Chapter 76 You must stand up for me. ...

No, that's not what she meant!

Sheng Yi wanted to cry but had no tears.

Why is this person talking as if she's about to have an affair?

She had no intention of having an affair, and Lao Qian might think the same way. Sheng Yi looked at the matters that had been handed over, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper: there seemed to be a lot too many events where she was appearing on stage with Zeng Shaoguang.

Old Qian advised, "Your popularity is currently at its peak, and they're happy to associate themselves with you. You understand the principle that 1+1 is greater than 2, right? Use your exposure to solidify your popularity; it's not like you're actually dating. As for romance, don't think about it for now."

Her face changed, and she said with feigned indignation, "You didn't say that before."

"Times have changed," Old Qian coughed, "Things are different now."

"With 'Starry Night' airing to this extent, as long as your new works can stand out and your position is more stable, there are all kinds of people who can't be found. There's no need to rush."

It wasn't a matter of rushing, but she felt that some things didn't need to be so purposeful. As for the deeper reasons, Sheng Yi couldn't explain them to him.

Regardless of the reason, Lao Qian would only find it pretentious.

After much back and forth, they each compromised and chose a few options based on their individual circumstances.

"Starry Night, Dreamlike River" has officially concluded, with the characters in the drama finally achieving their happy endings. Off-screen, the show's ratings have also reached new heights, and related terms have filled the trending topics, making it seem like the show itself is the only one going on.

Watching the number of followers steadily climb in the background, Sheng Yi would vaguely recall the initial surge of attention she received. Surprise, panic.

Now, having traversed the long, dazzling staircase, even with only a small achievement, the cheers from the audience no longer evoke a sense of unease. Because she is certain they are simply her audience.

Despite their reluctance to admit it, even their haters have to face the fact that the show's explosive popularity has undoubtedly propelled Sheng Yi into the ranks of top-tier actresses. It can be said that she has absorbed all the benefits of the show's success, with the on-screen couple role being merely a side effect.

An entertainment blogger, having nothing better to do, made a comparison, and the increase in followers for both the lead actress and the CP (couple) topics was nowhere near the level of Sheng Yi's personal account. Even more unbelievable is that from the start of the series until its finale, she was filming in that remote, desolate location. The materials that went viral online were all pre-recorded.

I heard that her new drama is about to wrap up filming, and fans are already excited. Some fans have even started organizing and forming countless support groups. In short, they can't let their idol fall behind when others are doing it.

On major entertainment apps, posts titled "Expressing My Sincerity" almost always generate heated discussions.

"Can I say this? I didn't understand Sheng Yi at all before, but I didn't expect to get it in this drama."

This statement immediately drew disbelief from some: "She's always been beautiful."

Someone gestured wildly: "She was beautiful before, but she felt soulless. Do you understand what I mean? This character is so vivid and interesting."

At this moment, a longtime fan passed by, choked, and finally couldn't help but weakly retort: ​​"My sister has always been very funny... [covers face and cries]"

However, the comments were quickly scrolled past, and no one noticed her feeble resistance.

Viewers who haven't had a chance to watch the show yet are even more confused. Which of the most popular idol dramas in the past wasn't officially promoted and sold like hotcakes? Why does "Star River Dream" seem so strange?

Such comments are usually met with a barrage of question marks: "Is it that hard to fall in love with Sheng Yi? If I were a man, I would like her too."

"Hahaha, you didn't expect that, did you? Our young lady is so popular with both men and women!"

In mid-August, news that Sheng Yi would be joining a popular variety show on Hunan TV spread like wildfire across the internet. The source claimed that Sheng Yi and Zeng Shaoguang would be recording together as guest stars in the first episode.

The moment this rumor, its veracity uncertain, surfaced, eagerly awaiting news from fans erupted like wildfire, with many wishing to share it with their online friends and send out red envelopes in celebration. This single post provided the marketing account with a month's worth of buzz. Even two days later, discussions about the story continue online.

Just as everyone was debating whether Sheng Yi and Zeng Shaoguang would participate in the event together, another trending topic suddenly appeared, climbing even faster than the previous leaks.

