After Being Hopeless at Singing and Dancing, I Exploded in Popularity Due to My Appetite - Chapter 18

Liu Xiaobai, scrolling through web pages and reading gossip online, felt confused as she recalled what Tao Nian had told her at the very beginning.

Is Tao Nian rich?

She said she was very poor, so poor that she had to go work in a factory, and that her family was in debt. Her pitiful look didn’t seem fake.

Is she not rich?

But that jade piece was really expensive, and so were the clothes.

Most importantly, when she first met her, that phone of hers, which was out of battery, seemed to be the latest model of a certain brand, didn’t it?

Why would she lie to me if she’s so rich? Why would she go on this show and suffer grievances?

Liu Xiaobai was completely bewildered, feeling like she was standing in a fog, unable to see anything clearly.

She clicked on the comment section, hoping to find more concrete evidence.

But whether it was due to paid online commenters (water army) joining in or not, the top comments were all scolding Tao Nian.

Of course, a capitalist should be scolded.

Especially since Tao Nian had done unlikable things from the start; people hadn’t forgotten about her biting someone and then acting like a “green tea” girl. They had just started to change their perception, thinking she was a simple-minded sweetheart, but it turned out she wasn’t.

She constantly flattered Lin Qianman on the show, ignoring the other three mentors. She just buttered up to whoever was popular and stepped on those who weren’t!

So rich, wanting to enter the entertainment industry to “cut leeks” (exploit fans for money), and most importantly, relying on capital to destroy others’ stage dreams?

Lin Qianman isn’t any good either. As a mentor, she’s so close to Tao Nian. Even though she didn’t openly vote for Tao Nian, she might have been helping Tao Nian behind the scenes, acting as an accomplice!

The “water army,” along with some netizens, rushed in to curse.

Then the “water army” once again went in, subtly bringing in the previously eliminated contestant, praising how interesting and delightful she was, how pretty she was, and claiming that she was eliminated simply because she blocked Tao Nian’s path.

Liu Xiaobai continued to scroll down and found comments further down with fewer likes.

“…Tao Nian never said she didn’t have money, so why scold her for being rich?”

“What does this have to do with Sister Lin? She didn’t campaign for Tao Nian’s votes, and she voted based on skill. She might say she likes Tao Nian the most, but at most, she just gives her good food, okay?”

“Exactly, don’t drag Lin Qianman into this!”

“Although I don’t like Tao Nian, I really have to say, compared to this one who buys marketing, Tao Nian is quite likable.”

“This kind of marketing is too idiotic, I’d be possessed if I believed it.”

“Heh, my rebellious streak is kicking in. The more you scold Tao Nian, the more I like her. I can scold her, but you buying marketing to slander others? No way! Go look in the mirror, can you compare to my simple-minded sweet Tao?”

“Plus one. The more they scold her, the more agreeable Tao Nian seems to me. At least Tao Nian didn’t buy marketing to hype herself up with Sister Lin.”

“Me too, me too. Make them mad, don’t give them any attention.”

“So, the question is, what are Tao Nian’s fans called?”

A group of netizens, whose rebellious streak was ignited because everyone else was scolding Tao Nian and who wanted to briefly make Tao Nian their temporary favorite, raised this question and began searching for Tao Nian’s fan club.

The result? They couldn’t find one?!

Tao Nian simply had no fans.

Although everyone knew her, she was previously an ordinary person, and her only popular video was a silly one. Later, when she joined the show, she was indeed a bit unlikable.

So, she had no fans!

Most importantly, she didn’t even have an account.

The fans who had just decided to briefly like her couldn’t even find their own group.

Well, now they were even more rebellious.

Didn’t everyone say you’re a rich capitalist? You should at least buy some fans to keep up appearances! What, you don’t care?

No, you must care! I’m your fan now!

A super topic was quickly established.

Everyone spontaneously gathered, deciding to recommend Tao Nian to everyone.

Before, when she was just Lin Qianman’s assistant, Fang Wen wasn’t responsible for public opinion monitoring.

This was because public opinion had always been very friendly towards Lin Qianman.

But after she met Tao Nian, she started endlessly scrolling on her phone, searching for Tao Nian. Because online reviews for Tao Nian weren’t very good, the studio had never created an official account for Tao Nian, fearing that angry fans would rush in to curse, affecting Tao Nian’s development. So, those who cursed Tao Nian were mostly scattered, and while they were cursing, most of it was sarcastic and insulting. If you looked at it without focusing on Tao Nian, it was actually quite interesting.

This was the first time someone said they wanted to be Tao Nian’s fan, and Fang Wen was a little excited, so she slipped into their group, wanting to observe.

