Zhang Jin’an rubbed his face. "What is it?"
"I just checked in with Xiao Zhou," Li Qiang said. "A variety show invited you. Do you want to go?"
Zhang Jin’an shook his head. "No. You know I’m not into variety shows."
"I know, I’m just following protocol," Li Qiang said, opening WeChat to message Xiao Zhou. "But I still want to say, I think someone like you would do quite well on a variety show. Even if it’s a 'reality' show, there’s still an element of 'show' involved. People tend to have a better impression of actors who seem a bit more authentic."
"I’ll consider it later." Zhang Jin’an leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. "I’ve seen the popular variety shows lately. They’ve either bought foreign rights or the editing is incredibly awkward. You can clearly tell several people are faking it; it’s very artificial. It must be hard for them to stay there just because they signed a contract. As for me... I’m just not suited for it, so forget it."
"Alright," Li Qiang said. Just then, the intercom began announcing boarding information. "Get ready, we’re about to board."
Zhang Jin’an stretched, stood up quickly, and walked off with his luggage.
He had originally come to Toronto for a poster shoot, but the weather had been so pleasant that he decided to stay for a few extra days to go on a self-drive tour and explore. Since his next engagement wasn't until the end of July, the advertisers left first, leaving him and his manager to follow later.
Over the past two days, Zhang Jin’an had taken many photos. Now, sitting in his airplane seat, he held his Sony camera and flipped through them one by one.
His favorite was a night shot he’d taken in his hotel, standing before a massive floor-to-ceiling window. The photo captured Toronto’s Lake Ontario; ships were docked at the shore, and from the high vantage point, the scattered lights reflecting in the water clearly outlined the city’s edge. It was serene and peaceful.
Once the plane leveled out, Zhang Jin’an connected his camera to his phone and posted the photo to Weibo.
Within minutes, there were hundreds of comments.
[@WhoSaysImAToilet]: No matter how beautiful the night is, it’s not as good-looking as you.
Zhang Jin’an tapped the image and saw that this user had used a red pen to circle a small patch of white clothing reflected in the window due to the interior lighting.
This wasn't the first time Zhang Jin’an had encountered such a thing. His personal Weibo content mostly consisted of photography. Once, he had taken a photo of a distant coastline from an outdoor swimming pool, and someone had circled his hand, which was only a few millimeters wide in the water's reflection.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, that comment was upvoted to the top, and the replies beneath it were filled with admiration.
[@—Zhang Jin’an’s Girl-Friend]: Oh my god, sis, you’re amazing! [Thumbs up] Are you a microscope?
[@BeggingGegeToLookAtMe]: Fuck! Sis, you’re incredible!
[@Edamame—MuAnZhiNan]: Ahhh, white pajamas and a waistband! Dage’s figure is so good, I’m already parched. In the morning, he’s the Film Emperor everyone admires; at night, he’s a boyfriend who belongs to only one person, untying his waistband as he slowly walks toward you...
[@Dage’sDage’sDage’sDage]: Replying to [@Edamame—MuAnZhiNan]: I’m giving you the pen, hurry up and write!!
[@MuSiLiAn]: Warning: Creating a friend out of thin air.
Zhang Jin’an didn't mind these comments; in fact, he found these young girls and boys quite amusing. At its core, the internet was just a tool that allowed strangers to meet and get to know each other because of a shared interest. The kind of environment created, however, depended on the people.
Funny and interesting interactions like these were much better than people hurling insults and fighting. Zhang Jin’an actually liked it; he’d even learned a few slang terms from them.
He scrolled through a few more comments, but soon he was yawning uncontrollably. Exhausted, he turned off his phone, put on his eye mask, and began to catch up on sleep.
When Zhang Jin’an woke up again, five hours had passed. Most people in the cabin were asleep, and Li Qiang was snoring beside him. Zhang Jin’an pulled the eye mask down to his neck and opened the window shade slightly. The faint light outside was a bit piercing, so he pulled it shut again.
Feeling bored, he opened Weibo and searched for his own name. The first few results were mostly interviews or related to *I Only Want You to Look at Me*.
The original posts from netizens were mostly film reviews.
Things like: "#ZhangJin’an #MuJinAnRan #IOnlyWantYouToLookAtMe Dage’s Professor Luo is something I can brag about for a lifetime. As soon as the prelude to this scene started, I got goosebumps. It’s such a faithful adaptation. In the original work, Professor Luo is a 'refined scum'; the author used 'restraint' as his descriptor. Dage’s eyes are absolutely lethal, I hope everyone appreciates them. It’s just too perfect."
And: "#ZhangJin’an Today I rewatched *Blazing Fire*. This one is truly the white moonlight of my heart, a lingering regret, yet the ending makes perfect sense. Every time I see the final crying scene, even though I don't cry, I feel a suffocating, painful sensation."
Zhang Jin’an scrolled down and suddenly saw a picture. Having seen countless images, he immediately recognized it as an article.
He adjusted his sitting position, tapped the long image, and began to read.
Sure enough, it started with him speaking.
Halfway through, Zhang Jin’an hadn't seen a female lead; he only saw his good friend, Su Zhiyang. He kept reading until he reached the line: [Zhang Jin’an looked at him with interest and hooked his finger. When Su Zhiyang’s ear was near his lips, he said, "None of them are as good-looking as you."]
