Chapter 83
Lin Xiaoran had never expected that the camera would sweep over him among the tens of thousands of people in the audience. Thanks to the extravagant wedding three years ago, almost everyone recognized him. The camera, quickly focusing on him as soon as it passed over, captured the moment perfectly.
The crowd’s reaction was not surprising. After all, snippets of his wedding with Gu Yang still circulated on various media outlets. Lin Xiaoran knew well that whenever people mentioned him online, they often referred to him as “Doctor Lin from President Gu’s family” or “Doctor Lin, Yang Ge’s partner.”
There were even fan groups online shipping him with Gu Yang, digging up old high school stories of the two.
However, Lin Xiaoran rarely appeared in public with Gu Yang, except for that wedding. He was always busy with work and, frankly, didn’t enjoy the limelight.
At that moment, while Gu Yang was giving his speech on stage, the camera caught sight of “Doctor Lin” in the audience. The reaction from both the live audience and online viewers was explosive.
The comments flooded the live stream:
“Oh my god, is this a show of affection?”
“Judging by Gu Yang’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like just a love show. It looks more like Doctor Lin is giving him a surprise. But yeah, it’s still kind of a show of affection.”
“Did you see Gu Yang’s expression? Even though he smiles all the time, when he saw Doctor Lin, he looked… how should I say it? Adoring? Happy? Content?”
“Gu Yang, come on, don’t be so obvious. We all know you’re super happy to see Doctor Lin.”
“Am I the only one not talking about Gu Yang? Can we take a moment to admire Doctor Lin’s looks? His face is practically a work of art! How does he still look so good on camera like that? And doesn’t he work night shifts as a doctor? How does his skin stay this flawless?”
“I heard that whenever Doctor Lin has a clinic session, the number of patients at the hospital increases. If I were local, I’d go too.”
“No wonder Gu Yang, who’s so low-key, made such a huge spectacle of their wedding. He was probably just showing off how good-looking his Doctor Lin is!”
“Or maybe it’s about claiming ownership. After all, Doctor Lin has so many admirers. Gu Yang’s just letting everyone know that he’s already taken.”
“Gu Yang is also a top-tier guy. Why wouldn’t he have his own admirers?”
“Maybe Gu Yang did it to tell his admirers to give up: ‘Look at my beautiful Omega! My heart belongs to him, so you can stop dreaming.”
“Haha! So, that extravagant wedding Gu Yang threw really did its job.”
…
The barrage of comments on the screen flew by at lightning speed, and the atmosphere at the scene nearly reached its peak. Then, someone from the crowd shouted “Doctor Lin!” and it quickly spread through the entire venue. Soon, tens of thousands of people were chanting in unison: “Doctor Lin! Doctor Lin! Doctor Lin!”
To an outsider, it might have looked like Doctor Lin was some kind of superstar.
But of course, Lin Xiaoran wasn’t. When the camera suddenly caught him, he was caught off guard, and as the crowd began shouting his name, he was completely confused, unsure why these people were calling for him.
However, he had a heart of steel and didn’t get stage fright. His expression remained calm and composed, and under the spotlights, his dark, bright eyes looked unusually clear.
While he remained calm, backstage, Chu Yan was incredibly nervous.
He had planned to find Lin Xiaoran after getting off the stage. After all, Lin Xiaoran was pregnant, and he couldn’t just let him sit alone in the middle of the crowd. Chu Yan always felt uneasy about that. Just as he was talking with a teammate, a situation arose unexpectedly.
The audience down below seemed overly excited, and Chu Yan was really worried they might crowd around Lin Xiaoran. He quickly prepared to head out from backstage to look for him.
Then, he heard a teammate behind him exclaim in surprise. Instinctively, Chu Yan looked up at the stage, where Gu Yang, who had been standing in the middle looking at the big screen, had walked to the edge of the stage. It seemed he thought it was too cumbersome to walk down the stairs, so he jumped directly from the two-meter-high stage.
The camera operator quickly switched the main shot to Gu Yang, and the crowd watched as he strode through the crowd, approaching Lin Xiaoran. He reached out his hand, and Lin Xiaoran, not thinking much of it, naturally raised his hand and took it.
For the two of them, it was just a normal gesture. However, for some reason, the crowd immediately stopped chanting “Doctor Lin” and erupted into a chorus of screams.
Lin Xiaoran was baffled.
Gu Yang, however, had already leaned in to speak in his ear, “Is this the surprise you gave me, Ranran?”
