Chapter 67: The Trend, Part Three [First Update]

In the room, their breathing intertwined. His nose brushed against the white camellia tattoo, kissing it lightly before shifting away.

Yan Man felt as if she were having an allergic reaction to pollen. Her fingers clutched tightly at the hem of her dress, creating chaotic creases. She had the urge to sneeze but couldn’t, and her nose gradually turned red. Her throat felt tight, unable to produce sound.

Her vision blurred momentarily, then refocused.

She instinctively wanted to distance herself from the allergen, leaning back like a broken camellia, her mind blank. As her eyes grew warmer, she thought hazily—

Zhou Xuan… stop using… the fortune-teller card…

The two cats were running laps on the floor again, and the humidifier was knocked over once more, spilling water everywhere.

Ye Lin cleaned up the mess and leaned over to kiss her. She slightly turned her head, blocking him with her cheek.

Ye Lin reached out, pinching her chin, seemingly amused. “What? Are you rejecting yourself?”

Only you don’t reject me, she thought inwardly.

Yan Man nodded faintly. “A little.”

“…”

After the wrap-up of City Travelers , the next day, Yan Man was invited to attend a red carpet event.

Fortunately, she had already warned Ye Lin in advance. Aside from the slightly worn-out camellia temporary tattoo, all other exposed areas under her evening gown were safe.

—Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky.

As soon as she entered the backstage dressing room, she saw an actress in front of the mirror hurriedly applying concealer to her neck while talking on the phone—

“It’s all because of Xie Hangchuan. He got excited again last night.”

Yan Man: “...”

Yan Man’s dressing room was further inside, and she didn’t want to eavesdrop on someone else’s private matters. After the actress finished her call, Yan Man pretended not to have heard anything and stood in front of the mirror to retouch her lipstick.

She thought to herself that pretending not to hear was the most basic form of respect for such situations.

Just as she finished applying her lipstick, the actress closed her concealer tube, apparently done.

But Yan Man keenly noticed that there was still a spot on the back of her neck that hadn’t been covered.

It would be troublesome if the media spotted it.

At this point, there was no time to worry about whether she had heard or not. Yan Man politely pointed it out: “Um… excuse me…”

“Hmm?”

“The back of your neck,” she said, “there seems to be one more spot.”

The actress couldn’t find the spot after looking for a long time, so Yan Man stepped in to help, skillfully covering it in just a few quick pats.

The actress looked at her for a moment, smiling and remarking, “Looks like you’re quite experienced.”

Yan Man thought to herself, of course—if she hadn’t learned these things, how would she have survived behind the scenes on set?

Just as she was about to speak, the actress introduced herself warmly.

“Yan Man, right? I’ve seen your work. Nice to meet you. I’m Jian Tao.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Yan Man couldn’t help but say. “Your name is so cute.”

While waiting, the two chatted for a while in the dressing room, exchanged WeChat contacts, and eventually parted ways. Before leaving, Jian Tao even promised to help promote Yan Man’s new drama when it aired.

Having made a new friend, Yan Man was in a good mood. After walking the red carpet and waiting for the autograph session, she was surprised to see Ye Lin approaching from the opposite side.

She was a bit astonished. “Didn’t you guys have something to film over there?”

“Just came to check,” he said softly. “I saw several male actors talking to you.”

Yan Man briefly recalled—it seemed that was true.

She smiled, assuring him, “I barely responded. Really.”

“I know.” After a pause, he leaned down and asked, “After this drama airs, can we announce our relationship?”

“Us?” She chuckled, tiptoeing to whisper in his ear. “Sure.”

Upon mentioning the announcement, Ye Lin seemed to genuinely start waiting earnestly. The next day, Yan Man noticed a small LED calendar placed on the bedside table, counting down the days until the drama’s release.

From irregular intervals to three months, three months to one month.

The countdown sped by. Time seemed to fly. On the day she returned home after finishing her acting class, City Travelers was set to premiere.

The first few episodes weren’t her main storyline, but the initial viewership was impressive, thanks to the solid fanbase of the two veteran actors. The Douban ratings also opened well.

By episode six, Yan Man’s character finally appeared.

This time, she didn’t make a big fuss asking everyone to promote it. Only a few actors, including Jian Tao, reposted it, but that day, the discussion on Weibo surged unexpectedly.

