Chapter 16: Auntie Is Very Fond
A few minutes later, as more and more passersby listened to “East Wind Breaks,” the number of people discussing it began to skyrocket. The hashtag #EastWindBreaks# was instantly labeled “explosive,” shooting straight to the top of the trending searches.
“My mom asked me why I’m kneeling while listening to this song.”
“What kind of celestial song is this?”
“The lyrics are so beautiful.”
“Girls, never mind the song—didn’t you notice how handsome he is?”
“Yes, yes, he’s super handsome! He totally outshines those popular idols!”
“And don’t forget, he’s a top student too. I love smart, good-looking guys!”
At this point, someone began to ask, “Did any of you find his Weibo? What’s his username?”
“No idea, I couldn’t find it either.”
“I searched for Xu Ze, nothing. Searched for Tsinghua-Peking Xu Ze, still nothing.”
“He probably hasn’t opened a Weibo account, right?”
“He’s a straight-A student—where would he find the time for social media?”
“Ah, I wish he’d start one. I want to follow him.”
Then a netizen by the name “Queen Sister” suggested, “Why don’t we all leave messages under the show’s official Weibo account? That way, Xu Ze will definitely see it.”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
“Let’s go, sisters!”
Five minutes later, under the latest post from the official account of “I Am a Singer-Songwriter,” tens of thousands of new comments appeared. The most liked was from “Queen Sister”:
“Xu Ze, please start a Weibo account!”
It already had over ten thousand likes.
...
In Xu Ze’s dormitory.
Today, besides the chubby one, the other two roommates had also come back early from the library, a full two hours ahead of their usual time.
At that moment, Xu Ze was sitting at his desk, writing a novel.
Suddenly, he spun around and lunged at the chubby roommate, snatching the phone from his hands. “You pervert! Secretly taking pictures of me again!”
He’d felt something was off just now, sensing the chubby one lurking behind him. Checking with his own phone’s camera, he discovered the guy had been sneakily taking his photos all along.
The chubby one tried to play innocent. “I didn’t do anything! Give me back my phone.”
But the skinny roommate immediately tattled, “Xu Ze, he was totally taking pictures of you. I saw it!”
The other roommate, a giant standing at 195cm and weighing 250 pounds, raised his hand as well. “Xu Ze, he even posted your photos on the forum!”
They’d been at the library when suddenly a crowd of older female students surrounded them. The two were completely bewildered until they found out Xu Ze had appeared on TV and sung so beautifully.
The girls kept badgering them for Xu Ze’s WeChat, and overwhelmed, the two had to escape from the library. Back at the dorm, they pretended not to know anything, waiting for Xu Ze to tell them himself. But then they discovered the chubby one had already posted Xu Ze’s photos on the forum—and was still snapping pictures, looking especially sleazy.
Xu Ze unlocked the chubby one’s phone with the code: 2580, the four digits in a vertical row on the keypad.
The chubby one was shocked. “How did you know my password?”
The skinny and giant roommates both scoffed, “We know it too.”
The chubby one fell silent.
Xu Ze browsed the photo album and found that the chubby guy had actually created a dedicated album just for him, packed with all kinds of photos—almost everything short of nudes.
Just then, a flood of QQ messages popped up on the chubby guy’s phone.
“Group owner, send more pics!”
“We want to know what Xu Ze is doing right now.”
“We’ve been waiting forever, hurry up!”
“Are you a scammer? No pics, refund!”
...
Xu Ze clicked in and found it was a QQ group with about a hundred members, and the chubby one was the owner.
Xu Ze, speechless, demanded, “Explain this group.”
The skinny and giant roommates crowded around, curious. The skinny one suddenly realized, “No wonder you said in the forum to DM you for more photos. So this is what you’re up to!”
Caught red-handed, the chubby one blushed and muttered, “Well… they kept asking me for pictures, so I figured with so many people interested, I might as well start a group.”
Xu Ze shook the phone. “So you made this group? How much to join?”
“Just… ten yuan each,” the chubby one replied sheepishly, not daring to meet Xu Ze’s eyes.
Xu Ze sighed, then deleted all his photos from the album, tossed the phone back, and growled, “Funds confiscated for dorm expenses, got it? If I catch you taking pictures again, Big Guy will give you the old man slam.”
The chubby one glanced nervously at the giant, then hastily nodded, “No more, no more, it’s all yours, take it all!”
Though he was chubby himself, next to Big Guy he looked like a shy little wife, and whereas the other was genuinely strong, he was just soft fat.
After that, the giant and the skinny one dropped the act and started grilling Xu Ze about gossip from the show.
“Is Jiang Yiyan as pretty in person?”
“She’s alright.”
“And is Zhang Yingjing really that busty?”
“Even more so than on TV!”
...
Kyoto Television.
In her office, the chief director of “I Am a Singer-Songwriter,” Yang Yin, was leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed, listening to “Who Will You Think of When You’re Lonely.” The first episode had just aired, and she was waiting for the consolidated data from various sources.
Even for someone as experienced as she was, this time always brought a touch of nerves. The response to the first episode would essentially determine the show’s momentum going forward.
If both ratings and word-of-mouth were strong, subsequent investment and resources would increase accordingly. But if the show flopped, it could be axed mid-season.
Just then, she adjusted her position, shifting her right leg over her left, then switching again. With the movement, her black suit skirt rode up slightly, revealing a bit more thigh, the curve wrapped in sheer stockings.
Only when she was alone would she allow herself to show her inner tension; at work, she had to project total confidence.
A knock sounded at the door.
She sat up straight, tucking her toes into her silver low-heeled pumps.
“Come in.”
“Director, the data is out.” A girl in her early twenties entered with a folder, unable to hide her excitement. “Our show exploded! All the numbers are off the charts!”
“Mm.” Yang Yin responded coolly and began reading the data.
She had a habit: for every first episode, she would not monitor the numbers in real time, but wait until her assistant had gathered and summarized everything before looking.
Now, as she finished reading, though her expression stayed calm, inwardly she was reeling. Her seasoned eye saw at once who was responsible for the show’s unexpected blaze of popularity.
“This Xu Ze really is a treasure,” she mused. “Auntie is quite fond of him.”
Then she instructed her assistant, “Get me Xu Ze’s full profile. Also, prepare for a video meeting with the heads of Penguin and Mango platforms in ten minutes.”
“Understood.”