The next day, numerous fans had caught wind of the incident.

Their studio always kept a close watch on the fan community. Soon enough, in order to better handle the situation, a staff member relayed this event to Wang Meican.

That evening, Wang Meican managed to contact Shen Xingsui.

At that moment, Shen Xingsui, still in bed, nearly fell out when he heard what Wang Meican had to say: "What?!"

Wang Meican cleared his throat, "It seems some fans have discovered your alt account and are threatening to expose it, Xingsui."

"What? How?!" Shen Xingsui sat up, still in shock, "How did they find out?"

Wang Meican gave a nervous laugh, "I'm not sure about that. But you don't have any controversial content on your alt account, right, Xingsui? That's my primary concern now. You're in a sensitive period; we can't afford any scandals."

Shen Xingsui was completely flabbergasted.

"But since my manager asked," he reluctantly replied, "there's no compromising content, at least."

Wang Meican breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good then. Don't worry. If it's just mundane daily life stuff, even if it's exposed, it won't cause much of a stir."

...

Shen Xingsui felt choked up.

He really wanted to tell Wang Meican, "It might not cause a big stir, but it'll definitely cause a small one."

Hesitatingly, Shen Xingsui said, "I suspect, maybe, it might cause a slight ripple..."

Wang Meican jolted in alarm, a sinking feeling forming, "Xingsui, did you post any detrimental remarks? Anything concerning Jinxiao?"

With a turmoil of emotions, Shen Xingsui responded, "Detrimental might be too strong a word, it's actually quite positive, but yes, it does involve Mr. Fu..."

Wang Meican was somewhat stunned.

Shen Xingsui got up and quickly prepared to head to the company. Little did he expect, events had progressed faster than anticipated. When he checked Weibo and the super topic, he saw numerous fan posts eagerly awaiting the revelation. Many commented:

"I'm so excited I can't sleep tonight."

"I've never waited for gossip with such anticipation."

"Is it really his alt account?"

"I always knew he wasn't all that innocent. Waiting for the tea."

Seeing these, Shen Xingsui's first instinct was to delete his Weibo alt account. But on second thought, if someone wanted to expose him, they would surely have taken screenshots. Deleting now would be futile.

As he was contemplating, suddenly a new post popped up in the super topic:

"It's posted! I just refreshed and saw it."

"Go check it out, everyone."

"OMG, I'm shook!"

"I'm dying, guys."

Shen Xingsui hurriedly refreshed his main page. Seeing that he was mentioned as Fu Jinxiao's 'official wife', he felt a cold dread, combined with a tinge of embarrassment. That account had gained half a million followers just from being followed by Fu Jinxiao. Now, after the exposure, it rapidly trended, gaining 200k followers every five minutes.

Switching back to that account, Shen Xingsui saw the group chats he managed exploding. Many were discussing the situation, especially the newer followers who felt betrayed:

"Is he really a fan?"

"He's played with our emotions. Does he find this amusing?"

"This is disgusting."

However, these new fans were quickly countered by another group. These were the hardcore fans of Fu Jinxiao's super topic, some even long-time die-hard fans. They were among the first to interact with Shen Xingsui. Some had even grown and evolved under his guidance:

"Can you deceive someone's feelings and still care deeply for years?"

"Since before Fu was well-known, he was always there."

"The 'First Lady' supported him even earlier than I, earlier than you, earlier than most of us."

"Those of you who've heard of the First Lady are likely his truest fans."

Among the fans, there's one Shen Xingsui remembered – a girl who goes by the alias Xiao A. They knew each other from before when she went by the nickname An'an.

An'an, who once led the opposition against Shen Xingsui in this group, noticed him there and pinged his username, asking, "Are you here?"

Shen Xingsui saw it.

He hadn't logged into this account or checked this group for a long time. Now, with all that was happening, seeing her mention, he felt a need to address old friends. He replied, "I'm here."

The moment he made his presence known, the chat seemed to fall silent.

Then An'an asked, "Are you really Shen Xingsui?"

"I am," Shen Xingsui responded sincerely, "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."

His apology was genuine, and the chat exploded with fans bombarding him with questions like:

"When did you first meet Teacher Fu?"

"Did he fall for you because you were a fan?"

"Did you get close to him with ulterior motives?"

At this point, Shen Xingsui realized many fans genuinely cared for Fu Jinxiao. Their resistance against him was simply the heartache of seeing their idol's attention diverted elsewhere.

He wasn't enemies with his fans; there was no need for hostility.

With patience, Shen Xingsui explained everything – even events that had trended – connecting the dots. After finishing, it felt like the air was cleared.

An'an exclaimed, "You sneaky guy! You're really infuriating!"

"If you had told us earlier, we'd never let you suffer alone," she said, having been quite close to Shen Xingsui, "We're like your family here. If we had known, we would've supported you more during the auditions."

Others joined in:

"Now that we know, we're all in for your relationship with Teacher Fu!"

"I'm crying! As our group leader, it's like we're all marrying Teacher Fu through you."

"That's such a romantic way to put it; I'm tearing up too!"

"If you think about it, Teacher Fu would marry someone eventually. Better it's one of 'us'. We're behind you, Xingsui!"

Before the exposure of this account, a portion of Fu Jinxiao's fans were quite against this relationship. But after the revelation, public sentiment seemed to have shifted overnight.

Observant fans even noticed that Shen Xingsui's Weibo traces back to the time when Fu Jinxiao had just debuted. Decades of consistent support, every post written with sincere passion. If companionship is the deepest form of confession, many previously couldn't comprehend why Fu Jinxiao would fall for such an ordinary guy. At this moment, countless were moved by this profound emotion.

