"This isn't April Fool's Day, right? Can someone tell me this is fake?"
"Old Thief is getting married?"
"I can't handle this."
"Old Thief, you bastard… sobs… You even posted your wedding photos with Yu Youqing online for the whole country to see. That hurts more than a knife to the chest!"
"I used to think the one thing I had over Old Thief was that I wasn't single. Now you're telling me you married Yu Youqing?! That's disgusting. I'm not okay."
"I can't accept this. When did those two even start dating?!"
"Logically speaking, they met ten years ago filming 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', and then did a dozen or two other shows together. Plus, Yu Youqing is one of the four shareholders in his company. Their getting married is actually pretty normal, no?"
"No, it's not normal! I've never even heard of this before!"
"But honestly, people don't need to announce their relationship status to you. When you date someone, you're not going to post a press release either, are you?"
"I wanna die. Every time my parents pressured me to get married, I'd say, 'Even Jing Yu, worth billions, good-looking, talented, over thirty, is still single. Isn't it normal that I'm not married?' Welp. Can't use that excuse anymore."
"October 27… Less than two weeks. Old Thief, you really know how to hide things."
"What kind of comments are these? He's getting married, and you're all mourning like it's a funeral?"
"It's jealousy, obviously! He has fame, money, looks, and talent. His one flaw was being unmarried. Now even that's gone. He's literally a flawless human being. It's infuriating."
"My goddess Yu Youqing actually ended up with him… It stings."
"But for real, now that Jing Yu and Yu Youqing are married… what about Xia Yining? All those fandoms were constantly fighting each other. Now Yu Youqing's the wife, does that make Xia Yining the loser?"
"Loser? That was just her role in dramas, alright? Doesn't mean she liked him in real life."
"She's barely been acting the past couple of years. Her socials are full of travel pics. Looks like she's living her best life."
"Still… I just get this feeling. No way she didn't have feelings for him. How else do you explain her acting being so natural and real?"
"Go check her profile! A million people are flooding her comments, telling her not to cry..."
"That's just overkill. She never even said she had feelings for him. This kind of behavior is just awkward for everyone involved."
"But she did reply to one fan: 'What's there to cry about? I moved on a long time ago. Already forgot that dummy.'"
"..."
"?"
"Wait, seriously?!"
"Are both Jing Yu and Xia Yining this real with their fans?"
"Maybe it was a joke?"
"It didn't feel like a joke."
Compared to the news about Jing Yu's new projects, the announcement of his marriage hit way harder.
Even in his past life, whenever top-tier celebrities tied the knot, it would become national gossip for days. So, in this world, the Great Zhou version of Jing Yu?
No surprise—people immediately started digging for the location of the wedding.
Since he had already announced the date, it wasn't hard for fans to figure out which luxury weddings were booked that day in Modo.
Rumors flew all over the internet.
Some fans, after venting their heartbreak, still left comments under his social posts wishing him well.
But of course, not everyone took it well.
Some extreme female fans couldn't handle it. A portion of them turned bitter, organizing online mass unfollowing campaigns, even swearing to blacklist him forever.
Worse, a few took it further—posting threatening messages toward Yu Youqing online.
Jing Yu had anticipated this. His team quickly picked out a few particularly nasty offenders and initiated legal proceedings.
That mid-October, no major dramas or films were trending—yet the entire entertainment scene was on fire, thanks to Jing Yu's flood of public and private updates.
By the third day after the announcement, the buzz had cooled slightly.
But everyone knew this was temporary.
When Jing Yu actually got married on October 27, the entire entertainment news front page would probably be dominated by it.
This would be the first marriage of Jing Yu's life—past and present—so naturally, he took it seriously.
He handed off the company matters to Cheng Lie, even asking him to be his best man.
But what caught him off guard was that Yu Youqing had picked Xia Yining as her maid of honor.
He couldn't quite make sense of their relationship.
He could understand Xia Yining being chill about it… But Yu Youqing, too? So easygoing?
"Bro, you've officially won at life."
It was early winter. The weather was freezing. But Cheng Lie, built like a tank, strolled around in a tight white short-sleeved shirt, looking like a walking ad for testosterone.
"Won at life? Please. If you wanted to get married, it'd be just as easy." Jing Yu laughed.
"Not that easy. You found someone you like, who also likes you. I… don't have that luxury. Everyone I meet now seems like they're after my status or wealth. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but still—it's hard to trust anyone."
Unlike Jing Yu, who had stayed mostly the same personality-wise after finding success, Cheng Lie had become more guarded over time.
Aside from a few trusted people—Jing Yu, Yu Youqing, Xia Yining—he didn't open up to anyone.
Jing Yu's net worth had already hit the billions. Cheng Lie wasn't far behind.
But wealth aside, his position as Vice Chairman of Bluestar Media meant he now wielded serious power in the Great Zhou entertainment world.
He dealt with shrewd businessmen and sly industry veterans daily.
Naturally, his worldview shifted.
When Cheng Lie heard that Jing Yu and Yu Youqing hadn't signed any kind of prenuptial agreement, he was stunned—and honestly, jealous.
"To place her above everything you've worked for... That takes guts," he muttered.
In their world, it wasn't rare to hear of couples divorcing and splitting shares, which then destroyed companies due to leadership disputes.
