Chapter 60 Part 1

Lu Yanzhou did not dodge or evade. “Then, will Juan Juan mind?”

Little Uncle had actually admitted it!

Lu Mingxuan was dumbfounded. Having gotten a wife really made him different. His little uncle’s image had already deviated further and further in his mind.

Gazed at by the man’s eyes full of deep affection, Lin Juan inexplicably felt his ears heat up. “It’s fine, I guess…”

Lin Juan did not feel that Lu Yanzhou was clingy at all. He quite liked spending time with Lu Yanzhou.

Lu Mingxuan gradually got used to the shift in his little uncle’s image and urged them on. “Enough talk, enough talk. Let’s go, quick. Time’s almost up.”

“But,” Lu Mingxuan propped his chin on one hand, “Little Uncle, this outfit of yours…”

“What’s wrong with the clothes?” Lu Yanzhou did not think there was anything off about his attire.

“It’s too formal!” Lu Mingxuan slapped his palm. “Little Uncle, do you have anything more casual?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Isn’t it a Comic Expo? With Little Uncle dressed like this, he might even get mistaken for a cosplayer of some novel character. Come on, let’s go.”

Lin Juan’s guess was spot on. As the three entered the exhibition hall, girls in all sorts of pretty little skirts kept coming over to ask what characters they were cosplaying.

They had to admit, the group was far too eye-catching. Lu Yanzhou was in a suit and tie, looking like he was about to head to a business meeting at any moment. Lin Juan had long, exquisite hair, like he had stepped straight out of a comic. Lu Mingxuan was your typical youthful college guy with a handsome face—very attention-grabbing.

Lu Yanzhou was used to all kinds of stares and equally used to ignoring them. Seeing Lin Juan excitedly looking around, he would occasionally point out something novel for him.

An intimate atmosphere formed between the two, one that no outsider could intrude upon.

Lu Mingxuan felt a bit frustrated.

He had originally wanted to come with Lin Juan and have a good time together, but he had not expected his little uncle to tag along suddenly and steal Little Uncle away. Every time he turned back to say something to Lin Juan, he saw the young man smiling up at his little uncle.

It was his first time at a Comic Expo, and such a massive one at that. Affected by the atmosphere inside, Lin Juan felt a bit excited too.

Once a person got excited, they tended to talk more.

Especially with such a cooperative companion by his side.

There were tons of IPs at the Comic Expo—fan-made cosplay and official ones, from anime, games, and novels. There were cosplays of protagonists and supporting characters, even quirky ones like demons and spirits. All types were present.

“If only we’d changed into some outfits too,” Lin Juan said, caught up in the excitement and feeling the urge to join in himself.

“I can have someone send clothes over,” Lu Yanzhou supported him unconditionally.

“I was just saying,” Lin Juan turned back. Lu Mingxuan trailed behind them like a little tail. “Has the author you want a signature from arrived?”

“Let me check.” Lu Mingxuan had collected a bunch of promo materials and struggled to pull out his phone.

Seeing him struggle, Lin Juan reached out. “Give me a few, and your little uncle can help carry some too.”

Lu Mingxuan really could not manage them all, so he handed over part of the stack, pulled out his phone, and checked. “East Hall, starts at ten-thirty. It’s about to begin. Shall we head over?”

“Sure, we came to accompany you to the signing event anyway.”

Lots of people gathered at the signing area. Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou queued behind Lu Mingxuan, getting a rare taste of what it felt like to chase stars.

The line moved slowly amid the noisy clamor from all directions. Lin Juan tilted his head back slightly. “Lu Yanzhou, don’t you find it too noisy?”

“A little.” Lu Yanzhou’s background meant he rarely ended up in such boisterous environments, and he had a germaphobe streak to boot. If not for Lin Juan, he never would have come to a place this crowded.

“Sorry for putting you through this.” Lin Juan knew about his germaphobia.

