The hashtag # Cheng Che # surged to the top of Weibo's trending topics less than ten minutes after the premiere of " Life Slowed Down ".
The speed was so fast that even Weibo's programmers were taken aback.
Clicking on it, the first thing you see is that photographer's shot.
Sunlight, leaves, dappled sunlight like scattered gold, a boy stood at the courtyard gate, and smiled.
The comments section has exploded.
"I've watched it three times. No, I've watched it thirty times. I can't take it anymore."
"Is this a scene from a variety show? This is a movie, isn't it? This is an art film, isn't it?"
"I took a hundred screenshots, each one could be used as wallpaper. Is that line on his profile even real?"
"To be honest, if Yan Ruanning were to date him, I would completely understand. I would love him too."
"Stop talking, even I, a straight guy, think this guy is a little too handsome."
"Now I understand why so many girls call him 'husband' every day. I want to call him that now too."
"Sisters, I didn't believe there was anything between them at first, but after seeing their appearance, I believe it. Yan Ruanning's eyes couldn't hide anything."
"Who wouldn't love him? Top Zhuangyuan in the college entrance exam, tennis Champion, looks like this, seems to have a good personality, and is young. If a guy like this appeared in a novel, I'd curse the author for writing something unrealistic."
The comments section was flooded with messages like crazy.
[Warning: High Energy!][The epitome of White Moonlight!][Mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching a variety show][I'm in love, thank you everyone][At this moment, I finally understand Yan Ruanning ][Photographer, give me a bonus, ten bonuses!]
Huang Chengcheng and Hu Manni sat on the sofa in the rented room, neither of them saying a word, just staring at the screen and watching the entire variety show.
By the time the show ended, the potato chips weren't all opened, and the cola wasn't all drunk.
Hu Manni's notebook was completely blank.
She came to "verify" the facts, but ended up getting herself involved.
Meanwhile, at the home of the director of " Life Slowed Down," the director was standing in the center of the living room, his fists clenched, and he waved them at the television.
"Pretty!"
He has been keeping a close eye on online trends these past few days.
As soon as the rumors about Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning came out, he knew his opportunity had arrived.
The editing team worked overtime overnight to extend Cheng Che's scenes from five or six minutes to nearly twenty minutes.
They included everything: people taking walks, cooking, chatting, and singing.
As it turned out, he made the right bet.
After the show aired, the top five trending topics on Weibo's entertainment section were all related to " Life Slowed Down ".
#The three seconds Cheng Che appeared#
Life Slowed Down, Amazing Lenses#
Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che taking a walk#
# Cheng Che #
Cheng Che Mushroom House #
"It was worth it." The director leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh. "This episode is worth a whole season."
The show has ended, but the online buzz is just beginning.
Someone edited out Cheng Che's appearance scenes and posted them on Douyin.
No background music, no subtitles, just the original footage, a clean thirty seconds.
Sunlight, leaves, a boy, a smile.
The number of likes exceeded one million within three hours.
In the comments section, various opinions were mixed together.
"I'm not a fan of celebrities, but I saved this video. Not for any other reason than that the visuals are pleasing to the eye."
"My husband. Don't take him."
"I showed it to my mom, and she said this young man is really handsome and energetic. My mom is fifty-three years old this year, and she still likes handsome guys."
"I'm a guy, and I've watched it ten times. I feel like something's wrong with me; I'm becoming a Rongcheng resident!"
"It's not about whether he's handsome or not; it's about the atmosphere. He just stands there, doing nothing, and he's a picture."
"Girls, go search for videos of him playing tennis. He's even more handsome there."
"Stop searching, I've been searching all night, I haven't slept a wink. I've gone from a casual observer to a fan."
Yan Ruanning's die-hard fans were originally the group most opposed to this rumored relationship.
But after Cheng Che's appearances and natural interactions on variety shows aired, their stance began to waver.
"To be honest... if it were him, I could accept it."
"I used to think it was fine for my sister to be beautiful on her own. But after watching this episode, I noticed that she smiled more when she was with him than usual."
