Chapter 91, Second Stop: Hohhot...
Second stop: Hohhot
A week later, the second leg of the Elite League moved to Hohhot. Similar venues, similar opponents, similar expectations.
With the Harbin station's outstanding performance setting a high bar, everyone wanted to see if Ren Xiyao's strong showing was just a flash in the pan or a true reflection of her abilities. Other contestants, especially her national team teammates, were also eager to prove themselves against her.
However, the result was as expected.
In the 1500m final, her opponents tried to start earlier, attempting to disrupt her rhythm. However, Ren Xiyao responded with ease. Her strong physical reserves and tactical awareness allowed her to find breakthroughs at crucial moments, ultimately securing an easy victory.
In the 500-meter final, some opponents attempted to physically challenge her at the start. However, Ren Xiyao didn't engage with them and managed to gain the lead before the first bend, effectively blocking the path for Lin Shan, who also took the opportunity to move into first place. The final result of the 500-meter race was largely as expected: Lin Shan won gold, and Ren Xiyao won silver.
The 1000m final was chaotic at times, with several skaters almost engaging in a physical battle. Ren Xiyao, however, skillfully avoided collisions and interference thanks to her excellent race reading ability and flexible course selection. In the end, Ren Xiyao won the gold medal, Xu Xin won the silver medal, and Lin Shan won the bronze medal.
These three are undoubtedly among the top athletes in China, and they would be formidable competitors even on the international stage. Xu Xin won four consecutive gold medals in the 500m during the 2015-16 season, including a gold medal in the 500m at the World Championships. She also has experience from the PyeongCheng Winter Olympics. Lin Shan is highly competitive in both the 500m and 1000m, consistently finishing in the finals. She is a strong contender for gold and silver. At last year's World Cup, she won two gold medals in the 1000m, one gold medal in the 500m, and two silver medals. She is also a very consistent relay runner with a powerful start. She frequently battles for third place in lane 5 and second place in lane 4. In the women's 3000m relay, she is consistently a top performer, often running the first leg. More importantly, all three are in their prime. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Chinese women's team at the PyeongCheng Winter Olympics will undoubtedly be dominated by these three.
In two consecutive competitions, their club almost swept all the gold medals. All six athletes sent by Longcheng Club successfully qualified for the 2013 Winter Games.
As for Ren Xiyao, she secured her place in all events of the women's short track speed skating competition at the 13th National Winter Games with an undisputed performance, and with an absolute advantage in the first place in the points ranking.
After the competition, Ren Xiyao was surrounded by reporters, who handed her microphones one after another.
"Ren Xiyao, congratulations on winning all the individual gold medals in both competitions! Are you satisfied with your performance this time?"
"With consecutive championships, do you feel that the domestic competitions still pose a challenge for you?"
What are the goals for the 13th National Winter Games? Will they aim for all gold medals?
Faced with these questions, Ren Xiyao remained calm. She took the microphone, her voice clear and steady: "First of all, I am very grateful for the support of my teammates and coaches. I am very happy to win the gold medal; it is an affirmation of the results of our summer training. Every competition was challenging, and the opponents were all excellent. I just played to my best ability."
"As for the goals for the 13th Winter Games," she paused, gazing into the distance as if she could see through the walls of the stadium to a wider world: "to do my best in every competition and win honors for the team. To live up to everyone's expectations."
Her answer was impeccable, affirming her performance while maintaining sufficient humility, and clearly stating her goals.
Looking at her calm and confident face, no one would doubt that this young all-around champion has already set her sights on even greater heights. Her absolute dominance in domestic competitions is merely the prelude to her new season's journey.
But just when everything was going well, three days before her birthday at the end of September, the media gave her a big surprise. Her phone vibrated on the table, and a message from Lin Shan popped up: "Have you seen the news?"
She swiped open the screen, and there it was, the third trending topic on Weibo:
#Kwon Ji-yong's Secret Relationship#
The comments section was in complete chaos:
"Who is this woman? She's nowhere near as good as my ex."