The noise in the venue was deafening, and as Gu Yang spoke so close to him, his warm breath lightly brushed against Lin Xiaoran’s ear, making it tingle.
Lin Xiaoran slightly moved and tilted his ear away, but his gaze met Gu Yang’s amber-colored eyes, which were filled with uncontainable joy. It was clear that Gu Yang was truly happy to see him here.
Hmm…
There seemed to be quite a misunderstanding.
Lin Xiaoran did come to the event for Gu Yang, to see how far Gu Yang’s dream had come.
But it was obvious that Gu Yang misunderstood, thinking that Lin Xiaoran had coordinated with the photographer to stage the earlier scene. Furthermore, Lin Xiaoran had sent a message to Gu Yang earlier, telling him that Gu Yang would soon find out who he was meeting tonight.
This made Gu Yang even more certain that the coincidence earlier was something Lin Xiaoran had intentionally arranged.
It wasn’t just Gu Yang; the audience probably thought the same too.
But seeing Gu Yang’s genuine joy, Lin Xiaoran decided to go along with the misunderstanding. He gave a slight smile and nodded, “Mm.”
Gu Yang’s eyes clearly lit up, and he couldn’t resist pulling Lin Xiaoran into an embrace, whispering in his ear, “Thank you, Ranran. This is the best surprise! Just now, I was still wondering who you were meeting tonight. Turns out, it’s me.”
Before Lin Xiaoran nodded, Gu Yang wasn’t entirely sure. After all, having been together for so many years, Gu Yang understood Lin Xiaoran very well. Lin Xiaoran wasn’t someone who would actively create surprises or romance. It wasn’t because Gu Yang wasn’t important to him, but because Lin Xiaoran just didn’t have that kind of instinct.
Of course, Gu Yang didn’t mind, but the fact that his aloof Omega suddenly got the idea to do something romantic in such a public setting moved him deeply. His Omega really was the best!
Lin Xiaoran hadn’t expected Gu Yang to hug him in front of so many people, and he felt a bit awkward. But when he heard the mixture of surprise and emotion in Gu Yang’s voice, his heart suddenly stopped.
He suddenly remembered the gift he gave to Gu Yang back in their senior year of high school, a watch that was exactly the same as the one on his wrist.
In fact, the watch had been bought by Lin Lan, and Lin Xiaoran had simply delivered it. Before Gu Yang started wearing it, Lin Xiaoran hadn’t even known what the gift was.
But Gu Yang had always believed it was from Lin Xiaoran, and he cherished it deeply. Even though it was no longer suitable to wear, he had kept it all these years. Sometimes, he even joked that it was their token of love.
Lin Xiaoran didn’t like lying, and there had been many times he wanted to tell Gu Yang the truth, but up until now, he hadn’t said a word.
Just like with this surprise, every time Lin Xiaoran tried to surprise Gu Yang, it ended up being a misunderstanding. But somehow, Gu Yang always loved it. Maybe it was because Lin Xiaoran had never been good at creating surprises for him.
So, on the rare occasions he did try, Gu Yang could never forget them.
Looking back on their years together, Gu Yang had always gone out of his way to make Lin Xiaoran happy, but Lin Xiaoran realized that he had never really done anything special for Gu Yang.
Their birthdays were only a day apart, yet every time it was Lin Xiaoran’s birthday, Gu Yang would spend weeks preparing unique gifts for him, while Lin Xiaoran would just give whatever he thought Gu Yang needed.
In the past, he never thought much of it, but today, he suddenly felt like he hadn’t done enough, at least not as much as Gu Yang had.
The tens of thousands of spectators didn’t know what the two were feeling at the moment. They only saw Gu Yang embrace Lin Xiaoran, and the cheers erupted so loudly that it felt like the roof might come off.
Someone in the crowd yelled out, “Kiss him!” and the chant quickly spread, with the entire audience joining in: “Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!”
Gu Yang smiled and loosened his hold on Lin Xiaoran. He didn’t mind kissing his Omega in public, but he knew Lin Xiaoran didn’t like showing too much affection in front of others. Otherwise, the first thing he would have done when he reached Lin Xiaoran earlier was to hug him and kiss him.
At that moment, he couldn’t resist hugging Lin Xiaoran. It was lucky that Lin Xiaoran didn’t push him away, but if he had gone further and kissed him again, he’d probably be sleeping on the couch tonight… sigh…
Gu Yang froze for a moment, feeling the soft, warm sensation of Lin Xiaoran’s lips brushing against his. It was like the lightest of touches, a fleeting moment.
But the crowd went wild, and Gu Yang’s heart began to race uncontrollably.
