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

Zhou Ai's blunt and sharp question precisely pierced through all the calm and excuses that Chu Yi was trying to maintain.

Chu Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively avoided Zhou Ai's gaze, which seemed to see through everything.

He couldn't even answer "yes" or "no" because he himself couldn't sort out his complicated and gloomy thoughts.

Chu Yi remained silent, but her fingers curled up consciously.

Although when retouching Zhou Ai's photos, he deliberately abandoned his usual distinctive style from his previous fan account called "π," trying to make only basic adjustments to highlight the environment rather than the person himself...

But he still felt a vague, inexplicable unease.

The internet has a memory, and fans have incredibly sharp eyes.

He always felt a vague unease, a sense that once this set of photos was released, even the slightest detail in composition, lighting preferences, or even some indescribable "perspective" might be unraveled and linked to his carefully hidden past works.

The fear of being exposed to the spotlight and having all her secrets laid bare far outweighed the pressure Zhou Ai felt at that moment.

Chu Yi took a deep breath, trying to make a final effort, his tone even carrying a hint of negotiation that he himself didn't realize: "Teacher Zhou, how about... you post it on WeChat Moments? Weibo... or maybe we should pass?"

"No." Zhou Ai refused without any room for negotiation. He stared at Chu Yi's slightly flickering eyes and the barely perceptible panic in them, and his guess became even more certain. His tone became even more resolute, "I'm going to post it on Weibo."

Chu Yi felt a wave of helplessness. He felt that he had already tried his best to appease Zhou Ai, this crazy "little dog," and even made an exception by sitting next to him to finish editing the photos.

But this young master remained as stubborn as ever—unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, and impervious to all persuasion.

Looking at Zhou Ai's stubborn expression that seemed to say, "I'm going to release it anyway, and I've already got official approval, what can you do about it?", his temples began to throb.

The atmosphere between the two reached another stalemate. One was determined to act, while the other racked his brains trying to stop him, but couldn't find any plausible reason.

Just as Chu Yi was racking her brains for something to say, Zhou Ai suddenly spoke again. This time, her tone was softer, but it carried a deeper level of inquiry and... a subtle, almost imperceptible, coaxing:

"Dr. Chu, you seem... particularly afraid that I'll post these photos on Weibo?"

His gaze was fixed on every subtle change in Chu Yi's expression.

Why?

"Are you afraid of being criticized by my fans if the filming isn't good?"

Zhou Ai deliberately misinterpreted the situation, slowly analyzing, "No, Brother Yang said it's good. He's just afraid...someone else will see? Who will see?"

With each question he asked, he leaned forward a little more, the sense of oppression building intensifying.

"Or is it," Zhou Ai's voice lowered even further, almost a whisper, carrying a seductive undertone, "that these photos... hold some secret that can't be revealed? Like—the person who took them?"

Chu Yi's breath hitched, and his pupils trembled slightly. Despite his best efforts to control himself, he couldn't completely conceal that momentary instinctive reaction.

Zhou Ai accurately caught this flaw.

The anger that had been ignited in his heart because of being "treated differently" suddenly transformed into another, more intense and exciting emotion.

It was a wonderful feeling of getting close to the truth and uncovering the mystery.

But compared to clearing away the fog and understanding the truth, Zhou Ai felt that what she really wanted to know and understand was Chu Yi as a person.

What he really wanted to dispel was the self-imposed fog surrounding Chu Yi.

For once, Zhou Ai gained the upper hand in the atmosphere between the two.

Zhou Ai leaned forward continuously, and an overwhelming sense of pressure enveloped Chu Yi. The constant questioning and his ever-approaching body were too much for Chu Yi to handle.

In the quiet atmosphere, Zhou Ai stared intently at Chu Yi's face, trying to find more flaws.

One second, two seconds...

Seeing Chu Yi's increasingly pale face despite her attempt to remain calm, Zhou Ai finally stopped pressing her for answers. Instead, she slowly straightened up, picked up her phone, and began to operate the screen.

"Fine, if you don't want to send it, then don't." His tone suddenly became nonchalant, as if he wasn't the one who had been so insistent just moments before.