"Can't you tell from the magazine photos taken in June?"
Ren Xiyao put down her phone, unscrewed the bottle of mineral water, and took a sip.
She knew most of these photos.
Kwon Ji-yong had informed her beforehand about the "Couple Special" issue in June. Given the dramatic market changes in 2016, hype was a win-win situation for maintaining popularity in the Japanese market. Of course, the magazine shoot couldn't be explicitly called a "Couple Special." Entertainment companies are slippery eels, incredibly clever. The official announcement was simply a collaborative photoshoot; this was merely a tacitly understood strategy for media manipulation and publicity. From the initial release of the magazine sparking a small-scale shipping frenzy, to the fan wars between the two sides… the emotional build-up, culminating in this sudden explosion, demonstrates excellent emotional control and sustained buzz. From June to September, and even for some time to come; a magazine with such a long-lasting impact. Even Ren Xiyao couldn't help but admire the skill and precision with which these people manipulated public opinion.
At the time, she only thought the composition was beautiful, but now, these photos, extracted separately and accompanied by ambiguous text, are flooding her vision, and they've taken on a completely different appearance. Moreover, some of the photos leaked from Kwon Ji-yong's hacked "alt account" were ones she had never seen before.
As for this account, she knew it was a so-called commercial "secondary account." Lin Shan had told Ren Xiyao that she had previously discovered this on forums; not only celebrities, but basically everyone with high commercial value had many secondary accounts, some purely private and some commercial. Purely private accounts were well-hidden. Commercial accounts had a certain tone, a persona they wanted to project to partners. On one hand, they aimed to demonstrate that as a spokesperson, they fulfilled their responsibilities not only publicly but also privately, conveying a professional attitude. On the other hand, if there were endorsement opportunities, they might first test the waters on these secondary accounts before using their main accounts. Brands and entertainment companies had many similar secondary accounts. They might be used to spread exploratory information before certain events, testing public opinion, sending signals, or testing market acceptance…
She knew all this, but each of the individually cropped and pieced-together images carried a strong sexual tension, like fragments stolen from some private space.
Her phone rang again; it was Kwon Ji-yong calling. She didn't answer. She wanted to calm down first. Rationally, she completely understood—it was work—but understanding didn't mean it wasn't irritating. Especially the last few pictures, the angle of the shots almost like they were kissing, his eyes so tender, just like the way he looked at her that night in Jeju Island.
Kwon Ji-yong stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the Tokyo night view shimmering below. He had made over a dozen phone calls, and only when the call connected and he heard Ren Xiyao's steady breathing did his heart ease slightly. Ren Xiyao's calm voice came through: "Hello?"
“The news is fake,” he said directly. “All the photos are behind-the-scenes shots from a magazine shoot in June.”
"I know."
“Kwon Ji-yong,” Ren Xiyao interrupted him, “I believe you.”
He heard the soft sound of her putting down her water glass on the other end of the phone, and Kwon Ji-yong's knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone. He would rather she be angry and question him. He held the phone, the bright light from the dressing room stinging his eyes. Ren Xiyao's breathing on the other end of the line was very light, yet it felt like a thin thread, making his chest feel tight.
"Are you angry?" he asked.
"No."
"Then why don't you speak?"
“I’ve seen those photos,” there was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a very soft sigh: “But the feeling is different now. Being cropped together feels like a repeated confirmation of my tolerance level.”
Kwon Ji-yong's breath hitched. He recalled when the magazine had just been published in June, Ren Xiyao raised an eyebrow at the photos and said, "You fashion industry call this art?" At the time, her eyes were full of mockery, but now it seemed like her last moment of ease.
"The magazine has already contacted us, and they'll release a statement tomorrow." His voice trembled. "Those photos were taken on specific occasions, when the stylist and photographer were both present..."
“I know, I believe you, there’s still work to prepare, right?” Ren Xiyao interrupted him.
