#Heavy Reward for Finding Xie Xinghe’s Fan# trended on Weibo, and with Xie Xinghe’s name attached, it naturally drew more attention from fans and casual observers. After all, over the past two years, Xie Xinghe had indeed made a significant impact in the entertainment industry.
Xie Xinghe was only twenty this year. Two years ago, at the tender age of eighteen, he participated in the hottest male idol survival show at the time, Top Idol Boys 101. The show selected 101 young men, from which only five would debut, competing through singing, dancing, looks, and talent while fans engaged in frenzied voting and donating.
Unlike other contestants backed by major agencies, Xie Xinghe was a complete nobody back then. Yet, against all odds, this underdog managed a stunning comeback in a show dominated by capital, emerging as the dark horse of the season! He single-handedly claimed the top spot, debuting with a landslide victory!
Now, two years after his debut, with his group contract nearing its end, Xie Xinghe broke away from the boy band MC to secure a solo endorsement deal with YOYO phones—proof enough of his traffic and fans’ purchasing power.
Chen Lu was one of Xie Xinghe’s fans. Since his debut two years ago, when she first started voting and donating for him, she had become his most devoted supporter—crazy for him, obsessed with him, head over heels for this adorable younger brother!
Four years older than Xie Xinghe, Chen Lu had been stressed at her new job when she started watching survival shows and instantly locked onto Xie Xinghe, that irresistibly sweet boy with the most charming smile. His onstage transformation into a powerhouse performer only made her love him more.
From following him as a fan two years ago to now, Chen Lu’s career had stabilized. So when Xie Xinghe endorsed YOYO phones, she headed straight to her local YOYO store. It was just four thousand yuan—she could afford it, no problem!
Finally on a day off, she rushed to buy the phone, came home, carefully stored Xie Xinghe’s poster in a tube, and slept through the afternoon. When she woke up, the world seemed to have changed…
Messages from her fellow fan friends were blowing up her phone. Chen Lu opened her messages, utterly bewildered.
【Lu Lu, you’re from Daxi City, right? Is that transparent fan on Weibo yours? I’ve seen you buy one before!】
【Lu Lu, what are you up to? Tell me, are you the lucky one on Weibo?】
【Lu Lu, sweetie! Is it you, is it you, is it you?】
Confused by the latest messages, Chen Lu scrolled up and saw a Weibo post shared by her fan friend. Worried something had happened to her idol, she quickly opened Weibo and saw the trending topic #Heavy Reward for Finding Xie Xinghe’s Fan#.
Daxi City, Xingyun Building, square transparent fan…
Oh my god! That’s my transparent fan!!
When she saw the square transparent fan on Weibo, featuring her idol’s adorable smile on both sides, Chen Lu immediately realized it was hers! And after reading the official Weibo post promising a free phone to whoever claimed it, she rolled around on her bed, grinning like a fool.
Heavens! Who knew being a fan could bring such unexpected luck? Chen Lu was dizzy with joy from this windfall, reveling in the excitement for a while before finally replying to her fan friends.
Meanwhile, in a rather luxurious large apartment, a flamboyant man in a purple shirt pushed the door open and saw several teenagers sprawled haphazardly on the sofa in the living room.
These boys, who had practiced dancing all day and were now resting like limp noodles, were none other than the five members of the MC Boy Group. At this moment, they truly didn’t want to move a muscle.
“Get up and eat, quick! I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t make you stick to your diets. Look what I brought—fried chicken and milk tea!”
The flamboyant man was Liao Yun, the manager of the MC Boy Group, responsible for overseeing these five young men who had just reached adulthood.
“Milk tea!” The one who jumped up at the mention of milk tea was Li Nanxi, the group’s top foodie and main rapper.
With his cool looks and innocent, deer-like eyes, he exuded an impressive aura on stage.
“I want fried chicken too. I’m exhausted from practice,” another member said weakly as he stood up. This was Gu Yunsheng, the group’s vocalist and lead singer, whose gentle and refined appearance gave off a soft, soothing vibe.
Gu Yunsheng wasn’t particularly skilled at dancing, so he had practiced the hardest.
“Yun Lang, want some fried chicken?” Ji Yanli, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, had already picked up a box of fried chicken and was asking Shen Yunlang beside him. Ji Yanli was the leader and visual of MC, the most striking in presence, carrying an air of nobility.
The handsome guy Ji Yanli was speaking to was Shen Yunlang, the group’s main dancer, known for his explosive dance moves and rebellious personality.