The hashtag is simple and straightforward: #WenShili'sGirlfriend'sFaceRevealed#

The moment they saw those words, everyone felt a chill run down their spines—was this something I could see?

My second reaction was—finally, I got the shot!

Rumors that Wen Shili has a girlfriend have been circulating online for months. There has been no official confirmation or any witness or physical evidence to support it. People have only pieced together fragmented clues to confirm that such a person does exist.

It's no exaggeration to say that when the news first broke, not a single female mosquito was spared in the areas where Wen Shili was seen, yet no further information has been released to date.

His work schedule is basically public and transparent. Other times he's been filmed, he's either in the recording studio, on his way to the recording studio, or he simply doesn't leave the house for days. Not to mention women, there are only a handful of men involved.

At first, everyone was eagerly anticipating the event, but later they were completely bewildered and disheartened. More than a month later, the paparazzi's tight security gradually dissipated.

This is a comeback.

Clicking on the trending topic, the first thing you see is a video. The person filming it was probably at a distance, and the resolution wasn't very clear. After a few seconds of darkness, a young couple appeared in the frame. They came out of the hotel lobby one after the other and, taking advantage of the darkness, walked to a car.

Both were dressed quite casually; the girl wore a mask, so her face wasn't visible at all, and she lagged a few steps behind the man in front.

The video was blurry, and the marketing account even thoughtfully added a text note to explain it.

Men and women, hotels, night, luxury cars—any two of these words combined can spark countless speculations, let alone one of them being Wen Shili.

The woman's identity is unknown, but it is easy to tell that she is tall and has a beautiful figure.

Instantly, netizens launched a thorough search. Soon, insider information surfaced: Wen Shili had just finished filming a movie, and the girl in the film also had a role in it.

Oh—the netizens automatically pieced together the inside story. The hashtags #WenShiliJoinsGirlfriend'sWork# and #InsiderRespondsToRumorsAboutWenShili'sGirlfriend# are trending again.

Netizens are more than just exclaiming in surprise!

"Okay, okay, after all these years of not acting, this is the first one you do."

"OMG! This girl is so lucky! Are you looking for another girl?"

"I don't know why, but I feel that Wen Shili's performance is quite normal. This guy is the kind of person who does whatever makes him happy."

As more photos were released, those who were initially hesitant and observing joined the trend: "I'll call her 'sister-in-law' first."

The news broke right at lunchtime, and everyone's enthusiasm for gossip was so high that it crashed the internet for a while. The gossip spread like wildfire directly to the small town where Sheng Yi lived.

As soon as she finished filming, she overheard several staff members excitedly discussing, "Wow, is this what you call a paid romance?"

"Who cares? As long as he's still making movies, that's fine. I'm even waiting for his movie to win another award."

"Yes, yes, we don't need to worry about my brother's professional skills, it's his girlfriend who's the problem..."

They continued their discussion, praising Wen Shili's abilities and speculating about the female protagonist of the gossip. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice Sheng Yi brushing past them.

A few keywords brushed past her ear, and Sheng Yi paused, turning around, "Do you have any photos? Let me see?"

Her eyes were so clear, and the curiosity and eagerness in them were so distinct that the girl was taken aback and quickly tilted the screen away.

Hmm, I don't know him, I've never heard of him.

Sheng Yi withdrew her gaze and was about to leave when the crowd gathered in the distance suddenly erupted again.

"Ahhhhh! Look! It's been debunked!"

The girl next to him realized something, and before she could even ask Sheng Yi what she meant, she turned back to the screen and headed straight for the trending topics.

Without even searching, a new keyword has already replaced the original "breaking news" and topped the list, marked with a bright red "breaking news" tagline: #WenShiliStudioDebunksRumors#

Without any explanation or clarification, they simply sent a lawyer's letter.

Less than three minutes after the Weibo post was published, the marketing account that initially broke the news was so frightened that it deleted the post immediately, and the so-called insider was directly exposed, earning a merciless "Pah" from the public.

The initial ripples of celebration and congratulations were quickly swept away by a powerful wave. The tumultuous surface returned to calm, leaving only some hidden undercurrents beneath.

