Chapter 25 : Recognizing the Girl by Her Silhouette

Tuesday.

As soon as Song Zhiyi arrived at the newsroom in the morning, Lin Qiqi grabbed her and started shaking her excitedly.

“Zhiyi, did you know Ling Xingyu is coming to Border Town today?” Lin Qiqi clung to Song Zhiyi’s arm, her face lighting up. “Ahhh, I love him so much!”

Ling Xingyu had debuted in a boy band at the age of 18 after participating in a talent show. Although he ranked fifth, his handsome looks quickly won him a legion of fans who adored him for his appearance.

The group, called Chasing Light Youth Band, disbanded when Ling Xingyu was 21, with all seven members pursuing solo careers.

Supported by a strong base of female fans, Ling Xingyu released several solo albums that performed well in sales.

Today marked the fourth anniversary of a tragic anti-narcotics operation in Border Town, during which several officers lost their lives. To honor their sacrifice, a campaign promoting a stand against “gambling, drugs, and vice” was organized, and Ling Xingyu, a rising idol, was tasked by his manager to attend and lend his star power to the cause.

Participating in such positive campaigns also meant gaining more fans—good publicity, after all.

“This time, we’re the hosts. The newsroom has secured an exclusive interview with Ling Xingyu, and I’m determined to get it!” Lin Qiqi was a self-proclaimed “wife fan” of Ling Xingyu, having followed him since his debut.

She’d even spent her college days making her roommates vote for him and buy milk for the talent show promotions. Becoming a journalist, to some extent, was her way of staying close to her idol!

“But wouldn’t they give the interview to a senior reporter instead of interns like us?” Song Zhiyi didn’t want to dampen her excitement but felt compelled to point out the obvious. The event was significant, so it was unlikely they’d assign such an important task to junior interns.

“……” Lin Qiqi’s excitement deflated as her face fell. “You’re right.”

After all, she was just a rookie intern who had been here for only four months. How could she possibly land an exclusive interview with a celebrity?

“Waaah… My Xingyu hubby! My big, dazzling hubby… Gone!”

“Xiao Song.” Just then, Su Hong, the chief editor, pushed open the newsroom door. Adjusting her black-framed glasses, she walked up to Song Zhiyi. “This afternoon’s exclusive interview with Ling Xingyu—are you interested in taking it on?”

Song Zhiyi: “?”
Lin Qiqi: “??”
Everyone: “???”

What?!

Weren’t interns not even in the running for such tasks?

“After you helped the police solve the Chi Lin case last time, I saw how calm and composed you were under pressure. You’ve got potential, so this will be good practice for you,” Su Hong explained.

Ever since the Chi Lin case, Su Hong had started seeing Song Zhiyi differently. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge before—beauty didn’t necessarily equate to incompetence.

“Chief! Chief, look at me!” Lin Qiqi immediately raised her hand. “I can do it too!”

“You?” Su Hong glanced at her. “I know you’re a fan of Ling Xingyu. If I send you, are you going to fangirl over him on the spot?”

“……”

“What about our newsroom’s reputation then?”

Lin Qiqi: ?╭╮?
Chief, that’s harsh!

It’s not like she’d be that exaggerated! At most… she’d just give her idol a big hug!

“Song is much more reliable,” Su Hong concluded.

Lin Qiqi: “……”

Well, Song Zhiyi did have a boyfriend, which probably made her less likely to swoon over a star.

If she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t be simping over a male idol either! It’s just… loneliness, that’s all…

“But I’ve never interviewed a celebrity before,” Song Zhiyi glanced at Lin Qiqi, who was now slumped over her desk drawing circles, practically radiating despair.

“What, you don’t think you can do it?”

“Of course I can.”

“Then it’s settled!” Su Hong made the decision final.

“……”

The chief editor was as decisive as ever.

The rest of the newsroom cast envious glances at Song Zhiyi. Su Hong was known for her strictness, yet she seemed to have a lot of faith in this intern.

If Song Zhiyi decided to stay on at Border Town Daily after her internship, she might very well climb to the editor’s seat in the future!

“Do you think the chief figured out I’m a Ling Xingyu fan?” Lin Qiqi was utterly puzzled.

“Look at your computer desktop.”

On Lin Qiqi’s desktop was a high-definition photo of Ling Xingyu.

It would’ve been harder not to notice.

