Chapter 9

“You two, get a little closer and more intimate. You need to give off the impression that you’re very happy together.”

The photographer noticed that the two of them kept a certain distance from each other. Finally, he couldn’t help but say, “You’re taking wedding photos, not divorce photos. Don’t be so stiff. Try to smile naturally. Think about it—you’re about to get married. Aren’t you happy?”

After all, Lynn Newman is an actress. She immediately flashed a sweet smile, with laughter in the corners of her eyes.

Julie Berkeley also curled her lips slightly and shifted her position, getting even closer to Lynn Newman. A faint smile played on her lips, elegant and graceful, pleasing to the eye. The photographer couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of these two lovers who seemed like gods and goddesses together.

He then turned to Lynn Newman and said, “Your husband is really gentle with you. You must cherish him very much, young lady.”

Lynn Newman looked up, their eyes meeting in the air. The tenderness in his eyes was like a black hole, bottomless. It felt like staying under his gaze even for one more second would mean being drawn into that endless abyss of tenderness, from which it would be impossible to escape.

When she finally received the two little notebooks, Lynn Newman looked at her own photo and couldn’t help but touch her nose in frustration.

The woman in the photo smiles shyly, just like a young woman in love today. Julie Berkeley also smiles gently, like a refined and gentle man straight out of a book.

At first glance, this photo might actually make one think it’s a couple in deep love.

Julie Berkeley patted Lynn Newman’s head. “Alright, my dear, stop looking. Even if you manage to poke a hole in this little notebook today, it won’t change our legal relationship at all. From now on, you’re Mrs. Berkeley.”

Lynn Newman touched her slightly warm cheeks. “Mrs. Berkeley… I think it’s a pretty nice name.”

The two of them smiled at each other, then left the Civil Affairs Bureau with their little notebooks in hand.

Of course, Weibo has made it onto the trending list once again. This time, the topic is related to getting married in the future.

“Shocking! Julie Berkeley, the owner of Star Entertainment, and popular actress Lynn Newman were seen at the civil affairs office, both wearing white shirts!”

Below are some photos that have been slightly blurred with a mosaic effect. They’re not bad at all. This time, none of the bloggers dared to take things in a negative direction.

But… Lynn Newman glanced at the top-rated comment and fell silent for a moment.

“Haha, account owner! Warning: account deletion is imminent!”

Everything behind is just…

“How dare you mention that person’s name? Have you forgotten the horror of having all press releases withdrawn within an hour??”

“The layer owner is still too young.”

“hhhh, do some leg shaking in the front row.”

“…”

Lynn Newman frowned slightly in exasperation, then carefully sent a message to Julie Berkeley.

“The Weibo trending topics this morning… You didn’t remove them, did you?”

The person on the other end replied with just one word, “Hmm.”

It’s gone.

"/Pictures/Married now~ Hello, Mr. Berkeley."

The fans went absolutely crazy.

I originally thought they were just some entertainment bloggers who, upset by the Weibo post being deleted earlier in the day, posted those stories on purpose as entertainment news for people to read and laugh at. But to my surprise, the person involved in the incident actually went out of their way to announce it officially?!

Marriage certificate?! What?!

Within a few minutes, Julie Berkeley also reposted Lynn Newman’s Weibo post using her own account.

“Forwarding Weibo post/image. Hello, Mrs. Berkeley. Please give me your guidance for the rest of my life.”

Then, Weibo went down.

Fans hadn’t even had time to cry their hearts out over losing their favorite actress. Passersby hadn’t had a chance to see what was on top of Weibo’s trending list. Haters hadn’t had time to post their insults yet. And that’s how the entire Weibo platform became paralyzed.

And while she wasn’t there, someone in the Weibo comments section, which had finally started to recover after the turmoil, started stirring up trouble by saying that Julie Berkeley was completely unknown and not worthy of being called an actress. A whole bunch of negative comments like that.

“Ugh… Don’t these haters even use their brains these days? Look at all those celebrities and company executives who’re congratulating Julie Berkeley in her comments section. Besides top stars, there are CEOs, managers, shareholders, and so on… Still don’t get it? That’s literally the refined and elegant CEO right out of a novel!”

