***
Chapter 3 – Hot Search
“What’s the style of your new album? How does it differ from what you’ve done before?”
“We’ve heard that you’ve been struggling to write songs, and that’s why there’s been no promotion for the album. Can you comment on that?”
“You and Su Wan were seen leaving the Shengyun Tower together in the early morning. What’s your relationship in private? Are you secretly dating?”
A barrage of questions came rushing at He Yujing. The reporters kept pushing forward, and only with the bodyguards’ desperate blocking were they barely prevented from completely blocking his way. He Yujing remained expressionless throughout, ignoring the increasingly sharp questions as he moved just steps away from his car.
The reporters grew desperate, and one shouted above the crowd, “Earlier at the club, who did you give your hat to? Do you know him? Why help him?”
He Yujing stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly.
The reporter who asked the question was delighted, not expecting to get his attention. Seeing that he seemed about to say something, the reporter fixed his gaze on He Yujing through the camera.
“Everyone, go home early and stay safe.”
Yujing’s voice came through the reporters’ equipment. The fans present screamed in excitement, and Shen Sijia, who had been barely keeping calm, completely lost it, shouting, “Gege ahhhhhhh!!! Gege, I’ll love you forever!!!”
After speaking, He Yujing got into his car surrounded by bodyguards. No matter how reluctant they were, the reporters had to watch as it slowly drove away. A few persistent ones, taking advantage of the slow speed, followed the car to take photos and continued shouting questions through the dark tinted windows, hoping for a response from inside.
Zhou Xun noticed people gradually dispersing and checked the ride-hailing app. The queue had already stretched to several hundred. “Let’s walk. We’ll probably need to go about a kilometer before we can get a taxi.”
This was a bustling bar street, bright and lively even past midnight, and many chose to leave on foot. Just as Jiang Liusui was about to follow the crowd, Zhou Xun tugged at him. “This way. It’s closer to your place and Shen Sijia’s.”
“Very thoughtful,” Jiang Liusui praised. “Want to be my assistant? You can skip the interview.”
“Opportunities like this are rare, think it over carefully,” Shen Sijia agreed. “Being Suisui’s assistant isn’t exactly less meaningful than earning a PhD in astrophysics, right?”
“I give up,” Zhou Xun said, unable to stand it. “You really are this kid’s simp[mfn]舔狗 (tiǎn gǒu) – lit. licking dog; describes someone who excessively flatters, praises, or caters to someone else[/mfn].”
Unlike Shen Sijia, who came from a well-off family and was doted on by her parents, Zhou Xun’s parents were strict yet gentle teachers. He lived up to their expectations, having been a top student since childhood.
Shen Sijia didn’t mind at all and cheerfully linked arms with Jiang Liusui. “But Suisui, someone might have recorded you and gege tonight. Should we give your agent a heads-up?”
Jiang Liunian currently lived in an apartment assigned by the company. It wasn’t spacious, but with strict security, it offered a good level of safety and privacy. Quite a few young artists from the Gallery also lived in the same complex.
Before going to bed, Jiang Liusui sent Jiang Chuan a message briefly explaining what had happened that night. It was too late, and Jiang Chuan didn’t reply.
The next morning, Jiang Liusui was woken up by his agent’s phone call.
He hadn’t gotten home and finished washing up until almost four in the morningHe had planned to sleep through breakfast and lunch to catch up on rest, but a glance at the time showed it was already past ten in the morning. His head throbbed painfully. “Hello…?”
“Did I wake you?” Jiang Chuan sounded a little apologetic upon hearing his groggy voice. “I even waited a bit before calling. Want to go back to sleep for a while?”
Jiang Liusui rubbed his temples and covered his eyes. “What’s up? Go ahead, Brother Jiang.”
“You’re on the hot search, together with He Yujing.” Jiang Chuan’s voice carried a trace of excitement. This sudden, unexpected incident had brought more attention than Jiang Liusui had ever had since debut. Even if some of the comments weren’t flattering, for now, any chance to appear in the public eye was a good thing.
Besides, with a face like his, Jiang Liusui was practically a magnet for fans[mfn]堪称吸粉利器 (kān chēng xī fěn lì qì) – lit. a powerful tool for attracting fans; humorous praise implying someone’s appearance is extremely effective at gaining fans.[/mfn].
Jiang Chuan couldn’t help but marvel, “How did you coincidentally run into this big shot[mfn]这尊大佛 (zhè zūn dà fó) – lit. revered big Buddha; slang used to refer respectfully to someone with a calm, majestic, or untouchable aura—here referring to He Yujing’s celebrity status.[/mfn]? And he even helped you—He Yujing doesn’t usually help others. Netizens have already dug up everything about you.”
Jiang Liusui slowly recalled the incident from last night. He opened Weibo and saw the top trending spots dominated by He Yujing’s name, neatly lined up as if flooding the screen.
