Chapter 73: Once Again Spotted by the Paparazzi

“On the very first day, Qing brought me here!” Jiang Yan gritted her teeth in frustration, feeling as if her territory had been encroached upon. But since they were already here, she couldn’t be bothered to switch venues.

With Zhang Nan present at the table, neither of them dared to flirt openly. On the contrary, Zhang Nan seemed quite interested in Su Chen, bombarding him with questions and causing him a headache.

“I didn’t get to treat you to dinner last time, but tonight I’ve finally fulfilled my promise!” Jiang Yan said cheerfully to Su Chen over dinner.

Su Chen was momentarily taken aback, then nodded in silence.

“I’ve already sent the address of tomorrow’s press conference hotel to your phone!” Jiang Yan added. “Don’t forget to come!”

Su Chen checked his phone and indeed saw a private message from Jiang Yan.

“I’ll try my best to arrive on time tomorrow,” he replied.

Jiang Yan chuckled. “There’s no need to get there too early. Just come according to your own schedule.”

Zhang Nan, hearing this, blinked at Su Chen. “You’re coming to the press conference tomorrow too?”

Su Chen nodded slightly.

With Su Chen’s confirmation, Zhang Nan turned and shot Jiang Yan a teasing look. Jiang Yan glared at her, but Zhang Nan was unfazed, breaking into a mischievous smile.

Although Zhang Nan was Jiang Yan’s assistant, the two were as close as sisters and didn’t mind joking around.

After dinner, they dropped Su Chen off at the hotel entrance. He watched their car drive away before heading inside, unaware that not far behind him, hidden in a shadowy corner, a young man in black lowered his camera lens, his face alight with excitement.

-------------------------------------

“Fresh gossip! The little diva Jiang Yan meets the mysterious man once again!”

Shortly after Su Chen returned to the hotel, a self-media account quietly released a scoop on Weibo. The leaked video captured Jiang Yan entering the hotel and leaving together with Su Chen. Although Su Chen’s image was still blurry, their intimate gestures with Jiang Yan were evident.

“Tch! What new stunt are they pulling? Wasn’t the last incident enough?”
“Exactly, I was hyped up for days last time and ended up with nothing!”
“You guys just don’t get it. Jiang Yan’s new album press conference is tomorrow. Of course, they’re stirring up some drama to boost popularity!”
“So that’s what’s going on!”

“But this kind of publicity is getting old.”
“Whoever shot this video must be out of material. If that’s the case, just go home and farm!”
“……”

Surprisingly, the scoop landed like a pebble tossed into the sea—aside from a few ripples, it caused no great sensation. The netizens’ appetite for gossip was lukewarm at best. Clearly, the memory of Jiang Yan’s previous publicity stunt two months ago still lingered.

In a cramped rental room, the man in black slammed his mouse onto the table in frustration. He was an entertainment paparazzo, specializing in trailing hot celebrities. He’d chanced upon Jiang Yan at the airport today and had tailed her discreetly. After hours of waiting, he’d finally gotten usable footage—only to be mocked by netizens.

He was furious! His original plan had been to release the first video to generate buzz, then follow up with new material after a few days to maximize the hype. But now, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

He hunched over his keyboard and began typing furiously.

An hour later, a new exposé appeared on Weibo. This time, it wasn’t a video, but three photos: the first was a screenshot of Su Chen from the leaked video; the second, a high-definition photo of him taken with a camera; the third, a screenshot of Su Chen from the rumored scandal video two months prior. The article analyzed and compared the images in detail. The first and second photos, without doubt, were of the same person. Even the second and third, through comparisons of clothing, demeanor, and mannerisms, provided almost irrefutable evidence—it was definitely the same man.

This time, the post sparked a reaction online.

“Wait, both times the rumored man is the same person? Last time was in Jiangcheng, this time in the capital?”
“Did he rush from Jiangcheng to the capital just for this? Something feels off here!”
“Professional actors, don’t you know? They go where the ‘crew’ goes!”
“No, I think there’s more to this. If it were all staged, they’d at least pick someone unfamiliar to avoid trouble. This guy seems to know Jiang Yan personally!”
“I agree with the comment above!”
“You’re all too naive. Jiang Yan’s new album is about to drop. They’re just amping up the hype, don’t you see?”
“……”

Doubtful voices began to appear online after this post.

The man in black sat in front of his computer, scrutinizing each comment. As he read, he pumped his fist in triumph.

It worked!

Two hours later, the topic gained more and more traction. Curious onlookers, unaware of the backstory, began to flock in.

“Whoa, who’s this guy? He’s not bad looking!”
“So this is Jiang Yan’s rumored boyfriend? The same as last time? Wasn’t it all a publicity stunt?”
“That was last time. Now they’ve been caught together at a hotel in the capital. I doubt it’s just for show!”
“Could they actually be a couple? He’s handsome—Jiang Yan’s got good taste!”
“……”

The WeWave platform seemed to sense a story brewing and pushed the topic into trending searches. Jiang Yan’s rumored romance shot back up the hot list.

At this point, some of Jiang Yan’s male fans began to lose their composure.

“What the hell! Wasn’t it supposed to be fake? Is it real this time?”
“Who’s this guy? I want to challenge him to a duel!”
“How would you do that, with bayonets? Hahaha!”
“I can’t believe it. Jiang Yan went for a pretty boy like this!”
“Does anyone know who he is? I want to dig up everything about him!”
“……”

The situation was spiraling. Members of the celebrity chat group also took notice.

[Luo Zhe: @Jiang Yan, you’re back in the capital? When did this happen?]
[Ji Xiangyang: @Jiang Yan @Su Chen, another date?]
[Jiang Jing: @Jiang Yan, the media’s at it again, and they’ve leaked Su Chen’s photo. Looks like it’s about to blow up. Tell Su Chen to stay out of sight.]
[Ji Xiangyang: What should we do in this situation? Will Su Chen dare to go out?]
[Jiang Jing: Just keep a low profile for a while and don’t respond. As long as neither party speaks up, it’ll blow over.]
[Jiang Jing: Once the excitement fades and there’s no real gossip to be found, people will lose interest.]
[Jiang Jing: After all, it’s only a fraction of people doubting it. The company’s response last time still holds up.]

The group chatted for a while longer. Seeing that neither Jiang Yan nor Su Chen had spoken, their interest gradually waned. It was late, and most were ready to log off for the night.

At that moment, Lyu Yuanqing suddenly chimed in.

[Lyu Yuanqing: Actually, I think Jiang Yan and Su Chen make a great couple!]

Instantly, the group chat burst into lively discussion once more.