Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

……

……

In mid-August, southern Hunan is as hot as a steamer.

The sun shone brightly, and the air was thick with moisture; even the cicadas seemed to be chirping weakly.

The leaves outside the window remained motionless, as if stunned by the heat, each one drooping its head and hanging listlessly from the branches.

It was nearing noon, the hottest time of the day.

The indoor space, however, is a completely different, cool and refreshing place.

In Zhang Jingyi's room, the curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only a small gap through which a ray of blinding sunlight pierced through.

The air conditioner was on full blast, blowing cold air so loudly that it made the curtains sway slightly.

The person on the bed was wrapped in a thin blanket and sleeping soundly, with only a section of their fair calves showing.

The room was small, but decorated simply yet warmly.

Pale pink walls, a white desk, and a light gray wardrobe.

Several movie posters were hanging on the wall, including "The Journey of Flower", "The Left Ear", and a group photo of the entire cast of "Love O2O".

Several professional books were laid out on the desk: "An Actor Prepares," "An Introduction to the Performing Arts," and "Film and Television Script Analysis."
Next to it was a pink laptop, with the paused screen of "Love O2O" still lit up.

The only attractive thing is

On the bedside table were several exquisite photo frames.

The photo frames were filled with pictures.

There was someone sitting side by side in the classroom. Gu Qing turned her head to look at her, and she was smiling. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the two of them.

There was a physical education class on the playground. Both of them were wearing school uniforms, and the sunlight shone on them. They were young and full of life.

Another photo shows two people sitting opposite each other in a library, each looking down at a book.

It's unclear who took the photo, but in the picture, Gu Qing is looking down intently at a book, while she secretly raises her eyes and steals a glance at Gu Qing.

These photos weren't taken by Zhang Jingyi secretly; she's not that perverted, she's just had that thought in her mind.

When no one is around
She had secretly asked Gu Qing for his opinion and taken a few photos together.

More photos,
These are photos of Gu Qing taken during class and circulated online, where they were carefully praised by her fans.

As his deskmate, Zhang Jingyi was by his side most of the time.

The fans who photoshopped the pictures were also very gentle, and did not deliberately obscure her presence.

She saw some photos that even made her heart flutter.

Zhang Jingyi also carefully collected and printed them out.

Next to the picture frame, there was a bunch of pink roses.

It's already a bit dry; the petals are slightly curled at the edges, and the color isn't as vibrant as when it first bloomed. I should order a new one.
At this time,

My phone, which was on the bedside table, suddenly vibrated.

It shook again.

Then came a series of vibrations, like someone was hitting something with a small hammer.

"Well……"

A hand reached out from under the covers, groped for the phone, and then withdrew.

The screen's light illuminated Zhang Jingyi's still sleepy face.

The 19-year-old girl has excellent skin.

That was the beauty unique to youth—fair and translucent, delicate and clear, like a peeled egg, with a touch of baby fat on her cheeks, carrying a hint of childishness, but already showing the stunning features that would later appear.

She has a high, straight nose, full lips, and a slightly thick lower lip, which makes her look like she's always pouting, giving her a natural, innocent charm.

Her jaw is square with a slight underbite, which might be considered a flaw by some, but on her face, it becomes a unique feature.

That innate stubbornness comes from here.

Her overall demeanor was like that of a newly sprouted sapling, full of vitality, stubbornness, and a touch of naivety.

Not stunning, but pleasing to the eye.

Zhang Jingyi squinted at the message notifications popping up on the screen—class group, 99+.

She clicked on it and scrolled up.

"Wow, did everyone see the news? Our male god Gu went to Changbai Mountain to participate in the Rice Festival!"

"Another day of going crazy for my idol Gu! He's so gentle, I love him so much!"

Below is a news link with the title: "Gu Qing's surprise performance of 'Ten Years in the Human World' brings tears to the eyes of fans: 'You are the best Wu Xie in our hearts!'"

