Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 1

The June weather was scorching hot.

Qiao Huihui shielded her eyes from the sun as she stepped out of the examination hall first. The school gate was swarmed with anxious parents eagerly searching for their beloved children.

She lowered her head slightly, sidestepping the crowd as she made her way toward a parked sedan nearby.

Amid the throng of people, no one noticed the faint click of a camera shutter.

The reporters stationed at the school entrance had brightened at the sight of her, ready to rush over and interview the first examinee. But in the blink of an eye, the young girl had already slipped into the black car, leaving them stuck in the sea of parents, barely managing to snap a single photo in the chaos.

The reporter sighed as he reviewed the image on his camera. The first student to emerge from the national college entrance exams was always a prime interview target—especially one with such striking looks. Missing the opportunity was truly a shame.

“Brother!” Qiao Huihui’s lips curled into a delighted smile as she spotted the man quietly reading in the car, her voice sweet as she called out to him.

Qiao Guangzong looked up, setting his book aside to pat his little sister’s head.

“Hot?”

She nodded, climbing into the car with practiced ease. Her porcelain-like face was flushed from the sun, and she exhaled deeply as the air conditioning washed over her, feeling as if she had finally come back to life.

After enduring two grueling days of exams in this melting heat—no matter how stellar her usual grades—she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief now that it was over.

Qiao Guangzong handed her a bottle of water before instructing the driver, “Uncle Liu, let’s head back.”

He didn’t ask how she had performed. Given her consistent academic record, there was no need to worry unless she had severely underperformed.

“Any plans for the break?” Qiao Guangzong removed his silver-framed glasses, his dark eyes resting calmly on her, his entire demeanor exuding a gentle, refined aura.

At this, Qiao Huihui pouted, her baby cheeks puffing out even more. Even though he spent every day with her, Qiao Guangzong’s heart still fluttered at the sight.

“Grandpa won’t let me visit anymore. He says I keep tormenting his chickens, ducks, and pigs,” she grumbled, looking utterly wronged, as if she had suffered some grave injustice.

Qiao Guangzong recalled the flock of white geese back home that scattered in terror the moment his sister appeared. His lips twitched imperceptibly.

Then, against his better judgment, he said, “How could that be? You’re adorable. Animals love you the most.”

Predictably, Qiao Huihui beamed at his words, blissfully unaware of any self-awareness.

Qiao Guangzong continued, “Why not come to the company with me? It’ll be good internship experience.”

Her smile froze instantly. She gazed at her determined brother, whimpering pitifully, “Gege…” before, as usual, rejecting the idea outright.

The Qiao family was a classic case of rags to riches. Qiao’s grandfather had been truly poor, a farmer who scraped by working the fields. Yet fortune changed with his son’s generation. Qiao’s father somehow had a natural talent for business, and his wife was an equally formidable career woman. The two were workaholics among workaholics, expanding their company across the country within decades—now the Qiao family was genuinely wealthy.

Their son, Qiao Guangzong, inherited their talents perfectly. Fresh out of college, he became a rising star in the business world, managing the Qiao Corporation with remarkable efficiency.

Only their youngest daughter, Qiao Huihui, was different. She had zero interest in business. Though sharp-witted, she never applied it to commerce, instead developing a fascination with their ancestral farmland. Every holiday, she’d rush off to visit Grandpa Qiao, earning herself the nickname “Tyrant of Qiao Village.”

Since the couple had their daughter later in life and were too busy with work to raise her closely, they doted on their adorable, sensible girl. As long as she was happy, they never pressured her about anything.

Qiao Guangzong had anticipated Huihui’s refusal. Sighing, he looked at his sister and said, “Mom and Dad are abroad, and I have work. If you won’t come to the company with me, you’ll be stuck home alone all summer.”

Huihui didn’t mind solitude—she quite enjoyed lazing around. But her overprotective brother always worried she’d be lonely.

Ah, what a sweet burden!

Just as she prepared to refuse again, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Pulling it out, she saw a notification from her fan group chat. The admin had shared a Weibo link: “Yue Xingxian to participate in Qiaohua Entertainment’s idol survival show—Shining You.”

The group immediately exploded with messages.

Yes, Qiao Huihui was an unapologetic fangirl.

Though relatively low-key—just daily Weibo check-ins, gushing about her idol’s visuals, and occasional financial support.

