Chapter 69

*Extra: Daily Life of Shipping CPs — Peace and Prosperity…*
The Spring Festival Gala was livestreamed from start to finish—an annual grand event. In past years, the gala had already become something people felt indifferent about, but this year its buzz surged to an unprecedented level. Aside from certain marketing-driven hot-search tags, the suddenly airborne `#PeaceAndProsperity#` firmly occupied the top of the trending list—#1 by a landslide.
Young people who hadn’t planned to watch the gala were drawn in too, quickly downloading the CCTV video app to click into the livestream.
The cameraman also understood exactly what this generation of viewers wanted to see. When Xie Yuncheng walked on stage, the camera immediately cut to Qin Sang. Under the high-definition lens, there was no such thing as privacy. The split-second freeze and surprise in her eyes didn’t escape the viewers’ hawk-like gaze.
【Did Sang-sang not know Little Bear showed up either?】
【Sneaking a surprise for the wife, but it turned into a jumpscare, hahahaha】
【Little Bear, you’re done for—you. Go home and wait to kneel on the keyboard (jk)】
But very quickly, Qin Sang returned to normal. When the camera swept over, she even gave it a sweet smile, making the livestream audience erupt in cheers.
【Ahhh my wife smiled at me—she has me in her heart】
【My wife is so beautiful! Spamming support for my wife】
【Little Bear, what virtue did you accumulate to steal my wife? This grudge is irreconcilable!】
On stage, the host was introducing the aerospace workers. In that gentle, measured voice, China’s long aerospace development history unfurled like a historical scroll before everyone’s eyes.
【I used to not care about this at all. I never knew this seemingly tiny step was actually a huge step in pushing history forward】
【It really wasn’t easy for our country to develop to where it is today. So many revolutionary martyrs paid the price in blood. Modern Chinese history is a book written in blood—every step forward is buried with heroes’ bones】
【Researchers really have it hard. My uncle and cousin haven’t come home for years. Last year my grandpa passed away—one was doing an expedition in Antarctica, one was running tests in the Northwest. They were worlds apart. By the time they made it back, my grandpa had already been buried】
Behind the weight of history were the selfless sacrifices of those who came before. And today’s flourishing development also relies on more people with big hearts and lofty ideals.
Maybe China’s aerospace technology still has a long road ahead. But there will always be people who don’t fear hardship or danger, who press on and forge ahead. Whether it’s military development or scientific progress, none of it happens without the hard work done at every post.
And it isn’t only aerospace workers. On a New Year’s Eve when families gather, countless others also hold the line—guarding this new year, standing the final watch.
That New Year’s Eve interview was edited into a short film. People from every corner of the country gathered together: doctors on overnight duty; traffic police standing at intersections in the freezing winter night; sanitation workers who get up before dawn so everyone can have a clean, tidy environment; community workers who go street to street, delivering oil and grain purchased in advance to elderly people living alone before New Year’s Eve; grassroots officers who still have to be on call at night in case of emergencies—so even while eating, they must stay alert and ready; and soldiers guarding the border, who haven’t gone home for the new year in years, who can only squeeze in time for a video call to greet their families after finishing a patrol—right before sleep.
What looks like an ordinary, dull, repetitive life is, in truth, made possible because tens of millions of ordinary people carry the load and move forward for you.
By the time the final segment came—the moment everyone pressed the “launch” button together—those who were moved, those with strong empathy, already had tears in their eyes.
In truth, people didn’t want to watch deliberately sentimental comedy sketches, nor did they want preachy satirical pieces. It was exactly this most ordinary life of ordinary people that could move hearts—because it was the most grounded, the most human. Because among those countless ordinary people, there might be family members and loved ones everyone thinks about day and night.
…
Before stepping off stage, the host intentionally kept a few aerospace representatives. When it came time for blessings, the camera first swept past Qin Sang. Perhaps influenced by that short film, her eyes glimmered with tears—and the viewers in front of the screen weren’t doing much better.
【My dad hasn’t come home for two years. This year he’s still on duty at the institute】
【When I was little I didn’t understand why adults were so busy, why they had no time to be with me. Now that I’m grown, I finally get it—no one does it willingly. It’s all necessity】
【Same. I was born into a dual-income family. My mom is a doctor, my dad is a police officer. Every reunion dinner is like a battle—we wolf it down in a hurry. Sometimes we’re not even halfway through when an emergency call comes and they have to rush back】
【Sang-sang must be feeling awful. So Little Bear has given so much】
【I think I understand why Sang-sang likes Little Bear. People with firm ideals, who can sacrifice themselves, really have immense personal charisma】
【Big love and small love can’t be weighed. I respect people like this, but I don’t want to be such a person—I’m selfish. I just hope Little Bear will cherish Sang-sang in the future. Being willing to love someone like this also takes great courage】
…
When the camera swept over again, the microphone was already in Xie Yuncheng’s hand. The host asked what blessing he wanted to give. He paused, his gaze seeming to lift and settle somewhere below the stage. In those clear eyes, a gentle, faint smile spread—like an April spring breeze, warm and soothing, luring people slowly downward into a trap he’d carefully woven.
