Chapter 13 一 The Fansite is Crowded.
Taw’s note: Previously, I used ‘Fan Page’ instead of ‘Fansite.’ The original text is 应援站 (Yìngyuán zhàn), which literally means ‘Support Station.’ I felt that ‘Support Station’ might not known, so I have decided to use ‘Fansite’ from now on. 😁
After resting well, Bai Ruogu boarded a public flying car to the technology museum.
Beneath the towering and majestic building, a blue virtual door blocked the entrance, with the words “Closed for Business” hanging on it.
Bai Ruogu presented his crew identification to the staff and, after clearance, followed the guiding robot inside.
They paid for two days’ worth of business at the museum, in exchange for half a day of filming time.
Passing through corridors, Bai Ruogu finally caught sight of the crew and equipment.
Everyone arrived earlier than Bai Ruogu and had already begun setting up.
Some actors were getting their makeup done. Due to the needs of the scene, Li Huai negotiated with the museum staff to make a cameo appearance. The museum staff readily agreed, they were eager to try with curious and excited hearts.
As soon as Bai Ruogu set down his belongings, the director happened to see him. He smiled kindly at him and directed him to the makeup room.
After nearly half an hour of continuous busyness, everything was finally ready, and the filming resumed.
Hua Xingyuan, accompanied by Xu Mo, arrived at the technology museum. As they entered, a scene filled with a sense of technology flooded their vision.
The ceiling resembled a black bottomless vortex, with many shiny stars twinkling above, and the background seemed endless like the universe, brimming with mystery. If one ignored everything else, it felt as if people were living in the universe.
The ground was a deep blue, resembling glass, and with each step, wondrous data would emerge and spread outward, pulsating continuously.
Robots serving as staff were everywhere, with their high-end and novel appearances adding to the sense of technology.
Here, Bai Ruogu’s character, Hua Xingyuan, displayed the expected arrogance. As soon as he entered, he began frolicking around, playing with the exhibits in the museum, and even teasing innocent little robots…
This series of events made Li Huai, behind the camera, both smile and shake his head. He hadn’t expected Little Bai to appear so proper yet be so unrestrained when acting.
He looked so arrogant that it made him want to go up and give him a beating.
Meanwhile, Xu Mo, as a close friend, started to advise incessantly, but Hua Xingyuan proved to be far more ignorant than he had imagined. He relied solely on his family’s wealth, swaggering around, and often remarked, “It’s no big deal, I’ll compensate for any damages.”
After suppressing it for so long, Xu Mo finally exploded. He stood in place, grabbing Hua Xingyuan’s shoulder and shouted,
“Hua Xingyuan, that’s enough! Can’t you have a bit of decency? Do you think anyone in society would accept someone like you?!”
Xu Mo looked at Hua Xingyuan, his eyes shimmering, gritting his teeth and making a “grinding” sound.
He was about to continue his lines, but was suddenly interrupted by Li Huai’s shout of “Cut.”
They turned around, only to see Li Huai frowning and tapping the table.
“I’m telling you, Zhang Yuqing, what are you doing? What’s the difference between what you’re doing and reciting lines? Is Xu Mo’s expression like that? Remember, you’re angry now, simmering with rage! And your arm, did you put any strength into it? What kind of performance is this? Do it again!”
Zhang Yuqing, who played Xu Mo, felt a jump in his heart, feeling uneasy. When he stood back in his original position and looked at Bai Ruogu again, he felt timid.
As the crew prepared again, with a “action,” Zhang Yuqing could only bite the bullet.
“Hua Xingyuan, you…” He tried to muster up the feeling of anger.
“Cut! Zhang Yuqing, what are you doing? I said simmering rage, not murder! Do it again!”
“Hua Xingyuan, that’s enough…”
“Cut! Is this anger? You’re almost crying. What the hell are you crying for, you big man?! Can you act? Do it again!”
“Hua…”
“Roll, roll, roll! I’m giving you time to think this over. If you can’t act your way out of this, you better get out of here!”
Li Huai cursed with his director’s temper, waving his hand to give everyone a break. Zhang Yuqing looked dismayed as he sat down, staring at the ground, sinking into self-isolation.
At that moment, another shadow appeared before him, and then someone sat down beside him.
“What do you think of our movie?” the person next to him suddenly asked, their voice clear and soft.
