Accused of Being Photoshopped, Locked onto Huaihai TV

The sound of countless cameras clicking away made it seem like a celebrity press conference was underway.

"Dean Xu mentioned you're still in university. What motivated you to make this donation?"

"I was once a child at Xingxing Orphanage. Without the dean, I wouldn’t be standing here today."

......

In the footage, Zhou Yi was still dressed in his simplest white shirt, composed and steady, showing no trace of nervousness or discomfort under the spotlight.

The reporters fired questions one after another, and Zhou Yi answered each with calm precision, exuding a presence far beyond what one would expect from a college student.

After the interview, a few female journalists couldn’t help but gush over him.

"Zhou Yi, you’re absolutely the most handsome university student Huaihai Daily has ever featured!"

"I can already imagine the comments on tomorrow’s social media posts."

"My tweet from half an hour ago already has tens of thousands of likes. The last time we had engagement like this was with Actor Lin!"

"Hey, can I add you on WeChat? Maybe we can invite you to a TV show in the future."

During the interview, these reporters and hosts had been all business, but afterward, they turned warm and playful.

Zhou Yi didn’t refuse, pulling up his WeChat QR code for them to scan.

077: "I can already foresee your charm points skyrocketing."

Zhou Yi: "What makes you say that?"

077: "The way these women are looking at you—their eyes are practically sparkling. As journalists and hosts, they’ve interviewed countless celebrities. For them to praise you like this speaks volumes about how striking your face is."

The system’s underlying message was clear: Just look at this face it had crafted! It outshone even the biggest stars!

True to the system’s prediction, Zhou Yi went viral overnight.

That evening, Huaihai TV aired the interview segment, and the ratings soared higher than ever before.

The reason? Someone on Weibo had accused the journalists of photoshopping the images.

"This is ridiculous! They’re seriously claiming my news photos are edited? These netizens have way too much imagination!"

The journalist, Wang Lan, had previously worked in entertainment news before transitioning to TV. With a sizable following on Weibo, she often shared highlights from her interviews.

This time, she posted the news images of Zhou Yi.

At first, the comments were normal—mostly along the lines of:

["So handsome! Good looks, wealth, and a kind heart? My heart is melting!"]

["Now THIS is a true high-spec man. What even are those drama actors?"]

["Donating 500,000 while still in school? I don’t deserve to live."]

["Is this face even human? It’s like a 3D model come to life!"]

["What a waste if he doesn’t join the entertainment industry—born to be an actor."]

Then, some netizens took it up a notch with their chaotic humor:

["My love for this guy is like wetting my pants—everyone can see it, but only I feel the warmth."]

["This guy is like four sets minus three—he’s got that one set (handsome)."]

["Too bad I can only look at him at noon, or I’d fall for him morning and night."]

["This isn’t just any college student—this is the rest of my life (heart emoji)."]

["Hey, have you considered acting? Specifically, as the male lead in my life’s drama."]

["If I had a husband like this, first I’d thank my parents—without their gift of this mouth, I wouldn’t be spouting nonsense here."]

But soon, the trolls emerged:

["Stop over-editing. Do you think we’re stupid? No real guy looks like this."]

["With looks like that, he’d have been scouted by agencies ages ago."]

["Plastic surgery, right?"]

["Photoshop fraud, just chasing clout."]

["There’s definitely money behind this. Why else would a student donate? It’s all for fame, and now they’re editing him into a god? Hilarious."]

["That jawline isn’t even human—100% edited."]

......

Wang Lan’s comment section became a battleground, with factions arguing endlessly. Even her celebrity interviews had never sparked this much drama.

She posted another tweet clarifying that these were raw news stills, straight from the high-definition cameras, but the accusations kept coming.

She was stunned—people’s hostility was off the charts. Even after her explanation, they refused to listen.

Then, Zhou Yi’s classmates showed up in the comments:

["I’m Zhou Yi’s classmate. Here’s how he looks in lectures—this is just how he is (image attached)."]

["Yeah, I go to Huai University too. Saw him once—insanely, ridiculously, unbelievably handsome!"]

["His nickname at our school is ‘White Shirt God.’ The forums are full of threads about him if you’re curious."]

["I was the first to snap his photo! Proof here! So handsome I lost the ability to speak (image attached)."]

Wang Lan’s comments ballooned from a few thousand to tens of thousands, somehow landing on the trending list.

More and more people came to spectate.

Finally, fed up, Wang Lan posted:

["Watch Huaihai TV at 7 PM tonight and see for yourselves! No Photoshop!"]

Because of this tweet, that evening’s news broadcast saw an unprecedented surge in viewership.

The station director was baffled.

Could a single handsome college student really drive ratings like this?

This was the news—not a drama series!

Rewinding to noon, Zhou Yi was still waiting with Xia Qiuzhi for Wang Xuan to join them for lunch.

"Yi-gege, you’re trending! So many people are praising you."

Xia Qiuzhi showed Zhou Yi her phone.

He glanced at it, unfazed.

Of course he knew—his system panel’s skyrocketing charm points, attribute boosts, and currency gains said it all.

The calmer Zhou Yi remained, the more admiration Xia Qiuzhi felt.

[Xia Qiuzhi’s affection +10]

Zhou Yi checked the time. "Is Wang Xuan not coming? It’s getting late. If he doesn’t want to see me, forget it."

Xia Qiuzhi awkwardly stood up, saying she’d call him.

Wang Xuan hung up as soon as he answered.

The moment he saw Zhou Yi blowing up online, he lost all desire to meet.

His male ego couldn’t take the comparison, and he could already sense Xia Qiuzhi’s heart tilting toward Zhou Yi.

His abrupt hang-up infuriated Xia Qiuzhi. She fired off multiple WeChat messages demanding an explanation.

She’d gone through so much trouble to arrange this meeting, and now he was backing out?

Her patience snapped.

Returning to the table, she forced an apologetic smile.

"Yi-gege, Wang Xuan might have something urgent today... He probably can’t make it."

Zhou Yi smirked coldly. "A-Zhi, as a longtime friend, I’ll be blunt: Wang Xuan isn’t right for you. Think carefully. That’s all I’ll say—I’m leaving."

Xia Qiuzhi wanted to stop him but couldn’t find the words.

Her last shred of affection for Wang Xuan had evaporated.

Closing her eyes, she resolved to break up with him.

By sabotaging their relationship, Zhou Yi had avenged the original host.

Instead of staying for lunch, he headed back to check on Qiao Xi.

When he opened WeChat, he saw a message from Qiao Xi saying she had gone to her grandmother's house.

Zhou Yi felt a pang of concern, so he called her. Hearing the girl's cheerful voice on the other end, he let out a sigh of relief.

Originally planning to return home, Zhou Yi decided against it.

He headed to a high-end commercial building in Huaihai, intending to rent an office space.

The agent informed him the monthly rent was 50,000—a reasonable price for the city center.

Impressed by the elegant surroundings and floor-to-ceiling windows, Zhou Yi quickly paid to lease the entire floor as his office.

Now all that remained was registering a company. But what should he name it?