Part 64：Confirmed! Song and Zoe’s Secret ……
At seven in the morning, Lan, as punctual as ever, got out of bed.
Unlike the more laid-back Zoe, Lan was an absolute champion of self-discipline.
She gazed at her slightly swollen eyes in the mirror, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. After a night of emotional upheaval and reflection, the bitterness from drowning her sorrows in alcohol had subsided.
Lan allowed herself the occasional moment of emotional indulgence but never permitted prolonged wallowing in unproductive feelings.
Once she made up her mind, she committed to it without hesitation.
Reminding herself of this, Lan splashed her face with cold water, dried it, and began applying her makeup.
Just as she finished, her phone suddenly rang.
It was an overcast day; the leaden gray sky outside the window carried a heavy, oppressive mood. Lan had a premonition that the call wouldn't bring good news.
Answering the call, she kept her tone steady and firm.
"Hello?"
"Lan! Something's happened!"
As expected, the imagined blow landed with tangible force. Yet, instead of panic, Lan felt a sense of inevitability, almost relief, as if a dust-covered truth had finally settled.
"Tell me. I'll be at the office in thirty minutes."
The scene at Chengqian Entertainment was nothing short of chaos.
Frontline PR staff scrambled to coordinate with various media outlets and provide responses. Executives huddled in the conference room for an emergency meeting.
Meanwhile, the business department fielded calls from partners fishing for details and subtly probing about the company's future collaborations.
The talent management team? They were busy gossiping, swapping juicy tidbits, and entertaining calls from curious parties.
The cause of all this frenzy?
A single entertainment news story published that morning by reporter Lin.
"Confirmed! Song and Zoe's Secret Romance!"
The article read:
"Last night, after Zoe finished filming The Thrill of Competition, she went for a late-night snack with her co-stars from the same episode. Unexpectedly, Song, who wasn't part of the recording, showed up at the restaurant, fueling speculation.
At first, it seemed like a simple gathering of friends. But as the night unfolded, subtle details hinted at something more. When leaving the restaurant, Zoe stumbled slightly while descending the steps, and Song quickly reached out to steady her. Their brief eye contact seemed to convey more than just concern.
Later, they went to a karaoke bar. At one point, the two stepped out of the private room into the hallway, appearing to have an intense conversation. Zoe turned to leave, but Song grabbed her hand. The tension in the air was palpable.
When the night ended, Zoe got into Song's car, and the two drove off together. Alone. In the dead of night.
This isn't the first time rumors about Song and Zoe have surfaced. Previous sightings of them entering the same hotel hinted at a possible relationship. Now, it seems those rumors might hold water. If they are indeed dating, we hope they'll come forward and confirm it openly."
"Lin?"
Lan's lips curled into a faint sneer. She still remembered the woman. The same one who had once impersonated staff to sneak into Zoe's dressing room during a recording.
"Persistent, aren't you?" Lan muttered under her breath.
The meeting room buzzed with heated discussions among the PR, marketing, and strategy teams.
"We need to take a stance. Are they dating or not?" asked Hong, the head of PR, turning to Lan.
The room quieted as all eyes turned to her.
Lan hadn't managed to contact Zoe yet, but knowing her, Zoe was probably still asleep with her phone on silent, blissfully unaware of the chaos. Lan had already sent Xiaoju to Zoe's place, but in the meantime, their immediate priority wasn't about confirming or denying the romance.
On her way to the office, Lan had already formed a strategy.
Calmly meeting Hong's gaze, Lan said, "Minister Hong, whether Zoe and Song are actually dating is irrelevant right now. Our response hinges on Song's stance, not Zoe's."
She scanned the room, her tone measured and authoritative.
"If they are dating and we decide to go public, we must coordinate with Song's team to ensure mutual agreement. If Song refuses to acknowledge the relationship, a unilateral announcement from us would not only embarrass us but also complicate future dealings."
"If they aren't dating, we shouldn't rush to deny the rumors either. Instead, we must first communicate with Song's team to ensure Zoe isn't painted in a negative light. Ideally, both sides release joint statements, or neither responds at all, allowing the issue to fade naturally."
Just then, the conference room door opened, and He strode in.
A figure of authority within Chengqian, He's presence silenced the room immediately.
He took a seat, tapped the table, and said, "Lan is absolutely right. Hong, reach out to Song's agency to gauge their position. We'll decide our next steps based on their response. For now, our official stance is that this is a private matter concerning the artists. Under no circumstances should anyone make subjective comments on this issue. Violators will be dismissed immediately."
Hong nodded, signaling his deputy to handle the task. The deputy promptly left the room.
He continued, "This incident caught us off guard, but it's also an opportunity. Lan, while this is a crisis for your artist, it's also a chance to boost Zoe's visibility."
Lan clenched her jaw, her hands tightening into fists beneath the table.
"I already instructed you to prepare some marketing plans for Zoe. Are they ready?" He directed this at Fu, the head of marketing and one of He's closest allies.
Fu nodded. "Yes. I can bring them over now."
"No need to wait. Bring them here immediately. We can't let the focus remain solely on the romance rumors. We need to divert attention, or Zoe's name will forever be tied to this scandal."
As Fu left the room, Lan's heart filled with cold irony.
People were truly fickle. Even He wasn't immune to such pragmatism.
Just yesterday, he had threatened to blacklist Zoe. Now, he was brainstorming ways to capitalize on the buzz, eager to milk the situation for every ounce of benefit.
In the face of profit, personal grudges meant nothing.
Lan thought of the resignation letter she had already submitted to He. Her gaze darkened as she clenched her fists beneath the table.
There were lines she couldn't cross, and this was one of them. She couldn't keep standing by Zoe's side with her heart weighed down by unresolved emotions.
Some things simply couldn't be reconciled—be it with the world or with oneself.