Chapter 61 She actually wanted to prove her fandom status for this person. ...
The small group has people online 24 hours a day, and it's always bustling with activity. When Xiaohe finished reading the post and shared it in the group, it was almost midnight, but that was precisely when the group was at its liveliest.
There are about a dozen people in the group, and about half of them have accounts on the Koko forum. Because it is an anonymous forum, people can speak freely, and there are all sorts of messy gossips circulating. As a result, the forum registration quota is very limited. Registration is only open for a few fixed days each year, and you can only join by invitation code at other times.
People without forum accounts cannot see the specific content of the posts in the forum; only the external area is displayed. So after Xiaohe forwarded the link, the other half of the people in the group who did not have accounts immediately asked for a screenshot and asked Xiaohe to send it to the group.
Xiaohe was still in a daze and couldn't come back to her senses, so she missed the call in the group. Fortunately, there were other people in the group who had accounts, and they quickly took a screenshot and sent it to the group.
After reading the post, the group fell into complete silence.
Everyone in the small group knew that Zhou Qixue had a girlfriend on set before. The group almost disbanded because of this, but it miraculously came back to life. Although this became a shared secret between them and Zhou Qixue, it did cause them considerable harm.
To confirm whether Zhou Qixue had broken up with his girlfriend, a senior student who had connections offline, followed his schedule for another two months to make sure everything was alright before she was relieved.
Suddenly, I saw a post that looked extremely familiar. The title of the post and the keywords in the original poster's replies were almost all pointing directly at Zhou Qixue.
And the most crucial point is that the original poster said "Zhou Qixue has always been in a relationship without ever breaking up," which completely contradicts the facts they had finally managed to ascertain, plunging them into another crisis of trust.
The group chat remained silent for a full five minutes before the senior student finally broke the silence.
[Kissing Senior: @Xiao Qi, do you know the poster of this thread?]
[MeowMeow: This is an anonymous forum, so we can't verify identities.]
[ooo: I've finished reading it, and I feel like this post is talking about zqx]
[MeowMeowSauce: Of course it's about ZQX, otherwise why would Xiao Qi share it in the group? Every keyword in this match perfectly, okay? This drama was filmed last summer, and they're currently promoting the CP (couple pairing)].
[Loves Grass Jelly: Is zqx really still dating...? I'm about to kill someone]
[ooo: Don't panic, the senior has been in person the whole time, she definitely knows what's going on]
[MeowMeowSauce: @KissKissSister, you really didn't see your sister-in-law during those two months, right?]
[Kissing Senior: No, I'm sure I really didn't at the time]
[Kissing Senior: You all know how intense I was following him back then. Unless Zhou Qixue had his girlfriend in his pocket, there was absolutely no way he could have escaped my eyes.]
[MeowMeowSauce: So at least for those two months, there was definitely no real-money negotiation. The original poster's analysis is wrong.]
[ooo: But this poster says he has recent photos of zqx and his girlfriend, and judging from the post description, it seems to confirm that it's the same person from the film crew. So it's only possible that either he broke up with her when he found out he was being photographed, and they recently got back together, or they never broke up.]
[Loves Grass Jelly: I feel the former is more likely. The original poster said they'd been in a stable relationship without breaking up, but... I'm really feeling uneasy.]
[Kissing Senior: Don't panic yet. We can't be sure if this person is telling the truth. What if he's just trolling? He hasn't even posted any pictures.]
[Meow Meow Sauce: Yeah, Fairy Grass, don't panic. Senior Sister was there the whole time, she knows exactly what happened.]
[ooo: Where's Xiao Qi? He just disappeared after sending a link]
[Like a fish but not a fish: Is Xiao Qi going to have a breakdown? @Xiao Qi, where are you?]
[Xiao Qi: I'm here]
[Xiao Qi: I'm thinking about the timeline]
An anonymous post caused an uproar in the group, making it incredibly lively. Although most people were somewhat dismayed after seeing the post's content, they still chose to verify its authenticity first.
