Chapter 2962: You Are My Fashion Darling 21

The Program Team's crisis PR response was swift; within the golden 48 hours of public opinion fermenting, the authorities issued a clear statement.

The statement clearly stated: First, all participating contestants underwent strict background checks before signing; Jin Chen personally and his immediate family have no criminal records or bad habits, and online rumors of drug use are pure malicious slander.

Second, regarding the rumors about the deceased model Mr. Adams, the Program Team has launched an investigation procedure, will jointly with relevant parties clarify the facts, and firmly safeguard the legal rights and interests of the parties involved and their families.

Third, regarding this organized malicious slander and online violence, the Program Team and the Legal Department of Opalus Group have intervened to gather evidence, and will pursue legal liability against the rumor-mongers.

At the end of the statement, the seals of the Program Team and the Opalus Group China Region were affixed.

The comment section's sentiment shifted quickly as well.

Some people started digging up the earliest accounts that set the rhythm, discovering they were all newly registered sockpuppets.

Some questioned Jin Chen's agency: their artist got smeared with dirty water, yet they didn't utter a word?

Going back to scroll through those days' official microblog, well, they kept posting promotions for Min Heng as usual, as if Jin Chen weren't one of theirs.

Online the arguments were lively, and the contestants in the show weren't idle either.

Those contestants who had participated in Gan Wang's questioning of Jin Chen in the hallway that day all felt somewhat uneasy inside.

They had thought Jin Chen would be punished for this, even expelled, but after a few days Jin Chen still appeared fine in training and filming, although he remained his lazy, aloof self, answering nobody, yet his complexion was better than before, and there was no sign the Program Team intended to deal with him.

On the contrary, those few of them, whether by coincidence or something else, in the subsequent physical training and outdoor challenges kept drawing bad luck, consecutively picking the most physically demanding items; after two days they were exhausted to the point of collapsing, complaining nonstop.

Someone privately muttered whether it was because they had offended Jin Chen, but seeing Jin Chen's aloof demeanor—he didn't even glance at them properly—made it seem unlikely; how could he have such influence?

But if not him, then who could it be?

Min Heng was even more uneasy, unable to sit or stand still.

Online public opinion did not crush Jin Chen as expected; instead, it showed a trend of reversal.

Chenshu and the Program Team's attitudes were ambiguous and unclear, Qi Jing's coldness toward him grew increasingly obvious, and Jin Chen……

Apart from that day's stress-induced lapse, Jin Chen was almost completely unaffected.

He was like a punch landing on cotton—not only did it not hurt the opponent, it left him holding in a bellyful of frustration, and he faintly sensed an ominous feeling that things were slipping out of control.

Amidst this undercurrent surging atmosphere, a new episode's activity day arrived.

Jin Chen sat on a white chair in the corner.

He wore a light-colored shirt today, the fabric soft, the collar slightly open, which made his complexion look even more cold-white.

The barrage instantly grew a layer thicker.

: This face really leaves me speechless ahhhhh!

: How does he look better every time he appears? This is unscientific!

: This cold-white complexion is truly a gift from heaven……

: With this skin and this aura, claiming he uses drugs—I'm the first to not believe it, okay!

The theme of this episode's activity day is on-camera performance ability, aiming to test the models' dynamic performance and adaptability beyond still photos. After all, in the fashion industry, besides still photography, advertising films, brand promotional videos, etc., also place high demands on models' camera sense and acting talent.

The host of the activity segment, holding a cue card, began to recite the rules.

"The game rules are as follows: according to the number of players, take out the corresponding role cards; players pair up to form performance teams."

"Each person needs to draw a role card and a story card; note that blank cards are mixed in, and if one draws a blank card, they must improvise based on teammates' reactions."

"Additionally, it is stipulated that contestants may only form teams internally; seeking help from experienced judges or staff to assist in acting is prohibited."

After the rules were announced, the lawn was abuzz with whispered conversations.

Several pairs of contestants with good relationships quickly chose each other, and many others turned their gazes toward the strongest few.

Gu Chen Zhou was naturally a popular choice, while Jin Chen, who recently has been gaining momentum and brings his own topics and controversy…… well, that's out of the question.

Min Heng blended into the crowd, anxiously searching for Jin Chen's figure.

He made up his mind: today, no matter what, he must team up with Jin Chen; even if he can't directly sabotage him, creating some talking points in the performance segment, or guiding him to say or do things that could easily spark controversy, would also be good.

Jin Chen is now the center of traffic; being tied to him guarantees high exposure.

He composed his expression, put on that warm and friendly smile, and walked toward the direction where Jin Chen was.

Just as Min Heng was about to speak, another figure stepped ahead of him and walked up to Jin Chen.

Gu Chen Zhou stood in front of Jin Chen, blocking Min Heng's line of sight and also part of the camera.

Jin Chen slowly withdrew his gaze from the judges' bench, lifted his eyes, and turned his gaze onto Gu Chen Zhou standing before him.

The camera instantly caught this subtle shift of gaze.

: Ahhhh this little furtive glance!

: Why is Gu Chen Zhou also going to find Zhaige? Want to team up?

: A powerhouse duo? I'm in!

: Zhaige didn't even glance at Min Heng, laughing his ass off, making his disdain blatantly obvious.

: Am I the only one who thinks they look great together? Easygoing beauty x aloof big shot?

: Don't randomly ship the front ones! Chenshu is still watching from the judges' bench!

Gu Chen Zhou looked at Jin Chen, concise to the point: "Team up?"

Jin Chen blinked, thought for less than a second, "Okay."

Min Heng's footsteps came to an abrupt halt on the spot, the smile on his face barely holding on.

But Jin Chen and Gu Chen Zhou had already tacitly turned simultaneously, walking toward the card-drawing area, not giving him even a glance.

Min Heng: "……"