Ji Yanting helped Rong Yu onto the stage.
Rong Ruoyao was right behind Rong Yu. She lifted the hem of her dress with her left hand, her right hand already raised, thinking the award-winning actor would naturally offer her an arm as well.
Instead, she saw Ji Yanting continue to support Rong Yu all the way to the center of the stage, and then he did not come back.
She somewhat awkwardly withdrew her hand and stepped up, walking to stand beside Rong Yu.
The others ascended the stage one by one, standing under the spotlight.
"It's confirmed, the award-winning actor is definitely biased towards Rong Yu!"
"Out of so many people, he only helped Rong Yu. What's their relationship?"
"The award-winning actor has never been involved in any dating rumors with actresses all these years. Even the speculation between him and Chi Fangfei was just fan imagination, with no actual crossing of boundaries. This is probably the first time Yanting has been this close to a female celebrity in public, right?"
"Oh my god, is my idol dating?"
"My world is collapsing..."
Various speculations flooded the live stream.
Ji Yanting picked up the gleaming gold championship trophy and walked over to Rong Yu. "Congratulations."
Two simple words, laden with immense emotion.
It was respect.
It was admiration.
Not because his great-grandmother had won first place.
But because his great-grandmother could achieve first place in every field she entered.
"That look in his eyes isn't right."
"It's not that lovers' sweet, intense gaze. It's more like admiration for a friend."
"Not just admiration. Why do I sense reverence?"
"A prestigious, top-tier award-winning actor, revering a young girl? What kind of joke are you making upstairs!"
"Based on my years of experience watching dating shows, there is absolutely no romantic relationship between these two."
"Whew, that's a relief. My idol isn't dating. I still have a chance."
"I knew Yanting wouldn't get into a relationship so quickly..."
The online meltdown instantly vanished without a trace.
Rong Yu smiled and accepted the trophy. "Thank you all for bestowing this award upon me. I am deeply honored by your affection. I will continue to move forward, whether under the spotlight or in the laboratory, I will keep going."
Chi Fangfei, holding the second-place trophy, handed it to Rong Ruoyao. "Congratulations to you..."
Rong Ruoyao wore a sweet smile. "Thank you."
Her smile held a tinge of bitterness.
She still remembered during the first episode, she had considered first place as something already in her pocket.
Somewhere along the way, she had gradually come to accept the fact that first place belonged to Rong Yu.
Now, at the final episode, everything felt settled.
She looked towards Shen Lin in the family seating area.
Shen Lin gave her a signal.
She nodded, grasped the microphone, and spoke, "I am very grateful for the support of all the audience members. Placing second is a very fortunate achievement. Moving forward, I will continue to work hard, striving to be a role model for the audience, and also striving to learn from my elder sister, to become someone as outstanding as her."
As soon as these words were spoken, people online were confused.
"What elder sister?"
"Who is Rong Ruoyao's sister? Is she famous?"
"Wait, Rong Ruoyao said this while looking at Rong Yu. Could it be that Rong Yu is Rong Ruoyao's sister?"
"You know what, their face shapes are quite similar, and their eyes are alike too. Same surname... Could they really be biological sisters?"
"Oh my goodness, Rong Yu and Rong Ruoyao are sisters!"
"The show has aired for so many episodes, and these two didn't utter a word about it. They really kept it under wraps."
"Is Rong Ruoyao revealing this now to try and ride on the champion's coattails?"
"If she really wanted to ride the hype, she should have revealed it in the first episode. Revealing it now is just giving the netizens an explanation."
"..."
Online, this topic didn't last more than a few minutes.
Because, after Rong Yu won the championship, the official account of the Fourth Aerospace Institute posted a Weibo update, instantly trending.
No preview, no buildup, just a documentary clip lasting five minutes and three seconds, with a simple and direct title – "A Journey Through Aerospace."
The video opened on darkness, with only the scratching sound of a pen nib on paper. The camera slowly focused on Rong Yu's fingers pressing down on a sheet of draft paper, formulas with ink still wet winding across it like star trails.
The next second, the numbers on the draft paper suddenly lit up, transforming into countless points of light that rose and assembled into a complete space station model in the darkness.
Orbital parameters, attitude adjustment equations, fuel consumption curves – the numbers that research teams had repeatedly verified were now functioning in the cosmos in the most intuitive way.
The achievements of the Fourth Aerospace Institute over the years were displayed for all viewers, following Rong Yu's presence.
The bullet screen instantly exploded.
"Holy crap! Are these special effects for real?"
"Wake up, person upstairs. These aren't special effects. This is the path the Fourth Aerospace Institute has walked."
"Just debuted, and already the face of the Aerospace Institute's promotional video. Sister Yu is truly amazing. I didn't stan the wrong person."
"National departments should promote excellent artists like this as role models for children. If my child followed Rong Yu, I'd fully support it."
"I never understood these promotional videos before. This one, I still don't fully get, but at least I can feel that our country's aerospace industry is incredibly advanced."
"I didn't study much, don't know how to praise. Just typing a '6'."
"..."
This video rocketed to the top of the trending charts at lightning speed.
The news about Rong Ruoyao revealing she and Rong Yu were sisters was no longer paid any attention.
Shen Lin looked at the trending topics on her phone, her face tightening.
She had thought the news about the first and second place winners being sisters would dominate the trending search rankings.
She had thought Yao Yao could leverage Rong Yu to gain some of Rong Yu's die-hard fans.
She never expected the Aerospace Institute to suddenly release such a video, with all the attention focused on it.
She had miscalculated.
Rong Wangtian stared dumbfounded at the video on his phone.
He couldn't understand how this daughter of his had managed to get involved with a national team.
Letting a high school girl star in a promotional video... what were those national leaders thinking?
The control room was in shock.
Their show's popularity was already unprecedented, but who would have thought the Aerospace Institute would add fuel to the fire.
"Di-director, the live stream is freezing."
"Weibo is crashing too."
“We'll have to insert an advertisement to ease the load...”
Director Chen wiped his sweat. "Alright, hold steady. Whatever you do, don't let it collapse..."
Fourth Aerospace Institute.
Minister Li wore a broad smile. "Director, this promotional video is sufficiently high-end and innovative, right? In just over ten minutes, the view count has surpassed the total of all previous years. The director probably won't get scolded by the National Propaganda Department this year, right?"
The director was very satisfied. "Rong Yu is practically working two jobs now. Don't be stingy with the bonus she deserves. We can't let her think our Fourth Institute is cheap. If she gets poached one day, I'll have nowhere to cry."
The "Star Dream Project" finals concluded successfully.
As the contestants walked off the stage, they were surrounded by a crowd of talent agency representatives.
"Miss Rong Yu, would you consider our Tianxing Agency?"
"Miss Rong Ruoyao, would you like to join us?"
"Lisa, are you interested in developing your career domestically..."
A large group of people found themselves surrounded.
Shen Lin stood protectively by Rong Ruoyao's side and said to the people with a smile, "My daughter will next be participating in a film production. We will consider signing with a management company after the filming is complete."
Some of the better-informed individuals quickly asked, "Is it the film that Ji Yanting and Chi Fangfei are about to start shooting?"
Shen Lin smiled. "Yes."
Contracts for newcomers just starting out are often very unfair and exploitative.
However, if one lands a role in a major production, the terms tend to be relatively more reasonable. This was the greatest advantage she could secure for her daughter.
