Chapter 17: Popularity

Backstage, where people bustled in every direction, Guo Bin was walking with Duan Lin toward the dressing area when they suddenly heard a burst of shouting and commotion ahead.

Guo Bin frowned. “What’s going on?”

Duan Lin noticed that his hairstylist, Xiao Qun, was rushing over from that direction and asked directly, “What happened?”

Xiao Qun answered, “Something’s gone wrong in the interview room! Qin Shu hit a reporter! It spilled out into the hallway, and now it’s total chaos. I think someone even got hurt.”

“Has Qin Shu lost it?” Guo Bin was immediately on alert. Duan Lin was scheduled to present an award right after the intermission performance. Worried about getting caught in a mess, he said, “Let’s avoid that area. We’ll find a quieter spot for touch-ups.”

But Duan Lin’s eyes swept forward—and landed on a familiar figure.

He spoke plainly, “Let’s go take a look.”

Sure enough, the person standing in the center of the incident was Ruan Yu. Her head was bowed as she rubbed her eyes, soaked completely in champagne. Shards of broken glasses lay scattered at her feet, the spilled liquid foaming slightly. Traces of blood streaked through it.

Guo Bin was stunned. “Wait… isn’t that girl from the variety show? What’s she doing here?”

Journalists from the interview room had gathered around. Assistant Shao Li recognized the crew’s behind-the-scenes cameraman from their time at the film studio and panicked, quickly stopping Duan Lin from moving forward.

“Brother Lin, there are too many eyes watching… You can’t go over there,” he whispered.

Guo Bin also noticed the camera. “She’s still filming that disguise variety show? Looks like something real happened on camera. Damn, knowing her temper, the production team’s going to have a tough time cleaning this up.”

Ruan Yu was in so much pain she felt like her soul had left her body—her arm throbbed, her eyes stung, and the noise around her blurred into static. Someone handed her a few napkins, which she took and used to wipe the champagne from her eyes. She could finally open them again.

The cameraman, who had been shadowing her the whole time, was frozen in fear, still holding the equipment, unsure whether to help or keep rolling.

Next to her, Shen Fangfei offered a fresh pack of tissues. “Do you need more? Are you okay? Oh my god, you’re…”

Ruan Yu ignored him for the moment. Her first instinct was to turn and look for Ji Linhao.

Seeing that he’d been pushed aside and was unharmed, she finally exhaled in relief—then looked down at herself. Her forearm had been gashed open by the broken glass. Champagne and blood mixed indistinguishably on her skin.

No wonder it hurt so much.

Ji Linhao, brows furrowed, rushed over. “Are you okay? Your arm is bleeding.”

“Don’t—don’t come any closer!” Ruan Yu bristled, backing away quickly.

Ji Linhao was caught off guard. “What?”

“You might step on the glass!” she cried, panicked.

He froze.

“You’re going on stage soon, right? I’m all dirty now—just don’t come any closer. Go get ready,” Ruan Yu said, cradling her injured arm. She kept a calm face, as if it didn’t hurt at all. In a quiet voice, she urged him, “I’m fine. Go.”

Ji Linhao saw her eyes reddened from the pain, but she still smiled at him with bright eyes—offering encouragement through it all. “Your fans are all waiting. Tonight’s stage is yours. You got this.”

Shen Fangfei, making a quick decision, said, “I’ll take Ji Linhao first. Hang in there, I’ll be right back.”

Ruan Yu suddenly said, “Wait.”

Shen Fangfei turned, worried. “What is it?”

Ruan Yu looked even more serious. “Does this count as a workplace injury? Can I get reimbursed for the medical bills?”

“…” Shen Fangfei was floored.

“…Yes! It’s covered! I’ll even pay out of pocket and treat you to dinner afterward!”

Ruan Yu closed her eyes, smiling with a curve. “Go on, then.”

Not far away, Duan Lin witnessed the entire scene, a subtle frown creasing his brows. His expression was unreadable.

She and Ji Linhao… were they close?

“Wait, isn’t that Ruan Yu?”

As the crowd began to disperse, a surprised voice came from nearby.

Duan Lin glanced to the side. A woman in a pure white evening gown was staring in Ruan Yu’s direction with surprise. She looked familiar—he seemed to have seen her before in the The Hopeless Pursuit of Fame production crew.

Shen Ruowei had originally been heading to the backstage cocktail hall, but instead ended up witnessing a chaotic scene. The more she watched, the more the injured person looked like Ruan Yu. Just as she was about to go over and confirm, a voice beside her called out:

“Do we know each other?”

Shen Ruowei turned toward the voice, surprise and delight flashing in her eyes.

She had actually run into Duan Lin—and he was talking to her?

