Superstar Ch.25.2

Chapter 25.2: Fan Meeting

At that very moment, Ming Ling had just come across the production team’s announcement.

She was now the official president of Xie Xizhao’s fan club.

Over the past two weeks, she had built the fan club’s core team from the ground up, organizing super topics and coordinating various support campaigns. Between that and her university coursework, she had been so busy that she barely updated her own Weibo.

But she felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

She was currently in her third year of university, majoring in business management. If nothing unexpected happened, she would graduate and join her parents’ company, eventually inheriting the family business. The predictability of that future left her feeling an underlying sense of boredom, which was why she had taken up blogging as a side gig.

And now, she felt like she had found her second side gig.

When the news about the slot reduction broke, she remained perfectly calm.

Calmly, she closed the video she had been looping for nearly fifty times. On her computer’s lock screen, a devastatingly handsome man gazed back with a soft, knowing smile. Taking a deep breath, she opened the fan club’s internal work group and quickly typed:

[Family, you there? We’ve got work to do—]

Thirty minutes later, a detailed emergency voting strategy was distributed in the group. The voting team posted tutorials in the super topic and started organizing votes.

—

Voting itself was neither simple nor complicated. The key was to maximize the use of limited resources—people, funds, and accounts.

And resource allocation just so happened to be Ming Ling’s expertise.

For two days, Ming Ling meticulously managed all the work, even finding time to remind the younger members who were still in school to go to bed early. That night, she didn’t bother watching the show—after all, Xie Xizhao would barely get any screen time.

She simply dragged the progress bar to the end and went straight to the latest rankings.

The moment she saw Xie Xizhao’s name, all the exhaustion from the past two days vanished.

Meanwhile, Super Rookie’s forums had already exploded.

[AAAAAHHHH SISTER LINGDANG IS AMAZING! XIE FANS ARE AMAZING!!]

[New fans have so much energy—I’m fired up just watching this!!]

[Holy crap, I’m gonna cry… Who else gets it? This is the kind of story where even the idol’s own fans are fighting to rewrite fate. It’s too inspiring!!]

Comments like these flooded the threads, countless in number. By the time the production team realized what was happening and tried to suppress the discussion, it was already beyond their control.

That same night, the hashtag #XieXizhaoRewritingFate shot to the top of trending searches.

Xie Xizhao’s name was now firmly cemented in Super Rookie’s fandom landscape.

And all of this was completely unknown to Xie Xizhao himself, who was locked away in the training camp, cut off from the world without even a glimpse of the internet.

—

The night before the fan meeting, Xie Xizhao suddenly found himself unable to sleep.

It was an extremely rare occurrence.

Strict to the minute might be an exaggeration, but his routine was almost unnervingly disciplined. That was because all of his system-assigned tasks had countdowns, and long-term exposure to that structure had shaped his habits.

He had a steady temperament—every mentor who trained him said he was born for this industry. But when his service period ended, he still chose to return to his original life.

For Xie Xizhao, insomnia was nothing short of an anomaly.

He opened his eyes in the darkness. The die beside his pillow sensed his mental fluctuations and emitted a soft, luminous glow.

Xie Xizhao pinched the little die like it was a tiny pet, and it obediently dimmed.

The number displayed was 6.

A perfect roll for smooth sailing.

Xie Xizhao closed his eyes again. In his mind, blurry images of past fans flickered across his memory. They had been looking at him—but calling out a name that wasn’t his. They called for his character.

Then, soon enough, because of his so-called “countless scandals,” those same people left.

In the darkness, neon signs flickered in disrepair. Before dawn, the last glimmer of light vanished completely.

As that final light went out, Xie Xizhao drifted back into deep sleep. His dreams remained empty, as always. He slept soundly until morning—when he was abruptly shaken awake by an overly excited Ji Yan.

“Brotherbrotherbrother, hurry up! Time for makeup!”

Across from him, Ai Qingyuan threw a pillow straight at Ji Yan’s head. “Ji Yan, what the hell, are you summoning spirits?!”

…And so, in the end, they all went together.

Four people from the same dorm, plus one unofficial extra.

All of them ranked in the top twenty.

As they walked, they attracted countless stares.

The makeup artist was an old acquaintance of Xie Xizhao’s. She was still lazily chewing gum as she waved him over. “Alright, superstar. Only twenty people today—VIP treatment. You can test out a look first. What style do you want?”

