The rumors never stopped.
The photo of that the Bund bench was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples that spread outwards in concentric circles.
First, Cheng Che and Pei Jingshu's names were linked together and trended on social media, and then someone dragged Yan Ruanning into it as well.
"Wait a minute, didn't Cheng Che have a rumored relationship with Yan Ruanning before?"
This sentence was like a match, igniting a wider battlefield.
Someone put Yan Ruanning and Pei Jingshu's photos side by side and made a comparison picture.
On the left is Yan Ruanning, and on the right is Pei Jingshu.
One is a singer-songwriter who has been in the music industry for four years and has won the Best Album Producer award; the other is a campus belle from Korea University who has been eyed by multiple entertainment companies.
The comment section below the two photos turned into a massive lamentation session.
Both are stunning beauties, one a mature, sophisticated woman, the other aloof and elegant, and both are tall. What kind of luck is this?
[ Yan Ruanning 1.7 meters tall, Pei Jingshu is about the same height. Their body proportions and legs are ridiculously long.]
[I admit I'm jealous, really jealous. One's a songwriter, the other's a singer, and they both look like this. Cheng Che, what kind of luck do you have?]
[Stop talking, I'm already crying. I don't even have a boyfriend, and he has two top-tier rumored girlfriends.]
[Wait, what makes you think Pei Jingshu is a rumored boyfriend? All he did was say "I love you"]
[You were sitting together on the Bund bench and you only shouted once? You were just sitting on the Bund bench with a casual friend late at night?]
[ Yan Ruanning's scandal is the real one, right? It's been exposed so many times before—eating together, recording shows together, and she even registered a studio for him. Isn't that more solid evidence than Pei Jingshu's?]
To be honest, I can't choose between Yan Ruanning and Pei Jingshu standing together. One is intellectual, the other is aloof, and both are so beautiful they seem unreal.
The replies to this comment quickly went astray.
[Can't choose? Only children make choices; Cheng Che wants them all!]
[You can be so sour all you want, Cheng Che has his own life, stop your powerless rage here.]
[I'm impressed. Where does Cheng Che's charm come from? Even South Korea girls came to the event to shout "I love you!"]
The atmosphere inside the supertopic is much more complicated than outside.
Cheng Che's fan base is divided into two camps on this matter.
One group consists of fans of the couple pairing, while the other group consists of fans who prioritize the couple's career.
CP fans are flooding the super topic with messages.
[ Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning are the best couple to ship! They've known each other for so long, filmed music videos together, recorded variety shows together, and she even gave him lessons. This kind of long-term, affectionate relationship is the best to ship!]
[But Pei Jingshu is a good match too! One is a top student from Peking University, and the other is a Korea University from Korea University. A cross-border couple, just thinking about it is exciting!]
[I don't care, I'm on Yan Ruanning. I could watch that look in Sister Ning's eyes when she looked at Cheng Che in " Life Slowed Down " a hundred times and never get tired of it.]
[Did you guys see the video of Pei Jingshu confessing her love in the stands? Her voice was hoarse when she stood up and shouted "I love you." Who wouldn't like a brave girl like that?]
I ship both of them. Anyway, Cheng Che hasn't officially announced anything yet, so I'll just ship whichever couple I like.
The fans who were dedicated to their careers posted in the super topic, and their tone was noticeably calmer.
[Everyone, please calm down. Cheng Che is an athlete now, and he has a competition tomorrow. Don't let these rumors affect him.]
[To be honest, Yan Ruanning and Pei Jingshu are both very good, but at this stage, Cheng Che's most important thing is playing badminton. He's only eighteen years old, just won an Open Champion, and reached the third round of the Master. Getting distracted by dating at this time won't be good for his career.]
[I know shipping couples is fun, but his career is more important. He's aiming for a world ranking, and if he can't make it in tennis, then shipping couples is meaningless.]
[This is a place to support him, not a gossip forum. Please focus on tomorrow's match.]
The two factions started arguing in the supertopic.
CP fans say career fans are too serious, while career fans say CP fans are too frivolous.
After arguing for a long time, neither of them could convince the other.
Cheng Che, the person involved, was completely unaware of any of this.
He slept well.
Nine hours without dreams, and when I woke up, it was already bright outside the window.
Qin Lie was eating breakfast in the living room when he saw him come out, and handed him a cup of soy milk.
How did you sleep last night?
"Good."
Have you seen those messages online?
"I didn't see it."
Qin Lie nodded, without bringing it up himself.
He knew Cheng Che's habits: he didn't read comments or trending topics before the competition, and he didn't let outside opinions affect his performance.
After finishing breakfast, Cheng Che packed up his tennis bag.
Blade V10, spare grip tape, two bottles of water, and a towel.
There weren't many items, but he examined them very carefully.
Qin Lie leaned against the door frame, holding information about his second-round opponent in his hand.
" The Russia, ranked 14th in the world. He reached the US Open semifinals this year and has a 78% win rate on hard courts. He's more consistent than Berrettini, Berrettini serve isn't as powerful, but he's stronger in baseline rallies. His greatest strength is using high balls to force you behind the baseline and then looking for opportunities to change the direction of the shot."
Cheng Che took the documents, flipped through a couple of pages, and nodded.
Let's go.
The car was parked downstairs at the hotel.
Cheng Che got into the car, put the tennis bag at his feet, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.
The car drove towards the Qizhong Tennis Center.
The street view outside the window gradually changed from high-rise buildings to green belts and low-rise factories.
As the car turned into the gate of the Qizhong Tennis Center, Cheng Che opened his eyes and saw the roof of Hall 2 through the car window.
It's not the weekend, but there are already people queuing outside the venue.
Two long lines formed at the ticket gates. Some people were holding up banners with Cheng Che's name on them, some were wearing the same sportswear as him, and several girls were holding up support signs with both Chinese and Korean text.
Qin Lie glanced at himself in the rearview mirror and a slight smile curved his lips.
She didn't tell Cheng Che about what happened online.
Cheng Che took the tennis bag and opened the car door.
The staff at the entrance saw him, nodded, and made way for him.
Cheng Che walked into the players' tunnel with his tennis bag on his back, turned two corners, and arrived at the locker room entrance.
He pushed open the door.
The second round of matches in Hall 2 is about to begin.