Chapter 7: Scandal Erupts

There was a long moment of silence.

When Duan Lin didn’t respond, Ruan Yu, undeterred, held her phone up higher, offering it to him as she patiently explained, “This is the ‘Asia Star Chart,’ a fan-voting leaderboard. The higher your idol ranks, the more rewards they get. New users can cast ten votes at once.”

The leaderboard updated in real time. Duan Lin’s gaze drifted from Ji Linhao in second place to the name at the top.

The top spot—was himself.

“You want me to vote for Ji Linhao?”

“Would that be okay?” Ruan Yu looked at him hopefully.

Another beat of silence passed. Then Duan Lin tapped Ji Linhao’s avatar and asked with an arched brow, “What did you just call him?”

Ruan Yu had no shortage of nicknames for Ji Linhao: Haohao, Sweetheart, Baby, Hubby… Which one did he mean?

It suddenly dawned on her what had just slipped out. “I didn’t say anything—you must’ve misheard,” she said, swallowing her pride. “Can you please vote for Ji Linhao?”

Her eyes blinked earnestly, filled with hopeful sincerity.

Duan Lin blinked back. “So you want him to be number one?”

What kind of innocent puppy-dog expression was that supposed to be?

“Yes,” Ruan Yu said. “What about it?”

“Nothing,” Duan Lin said softly, his thick lashes casting faint shadows over his eyes. But the gaze he fixed on her was cool and detached. “It’s just… my fans are voting for me, yet I’m voting for someone else. Why?”

“Because… I heard Ji Linhao almost got in a car accident today. And the top prize on this leaderboard is fifty thousand yuan. I wanted to support him—just think of it as a charity donation.”

…Ji Linhao needed that prize money?

With only five minutes left before the leaderboard closed, Ruan Yu was practically begging the universe: “They say kindness is eternal, saving a life is more virtuous than building seven pagodas, that a noble person helps others before himself…”

“…”

“I believe you’re a kind-hearted person too… right?”

“…”

They stared at each other for a long time.

At last, Duan Lin unlocked his phone and said coolly, “How do I vote?”

Damn. This moment—
This moment deserved to be written into the history books.

The Berlin Wall had crumbled between East and West Germany, America and the Soviet Union had shaken hands, and in that instant, Ruan Yu was willing to forgive the rival idol camp for three whole seconds. She maintained a façade of calm as she eagerly taught Duan Lin how to navigate the app, register, and cast all ten of his valuable votes—for the second-place Ji Linhao, in hopes of bumping him to first.

Little did the Linjiao fan group know that among them stood a traitor. A traitor who was, in fact, their idol himself.

Once he finished voting, Ruan Yu wasn’t quite done. “Since you’ve already registered… there’s another ‘Top Ten Figures’ chart. Can I ask you to vote for number six?”

Duan Lin tapped into the neighboring leaderboard, filled with prominent figures from various industries. Number six was a man he didn’t recognize. His profile read: “Jungler for SOS Esports Team, League of Legends—codename Yama.”

“Who’s he?”

“He’s my husband,” Ruan Yu answered, her fangirl expression lighting up. “He’s a pro gamer. Super skilled.”

Duan Lin didn’t vote. Instead, he shut off his phone and raised an eyebrow. Then, all of a sudden, he asked, “Ruan Yu, just how many husbands do you have?”

Every profession has its prince. Why can’t I have one in each? Is that so wrong?

Ruan Yu was momentarily stunned.

She’d almost forgotten—standing right in front of her was her actual legal husband. The one she’d signed a marriage license with.

When she didn’t reply, Duan Lin chuckled.

A slow, lazy smile spread across his features. The corners of his eyes softened, the damp strands of his black hair clinging to his pale neck. Thin trails of water slid down his collarbones, disappearing into his half-buttoned black shirt. Casual and effortless—yet somehow impossibly seductive.

A line from a rival fan’s over-the-top praise for Duan Lin suddenly popped into Ruan Yu’s mind:
“When he smiles, it’s as if the stars and galaxies are reflected in his eyes—every shimmering flicker stirs my heart.”

