Everyone in the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Flirty Diva [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 64

Chu Xi’s fans were first shocked, then erupted in cheers upon seeing her new endorsement.

Given Banz’s prestige, this wasn’t just about the celebrity promoting the brand—it was the brand elevating the celebrity.

[Cheers to Xi Bao becoming Banz’s newest spokesperson!]

[Wahhh, Xi Bao is so amazing!]

[From now on, if anyone dares to compare endorsements with us, we’ll crush them!]

[Honestly, I prepared 3,000 yuan to buy the endorsed product tonight. I thought it would be enough, but… how naive. side-eye.jpg]

[Hahahaha same here with the naivety +1, Xi Bao is amazing!]

[This car looks really nice. My family happens to be planning to buy one hahaha]

…

The Brick fan groups were all celebrating, but other fan groups couldn’t sit still.

Chu Xi announcing a new endorsement wasn’t just a big deal for her own fans—rival fandoms in the industry were paying close attention too.

After all, one of the battlegrounds in fan wars was comparing their idols’ endorsements—who had more, whose were higher-end.

Chu Xi previously only had one endorsement for sanitary pads. No matter how well they sold, quantity-wise it wasn’t advantageous. So this second endorsement drew particular scrutiny.

Then they saw the Banz “Aurora” series sedan—with a unit price starting at 500,000 yuan—appear in Chu Xi’s endorsement portfolio.

The first among her peers to land a luxury car endorsement, instantly reducing rivals’ daily necessities and cosmetics endorsements to dust.

The fandom world was shaken, overflowing with sour grapes. Some even went to comment under Banz’s official Weibo announcement post:

“How does Chu Xi qualify to endorse Banz? Is the brand blind???”

“Must be riding on Li Zhengxu’s coattails again, even for endorsements. Pathetic.”

“Endorsing Banz—do consumers who can afford Banz buy cars because of her face? Can the brain-dead fans who buy things for her face even afford it? Banz Greater China PR should resign.”

“Oh it’s useful—when the financial reports come out they can brag about performance metrics.”

“By the way, didn’t they say her fans crowdfunded to buy the endorsed product? Hahahahaha did they manage to buy any?”

“Hahahahaha brain-dead fans, go on and buy then. Bet you’re stunned now hahahahaha”

…

Facing these hateful, jealous comments, Brick fans knew they were just sour grapes but still got furious.

Exactly—sour grapes mentality. Can’t have it themselves, so they try everything to disparage it.

Say we won’t buy, can’t afford it? Looks to me like you’re the ones who can’t afford it.

Just a 500,000 yuan car—not only will we buy it, we’ll clearly register it under Chu Xi’s name! And after buying, we’ll donate it to charity—make you die of envy! Spite you to death!

The fan groups that had already crowdfunded once launched a new round, even setting up reward tiers. Whoever contributed the most—regardless of which subgroup or region—would earn the honorary title of Chu Xi’s “Fan of the Year,” with first access to her updates, earliest viewings of her photos, and if there were future fan interaction events, one slot reserved for the Fan of the Year.

Chu Xi was shocked when she heard that several of her top fans were planning to crowdfund to buy a car.

Last time, buying sanitary pads was one thing, but now they wanted to buy a car?

Did they think the money they earned came from thin air?

Chasing stars was supposed to be about having fun—why drag so much financial transaction into it?

What was the point of competing with those toxic anti-fans over such trivial matters?

When Chu Xi saw the crowdfunding amount, she was even more stunned. So many people had pooled so much money just to buy products she endorsed—how could she possibly rest easy with that? She probably wouldn’t even sleep well at night.

That same evening, Chu Xi made a surprise appearance in the fan group chat, scolding them like disobedient children.

“Just completing the reposts and promotional data for the endorsements is enough! No crowdfunding to buy endorsed products!”

“If you usually use sanitary pads and choose the ‘Soft Series’ because of me, I’d be happy. If your family happens to be buying a car and picks an ‘Aurora’ model, I’d also be happy. But buying endorsements just for the sake of buying endorsements—that’s not acceptable, understand?”

“I’ve received all your kindness. Use the crowdfunded money to buy yourselves some milk tea or nice clothes instead. Really, don’t spend it on me.”

