Zheng Liang couldn’t reach his artist, and naturally couldn’t reach Huo Chengtang or Ming Qi either. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Meng She.
Meng She silently looked at the rising trending topics, then at the spin-off hashtag #MingQiDating#, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
Zheng Liang, seeing that he looked even more overwhelmed than himself, suddenly felt better—and even had the energy to comfort him.
“Don’t be like this. Ming Qi is developing steadily right now. Both Undercover and Winter Has Arrived are projects that can outperform ten ordinary dramas. And besides, the photos didn’t even capture who he was video calling.”
Otherwise, the topic would still have to include those three characters “Yu Qinchou.”
Meng She was not comforted by him at all and even felt like his chest had been stabbed twice again.
He took a deep breath, looking somewhat on the verge of collapse: “The photos really didn’t catch anything, but Ming Qi’s man arrived at the set at ten this morning.”
Zheng Liang: “……”
From Zheng Liang’s many years of experience in the industry, the shooting date of those two photos was three days ago, yet they were released only now—there was probably something else that happened in between. Those paparazzi were extremely cunning; their favorite trick was waiting for prey patiently.
Zheng Liang looked at Meng She with immediate sympathy.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, related marketing accounts exposed the real face of Ming Qi’s rumored lover. It was also a candid shot, but this time it was a video rather than a simple photo. A tall, slender man stepped out of a black Brabus G65. His black loose shirt was unbuttoned at the top, hanging lazily on his frame, with the hem tucked into tailored trousers. A matching black mask covered everything below his nose, but his striking eyebrows and eyes were still visible, along with a small cinnabar-red mole at the corner of his eye.
He did not notice the camera hidden in some corner. His slender, pale fingers held a phone as he walked into a café, and not long after, he came back out carrying several cups of milk tea and coffee. Then the car started and disappeared down the street.
Netizens: “……”
[But seriously, how do you even know this person is Ming Qi’s boyfriend?]
[Honestly, why can’t he be my boyfriend instead?]
[Damn, I can’t explain why, but my first instinct after seeing this video is to dig him up / closes eyes]
[I don’t know if he’s Ming Qi’s boyfriend, but he really looks like that Yu family guy…]
[Oh my god! I was going to say the same thing—doesn’t this look like Yu Qinchou?! I found a comparison pic casually, see that little red mole at the corner of his eye? It’s exactly the same!]
[Wait, if he’s Yu Qinchou, and he went to the film set back then, and Ming Qi was filming “Frozen Winter” during that period, then… is it real? Is this real?! Is my Zhouqi CP real?! / screaming in anguish]
Meng She watched the wildly surging comments online, the corner of his eye twitching uncontrollably, then he abruptly stood up: “No, I have to go to the set.”
The mountain had poor signal; they couldn’t reach them. If they just let things continue unchecked, who knew what it would turn into in the end?
But just as Meng She was boarding a plane to the filming location, different voices forcibly pushed their way into the chaos.
[Seriously, where exactly does it show Yu Qinchou is Ming Qi’s boyfriend? Just because Ming Qi had a video call in a café? The person in the video didn’t even show his face! I originally had a good impression of Ming Qi, but now I see it clearly—another hype-chaser.]
[The comment above makes sense. Did Ming Qi get addicted to clout chasing after the last airport incident boosted his popularity?]
[I’m the café owner. This guest ordered hundreds of cups of coffee and milk tea from our shop, and the delivery address was the “Frozen Winter” crew. He also gave a generous tip.]
[Ordering coffee and having connections with the “Frozen Winter” crew doesn’t prove anything. Not to be stubborn, but if you look at the investors of “Frozen Winter,” you’ll know it’s not strange for Yu Qinchou to appear there.]
[Investors? There’s no Yu Group though.]
[But there’s Nanyi—that’s an industry under Yu Qinchou. The Yu Group previously acquired the cinema chain Qiancheng, so it’s obvious he’s trying to enter the entertainment industry. So investing in Director Zhou Xingxiu’s new film is perfectly normal. This has nothing to do with Ming Qi. I suggest his fans let your actor focus on acting instead of ruining films and upsetting investors.]
[Don’t worry, Ming Qi’s acting has already been recognized by top directors and award-winning actors : )]
Unlike the noisy discussions online, the staff at Kuju were staring at the video on their phones with complicated expressions. In the same office, they looked at each other in silence for a long while before someone finally sighed:
“If this isn’t true love, I don’t know what is. Would the boss of the Yu Group really have nothing better to do than act like Ming Qi’s assistant? And even stay out in the sun all day?”