As the first to act in the group, the senior student herself has already turned on her computer and started checking the photos on her hard drive to confirm the exact time.
Xiaohe, on the other hand, worked with the remaining group members to come up with techniques for getting information out of people.
That's right. After a brief breakdown, they unanimously decided to get solid evidence from the poster first, at least to get some more concrete information out of him, and it would be even better if they could get photos.
To protect privacy, the Koko forum does not have a private messaging function. The few group members with accounts could only reply directly in that thread, implying that the original poster should switch to other platforms to communicate with them.
The senior student was responsible for finding the irrefutable photos taken at the time from the external hard drive. After obtaining the photos from the original poster, they could compare them to confirm whether it was the same person.
This post was quite popular on the forum. In the short time that Xiaohe shared it in the group and discussed it with the group members, the number of replies to this post had exceeded two hundred. Although this number does not seem like much, it is quite good compared to Koko's daily active users.
The original poster maintained their initial persona: aloof, reluctant to reply to messages, and only appearing once every few dozen replies.
Xiaohe and the others chatted in the thread for a long time before finally catching up with the thread starter replying to a new post.
[216L (OP) replied to 144L: I don't know who your favorite is, but I followed my favorite throughout the whole thing. I can't say for sure who it is, otherwise you'd be waiting to open my box [laughing and crying emoji]. But you can ask me some questions that you'd only know if you followed them offline, and I can answer them all.]
Xiaohe scrolled through more than ten floors before finally catching the original poster. She found that the original poster had replied to a comment, which read: "[144L: Ah, this feels like you're talking about my idol, but my idol is famously single since birth. They don't even interact with colleagues, so it's impossible for them to be in a relationship. If you're going to talk about idols, please find someone else. My idol is just a nobody here. Or you could prove your identity by saying you've been to an offline event, but that can't be based on just your words.]"
Fans appeared in the building again, which made Xiaohe's heart skip a beat. Seeing the new conversation between the two, her unease grew stronger.
The tone of this poster is too confident; they even dare to directly ask people to ask any offline-related questions. They wouldn't be able to ask so many questions unless they are actually a regular offline person. But if this poster is indeed a regular offline person, then the content of this post is true.
Xiaohe was upset and anxious. She couldn't wait to know the real answer, so she immediately went to her senior and asked her to come up with a relevant question for offline use, which she would then ask the original poster.
When the senior student learned about the identity verification, she was very supportive and casually asked a question. It was a little gossip from the film crew at the time. A female extra with a small role was almost sexually assaulted by the former casting director. After managing to escape, the extra immediately began to take revenge on the casting director in the film studio, trying to ruin his reputation. In the end, the director got his wish and was fired, while the actress herself got a supporting role with a relatively large number of scenes.
This scandal didn't escalate much at the time; only a few film crews near the film studio knew about it. After all, it was a huge scandal, and the person involved wasn't a big star, so they simply covered it up, creating the illusion that everything was peaceful and tranquil within the crew.
But anyone who followed the offline events would definitely know about this. Although the matter was suppressed and didn't trend on social media, those who stayed in the group all along definitely know about it.
So Xiaohe took the question and posted it in the thread. After posting her reply, she looked through the replies and found that there were many more questions. Just by looking at the questions, Xiaohe could tell who was talking about Zhou Qixue and who wasn't.
Other group members also started asking questions to the host. Just as Xiaohe was worried that too many people were asking questions and she might not be selected by the host, she saw a red dot appear in the unread message bar.
She excitedly clicked on it, and there was the original poster's reply!
[289L (original poster) replied to 272L: I know, there was a minor actress in the crew who almost got sexually assaulted by the production company, but she barely escaped it. They are all doing quite well now.]
This post immediately garnered countless replies, most of which were "Holy crap," "Damn," and "WTF."
