I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Public opinion quickly fermented, with all sorts of outrageous speculations flying around.

Some netizens speculated that the man in the photo was being kept by two married female celebrities, while others imagined that the three had a special and ambiguous relationship in private, resulting in more than ten versions of rumors in a short period of time.

Initially, most netizens could only see the figure clearly and could not recognize the frontal appearance.

However, experienced netizens in the Chinese entertainment industry quickly identified the figure by comparing subtle differences in shoulder width, pigeon-toed gait, and short hair outline, concluding that the figure closely resembled Cheng Sheng from behind.

Combining these three key clues—that Cheng Sheng is currently in Los Angeles preparing for filming, that he has previously publicly acknowledged a close personal relationship with Chen Hong, and that he once wrote a script for Chen Hong's husband, Chen Kaige—all the clues are now aligned, and the public instantly identified the man in the photo as Cheng Sheng.

Thousands of miles away, in Cheng Sheng's hometown village, the news also reached here.

A fellow villager handed the trending photo to Cheng's parents on his phone.

The two elders only glanced at him before recognizing him as their son.

Before Cheng Sheng departed for Hollywood, he had informed his parents of his itinerary. However, the two elders never imagined that their son would become so close to two top married actresses.

The elderly couple lived in the countryside for most of their lives and rarely came into contact with the outside world, but because their son was deeply involved in the entertainment industry, they would take the initiative to follow the news in the Chinese entertainment industry on a regular basis.

Chen Hong is the wife of renowned director Chen Kaige, and Xu Fan is the wife of director Feng Xiaogang. The two elders know their identities very well.

What puzzled the two elders even more was that Xu Fan was a full twelve years older than Cheng Sheng, yet his skin was firm and his aura outstanding in the photos, making him look no older than forty.

Recalling Cheng Sheng's publicly acknowledged girlfriend, Zeng Li, who was also several years older than him, the elderly couple couldn't help but wonder: Did their son have a preference for older women?
After the initial doubt came a deep sense of unease.

The elders did not object to his preference for older women, but the women were married, and interfering in someone else's marriage was a major taboo in their rural culture.

In old rural areas, such a punishment could even result in being drowned in a pond, ruining one's reputation and causing the entire family to be criticized by neighbors.

The elderly couple hesitated several times, repeatedly picking up their phones to call Cheng Sheng, but ultimately refrained from doing so.

On the one hand, they knew that Cheng Sheng was under great pressure working in Hollywood and did not want to disturb him rashly; on the other hand, out of their instinctive trust as parents, they were always willing to believe that their son would not cross the line or recklessly ruin his dignity.

Ultimately, the two chose to wait and see, awaiting further official response.

At the same time, online public opinion spiraled out of control, with the comment section becoming a chaotic mess, rife with vulgar jokes and extreme remarks. After netizens spontaneously filtered the comments, mainstream opinions became clearly divided, and overly explicit and vulgar memes were removed.

[This posture is too intimate; they've probably crossed the line in private, right?]

The trend of younger men paired with mature actresses has been brewing in the Chinese entertainment industry for some time, but this time it involves two at once.

The person upstairs is right, I can understand this kind of thing. Actually, I like aunties too.

[That jerk! He's obviously starved for love. What's so great about an auntie? Do you all prefer taking the long, narrow tunnels?]

[Holy crap, the guy upstairs, you've practically run over the faces of the entire nation!]

[They're all talented people, and the tunnels are spacious? What kind of tunnels are for the minors?]

[Damn it, can you please not drive? There are so many minors online.]

[Hey everyone upstairs, don't change the subject. We're discussing whether Chen Hong and Xu Fan cheated on each other.]

[Does anyone have any information about the person in the photo?]

[I refuse to accept this! Chen Hong is my goddess, she could never do such a thing!]

[Be rational when following this discussion; those of you upstairs, please don't believe it.] [I believe Chen Hong; after all, one photo doesn't prove anything. It's best not to believe or spread rumors.]

The person upstairs is right; many things can't be proven until the very end.

Has anyone noticed that this person's back view looks familiar?

I noticed it too; it really does look familiar, like I've seen it before.

[Huh, I didn't expect everyone to feel the same way?]

[Wait and see, don't you guys feel that this person is similar to Cheng Sheng... and Cheng Sheng happens to be in Hollywood, and there's also the relationship between Cheng Sheng and Chen Hong... I found a photo of Cheng Sheng's back and posted it below, compare it with the photo, don't you think they look very similar?]

Wow! They actually look somewhat similar.

[I saw that the back view was exactly the same as Cheng Sheng's.]

[Comparison complete. Body shape, height, and clothing habits are 99% similar; it is 100% Cheng Sheng.]

[It's chilling to think about. Cheng Sheng had a girlfriend, Zeng Li, while also maintaining close relationships with the wives of two directors?]

Don't rush to criticize. Cheng Sheng and Chen Hong have long been publicly known as friends, and picking each other up at the airport is just normal social interaction.

[Yeah! Cheng Sheng didn't seem particularly intimate in the photos either; it's obvious someone's stirring up trouble.]

[I suspect this blogger is desperate for clicks. Aren't they afraid of offending three top Chinese directors: Cheng Sheng, Feng Xiaogang, and Chen Kaige?]

I'm waiting for an official response; the cost of spreading rumors is too low these days.

Stop spreading rumors. Everyone should go check Cheng Sheng's Weibo; he just posted something.

What did Cheng Sheng say upstairs?

Cheng Sheng said he has a sworn brother-sister relationship with Chen Hong and Xu Fan. He explained that Chen Hong and Xu Fan went to Hollywood to learn advanced techniques, and Cheng Sheng simply picked them up at the airport and took them to their hotel; it's not at all like what's circulating online.

Disappointing. I thought there was some juicy gossip going on, but it turned out to be just a misunderstanding.

【Adopted siblings? Is this "adopted" for real?】

[Hey driver, aren't you afraid the person involved will send you to work on a sewing machine with a lawyer's letter? Look up defamation!]

Just as public opinion was about to completely veer off course and marketing accounts began to spread rumors and smear the public, Cheng Sheng posted an update on his personal Weibo account on time, with a brief text: "The purpose of Chen Hong and Xu Fan's trip to the United States was to investigate the Hollywood film and television industrial production process and learn advanced filming and actor management experience; I am only related to the two as sworn siblings, and I picked them up at the airport and assisted them with hotel check-in. All interactions were normal professional exchanges. Please do not believe false rumors circulating online."

The official response immediately cooled down public opinion in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Most netizens immediately abandoned their plans to follow the story, saying it was all a misunderstanding. A few netizens who still had doubts also dared not continue to use the meme, fearing they would be sued for defamation.

Industry insiders in China's entertainment circle were also in an uproar.

The group finally pieced together the clues from the past: Cheng Sheng wrote scripts for Chen Kaige for free, interacted with Chen Hong on stage multiple times, and had private dinners together. All of these could be explained by their sworn sibling relationship, and the logic made perfect sense.

Let's turn our attention back to the filming location of "Rouge Snow" in Hengdian.

This tragic drama set in the Republican era was co-produced by Fan Shuangbing's personal studio and Tangde International Culture. Fan Shuangbing served as both producer and lead actress, overseeing every detail of the project from start to finish. (End of Chapter)