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

Chu Yi put down his phone and rubbed his temples. Even if he tried not to pay attention, the overwhelming trending topics and screenshots of CP fans' celebrations had already filled his vision through various channels.

He wasn't against making the relationship public, but the speed and manner of it—like a flash flood—completely exceeded his expectations as someone accustomed to meticulous planning and gradual progress.

What frustrated him even more was that it wasn't until he saw the edited version that he belatedly realized that Zhou Ai's eyes and small gestures on camera were so intense and direct.

Being in the midst of it all, I felt as if I were being drawn by some invisible magnetic field, failing to immediately perceive the overwhelming love that was practically overflowing from the screen.

Chu Yi turned to look at Zhou Ai, who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet beside her, intently staring at the game screen, her fingers flying across the screen, with an expression that said "it has nothing to do with me".

Her newly dyed fluorescent gray hair was exactly the same as her image on the show, and the dazzling hair color was particularly eye-catching under the indoor lighting.

Completely oblivious to the entertainment controversy, Chu Yi turned off her phone screen, turned her head to look at Zhou Ai's smooth profile, her jaw slightly taut, even with the focus of a game battle, yet exuding an air of "I am who I am, what can you do about it?"

Chu Yi took a deep breath, but couldn't resist. She raised her foot and kicked Zhou Ai's calf lightly.

"I've already told you to tone it down a bit."

Zhou Ai's hand trembled, and the game character on the screen fell to the ground.

He exclaimed "Ouch!" and dropped the controller. He immediately turned around, stretched out his long arm, and hugged Chu Yi's leg, which she hadn't had time to pull back. He looked up, his peach blossom eyes instantly filled with just the right amount of moisture, and his lips turned down in a wronged manner: "Good girl, I've already been very restrained. You asked me to cancel the like, and I canceled it."

Zhou Ai was the best at winning over Chu Yi's heart; Chu Yi used to be impervious to both soft and hard approaches.

But things are different now, now it's—

Eat soft not hard.

What I can't stand most is his seemingly innocent yet slightly coquettish appearance.

Sure enough, when Chu Yi saw his "victim accusing first" and his self-righteous act of playing the victim, she felt a lump in her throat. She couldn't scold him or laugh at him. In the end, she could only angrily try to pull her leg away.

Instead of letting go, Zhou Ai took advantage of the situation, resting her chin on Chu Yi's knee and blinking, "I'm just telling the truth. The camera's right there, I can't just ignore you, can I? That would be so uncomfortable."

He paused, his tone tinged with genuine complaint, "Besides, I really did have a fever and a headache at the time. Seeing you made me feel at ease, and I couldn't help but want to get closer. How can that be considered being unrestrained?"

Zhou Ai's twisted logic, coupled with her extremely deceptive face, left Chu Yi speechless for a moment.

Just then, Chu Yi's phone rang. The caller ID showed it was the executive director of "Heart Ties to the Distant Mountains".

Chu Yi glared at Zhou Ai, signaling him to behave before answering the phone.

Zhou Ai reluctantly let go, but remained rooted to the spot, listening intently.

"Hey, Dr. Chu! The premiere was a huge success! Thank you for your hard work!" The director's voice was filled with excitement. "Um... according to the promotional plan, I'd like to trouble you to retweet our official Weibo post about the premiere, and just share a few words of your thoughts. Sorry to bother you!"

"Okay, director, you're welcome. I'll forward it right away." Chu Yi agreed.

After hanging up the phone, he logged into the Weibo account he had temporarily created before participating in the variety show, which originally only had a few official mutual followers and a handful of fans.

As soon as he opened it, his phone froze for a few seconds. The red numbers on the private messages, comments, and mentions icons had turned into ellipses, and his follower count had surpassed 900,000 at a speed he couldn't comprehend, and was still rising wildly.

Chu Yi stared at the string of numbers, slightly stunned. Even with mental preparation, the direct, data-driven impact of the trend still left him somewhat shocked.

Zhou Ai leaned over for a look, then raised an eyebrow smugly: "Look how popular my Teacher Chu is."

Chu Yi ignored him and found the latest Weibo post from the official Weibo account of "Heart Ties to Distant Mountains" celebrating the premiere, and retweeted it.

He carefully chose his words, his fingers lightly tapping on the screen. Zhou Ai stopped playing the game and tilted her head to watch him type.

A few seconds later, Chu Yi updated her Weibo:

@Chuyi: Forwarding Weibo post // @XinqiyuanshanOfficialWeibo: [#XinqiyuanshanPremiere# Mountains and rivers meet again, kindness warms the world...]

