Chapter 89

"The Road to the Skywalk" has aired two episodes and received high praise from viewers. It's a breath of fresh air amidst a plethora of reality shows of varying quality, including idol group auditions, celebrity outdoor chases, and celebrity business partnerships. Simply put, it's finally a show that's actually doing something worthwhile. It's selecting top fashion designers for China's fashion industry, showcasing the strength of Chinese fashion professionals to the world—a truly significant achievement.

Many celebrities, media personalities, and fashionistas are sharing and promoting the program. Some are trying to ride the wave of popularity, while others genuinely want more people to see the program and understand its significance, especially since even People's Daily and CCTV have shared and liked it.

It's extremely rare for Chen Zhiyi's personal Weibo account, which is rarely used, to repost and promote his work. It's common for friends in the entertainment industry to promote each other's new projects, but Chen Zhiyi rarely does it unless it's a very close friend or he can't refuse their kind invitation.

This is the first time a personal account has forwarded promotional information.

It's not that he's unwilling to do it, but rather that if the ratings and box office soar, is it just a matter of him promoting it out of politeness? The audience isn't blind.

This is the first time that a personal account has directly forwarded promotional information for the program, and it was accompanied by a thumbs-up emoji.

When the crew of "Eternal Love Song" opened their doors to reporters for an interview, Chen Zhiyi was asked if he had any recent film or television works he was following or variety shows he wanted to appear on. He openly said that if he could, he would like to appear on the show "The Road to the Sky Bridge". When asked which contestant he was most interested in, he also said Lin Ting's name without hesitation.

The reason is that Lin Ting is a designer at M Group, and I had just worked with her some time ago. I have no contact with the others, so I will not comment on them.

Official and indifferent, with no hint of anything fishy going on.

That evening, Lin Ting sat on Chen Zhiyi's lap and brought up the interview, blaming him for being too bold.

Chen Zhiyi was displeased. If he were bold, he should have said, "I admire Lin Ting, the designer. She is excellent, beautiful, and very attractive. Everyone should give her more support." But in reality, he spoke in a very official and reserved way.

He deliberately mentioned Lin Ting's name to get her more attention, and it worked. Her popularity and likes soared, and she has now reached number one.

If her popularity continues, Lin Ting will definitely be a top contender for the show's championship. After all, audience support is also very important, as it is a crucial factor in the judges' scoring.

The sixth episode will be recorded in five days, and it was also announced that Chen Zhiyi will be a guest judge in the sixth episode. After learning this news, Lin Ting repeatedly told everyone that they should treat each other like strangers during the recording, and not to exchange glances or flirtation, and to be fair and impartial.

Chen Zhiyi laughed and said, "That's too difficult. I can't control my favoritism towards you."

Lin Ting: "Then do you deserve the title of 'Young Best Actor'?"

Chen Zhiyi was speechless.

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The next day, the topic "Young Film Emperor's Relationship Exposed" suddenly appeared on Weibo. A popular blogger posted a blurry photo of a boy and girl holding hands in a rapeseed field. Although there was no clear view of their faces and the backs were very blurry, everyone speculated that it was Chen Zhiyi, since no one else had the title of "Young Film Emperor".

Lin Ting panicked when she saw the topic and photos. She was so careful in the rapeseed field, but she was still photographed. The thing she was afraid of had happened. She knew it was something she had to face sooner or later, but she didn't want to be stuck at this point in time, nor did she want to be exposed in this way.

Before she could even contact Chen Zhiyi, she received a message from him: "Leave everything to me, I'll handle it."

Song Xiaolei also comforted her, "Trust him, he will definitely handle it. I think the blogger's purpose in releasing this photo was not to expose your relationship. If he wanted to do that, why would he blur the photo? He could have just released the original. It shows that he has ulterior motives."

Lin Ting was flustered and couldn't make sense of it. "What's the purpose?"

"I think the most likely reason is money. As long as Chen Zhiyi provides the money, everything can be resolved. Or you could take this opportunity to go public with your relationship. Chen Zhiyi is willing to do that. Keeping a secret relationship isn't a solution."

"I still want to wait a little longer."

Song Xiaolei didn't understand. "What are you waiting for? He loves you and is willing to make your relationship public, that's enough. I don't know what you're struggling with. If it were anyone else, and their boyfriend was a public figure, they would have forced him to do that from the very beginning of the relationship. Who wouldn't want a formal status?"

"The title doesn't matter. What I want is a status that is worthy of him. I don't want people to only think of me as Chen Zhiyi's girlfriend when they talk about me in the future, without even my name. All my life's value is tied to him."

Song Xiaolei understands her. She seems quiet and reserved, but she is actually very stubborn. She doesn't want to depend on others or do such things. She has her own life values ​​and values, and she cares about what others think of her, although she doesn't say it or show it on the surface.

“But catching up with him won’t happen overnight. I can tell he values ​​you a lot, and what you’re doing isn’t fair to him.”

