The day after the photo appeared, Shen Zhiyi felt it for the first time—
Something seemed to be spiraling out of control.
Seven in the morning.
She was still lying in bed when her phone began vibrating nonstop.
At first, she thought it was just a notification from the production group chat.
Then she checked her phone.
More than a dozen unread messages popped up on the screen.
Most of them were from Zhou Yuqing.
【Yuqing: Zhiyi, don't go online today.】
【Yuqing: Don't accept any interviews before you get to the production.】
【Yuqing: Come straight to the lounge once you arrive.】
【Yuqing: This is important.】
Shen Zhiyi frowned.
A sudden sense of dread settled in her heart.
She opened social media.
The number-one trending search was a pair of names.
They were—
Lin Wanxing. Shen Zhiyi.
Shen Zhiyi froze.
Her finger stopped over the screen.
She tapped into it.
A photo filled the screen.
A Ferris wheel.
The setting sun.
Inside a glass cabin were her and Lin Wanxing.
They were sitting very close together.
From that angle, they looked like a couple on a date.
The headline had only one sentence:
“Best Actress Lin Wanxing Suspected of Secretly Dating Rising Female Actor—Is Their Relationship More Than It Seems?”
The color drained from Shen Zhiyi's face.
She scrolled down.
The comments were multiplying like crazy.
“Isn't that the female lead from that movie that's been filming lately?”
“Two women?”
“Hasn't Lin Wanxing always been single?”
“They really look like they're on a date.”
“Could it actually be true?”
“A newcomer gets photographed on a date with a Best Actress right after working with her. What are the odds?”
“Publicity stunt.”
“If it's real, I actually think they're adorable.”
All kinds of voices blurred together.
Shen Zhiyi couldn't take in a single word.
She stared at the photo.
There was only yesterday in her mind.
The Ferris wheel.
The setting sun.
Lin Wanxing saying—
“We can go again next time.”
Shen Zhiyi suddenly felt tightness in her chest.
Her phone vibrated again.
A message from Lin Wanxing.
【Wanxing: Are you awake?】
Shen Zhiyi stared at the words.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time.
In the end, she replied:
【Shen Zhiyi: I'm awake.】
A few seconds later—
【Wanxing: Don't go online.】
Shen Zhiyi's eyes suddenly stung.
She didn't ask Lin Wanxing what they should do.
She didn't ask who had taken the photo.
She only typed:
【Shen Zhiyi: I'm sorry.】
Lin Wanxing replied quickly.
【Wanxing: You didn't do anything wrong.】
【Wanxing: Don't apologize.】
Shen Zhiyi looked at the words.
Tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
She knew Lin Wanxing was trying to comfort her.
But she knew even more clearly that if this kept spreading,
she wouldn't be the only one affected.
Lin Wanxing would be affected too.
Eight thirty.
Shen Zhiyi arrived at the production.
The moment she stepped onto the soundstage, she sensed that the atmosphere was different.
Some people sneaked glances at her.
Others whispered among themselves.
A few crew members immediately lowered their heads when they saw her.
She tightened her grip on her bag strap.
Pretending she hadn't noticed a thing.
“Zhiyi.”
Zhou Yuqing came out of the lounge.
“Come in.”
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
The door closed.
Zhou Yuqing set her phone on the table.
“A lot of media outlets have already reposted the photo.”
“Yeah.”
“There hasn't been any official news saying the two of you are dating yet.”
“But everyone is guessing.”
Shen Zhiyi fell silent.
Zhou Yuqing looked at her.
“You don't need to be so nervous.”
“The company will handle this.”
Shen Zhiyi asked quietly,
“What about Wanxing?”
“Her manager is handling things on her end too.”
“Is she okay?”
Zhou Yuqing paused.
“She’s calmer than you might expect.”
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
“That’s good.”
Zhou Yuqing looked at her.
“Zhiyi.”
“Hmm?”
“You need to prepare yourself.”
“If this keeps escalating, the company may ask the two of you to keep your distance.”
Shen Zhiyi's fingers slowly curled tighter.
“…Keep our distance?”
“It would only be a work arrangement.”
“I know.”
She lowered her head.
“I’ll cooperate.”
Zhou Yuqing looked at her.
She didn't say anything else.
Because she could tell.
Shen Zhiyi was actually hurting.
Filming continued as usual that morning.
But it was the first time Shen Zhiyi realized—
those four words, “keep your distance,” could hurt so much.
Before, she and Lin Wanxing had stood close together.
They could read the script together.
They could eat together.
They could sit beside each other during breaks.
Now they couldn't.
The director called the two of them over to rehearse their scene.
