Chapter 84 Guang leaned over and held him in his arms. (End of text)
The news of the Cheng and Xie families' marriage was like a bombshell dropped on the otherwise tranquil surface of Beijing, attracting considerable attention. The powerful alliance of established and powerful families always sparked speculation.
However, what no one expected was that the names written on the marriage announcement officially released a few days later were Chu Yi and Xie Huaiming.
However, as one of the absolute protagonists of this "marriage", Chu Yi himself only learned of this "shocking news" during his lunch break in the hospital from his colleague's hesitant words and the mobile phone screen he handed to him.
The internet was abuzz with sensational headlines and speculation:
"Two-timing? Or is he the latecomer who comes out on top? Digging into the unspeakable secrets between Chu Yi and Zhou Ai!"
"Shocking news! Chu Yi is marrying into the Xie family while having a passionate relationship with the top star Zhou Ai?"
"A victim of a wealthy marriage? Chu Yi, dissatisfied with his family's arrangement, encounters his true love, Zhou Ai, on a variety show!"
"A love affair in a cave? A life-saving favor? Chu Yi condones the hype of this couple out of gratitude, and Zhou Ai becomes the biggest victim!"
Marketing accounts were even more quick to react and fabricated all kinds of "inside stories" that seemed reasonable but were actually full of loopholes.
Some say that Chu Yi was seduced by Zhou Ai's beauty on a variety show, and fell deeply in love with her after spending a night together in the cave, but he ultimately could not withstand the pressure from his family and was ready to dump Zhou Ai.
Some even swore that Chu Yi was simply grateful to Zhou Ai for "saving his life," and that their current intimacy was all hype. They said Zhou Ai had been foolishly given her love and was a complete "victim"...
For a time, information that was difficult to distinguish between true and false fermented wildly, pushing Chu Yi and Zhou Ai to the forefront of public opinion.
Questioning, mocking, sympathetic, and onlooker eyes came from all directions.
At the time, Zhou Ai was attending a brand launch event. The atmosphere was initially lively, but gradually, he noticed that the questions from the reporters in the audience were becoming erratic and pointed.
"Zhou Ai, what do you think of the marriage announcement between the Cheng and Xie families?"
"There's news that your relationship with Dr. Chu is just a show. Is that true?"
"Is Dr. Chu prepared to end his relationship with you due to family pressure?"
Zhou Ai was initially confused by the question, but he soon realized something was wrong. He quickly pulled out his phone, and a barrage of notifications and trending search terms popped up.
He only glanced briefly at the ridiculous "marriage announcement" and the unsightly speculative articles, his face instantly darkening. He didn't read any further and simply turned off the phone screen.
At this moment, another reporter tactlessly handed over the microphone and asked about his opinion on the "Chu-Yi marriage".
Zhou Ai suddenly raised his head, his eyes as sharp as a knife, frightening the reporter so much that he subconsciously took a half step back. Under everyone's astonished gaze, Zhou Ai directly reached out and almost roughly snatched the microphone closest to him.
The whole audience fell silent instantly, and all the cameras were focused on him.
Zhou Ai held the microphone, stood up straight, and looked directly at the camera lens in the front without any hesitation, as if he wanted to look through the lens at all the people who were paying attention to this matter.
"Today, I'm putting this here—"
His voice, clearly carried throughout the venue through the microphone, carried a decisive force. "Chu Yi and I are upright and honest! No one should taint our relationship with dirty speculation!"
He paused, and suddenly a very aggressive, even arrogant smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he changed the subject:
"But...some of what you said is true."
He paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite, and then declared word by word with incredible clarity:
"I, Zhou Ai, must be Chu Yi!"
This sentence, like a bolt from the blue, exploded at the press conference and instantly spread across the entire network through the live broadcast signal.
There was no explanation, no clarification, only the most direct and domineering declaration.
The incandescent light in the hospital lounge shone coldly on Chu Yi's face. He opened his phone's address book and called Cheng Yanqing first.
All that came from the receiver was a long busy tone, once, twice... and finally the call was automatically hung up.
Chu Yi's face showed no sign of surprise, as if he had anticipated this outcome. His slender fingers slid across the screen, accurately finding the name he had almost never contacted—Cheng Zhi.
This time, the call was picked up quickly.
