The sounds coming from the living room woke Chen Xiang from his slumber.
He opened his bleary eyes, groped for his phone on the bedside table, and lit up the screen to check the time.
October 3rd, 9:22 AM.
It was about time for him to get up.
Chen Xiang sat up, stretched lazily, and then threw off the thin blanket covering him to get out of bed.
Rubbing his eyes, he opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room, preparing to wash up in the bathroom.
Not long after joining Lu Chen Workshop, Chen Xiang moved out of his previous underground dwelling and into a talent apartment in the Blue Sky Creative Park. The rent didn't increase much, but the conditions improved significantly.
This two-bedroom apartment is owned by the creative park and is only rented to people working within the park. It was rented through Lu Chen Workshop and assigned to Chen Xiang and a colleague of his.
The other person works at Mu-ChenZhong crowdfunding network company, so they can be considered colleagues.
Chen Xiang was really satisfied.
This small apartment is located on a high floor, the rooms are clean and bright with plenty of sunlight, and the decor is fresh and pleasant.
He never has to worry about mice or cockroaches crawling out from under the bed, nor does he have to hear those annoying sounds at night that make certain parts of the body feel overly stimulated.
Moreover, it is very close to his workplace, so he doesn't have to wake up early every day to squeeze onto buses and subways.
He was really done with that kind of miserable life.
Although Lu Chen Workshop is small, it is full of vitality and energy. The colleagues have a great relationship with each other, and everyone is like friends, without any backstabbing or conflicts.
If possible, Chen Xiang wanted to keep doing this.
"Old Chen, you're up?"
A colleague was busy preparing breakfast in the living room, with soy milk, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and rice porridge laid out on the table, emitting an enticing aroma.
"I got your share when I went out!"
Chen Xiang rubbed his hands together and said, "Thanks, you eat first, I'll be right there!"
After quickly finishing his personal hygiene in the bathroom, Chen Xiang sat down at the dining table, eagerly grabbing a still-warm bun and stuffing it into his mouth.
The rich meat flavor gave him immense satisfaction!
"Old Chen, let me show you some big news!"
Just as Chen Xiang swallowed a meat bun, his colleague handed him a newspaper: "I bought it on the way here."
What big news?
Chen Xiang reached for the soy milk with his left hand while taking the colorful newspaper with his right.
Daily Entertainment Broadcast!
The flashy style and the abundance of advertisements clearly indicated its identity.
It was a privately-run third-rate tabloid, focusing on entertainment news.
Since entering the new century, with the development of the internet industry, the traditional newspaper industry has faced severe impacts.
The rise of new media is an inevitable trend, and the government has gradually loosened its control over the newspaper industry, moving towards full marketization.
Many private tabloids have emerged, competing for a market that was already shrinking.
Although privately-run newspapers are not very powerful, their operating methods are quite flexible. They do not seek to cover everything but instead take a unique approach, with some doing surprisingly well.
In Capital City, there are hundreds of small tabloids like Daily Entertainment Broadcast!
Noticing the puzzled expression on Chen Xiang's face, his colleague smiled mysteriously and pointed out, "Turn it over, look at the front page!"
Chen Xiang flipped the newspaper over and laid it on the table.
Pfft!
The soy milk he had just sipped sprayed out of his mouth, splattering onto the tabloid.
On the front page of Daily Entertainment Broadcast, a line of bold, enlarged text stood out prominently.
[Sweet Song Heavenly Queen Chen Fei'er secretly meets Lu Chen in Jinling, behaving intimately, suspected of romance!]
My god!
Chen Xiang felt as if his eyes were blinded by this headline.
Chen Fei'er and Lu Chen in a relationship?
This is truly big news, it can really make the headlines!
Chen Fei'er goes without saying; everyone in the country knows who she is, a true Heavenly Queen level superstar.
Lu Chen, that's Chen Xiang's actual boss!
Although they don't meet every day, in Chen Xiang's eyes, Lu Chen, aside from being taller, more handsome, and exceptionally talented, is not much different from an ordinary person.
He couldn't believe that he was actually with Chen Fei'er.
However, this third-rate tabloid was not just talking nonsense; it had a full-page photo as evidence!
This report was written by a journalist named Fan Fan.
He detailed the process of capturing the news with a lengthy article, complete with images.
Yesterday during the day, Chen Fei'er appeared on Hong Kong Road in Jinling Film City, visiting Lu Chen, who was shooting an advertisement, while Chen Fei'er was in Jinling for a brand endorsement event.
That evening, Chen Fei'er changed her outfit and left the hotel she was staying at to meet Lu Chen for dinner at Wangjiang Tower, and neither of them had assistants with them!