"Don't you guys think so? The way Yan Ruanning looks at him is the same way we look at her."
"Oh no, I've actually started taking it."
"Stop shipping! We must stick to it! Sister is beautiful on her own!"
"What's so great about her? She's twenty-two this year, what's wrong with her dating?"
"But that guy is only eighteen."
"What's wrong with being eighteen? A woman three years older is like finding a gold mine; four years older, she'll find even more."
At the same time, a question appeared on Zhihu and quickly rose to the top of the trending list.
Q: Fellow fans of Yan Ruanning, are you really going to oppose this kind of male god and leave your sister to be alone for life?
The question description included Cheng Che's resume: eighteen years old, top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan, National Youth Games tennis Champion, 1.82 meters tall, exceptionally handsome, a great singer, and easy-going personality. It ended with the question, "So, what gives you the right to object?"
The answers came in like snowflakes.
"Thanks for the invitation. I've been a fan of Yan Ruanning for five years. To be honest, I couldn't accept it at first either. But after watching this episode of the variety show, I think if it's this person, I have no objection. As long as she's happy."
"As a casual observer, after watching this variety show, I searched for all of Yan Ruanning's information. I can only say that Yan Ruanning has excellent taste."
"Putting everything else aside, just the way he served food to Yan Ruanning on the show made me think he's a well-mannered person."
"I originally came here to swear, but after watching the video, I forgot what I was going to say."
"Don't be so easily swayed! Our sister doesn't need a man!"
"Sister, when you said that, your background picture was Cheng Che's profile picture. You think I didn't see it?"
"... I forgot to change it."
Meanwhile, Yan Ruanning herself was sitting in her apartment in Capital City, scrolling through these comments on her phone.
Her lips never left her mouth from the very first comment. When she came Zhihu that question on Zhihu, she even burst out laughing.
Xiao Zhou sat on the sofa next to her, cracking sunflower seeds, and glanced at her.
"Don't do anything silly," Xiao Zhou said.
"I know." Yan Ruanning held her phone to her chest, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.
After a few seconds, she spoke.
" Xiao Zhou."
"Um?"
"What exactly is my relationship with Cheng Che?"
Xiao Zhou threw the sunflower seed shells into the trash can and clapped his hands.
"You're asking me? I'd like to ask you the same thing."
"We chatted often and met occasionally. He came to watch me record a show, and I went to watch his competition. He gave me shoes, and I gave him shoes too," Yan Ruanning said, her voice trailing off. "But neither of us ever said anything."
"Then why didn't you say so first?"
"I don't know how to say it." Yan Ruanning took her phone back and scrolled through it a couple of times. "What if he doesn't want to?"
Do you think he doesn't want to?
Yan Ruanning did not respond.
She remembered the dance they performed together under the locust tree that day, in the moonlight.
His hand rested on her waist, and when he looked down at her, there was something in his eyes that she understood, but he didn't say anything.
She didn't either.
Meanwhile, in Spring City, in Su Qingyue's bedroom.
Su Qingyue was sitting on the bed, holding her phone, watching that episode of the variety show for the third time.
She kept dragging the progress bar until she reached the last scene.
Cheng Che stood at the courtyard gate, sunlight streaming down from behind him.
She pressed the pause button and stared at the screen for a long time.
Then she gritted her teeth, exited the video, and opened the camera.
She looked in the mirror, adjusted her position, and tested the lighting.
She was wearing light blue pajamas in the mirror, her hair was loosely tied up, and her expression was a little tense.
"That won't do," she whispered. "The composition is wrong."
She tried again from a different angle.
That's still not right.
She put down her phone, sat on the bed, and pouted.
That photographer did a really good job. The sunlight, the leaves, the dappled light, that smile—everything was just perfect.
Su Qingyue was silent for a moment, then picked up her phone again.
She opened her notes app and typed a line.
"I could take better photos than this photographer."
She stared at the line for a few seconds, then deleted it and retyped it.
"I can take better pictures than him!!"
She looked at the words and was finally satisfied.