Chapter 1 (part 1)

"I gotcha… got you an arrainged… arranged marriage for you!"

The drunk voice on the phone slurred and stumbled over the words.

"Arranged a what?" Gu Wei rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the fog of sleep. His phone screen glowed bright in the dark—it was only 4:30 in the morning.

The caller chuckled drunkenly. "My son! I just arranged a marriage for you! With the perfect partner. You’re so blessed—you just used up eight lifetimes of luck!"

Gu Wei pulled the curtains open and stared into the pitch-black night. Judging by this news, he figured his past eight lifetimes must have been full of bad karma. Maybe he’d been a thief. Maybe even a murderer.

Nothing good ever came at this hour.

"Dad… seriously, how much have you had to drink?"

At this time of night—when even the birds were still asleep—Gu Wei had no patience for his drunk father going on about some random arranged marriage that came out of nowhere.

His father, Gu Cai, was a screenwriter. Whenever he worked, he disappeared into his scripts so deeply that it was like the real world didn’t exist. He’d probably just finished his latest project and remembered he had a son.

"Not much, not much," Gu Cai mumbled. "Just two bottles of the good stuff and a little beer. Son! Your papa’s happy—finally found someone to take care of you! My colleague has a son like you. He doesn’t like girls either."

"Dad, sober up," Gu Wei muttered, fiddling with the flowers on his nightstand. "I’m a celebrity. An influencer. Do you get what that means? If I date someone, my career’s over."

He was the lead dancer in the popular boy band T.ATW, with plenty of fans—and even more anti-fans. His career depended on his image. Dating would be career suicide.

"If I get married," he told his dad, "it’s basically killing me."

"All your fans are anti-fans," his dad said flatly. "Your career’s already over."

"Anti-fans are still fans!" Gu Wei shot back. He knew exactly how people saw him. "Anyway, who is this person you supposedly set me up with?"

He doubted the fiancé even existed.

"Something… Xun," Gu Cai slurred. "Doesn’t seem to have a real job. His mom says he plays video games all day, but he’s a good person."

Gu Wei rolled his eyes. His dad might as well have said, “He drinks, smokes, and perms his hair, but he’s not a bad guy.”

"Dad, call it off," Gu Wei said firmly. "Celebrities like me don’t get married. It’s bad for my image."

"Just add him on WeChat! A beautiful romance is coming your way!"

The signal started cutting out, and Gu Wei missed the rest of his father’s rambling. He hung up. It was now 4:40 a.m. Any hope of going back to sleep was gone.

By 5:00, he was still wide awake. He opened WeChat and posted in his band’s group chat.

[If You Love Me Please Send Me Money]: Good morning, good morning!

[If You Love Me Please Send Me Money]: I’m full of energy today too!

No one replied—of course, it wasn’t even 5 a.m. yet.

Gu Wei got up, poured himself a glass of water, and decided not to waste the morning. He posted a “good morning” on his Moments too, adding a cheers.jpg from his favorite reaction images.

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