"Xu Qianqian, how long has it been since you went online?" someone replied below, "This news is from days ago, we've already talked about it! It seems our idol has gone back to his hometown to film a variety show."

"I just saw the Reuters photos yesterday!" someone else chimed in. "Brother Gu and Nicholas Tse are filming 'Chef Nic' together! Wow, it's such a feast for the eyes to see two generations of top stars meeting!"

"Can't wait for the show to air! I'm ready to drool over it!"

"Gu male god looks absolutely stunning in modern clothes, and I've watched that Wu Xie look a hundred times!"

As Zhang Jingyi read these messages, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

She turned to her side, pulled the blanket up, revealing only half her face, and curled up on the bed, scrolling through the group messages one by one.

This is her daily habit.

It's less about refreshing messages and more about refreshing Gu Qing's messages.

The usually quiet class group chat always erupts with activity whenever "Gu Qing" is mentioned, drawing out a large number of lurkers.

after all,

As Gu Dingliu's classmate, just telling friends that "Gu Qing is my classmate and he treated me to milk tea" is enough to garner admiration and envy.

"Gu Qing is so busy..."

Zhang Jingyi muttered to herself, her tone tinged with worry, "Changing cities every day, isn't that too tiring? There's no time to rest..."

She imagined Gu Qing flying between cities, sleeping only a few hours a day, spending the whole day on set, and dealing with so many fans and media...

My heart was pounding.

She really wanted to send a message to ask.

But she didn't dare.

Every time I open Gu Qing's chat window, I see the last chat history—it was him who sent: "Don't send such expensive gifts in the future, understand?"

She replied, "Okay, senior..."

It's been more than a month since then.

"Gu Qing is so busy, why would I bother him?"

Zhang Jingyi kept telling herself this, day after day.

Every time Mr. Zhou called her, he would scold her with exasperation: "Can't you be more proactive? What's with all the shyness?!"

Zhang Jingyi always listened obediently, and then continued to be timid.

"I really want to go back to school..."

She buried her face in the pillow and mumbled something.

"When will it be September? Gu Qing will come to report to us, right?"

She imagined seeing Gu Qing again after school started.

And I can sit next to him.

And I can listen to him talk.

And I can... secretly watch him.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up again.

"I've never hated holidays this much!"

She buried her face in the pillow, letting out muffled wails.

at this time,

There's a new message in the group chat.

Do you think Gu, our male god, will come back to attend classes for a while in the new semester?

Someone asked a question.

A flood of replies immediately followed.

"What are you thinking! Do you think our male god Gu needs to learn those basic courses taught in school?"

A girl named "Liu Wenwen" sent a series of laughing emojis covering her mouth, saying, "What kind of big directors haven't she seen? What kind of movie stars haven't she worked with? Why would she need to squeeze into a classroom with us at school?"

"That's right!"

Another boy named Zhao Junjie chimed in, "Besides, what top student comes to study and stays in the classroom every day?"

"Only our Brother Gu is approachable and eager to learn! Look at Senior Xiaotong, after registering, she hasn't even attended a single proper class!"

“Our male god Gu makes millions every minute. If he really wants to learn acting skills, he should find a private coach.”

A boy chimed in, "What kind of movie star doesn't he know? Does he need to listen to those old professors lecturing on theory at school?"

"They made quite a bit of money!"

Someone else posted a string of drooling emojis, saying, "According to online rumors, Brother Gu's salary for one film starts at least at hundreds of millions! One film is enough for us to achieve financial freedom!"

"Ahhh, I want financial freedom too!"

"Stop dreaming, hand in your final assignment first."

"That really hurts, bro."

"Hahahahaha"

Looking at these messages, Zhang Jingyi really wanted to join the chat. She swiped her finger across the screen, wanting to join the discussion.

He typed a few words: "I think Gu Qing might..."

It stopped again.

After thinking about it, I deleted it.

