Chapter 36 Er Shun appeared again.

[Fang Xuran: Sis, why didn't you come to the script reading today?]

Fang Xuran: I feel so insecure when you're not around.

[Shi Yao: Poor in her youth]

Turning off her phone, Shi Yao met the gaze of the girl next to her: "What did you just say?"

A girl wearing a black baseball cap and black plaid wide-leg pants smiled at her and lowered her voice, saying, "Hey, who were you dating before? Which fandom?"

To show her sincerity, she took the initiative to introduce herself: "I used to follow idol trainees, but the atmosphere in the industry was terrible, and one after another they collapsed, so I came to this talent show to relax."

Shi Yao was dressed just like any other fan site admin today, wearing the classic skin of fan site admins, complete with a mask and baseball cap, and carrying a large camera on her back. Her whole body screamed "I am a fan site admin".

Many people come to Dachang to wait for their commute, and some even treat it like a job, renting a room and coming every day. After a while, they naturally become familiar with each other, and everyone knows who is whose fan site admin. Occasionally, they will help each other out.

Shi Yao had never appeared in the fan site community before, and her appearance today attracted a lot of attention. She was wearing a mask and had a rather aloof look in her eyes. At first, not many people dared to talk to her, and the person who came over to talk to her now had to muster up a lot of courage.

After chatting for a bit, I found that Shi Yao wasn't aloof at all; in fact, she was quite humorous and witty, so I decided to make friends with her.

One way to quickly get to know someone is to share your past fan history and complain about your former idols together. If you happen to be in the same fandom, it's like becoming even closer.

Shi Yao had previously been a fan in real life and worked as a fan site admin, but not in this world. So after thinking for a moment, she cautiously said, "I used to be a fan of actors, but I've been filming in a closed production recently, so I came here to check things out when I was bored."

The woman in the black plaid pants nodded knowingly, as if she knew a lot about it, and said admiringly, "I had a friend who also followed actors. Is it particularly hard to film on set?"

"Yes, if it's a period drama, the filming locations are often in complex terrain, requiring us to go up mountains and down to the sea, and we also have to avoid the crew's security."

Shi Yao wasn't lying. Filming a movie is no simpler than following a live performance. Climbing trees and rooftops are minor issues. Sometimes the filming locations are tricky, requiring a long climb up a mountain and finding a suitable viewpoint, which tests both equipment and physical strength.

Playing guerrilla warfare with the film crew's security is also a contest of physical strength and mental strength. Some of the film crew's security guards seem to have eagle eyes, able to spot the location of the fan site admins even from a great distance, and then arrive on their electric scooters to drive them away the next second.

Shi Yao had learned from her experience working with the crew that the moment you make eye contact with security on camera, you must not take any chances. You must immediately pack your things and escape, and find another place to set up camp. Otherwise, you will almost certainly be greeted with an expulsion gift from security within a few minutes.

Compared to those, the hidden camera battle in the performance was relatively mild.

Seeing that Shi Yao had also taken the initiative to explain her situation, the fangirl in black plaid pants immediately felt a lot closer to her and took the initiative to introduce herself, saying, "Sister, who are you supporting this time? I'm supporting Jiang Yi. I'll also be going to the performance. If we're not from the same fandom, we can help each other out."

Jiang Yi was one of the pre-competition favorites. His popularity had been consistently in the top five before the show even started. He chose a song that suited him well during the first performance, which gave him a small boost. He ranked third in the last round of rankings. Even though Yingxu's popularity surged later, Jiang Yi's die-hard fans still remained firmly in the top three throughout "Shining Idol".

Shi Yao thought for a moment and finally decided to answer truthfully: "I will keep my promise."

The fangirl in black checkered pants paused for a moment, then said with a hint of envy, "You're also a fan of Yingxu?"

Seeing that Shi Yao was unaware of the situation, she took the initiative to explain: "You're new here and don't know the situation. I've been here for almost a week now. There have probably been a lot more fans here during this time, maybe... a dozen or so."

The envy in her eyes seemed genuine: "There are only six of us in our family who follow the offline group. I wonder when we'll get a new sister."

"Hey, do you want to join the fan club group? I remember you guys have a small group, do you want me to ask for you?"