Lin Xiaoran had actually kissed him in public!
Aside from the excitement that made his heart pound, Gu Yang also noticed a flash of embarrassment in Lin Xiaoran’s eyes. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming rush of affection. His Omega, who didn’t like this kind of thing, had done it for him.
For him!
Gu Yang could hardly contain himself, wanting to kiss Lin Xiaoran again right there and then. But he knew that for Lin Xiaoran, this was already the limit, so he suppressed his desire, holding Lin Xiaoran’s hand and leading him back to the center of the stage.
The host quickly stepped in with the microphone, and Gu Yang took it in one hand, holding Lin Xiaoran’s hand tightly in the other. With a smile, he spoke to the audience, “This person doesn’t need any introduction. You all know him, right?”
The audience, almost in perfect harmony, responded, “No, introduce him!”
Gu Yang played along, “Well, let me introduce him. This is our Doctor Lin.” He turned to Lin Xiaoran, “Doctor Lin, say hello to everyone.”
Lin Xiaoran, ever gracious, took the microphone and simply said, “Hello, everyone. I’m Lin Xiaoran.”
Amid the cheers of tens of thousands, his voice was as calm and soothing as always, yet incredibly pleasant to hear.
As expected, once he finished speaking, the cheers escalated again.
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t understand why the audience was so excited to see him and Gu Yang. They weren’t public figures.
At this point, the host, a seasoned professional, asked a few questions, trying to move the event along, but it was clear that the audience was entirely focused on Lin Xiaoran. The online live stream had also seen a surge of viewers since his appearance, and the comments were filled with discussions about him and Gu Yang.
Luckily, the later parts of the event were minimal, and since Gu Yang’s speech was the grand finale, the organizers quickly decided to cancel the remaining segments and focus on Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang.
The host, ever quick on his feet, shifted the topic. “I hear Doctor Lin is also a gaming expert. Have you played the game developed by Mr. Gu?”
“Not much,” Lin Xiaoran replied honestly.
When Gu Yang’s game was first released, Lin Xiaoran had spent some time playing it, but with his increasingly busy schedule, he only played occasionally during breaks.
The host quickly latched onto this, “So you do play! Have you ever had a solo match with Mr. Gu? I’ve heard that when you two were in high school, you were ranked first and second in a certain game, often battling it out privately.”
The internet had a long memory, and the video from their appearance at the Fourth Anniversary of World 7 could still be found online.
So it wasn’t really a secret.
With the host’s words, the crowd erupted again, chanting for a showdown between the two.
Since Lin Xiaoran had been brought up on stage, it seemed a bit inappropriate not to participate in anything. Conveniently, a previous match between professional players had been an exhibition match, and the conditions were perfect. Neither of them declined, so they each took a seat on opposite sides.
Lin Xiaoran was clearly expecting to lose. He didn’t play much and hadn’t upgraded his equipment. Even though Gu Yang didn’t spend a lot of time on games either, he was still much better than him.
However, what should have been a one-sided match ended up being evenly matched the whole way through. In the final moments, Gu Yang’s character even accidentally misused a skill, allowing Lin Xiaoran to win.
This made things very obvious!
The audience erupted into chaotic shouts, and somehow the host managed to seize on the moment, laughing as he asked Gu Yang, “Mr. Gu, are you letting yourself lose on purpose? Afraid you’ll have to kneel on a washboard when you go home tonight? Everyone seems to be saying you’re under the thumb of your wife.”
Lin Xiaoran was a bit annoyed. He didn’t like losing, but when he was outplayed, there was nothing to be done. What did it matter?
But Gu Yang had let him win… hmph!
He shot a glance at Gu Yang, clearly displeased. Gu Yang, however, wasn’t oblivious. He held his hand, winking at him with a teasing smile before replying to the host, “Kneel on a washboard? What are you even thinking? Our Doctor Lin would never do such a thing. And as for this match, it wasn’t a matter of letting him win. Lin Xiaoran is already carrying a burden in this competition with me, so of course, I couldn’t give it my all. That wouldn’t be fair!”
“Burden?” The crowd was puzzled.
Lin Xiaoran immediately understood, and sure enough, the next moment, Gu Yang released his hand and wrapped his arm around his waist, his hand resting on his belly as he smiled and said, “My Doctor Lin is pregnant. I’m going to be a dad!”
Lin Xiaoran turned to look at him, his gaze meeting the amber glow of Gu Yang’s eyes, filled with joy and pride. In that moment, Gu Yang seemed happier than ever before.
