The reporters, seeming to have found a breakthrough, asked: "So are the two of you really dating?"
"How long have you been dating?"
"When did it start? Before or after entering the entertainment industry?"
As Su Xiao listened to these questions, his expression grew darker, and his gaze became more piercing.
Shen Tong, watching the two being surrounded by reporters with no way out, planned to find the right moment to go and rescue them. Otherwise, if Su Xiao got angry, it would be difficult to salvage the situation.
Shen Tong gave herself a pep talk, "1, 2, 3, charge!" She guided her two assistants, quickly squeezing into the crowd like arrows released from a bow. With a forced smile, she addressed the reporters, "I'm sorry, I'm the manager for both of them. We can discuss any matters later."
Su Xiao frowned as he looked at this small person in front of him, while Chen Xiaoyong hid behind Su Xiao.
The reporters put their microphones in front of Shen Tong, "Has the company acknowledged the relationship between the two, so they only assigned one manager?"
"This is internal company information that I'm not at liberty to disclose," Shen Tong replied with a professional smile. "Please make way, make way."
Shen Tong led the way in front, with Su Xiao following behind.
"Then could you explain why the two of them appeared here? Was it a date or something else?"
Shen Tong paused momentarily before answering, "We will provide a reasonable explanation for this question."
"Did they come out with your permission?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't need to answer that question," Shen Tong said with a smile, continuing to struggle to clear a path.
"Your answers are all so vague. Is it possible that this incident caught you by surprise as well?"
A black van roared up and stopped in front of the three.
"Excuse us, please make way. We need to get in the car," Shen Tong said politely.
Su Xiao got into the car with a cold expression, while Chen Xiaoyong's face was full of surprise, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the shock.
Shen Tong gave a sweet smile to the cameras, photographers, and microphones, saying, "I'm sorry, everyone. Our two artists are tired today. We'll provide you with a reasonable explanation later."
Then she got into the car.
Su Xiao stared at her silently as she just got in, seemingly demanding a reasonable explanation.
Shen Tong felt embarrassed internally. It seemed that to deal with external issues, she first needed to settle internal ones. She needed to give this man a reasonable explanation before this matter could be concluded. Looking at Chen Xiaoyong, she saw her face full of panic. It seemed this woman never forgot to act. According to what was agreed upon last night, this whole thing was planned by her alone, and the two celebrities were completely unaware of the situation - though indeed, one artist was truly unaware.
"Actually, the situation is like this, Su Xiao. You weren't becoming famous, and it seemed you had no desire to become famous. So I had to come up with this idea. I used the excuse of having something to discuss with you to lure you out, because if Miss Chen had asked you, you definitely wouldn't have come. On Miss Chen's side, I used the excuse that you were looking for her to lure her out, because if I had asked her, she definitely wouldn't have come. Then I pulled some strings to let the major media and gossip outlets know about this, which resulted in the scene we just saw," Shen Tong explained. "If you feel deceived, then I apologize."
Su Xiao looked at Shen Tong with disdain. He thought he had made himself clear that he didn't want to rise to fame through these kinds of rumors, but she seemed to be blinded by something, stubbornly clinging to this rumor. Moreover, this incident definitely involved more than just her. Chen Xiaoyong had mentioned multiple times about wanting to spread rumors with him, and now that it had happened, she must have been involved. Besides, he had caught the smugness in Chen Xiaoyong's eyes. Clearly, he was the only one unaware of this situation.
The more Su Xiao thought about it, the colder his gaze became and the more angry he felt. For the first time, an expression of anger appeared on his aloof face. He wasn't angry because he was unaware of the situation, but because Shen Tong didn't understand him and arranged these things. However, everything she arranged was for his sake, which left him conflicted internally.
"How could you do this?" Chen Xiaoyong questioned. "Playing with us like this!" Her expression was also perfectly angry.
"I'm sorry," Shen Tong lowered her eyes and apologized.
"Do you think I want this kind of fame?" Chen Xiaoyong asked harshly.
Shen Tong felt embarrassed internally. Hadn't she been gaining fame through these methods recently? But outwardly, she still said, "I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused you."
"It's fine, as long as Su Xiao doesn't mind, I'll let it go," Chen Xiaoyong said, pretending to be magnanimous. In her heart, she was gloating, thinking there was no way Su Xiao would forgive Shen Tong.
Shen Tong looked at the displeased Su Xiao and suddenly felt a bit regretful about what she had done. Actually, the scariest thing wasn't Chen Xiaoyong, but the ice-cold Su Xiao in front of her. However, she had to push through.
"If I've caused you a lot of trouble, I'm sorry," Shen Tong said softly. "It's just that you weren't becoming famous, so this was the only method I could think of."
Su Xiao turned his face away, looking out the window aloofly, seemingly rejecting her apology silently. Chen Xiaoyong was delighted.
"I'm doing this for your own good. If you always look like you're barely alive, how can you become famous? How can you make music?" Shen Tong, feeling frustrated, decided to say everything on her mind, each word hitting the mark.