When they first heard Ming Qi might have a lover, they didn’t take it seriously. But when the so-called “boyfriend video” spread everywhere, someone took a closer look and casually said, “Isn’t that Ming Qi’s assistant? That’s his boyfriend? I always thought their vibe was a bit weird.”
They still didn’t care much then.
Two minutes later, netizens dug up that the man in the video was Yu Qinchou.
The Kuju staff: “……”
What a joke!
But after looking left and right, the thread of rationality in their minds snapped with a loud click.
Someone muttered, “I remember seeing him standing outside staring at Ming Qi the whole time. I even joked he didn’t need to watch so closely, Ming Qi wouldn’t run away.”
Who would have thought that the smiling ‘assistant’ who replied, “He really can’t run away,” was actually Yu Qinchou?
In the silence, a girl slowly raised her head and said, “That’s nothing. I once shipped Ming Qi and Bo Hongfang right in front of him.”
The entire office turned to look at her.
She shrugged. “But now I’m a top fan in the Zhouqi CP super topic. Feel free to join the real CP.”
…
By the time Ming Qi and Yu Qinchou saw the news, it was already the next morning. Although Meng She rushed to the small town that same day, he couldn’t go up the mountain at night for safety reasons, so it was delayed until the next day.
“Do we need to suppress the news?” Meng She asked Yu Qinchou and Ming Qi.
Ming Qi, hugging his knees, yawned and thought for a moment before shaking his head: “Forget it, don’t bother.”
“Don’t bother?”
“Either way, if we suppress it we’ll get criticized, and if we don’t suppress it we’ll still get criticized. Let it be,” Ming Qi said. He hadn’t expected paparazzi in that small town, but thinking about it, they were probably there for Bo Hongfang. Their original target was Bo Hongfang, but unexpectedly they got a bonus surprise.
He was tied to Yu Qinchou. If the Yu Group suppressed the news, netizens would mock him for failing to “clout-chase.” If they didn’t suppress it, they would say he was riding the hype either way.
No matter how you looked at it, the outcome was essentially the same.
“Besides, I think Frozen Winter is already enough.” Ming Qi suddenly said something that sounded a bit confusing, but strangely enough, both Yu Qinchou and Meng She understood it immediately.
Meng She quietly glanced at the young man sitting beside Ming Qi, his gaze flickering slightly.
To put it bluntly, during the filming period of Frozen Winter, Yu Qinchou—while acting as Assistant Min—spent more time accompanying Ming Qi than Meng She, his actual manager. And in order to conceal his identity, he always wore a mask in public. Even Meng She felt a little sorry for him; after all, he was a well-known figure in the business world, yet when accompanying his lawful partner, he still had to hide in such a restrained way.
“Then we won’t bother with the news anymore. After Frozen Winter wraps, Undercover should also be released not long after.” Meng She said with a smile as he looked at Ming Qi. “The road in front of you is already close enough to see the light.”
After learning Ming Qi’s decision, Meng She stopped interfering and only guided the public opinion slightly when necessary.
After Meng She left, there was a knock on the wooden cabin door. Bo Hongfang stuck his head in, scratching his neck awkwardly as he looked at Ming Qi and Yu Qinchou: “Sorry about that. I didn’t expect paparazzi to be following me.”
Ming Qi didn’t seem angry at all and simply smiled: “Brother Bo, why didn’t you go with Senior Huo today?”
Seeing that Ming Qi truly wasn’t upset, Bo Hongfang relaxed and walked in, plopping down in front of them. “Why would I follow him? I’m not his little follower. More importantly, are you two really okay with those rumors?”
Ming Qi shook his head. “It’s fine.”
Bo Hongfang drew out an “oh,” then deliberately teased Yu Qinchou: “Then I should congratulate President Yu in advance on getting what he wants?”
Bo Hongfang hadn’t spent much time with Yu Qinchou, but he had already realized that the man was somewhat different from his rumors. He was gentle toward Ming Qi’s friends and didn’t get angry even when teased.
He indeed didn’t get angry—but Yu Qinchou raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. “Then I’ll thank Mr. Bo in advance. When you and Mr. Huo hold your wedding, I’ll send a generous gift.”
Bo Hongfang: “……”
Ming Qi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Teasing was fine, but Yu Qinchou’s tongue was clearly not easy to deal with.
Ming Qi, as if completely unaware of Bo Hongfang’s inner frustration, leaned in and added with a smile, “I’ll also send a big gift.”
A perfect case of husband and wife acting in sync.