Her idol, Yue Xingxian, was a stunning beauty still training under an agency. After appearing on several popular variety shows, she’d gained decent traction. Now that she was joining a survival show, it meant her debut was finally happening—no wonder fans were losing their minds!

Huihui joined the frenzy, typing rapidly.

Guangzong waited for her answer, only to watch her become completely absorbed in her phone. Staring at the back of her head, he asked pointedly, “Huihui, what’s so interesting?”

Instead of remorse, Huihui suddenly looked up, eyes sparkling. “Brother, I know what I want to do this summer!”

“I’m joining Shining You!”

???

Guangzong blinked.

Had he misheard?

Of course he knew about Shining You—as Qiaohua Entertainment’s current CEO, he was fully aware of this year’s flagship project.

But the problem was… his sister wanted to compete in an idol survival show?

He glanced at his younger sister, hesitating to speak.

“Huihui, do you want to be a celebrity?”

As her older brother, he felt utterly negligent for only now learning about his sister’s dream.

Recognizing the seriousness in her brother’s eyes and knowing his personality well, Qiao Huihui quickly waved her hands. “No way!” She began counting on her fingers: “I can’t dance, I can’t sing, and I definitely can’t act. Am I supposed to debut as an artist?”

“I just want to get close to my idol, that’s all.”

She showed Qiao Guangzong the message she had just seen. “Brother, look! I’ve been her fan for so long. Can’t you just grant me this one wish?”

Qiao Guangzong was aware of Qiao Huihui’s admiration for the pop star Le Xingshan, but he still had reservations. “But…”

The entertainment industry was a murky world, and he wasn’t keen on his sister stepping into it.

“Don’t worry, brother! I promise I’ll get eliminated in the first round!”

“There are 200 contestants in this audition. Over half get cut in the first round—I’ll just blend in and no one will even notice me.”

“Brother, please say yes—”

After a relentless barrage of pleading and promises, Qiao Guangzong finally relented.

At least with him watching over her, nothing too bad could happen.

“Yay!” Overjoyed at getting her way, Qiao Huihui nearly jumped for excitement.

Three days later, Qiao Huihui declined her brother’s offer to drive her and arrived at the filming site of The Radiant You with her suitcase in hand.

She glanced around suspiciously, then pulled out the notice from the production team. The address was definitely correct, but…

Why was it so quiet?

Aside from her, there wasn’t a single person within a ten-meter radius.

This didn’t look like the bustling set of an upcoming audition show at all!

After double-checking that she was indeed in the right place, she hesitantly wheeled her suitcase through the entrance.

Meanwhile, the production crew of The Radiant You watched the live feed from the hidden cameras in the backstage area.

Qiao Huihui’s cautious demeanor at the entrance, along with her almost comically close inspection of the hidden lens, drew amused smiles from the staff.

Director Liu Wen’s eyes lit up slightly as he pointed at the screen. “Now there’s a promising candidate. Which agency’s trainee is she?”

Assistant Li Shan hurriedly flipped through the files.

“Director Liu, she’s an amateur—Qiao Huihui.”

After putting down the documents, Li Shan couldn’t help but marvel, “Even as an amateur, with a face like that, she won’t rank low at all.”

The entertainment industry was full of beauties, but standing out was no easy feat. Most top-tier beauties had an aggressive allure, yet Qiao Huihui was the opposite—her beauty was gentle and unassuming, radiating a soft charm. In all her years in the industry, Li Shan had never seen someone like her.

The word “angel” instantly came to mind upon seeing her—such was the purity of her presence.

But Director Liu slowly furrowed his brows.

Why did the name Qiao Huihui sound so familiar?

Qiao… Qiao… After a moment of thought, Director Liu suddenly looked up.

He suddenly remembered—wasn’t this the person their CEO Qiao had pushed into the competition just a few days ago?!

At the time, he’d been quite angry about this backdoor hire. Someone with such powerful connections could ruin the entire show. But to his surprise, CEO Qiao had said not to treat this contestant any differently—just consider them an ordinary participant who should be eliminated if necessary, without any leniency.

This left him utterly confused about CEO Qiao’s intentions in pushing this person into the competition. However, since those were the instructions, as the show’s director, he was more than happy to avoid personally tainting his program with favoritism, and subsequently stopped paying attention to the matter.

Now, looking back at the big screen, he thought to himself: If all backdoor hires in the world had looks this stunning, he wouldn’t mind getting a few more of them!

Even if they were just a pretty face, it would be a face that could attract viewers!