“No,” Shen Yunlang refused, his voice cold and indifferent, though it carried a hint of gloom.
As they chatted, the others began eating, yet no one asked Xie Xinghe, who was sitting on a nearby chair reading a script, as if he were being isolated.
In truth, from the start of the competition to these past two years, the MC Boy Group had gained immense popularity, with each member amassing a sizable fanbase. Their relationships were generally good, and it wasn’t like they had fallen out. With only five members, all around the same age, they had taken care of each other, living and training together for two years, becoming as close as brothers.
The main reason for their recent discord was that MC was a limited-time boy group, formed for just two years. Their intense dance practices were all in preparation for the disbandment concert a month away.
About a month earlier, they had started discussing how to prevent MC from disbanding. Shen Yunlang, the wealthiest among them, even offered to pay the breach-of-contract fees for each member’s company. Once free from their contracts, they could relaunch under the MC Boy Group name, aiming to become a top-tier domestic boy group instead of a temporary one.
Li Nanxi, Ji Yanli, and Gu Yunsheng had all agreed to terminate their contracts with their original agencies and join the company Shen Yunlang’s mother planned to establish specifically for MC.
But the problem was Xie Xinghe, the group’s most cherished member, refused. Rumor had it that a top-tier entertainment company had offered him a huge sum to poach him, with a signing fee reaching a staggering 100 million yuan.
This was something Shen Yunlang’s mother could never have come up with; even the combined breach-of-contract penalties for the other members wouldn’t amount to a billion.
Xie Xinghe had previously been an ordinary person without a company. Only after debuting through a talent show variety program did he sign with Tengfei Entertainment, which now manages the MC Boy Group. However, it was a short-term two-year contract, set to expire soon, meaning he wouldn’t even need to pay a breach-of-contract penalty.
Earlier, Shen Yunlang personally discussed with Xie Xinghe the matter of continuing to maintain the MC Boy Group, offering a signing bonus of ten million. Even so, Xie Xinghe didn’t agree.
Because of this, the atmosphere within the entire MC Boy Group had been off lately. Everyone wanted to stay together, so naturally, they began to give Xie Xinghe the cold shoulder for refusing to compromise.
Xie Xinghe knew his choice wasn’t good for his brothers. Moreover, Shen Yunlang had even offered a ten-million signing bonus, and all the brothers had agreed to join Shen Yunlang’s company. Yet, he alone was holding them back. So, even though he had been given the cold shoulder these past few days, Xie Xinghe didn’t complain because he knew it was his fault.
He simply sat quietly, reading a script. This script had been sent over by a well-known director in the industry, who wanted Xie Xinghe to make a cameo appearance as the young version of the white moonlight male lead in a youth film. That’s why Xie Xinghe was reading the script so seriously, even though he was utterly exhausted and sore from dance practice.
He was different from the others—he had no way out. For his mother and his sister, he absolutely could not retreat.
Liao Yun glanced at Xie Xinghe, who had been left out, and sighed inwardly. Their Tengfei Entertainment wasn’t particularly powerful. The reason they had managed to keep the MC limited-time boy group at their company for work arrangements was precisely because they were a small company. In reality, over these two years, Tengfei Entertainment had only taken a small commission from the group’s work, while the bulk of the earnings went to the larger companies. Their company had simply been busy running around handling everything. Only Xie Xinghe had signed a short-term two-year contract with them, earning the company quite a bit over these two years.
Just the previous YOYO phone endorsement contract alone had brought the company over ten million in profit. He was truly a cash cow. So, the company was actually quite realistic—such a big cash cow wasn’t something a small company like theirs could keep. With only a month left on Xie Xinghe’s contract, the company still hadn’t figured out a way to retain him.
Other major companies in the industry had long been eager to make a move. Several industry agents had approached Xie Xinghe, even offering a signing bonus of a hundred million, which was enough to show how popular Xie Xinghe was.
Thinking of this, Liao Yun walked over with milk tea and fried chicken. Such high-calorie foods were usually strictly forbidden for these male idols, as they were afraid of breakouts and oily skin. But lately, everyone had been practicing dance like crazy, and they had all lost quite a bit of weight. Eating some junk food like this could help lift their spirits.
“Xinghe, have some fried chicken, and your favorite Yunwu milk tea.”
Placing Xie Xinghe’s favorite milk tea on the table, Xie Xinghe finally looked up at his manager. The others were also eating, but no one paid any attention to Xie Xinghe.
