Alvin had barely been in China for a day when Zhang Qiang came looking for him. It put him in a bad mood, since he'd wanted to spend a couple of days exploring on his own.
Who wanted some guy who thought he was a jinx trailing him everywhere, even arranging for people to strike up conversations and distract him while he was eating noodles?
Besides, Alvin had clearly overestimated how famous he was in China. Apart from that obnoxious Agent who'd called him a traitor, nobody else thought he was anything special.
The guy who'd farted and whose noodles Zhang Qiang had eaten bantered with Alvin for a while and got his ten yuan back. In the end, he still hadn't recognized that the man standing in front of him was the world-famous Alvin.
Not wanting to be bothered was one thing, but it still grated on him that not a single person around him recognized him.
After eating his fill, Alvin left the noodle shop and said to Zhang Qiang irritably, "Did you people block all news about me?
"I'm an internet celebrity with over a hundred million followers. How come I'm a nobody here?"
Zhang Qiang frowned at Alvin. "You mean you want to experience the thrill of people asking for your autograph?
"I can gather some respectable people to express their admiration for you..."
Alvin gave Zhang Qiang a sidelong look as he tried to tease him. "What about 'disrespectable' fans? I'm a huge celebrity. Are you telling me I don't even have a few crazy fans in China?"
Zhang Qiang looked intrigued. "You really want to meet them? Fans today aren't like they used to be. They don't care if you're a man or a woman. They'll actually knock on your door in the middle