Sister Liu said, “A-Fu, I’m bringing over a new assistant tomorrow. Spend some time with her, see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll keep looking.”
Mu Fu nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Sister Liu.”
Sister Liu gave her shoulder a firm pat. “You don’t have to be so polite with me. Oh, there’s one more thing.” Her expression turned a little more serious. She spoke earnestly, “Your contract with the company ends this month. Have you thought about what you want to do next? The company’s been asking me about it. Honestly, you know how things are with them. I hope you don’t renew. You’ve been lucky to rise again—don’t waste this second chance. Hold on to it tightly.”
Mu Fu lowered her gaze, resting her head against a pillow. “Sister Liu, I don’t plan to renew either. I’m thinking of starting my own studio.” She paused, then looked up. “Would you be willing to come with me? Of course, I’ll understand if you have concerns.”
Sister Liu was overjoyed. “Of course, I’m in! I’ve wanted to go independent for a while now. Ha! Even if you hadn’t asked, I was already planning to shamelessly tag along.”
Mu Fu felt warmth rise in her chest. Meeting Sister Liu had truly been one of the best things to happen in her career. Even when she hit rock bottom, Sister Liu never gave up on her. For that, she was deeply grateful.
In the days that followed, aside from a few commercial shoots, Mu Fu was fully focused on setting up the new studio. As for the company, while clearly unhappy with the two of them leaving to work independently, they didn’t dare say much. When Mu Fu was still under contract, they’d controlled her schedule however they pleased—but now, they no longer had that excuse.
And with no intention of burning bridges, they could only watch their newly thriving cash cow walk out the door. Mu Fu wasn’t entirely sure why the company stayed quiet about her decision not to renew, but at least it meant a clean break—and one less thing to worry about.
Around the same time, the perfume commercial she’d filmed with Zhi Jiu was finally released. Fans on both sides were deeply moved. Lately, all they could do was rewatch old clips and reminisce—so this ad felt like a delicious, steaming bowl of comfort food.
San Shu: “That ad felt so natural—they really look like a couple in love.”
Little Cat Beibei: “I don’t need them to date for real… I just hope a producer gives them a great drama together. I still want to ship them!”
Heated Shipping Lane: “Too sweet!! This is sugar overload—help!!”
Xinghe: “I’ve honestly lost count of how many times I’ve watched this already.”
Xiaoyang Buchicao: “Ugh, someone please hurry up and air ‘Darling, Let’s Get Married’ already, I need some sweet romance in my life!”
……
“Xiao Cheng, can you help me order a bouquet today?” asked Mu Fu, glancing over.
Xiao Cheng, her newly hired assistant, paused mid-task and responded, “Sure, Sister Mu.”
“Do you have any specific style in mind for the bouquet?” she asked.
Mu Fu thought for a moment. “Roses and lilies. Make it bright and vibrant.”
“Got it, Sister Mu,” Xiao Cheng replied and went back to work.
From the other side, Sister Liu suddenly chimed in, “Hey, A-Fu, did you tell Zhi Jiu you’re going to the concert?”
Mu Fu replied, “Not yet.”
Sister Liu looked surprised. “Why not? It starts tomorrow. He might be waiting for you to tell him. And you already decided to go, didn’t you?”
Mu Fu looked down and didn’t answer.
Sister Liu stepped closer, her voice more curious now. “Did you two have a fight?”
Mu Fu: “No.”
Sister Liu raised an eyebrow. “Come on, who are you trying to fool? If you didn’t fight, why are you acting like this?”
Mu Fu pressed her lips together, then smiled faintly. “Really, we didn’t fight. I’ll talk to him tonight. It’ll be fine.”
Sister Liu gave her a look but backed off. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing.”
Mu Fu absently fiddled with her phone, unsure whether she’d actually taken Sister Liu’s words to heart. She’d been swamped the past few days. The only time she had to reply to Zhi Jiu’s messages was in scattered spare moments. The last time they chatted on social media was just yesterday afternoon.
Thursday, 4:35 PM.
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [A-Jiu, what are you up to?]
Zhi Jiu still hadn’t replied. Mu Fu frowned slightly and scrolled up through their chat history.
Wednesday, 3:43 PM.
Zhi Jiu: [A-Fu, A-Fu.]
