Chapter 30 The Proposal Succeeded! (Fixed Name Bug)

Chapter 30: The Proposal Succeeded! (Corrected Character Names)

"I see him! I see him! Bai Yingchuan is even more handsome in person than on screen!"

"They say if you become a MARS VIP member today, you can get Bai Yingchuan's autograph on the spot!"

"No wonder the MARS store is packed wall-to-wall despite its size."

Even across from the pizza shop stood a life-size cutout of Bai Yingchuan, making Zhao Zhangfeng feel like he was being watched while eating his pizza.

Watching Jiang Ruotang stretching the cheese from his slice, Zhao Zhangfeng couldn’t help but ask, "You’re really not going to see Bai Yingchuan?"

"Huh? Are you going to protect me?" Jiang Ruotang shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Why would I need to protect you?"

"If you don’t, what if I get trampled to death? I haven’t even told you where I hid that trading card yet."

"You’re… insane…"

Seeing Jiang Ruotang show no interest in Bai Yingchuan, Zhao Zhangfeng felt inexplicably happy.

Little did he know, under the table, Jiang Ruotang kicked him lightly with his foot again. "By the way, are you pretty close with that Chu Yang?"

"We’ve been playing basketball together since middle school. Why?" Zhao Zhangfeng raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really know him well?"

"Don’t beat around the bush. Just say it."

"He was the one who knocked the class president’s glasses off. When I went to the office, I saw him smirking. The president couldn’t get new glasses before the exam. If I hadn’t thought of lending him contact lenses, his math exam might’ve been a fail."

Zhao Zhangfeng frowned. "No way. Chu Yang has no issues with the president."

"But Ye Jiaming, the second-ranked in our grade, is competing with the president for the college recommendation spot, right? The school’s probably considering monthly test scores. And Ye Jiaming and Chu Yang are close, aren’t they? Didn’t Ye Jiaming give Chu Yang those new basketball shoes?"

Zhao Zhangfeng stared at Jiang Ruotang. "That’s just speculation, not proof."

"Right, not proof. But I want you to be careful with him. Zhang Feng, remember—true friends compete fair and square. They won’t use emotions as leverage to make you give up opportunities."

Jiang Ruotang looked at Zhao Zhangfeng with solemn eyes.

Zhao Zhangfeng’s fingers twitched. He recalled how, just days ago, Chu Yang had said enviously after hearing about his new training coaches, "Zhang Feng, you’ll definitely get scouted by universities in the capital. Why not leave the spot at Sheng City Jiao University for me?"

At that moment, Zhao Zhangfeng’s heart had gone cold.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Ruotang knew he’d gotten through to him. "Don’t overthink it. Zhang Feng, if you ever become a pro basketball player, you’ll have more teammates, friends, and supporters. Life’s about weathering storms—some friends will be left behind, but you’ll see who your real ones are."

"You’re crazy, talking like some wise elder. As if you’ve been through it all."

Jiang Ruotang looked at Zhao Zhangfeng and thought: *Aren’t you the one who stayed by my side after the waves?*

Around 7:50 PM, Jiang Ruotang’s phone pinged with a WeChat message.

He’d expected it to be from Lin Lu or his nervous dad seeking reassurance, but the name on the screen surprised him.

It was a message from Bai Yingchuan.

[Are you here? Do you need security to bring you in?]

Jiang Ruotang scratched the back of his head. *Unbelievable, Bai Yingchuan actually cares if I showed up?*

Was this another case of Lin Lu using Bai Yingchuan’s phone?

[Lin Lu?]

A voice message followed immediately: [It’s Bai Yingchuan.]

Despite the noisy background, Bai Yingchuan’s distinct voice cut through clearly—the kind of magnetic tone people raved about.

Jiang Ruotang leaned back in his chair and lazily typed: [Nah, it’s packed. I’m having pizza with my bro. Hope your event goes smoothly!]

After a pause, he added a "You’re the center of the universe" sticker. How Bai Yingchuan interpreted it was his problem.

By 7:30 PM, Bai Yingchuan glanced at his phone, his smile still on his lips but his eyes turning cold.

That sticker felt like empty praise.

Lin Lu, standing beside him, sensed his mood and assumed it was the crowd bothering him. "Ying Chuan, bear with it. The fan support and other events—they’re all here for you!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Zhangfeng had made their way to the rooftop terrace. The space was brilliantly lit, with a sea of flowers glowing like a magical display at night.

Zhao Zhangfeng was stunned. "Uncle Jiang’s this romantic?"