Chu Yi suddenly looked up, a look of astonishment and disbelief flashing in her eyes as she wondered why Zhou Ai had suddenly become so easy to talk to.

However, it lasted for less than two seconds.

Zhou Ai logged into Weibo with practiced ease, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she casually muttered, "I'll post something else... Hmm, this one will do. What should I caption it?"

He paused, as if suddenly struck by a brilliant idea, a wicked yet alluring smile curving his lips. He looked up at Chu Yi, whose expression instantly tightened, and said clearly, word by word:

"Just write—'Thank you Dr. Chu for taking the photos, your skills are amazing! [heart]'... Oh right, and I should remember to tag you, right?"

As he spoke, he actually started typing the two characters "Chu Yi" into the @ box!

"No!" Chu Yi practically lunged at him to snatch his phone, her voice trembling.

Zhou Ai had anticipated this, and nimbly raised her hand to easily dodge, while simultaneously pressing the [Send] button.

He shook his phone, and the screen clearly displayed a message saying "Sent successfully".

"Oops, my hand slipped and it was sent." Zhou Ai blinked, her face showing no remorse, only the cunning and pleasure of a successful scheme.

"Now, without posting the original photo, everyone will know it was taken by you."

"Teacher Chu, what should we do now?"

Chu Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she nervously looked at Zhou Ai, seemingly trying to figure out which picture had been sent from his face.

Zhou Ai, however, acted as if she had only done something insignificant, casually putting her phone back in her pocket. Then, she turned her gaze back to the now-closed computer screen, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked seemingly unintentionally, "Teacher Chu, your photography skills are so good, and you also know such professional post-processing. When did you learn that?"

As he spoke, he slightly raised his chin toward the direction where the photo editing interface had just been displayed, his tone filled with pure curiosity, as if it were just casual conversation between friends.

The photo had already been posted, and Chu Yi knew how fast Zhou Ai's Weibo followers were. Struggling any further was futile; he could only pray that no one would actually find out the photo's origin.

Chu Yi's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, but Zhou Ai's second question made her unconsciously more vigilant.

As he closed his laptop, he casually replied, "It's nothing. I just learned it casually when I was bored during my studies." His tone was indifferent, trying to downplay the matter.

"You can reach this level with just a little learning?" Zhou Ai raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it, but she didn't delve into it. Instead, she followed up with a new request, her tone so natural as if it were a matter of course, "That's perfect. Could you please take more photos for me during the rest of the program, Teacher Chu? I think you take better photos than my team."

Chu Yi: "..." He had no idea the topic would veer off to this point.

He stood up, picked up the closed notebook, turned and walked towards his suitcase, preparing to pack it up, while simultaneously giving the order to leave: "The photos are finished, Professor Zhou can go back now." His tone returned to its usual cold and distant tone, implying that the conversation was over.

However, Zhou Ai's thick skin was clearly extraordinary. Not only did he not leave, but he also stood up.

"Wait, I have something to do." Zhou Ai's voice came from behind.

Chu Yi was bending down to put her laptop down when she heard this. She paused for a moment, then asked without turning her head, "What is it?"

Before he could even straighten up, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and precisely grabbed his wrist.

Chu Yi was startled and instinctively tried to break free, but the hand was extremely strong, pulling his hand so firmly that it was pressed directly onto a warm and solid chest.

Through the thin inner fabric, I could feel the clear and powerful heartbeat pounding against my palm, and I could even feel the contours and temperature of the muscles.

Chu Yi froze, her mind went blank, her ears rang, and all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her wrist that was being grabbed and her hand that was being forced to be pressed against the other person's chest.

In an instant, all the defenses and precautions he had just taken were completely shattered.

Immediately afterward, Zhou Ai's voice, tinged with annoyance and complaint, yet strangely sticky, rang out above his head:

"Dr. Chu, I've been feeling tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing for the past few days. You're a very skilled doctor, could you please take a close look and tell me what's wrong?"

His tone sounded innocent and earnest, as if he were simply stating his symptoms.

But the hand that gripped Chu Yi's wrist tightly, pressing it firmly against its own heart, did not yield an inch. The excessively fast, drum-like heartbeat transmitted through the palm seemed to be silently telling a completely different story of "illness".

