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Jinsheng Community, Binhai City.
It was already 8 PM. A full moon hung high in the night sky, its silvery glow blending with the lights of thousands of homes, painting a serene and peaceful scene. A cool breeze stirred gently over the community's man-made lake, creating ripples that shimmered like stars.
The gates of the Lu family villa opened as Fang Yun saw off two guests.
She smiled at a plump middle-aged woman and said, "Sister Wang, take care on your way home."
The woman grinned, her eyes squinting into two slits. "It's fine, Xiaoyun. No need to see us off, we'll head back ourselves."
As she spoke, she nudged the middle-aged man next to her with her elbow.
This man, in his early forties, had thick eyebrows and a square-shaped face. His obviously dyed hair was neatly slicked back, glistening under the porch lights like it had been polished. He wore a formal suit, clearly trying to make an impression.
His eyes lingered on Fang Yun, a faint flicker of desire passing through them.
In her youth, Fang Yun had been a well-known beauty in the area. Her children, Lu Xi, Lu Xue, and Lu Chen, each inherited her outstanding genes.
Though the last few years had taken their toll, especially after her husband's passing, Fang Yun had regained her poise and appearance after Lu Chen paid off the family's crushing debts and reclaimed their villa. Her natural grace had returned with it.
And now, standing at the door with a soft smile, she exuded a mature elegance.
The square-faced man was clearly captivated. Only when Sister Wang gave him another nudge did he snap out of his daze and hurriedly say, "Ms. Fang, thank you again for tonight. I was wondering if I could invite you to dinner tomorrow?"
"No need."
Before he could finish, Fang Yun cut him off bluntly. "Thank you for the offer, but I have to supervise my daughter's studies in the evenings. So, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
Although her words were polite, her tone was cold and her face showed not the slightest trace of apology.
The man was clearly embarrassed by the rejection, and his smile stiffened awkwardly.
Seeing the situation going south, Sister Wang quickly tried to smooth things over.
But Fang Yun didn't give her the chance, she turned and walked back into the house, closing the front door behind her.
Outside, the pair could only leave awkwardly and empty-handed.
Inside, Fang Yun sat down on the living room sofa and sighed quietly, rubbing the spot between her eyebrows in exhaustion.
The woman just now, Sister Wang, was a colleague from her workplace and notorious for playing matchmaker. The square-faced man was one of her distant relatives, a vice-mayor from a township under Binhai's jurisdiction.
Sister Wang had originally tried to set Fang Yun up with this supposedly divorced relative. After Fang Yun declined politely, she actually brought the man straight to her house, forcing Fang Yun to entertain them with forced politeness.
Since they worked together, it wasn't easy to outright refuse her, after all, they'd still have to see each other at work every day.
But any further attempts to get close? That was where Fang Yun drew the line.
She rejected him firmly and without hesitation, because getting entangled with such a person would definitely be a headache.
Besides, Sister Wang had never been this enthusiastic before. What exactly was she after, now that she was suddenly so eager?
Ever since Lu Qingsheng passed away, even in the darkest days, Fang Yun had never once thought about finding someone to rely on. Her three sensible, loving children were enough.
Now that things were finally looking up, with Lu Chen and Lu Xi both doing well in their careers, she felt even less inclined.
She had no desire to remarry. Not at all.
Once Lu Xue went off to college in a few years, she'd focus on helping Lu Xi and Lu Chen with their futures, and eventually, with raising their kids.
That was a life she found perfectly fulfilling.
Though now that Lu Chen had become a celebrity... she'd heard that celebrities rarely marry young, as it could negatively affect their careers.
As for having kids? Who knew when that would ever happen?
Lu Xi was helping her brother manage the studio in the Capital, so busy that she barely had time to talk on the phone, how could she even find a boyfriend like that?
The more Fang Yun thought about it, the more she felt like a mother's worries never truly ended.
"Mom!"
Just as she was lost in thought, Lu Xue came bouncing down the stairs.
Peeking from the stairwell into the living room and seeing her mom alone, she let out a dramatic sigh of relief: "Those two annoying people finally left?"
Fang Yun scolded, "Don't be rude. Do you want a spanking?"
Lu Xue grinned mischievously and plopped down beside her mom, hugging her arm. "But they really were annoying! Especially that man, he made me lose my appetite!"
She pulled an exaggerated innocent face, one that made it impossible to stay mad at her.
Fang Yun shook her head in resignation.
Truthfully, that distant relative wasn't terrible, but Fang Yun really disliked the way he looked at her.
She didn't want to dwell on him anymore and said, "Weren't you going to watch TV? Go on, turn it on."
"Oh right!"
Lu Xue jumped up with excitement. "It's about to start!"
