A paparazzo accidentally snapped photos of Yu Tianlin and Hu Man meeting privately in disguise.
The two didn’t seem to have any prior connection, did they?
You can’t underestimate paparazzi. They know better than fans which celebrities are friends, who seems close but secretly can’t stand each other. Yu Tianlin and Hu Man? No link whatsoever.
Their private meeting was already suspicious. Before the paparazzo could figure it out, the two seemed to sense something, abruptly ended their meeting, and left separately in a hurry.
If they weren’t guilty, why run? Running meant there was definitely something going on!
The paparazzo was thrilled!
Yu Tianlin and Hu Man? A red-hot idol and a diva of the Chinese music scene. If they were involved, it’d be explosive!
Yu Tianlin was no innocent boy. After rising to fame, Taiwan paparazzi exposed several of his romances—actresses he worked with, a Taiwan model, secret meetings with a wealthy heiress, and so on.
Some rumors were far-fetched, others backed by solid evidence. True or not, Yu Tianlin never publicly confirmed any of them.
That was Yuan Fenghui’s rule for him from the start.
Dating was fine, but public confirmation was a no-go. Yu Tianlin’s fanbase was mostly female, and admitting to a relationship would devastate his popularity.
As long as he didn’t confirm, he had room to maneuver, no matter how many rumors swirled.
Of course, Yuan Fenghui wasn’t heartless, controlling Yu Tianlin’s love life forever. Publicly admitting a relationship depended on timing. Yuan Fenghui believed there were two ideal moments: first, if Yu Tianlin met someone he wanted to marry, he’d have to go public. Hiding a marriage was worse than a secret romance, as it hurt fans more. These days, unlike the ‘90s, fans weren’t so extreme as to harm themselves over an idol’s marriage.
The second moment was if Yu Tianlin decided to transition.
From idol to serious actor, admitting a relationship wouldn’t matter much. No one stays an idol forever; transitioning is inevitable. Going public could help Yu Tianlin shed casual fans, leaving only loyal ones who’d stick with him.
After parting ways with Yuan Fenghui, Yu Tianlin still followed her old strategy for handling relationships: never admit anything, let the rumors fly, and his fans would trust their “brother.”
Unlike Yu Tianlin, who clung to his single image, Hu Man was far more open about her love life.
At her peak, she received love letters from fans across the country every month, so many they’d fill sacks, as she revealed on a show.
Yu Tianlin was an idol; Hu Man debuted as a powerhouse.
As Yuan Fenghui said, serious artists didn’t need to hide their relationships. Over the years, Hu Man’s romances—with music producers, athletes, directors, actors—played out under the paparazzi’s watch, witnessed by the public. “Daring to love and hate” was her brand.
A paparazzo once claimed Hu Man had a child with a tycoon, which she firmly denied.
Dating and breaking up was normal, and Hu Man didn’t shy away from it. But admitting to a child? That was off-limits. China’s conservative culture tied kids to marriage, and Hu Man, never married, couldn’t afford the scrutiny. Digging deeper would do her no good.
Fans might not know, but paparazzi did.
The industry was full of half-truths. At her peak, Hu Man did disappear for a year, canceling many gigs, sparking rumors of an illegitimate child with a tycoon.
Did she have a kid?
Some paparazzo claimed to have seen Hu Man’s mother with a young boy, but Hu Man bought the photos, and they never surfaced.
If she wasn’t guilty, why buy them? So, the rumored child was likely 90% real.
Just like now.
If there was nothing between them, why flee from a paparazzo? A private meeting wasn’t a crime; maybe they were discussing a collaboration. Getting snapped in a couple of photos wouldn’t hurt!
The paparazzo sensed a big scoop, dropped other work, and tailed Yu Tianlin for days, finally catching their second meeting.
This time, they were more cautious, bringing others along.
But Yu Tianlin’s behavior toward Hu Man was unmistakably flirty—serving her food, adjusting her hat. The paparazzo got plenty of shots, the whole process so smooth it raised suspicions: was this staged? Were they hyping something?
Yu Tianlin had a new drama coming up. In the industry, stirring a scandal with a co-star for buzz was common, with press releases hinting at on-set romance to boost the show’s話題. But a scandal like Yu Tianlin and Hu Man? Unheard of.
To put it bluntly, there was a generational gap!
An older woman and younger man with such an age difference—years ago, a similar couple in Hong Kong made waves but didn’t last.
Now, another age-gap romance? It’d blow up the entertainment world.
The excited paparazzo, words flowing like a spring, wove a complete and compelling love story from just two sets of sneaky photos.
Once the story hit the press, it caused an uproar, as expected.
Wen Ying, seeing the report, breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help laughing.
She’d waited days, thinking Liang Dan might’ve changed plans. Good thing she hadn’t!
Wen Ying laughed for another reason: the reporter’s storytelling was top-notch. From their romantic meeting to the twists of getting to know each other, to the struggles of falling in love, including the emotional turmoil before confessing feelings—it was so vivid, the reporter was either psychic or had been glued to their backs the whole time.
Definitely not Liang Dan’s hired pen.
If it was Liang Dan’s doing, the story wouldn’t be so detailed. It was explosive, sure, but it’d make it harder for Yu Tianlin and Hu Man to deny later.
Wen Ying read it twice, savoring the flavor, strongly suspecting the reporter also wrote for *Zhiyin* magazine. The report reeked of *Zhiyin*’s melodramatic style!
While Wen Ying was reading, Wen Dongrong’s radar kicked in. Her laugh drew him over to peek at the newspaper in her hands.
One look, and Wen Dongrong’s brows furrowed tight.
A government official like him never cared for entertainment news, but with his “black-hearted cotton” daughter half in the industry, he couldn’t help but glance at it—purely by chance, of course. Seeing something this explosive, his brows could’ve crushed a fly.
“…What a mess!”
