The sun set beyond the horizon, and the skies cleared after the rain.
It was rush hour in Jinling City. The roads bustled with endless streams of traffic as people hurried home after work.
No one paid attention to a bicycle speeding past along the roadside.
The bike had been rented from a tourist service station, with a deposit of 500 yuan a 2 yuan per hour for rent. It was a modern model of excellent quality, and allowed a passenger to sit on the back, but it could only be ridden on designated bike lanes.
Due to the low cost and virtually no risk of theft, these public bikes were incredibly popular with tourists.
Lu Chen was pedaling the bicycle, with Chen Fei'er riding on the back. With the wind blowing in their faces, they looked no different from any other pair of visitors.
Chen Fei'er sat in the back, the breeze lifting the hem of her dress. She held tightly onto Lu Chen's waist, resting her head lightly against his back.
The sweet-voiced Heavenly Queen wore a light scarf and a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses, which couldn't fully hide her stunning beauty. But they were enough to prevent passersby from recognizing her identity, allowing her to peacefully enjoy a rare moment alone with Lu Chen.
These moments were truly rare, as precious as gold.
During her ten-year debut anniversary, a reporter once asked her at the celebration, "How long do you plan to keep singing?"
Chen Fei'er answered: "For life!"
Unlike the gradually retiring Big Brother Tan Hong, she loved singing and loved standing beneath the spotlight. It had been her dream since she was little, something she would never give up easily.
But the more you gain, the more you lose. The glamour of a star always comes at the cost of a private life.
Even though she had learned how to disguise herself, Chen Fei'er rarely had the time to live like an ordinary person.
Fortunately, she had met Lu Chen.
And her life changed.
She hugged him tighter all of a sudden, an inexplicable fear of losing him creeping into her heart. Lu Chen didn't understand, and asked gently, "Are you hungry? Let's grab something to eat. What would you like?"
This was the first time he had gone on a date with Chen Fei'er without anyone tagging along.
Her assistant and bodyguard hadn't followed them, partly because she insisted, and partly because Lu Chen had the ability to keep her safe. Nothing would go wrong.
Besides, Jinling was a very safe city.
Even so, the two of them still felt a thrilling sense of elopement, like sneaking away together.
Chen Fei'er thought for a moment and said, "I want to eat malatang. Do you know where to find some?"
Malatang?
Lu Chen certainly didn't know off the top of his head, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, all he had to do was open his phone and search the keyword. In no time, he found the nearest place that sold malatang.
Following the GPS directions, Lu Chen took Chen Fei'er and pedaled for about half an hour to reach their destination.
It was an old, narrow street lined with small eateries and food stalls on both sides, a colorful variety that dazzled the eye.
The place was packed, crowds moving through the street like a tide. Chen Fei'er clung to Lu Chen's arm as the two of them navigated through the masses like an ordinary couple, searching for their perfect street food among the delicious aromas.
They found a popular shop with great reviews, but still had to wait over ten minutes for a table.
Chen Fei'er picked out more than a dozen skewers of her favorite items, pork tenderloin, fried dough sticks, golden needle mushrooms, cilantro...
The two steaming bowls of malatang were soon served.
This place's malatang had a rich, fragrant broth, flavorful and vibrant. It lived up to its reputation. Chen Fei'er thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
In fact, she ate more than Lu Chen!
After they finished, night had fully fallen. Lu Chen took her for a walk by the river to help her digest, Chen Fei'er had clearly eaten a little too much.
When they got tired, the two sat down on a bench by the riverside, gazing at the shimmering water in front of them. This place was far from the bustling commercial streets. Though there were still some people walking by, it was much quieter.
And there were couples everywhere.
The air here seemed to ripple with romance.
Chen Fei'er touched her belly and let out a soft groan, looking both drowsy and content.
She looked like such a soft and delicate woman.
Lu Chen teased her, "Why did you eat so much? Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache?"
Chen Fei'er leaned her head on his shoulder and murmured, "When I was a kid, I was always greedy. I loved the fragrant skewers that vendors cooked in pots outside our school. One time, I spent the money meant for textbooks on snacks."
She paused, and Lu Chen asked curiously, "Then what happened?"
Chen Fei'er replied, "Then my mom gave me a beating, used a bamboo ruler and smacked my butt. It hurt so much! Back then, I told myself: when I grow up and make money, I'll eat skewers every day, every single meal! But once I really had money, I realized that stuff isn't healthy if you eat too much. Like malatang, it's been so long since I last had it."
She squinted slightly as she recalled the past, a sweet smile forming at the corner of her lips, even when talking about painful memories.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Then from now on, if I get the chance, I'll take you out to eat."
Chen Fei'er turned her head and smiled brightly, "Thank you."
Her smile was radiant, and under the glow of the streetlight, it was stunningly beautiful.
Lu Chen couldn't look away.
He stared at the breathtaking woman beside him, and suddenly, unable to resist the urge in his heart, reached out and gently removed her sunglasses.