"Hello?" Cheng Zhi's voice was as steady as usual, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Chu Yi didn't address him, didn't exchange pleasantries, and went straight to the point, his voice as cold as ice:
"Is it fun? Playing this kind of trick?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Cheng Zhi's low and slightly sarcastic response, each word like a carefully sharpened knife:
"The Zhou family couldn't give you an official announcement, but we did. Chu Yi, are you still not satisfied?"
This sentence was like a key that instantly opened a locked box in Chu Yi's heart, which was filled with the grievances that had been accumulated and invisible over the years and the surging anger at the moment.
He could almost imagine how Cheng Zhi on the other end of the phone uttered these words, thinking he was in control of everything.
All the upbringing and restraint collapsed at this moment.
Chu Yi spoke two words clearly and enunciatedly into the microphone:
"Stupid X."
After saying that, he didn't give Cheng Zhi any time to react, and pressed the hang-up button with his thumb.
The call ended abruptly.
After Chu Yi hung up the meaningless call with Cheng Zhi, his phone immediately vibrated in his palm. The name "Zhou Ai" flashed on the screen. He took a deep breath and answered the call.
"Chu Yi!" Zhou Ai's voice was filled with obvious urgency. The background was noisy, as if she had just escaped from a press conference. "Don't be afraid, leave it to me."
"I'm not afraid." Chu Yi's voice was unusually calm. This calmness was transmitted through the electric current, which actually calmed Zhou Ai's anxious heart a little.
"Okay." Zhou Ai's voice became deeper. "Wait for me."
Ten minutes later, a live broadcast without any prior notice appeared on the homepages of major platforms.
In the picture, Zhou Ai didn't even change out of the crisp suit he wore at the press conference, he just loosened his tie. The background was the familiar conference room of his studio.
He sat alone in front of the camera, without any greetings, he picked up a stack of documents, pointed it at the camera, and got straight to the point.
"First," Zhou Ai's voice was as cold as ice, "regarding the so-called marriage announcement unilaterally issued by the Cheng family..."
He pulled out the top copy and displayed the key paragraph. "This is the property division agreement and relationship statement signed by Chu Yi and the Cheng family three years ago. It's legally binding. It clearly states that Chu Yi voluntarily relinquishes all rights to inheritance and related interests in the Cheng family's property. Furthermore, the Cheng family is prohibited from interfering with his personal freedom in any form, including in his marriage."
He stared at the camera and spoke each word with clarity: "This document is on file with the notary public. The Cheng family's actions today constitute breach of contract and defamation."
The barrage of comments in the live broadcast room exploded instantly.
Without waiting for everyone to digest, Zhou Ai pulled out the second document.
"Second, regarding 'life-saving grace' and 'hype.'"
A hint of sarcasm curved his lips. "This is the report on my injuries following the stage accident last year, as well as the records of Dr. Chu Yi's treatment as the on-duty physician. Need I remind you all, who is fulfilling their professional responsibilities, and who is obfuscating the public, attempting to distort pure medical care into emotional kidnapping?"
Zhou Ai put down the information in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and his eyes penetrated the screen with intimidating pressure:
"Third and final point."
He paused, speaking slowly and clearly, "I, Zhou Ai, have been clean in all my works and business activities since my debut. I have never relied on any so-called family background. My achievements are earned by my team and I, one point at a time."
"And some people," his eyes suddenly turned cold, "seem to always like to judge others with their own dirty values. They think everyone should be like them, living in calculations and marriages."
He directly picked up the tablet computer beside him, swiped his finger quickly, and aimed the screen at the camera - it was a screenshot of his press conference announcement that had just been released a few minutes ago and forwarded by the official account of Zhou Group. The caption was:
[Zhou Group: Supports the young master's choice. Also, effective immediately, we will terminate all business cooperation with all companies under the Cheng and Xie families.]
This Weibo post was like the final bombshell, completely shattering all the rumors about "Zhou Ai climbing above her station" and "unequal status".
"Did you see that clearly?" Zhou Ai put down the tablet and looked back at the camera. His reckless arrogance was back, but with an unprecedented seriousness. "I chose Chu Yi, not because he's someone's son, but simply because he's Chu Yi. Similarly, don't think I, Zhou Ai, don't have a temper or confidence."
"As for those who are still making small moves behind the scenes..." He chuckled, but his eyes were cold. "See you in court."
