Chapter 30: Fan
A wise man submits to circumstances. Jiang Duo’s deliberately humble attitude quickly pleased Lu Gaoshi, and their subsequent conversation went quite well. They exchanged words, each with their own thoughts, and chatted warmly.
Lu Gaoshi had long known that she couldn’t take over Ji Junxin’s management from Qiao Rubai. Of course, she also knew that even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to do a good job. So, her strategy had always been to be a good assistant to Ji Junxin, taking care of all her needs, big or small, work-related or personal. Lu Gaoshi was older and had been with Ji Junxin longer, and she also held the title of manager, so the assistants later assigned to Ji Junxin by the company were all tightly controlled by her and had little chance to get close to Ji Junxin. Lu Gaoshi was responsible for Ji Junxin’s food, clothing, housing, and transportation during work. Even in her private life, Lu Gaoshi often used the excuse of caring for the independently living Ji Junxin to buy groceries and go to her apartment, cooking and cleaning for her. It had to be said that Lu Gaoshi’s strategy was quite effective. Ji Junxin, as she had planned, became closer to her and trusted her more. As for the assistants, they came and went, several groups had been replaced. Lu Gaoshi didn’t mind. Anyway, if Ji Junxin needed anything, she would contact her first. Those assistants were just there to be ordered around. If they didn’t like it, they could leave.
Later, as Ji Junxin became more and more famous, some of the young assistants were her fans. Lu Gaoshi saw this and, without saying anything, would assign them more troublesome tasks. If they did well, Ji Junxin wouldn’t know. If they did poorly, Lu Gaoshi would just dismiss them with a few words. Lu Gaoshi had been in the industry for a long time and knew the power of fans. Ji Junxin was such a naive person, if she met a devoted fan as her assistant, she would definitely be touched. After all, what Lu Gaoshi did was superficial. It wasn’t easy to see through it, but if a truly sincere person appeared, the difference would be immediately obvious. However, whether that difference would be revealed depended on Lu Gaoshi. Assistants were supposed to do their jobs well. If they made mistakes, they could be fired. Up to now, at least in terms of logistics, Lu Gaoshi felt that she was irreplaceable to Ji Junxin.
Precisely because Lu Gaoshi always felt that she had a good grasp of Ji Junxin’s weaknesses and understood her thoughts, that Ji Junxin was a grasshopper in her palm, unable to escape, she readily agreed to the Jiang family’s proposal. But if Lu Gaoshi, who was currently being flattered by Jiang Duo, could spare a moment to pay attention to the people passing by outside the cafe and ask a few more questions, perhaps she could have guessed that Ji Junxin, who had always relied on her, was starting to have other ideas.
Outside the cafe, Shen Zhu, who was often ordered around by Lu Gaoshi, was hurrying back to the hotel with two rolls of something in her arms.
The cut shower curtain, in an ink painting style, was attached to the metal frame above the bathroom glass door with strong double-sided tape, adding a touch of elegance to the small study. Shen Zhu’s arrangement was praised by Ji Junxin. Praised by her idol and boss, the little girl couldn’t hide her smile, her whole being practically glowing! Mi Hongdou, who had been relieved that the bathroom problem was finally solved, suddenly felt a little irritated.
Mi Hongdou walked to the door and gently tugged at the curtain. Although it wasn’t very convenient to move the curtain back and forth, compared to window stickers that would leave marks on the glass, this arrangement wasn’t bad.
“Besides the double-sided tape on the metal frame, I also added several strips diagonally at the two corners. This shower curtain isn’t heavy, it should hold.” Shen Zhu, noticing Mi Hongdou’s action, continued with a smile. “If you’re worried, I can come and reinforce it regularly.”
“It’s okay, I’ll keep an eye on it. If it comes loose, I’ll add more tape, it will be fine.” Ji Junxin said with a smile.
Previously suppressed by Lu Gaoshi and without any opportunities, now being able to interact with Ji Junxin so many times in one day, Shen Zhu was not only excited but also felt that her idol was truly beautiful, gentle, generous, and easy to talk to. It turned out that her boss was much easier to serve than that manager Lu Gaoshi! Thinking about all the chores she was usually ordered to do, Shen Zhu had an idea and responded to Ji Junxin, half-jokingly: “If Miss Ji has to do these small things herself, then aren’t we assistants getting paid for nothing? Miss Ji, you can ask me to do anything, I’m on call 24/7.” She winked playfully.
Shen Zhu’s face was a little chubby, giving her a baby face that made her look younger. This childish gesture didn’t seem out of place at all, but rather made her look very cute.
Hearing this, Ji Junxin could tell that Shen Zhu was trying to curry favor with her. However, from the bedsheets to the shower curtain, Shen Zhu had handled both tasks to Ji Junxin’s satisfaction. She needed someone she could rely on when she no longer used Lu Gaoshi, so she gladly accepted the offer and smiled, “There will be plenty of things for you to do in the future, I’m just afraid you’ll find it tiring. And don’t call me Miss Ji, I’m a few years older than you, just call me Sister Ji.”
“Sister Ji! I’ll definitely work hard, I’m not afraid of being tired!” Shen Zhu readily agreed. She could sense the implication in Ji Junxin’s words. Regardless of why Ji Junxin suddenly stopped relaying messages through Lu Gaoshi, being able to work directly under Ji Junxin was a great advantage for Shen Zhu. Of course, Shen Zhu couldn’t ignore Mi Hongdou, who was favored by both Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin, and turned to her, saying, “Sister Mi, since you’re living with Sister Ji, if there’s anything you need, just call me anytime. I might not be able to handle big things, but I’ll do my best with logistics!”