Her fans were thrilled that they finally had another drama of hers to follow. Beyond that, various marketing accounts had discovered the “diss traffic for popularity” formula and began offering “objective” critiques of her performance.

[Watching City Travelers so far, Yan Man’s acting visibly deteriorates from the moment she appears. Acting really requires comparison. Her skills are passable for idol dramas, but compared to seasoned actors, she falls short. ]

Yan Man was actually quite nervous during those days, almost glued to her computer, watching everyone’s comments about her in the live chat.

Criticism about her acting never ceased. She knew that delivering better performances was the only way to silence them.

Her early scenes were scattered, but by episode ten, the scene where she genuinely sprained her ankle moved many viewers. Even her friends sent messages saying that although they hadn’t endured much hardship themselves, they were deeply immersed in that particular scene.

—This seemed to be a turning point, slowly reversing the public opinion manipulated by marketing accounts. Her acting practice sessions became more frequent, and recognition of her performances grew day by day.

When the snowstorm scene aired, she watched the screen and laughed while reminiscing with Ye Lin: “Do you remember the day I came home, and you asked why my voice was hoarse? It was from filming this scene.”

Though she had told the director it was fine and could be reshot, during the actual filming, she nearly lost half her life.

Thinking about it now, Yan Man took a sip of water, as if still soothing her throat that had been irritated by the wind that day.

Less than an hour after the episode aired, she saw the hashtag #YanManSnowSceneTooHeartbreaking trending on Weibo. Half an hour later, it had climbed to the top trend.

She was surprised and contacted a crew member, asking: [Did you guys buy this trend? ]

90% of trending topics for dramas were purchased by the production team.

However, the crew member sent her a voice message: “No, it naturally trended. That scene’s broadcast effect was incredible. The director said they might give you an award nomination. Let’s see if you can get in!”

“It wasn’t bought,” Ye Lin added beside her. “The top comments and likes on the popular Weibo posts are evenly distributed and very high. Bought trends don’t look like this.”

Yan Man found his tone amusing. “Has Teacher Ye gained experience dealing with celebrity scandals?”

Ye Lin: “I want you to scandalize me, but you won’t.”

“I don’t want scandals,” she whispered. “I want compatibility.”

As soon as she said it, she suddenly realized something and turned to look at him. “Did I hear wrong earlier? You said they’re giving me an award?”

Yan Man sat there in a daze for a while, feeling as if struck by something, her head spinning.

She reached out to replay the voice message, her heart pounding unrealistically in her chest. Her wrist was gently held by the man.

He nodded, meeting her gaze with a hint of a smile. “You heard correctly. They’re really giving you an award.”

“What award?” Yan Man asked. “I need to check.”

“It’s probably the Golden Watch Award, which is usually announced around this time.”

She had heard of this prestigious award before—it was one of the three most significant TV drama awards, and Xu Wenjing had won it, solidifying her status as Best Actress.

At first, she thought it was just a regular accolade, but now she realized how impactful it truly was.

“Are you serious?” Yan Man was stunned. “They’re giving me the same award they gave Teacher Xu Wenjing?”

Inwardly, she thought that even if she didn’t end up being nominated, simply being considered for such an honor was already a tremendous affirmation of her work.

Ye Lin observed her expression and took the opportunity to lock her phone, which she had forgotten to secure.

He pinched her earlobe gently, half-sighing, half-smiling. “Yes.”

“How much more ‘compatible’ do you want?” he said. “We’re already very compatible.”

...

City Travelers aired smoothly, and after Yan Man’s storyline joined the narrative, online discussions soared. By the two-thirds mark of the series, any remaining criticism was quickly countered by fans armed with data and screenshots.

Saying her acting skills were lacking?

The fans immediately fired back with a detailed infographic: [Oh really? Check out the network discussion spike after Yan Man entered the show—a vertical line of growth. Her acting alone landed her on several trending topics. If anyone still claims her acting isn’t good, we suspect you’re watching TV with your butt. No mandatory requirements for brains like yours. ]

Claiming she only got where she is because of Ye Lin?

They reposted Ye Lin’s clarifying tweet from months ago, still pinned to his profile: [Let’s get one thing straight: it’s Ye Lin who’s currently chasing her. And there hasn’t been any interaction between them publicly in months. How can some people surf the web without updating their knowledge? No wonder your life is stuck in that tiny corner with no way forward. Update your internet—and your brain—will you? ]

Arguing that her acting skills are overhyped?

