The phone, encased in a black cover, lay on the coffee table, vibrating and ringing with a bizarrely hypnotic sound. It was like a flock of screaming rubber chickens being squeezed simultaneously, except the squawks had been replaced by the word "Telephone."
"Telephone oh—a call is coming oh—"
The ringtone didn't last long, cutting off after five seconds. But the silence in the living room was short-lived; the ringing started again, answered only by the sound of rushing water from the adjacent bathroom.
By the fourth time it rang, Jiang Siyang had just turned off the heat lamp. Only then did he hear the ringing and realize the previous sounds hadn't been hallucinations. Without a second thought, he gave his body a haphazard wipe with a towel, pulled on a pair of boxers, and ran out with a glob of shampoo still perched on his head.
Fortunately, it was only a few steps from the bathroom to the living room. Jiang Siyang dashed to the coffee table and grabbed the phone. One look at the caller ID sent a jolt through his heart. He swallowed hard before answering. "Hello? Sister Liu, what’s up—"
Before he could finish the word "up," he was cut off by a barrage of Mandarin peppered with Henan dialect.
"Siyang, why did it take you so long to answer? Have you seen Weibo? You’re something else, aren't you? Hiding things from me! Hurry up and spill—what’s going on?!"
The words, combined with her rapid-fire delivery, hit Jiang Siyang like a hail of bullets, leaving him completely dazed.
Jiang Siyang scratched the back of his neck, his tone incredibly respectful. "Sister Liu, what happened...? I was in the shower."
"You were show—" Liu Wenping choked for a moment. "Why are you showering at this hour?"
Water dripped from Jiang Siyang’s hair, sliding down his neck and making him itch. Listening to the phone, he walked back toward the bathroom, checking for any spots he might have missed so he could finish up later.
Jiang Siyang’s apartment was about forty square meters in total. The living room took up about sixteen square meters and doubled as his bedroom. It was decorated in a Nordic style, using wood wherever possible. Only the bookshelf next to the TV and the shoe rack by the door were white. These two pieces were Jiang Siyang’s pride and joy; he’d bought the kits online last year and assembled them himself. They were a bit crooked, but they held his things just fine.
Next to the sofa was a stepped storage shelf, and beside that, a double bed laid directly on the floor against the wall. The grey-and-white duvet was neatly spread.
Beyond that was the bathroom, with the kitchen directly opposite. While it seemed spacious enough for one person, Jiang Siyang was an actor; he had an abundance of books, scripts, and clothes. To keep the place from looking cluttered, he spent every spare moment organizing.
He had been quite satisfied with the results of his cleaning an hour ago. Now, he just needed to mop up the water he’d dripped on the floor.
Closing the bathroom door, Jiang Siyang asked tentatively, "Didn't you tell me to take a good shower once I got home?"
An hour ago, he had finished a recording session that had started at dawn. When he headed home, Liu Wenping had specifically reminded him to take a shower to wash away the fatigue.
How had she forgotten so suddenly?
"Me?" Liu Wenping was quiet for a few seconds. "Oh, right, it was me. The news just scrambled my brain. Are you done yet?"
"No," Jiang Siyang answered honestly. Water was still trickling down his skin, and he felt itchy all over.
"Then finish your shower first. When you're done, check Weibo. Once you've seen it, we'll talk on WeChat."
"Okay," Jiang Siyang replied.
Since he was already halfway through, he finished in under five minutes. He dried himself off completely, though his hair remained soaking wet.
Dressed in his blue star-patterned pajamas, Jiang Siyang sat cross-legged on the bed and turned on the hairdryer. He balanced his phone on his knee, holding the dryer in his left hand while his right hand tapped open the Weibo app.
In Jiang Siyang’s memory, Sister Liu was usually a very composed and calm person who never rushed. Even when anti-fans had fabricated rumors to smear him, she had handled everything with extreme coolness, never panicking once.
"What could have happened to make Sister Liu this anxious..." Jiang Siyang’s voice trailed off the moment he saw the Weibo Hot Search list. His pupils dilated instantly.
