Chapter Thirteen: Slaps in the Face and Innocent Victims (Part Three)

Knowing her disguise was secure, Bai Chenxi smugly continued to follow the gossip.

An innocent bystander: Who is this woman? Chu Muyun isn’t even wearing a mask, but she’s all wrapped up. Is she a celebrity too?

All Gods Belong to Me: The person above might be onto something. Fans from every camp, why are you hesitating? Hurry up and see whose idol’s world is collapsing!

Only Love Muyun: Taking away my brother, I trust him.

Gossip Crowd: Stop taking him away. Clearly your brother is dating, who knows, maybe they already have kids.

Only Love Muyun: He doesn’t date. There are so many actresses every day trying to stir up rumors with him; this is just another publicity stunt.

I’m the Class Rep: Stop arguing, isn’t the real question who the girl is?

[Finally someone gets to the point. Usually, fans can recognize their idol just by their eyes, and now everyone’s collectively blind?]

[Why does she look more and more like my goddess? Please, no!]

[Quick! Who is your goddess upstairs?]

[There are tons of girls in the entertainment industry with this figure and hairstyle. Who knows who it is!]

[I have a feeling Chu Muyun is about to have a whole batch of rumored girlfriends.]

[Clearly your internet is stuck in 2G; who would dare to latch onto rumors with Chu Muyun? Not afraid of being exposed in minutes, huh?]

[Exactly, didn’t all those suspected people issue statements clarifying it wasn’t them? Our idol’s popularity isn’t something just anyone can ride.]

Bai Chenxi scrolled through other trending topics, all she saw were news items where actresses directly or indirectly denied being the woman in the video.

She was thoroughly confused. Was Chu Muyun really so detestable? He didn’t seem that way!

“Wang, isn’t it common for people to use this opportunity for publicity? Why is everyone avoiding it like the plague?”

“I have no idea where all your gossip consumption has led you,” Wang Ling said, looking at Bai Chenxi. “At least get some results from all these rumors, okay?”

“What did I do wrong?” Bai Chenxi looked at Wang Ling, feeling aggrieved. How could something as simple as following gossip give her trouble? She’d rather avoid Chu Muyun altogether these days, so why would she pay attention to him?

Wang Ling sighed helplessly. “If it were someone else, maybe an actress would try to stir up some buzz. As long as she doesn’t openly admit it, everything’s just speculation by netizens; she gains traffic without losing anything.”

“Usually, these rumors are impossible to clarify, especially for male celebrities. If you don’t respond, you’re accused of lacking responsibility; if you do, you’re branded heartless. So most stars leave some ambiguity in their statements, and can’t help but let others ride their popularity.”

“But Chu Muyun is different. He doesn’t care about offending anyone. When he first got famous, some people tried to leech off him; he directly called them out by name, saying they had nothing to do with him. He got a lot of criticism for it, but he never changed. Eventually, no one dared to try to ride his hype anymore—if you tried, you’d not only fail but end up embarrassed.”

Bai Chenxi pouted: That guy really is consistent, always with that rotten attitude. She couldn’t understand what his fans saw in him.

“Wang, how did Chu Muyun manage to survive in the industry with that personality—and actually do pretty well?”

“Chu Muyun acts however he wants, and he’s offended plenty of people early on. But his talent is unmatched. The music industry isn’t doing well now, but every song he releases becomes a hit.”

Wang Ling looked at Bai Chenxi and took the opportunity to lecture: “See the importance of real ability? Popularity and hype are fleeting. What really lets you stand firm is your own skill. Your work is your greatest foundation.”

“I get it!” Bai Chenxi smiled, accepting Wang Ling’s nagging.

Wang Ling was wonderful, just a bit too talkative. She could turn any situation into a teaching moment. Sometimes Bai Chenxi wondered if Wang had been a teacher before.

But Bai Chenxi knew it was all for her own good, and she was happy to accept Wang’s ‘loving care.’

Soon, Chu Muyun’s studio also posted a clarification online. They shared the gossip post: Thank you for your concern, still single.

[That scared me! I knew it couldn’t be true.]

[Trust our idol. Paparazzi these days have no limits.]

[I’m not nitpicking, but is that all? Isn’t anyone curious about their relationship? They looked pretty close.]

[Anti-fans, get lost! How was that close? Can’t friends just have a meal together?]

[The ones claiming hard evidence, where’s your proof now?]

[Fans are terrifying. I’m out—]

[Since he clarified, it’s definitely not true.]

[After all these years, every rumor ends up with marketing accounts getting slapped in the face. Our idol is truly a relief.]

Once the truth was out, Chu Muyun’s ‘Sunset’ fans retreated, focusing on their own idol and careful not to attract negative attention.

But the gossip crowd lingered—skeptics, defenders, and chaotic anti-fans from who knows where continued their noisy battle. Bai Chenxi happily enjoyed the show.

While Bai Chenxi was pleased, the subject of the rumors was not.

“Muyun, if you’re dating, why are you hiding it from the family? We wouldn’t break you up. Find a time to bring her home for dinner. Your parents and I—”

“Grandma!” Seeing things spiraling out of control, Chu Muyun had to interrupt. Otherwise, she’d probably start planning the wedding date.

“Grandma, what are you talking about? I don’t have a girlfriend. That was Bai Chenxi. Didn’t you want me to invite her for a meal?”

“What? You said that was Chenxi?” The voice on the other side of the phone grew louder.

“As real as it gets.”

Upon hearing Chu Muyun, Grandma kept repeating through the phone, “Chenxi is wonderful, Chenxi is wonderful!”

Before Chu Muyun could say anything else, she hung up. Staring at his phone, Chu Muyun genuinely didn’t understand what was so great about Bai Chenxi that made Grandma like her so much.

Looking at Xiaowen nearby, who was staring at him with fervor, he felt even more troubled.

Here was another die-hard fan convinced he was dating his goddess.

For the first time in his life, Chu Muyun wondered: had he unintentionally offended some deity? Or was it karma for some misdeed in a past life, sending Bai Chenxi to torment him? She was like a persistent shadow, always within earshot.

Luckily, dinner was over. As long as he avoided seeing Grandma, especially when she called, he could steer clear of Bai Chenxi. If they never met, Grandma couldn’t play matchmaker no matter how much she wanted.

Thinking this, Chu Muyun’s mood improved slightly.

At this moment, if Bai Chenxi knew, she’d surely say: So self-centered! I don’t want to see you either, yet you’re the one acting aggrieved.

“Old Chu, did you hear what our grandson said?” Grandma asked Grandpa excitedly after hanging up.

Grandpa looked at Grandma with indulgence—she was so grown up, yet still like a child. “I heard, Muyun said that girl was Chenxi. Isn’t that enough to make you happy?”

Grandma beamed even brighter. “Of course I’m happy. When I thought Muyun had a girlfriend, I was worried he and Chenxi wouldn’t have a chance.”

“Muyun, Chenxi.” Grandma murmured, as if recalling something. She smiled and said, “Old Chu, you see, these two children are destined for each other! One is ‘Muyun,’ the other ‘Chenxi’—even their names are a perfect match.”