Because during her “widow act,” Shang Xinglu worked hard to make it realistic, she canceled the wedding venue reservation.

… It wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry Lin Heng!

To show her sincerity, Shang Xinglu, who was feeling a bit weak, canceled the reservation that day and immediately rebooked it under someone else’s name.

She lost the deposit.

Of course, she would blame Lin Maosen for this.

Though the wedding preparations had been mostly finished before coming to the U.S., it didn’t mean that Lin Heng and Shang Xinglu had nothing to do in the last week.

In order to turn the tables on Lin Maosen, they had wasted about four days, and in the final three days, they were almost working themselves to the bone.

Family and friends gradually arrived in New York. Her bridesmaids came three days ahead of time. The reason? They had an important task—planning the bachelorette party.

After seeing the news, they all thought the wedding would definitely be canceled. Now that it was going to be held as planned, their emotions were like a roller coaster, so they were all excited to cause some trouble.

In the past, Louise had enjoyed watching male strip shows in Las Vegas, so they decided to bring one to New York for her!

This was something Lin Heng didn’t know about, and neither did Shang Xinglu.

Thanks to Lin Maosen’s troublemaking, their one-week schedule was compressed into just three days, and she was so busy she couldn’t even think of the bachelorette party.

Lulu just wanted to sleep.

Finally, the night before the wedding, most of the wedding arrangements were nearly finished. To be exact, the tasks that the couple needed to complete were done, and the rest were being handled by assistants.

Shang Xinglu returned to the hotel, exhausted, and all she wanted was to sleep.

At that moment, Jiang Lexuan grabbed her left arm, Xue Shaoying took her right arm, and Shi Rui waved her hand with a commanding air, saying, “Take her away!”

Shang Xinglu: “???”

She looked at them helplessly.

“You guys again? Aren’t you tired of this act?!”

Shi Rui pushed her sunglasses up, pulling Shang Xinglu’s clothes off her to change her into something else, saying, “Silly Louise, you’ll thank us later. This is your last single night, so let’s make the most of it!”

Shang Xinglu: “… No, I just want to sleep.”

Shi Rui, disappointed in her, scolded, “You’re such a hopeless person!”

With everything already prepared, there was no excuse not to have fun.

It wasn’t just Shi Rui and her small group. The whole gang of bridesmaids had come, a dozen or so of them, and with their outfits, they were more than enough to handle Lulu.

Shang Xinglu was shaken out of her exhaustion by their antics.

She said, “Stop pulling my clothes! It’s not like we’re in some gang fight! I’ll change myself! I’ll do it myself!”

Even Shi Rui, no matter how tough, blushed when she heard this.

It was Jiang Lexuan, with her experience, who said, “What part of you haven’t we seen already?”

Shang Xinglu shuddered. “Don’t make it sound like we had something going on…”

Amidst their joking and teasing, they arrived at the hotel bar.

As soon as they entered, Shang Xinglu was stunned!

“You—you guys really went all out, huh?” Bringing the same team over wasn’t cheap!

Shi Rui, proud of her accomplishment, said, “Of course. It’s not just about money, it’s about saving face. The manager said someone had already reserved the other half of the venue, so I couldn’t book it. I thought this half was enough for us to have fun, so let’s enjoy!”

What fun? It was just a feast for the eyes. From a legal standpoint, I’m already a married woman, Shang Xinglu muttered to herself, but her eyes were shamelessly looking around.

To be honest, it was a feast for the eyes.

Not all of the bridesmaids were married; many were still single, and after a few strong drinks, everyone got into the party spirit.

At that moment, the other party that had rented the other half of the venue also arrived.

From a distance, Shang Xinglu didn’t pay much attention, but they appeared to be some pole dancers—long legs, slim waists, and ample busts, with beautiful faces.

Shang Xinglu’s soul was almost stolen by the ladies over there!

The ladies arrived, and soon after, the other party that had rented the space also arrived. From their conversation… it sounded reluctant.

