Huayu: Starting with living with a girl from Taiwan

When I got home, the house was empty.

Zeng Peici went back to his hometown this afternoon for two days and won't be able to come back until the day after tomorrow.

After eating something and taking a shower, Lin Mo, having nothing else to do, sat down in front of the computer.

He said he didn't care about online opinions, but his hand involuntarily opened the browser.

Ugh, who can resist seeing how others evaluate them?

If I didn't know, that would be fine, but if I knew and didn't take a look, I'd feel itchy inside.

He first went to the forums and blogs commonly used in Taiwan.

It was easy to find related posts.

The most popular headline is very eye-catching:

"Hot Shot" is generating buzz even before its release! Why is this mysterious newcomer stealing the spotlight from Jerry Yan and Show Lo?!

Clicking in, the first few pages are mostly filled with voices of doubt and dissatisfaction, mixed with some voices of indignation from Yan Chengxu and Luo Zhixiang's fans.

"Who is this Lin Mo? I've never heard of him before!"

"Are they promoting a newcomer? She's good-looking, but why is she standing in the middle?"

Have you ever acted?

"I looked it up, and it seems to be someone from mainland China who participated in 'Super Star Avenue' and sang a few songs."

"A singer turned out to be the third male lead? And he's even in the center position?"

"It must be someone with connections!"

Lin Mo slowly scrolled down, maintaining a calm demeanor.

These comments were much milder than he had expected, and even a bit...boring.

Turning to the next few pages, the art style begins to change a bit.

"Wait a minute! Isn't this Lin Mo the one who sang 'Riding a White Horse' on tonight's 'Super Star Avenue'?!"

"Just came over after watching the show! Holy crap! It's him! It's him! That 'Chinese pop is the best' guy!"

"If it's him... I think I understand why he was standing in the middle..."

"Riding a White Horse is so awesome!!"

"Taiwanese opera with suona! My mom watched it with me just now, and she cried!"

"I declare myself Ink! Ink Bro is awesome!"

"From today onwards, if anyone dares to say that Brother Mo doesn't deserve to stand in the center position, I'll be the first to disagree!"

It seems the effects of the show's broadcast are already beginning to show.

The previously overwhelmingly critical posts began to be flooded with more and more viewers who had watched tonight's program, spontaneously speaking up for him.

Although it is still far from being comparable to the huge fan base of Yan Chengxu and Luo Zhixiang, at least it is no longer fighting alone.

Lin Mo closed the post and then casually browsed some mainland Chinese forums.

The popularity here wasn't as high as on the Taiwan Forum, but he still saw related discussion posts.

The title is:

Wow! Lin Mo is actually going to act in a movie! And his first one is with Jerry Yan and Show Lo! Promotional photos for "Hot Shot"!

Clicking through, you'll see the poster is the forum administrator.

The post was very simple; it was just a repost of the promotional photos for the start of filming of "Basketball Fire," accompanied by a string of excited exclamation marks.

There are already quite a few replies below:

"It really is Mo Ge! He's so handsome!"

"These resources are amazing! She's acting alongside F4 and Show Lo!"

"Looking forward to it! Mo Ge will definitely look amazing playing basketball!"

"But in this photo... Mo Ge is standing in the middle? Won't he get criticized? (Worried)"

"What are you afraid of! Our Brother Mo has the ability!"

"Exactly! After listening to 'Riding a White Horse,' I feel like I'd support whatever Brother Mo does!"

Lin Mo looked at these IDs and many of them looked familiar; they were the active "ink" users in the QQ group.

A thought crossed his mind, and he logged into that alternate QQ account.

As soon as I entered, the news was explosive.

The group chat was flooded with messages, almost all of them discussing tonight's show and the official announcement of "Basketball Fire".

[Milk with Sugar]: Ahhh, I've listened to "Riding a White Horse" on repeat for the tenth time!

[Drinking King]: Mo Ge is awesome! Hua Liu is the coolest! It gets my blood pumping!

[Soloing the Tree Spirit]: That Style duo's faces turned green, hahaha! So satisfying!

[Shaanxi Sweet Girl (Art Exam Version)]: Bros! Go support Brother Mo on Tieba and forums! There are so many uninformed people questioning the official announcement of "Basketball Fire"!

[Moderator of the "Idiot Bar"]: Charge! By the way, is the opera style that Brother Mo sang the same as Taiwanese opera? What is Taiwanese opera? Although I don't understand it, I'm shocked!

[Drinking King]: I don't know much about it, but it seems to be a kind of opera from Taiwan?

【Milk with Sugar】: Same question. It sounds really good, quite different from the Peking Opera I usually listen to.

Upon seeing this, Lin Mo's finger twitched.

Since he had nothing better to do, he used the pseudonym "Passerby A" to type out information about Taiwanese opera in the group chat, and also explained that the song "Riding a White Horse" contains Peking Opera elements.

After he typed and sent the message, the group was silent for a few seconds.

Then [Shaanxi Sweet Girl (Art Exam Version)] replied:

"Wow! This random guy knows a lot! Thanks for the explanation!"

[Milk with sugar]: "So it was introduced from Fujian. I'm from Shandong and I've never heard of it. I'm very grateful."

[Moderator of the "Idiot Bar" forum]: "Passerby A is incredibly knowledgeable! Come chat in the group more often!"

Lin Mo smiled at the chat box, didn't reply, and quietly logged out of QQ.

His movements were so fluid that he didn't even see the new friend notification.

Compared to the minor ripples on the mainland, Lin Mo became a huge sensation on Taiwan.

A huge fire.

Actually, nothing particularly earth-shattering happened that night.

However, the next morning, Lin Mo was awakened by a series of crisp "ding ding ding" notification sounds in his mind.

[Artist Zeng Peici, who is associated with the show, made a stunning debut in the singing competition "Super Star Avenue"! Her popularity has slightly increased!]

[Celebrity Zeng Peici's Achievement: [Emerging Talent]!]

[Host receives reward: 50 Entertainment Points!]

......

Almost simultaneously, another, even more striking message followed:

"[The brand's popularity has significantly increased, reaching the stage of becoming a rising star!"]

[The novel "Riding a White Horse" garnered positive reviews, and the promotion of "Hot Shot" sparked widespread attention, significantly increasing the author's popularity. The public in Taiwan began to recognize the author's name, and the work generated considerable discussion.]

[Daily feedback points increased; current feedback points: 4 points/day]

[Reward: 150 Entertainment Points!]

[Receive random rewards: Music Theory Knowledge +30; Character Understanding +30]

……

Lin Mo, who was not fully awake, felt a cool and refreshing sensation deep in his mind.

Like drinking ice water on a hot summer day, it instantly dispelled any lingering drowsiness.

Hmm... another day to refresh and invigorate me.

He sat up, rubbed his temples, and pondered the new things that had appeared in his mind.

My knowledge of strange music theory has increased again, and the [Character Understanding +30] bonus came just in time.

I'll be filming intensively right now.

I glanced at the time; it was already nine in the morning.

He picked up his Nokia N73 from the bedside table, and immediately saw a multitude of text messages and missed calls.

Fortunately, Lin Mo has a habit of sleeping in a quiet environment.

He opened it and browsed through it.

I received a text message from Zeng Peici, and her excitement was palpable in every word.

Jam Hsiao, Jiro Wang, and other actors from the "Hot Shot" crew who added each other on social media all congratulated him, saying he was awesome.

Liu Genghong and Tank called him twice, and probably when he didn't answer, they sent him text messages.

The text messages were all congratulatory, and then I asked him to call me back when he had time.

Lin Mo read through them all, replied to each one, thought for a moment, and then called Tank back.