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [I’m here. What’s up?]
Zhi Jiu: [Nothing really… I’ve just been feeling really tired lately.]
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [Make sure you’re getting enough rest, okay? Your health matters too.]
Zhi Jiu: [Yeah. I know.]
Zhi Jiu: [Was your shoot tiring today?]
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [Not really. I don’t have many scenes this week.]
Zhi Jiu: [How about Saturday?]
Mu Fu smiled faintly at that. She hadn’t told Zhi Jiu she was planning to come see him yet. She wanted it to be a surprise.
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [Saturday’s pretty packed—I’ve got a lot of scenes that day.]
Zhi Jiu: [Alright then. My teammates are calling me, I’ve got to go.]
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [Okay.]
……
Mu Fu thought about it for a moment, then decided to message him anyway.
Cream Puff Who Eats Rabbits: [A-Jiu, some of my friends want to go to your concert, but they couldn’t get tickets. Do you have any extras?]
He replied instantly.
Zhi Jiu: [I’ve got some. How many do you need? I can have my assistant bring them over.]
Mu Fu’s expression darkened a little. So now he had time to reply instantly—but not when she’d messaged before? She didn’t even bother texting back. She called him directly. He picked up right away.
“Mu Fu,” came Zhi Jiu’s voice—tired, worn out, lacking energy.
Mu Fu pressed her lips together, silent.
“A-Fu?” Zhi Jiu glanced uncertainly at his phone screen, checking the signal. “A-Fu, are you there?”
Her expression unreadable, Mu Fu finally replied, “Yeah.”
Assuming she was still talking about the tickets, Zhi Jiu said, “I’ve got two more tickets left. If that’s not enough, I can ask my teammates. They probably have some too.”
“It’s not about that.”
Zhi Jiu paused, confused. “Oh? What’s wrong? You sound… upset.” What else could it be? He quickly thought through everything Xiao Zhong had told him about Mu Fu—since she’d joined Director An’s production, there hadn’t been much news at all.
Mu Fu took a slow, deep breath. “A-Jiu, were you really that busy yesterday?”
Zhi Jiu tensed, his heart lurching. He quickly pulled up their chat history—and there it was: a message from her yesterday that he hadn’t answered. He rushed to explain, “A-Fu, I’m so sorry. I just got my phone back. Yesterday, Brother Hong took all our phones away—said it was to keep us from getting distracted.”
“Alright.” But the tone in her voice made it clear she didn’t believe him.
He could hear her breathing shift—faster, tighter. Zhi Jiu grew anxious. “A-Fu, I’m sorry. Did I make you worry? It’s my fault. I should’ve told you.”
Mu Fu said flatly, “It’s fine. Go on with what you were doing.”
“No, I’m not busy right now,” he said quickly. “I want to talk to you for a bit.” Then, softly, “I’ve missed your voice… it’s been too long.”
That single sentence put out the spark of anger in her chest.
“You… still miss me? I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”
Zhi Jiu froze, stunned. “How could that be? I miss you so much I can’t sleep. It aches, right here,” he said, pressing a hand over his chest. “All I want is to hold you every day.”
Mu Fu’s face turned bright red. “Why do you always say things like that…”
Zhi Jiu stammered, trying to explain, “I—I was planning to tell you after the show wrapped. A-Fu, I…” His voice on the other end trembled—nervous, uncertain.
“Don’t.” Mu Fu immediately stopped Zhi Jiu before he could go any further. “Let’s wait until the show is over.”
“…Okay.” His deep, warm voice carried a gentle melody. An unspoken understanding flowed between them through the line—soft, wordless, and uniquely theirs.
After a pause, Zhi Jiu said suddenly, “A-Fu…”
“Hm?”
“…Nothing.”
But Mu Fu, with her sharp ears, could still catch the trace of a smile in his voice.
……
The next day came quickly. Zhi Jiu’s concert was set to start at 7:30 in the evening. Around mid-afternoon, the production team from Let’s Get Married came to find Mu Fu.
Everything had already been coordinated with Zhi Jiu’s manager beforehand. At Mu Fu’s request, Brother Hong kept her visit tonight a secret from Zhi Jiu. None of the others on staff were told either—just in case someone accidentally let it slip and ruined the surprise.