Daily Entertainment Broadcast firmly stated that Chen Fei'er was dating Lu Chen.
The second page of Daily Entertainment Broadcast also listed Lu Chen's photos and a brief introduction.
One must admit that this third-rate tabloid is highly efficient in publishing; photos taken just last night in Jinling made it to the headlines this morning.
This is going to blow up!
Chen Xiang came to his senses; since there were photos, the situation might be true.
He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed the number at the top of his contacts list.
Lu Xi must know about this.
Actually, there was no need for Chen Xiang to call; Lu Xi had already received the news.
While Daily Entertainment was publishing the headline, its website and blog also simultaneously released the news.
Then, it was quickly shared by keen-eyed colleagues, creating a huge wave on the blogosphere!
Chen Fei'er and Lu Chen!
When everyone saw this news, their first reaction was similar to Chen Xiang's: disbelief.
How could this be possible?
However, the photos taken by Fan Fan were very clear. Although Chen Fei'er was dressed differently than usual, those familiar with her could easily recognize her.
As for Lu Chen, he didn't even wear sunglasses.
Although none of the photos showed overly intimate actions between the two, the fact that they met privately was undeniable!
In the past, Chen Fei'er had been rumored to be in relationships multiple times, and many photos had been taken by reporters, which later turned out to be either deliberate hype or baseless rumors, quickly debunked.
Now, the situation was clearly different.
Lu Chen is the champion of Singing China, and Chen Fei'er is a member of the judging panel. The admiration she has for him is well-known, and they have interacted multiple times on social media.
Chen Fei'er even invited Lu Chen to be a guest at her upcoming solo concert next month!
Their relationship is undoubtedly quite good, and it wouldn't be strange for them to develop feelings for each other.
Even if there is a bit of an age gap.
The fans of Chen Fei'er exploded first!
"This is impossible!"
"55555~ My goddess Chen Fei'er is dating?"
"It's just hype, that Lu Chen must be deliberately creating buzz, hiring someone to take these photos, how despicable!"
"Everyone calm down, don't jump to conclusions, let's wait for official news."
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"
"Just saying, I actually think Lu Chen is pretty good, he deserves our Fei'er."
"Whoever thinks he's good can go die, okay? Thank you."
"..."
Many fans of Chen Fei'er were emotionally charged, some questioned the authenticity of the news, while others cursed Lu Chen, as if he had tarnished their idol's purity, wishing to tear him apart!
Chen Fei'er has been in the industry for over a decade, and her beautiful and pure image has long been ingrained in the hearts of many. She has a wide influence among the 70s and 80s generations, adored by countless fans.
For many fans who love Chen Fei'er, they hope their idol remains pure forever, and it's best if she never dates at all.
And for those who dare to disrupt that, the hatred is absolutely irrational!
This is the unfortunate reality for idol stars; many artists dare not reveal their relationships and keep them secret.
In contrast, the reaction from Lu Chen's fans was completely different.
"Is this real?"
"It should be real, right? They've been photographed together. I can only say Brother Chen is too impressive!"
"Hehe, that's Chen Fei'er!"
"My Lu Chen is so talented, it's normal for Chen Fei'er to like him, let's all wish them well!"
"Actually, there were signs long ago; just look at the Singing China competition."
"I'm heartbroken, why does the man I like always fall for someone else?"
"Aren't you a guy too?"
Nowadays, news spreads incredibly fast. As soon as the headline from Daily Entertainment Broadcast was released, dozens of websites quickly reposted it, and the topic heated up in the blink of an eye.
As for the blogosphere, with the clash of both fan bases, the search for Chen Fei'er + Lu Chen topped the trending list within just a few hours, with clicks, shares, and comments skyrocketing!
Compared to the media and fans' frenzy, the show business community remained much calmer. Most kept silent, waiting for further news, while some artists offered blessings or made snarky comments to boost their own popularity.
Meanwhile, far away in Jinling, Lu Chen received the news around noon.
His work for the day involved shooting promotional posters for Senqi, with some photos needing to be taken at the Senqi Company headquarters, keeping him extremely busy.
There were many photos to shoot, and two photographers accompanied him. His phone was temporarily in Li Feiyu's hands, who, although aware of the rumors about Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er, didn't immediately inform Lu Chen to avoid distracting him.
But news has a way of getting out. Once Lu Chen finished shooting, Li Feiyu opened the webpage to show him.
Lu Chen was left speechless.
He never imagined that his dinner with Chen Fei'er last night would be caught on camera.
And it had turned into such a huge headline gossip!
This was the first time Lu Chen truly felt the power of paparazzi!
(End of This Chapter)
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