Trending topic alert: The mysterious fan site administrator of a top celebrity has been exposed.

The recording studio was isolated from the outside noise, with only the low hum of the equipment and the lingering heat from Zhou Ai's rehearsal.

Zhou Ai had just finished auditioning a song and was leaning back on the sofa in the rest area, her fingertips unconsciously swiping across her phone screen, the interface still on her chat box with Cheng Yingzhi.

Several hours have passed since that "go ask" message was sent, and the silence is like a stone sinking into the sea.

Zhou Ai's expression had changed from initial anticipation to near-numb calm.

He even started planning that if he didn't get a reply in five more minutes, he would just make a phone call to "kill" him.

Just as he was about to log out of WeChat, his phone suddenly vibrated twice.

Two new message notifications popped up at the top of the screen in quick succession, both from Cheng Yingzhi.

Zhou Ai paused. The barely extinguished ripple in his heart stirred slightly, but he quickly suppressed it, thinking that Cheng Yingzhi was probably just spouting some pointless nonsense to brush him off.

He opened the message with a hint of nonchalance, or even a barely perceptible wariness.

The first line is text: 【Here, add it yourself. Just say I gave it to you.】

The second item, immediately following, is a simple WeChat name card.

Zhou Ai's fingertip hovered above the screen.

The information on the business card is very simple.

The profile picture is of a light gray dachshund, its wet black nose pointed at the camera, intently munching on a snack whose exact nature is unclear. It looks adorable, and the background appears to be a grassy area in a park, bathed in bright sunlight.

The WeChat name is even simpler and more concise, consisting of only two characters: Meteorite.

An extremely abrupt and striking contrast suddenly struck Zhou Ai.

"Meteorite"... cold, hard, from the distant and unknown space, carrying a silent, ancient impact.

The profile picture corresponding to this name is a fluffy, silly little dog with short legs, immersed in the joy of snacks.

This combination is too bizarre, too unlike what he remembered Dr. Chu, who wore a white coat, had a cold gaze, and whose neck lines even exuded a sense of aloofness, would use.

But it was precisely this huge contrast that, like a light feather, scratched the most itchy spot in Zhou Ai's heart.

An indescribable emotion, a mixture of surprise and extreme pleasure, surged up without warning, breaking through the usual languid mask on his face.

Zhou Ai's lips curled up uncontrollably, forming an extremely obvious, even slightly silly, smile. Even her eyes, which always seemed a bit world-weary, were instantly filled with a sparkling light.

"Hey, what are you looking at? Why are you laughing like that... all lovestruck?" Xu Yang had just finished discussing the details with the sound engineer when he turned around and bumped into Zhou Ai's unusual expression. Especially when he remembered the "love topic" that was still trending on social media, he was so startled that he almost dropped the sheet music in his hand. He leaned over in confusion, wanting to see what was going on.

Almost instinctively, Zhou Ai flipped her wrist and slammed the phone screen onto her lap with a "smack," the movement so fast it almost created a gust of wind.

The excessively bright smile on his face vanished instantly, leaving only a suspicious, barely concealed curve at the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Ai's reaction, which seemed to imply something was amiss, completely confirmed Xu Yang's suspicions.

Xu Yang gasped, his eyes widening instantly as if he'd witnessed something utterly terrifying. His voice cracked: "Holy crap! Zhou Ai! You wouldn't really... really be in a relationship, would you?! You wouldn't let me remove the trending topic, you wouldn't actually be in a relationship, would you?! Don't scare me like that, Zhou! Don't you dare create some earth-shattering scandal at this crucial moment! The company's PR department will all be committing suicide!"

Zhou Ai looked up and saw the terrified expression on her manager's face, as if the sky was about to fall. The panic she had felt when the incident was exposed vanished.

He slowly picked up his phone again, ran his fingertips along the edge of the screen to make sure it was off, and then lazily lifted his eyelids, his tone slightly irritatingly dismissive: "What are you yelling about?"

He paused, then added, a barely perceptible, subtle smile hidden in his voice, "...just picked up a stone."

Because Cheng Yingzhi hadn't replied for a long time, Zhou Ai's initial subtle expectation gradually cooled down, and she almost forgot about it.

It wasn't until Xu Yang loudly brought up "trending topics about love" that it acted like a fuse, suddenly igniting a forgotten fragment in the corner of his memory.

Puppy hair clip.

Oh, and that thing too.

Zhou Ai unconsciously twirled her fingers, as if she could still recall the rough texture and childish shape of that plastic hair clip.

