Chapter 55 – Someone Like Me

Chapter 55 - Someone Like Me

The golden, caramelized sugar threads glistened translucently under the lights, their delicate beauty captivating. The company had not only thought of Tang Fei, the production team, and the characters, but also her fans.

Tang Fei bit her lower lip. The care and effort Time Culture had put into this gesture moved her so much that she didn't want to decline.

If the company continued to win her heart like this, she would undoubtedly be completely won over. In ancient times, she might have bowed sincerely and pledged, "I am willing to serve you like a loyal dog or horse."

Tang Fei turned on her phone's camera function. "I'll take a picture for the Caramelized Sugar fans. They should share in the joy of the company's thoughtful gesture."

She chose the angle and applied a romantic pink and blue filter to capture Li Xiuyun and Tang Fei under the caramelized sugar umbrella.

Adding a sprinkle of starry particles, a dreamy cake photo was born.

Tang Fei composed a tweet, attaching the photo: "@Time Culture, thank you for the beautifully prepared cake. Today marks Li Xiuyun's wrap-up, and we were both protected by the caramelized sugar together~"

This was the first tweet on the Tang Fei FF account since its registration!

Tang Fei's online presence now surpassed all previous levels of popularity. Her fan base, after the rollercoaster of events over the past two weeks, had grown significantly.

On the Changhong Celebrity Ranking, Tang Fei's active online fan base had reached an astonishing 790,000, more than double the second-place, most popular idol with 270,000 fans!

What did that mean? 790,000 active netizens! Tang Fei no longer needed the Public Relations Department's assistance on any platform or list; half of these 790,000 fans could propel her to the top of the popularity charts.

At present, Tang Fei's buzz equaled the combined hype of the three most popular idols.

A marketing account posting a single stunning photo of Tang Fei could amass hundreds of thousands of comments, retweets, and millions of likes within eight hours.

Tang Fei had effectively bought a permanent spot on the trending list, staying there for two consecutive weeks.

Time Culture, a newly-established talent agency, had gained such immense recognition in the fan community that it was now comparable to the Big Four entertainment companies: Yao Hui Entertainment, Sky Voice Culture, New Film World, and Renowned Cultural Entertainment.

In terms of reputation, Time Culture had even surpassed Yao Hui Entertainment significantly.

All of this was due to the Tang Fei Effect!

And now, the woman herself had posted a message!

Tang Fei, who had vanished for five years!

The previous account was under the control of her management company, and Tang Fei herself had never posted a tweet. Today's post was her maiden tweet!

Tang Fei's first tweet was related to her fans!

Aaaah! Goddess Feifei mentioned me! Fans were overwhelmed with emotion, as if a powerful adrenaline shot had been injected into their bodies. They rushed to share the news, logging onto Tang Fei's weibo en masse.

Excited fans frantically commented, liked, and retweeted. However...

They found that they couldn't comment, likes weren't registering, and retweets were stuck in an endless loop. Upon refreshing, they were even logged out of their accounts!

What was going on?

Is Weibo suppressing our Fei?

Enraged, fans immediately flooded the Weibo customer service hotline, jamming all lines and making it impossible to get through. Every operator was inundated with calls about Tang Fei – unable to log in, unable to refresh, unable to access her weibo.

It wasn't until over ten minutes later that Weibo became accessible again. An official statement from the platform revealed the extent of Tang Fei's popularity.

Upon the release of Tang Fei's tweet, the server was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of simultaneous visits, causing it to crash due to the inability to handle the massive data processing!

Tang Fei's Weibo post was so overwhelming that it crashed the platform!

"Too much sweetness from Tang Fei, everyone's enthusiasm overwhelmed the server!"

"Weibo has crashed before due to celebrities, why haven't they upgraded to a better server yet? I'll have to mentally prepare myself for commenting on Feifei's posts in the future."

"The new Weibo couldn't handle Feifei's power, she crashed it too!"

"The Sugars (fans of Tang Fei) are too strong. Poor little Weibo is too fragile to withstand such excitement, please be gentle with it."

"Upstairs lacks evidence for suspicion."

"Reserving my spot in the front row!"

"Brother, support me, I want to marry Tang Fei!"

"C, rival in love, screw off, get down from there."

"My beloved Fei is indeed a fan favorite, finishing the shoot with fans in such a heartwarming way. Muah muah!"

"The company really spoils Fei, @Time Culture, with love~"

#Tang Fei tweets# #Tang Fei's fans crash Weibo# #Tang Fei dotes on her fans#

Three hashtags shot straight to the trending list in quick succession. Whenever Tang Fei made any move, her popularity would skyrocket and dominate the charts, leaving all others behind.

This level of heat and influence left everyone in the industry startled.

Was it Tang Fei's personal charm or Time Culture's prowess? Either way, it was terrifying. Despite having no signature song or acting masterpiece, she had amassed such a massive fanbase, whose enthusiasm far exceeded that of former top-tier celebrities.

If 'Psychic Frenzy' turned out to be a decent production, what then?

In the president's office of Yao Hui Tower, Shen Fan, the CEO who had just been discharged from the hospital, clenched his teeth as he faced the online storm stirred by Tang Fei, the whispers within the industry about Yao Hui, and the collapse of its invincible image.

"Go wild, create chaos. The higher you climb, the harder you'll fall, and realize the harshness of society."