During the crowd squeezes, Lin Juan had seen him frown several times. A man so germaphobic he could not stand others touching him would always shield him in the throng, sparing him the press of bodies.

Lin Juan wanted to say there was no need to protect him like that—he was not some fragile porcelain doll. A little squeeze would not hurt him. But the words reached his lips, and seeing the man’s slightly pursed lips and serious expression, he swallowed them back down.

“It’s no trouble.” Lu Yanzhou’s hands were full carrying things; otherwise, he would have very much liked to ruffle Lin Juan’s hair.

“Once Lu Mingxuan gets his signature, we’ll find somewhere quieter to wait for him.”

“There’s still a lot we haven’t seen. Don’t worry about me.” Lin Juan wore his thoughts on his face, and Lu Yanzhou knew him well enough to easily tell he was interested in the place.

Still, Lin Juan’s thoughtfulness warmed him deeply.

The man’s gaze grew even gentler.

Two girls who had been watching them exchanged a glance, excitement evident in each other’s eyes.

They had scored the real deal!

Who would have thought that coming to a Comic Expo would let them witness a real-life couple!

They had been following the trio for a while now, especially the long-haired young man and the man behind him. From all the little details in their interactions, it was clear the two were a pair.

No matter what the long-haired young man said, the man behind him listened intently, the affection in his eyes impossible to hide.

Lin Juan sensed the two girls’ gazes. There had been so many stares along the way that he paid it no mind and did not bother looking back.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from behind.

“Someone’s fainted!”

“Quick, don’t crowd her! Call an ambulance!”

The crowd parted, clearing a large space in the middle where a girl lay.

Her companion stood anxiously not far off. “Xiao Ling!”

The girl who was called did not move.

Lin Juan’s brows furrowed slightly. He sensed a faint trace of weird aura.

It was just for an instant before it vanished quickly.

Was it an illusion?

With such a large venue, the organizers had all sorts of emergency measures in place. Before long, medical staff arrived with a stretcher and carried her away.

It did not cause much of a disturbance.

The line continued forward in order until it was Lu Mingxuan’s turn.

Lu Mingxuan was visibly thrilled. He got his signature and even chatted a bit more with the author before stepping aside.

Sticking to a “since we’re here” mentality, Lin Juan got a signature too.

“Thank you all for the support.”

The author Lu Mingxuan liked was a girl with long bangs, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a black mask that hid almost her entire face.

On her exposed wrist during the signing, there was a faint ink-green mark.

An Zhimo was famous for her horror novels, her most well-known being the recently completed Reverse Time.

While queuing, Lin Juan had overheard plenty of discussions about the plot from those ahead and behind.

After getting his signature, Lin Juan stepped aside, with Lu Yanzhou following suit.

Perhaps because he was the first to skip the signature and exit the line, An Zhimo could not help but ask, “Does the gentleman not want a signature?”

“His share is right here with me.” Lin Juan waved the signed item in his hand. “We won’t hold up the fans behind us anymore.”

With that, Lin Juan grabbed Lu Yanzhou’s wrist and left.

A knowing laugh came from behind.

The second floor of the exhibition hall had a dedicated rest area. Lin Juan did not plan to keep wandering and told Lu Mingxuan to go have fun on his own while he and Lu Yanzhou headed upstairs to rest.

Lu Mingxuan had long wanted to roam freely. Being with the adults felt so restrictive, and only Lin Juan was okay company. With Lu Yanzhou, the elder, around, Lu Mingxuan did not even dare seek out his fellow fans.

Lin Juan had noticed his discomfort and figured the kid had finally gotten out for once—he should let him enjoy himself fully.

They picked a spot on the second floor with a broad view, overlooking the entire first-floor exhibition hall.

Zhou Tiantian was an amateur cosplayer. She had just finished her college entrance exams and learned that her favorite author was holding a signing event in the Imperial Capital. She came with her fellow fans by bus to attend the Comic Expo.

