Chapter 100: Reignite Dali, Everyone's Girlfriend

Two days remained until the completion of the Jinglu Inn, Lin Shen Lu secretly plotted various matters in his mind.

The day before, Lonely Planet's editor in charge, Tiger Fang, had sent him a message.

His first article published on Lonely Planet had become a sensation.

After a week's spread, among the letters from longtime readers arriving at Lonely Planet's official website, the story featuring Lu Xiansen's Dali chapter had drawn the most attention from the entire issue.

Moreover, on Baidu, the search volume for Dali had spiked dramatically.

The electronic version of that free-spirited, romantic love story set in Dali had been shared countless times across the internet.

Similar ripples had also spread through TuYou.

According to TuYou's statistics, tourist arrivals for Dali this September had nearly doubled compared to the same period the previous year.

Nowhere was the impact felt more keenly than at Er Duo and Santorini Ideal Country, the famous guest houses in Dali.

Guest consultations had surged dozens of times over the previous days.

Rooms were already booked solid, with even future bookings for the coming month fully reserved.

While other innkeepers in Dali were still scrambling to prepare for the golden National Day travel rush and make adjustments, Er Duo and Jinglu had already sold out every room.

The surge had even reached the other guest houses in Santorini Ideal Country.

No one could have foreseen such a turn of events.

For a time, the name Lu Xiansen had become the internet's hottest travel writer.

Who was he?

How had he remained invisible to the public eye until now?

Yet after searching TuYou's 4A-level blogger Lu Xiansen, he had once again entered public view.

It turned out the author of the Dali love story had once been a travel blogger on TuYou.

Now he had been exclusively signed by Lonely Planet.

Of course, the story did not end there.

While netizens carefully savored the article, the wish pool at Jinglu Inn had also entered widespread discussion.

Insiders began circulating whispers.

They had witnessed the designer sitting beside the finished pool, tapping away on the manuscript.

To finish this tale and locate the lover he had met in Dali, the traveler had personally designed the wish pool, igniting a market frenzy.

Countless replies followed in its wake.

The most electrifying rumor was an even more mysterious romantic subplot.

The wish pool's creator, this romantic wanderer, had a connection with the boss of Jinglu Inn.

After all, the Santorini Ideal Country Jinglu Hotel—featured prominently in the story—had been subjected to the deepest scrutiny.

The enigmatic big-shot boss lady?

A beauty of a guest house?

Hai Lan Jing? Lu Xiansen? Jing Lu?

Lu Xiansen had journeyed thousands of miles to Yulong Snow Mountain for snow, only to return to Dali and bring a rare flurry on the sweltering August night for his beautiful boss.

Online, someone even exposed the three-minute video of that snowfall.

For a moment, how many hearts had been swayed by love?

No wonder. Without this connection, how could a newcomer to Dali design such a grand wish pool for the innkeeper?

Without it, how could the owner have allowed Lu Xiansen to remodel the property so boldly?

Under the influence of countless promoters, interest in the photos from the Dali love story grew intense.

Beyond the breathtaking scenery, who was this frequent model?

Who was that solitary, slender, elegant figure with eyes both cool and alluring?

She appeared so often—clearly the heroine of the tale. Could she be the innkeeper herself?

Yet others pushed back: the story's content proved otherwise.

At the same time, photos and videos of Hai Lan Jing, the guest house owner's online fame, surfaced online.

The narrative grew increasingly tangled.

This Dali love story had become a media firestorm.

Travel platforms seized the moment, spinning the topic.

The latest internet trend was simple: go to Dali, seek the beautiful love story, and encounter a girl as lovely as a flower.

Even many hotels in Santorini Ideal Country hung banners and posters advertising the site of the original tale.

Especially Jinglu Hotel.

With Hai Lan Jing away, Xiao Ai and Ye Yao Chen promoted it shamelessly.

They knew the full story.

Xiao Ai's nightly livestreams had become vehicles for spreading the romance.

Ye Yao Chen's execution had been flawless.

The entire affair had fermented for barely a week.

Deepest within the vortex were three souls: Lin Shen Lu and Hai Lan Jing, hiding in a remote mountain village, free of worldly cares, preparing to open their new inn.

The remaining figure, An Muxi, was far more troubled.

The freshly arrived copy of Lonely Planet had been thumbed through by many hands.

Colleagues even sent phone photos, asking An Muxi...

"Muxi, your annual leave really was full of romantic encounters!"

"Anjie, this has to be you... tell us everything!"

"An Muxi, I've been chasing you for over a year and a half, ignoring me completely. In seven days in Dali, you became the poster child for serendipity!"

...

An Muxi could not believe she had become the story's center of gravity.

Opening her phone, she searched frantically.

Her photos had earned her new titles beyond the usual internet slang: all-net encounter girlfriend.

Everyone online was planning their own trip to Dali to meet her.

The human flesh search continued.

An Muxi retreated home, growing increasingly dejected.

This was truly beyond anyone's imagination.

In the chief editor's office of Lonely Planet China.

The editor-in-chief and Lin Shen Lu's assigned editor were in deep discussion.

Contract details and future implications for the travel writer behind the pen name Lu Xiansen were being weighed.

Lonely Planet had built its success through steady, reliable content and a vast global readership, securing its place as industry leader.

Though it had not produced a breakout hit like Lin Shen Lu's, it remained rock-solid.

Yet now the heat had been unleashed.

It could not be tamed.

To keep Lin Shen Lu from being poached at inflated rates and to sustain the momentum, plans for promoting his next ten works and new contract terms were already in motion.

All of it was unfolding with fervor, unknown to the man himself.

The guest house was nearly finished.

Large red cloths draped the Jinglu Inn signboard, partially hiding the characters for Jing Lu.

The festive atmosphere felt like a bride and groom beneath a red veil.

Lin Shen Lu and Hai Lan Jing shared that same joy.

Tomorrow was the opening.

"Lin Shen Lu, you say..."