Mi Hongdou’s lips twitched slightly. Sister, what sister? Although you look young, you’re clearly older than me! The words she wanted to say turned around in her mouth, but in the end, reason prevailed over impulse. She couldn’t ruin her image in front of her idol. But she was really annoyed! Unable to complain, she could only nod silently. She didn’t know why, but when Shen Zhu first came to install the curtain, Mi Hongdou didn’t have any particular feelings towards her. Now, she felt a slight dislike.
Mi Hongdou couldn’t understand where this strange emotion came from. She wasn’t someone who easily formed negative impressions of others. This Shen Zhu seemed easy to get along with, logically, there was nothing that should have left a bad impression on her. It was strange. But soon, Mi Hongdou’s doubts were answered.
Shen Zhu, after chatting happily with Ji Junxin for a while, hesitantly took out a small notebook and a pen from her bag and handed them to Ji Junxin. “Sister Ji, actually, I was your fan before becoming your assistant. I really like you. Would you mind giving me your autograph?” Shen Zhu said, unlike her earlier cheerful demeanor, she now looked a little shy.
Mi Hongdou, who had been listening to their conversation while absentmindedly playing with a lemon, immediately looked up when she heard Shen Zhu’s words. Seeing Ji Junxin happily taking the notebook and signing it seriously, a surge of frustration welled up inside her, almost making her crush the lemon in her hand!
Mi Hongdou was somewhat introverted. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have silently admired Ji Junxin for so many years in her previous life, never telling her that she was her fan until she died. Perhaps there had been opportunities to say it, but by the time she felt she had reached a status where she could tell Ji Junxin, Ji Junxin had already retired. Later, when they became friends, Ji Junxin never talked about the entertainment industry, and they only talked about food. Mi Hongdou naturally wouldn’t bring it up and stir up Ji Junxin’s memories. So, in her previous life and this life, for so many years, the words she had always wanted to say, the things she had always wanted to do, that Shen Zhu had just casually done in front of her!
Well, there were countless fans who had done the same. It wasn’t a marriage proposal, it wasn’t signing a marriage certificate… Few people, like Mi Hongdou, had such a strange obsession, needing to achieve a certain level of accomplishment before confessing their admiration and asking for an autograph. But in any case, seeing this harmonious scene between her idol and her fan, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt very sad…
“I’m going out for a walk.” Mi Hongdou couldn’t suppress the overwhelming sadness and forced herself to say calmly, without waiting for a reply, she quickly walked out as if escaping.
“…” Shen Zhu, who had just received the autographed notebook with a message from her idol and hadn’t even had time to be happy, was almost startled by Mi Hongdou. She took a deep breath and carefully asked Ji Junxin, “Sister Ji, what’s wrong with Sister Mi?”
Ji Junxin shook her head in confusion, but instinctively felt that she should go and check. With this thought, Ji Junxin couldn’t sit still any longer. She quickly urged Shen Zhu to leave and then grabbed her key card and went out.
Mi Hongdou hadn’t gone far. After leaving the harmonious duo, she went outside the hotel, took a few breaths of fresh air, and felt much better. As Ji Junxin’s fan, the more attractive her idol was, the more fans she had, the happier she should be. Why was she inexplicably sad just now! It was just someone who suddenly appeared and achieved something she hadn’t been able to achieve in both her previous and current lives. And Shen Zhu wasn’t the only one who had achieved it. It was her own fault for being sentimental, always feeling that it wasn’t the right time to speak up, repeatedly missing the opportunity to achieve her goal. Hmph, it was just asking for an autograph in a small notebook. She would buy an extra-large notebook later and ask Ji Junxin for an extra-large autograph! No, not just one! At least two! Three, four, five! Hmph!
As Ji Junxin anxiously searched for her missing little girl, she saw Mi Hongdou pacing back and forth on the lawn not far from the hotel as soon as she stepped outside. As she approached, she could hear her muttering something while walking.
“What are you saying?”
In Mi Hongdou’s imagination, she had already filled half a notebook with Ji Junxin’s autographs. Her mood was gradually improving because of this fantasy. Suddenly, the voice of the person she was fantasizing about appeared beside her, startling her and making her stumble.
Ji Junxin quickly reached out to steady her: “Be careful! You suddenly came out here alone, muttering to yourself, what are you saying? Are you okay?”
What was she saying? She was saying that she would ask for half a notebook of autographs, or she wouldn’t cook for her anymore, hmph! Unfortunately, Mi Hongdou only had the courage to think it, she couldn’t actually say it to Ji Junxin.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Tell me what’s bothering you, and I’ll help you! Are you homesick? Should I ask Shen Zhu to drive us back to Jiang City for the night?” Mi Hongdou remained silent, and Ji Junxin became anxious. Something was clearly wrong. But hadn’t she been fine earlier…
Hmph! Shen Zhu again! There are thousands of fans in the world, is Shen Zhu the only one you care about! Mi Hongdou, who was already inexplicably unhappy, now felt even more irritated by Ji Junxin’s repeated questions, which also included Shen Zhu.
“I’m not unwell, I like you!” The words that blurted out of Mi Hongdou’s mouth stunned the chattering Ji Junxin, and also startled herself.
So… where’s a hole to hide in!
Leave a Reply