Shi Yao quickly shook her head. She already had an account in the group. Although she had never shown her face offline before, she never missed any group chats. She didn't really want to lose her identity, so Shi Yao simply said, "I only follow occasionally. I prefer to follow solo."

The woman in black plaid pants immediately beamed with joy at finding a kindred spirit and excitedly patted Shi Yao on the shoulder: "Me too! Although I joined our local group, I don't chat much, and I feel... like I can't fit in."

She then gave a slightly shy smile and said, "I only dared to come and chat with you today because I saw you standing here all by yourself, just like I did on my first day here."

Shi Yao smiled at her, feeling a bit amused. This girl had taken the initiative to socialize, but it turned out she was socially awkward.

I don't know how much of what he said was true and how much was false.

Since the video of the last promise went viral, the number of people coming to watch "Shining Idol" offline has increased significantly. The program's schedule has never been a secret, and everyone knows exactly what time the trainees go to work and get off work every day.

However, some patient and free-time fansite admins will choose to wait here from morning till night, hoping to bump into the trainees who happen to be out.

Not far from Factory No. 1, there are two pavilions where fansite admins chat in twos and threes. Seeing that Shi Yao and the fanite admin in black plaid pants were chatting enthusiastically, another fanite admin next to her also came over.

She seemed to know the girl in the black plaid pants quite well, and immediately offered them both a glass of iced milk tea: "Little Tree, new friend?"

The fan site admin in black plaid pants, also known as Xiaoshu, nodded and accepted the milk tea without hesitation. She wanted to introduce Shiyao to the fan site admin, but hesitated: "Yes, she's your fan, she also follows Yingxu, her name is... Hey sister, what's your name?"

Shi Yao pondered for two seconds, glanced at the toppings in the milk tea cup, and said, "Just call me Taro Ball."

Most people who follow celebrities offline don't reveal their real names, so Shi Yao's nickname didn't raise any suspicions. The fan who delivered the milk tea nodded to her without hesitation, and her expression became a little excited when she heard that Shi Yao also followed Ying Xu: "Just call me Little Bird. Taro Ball, is this your first time coming to an offline event? I've never seen you before."

Shi Yao nodded. She hadn't run into a single fan site admin when she came before, and she had been out of town for the past few days, so she could indeed pretend she had never been here.

Seeing this, the little bird patted its chest proudly and said to Shi Yao like a senior, "Then you can follow me to take pictures later. I have a good camera position and I guarantee that I can get a good shot of Yingxu's face."

After saying that, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Have you opened a fan account? If you have, we can follow each other."

Shi Yao shook her head: "No, I only follow it occasionally, I've never posted it before."

The little bird wasn't surprised and said matter-of-factly, "You became a fan of Sister Tianguang because of her videos, right?"

Shi Yao nodded obediently, without saying anything more.

Little Bird sighed, "Sister Tianguang is so mysterious. I still don't know who she is. I've been observing her for a week, and none of them seem like her, but she keeps posting pictures."

Xiao Shu chimed in, "Maybe Sister Tianguang is buying a picture pack?"

Little Bird shook her head: "No, I'm very familiar with the girls who often post pictures. They said that Sister Tianguang has never bought any pictures, and it seems that she hasn't even joined any large groups. She's purely solo."

Xiao Shu said with envy, "If only we had a Tian Guang in our family, Xiao Jiang's debut would be guaranteed."

The little bird chuckled and teased, "He's always been very stable. You should try your best to become the next Sister Tianguang."

Xiao Shu waved her hands frantically, her fair cheeks flushed: "I can't do it, my skill level is just average."

After joking around for a while, Xiao Niao suddenly changed the subject to Shi Yao: "Sister, let's add each other on WeChat? I'll add you to the small group. Hey, you're not in the big group either, are you?"

Xiao Shu was about to explain for Shi Yao, but hesitated for a moment and ultimately didn't speak. She just looked at Shi Yao, who smiled, took out her spare phone and opened her contact card: "Just add me on WeChat, I won't join the group. I'll ask you if I have any messages."

