Chapter 22

Lin Yuewei said, “Let me see it.”

Anyone on screen was given a persona. It wasn’t always something the idol herself deliberately cultivated; sometimes the team or even the editing shaped the audience’s impression in a particular direction. It made the show more memorable.

Because Lin Yuewei’s features were sharp and beautiful, with a certain aggressiveness to them, the production team had mostly framed her early episodes around an aloof, domineering image. Occasionally they’d throw in a softer, cuter side for contrast, and fans did love that. Lin Yuewei herself didn’t like the sweet, delicate type. Forcing herself in that direction would only backfire; it would make it easy to slip up later, and once her persona collapsed, the fallout would be ugly. Besides, a sugary image was too restrictive for her long-term development. It would leave viewers with a fixed impression, which was not what she wanted, so she deliberately avoided that kind of image in interviews whenever she could.

Aside from clothes, the gifts her fans gave her were mostly things like headphones and other popular items; stuffed animals were almost nonexistent. She didn’t exactly look like someone who would like plush toys.

Of course, Gu Yanqiu buying a rabbit plushie was a matter of catering to her taste. What she hadn’t counted on was that by sending such a small rabbit, she’d exposed half of herself right in front of Lin Yuewei.

Her airheaded, innocent roommate asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Do you know the person who sent this?”

Lin Yuewei heard her, but her brain was too busy to think about the question. She gave a grunt in response.

Her roommate wore a nosy expression and watched as Lin Yuewei turned the card over.

On the back, written in neat regular script, were a few words: “Do what you want to do. I believe in you.” Signed: Yours, an ordinary fan.

The handwriting was beautiful; upright and elegant. Lin Yuewei stared at the line, troubled, because she couldn’t tell whether it was Gu Yanqiu’s writing. Last time, on the sticky note, Gu Yanqiu had used running script, the strokes connected, fluid and free. This time...

Lin Yuewei took the plushie from her roommate and felt it all over, trying to find some other proof that it had come from Gu Yanqiu. The toy was perfectly ordinary, and under Lin Yuewei’s rough handling its features had been squished into a lump. Her roommate rescued it from her clutches and lowered her voice. “What are you doing? You’re in such a hurry. Did your secret crush send it?”

She’d only said it offhandedly, but by some strange coincidence she’d hit half the mark.

Lin Yuewei’s face darkened.

Her roommate blinked. “Wait, really? You know the person who sent it?”

Lin Yuewei didn’t answer; she simply flipped the card over to look at the back.

Her roommate looked like she was about to explode with gossip. “Oh my god. They’ve chased you all the way here? What a touching, gorgeous love story. Aren’t you going to hurry up and go after them?”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Her roommate said, “Go on.”

Lin Yuewei sighed helplessly. “Where am I supposed to go after?”

“If they really like you, maybe they’re still standing downstairs,” her roommate said, swaying her head from side to side. “To ease the ache of missing you.”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Her roommate said, “What if?”

Two minutes later.

Already wearing her coat, Lin Yuewei somehow found herself standing at the dorm room door. Her roommate waved at her and urged her in a low voice, “Opportunity doesn’t wait; you have to seize it.”

Lin Yuewei tilted her head and met her roommate’s eyes. She took a deep breath, let it out, pushed past her roommate’s shoulder, went back into the room, stripped off her coat in three quick motions, and flopped onto the bed with her eyes closed.

Her roommate: “Huh?”

She asked, “You’re not going?”

She said a few coaxing things into Lin Yuewei’s ear, but Lin Yuewei didn’t budge. Before long, even breaths came steadily from her nose. The roommate didn’t get the gossip she wanted and climbed to the upper bunk, tidying up the things on the bed and making room for herself to curl up.

Lin Yuewei thought she’d have insomnia, or at least think about all sorts of random things; surprisingly, she didn’t. She slept straight through until morning. When she left, she hung the rabbit on the hook by her bed. She had originally planned to hang it on her bag; it really was cute, but she was afraid she’d keep receiving more rabbits in the future, so she put it back.

