CSGM - Chapter 25
Chapter 25: The Top-Tier Star's Weibo Post
Who knew that an hour later, all of Weibo would explode.
The whole world now knew that ever since starting on Our Restaurant, Ren Zhi had been sleeping with Chu Xi every single day.
After the Our Restaurant live stream ended for the day, Ren Zhi returned to her tent, picked up her phone from under her pillow, and only then saw the message from her assistant.
The assistant told her to stay away from Chu Xi.
In truth, the circle she was in was a murky one. People bustled about every day for personal gain, and many of her peers were far from as harmless as they appeared on the surface. Just considering those who loved to backstab and snatch resources, Ren Zhi had encountered countless.
Therefore, whenever she was working, her assistants would help her gather information about her partners—their character, their methods, and so on—so she would have a clear idea of who she was dealing with and could guard against both overt and covert attacks.
Looking at her assistant's message, Ren Zhi couldn't help but frown.
She asked: 【What's wrong with her?】
A minute later, the assistant replied: 【Forwarded|#Chu Xi Did You Break Your Leg#】
Assistant: 【She has an incredible talent for attracting hate. Her public appeal is about to completely collapse. Sister, you don't need to ride her coattails for clout, so it's best not to be associated with her.】
Otherwise, if the public condemned her along with Chu Xi, the assistant felt it would be unfair to Ren Zhi.
There was one more thing.
Assistant: 【You also need to be careful with this episode's flying guest.】
Assistant: 【Sister, it's best not to get too close. That person is always playing petty tricks behind the scenes...】
Even without the assistant saying it, Ren Zhi had already noticed.
She clicked on the topic her assistant had forwarded and looked through it. She could immediately sense the manipulative, two-faced nature of Zhao Shiqing's words in the screenshots shared by fan groups.
——【I don't know why Sister Xi is so hostile towards me...】
——【Maybe I offended her somehow, otherwise I wouldn't be getting ostracized.】
——【Forget it, forget it. It was my fault for bringing up a different opinion today. I should have just shut up when she glared at me...】
Ren Zhi had been there. She knew Chu Xi wasn't targeting Zhao Shiqing at all.
On the contrary, it was Zhao Shiqing who was fabricating things out of thin air and sowing discord.
Unfortunately, netizens only believed what they saw, and Weibo was filled with a chorus of curses directed at Chu Xi.
【It's like walking a short distance would kill her. If you're going to be so dramatic, don't come on a variety show. Just go home and lie down!】
【Wants to earn money, but also wants to earn it while lying down. Disgusting.】
【If Ren Zhi hadn't spoken up for you, were you going to start a fight with the other four? /[Black lines]】
【Please, don't bring Ren Zhi along next time. Stop dragging her down. Do you want her to get scolded along with you?】
【Anyone who didn't know better would think you broke your leg /[Sweat]】
【Chu Xi's personality is too headstrong... Honestly, she's not suited for a team-based variety show.】
Ren Zhi's brows furrowed tightly, and she pressed her lips together.
All these comments were unfair to Chu Xi.
I wonder what Chu Xi is thinking?
She was clearly just worried about my leg injury flaring up again.
If she saw all this, she must be furious, right?
Indeed, after the live stream ended tonight, Chu Xi hadn't returned to the tent right away.
Ren Zhi couldn't help but worry. After giving her assistant a perfunctory reply, she hurried out to find Chu Xi.
The first place she went was the kitchen, where Chu Xi spent most of her time.
But Chu Xi wasn't there. Instead, she ran into Zhao Shiqing.
Zhao Shiqing was very pleasantly surprised to see her.
She was in the kitchen looking for a midnight snack. When she saw Ren Zhi arrive, she quickly and enthusiastically asked, "Sister Zhi, are you hungry too? Want to eat something together? I'll make you a bowl of wonton noodles!"
Who would have thought that Ren Zhi would just give her a cold glance.
She didn't even say a single word in reply.
