After the little interlude, the two of them happily ate for over an hour.

By the time they paid the bill and drove back, it was already seven o'clock, and the sky was completely bright.

As soon as they got home, they took off their coats and were heading back to the room to catch up on some sleep.

Qiao Jingjing's phone rang.

Qiao Jingjing picked it up, took a glance, and said, "Sister Ling~"

Chen Cheng smiled and said, "Go ahead and answer it~"

There was no need to think about it; it was definitely because their hot pot meal had been posted online.

After that young couple, when they were paying the bill, Qiao Jingjing had been surrounded by a few waiters at the hot pot restaurant who asked for autographs and photos.

As soon as Qiao Jingjing answered the phone, Sister Ling's complaints came from the other end.

"Oh my, my dear."

"Why are you eating hot pot in the middle of the night?"

In the past, if she had caused trouble, Qiao Jingjing would have felt a little guilty, but today was different; instead, a faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.

"Is it already trending this early?"

On the other end of the line, Sister Ling didn't understand what she was playing at; since she couldn't see her in person, she just rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time."

"Your fans have posted photos of you two on Weibo, Moments, and in fan groups."

"There are photos from other angles online now, and they even captured Chairman Chen's profile and back."

"Right now, your fan groups are all discussing whether you are in a relationship."

"If you want to eat hot pot, just eat hot pot, couldn't you have found a private room?"

By the last sentence, Sister Ling was practically fuming.

Qiao Jingjing kicked off her slippers, burrowed into the arms of Chen Cheng, who was already half-lying on the sofa, and nuzzled against him, finding a comfortable position to lie in.

She had eaten too much, and even standing was a bit tiring.

Seeing that Qiao Jingjing hadn't spoken for a long time on the other end, Sister Ling rolled her eyes, suddenly thought of something, and asked quietly:

"You two didn't plan this, intending to make an official announcement, did you?"

Qiao Jingjing immediately denied it, "That's not it, let it happen naturally."

"..." Sister Ling felt a headache coming on; after all, this "ancestor" was now her boss.

She could only try to find a way to clean up the mess.

"Then what? Let it cool down?"

Qiao Jingjing thought for a moment, "Did the fan who posted the photo say anything?"

"They didn't say anything. They praised you for looking super pretty even without makeup, and said you were very enthusiastic and considerate."

"Didn't they mention Chen Cheng?"

"That fan didn't."

"After the photos from other angles came out, other fans tagged her."

"She even helped you explain. She said it was just a get-together between classmates before the New Year."

"She even answered some questions about Teacher Chen, like whether Teacher Chen is tall, handsome, and so on."

Qiao Jingjing's lips curled slightly, "It wasn't in vain that I was so enthusiastic in my service."

Sister Ling was speechless, "Just keep acting up. Once it hits the trending list, fans will definitely connect it to the time you played games together."

"By then, Teacher Chen might get dug up too."

"Uh..." Qiao Jingjing immediately frowned.

She was very conflicted right now; she wanted to occupy the position of Chen Cheng's girlfriend, but she was also afraid of making it official.

The bastard in front of her had too many women; he couldn't withstand being dug into at all.

Otherwise, she would really want to announce it officially.

Qiao Jingjing pondered for a while, "How about this, I'll post a Weibo later to explain."

"Then, I'll have the PR team steer the narrative towards respecting the privacy of non-celebrities."

Sister Ling shook her head, annoyed; if they hadn't eaten this hot pot, none of this would have happened.

"Fine, I'll arrange for marketing accounts to guide the narrative right away."

"Next time you do something like this, can you give me a heads-up? Don't let me find out from the trending list."

Sister Ling complained indignantly.

"Mmhmm~ I got it."

Qiao Jingjing said in a very coquettish tone.

After hanging up, Qiao Jingjing put down her phone and cuddled into Chen Cheng's arms, nuzzling against him.

"You aren't angry, are you?"

Chen Cheng was almost asleep while lying down, but he shook his head, "No, why would I be angry about having a nice hot pot meal?"

"It would be fine to just announce it officially."

"Really?" Qiao Jingjing's eyes widened, and she sat up.

Her eyes darted around quickly, wondering if Chen Cheng was serious or just saying it.

Chen Cheng reached out and pulled her back into his arms; it felt empty without her, and not comfortable at all.

It's much nicer to hold someone soft and fragrant.

Chen Cheng affectionately pressed against her, "Of course! I'm not in the entertainment industry, and I don't care about that gossip at all."

"It won't affect my business either."

"So, why shouldn't I let you live as freely as you want?"

A smile immediately appeared on Qiao Jingjing's face, and she couldn't stop her lips from curling up.

She nuzzled against his chest, her voice soft and sweet, "Chen Cheng, why are you so good to me~"

Chen Cheng smiled, "You're my wife. If I'm not good to you, who should I be good to?"

Qiao Jingjing immediately pouted, "Well, you have quite a few wives."

"Hahaha~~~"

Seeing her cute jealousy, Chen Cheng burst into laughter.

Watching him make fun of her, Qiao Jingjing pinched his waist in annoyance.

Chen Cheng restrained himself a little.

Qiao Jingjing thought about Chen Cheng's words, and for a moment, she really had the urge to announce it officially.

But as soon as she thought of the consequences, she immediately lost her nerve.

That would mean offending all the "sisters" he had found for himself before she had even joined the group.

Besides, in the future, many roles in the industry wouldn't come to her at all.

Her exposure would decrease, her commercial value would be greatly discounted, and she still had to earn 200 million.

Qiao Jingjing immediately dismissed the idea of an official announcement.

She rolled her eyes at Chen Cheng; this bastard always knew how to leave her helpless.

She pouted, picked up her phone, logged into her main account, and started editing a Weibo post.

[Went to sleep too early and woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. I was caught playing games by a night owl. Just happened to be hungry, and with the New Year approaching, I took advantage of the empty streets at night to grab a hot pot get-together.]

[Ran into fan babies, super happy. Happy New Year to everyone too.]

She also added a few photos from the fan group.

"Wait~"

Just as Qiao Jingjing was about to post it, Chen Cheng reached out.

"What?" Qiao Jingjing was a bit confused, but she still handed the phone to him.

Chen Cheng took the phone and continued writing:

[Everyone must take good personal precautions recently, reduce gatherings, and be cautious about going to crowded places.]

[I have been paying attention to the situation in Jiangzhou recently. After communicating with partners the day before yesterday.]

[I have already entrusted friends overseas to contact some supplies that are in short supply in Jiangzhou.]

[Today, later on, there will be designated personnel to coordinate with hospitals, airports, and other relevant parties.]

[...]

Chen Cheng finished writing and handed it back to Qiao Jingjing. Qiao Jingjing looked at what he had written and frowned, "Supplies?"

"Sister Ling has prepared a plan to donate money."

"The specific amount hasn't been decided yet; it depends on how people in the industry set the tone."

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth twitched. Sometimes he didn't know if he was the one who was sick, or if it was the world that was sick.

Damn, even making a donation requires following seniority and being overly cautious.

New-generation stars like Qiao Jingjing, even if they want to do something, dare not be the first to stick their necks out.

In case they steal someone's spotlight and offend people, they might be inexplicably ostracized in the future.

Chen Cheng shook his head.

They must all be sick.