Publicity Director Jia Ting had Yu Wanqiu's private WeChat. Originally, she intended to deliver the items to Yu Wanqiu's studio, but the director wanted to maintain a good relationship with Yu Wanqiu, so she decided to wait.
That wait lasted half a month.
The director made three trips—all on weekends, visiting in the morning, afternoon, and evening—but no one was ever home.
Yu Wanqiu couldn’t understand it. Lu Yicheng not coming home was one thing—he had a girlfriend—but what about Lu Shuangchen?
Never coming home, day after day—what was he even doing?
Yu Wanqiu had just wrapped up filming that morning. Her scenes for The Poplar Forest were fully completed in less than two months, with the latter half progressing smoothly.
Tonight was the wrap party, and she planned to return to City B tomorrow.
During this time, Yu Wanqiu hadn’t checked her phone, practically isolating herself from the outside world.
She messaged Jiang Lan on WeChat to say filming had ended, then scrolled through the backlog of messages, spotting one from Yuexiang.
Yu Wanqiu also wanted to know why no one was home.
She called Lu Shuangchen. "Hey, where are you right now? Yuexiang came by to deliver something three times, and no one was home—not even on weekends. Have you stopped coming home altogether? What are you doing? Drinking? Or something else?"
Lu Shuangchen didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "You finished filming? Check WeChat."
Yu Wanqiu was furious. "I’m asking why you’re never home! They tried to deliver something, and no one was there—even on weekends. What does WeChat have to do with it?"
Lu Shuangchen sighed helplessly. "Wife, I’m not at home right now. I’m out of town."
Yu Wanqiu glanced at WeChat. Lu Shuangchen’s chat had several unread messages. The earlier ones said he had come to X Province to see her and asked if he could visit the set.
She hadn’t checked her phone in a long time, so she hadn’t seen them.
The most recent message was just sent—a location pin from Lu Shuangchen.
It showed her current location.
"Why are you sending me my own location?" Yu Wanqiu’s voice carried a slight accent, but Lu Shuangchen found it oddly endearing.
Lu Shuangchen clarified, "Not your location—mine. I’ve been here for a month. I tried telling you earlier, but you didn’t respond. I called, but it didn’t go through. I knew you were filming, so I didn’t want to disturb you."
Yu Wanqiu held her phone, stunned for a long moment.
Lu Shuangchen continued, "Since you never replied to my messages, and I didn’t know when you’d finish, I just stayed here."
"How long have you been here?" Yu Wanqiu asked.
If he’d sent the message a month ago, had he really been here the entire time?
Lu Shuangchen chuckled. "A month."
Yu Wanqiu: "What about the company? You’re always in meetings. Are you so bored that you had to come here…?"
If he wanted to come, fine—but staying alone for a whole month? Was he out of his mind?
Lu Shuangchen explained, "I can do video conferences. Documents get delivered to me. I treated it like a business trip. The environment here isn’t bad—might as well be a vacation."
Vacation? This place was anything but nice.
Yu Wanqiu deflated like a punctured balloon. "Well, hurry over then. I’ll send you the address. There’s a wrap party tonight—can you make it?"
Lu Shuangchen said he could. He’d been here a month, and while the conditions weren’t great, they were tolerable.
After hanging up, he packed his luggage. He’d been handling work matters here just like in City B—nothing out of the ordinary.
The crew was busy dismantling the set, clearing props and backdrops.
Today was the happiest day for Liu Qingyun. Chen Yi, the director, was also present, overseeing the final touches.
So far, Tribute had completed all filming. What remained was post-production—editing, dubbing, and scoring.
On-set audio quality was poor, so Yu Wanqiu would return later to re-record her lines, but those were minor issues.
Chen Yi smiled. "Congratulations on wrapping up."
Yu Wanqiu had cut her hair for the role. She wore old-age makeup, with wrinkles and age spots.
But youth had its charm, and so did age.
To Chen Yi, she still looked striking.
