She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Less than an hour after the live broadcast of the finals ended, the same name dominated the Weibo hot search list.

It's not Xiao He, it's not Cai Kunkun. It's Liu Yifei.

The top trending topic was "Liu Yifei".

The second trending topic was "Liu Yifei and Xiao He", the fifth was "Liu Yifei protects him", and the eighth trending topic was so long it almost overflowed the screen: "Liu Yifei publicly supports a man for the first time".

The cause of the matter is very simple.

Even after Xiao He lost the final voting despite Yang Zi's encouragement, Liu Yifei posted a message on her Weibo account with tens of millions of followers: "He has Weibo followers, you have your sister, and I'll protect you—what's there to be afraid of?"

Just one sentence, @Xiao He, no hashtags, no long posts, not even punctuation.

But Liu Yifei's Weibo fans only understood a few words: she was campaigning for a man. That man's name is Xiao He. That man is vying for the center position in "Idol Producer".

The servers in Weibo's technical department felt a little pressure; Liu Yifei's Weibo comment section had already completely spiraled out of control.

Netizens flocked in from all directions, with some frantically screenshotting Liu Yifei's Weibo posts from the past six months. Apart from official endorsements and movie promotions, there was no private content, let alone any content about men.

The last non-work-related Weibo post was a controversial "hehe" a few months ago, and there has been no further expression of personal emotion since then.

"She never posts this kind of thing."

Even Song Seung-heon doesn't receive this kind of treatment.

So who exactly is Xiao He?

When did Liu Yifei suddenly have a younger brother?

"Wait, did she say 'I'm your older sister'?"

"He's either my cousin or my real brother."

"My cousin wouldn't hide it like that; this must be a brother he's adopted."

"She's working so hard for her adopted brother?"

Five minutes later, someone else posted a photo.

An old group photo of the 2014 graduating class of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy during their military training.

The photo was taken three years ago. Yang Zi was wearing a military training uniform and squatting in the first row. Xiao He was standing next to her in the second row, while Zhang Yishan and Shu Chang were also huddled in the last row with their arms crossed.

The barrage of comments exploded like fireworks.

Some netizens took screenshots of Yang Zi's earliest campaign post, Zhang Yishan's repost, and Shu Chang's endorsement and posted them in the comments section, instantly filling the comments with question marks: "So Yang Zi isn't the only treasure in the 2014 class of Beijing Film Academy!"

"Wait a minute, did Shu Chang post on Weibo to support an old classmate or an old friend?"

"Yang Zi said 'the best male classmate in four years of college,' that's an amazing description."

However, at this moment, Xiao He was still immersed in his own world on his phone.

His phone had been with him through closed training and group matches, and was finally returned to him intact by staff for the first time after the finals.

Four months of waiting in line have finally brought this moment: WeChat, Weibo, messages from family members, and countless other messages that have been pushed to the top by the system.

He called Zhang Yishan first. The phone rang only half a ring before it connected.

"Hey, the champion's here."

Zhang Yishan's voice carried his signature languidness as he began the conversation with his old classmate in a slightly teasing tone.

The two chatted for a while, but neither of them took the cheesy words seriously.

Finally, Xiao He paused for a moment, then changed his tone: "You're helping me canvass votes, so why didn't you tell me beforehand? If I had known I had classmates backing me up, I would have been more arrogant."

"Don't be like that, we're all small fry now, keep a low profile," Zhang Yishan continued to tease.

The two exchanged a few more words and then hung up.

Then Xiao He found Yang Zi's number in his contacts and dialed it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Zi's voice came through the receiver, tinged with hesitation and curiosity: "Xiao He... what's your relationship with Liu Yifei?"

"We were childhood playmates, like siblings."

Xiao He didn't hide anything and briefly explained the history between the two families.

The rehearsal hall of the Wuhan Opera and Dance Theater, and the older sister and younger brother who grew up together.

Yang Zi on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then her voice held a subtle quality: "So, are you two dating now?"

Xiao He replied without hesitation, "Not yet."

"Oh, I knew it. You two are several years apart in age," Yang Zi said.

"However, we might discuss it in the future."

Xiao He added that the two were very close friends in college. Yang Zi, with her easygoing personality, liked to be on friendly terms with people she respected.

I won't go into Zhang Yishan's story, but then I met Xiao He in college.

The three of them were like an inseparable trio in college, always together wherever they went.

Later, as Yang Zihe and Zhang Yishan both received notices and went out to film, the inseparable trio of friends began to disappear from the campus.

Yang Zi remained silent for a full three seconds on the other end of the phone.

"What do you mean? Are you pursuing her, or is she pursuing you?" Yang Zi asked quickly.

Xiao He explained, "How could she possibly be pursuing me? It must be me who's going to pursue her."

"I think so too."

Then Yang Zi laughed, the kind of laugh that says, "I knew it."

"I knew it! You have to admit, a top star is a top star. I tried everything to get votes for you, but it wasn't enough. Then Liu Yifei's one Weibo post blew all our votes away!"

"Yang Zi".

"Um?"

"Soon, you'll be a top star too. You'll be a top-tier rising star in the entertainment industry."

"Alright, you're always trying to make me happy. You used to say that all the time back in school. When you get to Beijing, let me know you won the trainee championship. I'll definitely treat you to a meal to congratulate you."

"Okay, but I'll treat you to dinner. You're the one who needs to get your friends to help me campaign for votes."

Yang Zi's popularity in 2017 was unique. "Ashes of Love" hadn't even aired yet, so there was still a clear gap in popularity and appeal compared to top idols like Cai Kunkun. She received rave reviews for her role as Qiu Yingying in "Ode to Joy 2" and dominated trending topics on various platforms with "The Legend of White Snake," but without a major hit period drama, stage performances weren't her absolute forte.

But she really did her best.

She dug out all the friends she could get in her private messages and sent messages to them one by one.

Zhang Yishan, Shu Chang, Li Xian—everyone in the 2014 class of Beijing Film Academy received at least two private messages from her, each ending with the line, "He was my best classmate in college."

But no matter how large her fan base is, it can't compare to Liu Yifei, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere with tens of millions of fans.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Xiao He held his phone, Yang Zi's words still echoing in his ears: "Liu Yifei's one Weibo post has left all our votes far behind."

He suddenly remembered what Liu Yifei had said to him on the phone: "You're my brother, if I don't help you, who will I help?"

He clicked into Liu Yifei's Weibo homepage, where the post "What's there to be afraid of" was still at the top, and the number of reposts and comments was rising at an out-of-control speed.

No one knows how long this statement will remain in the air.

But at least tonight, the "Fairy Sister" rallied her fans and family to blast the entire popularity voting system in the Chinese entertainment industry for her "brother".

"Having my older sister back me up is fucking awesome."

Xiao He couldn't help but sigh.