While they were having dinner, Ms. Li's Weibo post had fermented through public discussion for most of the day, setting off a storm of heated debate online.
The image in the Weibo post itself was not surprising. What truly shocked people were those who reposted and commented beneath it.
A whole string of big-name celebrities and top influencers appeared there, as though half the entertainment industry's famous stars had gathered in the comment section under that Weibo post. Mixed among them were two or three business tycoons whose presence seemed completely out of place.
This lineup was simply insane!
Naturally, something this interesting drew countless netizens over to join the excitement and watch the spectacle.
[I dare say this silhouette is definitely the most envied silhouette today. I counted casually, and among the top comments right now are Best Actor Lin Shanyuan, national MC Bao Haoping, five popular young male stars, four rising actresses, and the HAP male idol group. There are too many celebrities further down, and I can't be bothered typing them all out. Just keep reading and you'll understand what "awesome" really means!]
[Another day of being a lemon. Who is the person in this photo? Can I possess them for one second? I want to know what it feels like to get liked by my idol.]
The most eye-catching comment beneath the Weibo post was Best Actor Lin Shanyuan's.
He was friends with Ms. Li, so he directly teased her in the comments: "What a rare sight. You actually remembered this account's password?!"
He had only meant to tease Ms. Li, but his comment was immediately swarmed by his own fans.
[What a rare sight. You actually remembered this account's password?!]
[What a rare sight. You actually remembered this account's password?!]
Lin Shanyuan's fans all began flooding his comment section with the very words he had used to tease Ms. Li.
Lin Shanyuan was a legendary figure well known throughout the entertainment industry. He did not take variety shows or television dramas. Ever since his debut, he had only made one movie a year, yet every film he chose had achieved huge box office success while winning countless awards. Thus, he had become the box office pillar of the film industry. As long as any director announced that Lin Shanyuan was in their cast, they could practically lie back and wait for investors to come knocking with stacks of cash.
Lin Shanyuan's film for this year had already been released at the beginning of the year. Its success was beyond doubt, but after its release, his fans had begun wailing in despair. Their idol had finished all of his work for the year so early; if they wanted to see his work again, they could only rewatch his old films. Moreover, Lin Shanyuan rarely posted on Weibo, so his account was practically empty. At most, he reposted one promotional post for his movie each year. Only he could afford to be this willful. If it were anyone else, they would have flopped so hard no one would know they existed.
[Caught a living idol!]
[Studio, come out and take your beating! Who was it that said your Best Actor doesn't use Weibo? Then who is this person surfing the internet right now?!]
[Men are all lying pigs. If a man's word could be trusted, pigs would climb trees.]
[I'm jealous of that silhouette. It actually managed to lure out our idol, who usually lives like some reclusive master?]
[Ahhhhhhh! My idol just liked my comment!]
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! Sis upstairs, what did you post to get noticed by him? I'm jealous again!]
[I didn't post much. I just said, "The first comment is my idol," and when I refreshed just now, I saw the notification that he liked it. I'm clutching my phone and have turned into a screaming chicken! Ahhhhhhh!]
[Lemons grow on lemon trees, and beneath the lemon tree stands only me! I don't even know who I should envy now!]
[Hahahahaha, it's trending! The topics #MostEnviedSilhouetteInTheWorld# and #WhatARareSight# have both made it into the top eight trending searches, and they're still climbing!]
Because fans from every fandom had come to check in and repost it, topics related to the Weibo post quickly appeared on the trending list.
[Who dares say the silhouette in this photo isn't the most envied silhouette in the world? I'll twist their head off! Both my ultimate favorite and my current crush liked this photo. I'm so jealous I'm gritting my teeth and crying!]
[What the heck is this? Who is this person? Am I the only one who's never heard of Li Huizhi?]
Li Huizhi was Ms. Li's real name.
[Yes, only you! Anyone who follows celebrities even a little or hangs around the fashion world has heard Queen Huizhi's name.]
[Li Huizhi, the most influential woman in Hua Nation's fashion industry, without question. You can just think of her as the queen of the fashion world.]
