Chapter Thirty-One: Are All the Ships We Root For Real?

There was a flurry of messages in the group chat, everyone clamoring for the scoop. To them, Jian An'an was a major big shot—her information always landed on the trending topics. They all thought it was thanks to the quality of what she provided, never suspecting that it was simply a matter of money changing hands behind the scenes.

Soon, Jian An'an sent over several text files and a photo—the very one Song Wan'ning had given her. The headline was rather intriguing as well: something along the lines of "Wealthy Socialite Carelessly Exposes Herself Online." In reality, it was a staged event: she had hired someone to call the paparazzi for a sneaky shot, yet the article spun it as if the socialite had carelessly undressed in public and was caught by a passing bystander.

Between the lines, it was obvious that the subject was Song Wan'ning, and the article even claimed the photo was taken just that very evening.

Upon reading this, Wen Jingxing got up and went to the balcony, making several phone calls in a hushed tone. Song Wan'ning couldn’t make out what he was saying. When he finally returned, he told her, “It’s getting late, you should get some rest. I’ve already handled the matter of Jian An'an planning to make this news trend.”

Song Wan'ning was taken aback. “So quickly?”

Wen Jingxing nodded. “Yes, it’s all taken care of. No one will dare publish these stories anymore.”

Sure enough, when she checked the group chat, all those eager reporters had vanished, leaving only Jian An'an still ranting.

Jian An'an: [If you won’t do it, I’ll post it myself! In that case, you won’t get a dime from me!]

Song Wan'ning was half convinced, but obediently returned to her room to sleep.

The fifth morning.

As soon as Song Wan'ning woke, she checked Weibo. As expected, there was not a single mention of the photo. Instead, a new trending topic had appeared: #AllTheCPsWeShipAreReal!#

Curious, she clicked in, only to find that someone had leaked chat messages from the “Let’s Fall in Love” production group online. Even more sensational, the version making the rounds was an upgraded set of chat logs, detailing how Song Wan'ning and Wen Jingxing had held hands on their way back last night!

After sifting through a mountain of messages, Song Wan'ning finally found the original version of the chat log—utterly mundane, merely noting that the two of them seemed a little closer than usual.

She couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth. This generation of netizens only see what they wish to see—truth or falsehood matters little to them!

Still, many reasonable commenters posted below: This is just a reality dating show; of course there’s a script! What on earth are you all fantasizing about? Once the show is over, there’ll still be a breakup!

At that moment, a knock came at her door, followed by Wen Jingxing’s voice from outside. “Wan’ning, are you up? Want to go to work together?”

Song Wan'ning felt her head throb. Wasn’t Wen Jingxing supposed to dislike the original her? Didn’t he want to call off the engagement? Why, ever since she had taken over, did he seem not only unbothered by her presence, but even seek her out frequently?

She changed, opened the door, and found Wen Jingxing neatly dressed, seated as always on the same sofa.

Wen Jingxing watched her shifting expressions, uncertain what she was thinking. Song Wan'ning, meanwhile, was grumbling inwardly—why did he always sit in that spot? Couldn’t he mix it up once in a while?

She had no inkling that Wen Jingxing’s gaze lingered on her.

“Let’s go,” Song Wan'ning said, prompting Wen Jingxing to rise and follow behind her.

When they arrived at the dining area, Song Wan'ning, uncharacteristically, was the first to show up. The staff were surprised, but the cameraman was delighted, cheerily hefting his camera to capture her every move.

Though nearly forty, the cameraman was young at heart and, having worked on countless dating shows, was well-versed in shipping couples. Of all the pairs, this one had always been his favorite.

When asked why, he could only say it was an insider’s intuition.

Once everyone had gathered, they began breakfast together.

Li Weiwei opened the livestream so viewers could join. Not seeing their favorite guests yet, most chose to wait, causing the stream’s popularity to steadily climb.

The highest traffic, however, was in Song Wan'ning’s stream. Opinions on her were divided, sparking heated debate.

[Wan'ning, Wan'ning! Your WenWan CP supertopic is now established—be sure to check in when you can!]

[WenWan, WenWan—the name is lovely, just like love itself. You don’t need wealth and glory, only a lifetime of quiet companionship.]

[It’s all scripted, why don’t you believe it? Look at those two—did they really hold hands? There are no photos, only chat logs. Could be a stunt for attention!]

[I disagree. Any normal person would feel shy holding hands in public, let alone in front of cameras.]

[I don’t care! The CP I ship is real, and that’s final!]

[Believe what you want, but I’m telling you, it’s scripted. Once the show’s over, just wait—Song Wan'ning will be dumped!]

Li Weiwei watched the comments silently, her eyes flickering between Wen Jingxing and Song Wan'ning. She herself was unsure whether the hand-holding rumor from last night was true. After all, she’d seen this morning’s trending topic, and it had all come from her own production team’s chat group...

Most bizarrely, Wen Jingxing, who usually avoided her, had sought her out the night before, asking her to help locate someone. The person was found, but then requested that a certain staff member be let go.

At first, Li Weiwei was puzzled. It wasn’t until Wen Jingxing reminded her to pay extra attention to the safety of the guests’ phones that she suddenly realized what he was getting at.

She had staff investigate overnight—after all, if a guest was secretly using their phone, it would be a serious matter.

Thus, the news about Jian An'an’s broken leg, scheduled for release at one in the morning, was delayed.

As more people arrived, they realized Jian An'an was missing. Li Weiwei inquired with Jin Jianyi, but she couldn’t provide any clarity.

“I went to check on her this morning. She said she wasn’t feeling well and told me to come on ahead.”

Li Weiwei frowned. “Why is she unwell again?”

She knew perfectly well why Jian An'an hadn’t come, but feigned ignorance.

The others found it odd too. Shen Yue chimed in, “Director, can my task be postponed a bit? I’d like to check on her after breakfast before joining the activity.”

This played right into Li Weiwei’s hands.

She replied, “Everyone seems concerned. After breakfast, let’s all go see her together—and bring her something to eat.”

Shen Yue was delighted. Why was the director being so accommodating today? As soon as Jian An'an had an issue, she rushed to show her care, insisting on visiting—what would Wen Jingxing think of her now? Would he find her especially compassionate?

If Jian An'an knew, she would surely be cursing.

Wen Jingxing paid no further attention to Shen Yue; instead, he glanced at Li Weiwei, noticing that his sister-in-law was becoming more and more cunning.

Then he looked at Song Wan'ning, who was utterly absorbed in her meal. Wen Jingxing couldn’t help himself—a faint smile crept onto his lips.