[I Like Sleeping Duck: Accidentally caught a young brother playing pipa impromptu in the practice room~, I ship it! I unilaterally declare him my crush! Secretly recorded a short video, hehehe.]
In the two-minute short video, a young man held a pipa, plain clothes flowing, long hair like ink. He tilted his head slightly, revealing delicate features. Sitting there, he looked like an untouched painting.
[Rainbow Fart: Alright, he’s my crush now too! I’m just that fickle!]
[Gleaming Light: Wow! I need this young brother’s contact info within three seconds!]
[Struggling to Cross: I need his name within ten seconds!]
[Xian: So amazing, so amazing, too heart-stirring!! Already imagining some aesthetic scenes!]
[Tangerine Peel: May I ask if you’re cosplaying a character from some novel? Wuwuwu, I want to read it! So beautiful.]
[I Love Pork Belly: Same request, I’m in love, he’s gentle as jade and elegant as a young master, my type.]
[A Row of Chives: Ahhh, seeing this video, I regret not sticking with learning pipa when I was a kid. He looks so ethereal.]
[Chen Qiu: Oh my god, with that kind of looks, so Nüwa wasn’t always zoning out when creating people!]
[One Button: What practice room? I clicked into the blogger’s page and found it’s all food videos, hahahaha, so cute.]
[Forgiveness Green: Everyone’s praising his looks, so to show my uniqueness, I’ll praise something else. That level of playing—it’s impossible without a dozen or so years of practice. His finger rolls, plucks, and sweeps are superb, and the sound is captivating, like he’s become one with the instrument.]
[Nine Nine: I agree with the floor above. He’s so skilled. Whose master’s student is he? He seems very unfamiliar in the music industry.]
[Forgiveness Green: I’m not sure either. Judging by the blogger’s post, it was a chance encounter, so they probably won’t reveal specifics.]
[Negative Times Negative: Blogger, I’m doing a 360-degree Thomas spin and clicking follow. Leaving a spot for future updates.]
[Singing Snow: Don’t make me beg you guys. Who is this young brother? Does he have a Weibo? Point the way.]
…
In the studio, Xi Nian leaned back in a soft chair, leisurely scrolling through the comments, laughing every now and then. Netizens were so amusing—everyone had the same thoughts as sisters. She felt like she had found a source of joy.
Xi Nian had deep ties with the Xi family as Xi Yan’s cousin. Since childhood, she disliked textbooks but was very clever, skilled at socializing, and had friends everywhere. Everyone enjoyed her company.
Recently, for some reason, two of her relatives kept trying to set her up with high-quality unmarried men from the Western Capital—a Young Master Li today, a CEO Zhao tomorrow. It was maddening.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xi Nian decided to find something to do. Using the excuse of being busy with work, she fobbed off her parents with a simple two-word rejection: no time.
Since then, she hadn’t heard a word from them about finding her a husband.
There was always a bigger scheme. Actually, Xi Feng hadn’t really meant it seriously; it was his wife who said their daughter had been back after graduation for so long and couldn’t stay idle. Whether she developed a hobby or helped others, she needed a job. So his wife had stirred up some business partners to orchestrate a blind date scenario.
Xi Nian’s reaction had been exactly what they wanted.
Xi Nian called her cousin Xi Yan. Her cousin was straightforward enough; he gave her a reply within two hours, telling her to pack up and head to Starlight Entertainment to find Chen Dong by the next day.
Although Xi Nian had just started working and had no real experience, she had already become close with the staff here.
She could drink tea, listen to gossip, and see people from the screen—life was quite enjoyable.
“Brother… Chen.” At the office door, Xi Nian pushed it open and drawled, blinking at Chen Dong.
Chen Dong was a bit surprised. Usually, during work hours, Xi Nian rarely talked much with him. Now that she was coming to him voluntarily, she must have something to say.
He put down his pen and smiled, showing the care of an elder for a younger: “What’s up, Xi Nian? What do you need?”
