Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 3

“I can’t take it anymore, hahaha. Ran Lin, you’re really talented. How did you come up with the idea of holding up a light sign, hahaha—”

On the way back, He Jiayi, who had watched the whole process, still couldn’t stop laughing while holding his stomach.

Even Chen Ling, who was usually quiet and reserved, couldn’t help but laugh along.

Everyone thought he did it spontaneously, just to ride on the popularity of Lu Yiyao. But this act was really funny, especially after being recognized by the entertainment journalists. The scene was quite amusing. So instead of mocking, everyone just wanted to laugh heartily.

Ran Lin was laughed at until he lost his temper.

He felt like this incident was like the ancient story of ‘ghost hitting the wall*’—picking up the light sign as if possessed, standing still as if under a spell, facing Lu Yiyao as if destined, and taking a warm photo together as if by fate.

*Phrase that describes a situation where a person becomes trapped in a maze, typically while walking in a familiar place. They feel as if they’re walking in circles or unable to find their way out of a seemingly endless repetition of the same path or scenery. Depending on context, it could mean metaphorically a situation where someone is stuck in a repetitive or confusing scenario in life, unable to find a way out despite their efforts. In this case, it’s the latter.

Perhaps that sign carried the spirit of an obsessed fan, so whoever picked it up would be possessed by the fan’s spirit.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain this absurd mix-up.

But until the end, he didn’t say anything to the journalists. From the moment Lu Yiyao hugged him for a photo until he quickly left after the photo, it was only half a minute. Even when they later realized he might also be a star, there was just a flash of surprise in their eyes. Then, without waiting for his reaction, he gently let go, saying, “I’m really tired from the journey and need to rest, sorry everyone,” perfectly concluding the image of a friendly and approachable star.

The journalists, though they let him pass, still followed Lu Yiyao all the way to the door.

Kang Hui called them to take pictures on another floor, saying Han Ze had already gone back, and the ready photographer thought the scenery there was better.

It wasn’t a discussion, just a notification.

All three of them understood and immediately rushed to the designated place.

The journalists might come back after Lu Yiyao got in the car to dig deeper into the gossip of this lesser-known male star greeting his idol with a light sign, or they might not come back and just continue to follow Lu Yiyao. But none of this mattered to Ran Lin anymore.

The subsequent shooting went smoothly, and soon, the three of them followed their manager back in the car.

Kang Hui finally pieced together what happened from He Jiayi’s snickers and brief comments, and his face darkened.

Ran Lin’s heart sank, knowing he was about to be scolded.

Having been in the industry for two years, although he was still a lesser-known star, he was well aware of the various tricks in the industry.

What is popularity¹? It’s about having buzz².

¹Red (红) In terms of the entertainment circle, this means popularity.
²Heat (热度) In terms of the entertainment circle, refers to buzz. This term is commonly used to measure the success or impact of marketing campaigns, celebrity influence, or the reach of news stories and events in the digital age.

How can one achieve popularity? Those with good conditions, strong connections, resources, and willingness to work hard, aside from accumulating goodwill and visibility through roles in various productions, also need to stir up some topics. Those with poor conditions, lacking background and resources, must resort to all means to grab headlines.

An opportunity like the one he just had was a godsend. What he should have done was to cling to Lu Yiyao’s coattail*, expressing his fanboy feelings even though he was a star himself.

*Clinging/Hugging someone’s thigh. Basically, riding on their coattails (currying favor with someone).

If successful, he could not only ride on the news but also use the opportunity to build a relationship with Lu Yiyao.

Lu Yiyao’s team would naturally not let him slap a young fan’s face in front of the cameras, so whether their relationship is good or not doesn’t matter, as long as the fans think they hit it off from today.

The worst-case scenario would be Lu Yiyao’s fans not buying it and heavily criticizing him.

So what?

Criticism* was also a form of buzz.

*Black. Slandering and creating or spreading black materials (negative information/scandals) to defame someone or some projects, usually done by anti-fans.

But he didn’t say a word in front of the camera, missing the chance to make headlines.

Even if tomorrow the news spreads about him holding a sign waiting for Lu Yiyao, without interaction, communication, or catchy phrases—just a few photos or a few seconds of awkward video—there was no angle to stir up news.

Unexpectedly, Kang Hui didn’t say much; he just gloomily stared at him for a long time, eventually took off his glasses, rubbed his temples tiredly, and then asked Chen Ling, “There’s no problem with the fan meeting the day after tomorrow, right?”

Chen Ling, not knowing how the topic shifted to him, was stunned for a moment before answering, “Oh, no problem. We’ve rehearsed it several times.”

Kang Hui nodded and then rested with his eyes closed, not saying another word.

He Jiayi curled his lips, obviously disgusted with Kang Hui’s attitude throughout the whole process.

It wasn’t out of solidarity with Ran Lin; he just didn’t get along with this agent.