“I’ve read every single letter you’ve written to me—there’s no better gift than that.”

“Everyone, focus on your studies or work, live your best lives, and keep improving. Be good.”

As soon as she said this, the group fell silent.

After being in fandom for so long, they had only ever seen idols pushing for data, sales, and crowdfunding—milking fans’ wallets like endless fields of leeks. But they had never seen someone actively speak out against spending money on them.

What kind of heavenly idol had they even stanned?!

She wasn’t human! She was a fairy!

We won’t stoop to the level of toxic antis. We’ll listen to Xi Bao—no buying means no buying!

When Chu Xi saw that the crowdfunded money had been returned to the fans, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The crowdfunding for Chu Xi’s fans to buy a car was suddenly refunded halfway through, and the toxic antis went wild when they saw it.

[Hahaha, trying to act rich but got exposed!]

[Can’t afford it? Just admit it. Putting on a show with crowdfunding—how laughable.]

[Weren’t they bragging about their insane purchasing power? What happened? Their idol’s own endorsements and they can’t even support her?]

…

Chu Xi’s fans were furious at these comments, but remembering her words, they refused to engage. They had to hold it in.

Quiet, well-behaved, drama-free—a peaceful fandom for a peaceful idol.

Just as the two sides—one relentlessly provoking, the other silently enduring—were locked in this standoff, a strange piece of news suddenly appeared in everyone’s feeds.

“Bankrupt? Yuanjing Group President Gu Mingjing’s Ride Worth Only 500k!”

Fans: ???

The news push included a photo, seemingly taken when Gu Mingjing was spotted out and about. The man, dressed casually, emerged from somewhere and got into the driver’s seat of his car.

The article was categorized under financial news and, since it involved cars, someone decided to dig into what kind of car President Gu was driving.

But the discovery was shocking. The man who owned enough luxury cars to host an auto show was driving a vehicle with a base price of 500k?

For the average person, a 500k car would be considered upper-middle-class. But for a billionaire like President Gu?

OMG, what was going on?! Had he gone bankrupt?!

Hearing this news, shareholders everywhere trembled in fear.

However, upon checking, Yuanjing’s stock prices had been soaring, and the financial report from the previous quarter showed impressive performance. By all appearances, it didn’t seem like the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

So why? Was President Gu suddenly embracing a frugal lifestyle to reminisce about hard times?

Just as everyone was scratching their heads, friends in the finance section noticed the brand and model of the car Gu Mingjing was driving in the photo—and froze.

Banz, Aurora series.

Huh, why does this series look so familiar?

Didn’t a certain female celebrity just announce her endorsement for this car?

What was her name again?

And just like that, the news was shifted from the finance section to the entertainment section.

Netizens: ………………

Anti-fan No. 1: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! President Gu has already moved on! There’s no way he’s driving this car because of Chu Xi! Stop flattering yourselves!

Anti-fan No. 2: So what if he bought this car? It’s just one car—do you think Banz even cares?

Chu Xi’s fan: So, President Gu, have you really moved on or not? And let’s be clear—you were never officially recognized as a fan in the first place. Don’t think driving a car endorsed by our Xi Bao means anything. Do you even know how much we fans despise people like you, who flip-flop between being a fan and then abandoning ship?

Just as everyone was getting worked up over this news, an employee from Yuanjing Group came forward with a bombshell.

They revealed that the company’s old fleet of official vehicles had been retired, and the boss had splurged on a brand-new batch.

All of them were Banz’s “Aurora” series.

A trusted international brand with reliable quality and a reasonable price—perfect for corporate vehicles.

As for the number of vehicles purchased, one could get an idea based on Yuanjing Group’s massive scale.

The moment everyone realized the scale of Yuanjing, they collectively gasped.

Holy shit, this is terrifying.

Common knowledge in fandom: If a fan moves on—especially due to a scandal—they should ignore all news about their former idol and boycott their endorsements. Not turning hostile is already a blessing. Given how heavily Banz advertises, there’s no way President Gu wouldn’t know Chu Xi was the endorser. If he had truly moved on, how could he justify buying so many products endorsed by his former idol?

Whether President Gu had truly moved on from Chu Xi was practically becoming the eighth unsolved mystery of the world.