Tao Nian…

Lin Qianman’s fans were called “Little Eels.” When Little Eels mentioned Lin Qianman, they almost always called her “Sister Lin.”

Or “Wife.”

Some even called her “Husband.”

Hmm… this style was completely normal, most celebrities and fans are generally like this, praising each other.

Fang Wen was still thinking about what Tao Nian’s fans would be called. She clicked in and found that all the fans were discussing this very thing.

“What should we call ourselves? Rice cakes?”

“No, no, Xu Nian’s fans are also called ‘Rice Cakes.’ It clashes.”

“Then what?”

“Ah! Someone just called Tao Nian ‘Sweet Tao.’ I think that’s pretty good.”

“We’re discussing what the fans’ name should be, not how fans should address Tao Nian.”

“No, no, my meaning is, Tao Nian’s fan name should be ‘Sweet Peaches’ (甜桃, tian tao – which sounds like Sweet Tao), and how to address Tao Nian, we’ll think of that separately.”

“…”

“I actually think that works.”

“It’s fine, the fans’ happiness is most important!”

“Then we’ll be called Sweet Peaches!”

“So the question is, as fans, what do we call our idol?”

“…I’m just a temporary fan, I don’t know her well, don’t ask me.”

“I don’t know either, I just know she eats a lot.”

“Rice Bucket?”

“Ah, this… fans calling their idol a ‘rice bucket,’ isn’t that inappropriate?”

“Then what’s your brilliant idea?”

“I think she’s simple-minded… just an idiot.”

“…This is even more inappropriate, isn’t it…?”

“Didn’t we say? The fans are most important, right? Call her whatever you want.”

“Okay, I’ll call her ‘Idiot.'”

“I’m already used to calling her ‘a certain ordinary person.’ Is that okay too?”

“Although the term ‘ordinary person’ is quite broad, with ‘a certain’ added, it does seem to specifically refer to Tao Nian. If you want to, it’s not impossible.”

Fang Wen, who had witnessed the entire process: “…”

Are these anti-fans? Are they?!

Which fan base calls their idol that?!

The rebellious “Sweet Peaches” quickly decided on their group name and prepared for the next step.

Anti-black.

First, they would curse back at those who cursed Tao Nian.

Then another problem arose.

“That idiot’s persona is indeed a bit outrageous. How do we explain the ‘idiot’ persona?”

“You fake fan!”

Liu Xiaobai was also lurking in the group, observing. Now she couldn’t help but offer a hint: “That’s not an idiot, that’s pure and innocent!”

“High emotional intelligence: pure and innocent. Low emotional intelligence: idiot.”

“Okay, okay, pure and innocent… understood.”

Everyone confirmed their approach and charged.

Although often speechless by the logic of these fans, after observing for an entire afternoon, Fang Wen surprisingly felt a surge of passion.

She took out her alternate account and charged with the main group.

Returning to her room after filming, Lin Qianman saw her assistant sitting on the sofa, rapidly tapping her phone. Fang Wen was doing something, her expression fierce and murderous. Every now and then, she’d reveal a profound smile, her fingers on the phone as if wielding a weapon to conquer all.

Lin Qianman rarely saw Fang Wen like this and felt a bit puzzled: “What’s wrong?”

Fang Wen then realized Lin Qianman was back. She spared a glance at Lin Qianman, a bloody smile still on her lips, and simply replied: “Tao Nian got trashed on the trending searches.”

Lin Qianman’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t help but look at Fang Wen’s phone screen.

“What are you saying? You only know she bought marketing efforts, do you know how hard that idiot Tao Nian worked to maintain her persona?!”

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Even if Tao Nian is simple-minded, I still like her simple-mindedness! It’s not your simple-mindedness she’s lacking!”

“What’s wrong with her having money? She didn’t spend your money!”

“What’s wrong with ‘rice bucket’? I think even a rice bucket isn’t as pretentious as your idol!”

“Heh heh, still talking about capital? You shouldn’t elevate an ordinary person like that (smile).”

“If you’re so capable, why don’t you leave Lin Qianman out of it? Why is Lin Qianman only close to Tao Nian? She’s a rice bucket, and I think you can’t even compare to a rice bucket, you’re just jealous!”

Lin Qianman watched for a while before realizing that “that idiot,” “rice bucket,” and “ordinary person” were all referring to Tao Nian.

She looked at Fang Wen, then at the phone, and couldn’t help but ask: “Did you put her on the trending searches?”

Author’s Note:

Hahaha, yesterday I saw a dear reader say Tao Nian is “Tao Bao” (literally “Tao Treasure,” like Taobao.com).

That’s great! Why didn’t I think of that?!