Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

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Chapter 18

The long-awaited variety show’s premiere was far less exciting than expected, disappointing everyone, including casual viewers, casual fans, and dedicated fans.

Casual viewers usually turn their disappointment into criticism or simply switch to other shows without bothering to comment.

Passersby fans will first go to the program team to make a rational comment on their viewing experience and propose feasible improvement suggestions. Then they will visit the Weibo pages of various guest stars. If they like someone’s performance, they might leave a couple of comments or even become fans of that star. If they think a star needs improvement, they’ll just think about it without typing anything, as it’s someone else’s territory. If they provoke first, they might get torn apart by true fans and have nowhere to seek justice.

The busiest ones are the true fans.

They need to first go to their idol’s page to leave comments and share their viewing experience, mostly positive ones. Occasionally, they might offer suggestions, but always with full love, hoping their idol will perform even better. Then, they’ll go to other guests’ pages whom they like to express their goodwill, such as thanking them for taking care of their idol. Finally, they discreetly observe the guests they don’t like, restraining their urge to criticize and quarrel while closely watching certain unruly fans. If they see someone insulting others, they’ll immediately intervene to smooth things over and apologize to prevent such fans from ruining their idol’s reputation with their behavior.

Initially, everything went as usual. Even an 18^th-tier celebrity like Ran Lin gained new fans after the live broadcast.

But when did the situation suddenly change?

If there was a pinpoint, it might be the production team and CP fans’ responsibility.

Firstly, the production team added romantic subtitles and background music to Ran Lin and Lu Yiyao’s interactions, forcefully creating a “shipping” narrative. Secondly, CP fans couldn’t contain their fantasies and started appearing in the celebrities’ social media comments.

The program team’s initial intention was very simple—to create any hype they could, to win over casual fans. Many might not be fans of any of the five people and were just watching the show. However, they could end up being charmed into becoming fans of a CP. Some might have become fans of the pairing during the airport mishap publicity, and the program team’s later editing was undoubtedly like giving them sweets.

The starting point of CP Fans is mostly well-intentioned; they actually know in their hearts that there’s no possibility for these two people, but just simply feel that the two of them together are pleasing to the eye and extremely cute, so cute that they can’t help but run to tell the real people that the sweetness is just too delicious.

The attitudes of the stars themselves towards this matter vary.

But unless a star publicly announces a romantic relationship, the true fans will only have one attitude towards CP fans—please leave gracefully.

Fans will still tear each other apart, even if some stars have already announced a relationship.

Not to mention that this time the program team was hyping up a male-male CP.

Selling this kind of rot*, even if it’s cute for a while, will eventually make fans sick if it’s constantly done.

*Selling rot. It’s coined this due to the term “Rotten Girls” in China referring to basically, a fujoshi—a subculture of young women who are enthusiasts of male-male romance and relationships, often depicted in manga, anime, or fanfiction. This interest is primarily in the realm of fiction and does not necessarily relate to real-life sexual preferences or orientations. So when someone sells rot, it’s basically pandering to these women.

Especially before participating in the variety show, Ran Lin’s airport mishap and subsequent publicity had already left the fans frustrated, and now the disappointment brought by the blandness of the program + the annoyance brought by the fans of the couple pairing + Ran Lin’s own pitfalls in the program, had all brewed into a “black storm”.

The main force of the storm was naturally the fans of Lu Yiyao.

Accompanying them were the onlookers and casual fans who were led by the rhythm.

Casual fans need to find a point to criticize for the disappointment brought by the blandness of the program, while onlookers just enjoy the chaos and join in the fray.

True fans are indeed deeply invested; from spraying at the airport mishap to spending money on trending searches, from bundling Lu Yiyao for publicity to spraying to pushing their way into the variety show team, they have not let go of any pitfalls, every word brimming with righteous indignation.

Was there any deep hatred?

No.

But shouldn’t Ran Lin be criticized?

At least those keyboard-tapping fans and casual viewers all thought so.

Since you hyped up a CP and enjoyed the benefits brought by others, you should have anticipated the day of backlash.

If you want to complain, then go find the CP fans, find your publicity team, or reflect on yourself in the mirror. Fans’ behavior, idols pay the price, main character publicity, crimes compounded.

The widespread ridicule originated from the first episode’s blandness, but by the time Lu Yiyao was scrolling through Weibo in the early morning, no one cared about the origin anymore. A netizen shouting “XXX please leave the entertainment industry” might not have even watched that person’s works, let alone understood their character, but after watching a few spoof videos, spoof photos, or unverified so-called revelations, they rolled up their sleeves and eagerly joined the fray.

