Chapter 68: Torrential Rain, Person Missing.

He Guan escorted him to the supermarket entrance. Watching him enter alone, he felt uneasy and dialed Du Junyan, asking him to keep an eye out.

Lou Dongcang waited patiently nearby as He Guan made the call.

After finishing the call, He Guan's hair was ruffled by Lou, who said, "I’m leaving now."

Startled by the affectionate gesture, He Guan watched him enter the supermarket.

Walking to his office, for the first time using the main entrance, he noticed a heap of flowers at the reception and asked, "So many... who are these for?"

The receptionist, sorting the flowers and looking slightly overwhelmed, responded, "Good morning, Mr. He. Many of these are for the artists... there's just too many to fit here."

Only upon seeing the beautifully wrapped flowers, still fresh with dewdrops, did He Guan truly feel the festive spirit. "Okay, have all the artists who received gifts come down for a group photo and post it on Weibo today."

Receptionist: "Certainly! I'll notify them right away."

In the private elevator, He Guan saw Yan Xu coming from the basement with his arms full of flowers and asked, "Why are you coming up now? And what's that you're carrying?"

Yan Xu, holding two lavish bouquets with blossoms ready to bloom, replied, "These are for you. The reception desk was out of space, so I took the initiative to bring them to your office."

He Guan, surprised: "For me?"

Yan Xu, with a slight smile, hinted, "Even you have fans."

As He Guan entered the elevator and pressed the button, for the first time, he felt it was crowded, even with just the two of them.

He found a card among the flowers. Seeing the signature "Nolimit", he recognized Chu Li and Jin Jue's names.

He Guan remarked, "All five of them sent these? How much did they spend? Reimburse Wen Mo and Tong Jiaqi with company funds."

Yan Xu: "Alright."

Chu Li's card had a lot written on it. At first glance, it seemed he had taken his time with it, apologizing for overstepping boundaries. The sincerity in his words made He Guan massage his temples, tucking the card into his pocket.

As for Jin Jue, his card was succinct: "Thank you for your hard work. Happy holidays. Wishing you all the best."

He Guan carefully kept this card as well.

Exiting the elevator alongside Yan Xu, He Guan only realized the spectacle of his office once he entered.

Pointing to the bouquets that nearly filled half of his office, he paused, then asked, "Whose are these? Don't tell me they're all for me?"

Yan Xu silently nodded.

When they said it occupied half the office, they truly meant it.

The flowers covered the visitor’s sofas in He Guan's office. Yan Xu had even cleared a "path" amidst the flowers leading to the office desk. Both sides of this path were crammed with blossoms, vibrant and flourishing.

Literally flourishing.

It almost blocked the entire path.

Yan Xu, standing respectfully, said, "I've removed the pranks. The rest are gifts from fans. This is only the first batch from this morning. Few flower shops are open for deliveries now, but by evening, close to the end of work hours, that's when the flower deliveries peak."

While Yan Xu spoke, He Guan had already crouched down to browse the cards among the flowers.

He Guan: "Have you read all the cards?"

Yan Xu, slightly startled: "No."

He Guan: "Will the artists take the flowers to their rooms?"

Realizing what He Guan implied, Yan Xu replied, "Some will."

He Guan: "Have them check the flowers before the artists see them. You can go handle that."

Yan Xu: "Should I inspect the ones you received...?"

He Guan: "No need."

He quickly declined, smiling, "It's alright. Go on with your duties; I can manage."

After all, these weren't meant for him but for the previous body's fans. Even if there were derogatory messages inside, it wouldn't affect him much.

Even with that rationale, He Guan still meticulously navigated through the piles of flowers, carefully sidestepping the bouquets, examining each card one by one.

He Guan still wanted to see...

If there were any cards meant solely for him.

To his surprise, there were quite a few.

Apart from the simple compliments, many cards wished him and his wife a harmonious union, accompanied by the number "520" which means "I love you" in Chinese internet slang.

It felt to him that they weren’t there to simply gift him flowers...

It seemed more like they were contributing to a group gift...

In fact, He Guan actually found a card with a meme sticker that had an amount of "200" written on it.

Flipping through, He Guan noticed the limited space on the cards had compelled many fans to express their love by filling both sides completely.

From the entrance to the farthest corner, he navigated amidst the flowers. His poses were at times precarious. To avoid stepping on the bouquets, there were moments he nearly did the splits, only preventing a fall with a quick hand against the wall.

Fortunately, he soon finished examining them all.

Among them, one card particularly resonated with him.

The card read as follows:

Hello, He Guan,

I wasn’t your fan before, just a fan of Nolimit (excluding you).

After recent events, I came to know more about you and have been following you. Last week, I saw a fan activity on the forum to send flowers to you, so I participated, joining others in sending flowers not just to you, but to all of you.

My initial impression of you wasn’t positive (Oh, I hope my card isn’t confiscated for saying this. Please, I’m just trying to give constructive criticism! Kindly let my flowers pass through, thank you!).

Recent events have shown me you've changed significantly from before.

I'm not sure what prompted this transformation, but I deeply admire it.

Change is challenging for anyone, especially a transformation as drastic as yours appears.

Now, you're not very active on social media and remain largely out of the public eye. Yet, the feeling I get from you is...secure. I know it's an odd word to use, but that’s precisely how I feel in various senses.

I’m not sure how to convey all this, but I've sent you a bouquet of Ranunculus flowers. If any flower heads are broken, blame the flowers themselves... they’re just "headless fairies" after all...

