CH 35

The Eighteenth Day of Separation

It was an ordinary rainy day with gray, cloudy skies. The breeze was cold and damp, the gloom impermeable. As the air pressure was suppressed to the extreme, lightning struck, ripping open the sky. A muffled boom of thunder echoed, and rain poured viciously not a moment later. The long-awaited storm drenched everything.

At this very moment, Liang Yan experienced what it meant for Weibo to freeze. As Jiang Mu had said, this event resembled that time, two years ago, when she and Lu Lincheng announced their marriage.

The major news sites issued reports, and the alerts on her phone hadn’t stopped. Liang Yan opened her Weibo, and the first message she read was, “Liang Yan and Lu Lincheng Divorced.” Next to it was a red-colored word — “Hot!”

Liang Yan clicked on it, but the page was blank. She refreshed it several times, still nothing.

Because the system just crashed.

Liang Yan remembered the comments below her account before it crashed.

[Ahhhh! Finally! I told you that the divorce will come after unfollowing each other! Wu… wu… Tearful eyes.jpg]

[Liang Yan, you finally let go of Lu Lincheng!]

[Anyway, thank you, Liang Yan!]

[Please don’t haunt Lu Lincheng in the future again. Thank you!]

[The disgusting dog skin plaster is finally dumped! Hahahaha…]

[Liang Yan, you’re good-looking and have good-acting skills, so don’t wallow in your feelings.]

The comments on Lu Lincheng’s Weibo were more exciting than hers.

[Congratulations on my brother’s return to bachelorhood. Sobbing.jpg]

[We’ve waited for two years, and finally, we’ve arrived.]

[To celebrate Lu Lincheng tearing off the dog skin plaster, tonight we’ll draw 10 people in Weibo to win 10,000!]

[I wish our family’s Lu Lincheng a happy, single life.]

[Liang Yan, that ghost woman, is finally willing to sign! Ooohhh, you must have endured her very hard, right?]

..................

As the agent of Liang Yan, Jiang Mu’s phone almost exploded because of the major entertainment reporters asking for interviews. Eventually, he couldn’t stand it and turned on flight mode.

“Phew…” Jiang Mu breathed in the quiet air and heaved a sigh of relief. “Finally quiet.”

While sitting on the sofa, Liang Yan played with the signature pen she used to sign the divorce papers today. She ended up snapping the pen cap.

Glancing at Jiang Mu, she asked out of the blue, “What happened between Lu Lincheng and me? How the hell did we start our relationship in the first place?”

Jiang Mu heard her, freezing for a few moments. His expression was a bit forced as he answered, “This… I really didn’t know how it happened.”

During that time, his father needed him because he was sick. Jiang Mu returned to his hometown to take care of his old man. He left Liang Yan alone in Gudong City. When he came back two months later, Liang Yan informed him that she was married to Lu Lincheng.

She told him he heard it correctly. It wasn’t just the same name, it was the same Lu Lincheng he knew.

Jiang Mu recalled something. He stared at Liang Yan and said, “I’m sorry.”

Liang Yan shrugged. “What’s the matter?”

“I think I should really tell you.” Jiang Mu breathed deeply. “When I went back home years ago, one night, you called me on the phone. Well… your side was very noisy, and you were sobbing. I think you were drinking. You told me you couldn’t drink anymore and wanted to go home.”

“I’m sorry.” Jiang Mu buried his head, feeling deep remorse. “I wasn’t around and couldn’t do anything to help you.”

The next day, he wanted to go back immediately, but the doctor issued a diagnosis that his father was in a critical condition.

Liang Yan listened intently to Jiang Mu’s words and tried to recall it, but she couldn’t remember anything. Her brain and heart ached vaguely.

“When I went to Zhou Zhibo to audition, you opposed it. Was this the reason?”

Jiang Mu nodded.

Liang Yan recalled meeting Zhou Zhibo last time. If  he really got her, his words shouldn’t be like that toward her. She made a bold guess, “Do you think, during that night, I forced myself on Lu Lincheng? Maybe I also took his sexy photos, and then the next day, I forced him to marry me? He had no choice but to agree. Since then, he wasn’t interested in me, so he didn’t care.”

Jiang Mu looked up at her.

Liang Yan touched her forehead, it was aching.

There were no erotic photos of Lu Lincheng and her in her phone.

Not even a wedding photo.

