I had a child with the main lead chapter 56

Chapter 56

The photo of Tang Yue that Jiang Shulu posted in the afternoon was still being circulated wildly by evening.

Originally, the solo fans were already distressed enough by Tang Yue’s sudden disappearance and his subsequent return to a variety show with a child. Adhering to the spirit that “even if the Away members lack team spirit, the fans must uphold it,” some fans joined the barrage comments just to act as an “atmosphere group” to hype things up, never actually believing that Tang Yue would truly get together with Jiang Shulu.

Although they didn’t believe it was a publicity stunt, they thought it might just be some task assigned by their boss. They were happy to contribute to the group composition of “the barrage exploded” moments.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yue and Jiang Shulu actually went official.

Ah, well, not officially official, because there hadn’t been any formal statement declaring the two were formally together.

But whether it was running away together during the livestream of Elder Jiang’s birthday banquet, or driving back to the residence together, fans could interpret it as the same kind of “variety show effect”.

It was just Tang Yue helping his captain out of a predicament… or something like that.

The copper flowers were surely just left in the car from before.

Living together meant even less; didn’t they live together before? They lived together for three years!

But Jiang Shulu’s replies were simply impossible for fans to rationalize.

What is all this!!

And Tang Yue, what on earth are you reposting!!

As if that wasn’t enough, the photo Jiang Shulu posted in the afternoon had been pushed to the top of the trending search by unknown parties, hanging high at number one with no sign of dropping.

The top comments were all heckling.

There were also comments mimicking the titles of Tang Yue’s favorite novels—

《The Priceless CEO Leaves With Nothing: The King of Soft Rice》

《Boy Band Art Collection: Tales from Unfamiliar to Overcooked (Intimate)》

Most importantly, the other two members of Away were eating melons (gossiping) seamlessly, standing firm on the front lines, acting like they were leading the CP fans in reviewing the relationship.

The Tang Yue fans and Jiang Shulu fans, who had fought bitterly seven years ago, suddenly felt a mutual empathy; it was mentally exhausting.

Around six o’clock, the topic of Tang Yue’s backward glance had just dropped off the trending list, only for a new topic to arrive.

It was a blooper reel from a cosplay video posted by an anime vlogger, geotagged in the old district on the outskirts of S City.

The first few minutes were unremarkable.

Towards the end, it suddenly recorded a woman’s scolding voice. They looked down from their rented spot, and the camera panned down.

In the dim light, two men were embracing tightly, then led each other upstairs by the hand.

This vlogger already had a considerable following. Someone sharp-eyed recognized Jiang Shulu, and the identity of the person in his arms went without saying.

Such an intimate posture, and that lingering hesitation between kissing and not kissing—even in low resolution, anyone could see what “clingy and sweet” looked like.

The final scene, where they ran upstairs hand-in-hand after being scolded, suddenly added a touch of youthful vibe.

—I have a bold theory. This is the Jiang Shulu that reporters all over the internet can’t reach… right?

—I don’t even follow stars, but I’m numb from all this tea. Reality is indeed more dramatic. In such a materialistic world, there’s actually a wealthy heir who leaves with nothing for love?

—It’s staged, right? But these two look so visually superior. Even in such a shabby environment, they are so… compatible?

—My sister, who has been a Tang Yue solo stan for eight years, has already cried herself to sleep in the bathroom.

—What is going on with these two? The internet and reality are going crazy, yet they are wandering around the old district?

—Link to thread [Link], someone posted speculations about Jiang Shulu’s identity.

—Insider news, probably. This is too tragic. What’s the situation with Jiang Shulu’s birth mother? The mosaic makes it impossible to tell who it is, but looking at Jiang Shulu, you know she must have been a beauty.

—So, did they kiss?

—There’s still one last stop for the variety show, right? How about changing it to a honeymoon? It doesn’t matter if they kiss, stop avoiding suspicion.

—They never avoided suspicion, did they? They can say ‘I love you’ directly. When will my group’s captain and maknae be like this!

This video clip was cut out and reposted multiple times. Gradually, people began posting photos of their encounters with the pair tonight under the hashtag #JiangShulu TangYue#.

The fans were dumbfounded.

Aren’t they a little too leisurely?

—How did they manage to queue up with a bunch of elementary schoolers at the school gate to buy egg burgers?

—So stars are living humans too?

In the photo, Tang Yue stood behind a primary school student wearing a backpack. Jiang Shulu stood beside him, their posture looking quite similar to the pair of children holding hands in front of them.

Except Tang Yue was leaning against Jiang Shulu, appearing to crane his neck to look at the boss making egg burgers ahead.

The photo was very blurry. Later, a fan with the ID [OriginalIntentionUnchanged_away] uploaded a video version.

The children didn’t know who these two men were; they just thought they were handsome and tall.

Some adults were there buying egg burgers just because their children wanted to eat them.

Away’s formation dated back eight years; many fans were now married.

At first, people didn’t dare approach rashly, leaving an empty space on both sides of the wildly popular egg burger stall after school.

This confused some passersby.

Tang Yue: “Is this good? Have you eaten it?”

Jiang Shulu: “I have.”

Tang Yue: “When you were a child?”

Jiang Shulu shook his head: “Before I met you.”

Tang Yue let out an “Ah,” and moved closer to the front.

He took out his phone and said, “I want to take a picture for Xiao Mie. He will definitely like eating this too.”

Jiang Shulu: “Do you want me to go to the front and take it for you?”

Tang Yue nodded.

Their temperaments were just too distinct.

Although there were many small stalls in this area with scattered lights, and it was the time when primary school after-school care let out, there were quite a few people.

Even netizens watching the video felt these two were incredibly bold.

—Do they not care at all?!

—Such a strong sense of passionate love, I can’t take it.

—I feel like as long as I connect to the internet, I’ll be killed from all angles by their public display of affection.

—Watching the variety show before, I thought it was just for the shoot. Now seeing videos taken by passersby, these two are still so… worthy of being the top boy band back then.

In the next second, Jiang Shulu saw someone filming. He glanced toward the person recording, scaring them so much the image suddenly became chaotic, leaving only audio.

The fan was also there queuing with her child. Even though she was married, seeing the people from the posters of yesteryear made her excited, though not as frantic as before.

Fan: “Sorry, I’m just a little too excited… I used to be an Away fan.”

Before Jiang Shulu could speak, Tang Yue over there sent him off to photograph the egg burger making process.

Tang Yue: “You go quickly.”

Jiang Shulu laughed.

—The ambient noise is so loud, but I still heard the doting tone…

—This is a date after confirming the relationship, right? Tang Yue is much bolder now, hahaha, ‘go take pictures quickly,’ is it?

Subsequently, Tang Yue spoke to the filming fan.

Tang Yue: “Is this your child?”

They were separated by two or three people. Tang Yue specially swapped places, letting the two children behind him move forward to make talking easier.

His sudden approach caught the fan off guard.

The fan was quite a few years older than Tang Yue; she was a university student when Away debuted.

Away was Tang Yue’s youth, but it was also hers.

Fan: “Yes, yes, it’s my daughter.”

Tang Yue: “She looks so much like you, so cute.”

The teenager from the poster had grown up. Before, watching Tang Yue through a screen, he felt like a younger brother needing protection.

Now standing so close, Tang Yue’s changes were obvious enough.

Yet his temperament seemed unchanged. His voice entering her ears was enough to stun her just as it did back then.

The fan became a bit incoherent, seeming to have much to say but not knowing what to say, and actually felt like crying.

Her daughter held her hand and called out, “Mom.”

Tang Yue happened to have a pack of tissues in his pocket and handed it to her.

Jiang Shulu returned from taking photos in front and asked, “Why are you crying?”

Tang Yue: “Maybe our significance is a bit different?”

He smiled and actively asked, “Which one of us did you like back then? If it was Second Brother or Third Brother, getting an autograph might be a bit difficult.”

This sentence was déjà vu. Years ago, there was a time when Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue were separated from the group and met a fan.

Except that person was a Liu Xichao fan, and Tang Yue had signed Liu Xichao’s name.

This female fan seemed to recall this incident as well and laughed through her tears: “But the one I liked was the Captain.”

Tang Yue said “Oh,” then added, “I like the Captain too.”

Although the screen had been black for a long time in this video, the dialogue continued.

This sentence, mixed with the ambient noise, made the fans who clicked in have a breakdown.

—It’s only been a few days! How did they suddenly become so lovey-dovey!

—Good boy, being so honest now! Why didn’t you say this during the livestream?

—I’m already thinking of the famous meme about signing Liu Xichao’s name.

—Liu Xichao later signed Tang Yue’s name for Tang Yue fans in response, hahaha!!

The news of Away reuniting on a variety show had spread quickly. The fan in front of them knew about it, including yesterday’s heavy-hitting news.

No one expected to meet the parties involved at this ordinary roadside stall.

No matter how popular Away was, they weren’t popular enough to be recognized by everyone in the mass market.

Detached from stardom, everyone returns to life; stars are not worth mentioning, and the idols once chased can simply be old friends met by chance.

The fan asked her daughter for a blank calligraphy practice book from her schoolbag. As Tang Yue handed it to Jiang Shulu, he asked, “Are you still recording?”

The fan realized she hadn’t turned off the video.

Tang Yue: “It doesn’t matter.”

The next second, the camera turned up. Tang Yue handed the little girl’s practice book to Jiang Shulu, along with a pencil—

“Captain, sir.”

The queue for egg burgers had long passed. The child wasn’t in a hurry, just tugging at her mother’s hem, looking curiously at the two people in front of her.

The two people in the frame were slightly backlit. Behind them were the lights of the egg burger stall, outlining their silhouettes.

Tang Yue watched Jiang Shulu sign, even taking out his own phone to use as a pad for him.

Jiang Shulu: “Do you want to sign?”

Tang Yue: “She’s your fan.”

Jiang Shulu: “Then I am your fan. Can you sign one for me?”

His tone carried a light chuckle, so gentle he seemed like a completely different person from the aloof “flower on a high peak” Captain in the fans’ memories.

Tang Yue: “Sign it when we get back.”

He leaned into Jiang Shulu’s ear and whispered something, causing Jiang Shulu to raise his eyebrows and tilt his head slightly.

Tang Yue blinked.

—Is there something I, a distinguished annual VIP member, cannot hear?!

—So envious! I want a chance encounter too!! This video must have been posted with permission! I knew these stars couldn’t hold back when in love!

—Hehe, I guess he’s signing on his body. Jiang Shulu, if you have the ability, sign inside Tang Yue’s body! If we assume Tang Yue can give birth, isn’t Tang Mian that signature?

—What is the person above thinking! Stop your brain!!!

Tang Yue eventually signed the child’s practice book.

However, he really hadn’t signed anything in years. He looked very rusty and failed several times, while Jiang Shulu stood by holding back laughter.

Tang Yue: “Don’t laugh at me.”

Jiang Shulu hummed: “I’m not laughing.”

Tang Yue: “Your tone is laughing at me.”

He signed four times before succeeding, and looked very apologetic when returning the practice book.

The fan’s daughter reached the front of the line for egg burgers first. She bought four, saying she wanted to give two to her dad.

Jiang Shulu asked Tang Yue: “What about you? How many will you eat?”

Tang Yue: “I miss Xiao Mie so much.”

Jiang Shulu: “Video call him when we get back.”

Tang Yue: “You too.”

When they left, they found the fan and child waiting by the roadside.

The child was already in the car, watching her mother talk to the two men from earlier.

Jiang Shulu, holding the steaming egg burgers, asked, “Is there something else?”

The man was tall and handsome, carrying an air of nobility, yet without any condescending arrogance; he was even somewhat easygoing.

Next to him, Tang Yue stood with his head buried in his food, looking nothing like a father.

But every time Jiang Shulu’s gaze fell on Tang Yue, it was extremely gentle, making bystanders feel nothing but envy.

At this moment, the woman was not a mother, but the girl from back then.

The girl who carved her idol’s name on her desk, shared earphones with her deskmate, listened to new songs, bought magazines, and watched interviews.

Youth passed by in a rush. The embodiment of a moment in her youth was right before her eyes, and they had become lovers.

Like happiness doubling, it made one want to offer blessings in person.

She said seriously: “You two must be happy.”

Jiang Shulu nodded: “We will.”

The woman was a bit shy again and asked: “Can I… can I…”

Tang Yue hooked the half-eaten egg burger on his index finger: “You can.”

Then he opened his arms: “Come here, Vivi.”

“Vivi” was the name of Away’s fans back in the day.

To this day, Tang Yue felt it was very hastily chosen.

But the name held significant meaning; it was an indispensable part of his stage dream. Tang Yue had been an idol and knew the language of fans’ hearts.

Every final curtain call was a mutual achievement. Even if their paths didn’t cross, they had met.

The woman’s eyes filled with tears: “Is it really okay?”

Tang Yue: “Forgot you are the Captain’s fan. The Captain should be the one to hug you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Shulu extended his arms and hugged her together.

On this day, the view count of this Weibo account with only 246 followers skyrocketed.

This signature video, less than seven minutes long, climbed to the top of the rankings, evoking memories of chasing stars for countless people.

They also envied this fan for having such a lucky moment.

Her pinned Weibo post was a photo with Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue, alongside a photo of her as a student eight years ago, checking in front of a standee at the concert entrance.

Time flies; fans and idols grow up together.

Someone clicked on this ID and discovered she had also fulfilled her wish from back then, getting into Jiang Shulu’s undergraduate university.

She wrote in her pinned post: When you really see them standing in front of you, you just feel it’s so good.

Words can’t express it enough. I hope Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue will be happy [Heart]

The photos were too sensational, blowing up the memories of many old fans.

Even this very rough video was almost worn out by fans rewatching it.

That night, Tang Yue, whose last post was a repost, had a new update.

It was a photo sitting inside a car.

It was a toast with egg burgers.

@Away_Tang Yue: Grateful for the encounter.

He also replied to the earliest fan comment.

——My baby ahhhhh, can you start a livestream later to satisfy our cravings?