A spontaneous journey, a fearless love—fangirls have achieved both.
Hu Xiu who uttered these words was undoubtedly furious, carrying the resentment and unwillingness typical of a heartbroken girl. Having changed back into her everyday clothes, she stood back-to-back with him at a distance where they would nearly brush past each other, waiting for him to say "It's okay."
Qin Xiaoyi, wearing a denim shirt with hair covering half his ears, didn't turn around, yet his straight nose and beautiful lips remained visible. She seemed to be waiting for the gentle Qin Xiaoyi from the drama to bend down and pick up the case, then chat with him briefly. After all, the next show started at ten, leaving half an hour for waiting.
But Qin Xiaoyi bent down, brushed the costume into the case with his hand, lifted it, and without looking back, his retreating figure conveyed an expression that could only be described as—dismissive.
The elegant and noble figure left behind had nothing to do with her. Even Ning Zechen standing nearby didn't turn his head. The two chatted in low voices, Qin Xiaoyi's deep voice spreading through the hall and fading away in the corners.
With an additional observer, Hu Xiu looked at her reflection in the elevator, feeling doubly embarrassed.
Calculating the time to get home, she realized the buses from Xujingdong Station would have stopped running. Even if she took a taxi, Hu Xiu was afraid of another power outage in her neighborhood. Learning from past mistakes, she got off at Yuyuan Road, took out her keys, and slipped through the back door into Li Ai's café.
The understanding Li Ai seemed to provide her with a constant sense of security. This key was like a refuge for the homeless Hu Xiu in the city. There was a small room in the café's back kitchen where she could sleep, and Li Ai allowed her to drink beverages and cook pasta.
Hu Xiu wouldn't touch the cleaned coffee machine before closing time, nor would she disturb the pre-blended coffee beans—this was an unspoken understanding between her and Li Ai.
She wouldn't seek help from Zhao Xiaorou late at night, after all Zhao had a sharp tongue and an equally sharp heart, plus there was Wang Guangming at home—
The friendship of women with partners is fragile, like aluminum foil; not to mention touching it, even occasional friction can cause discoloration.
This subtle self-esteem was also noticed by Li Ai. When he handed her the key a few days ago, he simply said, "There's a new recliner in the small room. If you can't make it home at night, you can stay here temporarily."
With music playing, Hu Xiu waited for client feedback while staring at her computer, thinking: celebrities have that sacred aura of being surrounded by admirers. Though Qin Xiaoyi wasn't a celebrity, he still sat at the pinnacle of the pyramid of ordinary appearances—it was normal for him to ignore her.
Or perhaps he had just woken up from a nap before his evening shift and was irritable, having his case knocked over and props exposed—such an awkward situation could also hurt a handsome man's pride.
Thinking of this, the speakers were playing La Esperanza, the BGM from the end of the second season of "Sex and the City." When Carrie received Mr. Big's wavering response and walked away from him wounded, wrapped in her trench coat, it was this same melancholic and isolated melody.
The relationship hadn't reached that level, but the emotions and atmosphere had arrived first. Hu Xiu thought of Qin Xiaoyi's retreating figure as the music looped again and again. In her heart, it was as if she had dated and broken up with Qin Xiaoyi in a drama, playing a grassroots girl loved by a top-tier handsome man who didn't dare to admit it.
The rolling shutter door slammed shut, kicking the romantic drama in Hu Xiu's head thousands of miles away. Storming in with hurried steps and high-heeled boots was Zhao Xiaorou.
She took a step back in surprise upon seeing Hu Xiu: "What are you doing here?""I was revising copy for a client and didn't have time to go home."
"Oh. I had a fight with Wang Guangming and came out for a while." Zhao Xiaorou pulled down the rolling shutter door, laid flat the stools that had been neatly arranged on the table, plugged in the coffee maker to brew a cup, completely acting like she owned the place. When she finally took the last piece of cake from the refrigerator, Hu Xiu felt utterly defeated. Not only had the café owner given her a key, but Zhao Xiaorou even dared to mess up his things. Li Ai was also a total people-pleaser, spreading warmth everywhere—so boring.
The cake sat on the table as the two slowly scraped it clean, while Zhao Xiaorou's stream of insults against Wang Guangming continued unabated.
A married woman's grievances against her partner flowed out like rapid-fire comedy dialogue—drawn from life and delivered with vivid, forceful eloquence: "Wang Guangming is worthless! If it weren't for my popularity, how could he have twenty thousand followers? Putting on an act of purity and affection in front of the camera, then accusing me of being unchaste when it's off—unchaste? He clogged the drain with instant noodles and blamed me instead of calling maintenance. What gives him the right to act so high and mighty?"
Hu Xiu didn't dare respond, silently revising her draft instead. Suddenly, a voice came from the security camera behind them—it was Li Ai: "How many times is this that you've come to my place?"
The sudden voice startled Hu Xiu, but Zhao Xiaorou remained unfazed: "Li Ai, this Black Forest cake isn't good."
