83: Overt schemes and smokescreens

TMZ's exclusive photos were like a nuclear bomb, exploding across North American social media.

【Exclusive Visit! Taylor Swift and Lin Feng's "Gym Date"!】

Under the eye-catching headline were several photos with ridiculously high clarity.

The blonde pop queen and the new king of basketball, his jersey soaked in sweat.

The two stood side by side, talking intimately.

On Taylor's face was undisguised admiration and a smile.

Public opinion went completely crazy!

Yesterday, people were still guessing who that masked Asian girl was.

Today, all focus was completely stolen by the appearance of Taylor Swift!

"I knew it! How could Lin Feng be interested in a K-POP star! His target is Taylor!"

"This is a match made in heaven! The new king of the sports world and the queen of the music world! This combo is top-tier!"

"I feel sorry for that Korean girl. She traveled thousands of miles only to find out she was just a smoke screen?"

The direction of the wind on the internet completed a shocking reversal in just one hour.

News about Yoona's arrival in Los Angeles was quickly drowned out by the "solid evidence of romance" between Taylor Swift and Lin Feng.

No one cared about that poor K-POP idol anymore.

Everyone's eyes were focused on this "Golden Couple."

The mastermind of it all, Lin Feng, after finishing his conversation with Nick Young late last night, did the first thing: he called Taylor Swift.

The call connected, and on the other end was still Taylor's energetic voice.

"Your Majesty the King, not asleep so late? Are you savoring the joy of victory?"

"Taylor."

Lin Feng's voice was very calm, without the slightest hint of a joke.

"I need your help."

Taylor on the other end was clearly stunned for a moment.

"Oh? It's truly my honor to have our new king ask for help."

Her tone carried a hint of playfulness.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Lin Feng walked to the window, looking at the lights of Beverly Hills.

"I'm in a bit of trouble regarding a girl—an innocent girl who has been targeted by the media."

"Uh-huh?"

Taylor's voice showed a hint of curiosity.

"The media lenses are like a pack of sharks smelling blood, surrounding her and not letting go."

Lin Feng's tone was heavy.

"I need a way to make their lenses move away from her."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Taylor Swift, a woman with a beast-like intuition for media and public opinion, instantly understood Lin Feng's meaning.

"So, you need a bigger target, a more explosive piece of news to attract those sharks' attention?"

"Yes."

Lin Feng was blunt.

"And I can't think of anyone who can attract the gaze of all of North America more than you."

Taylor on the other end gave a light laugh.

That laughter was full of confidence, pride, and a hint of a provoked competitive spirit.

"You mean, let me be your 'rumored girlfriend' to help you out?"

"Not a rumored girlfriend."

Lin Feng corrected her.

His voice carried a touch of playfulness.

"It's to let them see who the real leading lady is."

These words, like a stone thrown into a lake, accurately hit Taylor's heart.

The breathing on the other end became a bit hurried.

"Lin... you really know how to use your advantages."

"Likewise."

"Okay."

Taylor's voice returned to her queenly tone, decisive and crisp.

"Tell me the time and place."

"Tomorrow morning, at the Lakers' training facility."

"I'll make the world's lenses aim at us."

Thus, there were the photos that blew up the internet on the TMZ website today.

Taylor Swift perfectly fulfilled her promise.

She appeared high-profile at the training facility, handing Lin Feng a sports drink in front of all the media's telephoto lenses.

The two talked as if no one else was there; that intimate posture made all the reporters frantically press their shutters.

A perfect "open scheme" directed by Lin Feng himself was successfully staged.

All the pressure of public opinion was accurately shifted by him onto himself and Taylor.

While the true center of the storm, Yoona, was perfectly covered by this huge smoke screen.

Beverly Hills, Peninsula Hotel.

In the presidential suite on the top floor.

Yoona curled up on the sofa, holding her phone.

On the screen were the "date" photos of Taylor Swift and Lin Feng at the gym.

Lin Feng in the photos was covered in sweat, yet still so handsome it made one's heart race.

And the blonde woman beside him was smiling so brightly, so confidently.

Standing together, they really looked like a prince and princess from a fairy tale.

Yoona's face turned pale bit by bit.

She couldn't understand the English comments under the news, but the photos alone were enough to explain everything.

The phone vibrated.

It was a message from a teammate asking if she wanted to go to Santa Monica Beach for dinner together tonight.

She stared at the screen for a long time.

Then, she silently typed two words.

"Not going."

Send.

She threw the phone aside, hugged her knees, and buried her head deep inside.

Meanwhile.

Lin Feng's phone also vibrated.

It was a text message from Scarlett Johansson.

"Nice smoke screen. The Little Lion is starting to learn how to use his brain to hunt."

Lin Feng looked at the text and curled his lips.

This woman could always see through all his tricks at a glance.

He didn't reply.

Under the cover of the massive smoke screen, he finally gained a precious breathing space.

He dialed another number.

"Kobe."

"I need a car and a route that no one knows."

Kobe on the other end didn't ask a single unnecessary question.

"In half an hour, go to the B3 level of your apartment's underground garage. Black Escalade, keys are in the car."

"Thanks, Boss."

The night grew deeper.

While all the paparazzi were waiting at the entrance of Taylor Swift's hotel and under Lin Feng's apartment building, hoping to capture some "follow-up"...

An inconspicuous black Escalade quietly slipped out of another exit of Lin Feng's apartment and merged into the Los Angeles traffic.

Lin Feng drove, skillfully avoiding all sections of the road where cameras might be present, and arrived at the back door of the Peninsula Hotel.

Through the hotel manager whom Kobe had spoken to in advance, he used the staff passage and a private elevator to reach the top floor without obstruction.

He stood in front of Yoona's door and adjusted his breathing.

Then, using a spare key card, he gently swiped open the door.

No lights were on in the room.

Only the city's neon lights outside cast a faint glow.

A thin figure sat alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the brilliant night view outside.

That silhouette appeared incredibly frail, out of place in this luxurious city.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the figure stiffened.

She slowly turned her head.

When she saw that the person standing at the door was Lin Feng, the mist that had been building up in those beautiful eyes could no longer be suppressed.

Large tears rolled down her cheeks, tracing two crystal lines in the darkness.

"Is everything... on the news true?"

With a heavy sob, she asked the question that made his heart wrench.