Dating the Heartthrob Superstar-Chapter 19: Hype Bottom Line

Chapter 19: No Bottom Line for Hype

When Lin Qin and Meng Chao came out of the kitchen carrying noodles, Jin Feiyun’s alt account was exposed with tacit approval from her studio.

As the four in the villa were slurping noodles, news about Jin Feiyun shot to the trending topics list.

#JinFeiyunAltAccount, #JinFeiyunRelationshipExposed, and #JinFeiyunCohabitingWithPartner firmly held the top three spots on the trending chart.

Jin Feiyun was already one of those trendy internet darlings, so once these ambiguous rumors were released, almost the entire Weibo was talking about her. Influencer accounts were hyping it up to the max.

The most-shared post came from a user named "Fe—", who had made a fresh update.

Fe—: Us. [Image]

The accompanying photo was a selfie, showing half of Jin Feiyun’s face. Behind her was a man standing on a stepladder, carefully painting. The caption "Us" was so suggestive that it practically screamed flirtation—it was impossible not to think something was going on.

The photo and the caption felt like an outright relationship reveal. Scratch that—it was even more intimate than a normal reveal.

Once the buzz spread across the platform, an influencer account posted a speculative comment—

#EntertainmentMaster: Am I the only one who thinks the man in the background of Jin Feiyun’s photo looks like Meng? Audience, what do you think... Could it be...?

The "Could it be..." was followed by a string of ellipses, inviting people to let their imaginations run wild.

The paid commenters took the lead—

[No, you’re not alone. I think that totally looks like Meng.]

[Oh my god, this shocking truth—Meng and the internet star are really together?]

[I thought Jin Feiyun’s relationship news was big, but this turns out to be the ultimate scoop.]

However, Meng Chao’s fans sprang into action, quickly drowning out the paid comments.

[My Brother Meng is currently filming the reality show "Together." Please don’t drag our Brother Meng onto the stage.]

[Exactly! My Daddy Meng’s appearance fees cost a fortune—can you afford it?]

[Haha, which washed-up nobody from the D-list dares to try and piggyback off our Meng? Know your place, please.]

[Don’t be so harsh upstairs. Jin Feiyun is a popular internet starlet too, not some complete nobody. At most, she’s a sweet-green-tea white lotus type!]

[Is this someone trying to leech off my idol’s fame? Such shameless clout-chasing.]

Meng’s fanbase was notoriously fierce and full of cash-flushed big spenders. Despite Jin Feiyun’s studio investing a hefty amount to stir the narrative under the influencer account, they still couldn’t overpower Meng’s fans, who ruthlessly shut them down. In the end, the influencer quietly deleted the post.

That influencer’s move—utterly brainless.

However, since it involved Meng, the theory that the man in the photo was Meng still spread across Weibo.

Ten minutes later, keywords like #MengChaoJinFeiyun, #MengChaoJinFeiyunCohabitation, and #MengChaoJinFeiyunRelationshipExposed flooded the trending topics. The majority of people started to notice that the man in the photo really looked like Meng.

Even Meng’s fans couldn’t deny it after looking at the picture—it did look like Meng’s silhouette.

Jin Feiyun’s fans rushed to her Weibo, Meng’s Weibo, and both studios’ accounts to demand answers: "Are Jin Feiyun and Meng Chao really together?"

Jin Feiyun’s studio, which masterminded this hype campaign, clearly had no intention of clarifying; they just played dumb, deaf, and blind—pretending nothing happened.

On the other hand, Meng Chao’s Studio quickly posted a cryptic Weibo—

Meng Chao Studio v: Posted an image. [Image]

Yes, the post had no caption, just one sarcastic image.

The sudden image featured a simplistic sketch: a snake with a wide-open mouth trying to swallow a massive elephant.

Meng’s fans flooded the comments—

[Greedy like a snake trying to eat an elephant—shameless clout-chasing confirmed.]

[Some people’s tactics are just disgusting. All these years, our Daddy Meng has kept his personal life spotless, never involved in rumors. Now he’s getting stuck with this trash.]

[Repulsive—utterly repulsive.]

This post from Meng Chao’s Studio, not so much a denial as a pointed rebuttal, immediately shifted the public discussion.

Let’s be real, Meng’s impeccable reputation and mass popularity were no match for Jin Feiyun’s. Soon, the entirety of Weibo was snarking at Jin Feiyun, accusing her of desperate hype at Meng’s expense.

Jin Feiyun’s studio, seeing the overwhelming online ridicule, was utterly baffled. Isn’t this kind of "relationship reveal" supposed to hurt the woman more? Why was she the one being trashed now?

Meanwhile, Lin Qin and Meng Chao, whose phones had been confiscated, were totally unaware of the online drama.

Lin Qin’s noodles garnered unanimous praise—not for show, but for real. Everyone marveled at his amazing cooking skills, finishing every single strand of noodle in their bowls.

Over at the production crew, news spread fast, and the director quickly caught wind of the situation online.

The chief director glanced at Jin Feiyun thoughtfully. Despite their refusal to collab on mutual hype earlier, Jin Feiyun and her team went ahead anyway.

After some deliberation, the director called Meng Chao over, delivering the news concisely.

Meng showed no visible reaction at first, only asking the director to temporarily return his phone.

The director assumed Meng intended to clarify things personally, so he nodded to staff to hand the phone back.

Once Meng returned to the living room, Lin Qin glanced at him with curiosity, sensing the director’s earlier grave expression—had something happened?

Meng shook his head at Lin Qin, coolly casting a nonchalant gaze at Jin Feiyun. Though his expression didn’t shift one bit, Jin Feiyun felt a sudden chill, heart racing with unease and guilt.

Meng walked straight to Zhang Yue and handed him the phone. "Can you take a picture for me?" Zhang Yue, still immersed in Lin Qin’s character sketches and unaware of the drama, nodded, albeit puzzled, as he took the phone and got up.

"Lin Qin, let’s take a photo together," Meng said, standing by the background wall Lin Qin had painted earlier in the morning, motioning for Lin Qin to join him.

Lin Qin approached, standing compliantly next to Meng, but the next moment, Meng lightly placed his hand on Lin Qin’s shoulder. Lin Qin stiffened in surprise, and Zhang Yue’s hand jolted, snapping the photo on impulse.

"Mr. Meng, is this photo okay?" Zhang Yue said as he handed the phone back.

Meng inspected the photo and was quite pleased.

No doubt, Zhang Yue’s timing was impeccable—the captured moment made Lin Qin seem to shrink towards Meng, and their pose created the illusion of Meng holding Lin Qin in his arms.

Without hesitation, Meng posted the photo on Weibo.

Meng Chao v: My kid painted the background. I colored it in. Four steps make the whole picture mine, haha. [Image]