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| Ci Sha and Chen Lijun’s Matching Denials Become Weibo’s Real Main Character Moment. (Credits: World Journal) |
Chinese social media really turned into a full-time detective agency this week after rumours suddenly exploded claiming Chen Lijun and Ci Sha were secretly dating. Within hours, entertainment gossip accounts were reposting the claims like they had uncovered a national secret, except there was one major problem — nobody actually had proof. No photos, no videos, no sightings, just dramatic text posts and a lot of people acting like they’d cracked a mystery thriller.
The speculation reportedly began after a gossip blogger hinted that a “post-90s actress” and a “post-95s actor” had quietly entered a relationship after years of the man pursuing the woman.
Almost immediately, netizens began connecting the dots themselves and threw the names of Chen Lijun and Ci Sha into the centre of the storm. From there, the topic snowballed into trending searches, proving once again that the internet can build an entire romance storyline faster than some drama scriptwriters.
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But unlike the endless guessing games often seen online, both sides wasted absolutely no time shutting the rumours down. Chen Lijun’s team responded first through an official legal statement, firmly calling the claims fabricated and malicious.
Her side stressed that the gossip had already damaged her reputation and confirmed that legal measures were being prepared against accounts spreading false information. In other words, this was not going to be one of those “we’ll stay silent and let it pass” situations.
Not long after, Ci Sha’s studio joined in with an equally direct response. The studio reposted screenshots of the circulating claims stamped with a huge red “fake” label, making their stance impossible to misunderstand.
They also clarified that the pair are simply colleagues and urged the public not to spread unverified stories. Short, blunt and very much giving “please log off and go outside”.
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| Chen Lijun and Ci Sha’s Teams Respond Within Hours as Dating Claims Spiral Online |
The timing of both responses also caught attention online because they arrived almost simultaneously during the early hours of 22 May.
Many C-netz joked that the coordination alone was more organised than some entertainment company schedules. Others pointed out that when both sides deny something that quickly and that clearly, there is usually not much left to debate.
What made the rumours even stranger for many observers was how thin the so-called evidence actually looked. Online accounts attempted to piece together “matching items”, overlapping schedules and supposed hotel details, which quickly crossed into territory many people found invasive.
Several fans criticised the behaviour outright, saying people had become too comfortable turning ordinary work schedules into fantasy relationship theories.
A large part of the speculation seems tied to the pair’s upcoming collaboration in the wuxia film Blades of the Guardians (镖人：风起沙漠), scheduled for the Lunar New Year season. In the film, Chen Lijun plays Ayuya while Ci Sha portrays He Yixuan, her former fiancé.
Their characters reportedly share a deeply emotional relationship that shifts from childhood companionship into betrayal and revenge. Basically, the sort of dramatic tragic pairing that audiences immediately become emotionally attached to before accidentally convincing themselves fiction has leaked into reality.
Some viewers admitted the pair’s chemistry in promotional material and behind-the-scenes clips was strong enough to spark imagination. A few even joked that the rumours would have made a decent plot twist if they had turned out true.
There was also noticeable support for how both teams handled the situation. Instead of quietly ignoring the discussion, both sides chose a very direct “deny, collect evidence and prepare legal action” route.
That approach earned praise from many casual observers who felt entertainment rumours have increasingly blurred the line between harmless gossip and outright reputation damage.
Meanwhile, some netizens summed the whole situation up with brutal honesty: audiences watched two actors play a heartbreaking on-screen couple and immediately decided they must secretly be together in real life. Chinese drama fandom logic strikes again.
For now though, both Chen Lijun and Ci Sha have made their positions crystal clear — they are colleagues, nothing more.