That day in the emergency room, when Chu Yi deftly clipped on a few unruly strands of hair on his forehead to keep them in place, her fingertips occasionally brushed against his skin, bringing a slightly cool and dry sensation.

After changing the dressing, Chu Yi turned around to wash her hands, giving instructions on precautions. The whole process was natural and smooth, as if she had completely forgotten about the hair clip.

Zhou Ai's motivation was unclear; perhaps she simply found the scene amusing, or perhaps she wanted to keep some insignificant yet unique little object.

Before leaving, he deliberately didn't remind anyone or return the item. He just swaggered out of the hospital with the dog hair clip that clashed drastically with his style.

He was so busy for the next few days that he forgot all about the matter.

That morning, as he hurriedly put on his coat and rushed to the practice room, his fingertips unexpectedly hooked a hard little thing when he reached into his pocket for his car keys.

When I took it out, it was indeed the puppy hair clip, the puppy's wide smile was silly and innocent.

Zhou Ai held the hair clip, paused for a moment, then chuckled, thinking it was incredibly stupid.

He didn't know what he was thinking at the time. Maybe he thought it was too much trouble to just put it back in his pocket, or maybe he had a mischievous thought that flashed through his mind for a moment. He just casually tucked it into the collar of his plain black short-sleeved T-shirt.

An embellishment that clashes with, and is even somewhat comical, his surroundings of luxury brands and top-tier status.

Zhou Ai didn't take it seriously at all, and even quickly forgot about it. So much so that when he later saw the photos of him trending on social media with sensational headlines like "Relationship Exposed" and "Mysterious Token," his first reaction was to roll his eyes at the absurdity of it all.

"Are the paparazzi and netizens out of their minds these days?" Zhou Ai complained impatiently to Xu Yang. "They can even make up stories out of something like this?"

Xu Yang was so anxious that he was jumping up and down, and he hurriedly contacted his team to remove the trending topic and issue a statement for public relations.

However, the moment Xu Yang picked up the phone, a remarkably clear image flashed through Zhou Ai's mind, as if something had been ignited within her—

Dr. Chu, who always had a calm expression and aloof eyes, was sitting in the busy emergency room office wearing a white coat when she happened to pick up her phone and saw this outrageous trending topic...

Seeing that familiar, childish hair clip that should have been in his pocket being pinned to a completely unrelated female celebrity, sparking a frenzy of discussion and even being dubbed a "token of love"...

What expression will Chu Yihui have?

Will he frown? Will he be speechless? Or will he show a rare, surprised, or absurd expression?

This idea, like a pebble thrown into still water, created a series of fascinating ripples in Zhou Ai's mind.

A feeling of mischief, mixed with malice and anticipation, quickly overwhelmed the previous speechlessness and irritation.

"Wait a minute," he suddenly said, stopping Xu Yang who was about to dial.

Xu Yang turned around in confusion.

Zhou Ai leaned back in her chair, lazily twirling her phone with her fingers, a playful, enigmatic smile playing on her lips: "Don't leave yet."

"Huh?" Xu Yang thought he had misheard. "My lord, this is no joke! If we don't clarify now, even a lie will be presented as the truth!"

"I said, don't... take it down yet," Zhou Ai repeated, her tone carrying an undeniable interest. "Leave it hanging; I find it quite interesting."

"Interesting?!" Xu Yang's voice rose eight octaves, almost cracking. "What's interesting about this?! This is clearly..."

"If I say it's interesting, then it's interesting." Zhou Ai interrupted him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Perfect, it'll help generate buzz for the new song and save us some advertising costs."

Xu Yang: "..."

He was so angry at his capricious ancestor that he almost fainted.

What kind of preheating does his popularity need?

This is clearly self-destruction!

But once Zhou Ai has made up her mind, nothing can change it.

So the absurd trending topic was left to its own devices, hanging on various platforms for a whole day. Instead of decreasing, its popularity continued to grow due to the silence of the person involved and various speculations, soaring all the way to the top of the list, followed by a bright red "hot" label.

As for Zhou Ai, he occasionally came across related posts. Seeing the increasingly outrageous analyses and "concrete evidence," and watching many obscure celebrities and internet personalities start to subtly post photos of hair clips in a similar style, or vaguely hint at riding this sudden wave of popularity, he was not annoyed at all. On the contrary, he found this farce, which he had orchestrated, to be increasingly amusing.

He was even waiting, waiting for a reaction that might never come.

This waiting itself carries an indescribable, eerie pleasure.