Chapter 118 1/2

[Crossing the Starry Sea] Just a few days into the live broadcast, Tu Zhu’s fans were pleasantly surprised to find that Tu Zhu, who used to be criticized everywhere he went, was starting to receive a different treatment from the audience on this show.

In the barrage, friendly comments related to Tu Zhu gradually appeared:

[Tu Zhu looks dumb, kind of cute.]

[I didn’t expect Tu Zhu to have a somewhat soft personality in real life; I thought he would be arrogant.]

[I didn’t know Tu Zhu was so short; he looks so small.]

[Hahaha, it’s because his three roommates are too tall, and Tu Zhu is only eighteen this year; he’s still growing.]

[He dances really well; he just usually seems reluctant to talk.]

[Every time I see Tu Zhu interacting with his three roommates, I feel strangely happy and want to laugh.]

This is just the beginning; viewers are usually in a wait-and-see mode towards contestants, and it’s unlikely for a group of people to suddenly say, “Tu Zhu is great, Tu Zhu is awesome, Tu Zhu is fantastic.”

At most, there are expressions of some favorable feelings in the comments, but there’s no negativity towards Tu Zhu.

However!

Even so, Tu Zhu’s fans are extremely excited! Thank the heavens, thank the earth, thank you, Sheng Dong, and thank you, Xing Mang.

They have long witnessed Tu Zhu being criticized for everything he does, or even for doing nothing at all. The company never cared, and the situation became more and more serious, with control and criticism escalating to unprecedented levels.

Even trivial things that had nothing to do with Tu Zhu, like “the plants owned by the male stars in the same group died,” could be connected to Tu Zhu. Black fans would find a photo from two years ago of Tu Zhu watering plants and then, together with casual viewers, would criticize him:

“Tu Zhu killed the plants someone else owned! Tu Zhu is doing all sorts of bad things; karma will get him!”

The expression of fans who saw Tu Zhu’s Weibo fall into such a situation was like this at the time:

It sounds absurd, but that’s what Tu Zhu has been experiencing all along.

Leaving the stage he’s good at and entering the acting industry where he’s not good at, and adding the lack of company protection, he is like a target standing there for anyone to come and criticize.

Although the phrase “Even if my idol is against the world, I will always support you” sounds romantic and wonderful, which fan wants their idol to be abandoned by the whole world?

What they like is that shining Tu Zhu.

Everyone can see that Tu Zhu’s fans can sense that he’s slowly “coming back” from the negative comments of the public.

Tu Zhu’s fans are so surprised that they can’t believe it. The fan groups, which had lost morale under the constant blows, are gathering again.

The veteran fans in the group are reminding each other: [When watching the live broadcast of Crossing the Starry Sea, don’t say things that praise Tu Zhu and criticize others.]

[Tu Zhu’s reputation has just started to improve; at this time, we must be very careful with our words and not ruin the good impression of the general audience.]

[The production team is taking good care of Tu Zhu; we just need to silently support him.]

Of course, when showing our support, we must make it clear that we are supporting Tu Zhu. When the program sees that Tu Zhu is popular, they will surely give him more screen time! ]

Yes, fans believe that Tu Zhu is being taken care of by the production team.

A person’s state of mind and whether they like their current environment can be clearly seen through their complexion and daily activities.

Tu Zhu is still not fond of speaking, still likes to lower his head, and still tends to stay in the corner, silently working hard to memorize lyrics and practice dance moves.

However, he gradually starts to actively invite roommates to train together. During mealtimes in the cafeteria, his appetite improves little by little. He even helps reserve seats for his roommates during physical education classes.

These changes, though short in duration, might not be noticeable to passersby, but for Tu Zhu’s fans who hide among the crowd, they joyfully watch the young man they admire shining on stage, with smiles on their faces increasing day by day.

Then, discreetly blending into the barrage, they would comment: “The meat looks delicious today, Tu Zhu; eat a bit more; chubby looks even better.”

As Tu Zhu, who was quietly eating meat, finished reading this comment, he was poked by his roommate, Meng Wei.

The young man looked up in confusion.

Meng Wei: “Zhu, did you gain weight?”

“Yeah! It seems like your face has become a bit rounder!” Another roommate, who was indulging in eating, immediately nodded. “Definitely gained weight.”

Tu Zhu touched his face. “Really?”

“Yes!”

Ming Qin also nodded. “After eating, let’s go weigh ourselves.”

Ten minutes later,

Tu Zhu stood on the scale, looking at the weight, which was five pounds heavier than when he joined the group.

His face, always exuding a delicate and ethereal aura, now displayed deep confusion.

His roommate, Jing Tian Gao, with a loud voice, exclaimed, “You gained five pounds?”

Ming Qin patted his solid arm and said, “Zhu is still growing; gaining five pounds is normal.”

Jing Tian Gao, as straightforward as always, said, “But we’ve only been in the program for four days!”

With a rosy face and dark and glossy hair, looking quite well-nourished, Tu Zhu looked bewildered. “…”

Viewers watching the live broadcast almost laughed out loud.

[Hahaha, I gained five pounds in four days.]

“Thanks, Tu Zhu. I feel much better about gaining five pounds in a month.”

“Don’t laugh; Tu Zhu is still growing; it’s normal to gain weight quickly; what’s so funny?”

“The one who said not to laugh, you’re laughing so loudly, hahaha.”

“Jing Tian Gao’s previous statement can become a meme; it really made me laugh.”

“Jing Tian Gao: Shocked Meme.jpg”

“How good is the food in the program group? The kid gained five pounds in four days, and he’s an idol. I’m really laughing to death.”

Sheng Quan was also having a meal, but of course, Sheng Dong would not eat in the contestants’ cafeteria. Today, she decided to indulge herself and ordered from a restaurant with a high price but exceptionally delicious food.

Expensiveness has its reasons. Because the program group is quite far away (actually only a two- to three-hour drive), the head chef, with assistants and ingredients, came directly to cook a table full of delicious dishes on-site.

Sheng Dong, while eating, watched the live broadcast on her tablet and read novels on her phone—the epitome of multitasking.

Seeing this, she temporarily put down her chopsticks and sent a message: [Hahaha].

After sending it, Sheng Dong marveled, “Don’t say, even though he gained five pounds, he looks even better.”

“Unfortunately, he won’t see foods like braised pork belly in the cafeteria in the future.”

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of succulent and tempting braised pork belly with rice and took a bite—fatty but not greasy, melting in the mouth. Sheng Dong’s satisfied eyes narrowed.

Many wealthy bosses, as Sheng Dong knows, also pay attention to their diet. The more assets they have, the more they pay attention to nutritional balance, and they also have to consider the issue of feeling drowsy after eating carbohydrates.

However, there are also many bosses who, even after becoming rich, won’t forcibly change their eating habits. They eat what they like, as long as it doesn’t harm their health.