“Darn it!” Lin Qiqi slapped her thigh. “I got careless!”

“Zhiyi, I’m out of luck… But could you at least help me get an autographed photo?” Lin Qiqi looked at Song Zhiyi with puppy-dog eyes. “I’ll treat you to barbecue next time!”

“Sure.”

Someone offering barbecue was always welcome.

…

A campaign promoting “Say No to Gambling, Drugs, and Pornography” was set up in the central plaza. The event began with a police officer giving a speech, followed by a celebrity leading the way, rallying students and bystanders to sign their names as a gesture of support.

“Captain Chen, there are so many people today,” Sun Yang remarked as he drove the police car, noting the densely packed crowd in the central plaza. “I don’t think there were this many last year.”

“They say they invited a trendy young celebrity this time—huge fanbase,” replied a junior officer in the passenger seat, who had just looked up information about Ling Xingyu. “Here, that’s him.”

“Let me see…” Sun Yang wasn’t into celebrity culture and didn’t recognize Ling Xingyu, but when he saw the face, he instinctively frowned. “That makeup is way over the top, isn’t it?”

You couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman!

“Careful, his die-hard fans might come after you,” the junior officer teased.

“Pfft! Who’d dare mess with a cop?” Sun Yang raised his chin proudly. “Our captain’s not less handsome than him, anyway.”

“Totally agree!”

Captain Chen Mo: “…”

The compliments were getting out of hand.

The precinct chief gave the opening speech himself. Apart from the elementary school students in attendance, most people looked rather bored—the majority of the crowd were young folks who had come to see the celebrity.

Even though police officers were the ones ensuring public safety, they still couldn’t compete with a screen idol.

After the chief finished speaking, Chen Mo directed Sun Yang and the others to unroll a long banner at the back for people to sign.

Then it was Ling Xingyu’s turn to appear.

“Ahhhh—hubby! Hubby!!!”

“So handsome! My hubby is so handsome! Over here!”

“Xingyu hubby, I’ll have your babies!!!”

Sun Yang rubbed his ears, watching the previously listless girls suddenly come alive, as if they’d been injected with pure adrenaline. The scene was like a massive throwback to primitive times.

“Everyone, cherish your lives. Please stay away from drugs and gambling~” Dressed in a sleek black suit, Ling Xingyu spoke, then took the lead by signing the banner.

“Got it, got it! Hubby said not to do it, so I won’t!”

“Xingyu, take care of yourself too!”

Good grief!

This celebrity’s words carried more weight than their parents’ nagging ever could.

The fangirls were utterly over the top.

“Captain Chen, what do you think these girls’ parents would feel hearing them call him ‘hubby’ like that?”

“Don’t know.”

Honestly, though, he wouldn’t mind hearing Song Zhiyi call him “hubby.”

Chen Mo glanced at the frenzied crowd snapping photos, then turned his head.

And that’s when he noticed Song Zhiyi standing on the outskirts of the crowd. She was tiptoeing, as if trying to spot someone inside, then glanced down at her phone.

The girl was easy to recognize—she was wearing clothes he’d bought her.

Even her silhouette was enough for him to identify her at a glance.

Chen Mo pulled out his phone and sent her a WeChat message: [I saw you at the central plaza. Are you working?]

Song Zhiyi’s phone buzzed. Assuming it was Ling Xingyu’s agent, she glanced at it, only to see Chen Mo’s name instead.

“Huh…?”

Chen Mo was here too?

She looked around and spotted the tall man standing by the barricade across the street in front of a police car.

Song Zhiyi smiled and waved at him.

Then she lowered her head to type: [I’m here to do an exclusive interview with Ling Xingyu.]

[What time will you be done?]

[Shouldn’t be later than eight… After the signing event, I’ll go straight to his agent.]

[Alright, send me the interview location later.]

[Okay~ cat nodding gif]

Looking at the cute sticker she sent, Chen Mo stared for a moment before saving it.

Sun Yang, curious about what his captain was doing during work hours, turned to sneak a glance, but Chen Mo had already pocketed his phone.

He saw nothing!

“Captain Chen? You seem to be in a good mood,” Sun Yang hesitated before asking.

Chen Mo’s gaze remained fixed on one direction, his lips faintly curved into a smile.

But when Sun Yang followed his line of sight, all he saw was a sea of indistinguishable heads.

What could possibly be so delightful about looking at this crowd?