Ch5 - I’m His Fan

“Fan ge, Mr. Bai has arrived.”

“Mn.” Fan Zeng made a noise of acknowledgement, but his mind was still completely on that xiao gege from the subway station. He thought for a moment, then instructed his assistant. “You, keep an eye on this boy’s movements. If there are other shows, we can still look for him.”

The little assistant had liked this boy from the start, and she immediately nodded her head. “Fan ge, I’ll keep up with the activity online. We never know when… Oh my god, speak of the devil!”

The voice of the assistant beside him suddenly increased in pitch. Fan Zeng frowned. “So jumpy, what devil are you talking about…” He followed the assistant’s gaze and turned his head. The rest of his words were swallowed back down—

The boy walking by Bai Ze’s side, wasn’t that the online xiao gege from the subway station?

Bai Ze was tall and he stood upright. When he saw that Fan Zeng’s gaze was unabashedly on Lu Xu, he raised a brow. “Fan ge, I brought the newbie for the interview.”

“Hello, Fan ge.” Lu Xu naturally nodded at Fan Zeng in greeting. Polite, but not overly familiar.

“Hello, hello.” Fan Zeng looked at Lu Xu and smiled. He was feeling great.

Lu Xu’s looks in the video were very beautiful. Fan Zeng originally thought that he was just photogenic. He never would have thought that he would be even more outstanding in person. It was probably due to the shock from seeing it in real life. Based on a single glance, Fan Zeng thought that he had to get this boy to stay.

Lu Xu and Bai Ze were both of tall stature, and their looks were the best of the best in terms of attractiveness. Even if it was just standing by the side at a subway station, everyone’s gaze would unwittingly be drawn to them.

With so many people in the corridor, it was not a convenient place to talk. Fan Zeng warmly invited them to his meeting room to discuss things.

“Aaaaaaa, it really is the subway station xiao gege!”

“Yes, yes!”

The two young assistants were beside themselves with excitement. They never would have thought they would be able to see this newfound male god so quickly in person.

“So he’s the newbie from Yao Guai Entertainment.”

“Didn’t I say that such a good-looking person couldn’t be a random stranger!”

…

Fan Zeng’s attitude showed that he clearly liked this xiao gege. His entry into the competition was already guaranteed.

If one were to look at the video on Mouyin again, after such a short time, the number of likes on the post had already reached 2 million. It was such a simple video, yet it could gain so much attention. It was proof that this boy’s looks were no joke.

Now, a lot of people were clamouring to find this ‘xiao gege from the subway station’. When the production team announced the news of the collaboration, the internet would surely explode.

Being popular before even debuting, some people’s lives were just meant for fame!

**

In the meeting room, Fan Zeng kept glancing at Lu Xu many times. The more he looked, the more satisfied he was.

“Lu Xu, you’re only 18 years old. Are you still studying?”

The basic details of the artist were created by the management company. Lu Xu did not think that Bai Ze would register his age as 18 years old. He was already at this age, but he still pretended to be naive. Lu Xu laughed internally, but none of it showed on his face. “I’m not studying. I’m already working.”

In the industry, many artists joined society at a very young age. Fan Zeng could understand it, and he didn’t forget to show concern for Lu Xu. “What jobs did you used to do?”

Lu Xu thought quickly. How was he going to describe his work of collecting souls as tactfully as possible?

Bai Ze sat at the side and was just thinking about speaking up for him when he heard Lu Xu calmly say, “It’s service-industry related.”

Guiding people to the underworld could be considered as a service, right?

So he was actually a waiter.

Fan Zeng thought about it, then couldn’t help but pat Bai Ze on the shoulder and sigh. “Director Bai really is talented. First Su Mubai then Yu Manman, now you’ve signed Lu Xu. As expected of the country’s number one manager.”

Bai Ze smiled and replied humbly, “What’s this about being number one? My luck is just a bit better, that’s all. Fan ge, about the show?”

“Yes, accepted. I’ll go back and talk with the coordinator and make arrangements for him,” Fan Zeng agreed, then casually chuckled. “Actually, one year of training isn’t a long time. The contestants for the competition this time are quite strong. But, Little Xu, don’t feel too pressured. We have specialised instructors who will guide you one-on-one. You just have to find your strength and capitalise on that. Oh, right. Are you a dancer or a vocalist?”

Lu Xu had just been signed on, when would he have had the time to train?

To be able to stretch the length of training from zero to less than a year, Manager Bai Ze was really quite daring. Calmly, Bai Ze smiled at Fan Zeng and said, “Lu Xu is still new. He has a lot of potential to grow.”

Fan Zeng had just been immersed in the joy of finding this ‘devil’. Now that he had calmed down, he quickly realised something was amiss. After all, he had been hanging out in this industry for so many years. He seemed to have thought of something. “Bai Ze, be honest with me. Did you only just sign on Little Xu?”

Bai Ze, who had been seen through, remained very calm. “We signed the contract one hour ago.”

“…” Fan Zeng looked at Bai Ze and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Didn’t I say it when I called you that time, while preparations for the show were ongoing? If you had a suitable artist then you should have recommended them to me then.”

“At the time, I hadn’t met Lu Xu yet. Anyway, Fan ge, I wasn’t planning to trick you. The boy is here. Whether he stays or goes is your decision. We’ll respect your opinion.”

It had to be said that Bai Ze’s mind was very quick.

If he had said on the phone that Lu Xu had just been signed on, Fan Zeng wouldn’t even have agreed to meet.

His original plan was to choose hard-working young people with potential to become idols, so naturally, he wished that the contestants had capabilities.