Shen Ruowei was flattered and nervous. “Me? Yes, we’ve met, we’ve met. I played a supporting role in The Hopeless Pursuit of Fame. You might not remember me. My name’s Shen Ruowei. I spoke to you a few times on set, but your assistant blocked me…”

Guo Bin, watching Duan Lin take the rare initiative to speak to a female artist, was confused. What’s going on here?

Duan Lin responded flatly, “Is that so.”

Shen Ruowei continued in a gentle tone, “Yes. We didn’t talk much, and once the shoot wrapped, I didn’t have any way to contact you. I was wondering if maybe…”

Her agent had gone to great lengths to secure her a spot at tonight’s gala, all in the hopes of expanding her network. Duan Lin was the perfect target—high status, influential, and much-coveted among female celebrities. The fact that he had taken the initiative to speak to her tonight gave her vanity an enormous boost.

Meanwhile, Ruan Yu had just wiped her face clean and was about to leave. But when she looked up and saw who was there, she turned and bolted on the spot.

Shit. Duan Lin and Shen Ruowei?! Her makeup was half-ruined—if they saw her now, they’d definitely recognize her. Did she really have to live through this nightmare hallway encounter?

Thankfully, the two were too absorbed in conversation to notice her.

Ruan Yu slipped away.

Tsk.

Fans from rival fandoms would never guess in their lifetime that their idol was a married man secretly flirting with other actresses. The entertainment industry really was a mess.

Duan Lin caught a glimpse of her disappearing figure from the corner of his eye—Ruan Yu had already fled.

Back with Shen Ruowei—

“If it’s not too much trouble… could I add you on WeChat?” she asked softly.

“No.” Duan Lin withdrew his gaze.

Shen Ruowei’s hopeful expression froze instantly. Shao Li quickly stepped in to defuse the awkwardness, ushering her away with a few words. The group resumed walking toward the lounge.

Shao Li leaned in toward Guo Bin. “You think Lin-ge was helping Ruan Yu just now?”

Guo Bin replied curtly, “No way.”

But in his heart, he thought: Who the hell knows what that young master is really thinking?

Not far away, Shen Ruowei stood frozen, face pale, bitter with frustration.

She remembered clearly—Ruan Yu had once gotten Duan Lin’s private WeChat.

Why her, and not me?

—

At 9:30 p.m., during prime time, the Star Motion Gala was in full swing. After Ji Linhao’s performance, Duan Lin took the stage to accept the “Most Popular of the Year” award. The venue erupted in screams and fan chants, the energy off the charts.

The appearance of these two top-tier stars sent the gala into a frenzy, dominating the trending charts on every platform. The entire internet buzzed like it was New Year’s Eve.

But Ruan Yu, backstage and busy cleaning herself up, didn’t experience any of that excitement. She borrowed a change of clothes from the event staff, then headed straight to the hospital. On the way, she rewatched Ji Linhao’s stage on her phone.

Tonight, Ji Linhao had won “Most Accomplished Musician of the Year” and performed the title track from his new album. Ruan Yu clutched her phone and silently squealed, feeling like her pain had vanished in an instant.

At the hospital, the ER doctor examined her and issued a prescription.

“This cut doesn’t require stitches, but you’ll need a tetanus shot. You should recover in about two weeks.”

A shot?!

Ruan Yu’s face drained of color. She slumped, resigned to her fate, and joined the queue for the injection.

The event staff had dropped her off and left. Only the filming cameraman stayed behind, shooting from a distance since the ER was quite crowded. With no one to talk to, in pain and feeling utterly miserable, she pulled out her phone, hoping to scroll through Weibo for a distraction—when several system messages suddenly popped up.

[Ruan Yu’s disguise has failed. Her original occupational identity will be revoked. Due to the unusual circumstances, no bricklaying card will be issued at this time. The remaining contestants may continue to compete.]

[Remaining Contestant: He Changyuan.]

Ruan Yu: ???

Just then, Shen Fangfei’s call came through.

He was still backstage, the background noise loud and chaotic. “I’m done here, I’ll head over right away. How are you doing?”

“I just finished the skin test. The doctor said I just need a tetanus shot and I’ll be fine,” Ruan Yu replied.

“Good, good. I’ll see you soon—Da… no, I mean, Ruan Yu.”

Ruan Yu froze, jolted as if struck. Her soul took a critical hit.

Silence. An awkward, deafening silence.

“…When did you find out?” she asked, dreadfully.

“Just now. Like, five minutes ago,” Shen Fangfei said, voice full of disbelief. “Did you check the trending topics? You’re on there, sweetheart.”

His tone turned aggrieved, like a palace consort betrayed: “Ten days! I counted—ten whole days I was kept in the dark! You and Mr. Chen—you two really pulled one over on me!”

