After Jiang Yuyao left, Zhou Ruoyu couldn’t stay either. As she returned to her room, she ran into Qiao Yu, who had just come downstairs.
“Ruoyu, what’s wrong with you…”
“Don’t bother me!” Zhou Ruoyu pushed Qiao Yu aside and rushed back upstairs to her bedroom.
“?” Confused, Qiao Yu had no choice but to follow.
He had just bought her a bag last night to cheer her up, so what was wrong today?
With half the group gone, continuing with collective activities was impossible.
The Director had to adjust the arrangements on the spot, turning the session into free-form live streaming for each group in their rooms. The morning competition also became a popularity challenge for the live streams.
Knowing she was just an ordinary minor celebrity, Song Ying held no expectations for her stream’s popularity. She didn’t even consider choosing a location with a nice background or scenic view. Instead, she had the equipment set up in the dimly lit massage room, essentially giving up.
With four sets of cameras side by side, the others were bright and clear, featuring handsome men and beautiful women in high definition. Only Song Ying’s stream looked like a pirated video—blurry and dark.
Most importantly, she had changed into pajamas and was lying on the massage chair.
Qin Shu handed her a glass of juice, cut some fruit, and placed it beside her. Then he lay down as well, closing his eyes to sleep.
Director: ???
I asked you to engage with the audience, and you’re sleeping right from the start?!
A call came through.
“Interact! Interact! You need to interact with the audience!”
Interact? Song Ying was baffled. “Didn’t you say it was free-form streaming? Can’t we do a sleep stream?”
“…” The Director was successfully stumped and could only try to persuade her patiently. “Theoretically, yes. But the problem is, without interaction, where will the popularity come from? Don’t you want to win?”
“Apart from anti-fans, where would I get any popularity?” Song Ying had a clear understanding of herself. “Rather than watching people insult me, I’d rather not see it and avoid the annoyance.”
She had never been the type to argue with others. In the half-year since her comeback, she had never clashed with anyone.
It was only in the past two days that she couldn’t hold back anymore and let loose.
Relying on arguments could indeed make someone famous—even infamy was a form of fame.
But it wasn’t the right path.
She didn’t like it.
Nor did she want to become too aggressive, turning into someone like Zhou Ruoyu, whom even she would dislike.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Take a look at your live stream!”
“?” Puzzled, Song Ying lifted her eyelids and leaned forward to glance at the screen.
Wow!
Over ten thousand viewers online.
[Wuwu, our daughter is still super beautiful even in low resolution!]
[Yingbao really doesn’t treat us as outsiders. Who can resist a beauty’s sleeping face?]
[I want to have babies with my sister!]
???
Were the comments going crazy, or was she seeing things?
“Did you buy me a bot army?” Song Ying instinctively asked the Director.
“Do I have so much money to burn? Those are your fans!” The Director was speechless.
“How is that possible?” Song Ying didn’t believe it.
Before trending on social media, her highest comment count on a Weibo post was only a few dozen. According to Sister Hong, even the most obscure celebrities in the entertainment industry weren’t that pitiful.
After Jiang Yuyao pushed her onto the trending list, her popularity did surge, but it was all people insulting her. So she simply avoided looking, not daring to check.
Plus, with her deliberately provoking people yesterday, who knew how the internet was criticizing her for being uncivilized.
Could she really have so many adorable fans who liked her?
The Director refused to admit anything, so Song Ying could only ask Qin Shu. He glanced sideways at her. “Do I look like that kind of person to you?”Song Ying thought about it and realized that was true.
So she asked Sister Hong, but got the same negative answer.
Song Ying was instantly as if she’d seen a ghost.
“This is bizarre. Don’t tell me all these comments are from real people…”
Overnight, their attitude toward her had done a complete 180-degree turn. Even the heavens didn’t change their expression this quickly.
“Why don’t you check your main Weibo account?” Sister Hong suddenly remembered something.
“?”
With suspicion, Song Ying switched back to her account. After half a minute of lag, the follower count nearly blinded her.
“Holy crap, where did these over ten million people come from?!” Was this even her account?
“They’re all fans from your side account,” Sister Hong said. “They probably found their way here from there.”
Then, Sister Hong briefly described the spectacular support scene in the super topic last night, concluding with earnest advice, “Although there’s a lot of malice online, there are also many who genuinely like you. A Ying, don’t let down their affection and expectations for you.”
After hanging up, Song Ying, half-believing and half-doubting, clicked into her super topic.
【Though fireflies are tiny, they can start a prairie fire! @Song Ying, Fireflies will always be with you!】
【@Song Ying, just keep moving forward boldly. We’ll shield you from all the rumors and gossip behind you. Fireflies are always here!】
【Four years of companionship have made me believe you’re absolutely not that kind of person! Boldly like what you like, achieve what you want to achieve. Fear no changes in the world, stay true to yourself, and grow wildly. My A Ying definitely has a promising future!】
【Thirteen years of affection, unwavering. For every prejudice, there is favoritism; for everyone who slanders and defames you, there are those who love and believe in you. May the best A Ying in the world have peace and happiness.】
Line by line, post by post—there were new fans, followers from her dating blog, and longtime fans who had liked her since her child star days years ago. Within their brief words were wrapped their unrestrained affection and support, trust and blessings.
This was a grand love Song Ying had never experienced before.
When she debuted as a child star, the internet wasn’t widely accessible. Back then, she only appeared briefly on TV for a while. Even though many later edited clips of that time online, what they liked was only the little Song Ying from back then. That kind of affection felt too distant to the present Song Ying.
Later, as a dating blogger sharing daily life, she gained many CP fans. But she also knew that what everyone loved was her relationship with Qin Shu, the romance revealed in the details of their lives.
They loved her, yet not just her.
But now, these posts were from strangers, expressing a liking that belonged solely to her.
It felt as if romantic fireworks were blooming in her heart, sweeping away the gloom of recent days.
Taking a deep breath, Song Ying straightened her back and looked at the livestream.
In the comments, many were still caring for her and asking about her.
On the screen, the girl’s eyes curved into crescents. The once aloof sparrow eyes now burned with warmth, and her clear, spring-like voice carried a touch of gentle softness.
“Let me reintroduce myself—I’m Song Ying. I’m very glad you’ve come to my livestream, and I thank you all for your affection and concern. I’m doing well, and I hope you can be equally happy and safe.”
【Hahaha, is Yingbao trying this kind of livestream for the first time?】
【Such an old-fashioned way of greeting. The last time I saw this was in some fifty-year-old uncle’s livestream.】【So cute, so adorable, no brains! Don’t be too nervous, sweetie! Relax! Let the flirty talk flow!】
“…”
The heartfelt emotion she had just built up a moment ago was shattered by the fans’ teasing in the bullet comments.
There was love, but not much.
They actually called her old-fashioned…
But, “This is indeed my first time doing a face-to-face live stream, so I don’t have much experience. Is there anything I should pay attention to?”