Because of a lack of sleep, her roommate drifted around the dormitory like a wandering spirit all morning, not even knowing where her own clothes were. She grabbed one of Lin Yuewei’s long-sleeved tops and threw it on over her own clothes. Lin Yuewei tugged her out the door; they had only reached the elevator when she realized the other girl had put on the wrong shirt.

Her roommate was shocked. “I’m going back to change.”

Her assistant sister called from the hallway, “Hurry up, everyone. If you keep dawdling, we’re going to be late!”

The roommate bolted back. The assistant sister said, “Hey, what are you doing? You’re going to be late.”

The roommate said, “I’m going back to change clothes.”

Their room happened to be especially far away. The roommate calculated how long it would take her to sprint back at full speed, only for Lin Yuewei to grab the back of her collar and stop her: “Let’s go. You’ve already put it on, so what’s the big deal? Give it back to me tonight.”

The roommate: “But...”

Lin Yuewei, without another word, hauled her along.

Outside, the crowd of fans was surging again. Lin Yuewei had always looked energetic in front of the camera; to put it in fandom terms, she had an idol’s awareness, always maintaining her best state in front of her fans no matter how tired she was in private. Her roommate was the opposite, listless and downcast. Seeing how uninterested she looked, the fans asked worriedly what was wrong. Lin Yuewei took her by the arm with one hand and answered for her, “She stayed up too late last night and didn’t get enough sleep.”

The roommate nodded and, following her lead, closed her eyes and rested her head against Lin Yuewei’s shoulder, letting Lin Yuewei support her as they walked.

A few stifled screams broke out in the crowd. After a burst of chatter, there were a few exclamations of “So cute.” Some fans simply looked at the two of them with smiles, and the cameras flashed even more densely.

Lin Yuewei knew that quite a few of the people surrounding them were ship fans. Her words would probably leave them on a massive sugar high. She suddenly frowned almost imperceptibly. Shao Yasi—today, her innocent roommate was wearing a shirt she herself had worn just yesterday, and it would definitely be dug out by fans. That would trigger another wave of excitement.

Come to think of it, it was strange. Some people got popular for no apparent reason at all. Shao Yasi was introverted and never said much in front of the camera; in this program, the person she was closest to was Lin Yuewei. In the early episodes she had basically been invisible. Then Lin Yuewei took an unconventional route in the second episode and started shipping the two of them, which unexpectedly lifted Shao Yasi too. During the first three episodes, when Lin Yuewei’s reputation was still very good, the online buzz around the aloof older-sister x little white rabbit pairing had been intense. The ship fans had sharp eyes and, in order to feast on the sweet moments, kept digging through scraps of detail, enriching the two girls’ personas and bringing them a lot of new fans; Shao Yasi, especially, had gained a huge number.

By the middle of the program, when Lin Yuewei’s public opinion had taken a sharp downturn, it was instead Shao Yasi’s rising popularity that helped her. Fate really was a hard thing to say.

If Shao Yasi’s popularity kept climbing, she might well land one of the five debut spots. In terms of looks, she was below Lin Yuewei, but among the remaining girls she was definitely in the upper tier. As for acting, she was far better than Lin Yuewei.

It was also because the CP buzz had brought her attention that viewers discovered she had real ability. After checking, they found out that Shao Yasi had actually been professionally trained, and had even acted in TV dramas when she was young. The dramas hadn’t been famous, but the title of “child star” was still there, and no matter what, that was a halo.

Lin Yuewei got along well with all the other contestants on the show. She had a good face and a good personality; someone like that could get along anywhere. Which girl wouldn’t like a pretty girl? But the person she was closest to was still Shao Yasi. Part of the reason was that Shao Yasi shared a dorm with her; more importantly, Shao Yasi had a simple nature and wasn’t the type to play tricks on people. If Lin Yuewei had to choose one person for a win-win collaboration, she would choose Shao Yasi.

This was the first true friend she had made since entering the entertainment industry. It was the same for the other girl. Their meaning to each other was not the same as it would be with anyone else.

Lin Yuewei turned her head and glanced at Shao Yasi leaning against her shoulder. A bright gleam flashed in her eyes, and a thought began to take shape in her mind.

She flicked Shao Yasi’s forehead and steadied the girl before she could topple to the ground, rebuking her lightly, “Walk properly. What kind of posture is that?”