In any case, wishing you a joyful "520" and happiness with your loved one!

(P.S.: Can you share more moments with us? You and your spouse are truly delightful to follow. No such thing as too much couple content for us single folks.) (Hiding behind a pot lid.) (Runs away.)

A little fish drawing adorned the card’s end.

Going through these didn’t take He Guan long. He stood up, navigating through the aromatic flowers to his desk. Pausing for a moment at the corner of his desk, a small smile graced his face.

He took a picture of the "extravaganza" in his office, contemplating a social media post. But considering many of the greetings wished him "520" happiness and eternal love with another, that other person should also be included.

After some thought, He Guan decided it'd be better to wait until after work and take a picture together with him.

After perusing the cards, he checked the forum again, noticing that many fans were inquiring whether their flowers had been delivered.

He Guan glanced at the message and sent a note to the event organizer: "Hello, this is He Guan. How much were the flowers?"

The host didn't respond immediately, so He Guan closed the app and got back to work.

Near lunch break, He Guan called Yan Xu over and asked him to cancel the lunch reservation.

Yan Xu replied, "Mr. He, it was booked at 10... and it's already arrived."

He Guan said, "Then you have it. I'm going home."

Yan Xu asked, "So, you'll always go home from now on?"

He Guan nodded, "Yes, no need to book lunch in the future."

Yan Xu responded, "Understood."

In the past, when the office was far from his home, He Guan would spend the lunchtime at the office. Now, having moved closer, he cherished the rare moments he could go home for lunch and was quite pleased.

As he was getting into the elevator, a message from Du Junyan popped up.

It was a picture.

The signal in the elevator was weak, and He Guan watched the loading circle spin from the 38th floor down to the first. Only when he exited the elevator did he see the full image.

It was a photo of Lou Dongzang amid a crowd, seemingly picking flowers.

The picture was clear, but since it was a side-profile shot, objects in front of him obstructed a direct view.

He Guan surmised they must be flowers.

Many around were holding similar ones, freshly cut, not pre-packaged. It appeared to be the DIY section of a large supermarket.

He also noticed a can-like bulge in the pocket of someone standing nearby – likely a can of baked beans. He couldn't help but smile.

A follow-up message from Du Junyan read: "Boss, we are heading back soon."

He Guan replied, "Took you that long? I'm off work already."

Du Junyan responded, "Mr. Lou couldn't decide, so he bought one of each kind and arranged them himself. We've just finished and are on our way."

He Guan texted back, "Alright."

Exiting the building with a spring in his step, He Guan didn't forget to put on his mask.

Artists usually avoid the main entrance due to the paparazzi's frequent presence. Even though He Guan had long since ceased being a public figure, one never knew who might be watching...

Stepping outside, he realized his caution was unfounded.

Looking up at the overcast sky, He Guan mused, "Even paparazzi have to work according to the weather."

He hadn't checked the forecast, but recalled Yan Xu mentioning rain was predicted between 12 and 2 pm.

Yan Xu, anticipating his oversight, had thoughtfully left two umbrellas for him with the security guard at the entrance.

Umbrella in hand, He Guan quickened his pace home, passing by an adult novelty store which was currently devoid of customers.

He recalled a previous conversation...

Lou Dongzang had asked if they had any lubricant.

Today seemed like a good opportunity to purchase some.

By the time He Guan left the store, items in hand, he looked up to find the sky had turned foggy.

Clouds churned rapidly, the light disappearing within mere minutes.

Muffled thunder rumbled, with distant flashes of lightning.

From an overflowing trash bin, a hamburger wrapper was blown about, tumbling across the street until it was pinned against a wall, trapped.

"Splash!"

Countless droplets began to pour from the heavens, rapidly filling the space between the ground and the sky. Within moments, the scorching summer was transformed into a cool, rain-soaked world.

The rain was relentless.

A haze enveloped a distant intersection. What appeared to be mist from afar was actually sheets of rain up close.

By the time He Guan dashed into his complex, he was drenched.

An umbrella proved ineffective in this kind of downpour. Running into the wind was slow, against it was pointless, and it obstructed his view. He decided against using it, thinking he'd shower once home.

He Guan took a moment to glance back, the trees just twenty meters away obscured by the rain.

It was then he checked his phone notifications.

Severe weather warning: level 8-10 thunderstorms.

He struggled with the keypad lock to his door several times, his wet hands proving problematic. Only after wiping them with the drier part of his sleeve did it finally unlock.

Setting down the lubricant and condoms, He Guan removed the soaked packaging. As he pondered how to explain to Lou Dongzang, he felt an eerie emptiness in the apartment.

The person who usually waited for him after work was missing.

The apartment felt silent, devoid of life.

He Guan always knew when Lou Dongzang was home.

But now, he wasn't.

A frown creased He Guan's brow, an uneasy feeling stirring within him, only to be interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

He answered, "Junyan, where are you? Why haven't you returned yet? Don't you have an umbrella in this rain?"

Over the phone, the sound of rain was overwhelmingly loud.

Using the noise of the crowd as a cover, Du Junyan called He Guan, his voice emerging from what seemed to be a heavy downpour, "Boss, Mr. Lou has been taken away by someone, an elderly man I don't recognize..."

He Guan snapped, "Who?"

Du Junyan hesitated, "I've never seen..."

He was about to say he'd never seen him before.

But in the next second, a violent crash echoed through the line.

The call abruptly cut off, replaced by a busy tone.