Although the little bird was a bit surprised, it still complied with Shi Yao's wishes. When it was time to add Shi Yao as a friend, it was amused by Shi Yao's WeChat nickname: "Sister, your WeChat name is quite interesting. AAA, grow bigger and stronger? It sounds like those micro-business owners."

"I learned it from them. My mom told me to change my name to something easier to find." Shi Yao also added Xiao Shu on WeChat. Actually, she originally planned not to add any of them. She doesn't have many accounts now, and adding too many people would make it easy for her identity to be exposed. But after thinking about it, she still had to come offline a few more times, so adding a few people wouldn't hurt.

After a few more casual words, the little bird suddenly said seriously, "It's almost time. Let's go to my place."

Shi Yao glanced at the time and guessed that Xiao Niao meant the recording time was almost over. She couldn't help but be a little surprised. The schedules that these fans who often follow offline events bought were far too detailed, even down to the minute.

Xiao Shu packed her backpack and said goodbye to the two. She liked to walk on the other side of the road, which was not in the same direction as Ying Xu. Xiao Niao and she agreed to take more photos of each other. After the exchange was over, Xiao Niao took Shi Yao to the location she had reserved in advance.

Other fansite admins also gradually got moving, each going to their own spot and starting to adjust their equipment.

The little bird, acting all confident, said to Shi Yao, "From my position, I can definitely get a clear shot of her face without needing to adjust the angle much. But if your hand shakes and you don't get a good shot later, just take the picture from me. Anyway, I always have more than enough pictures to use."

This completely treats Shi Yao as a newcomer who knows nothing about the industry.

Shi Yao didn't refute her, but simply nodded to thank her for her kindness. It was wonderful that the other party was willing to treat her as a newcomer.

The two didn't have to wait long before the surrounding area started to stir. Shi Yao looked up and saw that several trainees had already walked out of the main gate of Factory No. 1. She quickly adjusted her posture and pointed the camera at the gate.

The little bird beside her glanced at Shi Yao with some surprise at her professional movements.

"Li Yuzhe! Li Yuzhe, look this way!"

"Xiao Zhe, Xiao Zhe, look at me!"

"Xiao Zhe, you've worked hard! Did you achieve your desired ranking this time? If you did, wink at me, okay?"

"Star! Ahh ...

"Oh my god, Lin Chengxing, why are you wearing your hair all slicked back?! Ahhhhh, look over here!"

"Jiang Yi, Jiang Yi, look this way!"

"Make a heart shape with your hands, baby!"

"Why does my baby seem unhappy? Could it be that their ranking has dropped...?"

As the trainees gradually emerged, the previously calm fan site admins became restless, with many people standing in each spot. Everyone used all sorts of tricks to get a view of their favorite idol.

The little bird kept nervously watching the doorway, holding the camera up for a long time but not seeing the figure it was looking forward to. Its arm started to ache.

"Why hasn't Yingxu come out yet? Almost everyone has left."

"Could he have blocked the announcement? He'll be the last one to make it."

"How is this possible? Has the production team gone mad? If they don't make it into the debut group this time, it's definitely rigged!"

"Aaaaaaah, he's out! He's out! He's out!"

"Promise, promise! Baby, look this way!"

Shi Yao calmly held the camera up to the main entrance, her eyes serene. When Ying Xu finally appeared, she immediately pressed the shutter button.

The people around her were mostly waiting for their promises, just like her. The other fansite admins hadn't left either; they wanted to take as many photos as possible, since they could sell them. For a while, the sound of camera shutters was constant, like a machine gun.

"Promise, if you make it into the top ranks, please give me a heart gesture!"

"You've worked so hard, honey!"

I've actually been following the bird in person for a week now, and I thought I'd gotten used to seeing Promise appear, but every time I see him, I still can't help but tremble a little.

He's so handsome... The camera can't even capture his good looks. How can someone have such an amazing face!

Unlike other fansite admins, she didn't shout out her approval. She was already satisfied with just seeing him and successfully taking pictures. She didn't want to bother him too much, and she didn't insist on eye contact or anything like that.

She secretly turned her gaze, wanting to see if the new person she had just met offline was as nervous as she was, but before she could turn around, she suddenly noticed that the person in the camera was turning their head in her direction.