Anyone could hear it; there wasn’t a trace of blame in her scolding, only indulgence.

It wasn’t an act, either. If she had to manage herself every day, she’d find it exhausting.

Just before going in, Lin Yuewei looked out once more and didn’t see Gu Yanqiu again.

***

Gu Yanqiu held the coffee she had bought from the shop in both hands and sat in the car, setting out for the station while the sky was still faintly gray. She had excellent health; the light rain from the night before never had a chance to do any damage before three cups of hot water and some sleep had pushed it back down.

This business trip was out of town, and she hadn’t brought a driver. The one in front was her secretary, Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi was a fresh graduate with little driving experience. To be safe, he was driving a bit slowly. Fortunately, they had left early enough that there was plenty of time. Gu Yanqiu wasn’t in a hurry and took small sips of coffee in the back seat.

Lin Zhi glanced at the rearview mirror and suggested, “Little Gu, it’ll be another half hour before we get to the station. Why don’t you doze for a bit first?” They had gotten back to the hotel almost at three last night; after washing up, it would have been at least three-thirty before they could sleep. Then they had gotten up at five-thirty this morning. That meant only two hours of sleep.

Although Gu Yanqiu didn’t look haggard, staying up late was very hard on the body. If she could make up for some sleep, she should.

Gu Yanqiu rejected it flatly. “I’ll sleep after I get on the train.”

Lin Zhi fell silent.

Gu Yanqiu lightly bit the rim of her coffee cup, images from before flashing through her mind. Yesterday, while writing the card, she had thought for a long time about what to write that would express her encouragement without sounding too direct. At first, she had wanted to write “Mom loves you,” the way those fans shouted it; but the moment the word “Mom” appeared in her mind, she automatically rejected it. In the end, she wrote a proper, conventional line of encouragement and deliberately used regular script, then added a signature that looked like an afterthought to cover it up.

“Lin Zhi.”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you told her yesterday who sent the gift?”

“I did.” Lin Zhi heard her bring up the old matter again and understood it in the opposite sense, saying with complete confidence, “I absolutely did. I told her your full name, and she even thanked me.”

Gu Yanqiu gave a faint “oh.”

So it had been exposed.

Gu Yanqiu thought: if Lin Yuewei asked her why she had sent the gift, how should she answer?

Would she ask? A tiny flicker of anticipation rose in her heart.

Gu Yanqiu lifted her hand to look at her watch and realized her thoughts had become a mess because of this for ten whole minutes. She opened her laptop, logged into her work email, and used work to drive away the scattered thoughts.

She always worked with complete focus, and this time was no exception. Very soon, she was absorbed, quietly considering and replying to emails.

When the high-speed train was about to reach its destination, Gu Yanqiu removed the steam eye mask from her eyes and stared out at the scenery sliding backward beyond the window, momentarily dazed. Lin Zhi, sitting beside her, immediately gave her the time: “It’s nine in the morning now; there’s still half an hour before we reach Yaning.”

Gu Yanqiu hummed in acknowledgment and combed her fingers through her slightly tousled hair.

By the time she was mostly awake, Lin Zhi glanced at her and asked, “Little Gu, my girlfriend just said there are photos of Lin Yuewei’s latest commute to work. Do you want to see them?”

Gu Yanqiu said, “Send them to me.”

“Got it.”

Gu Yanqiu looked at him and asked in confusion, “Why do I feel like you’re so excited?”

Lin Zhi grinned honestly. “Was I excited?”

Gu Yanqiu: “Mm. You were.”

Lin Zhi played dumb. “Then I guess I was excited. I don’t know why, maybe because the weather is nice today.”

Of course Lin Zhi knew why he was excited, but the reason couldn’t be said. In his heart, Gu Yanqiu had always been lofty and untouchable, and she also looked very high-end, clearly unlike ordinary people. Sitting there without speaking, toying with her prayer beads, Lin Zhi even suspected she might drift away any second and ascend to immortality.

Now that he knew she was also a fangirl, everything felt different all at once. In plain terms, she seemed more down-to-earth.

Lin Zhi asked his girlfriend for the photos. His girlfriend worked at an administrative office and had a very easy job; the moment she got his message, she sent them over. Each fan account had posted its own set. Lin Zhi didn’t even check them; he happily forwarded all of them to Gu Yanqiu.