Shortly after Wen Shili's studio issued a denial, another party involved also directly forwarded the statement from Wen Shili's studio using a verified account, claiming that what was said online was all false, and sincerely apologized for the trouble caused to Teacher Wen.

Faced with such a high-profile public event, Sheng Yi mingled among the crowd and, for the first time, openly and legitimately began searching for information about him.

Judging from the verification information, this account undoubtedly belongs to the person in the news. However, compared to the overwhelmingly positive comments when the news first broke, the comments at the top now seem rather harsh.

"If it's not your sister, then just wait here, okay?"

"Self-directed and self-acted? This show is repeated eight hundred times a year. Don't they even know if they're worthy of it?"

"Heh, he's not famous, but he loves to piggyback on others' fame."

Um, Sheng Yi scratched his head, as if the name sounded vaguely familiar.

Netizens who rushed to the scene after hearing the news didn't even get a glimpse of the gossip before seeing the clarification. "Wait, why was it suddenly clarified?"

"Maybe it's because my sister-in-law is strict, hahaha, any slower and I'd be kneeling on the washboard."

"What, sister-in-law? Did I miss something?"

"Did you just get internet at home? Everyone knows he has a girlfriend."

Huh? Sheng Yi's confused eyes widened just like the netizen who asked the question. What? Everyone knows? I don't know.

The netizen said that he had indeed been offline for a long time. After the other kind people teased him, they still kindly pointed out the way. Sheng Yi followed the clues provided by everyone and saw the interview clips of Wen Shili.

As the video played to the end, she suddenly remembered that in that narrow alley where they had met, in response to her subconscious action, he calmly said, "We all knew there was someone behind him."

So that's what they were talking about.

Even though he was hidden in the shadows, he had already chosen to unilaterally cut off any possibility of other gossip and dutifully informed his concerned audience about his situation.

It's an explanation to the fans, and also a way of showing love and care for one's partner.

Was he lucky? Perhaps. Sheng Yi rubbed his sore eyes and suddenly understood why he had remained popular for so long.

She even began to doubt whether her previous assumptions about him were based solely on prejudice from the very beginning. She gazed at his golden statue on the high platform, yet resisted the real warmth of his body she felt upon touching it.

Throughout, there was always a voice quietly reminding her, keeping her constantly alert.

The video automatically skipped to the next one after it finished playing. Sheng Yi stared blankly at the page, even forgetting to press pause.

The pop-up image appears to be a compilation of various materials from fans, titled: Shh, this is a big secret.

The story began when he was still quite green, yet he made a clear promise to tell everyone; at last year's concert, he mentioned it more and more frequently, drawing everyone's attention to himself; so, is the behind-the-scenes footage leaked this year really just an accidental leak?

Fans seem to prefer calling it a grand preview of two hearts intertwined.

A surge of emotions welled up in my heart, and I searched through my contact list, but couldn't find a single friend I could confide in.

The moment Wen Shili's message popped up, she vaguely realized—what she was expecting.

She didn't ask about the two trending topics that went viral, but he, like a fluffy little puppy, honestly exposed his belly and tugged at her sleeve pitifully, saying, "You have to stand up for me."

Her surging emotions flowed like spring water through her chest, and her wildly beating heart urged her to say something. She stopped tapping her fingers, afraid that if she slowed down even half a beat, the courage in her heart would vanish.

She pressed the voice message button and asked him softly, "How about I move in with you after I finish filming?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her breath seemed to escape with her words. Sheng Yi hurriedly explained, "My roommate's rental is only until the end of this month, so I have to move again."

It wasn't really an excuse. Lao Qian had just told her a couple of days ago that the place they had found before was no longer suitable for her to stay, and he was trying to find a new place for her.

After waiting for several minutes without receiving a reply, Sheng Yi held her phone, wondering if he hadn't seen it or was still thinking about how to handle her sudden request. Unconsciously, her voice had taken on a questioning tone: "Is it not allowed? You were the one who provoked me first!"

The WeChat notification sounds kept ringing. Sheng Yi opened it and heard him gently and calmly respond to her little tantrum, "As you command, Miss."

"You are welcome anytime."