Early the next morning, as soon as Chen Duo opened WeChat, her Fruit 18PRO subtly grew warm.
All message notifications showed 99+, with her new follower count reaching a staggering twenty thousand.
Her private messages were filled with little red dots waiting for her to click and read.
Moon, Gu Yanqiu’s top fan, had sent her over ten consecutive WeChat messages.
“Sis, you’ve blown up.”
“Oh my god. I knew someone carrying that kind of equipment couldn’t be ordinary. The photos you took of Qiūqiū are absolutely gorgeous.”
“I’ve fallen in love all over again.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh, Qiūqiū followed you. I’ve transformed into a modern-day lemon spirit.”
“I’m so jealous, I’m so jealous. Is it too late for me to start practicing photography skills now?”
“We’re both Gu fans, how come you stand out so obviously?”
“I saved that picture from Weibo. I’m setting it as my wallpaper, gonna look at it ten thousand times a day.”
“So many positive comments. My girlfriends in our small group chat and I were moved to tears.”
“Really, Qiūqiū has had such a tough journey. It’s been so long since he’s been talked about this much since debuting. Actually, we’ve been saying privately that his contract is about to expire. The company probably isn’t very interested in renewing. This Orange Media doesn’t exploit artists in the industry. What if he really gets terminated?”
“But you made Orange Media see our brother’s value.”
“Though it’s not nice to say this, I can’t help but whisper: just based on my brother’s looks alone, he could easily make a living in the entertainment industry. So many capitalists’ unattractive kids can make it, why can’t my brother?”
“Oops, I said too much. Sis, you do like Gu Yanqiu, right? I heard other artists’ teams want to poach you. Other artists have other fan photographers, but Qiūqiū only has you.”
Moon invited you to join the ‘Gorgeous Beauty’ Gu Yanqiu top fan group.
These messages started from 3 AM and continued until 5-6 AM this morning, showing how excited Moon was.
But at 6:38 AM, she suddenly sent: “Sis, don’t go on Weibo, there’s negative comments.”
Yesterday, after Chen Duo finished editing the photos, she went to sleep. She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep after crossing into a parallel universe, but she slept soundly through the night. Her phone was on silent mode overnight, so she wasn’t disturbed by the messages.
This morning when she checked,
Weibo had exploded.
Her Weibo account was newly registered, using the same name she used in another world: A Little Chenpi.
She only followed Gu Yanqiu and had only posted one picture.
That single post had over 20,000 comments.
The comments section showed a clear timeline division. Those posted before 3 AM were all screams from night owls and adoring comments.
There were various comments calling him “husband.”
Some even argued heatedly in the comments: “My husband.” “He’s my husband.”
But after 6 AM, probably when the antis came online, the tone of the comments section suddenly changed.
“Someone actually finds this kind of club guy attractive? Who knows how many older women he’s been with to debut, so dirty. Aren’t you disgusted?”
“Really, during the talent show, so many handsome guys got eliminated by him. Don’t tell me people actually think it’s because they lacked talent?”
“Him being kept is an open secret in the industry.”
“No wonder young people are all rushing into the entertainment industry—it’s really easy to make it here.”
“Sis, I’m a fan of Xu Zhiyi. Please take a look at our Zhiyi—he’s a clean artist.”
“And my artist too.”
Eventually, the comment section turned into a chaotic battle for attention.
With this quality of godly photos, it’s rare to see one in years.
In the comments, there were even messages from official blue V artist teams inviting her to join their company.
Gu Yanqiu’s private message, however, was pushed to the very bottom. It only said one sentence: Thank you.
…
At that moment, Gu Yanqiu was in the office. He had been in meetings all night. The team was finalizing his branding direction, and dawn had broken.
Many couldn’t hold on and went back to the office to find a spot to sleep. Others went out to buy black coffee and breakfast, preparing for another day of work.
Gu Yanqiu was still wearing yesterday’s performance outfit, soaked in sweat that had long dried, clinging to his skin like glue.