Zhang Jingyi didn't send anything, she just watched silently.

She dared not speak out.

"What's the point of all this guessing?" A new message popped up.

It was posted by a girl named "Sun Yutong".

"Whether Gu, our male god, will come to class next semester or not, can't we just ask Jingyi?"

Zhang Jingyi's fingers paused.

"She's Gu's best friend and deskmate!"

Sun Yutong continued sending messages, adding a cute emoji: "Asking a question shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Zhang Jingyi bit her lower lip lightly, her face turning slightly pale.

She usually gets along quite well with Sun Yutong.

Occasionally during breaks between classes, we would chat and laugh together, and the other person would be very welcoming.

But Zhang Jingyi always felt that the way the other person looked at her was a little strange.

I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.

I'm just... not feeling well.

"Yes yes yes!"

Immediately, someone chimed in, a girl named "Li Mengyao," saying, "Didn't our school beauty Zhang follow behind Gu every day with a beaming smile when he was in class?"

"@Studying hard Zhang: Jingyi, are you there?"

"Could you ask our male idol Gu if he'll be coming to school next semester? We miss him so much!"

"Don't ask anymore."

Another girl suddenly sent a message: "Our school beauty Zhang is already a celebrity, how could she have time to reply to messages from ordinary people like us?"

Zhang Jingyi's heart clenched suddenly.

Her worst fears came true.

The boys and girls who come to art schools, to put it nicely, have a dream of becoming stars.
To put it bluntly, they are more vain and crave fame and fortune than the average person.

They naturally wouldn't be jealous of Gu Qing.

All that will be left is admiration and adoration.

That's an unattainable pinnacle, an existence that can only be looked up to.

But since Zhang Jingyi is someone you can see and touch every day, she naturally becomes a thorn in the side and a nail in the flesh for some of her classmates.

When she first enrolled, Zhang Jingyi was marketed as the campus belle of the Class of 17.

From that moment on, she was not very popular among the girls.

Behind her back, countless people criticize her, saying she's "not good-looking enough for her position."
They said she was "just average-looking, why should she be so popular?" and that she "must have connections, otherwise how could she be the school beauty?"

Then Gu Qing was parachuted into Beijing Film Academy.

He became the most popular and well-known "student" since the school's founding.

As luck would have it, she became his deskmate.

Zhang Jingyi gets to spend every day with the hottest male idols in the entertainment industry, chatting and laughing together.

He would often receive food from Gu Qing.

She became a trending topic and gained a lot of attention because of this.

Because of Gu Qing, she was selected for the hit drama of the year, "Love O2O", and played the second female lead next to Senior Sister Tian Tian!
It can be described as: "Instant fame"!
later,

Zhang Jingyi has appeared on the popular variety show "Happy Camp" again.

On the Adou platform endorsed by Gu Qing, the number of followers exceeded one million in just two months after the account was created.

Any short video you post can get tens of thousands to two hundred thousand likes.

Of course, most of the comments were: "Is she Gu Qing's deskmate?"

Most of the questions asked were about Gu Qing's schedule at the Beijing Film Academy.

She would occasionally reply, and without exception, each reply was a heartfelt praise of Gu Qing:

"The senior is a really nice guy, and he often treats us to food."

"The senior is very attentive in class, gets excellent grades, and is even better at acting than all of us..."

These replies satisfied the curiosity of passersby and won the favor of the family members.

Many girls even see her as a substitute and a source of emotional support.

They believe she is just an ordinary girl who has the unbelievable opportunity to sit next to a top idol, thus being protected and entering the entertainment industry by chance, and is expected to become a popular female artist.

As for who her boss is, nobody cares.

This is the fundamental reason why Zhang Jingyi was isolated by her classmates.

In the eyes of those girls—

You're just lucky, aren't you?

If I could sit next to Gu Qing, everything you have now would be mine!