If an artist doesn’t get along with their manager, don’t expect them to become popular.

But He Jiayi didn’t care, as he had already given up on his future and was just waiting for his contract to end to change careers, using his savings to start a second profession.

Ran Lin didn’t dislike his agent. After all, he had been with him since his debut.

But he understood He Jiayi’s feelings.

Because both of them were in the same situation: being abandoned.

Yes, it wasn’t just neglect anymore.

Kang Hui, managing three artists alone with limited experience and resources, could only focus on one.

And Chen Ling was the chosen one.

It was simple. Chen Ling could sing, write songs, and perform well, making him suitable for variety shows, fan meetings, and even writing songs for dramas and movies.

The entertainment industry didn’t lack people who looked good, like Ran Lin and He Jiayi.

But talent was appreciated everywhere.

So facing Ran Lin’s hopeless situation, Kang Hui couldn’t even bother to speak.

Ran Lin gave He Jiayi a faint smile, with a sense of relief and helplessness.

Even if he had clung to Lu Yiyao’s coattail just now, what then? Without work, reputation, resources, or prospects, any buzz would be fleeting.

Hot topics* on Weibo updated every hour.

*Think “trending topics”. 

Even the biggest trending events faded away in a couple of days.

The company’s driver drove like he was racing for his life. Ran Lin, sitting next to the door, rested his head against the window, watching the street scenes swiftly recede.

He was twenty-three this year.

He wondered how much more of his youth he could squander in this industry.

The other protagonist of the airport incident, Mr. Lu Yiyao, forgot about this incident as soon as he turned his head.

After returning to his luxurious apartment in the Chaoyang District and taking a refreshing hot shower, he didn’t even have time to reminisce about the wonderful moments at the film festival before diving into his soft bed for a sound sleep.

On the same night, under the same dawn sky.

One in the CBD center, the other almost out of the East Fifth Ring.

Unbeknownst to the two people dancing with the Duke of Zhou* in their dreams, in another space, on Weibo, where there were thousands of sleepless people, their ‘brotherly love video’ was slowly fermenting.

*This is a humorous idiomatic expression (dancing the cha-cha with the Duke of Zhou) to refer to someone who’s in deep sleep and possibly dreaming. The Duke of Zhou is a revered figure in Chinese history known for his wisdom and moral integrity. In Chinese culture, he’s often associated with dreams.

“Lu Ge, your coffee.”

The clever assistant had long figured out Lu Yiyao’s habits—a sandwich for breakfast without fail, accompanied by a latte if the previous day was normal, or black coffee if he was fatigued or had stayed up late for filming.

Few people would both like a latte with hardly any strong coffee flavor and pure black coffee without any embellishments.

But his boss was an exception.

However, if all your colleagues complained about how difficult stars were to serve, and you found your boss quite agreeable, even often calm when you thought he should be angry, then even a bit of unusual preference was endearing.

“Mm.” Lu Yiyao didn’t even lift his head, just grunted. It seemed like he wasn’t in a good mood.

The assistant froze, thinking, ‘You really can’t praise people.’ Just after he did, the coffee wasn’t taken, and the usual “thank you” was gone too. Although he didn’t expect it, after getting used to it, it was still awkward when it was taken away.

Despite his internal complaints, the assistant promptly placed the coffee on the table in front of the makeup mirror.

The makeup artist, who had finished Lu Yiyao’s makeup and was working on his hair, gave the assistant a look, and he understood, quietly stepping back.

The boss was angry.

And it was that kind of anger that couldn’t be resolved by cultivation; only suppressed, causing an internal turmoil.

His phone slammed onto the table, hitting the coffee cup. Fortunately, the coffee shop’s takeaway packaging was sturdy, only sliding half a centimeter to the side before steadying itself.

Lu Yiyao had been scrolling through Weibo all morning, and the makeup artist had been sneakily watching too.

Although it wasn’t nice, from her perspective as a bystander, this matter was really worth calling a few friends for afternoon tea to gossip about.

Here’s what happened.

At 8 a.m., the famous Lu, who reportedly had barely slept a few hours the night before, was brought directly to the makeup room in a nanny car by his manager, Hong Jie. He had a midday engagement in the city to promote a product he was endorsing.

Although Lu Yi Yao was sleepy-eyed, he professionally let the makeup artist do her work. However, yawning one after another, truly bored, and with the assistant who went to buy breakfast perhaps caught in the morning rush and not yet back, he could only scroll through Weibo and check his mentions, a better option than doing nothing, while making sure not to disturb the muscles in his face.

Little did he know, upon checking a message from a friend in the industry, he would see himself.

Seeing oneself on Weibo wasn’t unusual for Lu Yiyao.

But today was different. In today’s Weibo, beside his own face was another.

The topic was still brewing heat. When Lu Yiyao looked, comments were continuously increasing.