Ruan Yu braced herself and tapped into the trending list. Sure enough, she was third.

No prefix. No scandal. Just her name: Ruan Yu.

The top trending post featured a photo:

[@FanAccountForJiL: I was lucky enough to be backstage tonight and managed to snap a photo of the girl who saved gege. Pretty sure it’s this young lady, @RuanYu, right? [Image]]

She tapped on the image. It had perfectly captured the moment she stopped Ji Linhao from coming closer to check on her. She looked battered and soaked in wine, droplets clinging to her hair, nose, and jaw. Her makeup was ruined. But in her eyes—there was a complicated light, equal parts sorrow and hope.

There was a tragic beauty in that candid shot.

In just fifteen minutes, the post had already been shared over ten thousand times.

[Holy crap, is she okay…? That injury looks really bad. She went way too hard just for a variety show.]

[Thank you, seriously thank you!! I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened if those glasses had hit Ji Linhao. I hope she recovers soon!!]

[srds (just saying), but this gorgeous girl’s eyes look like glass marbles—absolutely stunning. Can we all agree this photo deserves to be a legendary ‘beautiful, strong, and tragic’ meme moment?]

[Wait, that’s Ruan Yu?!! When did she change her look?!]

[Damn, even passersby are getting emotional. What do you call someone who’s beautiful and kind? (tactical lean-back)]

[Consider me a fan. Does she have any work I can catch up on?]

Ruan Yu stared at her phone, completely baffled. After scrolling through trending topics for a bit, she finally pieced everything together.

Earlier that night, a video of singer Qin Shu clashing with a reporter backstage had gone viral. The topic “Qin Shu assaults reporter” shot to the top of the trending list, sparking a massive online uproar.

Ruan Yu had been buried in filming her variety show recently and hadn’t been keeping up with celebrity gossip. She only just learned that Qin Shu had been embroiled in a scandal after her ex-husband leaked private photos of her post-divorce. The explicit images ended up online, causing a huge stir. The reporter Qin Shu attacked was likely pressing her about this scandal, triggering her outburst.

The whole incident—Qin Shu smashing a bag at the reporter and the ensuing chaos—had been caught on camera. That’s how Ruan Yu, pushing Ji Linhao away and shielding him from the champagne tower collapse, ended up in the frame. That one moment also went viral.

At first, netizens were praising Ji Linhao’s staff for acting swiftly to protect their artist. But then, a few eagle-eyed fans recognized Ruan Yu—the same Ruan Yu who’d recently been trending—and suddenly the spotlight shifted.

One of Ji Linhao’s fans had captured a candid shot that confirmed it: it was Ruan Yu.

If it had been a staff member jumping in to shield Ji Linhao, that would’ve been their job. But Ruan Yu, a fellow artist, had stepped in without a second thought, not caring if she’d get hurt or even disfigured. That wasn’t part of anyone’s job description—she did it simply because she cared.

In that raw, unfiltered photo—hair and makeup ruined, clothes soaked, blood barely cleaned—Ruan Yu somehow looked heartbreakingly beautiful. Her eyes, despite the chaos, still shimmered with emotion. That one snapshot went viral, and Ruan Yu gained a flood of new fans practically overnight. Her Weibo comments exploded.

Soon after, netizens dug up that she was filming a show called “Undercover Profession.” The show also trended.

The trending list turned into a battlefield of fan wars, drama, and sudden stardom. Some were there for the tea, others came for the redemption arc—and all of it was wildly entertaining.

Back on her own Weibo, Ruan Yu was still clueless about how much attention she was getting. She blinked at the comments in confusion, mumbling, “Beautiful and kindhearted? Me?”

But that was love. Love!!

That was the passionate, unreserved, ride-or-die love of a die-hard fan willing to charge through fire and hell for their idol!

Her phone buzzed again.

A call from an unknown number. Ruan Yu picked up: “Hello?”

A low, warm voice came through: “Ruan Yu?”

Ji Linhao!! She recognized his voice instantly and shot up from her seat. “Yes, that’s me!”

“This is Ji Linhao. I got your number from Teacher Shen just now,” he said. “I heard you went to the hospital. How’s your injury?”

Ruan Yu was practically trembling with nerves. “It’s just a minor injury, really, nothing serious. Uh—how did your performance go?”

“It went well. Thank you, for earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you before. Were you filming a variety show?”

“Yes. Because of the show, I didn’t tell you I wasn’t actually a makeup artist… Sorry about that. Though it looks like my undercover mission still flopped.”

She then heard a soft chuckle from Ji Linhao—gentle, amused, and just slightly husky from his recent performance. The sound nearly sent Ruan Yu into cardiac arrest.

