After ending the call, Wang Yi went online to check the rumors about himself.
He opened Weibo's trending topics. The top story read: "Brother Yi goes on a date with a mysterious woman at a stadium."
Wang Yi's performances on the court were so outrageous these days that even when he put up a 40-point triple-double, it was usually hard for him to crack the top ten trending topics.
But the rumors had shot straight to the top in no time.
That was because he rarely made news for anything other than basketball, and there hadn't been any rumors about him since he and Nicole had confirmed their relationship.
The public's appetite for gossip had quickly sent the story to the top of the trending list.
At the same time, Wang Yi was now better known in China than many celebrities. As soon as the rumors came out, major websites and social media platforms put them front and center.
The media also went all out with their sensational headlines.
"Brother Yi secretly dates a mysterious woman."
"Wang Yi goes on a date with a woman other than Nicole."
Those were relatively harmless, merely fishing for clicks. Some, however, were downright malicious.
"Wang Yi betrays Nicole."
"Wang Yi cheats on his wife."
"Wang Yi, master of time management, dates more than ten women at once."
"Wang Yi's public image crumbles as he reveals his womanizing ways."
Such reports were few and far between, but even so, they were enough to grab attention.
Of course, plenty of levelheaded fans defended Wang Yi.
"Cheating on his wife? That's hilarious. Is Brother Yi even married? Do your research before you try to smear him, or you'll make a fool of yourself."
"Damn it, what celebrity would go on a date at a stadium in