They had prepared for this event for a long time.

The night before the Comic Expo, the six of them gathered together.

“This Comic Expo counts as our first official event, so everyone make sure to prepare well. Don’t drop the ball!”

“Got it!”

Zhou Tiantian returned to her room with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

To save money, the four girls shared a standard room.

It was getting late, but Zhou Tiantian tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She sat up and found another companion also awake.

“Tiantian, can’t sleep either?”

“I’m a bit excited. What about you, Xiao Ling?”

“Me too. Tomorrow we’ll finally see An Zhimo in person. I’m so nervous.”

“Since we can’t sleep, how about we check our gear again?”

“Sure.”

They got up quietly from the beds and inspected their cosplay equipment once more.

They were cosplaying major characters from Reverse Time: the four protagonists and two highly popular monster BOSSes.

Xiao Ling was cosplaying a high-popularity supporting character who ultimately died at the hands of a monster.

They had checked the cosplay outfits and props carefully both before and after arriving, ensuring no issues. This time was just to calm their overexcited nerves.

Unexpectedly, the outfit they had just checked had a problem.

Xiao Ling’s cosplay outfit was torn.

“How did it get damaged like this?” Zhou Tiantian held up the clothes, stunned.

The outfit had multiple tears, plus some unidentified stains—like blood, but with no metallic smell. Not just the clothes; the props for that supporting character were also mangled.

Ruined like this, there was no way to wear it. Zhou Tiantian had no choice but to wake the others.

Xiao Ling’s mood soured terribly.

She had scrimped and saved to buy that outfit, and now it was ruined. Not only had her money gone down the drain, but the event she had anticipated for so long was off the table. It was heartbreaking.

Her companions understood. Seeing how down she was, Zhou Tiantian blurted out on impulse, “How about you wear mine?”

“No,” Xiao Ling knew Zhou Tiantian had also scrimped and saved for hers and cherished it dearly. “Maybe it’s because the character dies so tragically in the book that I can’t embody him. Whatever.”

“How can you think like that?”

“It’s probably just an accident. No big deal. Look at it now—it actually fits the character’s later image pretty well. How about we do some special effects, like battle-damaged makeup?”

“That could work! Xiao Ling out there would be the most unique one at the Comic Expo!”

Xiao Ling’s gear pained her, but she could not bear to disappoint her friends’ goodwill. She forced some spirit. “Alright, battle-damaged version it is!”

It was late, so they replanned a bit before finally resting.

Xiao Ling tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

She wondered what exactly had happened to her clothes.

During the check, she noticed the damaged spots matched almost perfectly with the descriptions of that high-popularity supporting character’s death in the book.

She had made a detailed character bio for the cosplay and could not be mistaken.

A faint sense of unease stirred in her heart.

In the book, the supporting character died at the hands of monsters living in time rifts—beings that could emerge from any point in time, impossible to track. Was the state of her clothes some omen from above?

With a heavy heart, Xiao Ling drifted off unknowingly.

She arrived in a vast, soundless, scentless world shrouded in gray haze.

Cracks suddenly tore open around her, like a plastic bag slashed from outside. Sharp claws ripped through the fissures and crawled out.

One, two, three…

Their eyes glowed red, as if they had spotted the most delicious prey. Drool dripped from their gaping maws.

Xiao Ling turned to flee.

But as she turned, heavy breathing sounded ahead. She looked up to see a larger monster lunging at her, jaws wide.

“Aaahhh!!!”

No matter which way she ran, waiting ahead were monsters with razor-sharp teeth.

The fangs sliced her skin, tearing off chunks of flesh.

Xiao Ling screamed in agony.

Chunk after chunk of her flesh ripped away. Fainting became her most extravagant, beautiful hope.

Who could save her…

The next morning, Zhou Tiantian got up to do her makeup. After washing up, she came out to find Xiao Ling still in bed.