He turned his head to find Bai Ruogu, suddenly nervous, and quickly apologized for what had just happened.
“Sorry, sorry I’ve delayed you for so long.”
Bai Ruogu shook his head, patting Zhang Yuqing’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’s okay. This kind of thing is all too common and not worth remembering.”
Zhang Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief, his mood just starting to calm down when he heard Bai Ruogu beside him say, “I suddenly don’t want to shoot this movie anymore.”
“What?” Zhang Yuqing was shocked to hear this sudden bombshell. He turned his head hurriedly and asked, “Why? This movie is so good, and with Actor Lin as the lead actor, it’s bound to be a hit.”
As he spoke, Zhang Yuqing clenched his fists, his nerves all bundled up.
Bai Ruogu sighed and leaned back, casually saying, “Who knows about the future? I’ve been banned so many times. Whether this movie can be released or not is another matter. What’s the point of wasting effort?”
“You…” Zhang Yuqing panicked, flustered. “But you should at least give it a try! Maybe this movie will be a hit!”
“Ah, but the prospects are bleak.”
“But… if you shoot it, there’s still a chance, if you don’t, there’s no chance at all!”
“But I’m too lazy to bother.”
“You!” Zhang Yuqing choked with anger, even though he respected Bai Ruogu, but what the other person said made him uncontrollably furious.
Just as he was about to say something further, Li Huai waved his hand, indicating to start filming.
And so, Zhang Yuqing abruptly stopped, and all the actors and staff were in their positions.
The filming resumed——
This time, Zhang Yuqing was filled with anger. When the director said “action,” he directly grabbed Bai Ruogu’s collar, veins bulging on his arm.
His eyes protruded, he breathed heavily through clenched teeth, glaring fiercely at Bai Ruogu.
Li Huai showed an amazed expression, couldn’t help but stroke his chin, suddenly seeming to have some thoughts as he looked at Bai Ruogu.
Didn’t the two of them seem to be together just now?
Xu Mo stared at Hua Xingyuan, his eyes reflecting the other’s figure. His fingers gripped the other’s collar tightly, creaking as he did so.
He was so angry that he couldn’t speak coherently, cursing at Hua Xingyuan, “Do you think you’re so great? Can you do whatever you want just because your family is wealthy? Once you step out of school, you’ll be worthless in society! Utterly useless!”
“At least try a bit harder! Is your mental strength meant to be wasted like this? Success is right in front of you, but you damn well refuse to try! I’m truly disappointed in you. Can’t you have a bit of ambition? Can’t you see what state you’re in now, what kind of person you are?!”
He was so overwhelmed with anger that he pushed the other away, walking off in a random direction where there was no one around.
Hua Xingyuan hadn’t expected this turn of events, his expression blank, with indescribable emotions in his eyes.
He was pushed onto a chair by the other person, his waist hit hard, and he gritted his teeth, his face somewhat pained.
However, he did not close his eyes, and just stared blankly at Xu Mo’s retreating figure.
He wanted to reach out to catch him, but he clenched his hand and withdrew it. His lips trembled as he forcibly turned his head, remaining in place.
The camera switched to the clock on the wall. Time was passing second by second. An hour passed, and finally, the sound of a chair moving was heard.
The slender figure slowly got up. Hua Xingyuan looked up at the indicator above, which displayed the newly installed Star Gazer right ahead.
His expression suddenly became blank…
Finally, he moved his feet, walking alone towards there. It was supposed to be two people, but he had disappointed his only good companion…
The Star Gazer was in a huge observatory. Under the guidance of the staff, Hua Xingyuan topped up all his pocket money in one go.
The door opened and closed. The camera lingered on the notice above for a long time, accompanied by the faint system voice from the observatory…
“Please select the observation direction.”
“Please select the observation distance.”
“Okay, the Star Gazer’s maximum distance of 100,000 light-years is confirmed. Due to being the furthest distance the system has experienced, the preparation time is longer. Please be patient.”
“Preparations are complete, the experience begins…”
The real story begins, while the director starts looking for filming locations matching the movie’s content.
In today’s universe, some planets are highly developed and have entered the forefront of technology. However, some are underdeveloped, and some are even in primitive societies.
Between this range, there are countless planets that can serve as filming locations, providing materials for the movie. It can even be said that there’s nothing you can’t find if you search.
Soon, the director found a suitable environment on a planet and arranged transportation for the crew, scheduled to depart in a day.