"Wait," he called out urgently, "On your birthday, I..."
"Kwon Ji-yong." Ren Xiyao's voice finally softened, like a crack appearing on ice: "Take care of your affairs first."
The call ended.
Ren Xiyao put down her phone and walked to the window. The autumn night in Beijing was slightly chilly. The lights in the training field downstairs were still on, and several young team members were doing extra practice. Over the past two months, too much unspeakable weight had accumulated between them: the sudden termination of overseas training, the cancellation of the tour, internal turmoil within the company, media speculation… Each event was like a weight, heavily pressing down on their fragile scales. And these photos today were just another stone, weighing down the already precarious balance.
It wasn't that she didn't care; she understood the rules of the game all too well. The photos were real, but the feelings were fake; the rumors were hype, but the impact was real. She could trust Kwon Ji-yong, but she couldn't trust the entire world surrounding him. For example, why post photos with such obvious implications on this alternate account? Kwon Ji-yong couldn't possibly check each of his many accounts individually, so who gave the administrator the right to post these pictures? To put it bluntly, was the hacking of this "alternate account" really just a coincidence?
She opened her photo album and flipped to the digital magazine she had saved from June. In the photo, Kwon Ji-yong was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater, standing next to the Japanese model. The tension was palpable: the model was professional, the photography was professional, and even the subtle hint of ambiguity seemed staged.
At the time, she didn't care; it was just work.
But now, when these photos are maliciously spliced together and spread across the internet with sensational headlines, she realizes that she is far less carefree than she imagined.
Kwon Ji-yong stared at himself in the makeup mirror, his phone screen showing a call he had with Ren Xiyao two hours earlier.
On the dressing table lay a statement drafted by the public relations department, meticulously worded to explain that "the photos are behind-the-scenes footage from a magazine shoot." He grabbed the draft, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can. This nonsense couldn't hide the deliberately cropped ambiguous shots, nor could it silence the gossip.
The lounge door opened, and Taiyo walked in carrying two cans of beer. He glanced at the crumpled paper on the floor and asked, "The press release has been sent out?"
"It's out." Kwon Ji-yong pulled off the necklace around his neck and threw it on the table. "She saw the news."
Taiyang sat down next to him, opened a beer, and handed it to him: "What did Xiyao say?"
“She said she believed me.” Kwon Ji-yong gave a bitter smile. “Youngbae, maybe you’re right. This is the first time I’ve realized that these absurd opinions are affecting my lover, and I simply don’t know how to handle them. Her understanding has left me speechless, even when I’ve prepared my words.”
Water droplets condensed on the cold aluminum can, their lingering chill trickling down his fingers like a silent accusation. What suffocated him most wasn't the scandal, but Ren Xiyao's almost cruel understanding. She clearly saw the ambiguity in those photos, saw the overwhelming "evidence of their passionate romance" on gossip accounts, yet she didn't utter a single question.
The sun sighed: "Then what do you hope for?"
“I hope she…” Kwon Ji-yong’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “at least doesn’t swallow her grievances. It’s because she understands…” His voice lowered, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the dark jade ring on his left hand, “that I feel even worse.”
The sun was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What's her birthday?"
“September 21st,” Kwon Ji-yong blurted out, then smiled bitterly, “How ironic? All this nonsense came out three days before her birthday.”
"Have you prepared the gift?"
"I've prepared it, but now nothing I send would be right."
Kwon Ji-yong tilted his head back and took a swig of beer. The cold liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't quell his irritation. He remembered Ren Xiyao's last words on the phone: "Take care of your own business first."
She's only 22 years old, and she's the one who should be coaxed, but every time the scales tip, she's the one who stabilizes the situation first.
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Author's Note: It's common knowledge that celebrities usually have many alternate accounts. As for this commercial account, I heard about it from other people's posts on forums. Whether it's true or not, please don't worry about the details; it's just hearsay, so it's probably not surprising to see it here.
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