@Chu Yi: It's an honor to participate in this journey and witness the power of perseverance. The scenery and people of Yuntouzhai, and Dr. Li's dedication, have all benefited me greatly. I hope more people will pay attention to rural healthcare and contribute their small acts of kindness. Best wishes, thank you. [heart]

However, within a minute of the post being published, the comment section and reposts were flooded with comments.

The top-rated comment: "Dr. Chu!!! You and Zhou Ai met face-to-face in the ER, didn't you?! [Image]"

Second most popular comment: "Did Dr. Chu watch the show? What do you want to say about his behavior of refusing to drink? [doge emoji]"

Third most popular comment: "Hello doctor! Please thank Zhou Ai for the fireflies for us! (I know how to be fair)"

The fourth most popular comment (attempted to control the narrative by Zhou Ai's die-hard fans): "Thank you, Dr. Chu, for your hard work on the program! Let's focus on the program's charitable mission!"

Meanwhile, many more CP fans were cautiously testing the waters amidst the jubilation:

"Dr. Chu posted on Weibo! His tone is so official yet so cute!"

"He mentioned 'everything went smoothly'! Was he responding to Mr. Zhou saying 'I'm not late'?"

"This [heart emoji]! It's practically a perfect response to Zhou Ai's like!"

"Dr. Chu, if Zhou Ai doesn't eat properly next time, remember to prescribe some digestive tablets for him!"

"So... you really remember that glance in the emergency room, right?"

Almost the instant Chu Yi posted the Weibo, Zhou Ai grabbed her phone and liked it, then quickly commented below:

@ZhouAi: Dr. Chu, thank you for your hard work. [Cute]

The most fatal thing is that he not only directly mentioned "Dr. Chu" in the text, but also "casually" forwarded Chu Yi's official promotional Weibo post that couldn't be more official!

CP fans and casual observers arrived at the scene at lightning speed:

"Holy crap???????????????" (This comment topped the list of most popular comments by a huge margin)

"What did I just see??? Zhou Ai, was your account hacked???"

"Retweeted??? He actually used 'retweeted'!!! What is this if not a public declaration of love?!"

"I declare this to be the most courageous top star in the history of the Chinese entertainment industry, bar none!"

Zhou Ai: I'm coming clean, I'm not pretending anymore, I'm going to let the whole world know I have a wife!

The trending topics list is once again experiencing an earthquake:

#ZhouAi thanks Dr. Chu# (Breaking News)

#Zhou Ai reposts Chu Yi's Weibo post# (Breaking News)

#LoveCoupleOfficialAnnouncement# (Boiling Point)

#ZhouAi's Rice Paddy Photos# (Hot)

Speaking of this rice paddy photo, the CP fans have already flooded the Weibo account that Zhou Ai posted for Chu Yi.

@ZhouAi: Thank you Dr. Chu for taking the photos, your skills are amazing! [heart] // @ChuYi [Image]

The accompanying photo shows Zhou Ai squatting in front of golden rice stalks, a blade of grass dangling from her lips, her eyes fixed on the camera.

Sunshine, fields, unrestrained yet focused expressions... all these elements combined create a primal vitality and an indescribable, almost provocative intimacy.

"This photo...this look...Zhou Ai, who are you trying to hook up with?! You might as well just give me Dr. Chu's ID number!"

"@Dr. Chu Yichu! Look at him! He did it on purpose! You have to do something about it! (But I love watching this so much!)"

"So this amazing picture was taken by Dr. Chu?! Help! What kind of romantic couple photo is this?!"

"'Awesome technology'... Which technology? [doge] [doge] [doge]"

Chu Yi looked at Zhou Ai's comment that appeared instantly, and the even more heated scene under her Weibo post, and closed her eyes helplessly.

He turned to look at the culprit, who was looking at him with an innocent expression that seemed to say, "I was good, I didn't say anything."

Chu Yi felt that he might need to redefine what Zhou Ai meant by "convergence".

And this was only the first episode. As for the rest of the show... he could almost foresee that Xu Yang's public relations plans would never be able to keep up with the speed at which Young Master Zhou was stirring things up.

Chu Yi couldn't help but silently pray for Xu Yang in her heart.

Xu Yang's phone was bombarded with calls again within thirty seconds. Listening to the incoherent report from the PR team and looking at the "conclusive evidence" on the Weibo post, he felt a wave of dizziness and almost died on the spot.

With trembling hands, he dialed Zhou Ai's number, only to receive the message "The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable"—clearly, Young Master Zhou had switched to Do Not Disturb mode after committing his misdeeds.

