"Starsea was so popular back then. If Chu Hai hadn't gotten secretly married and retired from the industry, I think it could have been popular for another ten years."
"Putting everything else aside, Chu Hai's singing, Wu Yao's dancing, and Lin Xing's face were truly the 'Three Ultimate Skills' back then."
"Exactly. Starsea, even compared to today's groups, would be a dimensionality reduction attack."
"Yes, too bad Chu Hai and Wu Yao both had their reputations ruined. Only Lin Xing's reputation is still intact."
"Lin Xing's face was truly so youthful back then. Even when he was just going through the motions on stage, he looked so handsome."
After Lin Xing hung up Sister Dao's call, he scrolled through Weibo.
Whoa!
His first thought was that the company really was willing to spend a lot of money.
After a night of fermentation, the trending topics list had completely exploded. The 11th most trending topic was uncharacteristically not criticizing Wu Yao; instead, it was all about reminiscing about the past.
Many of today's post-2000s fans don't know how popular and sensational Starsea was back then.
Especially Lin Xing, who was arguably the first generation's 'illiterate top idol.'
But Lin Xing, illiterate as he may be, had a face that only comes along once every few decades.
Now, look at these illiterate young idols today, boasting about faces that are supposedly 'seen once in a thousand years,' but to quote Director Chen, 'This is all that comes along in a thousand years??'
Lin Xing scrolled down.
Aside from reminiscing about Starsea, most of the 11th trending topic was filled with pictures—beautiful photos of Lin Xing from various periods.
What is a bare face??
What the hell is a bare face??
What the hell is a peerless bare face??
Lin Xing.JPG.
As Lin Xing was scrolling through Weibo, he was surprised to find his name actually on the trending list at number 2.
2: #Please Apologize to Lin Xing#
As for the number 1 trending topic, it was: #Wu Yao: Gambler, Cheater, Abuser#.
Someone uninformed seeing this might even think Wu Yao had abused Lin Xing.
Lin Xing called Sister Dao again: "Does the company really need to spend so much? Buying me a trending spot at this time will only add to the ridicule."
"Xing Xing, you're mistaken. We're not stupid. How could we possibly buy you a trending spot at this time? I initially suspected Wu Yao's side was buying you trending spots to divert attention."
Sister Dao quickly said, "But I asked around, and no marketing company is taking Wu Yao's orders. Apparently, Wu Yao has already given up on public relations because the other party has too much solid evidence."
Lin Xing: "So what??"
"So all these trending topics are spontaneously pushed up by ordinary netizens. If you don't believe me, look at the ordinary people posting; they're not marketing accounts."
"I guess it's just that everyone is utterly disgusted with some of the current flow , so..."
Lin Xing said, hearing this, "All thanks to our peers'set off ?"
"Exactly, all thanks to our peers' contrast."
Sister Dao nodded gently: "Back then, although your professional skills weren't very refined, you had a 'face.' But today's idols not only lack professional skills, but even their faces are Photoshopped."
Lin Xing felt that Sister Dao was being quite diplomatic. Lin Xing's professional skills back then weren't just 'not very refined.'
They were nonexistent.
But Sister Dao didn't care about that. For her, the fact that Lin Xing could trend due to the influence of ordinary people proved that while Lin Xing was past his prime, he hadn't fallen into complete obscurity.
Sister Dao was already planning Lin Xing's upcoming work.
Of course, Sister Dao didn't forget to remind him: "Xing Xing, try not to accept any interviews on your phone, especially now that we're trending. One careless word at this time could lead to a complete loss."
Lin Xing said, "I know. I'll get ready and head to the company. We can talk about everything when I get there."
"Okay, coming to the company early is good. I'm afraid if you wait any longer, paparazzi might be waiting for you."
Sister Dao nodded gently: "These paparazzi are practically omnipresent."
Lin Xing agreed. After all, he had been out of the limelight for so long. Now, with a former teammate's reputation ruined and himself trending, it would be abnormal if these paparazzi didn't photograph him.
Indeed, just as Lin Xing had predicted, many people felt a sense of realization when they saw Lin Xing trending.
After all, Starsea was formed fifteen years ago, and disbanded ten years ago.
In these ten years, idols seemed to have emerged one after another like cicada larvae, but they had neither talent nor good looks.
"What kind of stars did we chase back then?? Even the 'worst' Lin Xing had a peerless beautiful face. What about now??"
"Exactly. I was too young back then and thought Lin Xing was useless except for his good looks, and he was bad with words. Now I think, isn't having good looks enough for a man? What do you need words for???"
"Apologize to Lin Xing. I can't stand current fans praising a 'bare face' photo that's so heavily filtered even the nose is distorted. So, look at Lin Xing??"
"Fans, eat something good. Stop eating shit every day."
Sitting in the car provided by the company, Lin Xing continued to scroll through Weibo. He never imagined that his public image would improve because a teammate's reputation was ruined.
What's that saying again??
Sacrifice a fellow Daoist, not the poor Daoist.
It's really true.
As he was nearing the company, Lin Xing received a call from Feng Gang. On the other end, Feng Gang's nervousness and excitement were barely contained: "Xing Xing, you're confirmed for the recording tomorrow, right?"
Lin Xing said, "Of course. My agent should have already finalized everything with you."
"Yes, yes, it's finalized, but I was a bit worried, so..."
Director Feng said with a hint of a joke, "You're about to become popular again, after all. I'm really afraid you'll stand me up."
"Director Feng, that won't happen. This is a matter of principle. Since I've agreed to something, I must follow through."
Lin Xing shook his head slightly and said, "Don't worry, the recording schedule remains unchanged."
After a brief chat, Feng Gang hung up the phone. He looked at everyone and said, "Alright, no changes. The publicity department, full steam ahead! Promote Lin Xing's participation in our variety show."
Half an hour later, Lin Xing arrived at the company.
"Xing Xing, in just this one hour, my phone has been ringing off the hook."
Sister Dao said, rubbing her head, "It's all invitations: commercial performances, variety shows, and even drama offers..."
The invitations in this one hour exceeded those of more than a month combined.
Previously, Lin Xing had few public appearances and posted little on Weibo. Plus, he spent three months each year doing charity work. It was incredibly difficult for such a 'Zen-like' celebrity to maintain any level of popularity.
After all, many celebrities, even without new work for a period, frequently post on Weibo, upload videos, and even occasionally create scandals to maintain their popularity.
Lin Xing looked at Sister Dao and interrupted her, asking, "Satisfied???"
"Satisfied, very satisfied."
Sister Dao looked at Lin Xing and said seriously, "I hope it can continue to be this satisfying."
...