Shi Yao sent a screenshot of the reply she had just received to the group chat, and then tagged her senior to see it. Upon seeing this reply, everyone fell silent again.
[ooo: This doesn't match up perfectly. It's unlikely that so many dramas would coincidentally have a minor actress involved in a sexual assault case, right?]
[MeowMeowSauce: That extra actress is actually doing quite well. She became famous for her role later on, and viewers are petitioning to keep her character alive.]
[Loves grass jelly: …………………………]
[I love grass jelly: I'm really not feeling well anymore]
[Loves grass jelly: Cat crying.jpg]
[MeowMeowSauce: Don't panic, ask again. XiaoQi, try to get this poster to go to another platform and say you want to chat with him privately because you have something to exchange.]
Koko forum has very strict rules on keyword blocking. Some words that you don't even realize are sensitive can be blocked. Adding contact information is a complete violation. As long as it is posted, it will be blocked if it involves related keywords. Posting requires a lot of technical skills.
However, Xiaohe already possessed extensive talent for poaching people, skillfully using various homophones to replace censored words, and ultimately successfully persuaded the original poster to relocate to Weibo.
The person who broke the news didn't understand what she meant at first, but after understanding, he slowly moved to another platform and copied the ID name that Xiaohe left for him, then searched for and followed it on Weibo.
Xiaohe specially created a fake account to pretend to be a passerby. The main content on the homepage is mostly about her daily life, with only a small amount of reposted material. The reposted content is also very diverse, covering various circles, making it look very messy. It is absolutely impossible to easily determine the main person behind this account.
Xiao He and the other person closed their accounts without much hesitation, and she got straight to the point:
[One Yuan: Koko, the original poster?]
[User 48737890: Yes.]
[One Yuan: Then I'll just ask directly, is the person you mentioned in your post Zhou Qixue?]
[User 48737890: Yes, you noticed?]
[User 48737890: Are you his fan? I'm absolutely not lying, I'll block anyone who says anything abusive.]
[One Yuan: Why would I curse at you?]
[One Yuan: I'm here to check the timeline because I also know about his relationship on set. You said you have photos; could you show them to me for comparison?]
[User 48737890: What are you comparing?]
[User 48737890: I have a picture, but I'm not posting it]
[One Yuan: Why?]
[One Yuan: I'm also a fan of his, and I have some pictures, but only from the filming period. We thought he broke up with his girlfriend after filming ended, so we don't have any pictures from later on. I just want to compare them.]
[User 48737890: You say you're a fan, so you're a fan [laughing and crying emoji] I can't tell anything from your account, you just came in and asked me for photos, who knows if you're a media outlet or paparazzi trying to scam me]
[User 48737890: I have mixed feelings, but I haven't unfollowed you yet. Don't ask me for photos, I won't post them.]
Xiaohe almost smashed her phone when she saw this reply. How could this poster be even more stubborn than her? Even now, knowing that her idol has been lying to everyone about being in a relationship for so long, and even having evidence, she still refuses to unfollow and keeps it hidden. What kind of magic does Zhou Qixue have that makes people so infatuated!
Just then, her senior also sent a message asking if Xiaohe had gotten any information out of her. Xiaohe had no choice but to reply that she hadn't yet, and sent a screenshot of the chat history.
[Kissing Senior: This guy loves her even more than we do!]
[ooo: She actually tried to help cover it up, oh my god, sis, you're so loving!]
[Loves Grass Jelly: No, even in this state, why would you help hide it? What are you hiding? Are you hiding it until his relationship with his sister-in-law is stable and they're waiting for them to get married?]
[Meow Meow Sauce: It's just that she has mixed feelings... This person also has an extraordinary level of insensitivity.]
[Loves Grass Jelly: Should I try it? @XiaoQi, I'm going to try and get some information out of him. It's not that I can't stand it, but you already have solid evidence, why aren't you posting it to prove him wrong? What are you waiting for?]