"Of course not, it's been in the fridge for hours."
"I'm thinking of divorcing Wang Guangming."
"Think it over..."
"I suspect he's seeing someone else."
The camera fell silent. Hu Xiu occasionally felt that even when Li Ai and Zhao Xiaorou weren't in the same space, their brief exchanges created a world she couldn't enter.
Seeing Zhao Xiaorou on the verge of tears, Hu Xiu pulled a mint candy from her bag—a green Korean import in small packaging—and quietly slid it over with her finger, a surefire way to cheer Zhao Xiaorou up.
Zhao Xiaorou popped the candy into her mouth but didn't speak to Hu Xiu, calling out instead: "Li Ai, who else have you given the café keys to?"
"The barista. That's it."
"That's more like it. If you've given them to anyone else behind our backs, I'm cutting ties with you."
Zhao Xiaorou rolled the candy from left to right in her mouth, then poked Hu Xiu's cheek with her finger: "You're hiding something. Who have you fallen for lately? What's going on? Spill it to me and Li Ai."
Nothing escaped Zhao Xiaorou's notice. Even between close friends, some shared interests made bonds stronger. After all these years, they had an even tighter connection.
Back in 2010, both Hu Xiu and Zhao Xiaorou were longtime Super Junior fans, and they both liked the same member—Lee Donghae.
On the biggest fan forum at the time, Hu Xiu served as the image board moderator while Zhao Xiaorou was an administrator. Both were core veteran members—at their peak, they even personally invited one member's mother to visit Beijing.
Hu Xiu only learned later that this wasn't because Zhao Xiaorou was wealthy, but because "the wool came from the dog's back"—
The forum's towels cost 7.5 to produce but sold for 118; keychains cost 3.35 but sold for 88; not to mention fans at 38 each, whistles at 78, and Support Lights at 218...
That round of homemade celebrity merchandise earned hundreds of thousands. The member's mother hugged Zhao Xiaorou and said in Korean that she resembled a Korean actress, destined to become a star in China someday.Hu Xiu, who didn't understand Korean, excitedly bought cosmetics invested in by an "auntie" amid the screams of surrounding fans. At this celebrity mother-and-auntie meet-and-greet, Zhao Xiaorou gained credibility without spending a dime; Hu Xiu bought plane tickets, stayed in hotels, and supported the Hallyu star's (auntie's) business, spending five thousand yuan. After returning to school, she found herself unable to make ends meet.
In Hu Xiu's mind, Zhao Xiaorou was the epitome of a "sexy brain": when Weibo first emerged, the twenty-something Zhao Xiaorou immediately registered an account, simultaneously opening a Taobao store to sell official Korean merchandise. Through repeated efforts, she gained two hundred thousand followers and even opened a physical store in Xi'an. Later, she switched to being an emotional blogger, now boasting two million followers and earning five figures per advertisement—every step profiting from her fanbase.
Hu Xiu also used Weibo, writing love letters to Lee Donghae that many people reposted, occasionally posting jokes that garnered tens of thousands of reposts.
But in the early days, as long as someone wasn't a Super Junior fan, she would manually remove them to maintain her purity. As a result, her follower count now stood at 3,750 and was steadily decreasing.
People really shouldn't be compared. Both were once "fairies" in the fandom, and though neither still mingled in the circle, Zhao Xiaorou had become a fashion and beauty blogger with a thriving career, while Hu Xiu abandoned her main job, worked as a low-paid freelancer who couldn't get paid, and lived a life that was steadily deteriorating.
After hearing that Hu Xiu had spent several rounds on Snowpiercer without any progress—not even getting a close look at Qin Xiaoyi—Zhao Xiaorou slammed the table: "Damn it, Hu Xiu, you call yourself Lee Donghae's top fan? How can you not even know how to chase an NPC up close?"
"I'm not really chasing stars..."
"Then what were you doing there? Spending money to go in but not seeing or touching anyone—that's chasing stars, like those Japanese otaku uncles chasing female idols. Li Ai, don't you think so?"
Laughter accompanied by two coughs came through the camera: "When it comes to feelings, you can't really say that."
Hu Xiu agreed with Li Ai: "Exactly..."
"Oh. Don't tell me you went to hit on him?" Zhao Xiaorou laughed out loud: "Seriously, Hu Xiu, you actually bought tickets and went three times without seeing him? You're so clueless it's painful."
"Do you know how hard it is to draw his Role? I've memorized the entire script after three runs, finally got into his group, but Qin Xiaoyi didn't show up for work!"
Zhao Xiaorou cleared her throat, completely unsurprised: "Live Action Role Playing Games have customer service. For repeat players like you, you can totally ask about the actor's schedule, then request a Behind-the-scenes role with more interaction with him from customer service, just to go in and tease him specifically.
If you go often enough, you might even get to take a photo with him after the show, or sneakily ask for his contact information when no one's looking.
My god, you're a veteran hardcore fan, graduated and been in society for two or three years now—how can you change the scenario and forget how to fight?"
