When he read the words “relationship in flux” Shao Yinan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
How could there be any “flux” in their relationship and he, the person involved, be the last to know?
Even if he wasn’t the sharpest tool, he suspected someone was stirring trouble behind the scenes. He flipped through a few hot-search screenshots and the pieces fell into place. Wen Yin must have run into Jian Nian; the three of them had a meal, a paparazzo snapped a few shots, and some malicious editor had cropped and spun them into this mess.
A faint smile—almost a smirk—tugged at the corner of Shao’s mouth, but there was ice beneath it. He didn’t know when the photos had been taken, but whoever had done this deliberately would pay for it.
Some things might need to be acknowledged publicly. With that in mind he told Secretary Li, “Go pick Wen Yin up.”
Shao said it coolly, then moved to head back into his office.
Secretary Li nodded, but hesitated, worry written all over his face. “Mr. Shao—what about the trending posts? Do you want me to get PR on this?”
He couldn’t be sure the video was fake, but the profile and the silhouette in the photos were unmistakably their Wen. What he didn’t understand was why she’d be walking down the street holding hands with another man and a little girl. Wen had on sunglasses and looked low-key—maybe she’d been recognized by fans—but he hadn’t expected photos from just half an hour ago to blow up this fast.
Shao knew, just as Secretary Li did, that without a push from someone the posts wouldn’t have reached the top in thirty minutes. Secretary Li straightened, phone in hand, and just as he was about to call Wen, the microblog feed refreshed and another trending topic popped up. He glanced at it, then handed his phone to Shao with trembling hands.
“Mr. Shao… you should see this one yourself.”
He swallowed hard. He had a feeling Shao would be furious—enough to flip a table.
When Shao’s eyes landed on the new image, the temperature in the room seemed to drop three or four degrees. Secretary Li hugged his arms to himself as if to pull in some heat and stammered, “Mr. Shao, maybe we should… pull some of the other posts? At least take this down—”
He didn’t say it out loud, but the thought was there: you’d be upset, too.
Shao’s smile, however, hardened into something cold and almost cruel. “If someone spent good money to buy trending topics, let’s let it simmer before we put it out. Make them enjoy it for a little while.”
Secretary Li felt as if he’d lit a candle for the people behind those posts. He’d never seen his boss like this before—recklessly dangerous, the sort of smile that used to mark the end of companies. Once, when Shao had smiled that way, a rival’s business had been buried and the weeds had grown three meters high over its grave. Seeing that expression now, Secretary Li didn’t linger. He practically ran downstairs to pick up Wen.
On social media, the image of Wen had already split the internet into a war zone. In the photo the man’s face was partly obscured—only the lower half visible—while Wen’s face was in full view. There was a smear of ketchup at the corner of her mouth, and the man was leaning in with a napkin, carefully wiping it away. Wen didn’t struggle. A little girl sat by her side.
Marketing accounts and gossip columns dissected the scene. They pointed out that Wen only had an older brother and a sister—no younger brothers or male cousins—so this man couldn’t be a family member. Theories multiplied: a secret lover, an illicit affair. Fans and haters swarmed.
Shao’s most devoted followers seized the moment to bash Wen. “I said she was trouble from the start—only cozying up to Shao for screen time.” “Look what she’s done to him.” “She’s brazenly parading her lover. Does she have no shame?” “Is she insane? Publicly putting a green hat on him like that—how dare she.” “Everyone’s watching—Shao must be regretting his choice now.” “If my boyfriend looked like that, I’d slap myself for cheating.”
Wen’s fans fought back just as fast. “Do people seriously believe these marketing accounts?” “We’re adults—use your own judgment instead of being puppets.” “If you can’t see what’s cute about Wen, that’s your loss, not hers.” “All this from a few photos—get a grip.” “Green hat? You’re the ones jumping the gun.”
The two sides tore into each other, while bystanders watched in astonishment. Shao and Wen had been the internet’s golden couple, and now—without explanation—everyone was expecting a breakup.
Wen only realized how big the mess had become when Secretary Li, sitting in the car beside her, quietly told her. He watched the color drain from her face and tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry, sis. Mr. Shao’s already investigating. We’ll sort this out soon.”
His words didn’t do much for her. She replayed the afternoon in her head, searching for anything odd. She’d been focused almost entirely on Jian Nian and hadn’t noticed anyone suspicious. The photo, she was sure, had been taken deliberately.
In her memory, Jian had only offered her a tissue. He’d leaned over, about to wipe the ketchup away, and in reflex she’d pulled back. It was a flash—barely a second—but someone had caught it and framed it to tell the wrong story.