When Gu Ran saw the red light on the camera and realized what it meant, her mind went blank with a loud "buzz."
She stared blankly back at Ji Shiyu, who was also looking at the lens. His mask, which she had pulled down earlier, was now hanging on his chin.
Gu Ran immediately jumped away from Ji Shiyu's front. Flustered, she told him to put his mask back on, then forced herself to calm down. Acting as if nothing had happened, she greeted Liu Xiaolin and his lucky fan: "Hello."
Before the two across from them could respond, Gu Ran quickly bid farewell: "The production team is waiting for us, we have to go."
Gu Ran tugged at Ji Shiyu, and the two hurriedly disappeared from view.
The scene came and went in a flash, leaving only Liu Xiaolin and his lucky fan exchanging a glance filled with uncertainty, as if each wanted to ask the other if they had really just seen what they thought they saw.
In their live stream room, comments started popping up:
[I think I just saw something... not sure if everyone else saw it, or if I'm seeing things...]
[I think I also caught a glimpse of something I shouldn't have seen]
[+1]
[Since everyone else seems to have seen it too, I'm relieved it's not just my eyes playing tricks on me]
[Let me say it: we saw Gu Ran and her male civilian fan hugging tightly, looking like they were about to kiss any second.]
[And the male fan wasn't wearing a mask!]
[Good thing I was quick and took a screenshot~]
...
The scene where Liu Xiaolin's group accidentally filmed Gu Ran and her male civilian fan locked in a tight embrace during the live stream spread online. Hashtags like #GuRanMaleCivilianFan and #GuRanwdlpml instantly shot to the top of the trending charts.
The fans in Gu Ran's live stream room had been waiting for the two to return. Then someone came in reporting that the two had trended behind their backs—they'd been caught in a "physical altercation" by another guest group's camera and it had blown up online.
Hearing the term "physical altercation," all the fans in the live stream room felt their hearts clench.
Everyone knew Gu Ran had called her civilian male fan over earlier, looking quite annoyed. Many had worried she might actually lay hands on him in that state, and now it seemed a "physical altercation" had indeed happened and trended.
The temporary passersby CP fans who had been admiring their looks today felt complicated:
[See, you really shouldn't just ship any random CP.]
[And here I was saying they looked so good together. Never mind, forget it, I'm out.]
[A physical altercation... Gu Ran's temper really is something.]
[Didn't expect this CP to be over in half a day. The shortest-lived ever, right? We're all so unlucky.]
[Can they even continue recording the rest of today's show? Wuwuwu]
The "Little Fish" (Gu Ran's fanbase) fans also felt a sense of foreboding upon hearing "physical altercation."
Although no one really liked this "wdlpml" and many even wanted to give him a beating, the feeling changed when it seemed Gu Ran had actually taken matters into her own hands.
Even if he was a bottom-tier, unofficial fan—as much as everyone hated to admit it—he was still a member of the fandom.
[Would Gu Ran really hit someone...]
[Say what you will about wdlpml, he did spend 580,000, right? This doesn't seem good.]
[Let me say first, wdlpml is annoying, but the thought of Gu Ran treating a fan so poorly breaks my heart. Today's wdlpml could be any of us tomorrow.]
[I always thought Gu Ran was a sweet-tempered girl, wuwuwu. Was I wrong about her?]
[Kind of want to un-follow. To be honest, wdlpml didn't really do anything that wrong, he's not a sasaeng fan. A talking-to would've been enough. Treating him like this really seems excessive.]
[And he's really handsome too. You could tell even with the mask on.]
The atmosphere in Gu Ran's live stream room became heavy. Learning that their conflict had escalated to a "physical altercation," the passerby CP fans' budding interest seemed to wither before it could bloom, while many Little Fish fans began to empathize with wdlpml, feeling upset. Everyone left the live stream, opened the trending page, clicked on the hashtags, and went to see what this "physical altercation" looked like.
They wondered what kind of fighting, brawling, or bullying spectacle it was.
Then they saw: in a corner, a young man had his arms wrapped around the girl in front of him, pulling her into his embrace, one hand cradling the back of her head. Gu Ran rested her head obediently on the man's shoulder, her small hand clutching the corner of his clothes.
Although the background wasn't picturesque, the couple's height, aura, and the atmosphere created by every little detail between them made it look like a scene from a romantic movie.