Like a distant, detached shooting star in the sky, she turned and walked away.
Oh, and the corner of her eye held a trace of disdain, as if she'd seen something dirty.
This was the first time since coming on the show that Ren Zhi had shown any hint of aggression in her eyes.
Zhao Shiqing clearly sensed Ren Zhi's dislike for her and stood frozen on the spot.
Did... did she say something wrong?
Ren Zhi finally found Chu Xi under a tree not far from the parking lot.
Chu Xi had redeemed the reward for completing today's limited-time mission. From the self-selected "Expert" talents, she chose the relatively basic and useful Observation Talent.
With a flash of insight, the System updated her panel:
Name: Chu Xi.
IQ: 149.
Reasoning Talent: Advanced.
Creativity Talent: Primary.
Spatial Talent: Intermediate.
Memory Talent: Expert.
Observation Talent: Expert.
Calculation Talent: Primary.
Vision Talent: Primary.
Hearing Talent: Primary.
Other Talents: None for now.
(Talent Level Progression: Primary - Intermediate - Advanced - Expert - Master - Supreme)
Observation Talent was a great thing to have.
It allowed one to see things with perfect clarity, to know autumn has come just by seeing a single leaf fall.
Chu Xi called it the necessary foundation for perfectly utilizing her other talents.
Because of the significant boost in her observation skills, her IQ also increased by 5 points.
Right now, Chu Xi was like a child who had just gotten a new toy, wanting to test it out everywhere to see how fun it was.
As for who was cursing her out online... Huh? Was that important?
When Ren Zhi found her, she was standing before a tree, motionless for a long while.
Ren Zhi thought she had become withdrawn, that she was in an emo mood.
Her own heart sank.
She slowly walked over, gently patted Chu Xi's shoulder, and spoke in a soft, low voice under the moonlight.
"Are you... angry?"
"Hm? Angry about what?"
Chu Xi turned her head with a smile. Her smiling voice was like a gentle breeze blowing from under the tree, carrying the carefree vitality of green leaves.
She was just amusing herself.
The moment she saw Chu Xi's bright expression, Ren Zhi's suspicion that "she might be emo" collapsed on its own...
Ren Zhi paused, stunned, and asked Chu Xi, "What are you doing here?"
Holding a small wooden stick, Chu Xi poked at a cicada shell left on the tree bark. "Here, look."
It was just an empty cicada shell. What was there to see?
Ren Zhi was confused: "?"
Chu Xi's eyes were filled with excitement and delight. Her expression, written with a desire to show off and share, was like that of a primary school classmate who had caught a dragonfly in the summer.
"You can tell if the cicada was male or female from the shell it left behind. It's like that saying, 'The male rabbit's feet kick and scurry; the female rabbit's eyes are narrowed and blurry.' The cicada shell also has many clues."
Ren Zhi found this hard to believe...
So Chu Xi had been standing under a tree late at night, motionless for ages, with such a happy expression on her face, just because she was looking at this.
She asked, "Are you doing scientific research?"
"Not really. Just looking for fun."
Ren Zhi couldn't quite empathize with her hobby, but she respected it.
"Well, you have fun then. It's gotten colder these past two nights, so don't come back to the tent too late."
"Mm... I'm going to find another one."
Chu Xi circled the cluster of trees, her interest piqued, immersed in her newly sharpened powers of observation.
Ren Zhi returned to the tent, and the first thing she did was log into her Weibo account.
In the new post creation box, she carefully considered her words as she typed them out...
That trending topic—even if Chu Xi didn't care about it, she did.
After ten minutes of deleting and rewriting, Ren Zhi's Weibo post was born.
As expected of a top-tier star.
Within 30 seconds of the post going live, the comment count had already shot past 5,000, driven by fans who rushed over to like it in a frenzy of excitement without even reading it.
