What was happening on the internet when Cheng Che was crowned Champion at the Qizhong Tennis Center?
Most people are just jumping on the bandwagon.
These days, every World Cup brings out a huge group of people who know nothing about football and pretend to be experts.
The same thing happened with Cheng Che's victory; many people who usually have nothing to do with tennis suddenly came out to congratulate him.
Several popular celebrities posted on Weibo with photos of themselves watching the game on TV, captioned "Witnessing history."
Several sports bloggers released analysis videos overnight, titled "Why Cheng Che was able to win," but upon clicking, they found that they were all copied from Baidu Baike (Chinese Wikipedia).
Several marketing accounts compiled a timeline of Cheng Che's trending topics from the " Midsummer Reply " MV to the present, captioning it "Top idol in the Chinese entertainment industry, nothing special."
But none of these can compare to one person's Weibo.
Yan Ruanning.
She posted a status update with a picture of Cheng Che holding a cup on a TV screen.
The footage is a bit blurry, as if to tell everyone that she took it by pointing her phone at the TV.
Those who didn't know the situation would really think she wasn't there.
[ Yan Ruanning V: Congratulations, Champion! Treat me to dinner!]
The comments section instantly became lively.
[ Sister Ning's tone sounds like she's being coquettish.]
[Finally, I can openly tag the person I like, right?]
[ Yan Ruanning: I'm coming clean, I'm not pretending anymore]
[Hilarious! They went through so much trouble debunking those rumors before, and now they're just giving up?]
What exactly is your relationship? Give me a straight answer.
However, some fans who support the career-oriented image also spoke out.
[ Ningning's new album is about to be released. Don't ride the tennis wave; focus on your music.]
As a fan, I hope she focuses more on her own career rather than being a cheerleader for an athlete.
[What do you know? This is normal interaction. Why do you have to think of everything in that way?]
The passersby were unhappy.
[What's wrong with someone sending a congratulatory message? Can't friends support each other?]
[Aren't these career-oriented fans being too nosy? Ningning not have a brain of her own? Does she need you to teach her?]
[To be honest, Ningning wouldn't lose out by riding on Cheng Che's popularity.]
Fans and casual observers started arguing, turning the comment section into a battlefield.
But Yan Ruanning ignored all of that.
After sending the picture Xiao Zhou sent, she put her phone aside and continued watching the awards ceremony.
What truly caused an uproar on the internet was not Yan Ruanning's Weibo.
It's Esquire.
The moment Cheng Che held up the trophy, the official account of Esquire posted a message with only three words in it.
[ Esquire V: He's here.]
The accompanying image is a cover photo.
A black turtleneck sweater, a dark gray wool blazer with a clean cut and sharp shoulder lines.
Cheng Che sat in a chair, one hand in his pocket, slightly turned to the side, his gaze fixed on something outside the camera's view.
His hair was a bit messy from the stylist's touch, with a few stray strands falling across his forehead, but the clear and composed look in his eyes was more impactful than any elaborate makeup.
Abstinence.
alienation.
unattainable.
This is the first reaction of everyone who sees the cover.
The comment section was flooded with tens of thousands of comments within ten seconds.
[Holy crap???? This is Cheng Che???]
[Isn't he a tennis player? How come he's on the cover of Esquire???]
Wait, is this the same person as the one on the court???
[ Sunny Boy on the basketball court, a stoic and aloof god on the cover—how many facets does he really have?]
I'm dead, really dead. I could look at this face a hundred times and still not get enough.
[Release it now! I want to buy ten copies! No, twenty copies!]
[ Esquire, you have a great eye for choosing photos! This cover is absolutely stunning!]
[I hereby declare that from today onwards, I am a fan of Cheng Che's looks.]
Sisters, let's go! Buy up all the Esquire!
However, Cheng Che is not actually a regular model for Esquire.
He had no experience in the fashion industry and had never even walked through a fashion week.
Esquire chose him for the cover purely because of his popularity.
They originally planned to feature another A-list male star on the October issue cover, but Cheng Che's performance in the Magic City Masters, which propelled him to the finals, made his popularity uncontrollable.
The magazine's editor-in-chief held an emergency meeting overnight and decided to replace him.
Photographer Chen Man was called in at the last minute and completed the shoot within two days.
The cover was released the instant Cheng Che won the championship, making no attempt to ride on his coattails.
But the effect was explosive.
Within half an hour of the cover photo being released, it was shared over 500,000 times.
The comments section was full of suggestive remarks; some called him "husband," some asked "Does he have a girlfriend?", and some even posted their location, saying "I'm going to Magic City right now to wait for him."
A fashion blogger wrote when reposting:
" Esquire was incredibly lucky this time. The quality of this cover shoot would rank in the top three among all men's magazines this year. Cheng Che's face is simply made for fashion."
At this moment, Cheng Che Himself is on the podium at the Qizhong Tennis Center.
The national anthem played, and the flag was raised.
The entire audience stood up; some sang along, while others took photos with their phones.
Cheng Che stood on the podium, a gold medal hanging around his neck and the Champion trophy in his hands.
He neither cried nor laughed too hard.
He simply tilted his head slightly, watching the flag rise to its highest point.
After the awards ceremony, Cheng Che and Qin Lie left the stadium.
They exited through a side door, avoiding the media and fans.
A black van was parked outside. Cheng Che opened the door and froze.
Jiang Xue, Cheng Jianguo, Su Miaoyin, Yan Ruanning were sitting in the back seat of the car.
The four people sat neatly in a row, like a line of soldiers waiting for inspection.
Jiang Xue sat on the far left, Cheng Jianguo sat next to her, Su Miaoyin sat in the middle, Yan Ruanning sat on the far right.
The atmosphere among the four people was subtly quiet.
Cheng Che's expression froze instantly upon seeing this lineup.
He stood at the car door, hesitant to get on.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Xue asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Get in the car. Aren't we going to eat?"
Cheng Che scratched his head, opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.
His expression screamed, "How am I supposed to bring this up?"
"One more person is coming," he finally said.
Jiang Xue was taken aback. "Who? Guo Xin?"
Cheng Che shook his head.
His gaze swept over the four people in the back row.
Su Miaoyin tilted her head to look at him. Yan Ruanning pushed up the brim of his hat, revealing his eyes.
Cheng Jianguo leaned back in his chair, looking on with an expression of watching a show.
"It's Pei Jingshu," he said.
The air in the carriage fell silent for a moment.
Then five pairs of eyes turned to him at the same time.
Jiang Xue's eyes, Cheng Jianguo's eyes, Su Miaoyin's eyes, Yan Ruanning's eyes, and Qin Lie's eyes standing outside the car.
Cheng Che shouted in his heart.
Bitter.