Shortly after, Julie Berkeley’s username was posted in the comments section. It was a simple thing, yet it somehow made people feel uneasy.

“Julie Berkeley, the boss of StarRui, and the ultimate rival of actress Lynn Newman. Her net worth is… in the hundreds of millions. You can check recent financial magazines to see that this woman dominates most of the coverage related to wealthy individuals. As for her family background, it’s completely unknown. However, there’s a mysterious wealthy family with the surname Lynn in the capital city…”

Many people only had time to take a quick glance before that Weibo comment disappeared, and the blogger’s account was also gone.

Everyone kept their mouths shut obediently.

The comments section took a turn for the worse. After half an hour, Lynn Newman checked Weibo and just stared blankly at the sky.

“Divorce when, you two? Remember to let me know. I love you, Berkeley!”

“Stop being a fan! How can such a handsome and wealthy national heartthrob be taken away by you, the movie queen?”

“…”

Is this a real fan?

Lynn Newman sent the screenshot to Julie Berkeley. Soon after, the comments section was flooded with posts from various accounts.

“Wow! So jealous!”

“Happy Wedding~”

Upon clicking on the homepage, I saw StarRui’s employees… Well, she had nothing to say.

The next day, the driver came to pick up Lynn Newman to help with the move. Julie Berkeley couldn’t make it because she had some work to attend to at the company.

She contacted a moving company and had her entire household moved out.

The room Julie Berkeley assigned her was a secondary bedroom next to his master bedroom. It wasn’t any smaller than the master bedroom at all. There were also two additional guest rooms available.

Tinglan Garden truly lives up to its status as a luxury residential complex. Most of the houses here are duplexes, spanning several hundred square meters each. The interiors feature a sleek and elegant design. The surroundings are beautifully landscaped. However, the prices here are simply exorbitant.

Julie Berkeley returned at noon, bringing with her two contracts from the live broadcast last time. After Lynn Newman signed them, she frowned at the scheduled recording dates listed on the contracts.

“Recording starts in three days? Is the deadline really that tight?”

Julie Berkeley paused for a moment. “Can’t you free up some time in your schedule? If not, then just cancel it.”

Lynn Newman shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m just not mentally prepared yet.”

After all, she was going on the show with him, and it was a live broadcast. She still felt a little uneasy inside.

The public outcry has just passed. I’m afraid some people will take advantage of this live broadcast to cause trouble. If anything embarrassing happens during the broadcast, it won’t be possible to edit out those moments later. Everything will be exposed to the public right away.

Still need to be careful.

When the two arrived at the recording site and saw the staff members carrying ingredients, Lynn Newman suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Julie Berkeley also stopped, frowning at Lynn Newman beside her. “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Lynn Newman gently shook her head, pulled her black mask down over her face, and spoke in a very low voice, so low that only the two of them could hear her.

“Didn’t you see those people moving the ingredients over there? I’m not really good at cooking at all. All I can do is simply fry some potatoes… Tricks like this would get me blasted in a live streaming show like this.”

Julie Berkeley pressed her forehead and smiled helplessly. “I thought it was some big deal. It’s just cooking, isn’t it? Leave it to me. Whenever there’s anything related to cooking, just hand it over to me.”

Lynn Newman gave him a thumbs-up, feeling a bit impressed. Having married a man who knows how to cook, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick from eating takeout anymore.

Once everyone had arrived, the director assigned each couple to different houses. The houses were equipped with everything needed for daily living, just like a regular home. Then, the live broadcast of the show officially began.

The first task card: resolving the lunch issue.

He turned around, glanced at Lynn Newman, and said in a low voice, “Please send the bag behind me for me.”

Lynn Newman looked at the pink apron in front of her, along with the scene that didn’t seem to fit this man at all. She managed to hold back the smile in her eyes and tied a beautiful bow for him.

The camera happened to be pointed right over there, and the live chat was filled with laughter.

“By the bow, it’s so pink, so pretty!”

“Caught a super cute national heartthrob! Hahahaha…”

“…”

Julie Berkeley still had no idea what had happened. She glanced at the color of the apron on her body, speechless. The director beside her couldn’t help but speak up weakly.

“This apron was originally meant for the movie queen. We never expected…”

Julie Berkeley’s voice is low, like that of a cello.