After saying that, he cut off the live broadcast cleanly.
The whole process took less than ten minutes. There was no crying or pity. There was only hard evidence and legal documents, as well as absolute crushing strength.
Less than half an hour after the live broadcast ended: #Zhou Ai’s live broadcast counterattack#, #Cheng Xie marriage fake#, #Zhou’s termination of cooperation#, #Chu Yi’s property division agreement# and other entries completely dominated the list.
The tide of public opinion reversed instantly.
The marketing account that was previously the most active began to quietly delete posts, and netizens who were watching the fun turned against it, lamenting that this was simply an "idol drama come to life" scene of protecting the wife.
Chu Yi watched the entire live broadcast quietly from beginning to end.
As the livestream went offline, he received a WeChat message from Zhou Ai: [Xiaoguai, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you.]
————
It was a seemingly ordinary afternoon, with lazy sunshine and a gentle breeze.
Until 1:14 p.m., countless people's phones paid special attention to the notification sounds, which were blown up by the same person's Weibo updates.
Zhou Ai’s Weibo has been updated.
There was no fancy trailer, no team preparation, only one sentence that directly ignited the entire network:
"@Dr. Chu, this time it's my turn to chase the light. Be my pi, an infinite loop with no end."
The accompanying picture shows two equally beautiful hands with distinct joints, naturally placed together.
Above is Zhou Ai's iconic silver pinky ring with a slightly unruly style, and below is a slender white hand with a simple yet textured platinum ring on the ring finger.
The two hands were crossed, and the rings on the ring fingers shone with a warm and firm luster under the light.
Weibo was paralyzed instantly.
Programmers were working frantically to repair the problem, while onlookers and fans were frantically spreading the news on various platforms, becoming so excited that they were incoherent.
However, what made everyone even more stunned and pushed this official announcement to a climax were the two heavyweight reposts that followed.
The first one comes from the official Weibo account of Zhou Group, which has a Blue V certification and tens of millions of followers.
It forwarded Zhou Ai's Weibo post with a concise and domineering caption:
"Congratulations, young master, on finding true love. All brand products are 30% off from now on."
This is not a scandal, it is officially certified by the family!
The second repost came from the official Weibo of the recently popular variety show "Hearts in the Distance".
Its forwarding copy is full of "auntie smile":
"As the top matchmaker, I'm holding the banner for this loving couple! @周霭@Dr.Chu, may they be happy forever! (The hidden talent show crew quietly passed by~)"
This directly ignited the ultimate carnival of CP fans!
The comments section went completely crazy.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! The couple I’m supporting is real! It’s real!!”
"Mom! I got the real thing! Pi CP is endless!"
"Holy crap! The Zhou Group has officially taken action! What a show! Doctor Chu is truly the lover of the 'young master' certified by the wealthy family!"
"The production team of 'Hearts to the Distant Place' are my gods! It turns out those drawn glances and subconscious caring weren't just editing! They were love!"
"13:14! For a lifetime! Pi repeats infinitely! Zhou Ai, you are so smart! I am crying my eyes out!"
"So that mysterious 'Standing Brother Pi' from before...it's really scary when you think about it! Doctor Chu, how many surprises do you have in store for us that we don't know about?"
"It's breakup day on the internet, but why am I crying and laughing like a fool at the same time? Happy 99!"
"From a fan to a doctor, from the stage to life, what kind of beautiful love story is this, brought to life from a novel! I declare this is the official ceiling of domestic entertainment!"
The top ten hot search lists were instantly dominated by related terms:
#Zhou Ai Chuyi official announcement#
#Pi CP is true#
#Zhou Group 30% off#
#心照远方相娘视频variety show#
#LoveCP#
#This time it's my turn to chase the light#
From the moment that sweet bombshell exploded at 1:14 PM, social media was abuzz. Trending search terms kept changing, and each related post was teeming with exclamations and well wishes.
When the clock quietly reached 17:20 in the afternoon, the Weibo account "π" that had been dug up by countless CP fans and lay quietly in the follow list for several years was silent.
Its avatar suddenly lit up with a small green dot, indicating that it was online.
The next second, this account, which carries countless amazing pictures of Zhou Ai's early years and symbolizes a secret and affectionate past, was updated.