“I’m already married. I don’t need a bachelorette party.”

“What’s so exciting? Let me go back and rest. The wedding’s early tomorrow.”

Shang Xinglu listened and began to feel that the voices and the content sounded oddly familiar.

She walked over, and the male dancers, thinking she was about to take pictures, swiftly picked her up in a professional move.

At that moment, Shang Xinglu locked eyes with one of the men across the room.

That gold-rimmed glasses, those cold eyes…

Sure enough, it was very familiar.

Familiar to the point where it was undeniable!

Shang Xinglu: “…………”

And as for herself, she hadn’t done anything foolish, just casually glancing around.

Now, because of her positioning, she got picked up, and to top it off, Lin Heng saw it!

Shang Xinglu shivered, then shouted, “What do you think you’re doing to a married woman?! I’m married, you know!”

Lin Heng: “…”

The group of people with him, both Chinese and foreign, looked around, confused.

The male dancers were also stunned, but their professional awareness kicked in, and they immediately put Shang Xinglu down, raising their hands in apology.

Shang Xinglu’s face turned red, and she was so embarrassed she could barely stand it.

She glared angrily at Shi Rui and stomped over in her high heels, grabbing her by the collar. “You could’ve at least checked before making the reservation! I’m going to strangle you!”

Shi Rui quickly threw the blame onto Jiang Lexuan, “What’s wrong with you, Jiang Lexuan?! Don’t try to ruin my plans!”

Jiang Lexuan: “What’s wrong with you, Xue Shaoying?! Can you handle things or not?!”

However, Shang Xinglu realized it might have been better if she hadn’t turned around.

Lin Heng, with his sharp eyes, had already figured everything out. But the moment she turned around… it was ruined.

Shang Xinglu was wearing a backless dress again tonight.

This time, it was even more outrageous than before—her outfit exposed everything below the waist.

A long satin ribbon was tied into a bow around her neck, hanging all the way down to her waist.

As she walked, the ribbon swayed back and forth.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. A backless dress meant there wasn’t much fabric on the sides either. The moment she raised her hand, one could almost see the full curve of her beauty.

At first glance, it seemed fine. But upon closer inspection, it was a big problem!

Lin Heng’s eyes darkened instantly. He stood up and walked forward.

Shang Xinglu hadn’t even finished tormenting Shi Rui when Lin Heng gently grabbed her wrist.

Without another word, he draped his cologne-scented jacket over her head. Then, turning to Shi Rui and the others, he said, “Sorry, we’re leaving first. You guys have fun.”

With that, he took Shang Xinglu and left.

Xue Shaoying looked a little worried. “Will she be okay?”

Shi Rui, still dizzy from being shaken up earlier, shook her head and muttered, “…She should be fine. Silly Lulu didn’t even do anything.”

Shang Xinglu also felt that she was more or less safe.

Lulu had changed! Hadn’t she?!

But the moment they entered the elevator, Lin Heng used the excuse of fixing her hair and pinned her against the mirror, kissing her.

Shang Xinglu was kissed into a complete daze, her mind nearly shutting down.

And yet, Lin Heng still had the nerve to continue seducing her. “This dress looks really good on you.”

To be honest, Lin Heng was the definition of a straight-laced man who rarely gave compliments.

Sure enough, Shang Xinglu’s head went fuzzy in an instant.

Lin Heng’s large hand held her slender waist, tracing her smooth, fair back. “But from now on, only I should see it.”

Shang Xinglu was too dazed to protest his blatant possessiveness.

Her signature phrase slipped out, “Okay, okay.”

Lin Heng, ever the schemer, was satisfied.

But his satisfaction lasted mere seconds. As soon as they reached their room, Shang Xinglu shut the door in his face.

Lin Heng was caught off guard, completely dumbfounded.

From inside, Shang Xinglu’s muffled voice came through, “Everyone says it’s bad luck for newlyweds to see each other before the wedding. You not only saw me, but you even kissed me… That’s way too unlucky.”