“It’s okay.”

Then, the fans watching on screen watched in amazement as that serious-looking national heartthrob walked into the kitchen, wearing such a pink apron with a big bow.

The scene looks pretty appalling.

Lynn Newman’s gaze fell on the paper, pencils, and drawing board placed on the table. She walked over slowly, touched the paper—it turned out to be sketch paper. The pencils were also designed for sketching. Even the quality of the drawing board was quite good.

It seems like it’s meant for decoration here. It’s a shame to waste it like that.

Lynn Newman bit her lip, then decided to go help in the kitchen after all. But upon seeing the various unwashed vegetables on the floor, she fell silent. Just as she was about to get started, she heard Julie Berkeley’s cold voice.

“Who allowed you to enter the kitchen? Go back outside immediately. Just sit on the sofa and wait for your food. If you’re bored, you can watch TV.”

Lynn Newman said in a soft voice, “Let me help you wash the vegetables. That’s okay, right?”

Julie Berkeley turned around, holding the peeled garlic in her hand, and pushed her straight out. Even through the screen, one could smell the strong scent of lemon acid, along with that unmistakable sense of indulgence.

“Coming into contact with cold water is bad for a woman’s health. You need to learn to take care of yourself properly. Be good now, just go and wait to eat.”

Glancing at the drawing board that was there just for display, Lynn Newman hesitated for a couple of seconds. But then she walked over, pulled up a stool, sat down in front of the drawing board, adjusted the angle of the paper, and picked up her pen.

Once, the staff member silently took out a box of watercolors from a drawer nearby and handed it to Lynn Newman.

“This prop was something I asked the director to add in. But overall, everything is quite well-prepared. After all, I used to study at an art academy.”

Lynn Newman was a little surprised. She took the box of watercolors, looked at the familiar paints, and carefully examined them one by one. Her gaze then shifted toward the delicate figure in the kitchen. A gentle smile appeared on her lips.

The barrage of comments has gone crazy again.

“Why isn’t there even one handsome guy around me? That charming CEO of ours really makes me jealous.”

“Everyone, come and gather together! Let’s be happy ‘lemon spirits’ together!”

“A perfect guy for home life, who marries a beauty so stunning she could serve as a painting on the wall. Damn it… Did God really open one door for them and then another window as well?”

“WC… The actress can paint too? I absolutely love this color combination!”

But with just a simple outline drawn, it was clear that there was a solid foundation to the artwork. When Lynn Newman created a cute, Q-version of Julie Berkeley’s head, the director cleverly directed all three cameras toward that area at the same time.

The comment section exploded with reactions at the same time.

The fans were shocked.

“The movie queen is actually so good at drawing!!!”

“Madam Academy Award winner, you weren’t a painter before, were you? Someone who specialized in two-dimensional art?”

“…”

Lynn Newman also smiled in satisfaction. It seems that after years away from painting, her skills remain sharp.

By the time Julie Berkeley finished preparing and serving the dishes, Lynn Newman had also completed the final touches to the painting. Every detail was executed perfectly. It was hard to believe that it was actually a painting at all; it more resembled a digitally printed Q-version of a character.

Lynn Newman glanced at the three dishes and one soup on the table, swallowed hard, and couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked.

“Are you that fast? It’s been less than half an hour yet, isn’t it?”

At home, she struggled to cook meals, always using her phone to keep track of the timing. In fact, preparing a single dish—from washing the vegetables to finishing it—took half an hour. But now… she looked at the man before her, slightly surprised.

Julie Berkeley spoke calmly and composedly.

“There are three pots in total in the kitchen. I’m cooking with all three pots at once.”

Sometimes, some people can really drive you crazy with their behavior, like right now.

After Julie Berkeley untied her apron, she couldn’t help but walk over. She glanced at her drawing board, hesitating for a moment. It was impossible not to be surprised.

On a piece of white paper, there’s a man in a black suit. He’s wearing a pink apron, and has rabbit-ear hairbands on his head. In his left hand, he holds an apple, while his right hand carefully holds a plate. Since the drawing is in a Q-style format, the colors are very saturated.

Julie Berkeley looked at her own rosy-cheeked face and couldn’t help covering her face.

