Zhang Shuyu let out a long, sharp hiss of excitement before continuing, "The others were well-chosen too... but I don't need to praise you; plenty of people are already doing that. I'm totally down for the two beautiful ladies as well—Sister Su Rong is so cool! And Siyang’s long golden hair is just too gorgeous. How does he suit long hair so well? It was the same back in *Zhou Li*; his long hair was the death of me."
There it was. The conversation had circled back to that familiar name.
"So, every road leads back to Jiang Siyang?" Zhang Jin’an remarked. "If you want to praise him, just say so. There’s no need to include the rest of us as an afterthought."
"I still have to follow the proper procedure," Zhang Shuyu replied. "I’m still afraid you’ll reach through the internet and hit me."
Zhang Jin’an let out a short, amused huff. "Oh? You’re actually afraid of me?"
"Of course," Zhang Shuyu said coyly. "Aren't you my dearest big brother?"
Zhang Jin’an pulled up his sleeve, staring at the goosebumps on his arm. "Just tell me what you want."
"If there aren't any unreleased photos, an autographed poster would be nice..."
Zhang Jin’an answered immediately, "No."
Zhang Shuyu went silent for a moment. After a few seconds, she muttered, "No wonder you don't have a partner. You used to have scandals, but now there isn't even a whisper of one."
Zhang Jin’an found this hilarious. "What does that have to do with having a partner?"
Zhang Shuyu’s voice grew louder, filled with newfound confidence. "I went to a fortune teller a few days ago! He... he said your 'peach blossom luck' is broken. It’s incredibly rare; you’ll only meet a fated person once in a hundred years."
*Sigh.* Zhang Jin’an didn't need to hear more to know this was another one of Zhang Shuyu’s fabrications. But since she was his sister, he had to play along to avoid being accused of bullying a child.
"And then?" Zhang Jin’an played along perfunctorily, his hands never stopping.
He searched the homepage again and saw several popular fan-account bloggers posting related content. Without exception, they were all praising the promotional photos.
Even though he was reading praise directed at Jiang Siyang, Zhang Jin’an felt as good as if he were the one being complimented. He didn't even notice how deep the smile on his face had become.
"As your sister, I naturally have your best interests at heart. So, I asked him if there was any way to restart your romantic luck," Zhang Shuyu continued.
Zhang Jin’an hummed. "And what did he say the solution was?"
"There is one, and that is—" Zhang Shuyu paused for dramatic effect, "—to listen to every single one of your sister's requests."
Zhang Jin’an said flatly, "Actually, I think meeting someone once in a hundred years sounds perfectly fine."
Zhang Shuyu: "?" "Goodbye!!"
"Goodbye, don't let the door hit you."
"You! You're so heartless!" Zhang Shuyu feigned a few sobs. Seeing that Zhang Jin’an wasn't reacting, she dropped the act and turned serious again. "Hey, Brother, let me ask you another question."
"I am not going to take secret photos of Jiang Siyang for you," Zhang Jin’an replied decisively.
"How could you think that of your sister? Am I the kind of person who would make you do something like that?" Zhang Shuyu questioned loudly.
Zhang Jin’an: "Yes."
Zhang Shuyu: "..."
"Fine, I admit I thought about it for a second, but that’s not what I’m talking about," Zhang Shuyu cleared her throat. "I’m asking if your crew is going to release the official behind-the-scenes footage after the show airs, or while you’re still filming?"
Zhang Jin’an hadn't considered this. He asked curiously, "Does it make a difference?"
"It makes a huge difference. If you release snippets during the filming period, it keeps the audience updated and builds anticipation. The hype won't die down," Zhang Shuyu explained.
"I’m not sure about that. I’m not part of the directing team, after all." Zhang Jin’an chuckled. "Zhang Shuyu, I have to say, you’re really serious about your fandom life. Usually, when I’m filming a drama, you only call me when it starts airing. Now you’re even worried about the BTS footage."
"You don't understand. There are too many 'site masters' in the fandom. You have to gather intel and post photos as soon as possible to get the most views," Zhang Shuyu said.
"Isn't he just your 'side-bias'? Why are you being so serious?" Zhang Jin’an typed "System-Limited Reunion" into the search bar.
"Even if he’s just a side-bias, still!" Zhang Shuyu giggled. "He’s my number one side-bias! Look at those photos—how can he be so cute?"
Zhang Jin’an smiled and corrected her, "He’s three years older than you. 'Cute' isn't really appropriate, is it?"
"Sigh, that’s where you’re wrong, Brother. The ultimate compliment you can give someone is calling them 'cute,'" Zhang Shuyu said earnestly.
*Is that so?* He had been observing the fandom for a while, but he hadn't noticed that.
"Since when? How come I didn't know?" Zhang Jin’an asked.
"That’s because I’m a veteran fan. I have a quote about this saved; I’ll send it to you."