Yu Wanqiu replied, "It was a team effort."
Everyone had worked hard.
Chen Yi asked, "What’s next for you? I have another script—a urban suspense thriller. I think you’d be perfect for the lead."
His films were critically acclaimed, and taking this role would further cement her career.
But Yu Wanqiu shook her head. She was exhausted.
This film had drained her, and her body couldn’t keep up like before. Though reluctant to admit it, she wasn’t as young as she used to be.
"I need a break. I have work lined up for winter break, so I won’t take on anything new for a while." She’d already done two projects this year. Though Tribute had a short shoot, it left her emotionally spent. Wu Qing’s influence lingered, and she needed time to recover.
Chen Yi was disappointed but nodded. "Rest well. Let’s collaborate again in the future."
From the rushes, he could see her acting had improved—no small feat for someone already at her level.
Yu Wanqiu thanked the crew members personally. They’d been indispensable, and she was genuinely grateful.
At 3 p.m., Lu Shuangchen arrived on set.
He was taken aback when he saw Yu Wanqiu. He knew she’d cut her hair, but he hadn’t expected her to look like this.
She hadn’t removed her makeup—she wanted to see his reaction to her aged appearance.
A flicker of heartache crossed Lu Shuangchen’s eyes.
He took her hand, gently smoothing her hair. "Your hair’s gone white."
Yu Wanqiu shrugged. "It’s dyed. Not really white."
Lu Shuangchen’s own hair was half-gray, untouched by dye. Side by side, they looked like they’d grown old together.
Yu Wanqiu glanced up at him and couldn’t help smiling. "Alright, let’s get packed. We’re heading to the hotel soon. Where were you staying? Why didn’t you come to the set earlier? If you’d just said something…"
If he had, she’d have sent him home sooner.
Lu Shuangchen said, "I rented a small courtyard. Paid for a month. The owners were kind."
He held her hand as they walked to her temporary lodgings. After two months, her belongings had multiplied.
The room was spartan. Silently, Lu Shuangchen packed everything, loading the suitcases into his car.
"Double-check for anything left behind," he said, pulling her close. She felt too thin in his arms. "Want to remove the makeup now or later? There’s food in the car—homemade. Have some to tide you over."
The celebration dinner was still hours away, and Yu Wanqiu was hungry.
She decided to stop testing him.
"I’ll take it off now. This makeup’s too heavy." She smiled at him. "Thank you for coming. Even if I didn’t know, if you’d told me sooner, I’d have been happier."
She hugged him tightly. "I mean it."
Lu Shuangchen said, "No need to thank me. I just hope you don’t blame me for coming late, Wanqiu. I should have been here to accompany you sooner."
The hardest days were already over, and he hadn’t been able to help much.
He shouldn’t have hesitated out of fear of disturbing her. He should have stepped up when Yu Wanqiu needed him.
Yu Wanqiu didn’t think it was late at all. She hadn’t even expected Lu Shuangchen to come. At their age, dwelling on such things felt overly sentimental. "Let’s go," she said.
That evening, the crew held a wrap party, enjoying a hearty meal together. The next day, Yu Wanqiu flew back to City B. Lu Shuangchen had a private jet and rerouted the flight, arriving at the airport by 1 PM.
Jiang Lan had been waiting at the airport for a while, her eyes fixed on the arrival gate. "Why aren’t they out yet?"
Lu Yicheng reassured her, "They just landed. Give it a little more time. Don’t worry."
The past month had been incredibly busy for Yu Wanqiu—juggling filming, memorizing lines, and studying. Jiang Lan had barely been able to reach her.
A whole month had passed. She wondered how much Yu Wanqiu had changed.
Just as Jiang Lan glanced at her phone to check the time, she heard someone call her name. She looked up and saw Yu Wanqiu emerging from the VIP gate.
Yu Wanqiu waved at her. "Long time no see."
She looked effortlessly stylish today—her hair even shorter, the dyed color now faded. Dressed in a sleek gray-green jumpsuit with a black belt cinched at the waist and sturdy combat boots, she exuded an undeniable charm.
