Chapter 36: Divine Artist
Xi Leng checked the group chat again.
Unlimited Escape Room Main Crew [8]
Director Sheng Jiao: 【Everyone, please repost when you have time [/Grinning][/Grinning][/Grinning]】
Sheng Jiao’s tone was casual and friendly, but only three people responded.
The screenwriter, who was close to him, replied with a cute emoji, Qiaoqiao replied with a very student-like “Roger that,” and Luo Jiayan, the master of emotional support, replied with—”Reposting now! The trailer is so cool!!”
Xi Leng checked Weibo again, and as expected, Min Zhi, who wasn’t in the group chat, and the silent Jiang Songnan hadn’t reposted it.
After hesitating, Xi Leng still reposted this strangely toned romantic suspense trailer.
They chatted about the trailer for a while. The first part of the first episode would officially air this Saturday at 8 pm. The recording for the next episode would start next Monday, and the group chat was unusually lively.
Xi Leng noticed he had been added to a new group chat.
It was a small group created by Qiaoqiao, with only three people: her, Xi Leng, and Luo Jiayan. The group name: Teenager Team.
This three-person group clearly wasn’t meant to exclude Min Zhi and Jiang Songnan, but because their status and professions were too different, Qiaoqiao didn’t feel comfortable adding them. They might not even have each other’s contact information, for example, Xi Leng hadn’t added Jiang Songnan.
Although he could guess Qiaoqiao’s reasoning, Xi Leng was in a good mood and suddenly wanted to make a joke: 【Then what team are the other two in?】
Qiaoqiao, quick-witted: 【Gege Team [/Winking][/Winking]】
Xi Leng chuckled.
He thought this little interlude was over, but late at night, his phone buzzed repeatedly, the screen filled with new WeChat messages.
Qiaoqiao: 【Seriously, the program team deliberately edited the trailer like that, how can they say you’re clout-chasing? @Leng】
Qiaoqiao: 【And you’re actually Min-shen’s fan】
Qiaoqiao: 【(Speechless cat emoji.jpg)】
Qiaoqiao: 【Sob, Leng, when I’m rich, I’ll commission you for a portrait, we won’t put up with this!!!】
Qiaoqiao, in their familiar three-person group chat, was completely straightforward, directly expressing her dissatisfaction, finally acting like a twenty-year-old.
Luo Jiayan also chimed in.
Jiayan: 【These people online always believe whatever they hear】
Jiayan: 【Ah Zhao and I are actually Min-shen’s fans, successfully chasing stars = clout-chasing, how ridiculous…】
Jiayan: 【@Leng Let’s ignore them, we have a clear conscience (headpat emoji.jpg)】
Xi Leng: “…”
But he actually had a guilty conscience.
From their messages, he could roughly guess the rumors circulating online about him.
The implications and suggestive nature of the trailer were obvious, the terrifying and ambiguous atmosphere using the most straightforward method to get the audience’s adrenaline pumping, piquing their interest in the full episode.
Although Xi Leng was a fake fan, he had indeed treated chasing stars as a job for three years in his past life, coupled with the novel’s outline, he had some understanding of the entertainment industry’s hype and marketing tactics. Queerbaiting was a very effective old marketing trick, still effective and timeless, whether three years ago or three years later.
Min Zhi’s intention for inviting Xi Leng on the show was to improve his image by pampering his fans. The program team using this method to gain attention wasn’t harmful to him.
But things weren’t so peaceful for Xi Leng.
He was an amateur, with few real fans. The few thousand “fans” he had accumulated before could only be called “followers,” following him because of their interest in art, completely different from the fervent followers of celebrities.
Few people paid attention to the works he posted before, only the reposted trailer had over a hundred comments.
Clicking on it, he saw that more than half of the comments weren’t very friendly.
Popular celebrities were often embroiled in drama because of extreme fans, controlling comments here, arguing there, spamming everywhere with recommendations, their public image usually not very good.
And within the fan base itself, there were also constant conflicts, career fans and girlfriend fans fighting every day, with a few shocked mom fans mixed in…
Perhaps due to his face and unique personality, Min Zhi had a particularly large number of girlfriend fans. Even after he transitioned from music to acting, his fans remained steadfast in their support, not caring about his acting skills, only his status.
Most of Min Zhi’s scandals were related to his attitude towards these fans.
Like his famous quotes, “Don’t love me, it’s pointless,” “I’ll date eventually, but not you,” “Focus on my work, okay?” “Stop overpraising me, please,” “My own life is my priority…”
And so on, breaking the hearts of countless young men and women.
However, human psychology was more rebellious than he imagined, even so, it couldn’t dampen the fans’ enthusiasm. He was a singer and actor, yet his fan base was as massive as that of a traffic idol.
Among his fan base’s infighting, battles between solo fans and CP fans were relatively rare. His attitude towards his colleagues was aloof and distant, so CP fans couldn’t find opportunities to ship him, which in turn fueled the frenzy of his girlfriend fans.
So, it was easy to imagine the backlash Xi Leng received because of the trailer.
Fortunately, discerning viewers could tell it was just a gimmick, the trailer likely a “bait.” The audience nowadays was more experienced and not easily fooled.