Jiang Ruotang smirked. "His idea of romance is getting you a four-poster bed with drapes. Want it?"

Zhao Zhangfeng shuddered. "Eww—"

Zhao Yunshu was completely moved by the flower display. Her past marriage had been nothing but pain and tears—she’d never dreamed someone would give her flowers.

But tonight, this entire terrace of blooms was hers.

Jiang Huaiyuan knelt on one knee, digging through his pocket before finally pulling out a small box. Jiang Ruotang, watching from afar, let out a sigh of relief.

Too far to hear the words, but it was clear Jiang Huaiyuan was tripping over his words.

Zhao Zhangfeng was practically itching to step in and propose for him, if not for Jiang Ruotang holding him back.

Yet no matter how nervous or halting Jiang Huaiyuan was, Zhao Yunshu waited patiently, tears in her eyes, for him to finish.

When the ring slid onto Zhao Yunshu’s finger, Zhao Zhangfeng felt overjoyed for his mother—then glanced worriedly at Jiang Ruotang.

"Hey, you’re really okay with this, right? No sabotage later?"

Jiang Ruotang bumped fists with him. "Bro, we’re really family now."

"Tsk, who’s your bro? Don’t get ahead of yourself!"

The moment their fists touched, the twin towers’ lights transformed.

The crowd gasped as the left tower lit up with "Xiao Yun, I love you," while the opposite tower—right across from them—displayed "Xiao Yun, marry me," shining brightly against the night sky for the whole city to see.

Zhao Yunshu stood stunned, then after a long pause, she hugged Jiang Huaiyuan and playfully punched his back. "What is this?! This is mortifying!"

Jiang Huaiyuan held her close, palms sweaty. Though his son had gone all out, he couldn’t be happier.

Zhao Zhangfeng frowned. "Wasn’t the timing off? Shouldn’t this have lit up during the proposal?"

"Because this is a declaration, not coercion. If Auntie Zhao had refused, these lights wouldn’t have turned on. Everyone would’ve gone home, continued as before. But since she said yes, the towers are witnesses. It’s also my dad’s vow—the whole city knows Jiang Huaiyuan lit up Twin MALL to propose. With this grand gesture, if he ever wrongs Auntie Zhao, he’ll be the laughingstock of the entire city."

Zhao Zhangfeng froze momentarily. When he looked at Jiang Ruotang again, the lights illuminated his eyes and the tip of his nose, giving him a resilient and unexplainably trustworthy air.

...Maybe having a brother like him wouldn’t be so bad.

Ugh—what the—Zhao Zhangfeng, what are you thinking?!

Meanwhile, through the mall’s floor-to-ceiling windows, Bai Yingchuan, Lin Lu, and the fans all caught sight of the glaring proposal display across the way.

“What…what’s going on…?” Lin Lu gaped in shock. Why was it addressed to “Xiao Yun”?

The fans at the scene grew agitated too.

“Who is this ‘Xiao Yun’? Why is her name on the display screen?”

“Didn’t Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu from the fan club say he’d booked the screen for a confession?”

“Did the mall mess up? This is ridiculous!”

Lin Lu’s phone buzzed incessantly as countless fans @'ed him in the fan groups, demanding answers—why wasn’t the screen showing the content they’d been promised?

Some hardcore fans were already lashing out, accusing him of making a huge mistake, questioning whether he’d used Bai Yingchuan’s name to secure sponsorship funds and then embezzled them.

Lin Lu, well-known in the circle, often made statements to steer fans against those who displeased him. He had many followers, but just as many detractors within the fan club.

Among the fans present, quite a few had been targeted by Lin Lu’s organized takedowns. Now, they jumped at the chance to call him out.

“I heard someone call you Lin Lu! You’re Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu, aren’t you? Didn’t you say you secured sponsorship for the confession screen?”

“Where’s the screen? Did you pocket the money like you promised?”

“This is absurd! Yingchuan, do you know this Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu claimed in the group that he’d get the screen lit up for you? You should ask him where the sponsorship money went! Does the sponsor even know?”

Their anger was contagious, and the crowd closed in, like they might mob Lin Lu.

Lin Lu stumbled backward in panic, even losing a shoe in the scramble! As he fell, some liquid splashed on him.

Terrified it might be acid like in those news stories, he immediately covered his face.

“Don’t do this to me!”

“Wow—you really know how to play the victim card!”

Frantic, Lin Lu denied it: “I’m not Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu! I’m not! You’ve got the wrong person!”

“Liar! You said in the group you’d be standing closest to Bai Yingchuan!”

