After Being Hopeless at Singing and Dancing, I Exploded in Popularity Due to My Appetite - Chapter 68

In the “QianNian” CP fan group, there was now a deafening silence.

It wasn’t that everyone didn’t believe Tao Nian. It was just that the current situation was truly absurd.

Before, fans “shipping” the CP were simply immersed in the joy of imagining connections, and when Tao Nian showered them with attention, they’d even suspect she was treating them like leeks (to be harvested). But everyone also knew what kind of person Tao Nian was, and they would defend her when she was slandered. But now? Tao Nian had just dropped a pregnancy bombshell.

If it were just that one photo, it would be fine. Going to the hospital in the middle of the night might mean she was truly sick. As for the dry heaving, everyone could explain it away as car sickness, making her feel unwell.

However, later everyone knew that on the day Tao Nian flew to the Star Night event, fans offered her snacks, and she didn’t want them, clearly having no appetite. In yesterday’s vlog, she ate less than her teammates and felt nauseous at the sight of raw eggs. Thinking back to how she used to want to take a bite out of everything she saw, this state was clearly not right.

Surely, modern technology hasn’t advanced to the point where women can literally impregnate each other, right?

Either all of this was baseless speculation, in which case Tao Nian’s established persona would collapse.

She was clearly portrayed as a foodie—although she never explicitly stated it, her every action had solidified this image. Everyone believed she genuinely loved to eat but didn’t gain weight from it.

But now, she was clearly eating very little. Anti-fans had already deduced that she had previously created a foodie persona, but eating too much had hurt her stomach (or caused her to vomit, so even eating very little would make her nauseous), leading her to visit the hospital. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to eat normally again.

In short, no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like her “house” (persona) was about to crumble.

Everyone was utterly silent.

After the silence, they began to fantasize: “What if women really can impregnate each other? Don’t say it’s unscientific; I think Tao Nian eating so much before was already unscientific. A normal person’s stomach would have exploded after eating that much.”

“I agree, maybe she was eating so much before to store nutrients for the baby! All that food must have gone to the baby, which is why Tao Nian never got fat.”

“I always thought Sister Lin spoiled her to no end, but I never expected her to be such a jerk! Letting Tao Nian go to the hospital alone!”

Everyone started chattering, but they were distracted, struggling to come up with lighthearted, witty remarks.

Just then, someone suddenly direct-messaged the group owner: “Group owner! Can you please unmute me?! I have something to say!”

Bai Xinxin, the props team member, had been watching in the group, but unfortunately, she had been muted last time and the mute hadn’t been lifted yet. She couldn’t say a word and could only fret.

Seeing everyone starting to fantasize about whether Tao Nian’s hypothetical child would resemble Tao Nian or Lin Qianman, she finally couldn’t resist poking the group owner to request an unmute.

Only a week had passed, and the group owner still remembered this person, who seemed to be part of Tao Nian’s team. Last time, she was muted for constantly pushing the narrative that the “QianNian” CP was real…

If she was indeed from the team, she might know something.

Thinking this, the group owner unmuted Bai Xinxin.

Bai Xinxin could finally speak. She sent several exclamation marks to express her excitement, then quickly explained: “Tao Nian is not pregnant! Don’t overthink it! Current technology hasn’t reached that level yet!”

CP fans: “But she really looks like it.”

“But no pregnant woman can eat three ice creams in one go!”

“??”

“Why do you know?”

After saying this, Bai Xinxin suddenly paused, remembering something very important.

Tao Nian eating three ice creams wasn’t a confirmed fact; it was what she had seen. She saw the photographer’s assistant give Tao Nian a whole ice bag full of ice cream, with about a dozen different flavors inside. She saw Tao Nian take three from it and eat them.

Then Tao Nian went to change clothes, remove makeup, and left, taking the ice bag with her.

Perhaps she ate the rest on the way.

It was August now, the hottest time of the year. Tao Nian ate so many cold things in one go, how could she not feel unwell?