Yu Wanqiu looked so cool.
Jiang Lan dashed toward her. "Yu Wanqiu! Happy wrap-up! Welcome back! I have flowers for you in the car—I’ll grab them in a bit!"
Yu Wanqiu pulled Jiang Lan into a hug. "It’s so good to be back in City B. Finally."
She hadn’t even hugged Lu Shuangchen this long. Seeing Jiang Lan again felt wonderful.
"I’m finally back. Over there, I couldn’t eat anything properly—had to watch my weight. The food was terrible, couldn’t even game, and it’s been ages since I had barbecue. Plus, I still have exams coming up…" Yu Wanqiu had so much to tell Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan smiled. "But you’re back now! It’s all good. Let’s celebrate your return—whatever you want to eat, my treat!"
Yu Wanqiu’s eyes lit up as she listed her cravings. "Hotpot, skewers, barbecue… I couldn’t have any of it there. The only indulgence was cake and milk tea on your birthday."
Even then, she’d barely eaten—just two bites of cake and two sips of tea.
For two months, she had lived as Wu Qing, walking through her character’s entire life. Now, Yu Wanqiu just wanted to be herself again.
Today, Jiang Lan would grant her every wish. If Yu Wanqiu asked for the stars, she’d find a way—let alone something as simple as skewers.
Jiang Lan nodded. "Let’s go."
Meanwhile, Lu Yicheng stood beside Lu Shuangchen, who said, "We should head out too."
Over the past month, Lu Yicheng had handled a lot of company matters. Unlike the dramatic workplace conflicts seen in dramas, no one had given him trouble—partly because his competence was undeniable. As the undisputed heir, everyone wanted the company to thrive.
Lu Yicheng nodded in agreement.
Jiang Lan had prepared a large bouquet of lily-of-the-valley for Yu Wanqiu—fresh and beautiful. Lu Shuangchen, however, had forgotten flowers again. With no florist nearby and no clear idea of when Yu Wanqiu would wrap filming, he hadn’t managed to arrange any.
Next time, I’ll remember.
The family left the airport, with Lu Yicheng taking the wheel. Lu Shuangchen sat in the passenger seat as they drove to their usual skewer spot.
Two months had passed, and the restaurant had upgraded—now a two-story building with private rooms—but the flavors remained the same.
Yu Wanqiu planned to rest for a couple of days after returning, then cram for her volunteer exam. Her progress… wasn’t great.
The test was in two weeks, and December was just around the corner. Jiang Lan’s winter break was a little over a month away, and the documentary filming would start in December.
If things got desperate, Yu Wanqiu could always ask Lu Shuangchen for tutoring.
He wasn’t good at much else, but his teaching skills were solid—he could even make high school textbooks easy to understand.
As the family enjoyed their meal, paparazzi elsewhere finally delivered on their long-awaited mission. After two months, they had finally captured Yu Wanqiu on camera!
Ironically, they hadn’t even been there for her. Their target was Xie Zheng, whose new drama had just wrapped. After his on-screen partnership with Ou Mingyang ended, Xie Zheng had sparked dating rumors with his new leading lady, making him a hot topic.
Several cars had staked out the airport, waiting for Xie Zheng. But then they spotted Jiang Lan.
The person beside her was unmistakably Lu Yicheng. The two had entered the airport—likely to pick someone up, though not necessarily Yu Wanqiu. It could’ve been family or friends.
By 1 PM, Xie Zheng’s shoot was over, but Jiang Lan and Lu Yicheng were still there. Most paparazzi had left for lunch, but one stubbornly stayed behind, thinking, Just a little longer.
And that’s how he scored the headline.
[Entertainment Buzz: 'Lanzhou Lamian' Reunited! Yu Wanqiu Returns to City B with Husband After Wrapping New Drama [Photos][Photos]]
"This headline is everything 'Lanzhou Lamian' fans could ask for."