He simply hooked his foot around the chair Lynn Newman was sitting on, and dragged her along to the dining table. Lynn Newman was completely stunned as she was forcibly pulled over like that.

It’s really… the first time I’ve ever experienced something like this.

The director watched the bullet screens appearing on the live stream with satisfaction. He touched his mustache and smiled, his eyes crinkling into little lines.

“…A scene of mass slaughter of single people?”

“I don’t need to eat at noon today. I’ve eaten so much dog food that I feel like vomiting!!”

“Madam Academy Award Winner… What should I do if I want to compete with you for the same man?”

“…”

Almost all the comments on the screen were about these two people. But in reality, the entire screen was divided into four sections. In the other three sections, couples in three different rooms were showing what they were doing.

The director glanced at it briefly, then shook his head in exasperation.

Under the camera, Lynn Newman hadn’t planned to eat much anyway. She had only eaten half of her bowl of rice before politely putting down her chopsticks. Looking at Julie Berkeley, she said, “I’m full.”

Julie Berkeley suddenly stopped handing her food. She looked up at her with a gloomy expression. “I knew you liked these dishes, so I prepared them especially for you. Now that you’ve eaten half of them, you can’t stop eating. Today, I’m going to make sure you finish your meal. No leftovers allowed.”

Lynn Newman, still not satisfied, touched her stomach, which wasn’t even full yet. She continued eating reluctantly. Julie Berkeley, on the other hand, smirked secretly.

After eating a bowl of rice, Lynn Newman glanced warily at the three cameras pointed at her. She quietly put down her utensils. Julie Berkeley, on the other hand, took over naturally, serving her another bowl of rice. She said, “I heard there’s an activity that requires a lot of physical effort this afternoon. You should eat more, or it won’t be good for your health.”

And Lynn Newman silently ate another bowl.

After slowly finishing her lunch, Julie Berkeley took out the piece of paper and placed it in front of her with a smile.

“I think this painting could be taken home and framed.”

Lynn Newman couldn’t help but cough when she saw the little figures on it.

“Ahem… Your laughter is making me a little nervous.”

Julie Berkeley said nothing. Instead, she carefully wrapped up the painting, treating it as if it were a precious treasure. She handed it over to the staff and instructed them to take good care of it. After this episode of the show was over, she planned to take the painting home with her.

He walked over, carrying the bowls, dishes, and utensils that had been used for eating on the table. He entered the kitchen. That tall figure in a black suit was standing by the sink, washing the dishes. His graceful movements stood out sharply from the rest of the kitchen’s surroundings. It seemed as though he wasn’t doing some mundane and tedious task like washing dishes, but rather handling a delicate work of art with his fingertips.

When Julie Berkeley approached him, he found it hard to believe. How could a man like him, who had already achieved success and had a powerful family background, actually participate in a show like this?

But when he saw Lynn Newman, he believed her.

Especially at this moment, it’s obvious why this young master, who’s been spoiled since childhood, is willing to wash dishes here.

The number of people in the live broadcast room is rising sharply, having reached tens of millions. This was beyond his expectations. Everyone witnessed these little moments of sweetness. The incident that caused such a stir on Weibo a few days ago isn’t being mentioned by anyone anymore.

Isn’t this called showing affection? Do you really need someone to come up to you personally and force a whole pack of high-quality dog food into your mouth?

After dinner, everyone gathered outside. The other three groups of guests were in a state of disarray, sharing their miserable experiences with each other. Only those two remained calm and talked casually with one another.

Julie Berkeley stood there like a refined and graceful gentleman. Every gesture of hers exuded elegance, far beyond what those other young actors could match.

During the vlog, fans who were keeping an eye on Weibo got their fill of “dog food” content again. They could see that most of the videos featuring their favorite actress were about her newlywed husband.

“I’m jealous. The chicken leg in my hand suddenly doesn’t taste good anymore.”

“Discussion: Why are married women so terrifying?”

“I just wonder, in the future, will the ‘Queen of Movies’ only post posts about showing off her love life on Weibo?”

“…”

After finishing a show, Lynn Newman was about to leave when she happened to see this comment. In a good mood, she decided to click on it and leave a reply.