Not one, but nine consecutive pictures, carefully arranged into a complete nine-square grid.
The first one is Zhou Ai’s first public airport photo after her debut.
The young man in the picture is still youthful, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, revealing only a pair of clear yet slightly confused peach blossom eyes. He walks quickly with his head slightly lowered, surrounded by the crowd.
In the corner of the photo, there is a blurry figure, also wearing a mask and a hat, holding a camera, with the lens aimed precisely at the young boy.
The second photo is from Zhou Ai’s first solo concert.
He was on the stage wearing a shiny performance costume, his forehead soaked with sweat, and he was smiling brightly in a certain direction of the audience, his eyes were surprisingly bright.
The perspective of the photo is obviously from the front row in the backfield. The familiar, tightly covered figure appears again at the edge of the picture, leaving only a focused silhouette.
The third picture is the backstage corridor of an award ceremony.
Zhou Ai had just received his award, the trophy still in hand, and seemed eager to move on. The photo captured him turning back, his gaze meeting the camera from afar, over the crowd.
The person holding the camera was still wrapped tightly, with only the pair of eyes exposed, calm, yet seemed to be filled with thousands of stars.
The fourth picture shows the airport pick-up scene in the cold winter.
Zhou Ai was wearing a thick down jacket and was surrounded by fans and paparazzi, making it difficult for her to walk.
The focus of the photo is not on his tired face, but on the hand that stretched out from the gap in the crowd and handed him a hand warmer. The owner of that hand is still the silent, anonymous guardian.
The fifth photo is from a midsummer music festival. Zhou Ai was performing with gusto on stage when a sudden downpour began. Meanwhile, a figure in the audience stubbornly stood still, shielding their camera with a transparent raincoat, their lens trained on the person on stage, who shone brightly and sang with all her heart in the rain.
The sixth photo shows Zhou Ai performing in a stadium for the first time. Amidst the vast stage, a sea of dazzling lights, he stood at the center, a true king. This photo is beautifully captured, perfectly blending the grandeur of the spectacle with the brilliance of the individual.
In the lower right corner of the photo, the familiar figure turned slightly to the side for the first time, raised the phone to his chest, and completed an extremely blurry but meaningful "photo" with Zhou Ai, who was shining on the stage.
The seventh photo is outside a venue during an overseas tour. On the streets of a foreign country, the lights are just coming on, and a huge poster of Zhou Ai hangs on the wall of a building. Standing beneath the poster, looking up, a figure emerges, a lonely yet determined figure.
The eighth picture became much clearer. It seemed to be in a lounge. Zhou Ai was exhausted and fell asleep on the sofa, covered with a coat.
The person who took the photo quietly placed his hand next to his hand at his side. The hands in both photos wore the familiar ring on the ring finger - this is the only photo in Pi's account that shows an intimate relationship, but the timestamp is before the official announcement.
The last one, the ninth one. No stage, no lights, no crowd.
It was at home. Under the warm light, Zhou Ai sat cross-legged on the carpet in a very unpresentable manner, with her head lowered. She was seriously and clumsily... knitting a crooked-looking gray scarf.
His brows furrowed slightly, his expression more focused than ever, as if he were treating a piece of extremely important art. The perspective of the photo clearly shows another person sitting across from him, their eyes full of love and smile, capturing this moment.
These nine consecutive pictures, like a silent documentary, clearly outline a trajectory of secret love and protection that spanned several years, from the initial distant gaze, to step-by-step closeness, and finally to the integration of each other's lives.
Every photo is Chu Yi - the most affectionate confession written by the fan codenamed "π" through the lens.
This Weibo post did not include any text.
There is only one simple mathematical symbol: ∞ (infinity).
It lay there quietly, forming the most perfect and shocking echo with Zhou Ai's words "infinite cycle, never-ending".
The entire Internet was completely speechless at this moment, followed by even more overwhelming emotion and carnival.
It turns out that all coincidences are long-planned, all encounters are carefully planned, and behind all the magical pictures, there is a pair of eyes that flash for only one person.
He used to be a light chaser, using the camera to record all his glory and growth.
Now, the light leans over for him, holds him in his arms, and promises him an infinite future.
This is the ultimate romance about pi - from endless secret love to infinite love.
In his own way, he told the world that he had caught up with his light, and that he would continue to follow it endlessly without end.
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