Some mockingly commented:

"A tale of a devoted fan finally getting recognized."

"Persist long enough, and you'll get everything."

"Should I chase after my idol like this now?"

These remarks were promptly refuted by more rational individuals:

"I've always believed deep affection shouldn't be ridiculed."

"Don't just say you'd give it a try. You'd understand how hard it is to maintain passion for someone for decades."

"What's commendable is he never used this affection for publicity."

"Love between men is still love."

"Best wishes to them."

As the first same-sex couple to publicize their relationship in the entertainment industry, the disclosure by Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao was brave and risky. Their boldness provided a precedent for many same-sex couples in love yet too afraid to come forward. Their resolution, dedication, and the courage they instilled in one another resonated with many.

More and more people began to support and bless them.

Gradually, many others chose to come out – on social media, at civil affairs bureaus, and more public displays of commitment.

By noon, trending topics started popping up:

#XuQinKeAndFengFanComeOut#

#TeacherLiAndHuHaiKeAnnounce#

...

Their choice to follow in the footsteps of Shen and Fu silently supported the duo. The flame kindled by Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao spread, passing the torch to others.

the next day

With only a month left until the end of the year, Fu Jinxiao had cleared almost all his engagements.

This was his last year in the entertainment circle, and his last reality show while under contract was the final episode of "Starglow". Due to some issues with An Ran's personal style, Starglow decided to change the guest. The surprise replacement was Wen Shengge, which caught Shen Xingsui off guard.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they embraced tightly when they met at the airport.

This would be Fu Jinxiao's final reality show appearance. It might even be the last time fans would see him after the filming. Hence, the live audience count for the show reached an impressive 200 million:

"Here to see Teacher Fu in love."

"This couple is so endearing."

"May Teacher Fu and Xingsui be together forever!"

"We've all decided, if Master Fu isn't around anymore, we'll support Sui Sui. After all, where there's Sui Sui, traces of Master Fu will surely be found~."

"Support for the lady! The lady is the best~."

"Contrary to the past, the style of live streams and fans has drastically shifted. Now, there's a greater acceptance and inclusivity among everyone."

The production team, seeing everyone assembled, became sentimental, "This is our last episode of the show. We're thrilled and delighted to meet you all. It's winter, yet we find ourselves on this beautiful island, where it's spring all year round—a perfect holiday destination. I believe after the last two episodes, we've built a certain bond and understanding among us, making us cherish each other even more. We hope everyone can spend this final week together, creating wonderful memories!"

The crowd burst into applause.

"Starlight has been around for two years now. So much has transpired in these years, bringing everyone closer. Hence, we value this camaraderie deeply."

The director, with a smile, remarked, "Considering this, since we're on the bus, how about a game before we reach the fishing village? Let's reignite our bond and understanding, shall we?"

"..."

The touching moment just now seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"I knew the director had an ulterior motive."

"The rules are simple: teams of two. One person asks a question about themselves, and the other has to answer within three seconds. No response after the time limit counts as incorrect. Within a half-minute, the pair with the most correct answers wins a luxurious stay and a feast tonight."

"Sounds promising."

The director announced, "Regarding the pairs, you'll team up with the person sitting next to you now."

Shen Xing Sui was paired with Fu Jin Xiao, Shen Xing Chen with Li Xu An, Wen Sheng Ge with Ning Ze, and Teacher Tu Ya with Teacher Li. Xu Qin Ke sat beside Feng Fan. Surprisingly, everyone ended up sitting next to those they subconsciously felt closest to.

The foremost pair was Shen Xing Chen and Li Xu An.

The director signalled them to begin. With Shen Xing Chen asking and Li Xu An answering, Shen didn't hide his disdain for Li. He began probing with tricky questions, clearly not wanting Li Xu An to win, and inquired:

"What's my favorite movie?"

"Transformers."

Without hesitation, Shen Xing Chen declared, "Wrong!"

Li Xu An, puzzled, asked, "Isn't it?"

"It's 'Transformers 2' now," Shen Xing Chen said smugly. "They're not the same."

"..."

Li Xu An, along with the others, fell silent.

Shen Xing Chen continued with a series of baffling questions. Astonishingly, Li Xu An managed to answer more than half of them correctly. His understanding of Shen Xing Chen surprised many.

As the quick half-minute ended, the director announced, "They've managed to answer 8 questions correctly."

The performance of this team was indeed impressive. Soon, it was Shen Xing Sui and Fu Jin Xiao's turn, with Fu Jin Xiao posing questions and Shen Xing Sui answering. Shen Xing Sui felt a tinge of nervousness, worried that he might not be able to answer.

As the timer began, Fu Jin Xiao smirked and calmly asked, "What's my favorite book?"

Without hesitation, Shen Xing Sui answered, "Don Quixote and One Hundred Years of Solitude."

"My favorite color?"

"White, black, and blue."

"My favorite dish?"

"Medium-rare Beef Wellington."

"My favorite piece of music?"

"Moonlight Sonata, Second Movement."

No matter what Fu Jin Xiao asked, Shen Xing Sui could swiftly respond, often without even taking the full three seconds. The live stream audience was utterly astounded.

"It's like it's etched in his brain."

"I don't deserve to be Fu's fan."

"I'm such a fake fan; I didn't even know some of this stuff."

"Sui Sui is simply the best!"

As the timer continued, Shen Xing Sui didn't miss a single question. In the last ten seconds, Fu Jin Xiao gazed fondly at his lover across from him, the warmth and adoration evident in his eyes, "Final question: Who is the person I love the most?"