It took Gu Yanqiu several minutes just to receive them all. She plugged her phone in to charge. Just as she was about to look at the photos, she noticed Lin Zhi’s bright, eager eyes staring straight at her.

Gu Yanqiu cleared her throat.

Lin Zhi said, “Ah?”

They had bought business-class seats, and there was no one else in the entire carriage besides the two of them. Gu Yanqiu, whose idol baggage weighed a solid three tons, pursed her lips and said expressionlessly, “Go sit in the back.”

Lin Zhi: “……”

He had wanted to see what it looked like when a goddess chased stars, but he hadn’t expected Gu Yanqiu to actually drive him away.

Lin Zhi went to the back seat.

Only then did Gu Yanqiu open WeChat and scroll through the photos one by one. Lin Zhi watched her expression through the gap, but couldn’t see anything. In the end, he gave up.

Just yesterday, after seeing Lin Yuewei in person, he’d developed a good impression of her and was hovering on the edge of becoming a fan himself, so he simply opened the photos too, just like Gu Yanqiu.

Wait. Why was there a two-person photo? And why did it look so suggestive?

The outwardly cold girl’s features softened when she smiled, warm as sunlight. She had lightly flicked the forehead of a pale, soft little girl whose skin was as smooth as jade; the little girl looked up at her, shy and aggrieved, and the two of them gazed at each other without speaking. It was exceedingly beautiful.

“Lin Zhi.”

Lin Zhi heard Gu Yanqiu’s voice coming from the front; it carried a chill he had never heard before.

“Here.” Lin Zhi’s heart lurched. He flashed to the front seat and bent over respectfully in front of Gu Yanqiu.

Gu Yanqiu held up her phone. On the screen was exactly that two-person photo.

Gu Yanqiu said, “Explain.”

Lin Zhi stammered, “I-I-I...”

How was he supposed to explain this? He was a straight steel man through and through.

Gu Yanqiu said coldly, “You have three seconds. Untie your tongue before you speak.”

Lin Zhi thought, Girlfriend, you’ve killed me. He counted one, two, three, then clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and blurted, “In reply to Little Gu, it’s like this. I don’t know the exact situation, but according to my girlfriend’s information, the two of them are a hugely popular CP from Actor Trainees. A lot of people like them. CP means a pair. My girlfriend said Lin-Shao is real. She likes this pairing, so she may have sent it to me without checking.”

“Lin-Shao?” Gu Yanqiu slowly rolled the syllables around on her tongue and gave a cold laugh.

Lin Zhi had rarely seen her express anger so clearly. His knees went weak and he nearly dropped straight to the floor. Raising a hand, he vowed, “But I don’t ship this pairing, Little Gu. I’m a proper person.”

Gu Yanqiu looked at him, then suddenly asked, “Then who do you ship?”

Lin Zhi was stunned by the question. After a pause, thinking how bizarre it sounded no matter how he turned it over, he had a flash of inspiration and said, “I ship you and Miss Lin.”

Gu Yanqiu curved her lips with an unreadable expression; it looked almost like a smile. She waved him back to his seat and didn’t flare up again.

Lin Zhi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thought, Good heavens. I didn’t expect Little Gu to be a girlfriend fan too.

Author’s note:

Congratulations to President Gu on gaining her first CP fan: Lin Zhi. Let’s give her a round of applause.

Tomorrow, I plan to let the two protagonists meet~

Some people said there was too much survival show content, and that there was an issue with the original model. I’ll repeat it again: first, the survival-show content is necessary to shape Lin Yuewei’s personality, and the little beauty Shao, who got a new name as a result, is a supporting character who will be used again later. Second, there are no original models, only the variety show has one; the characters do not. I didn’t write this survival show because I have some private favorite. It’s just that Lin Yuewei needed a program to debut on. It could have been this one or a singing-and-dancing hip-hop kind of show, but I know more about Actor Trainees and Produce 101, so I chose this. Don’t project, don’t project, don’t project. Third, you’ll find out later why Miss Lin entered the entertainment industry.

Take your time reading, no need to rush.

Muah~