Xi Nian closed the door behind her with a mysterious expression. She spoke: “The person playing pipa today—I don’t seem to recognize him. I haven’t seen him at Starlight Entertainment.”
Chen Dong understood and, though puzzled, didn’t hide anything: “Oh, he’s a newly signed newcomer named Lin Qinghe. CEO Cen brought him in personally.”
“I see.” Xi Nian nodded. Such a nice name. She acted on whims. The next moment, she surprised him: “What do you think about me becoming his assistant?”
Since he was brought in personally by her cousin’s friend, he was completely trustworthy. So far, she had been doing odd jobs around the company. It was easy, but it felt too simple, with no sense of achievement.
In the past, she had always been coddled everywhere, so her nature had been raised high. Continuing like this in obscurity was unbearable.
Besides, she genuinely felt an instant connection with Lin Qinghe. Getting up close and personal with her crush would be wonderful.
Chen Dong was silent for a long while, then asked casually, “Why this sudden idea?”
Xi Nian felt a little embarrassed: “I want to achieve something, you know? I can’t just keep drifting. I see some of the ladies in the studios walking with such authority, and I admire them.”
Chen Dong chuckled: “They have tough times too. If you want to be Qinghe’s assistant, you might end up busier than them.”
He didn’t say this to criticize Xi Nian, but because he was afraid she couldn’t handle the pressure. After all, she was the Xi family’s daughter—he couldn’t let the elders worry.
“It’s okay; I’m not afraid of hard work. Doing something I love keeps me energetic every day.” Xi Nian thought seriously for a moment, then replied playfully: “Just give me a chance, Brother Chen. I’m truly, genuinely asking you. If I back out halfway, you can dock my pay!”
Chen Dong didn’t care about the money, and for Xi Nian, losing that amount was nothing. But since she had expressed this attitude, there was no need for further refusal.
“Alright. Qinghe’s situation is special. I need to ask CEO Cen’s opinion first. I can put in a good word for you, but whether it goes smoothly isn’t up to me.”
“Great! Thanks, Brother Chen.”
The starlight in Xi Nian’s eyes nearly blinded Chen Dong. He shook his head helplessly: “You could actually go straight to CEO Cen yourself.”
Xi Nian stretched out her index finger and shook it: “It’s different if I go directly versus you going. You know Starlight Entertainment best, Brother Chen. Brother Cen Han will definitely lean toward your suggestion.”
“You and your sweet talk.”
“Hehe, I’m just stating facts.” Xi Nian acted cute: “Thanks, Brother Chen. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to work.”
“Mhm, go ahead.”
Xi Nian walked halfway and then turned back, peeking around the door: “Oh! One more thing.”
Chen Dong said, “Go ahead.”
“I posted a video of the pipa playing on Seven Notes. The response has been pretty good, and everyone’s asking who it is.”
Chen Dong hadn’t expected this. He was noticeably stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. This was actually good. He had been wondering how to bring Lin Qinghe into the public eye. Now there was a ready-made method.
“Send me the video. If the traffic is indeed good, we can have him create a Weibo account to gain some followers first.”
“OK, no problem. I’ll send it to you right now. This time I’m really leaving.”
.
Lin Qinghe went viral on Seven Notes.
Just one video of a white-clad youth playing a pipa made him completely popular on Seven Notes. Nearly 100 million views, 4 million likes—this data directly sent the topic “#HowEtherealIsChineseTrend#” to number two on Seven Notes’ trending list.
The video was widely reposted, and the buzz kept rising. Some bloggers had even started imitating it.
But no matter how the internet searched, they couldn’t find Lin Qinghe. Xi Nian’s account gained over a hundred thousand followers in no time, with more than ten thousand private messages. Everyone was asking who Lin Qinghe was. Most were curious or admirers; a part wanted to discuss collaborations.
When Aunt Su saw the video, she was making corn and pork rib soup. She was shocked to confirm that the person was indeed Lin Qinghe. The feeling was subtle—both unexpected surprise and joy for him.
It was lunchtime. Su Rong had just set the table. Lin Qinghe finished reviewing what his teacher had taught and walked into the dining hall only to be stopped.