[ooo: Could this be a scam? This person doesn't actually have any photos; they're just pretending to have them so that when someone asks them, they can also get information out of them.]
[MeowMeow: What kind of scheme within a scheme... I'm dizzy.]
[Kissing Senior: @LoveGrassJelly, don't go. Let Xiao Qi go ask. They've already gotten to know each other pretty well. If we suddenly switch to someone else to get information, they'll definitely know we're going with an ulterior motive, and they'll probably refuse to tell us anything.]
[Loves Grass Jelly: Okay, @XiaoQi, how's it going on your end? Are you still chatting?]
[Xiao Qi: I'm here, don't worry]
Xiaohe forwarded her chat history with the original poster to the group, which unsurprisingly sparked a huge discussion. The senior student has already found the solid evidence photos she took before, and is just waiting for Xiaohe to get new photos so that she can compare and confirm her identity.
[One Yuan: I'm really a fan of Zhou Qixue. Whatever proof you want to see, I have it. It's just that this is a personal account, so don't worry about me trying to trick you into revealing anything. More than anyone else, I want his career to go smoothly.]
[One Yuan: [Image] I've been checking in for over a year now [Image] I bought twenty copies of the magazine last time [Image] Last month's business magazine, I bought five cases of beer, I really can't finish any more [Image] I also bought three hair straighteners, and I bought quite a lot of other things, if you want to see more I can screenshot it]
The easiest way to prove your fandom is to show others your Super Topic level, your usual data records, and your spending on sponsored content.
Xiaohe didn't want to reveal her main account to the other side, so she didn't take screenshots of the data, but she posted a bunch of in-game purchase receipts.
Celebrity endorsements are generally not cost-effective, especially for newly popular stars. Brands are eager to make their first profit. The beer in Xiaohe's screenshot is a prime example of this. The money she spent on the Zhou Qixue exclusive package online was enough for her to buy two identical packages offline, effectively doubling her investment.
Actually, Xiaohe doesn't like drinking beer, so she gave all the beer she bought to her parents and friends. But she still bought several cases because she thought it was not easy to have the support of brands in the early days, and she wanted to let the brand people see the spending power of their fans so that they could help Zhou Qixue get more endorsements.
Xiaohe's parents had specifically mentioned that she was buying beer for home. At this moment, the beer at home was not even finished. Thinking that the person she was pursuing so diligently might actually be in a relationship, she felt even more complicated when she saw the other person's beer box in the corner.
The thought that she was actually trying to prove to an anonymous poster, whom she had only recently met and whose true identity was uncertain, that she was a fan of Zhou Qixue and that the poster was now sitting there trying to get information out of him made her feel even more absurd.
But there was no better way at the moment. If she didn't figure out the truth about this relationship tonight, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
This time, the anonymous poster on the other end of the thread took a long time to reply, making Xiaohe a little anxious. She was afraid that the other party would run away again and she wouldn't be able to contact them.
[User 48737890: I saw it.]
[User 48737890: You are indeed a fan; you bought quite a lot.]
[User 48737890: What kind of picture do you want to see?]
[User 48737890: Why don't you just send me a private message using your fan account? That would save you the trouble of proving yourself.]
[One Yuan: Are there any photos of him and his girlfriend together?]
[One Yuan: I don't want my identity to be exposed, but it doesn't really matter, as long as you know I'm a fan.]
[User 48737890: I have the photos, but I can't send them to you. Although I think you're a fan now, I don't know what you'll do next. If you post the photos online, then I'll be the one pushing him into the abyss.]
Seeing that the other party still wouldn't send the message, Xiaohe got anxious and quickly typed:
[One Yuan: Didn't you just say you'd post it after you proved it? I am indeed his fan, but I won't spread it. I said I wanted the pictures just for comparison. I had taken pictures before, but I thought they had broken up. You said you've been dating, so I just wanted to see if it's the same production crew.]