Shen Zhiyi walked onto the set.
Lin Wanxing approached from the other side.
Their eyes met.
For only a second.
Then Lin Wanxing looked away.
Shen Zhiyi's heart sank.
They officially began filming.
The two of them stood together as the script required.
But they were a little farther apart than usual.
The director watched the director's monitor.
“Wanxing, move a little closer.”
Lin Wanxing didn't move.
Neither did Shen Zhiyi.
The director frowned.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,”
Lin Wanxing answered coolly.
“Let’s do it again.”
On the second take,
Lin Wanxing finally took a step forward.
But there was still a little space between them.
The director didn't notice.
Shen Zhiyi did.
In that instant,
she suddenly thought of the two of them on the Ferris wheel yesterday.
So close.
Close enough that she had believed she could keep moving closer forever.
But only one night had passed,
and they seemed to have returned to where they started.
Senior.
Junior.
Actor.
Actor.
Nothing more.
During the lunch break,
Shen Zhiyi sat alone in a corner.
She barely ate.
Her phone suddenly lit up.
【Wanxing: Eat.】
She looked up.
Lin Wanxing was sitting in the distance.
She hadn't come over.
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head and replied.
【Shen Zhiyi: I am eating.】
【Wanxing: You’ve only had a few bites.】
Shen Zhiyi froze.
She looked up.
Their eyes met again.
Lin Wanxing said nothing.
She only looked at her.
Shen Zhiyi's nose suddenly stung.
She lowered her head and typed.
【Shen Zhiyi: Stop looking at me.】
【Wanxing: Why?】
【Shen Zhiyi: Someone might take a picture.】
The other person was silent for a long time.
At last, she replied with one word.
【Wanxing: Okay.】
It was only one word,
but it made Shen Zhiyi feel even worse.
She set her phone down.
She tried hard to look like everything was fine.
But she didn't know that, not far away, Lin Wanxing had lowered her head too.
She was gripping her phone tightly.
Four in the afternoon.
Someone suddenly came to see Lin Wanxing.
It was her manager, Gu Nanqiao.
The two of them entered the lounge.
Once the door closed, Gu Nanqiao asked directly,
“Did the two of you go there by yourselves yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
“No one else?”
“No.”
Gu Nanqiao took a deep breath.
“Wanxing.”
“I know.”
Lin Wanxing leaned back in her chair.
“I know this is serious.”
“It’s not just serious.”
Gu Nanqiao placed her phone in front of Lin Wanxing.
“Someone deliberately sold the photos to the media.”
Lin Wanxing lifted her eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“They weren’t taken by paparazzi who happened to spot you.”
“The person contacted the media directly.”
Lin Wanxing fell silent.
She suddenly remembered the message she'd received from an unknown number yesterday.
—“This is a beautiful photo.”
Her gaze turned cold.
“I got a message yesterday.”
Gu Nanqiao looked at her.
“What message?”
Lin Wanxing handed over her phone.
After reading it, Gu Nanqiao's expression darkened.
“This wasn't ordinary paparazzi photography.”
“I know.”
“Someone is warning you.”
Lin Wanxing didn't answer.
Gu Nanqiao frowned.
“Have you offended anyone recently?”
“No.”
“Someone you worked with?”
“No.”
“Something from the past?”
Lin Wanxing fell silent.
She thought for a long time.
“I don't know.”
Gu Nanqiao looked at her.
“The company wants you to release a statement today.”
“What should it say?”
“Say that you're just friends.”
Lin Wanxing raised her head.
“What if I don't want to say that?”
“Wanxing.”
“I know what the company is worried about.”
Her voice was low.
“But I don't want to use Zhiyi.”
Gu Nanqiao was taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
“If we come right out and say we're just friends,”
Lin Wanxing looked out the window.
“Everyone will push her into the line of fire.”
“Because I'm her senior.”
“Everyone will think she’s using me for publicity.”
Gu Nanqiao said nothing.
“If someone has to take the hit,”
Lin Wanxing said slowly,
“let it be me.”
That evening,
filming ended.
Shen Zhiyi packed up her things and prepared to leave.
When she reached the side entrance,
she saw Lin Wanxing standing there.
“Wanxing?”
Lin Wanxing looked up.
“Going home?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll take you.”
Shen Zhiyi instinctively shook her head.
“No need.”
“There aren't any reporters here.”
“But…”
“Zhiyi.”
Lin Wanxing cut her off.
“I want to take you home.”
Shen Zhiyi fell quiet.
At last, she nodded.
“Okay.”
They didn't walk too close together.
There was half a step between them.
Even so,
Shen Zhiyi still felt safe.