In another shot, the two had noticed the camera's presence and were both looking towards the lens.
Gu Ran's mouth was slightly agape in surprise, while the man in front of her had already removed his mask. He still had one arm around Gu Ran, his brows slightly furrowed, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.
Everyone focused on the man's arm and Gu Ran's head resting against it.
So this was the "physical altercation" they were talking about.
"..."
The entertainment news accounts captioned the posts, explaining that Gu Ran and her male civilian fan had disappeared during the live program recording. While everyone thought they were avoiding an argument on camera, they were actually caught by another group's lens secretly sharing a sweet embrace away from everyone else, suggesting a romantic relationship exposure.
Everyone: ?
The passerby CP fans who had just been lamenting the CP's demise in less than a day were shocked on the spot:
[Oh my god!]
[Is this appropriate?! Is this really appropriate?!]
[I had my exit speech all planned out and you pull this on me?!]
[Pretending to argue and slip away on the surface, but actually sneaking off to kiss and hug behind everyone's backs. I've never seen two people more outrageous than this!]
[But I think it's so sweet wuwuwuwu]
[I'm dying of sweetness! I'm dying of sweetness! I'm dying of sweetness!]
[Please give me more of this kind of "physical altercation," thank you very much.]
[Wasn't the lucky fan chosen randomly? They couldn't have just fallen for each other in half a day, right? They obviously knew each other before.]
[Is he really just a civilian? Are there male civilians in this world who look like this?]
Equally shocked were the Little Fish fans who had felt uneasy earlier.
They thought Gu Ran had gone to lecture a fan, but instead... she went to give him a benefit?
Wait!
The Fish fans suddenly snapped back to reality. Looking at wdlpml's unmasked face in the photo, the more they looked, the more familiar it seemed.
They felt like they'd seen him somewhere before.
Someone started carefully comparing wdlpml's height and facial features in the photo. Finally, they noticed something.
The old photos of a drunk Gu Ran taken by paparazzi were dug up.
The civilian man who behaved inappropriately towards Gu Ran in those photos was later confirmed by the official blog to be the CEO of Xinbo.
Today, the one having a "physical altercation" with Gu Ran was the famous bottom-tier, unofficial fan "wdlpml" from the fan community.
Now, the two photos were placed side by side for comparison. Although one was blurry and the other clear, it was still obvious that the two individuals' facial features, height, build, and even their aura were strikingly similar.
Adding to that, remembering how wdlpml had spent money like water during the charging support event earlier...
Everyone suddenly gasped in realization.
Posts exposing wdlpml's true identity instantly appeared on all major gossip forums.
...
Gu Ran's live stream room remained empty, showing no one.
The program crew's minibus was temporarily used as a rest area. Gu Ran wore an expression of annoyance, regretting only that she hadn't pushed Ji Shiyu away the moment he embraced her.
Ji Shiyu saw that his identity had been almost completely exposed by several posts that were scrutinizing every detail with a magnifying glass.
Xu Hui reported that both the PR and legal departments were working at full steam in preparation, awaiting only his word.
Ji Shiyu looked at Gu Ran and called out softly, "Ran Ran."
He knelt down in front of her, looking up slightly to meet her gaze.
Gu Ran pursed her lips, turned her head away, avoiding the man's line of sight.
He didn't say anything, just lowered his head again and noticed the shoelace on Gu Ran's shoe had come undone.
So, he untied the loose shoelace and carefully re-tied it.
His slender fingers moved deftly, tying a neat and secure bow.
Gu Ran watched as Ji Shiyu tied her shoelace.
She instinctively pulled her foot back slightly, just as Ji Shiyu finished tying it.
After tying the shoelace, Ji Shiyu looked up at Gu Ran again.
Gu Ran still avoided his gaze, her voice tinged with a nasal tone, sounding utterly wronged: "Don't think doing this will make me forgive you."
Ji Shiyu's gaze upon her was profound, recalling their argument in the office that day, which ended with Gu Ran running away in tears.
He had frozen her credit cards, thinking she would come back, but she never did.
He had regretted it more than once.
His chest ached with a sour, painful feeling. He wanted to make amends, but what was done was done. Nothing could turn back time to that moment and stop Gu Ran from crying.
"Alright," Ji Shiyu reached out, his palm touching the back of Gu Ran's head, and said in a low voice, "Don't forgive me."