If the other party happens to be a small-time celebrity with a small fan base and no power to fight back, then this is definitely a diss carnival without responsibility.

“Don’t make a sound,” Yao Hong opened her eyes at some point and said out of nowhere.

Lu Yiyao didn’t understand. “What?”

Yao Hong sighed lightly and said, “It’s a critical moment now. Don’t talk too much, don’t do too much. It doesn’t matter if this variety show isn’t popular or explosive, but don’t actively attract negativity to yourself.”

Lu Yiyao looked at Yao Hong for a while and suddenly laughed. “Hong Jie, you’re thinking too much. I’m just scrolling through Weibo.”

Yao Hong looked him up and down, half-jokingly and half-seriously said, “I see your sense of justice is about to break through the ceiling.”

Lu Yiyao was embarrassed and said helplessly, “It’s instinct. I was born with a strong sense of justice. It’s not my fault.”

Seeing Yao Hong was about to speak, Lu Yiyao quickly raised his hand and promised, “But what should be done and what shouldn’t be done, I know.”

Yao Hong looked at him suspiciously for a while, then nodded and let go of her worries.

Lu Yiyao turned off his phone, leaned back on the sofa, and began to try to clear his mind of the messy Weibo comments, @mentions, and reposts…

The other cover star finally arrived leisurely within half an hour.

He arrived so quickly that Lu Yiyao’s mind-clearing work wasn’t yet completely finished when it was forced to stop.

Lu Yiyao handed his phone to Yao Hong for safekeeping, then got up and went to the next makeup room to exchange pleasantries with the other party.

The male star had a somewhat arrogant attitude, but in front of Lu Yiyao, he didn’t dare to go too far.

Lu Yiyao felt completely calm inside. He even thought that, compared to the abuses still cluttering his mind, the male star in front of him seemed innocently adorable.

Most of those comment IDs were his die-hard fans, the kind that loved him truly and deeply.

They lifted him up to the clouds and trampled Ran Lin into the mud.

Yao Hong worrying about him doing something unnecessary was really overthinking it.

He never felt that he could teach his fans how to behave. Everyone is an independent individual, born equal. If you like me, I thank you; if you don’t, I wish you well.

He doesn’t lead the rhythm. If he really did, Ran Lin would have been obliterated long ago.

However, observing indifferently before recording the variety show, he felt a bit thrilled seeing fans confronting Ran Lin; but now, seeing the same thing, that thrill turned into suffocation.

A suffocating feeling stuck in his chest, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

This wasn’t just because Ran Lin was being criticized too harshly, but also because the latter had moved from a “stranger” to a “familiar” position in his life, from a hollow name and a strange face to a “companion” with whom he had shared experiences, even if it was just in the program. This made him involuntarily imagine Ran Lin’s reactions when he saw those malicious comments.

And once he started imagining, he couldn’t stop. In the end, it was always a young face, smiling while tears dripped down. Both the smile and tears were silent, making the onlooker inexplicably suffocated.

Dream Without Limits, Wang Xi’s office.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Hm?”

“I’m asking what you want to eat—”

“Oh.” Ran Lin lifted his head, finally moving his gaze from the phone screen to Wang Xi’s face. “Anything’s fine.”

Wang Xi, speechless, glanced at Liu Wanwan. “Did you hear? Buy whatever you feel like.”

Liu Wanwan, as if granted amnesty, swiftly left to buy breakfast. Staying another minute in the office would be suffocating for her.

Ran Lin mustered his energy, trying to sit up straight, posing as if ready to listen to a lecture. But after waiting and waiting, Wang Xi still didn’t start speaking.

“Aren’t you… going to scold me?” Ran Lin wasn’t blindly optimistic; it was just that since arriving at Dream Without Limits this morning and seeing Wang Xi, this lady had been calm and collected, unlike her fiery state on the phone last night.

Wang Xi didn’t respond immediately, just quietly looking at him with a complex gaze, encompassing sympathy, distress, anger, and frustration.

“No scolding.” Wang Xi casually lit a cigarette, took a drag, and blew out a ring of smoke. “If no one tells you off, I’ll be the one to wake you up. Now that so many fans are teaching you a lesson, I can’t think of anything new to say.”

Through the smoke, Ran Lin looked at his manager with difficulty. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I saw all those comments this morning. I can handle it. Don’t take it to heart…”

Wang Xi was just brushing her hair when she heard this and paused. “Are you advising me?”

Ran Lin pointed to the slender lady’s cigarette in her hand, half concerned and half guilty. “Otherwise, you’re resorting to smoking to relieve stress.”