Xie Xizhao smiled. “What do you think?”

“Don’t call me ‘you’ like that!” The girl playfully threatened him with her makeup brush. “Makes me sound old.”

Then, she tilted her head and smirked. “How about something with a little more… scheming?”

Xie Xizhao had naturally gentle features, making him highly adaptable in terms of styling.

With just a slight upward flick of eyeliner or the addition of a few well-placed embellishments, that gentleness could instantly transform into something utterly captivating.

Xie Xizhao said, “Let’s change it up.”

He paused for a moment. “Can we go for something more youthful? A fresher, boyish look?”

The makeup artist chuckled. “You brat. How old do you think you are?”

Then she nodded. “Got it. Sit down.”

Fifteen minutes later, Xie Xizhao opened his eyes.

Compared to before, the makeup application had been noticeably quicker. This look didn’t require much time.

At first glance, it seemed like he wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. There were no heavy colors on his face, just a natural, effortless appearance.

But a closer look revealed subtle differences.

His eyebrows had been slightly adjusted to enhance their natural shape, making them look cleaner. A fine line of eyeliner traced the outer corner of his eyes, barely noticeable but adding a touch of depth. His lower eyelid had a faint aegyo-sal effect, and his lips were coated with a muted rosewood shade that closely matched his natural lip color.

Just these small details alone made him look like a high school student who hadn’t yet graduated.

Then, he went to the dressing room and spoke with the stylist, asking for a different outfit.

He ended up in loose, deep blue shorts that stopped just above his knees, a white graphic T-shirt, and a sky-blue denim jacket. Paired with white sneakers, he looked so effortlessly casual that he could probably walk into a school campus without anyone recognizing him.

Xie Xizhao thanked the stylist, picked up his clothes, and headed out—just in time to run into Guan Heng and Ai Qingyuan coming in.

Both of them froze.

A moment later, Ai Qingyuan clicked his tongue. “…Why are you trying to act cute?”

As always, he was dressed in his signature black-and-white ensemble, carrying an attitude that practically screamed “I’m the baddest around.”

Xie Xizhao skillfully ignored him.

Guan Heng, meanwhile, studied Xie Xizhao’s outfit with a thoughtful expression. Something clicked in his mind, and he mused aloud, “For some reason, I have a feeling our dear Qingyuan is going to lose. What do you think, Xizhao?”

Xie Xizhao walked past him with a smile. “The first public performance hasn’t even started yet, nothing happened.”

His refutation was watertight.

—

After changing clothes and finishing their makeup, the group set off for the fan meeting venue. Since they had a schedule in the afternoon, no one had eaten much at noon.

Upon arrival backstage, the event coordinator went over the schedule with everyone once more. Through the doors, they could hear the lively noise of the crowd outside.

“I’m a little nervous, brother,” Ji Yan murmured.

Xie Xizhao didn’t respond.

A moment later, Ji Yan felt something being quietly slipped into his pocket.

He pulled it out and found a mint candy.

Peeling off the wrapper, the cool flavor spread through his mouth, clearing his mind and easing his nerves.

He glanced at Xie Xizhao’s calm profile, feeling at a complete loss for words—he didn’t even know how to spell “admiration” anymore.

Soon, the host took the stage to start the event.

When the words “Now, let’s welcome our trainees to the stage” echoed through the venue, Xie Xizhao distinctly heard someone in the crowd gasp.

He lowered his gaze and walked quietly at the very end.

Surrounded by flowers, fragrance, and dazzling lights, the microphone was passed down the line.

When it reached him, he finally took hold of it, pressed his earpiece, and lifted his gaze.

“Hello, everyone. I am Xie Xizhao. Xie as in unravel, Xi as in dusk, and Zhao as in dawn.”

Amid the thunderous cheers, he caught sight of his own support banner.

The name “Xie Xizhao” was surrounded by bright, adorable decorations—radiant and dazzling.

—

The fan meeting lasted for about two hours. It began with a group interview, which had been roughly rehearsed in advance, ensuring a smooth flow and a lively atmosphere.

As the trainee ranked twentieth, Xie Xizhao naturally didn’t have much screen time. Yet, it was hard for anyone present not to notice him.

His posture was the most visually appealing among everyone on stage.

It wasn’t about sitting perfectly straight—he was simply sitting in a relaxed manner, yet somehow exuded an effortless elegance beyond the rest.

