What started as a minor incident quickly spiraled out of control.
The photo circulating online was manageable since there were plenty of witnesses at the police station, but how could she explain the follow on Weibo?
Sheng Jingchu went out to eat and followed the restaurant owner just to get a 20% discount?
Who would believe that?
Even an entire bottle of aspirin couldn’t soothe Cheng Liao’s tormented soul. She picked up her phone, staring at Xiao Qi’s number in her contacts.
After hesitating, she finally dialed Xiao Qi’s number.
On the other end, Xiao Qi was in a state of panic. The person who started all this was calmly sitting cross-legged, studying a Go board, unable to understand why everyone was so concerned about this issue. After all, he had only followed one person on Weibo. The reason he had never followed anyone before was simply that he wasn’t interested and no one had ever asked him to.
Xiao Qi had already fielded countless calls, all of which he had deflected, especially those wanting to speak with Sheng Jingchu directly. Handling the media required careful wording—one ambiguous phrase could be twisted into an endless string of misinterpretations in tomorrow’s headlines.
When Cheng Liao called, Xiao Qi was contemplating how to handle the situation. Canceling the follow now was out of the question—it would only provoke public outrage. A low-key approach seemed too passive. The key was to ensure that the woman involved didn’t seize the opportunity to stir up trouble. If neither side commented, the attention would eventually die down.
Xiao Qi’s strategy made sense, but it was still based on Sheng Jingchu’s perspective.
Cheng Liao, on the other hand, felt deeply wronged, her anger rising. "It’s as if I’ve gained some huge benefit from this," she fumed, her voice escalating uncontrollably. "How am I supposed to find a partner now? My first love hasn’t even started, and it’s already turned into a second one. Who’s going to compensate me for this loss?"
Xiao Qi winced at her outburst.
Sheng Jingchu could almost imagine Cheng Liao’s furious expression, wondering if her bangs were down, because they would surely be fluttering from the force of her breath.
He gestured for Xiao Qi to hand him the phone.
Cheng Liao was still on a roll: "So who’s going to vouch for me? You, or maybe Mr. Sheng himself? Let’s just sign a contract right now. From now on, whoever gets into a relationship first has to vouch for the other!"
The voice on the other end suddenly changed, becoming as cold and clear as a mountain spring beneath a layer of ice.
"It’s me."
Hearing Sheng Jingchu’s voice, Cheng Liao immediately felt a wave of embarrassment. Her voice softened, and she began absentmindedly drawing circles on the table. "Oh, it’s you."
A silence followed.
Sheng Jingchu didn’t mind, but he knew this situation was no small matter for a young woman.
So he apologized first, "I’m very sorry."
That apology instantly extinguished Cheng Liao’s anger.
"Well, it’s not really your fault. It’s all just a coincidence. I definitely won’t use this as an opportunity for self-promotion, but I can’t say the same for my company. If any rumors start, it’s completely out of my control."
Thinking about her team leader’s warning, Cheng Liao couldn’t help but feel discouraged. "Who knows if I’ll even be around by the time the company starts the publicity campaign. I might get fired tomorrow."
The lingering taste of the slightly bitter sweetness on her tongue made her pause before she changed the subject. "I heard you’re going to Hangzhou soon for a competition? Well, good luck—make our country proud." Realizing this was a domestic competition, she quickly corrected herself. "Just play as you like. Winning is great, but if you lose, just treat it as practice."
Sheng Jingchu looked out the window at the pale blue night sky, where a faint crescent moon hung dimly. He recalled how, before competitions in his childhood, his teacher would carefully instruct him on his daily routine but would say little about the match itself, emphasizing only the importance of keeping a calm mind.
At the time, he thought the teacher didn’t care about the outcome. It wasn’t until many years later, when he had strayed far from his original path, burdened with the expectations, honors, and controversies that came with his success, that he realized how easy victory seemed but how difficult it was to maintain that calmness in defeat.
After hanging up the phone, he sighed quietly.
The next day, with the previous day’s events weighing on her mind, Cheng Liao headed to work with a sense of finality. The large "Show Style" sign on the building was accompanied by the company’s mascot, Showshow, a chubby squirrel holding a chestnut.
It seemed like every internet company had to be associated with an animal—Alibaba had its cat, Tencent its penguin, Sohu its fox, and YY its little raccoon.
Cheng Liao gazed at Showshow with a hint of sadness. The squirrel’s two large front teeth gleamed, and she fancied that Showshow was reluctant to see her go as well.
As soon as she entered the company lobby, a girl with a bob haircut, around sixteen or seventeen years old, darted over to her.
The girl carefully scrutinized Cheng Liao before speaking in a voice tinged with tears, "Please take good care of our Yuanbao."
Thanks to her father’s active presence on Weibo, Cheng Liao’s entire life was laid bare by netizens. As an intern reporter in Show Style’s video editing department, her association with a professional Go player was seen as her gaining unfair access to the stars, as if she had managed to "reach out and touch the moon."
Cheng Liao couldn’t understand it—Go was a niche interest, and she couldn’t even grasp what a "ko fight" was. How could Sheng Jingchu have so many fans?