I can play the second female lead too!
I can get a million followers too!
I can also be pampered and protected by a top celebrity!

This is no exaggeration.

There are many people on campus who share her thoughts.

Since Gu Qing left school, Zhang Jingyi has become the class's "giant panda".

Every now and then, students from other classes would come over to take a look, point and whisper.

In contrast to the screams and gifts Gu Qing received, she herself would only get a glare in most cases.

Being pointed at and talked about by people from a distance:
"That's what you look like? What's so good-looking about it?"

"Who said she was the school beauty? Who ranked her?"

“What good luck…”

"She looks quite innocent, but I didn't expect her to be so good at flirting. What methods did she use to win over Gu Dingliu?"

Those gazes felt like needles pricking me.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Jingyi has a company behind her and a million fans, making her more or less a celebrity, she might have done even more outrageous things.

Physical violence is out of the question, but constant passive-aggressive behavior and sarcastic remarks are indispensable.

They didn't dare say it to their faces, so they talked about it behind their backs.

Not daring to speak in front of many people, she resorted to sarcastic remarks in the group chat. Zhang Jingyi looked at the messages in the group, at the names "@" her, at the seemingly normal words that were clearly tinged with prejudice and jealousy—

My fingers trembled slightly.

"What did I do wrong?"

She gritted her teeth, feeling suffocated, and her eyes began to redden.

In fact, she is not the only one in the same situation.

Senior Sister Zhou Ye also faces gossip and rumors from time to time.

But they don't tolerate it at all.

Zhang Jingyi even heard that,
Zhou Ye's senior sister got angry and publicly berated a group of girls who were watching her until they cried.

He also retaliated against those classmates who spoke ill of him, not giving them a single word in return.

They even went to the teacher to report the incident, saying that if it wasn't dealt with, they would post screenshots online and let netizens judge.

Instantly, the group of people were too frightened to utter a sound.

From then on, things became peaceful.

Zhang Jingyi greatly admired Zhou Ye's approach.

But she lacked the other person's determination and courage.

If I take screenshots of the messages in the group and report them, will we still be able to be classmates in the future?
Even if you're not in the same class, you'll still run into each other all the time, how awkward would that be?
especially,
What would Gu Qing think of her if she found out that she had reported her classmates?
Will he think he's being malicious?
Could it be that... I think she's not good enough?

Zhang Jingyi became increasingly confused and couldn't make up her mind at all.

But then, the messages in the group chat started to feel increasingly off.

"Luckily, Gu's concert tomorrow is an online one."

Sun Yutong sent another message and tagged her, "No need to trouble Jingyi to ask me for a concert ticket."

"Hahaha, that's right, thank goodness I didn't hold a birthday concert."

Li Mengyao chimed in, "Otherwise, it would be so difficult for Jingyi, having to ask so many people for tickets."

"Online is still better,"

Wang Xue said sarcastically, "Everyone can see it, there's no need to argue."

"Maybe Jingyi can go to the event?" someone said deliberately. "After all, they have a special relationship."

"Yeah, yeah, Jingyi, can you go to the event tomorrow? Could you take some more photos for us?"

"Yes, yes, take more handsome photos of Gu Nanshen!"

Zhang Jingyi bit her lip, her eyes growing redder and redder.

She wiped away her tears listlessly, preparing to turn off her phone.

"Ding--"

A text message popped up.

"Cainiao Station, pickup notification: Your XT Express package has arrived at the South Gate Express Point. Please pick it up promptly using the pickup code."

Zhang Jingyi was stunned.

express delivery?
She glanced at the text message instinctively—it was indeed sent to the school, the recipient was her name, and the phone number was hers.

"Did you receive my package at school?"

She murmured, sniffling and sobbing, "Why do all the bad luck happen to me?"

She was about to burst into tears—

"wrong."

Zhang Jingyi suddenly remembered something and paused for a moment.

"When did I order a package?"