[User 48737890: I believe you are a fan, but I think you also understand how important photos are. I can't post the pictures for now, but I can tell you that his girlfriend has never changed; it has always been this one.]
[One Yuan: Always?]
For some reason, Xiaohe's heart skipped a beat when she saw those two words. The original poster had previously mentioned that Zhou Qixue had a loving girlfriend who was not a celebrity and they hadn't broken up since filming the drama. She had previously thought that Zhou Qixue's relationship had been going on for almost a year since the time he was on set, but now that she saw "always," she felt for some reason that it seemed to have been going on for even longer.
As if guessing what she was thinking, the other party replied:
[User 48737890: Yes, he's always had the same girlfriend since his debut.]
From the beginning of her career? Does that mean Zhou Qixue already had a girlfriend when she became a fan?
Xiao He was hit again, but before the shock could subside, the other party added another sentence.
[User 48737890: Or rather, it wasn't just his debut. Based on my judgment, he had already been dating his girlfriend for a while when he debuted, but I'm not sure exactly how long, but conservatively, at least a year.]
Xiaohe was completely devastated. She was already dating before her debut...? And they had been dating for at least a year by the time she debuted...?
How could he have hidden it so well? She had no idea. In fact, if someone she knew hadn't gone to take pictures of him offline, she wouldn't have known that Zhou Qixue had a girlfriend while he was on set.
One of the main reasons she chose to become a fan of Zhou Qixue was because she felt that he was career-minded and had a clean reputation with no scandals, which gave fans a great sense of security.
It turns out that he kept himself pure for his sister-in-law's sake!
Xiaohe couldn't help but start to doubt herself. This wasn't the first time she had been a fan of celebrities. She had followed several before, some of whom had failed to gain popularity, but most of them had faded into obscurity.
She always boasted that she had a good eye and could tell which people were likely to fall from grace and which were relatively safe. The people she had chosen before hadn't run into any trouble.
Originally, she didn't plan to be so devoted to following celebrities anymore, but she still got caught up in it. Once she got into it, she couldn't control herself and poured all her time and money into it. Seeing Zhou Qixue getting better and better made her happier and happier.
Although she didn't become a top fan, the atmosphere in the fandom was a bit strange, and there was a minor unpleasant incident, overall, the experience of following her idol was still very good, and Zhou Qixue made things very easy for her.
If there's one thing about Zhou Qixue that she's not entirely satisfied with or comfortable with, it's that Zhou Qixue keeps his work and private life very separate.
This is specifically reflected in the fact that even when other actors and artists are on vacation and not working on set, they will still share photos from time to time, either promotional photos or personal photos, and some will even post vlogs to share their lives with fans.
But Zhou Qi didn't learn anything. It wasn't that the company was unreliable and forgot to operate; he simply didn't want to operate. As soon as it was confirmed to be a holiday, he would simply vanish into thin air, and no one could find him anywhere.
The longest he ever went without appearing in public was three months, which was also his longest vacation. He didn't update his Weibo once during those three months, and even his studio remained silent. Finally, when the fans couldn't take it anymore, his studio came out to say that Zhou Qixue was focusing on his real life and didn't like to let everyone know about his private life, and that the fans should just wait patiently.
Xiaohe was never used to this. After all, not seeing someone for ten days or half a month at a time made her feel insecure. But she had comforted herself by saying that Zhou Qixue was just a person with personality and knew what she wanted.
Now she realizes that the reason he broke up so much and disappeared so completely is because he has a girlfriend at home and only wants to be sweet and loving with his sister-in-law, so he doesn't want to work with his fans.
Xiao He fell silent.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-19 23:28:34 and 2024-07-20 23:48:45!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Please update 15 bottles immediately after seeing me; Xie Huanian 10 bottles; Aqi w 8 bottles; I'm not sleepy when I sleep, Wuying Jiucai 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
