CSGM - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: A Top Star's Orientation
In the afternoon, the ripples from the members' morning efforts to attract customers were still being felt by the residents of Jinwu Town. Some locals who got the news late continued to arrive at the restaurant throughout the afternoon.
To be precise, the members had secured more than just nine tables of customers that morning.
Now that the word had spread, the problem of customer numbers was solved, even for dinner service that evening.
Just as Ren Zhi was busy running the restaurant.
The scandal broke.
At 2:30 in the afternoon, she inexplicably shot to the top of the trending topics.
And trending right alongside her was Chu Xi.
At 2:30 PM, the paparazzi Zhang Xiaoyan started a live stream. This time, he actually dropped a bombshell about a top-tier star, shocking the entire internet!
"A top-tier female celebrity with the surname R and a female celebrity with the surname C are having a publicly funded romance on the same variety show. I have photographic proof. One of my guys captured it, so don't think I'm just making this up."
"A top-tier female celebrity with the surname R"... looking at the entire entertainment industry, who else could it be?
None other than Ren Zhi!
【A top-tier star with the surname R? You might as well just post Ren Zhi's ID number lol.】
A household name was always easy to connect the dots to.
But as they listened further, everyone was stunned. QAQ.
【?! Both are female celebrities??! Did you misspeak or did I mishear??】
【Huh?? It's really Ren Zhi?? Aren't you afraid she'll sue you for sland... wait?? What?? She's dating a female celebrity??!】
【A female celebrity R and a female celebrity C... both are women?!】
【Based on my years of gossip-mongering experience, the more outrageous the story, the more likely it is to be true. Have I really been thinking too small all this time??! /facepalm】
Zhang Xiaoyan's live stream ended shortly after. At the same minute he posted the screen recording, he also released a blurry photograph.
The photo was taken from outside a window, the camera capturing two figures inside the room through the glass.
Both were slender female figures. One had short, neck-length hair in a wolf cut, while the other had long, elegant curls cascading down her back, with a few strands falling forward.
One of them was sitting on the bed, while the other was using a finger to lift her chin, leaning in slightly in an ambiguous pose.
Holding this huge scoop, Zhang Xiaoyan arrogantly posted: 【Fans, come and identify your idols. You should know them better than I do, right? If this one's not clear enough, should I post another? (I'll post another if this Weibo gets over five thousand comments and ten thousand likes.)】
It's unknown if the fans came to comment and like, but the gossip-loving netizens certainly delivered the comments and likes in droves.
【Post it!!! Post it now!!! We finally get a huge scandal, so don't you dare hold back!】
Five minutes later, Zhang Xiaoyan's account posted another Weibo picture with the caption:
【You guys are just too enthusiastic. Mad respect to all of you.】
The new photo showed the two in a "kabedon" pose. The long-haired woman was still holding the short-haired woman's chin, having pushed her against a wall. Her face was buried in the other's neck, as if whispering intimate words.
The height, figure, posture, aura, and face shape—even as a blurry image through glass—were instantly recognizable. The one with long, curly hair, wasn't that Ren Zhi?
As for the one with short hair... netizens quickly made comparisons and confirmed it—it really was Chu Xi!
Wait, wait a minute...!
【Huh???? Huh??? Is the entertainment industry this wild??】
【It's really Ren Zhi??! Ren Zhi, you're crazy! Dating at the peak of your career!】
【The 'career-focused' image her fans hyped up has collapsed yet again, hasn't it? /facepalm. That's why you really shouldn't create personas in the entertainment industry these days.】
【I'm so naive, really. I only knew Ren Zhi wouldn't possibly date the two male actors on the show... but I had no idea she was into women!!!】
【Whoever said Ren Zhi had more CP chemistry with Chu Xi than with the other two male members, step forward!!! I hate you!! Who told you to say that!!! /crying /facepalm】
How did it end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy after you said it?!
This is just ridiculous!
【Although I'm heartbroken, it looks like Ren Zhi is the top. My broken heart has been soothed a little. /sad】
【I disagree... Chu Xi isn't the top...? /cracking. Why do these photos make her look so much like a bottom? Xiaoyan, do you have any other pictures?】
【Post some where she's topping and we'll believe your story. I also don't believe Chu Xi is the bottom. /covering mouth】
Beneath the comments strongly opposing Ren Zhi dating at the peak of her career, there was also a mix of strangely specific remarks.
【What's wrong with me? I actually think I can ship these two... /facepalm】
【Shipping everything will only make my... life more colorful. /love you】
【I had a vague feeling they were dating in the first few episodes, I just didn't say anything because I was afraid you'd all think it was too ridiculous.】
The know-it-all comments, though late, had arrived.
In situations like this, the face-saving stage from the fans was also indispensable.
【Don't create rumors, don't spread rumors. Starting a rumor is easy, debunking it is exhausting. Please don't involve the beautiful Ren Zhi, let her thrive on her own. Wait for a notice from the studio for any updates. /cute】
【What does one photo prove? What does one photo prove? I do stuff like this with my best friend all the time. Any unconfirmed relationship is just people getting high on their own supply!】
To summarize simply: one scandal, three factions.
