Chapter 2957

The recording of the program progressed two more episodes amid the apparent subsiding of the controversy, and Jin Chen's performance sparked considerable discussion.

He seemed to have suddenly had an epiphany, or perhaps, as the bullet comments guessed, after his game console was taken away, a certain supervisor forced him to get serious.

Except in the theme shoot that Gu Chen Zhou excelled at, which required extremely strong on‑camera expressiveness and narrative tension, where he placed second by a narrow margin, he had won first place in the overall scores for two consecutive episodes.

Online discussion about him also grew increasingly.

【Discussion】: What's up with Zhaige lately? Did he cheat? He got first place two episodes in a row—is he still that lazy bum?

: He must have woken up after his game console was taken away.

: LOL, if not taking away the game console could get first place, I'd go confiscate my brother's.

: Does anyone else feel like he and Mr. Chen have something going on?

: Seriously, when he gets serious he really has something—so was he hiding it before or just truly lazy?

The rise in popularity is a good thing, but with it come some other things.

One evening, a post quietly appeared on a certain forum.

《Shocking, the recently super‑hot model Zhaige actually has Adams, the former top supermodel, as his uncle! 》

The post also attached several screenshots of old newspapers, blurry and hard to make out.

Finally, the poster wrote meaningfully: After several outdoor shoots on the show, Zhaige appeared listless and lethargic, not knowing whether he inherited something from his uncle or simply took after his uncle's preferences.

After all, everyone in the circle knows that the once‑supreme top supermodel, hailed as a descent of the heavenly god, is the muse of countless designers.

However, just when his career was at its peak, a scandal broke out alleging drug use; although there was no official concrete evidence, in his final public interview Adams showed extremely poor mental state, his gaze scattered, his speech incoherent, and the media widely portrayed it as a frenzy of drug‑induced addiction.

Soon after, he ended his life in his New York apartment; the cause of death remains a mystery, leaving only endless sighs and an indelible stigma for the world.

Not long after the post was posted, it went viral.

The comment section exploded completely.

: What!! Jin Chen's uncle is Adams!

: No wonder he's been listless all day—turns out he has a prior record……

: Wait? No, the uncle's drug use doesn't mean the nephew uses drugs—how did he get a prior record?

: The upstairs is too naive—this kind of thing is easy to pick up.

: I've watched a few episodes of his show, and he really always looks like he hasn't slept enough.

: Maybe low blood sugar—the show mentioned he has low blood sugar.

: Low blood sugar? I think it's something else.

: Don't spout nonsense without evidence!

: I still haven't figured out whether Adams actually used drugs back then; I looked it up online, and the events from that year are chaotic, with no final conclusion.

: But his state in that interview definitely indicates a problem—he's like a lunatic.

: If Jin Chen really used drugs, that would be disgusting—such a person should just be banned outright.

Insults, doubts, and demands that the Program Team investigate thoroughly or even have Jin Chen withdraw from the competition rose in a clamor.

The Program Team's official public‑opinion monitoring team noticed the post immediately; the matter involves the currently highest‑rated contestant and also a vague scandal from years ago, so they dared not delay, promptly collated the materials and reported them upward.

When Chenshu learned of this news, he was holding an ocean‑wide meeting on the top floor of a seaside villa; to stay there, he had moved many of the group headquarters' affairs online, and this meeting concerned the global strategic deployment for the next quarter, which was crucial.

On the screen, an overseas division executive was presenting a plan, until his private secretary lightly knocked on the door, was let in, and behind her followed the solemn‑looking head of the Program Team's public‑opinion group.

Chenshu lifted his eyes, saw the two people's hesitant expressions, and a faint uneasy premonition flickered in his heart.

He made a pause gesture toward the screen, saying, "Sorry, wait five minutes," then immediately muted the microphone and turned to the two people.

"Is this about Jin Chen?"

The public‑opinion group leader quickly nodded and gave a concise rundown of how the online discussion had blown up.

The secretary stood aside observing Chenshu's face; concerning that contestant Jin Chen…… she also had no idea, and this was no small matter.

Chenshu lowered his gaze to look at those posts on the screen, his eyes dark and heavy.

"Have the China Region Public‑Relations Department immediately look into the full story of the Adams incident from back then, produce a complete clarification and PR plan based on the facts, and take legal action if necessary."

"I want to see the investigation report and at least two feasible PR plans within three working days."

The secretary felt a slight tug—Chenshu's reaction showed he basically didn't believe those posts at all.

"Yes, Chief Chenshu."

She and the public‑opinion group leader hurriedly left and began contacting the relevant departments of the group separately.

Chenshu reopened the microphone, somewhat worried about Jin Chen's current state, and simply signaled to speed up the meeting.

——

Although the Program Team had received Chenshu's order and tried its best to seal off information internally, the island housed many contestants and staff, so a few inevitably slipped through the cracks.

A few contestants secretly hid backup phones and quickly saw the explosive rumors about Jin Chen on social media.

Min Heng also naturally found out about the news right away; his first thought was that the company had made a move, and it was such a deadly strike.

No matter what, this is simply a heaven-sent opportunity. Jin Chen has been too much in the spotlight lately, ranking first for two consecutive periods, seriously threatening his position.

This incident is simply the best chance to pour dirty water on Jin Chen; once it's confirmed, or even if just suspicion clings to him, it's enough to ruin Jin Chen completely and deprive him of any chance to compete.

He must seize this opportunity and add fuel to the fire.

That day happened to be the day of the live broadcast event.

Min Heng walked around the Villa, and finally on the third-floor open balcony he saw a person.

The balcony offered an excellent view, facing a vast expanse of azure beach; a white swing chair swayed gently in the breeze, and Jin Chen lounged in it, lazily flipping through the fashion magazine spread across his lap.

"Jin Chen, you're alone here, huh?" Min Heng walked over with a smile, his tone deliberately light, "Why didn't you come find me to play? It's lively down below."

Hearing the voice, Jin Chen lifted his eyes from the magazine, lazily raised an eyebrow at Min Heng, then casually glanced toward the front right.

Behind the potted plant there, Gu Chen Zhou sat on the carpet, aware of the gaze, wearing headphones and listening to music with eyes closed; sensing Jin Chen's gaze, he glanced over, his eyes showing a bit of interest in watching the show.

There were no fixed camera positions on this side of the balcony; both of them had come up to seek quiet, so the cameraman who followed Min Heng up also failed to notice Gu Chen Zhou in the corner.

Jin Chen didn't respond to Min Heng's words, and turned his gaze back to the magazine.

Min Heng walked a few steps closer, sat on the small woven stool beside the swing, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern, "Um... are you okay?"

Jin Chen: "?"

"What's wrong with me?"

His raised peach-blossom eyes were dark as ink, inexplicably making Min Heng's heart tighten, giving him the feeling of being seen through, and he subconsciously wanted to avert his gaze.