She quickly opened the shopping app and looked through her order history.

No.

I haven't bought anything recently.

"Could it have been sent to the wrong person?"

After being torn between emotions, I no longer wanted to cry.

Zhang Jingyi wiped away her tears and looked at her phone screen again.

The messages in the group chat are still coming in.

Those people are going on and on with increasingly outrageous claims.

"Jingyi, are you going to the event?"

"Of course I'll go. What kind of relationship do we have? How could I not go?"

"They might officially announce it tomorrow~"

"Hahaha, that's so exciting!"

Zhang Jingyi's expression changed instantly.

She gritted her teeth, tapped her fingers on the screen, and began typing.

I won't be there tomorrow!

I just finished typing, then stopped.

wrong.

That's such a cowardly statement.

It made me feel like I had broken down.

She didn't want to live a life of humiliation any longer.

You can talk about me all you want, but why bring up Gu Qing?

Zhang Jingyi took a deep breath, her delicate brows furrowed, her face serious, as she scrolled up through the chat history.

Found her—Sun Yutong.

The person who usually likes to be sarcastic and sarcastic towards her.

She directly tagged the other person and started typing:
"No trouble at all. I'll ask around for you when Gu Qing has her birthday party next year, okay?"

send.

The moment the message was sent, Zhang Jingyi's heart pounded.

It looked like it was about to jump out of his throat.

She stared at the screen, waiting to see the reaction.

The lively class group chat seemed to have been paused.

Not a single message.

one second.

two seconds.

……

Thirty seconds passed.

The group chat remained eerily quiet.

Zhang Jingyi suddenly felt that something inside her was quietly loosening.

So...they're afraid too?

Zhang Jingyi continued typing and continued tagging Sun Yutong:
"Is it good or not?"

A few more seconds passed.

Finally, Sun Yutong weakly replied:
"it is good……"

Then, the group fell completely silent.

No one spoke anymore.

No one sent any more messages.

Looking at the screen, Zhang Jingyi suddenly felt that the sunlight outside the window had become a bit brighter.

So... these people aren't so scary after all.

She seemed to have suddenly realized something.

They dared to bully her because she never fought back.

Just like Senior Sister Zhou Ye said: "The more you keep quiet in the face of these filthy, gossipy women, the more they'll bully you. You should just slap them!"

Zhang Jingyi breathed a long sigh of relief.

I understand now, Senior Sister Yezi!

……

"Boom boom boom——"

There was a knock on the door.

"Jingyi, come out for dinner."

Mom's voice came from outside the door, "What time is it? Still lying in bed!"

"They're here, they're here."

Zhang Jingyi responded, put down her phone, and got out of bed.

She walked into the living room in her pajamas and slippers.

Several home-style dishes were laid out on the table—stir-fried seasonal vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised pork ribs, and a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

Mom was setting the table when she saw her come out and looked her up and down.

"You're up? What time did you go to bed last night?"

"Hmm... a little past one o'clock."

Zhang Jingyi vaguely said that she actually fell asleep around four or five o'clock.

"A little past one o'clock?" Mom's eyes widened. "Didn't I tell you to go to bed early? Staying up late is bad for your health, and you're still growing!"

"Okay, okay." Zhang Jingyi picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

She ate very quickly, as if she were completing a task. She shoveled down a few mouthfuls of rice and picked up a few pieces of vegetables with her chopsticks, then put down her bowl.

"I'm stuffed."

"Are you full?!"

Mom's eyes widened as she looked at her bowl. "You only ate this little bit? You didn't even eat a single grain of rice! What are you trying to do?!"

"Mom, I'm an artist!"

Zhang Jingyi stated confidently, "I need to manage my figure! I look 10 pounds heavier on camera, and I don't want netizens to criticize me for being fat!"

"Celebrities are people too."

Mom nagged, "You're not going to eat a single bite? You have to eat something, right? Have some ribs too, I've been stewing these ribs all morning, they're so tender..."