After taking a deep breath, he asked his secretary, "Has Huang Hanmin's salary been transferred? When will his computer be sent for repair?"

"President Shen, everything is arranged. It will definitely be released on time this Friday."

"That's good." Shen Fan closed his eyes again and leaned back in his office chair.

The comments under Tang Fei's account were rapidly updating, providing an outlet for the restless energy of her fans, the Toffeeites.

Enthusiasm could not be contained!

"The connection between Xiuyun and Tang Fei, brought together by the Toffeeites and the Spiritual Frenzy, has lifted them to new heights! What a divine idea – Time Culture truly lives up to its name, showing the difference in class of cultural people."

"The one above is the class representative!"

"Speaking of which, I feel like I'm part of the production now. Move aside, don't block my pride."

"Tang Fei has great taste. Yao Hui was just a scumbag she encountered at a young age."

"Who hasn't crossed paths with a jerk during their youth? Our true prince will eventually appear, and Time Culture will be the ultimate home."

Online, Tang Fei and her fans shared the spotlight, heating up the online buzz. Seizing the moment, Time Culture released another promotional announcement for Tang Fei's signing ceremony.

"Toffeeites, are you excited? What kind of goddess do you hope to see?"

The fans exclaimed,

"We're so eager, we're about to dehydrate!"

"Wish it were already Friday!"

"Each day feels like a year, waiting to see Fei!"

"We want any goddess you can get! Schedule them quickly!"

At the Jiangzhou Film Studio, after Tang Fei posted her pictures, she was surrounded by the crew members. They offered her glass after glass of beer. "Sister Fei, cheers."

"Thank you all for your tolerance and care over these past ten days. Cheers!" Tang Fei downed her drink in one go. The bitter taste mixed with the fizzy bubbles and faint scent of malt made her frown; it wasn't exactly palatable.

But when it came to drinking, she didn't focus on the flavor but rather the atmosphere.

In the lively ambiance, Tang Fei happily accepted every offer, soon swaying like a wave. Dazed and unsteady, if not for He Zhou holding her back, she would have kept going.

"Cousin, you can't drink anymore."

"I'm happy. I can still drink."

Tang Fei's cheeks were flushed, her eyes hazy, yet she seemed to be conscious but unable to stand steadily.

He Zhou turned around to carry Tang Fei on his back. "Sis, I'll make you some hangover soup when we get back. Don't fall asleep just yet; it's risky to sleep while drunk."

"Mm." Tang Fei shook her head and leaned against He Zhou's back, feeling as if time had transported her back to her childhood, when she and her brother would sit back-to-back on the grass in the park, squinting at the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

"Brother..."

"Did you say something, Sis?"

"I miss home." Lowering her head, Tang Fei's mind was filled with fragmented memories of her parents and brother.

"Hey, Sis, Aunt and Uncle will be here soon. Don't worry. Did you just call me Brother?"

"Brother Su..." Tang Fei's head ached as the jumbled images made her memory jump between roles, her past life, and the present.

As the barbecue event drew to a close, those who intended to get drunk had already succumbed. Taking advantage of the alcohol, everyone let loose, some singing, some dancing, and others showcasing their musical talents.

The usually solemn Guan Liu was surprisingly rowdy when drunk, insisting on showing off his acrobatics while singing Peking Opera and biting on a beer bottle. The camera guy, as if discovering a new world, captured every moment.

Xu Jianguo instructed with his hands behind his back, "Film this, film that too. Save it all for the bloopers. Play it gradually during the broadcast. These are their precious embarrassing moments, ha ha."

Tang Fei and He Zhou enjoyed a brief moment of peace before another group stumbled over, swaying unsteadily on their feet but managing to stay upright.

They held a microphone in front of Tang Fei.

" Sister Fei started as a singer! Give us a song!"

"He Zhou interjected, "My sister's drunk, she can't do it."

"Drunk is good! It brings out true emotions! Sing a tune!"

"Oh oh oh!" The crowd cheered, jumping on the spot as the guitar strummed, urging Tang Fei to sing.

Xu Jianguo pointed in Tang Fei's direction, telling the camera operator, "Over there, Tang Fei is going to sing."

Tang Fei felt a bit dizzy, but her pent-up emotions were unleashed by the alcohol.

She had just concluded Li Xiuyun's story, and the intense emotions she had invested over the past ten days, along with her longing for another world, burst forth like a floodwaters sweeping away mountains and trees.

Was this how it felt to be drunk? It seemed rather pleasant.

"Fei-ge! Fei-ge!"

"One more, please!"

Tang Fei took the microphone and gently pushed He Zhou, who was attempting to stop her, out of the throng of people.

The guitar strummed rhythmically, preparing to harmonize with Tang Fei's singing. However, instead of a familiar tune, Tang Fei began to sing an unknown song called "Someone Like Me."

This song seemed to belong to a different world from theirs. Under the influence of alcohol, Tang Fei altered the lyrics slightly, dedicating the song both to Xiuyun and to herself.

With her voice deepened and ethereal due to the alcohol, Tang Fei closed her eyes, allowing her intense emotions to flow gradually through her a cappella performance: "Someone like me, full of dreams and illusions."

In the midst of the lively and boisterous crowd, all noise subsided as they fell silent under the spell of Tang Fei's singing.