Only then did Zhang Jin’an realize. This was a BL story.
Zhang Jin’an: "..."
This was the first time Zhang Jin’an had seen a BL story about himself, and his feelings were inevitably complicated. However, it was undeniable that the author wrote well. Especially toward the middle, the gushing, indescribable emotions made Zhang Jin’an marvel inwardly at how every netizen seemed to be a literary genius—otherwise, how could they write something so heartbreaking and soul-stirring?
By the end, Zhang Jin’an discovered there was even a sex scene.
[Zhang Jin’an’s sensitive spot was gripped, leaving him momentarily choked up and unable to speak, piteously begging for him to let go.
Su Zhiyang gave a wicked smile. "The Film Emperor who usually acts so domineering on stage... I didn't expect him to be so... cute in bed."]
This was also the first time Zhang Jin’an had read a sex scene featuring himself. Aside from the novelty, he was also confused: "Why am I the one on the bottom?"
Su Zhiyang was shorter and thinner than him. No matter how it was written, he should be the one on top.
Then he saw the author’s note at the end: "A man as thirsty [not really] as Dage... I really wanted to write a scene where he tries to act like a top but ends up getting topped instead."
Zhang Jin’an: "?"
He tapped to see the comments. The first one happened to voice his own confusion: "This is so well-written. But why write about these two? Isn't it a bit too much of a crack ship?"
The author replied: "But Dage has so little interaction with female actresses, I can't find any 'sugar' to scrape together. Since I'm going to crack-ship, I might as well ship my favorites! Mine isn't even that bad. If you haven't visited 'Uncontainable Zhang-Yang,' those authors are even more hardcore. They ship people who are miles apart, but Lady Tuanyuan writes so well, sob sob sob."
Zhang Jin’an didn't continue reading the other conversations, but he noticed something he didn't know about—Uncontainable Zhang-Yang.
"Zhang-Yang... Bu Xia? What is that?" Zhang Jin’an murmured.
It was his first time seeing this term. "Zhang" was likely his Zhang, but whose "Yang" was it?
With curiosity, Zhang Jin’an typed "Zhang-Yang Bu Xia" into the search bar. A hashtag appeared. He clicked in and saw 5,567 discussions. Almost every post included a long image—all fanfiction, and some even had fanart.
Because when it comes to crack shipping, netizens usually use codes or abbreviations for the two names to avoid being found through a search of their real names. Zhang Jin’an was very curious about this "Uncontainable Zhang-Yang," so he clicked on the most popular post, which had 1,503 retweets.
[@SystemLimitTuanyuan]: #Zhang-YangBuXia Heatwave Chapter 20. I was originally stuck, but Dage finally provided new material and saved me! Heavy OOC, shipping in our own circle. Dage x Siyang. I’ll say it again! I only write them because I think they both look good! I’m just that shallow! Thanks for reading.
Zhang Jin’an was surprised that this author had reached Chapter 20. The ones he’d seen before were at most five chapters. Was this person aiming for a full-length novel?
And there were quite a few retweets—at least, Zhang Jin’an hadn't seen that many for others. It must be well-written.
So, Zhang Jin’an clicked on the long image. What met his eyes first was the standard format for every fanfic—the title and setting.
[*Heatwave* 20
Zhang Jin’an x Jiang Siyang
Contains OOC. Secret crush, Entertainment Industry AU.]
Now he understood. The other person being shipped was Jiang Siyang.
"Jiang Siyang..." Zhang Jin’an whispered the name.
The name was familiar, but Zhang Jin’an was certain he wasn't close to him; otherwise, he wouldn't have struggled to remember.
Zhang Jin’an closed his eyes and searched his memory for a few seconds. Suddenly, a young man’s face appeared.
He opened his eyes. He remembered. Jiang Siyang was that newcomer.
Come to think of it, they had met more than once—twice, actually.
The first time was at the 2013 awards ceremony. At the time, Jiang Siyang had won the Best Newcomer award. Wearing a black suit, he looked clean and refreshing. His expression as he walked onto the stage was very calm, showing no signs of nervousness. But Zhang Jin’an was the presenter standing right next to him, so he had noticed that the boy's hands were shaking.
It was because of this that Zhang Jin’an had a deep impression of him.
Aside from that detail hidden from the cameras, Jiang Siyang looked perfectly composed. He gently and sincerely took the trophy from Zhang Jin’an’s hand, leaned down slightly toward the microphone, and began his acceptance speech.
[Jiang Siyang’s gentle voice reached everyone’s ears through the microphone: "I am very honored to receive this newcomer award..." Everyone thought to themselves that this newcomer was special, not showing any stage fright at all.
Little did they know that beneath this calm surface, his heart was surging with waves of emotion.
Because the person of his dreams was standing right beside him. He truly thought he was dreaming; Zhang Jin’an had actually presented him with the award, and that touch of their fingertips hadn't been an illusion. His long-term efforts had not been in vain.
After he finished speaking, he left the stage, while Zhang Jin’an, as the host, had to remain.
Jiang Siyang secretly watched the man. He was a beam of light, breaking through the clouds, incredibly dazzling, yet he did not belong to him.]
It wasn't until he reached the final period that Zhang Jin’an realized he had finished reading the article without even knowing it.
***
