Chapter 18: Accidentally Entering the Celebrity Chat Group

Su Chen and Jiang Yan sat in the backseat of the taxi.

Jiang Yan couldn’t seem to sit still, so to keep her steady, Su Chen let her lean against his shoulder.

The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror—once, twice... He just couldn’t stop looking.

“Young man, is that your girlfriend?”

“No, just a friend who had too much to drink. I came to pick her up,” Su Chen replied with a polite smile.

But the driver’s tone stretched out, laden with implication. “Oh! I get it... I get it...”

Get what, exactly?

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It rained often in River City.

But summer was here, and the heat was oppressive as ever.

Su Chen carried Jiang Yan on his back up the stairs. In the narrow stairwell, her warmth and softness pressed against him, filling the air with a subtle charge.

He set Jiang Yan carefully on his own bed, poured hot water, and left it by the headboard.

Only then did Su Chen let out a long breath.

This woman, though slender, was surprisingly curvaceous. And she was fairly tall, too. Carrying her up several flights had left him winded and sweating.

Glancing at her seductive figure sprawled on the bed, a spark ignited within him that he struggled to suppress. Her flirtatious words from earlier flickered through his mind, leaving him restless and uneasy.

Should he be a beast? Or be less than a beast?

He stood there, breathing heavily, eyes nearly blazing.

After a long inner struggle, his reason finally triumphed. He forced down his darker impulses and, once the room was tidied, he made his way to the shower.

When he came out, he heard Jiang Yan’s phone buzzing endlessly from her bag.

He checked the screen—it was a group chat, someone was tagging her.

He swiped, surprised to find the phone unlocked and notifications unmuted.

After adjusting the message settings, he was about to set the phone down when, almost against his will, he opened the group chat history.

The group was called “We’re All Elementary School Students!”

Su Chen chuckled, glancing at the sleeping Jiang Yan. She hardly looked like an elementary school kid.

He checked the tagged messages. Someone named Ji Xiangyang had been persistently tagging Jiang Yan.

[Ji Xiangyang: @Jiang Yan, how’s your new album coming along?]
[Ji Xiangyang: Why so quiet today?]
[Luo Zhe: Maybe she’s busy with something else!]
[Jiang Jing: @Jiang Yan, when’s the new song dropping? Was it October or November you mentioned? That’s only a couple months away, right?]

All familiar names.

Was this the private group stars made for themselves?

Su Chen hadn’t planned to meddle, but someone tagged her again.

After a moment’s thought, he replied: “She’s sleeping.”

[Jiang Jing: Is that Sister Hong? Jiang Yan’s going to bed early tonight.]
[Ji Xiangyang: @Jiang Yan, that’s not like you!]
[Luo Zhe: @Jiang Yan, that’s not like you!]
[...]

A string of others chimed in, flooding the chat.

Su Chen tossed the phone onto the bed, grabbed his guitar, and headed up to the rooftop.

To keep his musical sense sharp, he liked to practice up there whenever he had the chance.

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Jiang Yan woke in a daze, blinking at her unfamiliar surroundings.

Her head throbbed.

She forced herself to recall—she’d been drinking with Su Chen at the bar. After that, she seemed to have run out somewhere, but the rest was a blur.

Was this Su Chen’s place?

The thought flashed through her mind and was gone.

What time was it?

She fumbled for her phone, eyes unfocused, noticing unread messages at the top chat.

Probably Wen Yan nagging her to come home.

But she didn’t want to move. All she wanted was to sleep.

With the last of her energy, she opened the chat and tapped the plus sign.

She invited Su Chen into the group.

Then she sent a message: “Yanyan, I drank too much and am staying at Su Chen’s tonight, don’t worry about me!”

“@Su Chen, take some photos and send them to Yanyan!”

It seemed she was reassuring Wen Yan, but in truth, she was warning Su Chen.

I’ve added you to the group and told Wen Yan—don’t even think about trying anything.

After sending the message, Jiang Yan drifted off into a deep sleep.

She thought she heard a faint song, but sleep soon claimed her.

What she didn’t know was that her actions had just set off an uproar in the group chat.

[Ji Xiangyang: Whoa, what’s going on?]
[Jiang Jing: Is Su Chen that ‘Kindergarten Boss’ who just joined?]
[Luo Zhe: Is there a big scoop here?]
[Luo Zhe: Who is Su Chen? Does anyone know him?]
[Luo Zhe: Is Jiang Yan playing on her phone herself?]

The group of a dozen or so exploded with messages, quickly surpassing 999+ unread.

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Su Chen came down from the rooftop, hung up his guitar, and straightened up the sofa.

Before going to bed, he glanced at his phone.

Huh? “We’re All Elementary School Students?” Over 999 unread messages? When did I join this group?

He double-checked—it was indeed his own phone.

And people had tagged him?

Had Jiang Yan woken up?

Su Chen hurried back to the room, only to find Jiang Yan still fast asleep.

Maybe she’d woken briefly.

Why had she added him to the group? Was it a mistake?

This woman’s behavior was truly baffling.

There were too many messages to catch up, so Su Chen decided to ask Jiang Yan about it tomorrow.

Noticing more mentions, he scrolled straight to them and replied: “Lock screen, going to sleep.”

[Jiang Jing: @Kindergarten Boss, are you an artist too? That’s quite a bold username!]
[Jiang Jing: But this is an elementary school group—we’re tougher than you!]
[Su Chen: …]
[Su Chen: I’m not an artist.]
[Jiang Jing: An ordinary person?]
[Ji Xiangyang: So Jiang Yan’s brought in someone from outside the industry? Brave move!]
[Luo Zhe: If this gets out, how many fanboys will be heartbroken!]
[Luo Zhe: @Jiang Yan, care to explain?]
[Jiang Jing: @Kindergarten Boss, come chat! It’s rare to have a non-celebrity in here!]
[...]

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Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, spilling across the bed.

Jiang Yan opened her eyes, still groggy and with a pounding headache.

She scanned the unfamiliar room, her heart skipping a beat.

She hurried to recall last night, but her memory stopped at escaping the bar with Su Chen.

She discreetly checked herself—phew, everything seemed fine.

Forcing herself up, she found a note on the table:

“You drank too much last night. I couldn’t reach Wen Yan by phone, so I brought you home.”

“There are steamed buns and soy milk on the coffee table in the living room. If you don’t like them, you can get something else.”

“Just close the door behind you when you leave!”

A wave of relief washed over Jiang Yan.

She hadn’t known Su Chen long, but it was clear he wasn’t the type to take advantage.

Still, after just one day of knowing him, she’d already made a fool of herself. How would she ever live this down?

That rascal would surely tease her about it forever—what a stain on her record!

After washing up, she wandered around the apartment. It was an ordinary, old place—nothing special.

But the hawkers’ cries drifting up from below brought a sense of peace.

She drew open the curtains, and sunlight filtered through the greenery outside, painting shadows across the desk.

Jiang Yan walked over slowly and sat down.

If she had no troubles, sitting here reading would be lovely.

But the empty desk, with only a notebook and pen, ruined the mood completely.

Ha! A man who clearly doesn’t read.