How Did the Top-Tier Male Lead Fall in Love With Me? 4

Chapter 4

Perhaps it was because of his unique “cold and abstinent” persona in the entertainment industry. As long as Meng Huaizhi’s ascetic character setting stood firm, the rumors would never stop flying.
Netizens were repeatedly led on by false news, yet they remained extremely focused on Meng Huaizhi’s scandals.
Every time someone was rumored to be with him, it would spark heated discussions. Although the other party would inevitably be besieged by his fans, there was always a succession of people buying trending topics to force a ship, determined to believe that even negative publicity was still publicity.
But having a romance rumor with a man—this was a first.
The hashtag #Meng Huaizhi’s Late Night Rendezvous with a Male Celebrity# topped the trending list in the early morning. At this time, a hungover Shen Wu was still lost in sweet dreams.
[I’m just saying, can the CP shippers not be so ridiculous…]
[Who is this male celebrity? Has anyone recognized him??]
[There’s no way I have zero impression of someone this handsome, but I can’t remember him for the life of me ahhhhh]
[Urgent, urgent, urgent! The gossip is right in front of my eyes but I can’t have it, this is killing me! Aren’t you trying to create hype? Handsome, say something!!]
Meng Huaizhi’s fans were bewildered.
This was the first time Meng Huaizhi had been shipped in a male-male CP. Unlike in the past, where it was clearly a publicity stunt to ride on his popularity, this time, the other party at the center of the rumor had yet to respond, and netizens couldn’t dig up any information on him.
If you’re creating hype without a name, can it even be called hype?
Meng Huaizhi’s fans had formidable combat strength, but they weren’t the type to act rashly. They decided to observe the situation first.
The source of the trending topic was a photo secretly taken by a paparazzo last night. To get a shot of the tricky alley entrance, the paparazzo had hidden across the street and used a telephoto lens. The photo wasn’t very clear, but the two men’s clothing and silhouettes were vaguely visible, creating a hazy, atmospheric feel.
In the photo, two men of similar height stood facing each other. One of them was Meng Huaizhi. His fans could recognize him no matter how bundled up he was, not to mention that in the photo, he wasn’t covering himself at all, his entire face exposed to the camera.
The other was a mysterious man wearing a black mask and a baseball cap.
At first glance, his attire seemed to be a similar all-black style to Meng Huaizhi’s. However, upon closer inspection, the jacket he wore had the sheen of leather, and his dark blue jeans were loose-fitting, giving him a more relaxed and casual vibe than Meng Huaizhi.
[The baseball cap on his head looks like the same style as Huai-ge’s? Maybe he’s a friend and a fan of Huai-ge.]
[I remember Huai-ge posted this cap on Instagram. It was merch from a foreign singer-songwriter he really likes…]
[A black baseball cap with a few safety pins, I can DIY that myself too lololol]
[But the handsome guy’s mask also looks a lot like the one Meng Huaizhi usually wears… and how could Meng Huaizhi meet someone outside at night without wearing a hat and mask? Isn’t he practically asking the paparazzi to take his picture?]
[Even if Huai-ge wore a mask, we could still recognize him, hahaha. Besides, Huai-ge is a bit of a germaphobe, he would never let someone else use his personal items.]
The fans tried their best to analyze this unprecedented situation, attempting to distance the two. Instead, they only made things murkier, and the more they explained, the more shippable it became.
[I’ll bet you fifty cents the mysterious handsome guy’s baseball cap and mask belong to Meng Huaizhi (doge)]
[A certain top-tier star doesn’t care if he gets photographed, but his boyfriend must be well-covered, hahahaha]
[A certain top-tier star: My boyfriend’s handsome, right? You’re jealous, right? Curious, right? Heh! I’m just not gonna let you see!]
[He’s a germaphobe but makes an exception for a certain someone, I’m dying from the sweetness!!]
[Ahhhhhh even though I can’t see his face, just looking at his figure, he’s a total hottie. They match so well, I approve of this marriage!]
[Any friends in the capital city who recognize this mysterious handsome guy???]
[City-wide search for a handsome guy in a leather jacket, 180cm+, with broad shoulders, long legs, and a model’s physique. Urgent, waiting online!]

