WeChat message:
[Link: Choose 1 from 20 wedding venues]
[Link: Precautions for Pregnant Women (Save this for future reference)]
Xu Li chuckled and handed the phone to Tan Yuze: "Your mom has already started prenatal education."
Tan Yuze rubbed his temples and replied:
[Mom, don't buy a crib yet. We're still in the first stage of our marriage.]
Tan's mother replied instantly:
Okay, okay, I'll go learn how to be a mother-in-law first, and while I'm at it, I'll sign your dad up for a "How to Elegantly Spoil Your Daughter-in-Law" training course.
The screen gradually dimmed, leaving only moonlight filtering through the curtains in the room.
Xu Li nestled in Tan Yuze's arms, counting his heartbeats.
"Tan Yuze".
"Um?"
"Tell me, what's it really like for ordinary people to be in a relationship?"
"That's probably how we are."
"What?"
"Daily necessities, trending topics about marriage announcements, parents pressuring for marriage, bookstore notes, tomato and beef brisket noodles... and also—"
He lowered his head and kissed her, saying, "I'll secretly kiss you ten thousand times at night."
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the kitchen.
Tan Yuze was frying eggs, and Xu Li was toasting bread. When they were toasting the third slice, she suddenly remembered something: "By the way, where did you put the household registration booklet?"
"The second shelf on the left."
"What a coincidence, it's placed next to my Hundred Flowers Award trophy?"
"Unfortunately." He turned off the stove, turned around and carried her to the counter. "The trophy is your past glory, and the household registration book is your future home. I've kept them all for you."
Xu Li hooked her arm around his neck and rubbed her nose against his: "Tan Yuze, I've never been this excited when I was memorizing lines on set before."
He laughed, his voice low and husky: "Now it's my turn to carry you—"
"What are you carrying?"
"I'll carry you back to your room so you can take another nap."
Of course, I didn't get to take a nap.
Because Mr. and Mrs. Tan burst into the room carrying breakfast, followed by a photographer—the elderly couple had booked a "meeting the parents and taking photos" overnight.
Tan's mother smiled and said, "The trending topic says you're getting your marriage certificate today? We've come to witness it!"
Xu Li, dressed in her pajamas and holding a spatula, looked completely bewildered: "Huh?"
Tan's father waved the household registration booklet: "Don't worry, I stole it. I also brought that ugly photo of Yuze when he was a child. I'll stick it next to the marriage certificate later."
Tan Yuze rubbed his forehead, and Xu Li laughed so hard she fell into his arms.
Outside the window, the June breeze carries the scent of gardenias, stirring the small pot of hyacinths on the dining table.
The petals trembled slightly, as if saying:
"The story has only just begun."
At 1 a.m., Weibo crashed again. Tan Yuze posted a new update:
[Photo of marriage certificate] Caption: Ten years of unrequited love, three years of dating, today it's finally legal. @XuLi
Comments quickly exceeded 10,000:
"Ahhhh, my favorite couple has come true!"
"The pinnacle of after-sales service in the Chinese entertainment industry!"
May my brother and sister-in-law have a long and happy marriage and have a son soon!
Xu Li forwarded: Thank you everyone, we are doing well, and we will always be doing well.
The next morning, Xu Li woke up early. She tiptoed out of bed and went to the kitchen to fry eggs.
Tan Yuze wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder: "Good morning, Mrs. Tan."
Xu Li smiled and flipped the fried egg over: "Good morning, Mr. Tan."
Outside the window, pomegranate blossoms lay scattered on the ground, like a red carpet.
They stood in the morning light, as if standing at the beginning of a long period of time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com