Chapter 90: Public Opinion

"Pop Heavenly King Cheng Chen Secretly Dates Woman for Nighttime Stroll in Ji Shi, Affectionate Gestures Suggest Romantic Involvement"

"Previously Accompanied by Gao Yuanyuan, Now Surrounded by Mysterious Woman—Heavenly King Cheng Chen's Luck with Women Is Unbelievable!"

"Searching for Women at Midnight? Even This Young Heavenly King Finally Lost Control!"

All entertainment news front pages uniformly featured headlines about Cheng Chen.

Above them was a blurry photo of Cheng Chen, wearing a baseball cap, his mask pulled down to his chin.

Walking while eating a rolled pancake, the tall woman beside him was Yan Danchen.

But at this moment, she was tightly wrapped up; apart from her tall figure, no distinguishing features could be seen.

Entertainment media went wild—last time Cheng Chen had a credible rumor was with Gao Yuanyuan.

Everything else were mere unverified rumors, meant only for entertainment.

Since his debut, Cheng Chen had never been the subject of any news—he was simply too mysterious. Now that concrete photos had finally surfaced, all media rushed in.

Not only did Mainland entertainment reporters swarm, but Hong Kong and Taiwan also hurried over to ride the wave.

Remember, Cheng Chen wasn't just famous in the Mainland—his albums sold explosively in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Asian countries; his influence was undeniable!

Among them, Hong Kong Sheng's entertainment reporters were the most biting.

Everyone knew Hong Kong Sheng reporters were famous not just for speed, but for their headline-writing—how exaggerated, how sensational they could be.

The most famous example was when they covered Baby's beach vacation, describing her "three-piece" swimsuit as "Zero-Chest Ribcage" and "No-Milk Swim."

In a side photo, they judged her as having "Belly Bigger Than Breasts."

After her marriage and rumors of pregnancy, tabloids ran the headline: "Huang Xiaoming Suspected of Artificially Creating a Human, Cone-Face Chasing Offspring."

Truly a classic of biting sarcasm—its originality left people in awe.

In contrast, Wan Sheng's media were incredibly naive and sweet, their gossip headlines like scenes from a romantic drama.

Almost no thought required; put bluntly, they were like idiots.

For example: When pandas gave birth, they wrote: "Yuan Zai Looks Just Like Dad and Mom!"

This baffling headline made you wonder… if panda cubs didn't look like pandas, what else could they look like?

Then they interviewed a girl wearing glasses: "Are you nearsighted?"

So Wan Sheng media were like love-struck youths—sometimes headlines were written purely on whim, utterly unpredictable, truly the mudslide of journalism…

Naturally, Cheng Chen's news about strolling the night market with a mysterious woman was wildly exploited by Hong Kong Sheng's "sardonic and eloquent" reporters.

"Mysterious Woman Razes the City (Cheng) All Night"

"Heavenly King Cheng Sneaks into Alley for New Mistress"

But Wan Sheng reporters were far more subtle and romantic:

"Century-Handholding: Midnight Outing Reveals Heavenly King's Romance"

"The Genius Singer's One-Night Love Story Resembles a Fairytale"

Whether Mainland or Hong Kong-Taiwan, all media raced to report on Cheng Chen's photo with the mysterious woman at night.

Everyone speculated who the woman beside Cheng Chen was—some guessed Gao Yuanyuan, given their prior history…

Others speculated it was Xu Cainv of the "Four Dan," since Xu Cainv had been in Lu Sheng for an event at that time.

Moreover, Xu Cainv had repeatedly stated in public that she admired talented men.

Think carefully: since his debut, Cheng Chen's two albums instantly crowned him king—he wrote, composed, and sang every song himself.

Isn't that exactly what Xu Cainv calls a "talented man"?

Others firmly claimed Cheng Chen's companion was an outsider, someone he didn't want disturbed by the public.

They claimed Cheng Chen deeply loved her and was fiercely protecting her, even buying her an apartment in Jingcheng, and the two were already cohabiting.

Some eighteen-line actresses jumped on the trend, stepping forward to claim they were the woman who had strolled the Ji Shi night market with Cheng Chen.

Truth and falsehood, real and fabricated—media speculated about Cheng Chen's woman, fans gossiped too; some cried "I'm done with him," others rushed to promote the couple.

Some fans even argued back against the fans of celebrities rumored to be dating Cheng Chen.

"Don't force yourself on our boss! If you don't love him, don't hurt him!"

"Please, leave our boss alone—he hasn't even reached the legal age for marriage!"

The incident caused a huge uproar, yet no one noticed beneath the entertainment tabloids was another news item:

"Wang Feng will hold a signing event for his new album 'Love Is a Happy Bullet.'"

Perhaps, against the backdrop of a Heavenly King's romance, other entertainment news was negligible.

Wang Feng's first attempt to hit the front page failed!

Looking at the flood of gossip about himself, Cheng Chen felt utterly helpless.

He hadn't expected that one careless moment would spark such a storm—denying it now was impossible.

Though it was nighttime, his facial features were captured clearly; there was no way to wash it clean.

Fortunately, Yan Danchen hadn't been clearly photographed—there was still room to maneuver; otherwise, it would have truly exploded.

And this room to maneuver…

"At the set? I'm coming to find you now."

Cheng Chen stared helplessly at the message Gao Yuanyuan had just sent.

He could only reply with a single "Okay."

Not letting her come would make him look guilty.

Letting her come… his head ached!

Cheng Chen rubbed his forehead and sighed—his entertainment tabloid news had been flying everywhere these past two days.

Even the relatively closed environment of the set had been infiltrated by gossip.

Now, while filming, both actors and crew whispered about him behind his back.

Wang Wenjie even held onto him chatting for a long while, doing some ideological groundwork.

Basically telling him not to take this matter to heart, not to let it affect his own state.

Big brother Hou Yong also comforted him with a few words, while Cheng Chen just nodded indifferently.

As for how to handle this matter, Cheng Chen — who had seen so much celebrity PR in his later life — already had plenty of experience in his mind, so he called Wang Tianxiao:

"Sister Xiaoxiao, don't bother with those rumors outside. Anyway, I'm filming with the crew right now, I won't be showing my face for a while.

As long as they can't find other evidence, and can't find me, after a while it'll die down on its own. No need to pay it any mind."

"Mm, I've already spoken with the PR department, but since the thing has already happened, there will definitely be negative fallout… and this will directly affect your fan base, and your upcoming work probably won't go so smoothly."

Wang Tianxiao said seriously.

Cheng Chen could only give a wry smile — of course he understood these principles, especially at a time when he had just been officially commended and also invited by the Spring Festival Gala.

Although the entertainment circle is full of gossip, the Spring Festival Gala — that highly political stage — has extremely strict standards for selecting people.

What's more, he hadn't even been confirmed as a performer yet.

It really was a bit tricky and troublesome!

"Forget it, you don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on acting, leave the rest to me… By the way, who exactly is that woman?"

Wang Tianxiao suddenly asked.

"Just a friend. We just happened to run into each other that day."

Cheng Chen said helplessly.

"Just a friend?"

"What else would she be? And besides…"

"Fine, don't bother explaining to me. I'm the one who has to clean up your mess — go explain it to Yuanyuan yourself."

Saying that, she hung up the phone right then.

Cheng Chen held his phone, wanting to cry but having no tears.

I just wanted you to do some work on Yuanyuan, so she wouldn't rush over here on purpose…

……