In a high-end SOHO office building in the capital city, M+ Entertainment.
Inside the office, Meng Huaizhi instructed, “Suppress the trending topic.”
Luo Jinyi expressed her opposing opinion as tactfully as possible.
“Shen Wu isn’t in the industry, it won’t be easy to dig up information on him. Netizens have short memories; they’ll forget in a few days. It won’t have any impact on Shen Wu,” Luo Jinyi analyzed logically. “In fact, this trending topic can, to some extent, help you fend off those female celebrities.”
She spoke with confidence, but her heart was pounding. Just as she said, the internet has no memory, and Shen Wu was a non-celebrity. So why did Meng Huaizhi go to the trouble of hiding Shen Wu’s face last night?
If he hadn’t given him his own baseball cap and mask, netizens wouldn’t have spontaneously started shipping a male-male CP without any external push.
After all, most of the previous romance rumors were bought by female stars trying to ride on his popularity. They had to pay the price of being cursed out for their paid hype, and were met with cold ridicule because Meng Huaizhi would never provide any material for imagination. Just like the time he was on the trending list with Ning Ran at the airport, he didn’t even spare her a single glance.
Meng Huaizhi said succinctly, “It must be suppressed.”
Luo Jinyi knew Meng Huaizhi well. Once he said that, there was no room for discussion. This made her even more confused, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”
Hearing this, Meng Huaizhi recalled their agreement from three years ago.
He and Shen Wu had chosen to get married for similar reasons: to deal with their families and pursue their dreams. At the time, Shen Wu had stated that he would absolutely keep the marriage a secret and not affect his career in the industry. In return, he should also protect Shen Wu and not let him become the target of public criticism.
Therefore, this trending topic had to be suppressed. Not a single loophole could be left for netizens to follow the clues and uncover their relationship.
After a long pause, Meng Huaizhi finally answered Luo Jinyi’s question. “Because, in a legal sense, Shen Wu is my spouse.”
A few seconds of silence.
“What’s wrong with the legal sense—”
“Wait, in a legal sense… spouse?”
“…What?”
“What did you just say??!”
For the first time, the ace manager Luo Jinyi lost her composure like this.
Meng Huaizhi’s expression didn’t change. “It’s exactly what it means.”
Luo Jinyi: “……….”

The task of handling the trending topic was assigned to the public relations department by Luo Jinyi.
Two new topics quietly climbed to the top of the trending list, discreetly overshadowing the buzz about the “mysterious handsome guy.”
#Oliver Competes in F1 Again After Car Accident#
#Official Team & Driver List for the 202X F1 New Season#
Oliver was a well-known foreign movie star who was also a professional race car driver. The year before last, he had withdrawn from all racing events due to a serious car accident, and even his activities in the film industry were temporarily put on hold.
This long-awaited news came from the official F1 Weibo account. Many curious netizens clicked on the official account’s profile picture, perhaps just by accident, but a quick scan of the content immediately captured their attention.
The official account mainly posted announcements related to F1 events in a very formal tone, yet it was repeatedly flooded by the same name, accompanied by impactful photos that forcefully seized one’s gaze.
A young man in a red and black racing suit, full of vigor. Behind the visor, a pair of beautiful yet sharp peach blossom eyes could be vaguely seen.
Global points ranking: Congratulations to @Driver Shen Wu for making the list for the first time.
Congratulations to @Driver Shen Wu for winning the Rookie of the Year award!
@Driver Shen Wu becomes China’s first official F1 driver…
@Driver Shen Wu…
The official account was like an inarticulate father, stiffly and officially showing off his son’s heroic achievements.
In the next photo, the helmet’s visor was lifted, revealing a handsome, high-bridged nose between the peach blossom eyes, with a soft, light-colored mole on its tip.
It was like a beauty slowly unveiling her face.
The netizens, their appetites whetted, were itching with curiosity and followed the trail to “Driver Shen Wu’s” Weibo.
Before long, a new trending topic with solid engagement numbers surpassed the others.
#F1 Racing God#
At twelve noon, Shen Wu lazily stuck a hand out from under the covers and lit up his phone screen.
His drowsiness vanished in an instant.