A few seconds after Zhang Shuyu finished speaking, Zhang Jin’an received a WeChat link. He clicked it, and it redirected him to a Weibo post.
The post had over fifteen thousand reposts.
[@TheFallingPenguin]: When you praise someone for being handsome, there’s still hope for you. But when you start calling them cute—when everything they do seems adorable—it means you’ve fallen too deep to be saved.
Zhang Jin’an scanned the comments. Many people had tagged their idols, agreeing with the blogger’s sentiment. They said things like, "I don't think you're cute because of your looks; it's that everything you do is cute in my eyes."
Zhang Jin’an still didn't quite understand the feeling just by reading the words. After all, he had never been a fan of anyone, nor had he ever truly liked someone.
Perhaps he would only understand once he tried being a fan himself?
"Anyway, that’s it. There’s no more intel to squeeze out of you. Let’s hang up," Zhang Shuyu’s voice came through the headphones, followed by a yawn.
Zhang Jin’an exited the post and reopened the homepage for "System-Limited Reunion." "Good. My time as a tool is over."
"No way, I still love you! Mwah—"
Zhang Jin’an checked the time; they had unknowingly chatted for half an hour. To be honest, it had been quite productive. Zhang Shuyu always provided him with information from an onlooker's perspective, which was very important for a production.
"This kid’s personal bias is way too obvious," Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but smile when he thought of the excited tone Zhang Shuyu used whenever Jiang Siyang came up.
He clicked on Tuanyuan’s Weibo. As expected of a Jiang Siyang fan, there was no way she missed the news. Her top post was about exactly that.
[@System-Limited Reunion]: ?? I’ve seen so many people personally attacking the production crew, I’m speechless. I think the *Anyin* crew has worked really hard to stay faithful to the original, but real people can never compare to 2D characters. Shouldn't everyone understand that?
Indeed, for every positive reaction, there was a negative one. While many fans like Zhang Shuyu were satisfied with the faithfulness of the adaptation, there were just as many who were unhappy. Zhang Jin’an had seen some of it earlier—people saying things like "no matter how they act, they can't portray the characters in my heart." Some even wrote long essays criticizing the crew for buying the IP, and by extension, criticizing the entire state of film and television adaptations, especially *danmei* adaptations.
Zhang Jin’an had read a few, but they made him feel irritable, so he stopped.
He could understand why they felt that way. No one wanted the plot of a novel they loved to be changed. However, he still wanted to say: the production crew didn't force the author to sell the rights; the author sold them voluntarily.
Authors are human; they write to put food on the table. Their feelings for the characters aren't necessarily as intense as those of the fans.
[@AttackOfMotorOil] replied to [@System-Limited Reunion]: True, everyone has their own image of a character in their heart. I think people are upset because the work has been commercialized. The plot will definitely be changed to pass censorship, so everyone is a bit frustrated.
[@System-Limited Reunion] replied to [@AttackOfMotorOil]: *Sigh*... but Big Brother really likes this novel. Everyone knows he’s working hard to be faithful to it. At least the casting in the posters looks very appropriate...
[@PlumBlossomsInOctober] replied to [@System-Limited Reunion]: Personal opinion. It’s really stupid to keep bashing a production and its actors before the final product is even out, even if I understand these characters might be your "White Moonlight." But if you’re going to curse, curse everyone together; don't bash the crew while letting the author off the hook. Yes, the author wrote it and created the characters, but she also chose to sell the work; no one forced her. She voluntarily sold your "White Moonlight" characters. Knowing full well it was impossible to perfectly recreate them, she sold them anyway. You can feel bad for the characters, but there’s no need to feel bad for the author. The author is far less emotionally invested in her characters than you are.
[@DidZhuoyinDrawToday] replied to [@PlumBlossomsInOctober]: Teacher October is right! Boosting this! Bashing a crew that’s trying hard to be faithful while praising and pitying the author who sold the work—does that sound logical to you?
[@PlumBlossomsInOctober] replied to [@DidZhuoyinDrawToday]: Now that *Anyin* is trending, the pressure on the actors must be huge.
...
There were only about a hundred comments on this post, each with their own views. Most agreed with Tuanyuan, while a few remained neutral, since they didn't know the specifics of the contract between the author and the website and couldn't say much.
After scrolling to the bottom, Zhang Jin’an closed Weibo and leaned back against his chair. He took a deep breath. Suddenly, he lost all interest in looking at his phone; he even felt a bit agitated.
He didn't play any music or turn on the TV. The space, totaling about thirty square meters, was exceptionally quiet—even lonely.
Was it a good thing or a bad thing that the posters were trending? It could only be described as a mixed blessing.
The winds of the internet changed in an instant; no one could predict whether people would like or dislike something the next second. High popularity meant many people were watching them, but among those watching, how many were just waiting for dirt to surface?
Zhang Jin’an felt tired. He covered his eyes with his arm, but suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
***
Glossary
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