FIG CHAPTER 1

“Idols who fall in love should be beheaded.”

Zhu Lianzhen glanced at Weibo and happened to see this rather dramatic trending topic. Clicking on it, a familiar name immediately appeared.

[@StarEntertainmentHeadlines: #Tan Qing Dating Rumors#
In the early hours of Valentine’s Day, Acemon boy group member Tan Qing was spotted strolling the streets at night with a young woman. While crossing the street, Tan Qing took the initiative to protect her by walking on the outer side of the road. Both wore masks, displaying extreme caution…]

The revelation quickly ignited heated discussions online. Since his debut, Tan Qing had never been involved in any real scandals. Over the past two years, his rising popularity had been further solidified by his film career. If his idol image were to take a hit now, it would be a severe blow.

The comment section had already exploded, yet another round of the never-ending fan wars playing out in real-time.

“Boss, we’re going to be late,” Assistant Ah-Xu urged from inside the car.

Responding absentmindedly, Zhu Lianzhen clicked on the paparazzi’s candid shots, skimmed through them, and confirmed that it was indeed Tan Qing. He let out a sneer, thinking to himself: Well, well, even you can screw up sometimes.

He put away his phone and got into the car. But in failing to control his strength when shutting the door, the loud bang startled Ah-Xu. “Why are you so irritable today?”

“If you got dragged in on your day off just to be scolded by Pei-jie,[mfn]jie/jiejie = big sister[/mfn] you’d be annoyed too.” Zhu Lianzhen fiddled with his phone, his fingertip unconsciously pressing the power button repeatedly.

Ah-Xu frowned. “Being your assistant, do you think I get scolded by Pei-jie any less?”

Zhu Lianzhen shot her a chilly glance.

Sensing something off about his mood today, Ah-Xu quickly changed her tone, flashing a playful grin. “Well, you’re a big star. It’s only natural to have a packed schedule!”

The car drove smoothly toward the company, arriving at the towering Zuige Entertainment building without a hitch.

The moment he stepped into the elevator, Zhu Lianzhen’s sharp senses kicked in. He immediately noticed that the small space wasn’t only filled with the scent of disinfectant but also carried a faint trace of something resembling caramel coffee. Very subtle.

The lingering base notes of the fragrance reminded Zhu Lianzhen of Tan Qing. His thoughts drifted back to the entertainment news he had just read and those blurry nighttime photos.

—He’s in a relationship? And with a woman?

Why was he even thinking about this? His teammate’s private life had nothing to do with him.

—A Valentine’s date wouldn’t start at midnight. Maybe it was a birthday celebration? No, that’s not right. There are plenty of suitable places for a late-night date… like a hotel?

Zhu Lianzhen clicked his tongue, suddenly remembering to press the elevator button.

He went to the manager’s office, and the moment he stepped in, Pei Qiao’s scolding greeted him, just as expected.

There were two main reasons. First, his professor had once again reported that he failed to submit his thesis on time. He had also missed several exams over the past year. If he continued neglecting his studies, his graduation would be in jeopardy. As a public figure, he was expected to set an example. If the school granted him special treatment, it would reflect poorly on both sides.

The second matter was far more serious. Some time ago, the daughter of a well-known producer had hosted a birthday party and specifically requested him to attend as her date. Zhu Lianzhen, however, had refused without a second thought.

Not long after, two of his commercial deals were suddenly pulled. Although they weren’t his most significant endorsements, it was enough to put his manager on edge, fearing that someone was deliberately targeting him.

“How many times have I told you to be cautious with your words and actions? It’s better to suffer a minor loss than to be stubborn and offend people. There are so many competitors watching you like hawks—who wouldn’t want to drag you down?” Pei Qiao said, “They probably looked into your family background, which is why they didn’t take things further.”

Zhu Lianzhen remained silent, obediently enduring the reprimand. When he heard the last sentence, he unconsciously curled his lips slightly. He waited until Pei Qiao’s expression softened before offering an apology.

Whether he truly felt remorse was another matter. He didn’t think of himself as some privileged golden child, but coming from a well-off background and having been doted on since childhood, he found the idea of catering to others’ moods more unbearable than leaving the industry altogether.

“Alright, don’t let it happen again.” Pei Qiao always ended her lectures with this line. “And don’t forget about school. Now that the semester has started, attend a few classes to show the right attitude. That way, they’ll have less to criticize.”

“Mm.” Zhu Lianzhen nodded along and wasted no time leaving the manager’s office.

The moment he stepped into the hallway, he felt like he could finally breathe. Ah-Xu caught up with him. “Boss, you’re trending.”

Zhu Lianzhen frowned. He had just been scolded by Pei-jie—what kind of bad luck had struck now?

Opening the trending list, he saw that the top spot was still “Tan Qing Dating Rumors.” Given Tan Qing’s popularity, the sustained attention was unsurprising.

