Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 40

Three minutes after posting, fans came flocking.

The front rows were all filled with comments like “kisses, hugs, and lifts high,” but apart from that… the most upvoted comment was actually dissing Shen Nanqing.

Floral Shorts: Poor baby, forced to collaborate with that woman.

Qiao Huihui’s hand froze mid-scroll.

Though it was hard to believe at first glance, upon reflection, it made sense—after all, due to a series of misunderstandings, everyone now thought the two of them were at each other’s throats.

Understanding didn’t make it any less frustrating. She knew the fans were just trying to defend her, but seeing so many people bash Shen Nanqing still left her feeling uneasy.

Deciding ignorance was bliss, she switched accounts.

Now, all the related posts were in support of Shen Nanqing—except the target of the insults had shifted to her.

PumpkinPie: Breaking news! Country bumpkin Qiao posted on Weibo and even egged her fans on to badmouth our queen.

NanqingInMyArms: Ugh, I always knew she was fake. Anyone who hangs out with someone like Shu Bailian can’t be any good.

BreezeThroughWillows: Gross! So hypocritical. At least put some effort into pretending—using “Teacher Shen” as a title just shows how reluctant she is.

QingQingQingQingQing: As if our queen even wants to work with her?

BiggestPumpkin: Our queen has class—never passive-aggressively subtweets people. People really are different.

Qiao Huihui was speechless reading this. The reason Shen Nanqing rarely posted on Weibo was because her account was controlled by her company!

She literally couldn’t post!

Shen Nanqing’s Weibo was just a handful of cold, impersonal reposts—nothing but ads—which inadvertently reinforced her aloof image.

Qiao Huihui followed her on her alt account but had never seen a single genuine post from her. Everything was managed by her company’s agent.

Now, faced with all this hostility, she felt utterly drained. She skimmed through a few comments—some from users she recognized as her alt account’s mutuals, sweet girls who’d once sent her cute, fawning messages. Seeing them so vicious was surreal.

Just as she was wallowing in self-pity, a private message popped up.

BreezeThroughWillows: Qiaoqiao, we’re organizing a joint boycott against Qiao Huihui. Make sure to voice your support on Weibo too. Kisses.jpg

Qiao Huihui’s mood soured further. This was the same girl who’d been spewing the most vitriol earlier, now switching to a cutesy tone like nothing happened. It was baffling.

And what was this “joint boycott against Qiao Huihui” about?

Her phone buzzed incessantly with QQ notifications. Recognizing it as the Shen Nanqing fan group she’d been added to, she tapped in to see what was going on.

The chat was already at 99+ messages and still climbing. The first thing she saw was: When will Qiao Huihui flop already?!

Qiao Huihui herself: Mood: Complicated.jpg

After scrolling through the history, she finally pieced together the plan.

The “Boycott Qiao Huihui” campaign required every “Pumpkin” (Shen Nanqing’s fandom name) to post a negative comment about her on Weibo—something like “Qiao Huihui, get out of the entertainment industry”—to try and trend a hashtag.

Qiao Huihui was now regretting her impulsive fingers—why had she clicked in to see this?

She wanted to quietly exit and pretend she hadn’t seen anything, but her curiosity had already led her to read the private message from Qingfeng Fuyangliu.

Now, the message was marked as “read,” and the other party knew she had been here.

Sure enough, just as she thought of this, Qingfeng Fuyangliu’s second private message arrived.

The other person, completely unaware of the truth, was still enthusiastically urging her to participate in the event.

Qingfeng Fuyangliu: Qiaoqiao, you’re a top fan—you have to join this time! Set an example for the other fans!

Qingfeng Fuyangliu: This is a big event. Every fan of our idol must participate. If you don’t join, you’re not a true Pumpkin fan!

Qiao Huihui: ……

Now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she joined… criticizing herself would feel weird. If she didn’t… she’d be kicked out of the fandom immediately.

This was too much.

After much deliberation, she solemnly replied: Okay, don’t worry.

Yes, she had surrendered.

So what if she had to criticize herself? With so many people already doing it, one more wouldn’t make a difference.

She could just list out all her flaws—that should count as criticism, right?

Qingfeng Fuyangliu was thrilled and followed up: Then, could you draw us a poster image for the “Anti-Qiao Huihui” campaign?

“……”

This… this was too cruel! QAQ

But agreeing to one thing or two didn’t make much difference now. Steeling herself, she typed with trembling fingers: Okay, I’ll finish the artwork tomorrow.

Qingfeng Fuyangliu: Amazing! Love you, Qiaoqiao!

The other person was overjoyed, leaving Qiao Huihui staring miserably at her phone.

Suddenly, a hand reached over and lightly pinched her cheek. Startled, Qiao Huihui jerked her head up, eyes wide.

Shen Nanqing’s face was extremely close, her inquisitive gaze falling on the phone. “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Huihui quickly locked her screen and forced a smile. “Nothing.”

