Lin Mudi instinctively retorted when she heard him say that.
"No, neither of us has reached the legal age!"
This excuse was incredibly smooth for her.
Mainly, Ms. Lin Cuiping had brainwashed her repeatedly before.
Telling her she was too young.
Don't rush into love and have children.
She was very clear-headed and understood now.
Focusing on her career was the most important thing!
Ling Qianhe's laughter on the other end of the phone became even clearer.
"Of course. I know that. So, why do you think I haven't gotten the marriage certificate with you? Is it because I don't want to?"
"However, it'll be soon. When we reach the age."
"I want Lin Mudi's name written in the spouse column."
"For all eternity, I want to be with you."
He rarely said such cheesy sweet nothings.
His young voice was cool and clear.
Yet, it could instantly ignite vast, continuous flames in one's heart.
It was almost making her die of thirst.
Lin Mudi lowered her head and said.
"You love me this much?"
Ling Qianhe's answer was profoundly moving.
"Loving you is the reason I live."
...
She slept very well that night.
Even though Ling Qianhe was not by her side.
It felt as if she were being held tightly by Ling Qianhe.
Peaceful.
She felt endless security.
The next day, she was woken up by Yang Weiyang.
Yang Weiyang and the others rushed into her room to wake her up, bringing along a photographer for the group show. The girls were playfully bickering, and they were going downstairs for breakfast.
Because they were afraid of disturbing other hotel guests and also wanted to film the group show.
So they specifically found a small breakfast shop to eat at.
The four girls had to draw lots and complete tasks to get their chosen food.
Yang Weiyang pitifully put on a cute act.
"Why is it like this? We practiced singing and dancing for three hours yesterday!"
"I'm starving right now, I could eat a whole cow!"
She wasn't exaggerating at all.
Upon hearing her say this.
The photographer filming the group show burst into laughter.
Mainly because the girl looked incredibly cute!
The agent, Ye Tongtong, was unyielding.
"These are tasks you must complete. You are idols, you absolutely cannot complain about hardship or fatigue. Idols are meant to perform perfectly..."
Yang Weiyang continued to complain.
"That's an old-fashioned persona. Everyone likes real people with flesh and blood now!"
Yang Weiyang sighed.
"Alright, alright, filming the group show is just for the fans. Do we have to play games? Where are the games?"
She looked curiously at Ye Tongtong.
Ye Tongtong handed them slips of paper to draw.
Four slips of paper.
"Reveal a embarrassing secret from your childhood."
Yang Weiyang looked at the slip, hesitated, thought for a moment, and then said.
"Let me think, when I was little, I secretly hid candy in my mom's shoes, and because it was very hot, the candy melted. My mom discovered it and spanked me soundly... Does that count?"
Ye Tongtong tried to suppress her laughter and held up a "no" sign.
This meant her secret did not qualify.
Yang Weiyang became more troubled.
"If that doesn't count..."
She thought hard.
"When I was little... I once hugged the neighbor's older brother and refused to let go, even saying I would marry him in the future. My mom even took a photo of it with a camera, saying it was evidence for me... But then that family moved away, and I lost contact. Does that count?"
Upon hearing Yang Weiyang say this.
Ye Tongtong thought for a moment.
And gave her judgment.
"You'll have to show us the photo for us to decide if it's real."
"What do you say?"
"What if you made this up?"
Hearing this.
Yang Weiyang became displeased.
"How could I possibly make this up? It's absolutely true! I definitely did something silly like that as a child!"
To prove she wasn't lying, she decided to call her mother. After Yang Weiyang finished the call, the person on the other end was clearly laughing.
"This matter?"
"Why did you suddenly think of it? I actually haven't deleted the photo yet."
"I'll get it for you."
Yang Weiyang's mother on the phone.
Immediately sent a photo.
Yang Weiyang excitedly held up her phone.
"Look!"
She wanted to prove she wasn't lying.
In the photo, a young girl who was already elegant and clearly a beautiful embryo, hugging the little boy next to her, and indeed, she kissed him!
What's more, it looked like Yang Weiyang was the one initiating it!
She was the one who actively kissed the little boy!
She was smug and extremely excited.
"See? I wasn't lying, was I?"
Ye Tongtong judged that she passed and gave her the chance to choose breakfast. She chose steamed buns, soy milk, and a bowl of warm millet porridge.
Lin Mudi was still waiting for her turn when the system's prompt sounded in her mind.
"Host, you should look at Yang Weiyang's photo. There's a surprise."
Lin Mudi leaned in to look at the photo.
She examined it closely.
Gradually zooming in.
Then her expression became peculiar.
She quickly found the key point.
"Wait a moment—"
Lin Mudi coughed.
