Chapter 32: Airdropped to Number One on the Trending List

"What on earth is going on, my dear lady?" Chen Meng, Tong Liya's assistant, asked with a miserable expression as she looked at the news on Weibo.

They were just out shopping last night, so how did it turn into a secret rendezvous?

#LinYiTongLiyaRendezvous had skyrocketed straight to the top of the Weibo trending list.

What was she supposed to do about this?

Spending money to suppress the trending topic hadn't worked; if anything, the situation was only intensifying. The company had already called to reprimand her for serious negligence. She hadn't wanted this to happen either, but the "dear lady" in front of her had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"I don't know either."

"You don't know? My dear lady, it’s one thing to go shopping, but why did you have to get entangled with Lin Yi?"

"Didn't you watch the video? I was being chased by a group of people and was about to fall, so he caught me and helped me get away." Recalling the moment Lin Yi held her, Tong Liya felt her cheeks flush slightly, and she pursed her lips in a small smile.

*That silly boy!*

"What are you smiling at? I’m trying to have a serious discussion with you!" Chen Meng said, her chest heaving with frustration.

"I know."

"You know nothing! Tell me, how exactly are you going to resolve this?" Chen Meng glared at her, hugged a pillow, and took a sip of water to calm down. If she weren't Tong Liya's manager, she wouldn't bother with this mess at all.

"Why worry so much? The hype will die down in a few days. The audience is forgetful."

"My dear lady, look at this trend—do you really think it’s going to die down?" Chen Meng rolled her eyes at her.

"Then what do you suggest? We’ve spent money, and the hype isn't subsiding. Why don't you find some other celebrity with a scandal and leak it?" Tong Liya said with a grin.

In the entertainment industry, there was never a shortage of scandals. When a star's dirt was exposed, the standard practice for their agency was to spend money to whitewash the situation or suppress the trend. If that failed, they would leak dirt on someone else. Naturally, the new scandal had to be even more explosive to shift the public's focus and attention.

"Heh, I doubt leaking someone else's scandal would even cover up the buzz surrounding you two," Chen Meng said with a mocking laugh.

The buzz from the recent college entrance exams hadn't even faded yet. Lin Yi was the most dazzling top scorer of the year, and he had the added momentum of *Nirvana in Fire* and his song *Your Answer*. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the most popular person of the last two months. The media was starving for big news, and this silly girl had just served it up on a silver platter for them.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," Tong Liya said with a helpless shrug. She had turned off her Weibo notifications long ago—out of sight, out of mind.

Going out to explain now would be useless; who would believe her? It might even give anti-fans and rival companies a chance to manipulate the narrative, and then she’d never be able to clear her name. It was better to wait and observe the situation, then explain at the right time.

"How about... we ask Lin Yi to clarify?" Chen Meng asked, lacking confidence.

Would Lin Yi even agree to come forward? He had been famous for days, yet he hadn't appeared on any shows, and there was no word of him joining any talent agency. This suggested he was likely a very proud person. If Lin Yi knew what Chen Meng was thinking, he would surely retort about her wild, illogical train of thought.

"Lin Yi has a cold," Tong Liya blurted out.

Chen Meng was stunned, a massive storm brewing in her heart. What had she just heard? Lin Yi has a cold? How did she know that? Could it be true—what the media said about them having a secret rendezvous? Was Tong Liya... robbing the cradle?

"Xiao Ya, you... how do you know... he has a cold? Are you and him..." Chen Meng stammered, gesturing with her hands.

"Uh..." Tong Liya realized her mistake, gave an awkward laugh, and immediately explained, "No, it's not like that. Lin Yi brought me back last night, and then the elevator broke down."

"He brought you back?" Chen Meng stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh, that’s not the point! He brought me back because we were heading in the same direction; he’s staying at the same hotel," Tong Liya rushed to explain.

"Right, I get it," Chen Meng nodded, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, stop thinking those things!" Seeing Chen Meng's malicious grin, Tong Liya puffed up her cheeks and playfully pounded her with her fists.

"Hehe."

After a while of fooling around, the two straightened their disheveled clothes.

"Xiao Ya, there’s a banquet tonight you have to attend," Chen Meng said, checking Tong Liya's schedule on her phone.

"Can I skip it? I have a cold too."

"No. The person hosting this banquet is very influential; we can't afford to offend them. If we stand them up, we might as well quit the entertainment industry," Chen Meng said with a serious face.

"Fine," Tong Liya muttered, wiggling her feet as she sat. Chen Meng was rarely this serious unless the situation was truly dire.

...

*Sniff!*

So uncomfortable!

Lin Yi snorted, blowing his nose hard. It was a scorching hot day, yet he had caught a cold—truly the polar extremes.

*Ring, ring, ring!*

"Who's calling now?" Lin Yi reached out his right hand with a groan to grab the phone from the bedside table.

"Lin Yi, what is going on with you and Tong Liya?" Li Xue’s concerned voice came through the phone.

What was going on? Lin Yi was confused. "Brother Li, what are you talking about? I have no idea."

"The internet is in an uproar, and you don't know what's going on?"

"I really don't."

"Did you go out and have a date with Tong Liya last night?"

A date? Lin Yi’s eyelids twitched. He quickly replied, "Brother Li, I didn't. I was just feeling restless in the hotel last night and thought I’d go out for a walk to clear my head."

"It just so happened that I ran into Tong Liya. She was being chased by a group of people, and as she ran toward me, she almost fell, so I reached out to steady her. But... in the chaos, she pulled off my mask, and I got recognized. So, I ended up carrying her away."

"Hahaha!" Li Xue slapped his thigh and laughed heartily. Misfortune had fallen from the sky; this was certainly a tough spot for Lin Yi.

"You should really come out and clarify. The woman's Weibo has been flooded, and yours probably is too, hahaha..."

Lin Yi hung up on the speechless Li Xue and logged onto Weibo. There was a mountain of notifications. He couldn't be bothered to look at them; nine out of ten were likely insults.

"I went out for a walk alone last night and happened to run into Tong Liya being chased by fans. I helped her out. Please, those looking to stir up trouble, stop spreading rumors."

After checking the post for any major issues, Lin Yi tagged Tong Liya and hit send.

Shortly after the post went live, it drew a wave of comments.

"Brother Lin Yi, I will always believe you."

"So Lin Yi really did just run into Tong Liya by chance."

"I told you, why would those two be dating? The unscrupulous media just snapped some photos, edited them wildly—disgusting!"

"Who knows, maybe it was a thank-you date."

"What thank-you? Didn't you see the video taken by passersby? They just happened to run into each other."

"Maybe the video is fake."

"How could it be fake? Is your whole family fake? I don't know if your IQ is still at the kindergarten level."

"Hmph, don't try to whitewash it. Didn't you see the photos? They were together!"

"The photos were just snapshots; the video recorded the whole incident. Whatever, I'm not going to argue with someone like you; I'm afraid it'll lower my own standards."

"Whether you're lowering my standards or I'm lowering yours is yet to be seen."