"For real?!" Jiang Siyang switched off the hairdryer, tossed it aside, and leaped to his feet, standing right on the bed.
At this moment, he didn't care if his feet were dirty. All he knew was that his heart had skipped several beats. A surge of heat burned through his body, racing from his heels to the top of his head, leaving him intensely alert yet dazed by the shock.
Jiang Siyang held the phone so close it was practically touching his face, staring repeatedly at the seventh item on the Hot Search list. He was terrified that water had gotten into his brain during the shower and he was hallucinating.
He read it aloud, syllable by syllable: "Zhang. Jin. An. Follows. Jiang. Si. Yang?!"
Zhang Jin’an followed him?!
Jiang Siyang frantically tapped the hashtag. The top post already had over ten thousand shares.
[@EverythingForOneYuan]: I was doing my daily check of Big Brother’s Weibo and saw he had a new follow. I thought it was just another entertainment blogger, but when I clicked, it was actually Jiang Siyang!!! I am literally jeuefjhf, I’ve been waiting for this for years! Does this mean these two gods are finally going to interact?! When Siyang said he’d watched Big Brother’s movies, I was already wishing for them to meet! [Crying Emoji] I’m actually crying for them! [Image/]
The image was a screenshot of Zhang Jin’an’s following list. At the very top was that familiar ID: [Jiang Four Sheep].
[@CaiCaiUnderTheDuvetWithAC]: ?! I checked again, it’s not a bug! He really followed him! Aaaaaah, Siyang probably hasn't seen it yet, otherwise he’d definitely post something!!!!
[@KidsWhoKnowHowToPlay]: ?! My god, what kind of heavenly interaction is this!? Is there a new drama coming?!
[@BigBrothersDrone]: Zhang Jin’an is incredible. Damn, he always gives me the most unexpected surprises!
[@DidISleepInToday]: ?!! I think I’m ascending today. Yesterday was Big Brother’s interview, today is this god-tier follow. I have lived.
[@DisturbedHeart]: Say no more, I want them both to blow up this year! Go for it!!
Jiang Siyang exited the post, logged into his account, and searched for Zhang Jin’an. The button that previously said "Following" had changed to "Mutual Following."
It was real!
Jiang Siyang completely lost it. A grin he couldn't suppress spread across his face. He immediately posted a Weibo update, nearly making a typo in his excitement.
After posting, he slumped down, his heart unable to settle for a long time. He was still in a bit of a daze.
Zhang Jin’an... it was Zhang Jin’an!!
Who in the entertainment industry didn't know him? Which rookie actor didn't want to be him?
This was like going to the market to buy soy sauce and picking up a lottery ticket worth five million on the way.
Zhang Jin’an was that five million, and he was the soy sauce... no, he was the one buying the soy sauce.
Jiang Siyang had watched *Love is Not Blind* no less than three times. Every time, he was floored by Zhang Jin’an’s acting, constantly marveling that some people were truly born for the screen. Every gaze, every movement, every subtle expression was perfectly in character.
What had he done? Why would Zhang Jin’an follow a 32nd-tier actor like him?
Jiang Siyang immediately ruled out the possibility of it being Liu Wenping’s doing. If it were Sister Liu, she wouldn't have been so surprised. Besides, she wasn't that kind of person. Although she had managed Zhang Jin’an before and had his contact info, both she and Siyang disliked social climbing. That was why they had never tried to pull strings, which is why the mutual follow had only happened today.
Could it be that they really were going to act in a drama together? But he hadn't received any notice, and with his current fame and acting skills, he was a long way off from sharing a stage with Zhang Jin’an.
Then why?
Jiang Siyang opened WeChat and found Sister Liu as promised.
[Jiang Siyang]: Sister Liu, I saw it. Is it real?
[Liu Wenping]: It’s real.
[Liu Wenping]: Think about what you’ve done lately. Why would he follow you?
Jiang Siyang truly didn't know what he had done. For the past two months, he’d been busy running between sets and doing offline events. Last week he had a website interview, and today he had a variety show recording. Where would he have found the time to do anything else?
[Jiang Siyang]: I don't know. I’ve just been doing what the company scheduled. I haven't even seen his latest interview. What else could I have done?