She had to admit, this man’s smile really was… quite good-looking.

Tsk. A face enhanced by money truly hits different—even his smile radiated the luxury of cold, hard cash. Compared to her sunshine-bright Hao Hao’s natural grin, this one was pure celestial versus demonic.

“You’ve said ‘husband’ so many times tonight. Are you trying to hint at something?” Duan Lin buttoned the collar of his shirt, his tone still laced with amusement and just the faintest edge of sarcasm. “Are you reminding me of the hollow shell of our so-called relationship, or of the marriage certificate that means absolutely nothing?”

“…”

For the sake of those ten precious votes he cast for her, Ruan Yu swallowed her pride and held her tongue.

Just as she turned to leave with a dramatic toss of her head, she noticed Duan Lin’s gaze flick behind her, and then his voice dropped with a frown, stopping her in her tracks: “Wait.”

“What, you want me to stick around while you keep spiraling into your imaginary drama?” Ruan Yu muttered, her voice full of suppressed frustration.

Duan Lin paused mid-dial. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said, gritting her teeth.

Duan Lin called his assistant, and five minutes later, Shao Li, who lived downstairs, rushed up in a sweat. He handed Duan Lin a script. “Here, the script for the first twenty scenes. I just got it from the screenwriting team. Weird though—you had it with you when we left the hotel. How did it go missing?”

“It wasn’t me. She lost it. Give it to her.” Duan Lin handed the script to Ruan Yu. “You can leave now.”

He didn’t spare her another glance. Right in front of her, he called Guan Baonian—probably to arrange a late-night snack—then went back into the room to grab a coat and left with Shao Li.

Ruan Yu stared down at the crisp new script, completely confused as she flipped through it back in her room.

She hadn’t lost her script. Why had he given her this one?

Was this his subtle way of telling her to behave? To tone down the drama?

Excuse me?! He was the dramatic one here!

All she did was ask him to vote, and he immediately assumed she was playing mind games. Who was really the dramatic one here?

Thinking of the vote, Ruan Yu hurriedly opened the ranking page, only to deflate on the spot.

Voting had ended. The name flashing in first place?

Duan Lin.

They still lost.

…

That night, Ruan Yu didn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned, dreaming she was being chased down ten blocks by a villain cloaked in black robes and blue flames. When she finally got a clear look at him—damn it, the bastard looked exactly like Duan Lin.

Her phone rang before dawn. She answered with a murderous tone, “Who is it?”

“Don’t sleep, Yu-jie! Something’s happened!!” Lin Qing’s voice was panicked. “I’m outside your door. Open up, quick!”

It wasn’t even seven in the morning. Ruan Yu’s phone showed over ten missed calls—half from Lin Qing, the other half from their agent, An Qian.

Lin Qing burst in, glasses askew from running, and shoved a glowing tablet in her face, panting: “Yu-jie, you’re… you’re—hot right now!”

Still half-asleep, Ruan Yu’s tone was ice-cold: “I’m not hot at all.”

Lin Qing: “I mean you’re trending! Number one! A late-night hotel rendezvous with Duan Lin—caught on camera! His fans have already left over ten thousand hate comments!!”

What the actual—?!

Ruan Yu grabbed the tablet. Though the sun hadn’t yet risen, news was already spreading like wildfire across all major platforms—especially Weibo.

The incident had only broken thirty minutes ago, and the top two trending topics were:
#DuanLinLateNightTrystWithMysteriousWoman
#DuanLinSuspectedRomanceRevealed

The moment she clicked in, every post was about the same grainy video. It captured her outside Duan Lin’s hotel room door last night. Then the door opened. The two exchanged a few words, and Duan Lin smiled.

The clip lasted only thirty seconds, but it was enough to set imaginations ablaze.

The woman’s back faced the camera, but Lin Qing instantly recognized her: “Luckily no one’s identified you yet. An-jie is still working on damage control. What happened? Why were you caught on camera with Duan Lin?!”