"Wait a moment, Yang Weiyang is—"
"The person she kissed looks so much like Fei Siyu?"
She felt there was at least a seventy to eighty percent similarity. Hearing her say this, the other girls also leaned in to examine it closely.
"Hey? It's true! The more you look, the more similar they become!"
"It's really alike, to the point of being identical."
"Is this Fei Siyu as a child?"
Yang Weiyang, who was feasting away, looked up stupidly, still looking confused.
"Huh?"
"If you say so, I was too young back then, so I don't really remember the name of that neighbor's older brother, but his surname does seem to be Fei..."
Yang Weiyang's innocent eyes sparkled.
Looking bewildered.
Could this be fate?
"Then I'll just ask when I get home!"
Ye Tongtong was delighted that this turn of events might reveal a childhood connection between Yang Weiyang and Fei Siyu, realizing there was a potential highlight for the group show.
Ou Ruola and Han Jiuzhen's tasks were also quite simple.
They had to name three specialty breakfasts from their hometowns.
And complete a round of idiom solitaire with the photographer.
Both of them performed very well.
When it was Lin Mudi's turn to draw, she picked a slip of paper and was slightly stunned as she unfolded it. The slip clearly read:
"Reveal the most insane thing you've done for your idol."
Yang Weiyang, having just finished eating, came over, glanced at it, and laughed heartily without any loyalty.
"Little Ci, this is public execution! Who doesn't know you're that someone's... cough, cough, rather zealous fan."
Lin Mudi looked at Yang Weiyang and sighed helplessly.
"You mean a crazy fan?"
Yang Weiyang raised an eyebrow.
"You said it, not me."
"But the most insane thing you've done for your idol... Let me think, there's quite a lot. Creating a new account, debuting for his variety show, being bullied at school because of liking him, but you never gave up—"
Everyone knew.
Yang Weiyang dared to say it directly.
Lin Mudi was also quite forthright and never hired online trolls.
After all, the whole world knew.
Who her idol was.
She sighed.
Still unsure how to phrase it—she hesitated for a moment, then said.
"Became a better version of myself for him."
Can that work?
Ye Tongtong held up a passing sign.
She slowly ate her own breakfast, a bowl of noodles. At the bottom of the bowl, an inscription emerged.
"At the concert, loudly and publicly confess your love for your idol."
At first, she thought the system was playing a trick.
Then she realized it wasn't.
Because even Yang Weiyang could see the inscription clearly. Yang Weiyang leaned in to take a look, and then became excited.
"Wow!"
"They want you to loudly and publicly confess your love for your idol!"
"Isn't this going to cause a global sensation?"
Lin Mudi didn't understand.
"Why are there tasks at the bottom of the bowls too?"
Yang Weiyang looked calm.
"We all have them. My task at the bottom of the bowl is to publicly show the childhood photo."
"Ou Ruola's task is to film several vlogs showcasing her cooking skills."
"Han Jiuzhen's is to complete three backflips on stage."
No one could escape.
No one could be idle.
Lin Mudi's head began to ache.
The system urged.
The agent urged.
Did these people really want to see her and Ling Qianhe make their relationship official?
[Idols aren't allowed to date, are they?]
The little system chuckled.
"It's true that they can't date, and there's a dating ban, but it depends on who it is. You and Ling Qianhe, together, are a match made in heaven, perfectly suited for each other."
"Idols can't date."
"But you and Ling Qianhe can."
"You've transcended the category of idols, haven't you? After all, there's a hit movie, and another movie is about to be released. They'd probably be thrilled if you announced your relationship, as it would provide free publicity for the movie."
So.
They had it all planned out.
Lin Mudi could only smile resignedly.
Since that's the case—
Did she have to reluctantly agree?
...
When Lin Mudi and the others departed for their next performance venue, their agent Ye Tongtong lagged behind and received a mysterious phone call.
On the phone, the young man spoke in a cool, clear voice.
"Thank you."
"I know Little Ci is shy, so using this method to get her to confess is also... a bit of my own intention."
"If she really doesn't want to go public, don't force her."
Ye Tongtong listened to Ling Qianhe's voice on the phone.
While marveling at this beautiful love story, she explained.
"She agreed."
Ling Qianhe smiled.
"As expected, Little Ci has me in her heart."
His voice was full of magnetism.
Ye Tongtong was touched by the feelings of this top-tier superstar.
After hanging up, Ling Qianhe looked at the vibrant neon signs, the advertisements for the concert of the girl group "Times Youth," and the exceptionally beautiful and pure face of Lin Mudi. The smile on his lips deepened with a knowing glint.
Even if she hadn't reached the legal age yet.
He was going to claim her!
No other man would be allowed to steal his Little Ci!
He had schemed for so long.
Just to keep her.