“Yeah, you bragged about being his most trusted person!”

Lin Lu tried to get up, but the crowd was too packed. Every pair of hostile eyes made it hard to catch his breath. “I’m not! I’m not who you think I am!”

“Then who are you? Why are you next to him?”

“Right, you’re obviously not staff!”

“I went to school with Bai Yingchuan! I’m his classmate!”

Lin Lu faced the sea of angry, suspicious, judgmental faces. Through the gaps in the crowd, Bai Yingchuan could just make out Lin Lu’s panicked face.

The manager quickly rushed to Lin Lu's defense—he was Lin Chengdong’s son after all, and many resources depended on Lin Chengdong’s connections. He kept urging Bai Yingchuan to intervene to calm the fans.

Bai Yingchuan took the microphone handed to him by staff and spoke: “Everyone, please settle down and hear me out—today is a very, very special day. It’s the day my mentor in acting, Director Jiang Huaiyuan—the first person who put me on the big screen—is proposing to the woman he loves.”

The fans quieted down, turning their attention to Bai Yingchuan.

This gave Lin Lu a chance to retreat.

Listening to Bai Yingchuan, Lin Lu was about to call Jiang Ruotang right then and demand why he hadn’t mentioned the screen’s content change.

But as his finger hovered over Jiang Ruotang’s name, it dawned on him—Jiang Ruotang had never said he rented the screen for Bai Yingchuan.

Though Lin Lu had hinted at it, Jiang Ruotang’s response was that he needed to discuss it with his father.

When Lin Lu followed up on Friday afternoon, Jiang Ruotang had said, “It’s for family use.” Lin Lu had assumed Jiang Ruotang was still obsessed with Bai Yingchuan, unable to shake off his love-struck ways.

Lin Lu never imagined Jiang Huaiyuan would use it to propose to Zhao Yunshu!

His ears were ringing, and even the water handed to him by staff startled him again.

At the front, Bai Yingchuan declared loudly: “I don’t know what misunderstandings there are, but before coming today, I heard from Director Jiang that if his proposal succeeded, the wall behind me would light up. It seems I should congratulate him—he succeeded.”

Hearing this, fans were now certain “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu” was at fault. Forums and group chats exploded with arguments—whether he'd lied about getting the sponsorship just to grab attention, or had he taken the money?

The speculation snowballed, and someone even started a poll.

Option A: Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu was grandstanding, lying.

Option B: Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu embezzled the sponsorship funds.

Option C: Either way, he’s a fraud.

The results were unanimous—Option C.

Lin Lu’s phone kept vibrating. When he checked, he could only grit his teeth as they turned him into a laughingstock, with no way to defend himself.

“To celebrate Director Jiang and my future teacher’s union, I’ll sing ‘Morning and Night’ for them—a wish for lifelong love and shared days!”

The crowd went wild.

Bai Yingchuan’s smooth, emotional delivery, with the “Marry Me” backdrop, became an instant hit across platforms.

The internet praised him—he could’ve stolen the show at the mall’s opening, yet he gave up the spotlight to Director Jiang’s proposal, even singing blessings. His gratitude at such a young age promised a bright future. Fans bombarded social media, urging Jiang Huaiyuan to cast Bai Yingchuan in his next film.

Even MARS brand caught a boost, calling the event a huge win.

After the event, manager Sister Yu and assistants saw Bai Yingchuan and Lin Lu home.

Bai Yingchuan’s team had been monitoring online reactions and had figured out “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu” was Lin Lu.

Sister Yu had even thought Lin Lu was there representing Lin Chengdong, assuming the screen was Lin Chengdong’s doing—only to discover it was all a mistake.

By the time they dropped Lin Lu off, fan forums and fan sites were still mocking “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu.”

From how naturally Bai Yingchuan reacted, it was clear he’d known about the proposal. Yet “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu,” who’d boasted about booking the screen, had been kept out of the loop—how embarrassing.

Lin Lu hadn't recovered on the ride home. When the car door opened, he remained paralyzed until Bai Yingchuan spoke: “Lin Lu, we’re here.”

Lin Lu jerked. He struggled to explain, but what was there to say? He’d already denied he was “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu” on the spot. Would Bai Yingchuan believe him? It all rang hollow…

At this moment, Bai Yingchuan reached out and gently ruffled Lin Lu’s hair affectionately, speaking softly, "It's your first time seeing such a scene, isn't it? Those who claim to love you, believe in you, and support you can flip on you in a heartbeat."