Shen Wu was well-known in the racing circle, but he wasn’t part of the entertainment industry. If M+ Entertainment hadn’t first bought the trending topic about the F1 event, his face wouldn’t have been so easily discovered by the vast, ever-changing internet.
Once discovered, the discussion was endless.
He managed his own Weibo, occasionally posting information related to his races or sharing photos from his competitions. There were also a few casual photos that showed his full face.
[woc he’s so handsome ahhhhhh]
[A guy this handsome isn’t a celebrity, is that even reasonable?]
[Who says he isn’t? He’s a total superstar in the racing world ahhhhhh! And he’s only 23. He won the championship last year right after becoming an F1 driver. Is he a genius? He must be a genius, right!?]
[Gege, I’m going to binge-watch all your races right now!!!]
Unfortunately, the popularity of the sports world couldn’t compare to the entertainment industry, especially a sport like racing with high barriers to entry for both participation and viewership.
The trending topic about Meng Huaizhi’s late-night rendezvous with a male celebrity had just been suppressed and hadn’t been completely forgotten by the internet yet.
[Am I the only one who thinks he looks a bit like the handsome guy Meng Huaizhi was meeting last night?]
@Driver Shen Wu replied to the comment: Really?
[So handsome ahhhhhh gege I declare you’re my only husband besides Huai-ge TT]
@Driver Shen Wu replied to the comment: But I like people who are loyal, what should I do?
[This jacket looks just like the one that mysterious handsome guy was wearing!! I’ll be blunt, were you the one Meng Huaizhi was meeting in the middle of the night??]
[I won’t even ask if you know Huai-ge, I’ll just ask a simple question, what’s your relationship? (doge)]
@Driver Shen Wu replied to the comment: I’m his fan ^ – ^

In the M+ Entertainment conference room.
PR Director Du Chen wore a pained expression. “This ‘Racing God’ is the person President Meng met last night??”
“Yes,” Meng Huaizhi answered his question personally, speaking unhurriedly. “Help him with comment control. Don’t let the netizens find out.”
Du Chen had just finished dealing with the “Meng Huaizhi’s Late Night Rendezvous with a Male Celebrity” topic. All his painstaking efforts had been for nothing, and had instead created more trouble. He couldn’t help but complain, “Why did he have to reply to those comments! If he hadn’t replied, everything would have been fine!”
Meng Huaizhi didn’t respond this time. He lowered his head and scrolled through his phone, discovering that Shen Wu had posted on Weibo last week, saying that he had made it to the finals of the Beijing Racing Carnival and was preparing for it. The finals were in three days.
Meng Huaizhi continued to give instructions, “Control the comments, and while you’re at it, guide the attention towards the Carnival finals. It’s good to have more people go cheer for him. He likes a lively atmosphere.”
Du Chen was baffled. He whispered to Luo Jinyi, “What’s this guy’s background?”
Luo Jinyi’s expression was odd. “He’s the younger brother from President Meng’s family friend.”
Du Chen: “Younger brother?”
“Mm,” Meng Huaizhi took over. “The rebellious type.”
Du Chen asked again, “Younger brother??”
Meng Huaizhi lifted his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Du Chen didn’t dare to press further, resolving to find a chance to ask Luo Jinyi next time.
“Who told you to use him to suppress the trending topic?” Meng Huaizhi, in a rare moment of kindness, offered an explanation. “You were the ones who used him as a shield first, putting him in the line of fire of public opinion. That’s why he’s retaliating against me.”
Du Chen & the PR department forced to work overtime: …Who’s the one actually being retaliated against?