Su Xiao's heart gradually softened. She really was thinking about him, running around for so many advertisements, begging for so many shows. Only she had been persistently not giving up on him. As his heart softened, his expression gradually changed.
"I hope next time you can inform me when you make decisions about me," Su Xiao said aloofly.
Hearing this, Shen Tong felt relieved. This counted as forgiveness, right?
Chen Xiaoyong looked at Su Xiao in disbelief. There really was something between them!
Su Xiao said, "Of course, you're responsible for this incident. I can't forgive you, unless..."
Su Xiao stopped mid-sentence, leaving Shen Tong's heart hanging. The atmosphere in the car became increasingly tense, seeming ready to explode at any moment. "Unless what?"
Chen Xiaoyong also pricked up her ears.
Su Xiao, with an aloof expression, slowly said, "Buy me milk tea for a week, you pay."
Hearing this, Shen Tong almost burst out laughing. This aloof expression paired with such a childish response was too cute! Suppressing her laughter, she said, "Alright, it's settled." If he wanted her to pay, she would pay. As long as the great star Su Xiao cooperated with her plans, she was willing to do anything!
"Let's go now," Su Xiao said.
"What? Now?" Shen Tong looked at Su Xiao with wide eyes.
Su Xiao didn't say anything, using silence to prove that his words weren't a joke. He wanted it now.
Shen Tong wailed internally, but resigned herself to her fate. She asked the driver to stop the car and got out to buy milk tea.
Chen Xiaoyong watched Shen Tong's retreating figure with a venomous look, her jealousy almost suffocating her. She just didn't like how Su Xiao treated Shen Tong. Then, in an instant, her expression changed to a smile, and she said sweetly, "Su Xiao, I can buy you milk tea too."
Su Xiao looked at her with disgust and said, "Stop pretending."
Chen Xiaoyong's smile froze on her face for a moment, but she quickly smiled naturally again, grabbing Su Xiao's arm and looking at him innocently, "Pretending what, Su Xiao?"
"You knew about this whole thing," Su Xiao said, pulling his arm away in disgust. He continued, "And stay away from me!" After saying this, he looked out the window and said nothing more.
The naked dislike in Su Xiao's eyes provoked Chen Xiaoyong. She was furious, but she still believed that the despicable Shen Tong was the root cause! The more she looked at her, the more displeased she became.
From a distance, Shen Tong could be seen carrying two cups of milk tea, her face full of a sweet smile. She walked up and said proudly, "Ta-da, the milk tea is here. Yours," she handed one to Su Xiao, then extended the other cup to Chen Xiaoyong, "And Miss Chen, your coffee." Because things had gone so smoothly today, she had thoughtfully bought coffee for Chen Xiaoyong.
Chen Xiaoyong looked at the coffee in Shen Tong's hand with disgust and shouted maliciously, "Did I say I wanted coffee? You're so presumptuous!"
Shen Tong sat back in the front passenger seat and casually offered the coffee to the driver, asking, "Mr. Liu, would you like to drink it?"
Mr. Liu looked at the girl with a smile, not having time to say anything.
Chen Xiaoyong angrily scolded, "Why are you giving my coffee to a driver? Throw it away!"
Shen Tong was left in an awkward position, not knowing whether to hold onto the coffee or pour it out. She didn't know what she had done to offend Chen Xiaoyong. Hadn't everything gone smoothly today? It had fulfilled Chen Xiaoyong's wish of creating rumors with Su Xiao, so what was there to be unhappy about? Women's hearts really were as unfathomable as the needle at the bottom of the sea. She looked apologetically at Mr. Liu, then got out of the car and threw the coffee in the trash can.
Chen Xiaoyong snorted coldly without saying anything.
When they returned to the company, the whole place was in chaos because of this incident. Everyone was busy answering phones, vaguely explaining everything that had just happened.
"I'm sorry, I'm not very clear about this matter either."
"I'm sorry, we're not at liberty to disclose that information."
"Oh, I'm sorry, this is an internal company matter that we can't disclose."
The television was also broadcasting or live streaming what had just happened by the river.
"We've just received news that popular actress Chen Xiaoyong and rising star Su Xiao were having a secret date by the river. Is this true? Let's watch the video together."
Then they played the video captured of them by the river.
"After arriving at the river, popular actress Chen Xiaoyong and Su Xiao behaved intimately, even holding hands, suggesting a romantic relationship. When we interviewed the two, Chen Xiaoyong acted shy. When asked if Su Xiao was using this opportunity to rise to fame, Chen Xiaoyong's reaction further confirmed our suspicions, as she vehemently denied it. Later, a manager appeared, and strangely, they shared the same manager..."
Su Xiao watched the news with an expressionless face, his emotions unreadable. Chen Xiaoyong, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased. She removed her phone's SIM card, connected to Wi-Fi, and started browsing Weibo. The more she browsed, the more smug her expression became.