Ruan Yu’s mind went blank as she held the tablet. “I was just out in the hallway trying to get a better Wi-Fi signal… and ran into him.”

She never imagined—not in either of her lifetimes—that one day, she’d end up on the trending list for a scandal with her archrival.

The internet exploded.

The comment count under the news was growing at a terrifying rate. Duan Lin’s fans, well-trained and organized, quickly took control of the narrative, drowning out irrational haters and pinning comments like:

“Don’t spread or believe rumors. Let’s wait for the official statement.”
“Looking forward to Duan Ge’s new film The Hopeless Pursuit of Fame.”

But no amount of PR control could neutralize the damage done by the way the news was worded.

“Secret rendezvous late at night; the woman seems to be acting coquettish”—
Ruan Yu was outraged: “Coquettish my ass! The footage is so blurry you can’t even see my face, and they still managed to imagine all this?!”

Then came: “Duan Lin gazes affectionately at the woman, occasionally smiling with fondness”—
She felt utterly defeated. “That was mockery. Mockery!!”

And finally: “The two exchange looks with seamless chemistry”—
…Ruan Yu was exhausted.

Lin Qing scrolled through the trending comments and clutched his chest. “Thank god his fans are rational. No one’s attacking you for now—it’s all thanks to them.”

Oh, you sweet, naive child.

Ruan Yu gave Lin Qing a look of pity, then, with practiced ease, opened the repost section—the battlefield no casual reader ever thought to check.

There, in the live feed of reposts, Duan Lin’s fans were tearing her to shreds.

[LOL, any random wannabe dares try to leech off my baby’s fame? They said like two words at the door and this is romance news? [??]]

[Instead of buying hot search spots, maybe that chick should buy herself a coffin.]

[The last woman who tried this kind of clout-chasing stunt has vanished without a trace. Take the hint, you Z-list clinger.]

[Relax, fam. Doesn’t matter who she is. If the production team bought the trending tag, screw the production team. If it’s the woman, screw her.]

[Where did this nobody come from [confused][confused]? Don’t even give her attention—she’s not worth the charity.]

Lin Qing: “…………”

Lin Qing couldn’t bear to keep reading. He cautiously observed Ruan Yu’s expression and asked, “Xiao Yu-jie, are you… okay?”

“What’s the big deal?” Ruan Yu tore open a packet of milk and sipped as she scrolled, trying to be understanding. “If it were my idol rumored to be dating some random woman, I’d want to curse her out too.”

After all, she once spent seven days and nights feuding with rival fans—how could she get all sensitive now over a few nasty comments?

That said, getting dragged onto the top of the trending list by rival fans did make her panic a little. She even felt a twinge of guilt, like she’d been caught cheating on her idol.

Ruan Yu logged into her fangirl alt account and refreshed her homepage.

Now that the rival idol was caught up in a scandal, the fan group she followed, The Siji, was happily feasting on the drama:

【Hahahahaha! So this is the same “noble, indifferent, emotionally detached” image y’all have been hyping for your beloved big brother?】

【Today’s a great day! Wishing every couple a swift marriage, two kids in three years, a blissful retirement from showbiz~ [heart][heart][heart]】

【No wonder y’all little Linjiao were so desperate to vote your idol into first place yesterday. Turns out it was to collect a wedding fund for your future sister-in-law. So selfless. I’m touched. Are you?】

Ruan Yu: “……”

Such heartfelt blessings. Such familiar sarcasm.

Even if she was the target of that sarcasm.

But—

As long as it put a dent in the rival fanbase’s pride, her personal sacrifice was totally worth it.

After two minutes of self-reassurance, Ruan Yu, teary-eyed but proud, liked each and every one of those sarcastic posts.

---

Author’s Note: I’m mocking myself.

Porcelain Talk (author): Let’s interview Ruan Xiaoyu. How can you stay so calm while getting cursed out?

Xiao Yu: They’re cursing the future sister-in-law. What’s it got to do with me?

Porcelain Talk: …Wake up. You are the sister-in-law!