Around 6:30 p.m., Mu Fu and the production team arrived at the venue. A long line of fans was already waiting to get in. The concert was held in a stadium with a capacity of eight thousand. Judging by the size of the crowd, even that might not be enough. Tickets for this concert had sold out the moment they went on sale—a clear sign of how much support the fans had for him.
Led by Brother Hong, Mu Fu and the crew made their way backstage. “They’re getting ready right now,” Brother Hong said. “I’ll take you to them.”
Mu Fu held a beautiful bouquet in her arms. “Thank you, Brother Hong.”
He smiled and nodded.
Mu Fu added with a grin, “Hey, how about you go in first? I’ll sneak in after you.”
Brother Hong paused, quickly realizing what she was up to. He laughed. “Alright.”
Zhi Jiu’s group shared a dressing room among the six of them. By the time Mu Fu arrived, they were already inside, doing their makeup.
Brother Hong glanced back and gave Mu Fu a subtle signal with his eyes—he was going in first.
Mu Fu nodded, then quietly peeked around the corner. No one inside seemed to notice the door opening. She let out a small breath of relief and turned to whisper to the camera crew behind her, “This feels like sneaking off behind my parents’ backs to secretly meet my lover. It’s so nerve-wracking… but also kind of thrilling. I can’t wait to see A-Jiu’s reaction.”
If it weren’t for the mischievous grin tugging at her lips, someone might’ve actually believed she was nervous. Her beautiful eyes curved with mischief, her face glowing with playful energy.
As soon as Mu Fu stepped inside, one of the staff members spotted her. “Ah!” A surprised squeal slipped out, but the girl immediately froze when she saw Mu Fu raise a finger to her lips. Catching the hint, she clamped her hands over her mouth and nodded frantically, clearly on the verge of bursting with excitement. Her wide eyes flicked from Mu Fu to the man sitting calmly in the makeup chair—eyes closed, unaware—Zhi Jiu.
Inside, the staff member was screaming like a gopher on helium. “Oh my God, oh my God! My CP is right here—together! And they’re about to go full sugar mode! This is the best day of my life!”
The noise at the door finally drew the attention of others. Zhong Yuze, who had already finished his makeup, turned around just in time to see Mu Fu standing there. His eyes went wide. She actually came! He’d even asked Zhi Jiu earlier if Mu Fu would be coming, only to be told—regretfully—not today.
He’d honestly expected her, and he’d been disappointed. After all, he liked Mu Fu—a lot. Of course, it was the kind of admiration a fan had for their favorite celebrity. He never imagined he’d get to meet her in person tonight. Excited, he reached over and tapped their team leader, Fei Mingzhi, on the shoulder.
Fei Mingzhi turned his head with a puzzled look. “Hmm? What is it?”
Zhong Yuze motioned frantically with his eyes toward the door. Fei Mingzhi twitched at the odd display—Zhong Yuze’s eyes were practically spasming. “What the heck are you doing?” he asked, but followed the direction of Zhong Yuze’s gaze anyway. When he saw what he was looking at, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
Everyone who saw Mu Fu had the same reaction: initial shock, followed by silent excitement. They could all tell—Mu Fu wanted to surprise Zhi Jiu. And they were more than happy to play along.
Right at the center of all this attention, Zhi Jiu began to notice something was off. The room had been buzzing with quiet chatter just moments ago—but now, it was dead silent. He could practically hear a pin drop. Even the makeup artist had frozen mid-application.
He slowly opened his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked casually.
Then, in the very next moment, his entire face lit up as he sprang to his feet. “A-Fu!” he blurted out, having just spotted her reflection in the mirror—holding a bouquet of flowers.
Mu Fu walked up to him, her smile radiating warmth, and held out the flowers. “Surprised? Didn’t expect me, did you?”
Zhi Jiu took the bouquet, his grin spreading uncontrollably. “Definitely surprised. Totally unexpected.” Then, with a playful pout, he added, “You tricked me. You said you’d be busy today.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Mu Fu said quickly. “I just really wanted to surprise you.”
He beamed. “Well, you’re forgiven. I loved this surprise.” His voice was full of joy, his eyes narrowing with happiness as he smiled.
Axolotl Translations 
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