Return of the King, Dominating the City-Chapter 1628 - 1522: Secretly Photographed

"Don’t be too nervous, they aren’t taking pictures of us," Chen Mengjie said with a laugh.

However, Song Yun noticed the man’s sidelong glance and the tension in his brow, stood up without a word, and walked towards the two of them.

"Song Yun, don’t be impulsive," Chen Mengjie whispered, but Song Yun ignored him and walked straight to the man and woman nearby.

"Could I borrow your phone for a moment?" Song Yun asked with a smile.

"What for? Don’t you have a phone?" the man shouted loudly, but there was a hint of guilt in his words.

"Just now, you took pictures of us. I want to delete them, that’s all." Song Yun continued to smile.

"What are you talking about? I was taking pictures of my girlfriend, not thinking you’re a celebrity or anything. That’s ridiculous," the man said disdainfully.

"I’ll give you five seconds, hand over your phone for me to see," Song Yun said, raising a finger, "1."

"Crazy! Darling, let’s go, we’ve run into a nutcase today," the man stood up, packed his bag, and prepared to leave.

"5"

Song Yun quickly reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist holding the phone, applying just enough pressure for the man to cry out in pain and release his grip.

Song Yun snatched the phone.

"Weren’t you going to count to 5? How did you jump from 1 to 5?! Are you kidding?" the man protested, as Song Yun tightened his grip, causing the man’s face to flush red.

"Someone’s robbing a phone! Help, robbery!" The man shouted.

Song Yun casually opened the photo album in the phone, where, sure enough, there were pictures of him and Chen Mengjie. Song Yun shook his head and said, "You took pictures of us. I haven’t even accused you of violating my portrait and privacy rights."

"Isn’t Earth everybody’s? Do I need your permission to take pictures?" the man said, sweat streaming down his face, while the woman beside him was too shocked to respond.

Song Yun slightly tightened his grip on the phone, snap.

The phone was crushed into pieces with his bare hands.

"Superman?!" The man looked in astonishment as his phone shattered like powder; it was a domestically produced iPhone 4, with a high-strength alloy body, lasting standby for over a month, dual SIM cards, 36 high-quality sound systems, and the super luxurious, limited edition that could QQ; a phone claimed unbreakable even through hundreds of falls and certified by the National Quality Control Bureau. Crushed by hand – this was either Superman or Spider-Man.

"Don’t take random photos; capturing something you’re not supposed to can have serious consequences," Song Yun said, gesturing to Chen Mengjie, and they both left the lounge.

"Honey, are you alright?" the woman asked with concern.

"I’m fine, hmph. Chen Mengjie and a mysterious man meeting secretly, caught by me and then going ballistic, haha, what a headline! That idiot definitely didn’t think my phone could access Weibo. The photos are already uploaded automatically; darling, we’re about to become famous. The first scandal about Chen Mengjie worldwide!" The man managed a smile despite the pain in his hand.

"Song Yun, your reaction was too intense," Chen Mengjie said softly.

"These days, loads of people want to make a name for themselves, and we don’t want to be their stepping stones, so we have to be a bit forceful," Song Yun replied nonchalantly, shaking his head.

"Not everyone wants to become famous either." Chen Mengjie reminisced, "Before I debuted, I didn’t think about fame at all. Later, by coincidence, I became a celebrity; although it seemed like I had achieved success, I understood my own gains and losses more than anyone."

"Haha, everyone has their own luck and misfortune, desires and indifference; those not famous wish for fame, while those who are wish for normalcy," Song Yun said.

Chen Mengjie nodded in agreement and was about to speak when Song Yun continued, "The poor want money, the rich want more; the single want a partner, those with partners want to play the field; the unmarried want to get married, the married want someone else’s spouse. People are never satisfied, and that desire is exactly what drives societal progress."

"I agree with the last part; desire drives progress. If humanity loses desire one day, this world will be doomed," Chen Mengjie commented, "As for all the stuff you said earlier, I don’t follow."

"Haha, I need to head back, what about you?" Song Yun asked.

"I need to rush for my appointments too. Let’s part ways here."

"Alright, bye-bye."

Song Yun headed directly to the Shura Alliance’s Yanjing branch to handle some matters, unknowingly, the man whose phone he crushed has already posted pictures of Song Yun and Chen Mengjie on Weibo. While the photo only showed a partial view of Song Yun, Chen Mengjie’s front side was clearly captured.

Once this photo hit Weibo, it immediately garnered countless reposts. Since her debut, Chen Mengjie has maintained an almost transparent private life, with no man ever having any relationship with her beyond friendship. This not only established her as a pristine idol but also led many fans to appreciate the feeling of a non-gossipy star as having an ethereal aura.

The news of Chen Mengjie’s private meeting with a man in the lounge quickly spread across Shen Zhou. In just an hour, the lone photo was reposted over a million times, becoming the top headline in entertainment sections across major websites. Many rejoiced that Chen Mengjie had finally transitioned from a goddess to a mere mortal, while countless others expressed understanding, acknowledging that celebrities are human too. However, a substantial number couldn’t accept it since, in their eyes, Chen Mengjie was the perfect goddess, a figure untouchable by common folks. Many hearts broke at that moment. Of course, that’s not the main focus; most people are intrigued by the identity of the man facing Chen Mengjie, whose back was photographed. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Immediately, countless speculations arose; some thought it was a leading domestic star, others believed it was a business tycoon’s son. More suggested it was actually a foreigner, a Middle Eastern prince, which was vehemently dismissed by countless Shen Zhou citizens.

For a goddess from Shen Zhou to date, it has to be with Shen Zhou people, not foreigners. Just then, Koreans jumped in claiming the man was one of them, while some Korean male stars shamelessly asserted, "That man is me." This argument was outright ignored, as the saying goes, the Earth belongs to me, to you, but ultimately to Korea. Such behavior from some Koreans, aggressively coveting what belongs to others, was ignored by the entire world.