Xiao He obediently wrapped himself up.
Liu Zehang was with him.
The two men, both in dire straits, exchanged a glance and gave each other a wry smile.
Then they remembered that they were also wearing sun-protective veils, so the other person couldn't see their wry smiles.
Haha, that's great, your life is even more miserable now.
"Brother Xiao, the umbrella!"
Xiao Chen, the assistant, was very perceptive and handed Xiao He a parasol.
"Thanks."
Xiao He smiled helplessly, took the umbrella from Xiao Chen, and then pulled his luggage to follow the group outside.
"Xiao He! Xiao He!"
He had only walked a short distance out of the hall when he heard several girls calling his name from a short distance away.
Xiao He: ?
He turned his head and saw several girls standing about three or four meters away from him, all holding their phones and taking pictures of him. When they saw Xiao He looking at them, the girls excitedly raised their hands and waved.
Xiao He was somewhat puzzled.
Liu Zehang, who was walking with Xiao He, exclaimed, "Wow, your fans have followed you all the way here?"
Xiao He shook his head: "Judging from their attire, they probably just happened to run into each other on the way."
He's all covered up like this now, I'm afraid even he wouldn't recognize himself in a photo. How did these fans manage to recognize ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ him?
It can't really be true that "I would recognize my brother even if he turned to ashes"... right?
He gestured to Liu Rulan, then pushed his luggage over to the girls and asked, "How did you recognize me?"
To make it easier for the girls to take photos, he even took off his sun protection mask.
One of the girls covered her mouth and chuckled, "Brother Xiao, haven't you noticed? You really like carrying this bag when you go out."
Xiao He paused, then looked down at the shoulder straps of his backpack: "This works too?"
"Brother Xiao, nine out of ten of your leaked photos are with this bag," another fan said earnestly. "We all say this bag is your true self!"
Xiao He: "...Huh? Wait, my leaked photos?"
While he does like carrying a laptop in a case... when did he start having so many leaked photos?
Fans: "There are so many! Especially when we were on set of 'Shining Star,' we managed to get a lot of behind-the-scenes photos of you!"
"Back then—"
"Yeah, Su Shengxi and Yiman'er's paparazzi are incredibly skilled! While they were taking pictures, they also managed to get a few candid shots of Brother Xiao!"
A girl smiled with her eyes crinkling.
Xiao He frowned.
He had heard Liu Rulan mention the practice of proxy bidding before.
So-called proxy photographers are actually a group of people who are commissioned by fans to go to the scene to take photos or videos of celebrities.
However, as the industry developed, proxy photography gradually became a shady industry, and these proxy photographers gradually evolved into professional proxy photographers. In order to pursue shooting effects and exclusive content, they can even take risks and do all sorts of crazy things.
Sometimes you see videos of fans chasing celebrities online, like a zombie apocalypse, with their crazy behavior almost tearing the celebrities apart. In fact, a large portion of these people are professional paparazzi.
They don't actually like these celebrities; everything they do is for money. Naturally, their attitude towards idol worship is not good. They only try their best to get closer to celebrities in order to take better photos than others.
Xiao He had previously encountered Su Shengxi's paparazzi when he was on the set of "Shining Stars". At the time, they were filming a gunfight on a street in the Republican era. One of the paparazzi somehow managed to climb onto a telephone pole in the outer area, and while holding onto the pole, he was wildly "shooting" at them with a camera that looked like a shotgun.
Xiao He admitted that there was a moment when he was deeply shocked.
But Xiao He was stunned when he learned about the cost of the proxy bidding from Liu Rulan.
These paparazzi photos taken by proxy photographers can fetch thousands of dollars for high-quality shots, or even just a few hundred dollars for a single photo. Some skilled proxy photographers can even earn tens of thousands of dollars in one go, making their business comparable to robbery.
Looking at their crazy actions now, everything makes sense.
Xiao He never expected that he would also benefit from Su Shengxi's connections and have access to paparazzi photos.
"How much did you guys spend?" Xiao He asked cautiously, then took out his phone. "I'll transfer this money to you. Don't go looking for proxy photographers anymore. I only have a few items in my wardrobe, and leaked photos aren't very interesting. Just look at the finished product."
"No, no need—"
Several fans waved their hands repeatedly.
"We didn't buy it."
One fan scratched her head sheepishly, "She's a big fan of yours in our group. She really likes you, so she bought a lot of behind-the-scenes photos and shared them with everyone for free, which is why we were able to see them."
Xiao He was somewhat surprised.
Big pink?
Oh my god, he has a lot of fans now?
I used to think that these terms used to describe idol worship would never be applied to him.
"That's fine too..."
"Xiao He, it's time to leave."
Liu Rulan walked over and interrupted Xiao He's words.
Xiao He glanced at Liu Rulan, then smiled at the fans in front of him again: "Sorry, I'm about to leave."
He then extended his hand: "Well, I don't have time to sign autographs, so let's take a group photo together. Thank you for your support, and have a pleasant trip."
The fans happily handed over a phone, and Xiao He took a photo with them. After returning the phone, he waved goodbye to them.
Once outside, Xiao He asked Liu Rulan, "Sister Liu, why didn't you let me finish?"
Liu Rulan said calmly, "I've already contacted this big fan privately, so you don't need to worry about her."
Xiao He: "???"
He looked at Liu Rulan with disbelief: "Isn't it said that having private contact with fans is a capital offense?"
Liu Rulan glanced at him sideways: "It wasn't you who made the contact. It's normal practice in the industry for management teams to contact big fan sites. Don't make such a fuss. Otherwise, do you really think those big fan sites have the ability to get such detailed information about artists' schedules and inside news every time?"
Xiao He: "..."
Okay, he's just making a fuss over nothing.
"But why would Sister Liu contact her?"
"It's about this proxy bidding incident." Liu Rulan coughed lightly. "As your agent, I definitely need to understand these things clearly, and I also need to prepare in advance if there are any potential public opinion risks."
Moreover, some of the proxy photographers are actually employed by the agency teams themselves.
Although Xiao He doesn't need to do these things now, Liu Rulan's previous artist was Su Shengxi!
The manager of a top idol has seen all sorts of outrageous things...
Xiao He looked at Liu Rulan with suspicion: "You look strange. Is there something you haven't finished saying?"
Liu Rulan: "...Perhaps this is somewhat humiliating, are you sure you want to hear it?"
Xiao He: "?"
Then we have no choice but to listen.
"you say."
“This big fan, you and I actually know her,” Liu Rulan said. “She is Bu Meiweixi.”
Xiao He paused for a moment, letting the name circulate in his mind, before suddenly realizing: "That big fan who voluntarily left the fandom after starting the group chat for Su Shengxi?"
"Yes, it's her."
Liu Rulan nodded.
Xiao He asked in confusion, "Then how did she end up here?"
"She was a big fan of Su Shengxi before and bought a lot of his behind-the-scenes photos. Since you and Su Shengxi had a lot of scenes together, when the proxy buyers were selling the photos, they also sent her a lot of your behind-the-scenes photos."
Xiao He: ? Huh? I've become a freebie?
Liu Rulan patted Xiao He's shoulder reassuringly: "She felt very guilty because she had done many things to you with her fans, so she infiltrated your fan group and shared these materials with everyone for free. She didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic and immediately labeled her as a rich female fan. She was worried that everyone would feel awkward if her true identity was exposed, so she just accepted it."
Xiao He: ...