After hearing Zhao Xiaorou's words, Hu Xiu propped her forehead on her hand, feeling completely drained: "Stop talking..."
"You've already spent the money. They're service staff, you're the customer. Don't you know the customer is God?"
"Actually, I did see Qin Xiaoyi today, and I deliberately bumped into him."
"And then?"
"His case fell on the ground, full of costumes, so he just picked it up and left without saying a word."
If she had to recall, Qin Xiaoyi had a scent about him—blackcurrant fading into its middle notes.Being able to recognize someone by their scent truly qualifies as celebrity obsession—this was on par with that time she zoomed in on Lee Donghae's airport photos to identify his underwear brand, equally creepy in its intensity.
Zhao Xiaorou picked up her phone: "Chasing celebrities is one thing—we're all obsessive fans, like flies swarming honey. But for a handsome guy from the theater? We can't let this slide."
Hu Xiu quickly responded: "No way, Zhao Xiaorou, are you actually planning to stalk him outside his home?"
"What nonsense. This boy clearly wears different masks on and off stage. If you want to see his professional smile, you have to catch him at the theater."
"I can't..." Hu Xiu shook her head like a rattle drum: "I'm broke..."
"My treat. This small amount? I'll earn it back with one sponsored video." The phone's blue glow cast an eerie light across Zhao Xiaorou's face: "Don't thank me yet—I'll need your help with something too."
Impulsive trips and reckless love—fangirls had mastered them all.
Freezing frames from new MVs, using VPNs to snatch tickets, overnight queues outside venues, hauling professional cameras to airport greetings, smuggling equipment into concerts, swiftly swapping memory cards within two minutes of being caught, spending fortunes on gifts waiting for photo acknowledgments...
Hu Xiu had visited Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and LA—all following Lee Donghae's concerts.
If she treated Qin Xiaoyi like a celebrity, she wouldn't feel such financial pain—this would simply be supporting her idol's career, something her fangirl mentality had long conditioned her for.
Within three days, Zhao Xiaorou assembled an entire collection of gifts: perfumes, ties, dress shirts, socks—everything covered the sofa. "All from brand sponsors, worth tens of thousands. That scumbag Wang Guangming doesn't deserve them. Selling them online would get me crucified, so why not offer these borrowed flowers to Buddha—give them to Qin Xiaoyi?"
Seeing Hu Xiu's hesitant gestures, Zhao Xiaorou—face masked and hands on hips—said: "What's there to be shy about? This is how you make your presence felt. Did you think sincerity alone would work? Sincerity doesn't put food on the table, my dear Miss Hu. Use your brain."
But not this kind of thinking. Zhao Xiaorou's logic was simplistic—what handsome guy wouldn't appreciate such gifts?
Yet a young man earning his keep through acting skills, even if he believed he was making an honest living, would likely be perceived by colleagues as engaging in superficial transactions. Her intuition told her that the aloof Qin Xiaoyi would definitely take offense.
Zhao Xiaorou seemed to read her mind: "Take it step by step—I'm not telling you to dump everything at his feet. Don't underestimate these gift boxes. If Wang Guangming knew about them, he'd be clutching his calculator in agony."
Hu Xiu checked her phone: "It's getting late, we should head out."
Zhao Xiaorou packed everything into the trunk, planning to drive Hu Xiu back to the suburbs after their Live Action Role Playing game.
The elevated highway was congested, and every traffic light at the Snowpiercer intersection turned red. Unfazed, Zhao Xiaorou played Calvin Harris's "Rollin," fingers dancing on the steering wheel: "Getting your engagement called off wasn't your fault. Don't lose confidence—he's just a young kid. Treat it like celebrity chasing, keep it casual."
After sitting quietly in the passenger seat for fifteen minutes, Hu Xiu suddenly spoke: "Let's keep the gifts in your trunk for now. I want to move back to the city proper, find a proper job—I can't keep living this unstable life."
This made Zhao Xiaorou slam the brakes: "See? Celebrity chasing inspires self-improvement. This is just like when you lost fifteen pounds in a fit of determination."Zhao Xiaorou had indeed conspired with customer service behind the scenes to get Qin Xiaoyi's group. The three of them entered Qin Xiaoyi's room, where Zhao Xiaorou begged Qin Xiaoyi to assign tasks to another person first, leaving only her and Hu Xiu in the room.
Before Hu Xiu could react, Zhao Xiaorou pulled a light sign from her Role Package, turned it on—complete with working lights—and shoved it into Hu Xiu's hands, dancing around excitedly: "Milk Skin Qin Xiaoyi! Cold and Elegant Qin Xiaoyi! Chengdu's Richest Man Qin Xiaoyi! Rose Royalty Qin Xiaoyi!"
Hu Xiu froze in place, while Qin Xiaoyi, sitting on the sofa, shrank back an inch, equally stunned.
Within a minute, someone knocked on the door. A staff member in a purple hoodie entered and said, "Sorry, we saw the surveillance footage. Players are not allowed to harass actors during the performance..."
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