During dinner, Song Ni mentioned the amusing anecdote from Weibo to Tan Zheng, who found it quite interesting. "It seems this fan is a true devotee," he commented.
Song Ni drank some milk and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What makes you say that?"
Tan Zheng smiled and pulled a napkin for her to wipe her mouth. "She knows exactly what kind of person I like, and she became your fan. If that's not a true devotee, what is?" Song Ni sighed. "Back then, not many people were online. Otherwise, with your looks and skills, you would have amassed a huge fanbase."
Even though the general public's interest in the racing circuit wasn't vast, cross-genre celebrity stalking wasn't uncommon nowadays. Take Huan Yuan, for example; with his clean-cut college student appearance and racing achievements, he had millions of followers on Weibo. Song Ni was certain that if it were Tan Zheng, his fanbase would be even larger.
Tan Zheng remained noncommittal. He wasn't interested in fans or fame. Everything he did stemmed from his passion and his heart. In that sense, his life was already more fortunate than most. He could pursue what he loved, and his family was supportive. Even with the family business, they never pressured him to abandon his passion.
"What's the point of having so many fans? To fight over your husband?" Song Ni chuckled at Tan Zheng's remark.
"Will I be snatched away?"
"No, you're mine alone."
There it was. A man content with his lot, effortlessly weaving sweet nothings.
After Tan Zheng left for the company, Song Ni stayed home, preparing various materials for Lai Chun's upcoming studies in London. At three in the afternoon, Chang Zi called again.
"Nini, you're trending on hot search again."
"Again? What happened?"
"The comment from the fan you liked was scrutinized by others. Then, that fan analyzed your video and discovered it bore a striking resemblance to a very famous, no, a top-tier professional race car driver."
Song Ni hummed in acknowledgment. "And then?"
Chang Zi took a long, deep breath on the phone. "I went to check. That race car driver is named Tan Zheng, and he looks... exactly like your Mr. Tan."
Song Ni's brows slightly lifted. "And then?"
Chang Zi was exasperated by Song Ni's unruffled demeanor. "Holy hell, you're asking me 'and then'? You never told me your Mr. Tan used to race cars, and he was so damn good at it! Holy hell, I'm shocked!"
Song Ni smiled. "You know his name, don't you? If you wanted to look him up, it would be easy. There's plenty of information about him online."
"Who would have thought the CEO of a conglomerate used to be a race car driver? Who would have thought?! Wow, your Mr. Tan is just too handsome! Nini, you are absolutely living the dream."
Song Ni also felt she had struck gold. Unlike Chang Zi, she had only known Tan Zheng was into racing, not that he was the head of the GN Group.
"Jealous? Too bad, there's nothing you can do about it."
Chang Zi: "..."
"So, did you wear the outfit I gave you last night? How was it?"
"It was great. Where did you get it?"
"You want it too? I'll send you the link right now."
"...Maybe not for now, I can't handle it."
"You didn't just wake up, did you?"
"If I just woke up, how would I be on Weibo?"
"So, you got on Weibo and *then* woke up? Tsk, your Mr. Tan is quite something. You're truly blessed."
"..."
"If you're jealous, go find a man yourself. Stop trying to drag me into the entertainment industry."
"Nononono! What are men compared to a successful career? It's the best! You wait, after you finish your studies, I'll still work hard for you."
"Then you keep working hard, and I'll work hard to make your efforts in vain."
"..."
"Let's get back to business. Everyone on Weibo is discussing this. That fan has photos of Mr. Tan from back then on her Weibo. Some of the more observant fans are already comparing them to the photo from last night where Mr. Tan carried you out of the performance venue. If this continues, it won't be long before they realize your husband is Mr. Tan."
"What they'll know is Tan Zheng, the race car driver."
"So, what are you planning to do?"
Song Ni sipped her coffee, her eyes lowering as she recalled Tan Zheng's reaction during their conversation at dinner. "Let's suppress it."
Chang Zi wasn't surprised. With Tan Zheng's status, it wasn't appropriate for him to be discussed by a crowd on Weibo. "By the way, you got on the hot search too easily. It's already caught the attention of several rivals."
Song Ni let out a scoff. "I'm just acting in a drama, I haven't taken on any endorsements or touched any resources. At most, I have some traffic and discussion. What does it matter if they notice me?"
"Hey, if you want, as long as you say the word, resources will come flooding in." God knows how many opportunities she had shielded Song Ni from recently.
"I don't want to. It's not interesting."
"Director Jiang's movie isn't interesting either?"
"Sister Chang."
"Yes?"
"How about I introduce you to a man? That way, you won't have to focus all your energy on me."
"..."
After hanging up, Song Ni checked Weibo again and discovered that the fan had sent her many private messages. They were likely trying to confirm if she knew Tan Zheng, or if Tan Zheng and she were married. Later, the fan began to detail her years of following Tan Zheng, her confusion and regret over his sudden retirement, her heartache upon hearing about his hand injury, and her uncertainty about whether she would ever see Tan Zheng on the track again. The language was sincere, ending with a simple: "I just hope he's doing well."
Song Ni hadn't intended to reply, but after seeing that sentence, she changed her mind and typed back: "He's doing very well now."
The fan seemed to have been waiting on Weibo. As soon as Song Ni sent her message, she replied: "That's good, that's good! If he's doing well, then I can finally let go!"
Song Ni sent an emoji. The fan responded tactfully: "I'll keep it a secret. I won't say anything. You two must be happy. I never imagined that the first celebrity I would ever stan would be the wife of my idol. Wuwuwu! I'm going to cry! Young lady, you and God Tan must be happy!"
Reading this, Song Ni felt a slight sting in her nose. It turned out that not only she, not only Yang Yang, but many others had lamented Tan Zheng's departure from racing and silently wished him well. What was fate? Perhaps it was Song Ni and Tan Zheng's meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love. Perhaps it was Tan Zheng's fan eventually becoming Song Ni's fan.
Moved by the fan's sincerity, Song Ni sent a screenshot of their chat to Tan Zheng. "My dearest God Tan, your fan hopes you will always be well."
Tan Zheng was likely busy and didn't reply for a long time. Song Ni messaged the fan again: "We will be well. I will take good care of him."