Wang Xi’s expression was as if she heard the joke of the century. She paused, then couldn’t help but ruffle Ran Lin’s hair. “Are you clever or foolish? Sometimes you’re incredibly sharp, other times, utterly stupid.”

Ran Lin blushed, realizing he was being presumptuous.

Wang Xi never smokes. Her sudden smoking must mean something serious. If not him, then could it be… Han Ze?

“Alright.” Wang Xi threw the half-smoked cigarette into a disposable cup and seriously instructed, “From now on, don’t post on Weibo, don’t reply, don’t make a sound. Leave everything to me.”

Ran Lin unconsciously leaned back in his chair. “What are you planning to do?”

“What’s there to fear? I can’t exactly use a nuclear bomb to flatten Weibo.” Wang Xi glanced at him, then sighed. “I’ll try to shift the fans’ attention, at least until the second episode airs. Tsk, Lu Yiyao has never had a fight with anyone since his debut, and his fans have been holding back for years. Now, it’s all contributed to you.”

Ran Lin felt embarrassed. According to Wang Xi, he might as well not bother seeing tomorrow’s sun.

Wang Xi stood up and opened the window a bit, just wide enough for a hand.

The nicotine-laden smoke hadn’t dispersed yet, but the cold wind rushed in first, howling in.

“Aren’t you cold?” Wang Xi asked casually, already sitting back down.

“I’m fine.” Ran Lin shook his head and, after a while, added, “You’re facing the window. Don’t stay in the draft too long.”

Wang Xi didn’t speak. She just looked at him sideways for a while, then suddenly said reflectively, “Whoever becomes your wife in the future is in for a treat.”

Ran Lin was startled, guiltily, and yet pretentiously looked at Wang Xi, realizing she didn’t mean anything by it. It was just a joke.

Lowering his eyes in thought for a moment, Ran Lin playfully raised his eyebrows and leaned in to ask, “So, can I date now?”

Wang Xi deadpanned. “Just try and see.”

Ran Lin grinned, showing his first genuine smile since getting up this morning.

Liu Wanwan’s delivery speed was incredibly fast, returning in the blink of an eye with hot buns and soy milk.

Wang Xi glanced at the breakfast with slight disdain. “Can’t you change it up?”

Liu Wanwan, confused, glanced at Ran Lin, who had already taken the plastic bag, and earnestly said to Wang Xi, “I’m a very loyal person.”

Wang Xi rolled her eyes at her but didn’t get angry.

She noticed that once Ran Lin got familiar with someone, those little edges and mischief in his personality would slowly emerge. He might not be aware of it, but those who interact with him could clearly feel it.

However, these traits didn’t make him annoying. Instead, they made him more real and interesting.

Wang Xi’s phone on the table vibrated briefly. She checked it and then told Ran Lin, “Finish eating and go rest. Don’t browse Weibo these next few days and prepare well for the fourth episode. If we can’t turn public opinion around after eight episodes… Well, don’t think about that for now.”

“…” Ran Lin’s mood was complicated.

He hadn’t thought so far ahead, but Wang Xi’s reminder made him lose control of himself.

“Ah, right, Xi Jie.” Ran Lin, already holding the buns at the door, turned back and said uncertainly, “You said earlier you would try to lead other rhythms. What exactly does that mean…”

Wang Xi raised her eyebrows. “What, you want to teach me public relations?”

“How dare I.” Ran Lin gave a bitter smile but still expressed his concern directly. “I just want to know if these rhythms… won’t involve other people, right?”

“What, you’re afraid I’ll blacken others to save you?”

“After all, it’s the quickest way.”

“Then make a list.” Wang Xi pulled a sheet of white paper from the color printer on the table and slapped it down, looking up at him. “I won’t touch anyone on the list.”

Ran Lin unconsciously gripped the door handle, his body pressing against the doorway. “Xi Jie, you really have the aura of a mafia boss’ wife right now… the younger sister kind.”

“…You could be even more awkward.” Wang Xi resisted the urge to throw the paper at him, pondered for a moment, and relented, “Alright, don’t worry. I won’t shift the focus onto others.”

Ran Lin finally relaxed, about to open the door to leave, but then heard Wang Xi add from behind, “But don’t really think that just because you’re filming a show, everyone is your friend. Always be cautious.”

“Mm,” Ran Lin responded softly.

On his way home, Ran Lin received a WeChat message from Xia Xinran. Despite there being a group chat, he sent a private voice message. Without any preamble, as natural as if they were old friends, he said, “You’re attracting too much hate…”

Ran Lin replied with a voice message too. “It’s a special talent.”

As soon as his message was sent, a reply came back; obviously, the other side was on his phone. “Don’t overthink it. That’s how netizens are. They hate you to the skies but love you deeply when they like you.”