The more Bai Xinxin thought about it, the more it made sense. She quickly said: “She probably ate about eighteen kinds that day; it seems she bought every flavor. It’s not impossible for her to have stomach pain and go to the hospital at night, right?”

“Why would she eat so many ice creams?”

Bai Xinxin: “…”

Because someone bought her so many ice creams. Who would have thought she’d eat them all?

Seeing that the main discussion in the group was starting to shift to how uncomfortable stomach pain was, the group owner became even more aware of how powerful this person’s ability to drive conversations was.

Bai Xinxin posted a selfie of herself and Tao Nian, simply proving her identity.

Then, the CP fans, now knowing the truth, charged forth.

“Thanks for the blessing, the child is Lin Qianman’s (sheds tears).”

“Some ordinary person, pregnant with the child of a top female star (sheds tears). This short phrase is the correct way to open it!”

Liu Xiaobai’s vision went black when she scrolled past this comment.

This turn of events isn’t right!

Slowly, Bai Xinxin’s comment was pushed to the top: “I’m tired, let’s tell the truth, the child is the ice cream’s.”

Liu Xiaobai took a deep breath, feeling that she would not only be angered to death by anti-fans but also eventually by these Sweet Peaches.

Just then, the studio replied to her: “She ate too much cold ice cream and got gastroenteritis.”

Below was Tao Nian’s medical record.

Liu Xiaobai: “…”

Seriously speechless.

The paparazzi who caused all this was still at home, looking at his ad revenue on his phone, counting it several times, feeling a sense of vindication.

Even though Tao Nian didn’t pay for the photos, he still made money! And Tao Nian’s future would only be ruined and fade away.

Fans are still trying to struggle? This is clearly solid proof, isn’t it?

Perhaps he should stake out that hospital again recently. Maybe he could catch Tao Nian’s pregnancy test results or something? Wouldn’t that be another sum of money?!

Meanwhile, at the opera house, Tao Nian, who was waiting for Lin Qianman’s reply while scrolling through her phone, finally, in her full indignation, found a sentence she could understand.

“The child in Tao Nian’s belly is Lin Qianman’s!” The rest of the sentence, “This wave is about a foodie wife on the run with a ball (baby bump),” was completely incomprehensible.

However, Tao Nian, who only understood the first sentence, took a deep breath and became even more angry and wronged.

No! I am innocent! I didn’t lick Lin Qianman! I only bit her once… several times, but that was a long time ago! I don’t bite people anymore!

Seeing everyone misunderstanding her, Tao Nian was extremely sad. She furiously screenshotted messages to Lin Qianman: “What do I do?! I didn’t lick you! Why are they all saying that?!”

Lin Qianman had just arrived at the restroom. She opened her phone and saw message after message after message popping up.

So many pictures, she scrolled and couldn’t even reach the very top one.

And it wasn’t just Tao Nian; many people had sent her messages. Her manager had even called her several times.

What’s wrong?

Lin Qianman continued to scroll through Tao Nian’s messages while calling Tao Nian.

Tao Nian was still taking screenshots. When she saw Lin Qianman calling, she answered: “Hello…”

Why that voice?

Lin Qianman finally scrolled to the first message, which was a script from The Peony Pavilion. Tao Nian had highlighted a section with a green marker and asked how to perform it.

“Is it The Peony Pavilion? I’m out right now. How about I talk to you when I get home?”

“No,”

Tao Nian was about to cry: “It’s not just The Peony Pavilion now, everyone’s misunderstanding me! Look!”

Lin Qianman continued to scroll. She saw the screenshots.

“Famous female star Tao Nian seen entering and leaving hospital late at night with a man, stroking her belly and dry heaving, suspected of being pregnant.”

????

????

Lin Qianman was stunned for a moment. She exited the chat with Tao Nian and went to her manager’s chat.

Her manager was indeed talking about this with her, frantically asking what was going on.

But she hadn’t checked her phone then, and her manager, not getting a reply, stopped sending messages.

A while later, she sent another message: “Where did you find such an absurd, off-the-charts one?! Can’t she just have one peaceful day?!”