But right below it, in second place, were the words: “QingZhen: True Affection.”[mfn]情真意切 (qíng zhēn yì qiè) = an idiom meaning “genuine and sincere affection.” It uses “Qing” and “Zhen,” referencing their names. I added the “QingZhen” in pinyin to make sense in English.[/mfn]

The moment Zhu Lianzhen saw those words, an overwhelming sense of irritation surged within him.

“QingZhen” was the CP name fans had given to him and Tan Qing. It was immensely popular, dominating fanfiction rankings to the point of being nearly unrivaled. Even people who didn’t follow celebrities had at least heard of it.

Even later, when the two unfollowed each other on Weibo and stopped interacting in front of the cameras, when even CP fans jokingly admitted they had been shipping “false affection”, the popularity of their pairing showed no signs of fading.

So when Tan Qing’s dating rumor broke today, many overly invested CP fans refused to accept it. Meanwhile, haters seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, leaving comments under the news: “Tan Qing, how could you do this to Lianlian?”

What started as an offhand remark quickly snowballed into a full-blown storm, and the fan war spiraled out of control.

Zhu Lianzhen scrolled through the online discussions with a blank expression. Ah-Xu didn’t dare to make a sound and could only steal glances at his face.

Zhu Lianzhen’s eyebrows and eyes were his most defining features. He was naturally handsome and refined. When his long lashes lowered, they lent him an effortless air of nobility, but without arrogance. And when he was in a bad mood, he resembled a rebellious youth feigning indifference, his gaze brimming with barely contained sharpness.

“I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me.” Dismissing his assistant, Zhu Lianzhen entered the elevator alone.

Upon reaching the lobby, he noticed that the company was holding a press conference—likely to announce a new trainee program. He avoided the cameras and reporters, heading toward a vending machine in the corner to buy a drink.

But when luck was bad, even a soda can could cause trouble. The pomegranate juice got stuck mid-fall. With no other choice, he scanned the code again, hoping that buying a second one would knock the first loose.

Instead, he watched as the second can landed perfectly on top of the first, both now wedged stubbornly in the machine, refusing to budge. Frustrated by his streak of bad luck, Zhu Lianzhen crouched down and tapped lightly on the vending machine.

Half a minute passed before he sensed someone approaching from the side. He stood up to step aside, only to freeze mid-movement, his gaze locking onto the man in front of him.

And just like that, the worst possible thing happened.

The other person casually handed him a pomegranate juice. “Is this what you wanted? I just bought one and haven’t opened it yet.”

Zhu Lianzhen’s mind went blank for a moment. Instinctively, he reached out, but the moment his fingertips touched the cold can, he abruptly withdrew his hand, refusing in silence.

Tan Qing smiled and shoved the drink into his hand. “Drink it. I’m not that thirsty.”

Zhu Lianzhen took it, lowering his gaze to avoid making eye contact.

The last time they had stood face-to-face like this had been two years ago. After parting on bad terms, they had never spoken again.

Fans only knew that their relationship had fallen apart. But as for the real reason behind their conflict, only the two of them knew.

Feeling awkward, Zhu Lianzhen pulled open the can’s tab, creating a bit of noise to ease the tension. He took a sip of the pomegranate juice and casually made conversation. “You have business at the company?”

“Mm.” Tan Qing’s gaze lingered on him. “Pei-jie is holding a press conference today. She’s also handling some of my personal matters, so I have to make an appearance.”

Handling personal matters.

Hearing those words, Zhu Lianzhen immediately understood: so his relationship had been exposed after all. As expected, Tan Qing would probably insist to the fans that he was still single.

Since Tan Qing had moved on, Zhu Lianzhen figured it was the perfect time to show some magnanimity. There was no reason to keep avoiding conversation anymore.

Clearing his throat, he met Tan Qing’s gaze, making an effort to appear completely sincere. “I only found out this morning from the news that you’re no longer single. Congrats.”

Tan Qing kept looking at him. “Are you genuinely wishing me well, or is that just politeness?”

“Of course, it’s genuine.” At that moment, Zhu Lianzhen noticed that Tan Qing’s cologne scent matched the one he had smelled earlier in the elevator. His sense of smell was indeed sharp.

“Thanks,” Tan Qing replied calmly. “But unfortunately, you’re congratulating me too soon.”

Zhu Lianzhen was puzzled. Too soon? What did that mean? Had he not actually gotten together with that girl? Was it still in the ambiguous stage? He could go out with her in the middle of the night but still hadn’t made it official?

Before he could make sense of it, Tan Qing glanced toward the crowd in the distance. “I should go. Pei-jie is still waiting for me.”

He took a couple of steps before suddenly stopping and turning back. “Oh, right. She’s also planning to talk to the reporters about our group. Why don’t you come listen too?”

