Zhang Jin’an sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window. The scenery outside was as bright and beautiful as it had been at noon, but the heavy traffic was enough to make anyone lose their patience.
Fortunately, the car was playing his favorite music, which was the only thing keeping him from drifting off to sleep.
Li Qiang glanced at him and said, “You know, if what you said to that little girl earlier was caught on camera, it would definitely go viral again.”
Zhang Jin’an kept his eyes on the window. “I didn’t say that to her because I wanted to go viral.”
“I know you’re not the type to chase clout,” Li Qiang said. “I just remembered those people who were exposed a few days ago for staging ‘touching’ videos just to get clicks.”
Zhang Jin’an let out a mocking laugh. “I saw that too. Taking the crooked path just to get famous—they really think the public is stupid, when in reality, they’re the fools. No one actually respects them; people just give them a like while they’re on the toilet. Once they’re exposed, forget about being ‘respectable’—they’re a laughingstock to anyone with a pulse. I really don’t understand what kids these days are thinking.”
Li Qiang smiled. Zhang Jin’an’s tongue always turned sharp whenever he encountered "marketing" or people trying to get something for nothing. That hadn't changed in years.
To be honest, if anyone else had said those words, Li Qiang would have dismissed them as arrogant or conceited. But coming from Zhang Jin’an, it felt justified. He truly had the right to criticize those people.
Others might not know, but Li Qiang had watched Zhang Jin’an’s journey from the beginning. This man worked hundreds of times harder than the public realized.
Take his voice, for example. The internet raved about his "sexy baritone," but no one knew his voice hadn't always been like that. In the past, his voice was bright and clean—the typical voice of a young man in his early twenties.
His current deep register was a permanent side effect of his training. He had literally practiced his lines until he went hoarse multiple times. After treatment, he was left with this lingering condition; he would cough late at night, and if he wasn't careful, he would lose his voice entirely the next day.
Because he had clawed his way up through blood and sweat, he looked down on those who took shortcuts. Li Qiang understood this sentiment well, so he let Zhang Jin’an speak his mind freely.
“You call them kids, but some of them might be older than you,” Li Qiang joked.
Zhang Jin’an looked thoughtful. “True. Even actual kids probably have more sense than they do.”
“Alright, rein in that sharp tongue. Don’t be so vicious when we get out of the car,” Li Qiang added smoothly. “We’re meeting Director Tang Shang later.”
Zhang Jin’an was surprised. “Director Tang? Why is he here?”
Tang Shang was the director of *Plum Blossom Bones*. Zhang Jin’an respected him immensely. Beyond his fame, Tang Shang had been instrumental in refining Zhang Jin’an’s acting skills, serving as a mentor who helped him reach a new level of performance.
Li Qiang had anticipated his surprise and explained calmly, “What else? To look at a script.”
“What project?” Zhang Jin’an was still puzzled. He hadn't heard anything about Tang Shang starting a new production.
“The one you’ve been waiting for,” Li Qiang said.
Zhang Jin’an’s eyes widened, and he immediately blurted out the name: “*Hidden Shadows*?!”
“Mhm,” Li Qiang nodded.
“For real?” Zhang Jin’an sat up straight, adjusting his seatbelt with a look of pure excitement. “If you want to talk about *Hidden Shadows*, then I’m wide awake.”
*Hidden Shadows* was a novel Zhang Jin’an had read back in university. It told a story of vampires and humans coexisting, blending daily life with a suspenseful overarching plot.
The genre was niche, so it hadn't been very popular at the time, but Zhang Jin’an had been obsessed with it. He used to stay up late memorizing lines from the book, scaring his roommates half to death when they got up to use the bathroom.
He had even brought the book with him to Toronto, re-reading the entire trilogy. To hear such good news the moment he stepped off the plane—how could he not be thrilled?
“It’s *Hidden Shadows*. But I think it’s better to discuss the details when everyone meets. I just messaged Director Tang; we’ll meet at Jiahua in two hours. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still have a meal.”
Zhang Jin’an nodded. “Great! Let’s go!”