Promise to look at her in the camera!

The little bird almost dropped the camera. It was stunned for two seconds before it reacted and frantically pressed the shutter button, taking many pictures of the view in one go.

Unlike when someone calls out to you and you turn around briefly to look at them, Yingxu turned in her direction on her own initiative and lingered with her gaze for a long time, almost ten seconds, before looking away.

The little bird kept its eyes fixed on the viewfinder and noticed that Yingxu's gaze was different from usual, as if it were searching for something. When it looked away, it seemed a little reluctant.

This was the first time she had ever filmed a shot of a face-to-face meeting. She was stared at by the person in question for almost ten seconds straight. Little Bird felt like she was going to faint from happiness, but the emotion in Promised's eyes before he looked away made her a little confused.

Why is it happening today when it has never happened before?

She followed the trainees offline for a week and had a general understanding of their personalities. Among the popular group, Li Yuzhe was the most cooperative with the fan site admins. He would look at the camera whenever someone called him, regardless of whether it was his own fan site admin or not. He was all about charming everyone.

Therefore, although she did not take the position, she still had a good impression of him.

Lin Chengxing is rather aloof, his gaze towards the camera is very random, and he is very good at recognizing people, knowing which ones are his own fan sites. He basically won't respond when other fans call out to him.

Jiang Yi is rather quiet, sometimes even ignoring the cameras of his own fans, and he likes to cover himself up completely, making him a very challenging fan site manager.

Yingxu, on the other hand, was rather shy. The little bird only followed her for a week, so it missed Yingxu's first day off after she became famous. According to the older folks, Yingxu stood obediently at the door for half an hour that day to take pictures for everyone, and she was a very well-behaved girl.

Later, Yingxu gradually got used to the calls from the fansite admins, and would take a look in every direction during her commute, without lingering too long, but without missing anything either.

This is the first time I've stopped and looked in one direction for so long today.

"Who was Yingxu looking at just now? Why did she stop for so long?"

"He didn't look at my camera today. Did he see someone he knew?"

"Aren't we acquaintances?"

"So who exactly is he looking at?"

The little bird lowered the camera somewhat dazedly, and hearing the comments from other directions, it felt like a dream.

Something she never imagined and never dared to dream of actually happened: she only saw one person's shot, and that person was her.

No, it can't be just her, there's also...

The little bird suddenly looked at its new friend beside it and found that the other person was frowning and staring at the camera in its hand. The question it was about to ask suddenly stopped, and it changed its mind and asked instead, "What's wrong, Taro Ball?"

Shi Yao pressed the camera a few more times, then looked up at the girl next to her who looked wary and said, "I didn't adjust the focus properly just now, so all the pictures are blurry."

The little bird instantly relaxed, its unbelievable guess vanished, and a relaxed smile appeared on its face. It patted the disappointed girl in front of it: "It's okay, I took some pictures. I'll send you some later."

Shi Yao instantly smiled gratefully: "Thank you, little bird, you're so kind."

The little bird waved its hand: "This is nothing, I often deliver pictures to people."

After a few seconds of pause, she couldn't help but whisper, "Did you notice just now that Yingxu seemed to be looking this way?"

Shi Yao: "I noticed. I was going to take a picture, but I got so excited that I adjusted the focus wrong again."

Once she confirmed that Yao was indeed an inexperienced newcomer, Xiao Niao completely lowered her guard. She thought to herself, "How could Ying Xu be looking for this person? She's never appeared before."

The two walked back to the pavilion they had been in before. On the way, Xiao Niao couldn't help but share her excitement with Shi Yao: "This is the first time I've ever captured a view from the opposite direction. I'm so lucky."

"But I feel like Yingxu's expression today is strange, like she's seen someone she knows..."

Shi Yao innocently replied, "Aren't you an acquaintance? You've been pursuing him for so long, he must recognize you."

These words struck a chord with the little bird, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. No one doesn't want to be recognized by their idol, but everyone knows that idols see so many fans every day that the probability of them really becoming familiar is not high.

Yingxu was an exception. Through a week of observation, she discovered that Yingxu had a really good memory. Although he might not show it, it was clear from his eyes and reactions that he remembered who his fans were.

