The night the final episode of " Walking the Flower Road Together " aired, the CP (couple) fans on the Xia Country's internet celebrated like it was New Year's Day.
[ Cheng Quan Yan Huan ] Super Topic.
Tens of thousands of new posts flooded in within half an hour, and the pinned "Newcomer Reporting" thread had over a thousand replies.
[Newbie here! I started shipping this couple after tonight's dance. Experienced viewers, where do I begin to catch up on all the sweet moments between them?]
[Welcome to the newcomer! I suggest starting with the Mushroom House episode of " Life Slowed Down," that was their first time appearing together, Yan Ruanning cried while listening to Cheng Che sing.]
[Newbie +1. I don't usually ship real-life couples, but that "Mr. Cheng, may I have this dance?" line was just too irresistible, I'm totally hooked.]
[Welcome, welcome! Check out the pinned resource thread in the super topic; it contains all their scenes together, from the Mushroom House to the recording studio to Paris —it's a feast!]
[Newcomer reporting in, are they real?]
[That's a good question, we don't know either. But tonight's dance at least shows that their relationship is special.]
Longtime fans welcomed the newcomer while simultaneously revisiting old content and rewatching their favorite moments.
A long-time fan posted a set of comparison photos: from Cheng Che filming a music video to making a guest appearance on the variety show " Life Slowed Down ", the interactions between the two have always been incredibly sweet.
The comments under this post are all "wuwuwu".
Then someone posted a new thread with a short title followed by three exclamation marks.
Look at their hands!!!
Clicking on it reveals two screenshots.
The image on the left shows Cheng Che reaching out his hand tonight; he has a black braided bracelet on his left wrist with a small silver tennis racket pendant hanging from it.
The screenshot on the right shows Yan Ruanning reaching out her hand; there's a white woven bracelet on her right wrist with a small silver musical note pendant hanging from it.
One is black, and the other is white.
A tennis racket, a musical note.
The same weaving pattern, the same silver pendant, worn on the same wrist.
The post only contained one sentence. "Is this a matching couple's item???"
The CP (couple) hashtag exploded within ten minutes.
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, these are really matching couple items!!!]
[Black and white! Tennis racket and musical notes! One represents him, the other represents her!]
[I looked through the previous materials, Cheng Che was wearing that bracelet during the French Open! Yan Ruanning also showed it off in a recording studio interview!]
[So they've been wearing them for at least a few months???]
[Aaaaaaah, I don't care, this is a couple's outfit!!!]
[The ship I ship is real!!!]
The news spread rapidly.
From the CP (couple) supertopic to entertainment marketing accounts to Weibo trending topics, it all happened in less than half an hour.
The hashtag # Cheng Che # trended at number one on Weibo 'Yan Ruanning hot search list.
Cheng Che's die-hard fans in the comments section didn't believe it.
[One black and one white pair is considered a couple's item? My best friend and I each have one!]
This is clearly a coincidence; you can find tons of the same woven bracelet on Taobao.
[Stop shipping him like that. Cheng Che is about to compete in Wimbledon, what are you guys up to by creating rumors about him?]
[Exactly, Yan Ruanning is his homeroom teacher's daughter, they've known each other since childhood, what's wrong with giving her a bracelet?]
[I also have friends who gave me bracelets. Does wearing them mean you're in a relationship? Then I could have a whole football team of boyfriends by now.]
Those who are career-oriented are even more stubborn in their words.
[What stage Cheng Che at now? Wimbledon's almost at the Wimbledon final! A Grand Slam champion! The timing of this trending topic suggests someone's trying to sabotage him.]
[Anyway, I don't believe it. If Cheng Che were really in a relationship, he would tell you himself. He's not the kind of person who hides things.]
[You CP fans shouldn't get too carried away, it'll be embarrassing if the actual celebrities come out and slap you in the face.]
I suggest everyone leave and let him focus on preparing for the finals.
However, many passersby had a different attitude.
[To be honest, one is black and one is white, one is a tennis racket and the other is a musical note, it's too much of a coincidence if it's just a coincidence.]
[And the way they wear them, one on the left and one on the right, means they can just touch each other when they hold hands.]
[I'm not a fan of this pairing, but I think there's some truth to it.]
[I would support Cheng Che if he really started dating. He's nineteen, not an idol. What's wrong with him dating?]
[Yeah, he doesn't rely on fans' votes for a living; he plays tennis.]
Of all the voices, the most unhappy were the haters.
This time, the haters started arguing amongst themselves.
A relatively rational troll posted a message with a helpless tone:
"Don't rush to criticize him. Even if Cheng Che announces this, he's not afraid. Think about it, what does he do? He plays tennis, wins Grand Slams, publishes in top mathematics journals. If he doesn't work in the entertainment industry, he can just go straight to the scientific research field and become a scientist. You're threatening him with his scandal, but he doesn't care at all."
The other trolls remained silent below this post.
One commenter wrote, "You're right, I suddenly feel like there's no point in criticizing him. He has too many escape routes."
"He has so many escape routes that criticizing him is like giving him free publicity."
"Let's disperse, let's disperse, the darkness won't budge."
Meanwhile, in a London hotel, Qin Lie sat on the sofa in Cheng Che's room, his phone screen displaying the trending topic of "couple's bracelets".
"Explain?" he asked.
Cheng Che glanced at the screen and said casually, "She gave it to me. She gave it to me at the end of last year, and I've been wearing it for quite a while."
Qin Lie nodded.
He believes.
Cheng Che never tries to hide anything about these kinds of things.
If he really were with Yan Ruanning, he would openly say, "Yes, we're together," and would never try to hide it by wearing a bracelet.
"Then I won't reply." Qin Lie put his phone away. "Let's give it the cold shoulder. As long as the person in question doesn't admit it, the female fans will deceive themselves; they'll find all sorts of reasons to convince themselves."
"Is it okay to just not reply?"
"That's just how the entertainment industry is," Qin Lie chuckled. "The more you explain, the more confusing it gets; if you don't explain, things will just fall apart in a few days. Besides, this will help you filter out a bunch of obsessive fans and stalker fans, which is a good thing for you."
Sure enough, apart from a few obsessed fans who caused a ruckus in the supertopic for a few days, most fans quickly found their own explanations.
Especially after a few days, when Cheng Che reached the Wimbledon finals, even fewer people paid attention to the rumors.
The public outcry subsided quickly.
The internet's attention shifted to something else: Cheng Che had reached the Wimbledon final.
On Zhihu, someone asked, "If Cheng Che had Champion Wimbledon at the age of nineteen, and then the US Open Champion, completing all four Grand Slams, how would his historical status be calculated?"
The most upvoted answer below only has eight characters.
"Unprecedented and unparalleled."