The only thing that can comfort Xu Yang now is the string of cold numbers given to him by Young Master Zhou in his bank card, which can slightly soothe his fragile little heart.

On the internet, the legend of the "Love Couple" has been completely elevated to godhood because of this "divine picture of rice paddies" that was personally certified by the couple and taken by the other couple. It has become a classic bible that the couple fans talk about and repeatedly savor.

All previous speculations about "show effects" and "one-sided business" pale in comparison to this reposted Weibo post.

Zhou Ai used his own way to tell everyone: this is not hype, this is blatant favoritism and possessiveness.

Over the next few days, the online buzz continued, but inside my little corner of the internet, a strange peace and... stickiness remained.

At first, Zhou Ai would arrive at Chu Yi's house on time every day, even more punctual than when she went to work. But then, Chu Yi loosened her standards a little, and Zhou Ai started staying out all night, moving into Chu Yi's apartment without a second thought.

Chu Yi's return to work at the hospital is imminent, and the amount of work he needs to hand over and prepare is gradually increasing. He often sits at his desk, organizing data on the computer or reading the latest medical literature, his expression focused, as if the turbulent waves outside have nothing to do with him.

Zhou Ai, the top star who shines on stage and stirs up a storm on the internet, has completely transformed into Chu Yi's "large human pendant" these past few days.

He basically followed Chu Yi closely the moment he opened his eyes.

While Chu Yi was working in the study, he would curl up on the beanbag chair next to him with a tablet or game console, occasionally glancing up at Chu Yi's profile.

While Chu Yi was preparing a simple meal in the kitchen, he leaned against the counter, chatting idly or trying to engage in some "helping but hindering" interactions.

Even when Chu Yi got up to pour a glass of water, he would follow him naturally as if he were drawn by a magnet, wrap his arms around Chu Yi's waist from behind, rest his chin on Chu Yi's shoulder, and mutter, "Sweetie, I want some too."

"Zhou Ai, are you free?" Chu Yi tried for the nth time to peel this stubborn "sticky candy" off her, her tone tinged with helplessness, but more so with indulgence.

"I'm free," Zhou Ai said matter-of-factly, tightening her grip on his arm. "My schedule hasn't even started yet, this is my legal time to cling to you."

He leaned close to Chu Yi's ear, his voice low and slightly coquettish, "You'll be going back to work in a few days, and those nurses will definitely be fawning over you again... I need to get some 'Dr. Chu's exclusive companionship' in advance."

Chu Yi was amused by his twisted logic, but she kept a straight face and gently nudged him with her elbow: "Let go, I haven't finished reading the documents yet."

Zhou Ai reluctantly loosened her grip a little, but still stayed close to Chu Yi, looking at the dense medical terminology on his computer screen, and sighed: "Dr. Chu, you're too calm. The internet is in such a state of chaos, yet you can still calmly read the literature."

Chu Yi's gaze never left the screen, her fingers gliding across the touchpad, her tone flat: "Otherwise what? Am I supposed to be like you, glued to my phone all day reading comments, then hiding under the covers and grinning like an idiot?"

Caught off guard, Zhou Ai's ears turned slightly red, and she retorted defiantly, "I was just monitoring public opinion! As a public figure, I have a responsibility..."

"Is it my responsibility to personally give a thumbs up to the content created by CP fans?" Chu Yi finally turned her head, raised an eyebrow at him, and looked at him with a hint of mockery in her eyes.

Zhou Ai: "...That was a slip of the hand!"

Chu Yi snorted softly, ignoring him and continuing to focus on his work. His composure was indeed remarkable, partly due to his calm and focused personality, and partly... perhaps because the presence of this person beside him gave him a strong sense of security.

No matter how noisy the outside world was, he knew that this seemingly unreliable guy would stand firmly by his side in his own way.

Seeing that Chu Yi was no longer paying attention to her, Zhou Ai was not annoyed. She quietly stayed to the side, playing games for a while and scrolling through her phone (mainly looking at the latest posts on the CP super topic). Every now and then, she would look up and gaze at Chu Yi's handsome and serious profile under the light.

He looked at Chu Yi's slightly furrowed brows, at the occasional small gesture of him biting his lower lip as he pondered, at his slender fingers tapping on the keyboard... a full, warm emotion filled his chest.

This is the life he wants.

There is someone who can help him withdraw from the complexities of the entertainment industry and find inner peace. Someone who can make him willingly shed all his glamour and pretense, clinging to him and acting like a childish little boy.