Ran Lin: “Yeah, I know. Thanks, ha.”

Xia Xinran: “Don’t. I can’t post on Weibo to support you now since you’re so controversial right now. If I take a stand, it’s like washing away my fans. My agent would kill me. So I can only offer fake comfort like this. If you thank me again, I’ll take it as you’re being sarcastic and blaming me.”

Ran Lin had reached his front door, listening to Xia Xinran’s latest voice message while unlocking the door, only to be amused by his frank “I can’t support you,” he nearly misinserted the key.

Finally entering the hallway, Ran Lin pressed his phone to reply. “Since you can’t support me on Weibo, how about a kiss on WeChat to soothe my wounds?”

Ran Lin just wanted to tease Xia Xinran, who was good-looking and loved to show off.

He even imagined Xia Xinran with black lines on his face and sarcastic reaction.

But the immediate reply wasn’t sarcastic or angry, but instead full of incredible shock. He was sincerely startled. “Damn, don’t scare me. You’re not gay too, are you?”

Ran Lin froze in the hallway, unable to decide whether to deny his sexual orientation first or ask about the “too” in the sentence.

While he hesitated, Xia Xinran actually withdrew the latest voice message.

Ran Lin was dumbfounded, caught in a whirlwind of whether to admit he had heard it or pretend he hadn’t.

Soon, a new voice message arrived. “Just to clarify, I don’t discriminate against gays, but I’m not one. I like girls, preferably the loli body with a mature heart type, hehe.”

Ran Lin sighed, naturally skipping over the sensitive topic. “Such a sleazy laugh doesn’t suit you.”

Ambiguous attitudes can be interpreted in many ways. Ran Lin didn’t know what Xia Xinran thought, but the final message he sent was unrelated. It was about Lu Yiyao. “I observed closely. The wave of hate against you wasn’t led by Lu Yiyao. It’s probably the backlash from your previous CP hype. Of course, that’s just my opinion. Anyway, he must be more careful than me right now, even less likely to speak up for you, so don’t rush to contact him or post on Weibo tagging him.”

Ran Lin wanted to cry. “How stupid do you think I am?”

Xia Xinran confidently responded, “Who knows, maybe your team will give you bad advice.”

If one day Wang Xi and Xia Xinran meet, Ran Lin thought, they might tear each other apart.

Xia Xinran had an appointment to keep, so after a few words, he disappeared.

But it was enough.

His heart was warmed by the buns and soy milk, and now by people.

Ran Lin reopened Weibo and entered the “Chen Sheng and Wu Guang” group, where there were only three messages: one was a shared birthday party photo from Xia Xinran on the day of the third episode filming, and the other two were messages from him and Lu Yiyao saying “Received.”

Lu Yiyao’s avatar was himself, but unlike his current short hair, the avatar featured long flowing hair with slight curls, a distant gaze, and some stubbles, like a street artist.

Lu Yiyao had never taken this style since his debut. The photo must have been taken during his studies in England, but the style was too mature, showing no trace of a student.

Actually, without Xia Xinran saying so, he knew Lu Yiyao couldn’t publicly voice support.

In fact, Lu Yiyao’s “Forget it” had already made him overjoyed.

But that’s how people are: once they have something, they become greedier and less satisfied.

Like now, he really hoped Lu Yiyao would message him on WeChat, even just to ask, “What are you doing?”

However, Lu Yiyao had no obligation to do so, and there wasn’t much friendship between them.

So Ran Lin just daydreamed for a while, then despised himself for being presumptuous.

All morning, Ran Lin watched the news channel, trying to distract himself with domestic and international affairs, and it worked well. He ordered a Hawaiian pizza for lunch, which was sour and sweet, extremely appetizing.

This continued into the afternoon, with the rolling news no longer having any novelty. Accidentally switching to XX Satellite TV, he just happened to catch the preview of the second episode.

The preview was only over fifty seconds long, but even that was fate for Ran Lin.

He didn’t want to fight against fate anymore, and avoiding it was never his style.

What’s the big deal about being mocked and ridiculed? Once he read it, it was over. The more he avoided it, the more he thought about it—that was what truly tormented him.

Turning off the TV, Ran Lin decisively, like defusing a bomb, picked up his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and opened Weibo. All his movements were careful and cautious.

There were many new comments, but nothing new in content.

The top comments still prominently displayed the seven deadly sins. Looking at that screenshot, Ran Lin actually felt a sense of relief.

Nothing new had emerged, and the scolding was the same old routine. After seeing them for a while, he had become numb.

Following the rule of public opinion fermentation, his Weibo comments would be a battlefield for the next few days. Once he accepted this reality, it didn’t seem too hard to bear.

