Three noteworthy things happened at Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi’s wedding.
The first was at the flower wall photo-op area in the stadium plaza, where the CP fans and the solo fans of both members reached a truce. A picture of the three fan groups sitting side by side, eating wedding candy, was captured and became a heartwarming story for a time.
【Hahahahaha, holy shit! Isn’t that person on the far left a major toxic solo fan of Xu Shuyan? I remember she hated Lin Yi to the bone and even said that as long as she was around, Lin Yi could forget about marrying Xu Shuyan! Hahahahaha, sis, now’s not the time for your tough talk, is it? How’s the Yan Zhi You Yi wedding candy?】
【Next to her is a major Yan Zhi You Yi CP fan, right? I’m dying of laughter. She looks so radiant, with a whole “This is my home turf, everyone eat and drink well” vibe. Hahahahaha, it makes the major Lin Yi fan next to her look so dejected.】
【That’s not true! Didn’t you see? The major Lin Yi fan was busy taking photos just now, posing with the Lin Yi on the flower wall and the standee next to it…um, the kind where she cropped Xu Shuyan out.】
【Hahahahahahahahaha! So dedicated to her own mama!】
【@LinYiOfficialFanClub: Today is a very important day in @TheNotes-LinYi’s life-it’s her birthday! Let’s wish her a happy birthday! May she be forever beautiful, forever resilient, forever shining! She will also become the most beautiful bride in the world. @TheNotes-XuShuyan, love her well, respect her, and cherish her [smile]】
【@XuShuyanOfficialFanClub: On this day in history: [1912 – French doctor discovers cancer cells. 1997 – The Airbus A330-200 passenger jet successfully completes its first test flight. 2004 – The Athens Olympic Games open.] Today will also go down in history as the day Xu Shuyan becomes a beautiful bride. Looking forward to it, Xu Shuyan! Wishing you happiness!】
【The smell of gunpowder is so strong in these two Weibo posts, hahahahaha.】
【They’ve reconciled, but not completely.】
【I have to request that song again, family… Thank you for the special invitation, to witness your love… Say no more, anyway, I’m already dying from the sweetness, hehehe!】
The second thing was that Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi sang a new song together at the end of the wedding. A pop queen filmed the entire performance and posted it online. In less than twelve hours, it surpassed ten million views, landing it in the undisputed number one spot on a certain site’s daily video view chart-an achievement the CP fans could brag about for many years.
And the third thing was that Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi caught the wedding bouquet.
The day after the wedding, Zhou Shichen posted on Weibo and tagged Yan Qi. The accompanying photo showed the two of them in their bridesmaid dresses on stage, their hands holding the bouquet together and extending it toward the camera, their faces beaming with happiness.
The caption read: Our turn [smug]
Yan Qi reposted it: Let’s do it next year. The plan is set.
Within five minutes, #YanQiZhouShichenAnnounceRelationship exploded on the trending topics. The buzz about Yan Zhi You Yi’s wedding, which had been starting to die down, once again stirred up a huge wave online. In half a day, topics related to the Gu Group occupied half of the trending list.
#YanQiZhouShichenAnnounceRelationship #Explosive
#YanQiSaysWeddingWithZhouShichenIsAlreadyPlanned #Boiling
#TheNotesNoSurvivors
#TheNotesGroupFansEcstatic
#Unfollowing
#MyHouseHasCollapsed
#GirlGroupLesbianPercentage
#InGroupDatingIdolDisqualification
#QiShiYanZhiYouYiCEntCPCeiling
#ChenYuanIsTheOnlyStraightOneInTheNotes
【Even though Qi Shi were already in a glass closet, I still have to scream AHHHHHHH!】
【I’ve waited so long for this day.】
【Chen Yuan: So many lesbians.】
【I’m seriously dying of laughter. Chen Yuan actually had CPs in the group too. Chen Yuan: I was just diligently doing fanservice, but you guys were actually dating for real!】
【I’m telling you, active girl groups can start competing now. All of you, pair up within the group!】
【So you’re saying… my CP still has a chance…】
【What a hell for solo fans!】
Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen had submitted a report to the company before their announcement. The company had long prepared various plans for different outcomes to guide public opinion. Whether in the fan community, the entire entertainment industry, or even among casual observers, there wasn’t much negative impact.
