Chapter Twenty-Six: You Have Fallen in Love with Him

Chu Muyun's visit to the set was no secret—it had long since been posted online. Photos of his visit kept surfacing, and hashtags like #ChuMuyunandBaiChenxi# and #ChuMuyunVisitsSet# trended all day. When Bai Chenxi finally saw them, the buzz had already died down a bit in the evening.

[Wow! Not even bothering to clarify anymore, and now visiting the set—must really be together!]
[I’m shipping this!]
[Both have clarified they’re single, but who believes that?]
[Sis, who takes these statements seriously nowadays? Today it’s “no relation,” tomorrow it’s “married.”]
[Did you see that gift box? That’s irrefutable proof.]
[Sis, I get you. Only a boyfriend would give something that girly. I’ve accepted reality.]
[Same here. Never thought my idol would gift something so sweet—must be true love. Wishing them well!]
[Stop pretending to be his fan, CP shippers. A single box is proof? What about the clarification statement?]
[This is just BCX hyping things up. She stirs up gossip with every male lead she works with, and now she’s clinging to our idol since he hasn’t denied it.]
[Totally agree—just another scheming hype girl. And all the “blessings” for her? Our idol doesn’t need someone like her.]
[But not denying it means there’s something, right? Or are you just pretending not to see?]
[He never denied having dinner with her, but he did clarify they’re not dating. It’s just her trying to stir things up.]
[Always calling it hype—do you think she doesn’t have fans? We clarified she’s single too.]
[Whisking our goddess away. She’s stunning all on her own.]
[Is Lin Yue not handsome enough? Is Blue Sky not adorable? What’s your idol got to do with this?]
[I’ll just wait for her to get slapped in the face. No way our idol lets her ride on his fame like this—just wait and see.]
[Enough talk, @ChuMuyunStudio @ZhangKai get to work.]

Seeing this, Bai Chenxi was furious. Were these people brainless? Which part of her was stirring up drama? They wouldn’t believe the clarification, and then twisted things to say she was hyping it up.

“Fine, if you’re going to play blind, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Muttering to herself, she furiously tapped away on her phone, her fingers nearly stabbing through the keyboard.

Zhang Kai’s phone chimed. He glanced at it, then gave Chu Muyun a look filled with sympathy. “Muyun, you’re doomed. What did you do to her? She’s publicly cutting ties with you by name—you’re really getting a taste of your own medicine.”

“What now?” Chu Muyun’s voice was weary; a day with Bai Chenxi was more exhausting than working non-stop.

“See for yourself. Good luck!” Zhang Kai generously handed over his phone.

Chu Muyun took it with suspicion. Hashtags #BaiChenxiPost# and #BaiChenxiRespondsToHaters# were trending again. What now? He raised an eyebrow and clicked in.

Bai Chenxi V: Today, Chu Muyun came to see Blue Sky, not me. We have absolutely nothing to do with each other. I am single, single, single. No attachment, no hype, no rumors. I am making this solemn clarification—please stop pretending not to see it, some of you.

[Just because you say so doesn’t make it true. Plenty of people have been proven wrong.]
[Bai Chenxi V: Single. Not afraid of being slapped in the face.]

[Got it—they’re not together yet, but it’s ambiguous.]
[Bai Chenxi V: No ambiguity, thank you.]
[Two-faced—publicly saying one thing, doing another. Masterful hype.]
[Bai Chenxi V: Maybe you need your eyes checked.]

Zhang Kai teased, “Usually it’s always you clarifying things. Now it’s her turn. You two really are ‘birds of a feather flock together.’”

Chu Muyun pinched the bridge of his nose, saying nothing.

“Muyun, if you really like her, just go for it. We’re all about talent, not this kind of nonsense.”

Chu Muyun looked at Zhang Kai. What was up with him today? Normally he didn’t oppose the idea of dating, but now he seemed to be actively encouraging it.

Zhang Kai, however, was just enjoying the rare sight of this aloof man finally coming down to earth. If he didn’t stick around, how else would he have his fun?

“You’re overthinking it. There’s nothing going on,” Chu Muyun’s denial sounded a bit hollow.

“Kai, if…” Zhang Kai’s ears perked up immediately—he knew something was up.

“Forget it. Just tell me tomorrow’s schedule,” Chu Muyun changed his mind.