【From this angle, he’s definitely looking at Sang-sang】
【Little Bear: let me see where my wife is】
【I’m dead—this indulgent, gentle smile is a total kill (clutching my chest as I slowly fall)】
When Xie Yuncheng said those words, the livestream audience completely exploded.
【Holy shit, holy shit—I’m going to faint】
【Little Bear: whatever my wife says, I’ll say. Wife is my weathervane】
【Mom asked why I’m covering my teeth. I said it’s too sweet—so sweet my teeth hurt】
…
Before the gala even ended, Qin Sang and Xie Yuncheng both climbed the hot searches one after another, and they even picked up the CP name “Peace and Prosperity Couple.”
The fast ones created a CP supertopic too, and it gained followers at breakneck speed. In the blink of an eye, it surpassed other CPs, taking #1 on the CP popularity rankings.
As CP fans put it: “An official-endorsed ship beats manufactured sugar any day. Peace and Prosperity Couple—big love without borders. Buying in won’t disappoint.”
Some CP fans even promoted it like this: 【I said I don’t ship. The higher-ups pressed my head down and said: ship it. Ship it hard.】
At first, some confused netizens questioned it. Some haters even deliberately made threads on Douban trying to step on it—but if you looked carefully, it really was official-led shipping.
They invited both of them onto the gala. They didn’t share the same stage, but the camera cuts made their presence overwhelming. Even without an onstage couple display, it was stronger than those little celebrity couples and even real married couples. And then—after “Peace and Prosperity Couple” trended—central media accounts and People’s Daily actually liked it, which was the most outrageous part.
What celebrity CP has ever had this kind of treatment? CP fans have been through fire and rain for years—what haven’t they seen? But this time was different. Not only did the ship turn out to be real the moment they shipped it, the sense of security was off the charts—because they had a “backing” protecting them. How could they not swagger a little?
From then on, even when they fought anti-fans, they could hold their heads high and throw out their “status”: “The higher-ups are the ones shipping it. You got a problem? If you don’t accept it, hold it in. If you suffocate, that’s on you. I just love the look on your face when you can’t stand us but can’t do anything about it.”
What’s more, the two of them had looks that were more than worthy. Qin Sang went without saying. But Xie Yuncheng—as an outsider—being this eye-catching was simply unfair.
【I think CP fans aren’t wrong】
【It’s hard to imagine how good-looking their kid would be in the future】
【Big eyes, high nose bridge—both parents are gorgeous. That’s a life winner】
【Look at me! Actually I’m your long-lost biological daughter!】
【Upstairs, don’t be ridiculous】
【Ridiculous +1】
So the hate thread didn’t succeed. It turned into a recommendation post instead. The original hater who started it tucked their tail and ran—quickly deleting their account and disappearing. The comments below were full of cheerful energy.
【OP deleted their account lol!】
【Official-led shipping—can’t mess with it hahahaha】
【Then let me borrow this floor to advertise again: Peace and Prosperity—buying in won’t disappoint】
“Peace and Prosperity” rose so fast for a reason. The higher-ups had their own considerations too.
Qin Sang, as a representative of young actors of the new era, had strength, confidence, and massive popularity. More than that, she was an anti-drug publicity ambassador and an aerospace public-welfare publicity ambassador. Xie Yuncheng went without saying: aerospace personnel, senior engineer—one of the new generation of young dreamers chasing the Milky Way.
Thanks to them, grassroots public servants and other researchers also gained the greatest attention. Sometimes popularity and profession amplify each other.
Now that “Peace and Prosperity” was far ahead, the CP fanbase was also more complex. Aside from solo stans, most were netizens who jumped in voluntarily. Many were even public workers shipping in secret under alts. Some editors on video platforms quickly produced fan creations. Unfortunately, because Xie Yuncheng wasn’t an entertainment-industry person, there was too little material available. That fan-edit video that broke a hundred million views had tons of empty shots, back doubles, and hand doubles—clipped from other male celebrities who had once been “forced-paired” with Qin Sang.
The male celebrity who got dragged out as a one-time substitute had some solo fans who were unhappy. But the guy had high EQ. At the peak of the craze, he reposted that fan-edit and joked: “Uh-oh. I became a substitute.”
The comments below burst into laughter.
【Bro, don’t cry—you still have a chance】
【Let’s work harder. Maybe if you try, big sis will change her mind】
【The flower has a master, but you can still loosen the soil (Wait—will stealing an aerospace engineer’s girl get you locked up?)】
That male celebrity had once worked with Qin Sang; in the drama, he played her younger brother. But because his admiration for her was nearly impossible to hide, there were many fan edits of them too—otherwise he wouldn’t have been used as a substitute this time.
Xie Zhiqing shared that Weibo post and video with Xie Yuncheng, purely to deflate him a little—to tell him that their Sang-sang was in demand, with many people coveting her.
Xie Yuncheng did watch it. He looked unconcerned on the surface, but before the midnight bell rang, he held her hand and posted a photo together.
His account had not been discovered before, but after it was verified, the profile intro was visible. The moment that photo went up, Weibo completely crashed.
In the photo, the man and woman’s fingers were interlaced. Matching rings on their hands shone brightly in the deep winter night. He @-mentioned Qin Sang and wrote:
“Happy New Year. Please take care of me for the rest of my life.”