Of course, quite a few self-proclaimed “rational and objective” critics jumped out to accuse the entire Gu Group of being disqualified as idols, but they didn’t stir up much of a storm. Those who were going to unfollow couldn’t be kept, and those who didn’t would naturally stay.
And just as another storm was about to brew, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan’s honeymoon flight details were released.
S City to X City.
It was the route Zhou Shichen had planned for their group variety show that year.
Before they left, Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi came over to see them off, preparing a small first-aid kit for them and nagging, “See? I told you the place I picked was good, right? You complained about how tough it was before, and now you’re eagerly running off there for your honeymoon.”
“It is good. The scenery there is truly beautiful.” Lin Yi placed the small kit in her suitcase. “Yanyan and I are doing a road trip this time. Do you two want to come with us?”
“Why would they come?” Xu Shuyan hugged her from behind. “Two third wheels, each one brighter than the last!”
Zhou Shichen clutched her chest, feigning injury. “Oh! No! What about our promised group spirit!”
As she spoke, she gave Yan Qi a look.
Yan Qi joined in the condemnation. “…What about our promised group spirit!”
Lin Yi tutted. “Captain, don’t let Shichen lead you astray. Don’t you know whether we have group spirit? Yanyan isn’t wrong. If you two came with us, we’d be the two third wheels, each one brighter than the last!”
Yan Qi smiled faintly. “That is true.”
Xu Shuyan: “Such a short sentence.”
Lin Yi: “But the damage is so great.”
The two looked at each other, high-fived, and went back to packing. They traveled often, so they were old hands at it. After saying goodbye to their little golden retriever several times, the two reluctantly left.
The moment the door closed: “Yay! A world for two!”
Zhou Shichen: “?”
Yan Qi: “??”
The dog: “Woof woof woof?”
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan took the lazy route. They didn’t make any itinerary, simply rewatching those two episodes of their group variety show and following the route northwest as if checking off a list.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, their view broadened. Endless mountain ranges and grasslands unfolded before their eyes. What a magnificent country.
Xu Shuyan finally asked Lin Yi why she had chosen this route while they were on the road to Chaka Salt Town.
At that moment, the weather changed abruptly. A fierce wind kicked up, dark clouds gathered, and in an instant, bean-sized raindrops began to fall. As the temperature continued to drop, the rain turned into hail. It wasn’t heavy, but it clattered loudly against the hood of the car.
Not wanting to take any chances, Lin Yi turned on the hazard lights and pulled the car over to the side of the road. She checked the weather forecast and told Xu Shuyan, “It’s expected to stop in half an hour. Let’s rest here for a bit.”
Xu Shuyan reached over and adjusted the down jacket Lin Yi was wearing, pulling the zipper all the way up. “Don’t catch a cold,” she said.
“The heater’s on in the car.” Lin Yi turned up the fan and gave Xu Shuyan a toothy grin. “You, on the other hand, stayed up so late last night. Why don’t you take this chance to catch up on sleep?”
They had slept in a tent on the grassland the night before. Xu Shuyan had insomnia and couldn’t sleep, but she was considerate of Lin Yi, who had been driving hard, so she didn’t wake her. She just wrapped herself in a blanket and went outside to look at the stars. It was only when Lin Yi woke up in the middle of the night and found her gone that she went out to look for her.
“I thought you’d run away from the marriage,” Lin Yi said, unable to help but complain as she recalled the panic she’d felt upon waking up yesterday.
Xu Shuyan grabbed her hand and tickled her palm. “If I ran away, what would you do to me? Lock me up fiercely, not let me see anyone? So I couldn’t escape your grasp?”
Lin Yi shot her a look. “Have you been reading too many novels? I’m a model citizen. I’d never do something illegal like that!”
Xu Shuyan’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh?”
Lin Yi: “Mhm.”
Xu Shuyan asked, “Then what would you do?”
Lin Yi tried to hide her small sense of triumph, but she couldn’t contain it, and it leaked out from the corners of her eyes. “Then it occurred to me, you’ve already registered our marriage. It’s legally binding. The monk can run, but the temple can’t. So let her run.”
Xu Shuyan chuckled. “Well, well, you were already thinking about all this before you came to find me!”
Lin Yi hummed again. “But then I had another thought. I should probably go look for you anyway. What if a wolf carried you off? Where would I find such a beautiful, cute wife who can rap?”
