When news of the Louvre Museum's theft reached Xia Country, it was afternoon.
The first related trending topic on Weibo was # Louvre Museum #, and clicking on it revealed that screenshots of France media reports filled the comment section.
Someone translated the news, saying that thieves broke in in the early morning, and the exact items stolen are still being tallied, but it is said that several exhibits were taken.
The comments section was initially quite normal, mostly saying things like "world-class news," "outrageous," and "Is the Mona Lisa still around?"
Then someone posted a message.
"Wait, are Cheng Che and the others in Paris? The first stop of the Europe episode of ' Walking the Flower Road Together ' is Paris."
This comment was like a pebble thrown into water.
[Damn, I hadn't remembered that if you hadn't mentioned it!]
Did Cheng Che and the others go to the Louvre Museum yesterday?
[Oh no, is everyone alright?]
[They should be fine, right? The thieves went in the early morning; they were just visiting during the day.]
[That scared me to death! I thought they had run into something!]
As more and more people started discussing it, the hashtag # Walking the Flower Road Together # quickly appeared on Paris trending topics list.
Clicking through, some people started looking at the show's official Weibo account and found that they had indeed posted an update yesterday saying, "Arrived in Paris, first stop: the Louvre Museum."
Then a passerby posted a Weibo.
The accompanying image is a photograph, not high-definition, but it clearly shows a scene inside the Louvre Museum. In the picture, Cheng Che is standing in front of the Mona Lisa, tilting his head to look at the camera, with a faint smile on his lips.
Su Jianqiu stood next to him and gave him a peace sign.
Yan Ruanning stood a little distance away, tilting her head to look at the painting.
The caption was just one sentence. "I bumped into them at the Louvre Museum yesterday; I had no idea this would happen today."
This Weibo was forwarded 50,000 times within ten minutes.
The comments section has completely gone off-topic.
[You've captured a one-of-a-kind photo!!! The Mona Lisa may be gone, but you've captured a photo of her with Cheng Che!!!]
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The Mona Lisa was stolen, but Cheng Che saw it one last time before it was stolen.
[The value of this photo instantly increased a hundredfold]
Cheng Che: I had no idea I was one of the last people to see the Mona Lisa.
If I were this blogger, I would frame this photo.
[So, you should start chasing after your idols as early as possible. If you wait even a day, you won't be able to get a picture of them.]
[ Louvre Museum: Can't you even consider my losses?]
[Sorry, Louvre Museum, but Cheng Che is definitely prettier than Mona Lisa ]
However, what drew more attention was the other person in the photo.
Yan Ruanning.
In that photo, Yan Ruanning is standing in front of the Mona Lisa, looking at the painting with her head tilted to the side.
The light fell on her face; her profile was serene.
She was only a few steps away from Cheng Che, in the same exhibition hall, in front of the same painting.
The CP (couple) fans went wild within ten minutes.
They went to the Louvre Museum together!!!
[Same exhibition hall, same painting, same time!!!]
[ Yan Ruanning's profile as she looks at the painting— Cheng Che is right next to her!!!]
[Is this a date? This is definitely a date!]
They were standing so close, I tripped and fell.
[Where's the photo Cheng Che took of Yan Ruanning? Did anyone take a picture? I want to see it!!!]
[I told you they had something going on. The production team deliberately invited Yan Ruanning as a guest star to stir up trouble.]
[CP fans are celebrating Chinese New Year today!!!]
The style of career-oriented fans is completely different.
Cheng Che is currently in the prime of his career; he shouldn't be involved in these kinds of scandals.
[ Yan Ruanning is a guest star; it's normal for them to appear together. Don't overinterpret it.]
[Could the studio issue a statement to clarify this?]
We don't want to see scandals, we just want to see him play basketball and act.
[We are currently filming " Walking the Flower Road Together," so any photos of us together are for work purposes. Please don't overthink it.]
The comments section for solo fans is more direct.
[ Yan Ruanning obviously trying to ride the coattails of someone else's popularity.]
[Can the production team replace her? What's the point of having her?]
She just wanted to use Cheng Che Chehuo to climb the social ladder.
[Our Che Baby doesn't need a partner, thank you]
The three groups of people were arguing so much that the hashtag Louvre Museum Cheng Che # trended at number Yan Ruanning on Weibo.
In Paris, the atmosphere in the production team's meeting room was a completely different story.
The PD sat at one end of a long table, with a safety assessment report spread out in front of him.
There were seven or eight people sitting in the conference room, including members of the directing team, the security team, and the external liaison team.
"That's the situation," the PD began. " The Louvre Museum is closed, the police are still searching, and it's said the thieves were armed. All our filming schedule for this afternoon is canceled."
"And what about tomorrow?" the assistant director asked.
"It might not even open tomorrow. The Louvre Museum says it will be closed for at least three days to reassess its security system."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Someone whispered, "How about we change cities? We can film in Nice or Provence first, and then come back when things stabilize in Paris."
The PD didn't answer immediately. She glanced at Old Zheng, the security chief, who was sitting in the corner.
Old Zheng stood up, turned on his tablet, and a map of Paris appeared on the screen.
"The thieves' target is the Louvre Museum, not the tourists. Paris is still functioning normally; people are going to work as usual, and cafes are open. As long as we don't go to secluded places and follow the production crew, we're safe and manageable. The Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre Heights are places with high foot traffic and strong security, so there shouldn't be any problems."
The PD nodded.
"We're not filming a police thriller," she said. "We're filming a travel variety show. Paris life is still there, only the Louvre Museum is closed. We just need to film somewhere else."
She glanced around at everyone present.
"Decision: Stay in Paris. Cancel all Louvre Museum -related itineraries. Instead, visit the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, and Montmartre Heights. Security has been increased; everyone will be equipped with GPS wristbands. No one is allowed to move alone during filming; all outings must be reported."
She paused for a moment.
"Any objections?"
No one spoke.
The PD closed the file. "Meeting adjourned. Inform the guests that filming will proceed as scheduled tomorrow."
In the hotel room, Cheng Che was sitting on the bed looking at his phone.
He saw it trending on Weibo.
CP fans are shipping them, career fans are anxious, and solo fans are cursing.
The three groups of people were arguing fiercely. He glanced at them twice, then reluctantly put his phone down.
But then, Qin Lie called again.
"Hello?"
" Cheng Che, there's something I need to tell you." Qin Lie's tone was faster than usual and quite helpless. "The Paris police have contacted the production team through the embassy. They know you went to the Louvre Museum yesterday and would like you to come to the police station to give a statement."
"Ah?"