“Qinghe, come see this.”
Aunt Su handed the phone to him. Lin Qinghe looked down, confused, and saw the screen showing his talent display at Starlight Entertainment a couple of days ago. Realizing belatedly, he said, “Did someone film me?”
His gaze shifted to the side, and he saw many comments, along with quite a few red hearts.
“Maybe they thought you were amazing. This blogger called you her crush in the caption.” Aunt Su teased as she opened the comment section, pointing to the top-liked ones: “You can see everyone really likes you. They’re all asking if you have an account or something.”
Lin Qinghe scanned the comments, experiencing netizens’ enthusiasm for the first time. A strange emotion flowed through him.
It was like—a few days ago he had been an unknown nobody, and now he was being chased and asked who he was, his name, and his age.
An abrupt phone ring interrupted their conversation. It was Chen Dong calling. Lin Qinghe’s expression turned serious as he pressed the answer button.
“Qinghe, your playing the other day got a good response online. The company has decided to have you create a Weibo account. Greet everyone first, so you’ll have some fan base.”
“Your agent and assistant have already been arranged. They’ll add you shortly. Per the company’s plan, we won’t take on variety shows or scripts for now. Once you’ve gained some fame in the public eye, we’ll discuss it later.”
“Alright, Brother Chen.”
Lin Qinghe answered without hesitation. Given Chen Dong’s foresight, there must be a reason. As a newcomer, he just needed to follow advice.
“As for your persona—since you’ve ridden the wave of Chinese- style etherealness, that means people like this. No need to create any other image. Also, a warning: once you have an account, fans will want to interact. To meet their expectations, we might have you do a few live streams later to pave the way for exposure.”
Chen Dong’s instructions were thorough. He also mentioned that trivial tasks would be handled by the assistant, and the most important thing was to prepare for the live stream.
Suddenly, the gears of time started turning tightly.
Sun Lin and Xi Nian sent friend requests on WeChat.
Sun Lin explained some points of caution: all interactions with fans should be positive and constructive, ignore aggressive comments, you can make a few jokes to close the distance, and never dig yourself into a hole with your words.
Lin Qinghe noted everything down and finally typed “thank you” and sent it.
S& L: Don’t mention it. From now on, I’m your agent. I only have one goal: to make you a top streamer in the entertainment industry. Mutual benefit. I wish us a pleasant cooperation, Qinghe.
Lin Qinghe guessed she must be a steadfast and straightforward woman.
Lin Qinghe: Thank you for your hard work. Happy cooperation.
Soon, another message popped up.
Nian Nian Go!: Hello~ Brother Qinghe, I’m Xi Nian, your assistant.
Xi Nian got what she wanted and was full of drive. Although the reason Cen Han agreed was that she was about the same age as Lin Qinghe and, being Xi Yan’s sister, it was easier to discuss things, that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
Lin Qinghe: Hello, Xi Nian.
Nian Nian Go!: You can also call me Niannian. Let’s first set up your Weibo account, and then Brother Qinghe can post a simple greeting to everyone.
Xi Nian acted quickly. She registered a new account using Lin Qinghe’s info, then sent the login credentials to the chat, along with a thoughtful guide.
Nian Nian Go!: Brother Qinghe, try logging in. If it works, we’ll move to the next step.
Lin Qinghe had recently figured out the basics of these apps. Logging in wasn’t difficult for him.
With Xi Nian’s help, he composed a simple text.
Nian Nian Go!: Okay, no problem. Click send.
After confirming everything was fine, Xi Nian replied to the Starlight Entertainment staff, telling them to wait about half an hour before directing people from her Seven Notes video to his Weibo.
Long hair draped in front of him, obscuring Lin Qinghe’s expression. He lightly clicked send.
In the next second, his Weibo account added a new post.
Very grateful to everyone for liking my playing. The song is called “Song of the Returned Wanderer Beyond the Frontier,” inspired by the line: Drunk in the west wind, startled by war drums; Journeying through mountains and rivers, a wanderer of the world.
