Following the unpleasant encounter at the cafe, Lin Yang remained despondent for several days. Zhou Shihong’s disgusting face and Li Chenzhou’s ambiguous “comfort” stayed tangled in his mind, fueling his frustration and confusion.
He tried to clear his thoughts. His escape plan had clearly hit an insurmountable wall. Li Chenzhou was like an invisible yet pervasive net, holding him firmly. Whether it was his career or his personal life, nothing seemed capable of escaping the man’s control.
Was he destined to spend this second life as a caged canary, waiting for misfortune to strike again? He refused to accept it.
Just as he was reaching his breaking point, Sister So called with a new opportunity a small one, yet one he couldn’t refuse. It was a public service announcement (PSA) shoot. The theme was raising awareness for children with autism. There was no pay and the shoot lasted only one day. His co-star was a newcomer with little fame named Su Yan.
“Yang-yang, this is a great one!” Sister So urged over the phone. “There isn’t much money, but it’s meaningful and good for your reputation. Besides, for a charity project like this, President Li… he surely won’t block it, right? It helps your image too!”
Sister So’s tone now carried a careful, probing quality, as if she feared touching an invisible tripwire that would make the opportunity vanish.
Lin Yang remained silent for a moment. He understood her point. Being charitable and positive in nature, Li Chenzhou truly had no reason or need to obstruct it. This might be the only work related to acting he could touch right now.
“…Fine, I’ll take it,” he heard himself say. Even if it was just to step out of this suffocating apartment and breathe the air of a film set, it would be worth it.
The day of the shoot was bright and clear. The PSA was filmed at a special education school in the suburbs. Lin Yang arrived early. Watching the children quietly immersed in their own worlds touched something soft within him. The shadows of his past life and the recent gloom seemed partially cleansed by the pure atmosphere of the school.
His co-star, Su Yan, arrived shortly after. He was a bright, sunny young man with an infectious smile. His eyes lit up when he saw Lin Yang, and he stepped forward to introduce himself. “Hello, Mr. Lin! I’m Su Yan. I absolutely loved your performance in Spring Night!”
His attitude was warm and sincere, lacking the hypocrisy and probing common in the industry. Lin Yang felt a bit surprised and relaxed slightly. He smiled back. “Thank you. Just call me Lin Yang.”
The shoot went smoothly. The director wanted to capture natural, sincere interaction and companionship. Lin Yang and Su Yan played games and painted with the children. Su Yan was cheerful and good at making the kids laugh, while Lin Yang was more observant and patient, keenly noticing subtle emotional shifts in the children and responding to them.
During a break, the two sat on a bench by the playground to drink water. The sun was warm. Su Yan was a chatterbox, rambling about funny stories from film sets, complaining about catering, and asking Lin Yang questions about acting with eyes full of admiration.
Lin Yang hadn’t experienced such a simple, relaxed conversation in a long time. Without realizing it, the tension in his brow dissipated, and he even let out a soft laugh at Su Yan’s exaggerated descriptions.
Perhaps because they were in a relatively secluded school, or because it was a low-profile charity project, they let their guard down. Neither noticed the faint flash of a camera lens from behind a cluster of trees in the distance.
By the end of the day, Lin Yang felt a long-lost sense of fulfillment and healthy exhaustion. He and Su Yan exchanged WeChat contacts and promised to work together again if given the chance. He thought this was just a minor interlude that would soon fade away.
However, he had underestimated the attention the title “Mrs. Li” commanded and overestimated the ethics of certain unscrupulous media outlets.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Yang woke up, his old phone vibrated manically with WeChat messages. It was Sister So. She had sent several voice messages in a row. When he tapped them, her voice came through, panicked and close to tears.
“Yang-yang! Something happened! Did you go to a PSA shoot yesterday?” “My little ancestor! Why weren’t you more careful? You were photographed!” “There are photos all over the web now! It hasn’t hit the trending list yet, but the discussion is growing! People are saying all sorts of things!”
Lin Yang’s heart sank. He immediately opened Weibo. He didn’t even have to search; among the hot topics in the entertainment section, he saw several entries with his name.
#LinYangMysteriousMan# #MrsLisNewLoverOnSet?# #WealthyMarriageRedLight?#
The accompanying photos were clearly from yesterday’s shoot. There were shots of him and Su Yan walking side-by-side and others of them sitting on the bench smiling at each other. The angles made the interactions look extremely ambiguous. There was even a shot of the moment Su Yan handed him a bottle of water, where their fingers appeared almost to touch.
The photographer was clearly skilled in this craft. The angles were clever, deliberately blurring out the surroundings and the children to focus entirely on their “intimate” interaction. The captions were even more inflammatory: “Mrs. Li’s marriage is empty, secret meeting with a sunny young hunk,” “Hard to be a wealthy daughter-in-law, Lin Yang suspected of seeking comfort elsewhere,” “Charity show? Or something else?”
The comment section was even worse.
“I told you, how could a business marriage last?” “Tsk, tsk, they’ve barely been married a month and he couldn’t hold back?” “The guy looks handsome, younger and better at sweet-talking than President Li, right?” “I feel bad for President Li for a second…” “Why feel bad? They’re probably both playing the field!” “Who is this guy? Getting with Mrs. Li so fast? Must be a resource-parasite.”
