To the Man I Love, Mr. Lin Lu

Top-tier singer x ink wash painter

Childhood friends / mutual pining / reunion after years apart / sweet romance

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To Mr. Lin Lu, whom I love dearly:

Haizi said, "You came into this world, so you should see the sun and walk down the street with the one you love."

To me, you are the sun, the moon, and the stars. Thank you for bringing an everlasting light into my world.

You were born to be admired by all, shining brightly in the spotlight. You are the light of life I would fight with all my might to hold on to.

Life is no more than this. For twenty-five years, I've walked long streets, braved snow and rain, and seen lakes, mountains, flowers, and seas. Among all the people beneath the sun, I fell for you, radiant and dazzling.

Everything beautiful in this world deserves to be cherished with all your heart.

Brilliant starlight and rumors, none of them are you.

I came into this world, and you passed through my heart.

What brilliant sunshine, illuminating the world beneath the eternal sky.

What a wonderful Lin Lu, the love of my life.

I hear an ethereal voice from the boundless distance. May you always have open skies and wide fields, free as the wind, singing to your heart's content.

Your forever XX

Traveling through mountains and rivers, finding joy in this world.

Everything beautiful in this world deserves to be cherished with all your heart.

From To Mr. Lin Lu, Whom I Love Dearly

[Plot Synopsis]

Born to be admired by all, he sings the legends of an era.

Besides his extraordinary musical legacy and godlike looks, the public loves to talk about how all of singer Lin Lu's many beloved hits contain not a single love song.

Everyone knows he's devoted only to music and has no interest in women.

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A popular online poll: If you could spend one night with Lin Lu, what would you choose to do together?

Over a million people took part. "Listen to Lin Lu play the piano and sing all night" won by a landslide.

The poll's creator protested: "Wouldn't a night of passion with Lin Lu be better?!"

The comment with hundreds of thousands of likes at the top said: "Because he's the man everyone can only dream of! Keep it pure, please. The internet isn't above the law!"

Wei Xi happened to see the poll and, without a second thought, clicked on listening to Lin Lu play the piano and sing.

As it turned out, she skipped the daydreaming and went straight to making it happen.

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Wei Xi started learning to paint with an older boy when she was eight. He was impossibly handsome, and when he smiled, his eyes curved like the moon.

Years after they parted, they meet again. He's a dazzling superstar beneath the spotlights, with countless fans, while she's the friend-and-family-approved Lin Lu fan.

She wants a brief fling with him. He gives her a flirtatious look with his phoenix eyes and says, "If you sleep with me, you'll have to take responsibility for me."

Wei Xi: "... What era do you think we're living in? Big brother, please keep up with the times!"

[Little Scene]

Her classmates privately say that Wei Xi of the Chinese Painting Academy may be beautiful, but she'll devote her whole life to art and love nothing but painting and calligraphy.

Later, Wei Xi holds a special art exhibition titled To Mr. Lin Lu, Whom I Love Dearly. Some of the works on display match the illustrations posted by Lin Lu's most famous fan artist, "Smile Whenever I See You."

Lin Lu's fans: Aaaah! The young lady who draws the best pictures of Lu Lu is actually Xiao Xiao!

Onlookers: The greatest fan in history!

Wei Xi's classmates: What happened to pursuing your artistic dreams? Why are you chasing celebrities now?

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Antis swear that Lin Lu's hit song "Little Girl" is just a song pandering to his fans:

"A love that goes both ways! Hah, everyone knows Lin Lu is the entertainment industry's last pure-hearted boy. Where would he get a little girl from?"

"What a scheming big brother! I play the piano while you listen, and I'll sing for you in my next life! This song is dripping with high-grade tea. May you two stay together forever!"

Lin Lu announces his marriage to his little girl and posts a painting.

It shows a little boy and girl sitting side by side at a drawing table. The caption reads: "A happy union for Xi and Lu, a match made in heaven."

Their love is mutual, and they're together for good.

The whole internet erupts: !!!!!!!!

The internet crashes.

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Reader's Notes:

- The story is told in the present, with a few flashbacks to fill in what happened before.

- A fictional entertainment-industry setting, with no real-life inspirations.

- The author is a compulsive reviser. The story has been revised many times, and the complete version is only available here.

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Coming soon: Springtime Wedding, featuring a gentle, radiant food blogger x a CEO hiding behind a gentlemanly facade~

*

In the spring of her twenty-fifth year, Su Minghua does the craziest thing of her life: she impulsively marries a stranger.

Only when she sees the name on the marriage certificate does she learn that her new husband is called Fu Chenli.

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Rumors circulate in Hong Kong's wealthy circles that Fu Chenli took over the Fu Group as the son of his father's ex-wife, then ruthlessly drove out his half-siblings. His ambition is plain for all to see.

Yet thanks to his handsome face, power, and wealth, heiresses from prominent families flock to him.

One day, everyone is stunned to hear that Fu Chenli has secretly married. His wife is a food blogger from mainland China, and reporters photograph him in a suit, accompanying her to buy groceries at the market.

His older half-brother sneers that Fu is just like his mother, who died young: neither of them is fit for polite society, so a wife who cooks is just right for him.

The next day, Fu Chenli issues an appointment letter and exiles him to a remote branch in Southeast Asia to build the business from scratch.

Fu Chenyu: "..."

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Months into their marriage, Su Minghua learns her husband's true identity from online news.

Reporters marvel that she's gone from sparrow to phoenix, and she has to agree.

She and Fu Chenli are worlds apart. She could never aspire to join a top-tier family, and she can't take advantage of his kindness to cling to him.

That night, she says to him in a matter-of-fact tone, "When are you free? Let's go get a divorce certificate."

Fu Chenli holds a cigarette between his fingers. Through the curling smoke, he smiles lazily. "Minghua, what gave you the impression that you could summon me whenever you want and dismiss me just as easily?"

Su Minghua: "???"

Fu Chenli: "Come over here and look at our wedding venue."

Su Minghua: "..."

That night, Fu Chenli forcefully reclaimed the master bedroom.

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Later, Su Minghua learns by chance that Fu Chenli also has a name inherited from his mother, Zhou Yichen, and that he once lived in Beicheng.

She turns over the strangely familiar name in her mind, and an absurd thought flashes through her: Could he have known her all along?

Zhou Yichen will always remember the bright-smiling girl who once gave him an entire spring that would never fade.

Years later, the springtime of his life arrives once more.

#Wait, my new husband is a CEO, and he's been secretly in love with me?#

Theme: Passion and dreams