Chapter 077: Stay Safe

“Our wedding approaching? These media outlets really have a knack for wild speculation!” Qin Ruolin pouted in exasperation.

“You brought Lin Feng to meet your family—of course the media would jump to conclusions,” Kelly continued, “You’d better head home for now. I’ll handle things with the show’s production team. As for the submissions from the contestants, I’ll have them send everything by email.”

“That’s probably unnecessary. It’s not like we haven’t been photographed together before,” Qin Ruolin said, glancing at Lin Feng in the passenger seat.

“This time is different. You both went to see Director Qin together, so the media’s attention is especially intense. Right now, the front and back entrances of the hotel, as well as the underground parking lot, are swarming with reporters, and more are arriving by the minute. I really think you two shouldn’t show yourselves right now,” Kelly advised.

“Alright, I’ll stay put for now.”

“Okay, wait for my update. I’ll coordinate with the PR team,” Kelly said before hanging up.

Qin Ruolin turned on her hazard lights and temporarily parked the car by the roadside.

“This is such a hassle…” she grumbled, patting the steering wheel in frustration.

“I actually admire these reporters. How did they even get these shots? I never noticed a thing!” Lin Feng browsed through the news on his phone. The photos of him and Qin Ruolin in the menswear store were crystal clear, and there were more than twenty in the set.

“How on earth did they take these?” he muttered, shaking his head as he scrolled through the pictures.

“You’re missing the point. The issue isn’t how they took the photos, but what we’re supposed to do about it now,” Qin Ruolin shot Lin Feng an exasperated look.

“I’m not exactly photogenic. These pictures don’t do me justice at all!” Lin Feng continued flipping through the images.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Qin Ruolin glared at him.

“Don’t you want to take a look? They actually came out pretty well,” Lin Feng said, holding the phone up to her.

Qin Ruolin was at a loss for words. “We’re already rumored to be engaged, and you don’t have anything to say about that?”

“Let them talk. It’s not like it’s real,” Lin Feng shrugged. “Honestly, you should have expected this the moment you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend. I thought you’d already come up with a plan for when this happened.”

Qin Ruolin could hear the hint of complaint in his voice. Indeed, the situation today was entirely her doing. If she hadn’t roped Lin Feng into pretending to be her boyfriend, none of this would have happened, and Lin Feng wouldn’t be caught in the midst of public gossip time and again.

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble,” she said softly, sighing as she spoke.

“It’s not a big deal, really. I’m single anyway. But now things are getting complicated—if my mom finds out I visited your family, who knows what schemes she’ll come up with…” Lin Feng sighed, though his nonchalance was clearly forced.

Sure enough, before he could finish, his phone began to ring. It was his mother, Guo Shuzhen.

“Told you so!” Lin Feng said helplessly, putting the phone on silent without answering.

“Why not pick up?” Qin Ruolin asked.

“Even if I do, I won’t be able to explain. Why don’t you take it?” Lin Feng held the phone out to her.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Qin Ruolin grabbed the phone and answered the call.

“Hey—wait, you’re really answering?!” Lin Feng exclaimed in shock. He’d only been joking, not expecting her to actually take the call.

“Xiaofeng, you went to meet her family behind my back? What exactly are you planning? Are you seriously getting married?!” Guo Shuzhen’s angry voice exploded through the speaker.

“Um, hello, Auntie. This is Ruolin…” Qin Ruolin said meekly.

She’d met Guo Shuzhen backstage at a few televised galas before. In her memory, Guo Shuzhen was a classic, kind-hearted singer, so she hadn’t thought anything of answering the call.

But as soon as she heard Guo Shuzhen’s voice, Qin Ruolin was suddenly at a loss for words. Even though her relationship with Lin Feng was a sham, on paper she was his girlfriend, and Guo Shuzhen was, in theory, her future mother-in-law.

No matter how famous she was, speaking to her “future mother-in-law” for the first time was bound to make her nervous.

“Ru—Ruolin?” Guo Shuzhen sounded clearly stunned on the other end.

“Um, Lin Feng went to take a shower and can’t come to the phone right now…” Qin Ruolin blurted out the first excuse that came to mind, but regretted it immediately.

Taking a shower? That was bound to invite misunderstanding.

Sure enough, Guo Shuzhen cried out in alarm, “He’s showering? Where are you two?!”

“No, it’s not—” Qin Ruolin struggled to explain.

“Never mind, let me handle it.” Lin Feng took the phone and said, “Mom, I’ll come home soon. We can talk then.”

“Oh, okay. Just…be careful, you two…” Guo Shuzhen replied, aware that Qin Ruolin was beside him and choosing not to press further.

However, her parting words carried a double meaning—especially after Qin Ruolin’s earlier explanation about the shower.

“Lin Feng, does your mom have the wrong idea about us?” Qin Ruolin asked with a pained expression.

“You told her I was showering. How could she not?” Lin Feng shot her a look.

“I just made something up on the spot. I didn’t think it through…” Qin Ruolin looked aggrieved.

“You may not have thought much of it, but my mom certainly will,” Lin Feng said, shaking his head. He grinned mischievously at her, “She told us to be safe!”

He put extra emphasis on the words “be safe.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Qin Ruolin asked innocently.

Lin Feng was speechless. The Diva Queen really was that naïve.

“Alright, nothing at all!” he said, spreading his hands. “But I do need to get back to the hotel—I haven’t turned in my work yet.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“No need. I’ll catch a cab. See you tomorrow!” Lin Feng said, getting out of the car.

…

Outside the Mingdu Hotel.

A few reporters were chatting in small groups.

“Do you think Lin Feng and Qin Ruolin will come back?”

“They probably will. I’ve got a friend on ‘Original Good Songs’ who says the first round of the team battles starts tomorrow morning. Today is the last few hours of the extreme 48-hour songwriting challenge. Contestants have to submit their work, and the mentors need to review them. There’s no way those two won’t show.”

“In that case, let’s keep waiting.”

“Hey, do you think they’ll really get married? She’s eight years older than him!”

“If I were Lin Feng, I wouldn’t care if it was eighteen years. Do you know who Qin Ruolin is? She’s a queen of the music scene, worth hundreds of millions. If he marries her, what else does he need to do with his life?”

“You can’t say that. Lin Feng doesn’t seem like the type to just live off a woman. He even dared to go head-to-head with the basketball association. He’s got guts!”

“Come on, his father-in-law is the sports bureau director. What’s he got to be afraid of…”

The reporters traded gossip, one after another.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Qin Ruolin and Lin Feng are back! At the rear entrance!”

“What? The rear entrance?”

“Damn, hurry!”

With that, the reporters dashed toward the back of the hotel, chaos breaking out among them.

Amidst the confusion, a figure in full disguise darted into the hotel and made for the elevator at lightning speed.

…