The bird was in a great mood after being stared at in front of the camera for a long time, and generously told Shi Yao that she could pick any of her pictures.

But she also knew to keep a low profile and didn't go out of her way to show off in the small group, since quite a few people hadn't managed to get a picture of the other side today.

Xiao Shu also rushed over, her face beaming with joy. Jiang Yi had been very accommodating today, allowing her to capture many photos and record a short video. It was quite a fruitful day.

After confirming that there would be no more recording sessions, Shi Yao said goodbye to the two and left the film and television base.

Once she got into the car, Shi Yao finally had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. If she weren't so experienced, she really wouldn't have been able to act without batting an eye.

When Yingxu suddenly turned to stare at her camera today, she was almost scared to death. Her scalp tingled with fear, but in order not to let the people around her notice anything amiss, she forced herself to remain calm and held up the camera until Yingxu took the initiative to look away.

That's really strange. She was all bundled up today and kept her face covered by the camera the whole time. How did Yingxu find her?

Shi Yao comforted herself, thinking that she probably hadn't noticed. The last time they met, it was already dark and they were so far apart that Ying Xu couldn't possibly have seen her face clearly. This time, he probably just thought her figure was somewhat similar, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the initiative to look away.

Yes, that's it.

Shi Yao glanced at her outfit and wondered if she should dress a bit more robust next time she went offline.

...

Yingxu walked back to his dormitory in a state of confusion. His roommates arrived before him and greeted him warmly.

Normally he would have responded politely to everyone, but he was simply not in the mood today.

Fortunately, he has gained some authority due to his improved ranking, so his roommates are not too afraid to bother him. Seeing that he has no desire to chat, they wisely retreated.

Yingxu drew the bed curtains, took out her phone from under the bed, and pressed the power button with a complicated expression.

She appeared again.

Although she had disguised herself very thoroughly, with only her eyes showing, he recognized her at a glance; it was indeed her.

Since the last time he called out, Yingxu has been looking forward to Shiyao's appearance every day, but unfortunately, he has seen many new fansite admins, but he has not seen that familiar figure again.

These days, he responds to everyone who calls out to him on his way to and from get off work, and watches their videos. On one hand, he wants to remember the people who like him, and on the other hand, he wants to see if that person will appear.

He finally got to see her, but she didn't seem very interested in talking to him.

Other fansite admins would chat with him specifically to get him to look at the camera, but Shi Yao remained silent despite his prolonged attention.

Why?

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt a little disappointed. He knew that this was really wrong of him; he shouldn't get too familiar with a particular fan, as this was a major taboo for idols.

But she was the first person to discover him.

He also wanted to express his gratitude.

Yingxu sighed and put the phone back.

Never mind, maybe she's socially awkward too. There were just too many people around, and she might have been embarrassed.

I don't know if she'll come again.

After becoming famous, Yingxu maintained the same frequency of occasionally glancing at his phone, trying his best not to let online information affect his mood. He would always check Shiyao's fan site account and found that she was constantly updating photos.

This puzzled him greatly, as he was certain he hadn't seen her in person.

The other party has no intention of running away; they just keep buying images but don't pursue offline transactions.

She seems to be very busy.

Yingxu remembered what Teacher Daqiang had told him before: not to get too close to the lives of his fans. The reason he kept thinking about them was simply because he felt he still owed them a thank you.

And, some things that are hard to admit, like the fear that the other party might run away.

Yingxu quickly composed herself and began packing her luggage.

I'm going to be changing dorm rooms soon, and I wonder who my new roommate will be this time.

Judging from what the PD said, it seems that it will be based on ranking.

Thinking about her soaring ranking, Yingxu suddenly felt a little unreal.

I thought Teacher Daqiang's promise last time was a joke, but it turns out he actually kept it this time.

That position doesn't seem impossible.

Author's Note: Promise: What should I do if I want to thank someone but they pretend not to know me? Urgent.

Sister Shi: She definitely didn't recognize me (pats her chest)

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-06-24 20:20:49 and 2024-06-25 20:24:06!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Mu Xiao (10 bottles); Xiang Moming Miao Xiang Qingfu and Fu Huan Huan Meng Ye (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!