Lun En sat quietly in a corner, silently devouring pastries, one after another, until his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel's. Su Wanwan and Fu Liangmu exchanged a glance and walked over, taking a seat on either side of him.
"Old man, what's wrong? Still sulking?"
Lun En rolled his eyes and ignored them. Unbelievable. One after another, they got married—and no one thought to inform him! These two were really too much. He had even been trying to play matchmaker for them. Who would've thought—
"My apologies," Su Wanwan said, taking his hand, "our wedding happened rather suddenly, we didn't even hold a ceremony, so… we didn't send out any invitations."
Lun En, who had been silently brooding just moments ago, whipped his head around in frustration and urgency. "What do you mean by that? Why wasn't there a wedding?"
He had witnessed Su Wanwan's brilliance and grace. In his mind, if she were to marry, it would be to a man equally remarkable. Not to someone who wouldn't even hold a proper ceremony!
Fu Liangmu instinctively turned to Su Wanwan, waiting for her response. She pressed a fingertip to her temple, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Uh… to put it simply, it was a marriage alliance between two families."
That seemed the easiest way to avoid mentioning the arranged marriage—after all, the one destined to marry Fu Liangmu should have been Su Nian, not her.
Lun En immediately seized upon the key point. "A marriage alliance? That useless father of yours married you off? And your elder brothers didn't say a word?"
Elder brothers? Fu Liangmu frowned slightly. Didn't Father Su only have two daughters—Su Wanwan and Su Nian? No sons at all.
"Anyway, I have my own plans," Su Wanwan said vaguely.
Lun En grabbed her hand and asked a deadly question. "Wanwan, do you like the man you married?"
Both Su Wanwan and Fu Liangmu stiffened at once. From behind his mask, Fu Liangmu stared intensely at her like a man obsessed.
Su Wanwan felt a shiver run through her at his gaze, goosebumps rising all over—but every time she looked at Fu Liangmu, she realized his eyes weren't focused on her at all.
"Uh…"
Lun En, observing her hesitation, instantly understood. He waved a hand dismissively. "F, go grab two fruit juices."
Fu Liangmu gave a nonchalant "hmm," rose to his feet, and slowly walked toward the exit. At the door, he paused deliberately—just in time to hear Su Wanwan say:
"No, I don't like him."
His body stiffened instantly. A nameless sense of emptiness and disappointment surged from deep within. His fist, hanging loosely by his side, gradually tightened, trembling ever so slightly. He left, seething in silence.
But he didn't hear what Su Wanwan said next.
"…I think?"
Lun En looked at her in irritation. "Who are you asking?"
Su Wanwan let out a long sigh. This was a question far too complicated for her to answer. She had just been heartbroken days ago, only to be thrown into a new relationship with Fu Liangmu. To be honest, she still hadn't fully moved on from her previous love… and now she was already in a new one.
"I can't say I like him, but I don't dislike him either."
"He treats me with respect, and seems like a considerate person."
"But we haven't been together long. I'm not even sure what I feel toward him yet."
Lun En nodded in understanding and patted her shoulder, sighing wistfully. "If I'd known it would turn out like this, I would've arranged for you two to meet earlier."
Perhaps then, these two exceptional people might have sparked something real.
Su Wanwan gave a soft smile, saying nothing.
By the time Fu Liangmu returned, Lun En had already left.
"The teacher had something to attend to and left early. Thank you for making the trip," Su Wanwan said.
Fu Liangmu set the juice down in front of her without a word, his expression so dark it was practically ink. But with the mask shielding his face, Su Wanwan had no idea—she could only feel the heavy tension radiating from him.
Trying to break the awkward silence, she coughed lightly. "By the way, what perfume are you wearing?"
Fu Liangmu shot her a puzzled look.
"I mean, the scent on you… it feels kind of familiar."
His mouth twitched slightly. Could it be… she noticed it when he held her earlier?
"Oh, and to celebrate the successful performance, let me treat you to a meal."
Fu Liangmu replied coldly, "No need."
"What? But it's a celebration—"
He cut her off curtly, "My wife is waiting at home."
"…Oh."
Su Wanwan didn't push further.
Just as he was about to leave, Fu Liangmu added, "I love my wife very much."
Su Wanwan stared after his retreating figure, her mind full of question marks.
She mumbled to herself, "Love her all you want, what's it got to do with me… You make it sound like I'm coveting you or something…"
Shaking her head, she went to the dressing room to change out of her gown. As she removed her heels, her mind replayed the moment Fu Liangmu had held her on stage.
That scent again…
"Why does it… kind of smell like Fu Liangmu?"
She had spent the past few years in Xicheng, barely interacting with any men, so it wasn't hard to narrow down. But she hadn't had many close encounters with Fu Liangmu either, so she couldn't be sure.
"It can't be him. Even though he can play the piano too…"
"Fu Liangmu has a scar on the side of his face, and his voice is different."
Although the mask covered most of F's features, Su Wanwan had clearly seen the smooth, flawless skin on both sides of his face.
Whatever the case, she decided to head home first.
Just as she exited backstage, she caught a glimpse of Fu Liangmu's silhouette. Before she could look closely, Xia Kelan threw her arms around her.
"Wanwan! You were amazing! Absolutely stunning!"
"Why'd you take off your gown? I wanted to get more photos!"
"No worries though—there'll definitely be some uploaded online."
In the distance, Fu Liangmu, still masked, pushed his way through the crowd. A man slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Bro, unless you take that mask off, they're going to keep following you."
Fu Liangmu responded icily, "Take your filthy hand off me."
"Hey, that's cold—I came all the way here for you."
"Stay away from me."
"Come on~ The woman you were performing with—she's your wife, right?"
Fu Liangmu turned his head, eyes sharp and chilling.
"Stay away from her too."
Su Wanwan watched as Fu Liangmu and the man walked away, their figures growing smaller in the distance, then finally looked away.
"Kelan, I've got something to take care of. I need to head home."
Xia Kelan looked visibly disappointed. "Huh? Already? Aren't we going to grab dinner?"
"In a few days, alright?"
"Fine—but I want the most expensive meal!"
"No problem."
With that, Su Wanwan turned to leave.
But just as she stepped out of the Sacred Music Hall, someone pulled her aside.
"Wanwan, can we find a quiet place to talk?"