So she had thrown on a coat and gone out to find Xu Shuyan, catching her in the act of her emo-cloud, star-gazing behavior.
“Do you have to be such a mood-killer?” Xu Shuyan recalled how she had been counting stars yesterday when Lin Yi hugged her from behind, scaring her half to death. “I was so romantically watching the stars, and suddenly someone hugs me and says in a ghostly voice, ‘I’m the emo-cloud singer. If you want to be emo, come listen to me.’ You nearly scared my soul out of my body!”
Lin Yi burst out laughing. “Well, I wasn’t wrong!”
“Besides, would watching the stars help you fall asleep?” Lin Yi said, full of self-righteousness. “In the end, wasn’t I the one who lulled you to sleep?”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She was helpless. “Was that lulling me to sleep?”
Lin Yi: “What else? You’re the one who taught me that method!”
The method had indeed been taught by Xu Shuyan.
Ever since she told Lin Yi that sex helped one sleep better and faster, whenever Xu Shuyan had insomnia and Lin Yi was around, Lin Yi would pester her to “lull her to sleep.” In the end, exhausted, she would close her eyes, nibble on Xu Shuyan’s ear, and say in a sticky voice, “Wife’s fingers are so amazing.”
…So last night, Lin Yi had used this method on Xu Shuyan.
Their campsite was surrounded by other tents, and even a slightly loud noise could be heard by others. So she didn’t dare to cry out, only biting her lip to keep the sounds in her throat, struggling and panting as she succumbed to Lin Yi’s assault.
And Lin Yi, her eyes red, had asked her, “Are you sleepy yet?”
She had been.
Xu Shuyan wasn’t even sure if she had answered Lin Yi before she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, it was already broad daylight. A few tissues in the small desktop trash can served as a reminder of their absurdity the night before.
“How was it absurd?” Lin Yi, choosing a song on her phone, strongly disagreed. “You were clearly very happy!”
Xu Shuyan quickly surrendered. “Yes, yes, I was very happy.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, resting her forehead on Lin Yi’s shoulder. “But I don’t want to sleep now,” she said in a small voice. “I just want to look at you. Just let me look at you.”
Lin Yi muttered softly, “It’s not like I can run away.”
Xu Shuyan hummed in a low voice. “True, you can’t run. Anyway, I’m not as kind and law-abiding as you. If you ran, I really might do something heinous.”
Lin Yi was completely confused. “Huh?”
Xu Shuyan smiled and changed the subject. “Right, I haven’t asked you yet. Why did you think of coming to the northwest for our honeymoon? I thought you’d prefer to travel abroad for a vacation.”
Lin Yi’s attention was diverted, and a sly smile flashed in her eyes. “Guess?”
Xu Shuyan tutted. “Playing mysterious now, are we?”
Lin Yi grinned. “You’ll find out tonight anyway.”
Xu Shuyan straightened up and asked, “There’s a surprise?”
Xu Shuyan had guessed right. There was indeed a surprise.
The weather forecast was accurate. The hail lasted for about ten minutes before turning into a downpour. It came and went quickly. In less than half an hour, the dark clouds drifted away, and the sky was once again a washed-out blue.
They hurried along, but it was still past eight in the evening when they arrived at Chaka Salt Town.
The sky darkened late here; eight o’clock was still dusk. Because of the storm, thick clouds were piled up on the horizon, blanketing the mountain range layer upon layer. They were illuminated by the last embers of the setting sun, transforming into a magnificent array of colors.
Lin Yi parked the car at the hotel entrance and took more than a dozen photos from various angles before she was willing to go inside.
Xu Shuyan, meanwhile, stood at the hotel entrance with the luggage, and some distant memories surfaced. It was this very hotel, with its improper layout. The bathroom had a one-way mirror that faced the bed directly, and she hadn’t known at the time, so Lin Yi had seen everything.
When Lin Yi was showering, she had hastily left the room and run into Chen Yuan. Thinking back now, Chen Yuan had been secretly on the phone then, very distracted. Unfortunately, she herself had just been developing feelings for Lin Yi, and her mind was in turmoil. When two flustered people met, even their conversation was awkward, and neither noticed that something was amiss with the other.
“What are you thinking about?” Lin Yi, having posted to her Moments, came over with the other suitcase. “Let’s go in.”
Xu Shuyan grunted in agreement. As she took the room key and pushed the luggage across the stuffy carpet, it belatedly dawned on her. “You didn’t book this place just because of the transparent bathroom, did you?”
