216.
After the run-in with his stepmother, we naturally had no desire to keep hanging out. Gu Yiliang and I agreed to do it another … I mean, postpone our plans. We wished each other a good evening and returned to our respective rooms.
After a shower, I lay on the bed, replied to a few messages, and absentmindedly scrolled through my phone. After a few swipes, I turned the device over and stared in a daze at the signature on my phone case.
It had all started with a simple dinner date, and somehow, I had gotten closer to Gu Yiliang, seen his genuine side, realized he had truly spoken to me, ended up involved in his family matters, and somehow… I became a Gu Yiliang fan, with solid reasons — and to make it seem more believable, I even asked for his autograph.
What a day full of unexpected twists!

 

217.
I was using a completely transparent phone case, and now that it was marked with Gu Yiliang’s big, bright golden signature, the whole phone felt like one of his official merch items. Holding it in my hand, I even had the odd sensation that it was slightly warm.

 

218.
I didn’t know if the world had gone mad or if I had, but Gu Yiliang had told me it was about reciprocity — he handed me the pen and asked me to sign his phone in return.
Coincidentally, he also used a completely transparent phone case.

 

219.
So now, we had matching phone cases — even more "couple-like" than ones made specifically for couples.

 

220.
I think Gu Yiliang must’ve gone crazy.

 

221.
It was the same iPhone X model — his was silver, mine was space gray, with golden, slightly glittery markings shining on the case like it had been blessed.
I held his name in my hands, and he held mine in his.
It was so sweet!
I really wanted to take a photo of the two cases together and post it in Xiao Chen’s Weibo super topic!
But I couldn’t!
The fact that I couldn’t share this sweetness with the other girls was unbearable! It was emotional torture!

 

222.
Unable to handle the boredom, I twisted under the blankets on my bed. Suddenly, I remembered seeing WilLiam earlier that day. I figured she must’ve posted something new, so I opened her Weibo to take a look.

 

223.
To my surprise, it was eerily quiet — no activity at all, not a ripple, nothing.
She hadn’t posted, not in the super topic, not even an update on her writings.
There were comments asking for a new post or news from her, but she hadn’t responded.
I checked her profile and found her Lofter (TN: Chinese blogging platform), but there was nothing new there either.
She hadn’t even shared the Niangzi banner with both signatures.

 

224.
Did something happen to her on her way back?
I started to panic a little and kept scrolling through her Weibo history until I found a QQ group number. Without thinking much, I used my old, long-abandoned QQ account to join the group and see if anyone knew what was going on with her.
I didn’t have to wait long before my request was approved. I joined a group called "Niangzi Army of 100,000 Sugars."
A flood of welcome messages greeted me, and just as I was about to ask about WilLiam, I saw her name pop up.

 

225.
WilLiam: Welcome, newbie!
Yantastic: …Hi, big sis.
I muted the group notifications and messaged her privately.

Yantastic: Why didn’t you post today?
WilLiam: Ah, I’m thinking of quitting writing.
Yantastic: ???
WilLiam: What I saw today in real life was so sweet, I can’t outdo it in fiction. And if I try writing angst, it just doesn’t feel real. I’m out of ideas.
Yantastic: …
WilLiam: Never mind, I’ll go answer them in the group — they’re harassing me.

 

226.
I left the private chat, still confused as to why she was being harassed. I glanced at the group chat.
There were tons of members, and messages were flying fast. I quickly figured out what was going on.

After coming back from the fan meeting, WilLiam had lost control of her emotions and blurted out in the group chat that Niangzi was real.
The group had already been buzzing from the interactions the day before, and now everyone was pressing her for evidence.
She said she had proof but didn’t want to share it so as not to disrupt my relationship with Gu Yiliang.
So people accused her of making things up, and she replied, “Okay, let’s just say it’s a made-up story.”
In any case, she wasn’t planning on posting any proof.
Eventually, an anti-fan in the group stole the conversation and shared it, triggering a huge uproar.

 

227.
The chaotic arguments truly annoyed me, and the excitement I’d felt earlier quickly died down.
There was no doubt — the atmosphere in the super topic tonight was off.
I felt bad for the poor girl.
Getting involved directly just felt too unrealistic.
I locked my phone and went back to staring at the signature on my phone case.
It was nothing more than a baseless story — and even if I wanted to take part and clear up things, there was nothing I could do.

 

228.
The interactions were real, the support was real, the perfect chemistry was real, the exchanged smiles were real,
the iced tea I drank was real, the cigarette I held was real, the wrist I grabbed was real, the cheek I brushed was real,
the name on the phone case was real.
The sweetness was real. The sugar was real.
But Gu Yiliang and I — we weren’t real.
My eyes traced the lines of the characters in his name.
I didn’t even know how to describe what I was feeling.
Suddenly, my phone started vibrating.
I flipped it over and turned on the screen.

 

229.
"Your baby @GuYiliang_Liam has posted on Weibo."
"Your baby @GuYiliang_Liam has published a new post on Weibo."
"Your baby @GuYiliang_Liam has posted a new message on Weibo."
"Your baby @GuYiliang_Liam has posted again on Weibo."
"Your baby @WeiYanzi_William was tagged in a post by @GuYiliang_Liam."
"Your baby @GuYiliang_Liam has posted a new message on Weibo."

 

230.
I don’t know why, but I wasn’t as excited as I thought I’d be.
I slowly unlocked my phone and opened my Weibo account.

@GuYiliang_Liam: [Cheers] [Cheers] [Cheers]
Had an amazing day — filming went great, thank you to my lovely fans who came to see me, you’re all the best! [Greedy] [Greedy]
Image: a pile of small gifts from fans, with his hand making a V sign at the camera
My thoughts: Hmm… that sounds kind of official, doesn’t it?

@GuYiliang_Liam: Currently reading “The Sparrow Sings All Day” by Mu Xin (NT: poetry collection). It’s such a beautiful piece — really moved me, highly recommend it!
P.S. The WeRead app is amazing! (NT: Wēixìn Dúshū, Tencent’s reading platform integrated with WeChat)
Image: a screenshot of the poem “Temptation”
Me: …This is kind of funny, he’s like an old man writing in a diary — wants to post every little detail!

@GuYiliang_Liam: “Your eyes, your smile — bright as the stars, gentle as the night wind. The most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.” @WeiYanzi_William
Image: a candid photo taken during the filming visit, unfiltered, natural hair

Me: ………………………………

@GuYiliang_Liam: Treat for the Fans
Image: a mirror selfie, pinching his own cheek — looking a bit goofy but charming

Me: …………………………………………………………………

 

231.
It’s real! I believe it’s real, okay?!

 

 

Translator : DarNan