The mention of their practically non-existent group made Zhu Lianzhen’s heart sink. Without a word, he tightened his grip around the can and followed after him.

Over twenty media outlets had gathered at the press conference. It wasn’t a large event, and most of the attendees were familiar with Pei Qiao. Tan Qing took a seat beside her on stage, while Zhu Lianzhen pulled up his mask and hoodie, standing inconspicuously in the back row.

Pei Qiao began with a brief thank-you to the reporters before getting straight to the point. “There are two main things we want to address today, but first, we need to clarify the rumor about Tan Qing from this morning.”

“First of all, he is not in a relationship. The girl he was seen with late at night is his relative’s younger sister. They rarely see each other, and she was simply keeping him company for his birthday. They had a meal together, but unfortunately, they were photographed.”

Zhu Lianzhen furrowed his brows slightly.

Tan Qing picked up where Pei Qiao left off. “Since this involves personal privacy, I can’t share too many details about my family. Especially since she’s still a student, I don’t want her life to be disturbed. This was my oversight—I didn’t protect my family well enough, which led to this misunderstanding. I apologize.”

A reporter asked, “Why did you choose to celebrate your birthday with your family in the middle of the night?”

“She lives in another city and had to return today for winter break tutoring classes. We only get to see each other a few times a year. She took the high-speed train after class yesterday just to have a meal with me.” Tan Qing smiled. “Maybe it’s just because my birthday falls on Valentine’s Day that people got the wrong idea.”

Zhu Lianzhen knew a fair bit about Tan Qing’s family situation. His parents had divorced when he was young. His mother raised him alone but later passed away from illness, while his father had long since started a new family and was almost entirely absent from his life.

He did have a younger half-sister from his father’s side. She was still quite young, and since Tan Qing rarely mentioned her, Zhu Lianzhen had nearly forgotten she existed.

At that thought, his grip on the can unconsciously tightened.

If things were really this simple, then why didn’t he just explain it earlier when I congratulated him? It would’ve taken a single sentence to clear up the misunderstanding.

Had he let him misunderstand on purpose?

The thought flickered through his mind, and Zhu Lianzhen was startled to realize—Tan Qing had been testing him.

His gaze returned to Tan Qing just as the other’s eyes met his across the crowd.

That brief eye contact made Zhu Lianzhen pause. The suspicion from earlier spread through his mind, and suddenly, he was certain—this was intentional. Tan Qing’s behavior at the vending machine had been deliberate.

He could have simply said “clarifying a rumor”, but instead, he used “handling personal matters”, a vague phrase that was easy to misinterpret, making Zhu Lianzhen instinctively assume he was about to announce a relationship.

And “congratulating too soon”—in the end, it had only meant that he was still single.

Tan Qing had neither confirmed nor denied anything. Yet without realizing it, Zhu Lianzhen had walked right into his trap.

Tightening his grip on the pomegranate juice, Zhu Lianzhen turned and walked away from the crowd. At least he had maintained his composure and hadn’t shown too much emotion in front of Tan Qing.

Seated on a bench in the lobby, he finished the drink, crushed the can completely, and tossed it away.

Before long, Tan Qing’s voice sounded from behind him. “Pei-jie still has a lot more to say. You’re not going to keep listening?”

“I can hear just fine from here. My hearing’s pretty good.” Zhu Lianzhen glanced at him.

Tan Qing stepped closer and sat down on the bench opposite him.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Zhu Lianzhen clicked his tongue lightly. He stretched out his long legs lazily, assuming a bored posture, and took the initiative to start a conversation. “Almost forgot today’s your birthday. Didn’t prepare a gift—hope you don’t mind.”

Tan Qing nodded. “No worries, your well wishes are enough.”

Zhu Lianzhen hadn’t expected to be thrown off like that. “I wasn’t even congratulating you on that.”

“But it’s the thought that counts,” Tan Qing said. “Anyway, thanks for your concern, Xiao Zhu.”[mfn]Xiao = little. Often used in an affectionate context.[/mfn]

His expression remained polite and gentle, without a trace of deception. If he was setting a trap, he was doing it flawlessly.

Zhu Lianzhen averted his gaze. “I was just feeling sorry for you. Figured if you went public with a relationship, your fans would turn against you. Didn’t expect it to be a misunderstanding—so it’s all good.”

Even though he deliberately made his tone a bit sharp, Tan Qing’s expression remained unchanged. “Why do you think my fans wouldn’t approve if I went public with a relationship?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Haven’t you seen today’s trending topics?” Zhu Lianzhen leaned forward slightly. “They’re saying, ‘Idols who fall in love should be beheaded.’”

He enunciated each word with precision. Rather than advice, it sounded more like a warning.

Tan Qing, who had been expressionless moments ago, suddenly let out a soft laugh. “Then haven’t I already died once for you?”