The photo from the temple fair should have been nothing—a group of classmates crowding under lanterns, cheeks flushed with winter air, dumplings clutched in their hands. But what caught everyone's eyes wasn't the laughing students in the middle.
It was the figure on the edge.
A tall man, profile half hidden by shadow, hand resting lightly but unmistakably on Lin Qing Yun's shoulder.
It took only hours for the comments to flood in.
> [User 1]: "Is that Gu Ze Yan? Tell me I'm not blind."
[User 2]: "Omg it is! Look at the jawline, the coat, the height—classic Gu Ze Yan."
[User 3]: "So the blurry fireworks photo wasn't lying."
[User 4]: "The girl looks so calm, so elegant. Who is she? Anyone know?"
[User 5]: "I heard she's his old fiancée. A Cinderella story if true."
By midnight, the post had gone viral. Screenshots circulated across Weibo, entertainment forums, even financial gossip boards.
---
At Cloudpeak, Qing Yun sat at her desk with her notes spread neatly before her. Her phone buzzed nonstop, classmates sending links, teasing her with emojis and exclamation marks.
She read a few headlines—"Nation's Favorite Bachelor in Fairytale Romance?"—then set the device face down.
Her calm expression didn't waver, but her friends were less composed.
"Lin jiejie, you're famous now!" one girl gasped, eyes sparkling. "You and your boyfriend—it's like a drama!"
Qing Yun gave her a mild look. "It's just noise."
But noise had weight.
---
The next day, another classmate posted on her feed:
"Lin jiejie's boyfriend is unbelievable. He waited outside class for an hour in the cold just to walk her home. He even carried all her books. Tell me this isn't romance drama tier!! ❤️✨"
The post came with a photo—Ze Yan standing at the gate, coat collar turned up, hands in pockets, gaze fixed on the entrance. A man carved in quiet patience.
The comments beneath were relentless:
> [User 12]: "He's a CEO and he's doing pickup duty?? I'm crying."
[User 13]: "Cinderella story confirmed. This girl must be amazing."
[User 14]: "Her name's Lin Qing Yun. Search her. There are old rumors about her being his fiancée before. This is REAL."
[User 15]: "Ahhhh I ship it!!"
The fairy tale spread.
---
Ze Yan saw the photos only because Chen Rui shoved his phone under his nose one morning.
"Boss, you're trending. Again."
Ze Yan scanned the screen briefly, then handed it back. "So?"
Chen Rui's mouth twitched. "So, they're calling it a Cinderella story."
A pause. Then, to Chen Rui's surprise, Ze Yan's lips curved faintly. "Good."
---
But not everyone smiled.
In her hotel suite, Jiang Yi Rong threw her tablet across the bed, the screen flickering.
"They parade their happiness like it's a crown," she hissed. "As if they're mocking me."
Her assistant kept his eyes down. "Public opinion is turning positive, madam. People are romanticizing it."
Yi Rong's laugh was cold. "Then we change the story. If the world wants Cinderella, let's show them the ashes."
Her smile sharpened, predatory. She already knew where to dig.
---
Meanwhile, Qing Yun walked home from class one evening with her friends. Lanterns swayed above the street, laughter spilling from stalls.
"You're trending again," one girl teased, shoving her phone toward her. "Everyone loves you, jiejie. They're calling you the nation's Cinderella!"
Qing Yun shook her head, lips pressing into a faint smile. She didn't care for the name, but she couldn't deny one thing—the light in her friends' eyes, the way they looked at her, no longer as someone distant but as someone they admired.
For once, being seen didn't feel so heavy.
---
But fame was double-edged.
By late February, news outlets began digging deeper. Reporters called her former school for records, old classmates were contacted. Whispers rose—about her sudden disappearance, her five-year silence, even her connection to Xu Wei Ran.
One evening, as Qing Yun sorted through restoration notes at her desk, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
She opened it.
An old photo stared back—her younger self, standing beside Xu Wei Ran outside a school building, his arm slung casually over her shoulders.
The caption beneath:
"Does he know?"
Her hand tightened around the phone, knuckles white.