Li Qiang sighed. “I’d love to ‘go,’ but how exactly do we move?”
Zhang Jin’an looked out. They were in the exact same spot on the highway, having moved perhaps two car lengths.
He frowned, sensing the gravity of the situation. “Is it rush hour?”
Li Qiang gave him a look. “What do you think? But it’s only congested here. Once we’re off the elevated highway, it’ll be fine. Even with the delay, we’ll make it in time.”
Deflated, Zhang Jin’an slumped back into his seat and pulled out his phone. “Fine. Drive slowly then, Qiang-ge.”
“Where did all that momentum go?”
Zhang Jin’an stared at his screen. “Tired. It’s gone.”
Li Qiang: “?”
Ignoring Li Qiang’s judgmental gaze, Zhang Jin’an opened Weibo and searched for Jiang Siyang’s profile again.
*Even if there are only a dozen posts, I should be able to find something to interact with,* he thought. However, he soon realized that Jiang Siyang’s Weibo was nothing like his own. It was clearly managed by a company; posts were made only once every two weeks, mostly reposting advertisements or official statements.
Zhang Jin’an was baffled. “Tsk—do kids these days not like the internet?”
“What now?” Li Qiang asked.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised Jiang Siyang only has a dozen or so posts.”
“Hah, I thought it was something serious,” Li Qiang said. “You’re surprised by him? He’s probably the one who’d be surprised by you.”
Zhang Jin’an was confused. “Me? What’s wrong with me?”
“What’s wrong with you? Show me another actor whose total post count rivals a tabloid account. You’re at thirteen thousand now, aren't you? And eighty percent of them are just ‘hahahaha,’” Li Qiang pointed out.
Zhang Jin’an held up five fingers. “To be honest, that post I shared yesterday was exactly my fifteen thousandth.”
Li Qiang: “...And you’re proud of that?”
“Should I be depressed about it?”
“...Fair point. Anyway, it’s your account, so post whatever you want. Just watch your words. These days, one typo can get you thousands of hate comments.”
Zhang Jin’an remained calm. “I know. That’s why I usually just repost with ‘hahahaha.’”
“...” Li Qiang kept one hand on the steering wheel and gave Zhang Jin’an a thumbs-up with the other. “Classic you.”
Zhang Jin’an accepted the compliment gracefully and continued scrolling through the meager content on Jiang Siyang’s feed.
[@JiangFourSheep]: Very grateful to serve as the brand representative for Velove this time. // Velove Brand: The long-awaited posters are here! [Image]
Zhang Jin’an knew the brand Velove. It was moderately famous, specializing in sportswear with affordable prices. He had bought a set back in university, though he hadn't worn it since graduating and probably couldn't find it now.
Velove’s poster style was consistent: black backgrounds and models required to be bare-faced.
For a sports brand, going bare-faced wasn't a huge challenge as long as the model could project a sunny, athletic vibe. However, because they were models, the physical requirements were higher than for other posters. They didn't need massive muscles, but they needed defined lines.
Zhang Jin’an tapped on the image.
Jiang Siyang’s face was, naturally, beyond reproach. When Zhang Jin’an had seen him up close at the awards ceremony, he realized that makeup would only serve to darken his eyebrows; anything else would be redundant.
He scrolled through a few more photos. Although he was mostly covered by clothes, a glimpse of his waist and torso was visible when he raised his arms. His physique was solid.
Unsurprisingly, the comments section was a frenzy.
[@SheepSheepSheepSheep]: Holy crap, little brother, I’m here! TTTTTT How am I supposed to keep being your ‘mom’ like this?
[@ColdWindBlowingOnFace]: I’m dead. Image 8, that waistline and those abs... I’m literally dead.
[@HumbleLittleChenEatingDirt]: Damn, what kind of god-tier bare face is this? Is he really not wearing makeup?? This guy is way too handsome!!
[@FourSheepsCurls]: I’ve already bought the same outfit. The price is actually reasonable. Rounding up, this counts as Four Sheep posting a personal update! Let’s go!