She really wanted to vent, but this was something she absolutely couldn’t let anyone know—otherwise, she’d die of embarrassment.

She glanced at Shen Nanqing again, silently adding: And especially not Teacher Shen.

Shen Nanqing found her look strange and asked suspiciously, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Qiao Huihui stuffed her phone into her pocket and feigned impatience. “Ugh, I’m fine! I just saw some news I didn’t like. Let’s hurry up—Xia Niao and the others must be waiting.”

They had already made plans to gather at a famous restaurant nearby for a meal. Besides the four of them from their dorm, their close friends Le Xingshan and Jian Luobai were also coming.

Of course, they couldn’t just walk out like this. Although the show’s crew had lifted the curfew, allowing them to roam freely, they couldn’t forget the swarm of fans and reporters waiting outside—being photographed was absolutely out of the question.

Plus, given her and Shen Nanqing’s public relationship, they couldn’t leave together either. So they had to split into two groups.

First, they’d return to the dorm to disguise themselves, ensuring no one could recognize them. Then, Shen Nanqing and Jian Luobai would leave first, while the rest would follow an hour later.

Just for a meal, they were going all out—it felt like some underground spy operation.

Realizing that it was indeed about time, Shen Nanqing frowned slightly but didn’t ask further. She put on her mask and left with Jian Luobai, who was waiting by the door.

Before leaving, she turned back and reminded, “I’ll send the menu over in a bit. Just let me know what you want to eat via WeChat.”

Since the two of them arrived early, they could order first and start eating as soon as everyone else arrived.

Shu Bailian clicked her tongue enviously nearby.

“Tsk tsk tsk, how the times have changed…”

Qiao Huihui’s face flushed red as she hurriedly replied, “Got it, got it. Be careful on your way.”

Now, only four people remained in the dorm, each dressed in a way that made them almost unrecognizable.

Qiao Huihui had it relatively easy—she simply reused the wig from her stage performance earlier, trimmed the bangs to a normal length, and instantly transformed into a pretty girl with sleek black hair.

With a sun hat and mask covering most of her face, only her figure and hair were visible, making it impossible for anyone to recognize her.

The others went even further. Le Xingshan abandoned her usual sexy style, opting for a neutral look with a cap. Xia Niao quietly slipped into a cute pink dress, while Shu Bailian donned a yellow wig, looking like a rebellious street punk.

Watching Shu Bailian apply temporary tattoos to herself, Qiao Huihui gasped, “Why are you so good at this?”

Shu Bailian slapped a dragon tattoo onto her left arm and rolled her eyes. “What’s the big deal? I’ve beaten up more people than you’ve eaten meals. Tattoos are just a common intimidation tactic.”

Qiao Huihui was impressed, though she didn’t fully understand.

Xia Niao, meanwhile, subtly inched away, feeling phantom pains from past beatings.

After chatting in the dorm for a while, the alarm went off. They grabbed their masks, checked each other for any flaws in their disguises, and then dashed downstairs while the hallway was empty.

Perhaps their outfits were too bizarre, as they drew occasional glances along the way. Unfazed, they kept running until they piled into the taxi they had booked earlier.

Their hearts pounded with excitement, the thrill not yet faded. Qiao Huihui’s eyes sparkled with exhilaration.

She had always been a model student, never skipping class or getting into fights. But this “undercover outing” gave her a taste of the rebellious rush.

Doing something forbidden right under others’ noses—it was just too fun.

Panting heavily, they exchanged glances and laughed.

Only the taxi driver found it odd—these girls were dressed so strangely, their faces barely visible. They barely spoke, just told him the destination before burying themselves in their phones. Is this how young people act these days?

Little did he know, they were secretly messaging in their group chat.

Though the driver didn’t seem like a fan, better safe than sorry. To avoid being recognized, they decided to keep up the act a little longer.

Luckily, they didn’t hit any traffic and arrived smoothly at the restaurant.

After paying the fare, they stepped into the quaint, traditional-style eatery.

They gave the front desk their reserved room number, and a server led them inside.

Upon opening the door, they found Shen Nanqing and Jian Luobai sitting like silent statues at opposite ends of the table, engrossed in their phones. Only when the others entered did they look up.

“Perfect timing. The food should be coming soon,” Jian Luobai said, standing up and pulling out the chair beside her.

Shu Bailian quickly walked to her side and sat down on the chair.

The remaining few rushed forward, each taking their seats. Shen Nanqing swiftly grabbed Qiao Huihui and pulled her down beside him.

When the waitress entered with the dishes, she paused in surprise. Why was everyone in this private room acting so strangely? They were here to eat yet kept their masks on without removing them.

But these were the customers’ private matters, so she didn’t pry. After carefully serving the dishes, she left the room.

Once all the waitstaff had gone, the group exchanged glances before finally removing their masks.