When Yu Nian turned around, he saw the viewers who had held up his reaction memes in the audience earlier. Some were also holding light-up signs that said "Rice Cake," but the meme about him being a dog had embarrassed him so much that he hadn't dared look closely.
Yu Nian barely knew any of them, really. He hadn't been popular last year, and his following had grown too quickly this year. He had never held an offline meet-and-greet or anything like that.
Only a few faces looked familiar, probably longtime fans he had added ages ago.
Yu Nian hadn't expected them to come all this way specifically to see him in person, and he was quite touched. He walked over and greeted them with a sincere smile. "Hi, everyone."
Seeing him approach, the viewers said in unison, "Who's this? Never seen him before!"
They threw his words from the commentary desk right back at him.
Yu Nian couldn't help laughing. "Oh, then I must have mistaken you for someone else. I'll be off, then."
The viewers immediately panicked. "Come back!"
Yu Nian walked back over.
Unable to contain themselves any longer, they all started talking at once. "Nian Bao, you looked so handsome today!"
"This is my first time seeing you in a suit. You looked so cool!"
"Did you have fun onstage today? I nearly died laughing. It felt like watching someone I know try to act all impressive."
"And I pulled it off pretty well, right?" After teasing them, Yu Nian said, "Thank you for coming all this way. I appreciate the effort."
"It was no trouble! Do more offline events, Nian Bao. We'll come again."
"Sure." Yu Nian pointed at the meme. "But could you please bring something normal next time?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd,