After the secret marriage to my top star partner

Chapter 32.2

Editor: Princess

After hanging up, Mu Nan considered calling Cheng Han to confirm all this, but honestly? He didn’t feel like it anymore.

Years had passed, but Cheng Han’s ruthlessness hadn’t changed. If anything, it had gotten worse.

But—

Why did he feel so satisfied?

Grinning like an idiot, he buried himself under his blanket and let out a couple of muffled chuckles. Cheng Han’s way of handling things was perfect. No wonder he’d put on such a helpless act back then—he’d been playing Bai Wenyan like a fiddle.

After rolling around in bed for a bit, something suddenly clicked in Mu Nan’s brain.

Thinking about high school had triggered a wave of nostalgia. He could see it so clearly—the purple hues of the summer sunset, the smell of sweat mixed with laundry detergent, the towering stacks of textbooks on their desks, the hidden fantasy novels stuffed in their drawers, the long bangs boys kept to hide their earbuds…

He threw off the blanket, rushed to the piano, and pressed a few chords. Then, humming to himself, he sang softly:

“Ah, golden morning sun, purple evening sky, green blackboards, and colorful you…”

He decided to make the theme of his new album school life.

**

Mu Nan had been resting at home for a week already, and since it was the weekend, he had nothing better to do than watch the latest episode of “Absolute Fear” by himself.

In Episode 2, he had managed to dig up a file and piece together the general plot, earning praise from the audience.

[Nan Nan is so smart! He’s scared out of his mind but still thinking clearly. That’s impressive.]

[Mu Nan really reacts fast. I’d be so freaked out in a haunted house that my brain would just shut down. Who’d still be analyzing the plot?]

Then came the execution round. Mu Nan was curious about what had happened here, so he kept his eyes glued to the screen, not missing a single frame.

The camera cut to him and Cheng Han. Cheng Han had asked him, “Scared?” and he had answered, “No.”

He remembered this part. Then, Cheng Han had said, “You won’t die before me. I promise.”

At that moment, Cheng Han had patted him on the shoulder before they split up. After that, he hadn’t been eliminated.

Suddenly, the show did a replay—a close-up of their conversation.

The moment Cheng Han had patted Mu Nan’s shoulder, a tiny yellow paper talisman had slipped into the collar of Mu Nan’s shirt. Meanwhile Mu Nan himself had been completely oblivious.

That yellow paper talisman… it was the protective charm Mu Nan had found later.

“Wait—that’s when it happened?!” Mu Nan blurted out, along with half the comment section.

[I’m starting to question everything… What exactly is Cheng Han’s deal?]

[Did he really just pocket a protective charm and secretly hand it over to Mu Nan? I’m speechless.]

[How does his brain work? What kind of nerves does he have? Pulling off a move like this under pressure…]

[But why? Why would Cheng Han do this?]

[BECAUSE IT’S LOVE!!!] The Top Stream CP fandom was absolutely losing their minds.

Mu Nan had almost forgotten he was being shipped with Cheng Han, but now that he checked, their CP tag had actually cracked the top 10 on the CP rankings. Top Stream CP was seriously living up to its name.

Everyone was losing it over this secret charm pass, and the discourse had even reached the point of worrying about “accidentally pushing them out of the closet”.

[I’m sobbing, this is the kind of love I don’t even deserve to dream about.]

[Cheng Han spoils Mu Nan so much. I’m enjoying the sugar, but why do I feel a little jealous too?]

Of course, not everyone was thrilled. Some of the solo fans of the other guests weren’t happy—especially Ai Qian Qian’s fans. She’d gotten dragged through the mud for an entire week for being selfish, to the point where she didn’t even dare to show her face. So now that Cheng Han had done something similar, they were not letting it slide.

[So this isn’t considered selfish? He forced Cui Zhixing to give his up, but he kept one for himself? Classic top-tier privilege.]

[Ugh, it’s always the most popular guy who gets to dictate the rules. What else is new?]

[The girls already each had one, and Cheng Han and Mu Nan probably suspected Cui Zhixing of something. I think their decision makes perfect sense.]

[Agreed. Cui Zhixing was acting weird. Holding onto a protective charm in that situation wasn’t that unreasonable.]

[Keeping one for himself is fine, but secretly passing it to Mu Nan? What kind of move was that?!]

After skimming through the chaos online, Mu Nan felt like something was missing. Watching the show alone just wasn’t the same.

He thought about it for a moment, then called Xiao Jin.

“I’m coming back to the villa tomorrow, so come and pick me up.”

“Got it! I’ll head over early and tidy up.” Xiao Jin answered without hesitation.

“I just miss Papaya and Orange, that’s all.” Mu Nan told himself. “I haven’t played with the cubs in ages. They must miss me too.”

He said it with such conviction that he almost believed it himself.