#HeYujingNightclub#
#HeYujingJiangLiusui#
#RedBaseballCap#
#HeYujingSmoking#
#HeYujingNewAlbum#
Jiang Liusui couldn’t help but marvel at just how terrifying a superstar’s popularity could be, and clicked on the trending posts that mentioned him.
【Found him, found him! Last night at the club, gege helped a young actor named Jiang Liusui. the third male villain in ⟪The Ultimate Guide⟫ They probably didn’t know each other—Gege just happened to see him being harassed and stepped in to help. Gege is so kind and gentle!
I’ve replayed the few-minute clip over and over. The way he pushed the blond guy was bursting with hormones[mfn]荷尔蒙爆棚 (hé ěr méng bào péng) – describing someone’s extremely attractive or masculine action.[/mfn]! Full-on boyfriend energy[mfn]男友力拉满 (nán yǒu lì lā mǎn) -describe someone doing something very sweet, protective, or thoughtful—basically showing off their “boyfriend energy” to the max.[/mfn], wuwuwuwu[mfn]呜呜呜呜呜 (wū wū wū wū wū) – usually used in texting or social media to represent crying, sobbing, or whining; it can show sadness, frustration, or being emotionally overwhelmed.[/mfn]! Who wouldn’t want to be protected like that by gege? The best part is when he noticed the actor’s cap had fallen and gotten dirty, so he gave him his own red baseball cap.】
【Ahhh! He Yujing is so tall, so strong, and makes you feel so safe! If I heard correctly in the video, he even said, “Don’t start trouble.”—damn! He’s more gangster than the other guy. If I were Jiang Liusui, I’d totally pass out right there.]
【Oh my god, I’m dead. I’m taking this video to my grave. The handsome guy didn’t just push the blond guy—he’s pushing my heart.】
【This young actor is really good-looking. Even side by side with He Yujing, he doesn’t lose at all. And he’s not wearing makeup either, right?】
【No wonder he got harassed and hit on. Such a beautiful face. Boss He, be honest—did your heart skip a beat for even a second?】
【Can we just ship them lightly[mfn]磕一下 (kē yī xià) – to root for or imagine a romantic pairing between two characters or people[/mfn]? Top singer X young actor—what kind of divine setup[mfn]神仙设定 (shén xiān shè dìng) – often used to praise a fictional character who is extremely ideal, cool, or well-written, almost like they’re too good to be real.[/mfn] is this? Their start is so dreamy, meeting for the first time in a nightclub and feeling love at first sight…】
Further down, the comments became more chaotic: here were fans swooning crazily, people randomly shipping CPs, He Yujing’s fans chasing down CP shippers with furious comments, and sarcastic netizens accusing Jiang Liusui of buying his way onto the trending list to leech off attention. What made Jiang Liusui most amused and exasperated was that Shen Sijia had sent him a new message at this very moment.
Shen Sijia: Suisui! You’re trending!
The young lady sent over several screenshots in rapid succession. Jiang Liusui took a closer look and realized they were all little essays[mfn]小作文 (xiǎo zuò wén) – internet slang for a short fan-written post or mini-essay expressing feelings about a fandom or ship.[/mfn] created by the newly emerged CP fans of him and He Yujing. Even through the phone screen, Jiang Liusui could feel Shen Sijia’s joy.
Shen Sijia: Finally, it’s no longer a CP that only I ship alone in the world!
Finding these few scattered like-minded fans among so many people wasn’t easy. Jiang Liusui suspected she hadn’t slept all night and had spent the entire time scrolling through Weibo.
Just then, Jiang Chuan’s voice chimed in: “Done checking? You roughly know what’s going on now, right? Follow He Yujing’s account and post a Weibo thanking him.”
“But won’t that seem like I’m riding on his coattails[mfn]蹭热度 (cèng rè dù) – lit. ride the heat; slang for taking advantage of someone else’s popularity to get attention.[/mfn]?” Jiang Liusui hesitated.
Jiang Chuan was bolder than that: “So what if you are? He helped you himself—what’s wrong with politely saying thanks? Better that than being called ungrateful or disrespectful to a senior.”
“I’ve reached out to some marketing accounts to help boost your exposure.If it worries you, I can make sure their posts don’t mention him at all.”
Jiang Chuan’s consideration was indeed more professional. The gap between him and He Yujing was huge; ignoring this situation entirely would make him seem ungrateful. After thinking it over, Jiang Liusui stopped hesitating and logged into his Weibo account.
Jiang Chuan relaxed: “Alright, I’ll hang up now. You get some rest.”
Jiang Liusui got out of bed. After a quick wash, he opened the Weibo and began to ponder.
How should he address He Yujing?
Using his full name seemed too distant, and calling him “gege” like the fans wasn’t appropriate either. After some thought, Jiang Liusui settled on a polite but approachable way to address him.
『Thanks for the hat, ge.』
He tagged He Yujing below and clicked send.