She shouldn’t have done such a shameless thing, right?

******************

Weibo returned to normal after six hours through the unremitting efforts of the programmers.

Then, the news of Lu Lincheng and Liang Yan’s divorce lost heat after several days of frantic discussion. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. Lu Lincheng was still the same top actor of his generation in box office and awards. The only change was the ex-wife entry on his Baidu: Liang Yan. The fans degree of loyalty was undefeatable after he turned single, and they even gathered new fans from those who were just previously watching.

As for Liang Yan, except for the two Baidu pages that announced her divorce, her presence cooled down. A lot of people didn’t remember her as the heat in the internet cooled faster, even the item search of her name in Baidu was always associated with the first article, “Liang Yan, Lu Lincheng’s ex-wife.”

Liang Yan’s Weibo no longer had the divorce group that used to appear at fixed intervals to urge for divorce every day. Her Weibo was much more peaceful and cleaner. There were only a few dozens of private messages and comments every day, but the content was exclusive to “Liang Yan’s beauty!”, “Happy Single’s Day,” and “Liang Yan didn’t post a selfie for the nth day, miss her, miss her, miss her.”

Liang Yan stared at the group of fans on her Weibo and suddenly asked Jiang Mu, “Do I have a fanbase?”

Jiang Mu scratched his head as he replied, “There was one before, but they were few in numbers and Lu Lincheng’s fans always attacked them, so they disbanded.”

“Oh,” Liang Yan answered and added, “Then, can you help me make another one?”

Jiang Mu: “Make another one?”

Liang Yan agreed. “Do it. Now, Lu Lincheng’s fans won’t attack them again, right?”

When Jiang Mu heard her answer, he simply nodded. “Yes.”

Both of them worked all night, and the next day, “Liang Yan National Support Association Official Account,” appeared, and they officially released their first post at eight o’clock in the morning:

“Since I’ve Forgotten, Let’s Make this a New Beginning.”

Liang Yan read her first post and smiled. She recalled the past three years she had forgotten.

Jiang Mu, on the other hand, dragged Liang Yan into the fan group. There were 100 or so members of the newly built fan group. He changed the name to “Cool Powder Gathering Place.”

Finally, “Cold Powder Gathering Place” was built.

Liang Yan joined the group and sent a voice message, “Hello, everyone, I’m Liang Yan! Thank you for your support.”

When the idol appeared, the fan group immediately became active.

“Ahhh, Liang Yan, it’s really you!”

“Liang Yan, I love you!”

“Liang Yan, don’t be afraid! We’re always behind you!”

“When will the second episode of “On Screen” start recording? I’m looking forward to it!”

“Liang Yan, you sound really great. Can I use your voice message as a ringtone?”

“What’s your schedule nowadays? I want to pick you up at the airport. Hehehehe.”

Liang Yan chatted with the fans happily. “The second phase of “On Screen” will be recorded next week.”

“If you want a ringtone, I’ll record another one for you.”

“I’ve only been in B City recently, I’ll definitely tell you if I have a new schedule.”

Liang Yan messaged the fans, chatting when she saw the “Cold Powder Gathering Place,” above.

She stared at the “Cold Powder”, and asked, “This… what does this mean?”

Jiang Mu smiled widely and said, “Your fan group name. Nice, right?”

“This is too corny,” she said, sounding disgusted. “Who made it? You?”

“No,” Jiang Mu answered, and added, “This is your previous choice, and you asked me if it sounded  good.”

Liang Yan: ".................."

A dry laugh slipped from Liang Yan’s mouth as she read the words “Cold Powder.” She simply wanted to smack herself. What broken name was this? Even her fan group name was cold, no wonder she was also cold.

“You want to change your fan name?” Jiang Mu questioned and added, “Actually, I also think that cold powder isn’t good. Cold skin and cold noodles doesn’t sound so bad, you can consider.”

Jiang Mu sounded uneducated, and she didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She pondered, thinking about her fanbase’s name. It must be powerful, domineering, and unforgettable. While scratching her head, finally, a light bulb appeared in her mind.

Liang Yan revised the name of her fan group and showed it to Jiang Mu.

He read it and was in awe.

The user Liang Yan changed her fanbase name from “Cold Powder Gathering Place” to –

“Langya Gathering Place”

She smiled, revealing her sharp tiger tooth.

Being soft was a thing of the past.

Fierce fangs were the thing of the future!