Chapter Seventy-Nine: Dirty Business?

There were hardly any people in the hallway to begin with, and Ji Chen was still confused about what was happening when he saw a woman, clad only in a bath towel, rush out and spread her arms as if to embrace him.

“Lin Ze! Lin Ze! Don’t run!”

Her voice echoed quickly through the corridor as she shouted for Lin Ze not to run. Some curious onlookers opened their doors, and saw a man dashing toward the staircase with the bath-towel-wrapped woman chasing after him.

Was this... a major scandal in the making?

Was the man up front Lin Ze? Eyes lit up among the crowd, but then they remembered that just moments ago they’d been watching the livestream, and Lin Ze had clearly gone back to prepare frozen yogurt.

So who was the man in the apron up ahead?

“Ji Chen? It’s Ji Chen!” Someone exclaimed, and the news spread rapidly through the hallway.

Zhang Ya, mid-chase, paused in surprise—what? The man ahead was Ji Chen?

“Ah?”

But now, she was in too deep to stop, nor could she simply give up. No! After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Ya steeled herself. She was already here; Ji Chen would serve just as well. Their show was riding high in popularity anyway. If Lin Ze happened to be nearby downstairs, she’d just leap onto him—the buzz tonight was hers for the taking!

The more Zhang Ya thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Why did Ji Chen have to dress just like Lin Ze?

Ji Chen’s stamina was never great; after all, he was over forty and rarely exercised. He hadn’t even reached the stairs before he was caught.

Most people in the hallway whipped out their phones and began snapping away frantically.

Ji Chen was certain to trend online today!

This calamity had come crashing down on him, and Ji Chen felt like crying. Worse still, Lin Chunshui was downstairs—if this got out...

Hearing the commotion, many from the production team rushed up, only to witness the indecent spectacle. Several female staff members quickly separated the two, and Ji Chen managed to run a short distance away.

Only then did he recognize the woman—it was Zhang Ya, whom he’d seen before at another filming location.

This person...

It was all beyond explanation.

Photos soon flooded the internet, as eager netizens sought to capitalize on the drama for their own clout.

Videos and images from every angle were uploaded, shared, and circulated among friends.

With the surge of attention brought by “Our Love,” Ji Chen...

His career had found a second spring!

Once, he’d needed a song from Lin Ze to gain popularity; now, without lifting a finger, others had propelled him into the spotlight.

Spectators queuing at the “Our Love” filming location saw the news online.

“How could Ji Chen behave like this? Who is that woman—his mistress?”

“Wasn’t Ji Chen supposed to be filming the show? This is outrageous!”

“I heard the woman was shouting for Lin Ze—is she Lin Ze’s...?”

“Are you all crazy? They were filming the show just now. That woman was also on camera this afternoon; maybe this was all premeditated.”

By this time, Ji Chen had reached the lobby, and the production team promptly called the police.

“Wife, I... just now...” Ji Chen approached Lin Chunshui, struggling to speak.

“You were upstairs with a naked woman...” Lin Chunshui’s voice was icy as she worked on a batch of egg waffles. “Forget it—let’s talk after filming is over.”

Hearing his wife’s tone, Ji Chen sensed disaster looming.

But...

This wasn’t his fault!

Ji Chen, bewildered, walked away and sat alone in the hall, waving off any staff who approached.

“Go check on Brother Ji. I heard something about a naked woman calling your name and chasing him...” Su Zitan said, taking two spatulas from Lin Ze.

Lin Ze nodded. He’d been making frozen yogurt, but after hearing what the audience had said, he had a rough idea of what had happened.

A female celebrity?

Lin Ze searched for Zhang Ya’s name on his phone. She wasn’t famous, and her name was too common—he struggled to find her online.

Eventually, Lin Ze found Ji Chen and sat beside him.

“Brother Ji, you’ve shielded me from disaster, huh...” Lin Ze wrapped his arm around Ji Chen’s shoulder.

“This Zhang Ya... she’s from Zhangyang Entertainment!”

Ji Chen looked up at Lin Ze’s words, and clarity dawned in his mind.

Yes, that’s it...

But...

The light in his eyes lasted only a moment before he lowered his head again.

His disappointment wasn’t about the misunderstanding; it was about Lin Chunshui’s attitude.

It always seemed to go this way—whenever they disagreed, Lin Chunshui’s tone would shift, a tone Ji Chen truly hated.

So many things could be resolved just by talking calmly, but when that tone appeared, he grew irritated too.

This had always been the heart of their conflict.

He remembered, from the very beginning, every time Lin Chunshui spoke that way, he would have to coax her for a long, long time.

From their youth to now, twenty years had passed—he was tired.

Especially now—his hands and legs were still shaking.

“Brother Ji, what’s wrong?” Lin Ze asked. “Did your wife say something?”

Ji Chen shook his head, saying nothing.

Lin Ze sighed, staying beside him. “It’s alright. Calm down for now. Let’s wait until the show is over before we talk.”

Soon, the police arrived. After questioning, they couldn’t get to the bottom of it. Zhang Ya insisted she’d arranged to meet Lin Ze.

But the hotel’s surveillance had everything on record, and there were phone logs from the front desk. However, there was no footage of Lin Ze himself at that location.

Faced with this situation, the police had a tough time sorting it out.

Lin Ze, however, was perfectly clear.

So, your company insists on playing dirty, huh?

Again and again—wasn’t this time going a bit too far?

Suppressing his anger, after tonight...

He would target Donghuang Entertainment!

Donghuang Entertainment mostly focused on trainees, singing, dancing, rap—right?

Heh.

But right now, Lin Ze was more concerned about Ji Chen and Lin Chunshui.

The two had argued when they arrived, but there was still something in their eyes for each other.

Now, neither spoke to the other; Ji Chen’s attitude seemed firmer than ever, as if he really had nothing more to say.