Chu Yi's fingers were forced to feel the intense heartbeat, and her own heartbeat instantly went out of control. Her cheeks and ears quickly flushed crimson.

This... this is hardly a medical consultation!

Chu Yi felt his scalp tingle from the burning body temperature and the intense heartbeat under his palm, and he subconsciously tried to pull his hand away from being held.

However, it had little effect. Zhou Ai's hand was a whole size bigger than his, and she easily covered his entire hand completely.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for several rounds, with Chu Yi failing to pull her hand back, while Zhou Ai, the other party involved, remained unmoved, displaying an innocent demeanor as if she were genuinely seeking medical treatment.

As Chu Yi gritted her teeth and tried for the fifth time to pull her hand away from Zhou Ai's, Zhou Ai suddenly looked down at the hand she was holding.

Because of his unconscious exertion, the back of his fair and slender hand was now covered in large patches of red, and Zhou Ai suddenly let go.

Freed from his restraints, Chu Yi hurriedly pulled his hand back, his fingertips still trembling. He forced himself to remain calm, even adopting a professional indifference to mask his panic: "Wait a moment, let me listen with a stethoscope."

After saying that, Chu Yi almost fled to the door, opened it, and went to get the medicine box that was placed in the main room outside.

Meanwhile, the photographer who was following him outside was diligently standing guard at the door. The camera was immediately pointed at him. Chu Yi stepped aside, quickly took out a stethoscope from the medicine box, took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and then turned around and went back into the house.

However, the moment he pushed open the door, he froze in the doorway, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Inside the room, Zhou Ai had already deftly taken off her cover-up gray windbreaker and the white short-sleeved shirt underneath, and casually tossed them onto the stool next to her.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of low-waisted black sweatpants that hung loosely on his hips, revealing his clearly defined V-line.

He was casually sitting on the small wooden stool that Chu Yi had just sat on, leaning back slightly with his hands behind him.

This posture taut the muscles in his waist and abdomen, outlining his clearly defined eight-pack abs, thin yet firm, rising and falling slightly with his breath. His chest was broad, with smooth, powerful lines, and his skin was a cool-toned white, seemingly gleaming with a glaze-like sheen in the dim light of the room.

His silver-gray hair was somewhat messy, with a few strands falling across his smooth forehead, creating a striking visual contrast with his bold yet languid posture.

Zhou Ai looked at Chu Yi, who was frozen at the door, with a playful smile on her lips, in a very open and even slightly provocative manner.

"You—!" Chu Yi felt a surge of heat rush to her head, her cheeks and ears instantly burning red. She was both angry and anxious, and could barely speak. "Why are you taking off your clothes?! I was just using a stethoscope!"

Almost reflexively, Chu Yi grabbed the off-white knitted cardigan that Zhou Ai had just thrown on the stool—the one she usually wore after showering—and threw it at Zhou Ai, trying to cover his overly conspicuous exposed skin.

The sweater draped softly over Zhou Ai's head and shoulders, obscuring part of the view, but adding a touch of ambiguous concealment.

Chu Yi didn't even bother with Zhou Ai, and suddenly turned to look at the door.

The diligent photographer outside the door was clearly taken aback by this unexpected "perk," his camera still pointed blankly at the room.

The string of "reason" in Chu Yi's mind snapped instantly.

He rushed over in one stride, disregarding all manners and etiquette, and almost roughly shoved the still-dazed photographer aside. Then, with a loud "bang," he slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.

The entire movement was executed in one smooth motion, carrying a sense of resolute determination, as if "what's the use of trying?"

Outside the door, the photographer, who had been abruptly slammed shut, stared blankly at the tightly closed wooden door that was still trembling slightly, completely bewildered as to what had happened.

Inside the door, the world fell silent instantly, with only the two of them breathing rapidly.

Zhou Ai slowly took the sweater off her head, held it in her hand, and looked at Chu Yi, who was leaning against the door, his chest rising and falling slightly, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes almost spitting fire. Instead of feeling embarrassed, she chuckled softly.

"Dr. Chu," he waved the sweater in his hand, his tone innocent yet irritating, "didn't you say you wanted to listen to my heart and lungs? How can I listen without taking my clothes off?"