Lin Heng took a deep breath and tried to be patient. Going along with her words, he sighed, “That rule doesn’t apply to second marriages.”

Shang Xinglu: “……Oh. That’s true.”

She opened the door.

Lin Heng stood outside, gazing at her intensely.

Shang Xinglu looked back at him, unable to stop herself from smiling sweetly.

Just as Lin Heng was about to step inside, she pushed him out again, raising her arms in protest.

“Don’t come in, don’t come in! I just remembered—I want to take you somewhere!” She pulled Lin Heng outside.

Lin Heng called for a driver. Once they were in the car, Shang Xinglu gave the driver an address, and the car sped away.

She didn’t idle on the way there either—she made several phone calls, finishing just as they arrived.

The car stopped outside a planetarium. The place was already closed, but the security guard opened the door for them, clearly having received instructions beforehand.

Shang Xinglu explained, “Remember when I was working on building a planetarium? I reached out to observatories all over the world to gather experience and ideas. I got really close to the director of this one. They’ve recently started a test run of something I always wanted to do but never had the means for.”

They entered a large exhibition hall.

It was a curved dome without any chairs.

As soon as they stepped inside, the doors closed, and the lights went out.

The room was plunged into complete darkness—it was impossible to see anything.

Shang Xinglu was still somewhat afraid of the dark, so she instinctively tightened her grip on Lin Heng’s hand.

His warm palm firmly squeezed hers in return, and soon, she felt at ease.

Then, light appeared above them.

Tiny, twinkling lights—an ordinary night sky.

Yet, at the same time, extraordinary.

Because in a city polluted by artificial light, it had become nearly impossible to see the stars with the naked eye.

The sky was so real, just like the kind you’d see in the remote mountains on a clear night.

The stars flickered.

A soft sound of waves echoed around them, a salty and refreshing breeze brushed past, and even the lingering warmth of a beach at sunset seemed to rise from the ground beneath them.

Lin Heng quickly recognized it—it was 4D projection technology.

But soon, he didn’t care about the technology anymore.

The starry sky was so peaceful, so breathtakingly beautiful.

The platform they stood on slowly began to rise.

The view changed from an ordinary night sky to a flowing galaxy.

It was a recorded summer Milky Way, shifting like glowing silk, spilling over like a treasure chest overflowing with gems.

The stars didn’t seem distant and untouchable.

They felt so close, as if they could reach out and grasp them.

Even someone like Lin Heng, who knew nothing about astronomy, was utterly captivated.

The hall was silent.

Shang Xinglu leaned on Lin Heng’s shoulder, watching her beloved stars.

Suddenly, a meteor shower—this was the Geminid meteor shower.

Just like the falling stars, Shang Xinglu’s heart was overwhelmed with deep, indescribable emotions that she could no longer contain.

At this moment, she thought:

The observable universe is a sphere with a radius of 138 light-years.

The first images we see are filaments of galaxies bathed in gas and dark matter.

Zooming in, we find massive black holes, emitting the highest-energy light.

Closer still, there are radiant stars, fueling the endless evolution of human civilization.

Then, there are planets, asteroids, comets, and, beneath a 100-kilometer-thick atmosphere, countless forms of life.

Beyond that—microorganisms, cells, molecules, atoms, photons and electrons, protons and neutrons, quarks and gluons.

Humanity—neither too big nor too small.

So many mysteries remain unsolved.

Just like how she ended up here.

How she ended up by Lin Heng’s side.

How she ended up loving him so deeply.

She had never imagined herself feeling such intense and profound emotions.

But now, she did.

She closed her eyes, no longer looking at the exhibition hall—just leaning against Lin Heng’s shoulder, softly humming an unfamiliar tune.

Lin Heng chuckled lightly.

His chest vibrated as he asked, “You’re in a good mood?”

Shang Xinglu answered effortlessly, “Mm. Because you’re like a star—you’re always by my side.”

—The End—