[Aside from the initial wave of trolls giving one-star ratings at the start, the number of reviewers has increased, and the score has risen from 8.3 to 8.6. Even the veteran actors praised the younger generation during interviews, and the production team is preparing to submit her for the Golden Watch Award. Awkward! (← The awkwardness refers to you.)]

Of course, even a simple nomination for the Golden Watch Award attracted envy and spiteful comments.

[Hilarious. They’re just handing out awards now? If it weren’t for the two veterans being ineligible due to prior participation rules, would she even stand a chance? ]

[Everyone knows the Golden Watch Award is fiercely competitive every year. Don’t kid yourself—she probably won’t even make it to the nominations. Just because I take the college entrance exam doesn’t mean I’ll get into Tsinghua University. Fans, stop hyping her up. ]

Perfect. This kind of arrogance was exactly what the fans loved. With a few clicks, they bookmarked these comments along with the users’ profiles.

As City Travelers neared its conclusion, another winter arrived.

Time flew by, and Yan Man successfully completed her three-month acting course. Before she fully immersed herself in rehearsals for her upcoming play, Ye Lin decided to take her on a vacation.

Since the weather was so cold, they naturally chose a warm destination.

Their final travel spot was set in Nancheng.

As soon as they stepped off the plane, Yan Man promptly shed her thick down jacket, though she slightly miscalculated—the shirt underneath wasn’t enough.

Facing the scorching sunlight, she inwardly sighed. She should’ve worn short sleeves.

It had been a long time since her last vacation, and upon arriving at the hotel, her mood was exceptionally good. While heading upstairs, they bumped into a fellow couple—both idols who had emerged from talent shows. It seemed they were staying just below them.

Once inside their room, Yan Man suddenly remembered something and clicked her tongue in dismay.

Ye Lin asked, “What’s wrong?”

She placed the room key down. “I forgot to ask how they got here. Do you think they managed to stay discreet?”

She always felt that young idols were particularly prone to being photographed by paparazzi for scandalous rumors.

“If we run into them again, I’ll ask,” Ye Lin said. “Go take a shower first.”

The hotel’s bath products were specially formulated and smelled amazing. Yan Man deliberately changed into a photogenic nightgown, finished drying her hair, and stepped out of the bathroom, planning to change into slippers.

But the view from the balcony was too captivating. Before she could put on her slippers, she found herself drawn to the scenery outside.

Not far away was a beach. Leaning against the railing, she looked down to see crowds bustling below, resembling irregularly shaped slices of black forest cake.

Ye Lin joined her side. “What are you looking at?”

“The scenery,” Yan Man replied. “But is there some kind of fragrance diffused here? Why does the air feel sweet?”

“Really? I don’t smell anything,” he lowered his gaze. “Maybe it’s your shampoo?”

Yan Man lifted a strand of hair and sniffed it. “Just a little bit—it’s probably not that.”

After carefully searching for a while, she finally caught the scent near her shoulder. “It’s the body wash—it smells so good. Can’t you smell it?”

“...No.”

Yan Man brushed her hair aside and tilted her head slightly. “Then smell it.”

Her intention was to lean closer, but the moment she turned her body, he pressed her against the railing, his nose dipping into her neck.

What began as a normal suggestion quickly became something less innocent.

By the time Ye Lin finished his shower and Yan Man had applied her body lotion, she was contemplating some educational yet entertaining pre-bedtime activities—

Her phone vibrated twice.

Picking it up, she saw a message from Zhou Xuan.

[Did you guys encounter paparazzi?!?!]

Yan Man was puzzled. [No, we’ve been pretty safe all along.]

Zhou Xuan: [Then what’s this?]

Zhou Xuan sent a screenshot, clearly showing a Weibo post.

In the image, she was pressed against the railing by the man, her body leaning back as if about to fall. She clung to his neck for support, while he leaned into her neck.

The entire scene was full of tension. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and his hand firmly gripped the back of her neck.

With the backdrop of the sky and clouds, if the colors were adjusted slightly, the image could easily pass as a magazine cover.

Yan Man shook her head—

Wrong focus.

Pulling her thoughts back, she took a closer look and noticed the paparazzi had quite the knack for catchy headlines—

[While stalking other celebrities, we captured an explosive scoop! Is Yan Man and Ye Lin’s balcony romance revealing their relationship?!]