Tonight at 8:30 PM, the TV drama Autumn in My Heart, written and starring Lu Chen, was premiering on Haijin Satellite TV. Of course, she had to watch it live, to show full support for her big brother!
Ding-dong~
Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Lu Xue and Fang Yun exchanged a look, could it be those two people again?
That would really ruin the mood!
"Little Xue~"
A clear voice called out from outside.
"It's Xiaoyu!"
Lu Xue instantly recognized the voice and lit up with joy. She rushed over to open the door.
As the door swung open, three lively teenage girls immediately surrounded her. "Xiaoyu! Little Fang! Wenwen!"
"What are you guys doing here?"
These three girls were all Lu Xue's close friends, two from middle school and one from high school. All of them lived in Jinsheng Community, and they'd once been nearly inseparable.
Even after Lu Xue moved to the dorms at the local tax bureau with Fang Yun, they'd kept in touch, and the friendship never faded.
Now that they had moved back into the neighborhood, it was only natural that they'd start visiting each other often again.
A ponytailed girl grinned and said, "We came to watch your brother's drama with you! Plus, your TV is huge, it's way more comfortable here."
"Oh right, is your brother still filming in Jinling?"
Back when the villa was being redecorated, Lu Chen had specially bought a new home theater system for his mom Fang Yun, who loved TV dramas. The living room now featured a 70-inch 4K ultra-HD LCD screen, perfect for gatherings.
Lu Xue joked, "Little Fang, be honest, why are you so concerned about my brother? Are you hoping to become my sister-in-law or something? You better start bribing me first!"
Among her friends, it was Little Fang who always showed the most interest in Lu Chen, constantly asking about his updates and whereabouts.
The ponytailed girl blushed furiously. "What nonsense!"
One of the other girls teased, "It's totally true! She dragged us here, after all."
"You traitor!"
Little Fang squealed and launched a tickle attack, and the group of girls dissolved into laughter and playful chaos.
Their cheerful noise filled the grand villa with warmth and life.
Fang Yun, hearing the ruckus, called out, "Little Xue, aren't you going to let Xiaoyu and the others in?"
Still clinging to Little Fang, Lu Xue stuck out her tongue and said, "Come on in, guys! It's about to start!"
The three girls suddenly noticed Fang Yun sitting on the couch. Embarrassed, their faces turned red as they quickly greeted her:
"Hello, Auntie!"
"Hello, dears," Fang Yun replied with a warm smile, rising from her seat. "Come in and sit, I'll get you some snacks."
"No need, Auntie!"
"Thank you, Auntie!"
"Mom, I'll do it!"
The girls chattered all at once as they took seats on the couch. Lu Xue turned on the TV.
Once the system booted up, she flipped the channel to Haijin Satellite TV.
The ultra-clear screen came to life, it was still showing ads.
But right after the commercial break, the first episode of "Autumn in My Heart" would officially begin!
Lu Xue shouted, "Mom, come quick, it's starting!"
Her three friends were already sitting shoulder to shoulder, eyes fixed intently on the screen.
It had begun.
And it wasn't just Lu Xue and her friends tuning in to watch "Autumn in My Heart". Across the country, tens of thousands of fans of Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, as well as viewers drawn in by the advertisements, were watching too.
Due to copyright reasons, "Autumn in My Heart" couldn't be live-streamed on Whale TV. As a result, Lu Chen's loyal fanbase, known as the Lu Family Army, flocked to WeChat Video to watch the online premiere.
WeChat Video also had bullet comment features, allowing fans to interact in real time as they watched.
The number of concurrent online viewers quickly began to skyrocket.
However, just 30 minutes earlier, at 8 PM, WeChat Video had premiered its own in-house production, "Sweetheart CEO", right before "Autumn in My Heart", triggering a direct head-to-head showdown between the two dramas.
"Sweetheart CEO" was WeChat Video's year-end flagship drama, backed by a massive 50-million yuan investment, featuring a star-studded cast of big-name actors and a lineup of popular fresh-faced idols.
The platform had been promoting the series heavily for two months in advance, hoping to make it a major hit.
Originally, the two dramas weren't supposed to air on the same day. While "Autumn in My Heart" was acquired from outside, WeChat Video had paid a considerable sum for the exclusive online broadcast rights.
But the premiere date for "Sweetheart CEO" had long been fixed, and "Autumn in My Heart" was locked into a contract with Haijin TV, so the schedule couldn't be changed. There was no way one would give way to the other, so a clash was inevitable.
With its high-profile marketing and star power, not to mention being adapted from a hit web novel, "Sweetheart CEO" was poised for instant success the moment it launched.
In comparison, the more grassroots-powered "Autumn in My Heart", which relied heavily on fan enthusiasm, seemed clearly outmatched.
(End of Chapter)