However, his outfit today didn’t lean towards the usual refined aesthetic.

In the audience, fans whispered among themselves.

“Oh my god… His waist is so slim, his skin is so fair, and his ankles are gorgeous. I feel like such a perv, wuwu.”

“Who picked his outfit today? It’s so different from his first stage look. He gives off such strong boy-next-door vibes!”

“No wonder my friend said Xie Xizhao looks even better in person. Damn, he looks exactly like in the fansite photos!”

“…So can he actually get a chance to speak?”

As it turned out, not really.

In the first half, Xie Xizhao barely got any lines. The only times the host acknowledged him were when it was his turn to speak during the group Q&A.

Even so, whenever he did speak, the atmosphere in the venue instantly became more electric.

Before long, the first half wrapped up, and the long interview finally ended. The second half was reserved for games.

With only an hour to spare, the games weren’t anything overly complicated. The first one was the classic musical chairs—meant to test reaction speed and, well, provide some fan service.

Xie Xizhao had pretty fast reflexes, but he wasn’t fond of physical contact. He relied purely on luck to find a seat, and once the number of players halved, he was unfortunately eliminated.

Returning to his seat, he heard a girl in the audience call out to him, “Zhaozhao, you have to fight for it! Stop being so graceful! The cameras, the cameras!”

The remark was so funny that as soon as it was said, laughter erupted all around.

Xie Xizhao was momentarily stunned before he located the source of the voice—a lively girl wearing a baseball cap.

He curved his lips into a smile and said seriously, “Alright, I’ll try harder in the next game.”

That smile was simply too dazzling, and the venue instantly erupted into excited screams.

As a result, Ai Qingyuan—who had just won first place in the musical chairs competition—was completely ignored.

He huffed, pretending not to care, and returned to his seat.

The next game was charades.

Perhaps the program team had finally been shaken awake by the previous outburst, realizing that their obvious favoritism had become too apparent. This time, after calling up a few of the most popular contestants, the host announced that the remaining participants would be chosen by those already on stage.

The fans immediately perked up.

To be honest, in fan meetings like this, there were typically three particularly interesting segments: behind-the-scenes gossip, contestant interactions, and fan interactions.

The appeal of the last one was self-explanatory—attending live events was all about the in-person experience. But the first two were just as entertaining.

Humans are social creatures, and a person’s charm when interacting with others can be subtly different from when they are alone. Simply put, people create chemistry together.

This was also why so many boy group and girl group fans were obsessed with shipping idols together.

As soon as the host finished speaking, the audience buzzed with excitement.

Currently, four contestants were already on stage: Ai Qingyuan, Guan Heng, Fu Wenze, and Ji Yan.

The crowd immediately started whispering and speculating.

“Holy shit, is my ship finally going to meet? Lu Xing and Ai Qingyuan, can you guys please introduce yourselves to each other? Ahhh!”

“Ahhh, I ship Shenghong Twin Stars! Damn it, why did they separate Xiao Ai and Brother Heng? Program team, do you just hate seeing cute couples being all sweet and lovey-dovey?”

“…It’s so lively. Can someone please help out our Zhaozhao? We just want to hear him say a few words. Wuwu.”

The last comment was particularly pitiful, earning sympathetic looks from the people nearby.

Because he was standing at the edge of the stage, Xie Xizhao also heard it.

He simply smiled and let it go.

Coincidentally, everyone on stage was indeed someone he was familiar with.

But there was no need for any moral coercion in a situation like this.

He was quite laid-back.

And because he was laid-back, while everyone else had started exchanging meaningful glances with the popular contestants on stage, he had already spaced out in a daze.

That was, until the host’s voice rang out:

“Alright, contestants, you can now choose your partners!”

As soon as the words fell, two voices spoke up at the same time.

“Brother, brother!”

“Xie Xizhao.”

Xie Xizhao: “…”

Slightly surprised, he lifted his gaze—only to see Ai Qingyuan and Ji Yan both looking rather displeased.

—As well as Guan Heng and Fu Wenze, who had clearly started walking toward him but abruptly slammed the brakes, pretending like nothing had happened.

The entire venue fell into an eerie silence.

<< _ >>

**TN

You (您/Nin) – XXZ used a polite ‘you’ to the makeup artist

Aegyo-sal makeup – if you’ve seen Korean makeup tutorials, it’s the kind of cute ‘eyebags’ line they put under their eyes. XD