Lin Qianman suddenly remembered that Fang Wen had said she would check for any exposés, just in case Tao Nian was photographed and caused more trouble.

At that time, Fang Wen had stumbled upon a “big gossip alert” about a female star being pregnant. The wording clearly implied that the female star should pay to buy the photos. At the time, no one thought it would be Tao Nian. After all, Tao Nian was just a newly debuted idol, with no connection to a “top female star.”

She never expected it to be Tao Nian!

At first, she was afraid Tao Nian would be photographed, at most, worried that it would be posted online saying Tao Nian was faking illness to gain sympathy, leading to fan wars.

She never expected it wouldn’t be about faking illness; instead, it directly spread rumors of pregnancy.

Lin Qianman had never encountered such a situation. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, without a clear direction.

On the other end, Tao Nian was still deeply wronged: “I’ve gotten better now; I don’t even bite people anymore. And I would never lick someone! I never even did that on the mountain. Wah, why are they slandering me like this?”

As she spoke, tears couldn’t help but fall. She reached out and wiped them away.

After wiping, she remembered that Lin Qianman didn’t allow her to touch her eyes with her hands.

So she stood up, intending to get a tissue. Unexpectedly, her legs were numb from sitting for too long, and when she stood up, she accidentally hit the armrest of the chair, making a loud noise.

Lin Qianman was startled by the sound, thinking she had hit her head, and quickly asked: “What’s wrong?”

Tao Nian pouted defiantly: “I want to explain myself!”

Lin Qianman thought Tao Nian was so angry she had hit a wall and, fearing something had happened to her, readily agreed: “We will definitely explain it. Wait a moment, let the studio handle it.”

This matter definitely needed to be explained, but how to explain it should be left to the professionals. They definitely needed to discuss it with the studio staff and find a foolproof plan.

This was what Lin Qianman thought.

But Tao Nian had already opened Weibo.

She had always been well-behaved, unlike other artists. She wouldn’t actively ask for her account, nor did she have any intention of posting on Weibo herself. She hadn’t even used Weibo before; the last time she accessed Weibo was to find edited videos after Lin Qianman’s movie. Previously, regardless of whether she was criticized or praised, she showed no reaction. Therefore, both MLL Studio and Orange Entertainment felt completely at ease with Tao Nian, believing she wouldn’t say anything out of line, and so they let Tao Nian keep her own account.

Now, this trust made things convenient for Tao Nian.

She scrolled and scrolled, found the Weibo posting interface, and typed: “I haven’t licked anyone! Not even Lin Qianman (angry)!”

Tao Nian’s account had posted many Weibo updates before. Usually, they were reposts of endorsements, studio news, and occasional photos. The wording was very precise and serious, with a touch of playfulness. It was the kind of formal playfulness that everyone could immediately tell wasn’t posted by Tao Nian herself.

Now, suddenly seeing such a post, the Sweet Peaches were stunned. Their first reaction was to take a screenshot.

Then they commented below: “? Baby, what’s wrong?”

The studio had just conferred with Orange Entertainment and issued a debunking announcement. They were about to retweet it from Tao Nian’s account when they discovered the account was logged in on another device. The staff suspected Tao Nian was using it, so they messaged Tao Nian to explain while forcibly logging in, kicking Tao Nian off. As soon as they logged in, they saw this Weibo post.

??

Not only did netizens not understand, but the staff didn’t either.

Before many people could see it, she quickly deleted the Weibo post and then retweeted the studio’s Weibo.

But netizens had already screenshotted it.

Tao Nian’s own nonsensical sentence was much more interesting than the staff’s stiff “don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors.” Every single word of it deserved a language comprehension analysis.

Furthermore, the studio had already acted swiftly. Tao Nian’s medical records were released, and a copy was even posted directly in the comments of the paparazzi’s Weibo post. The time, location, and current symptoms all matched, so except for the anti-fans who only believed what they wanted to believe, anyone with a brain knew what was going on.