Ji Linhao said, “I can’t come to the hospital right now, but I wanted to thank you.”

“Oh no, of course! I get it—I totally get it. If you came, it would cause chaos. Please don’t come!”

They chatted a little longer. Ji Linhao remained polite, but Ruan Yu felt like she was floating on a cloud of pink hearts, struggling to hide her beaming smile. If the show’s cameraman wasn’t around, she’d probably be dancing in the ER.

Oh my god, how is her Haohao so sweet?!
He’s a top-tier celebrity, and he personally called to check on her. What had she done to deserve this as a Z-list nobody?

After hanging up, Ruan Yu replied to the WeChat messages from the show’s director and other guests who had reached out with concern, and resumed waiting for her shot.

But before the injection came, Lin Qing and Ye Mengmeng arrived at the hospital in a hurry.

Ye Mengmeng’s eyes were red as she rushed over. “Xiao Yu-jie! Are you okay?!”

Several patients had already started to look over, so Ruan Yu quickly pulled the two to a quiet corner. “I’m fine. Why did you come all the way here?”

Lin Qing replied, “The moment you got injured, the production team informed Sister An. But she’s not in Beijing tonight, so she asked us to come check on you. Honestly, how could the production team be so negligent? What if something really serious happened?!”

Both Lin Qing and Ye Mengmeng were clearly shaken. An Zhuoqian was furious too, and after discussing it with the producers, they considered canceling Ruan Yu’s penalty task and giving her a few days off to recover.

But Ruan Yu refused. “No need. It’s just a small injury. Besides, there are only four days left until filming wraps.”

Lin Qing nearly choked. “If you don’t rest properly and end up with a scar, what then? What if you become famous—are you going to explain the scar to every single fan?!”

Ye Mengmeng nodded seriously. “And I have a strong feeling, Xiao Yu-jie—you’re about to blow up. At first, Sister An was going to have the company’s PR accounts help boost your popularity after tonight’s incident. But turns out you didn’t need any help. Your popularity’s been skyrocketing on its own, like someone lit a rocket under it!”

Just as Ruan Yu was about to respond, her phone vibrated again.

It was a fan-tracking app notification from her secondary account.

[Your darling Ji Linhao just posted on Weibo.]

[Your darling Ji Linhao just followed @RuanYu.]

Ruan Yu froze.

Lin Qing: “Xiao Yu-jie, what’s wrong?”

“Is it your injury?”

No. Ruan Yu clutched her chest.

It wasn’t the injury. It was her heart. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

Ahhhhhhh—Ji Linhao followed her?!
Was she dreaming? Was this real life??

Ruan Yu logged into her fan account and clicked on Ji Linhao’s “Following” list. Right there in his most recent follows was her main account, plain as day. She stared blankly for two seconds before looking up.

“Lin Qing, you’ve been managing my Weibo all this time, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

Ruan Yu took a deep breath. “Great. From now on, I’ll take over.”

With trembling hands and a pounding heart, Ruan Yu finally logged into her main account. She carefully opened Ji Linhao’s profile and tapped the “Follow Back” button. Holding her breath, she watched as their Weibo relationship changed to “Mutual Following.”

Mutual following.

This was something she had never dared dream of before.

Like she was sleepwalking, Ruan Yu stared at the screen for a long time. Then, still in a daze, she queued up for a tetanus shot and wandered off to get the injection.

When she returned, the wound had been properly treated—cleaned with iodine and wrapped in a small bandage. Brimming with restless energy, she raised her bandaged hand and gave a thumbs-up, snapping a selfie.

No filters. No edits. She posted it straight away.

@RuanYu: [Thanks everyone for your concern. It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious.]

When Lin Qing saw the post, he nearly choked. The young miss had actually uploaded a completely unfiltered, barefaced selfie—and hadn’t even bothered to tidy her chin-length hair, which now stuck out every which way.

Could this ancestor please stop pulling these kinds of stunts just because she looked good?!

The comment section exploded:

[Aaaah new fan reporting in!!]

[Oh my god, that smile is so charming, I love her! How is she this pretty without makeup? Hope she recovers soon!!]

[Hahahahaha wow—is this what it’s like when you’re good-looking enough to post anything? Noted.]

[Came from the trending list. Beauty and kindness in one, marry me please [kiss][kiss][kiss]]

[Anyone else waiting for Undercover Profession to air??]

…

Ruan Yu hadn’t expected so many comments. Every time she refreshed, they surged by the thousands. That was when she noticed—her Weibo follower count was rapidly approaching three million.

It really felt like… she was gaining popularity.

---

Author’s Note:
One more chapter to go! The next one wraps up the variety show—Xiaoyu flies high, and Mama is always with you!