Chapter 23

On the eighth day, the skies were clear and bright, the gentle breeze soothing, the weather perfect—and the day even more so.

Everything was auspicious.

A young woman at the Civil Affairs Bureau greeted them. Noticing their masks, she reminded them, “Please remove your masks.”

She glanced at them, assuming they were worried about discrimination or embarrassment, and added gently, “We see several couples like you every day. Here, you’ll only receive blessings—no need to worry.”

That wasn’t the reason, but her kindness was genuine. They thanked her. “Thank you.”

Ji Yunzhang’s voice drew several glances from her.

It sounded familiar.

When Jing Li removed his mask, she was instantly captivated by his stunning looks. Her attention shifted to him, her eyes lighting up with admiration. But the next moment, as her peripheral vision caught Ji Yunzhang’s revealed face, she whipped her head back, frozen in place.

Her mouth fell open, her voice floating ethereally, mirroring her dreamlike daze. “T-Teacher Ji?”

Ji Yunzhang nodded politely and slid the prepared documents and materials across the counter to her. “Please process the registration.”

She snapped out of it, hurriedly checking the materials. Noticing they were missing a joint photo, she looked up again. “Would you like to take your photo here?”

Jing Li’s eyes curved into a smile as he hummed in agreement. “Thanks for the trouble.”

Wow, he’s really gorgeous.

Perfect match for Teacher Ji.

Her mind was still reeling, but she kept her composure, slipping back into professional mode. She stood and stepped out from behind the counter. “Follow me.”

Without their masks, their striking appearances drew countless stares. And once eyes landed on them, recognition dawned—one of them was Ji Yunzhang. Gasps erupted all around.

In an instant, everyone was watching.

Under the spotlight of their gazes, Ji Yunzhang leaned in close to Jing Li’s ear. “Nervous?”

Jing Li whispered back, “A little.”

“And you?” Jing Li asked.

Ji Yunzhang replied, “Same. A little.”

Jing Li found it wondrous and couldn’t help glancing at him. “So even Teacher Ji gets nervous.”

Ji Yunzhang smiled softly, amusement sparkling in his downcast eyes. “Have you put me on a pedestal? I’m only human, of course I get nervous.”

“True enough.”

With an adorable tilt of his head, Jing Li suddenly remembered something. He held out his hand, palm up, lips curving into a grin. “In that case, shall we hold hands?”

Of course they would.

Ji Yunzhang took charge, enveloping Jing Li’s offered hand in his own and holding it gently. Warmth flowed between their clasped fingers.

Hand in hand, bold as you please, they walked into the photo room amid the crowd’s stares.

The door shut behind them, blocking the prying eyes outside. Jing Li pressed a hand to his chest and turned his head. “Teacher Ji, guess how many phones were filming us back there?”

Ji Yunzhang kept hold of his hand with one of his, the other dangling casually at his side. He replied airily, “Didn’t count, but plenty.”

“I bet the moment we step out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, we could hold a press conference.” Videos were bound to hit the internet, and once they did, entertainment reporters would swarm like sharks to blood.

The young woman who’d led them piped up with advice. “You could take the fire escape out the side door.”

Jing Li smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“Y-You’re welcome.” She was still a bit giddy.

Teacher Ji was really getting married!

And she was handling their registration! She could brag about this for ages!

A few other couples were still ahead of them, posing for photos. Jing Li had zero dating experience—not even from romantic roles—so he studied them like models.

Soon, it was their turn.

They shrugged off their jackets and draped them over a nearby chair. Ji Yunzhang took Jing Li’s hand once more, and together they stepped up to the seats beneath the red backdrop.

The photographer was fiddling with the lens, head bowed, and gave his standard reminder. “Feel free to tidy each other’s appearance first. This is a one-and-done shot—no do-overs. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Ji Yunzhang and Jing Li both wore matching white dress shirts, buttons neatly fastened all the way to the top. They exchanged a glance—perfectly tidy, impeccably proper, and… exceptionally handsome.

They shared a smile, and Ji Yunzhang said, “We’re ready.”

The photographer looked up to take the shot but froze when he saw Ji Yunzhang through the lens. His eyes bulged in shock, his hand jerking and nearly ruining the photo.

It took a good ten seconds before he regained his composure and did his job.

Click. The shutter snapped, freezing the moment. In the photo, boundless joy bloomed in Jing Li and Ji Yunzhang’s eyes, like the warmth of early spring awakening the entire season.

…

One hour later, Jing Li and Ji Yunzhang received their marriage certificate. The red booklet contained a photo of the two of them, sweet and tender.

At that moment, An Jiaming arrived, carrying a bag of wedding candies. He shared the joy with the staff while handing them out to everyone else present.

Each beautifully packaged box held only ten candies, symbolizing perfection in every way. Every piece was a special custom order from renowned confectionery brands across the globe.

Jing Li was the first to notice the candies and found them ridiculously extravagant. Ji Yunzhang just laughed and told him they could serve as part of their future PR strategy.

