Chapter 22 Worrying Causes Chaos

After finishing his commercial shoot, Lu Er hurried straight to the airport, preparing to fly to Paris for Fashion Week.

As soon as he stepped into first class and found his seat, a sweet, delicate voice rang out:

“Brother Lu, what a coincidence! We’re on the same flight!”

Lu Er looked up and saw Li Xinghua, his partner for this Fashion Week collaboration, smiling sweetly.

Both were top artists under Jiang Qingyan, and both had tickets booked by the company—hardly a coincidence.

Although internally annoyed, Lu Er still nodded coldly, acknowledging her greeting.

“Do you think this means we’re destined?”

Li Xinghua chatted away on her own, her seat conveniently next to Lu Er. “We’ll be working together for over a week, so Brother Lu, please take good care of me.”

Lu Er rolled his eyes inwardly, only wishing these ten-plus hours of flight would pass quickly.

He took out an eye mask to sleep, but Li Xinghua wasn’t about to give him the chance.

Every ten or fifteen minutes, she pressed the call button.

One moment she wanted hot milk, the next she complained about uncomfortable slippers and demanded a change, and then she criticized the taste of the red wine.

The flight attendants ran back and forth repeatedly, their professional smiles beginning to falter.

Lu Er had reached his limit, but first-class was fully occupied, and there was no way to change seats.

An hour later, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve and reluctantly removed his eye mask.

“Brother Lu, I’m so cold. Can I borrow your down jacket?”

Li Xinghua’s intentions were obvious: she wanted to repeat her trick of borrowing clothes for photos to stir up online rumors and cement a romance rumor.

Lu Er didn’t even bother giving her a look. “Stop giggling all the time, like a hen laying eggs. When you actually freeze to death, then maybe I’ll help.”

Li Xinghua’s face paled with anger. “You dead straight man! You don’t know the first thing about cherishing a delicate woman!”

“Are you a precious jade?” Lu Er shot back bluntly. “In my eyes, you’re at most a smelly rock in a latrine.”

That remark completely silenced Li Xinghua. She turned away, fuming, and stopped bothering Lu Er.

With the peace and quiet restored, Lu Er felt in a good mood, taking out his tablet to study the upcoming work schedule.

Upon arriving in Paris, Lu Er specifically requested a room on a different floor from Li Xinghua.

Bai Zhi quietly reminded him, “Isn’t that a bit extreme? You’ll be walking the show together tomorrow.”

“Exactly because we’re working tomorrow, I want some distance tonight.”

Lu Er stated decisively, “That woman is too annoying.”

Li Xinghua, on the other hand, didn’t act up, thinking that since they would be paired as partners for the show and dinner anyway, she’d still have plenty of opportunities to get close tomorrow.

The next day, the two of them walked the runway in matching LV outfits.

Li Xinghua wore fifteen-centimeter heels, and Jiang Qingyan specifically instructed Lu Er, “Be careful supporting Xinghua, don’t let her fall or embarrass herself, or we’ll have to pay to suppress trending searches.”

If their collaboration went wrong, they’d have to pay out of pocket to fix it.

To avoid unnecessary expenses, Lu Er reluctantly agreed.

Once on stage, Li Xinghua linked her arm closely with his, pressing herself against him the entire time.

Lu Er kept a cold expression throughout, only forcing a smile when the photographers demanded it.

Near the end of the show, Li Xinghua suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and leaned into Lu Er.

For the sake of money, Lu Er had no choice but to support her waist, gritting his teeth. “What nonsense are you trying to pull again?”

Li Xinghua whispered gleefully, “I just want to attract more media attention. Hot topics create buzz—it’s a win-win. You don’t need to resist so much.”

In her three years since debut, countless men had fallen for her charms. She wasn’t about to believe Lu Er could remain indifferent.

At the dinner later, Li Xinghua went even further, gently feeding Lu Er, leaning close to whisper sweetly, appearing inseparable.

The media present naturally seized the perfect material, cameras flashing incessantly.

Lu Er muttered, “Even eating a meal, you have to perform—don’t you get tired?”

This woman would stop at nothing for publicity. Last year, she even secretly took his personal belongings to take photos for Weibo. Lu Er had barely restrained himself from publicly confronting her.

“How could I be tired?”

Li Xinghua smiled sweetly. “Being with Brother Lu, every second is a joy.”

That night, photos of the two topped trending searches.

One photo was especially eye-catching: they wore Dior formalwear, one in black, one in white, giving off the impression of a wedding photoshoot.

Some media, seeking clicks, even speculated that their wedding was near.

“Oh my god! Uncle is getting married? How come I didn’t know!” Leng Keyan exclaimed while scrolling Weibo in the office.

Several young nurses immediately crowded around. “Really? Lu Er is getting married?”

“With whom? Is it that Li Xinghua? I knew they’d make a perfect couple!”

“No way… my idol is getting married…”

The office instantly buzzed with chatter, everyone discussing the news.

Song Jingmo, who was writing medical records, paused slightly upon hearing the discussion.

Though he continued writing with a blank expression, his pen lingered on the paper noticeably longer.

During lunch break, Song Jingmo sat alone in the office.

After much hesitation, he eventually re-downloaded the Weibo app.

He typed in Lu Er’s name—the top trending post read: “Lu Er and Li Xinghua: wedding soon.”

Opening the topic, it was full of intimate photos of the two in Paris.

Li Xinghua linked her arm with Lu Er’s, he supported her waist, and they whispered intimately at the dinner.

Every picture radiated affection, pink hearts floating across the screen.

Song Jingmo silently stared at the photos, fingers unconsciously scrolling, expression complicated.

Far away in Paris, Lu Er was sulking over his phone.

He had sent several beautiful landscape photos to Song Jingmo, and five hours had passed with no reply.

He didn’t yet know that his “romance rumor” with Li Xinghua had crossed oceans and reached Song Jingmo’s ears.

“Who are you waiting to hear from?”

Li Xinghua appeared at some point, curiously peering at Lu Er’s phone screen.

He immediately locked the screen, coldly saying, “None of your business.”

“Don’t be so cold,” Li Xinghua smiled meaningfully. “Our wedding is trending—you should be nicer to me, right?”

Lu Er snorted coldly. “You bought the trending topic. Don’t think I don’t know.”

“What? Are you going to pay to take it down?”

“With my traffic, do I need to spend money like you?”

If not for fear of a brand backlash, he would have gone on Weibo to expose her long ago. It wasn’t Li Xinghua’s place to keep jumping around.

As soon as Lu Er returned to the hotel, he received a call from Leng Keyan.

“Uncle, is it true you’re getting married?”

Already annoyed, Lu Er couldn’t help cursing. “Has your brain been eaten by a dog?”

Leng Keyan replied innocently, “Everyone’s talking, I’m just worried.”

Lu Er immediately became alert. “Your Teacher Song knows too?”

“Of course! So many people in the office are talking. He’s not deaf.”