It was already quite late when we got back to the hotel.
Shang Yechu tossed her bag to the ground and tore off her clothes, disappearing somewhere in the process. She was drenched in sweat from the daytime heat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable; all she wanted now was a good shower and to collapse onto the mattress.
The Weibo account was buzzing all day long, with trending topics such as #YeChuBirthday#, #TheHighestRatingsInTheDayAreJustYeChuBirthday#, and #YeChuOfficiallyAnnouncesHerMuse# flooding the internet, creating an unprecedented buzz.
Many industry insiders who have worked with Shang Yechu wished her a happy birthday. From distant figures like Su Ge, Qin Tianye, and Yi Tianzhao, to more recent ones, the cast and crew of "Tianban" even sent their blessings in a uniform format. Even the usually quiet Jiang Shang Nongchao Sheng posted a message wishing the actress who plays Xiao Fengque a long and peaceful life, with the inscription, "May the thousand-year-old leaves and the ten-thousand-year-old cup be offered forever."
Leaves responded enthusiastically to these people, her language witty, lively, and each reply was different. She seemed to get along well with each collaborator and maintain close contact with them to this day.
These replies were all carefully crafted and timed by Shang Yechu's studio team after they had thoroughly studied Shang Yechu's daily speaking style, imitated her tone, and meticulously planned their releases at the exact moments when she was taking a break during filming.
Indeed, after countless arguments, Shang Yechu finally realized that her Weibo account didn't belong to her personally, but to "Yechu," and relinquished it to the company for management. This had both positive and negative consequences. On the downside, Shang Yechu felt uncomfortable about her privacy being invaded; on the upside, it allowed her to maintain a decent level of activity and better retain her fans.
For example, today, Shang Yechu was so busy at the "Muse" filming location that she had no time to deal with her former colleagues. The response prepared by the studio was much more sincere, interesting, and dignified than the hastily released statement by Shang Yechu, and even more like Yechu herself.
Of course, to avoid arousing suspicion from sharp-eyed netizens, Shang Yechu managed to sneak in some phone time during breaks in today's filming, which she had the company's paparazzi photograph. This way, when accounts are reconciled later, she can market it as "Yechu still finding time to sincerely reply during work breaks," preventing astute netizens from speculating about the true author of those comments.
This is an unspoken rule in social interactions: although they may have shared life and death on screen, off-screen they are just former colleagues. In fact, more than half of the Weibo posts wishing Shang Yechu well were published by the artist's studio or social media department.
This unspoken rule wasn't exposed by netizens until three or four years later. Around 2022, major platforms launched the function of disclosing users' IP addresses, ushering in an era of "naked exposure." Many celebrities were caught off guard. Their schedules showed them filming in Beijing, but their Weibo accounts, with IP addresses in Binhai, were gently telling fans, "I've read everyone's letters, thank you for your encouragement." Countless others were exposed for having wives or being two-timing.
Shang Yechu had anticipated this move. Although she allowed the studio to manage the accounts, she repeatedly emphasized that every statement posted by the media department on the internet had to be personally reviewed by her. Furthermore, when she was out of town, she absolutely forbade the studio from making any decisions without prior consultation and posting anything on her social media platforms.
Ye Ya organized a grand birthday celebration for Shang Ye Chu, including video editing, photo retouching, painting, crafts, offline support, and charity support—leaving no stone unturned. Two particularly well-made personal edits featuring Li Yiming even trended on Pixiv.
Because "Tianban" has penetrated a wide grassroots market, Ye Ya's birthday wishes also included Douyin (TikTok). Multiple platforms, including Weibo, Pi Station, Douyin, and Green Petal, collaborated to create a massive online celebration—even the recently popular social networking site Hongshu (Sweet Potato) saw a few dozen scattered "Happy Birthday Ye Chu" messages.
Taking advantage of the situation, the ivy-covered trees flooded the internet with negative hashtags about Shang Yechu, such as #HappyAnniversaryOfYechu0813#. Birthday is a joyous occasion, and Yeya (the fan club's mascot) didn't want to cause trouble and spoil the celebratory atmosphere. She could only endure it for now, preparing for retribution later. Some more radical Yeya had already prepared the hashtag #HappyAnniversaryOfShishan0814#, just waiting for the clock to strike midnight to launch their attack on the ivy-covered trees.
The internet was buzzing with excitement, and Shang Yechu's WeChat was also flooded with countless well wishes. Almost everyone he knew sent his greetings, except for Sheng Wenzhi, Ji Juntao, and Li Yi.
Ji Juntao knew that Shang Yechu didn't celebrate her birthday. As for Sheng Wenzhi... it was hard to say whether he was even out of bed yet. Shang Yechu never expected to receive birthday wishes from him.
As for Li Yi, he and Shang Yechu had blocked each other for a long time. It's unclear why he's still on Shang Yechu's friend list; every time Shang Yechu considers deleting him, she thinks of his shrewd grandmother and ultimately decides against it.
Like oil being cooked over a raging fire, or flowers being adorned with vibrant colors.
Shang Yechu glanced at the overwhelming news a few times, tossed her phone aside, and went into the shower.
Warm water trickled over her body, washing away the heat, stickiness, and restlessness. After an unknown amount of time, Shang Yechu walked barefoot to the mirror, wiped away the condensation, and looked at her misty face in the mirror.
Shang Yechu was in a rather so-so mood. To be precise, it was quite bad.
Shi Shan's words today had an unexpectedly large impact. Shang Ye Chu's birthday was already not a good day for her and her mother. Shi Shan's interference only made them more upset.
Shi Shan's constant pronouncements of "love" and "hate" didn't cause Shang Yechu much trouble. She had a crush on Shi Shan; there was no need to hide it. In junior high, she had also liked Sheng Wenzhi, even collecting Sheng Wenzhi's childish novels as model texts. Sheng Wenzhi was a rare, clean, stylish, and beautiful girl in that small county. In high school, she had also liked Chu Lan, because she was the only one who didn't join the bullying. In her previous life, before she died, she even liked a screenwriter she'd only met twice, eagerly hoping to act in one of his scripts.
Shi Shan was better than them. He was considerate, warm, and never a disappointment. He was like an emotional companion robot that consistently provided positive feedback. Shang Yechu was immersed in this comfort; while she didn't quite succumb to it, she had grown accustomed to it.
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