There were only a little over a hundred comments, Qiaoqiao and Luo Jiayan were overreacting.
After thinking for a moment, Xi Leng still made an appearance in the group chat, thanking them for their concern.
Capitalizing on the popularity, he posted the finished oil portrait of Min Zhi, completing two tasks in one go.
After washing up and preparing for bed, Xi Leng didn’t check his phone again. This time, however, new messages reached him through Rong Xingyi’s loud voice.
“Min Zhi-gege followed you!!” Rong Xingyi barged in, rushing into his brother’s room like a meteor. “Oh my god, he even reposted… but ge, when did you secretly paint this?”
Xi Leng glanced at his brother’s large-screen new phone, his hazel eyes narrowing slightly.
It was indeed the oil painting he posted this afternoon.
This seemingly simple portrait actually took him longer than “Ophelia in the Woods.” Beneath the loose brushstrokes were solid foundational skills. Every seemingly casual stroke was carefully considered, just right, one more would be too much, one less not enough.
The background was a grayish-brown, with no complicated scenery, the viewer’s attention solely focused on the portrait in the middle. The outline of his neck and jawline was highlighted and strengthened by the golden light from behind, sharp and defined. Slightly messy hair fell across his dark eyes and brows, undeniably handsome.
Stunning and lifelike at first glance, yet also withstanding close scrutiny, the exquisite colors and brushstrokes evident everywhere.
Rong Xingyi was very excited, his eyes shining as he stared at the studio in the loft: “You’re this good now? Is the painting up there? Can I go take a look??”
Xi Leng ignored him, taking out his own phone.
The first thing he saw was the notification icon, a shocking 999+.
Clicking on it, most of them were from reposts of Min Zhi’s repost.
He had long followed Min Zhi’s Weibo, now it was a two-way follow. The number of people Min Zhi followed had also changed from a single digit “9” to a still rare “10”.
His first Weibo post was—
@MinZhiV: Thank you, little fan, I like it very much. //@XiLengXL: [Picture]
Over ten thousand comments below.
【OMG, gege, it seems like you’ve been possessed [/Confused][/Confused][/Confused]】
【? Is reposting fanart something Min-ge would actually do??】
【…So abstract, suspected fake account】
【Is the admin a [/Pig][/Pig]? It seems our mean’s phone has finally been confiscated [/Eating melon][/Eating melon]】
Fans usually called Min Zhi “Min-ge” or “Mean-ge” when teasing him. He also had a dedicated hashtag, #MeanWordsMeanSayings#, for his infamous quotes.
A celebrity actually trending because of being fan-serving was quite a unique sight in the entertainment industry.
And it wasn’t just reposting a fan’s fanart. Min Zhi even replied to the fan who suspected his phone had been confiscated by his manager, a simple “?”.
Such rare occurrences happening one after another made the fans even more excited.
Besides the jokes and memes, there were also many genuinely moved comments.
【Seriously, the amateur guest is really handsome, shouldn’t he have been discovered by a talent scout already? He’s not even an internet celebrity, the program team is really good at finding people】
【Min-ge, you’re definitely biased because of his looks :）】
【The point is, the handsome amateur is not only good-looking but also talented 555】
【Aaaaaah, holy shit, is it too late for me to learn how to draw??? No one told me that drawing well would get me noticed by gege!!!???】
【Although I’m envious, it’s very difficult to draw this well… (an art student’s envious tears)】
【Seriously, the painting is really good, much more vivid than the fanart I’ve seen before (not trying to compare (just my personal preference)】
【Teacher XL seems to be a CAFA graduate? Professionals are different】
【Love this style, so amazing [/Crying][/Crying][/Crying]】
【@XiLengXL Teacher, can I use this as my wallpaper? [/Looking forward][/Looking forward]】
【I feel like Teacher @XiLengXL’s painting is filled with love… So good…No wonder he’s a man who has loved Min-shen for three years】
Xi Leng: “…”
A bunch of people in the comments section tagged him, and Xi Leng, clicking on it, returned to his own Weibo.
The tone in his comment section had completely changed.
【How did I only discover such a divine artist today???】
【Teacher, you’re so handsome, why not paint yourself? [/Yunbei]】
【The wolf cut is amazing sob sob sob】
【Long-haired man + painter, who understands this level of perfection???】
【Whose XP has been targeted!? Oh, it’s me, never mind…】
【Teacher, can you post more selfies please aaaaah, the blurry trailer wasn’t enough!!】
【I suspect they photoshopped the official photo in reverse, he looks much better in the video aaaaah】
Praising his work was one thing, but Xi Leng was a bit taken aback by the thirsty comments and didn’t continue reading, let alone taking selfies as they requested.
He figured if he really became a celebrity, he would also be criticized like Min Zhi.
Thanks to Min Zhi, his Weibo followers increased rapidly, jumping with every refresh, making his calm heart skip a beat.
The idol himself followed and reposted, drowning out those who accused him of clout-chasing and queerbaiting with fervent praise.
He calmly turned off notifications for new messages, then turned off his phone screen, going to bed according to his usual schedule.
