The elevator doors opened, and the man holding the door frame looked sincere: “Thanks to Xiaoman’s words, I’ve come to my senses. If I didn’t thank you, I’d feel uneasy.”

He was truly persistent. Lin Xiaoman suddenly worried about Wei Qinghuan—when they shot the MV, would he have schemed against her too?

Before Lin Xiaoman could speak, Ji Yuan entered the elevator and stood beside her: “Would you like to have a meal together sometime?”

As if afraid she would refuse, he added: “I just want to thank you…”

His final words carried a hint of pleading, resembling the puppy-like dogs Lin Xiaoman had seen on the street, with eyes that could soften hearts.

But Lin Xiaoman was hard-hearted. She remained unmoved and coldly refused: “No need. I’m dieting recently.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” The elevator doors opened, and Lin Xiaoman walked out without hesitation, throwing back: “We’re even now. You don’t need to thank me.”

She knew that someone like Ji Yuan absolutely should not be given a good face. Once entangled, she would be the unlucky one.

This made her worry about Wei Qinghuan again.

Wei Qinghuan was someone without much sophistication and would likely be easily manipulated by him.

“Xiaoman,” Ji Yuan persistently followed her, “Actually, I really like you. I just want to be friends with you, want you to be good to me. Why won’t you accept me at all?”

“Isn’t my attitude clear enough?” Lin Xiaoman suddenly turned around, looking at him calmly, “Then I’ll say it directly: I don’t like you.”

Suddenly, a car rushed out from around the corner. Ji Yuan, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, pulled Lin Xiaoman inside and shielded her with his body.

Lin Xiaoman noticed that besides the momentary flash of the car lights, her eyes seemed to have been flashed by something else.

“Are you okay?” Ji Yuan supported her, asking with concern.

Lin Xiaoman felt another flash of light.

She pushed Ji Yuan away and quickly walked towards the corner of the parking lot.

It wasn’t her imagination.

The flash she just saw was all too familiar – it was a camera flash.

Her movements were extremely fast. By the time she reached the corner, the man in a black cap hiding behind the car looked panicked and surprised, trying to hide the camera behind his back.

“Hand it over,” Lin Xiaoman reached out, looking down at the man in front of her.

★ Chapter Twenty-Six: Fans

“Xiaoman, you’re really amazing,” Xiaobai, who had watched the entire process, could hardly believe this was a young girl just over twenty who had just entered the entertainment industry, “If it weren’t for your quick wit, you would have ended up on the hot search again today.”

“Hmm…” Lin Xiaoman browsed her phone casually, “I’m already on it.”

Weibo was filled with topics about her:

LinXiaomanUnprofessional

LinXiaomanMissesSigning

LinXiaomanGetOutOfEntertainmentIndustry

The specific situation was that she had ended her signing event early, but some fans were not notified and came after she left. Not seeing their idol, fans immediately turned against her, complaining online. With some marketing accounts and haters adding fuel to the fire, within a few hours, her early departure from the signing event was blown out of proportion, and the previous absence incident that had just calmed down was brought up again.

Lin Xiaoman scrolled through the Weibo comments. The top comments were all criticizing her:

— Is she short of money? Or planning to make some quick cash and run?
— Does she really think she’s a big star? What kind of diva attitude is this?
— The entertainment industry doesn’t need someone like her disrupting the atmosphere #LinXiaomanGetOut
— I don’t see the fan-loving attitude everyone talks about, only see her ruthlessly exploiting fans…

— She had just managed to clear her reputation, and now she’s acting crazy again, destroying all her goodwill.

Under these comments, Lin Xiaoman also saw explanations from fans saying she had already sent a notice and it was arranged by the company, but they were all cursed out.

She had millions of fans, and it was normal for some with bad tempers to argue with others.

Looking at the heated arguments, Lin Xiaoman felt this incident seemed to have escalated, and someone was deliberately guiding the fans and expanding the conflict.

As she scrolled, she suddenly saw another hot search about herself: #XiaomanAggressively. Someone had specifically screenshot her fans arguing, with one fan even threatening to expose others’ personal information.

Lin Xiaoman furrowed her brow slightly and immediately edited her Weibo: Hope all fans stay rational, do not be led by others’ comments, do not argue with anyone, and together build a harmonious online network. At the same time, thank the fans for their love, and I will handle the signing event myself.

Afterward, she used the fan club’s Weibo to announce that for fans who bought tickets but did not see her in person, she would return the tickets and provide a signed photo.

After handling everything, Lin Xiaoman asked Xiao Bai, “How is the search for someone to manage the fans going?”

“The company thinks that if you’re too busy, they can manage the fans…” Xiao Bai looked at her nervously, “And—”

Lin Xiaoman’s expression turned cold: “And the PR department thinks that this current situation of being ‘black-famous’ can bring you traffic.”

Lin Xiaoman raised her eyes, the coldness in her gaze making people afraid.

This was the reason why the original owner was initially blacklisted by the entire network – because the company only cared about traffic and didn’t care about her image.

Now, this situation was happening again.

She would absolutely not be at the mercy of others like the original owner.

“Those in the PR department aren’t talking like humans,” Xiao Bai said indignantly. “They only know how to make money, never thinking about long-term development, a group of short-sighted people!”

Lin Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh when she heard him.

“Are you laughing at me?” Xiao Bai didn’t mind. “I know everyone talks about me behind my back…”

I know you’ll definitely become famous, and they’ll definitely regret doing this.”

“Then I can’t let you down,” Lin Xiaoman smiled slightly. “Let’s first think about how to solve the issue of fan management.”

“I have an idea…” Xiao Bai carefully glanced at her, lowering his voice, “With my three years of entertainment industry experience, professional matters should be handled by professionals.”

“I’m not talking about the company, I’m talking about your fans,” seeing Lin Xiaoman seemed interested, Xiao Bai continued, “Only fans truly understand how to manage fans. They know better than you about voting, network support, and countering negative comments.”

“Recruit a fan who understands these things to help you manage, have someone help control comments on Weibo, prevent fans from being easily led astray, and your comment section won’t look so miserable.”

“This terrifying woman.”

Xiao Bai’s suggestion gave Lin Xiaoman a new idea. She decided to find someone from her fans to help manage. She asked Xiao Bai to screen people in the group, and she also looked through the comments on Weibo.

Returning to the hotel, Lin Xiaoman saw the man in black clothes holding a black umbrella standing outside, conspicuous among the passersby.

Xiao Bai protectively moved her behind him: “Xiaoman, I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

The man saw her and looked nervous, glancing once and not daring to look again, but unable to resist looking back. At 1.8 meters tall, he appeared cautious.

Lin Xiaoman had seen obsessive fans before, with crazy eyes that only inspired fear. This was different.

“It’s okay,” Lin Xiaoman saw the umbrella in the man’s hand, “Maybe he’s just here to return the umbrella.”