Until yet another Yuanjing employee couldn’t stay silent any longer and spilled the truth.

Moved on, my ass! The 200,000 sanitary pads ran out ages ago, but the “Soft Series” pads in the company’s women’s restrooms have been continuously replenished ever since!

With that statement, Gu Mingjing solidified his reputation as the top big spender in Chu Xi’s fandom.

Chu Xi had always had the number one big spender in her fandom, and this fan had never left.

Why didn’t he post about his idol on Weibo?

Maybe he forgot his password.

Wuwuwuwu, so jealous, so damn jealous.

No wonder all the fundraising money was returned. Who needs fan donations when one devoted boyfriend fan can single-handedly fund all the promotional projects? Other fans could empty their savings and still not match what he casually swipes on his card.

Haters and jealous fans usually only appear when the gap isn’t too wide. When they realized their opponent was the CEO of Yuanjing Group, the haters quietly retreated with their tails between their legs.

While other fans were eating their hearts out with jealousy, Chu Xi’s own fans had mixed feelings.

This man, who didn’t even officially belong to the fandom, had achieved a legendary feat in fan support history.

Though some still disapproved of rich people throwing money around, this grand gesture of buying out all her endorsements had indeed given everyone a satisfying sense of vindication.

Remember the promise made during fundraising? Fans from any subgroup or region who contributed the most would earn the honorary title of “Chu Xi’s Fan of the Year.”

Now with his contributions leaving the entire fandom in the dust, and everyone watching, how could they go back on their word?

After intense overnight discussions among the top fan leaders, they finally reached a unanimous decision:

[Let bygones be bygones. Welcome Gu Mingjing to officially join the Brick (Chu Xi’s fandom name) family and be awarded the honorary title of “Chu Xi’s Fan of the Year.”]

Thus, in Chu Xi’s super topic, a Weibo account verified as the CEO of Yuanjing Group rocketed to the top of the fan contribution rankings.

——

At Chu Xi’s home, Gu Mingjing looked at his newly acquired honorary title and smiled.

When Chu Xi learned about Gu Mingjing’s fan support stunt, she was furious. She snatched the phone from his hands angrily: “Are you crazy? Is this how you should spend your money? Not only did you refuse to unfollow me, but you had to pull this stunt too? Are you really that obsessed with having a fan status?”

Gu Mingjing crossed his legs elegantly: “It’s not wasteful. The company’s fleet of business vehicles really needed replacing after so many years.”

“Really?” Chu Xi looked skeptical.

Gu Mingjing: “Of course it’s true. You can ask Assistant Gao if you don’t believe me.”

Chu Xi pursed her lips: “Yeah right, asking him would be no better than asking the heavens and earth.”

Seeing him still smiling, she pushed him: “Still laughing? Happy with your title now? Why did you have to do this instead of just unfollowing like I asked? A meaningless title like ‘Chu Xi’s Fan of the Year’—aren’t you bored? Was it really worth it?”

“How could it not be worth it?” Gu Mingjing raised an eyebrow. “Now that I’m officially recognized as the best boyfriend fan, won’t it be easier for them to accept when you introduce me as your boyfriend later?”

Chu Xi shot him a sidelong glance and turned away: “No.”

After a moment of silent contemplation with her back to him, she suddenly spoke softly: “I’m sorry.”

Not understanding her sudden apology, Gu Mingjing moved closer: “What’s wrong?”

Chu Xi fiddled with her fingers: “I feel like I’ve let down my fans… and you too.”

“I feel guilty towards my fans for dating behind their backs, and I also feel guilty towards you for making you hide without any official status,” she said, sounding utterly dejected.

Gu Mingjing was taken aback.

Actually, regarding the matter of official status, apart from it being hard to accept at first, seeing Chu Xi sneaking around like a detective each time had been rather endearing afterward.

He had only been teasing her, but Chu Xi seemed to take it very seriously.

Gu Mingjing hugged her from behind. “Don’t be sad, I’m fine with it.”

“Really?” Chu Xi tilted her head back to look at him.

“Of course it’s true,” Gu Mingjing said, his arms encircling her waist, feeling the soft curve beneath her T-shirt.

He lowered his head to kiss her earlobe. “Is your waist better now?”