"All I can say is... You need to work on your mindset," Jing Yu said.
"Maybe. Anyway, congrats again, bro. Can't believe it's been seven, eight years. You went from boy wonder to family man."
"So, how are you handling the guest list? You're basically the top dog in this industry. Who's invited? If you send invites now, half the entertainment world would show up."
"Honestly, I'm not into that kind of thing. Aside from Yu Youqing's family, I invited a few old friends from Jinhui TV and some fellow actors I've worked with. No need to call a bunch of strangers."
"Not aiming for a 'wedding of the century,' huh?"
"Nah."
"That's a shame! If you used this as a networking event and streamed it live, you'd rake in billions in ad revenue and sponsorships!" Cheng Lie, ever the businessman, couldn't resist pitching.
"Do I look like I need that kind of money?" Jing Yu smirked.
"Fine, at least promote some company projects during the ceremony! The traffic alone could save millions in marketing costs!"
"You've got a massive fanbase. Would be such a waste not to monetize the wedding somehow."
"Cut it out. I'll stream the wedding, sure—that's for the fans. But I'm not turning my own wedding into a corporate stunt. That would just feel… wrong."
The two of them chatted away lazily on the company rooftop, passing the afternoon in peace.
Though Bluestar had tons of projects running, both of them slacking off wasn't an issue.
There were plenty of people to handle the actual workload.
As the days passed...
The venue was arranged, guests invited, security plans finalized—including protocols to block possible haters or disruptive incidents.
Jing Yu also had to handle some family matters.
Yu Youqing's entire family had flown to Modo for the wedding, and it was only proper that Jing Yu showed them a good time.
As for his own side… well, he was embarrassed to admit it, but he hadn't even met his supposed biological father—let alone any relatives.
In that sense, having no one show up was kind of nice. No drama.
Finally—wedding day.
The ceremony was held on an entire floor of one of Modo's top luxury hotels.
Between industry friends and Yu Youqing's relatives, the atmosphere was festive and elegant.
Some die-hard fans tried to sneak in but were blocked by security.
Most viewers had to settle for watching via the Qingyun Video live stream, opened especially for Bluestar's second-largest shareholder.
Honestly, no one cared if the venue was extravagant.
Movies had conditioned people to expect castles and royal flair anyway.
What fans really wanted was to see Jing Yu and Yu Youqing.
And when the camera finally showed the couple on screen…
The emcee's speech? Meh.
People had heard enough of those at other weddings.
But when the background music started, the live chat exploded.
There was no such thing as a "traditional" wedding format in the Great Zhou.
No Chinese-style or Western-style ceremonies from Jing Yu's past life.
But one thing was universal—wedding music.
Jing Yu? He brought in a piece from his past life: a classic piano version of the 'Wedding March'—a melody countless Earth weddings had used.
And he performed it live, on-site.
Because he could. And why not?
He wasn't the kind to show off for no reason—but on his own wedding day?
Might as well go all out.
"WHAT THE—Old Thief is playing piano now?!"
"The emcee just said Jing Yu composed and performed the 'Wedding March' himself—as a gift to his wife…"
"I'm dying of jealousy."
"This man's inhuman."
"Look at Yu Youqing's expression!"
"Would you be able to stay calm? If he did that for me, I'd fall for him instantly. She's just a girl, too, y'know."
"What is this song? 'Wedding March'? Why does it sound so gorgeous?! Way better than any wedding I've attended."
"Also, that piano skill—Jing Yu is cracked!"
"Not even my conservatory professors play that well. I'm stunned."
"You guys are surprised? Haven't you seen 'Your Lie in April'? Dude's a master at both piano and violin."
"Seriously… this man just casually flexes and crushes us all. Even his wedding is a talent showcase."
"Now I'm just bitter thinking about my husband's sloppy ceremony…"
"I'm gonna cry. Why did I come here for emotional damage? I could've just stayed home watching dramas!"
The viewership kept climbing: 1 million, 2 million… non-stop.
Even without A-list celebs in attendance, Jing Yu's personal fanbase alone made this the #1 trending event in the Great Zhou entertainment world.
Jing Yu followed the emcee's cues, completing the ceremony smoothly.
Once the rings were exchanged…
In both the eyes of the law and society, the dazzling woman in a white gown before him was now officially his wife.
"Uh… I… I…" Jing Yu stammered.
He had a bunch of romantic things he wanted to say—but in real life, not in a script, he was too shy to say them aloud.
On-screen, he could act it out flawlessly.
In real life? Totally nervous.
"Alright, alright… I get it. I know what you want to say." Yu Youqing smiled and hugged him gently.
"Just whisper it to me tonight, okay?"
They whispered back and forth, a little embarrassed.
Maid of honor Xia Yining, dressed in full formalwear, stood nearby, her gaze complex as she watched the couple.
She didn't notice that her expression was caught by a sharp-eyed viewer in the stream.
That night, Jing Yu and Yu Youqing were both half-drunk, half-sober.
They returned to the wedding suite and spent the night together.
The next day, the entire wedding took the Great Zhou—and even international media—by storm.
From the picture-perfect couple, to Xia Yining's expression, to Jing Yu's live performance of the 'Wedding March'…
They hadn't tried to publicize anything.
But the story was already everywhere.