His manager, Chen Abiao, walked in and handed Gu Yanqiu a cup of black coffee, asking with concern, “Yanqiu, hasn’t that fan photographer replied to you yet?”
He was feeling a bit anxious. After all, everyone in the industry knows that artists are common, but fan photographers who can produce godly photos are rare.
In the past, who hadn’t envied the fan photographers in Korean entertainment? When a godly photo drops, it’s a huge boost for expanding into overseas markets.
Now, Gu Yanqiu—such an obscure star—somehow ended up with a god-tier fan photographer. One photo alone brought his name back to the hot searches. Who wouldn’t be jealous?
It was like fitting a top-spec graphics card into a small chassis. Everyone wants to pull out that graphics card for themselves.
The manager had his own connections too: “I heard many managers were woken up by calls in the middle of the night. They’ve probably all private messaged her by now.”
Those other artists, whether in fame, team support, or even traffic, are not something Gu Yanqiu can compare to.
All they can rely on is the fan photographer’s feelings for Gu Yanqiu. So yesterday, the team stayed up late crafting three deeply moving short essays. They wanted Gu Yanqiu to send them to her using his main account.
But Gu Yanqiu refused every one. Her camera held so much warmth; he shouldn’t deceive her with fabricated short essays.
Although he only sent a “thank you,” it carried a thousand words within.
Gu Yanqiu had followed Chen Duo yesterday, only to see a flood of hate comments.
Chen Duo was like starlight in the darkness. He didn’t even dare touch that glimmer, afraid it would shatter, yet because of his involvement, she was being attacked.
He never felt this upset when he was the one being criticized. Maybe he really shouldn’t be in the entertainment industry.
He shouldn’t let those who like him suffer such undeserved harm.
“She hasn’t replied yet,” he said.
The manager looked at him for a long moment and said, “I know you have your principles, but I hope you understand—your contract is expiring soon. The higher-ups aren’t very keen on renewing with you. This is a rare opportunity for you. Don’t feel like you’re losing face. Flatter fans when you need to, win people over when you must. Even though she’s not in the industry, she’s definitely your benefactor in this circle. If she can consistently produce photos for you, it’ll bring you continuous exposure. Stop putting on airs. Gu Yanqiu, you’re not a star yet.”
“It’s not that I think flattering fans is shameful. I just don’t want to use tricks on her. Even though we haven’t interacted much, I consider her a friend.” She helped him out of a tight spot with the stage at the coffee shop, produced godly photos, and now, because she supports him, she’s being dragged into this mess and criticized.
He didn’t want to do anything that would add to the other person’s burden.
“You, wooden head.” The male agent sighed in frustration, “Sometimes I actually wish you were like what people say online.”
Back then, the agent had picked Gu Yanqiu from a crowd of people, thinking he could become famous just with his face.
Who knew he’d be so stubborn, only wanting to perform on stage, completely ignoring opportunities in film and television. But stage opportunities were scarce in the country, with the few available spots taken by more famous artists.
Sure enough, without exposure, he was fading fast.
Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated.
The agent’s incessant chatter abruptly stopped.
Gu Yanqiu glanced at it – Chen Duo had replied: “Keep going, I believe you’ll definitely become a top-tier superstar, performing on the biggest stages. Your fans will surpass forty million. Don’t give up. I support you.”
After reading it, Gu Yanqiu was stunned, his eyes turning red.
The agent’s eyes lit up after reading it: “She has great confidence in you.” Then looking back at Gu Yanqiu’s devastatingly handsome face, he suddenly felt like he could see the vision.
After all, over the years, Gu Yanqiu had never stopped practicing dance through cold winters and hot summers. He had practiced routines thousands of times, achieving a truly different quality. All he needed now was an opportunity, a chance to be seen by everyone.
Previously, the company hadn’t been willing to invest in an artist whose contract was about to expire. But who could have predicted he’d receive hundreds of millions worth of free exposure? The company wouldn’t let him go now.
An artist’s rise to fame sometimes depends on fate.
The agent rubbed his hands together and said, “So you’ve got someone backing you after all.”