Moreover, a single Go match could last an entire day. They were all young people—how could they have the patience to watch from start to finish? Were they truly so passionate about traditional Chinese culture?
If that were the case, Sheng Jingchu’s junior, Cao Xihe, who was also a top player, should have just as many fans.
It seemed that good looks equated to justice, and most of his fans were likely drawn to his appearance.
Cheng Liao was just about to explain this to the girl, but before she could say anything, the girl had already wiped her tears and run off.
When Cheng Liao reached the 16th floor, she received a call from Xiao Qi: "You need to get to the airport right away. I’m at Terminal 8. Mr. Sheng has agreed to your interview."
It took a moment for Cheng Liao to process this. Xiao Qi kept urging her, "Hurry up! The plane leaves in less than an hour—no, 59 minutes. Send me your ID number, and I’ll book your ticket."
"Flying?"
"Yes, Mr. Sheng is heading to Hangzhou. You’ll interview him there."
It took a while for Cheng Liao to digest this information. With trembling hands, she sent her ID number to Xiao Qi. Soon after, she received the ticket information from the airline.
After receiving the information, she quickly reported to her team leader.
The team leader stared at her for a moment before saying, "Then go."
It was a light and casual remark, and he didn’t even assign a cameraman to accompany her.
Cheng Liao had to borrow a DV camera from the equipment team. With no time to go home and pack, she hurriedly took a taxi to the airport.
Xiao Qi was waiting at the airport entrance, and he handed her a piece of luggage.
"These are Mr. Sheng’s clothes. He needs a change every day—I’ve packed for ten days. The suit inside is a Rubinacci, which he’ll wear during the competition. Mr. Sheng doesn’t eat wasabi, scallions, or garlic, and he dislikes cilantro, so be mindful of these when ordering food. And when he sleeps, make sure to leave a nightlight on—Mr. Sheng doesn’t sleep well in total darkness."
"And most importantly, this!" Xiao Qi pulled out a book from his bag. "This is the Tao Te Ching. Mr. Sheng likes to read it before his matches."
Cheng Liao was a bit bewildered. She remembered Xiao Qi saying that Mr. Sheng had agreed to an interview, so what was with all this extra baggage?
"I have an emergency back home and need to fly to Guangzhou right away. I’m leaving Mr. Sheng in your care. Stay in touch with me over the phone," Xiao Qi repeated several times before rushing into the airport.
Left with no choice, Cheng Liao dragged the luggage into the terminal. After retrieving her boarding pass with her ID, she found Sheng Jingchu’s waiting area based on the flight information.
He was sitting quietly in a corner. Despite the crowd filling the other seats, his row was conspicuously empty. The only person nearby, a middle-aged man, kept scooting further away, and when a spot opened up in the row ahead, he quickly moved there.
A "keep your distance" aura seemed to emanate from him. Although it was 38°C outside and at least 25°C inside, the air around him felt like it had dropped below freezing.
Yan Xiao had complained to Cheng Liao more than once, "Sheng Jingchu is so hard to approach. One look from him, and I’m shivering all over."
Dragging the luggage over, Cheng Liao wiped the sweat from her brow with a tissue.
"Mr. Sheng, I seriously suggest you have a word with Xiao Qi. This bag is so heavy, I feel like my arm’s about to break. Did he sneak an atomic bomb in here or something?"
Sheng Jingchu looked up at her, his eyes far darker than the average person’s, like the eyes of a newborn, filled with an inky depth.
No wonder Yan Xiao felt cold—Cheng Liao also felt a coolness around her.
His gaze settled on her collar, where a small carrot was embroidered. The shirt was simple in design but had a playful touch, full of imagination.
She seemed particularly fond of this style of clothing. Yesterday, it was a fox, and today, a carrot.
His eyes moved upward. She had tied her bangs back into a high ponytail, revealing a smooth, fair face. Perhaps she had rushed over, as her cheeks were slightly flushed. In the sunlight, fine, soft hairs were visible on her skin, like the fuzz on a freshly picked peach in May.
Retracting his gaze, his voice was as calm and unhurried as ever. "You can call me."
Cheng Liao mumbled, "But I need to know your phone number for that."
"You can call Xiao Qi first and have him give you my number."
After a moment of silence, Cheng Liao felt truly foolish.
Sheng Jingchu took out a carbon pen and extended his hand toward her. "Your hand."
She extended her hand, and he held her wrist, writing a series of numbers on her palm.
His touch was cool, his fingertips surprisingly soft. As the pen’s ballpoint glided across her palm, it tickled, making her hand twitch.
When he finished, he told her, "That’s my phone number."
You could’ve just told me verbally, or even entered it into my phone yourself. But no, you had to do it like this in front of everyone…
Feeling a bit guilty, Cheng Liao glanced around before quickly entering the number into her phone’s contact list. After a moment of hesitation, she labeled it "BBK," shorthand for "babyking."
After she saved the number, she decided to call him. "Here’s mine."
Sheng Jingchu hung up the call immediately. "I know."
Well, you know my number now—why not give me a call so I can save yours too?
Cheng Liao bit her lip in frustration.
"Are you upset?"
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