The title was [It’s so sad that ugly people can’t even chase stars these days] accompanied by his photo with Ran Lin and a ten-second video.

The video was hastily shot, noisy, but the picture was clear, and the reporters’ teasing at the end was very audible.

He and Ran Lin, standing shoulder to shoulder, objectively speaking, made a pretty scene.

That was when Lu Yiyao remembered last night’s episode.

Soon, the top two or three similar Weibo posts had over a thousand replies, as people who scrolled at night had gone to bed and those up for work continued scrolling.

Most hot comments were like, “Ahhh, this is too handsome” or “Wow wow, my God Lu’s charm is unbeatable.”

There were a few true fans criticizing Ran Lin for riding on popularity, but they were quickly responded to by rational fans with, “There’s nothing wrong with one more person liking him. Please don’t attract hate towards God Lu.”

Lu Yiyao was used to being used for popularity, and besides, Ran Lin hadn’t done anything troublesome on camera or said anything outrageous.

In fact, the guy didn’t say a word.

This made Lu Yiyao uncertain whether it was a publicity stunt or genuine fandom.

But in just half an hour.

The direction of public opinion subtly shifted.

First, a few netizens forwarded the video and asked, “Am I the only one who thinks Ran Lin’s laugh looks very awkward 😂?”

Then, more and more netizens replied, “You’re not alone 😏*.”

*Note: This is supposed to be a doge emoji like this.

And then something miraculous happened—airport surveillance footage leaked.

In the video, from his “body double” attracting the fans away to Ran Lin hesitantly picking up the light sign, then looking at the trash can, and finally, his own dashing arrival at the exit, mistaking someone as a fan and embracing them.

The surveillance video was silent, but just watching it, it could be interpreted as “Ran Lin deliberately picking up the light sign pretending to be a fan.”

But what ultimately led the narrative was “What to do when mistaken as a fan by a star? I really just wanted to protect the environment 😂.”

This topic was much more dramatic than the previous one, and it was the kind of reversal that the public loves to see.

Soon, the two videos were spliced together by some entertainment marketing account with thoughtful post-production, especially the thirty-second video where Ran Lin didn’t say a word, bizarrely given start-to-end subtitles, fittingly dramatic.

He hugged Ran Lin’s shoulder, and Ran Lin was stunned— [This star…. This might be a misunderstanding.]

He pulled Ran Lin to face the camera, and Ran Lin was still stunned— [What should I do? Should I run now?!]

Halfway through the video, Ran Lin subtly sighed— [Well, let’s not face slap anyone. It’s just a mistake.]

In the last third, Ran Lin showed an awkward smile— [I’m so tired…]

In the final scene, reporters shouted randomly, but Ran Lin continued to smile— [Lu Yiyao, you owe me an Oscar.]

The video ended with a dark screen with red text— [I’m not your fan, but I love you deeply. — Ran Lin]

As soon as the video was released, various marketing accounts immediately went crazy sharing it, and it instantly became a hot topic.

The watching crowd was dumbfounded, but because the subtitles added were so humorous, the comments were uniformly filled with “hahahahahaha.”

If Lu Yiyao couldn’t smell something fishy at this point, then his four years in the entertainment industry would have been in vain.

Regardless of whether Ran Lin picking up the light sign was accidental or deliberate, this current trend was definitely led by the other party’s team.

Although Lu Yiyao’s status in the entertainment industry was still that of a junior, he was at the peak of both topic and popularity, a critical phase where traffic and popularity were exploding. If handled well, the future would be a smooth road. To get involved with him at this time was indeed a clever calculation.

Fortunately, Ran Lin was completely unknown, so the gimmick of “star misunderstanding star” in this video was actually not much different from “star misunderstanding a passerby”. The only point of humor was “how awkward”, but once the awkwardness was over, it was over—just a joke that couldn’t stir up much trouble.

This could be seen from the comments; even the hottest marketing accounts only had around two thousand comments below.

As long as he didn’t respond, the heat of this matter would quickly fade.

In this self-comforting relief, Lu Yiyao waited for his assistant’s coffee.

It was really just the assistant’s bad luck.

If he had returned just two minutes earlier, Lu Yiyao wouldn’t have been so angry.

Unfortunately, neither early nor late, at the very moment he spoke, Lu Yiyao’s well-cultivated heart just happened to explode into pieces of shit.

—The names Ran Lin and Lu Yiyao, tied together, parachuted into the hot search*.

*This is the title of the novel. See Kinky Thoughts for more details.

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Kinky Thoughts:

The title of the novel is (空降热搜) which transliterated means Airborne Hot Search. In terms of context, I went with Suddenly Trending (which is basically what’s happening here).

Just a note, I’m not familiar with Weibo or the emojis/gifs/ect. they use. I hear it’s similar to Twitter. For emoticons I can’t find, I’ll try to substitute with what I think match best, leaving a footnote behind (similar to the doge emoji).

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