Then he leaned down and kissed her deeply on the lips.
Her lips were soft and fragrant, impossibly sweet.
This Heavenly Queen of the music world suddenly widened her eyes, instinctively leaning back, but she couldn't escape.
She let out a soft, powerless moan, then closed her eyes and surrendered to Lu Chen's boldness.
This was their first kiss.
A long while passed before Lu Chen reluctantly pulled away, only because Chen Fei'er was nearly out of breath.
Her whole body leaned against his chest, her eyes closed, breath warm like orchids.
She was unbelievably captivating.
Chen Fei'er slowly opened her eyes, a blush creeping across her delicate face.
Then, as if emboldened by something, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Lu Chen's neck and took the initiative to kiss him again, as if she wanted to melt herself into him. The heat of her passion almost made Lu Chen melt on the spot.
This kiss lasted even longer!
All of Lu Chen's nervousness vanished in that moment, completely immersed in her tenderness and sweetness.
It wasn't until the sharp honk of a car in the distance startled them both back to reality.
Flustered, Chen Fei'er quickly released Lu Chen. She sat upright and said softly, "Let's go."
What people call "boundaries", they're broken just like this, one step at a time.
And she no longer had the strength to resist.
But it couldn't go on, or something really might happen.
Lu Chen felt a bit of regret, but still smiled and said, "Alright, let's head back to the hotel."
He naturally reached out to take her hand, his heart filled with contentment.
Chen Fei'er let him hold her hand and quietly said, "That was my first kiss… but it wasn't yours, was it?"
Lu Chen gave a wry smile.
He really had no argument there.
The next day, the film crew of 'Autumn in My Heart' held their official launch ceremony at Jinling Film City.
The ceremony wasn't extremely grand, but thanks to Chen Fei'er taking the lead role as the female protagonist, a large number of media reporters showed up, it almost turned into a press conference.
Naturally, the reporters' focus was all on Chen Fei'er.
That day, she looked radiant, vibrant, charming, eyes gleaming with laughter, breathtakingly beautiful, she completely dominated the camera shutters and stole every onlooker's attention.
She handled all the media questions with ease and grace.
A reporter from Entertainment Weekly asked, "Ms. Chen Fei'er, is your role as the female lead in this TV series related to your relationship with Lu Chen? Are the two of you dating?"
This was, without a doubt, the question all the reporters wanted to ask.
It was widely known that Chen Fei'er and Lu Chen had a very close relationship. In the past, there were even rumors about them. Although both parties denied any romantic involvement, this new collaboration inevitably reignited speculation.
Chen Fei'er laughed and pulled Lu Chen, who was standing next to her, close, even giving him a little affectionate hug. Then she said, "Lu Chen and I are very good friends. As for whether we're dating…"
She turned and asked the clearly flustered Lu Chen, "Have you been pursuing me?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Then I'll give it a try."
Chen Fei'er burst out laughing.
The playful back-and-forth between them skillfully deflected the probing question.
After all, the more you try to hide, the more people speculate. Instead, being half-joking and half-serious left everyone uncertain of the truth, a perfect use of "truth within falsehood, and falsehood within truth."
After the laughter subsided, Chen Fei'er explained, "Actually, I was the one who approached Lu Chen to request the role after reading the script. I really like the character Yin Enxi and think she's a challenging role."
She didn't shy away from self-deprecation: "In the series, I play Yin Enxi, the younger sister of Yin Junxi, who is played by Lu Chen!"
Everyone knew that Chen Fei'er was several years older than Lu Chen.
But she had never been one to shy away from her age, so she even beat the reporters to the punch and revealed it herself.
Another reporter asked, "Mr. Lu Chen, how does it feel to act opposite Ms. Chen Fei'er?"
Lu Chen replied, "I don't have any feelings at all, because we haven't started shooting yet!"
The reporter pressed, "Then are you feeling any pressure?"
Lu Chen responded, "I wasn't before, but now that you've asked… suddenly, I do."
Everyone laughed at his witty reply.
Lu Chen was clearly experienced in dealing with the media, leaving no opening for tricky follow-ups.
Someone else asked Chen Fei'er, "When is your new album coming out?"
She answered, "Probably next month. Also, I'll be singing the theme song for this TV series, which might even be included in the new album. Either way, I promise to give everyone a surprise!"
At this point, what was supposed to be a simple launch ceremony turned into a half-hour solo spotlight for Chen Fei'er. Lu Chen only got a few token questions.
But no one thought this was unfair.
To put it bluntly, the reason 'Autumn in My Heart' was attracting so much attention was at least 90% due to Chen Fei'er!
Once the ceremony concluded, the production officially entered its shooting phase.
However, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er weren't required on set yet; the first two episodes didn't feature their characters, so there was no need for them to stay.
More importantly, the two of them had to return to Capital City to attend a very important event:
The filming of the Huaxia Charity Association's PSA "Devotion of Love."
(End of chapter)
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