The Sweet Peaches were too lazy to bother with the anti-fans who were still stubborn. They only speculated on what Tao Nian meant.

Was this “lick” meant as “licking the pie” (e.g., getting a piece of the pie/benefit)? Or “licking a dog” (being overly submissive)?

Or was the first one “licking the pie” and the second one “licking a dog”?

Or was the first one “licking a dog” and the second one “licking the pie”?

Anyway, no matter which one, it was absolutely incredible!

The Sweet Peaches erupted in excitement, and the CP fans completely exploded!

“Understood, understood. Our Nian Nian is pure and innocent, Lin Qianman hasn’t even been licked yet, and it’s even less likely she’d lick others! Our goal is only Sister Lin!”

“Exactly! Your goal is Sister Lin! Go lick! Go lick right now!”

“Baby! You have to believe Sister Lin! This isn’t licking! This is deep affection! Baby, don’t be careless! Just go for it!”

“Others: Didn’t lick. Sister Lin: Didn’t even lick. Is this just a difference of one word? This is the difference between reality and desire! This is love!”

As for Lin Qianman’s fans, the “Eel,” they had been very quiet since Tao Nian’s debut, and especially quiet for the past week. It’s unclear if this silence was because a small portion of them had climbed into Tao Nian’s fan group. In any case, the fact remained that everyone was extremely quiet, paying more attention to Lin Qianman’s career than ever before, only wanting Lin Qianman to resume work quickly to avoid being tied down.

But Lin Qianman was equally silent, with no news whatsoever.

The Eels could only hear Lin Qianman’s name from Tao Nian’s mouth. Sometimes they felt Lin Qianman might also be on a variety show, but then they’d watch the show and Lin Qianman wasn’t there, only Tao Nian constantly referencing Lin Qianman.

This feeling was somewhat like wanting to eat a strawberry but not having one, so you settle for a strawberry-flavored lollipop. At first, you’d be very disgusted, but after eating it often, you might even think the candy isn’t bad.

In short, their feelings for Tao Nian were very complex.

Now seeing Tao Nian’s Weibo post, everyone finally spoke up: “This… Tao Nian seems serious.”

“To be honest, I’m actually a little moved.”

“This kid is both pitiful and truly sincere.”

“While I’m not entirely willing, I have to say, no one can resist a direct approach.”

“I think we can disagree, but we shouldn’t act like evil mothers-in-law (sheds tears).”

“Agreed.”

However, there were also Eels who had attended Lin Qianman’s birthday party before. Watching Tao Nian constantly talk about Lin Qianman being incredibly direct, and then recalling how at the birthday party she didn’t even look at Lin Qianman, focusing intently on the cake, they felt very conflicted. To say she liked Lin Qianman, Lin Qianman’s appeal wasn’t stronger than cake. To say she didn’t like her, Lin Qianman was still on her lips and in her eyes.

This little thing has two faces.

On Qingnan Mountain, Feng Jun, who had been diligently learning about the world below since the internet cable was installed, finally learned to surf the web. This day, she learned how to search and had a sudden idea to search for her unruly little disciple down the mountain.

She found many articles in a certain sensationalist browser. Sorted by publication time, the topmost one was: “Shocking! Tao Nian suspected pregnant, publicly expresses regret on Weibo, hasn’t licked Lin Qianman yet!”

Netizens didn’t know what “lick” meant in Tao Nian’s context, but how could Feng Jun not know?

Her pupils constricted in shock, unable to breathe.

After a while, she trembling picked up her phone to call Tao Nian.

But no one answered.

She could only call Xiao Nan.

Xiao Nan had been busy getting scolded all day. Everyone was condemning him for not working diligently enough to let Tao Nian get sick. Now, receiving a call, he answered without looking at the name, thinking it would be someone asking about Tao Nian’s health.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t. On the other end, Feng Jun’s usually aloof voice carried a hint of strained rigidity: “Tao Nian’s child, is it Lin Qianman’s?”

Had modern society’s technology actually advanced to this extent?