Filthy language and malicious speculation surged in like a dirty tide. It was as if he weren’t an actor who had just finished a charity shoot, but a shameless sinner.
Lin Yang watched the words and images, his hands and feet cold, his whole body trembling. It wasn’t because he feared the rumors themselves, but because of a deep sense of powerlessness and rage. He just wanted to do something meaningful. He just wanted to rely on his own ability and breathe a bit of free air. Why was it so hard? Why was he always distorted, utilized, and dragged into the mud?
And Su Yan that sunny, simple boy was completely caught in the crossfire because of him! How would the malicious comments attack him?
The phone rang again. It was Sister So. “Yang-yang! Have you seen it? I’m so angry! Those damn paparazzi!” her voice cracked. “I’m already contacting familiar media outlets and PR firms to see if we can suppress it and release a clarification, but the photos are too clear this time, and the topic is too hot…”
Sister So sounded anxious and helpless. With her small studio’s resources, fighting a scandal of this level was like trying to stop a tank with a bicycle.
“I’m sorry, Sister So. I’ve caused trouble for you again,” Lin Yang said, his voice raspy and full of guilt. “And I dragged Su Yan into this…”
“Now isn’t the time for that!” Sister So said urgently. “The key is President Li! If he sees this… what if he misunderstands…” Her voice was thick with fear. Li Chenzhou’s rage was not something they could withstand.
Lin Yang’s heart constricted. Li Chenzhou… Would he see it? What would he think? Would he believe these fabrications? Would he decide Lin Yang was restless and impose even stricter control? Or would he handle it like the web drama role—coldly and ruthlessly?
Every possibility made him shiver. Just as his mind was in a whirl of panic, Sister So let out a sound of surprise, her tone turning uncertain.
“Wait! Yang-yang something is wrong.” “What is it?” Lin Yang’s heart leaped into his throat. “The trending list… the topic that was rising just now is suddenly gone!” Sister So sounded incredulous. “It didn’t just drop in rank; it’s completely gone! If you click it, it says ‘Topic page not displayed according to relevant laws and regulations’!”
Lin Yang froze and immediately refreshed his Weibo page. Sure enough, the glaring entries with his name had been wiped clean by an invisible hand, vanishing without a trace. He tried searching for his own name, but only old news and sporadic fan posts appeared.
“And there’s more!” Sister So’s voice grew even more shocked. “The gossip account that first leaked the news, the one with the most reposts, its entire feed has disappeared! The account, it seems to be banned!”
“What?” Lin Yang was completely stunned. How was that possible? A marketing account with hundreds of thousands of followers, banned just like that? And at the height of its traffic? What kind of power and speed would that take?
Who did it? The answer was obvious. In this city, only one person had the power and a reason to do such a thing for him.
But why? Why would he do this? To suppress negative news and maintain the reputation of “Mrs. Li” to save face for the family? That seemed the only logical explanation. But… why did it feel so strange?
Lin Yang spent the afternoon in his apartment, unable to sit still. Online, the storm regarding him had subsided as if it had never happened. He even received a WeChat message from Su Yan, who said lightheartedly, “Brother Lin Yang, it’s all good now, haha! Those fake posts are all gone! Scared me for a second. Glad it’s okay!”
It was as if a sudden hurricane had been forcibly halted by a greater force before it could even fully unfurl, leaving the sea calm and those who experienced it with lingering fear.
In the evening, Li Chenzhou appeared on time. The excuse he brought today was a sample of a new luxury brand scented candle that was about to hit the market.
“The brand sent it, the scent is too strong,” he said, placing the exquisite paper bag on the entryway cabinet. His tone was flat, but his gaze swept briefly over Lin Yang’s still-pale face. “You use it.”
Lin Yang looked at the bag of candles. He didn’t immediately refuse as he usually did. He hesitated, then raised his head to look at Li Chenzhou with a complex gaze. The man remained his usual stern, indifferent self, revealing no emotion.
“…The things online today…” Lin Yang began tentatively.
Li Chenzhou’s gaze met his, deep and unreadable. He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he turned and tossed out a remark as casually as if he were commenting on the weather:
“The online environment is a mess; it needs to be purified.”
Having said that, he naturally walked toward the door to leave, as if completing a daily task.
Lin Yang stood there, watching his tall, straight, yet cold and distant back. Holding the paper bag that emitted a faint, high-end fragrance, his heart was a chaotic mess of emotions.
Purify the online environment? So, it really was him. He used the most direct, overbearing, and effective method. He had solved a massive problem and even protected the innocent Su Yan.
Should he feel relieved? Or should he feel even more afraid? What was this man thinking? He ruthlessly extinguished any career possibilities on one hand, yet didn’t hesitate to shield him when he fell into a media storm on the other.
A blow followed by a sweet treat?
As the door closed once again, Lin Yang realized with absolute clarity for the first time: Li Chenzhou’s mind was far deeper and more unpredictable than he had ever imagined. He looked down at the expensive candle in the bag. A faint scent of cedar wafted out, identical to the cold fragrance the man himself carried.
It was everywhere.