Once they went public with their marriage registration, Jing Li was bound to face a barrage of doubts. The best way to handle it was to flaunt their love. Love was an eternal theme, and most people showered fairy-tale romances with blessings.

Besides, the fighting spirit of CP fans was no slouch compared to solo stans.

In the midst of this public opinion storm, Jing Li needed voices speaking up for him.

After handing out the candies, Ji Yunzhang and Jing Li prepared to leave when a girl called out to them. Clutching one of the candies, her eyes sparkling, she said, “Teacher Ji, I wish you and Jing Li all the happiness in the world!”

Her words sparked a chain reaction, and the air filled with a chorus of heartfelt blessings.

Ji Yunzhang smiled, took Jing Li’s hand, thanked them all, and returned the sentiment. “You all deserve happiness too—may you and your loved ones be united forever, growing old side by side.”

~~~

That very noon, the entire Chinese internet erupted.

Later, netizens jokingly dubbed it the biggest celebrity “image collapse” in a decade—”biggest” referring to the star’s top-tier status.

The video of the two registering at the Civil Affairs Bureau that morning inevitably hit the web. Entertainment reporters and marketing accounts swarmed like bloodhounds on the scent.

The original poster’s Weibo account got bombarded into oblivion. Even after they panicked and deleted it, the footage had already been archived, re-edited, and reposted by every major account in the game.

Marketing accounts and paparazzi raced to drop their versions, desperate not to miss out on the traffic. Before long, the clip blanketed the internet.

Ultra-high exposure rates combined with Ji Yunzhang’s built-in star power sent view counts skyrocketing exponentially. It wasn’t long before #Ji Yunzhang Marriage#, #Ji Yunzhang Jing Li Marriage Registration#, and #Ji Yunzhang Comes Out# crashed the hot search charts, each one exploding with red-hot “TRENDING” tags.

Other terms bubbling up included #Jing Li#, #Ji Yunzhang#, #Unfanning#, and more—too many to count, turning the Weibo hot search list into a total monopoly.

One thing united them all: the topic pages overflowed with stunned fans, stunned netizens, waves of skepticism, and nonstop vitriol.

These were the outright disbelievers.

【Marketing accounts, have some shame.】

【This is staged, right? Teacher Ji’s next project’s a queer romance with Jing Li?】

【Studio hype needs boundaries!】

【WTF, spreading lies about my dad now? Forwards over five hundred is lawsuit territory. @Ji Yunzhang Studio, debunk this shit NOW!】

These were the ones who flat-out couldn’t accept it.

【My idol strikes again—another collapse. What’s with my cursed fangirl luck?】

【Marriage? Focus on your career, damn it. Male idols, staying single is your golden ticket!】

【Fine, get married, but picking a total no-name flop? Have some standards. If you’re dating in the industry, aim for someone on your level.】

【Unfanning. Turns out Ji Yunzhang’s a total love zombie. I despise love zombies.】

Most of the backlash wasn’t even aimed at Ji Yunzhang—fans gonna stan. The top comments under major marketing posts were a frenzy of denial, laced with vicious attacks, insults, and conspiracy theories targeting Jing Li.

【No way, no way—this has to be fake. Teacher Ji getting married? Jing Li must have dirt on him. Who’s pulling Jing Li’s strings?】

【Teacher Ji’s got money and status for days. To force his hand, it had to be someone with more pull than the Ji Family. Had to bend the knee, huh? Gotta be some old creep. No clue how Jing Li got tangled up, but Teacher Ji’s left holding the bag. Tragic.】

【God, Jing Li’s filthy.】

【I hereby declare Jing Li my lifelong enemy. As long as I draw breath, I’ll curse you every damn day!】

【Pics for the memorial altar ready. Good boys go to heaven. Woodfish knocking relay.】

【Knock, relay.】

Amid thousands of fan rants, casual onlookers ate it up.

【Holy crap, shocked my whole family—Ji Yunzhang came out of the closet and straight-up got married!】

【To be honest, it’s not surprising at all that Ji Yunzhang is gay, okay? He’s worked with so many female actresses over the years, and plenty of them threw themselves at him. But his ice-cold attitude always had people wondering if he had some kind of dysfunction. I mean, what straight guy can resist a beautiful woman without batting an eye? I’ve never seen one.】

【Speaking of which, who’s Jing Li? Never heard of him.】

【Thirty-sixth-tier? Nah, more like fifty-eighth-tier flop. He’s so obscure he doesn’t even rate a real name. Pull up his profile or search the trends square, and aside from Ji fans, there are basically no followers to be found. Calling him an entertainer is straight-up flattering him.】

【…So what does Ji Yunzhang even see in him?】

Amid the boiling tide of public opinion and the netizens’ heated debates, Ji Yunzhang—who hadn’t posted on Weibo in forever, letting his account gather dust—pinned a fresh new update to the top of his feed.

@Ji Yunzhang V: Mountains and seas, this life with you @Jing Li. The photo showed their hands, adorned with matching wedding rings, gently intertwined.