As soon as the Weibo post went up, notifications flooded in nonstop. The rapidly increasing number of comments and reposts took Jiang Liusui by surprise. He knew that after trending, many people would be following his updates, but he hadn’t expected the volume to be so overwhelming that it even caused his Weibo notifications to lag.
【Suisui finally posted! It’s been a long time! The last time was when ⟪The Ultimate Guide⟫ wrapped up filming. Please share more daily updates!】
【Ahhhh, here he is! I’m a new fan who fell hard today[mfn]垂直入坑 (chuí zhí rù kēng) – often used when someone quickly becomes a fan of a new show, game, or celebrity without gradually easing in.[/mfn]. The clip from the trending list completely captivated me! So mesmerizing, so enticing—I could fangirl a hundred times over! The more I watch, the more unreal it feels. Does he even live on the same planet as the rest of us?! Ahhhh!】
【Me too, me too! Thank you, trending list, for letting me meet the most beautiful person in the world! What’s even more amazing is that your acting skills totally match your looks. I feel like I’ve discovered a treasure. I’m so happy right now.】
Occasionally, there were some harsh and unpleasant comments, but they were quickly buried. Apparently, because of He Yujing’s protective behavior the night before, his fans were actually defending Jiang Liusui, telling their more extreme members not to cause trouble or attract negativity. The situation was far more harmonious than expected.
【Thanks, Boss He, for playing matchmaker and introducing me to Jiang Liusui. We’re very happy together now.】
【Our Suisui’s professional skills are truly impressive! Please act in more dramas in the future!】
Even through the screen, he could feel the goodwill everyone was extending toward him. The feeling of being liked was like being wrapped in a soft, gentle cloud. Before he knew it, the corners of his mouth had lifted into a small, unconscious smile.
After scrolling through Weibo for a while, he put his phone down and stretched. At this hour, it was too late to go back to sleep, and with nothing else to do, he simply turned on the projector at home.
In his free time, Jiang Liusui enjoyed watching all kinds of movies and TV shows. Sometimes it was to observe how actors delivered their performances and their speech patterns; other times, it was simply to unwind and enjoy himself.
This was a habit he had developed since childhood. When he was just a little boy, he often had no one to keep him company, so he would quietly watch movies for an entire day.
He had spent the day from morning to evening this way, chuckling to himself that his “retired life” without filming didn’t seem so bad. Unexpectedly, as night fell, he received a call from his agent.
At that moment, he was watching a lighthearted romantic black-and-white movie. Jiang Liusui was completely engrossed, when the cheerful ringtone abruptly pulled him back to reality.
On the other end of the line, his agent’s voice was practically overflowing with joy: “I’ve got some incredible news!”
“I never even dared to imagine it… Did you know He Yujing is shooting the MV for his lead single? His agent personally reached out—no auditions, no competition,” Jiang Chuan was so excited that his words came out in a jumble, “They’ve chosen you directly! The shoot is next week, and tomorrow you’ll head to Shengyun to sign the contract.”
“What?” Jiang Liusui was also stunned. “He Yujing’s MV?”
“Yes! The very MV everyone was fighting to get!” Jiang Chuan couldn’t believe such a huge opportunity had fallen right into their laps. He muttered to himself, wildly speculating, “Did you cross paths with him? Maybe he thought you were a good fit? No wonder he’s helping you out…”
Jiang Liusui was also thrilled by this sudden piece of good news. He had expected to spend the coming months twiddling his thumbs[mfn]坐冷板凳 (zuò lěng bǎn dèng) – lit. sit on a cold bench; meaning to wait idly without being given opportunities.[/mfn] at home, yet here he was, handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity[mfn]千载难逢的机会 (qiān zǎi nán féng de jī huì)[/mfn].
“Oh, and the director for the MV is Wu Qi. Isn’t that a coincidence? Who would’ve thought that even though ⟪The Glass Mirror⟫ didn’t work out with Director Wu, you’d end up collaborating on He Yujing’s MV? Opportunities like this don’t come around often.[mfn]可遇不可求 (kě yù bù kě qiú) – lit. can be encountered but cannot be forced; meaning something rare and precious that can’t be obtained at will.[/mfn]”
Wu Qi had gained fame in his early years by making various short films, and in recent years his career had skyrocketed. He directed many hit TV dramas. Having such an experienced director handle a short MV of just a few minutes shows how much Shengyun values He Yujing’s upcoming album.
Jiang Chuan carefully explained the details of signing the contract tomorrow, telling him that the company attached great importance to this MV shoot, had arranged a car for him urgently, and that his assistant Ding Yan would pick him up first thing in the morning…
By the end of the call, Jiang Chuan couldn’t stop talking about how lucky he was, urging him to seize this opportunity and give it his all. Jiang Liusui laughed and agreed.
Author’s Note:
It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. A’Jing had a good impression of Suisui from their first meeting, but it was through their interactions that he gradually fell for him.
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