He wondered if the second episode could bring back some favor.

A complete turnaround was unlikely, but it might improve things a bit. After all, he was more natural in the second episode than in the first…

Lost in his messy thoughts, Ran Lin suddenly found himself holding a bright red apple.

He was startled, unable to recall the memory of washing the apple. He was sitting on the sofa, staring at the wet apple, feeling like he had just woken up from sleepwalking.

His phone suddenly started singing.

The young man under the sun~~ Has your dream come true…

That was him when he just debuted—his first time in the recording studio. According to the sound engineer, he hadn’t sung out any sorrow or melancholy, but rather a lot of bright aspirations.

Expecting it to be Wang Xi, but seeing the caller ID, Ran Lin froze. He didn’t know how much time had passed until the word ‘Mom’ turned into 1 missed call before he hurriedly called back.

“What are you doing? Why didn’t you answer the phone?” The other end was noisy, but his mother’s voice stood out clearly.

Ran Lin quickly cleared his throat, making his voice sound energetic. “I’m at the company. I was in the bathroom just now and didn’t hear it.”

“Oh.” His mom didn’t doubt him and excitedly moved to the main topic. “Your dad and I saw you on TV, you little brat. Why didn’t you tell us about the show? If it wasn’t for Uncle Zhao, we wouldn’t have known at all! How can it be that my son is on TV, and others have to tell me?”

That’s how his mother was—never caring about him, she had to speak her mind first.

Ran Lin smiled, waiting for his mom to finish before saying. “I was wrong, I’ll definitely inform you and dad in advance next time, okay?”

“Too late!” Mom sniffed. “They’ve already announced it on TV, next week, same time. You don’t need to tell me!”

Ran Lin laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you know everything. You’re so amazing.”

“Son.” His mom suddenly changed the topic, her voice no longer exuberant. “Why do you look thinner on TV? Haven’t you been eating well lately? Don’t go on diets like those female stars. You’re fine as you are—you’re the most handsome… er, one of the most handsome ones there!”

“Mom—” Ran Lin surrendered. “Can’t you just compliment me sincerely for once?”

“I don’t want you to slack off. Look at all the pretty people on TV. Why is this one the main character and that one a supporting role? The effort behind it all is different.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Don’t just ‘yeah’. Take it to heart.”

“I know…”

“Do you have enough money?” His mom’s topic jumped unpredictably.

Ran Lin held his forehead. “You’ve seen me on TV, what do you think? Wait for your son to earn big money.”

“You’ve been saying that for two years.”

“…”

Typical mom.

“Ah right, your dad’s old phone broke. He finally agreed to get a smartphone. Someone told him something about being able to find you online, see what you’re doing every day. I said it was WeChat, but your dad didn’t believe me. What else could it be…”

His mom learned WeChat when Ran Lin taught her during the New Year, but apart from WeChat, that smartphone hadn’t been used for anything else.

Ran Lin wanted to teach her to use Weibo the next time he went home, but now his dad had been prematurely informed by someone else, he didn’t dare to do so.

“It’s WeChat.” Ran Lin took a deep breath, suppressing the warmth in his eyes.

“I knew it… Wait until he comes back…”

“Dad went out?”

“Yeah, Uncle Zhao called him out for a drink again, in broad daylight. Luckily, the store isn’t busy today. Imagine if it gets busy, how I’d deal with him.”

Ran Lin wanted to say, “If it’s too tiring, don’t do it,” but he didn’t have the confidence to say that.

This reality show was almost a giveaway for the company, with low payment and the agency taking seventy percent. What he got wasn’t much, and he hadn’t had any work for a long time. His own life was tight, let alone taking care of his parents.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” His mom, quick and impatient, immediately asked when she didn’t hear her son’s voice.

Ran Lin sniffed and said, “I want to eat buns.”

His mom thought something was wrong. “Then buy some. Doesn’t Beijing have bun shops?”

“I want the ones from our store.” Ran Lin rarely acted like a child, his voice unconsciously carrying a hint of his hometown accent.

His mom laughed heartily. “Wait till you come back for the New Year. You can sit in the back kitchen of our bun shop and eat them as they come out of the oven. I’ll stuff you!”

Ran Lin laughed out loud, suddenly feeling his face wet. He hurriedly found an excuse to hang up the phone.

Lost, he glanced at the apple in his hand and quickly took a big bite.

Yeah, he’s fine; he can hold on. He’s optimistic. The next shoot would be in Shanghai. He was willing to bet his orientation they would be spending it at Disney…

Ugh, this apple isn’t good—both salty and astringent.

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