Lin Lu's large eyes brimmed with tears, which soon trickled down his cheeks, his vulnerable look naturally pulling at heartstrings.

"So... you've been enduring this kind of pressure all along?"

"I’ve built up a tolerance. Go home, get some sleep, and everything will be fine." Bai Yingchuan's voice was full of reassurance.

Lin Lu's mood brightened instantly. In his eyes, it didn’t matter how the fans online criticized him—he could always start fresh with a new account.

As long as Bai Yingchuan didn’t doubt or blame him, that was enough.

Lin Lu wiped away his tears with a smile and turned to head home.

The car door closed again, and the three assistants in the back seat were still busy doing damage control on their laptops.

Sister Yu, the agent, spoke up, "I thought you’d reprimand or hint to Lin Lu not to fantasize about being an opinion leader among your fans anymore."

"His father is Lin Chengdong, an ally my mother wouldn’t dare offend. Seeing through things without saying them aloud—isn’t that the basic courtesy of surviving in the entertainment industry?" Bai Yingchuan wiped all traces of a smile from his face, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Touché. With Lin Lu causing this mess, our team can take the opportunity to release the correct information. Starting tomorrow night, we’ll light up the tribute display for you for three consecutive nights, with each night’s content previewed in advance. That way, our staff accounts can establish authority among your fans."

The agent seemed to recall something and added, "Your reaction was quicker than I expected, though. Singing 'Morning and Night' on the spot not only calmed the fans’ anger but also owed Director Jiang one."

"It wasn’t my fast reflexes," Bai Yingchuan said.

"Huh?"

"It was Director Jiang’s son’s suggestion." Bai Yingchuan handed his phone to Sister Yu to show her the message.

"Sometimes I feel like he’d make a better agent for you than me," Sister Yu said with a wry smile before turning serious. "But I still have to remind you—your mother insists on maintaining a good relationship with Lin Lu. Director Jiang’s talent and skills in the industry are undeniable, but he lacks the ability to manage a company or control people. Once the old board members like Qin Han retire, the reins of Universe Pictures will inevitably land in Lin Chengdong’s hands."

Bai Yingchuan gazed out the window and replied indifferently, "Is that so?"

The car stopped in front of Bai Yingchuan’s home. The entire house was dark, like a monolith swallowed by darkness.

He opened the door, turned on the lights, changed into slippers, and slowly walked to his room before slumping into his chair.

Moonlight bled through the curtains, casting a cold silver glow over his profile.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Like he’d been jabbed, he immediately straightened his posture. The screen lit up, showing a message from Lin Lu, but he coldly slapped the phone face-down on the desk.

As for Lin Lu, sleep eluded him all night. When he opened Jiang Ruotang’s social media page, he saw photos of the twin towers lit up, with many classmates leaving congratulatory comments below. So... Jiang Ruotang had been at Twin MALL too that day?

Had he witnessed Lin Lu’s humiliating moment?

Just then, his phone blew up with notifications—he had been stripped of his admin privileges on the fan support site, removed from the major fan groups, and so on.

Lin Lu’s chest tightened. These people had once hung on his every word, yet at the first slip-up, they all turned against him.

After much deliberation, he considered posting on the forum to explain that the tribute display had been changed last-minute and that he hadn’t been on-site, so he wasn’t aware of the situation.

But when he opened the forum, he found that someone had already posted an analysis of the entire incident, arguing that what made "Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu" truly unforgivable wasn’t the misinformation but the fact that he had lied.

If the tribute display had truly been sponsored by him, there would have been a contract, and any eleventh-hour changes would have required the sponsor’s approval. As the one who secured the sponsorship, Lin Lu would have undoubtedly been informed.

Below the post, an employee from Golden MALL even stepped forward to debunk rumors, clarifying that the content for the twin towers’ tribute display had been finalized on Friday, with no last-minute changes.

This only further nailed "Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu’s" guilt shut.

Enraged fans launched a witch hunt in the comments, even forensically examining his past posts to speculate about his real identity.

Many fans had traveled from other cities solely on the strength of "Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu’s" announcement, hoping to witness Bai Yingchuan’s tribute display.

Some had taken flights or trains, sprung for hotels in the expensive city of Sheng, and even taken time off without pay—only to be fooled by this "false information." Naturally, their rage went nuclear, with some demanding "Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu" be charged with fraud, cancelled from the fandom, and even threatening to report him to the police to make him cough up their losses.

[Sarcastically] "You followed Bai Yingchuan willingly—nobody put a gun to your heads to make you spend money! You’re all fair-weather fans—frauds!"