“I know, but not now. I’m currently participating in the ‘Road to the Bridge’ competition. If our relationship is exposed, all the talk about me will revolve around that, and then the point of participating in the competition will be lost. I want to use this competition to take my career a step further and catch up with him a little more. Besides, he has a contract and too many interests involved. We laymen understand the chain of losses that come with the exposure of an artist’s relationship. You can imagine how much pressure he is under. So let’s wait a bit longer.”

"He knew all these thoughts?"

"Yes, we've talked about it before, and we share the same idea."

"That's good. Just like he said, let him handle everything."

The topic of "Eternal Love Song" has been circulating for three hours, but the crew members are still working normally. They are not secretly watching the drama or gossiping. They are all people in the industry, and they are used to the exposure of celebrities' love affairs. Besides, whether it is true or false is still uncertain. They might as well do their jobs.

After changing scenes and taking a short break, Chen Zhiyi asked Zhang Ke again to confirm whether they had been able to contact the blogger who broke the news.

Zhang Ke shook his head, "I've sent many private messages but haven't received any replies. Besides, he's a new blogger, nobody in the industry knows him, and I haven't found his contact information yet."

Chen Zhiyi: "Has the company offered any explanation?"

Zhang Ke: "Sister Fei called and told us not to worry, that she was also looking for this person and had already boarded a plane back."

Chen Zhiyi: "Did you tell that person how much it cost?"

Zhang Ke: "I was very frank about it. The price I offered was not low, but he remained unmoved. I guess he wanted to stall for time so that we would raise the price."

Chen Zhiyi: "Then let's stall for time. His ultimate goal is money. If his intention was to expose us, he would have just posted clear photos from the beginning. Why bother with a smokescreen? Fortunately, the fans are not familiar with Lin Ting and it's hard for them to guess who the girl is. Let's just give him the cold shoulder and wait for him to come to us."

Zhang Ke: "Okay."

At 3 PM, the hashtag "Chen Zhiyi's girlfriend's identity suspected to be exposed" became a trending topic. Another blogger posted a screenshot comparing Lin Ting's back view from the show with the back view in the photo. The similarity was very high, undoubtedly a bombshell that instantly caused a huge uproar, rushing to the top of the headlines and remaining popular. Clicking on the comments revealed all sorts of different kinds of comments.

I was wondering why netizens were so slow at "doxxing" this year; turns out it was someone outside the circle.

No wonder Chen Zhiyi has changed so much. First, he forwarded the program's promotional information on Weibo, then he took the initiative to mention Lin Ting's name in the interview, and now he's going to be a guest star. It turns out he's supporting his girlfriend!

I heard that Chen Zhiyi and the two got together when Chen Zhiyi was endorsing M Group. Is there anyone inside M Group who can reveal some inside information?

A user with the ID "瑞雪兆丰年" replied: "I'm an employee of M Group, and it's true that Lin Ting got together with me under the guise of work. First, Chen Zhiyi picked her to be his opening dance partner at the group's grand event, and then the company assigned her to be Chen Zhiyi's dedicated contact person, designing clothes for him, and even walking the runway together at a book fair. So, it's not that idols are hard to pursue, it's that you haven't had the opportunity to get to know them."

So that's how deep the connection is. I remember Lin Ting's first viral video was at the M Group ordering event. Chen Zhiyi was standing right next to her then and even said a few good words for her. They probably started dating around that time.

At the time, Chen Zhiyi even put on an act of being a discerning judge of talent, but it was all a smokescreen. No wonder he's a movie star.

How did Lin Ting end up being chosen as Chen Zhiyi's opening dance partner, and later even becoming his dedicated contact person? Could it be that she pulled some strings behind the scenes? She's really scheming.

Yes, she looks gentle and kind, but she's really cunning. Every step she takes must be carefully planned and arranged.

Someone tagged M Group, requesting an official explanation regarding the relationship between the two individuals.

Zhang Ying called Lin over to her office and got straight to the point.

"What are you going to do now? Go public with your relationship?" She was one of the few people who knew the truth.

Lin Ting: "He's still dealing with it. If possible, I don't want to make our relationship public."

"There's a lot of negative talk online right now, which is having a huge impact on you and the company. This isn't something you can decide on your own. Discuss it with Chen Zhiyi. Whether it's going public or not, there needs to be a clear explanation. The company will cooperate with you. Go back and deal with this as soon as possible; we can't delay any longer."

Lin Ting: "Okay."

At the height of the controversy, to avoid attracting attention, Song Xiaolei drove Lin Ting home. On the way, Lin Ting texted Chen Zhiyi, "I'm going home now. Let's discuss how to handle this."

Chen Zhiyi replied: "Okay, the crew has let me come back. I'll be home soon."

Song Xiaolei drove Lin Ting to the underground parking garage. Before Lin Ting got out of the car, she gave her a hug. "No matter what, don't let the bad comments on the internet affect you. Who cares? I slept with your idol, no, your idol fell for me five years ago. What do you know?"