Lin Yi pushed open the room door, her answer evasive. “I wonder if we’ll be able to see the sunrise tomorrow.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She turned and closed the door. The luggage was dropped and slid against the wall. Lin Yi was still checking for hidden cameras when she was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pushed onto the bed. Lin Yi was caught off guard, but she didn’t resist, laughing as she begged for mercy. “I was wrong, I was wrong.”
“What were you wrong about?” Xu Shuyan pinched her waist and bit her lip. “Confess.”
That bite made Lin Yi forget all about her self-reflection. She hooked her arms around Xu Shuyan’s neck, asking for a kiss. Xu Shuyan captured her lips, sucking on them repeatedly, kissing until their lipstick was smudged before letting go, panting.
Xu Shuyan cupped her face. “You still haven’t said.”
“Fine,” Lin Yi saw she couldn’t bluff her way out. “I was wrong for keeping secrets from my wife.” After admitting her mistake, she immediately found an excuse for herself. “But I had a reason!”
Xu Shuyan asked, “What reason?”
Lin Yi said, “To surprise you.”
Xu Shuyan paused. “What surprise?”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as Lin Yi thought she was about to guess, she glanced behind her and asked, “You’re not planning a grassland wedding, are you?”
Lin Yi: “…”
She asked seriously, “Does being in love make people stupid?”
Xu Shuyan: “Are you looking down on me?”
Lin Yi huffed softly and pushed her away. She hesitated for a moment, still a little embarrassed. “Do you remember… this is where I peeked at you?”
Xu Shuyan suddenly became sharp again, catching the loophole in her words. “So you really were peeking at me!”
“No, I wasn’t!” Lin Yi quickly waved her hands. “I mean… it was awkward at the time, because I didn’t know it was a one-way mirror either, so I was really shocked when I first saw it! And you didn’t know, so doesn’t that mean I wasn’t peeking?”
Xu Shuyan let out a slow, drawn-out “oh,” the sound rising at the end. She didn’t look very convinced.
She leaned forward, very close to Lin Yi, so close that another centimeter would have brought their lips together. But she deliberately maintained this tantalizing distance and asked Lin Yi, “Then tell me, what were you thinking back then?”
“I was thinking-”
So much time had passed that Lin Yi had actually started to forget, but in the fragrant breath of Xu Shuyan’s words, the memories slowly reawakened.
She thought Xu Shuyan had a great body.
She thought that even with Xu Shuyan’s cold expression and the distant chill in her eyes, every movement she made was all the more alluring. The water droplets that hit Xu Shuyan’s jade-like skin seemed to splash onto her as well, making her feel wet all over.
She wondered if Xu Shuyan was the same in bed, tormented until the corners of her eyes were red, moaning dazedly, yet still too stubborn to admit her pleasure.
She thought-
Xu Shuyan snapped her fingers in front of her face and leaned back, exasperated. “You can zone out even during this?”
Lin Yi blinked, pulling herself out of her memories. The Xu Shuyan of the past overlapped with the one before her now. The coldness had faded, the distance had vanished; this was the Xu Shuyan who loved her. She let out a breath of relief for some reason and said, “No, you’re not.”
Xu Shuyan: “Hm?”
Lin Yi said, “You’re not like that in bed!”
Xu Shuyan was even more confused. “Huh?”
“I mean,” Lin Yi kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the carpet. She untied the belt of her dress and said, “Back then, when I was sitting here watching you shower, I was thinking you’d definitely have that same deadpan face in bed.”
Xu Shuyan’s face darkened.
“That you’d have to be tormented until you cried, until you couldn’t even curse, and only moans would come out.” Lin Yi looked at her seriously. “That’s what I was thinking back then.”
Xu Shuyan was still trying to process it. “If I remember correctly, we were love rivals at the time.”
Lin Yi nodded, shamelessly self-righteous. “That’s why I was so full of malice towards you!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Did wanting to make your love rival cry in bed count as malice?
…Alright, it was pretty malicious.
Xu Shuyan shot her an annoyed glare, then had a sudden realization. “You’re not disappointed that I’m not like you imagined in bed, are you? Lin Yi! Don’t be so demanding! My skills are obviously great!”
Lin Yi quickly smoothed her ruffled feathers. “Your skills are exceptionally good. Worthy of a rapper, as good as your raps.”