"Oh no, I don't want to eat!"

Zhang Jingyi stood up and ran towards her room, shouting, "I'm going back to my room! Don't knock on my door unless it's important!"

"You child..." The mother's voice was cut off by the door.

Zhang Jingyi returned to her room and locked the door.

She sat down at her computer desk, turned on her computer, and clicked on the last episode of "Love O2O".

The familiar opening theme song began to play.

She leaned back in her chair, looking at herself on the screen, and couldn't help but start giggling.

This feeling is wonderful.

Watching the characters I play live, speak, laugh, and cry on screen...

Sometimes, when she sees a part of her performance that she didn't do well, she gets so embarrassed that she immediately presses the fast-forward button.

She was wearing slippers, and her bare, pearly white toes were awkwardly gripping the ground.

But it's still very interesting.

Especially the "Alluring Couple" of Gu Qing and Senior Sister Jing Tian.

She's a fan too!
on the screen,
Xiao Nai and Bei Weiwei were taking a walk on campus. Sunlight shone on them, making the scene as beautiful as a painting.

As Zhang Jingyi watched, her expression became somewhat dazed.

She has feelings for Gu Qing...

You like it, right?
But more than anything, she felt inferior.

I feel I'm not good enough for them.

Beautiful women are not pursued by any men.
The reverse is also true.

She didn't even have the courage to confess her feelings.

I only mustered up the courage to say something during a game segment on "Happy Camp".

Thinking of "Happy Camp," Zhang Jingyi also thought of the "Heartbeat Challenge."

When Gu Qing heard her confession, her heart was pounding wildly—almost breaking 100 beats per minute.

Does that mean...?

Was he nervous at the time?
Zhang Jingyi smiled and covered her flushed cheeks with her slender fingers.

She picked up her phone and double-checked her alarm for tomorrow.

At 5 PM, Gu Qing's birthday party will be broadcast live online.

Then, Zhang Jingyi opened the shopping app.

Listening to the ending theme song of "Love O2O", she began to anxiously browse through the items.

What's a good gift for Gu Qing...?

She murmured to herself.

What would he like?

Zhang Jingyi typed "What gifts do boys like?" into the search box.

The results were a whole host of items—game consoles, keyboards, headphones, razors, perfumes, wallets, watches…

There were so many that she was overwhelmed.

"The information found online is completely unreliable."

Zhang Jingyi muttered, "Some people said they'd give me an electric shaver and headphones, while others said they wouldn't give me anything at all, that just having me there is the best gift."

"Am I worthy?!"

Even so, she still flipped through the pages carefully.

They have at least a million followers.

Although Zhou Xun strictly forbade her from accepting advertisements and filming movies, she still managed to save up a small fortune.

The salary from filming "Love O2O", the appearance fee for "Happy Camp", and some small income from the Douyin platform - all added up to several hundred thousand yuan.

She wanted to choose a nice gift—one that was thoughtful and, as Gu Qing had requested, not too expensive.

She'll give it to Gu Qing when school starts!

Zhang Jingyi scrolled through the shopping app.

I saw a watch that looked really nice, but it cost over ten thousand.

That's too expensive. Even Gu Qing scolded me for buying a belt that cost 1 yuan. If I were to buy such an expensive watch, I'd probably be ruined...

I saw another pair of headphones, but unfortunately it's a brand endorsed by Gu Qing.

I saw a high-end men's fragrance, and the one with the best sales and reviews is still the one endorsed by Gu Qing.

Good heavens, there are Gu Qing's endorsed products everywhere! What else can I give as a gift?

The sunlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, casting shifting shadows in the room.

The air conditioner was humming and blowing cold air.

The girl sat in front of the computer, sometimes frowning, sometimes chuckling, and sometimes biting her nails in a daze.

All afternoon,

I racked my brains trying to find the right gift...

……

...(End of this chapter)