When they reached the parking lot,
Lin Wanxing suddenly stopped.
“Were you unhappy today?”
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head.
“No.”
“You’re lying to me.”
“You didn't look at me once all day.”
Shen Zhiyi's eyes reddened.
“Because I can't.”
“Who says you can't?”
“Everyone.”
Lin Wanxing fell silent.
Shen Zhiyi raised her head.
“Wanxing.”
“Hmm?”
“Should we not have gotten close so quickly?”
Something stabbed at Lin Wanxing's heart.
“Do you regret it?”
Shen Zhiyi immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“I'm just scared.”
“Scared of what?”
Shen Zhiyi bit her lip.
“I'm scared you'll get hurt because of me.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
“This isn't your fault.”
“But if it weren't for me…”
“Zhiyi.”
Lin Wanxing took a step closer.
“You didn't do anything wrong.”
“You didn't seduce me.”
“You didn't use me.”
“You didn't do anything you need to apologize for.”
Her voice was soft,
but firm.
“So don't put all the blame on yourself.”
Shen Zhiyi's eyes reddened.
“But I'm really scared.”
Lin Wanxing was quiet for a while.
Then she reached out,
but didn't touch her.
Her hand only hovered in midair.
“If you're scared,”
“you can tell me.”
Shen Zhiyi looked at that hand.
She hesitated for a long time.
In the end,
she gently took it.
Only for an instant.
Their hands separated again.
There was no embrace.
No kiss.
Not even a confession of love.
But to them,
that instant was enough.
Eleven that night.
Shen Zhiyi returned home.
After showering, she sat on the edge of her bed.
Her phone lit up.
【Wanxing: Are you home?】
【Shen Zhiyi: I am.】
【Wanxing: Good.】
Shen Zhiyi stared at the chat window.
She thought for a long time.
Finally, she typed one sentence.
【Shen Zhiyi: Wanxing.】
【Wanxing: Hmm?】
【Shen Zhiyi: If one day I really fall in love with you…】
She stopped.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
The sentence was complete,
but she couldn't bring herself to send it.
She stared at it for a long time.
Then she deleted it one word at a time.
And typed again.
【Shen Zhiyi: If one day I really cause you trouble,】
【Shen Zhiyi: will you regret ever meeting me?】
She sent the message.
Lin Wanxing didn't reply for a long time.
Shen Zhiyi set her phone on the bed.
She thought there would be no answer tonight.
Until 12:07 a.m.
Her phone lit up.
There was only one sentence.
【Wanxing: No.】
The next second,
another message arrived.
【Wanxing: The only thing I would regret is meeting you and then not getting closer because I was afraid.】
Shen Zhiyi stared at the words.
Tears fell without warning.
She didn't know what Lin Wanxing truly meant by that.
And she didn't dare ask.
But for the first time, she felt it clearly—
maybe.
Maybe she wasn't the only one secretly cherishing this feeling.
The next morning,
the tide of online opinion suddenly shifted again.
A new exposé began trending.
The headline was even more direct than the day before.
“Lin Wanxing and Rising Female Actor Were More Than Just on a Date—They May Have Been Secretly Dating for Some Time!”
The article contained no new photos.
Only several blurry paparazzi shots.
A breakfast place.
A coffee shop.
A bookstore.
There were even photos of the two of them leaving together outside the production.
People began compiling all of their recent public appearances.
One by one.
Moment by moment.
In the end, they reached a conclusion.
—They had known each other for a long time.
—Their relationship was definitely more than a senior-junior dynamic.
Shen Zhiyi sat on her bed.
She stared at the news,
her whole body frozen.
Because at the very end of the article,
there was one more sentence.
“According to an insider, the two began their relationship privately before the movie even started filming.”
Shen Zhiyi's hands slowly turned cold.
It was false.
They had only met recently.
Then…
Who exactly was this so-called “insider”?
Just then,
Lin Wanxing called.
Shen Zhiyi answered immediately.
“Wanxing…”
The other end of the line was very quiet.
After a few seconds,
Lin Wanxing finally spoke.
“Zhiyi.”
“Hmm?”
“Don't come to the production today.”
Shen Zhiyi froze.
“Why?”
“The company…”
Lin Wanxing paused.
Her voice was much lower than usual.
“They've decided to suspend our collaboration for the time being.”
Shen Zhiyi's mind went blank.
She gripped her phone,
unable to say a word for a long time.
On the other end,
Lin Wanxing was silent too.
Neither of them had expected
that what began as an ordinary day off,
an ordinary date,
would completely change both their worlds in the span of a single day.
And no one knew
that the real crisis
had only just begun.