Bai Ruogu went to remove his makeup first, and then he started packing his luggage. When he left the set, he happened to pass by Zhang Yuqing.
He looked at the other person’s anxious and uneasy expression, seeming eager to apologize. Bai Ruogu, however, smiled and took a step forward, saying, “Don’t worry, I never had the intention of leaving the crew.”
Without wasting any time, he picked up his luggage and walked away.
Zhang Yuqing stood still, his expression blank. He looked around in a daze, and in an instant, everything became clear to him.
He then turned to look at Bai Ruogu’s departing figure, his expression somewhat complicated as he pondered something.
After finishing filming, Bai Ruogu suddenly remembered his fans on StarNet. So, he eagerly opened his smart brain and took a selfie, then uploaded it to Everyday.
[Actor Bai Ruogu: Finished filming, feeling relaxed. (Image)]
The selfie showed only the upper half of his body, standing on a bustling street with people coming and going. Perhaps to avoid exposing others’ privacy, some parts were blurred. It was a slightly upward angle, showcasing a delicate face, with soft features.
His almond-shaped eyes showed a hint of nearsightedness, looking very focused. His fair skin was flawless, and his facial features were harmoniously proportioned, with his black hair giving off a somewhat youthful vibe.
Apart from the tall buildings on either side, the background was dominated by the vast expanse of the blue sky.
When this selfie was uploaded to Everyday, his fans went crazy, leaving comments and reposting, all eagerly admiring.
Some avid fans quickly saved the photo to their gallery, while others even set it as their smart brain background.
Zhang Yaya was Bai Ruogu’s die-hard fan. At this moment, she lay in front of her smart brain screen, crazily admiring her idol’s looks.
She clocked in every day without fail, often voting for her idol. However, her idol was just a minor celebrity, and no matter how hard Zhang Yaya tried, her idol never gained much popularity.
Zhang Yaya was constantly frustrated. Her idol was obviously so outstanding, when would he finally become popular?
However, on that day, after her routine on Everyday, she saved her brother’s beautiful photos, crazily admiring his looks, and sighed at how his photography skills had improved!
After logging off from Everyday, she casually searched her brother’s name on StarNet. She had expected to find the usual obscure early news, but today she stumbled upon an unheard-of website.
“Actor Bai Ruogu Fansite,” with over 200,000 fans.
Zhang Yaya’s eyes widened in disbelief. What?! Her brother actually had a fansite? Judging by the number of fans, it appeared to be gaining attention!
She quickly clicked into the website, assuming her brother’s popularity would be minimal, but to her surprise, this high-end website immediately dazzled her.
The layout was clean and stylish, with various options clearly defined and beautiful fonts! Every method of support was available, divided into numerous sections such as video section, figure section, photo section, schedule section…
Holy cow!!! Wasn’t the configuration of this website amazing?! Even the fansite for top interstellar stars weren’t this great, right?!
As soon as she registered her account, a prompt popped up asking if she wanted to join a chat group.
Join! She definitely had to join! Being alone with so many fans was boring; she could meet like-minded sisters right away!
Zhang Yaya’s home had poor internet, and she thought it would take a while for the app to load, but the speed was unexpectedly fast, switching instantly, not even giving her time to blink.
Zhang Yaya: ??? Wait! Something seems off?
Once she entered the chat group, named Ruogu Fan Group 1, there were over a thousand members.
Zhang Yaya became even more excited, staring at the screen eager to see what her sisters were saying and to join the conversation.
But the chat group was unusually silent…
Zhang Yaya: ???
Yaya: [Huh? Is there anyone in this group?]
As if triggering some button, the screen suddenly flickered to life, message after message followed.
[Welcome, new member!]
[Wow, wow, welcome!]
[I’ve just realized how great my brother is, his acting is superb!]
[I’m simply infatuated with my brother’s looks, ahh I could admire them for a lifetime!]
The atmosphere suddenly became lively. Zhang Yaya breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest, and secretly thinking: Maybe the system was just glitching earlier. How could there be no one in such a large group?
Zhang Yaya joined in too, chatting occasionally, even making several good friends!
They felt like old friends, discussing how to support their brother.
Zhang Yaya was ecstatic, she finally found her base camp today!
However, what she didn’t know was that in the virtual data space, there was a line displayed on the backstage of a platform—
Registered members for fansite: 1.