Chapter 586 Shipping Themselves
Caught off guard, Natalie could only muster an "Uh?"
"Don't be shy! I saw your man waiting for you outside. Can't even let you go to the restroom alone—he must adore you!"
"But how do you know that he's—"
The woman chuckled, "The handsome fella outside? He must have a beautiful wife, and you certainly fit the bill! Am I right?"
Natalie's laugh was strained and awkward. She didn't know how to respond while feeling a peculiar itch in her heart every time the woman mentioned "husband" and "wife."
It felt as if her heart was enveloped by long-unattended feelings, now growing and spiraling out of control.
Emerging, Natalie saw Oliver engrossed in his phone, more absorbed in his online world than in work.
"Are you hungry?" As someone passed by, Oliver conveniently guided Natalie away with a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from being bumped.
Natalie pursed her lips, unsure of how to react, and chose to pretend she hadn't noticed the gesture.
"Not really, let's head back to the car."
The food at the rest stop, just quick snacks, never really tasted quite right.
Back at the Telegram group, Oliver received a warm welcome as the new high-roller.
“Welcome, newbie!”
“A big spender joins us!”
“Wait, are you... a guy?” Someone checked Oliver’s icon.
As soon as he read that, Oliver felt like if he admitted he was male, he'd become a spotlight in the group.
His fingers paused, and he typed emotionlessly: “Female”.
“Aha, I knew it! Guys into shipping are rare; the male fans are usually stans of Natalie.”
"What's a 'stan'?" Oliver asked, forgetting for a moment that he was speaking to Natalie, not one of his bodyguards.
Natalie shot Oliver a quizzical look and replied, "A stan? That just means a fan who is only into one particular person. Why are you suddenly asking about fan terms?"
"Lilian mentioned it," Oliver responded with an unruffled demeanor.
Natalie hummed thoughtfully - she hadn't heard that Lilian was a fan of any celebrities before.
Unaware that she had inadvertently become a doormat once more, Lilian was at that moment huddled up with Noah, scrolling through Instagram.
"It's been deleted!" Noah exclaimed, slapping Lilian's hand in excitement. "That post spreading rumors about Natalie has been taken down! Did you pay someone to get rid of it?"
Noah and Lilian had been fuming when they discovered that a picture they posted yesterday had been used to fabricate gossip about Natalie. They debated whether to buy some marketing accounts to control the narrative, knowing they faced two tough options:
One was to confirm that Oliver was the one in the photo, but the thought of facing his wrath was terrifying.
The other was to champion Natalie's freedom - she had been divorced for months; what was wrong with finding someone new?
But no, admitting to a new romance was far more dangerous than facing Oliver's "concern."
Never could Noah and Lilian have guessed that at their wit's end, the posts causing all the trouble would suddenly disappear!
"It wasn't me. I'm almost out of spending money for the month; I can't afford to pull anything from trending," said Lilian, her eyes widening as she checked Instagram, "It's not just pulled from the trends, it's... wiped from the entire network."
Anything related to Natalie's recent changes and scandal was gone without a trace.
Such scandals, if erased promptly and thoroughly, would soon be forgotten by the netizens, causing no real stir.
"If it wasn't you, then who?" Noah pondered, "I heard that Natalie's corporation top brass gave up on Natalie after her divorce from Mr. Windsor and her leg injury. It certainly wouldn't be the company pulling it from trending…"
A sudden realization dawned on Noah, and she said excitedly, "Could it be Mr. Windsor himself?"
"No way," Lilian waved it off despondently, "My distant cousin probably doesn't even know how to use Instagram, and he's not the only one who likes Natalie."
"Yeah, you're right," Noah sighed deeply.
Then she switched to her alternate app account and entered the "Natalie & Oliver Headquarters," ready to chat and catch up with her gal pals, when suddenly she stumbled upon a surprise—a newbie in the group!
The newcomer's profile picture was just pitch black, and their username was a simple period—a pretty dull choice, to say the least.
"Ha ha ha..."
"What's so funny?"
Lillian asked Noah, who suddenly burst into laughter.
"Our shipper group got a new member who's a hoot. Mentioned a celebratory gesture and bam, she sent a gift. Sounds like a wealthy woman in her thirties or forties," explained Noah. Then she asked Lillian, "By the way, want to join our fan group?"
Lillian quickly shook her head. "No way, I'd be toast if my cousin found out."
In her cousin's eyes, anything money can solve isn't a problem; those are the easiest things to handle.
An hour's drive still lay ahead.
Back in the car, Natalie, noticing Oliver absorbed in his phone again, pulled out the spare iPad and started watching a documentary.
Oliver felt a keen generation gap as he momentarily glanced at the group chat, where young girls spoke in their quirky lingo.
He decided to set it aside and focus on some urgent work, but just then, someone named "Big Noah" mentioned him, asking him to change a group nickname.
Oliver typed a "?" in response.
Noah had already pegged the newcomer as a clueless but wealthy type and suggested, "How about we dub you 'Big Spender'?"
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