Lin Ting looked up and smiled, the first smile to appear amidst the gloomy atmosphere of the day. "Okay, I understand."

When they arrived home, Chen Zhiyi was already sitting on the sofa in the living room. When he saw Lin Ting enter, he rushed to the entrance and gave her a bear hug. He then placed her on the sofa, knelt down on one knee in front of it, cupped her face in his hands, and said with tenderness and heartache in his eyes, "I don't want you to suffer anymore. Let's go public."

The online comments were like knives, cutting into Chen Zhiyi's heart. How could he let his beloved suffer such injustice?

Lin Ting stroked the back of his hand, comforting him, "It's alright, I'm not that fragile. Didn't I already expect what I'm facing today?"

"Then let's go public, don't hesitate any longer."

"But didn't we agree to talk about it after your contract with Qin Fei ended? I can handle some bad comments, but the blogger who exposed this just wants money, right? Let's bleed a little to make him delete what he posted, and then have Weibo staff remove the trending topic. I think it will calm down in a few days."

"It's not that simple. I still haven't been able to contact the blogger who broke the news. I've already offered him a price, which isn't low, but he hasn't done anything. Have you considered that maybe his real intention wasn't to ask for money? What if he's my rival trying to sabotage me?"

"We love each other and are having a serious relationship. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I want to be able to openly admit to having someone I like in front of the camera in the future. We can also be like any other couple, holding hands, hugging and kissing anytime, anywhere. We can even travel wherever we want in the future, and go out to try new restaurants instead of staying at home during our free time."

Lin Ting lowered her eyes and remained silent. She knew that Chen Zhiyi was distressed by the baseless malicious comments she had received. Compared to the malicious comments online, she was more afraid of living under the gaze of others.

Seeing Lin Ting's troubled expression, Chen Zhiyi knew she still didn't want to go public. He stood up, his tone a little urgent. "Why don't you want to make our relationship public? Or do you really think deep down we won't end up together, and that going public now will leave traces online and hinder your future relationships?"

"How could you think like that? Don't you know how many psychological barriers I overcame to choose to believe in you and be with you? If it weren't for you, I would never have thought about dating or marriage. I would rather grow old alone."

"Then what do you want me to think? I just want to take this opportunity to make our relationship public. I want to tell everyone that I was the one who pursued you, instead of the internet saying that you seduced me. Do you know how painful it is for me to see these comments? I can't even protect the person I love, and I've made you suffer so much." Chen Zhiyi's eyes were red with anxiety.

Lin Ting hugged him. "I know it hurts you, but you also know I'm not afraid of these criticisms. The innocent will clear themselves. But I'm afraid of the focus on me. Once it's public, I'll lose everything about myself. In their eyes, I'll just be a noun—Chen Zhiyi's girlfriend. My own efforts, ideals, and value will all be gone. All the talk about me will revolve around you. How will my value be demonstrated then? Do they care about me as a person, or are they just jealous that I'm nothing special but still able to stand by your side?"

Chen Zhiyi hugged her tightly, feeling that what he had just said was pretty awful. "Then what should we do? I can't stand hearing them say a bad word about you; it feels like thorns are piercing my heart."

"Let's wait a bit longer. I don't think anyone hates money. Like you said, maybe it's your rival causing trouble behind the scenes. The person who leaked the information is seeing which side can add weight to their claims. Eventually, one side will lose patience."

"What negative comments do you see? Don't they make you feel bad?"

"To be honest, when I first saw it, I felt more fear than distress. Now I'm much calmer. Maybe I've mentally prepared for this to happen many times. Also, although we both know that these things are true, we haven't admitted it. To them, it's just making things up based on pictures and rumors. The people they're cursing are all people they've guessed. And it's not all bad comments. Some are neutral, and some are even blessings. Ultimately, those who say bad things are just jealous. Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better."

"You're so optimistic. I'm feeling terrible."

Lin Ting joked, "Come on, you must encounter this kind of thing all the time." He's had his share of rumored girlfriends or on-screen couples in the past, too.

Chen Zhiyi smiled helplessly, "Do you think I haven't had a bad day yet?"

Lin Ting nestled against his shoulder, chuckling, when suddenly remembering something, she immediately released him and stood up straight. "Will the 'Road to the Sky Bridge' program disqualify me from the competition because of this?"

Have they contacted you yet?

"No."

"They're not stupid. This situation will actually increase the show's popularity. Don't forget, 'black-and-red' marketing is a common tactic in the entertainment industry."

"So I still rode on your popularity and traffic?"

"I'm willing to let you take advantage of me for the rest of my life. Of course, I've always seen your value; you're dazzling and brilliant. You won't be overshadowed or dimmed just because you're standing next to me. Be confident."

"good."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Chen Zhiyi told Lin Ting to sit on the sofa while he went to open the door.

It was Qin Fei who arrived.