[To the friend above who said they haven't heard of Queen Huizhi: judging by your profile picture, I'm guessing you're a fan of the girl group TAX. Let me put it bluntly: if Queen Huizhi loosened her grip just a little and handed one or two brands under her group over to your girls for endorsement, your idols would probably be so happy they'd throw several celebration parties!]
[Li Huizhi truly deserves to be called the Fashion Queen. Her influence is incredible. Two of the top five trending searches are related to her. Either she doesn't make a move, or she goes all out!]
Only after dinner, when she received a call from her secretary, did Ms. Li learn what had happened online.
She frowned. "Suppress that trending search about the silhouette."
Perhaps she was worrying too much, but in Ms. Li's view, excessive attention could instead become an unstable factor threatening Lu Yao's safety.
Lu Yao had also learned about the trending searches, but since no one had recognized the silhouette as him, he did not take the matter to heart.
The only thing that made him feel a little awkward was probably Ms. Li's remark about "my handsome young man."
The tips of Lu Yao's ears immediately reddened when he saw those words. He thought no one had noticed, but Lu Qi, who had been secretly watching him the whole time, caught that tiny detail. After being mercilessly mocked by Lu Qi for a while, Lu Yao no longer wanted to pay any attention to that silly fool.
After dinner, the three of them prepared to head home.
The driver had long been waiting for them by the roadside outside the plaza.
Perhaps because it was a holiday, the flow of people visibly increased the moment they stepped out of the plaza.
The crowded throng quickly separated Lu Yao from Ms. Li. Lu Yao fell a short distance behind her, but because he was tall, he could still clearly see Ms. Li ahead of him.
When she realized Lu Yao was no longer beside her and saw the sea of people around them, Ms. Li's heart suddenly skipped a beat. She anxiously turned back to look around, and only when she saw Lu Yao walking behind her did her expression settle as she quietly let out a breath of relief.
Lu Yao took in every change in Ms. Li's expression.
He avoided the crowd and quickened his pace, taking several brisk steps forward. Only when he was nearly alongside Ms. Li did he silently slow down and walk beside her through the crowd, discreetly shielding her from the press of people around them.
Noticing Lu Yao's actions, Ms. Li's eyes filled with an uncontrollable smile. Her Yaoyao was such a gentle child.
***
In the blink of an eye, the National Day holiday was over.
On Monday, after finishing breakfast and saying goodbye to Father Lu and Ms. Li, Lu Yao wheeled out a bicycle and set off for Huiying High School.
A few days earlier, Ms. Li had taken him to the school to complete the necessary procedures. Since the Lu family home was not far from the school, Lu Yao had requested to ride his bicycle to school.
Watching Lu Yao pedal away with a carefree silhouette, Lu Qi darkened his face. After giving a cold snort, he slung on his backpack and got into the driver's car as well.
The relationship between the two brothers had recently turned sour.
Although Lu Yao had agreed to transfer to Huiying High School, he had absolutely no intention of getting involved in the love story between Lu Qi, the school bully male lead, and the Mary Sue female lead, only to play the miserable cannon fodder backup lover. He only wanted to keep a low profile and did not want to become the center of attention. Yet as far as he knew, Lu Qi, the school bully, was practically a spotlight at school.
Lu Qi had started school relatively late as a child, so although he was two years older than Lu Yao, they were in the same grade. When he learned that Lu Yao would be in his class, Lu Qi had happily planned to look after him and let Lu Yao experience the dominance and charm of having him as an older brother. Who would have thought that Lu Yao would ask him to keep his distance at school? This infuriated Lu Qi.
Lu Qi had already felt unbearably sour seeing that even Father Lu got to hear Lu Yao call him Dad, while Lu Yao had stubbornly refused to call him Brother. And now Lu Yao actually wanted to avoid being associated with him at school?!
Hmph, who cared? Did he think Lu Qi was so eager to acknowledge him as his younger brother? He had better never acknowledge him for the rest of his life!
Furious, Lu Qi unilaterally declared that he and Lu Yao were now in a cold war.