“Thank you, Brother Liao.” Xie Xinghe nodded obediently, inserted a straw into the milk tea, and took a sip. This was only the second time he had drunk milk tea in two years. The company was very strict—meals were all nutritionally balanced to maintain the best skin condition. Xie Xinghe had long given up junk food.
The rich aroma of tea and milk filled his mouth, making Xie Xinghe immediately squint his eyes with happiness, a slight smile curling at the corners of his lips. His two faint dimples were incredibly adorable.
This well-behaved appearance endeared him to Liao Yun, who knew this child was the most obedient. But this time, for some reason, if the MC Boy Group continued to exist, everyone could leverage each other’s influence. In the entertainment industry, mutual support would help them go further. Yet this child insisted on going down a dead-end road, leaving Liao Yun helpless.
“You haven’t checked Weibo, have you? You’re trending. Sales of the YOYO13 have been exceptionally good since you endorsed it. Today, there’s another trending topic about your fans buying a million yuan worth of phones in the north—two hundred units in total! Right now, the YOYO phone’s Weibo page is flooded with your fans posting their purchase receipts. The operations and marketing teams are over the moon. Several other brands just called me wanting you for endorsements, but I didn’t accept any for you. I’ll discuss it with you in detail tomorrow. Think it over yourself.”
Liao Yun wasn’t a money-grubbing manager, and Tengfei Entertainment wasn’t the type to profit from others’ misfortune. At this moment, he was genuinely concerned about Xie Xinghe.
“Mm, thank you, Brother Liao. Let me check Weibo.”
While sipping his milk tea, he took out his phone and indeed saw the latest top trending topic on Weibo. Opening it, he found posts from his fans sharing their experiences with the YOYO phone. Xie Xinghe browsed through several of them, relieved to see how happy his fans were using the phone.
He was using the YOYO13 himself. Back when he accepted the endorsement, he genuinely felt the phone was convenient to use, reasonably priced, and aesthetically pleasing. He believed his fans would like it too, which was why he agreed to endorse it.
“Later, post a Weibo update. Don’t say anything—just upload a selfie taken with your YOYO phone. Make sure you look happy. Your fans will understand what it means, and it’ll be a little photo treat for them.”
This was a common tactic among celebrities. Sharing personal, flattering photos on Weibo allowed fans to use them as wallpapers. Posting it with the YOYO13 would show he’d seen the support and was grateful for it.
That’s how celebrities operated—they couldn’t be too explicit. Being too explicit would come off as pandering to fans. It was better to let the fans figure it out themselves.
“Okay.” Xie Xinghe nodded, then scrolled through his phone gallery, quickly finding a selfie and posting it as his latest Weibo update.
【MC Boy Group – Xie Xinghe V: [Photo]】
As soon as the post went live, numerous fans commented and reposted it. The other members of the MC Boy Group, who were eating nearby, also saw it, but everyone remained silent, holding back their emotions.
In the photo, Xie Xinghe wore a simple pink shirt, his fair complexion appearing even more delicate against the fabric. Tilting his head up for the selfie, he looked like a proud little peacock. Though his dimples weren’t visible, he was still unbearably cute.
This round of promotion went exceptionally well, satisfying both the brand and the company.
Far away in Daxi City, Xie Tingzhou lounged leisurely in a rocking chair at the highest point of the Sheraton Hotel, gazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the glittering city lights outside. A special notification chimed on his phone. Xie Tingzhou glanced at it, then gave Xie Xinghe’s photo a like.
Lan Huan was sitting on a chair nearby—not a rocking chair like Xie Tingzhou’s. The butler Xiao Lin and Zheng Xiao had already compiled a list of all the items Xie Tingzhou purchased today, including phones, clothes, and watches. These items had been delivered, and the staff at the Sherry Hotel had spent the entire afternoon organizing them. Now, a list had been prepared for Xie Tingzhou to review.
Hearing the mention of the phone’s special notifications, Lan Huan also opened Weibo. He hadn’t used his main account to follow Xie Xinghe yet. The livestream from earlier in the day had generated such high buzz, yet by evening, there was no discussion at all. This made Lan Huan feel even more that Xie Tingzhou was unfathomable.
Zheng Xiao finished organizing all the lists and brought them over for Xie Tingzhou to review.
“Mr. Xie, all the phones, clothes, and other items you purchased have been arranged. Here is the management list for your review.”
Xie Tingzhou took the thick, brochure-like list and saw the two hundred phones listed at the top, which reminded him of something.
“Give these phones away as gifts. Hold a lottery for Xie Xinghe’s fans, but set some basic requirements. Do you know how to handle this?”