[Liu Wenping]: True...
[Liu Wenping]: Were you thrilled when you saw it?
[Jiang Siyang]: Yeah, I’m still a bit dazed.
[Liu Wenping]: I thought about it. Knowing Zhang Jin’an, this isn't actually that strange. He’s always been a free spirit. He followed you today; he might follow a "Cute Pet Encyclopedia" tomorrow. That’s just how he is—he follows whatever catches his interest.
[Liu Wenping]: But it’s fine. He’s one of the few people I’ve seen in this industry who is truly upright. Being close to him will only bring you benefits. But I have to mention one thing: he probably followed you because he heard someone mention you or because of Old Qiang. He doesn't actually know what kind of person you are yet. So, when you eventually meet, you must perform well. I don't mean you should fake it—he’s like you, he hates hypocrites. Just be yourself. You have a likable personality, so don't worry about that.
[Jiang Siyang]: Okay, I understand.
[Liu Wenping]: Good. Get some rest then. Don't forget the mall event tomorrow. We leave at seven.
[Jiang Siyang]: Got it. Bye, Sister Liu.
Even if he didn't know the reason, there was no point in overthinking it now.
Jiang Siyang made up his mind: he had to work hard to hone his acting. The next time he met Zhang Jin’an, he couldn't let himself or Sister Liu down.
Still...
Jiang Siyang scrolled through Zhang Jin’an’s Weibo.
Zhang Jin’an’s Weibo was much more active than his own, mostly consisting of reposts from fans.
Jiang Siyang couldn't help but praise him in his heart. No matter how busy he was or how little rest he got, he interacted with his fans every single day without fail, never finding it a chore. As expected of Senior Zhang—so down-to-earth, so considerate of his fans' feelings.
He really was a role model worth following.
"Right, I have to work hard too. I can't embarrass myself." After drying his hair, Jiang Siyang sat on the bed, set up a folding table, and opened his iPad. He picked up his stylus and, as was his habit, started a movie to take notes on the dialogue. After noting a line, he would use a red pen to write down his interpretation of the emotion behind it.
This was Jiang Siyang’s method for practicing acting when he was alone. When he couldn't find the right "feel" for a scene, the best way was to imitate. If he could get seventy percent of the way there through imitation, he would start to understand the underlying emotion.
The movie Jiang Siyang was watching this time was *Love is Not Blind*.
*Love is Not Blind* tells the story of a woman working at a wedding planning company who, while going to wash a wedding dress, accidentally runs into her boyfriend at a mall—only to find him cheating with her best friend. The story follows the thirty-three days after their breakup.
"Yourcenar once said something I always found incredibly biting yet incredibly accurate: 'There is nothing filthier in this world than self-esteem.' At this moment, I suddenly realize that even if it is filthy, for the rest of my life, I will need this self-esteem to follow me like a shadow."
This was the monologue from the scene where the female lead, Huang Xiaoxian, is drunk and chasing her ex-boyfriend’s car, only to be slapped awake by her colleague, Wang Yiyang.
Watching this, Jiang Siyang couldn't help but cheer for that slap.
"There are too many people these days who act like the victim when they’re actually the perpetrator. If you think your partner has a bad temper, you can just break up. That’s no excuse for cheating." Jiang Siyang thought of the internet slang term "wanting the memorial arch while being a whore"—meaning someone who does disgusting things but still wants to be seen as a good person.
The term fit perfectly.
Jiang Siyang felt that netizens were truly powerful, creating such concise and vivid terms. No wonder Senior Zhang liked interacting with them so much.
Sister Liu often said he didn't act like a young person because he didn't like surfing the web or entertainment news, preferring to read and write. It seemed he really needed to learn more about the internet from now on.
Jiang Siyang paused the movie, cleared his throat, opened the voice recorder on his phone, and began to practice.
"Yourcenar once said something I always found incredibly biting..."
"No... it should be steadier..."
"There is nothing filthier in this world than... than... sigh, than self-esteem. Self-esteem, self-esteem, self-esteem. Let’s start over..."
***
