Chapter 99: His Majesty’s Admirers Were Formidable and Dignified

Mo Qi being in the dormitory with Lin Zheng at a time like this was exactly what he had expected.

But even after seeing her, Xie An still could not bring himself to meet her eyes properly.

It was Lin Zheng who straightened up from Mo Qi’s arms and forced back her tears.

Mo Qi glanced at her, then turned to Xie An and said, “Come in first and talk. Close the dorm door.”

“Ah, yes.” Xie An stepped inside and shut the door, sealing out the scorching sun.

He came over hesitantly, sweat tracing two bright lines down his cheeks, his forehead beaded with fine drops as well.

It seemed he had rushed over the moment he heard the news.

Lin Zheng did not dare look directly at Xie An. She could only keep her head down and swallow her tears.

Mo Qi sighed. “What’s done is done. Regret and self-reproach are useless now. The most important thing we should think about is how to handle this without affecting your reputations or causing problems when you sign with an agency.”

“I’ll take responsibility.” Xie An clenched his fist, his voice steady and earnest. “I’ll take responsibility for Lin Zheng.”

“You don’t even like me. Who needs you to take responsibility for me!” Lin Zheng snapped, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes.

Inside that gaze were grievance, helplessness, anger, and self-blame.

Xie An was left speechless by her shout. His lips moved, but in the end he could not say a single word.

“This isn’t the time to let pride get in the way.” Mo Qi patted Lin Zheng’s shoulder. “The best solution I can think of right now is for the two of you to pretend to be a couple and make your relationship public. That way, even though people will still treat the hotel story as gossip, at least it won’t damage your reputations.”

Xie An thought it over and felt that Mo Qi’s plan was indeed the best one available. He nodded at once.

“Fine,” Xie An said. “But it won’t be pretending.”

Then he turned to Lin Zheng. “I’ll take responsibility for you. Will you be my girlfriend?”

Meeting Xie An’s serious expression, Lin Zheng opened her mouth, then lowered her head and silently nodded. That was her answer.

“This news came out this morning, and by now it’s been blown up enough that it’s time to clear it up.” Mo Qi patted Lin Zheng’s arm. “There should be a photo of just the two of you on your phone, right? Post it on Weibo. Xie An can repost Lin Zheng’s post. Don’t say too much. Just add a heart and a sentence: Sorry, I didn’t protect you well.”

“Shouldn’t I say something on Weibo too?” Lin Zheng asked.

“No need.” Mo Qi smiled. “You just need to post the picture. The imagination of internet users will be far wilder than you can imagine.”

“Okay.” After running into something like this out of the blue, Lin Zheng was too upset and wronged to think clearly. At that moment, she simply listened to Mo Qi and took out her phone to look for a photo of herself and Xie An together.

Before she could find one, a call from Tianyu Entertainment came in.

“Brother Ma is calling,” Lin Zheng said, glancing at the caller ID and looking up.

Mo Qi considered it for a moment. “Answer it. If he asks about your relationship with Xie An, just say you’re a couple. Don’t hesitate.”

Lin Zheng nodded. After a brief pause, she answered the phone. “Hello, Brother Ma.”

On the other end, Brother Ma lifted his eyes from the computer and asked in a calm, gentle tone, “Lin Zheng, may I ask what your relationship with Xie An is?”

Lin Zheng looked at Mo Qi and Xie An, then tightened her grip on the phone. “We’re dating.”

“I see.” Brother Ma gave a soft chuckle and suddenly changed the subject. “I wonder how you’re thinking about signing with our company, Tianyu?”

“I...”

Before Lin Zheng could finish, Brother Ma cut her off. “If you’ve made up your mind and are willing to sign with Tianyu, then I should inform the publicity department about this wave of online discussion as well.”

“I’ve already decided. I’m willing to sign with Tianyu.”

“Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation in the future. I’ll be your agent.” Brother Ma’s voice brightened. “Since you and Xie An are a couple, this matter isn’t hard to solve. The reporters took those photos of the two of you from too close an angle. If you only say you’re friends, no one will believe it. Post a photo of yourself with Xie An on Weibo now. Have Xie An repost it, and temporarily make your relationship public. The rest will be handled by the company.”

“Alright, thank you, Brother Ma.”

“Since you’ll be one of my artists, you’re part of the most important source of my improved quality of life. Handling unfavorable matters for you is my job.” Brother Ma said, “Are you free this afternoon? We can meet and sign the contract.”

“Yes.”

The two of them agreed on the time and place before hanging up.

Lin Zheng said, “Brother Ma meant the same thing as Mo Qi. He wants me to post the photo and leave the rest to the company.”

“Tianyu Entertainment’s public relations team has always been strong. Their artists are rarely dragged down by scandals, so you can rest easy on that point.” Mo Qi nodded.

“Mo Qi, thank you.” When Lin Zheng had been panicking, Mo Qi had still been calm and composed, soothing her with such ease.

Lin Zheng felt guilty toward Mo Qi, and for a moment she did not know what else to say besides thanks.

“You silly girl, why are you thanking me for something like this? Post on Weibo first.”

“Mm.” At last, Lin Zheng managed a smile. She found a photo in which her head was resting on Xie An’s shoulder and posted it to her verified Weibo account.

“I’ve posted it.”

“I’ll repost it.” Xie An took out his phone and reposted Lin Zheng’s Weibo, adding the text and expression Mo Qi had told him to use.

Mo Qi also took out her phone and followed with a repost, adding her own comment: “Beyond our work, we also need private space for our feelings. I hope everyone can be understanding.” She finished with two small thankful emojis.

Mo Qi had the largest following on Weibo. Not long after her comment went up, fans began leaving responses beneath it.

Mo Qi skimmed through them; they were all positive. She let out a breath of relief, returned to the Weibo homepage, and was about to log off when she found a new notification.

Shen Yijue had reposted her Weibo.

He had only reposted it and said nothing at all, but his fans went completely wild.

Shen Yijue’s Weibo was usually very quiet, and he rarely even posted stills from his dramas or films, yet his following still exceeded fifty million.

And the few posts he did have were almost all related to Mo Qi.

The Majesty fans erupted, swarming across Mo Qi’s Weibo with this post, and even Lin Zheng’s and Xie An’s accounts were not spared.

Fortunately, they all showed remarkable restraint in their words and were surprisingly reasonable.

Long Live His Majesty: “The young couple is just flirting. Everybody else, stop spouting nonsense.”

His Majesty Is Mighty: “Exactly! Haven’t you and your wife ever had a hotel room experience?”

His Majesty Forever and Ever: “After reading the comment above, I think I’ve figured something out. That reporter who wrote this garbage is obviously a pathetic, forever-single jealous freak, envious of every couple in the world. I suddenly feel a little unsafe.”

That simple, blunt, domineering energy made Mo Qi’s mouth twitch twice as soon as she saw the comments.

As expected of the Majesty fans, they were as rough and overbearing as their own Majesty.

Just as the netizens were still marveling over the revelation that Lin Zheng and Xie An were lovers, Tianyu Entertainment’s official Weibo account posted another set of photos.