【Ahhhhhh baby you're here!!! Baby, I missed you so much!!! /[Longing]】
【Zhizhi posted on Weibo, who's going to comment? Board meeting canceled, I'm commenting! Flight canceled, I'm commenting! Performance canceled, I'm commenting! Experiment paused, I'm commenting! School's out, I'm commenting! Match suspended, I'm commenting! Exam postponed, I'm commenting!】
【Zhizhi!! (Drifts to a stylish stop) (Takes off sunglasses) (Makes a dazzling entrance with a rose in my teeth) (Trips over the pants I carelessly threw on the floor earlier) (Precisely presents the rose) (Raises an eyebrow) (Winks) (Slips away on the pants)】
Then, netizens slowly began to process the content of Ren Zhi's post.
It was absolutely explosive!
@Ren Zhi: 【I'm sorry. On today's episode of Our Restaurant, it was my leg that was the problem, making me unable to climb the mountain. I'll be honest with everyone: I fractured my leg a few years ago. My rehabilitation wasn't done properly, and it left me with after-effects that flare up on overcast, rainy days. Last night, it was rainy in the Jinwu area. Chu Xi and I were sleeping in the same tent, and she noticed my leg was hurting. At three in the morning, she took me to a nearby clinic for treatment. It was also thanks to her help that I was back to normal during the day. Last night, the old doctor at the clinic warned me not to do any strenuous exercise or walk for long periods for the next few days. Considering my leg injury, Chu Xi strongly insisted on taking a car up and down the mountain today because she was afraid I would have a relapse. She didn't tell everyone because I had previously expressed that I didn't want my injury exposed, which would make those who care about me worry. So last night, I asked her to keep this information confidential for me. During the day, I thought I could still push through the mountain climb, but she didn't want me to court disaster. Alright, I'm the 'pig teammate' you've all been talking about... I hope everyone will stop criticizing Chu Xi. I accept any criticism for revealing the truth of the matter so late.】
Although she didn't want to make her injury public, the truth absolutely had to be told.
What had Chu Xi done wrong?
She was the one at fault.
It really proved Chu Xi's words right: "Go on and push your luck."
Ren Zhi also replied to two fan comments.
【Baby, how did you injure your leg? You poor thing, and it even has after-effects /[Tear]】
Ren Zhi: 【That's not important】
【Huh???? I wrongly accused a good person today???】
Ren Zhi: 【Yup. Everyone should just scold me instead. Otherwise, I'll feel pressured and guilty sleeping in the same bed with her tonight /[Pained Smile]】
The Cheeses screamed.
One Weibo post contained too much information!!!
First, Ren Zhi had fractured her leg, and it had even left after-effects that caused her pain late into the night.
What fan's heart wouldn't ache for their idol suffering like this?
【Even though I like the 'beautiful, strong, and tragic' type, baby, you just need to be beautiful and strong. You don't need the tragic part, wuwuwu /[Pained Smile]/[Pained Smile]】
【No wonder I've never heard news of you getting injured while filming. It turns out you only ever report the good news and hide the bad /[Sad]】
【Going to the doctor at three in the morning... it must have hurt a lot. Zhizhi, you have to get better soon!】
【If it weren't for this show, we would have never known you fractured your leg. I'm standing guard in the comments section tonight! If anyone dares to scold you, I'll... get on my knees and beg them to stop /[Single Dog]/[Single Dog]/[Single Dog]】
Second, it turned out Chu Xi had been taking care of Ren Zhi's leg injury all along!
She took Ren Zhi to the clinic for treatment at three in the morning, and the other members didn't even know.
During the day, she refused to let Ren Zhi walk strenuously, overcoming all objections to demand they take a car up and down the mountain. Anyone who watched the live stream knew that on the way down, Chu Xi practically dragged Ren Zhi into the car, not allowing anyone, including Ren Zhi herself, to object.
At this point, everyone finally realized why Chu Xi's attitude had been so unyielding at the time.
Even if Ren Zhi herself had agreed to keep pushing on, anyone who cared about her would have been worried and tried to protect her in that situation, right?
It seemed they had... really wronged a good person.
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