They were—
The Gossip-Eaters, making up sixty percent and holding half the territory of this scandal. They were shocked that yet another top-tier star was dating, but even more shocked that this time, it was an unprecedented case of a top-tier star dating someone of the same sex!
This faction's classic line: Holy crap, Ren Zhi is bold!
The Idol-Defenders, making up twenty percent and occupying a small corner of this scandal. They would rather die than believe their idol was dating. Their defining characteristic was holding up the sky with their mouths if it fell, using one line to conquer all.
Within this faction, Chu Xi's handful of fans who didn't dare to speak up were negligible.
This faction's classic line: It's fake. Let Zhizhi thrive on her own. Don't involve a top-tier star.
The CP Fans, making up forty percent, also held a pivotal position in this scandal.
Why did the percentages add up to more than one hundred percent? Because some people were eating gossip while shipping the CP!
This faction had only one classic question, and they were obsessed with it: Who's the top?
【This is terrible. If the person exposed was a man, I might have unfollowed Ren Zhi. But now that it's a woman, why am I actually a little excited? /facepalm /facepalm】
【As someone who's watched the show, let me just add that Chu Xi is actually very smart and also a great beauty. Don't look down on her just because she's a nobody... /single dog】
【Who's Chu Xi? Never heard of her. /dumbfounded】
【Haven't seen the show, but I looked up her photos. Discovered another hidden gem of an actress!】
【As a looks-stan, I can totally ship these two. Show-watchers, serve up the goods! Get those clip compilations and fanfics ready! /lust /lust /lust】
When the Cheeses saw these CP fans running wild, their hearts grew cold!
They didn't care that Zhizhi's reputation would suffer, they didn't care that she would lose endorsements, they didn't care that her opportunities would disappear, they didn't care that her popularity would drop because of a dating scandal—they only cared about their own enjoyment!
Career-focused fans would absolutely not allow such a disastrous romance to happen.
This was fake, impossible, fabricated out of thin air, complete nonsense, and about to be met with a lawyer's letter—a rumor!
Weibo exploded, public opinion fermented, and programmers on vacation were urgently called back to their desks by the company, just to handle the server load caused by the few topics marked with the liver-colored character for 'Explosive'.
#RenZhiDating#
#RenZhiChuXi#
#RenZhiSexualOrientation#
#RenZhiChuXiLateNightAmbiguousPhotos#
While monitoring the server load and increasing capacity, the Weibo programmers secretly slacked off to browse their own app, whispering to each other:
"Hasn't this Chu Xi been on the trending list several times this past week? Is she about to get famous?"
"I don't know. I noticed she's quite good-looking. If she's dating Ren Zhi, wouldn't she get famous easily?"
"You don't think they're for real, do you? I'm gonna check out their show tomorrow."
Amidst the bloody storm online, the subjects of the scandal, Ren Zhi and Chu Xi, who were working without internet access, knew nothing.
But the Our Restaurant production team suddenly noticed that the number of viewers in the live stream room had skyrocketed at a certain point, with the data climbing rapidly!
The active user count shot up from 500,000 to 1.8 million without stopping, and was even on the verge of hitting two million. It completely stunned the data monitoring department! They almost thought there was a bug in the statistics!
"Director, you have to see what's going on!" The data team sent someone over to report to the Director in a hushed, urgent voice.
The Director stared intently at the live stream, found the answer in the bullet comments, and quickly took out his phone to browse a lagging Weibo. Then, his brows furrowed—
Bullshit! This is just alarmist nonsense!
Chu Xi and Ren Zhi are dating? What kind of dating!
These two are working under my nose twelve hours a day. When did they have time to date? I had no idea!
The only thing he knew was that after the broadcast ended at night, Chu Xi always hung out with Luo Yangtian and Li Xiling. She barely had any time alone with Ren Zhi. How could those two be dating?
Paparazzi these days have no bottom line when it comes to making up rumors for attention!
He could testify that Chu Xi and Ren Zhi were innocent. They were completely platonic; there was nothing going on.
—Huh? What's with this photo?
The Director clicked on the full-sized images and looked at the two photos Zhang Xiaoyan had posted. He paused, slowly stroking his stubble, and fell into deep thought.
Hmm... there's a certain vibe to it...
No! No, what on earth is going on with them?
Hiss... based on his understanding of Ren Zhi, it's impossible, right? That one is genuinely career-focused, not just something her fans made up.
And Chu Xi is even more out of the question, right? She's got a good brain, but she's blunt and has a total single-person vibe, not someone who would be in a relationship.
But the atmosphere in this photo... why does it have a certain indescribable quality...?
Damn it, this is giving me a headache. What are those two really up to? The Director scratched his scalp, looking up at Ren Zhi who was sweeping the floor, his dark eyes filled with conflict and suspicion.
Just then, Chu Xi walked out of the back kitchen, wearing her usual blue apron with a little bear on it, carrying a plate of food.
As soon as she placed the white plate on the table, she called out to Ren Zhi, "Ren Zhi, tomato jelly. Come and try some."
Ren Zhi was still sweeping with her head down. Zhao Shiqing passed by the table, craned her neck to look, and couldn't help but show an expression that said, "That looks delicious."
Chu Xi glanced at her, turned her body to block the view, and pushed the plate further inward with a look of disdain and defensiveness.
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