Xu Shuyan: “Hmph.”
Lin Yi acted cute. “Then can you cry for me in bed just once?”
She cupped her face, her eyes sparkling. “I really want to see it.”
Even after so many years, Xu Shuyan still had no resistance to Lin Yi’s cute act. She had wanted to punish her for being a riddle-maker all day and just refuse, but what came out was: “Depends on your performance.”
Lin Yi’s eyes grew even brighter. She reached out and covered Xu Shuyan’s eyes. “Close your eyes first.”
Xu Shuyan obediently closed her eyes. Her long lashes brushed against Lin Yi’s palm, making her heart itch. She asked, “Are your eyes closed?”
Xu Shuyan hummed in affirmation.
Only then did Lin Yi move her hand away. The lights in the room were on, and the evening sun had already sunk below the mountains, making the room’s light seem even brighter. Xu Shuyan heard the sound of the curtains being drawn, followed by Lin Yi’s footsteps, passing by her softly.
“Where are you going?” Xu Shuyan asked, but she still obediently kept her eyes closed.
“Don’t be impatient,” Lin Yi said.
Deprived of her sight, Xu Shuyan could only rely on her hearing. She heard the rustle of fabric, a zipper being pulled down, and something being thrown onto the sofa.
It must be the dress, Xu Shuyan thought.
Lin Yi had worn a long dress today, down to her ankles, with a matching gauze overlay. It was a dress that suited the local style, with a belt tied at her slender waist, which was a perfect handful.
She had touched it. It felt good.
Xu Shuyan’s index finger and thumb rubbed together lightly. Her eyelashes fluttered as she continued to listen for Lin Yi’s movements. Her socks must be off now; the sound of bare feet on the floor was clearer. She heard the bathroom door open.
In a flash of insight, Xu Shuyan suddenly understood Lin Yi’s intention.
This wasn’t their first time; it was one of countless times. Yet her heart began to pound like a young girl’s again. She heard a light tap on the glass, and Lin Yi’s voice came through as if through a thin film: “You can open your eyes now.”
The moment she opened her eyes, the sound of water started.
Splish, splash.
Her eyes, having been closed for so long, were slowly adjusting to the light. She looked hazily toward the bathroom. Inside the one-way glass, Lin Yi stood under the showerhead, hot water pouring down and drenching her entire body.
Lin Yi knew someone was watching, and this self-aware beauty was all the more alluring.
Xu Shuyan just watched her quietly.
There could be no sight more beautiful than this, Xu Shuyan thought. Her beloved girl, “seducing” her in such an innocent yet direct way. She couldn’t replicate Lin Yi’s state of mind from that night in that same spot, but she couldn’t help but have the same thoughts as Lin Yi.
Actually, Lin Yi was more suited to being bullied until she cried. Lin Yi wasn’t stubborn; when she cried, she would beg for mercy, whimpering and pleading. Slower, faster, lighter, harder-she had so many requests. Xu Shuyan would follow Lin Yi’s lead, kissing her while following her instructions, one command, one action. She was Lin Yi’s most loyal No. 1105.
Her fingertips on the bed twitched.
Xu Shuyan stared intently at Lin Yi, like a predator eyeing its final prey. The long skirt fell from her waist. She strode over, her gaze fixed on Lin Yi, not wanting to miss a single expression, a single look.
In the few seconds it took to push open the door, she even regretted missing those few seconds of Lin Yi.
But soon, Lin Yi was in front of her again, even closer, so close she could hear her breath. Lin Yi seemed to have expected her to come in. Her water-washed face was fair, tender, and clean. “You’re here.”
Xu Shuyan hummed in agreement and strode forward.
Her long hair was soaked by the warm water, strands sliding down her cheek and wetting her shirt. She cupped Lin Yi’s face and kissed her, taking her lips, biting them, probing inside before hooking back. She did all of this slowly, methodically, listening as Lin Yi’s panting grew heavier.
She used force, and a faint taste of iron spread between their lips. She softened again, wiping the trace of blood from the corner of Lin Yi’s mouth. She rested her forehead against Lin Yi’s, her voice low. “Now?”
Lin Yi wrapped her arms around her neck, giving her entire being to her. “Mhm.”
And so she kissed Lin Yi.
Kissing her desire, her faith, the abyss of her life.