Zhang Kai reluctantly began listing the next day’s agenda, muttering about how rare it was for someone to backtrack after almost confessing.

Meanwhile, Bai Chenxi continued her “friendly interaction” with netizens.

[Of course, goddess only sees the haters. As a true fan, I feel so small and helpless.]
[Bai Chenxi V: I see you! (pat on the head)]
[Goddess, don’t mind them. Your career fans will always support you—make more great dramas!]
[Bai Chenxi V: Working on it, hope you’ll support the new one.]

Even at a time like this, Bai Chenxi didn’t miss the chance to promote her new show. She was happily replying when her phone rang, startling her.

Uh-oh. She’d been so caught up replying online that she forgot to notify Sister Wang. She was doomed!

With a trembling hand, she answered, “Can you please stop causing trouble, young lady?”

“Sister Wang, I just got carried away after seeing those comments online.”

“If you’re upset, use an alternate account! Don’t you know those gossip accounts are watching your every move? The moment you make a statement, they have something to write about.”

When silence followed, Bai Chenxi resorted to acting cute. “Sister Wang, I was wrong. I just wanted to clarify things once and for all so people would believe me.”

“Alright, that’s enough.”

To be honest, Wang actually felt it was good to clear things up. She remembered that call from Zhang Kai the other day, which left her uneasy. What if Chu Muyun really did like Bai Chenxi?

With that thought, Wang Ling felt compelled to double-check. “You’re sure there’s nothing going on with Chu Muyun? You’ve posted this on Weibo—if anything happens now, it’ll be embarrassing.”

Though Wang Ling couldn’t see her, Bai Chenxi still raised her hand in a solemn oath. “I swear, there’s nothing between us.”

“Good. Then please, for my sake, keep a low profile. I’m losing more hair these days than I do in half a year.”

Wang Ling was truly at her wit’s end. In just a few days without her around, Bai Chenxi had trended multiple times. If she didn’t have other work, she’d have come to keep an eye on her in person.

Bai Chenxi stuck out her tongue playfully, “Got it. You’ve worked hard, Sister Wang. I’ll send you a bottle of ‘anti-hair loss’ treatment.” She hung up quickly, grinning mischievously as she did.

After hanging up, she didn’t bother with Weibo anymore and put her phone aside to go to sleep.

Just as she was drifting off, Lin Yue called.

“What is it? Speak,” she said, half-asleep.

Her tone gave her away—she’d clearly been dozing.

“I have to hand it to you—everyone’s staying up late online, waiting for your scandal to break, and you’re calmly sleeping.”

“I’m hanging up,” Bai Chenxi had no time for his nonsense.

“Wait! Don’t hang up.” Lin Yue protested loudly. “I haven’t even asked the main thing—what’s going on with you and Chu Muyun? You posted such a decisive statement. Aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it?”

Here we go again. Why did everyone think she’d regret it? How could she, when nothing was going on between them?

“There’s nothing between us, so what would I regret?” Bai Chenxi, already tired, was getting irritable.

Lin Yue didn’t believe her at all. “If there’s nothing, why did your Weibo post sound so aggrieved?”

“How was it aggrieved? You’ve been reading too much gossip,” she shot back.

“I know you. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t pay attention to what netizens say. But look at what you posted—it’s clearly because you’re mad at them for accusing you of hyping things up. Isn’t that caring?”

“I was just angry,” Bai Chenxi retorted righteously.

“So when Blue Sky’s fans or… some of my fans talk about you, do you care?” Lin Yue’s voice softened a bit when mentioning his own fans, clearly feeling guilty.

“I don’t care what they say. They’re the ones who get worked up, not me,” Bai Chenxi replied without hesitation.

She really didn’t care what they said—since none of it was true, all they could do was rant online. If she got worked up over every little thing in the entertainment industry, she’d never get anything done.

“You see, Bai Chenxi, I think you’re in love with him.” Lin Yue spoke with the air of a seasoned pro, and before Bai Chenxi could react, he hung up with a flourish.

“How could that be?” Bai Chenxi muttered, but the call had already ended.

She put down her phone and tried to sleep, but found she couldn’t. Lin Yue’s words—“Bai Chenxi, you’re in love with him”—kept replaying endlessly in her mind.