But after seeing Lu Xu, he changed his mind.

Based solely on Lu Xu’s appearance, he was still willing to find professionals to train him even if he was an absolute novice. As long as he worked hard and had the mentorship of a few professionals, it would be very easy to make progress. Moreover, even if Lu Xu’s talent was low to the point of only being able to paddle in water, he would still be an attractive point of the program.

A good variety show depended on attention and discussion. From the first glance, Fan Zeng could tell he could bring that to the table.

“Sign the contract today, and a staff will send the recording location to your emails later.” Fan Zeng’s gaze burned into Lu Xu, like he was looking at a piece of glimmering gold. “Lu Xu, I trust that my insight is correct. I’m looking forward to seeing you shine brightly on stage.”

“Thank you, Fan ge.” Lu Xu curved his eyes in a smile, then asked seemingly without much meaning, “Oh right, Fan ge, I saw that Instructor Ji was on the list of mentors. Is he coming to the training camp with us?”

The main focus of ‘Birth of an Idol’ was the professionals.

The student trainees had to focus on the training camp. They were going to be isolated for three months to train and record.

Although Lu Xu didn’t appear very old, he had a lordly temperament about him, and was extremely good-hearted. Even though he heard he had been awarded a spot in the program, his face didn’t reveal too much joy and seemed calm. Fan Zeng didn’t think Lu Xu would mention Ji Xiunian, and he nodded. “Yes, the mentors will go with the trainees to the training camp to record.” He glanced at Lu Xu for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Is Xiao Lu a fan of Xiunian?”

Lu Xu merely smiled, neither admitting nor denying it.

Fan Zeng took it as having guessed it correctly and smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, you will meet your idol when filming the show.”

Lu Xu quirked his lips, his eyes gleaming faintly. “I’m looking forward to that moment.”

After signing the contract, Lu Xu became an official trainee of the show.

Upon thinking about how he himself had signed a treasure like Lu Xu, even Fan Zeng’s brows were happy. It was good that Lu Xu’s fame from ‘xiao gege from the subway station’ was currently trending; he could definitely ride this wave.

As he was thinking of possible promotional plans, his phone rang abruptly. Fan Zeng narrowed his eyes before realizing that the person calling was Ji Xiunian.

If they counted, the two of them had known each other for over ten years.

Ji Xiunian was still a sophomore at Dongcheng Junior High at that time. Fan Zeng had gone to his school to film a variety show there. He immediately noticed Ji Xiunian and recommended him to a director friend. Ji Xiunian won the title of Film Emperor as a result of this movie, starting his career as a film star.

Fan Zeng could be half-called the talent scout who had discovered Ji Xiunian.

It was also because of this that the Ji Xiunian who never participated in variety shows had agreed to Fan Zeng’s program invitation.

“Xiunian, what’s the matter?”

The person on the other side of the call coughed lowly twice, trying to suppress the discomfort in his voice. “Fan ge, can you help me move the shoot for tomorrow morning to the afternoon? I have a slight fever and am afraid I won’t be in good shape in the morning.”

When Fan Zeng heard this he immediately asked in concern, “Is the fever serious? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

“No, just the chronic issue, I’ll be fine after resting.”

Having known each other for so long, Fan Zeng had some understanding of Ji Xiunian’s health conditions.

He looked like a healthy young man, but for some reason he would often have fevers. Even after going to the hospital, they couldn’t find out why.

Additionally, Ji Xiunian would meet with a minor incident every once in a while; although they were not life-threatening, they were of an evil nature if one really thought about them.

Fan Zeng hesitated for a moment, but still continued, “Xiunian, my friend knows a great master who’s apparently very wise. Why don’t I introduce him to you?”

The other side coughed twice, laughing a little helplessly. “Fan ge, you know I don’t believe in these things.”

“Xiunian, ge won’t hurt you, some things just can’t be explained by science.” When Fan Zeng was young he had also been a staunch agnostic, but as he grew older, he had heard about too many things, and naturally paid a little more attention.

“Fan ge…”

“Okay okay okay, if you don’t want to listen I won’t talk about it anymore.” Fan Zeng knew Ji Xiunian was a staunch agnostic and didn’t insist on the matter. To ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, he changed the subject. “Right, I found a good seedling, and he’s even your fan.”

Ji Xiunian laughed warmly. “Really? If there’s an opportunity, we can meet.”

“You can meet him when the show starts filming. Okay, I won’t keep you. Hurry, put your phone down and rest well. Don’t push it if you’re too uncomfortable, we can film another day.”

Ji Xiunian thanked Fan Zeng for his concern and hung up the phone.

He was the only person in the large flat, the simple decorations making the place seem even emptier.

His body was tired and sore, but Ji Xiunian currently had no intention of sleeping at all. As soon as he closed his eyes, the familiar feeling of heaviness would immediately surge at him, surrounding him until he was unable to breathe.

The medical field had a professional term for this kind of situation: ‘Sleep Paralysis’, but many people liked to call it ‘Demon Pressing Bed’.

Many people by his side had tried to introduce great masters to him, but Ji Xiunian had rejected them all.

He lifted his hand to hold the jade around his neck, a hint of warmth in his beautiful eyes—

This was the last gift his mother had left him. She had told him it was a protective talisman she had specifically gotten for him. But it wasn’t long after that his parents died in a car accident.

If there really were ghosts in this world, how could they have not come to visit his dreams even once?

Ji Xiunian got up and walked to his floor-to-ceiling windows to look outside. He didn’t notice that there was an additional face in the reflection of the glass.