Shortly after, the official Weibo account of Xinbo Enterprise issued a response to the matter.
"wdlpml is indeed our company's president, Mr. Ji Shiyu. However, the president did not engage in any cheating during the prize draw. His participation in the program as a lucky fan was solely due to his admiration for 'Cat Paw's #1 Beauty,' Miss Gu Ran. The two are not currently in a romantic relationship. Mr. Ji Shiyu is still in the stage of earnestly and passionately pursuing Miss Gu Ran. Thank you for everyone's concern, and we wish you all a pleasant life."
The message conveyed a meaning similar to the last response after they were photographed by paparazzi, except the previous identity was an ordinary man behaving inappropriately, while this time it was the identity of fan "wdlpml."
However, the first time Gu Ran was drunk, and they were kissing and hugging, so calling it inappropriate behavior was understandable. This time, they were clearly sober, embracing in broad daylight, yet still claiming to be in the pursuit stage and not together. Many people began to feel dissatisfied:
["Do you think we're blind? Would you hug someone who's just your pursuer?"]
["Such a big-shot president is pursuing you. Either say yes or no. To have kissed and hugged and still stubbornly deny it is a bit... you know."]
["No wonder she's the #1 'fishing' streamer. Gotta admit, reeling in a president like this is too impressive."]
["I'm so mad! Does Ji Shiyu have nude photos in Gu Ran's hands? Why does he need to be so pathetic!?"]
["@XinboOfficial, can you please make your president see reason? With his looks and money, he's being used as a backup, can't even get a proper status, and is now a fish in her pond?"]
What's the difference between Gu Ran's behavior and those scummy guys who intentionally lead you on with ambiguity but won't acknowledge the relationship?
["Female streamers are really no good."]
["No wonder she got dumped even after trying on wedding dresses before. Serves her right!"]
The casual CP fans who had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, initially thinking the two would simply confirm their relationship and were already preparing to officially ship them, received yet another statement like this and couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Even Gu Ran's own fans felt this wasn't quite appropriate. Gu Ran's Cat Paw private messages were flooded with requests for a clear response. Given the history with that ungrateful man, it really didn't seem good to keep someone who genuinely seems to like you on the hook like this.
This situation continued until several verified users with titles like "Daughter of XX Group," "Founder of XXX Brand," "XXX Designer," who usually enjoyed showing off their wealth and posting selfies on Weibo, posted some photo-laden Weibo updates. They used the topic about Gu Ran keeping the president on the hook: "Some things can't be blamed entirely on one person~"
The photos were clearly from some banquet or party, a scene of champagne, evening gowns, and decadence.
But the setting wasn't the main point. The key was that sharp-eyed netizens spotted two people in the photos.
One was unmistakably Gu Ran. She was wearing a cocktail dress, intimately holding the arm of the man beside her, looking up as if coquettishly pleading with him.
The man's face wasn't fully visible, but based on his height, build, and silhouette, it was Ji Shiyu.
The date showed the photo was taken a year and a half ago.
Gu Ran back then looked quite similar to now, only her style was brighter and more glamorous, clearly a pampered young lady untouched by worldly worries, her cheeks even still holding a hint of baby fat.
This proved that Ji Shiyu and Gu Ran had known each other long ago. Judging by Gu Ran's spoiled demeanor, they were even intimate back then.
So what was going on now?
Some remembered when Gu Ran's wedding dress photos were unearthed, she had said sadly during a live stream that she once had an ex-boyfriend, but he didn't love her, didn't want her, so she left, started looking for work, and became a streamer.
At the time, everyone unanimously condemned that man as the most ungrateful man in the world—how could anyone bear to make Ran Ran sad?
And now, looking at Xinbo's official Weibo's humble pursuit statements and the old photos shared by socialites from the same circle.
It was obvious. Ji Shiyu was that ungrateful man.
Some only saw how pathetic he was now and thus criticized Gu Ran, unaware of how utterly ungrateful this man had been before.
Then, looking back at those comments calling Gu Ran a "tea girl," saying she's leading the president on like a scummy guy, not accepting him, no wonder she got dumped even after trying on wedding dresses, serves her right...
"..."
As if she would agree! How outrageous!
How could anyone say such things to a girl!
Who exactly "serves right"? Clearly, it's certain men who deserve it!
Agree, my foot! She absolutely must not agree!
He should definitely keep chasing.