...
Feeling like he was about to be drowned in the sea of comments, Zhang Jin’an exited the official brand post and looked at Jiang Siyang’s other updates.
The next post jumped from June all the way back to May.
*So he really only posts once a month?*
Zhang Jin’an recalled that he sometimes posted dozens of times a month, averaging two a day. By comparison, he felt he might be a bit annoying. He decided to try and limit himself to about ten posts a month in the future.
[@JiangFourSheep]: Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there.
[@JiangFourSheep]: Everyone gets a little flower umbrella, so Zhou Li won't be lonely on his way home.
Zhang Jin’an’s thumb paused. *Zhou Li...*
“Tsk...” The name looked familiar.
If he remembered correctly, that was the name of the male lead in the historical drama *Falling Petals*.
*Falling Petals* had aired in March. His youngest sister, Zhang Shuyu, had been obsessed with the character. She would post screenshots of the drama every other day, and he was pretty sure her WeChat profile picture had been the male lead for a while.
Zhang Jin’an didn't usually watch other dramas, so he hadn't paid much attention.
However, he remembered Shuyu’s description: the story was about a crane that was rescued and then sought to repay the favor. A lot of things happened in between, but Zhang Jin’an couldn't recall the specifics.
So, Jiang Siyang had been in that.
Zhang Jin’an went to browse Zhang Shuyu’s WeChat Moments. Sure enough, she still had those screenshots. Scrolling down, almost the entire month of March was filled with images from the drama.
He randomly clicked on one—a scene of a man wearing a vermilion forehead ribbon and snow-white robes, looking as if he had just stepped out of a mist. Shuyu had captioned it: “Another day of sobbing for Zhou Li TTTTTT.”
Zhang Jin’an: “...”
In truth, the source of Zhang Jin’an’s love for the internet was Zhang Shuyu.
She was a true "fandom girl." She had started following idols in middle school, and now, as a junior in college, she was even more dedicated. Whenever she had a break, she was off to concerts or movie premieres.
Because Zhang Jin’an talked to Shuyu the most at home, she would often show him what the fandom was saying about him. At first, he didn't understand terms like “awsl” or “szd,” so Shuyu had to teach him one by one.
As it happened, Zhang Jin’an was very open-minded, and thus he was successfully dragged into the world of the internet.
His second sister, Zhang Qingyue, had only one thing to say about their behavior: “If the entertainment industry gave out exams, you two would definitely be the top scholars.”
In addition to screenshots, Shuyu’s Moments also featured video clips.
[Zhang Shuyu]: How can a man be this gentle? Someone give him a little flower umbrella already!
[Zhang Shuyu]: Mommy won't allow you to treat yourself like this!
Zhang Jin’an didn't watch the video for this one; he was more interested in the comments below.
[Mom]: Since when did you become a mother?
[Zhang Shuyu]: Mom, it’s not like that...
Zhang Jin’an chuckled. “Pfft...”
Shuyu must have learned her lesson from that interaction, as her subsequent posts were all hidden from their parents. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a total lack of comments from their mother after that.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
梅花骨 | Plum Blossom Bones | The title of the drama Zhang Jin'an previously starred in.
暗隐 | Hidden Shadows | The title of the vampire novel/upcoming project.
嘉华 | Jiahua | The name of the location (likely a building or restaurant) for the meeting.
江四只羊 | JiangFourSheep | Jiang Siyang's Weibo handle; a pun on his name (Siyang sounds like "Four Sheep").
飞花落 | Falling Petals | The title of the historical drama Jiang Siyang starred in.
昼离 | Zhou Li | The name of the character played by Jiang Siyang in *Falling Petals*.
张舒雨 | Zhang Shuyu | Zhang Jin'an's youngest sister.
张清玥 | Zhang Qingyue | Zhang Jin'an's second sister.
awsl | I'm dead / I'm dying | Internet slang (A Wo Si Le) expressing being overwhelmed by beauty or cuteness.
szd | They are real | Internet slang (Shi Zhen De) used by shippers to claim a couple is real.
