After the four of them had breakfast together, Fang Ting and Jiang Bai really went out. Only Su Tang and Ren Qingzhou were left staying in the hotel. At this moment, they didn't dare to go anywhere. They didn't even dare to step out of the door.
Su Tang sighed, "I've always been thinking about creating some alone time for those two. Now it's good. We don't even need to do anything."
"I planned this trip, but now because of me, we can only stay in the hotel."
"Actually, it's okay. I used to travel just to try different local cuisines. Now that someone can go out and buy them for us, staying in the hotel is quite pleasant."
Su Tang still couldn't help worrying. She would check the online news every once in a while.
The hot topic on the internet had been suppressed for the time being. When she opened Ren Qingzhou's fan club super - topic, there were almost no posts discussing this matter. Only by clicking on the homepages of individual fans could she see some complaints that were not tagged with the topic and not posted in the super - topic.
These were relatively private things. Even though Ren Qingzhou's fans were not in a good mood, they didn't add fuel to this negative hot topic.
"Don't look anymore. The more you look, the more upset you'll be. When I first debuted, I really liked to read the online comments about me. When I saw someone scolding me, I would feel really bad. But as time went by, I gradually figured it out. I'm not RMB. How can everyone like me, right?" Ren Qingzhou took her phone and threw it aside.
"I actually think that fan is really nice."
"Actually, over the years, I've been thinking about what kind of relationship there is between fans and idols. In my heart, I really regard them as a group of friends. I feel that many of them really understand my pursuit. But there are also many times when I think that since we're friends, we should tell the truth.
"But sometimes, they don't really understand or even accept some of the real situations about me. For example, if I said now that what the reporters photographed was true, that I was really in a relationship, then those fans who used to understand and support me might immediately come and scold me."
"They don't completely not want you to be in a relationship. It's because after you're in a relationship, you can no longer satisfy their fantasies. Some fans really think that being in a relationship might affect your career now." Su Tang analyzed rationally.
"Actually, I feel that too many people regard idols as gods. Deifying a person is a really scary thing because I'm just an ordinary person."
They pin too many beautiful fantasies on their idols. Some of these fantasies are real, and some are false. As the saying goes, falsehood may seem like truth and truth may seem like falsehood. After a long time, even they themselves can't tell whether it's their fantasy or the person is really like that.
But in fact, he is just an ordinary person. He will also encounter the same problems as ordinary people and have his own emotions.
So those who put him on a pedestal may one day suddenly find that he is not what they imagined. Then they will want to pull him down from the pedestal, but they forget that he was never a god in the first place.
So in this circle, the hardest thing is to stay true to yourself. Because there are too many people who, after being pursued, often forget that they are just ordinary people.
People should never forget who they are, no matter when.
The weather in July was unstable. Just as they were talking, suddenly a strong wind blew outside.
The wind rises before the coming storm. It seemed that it was going to rain soon.
Su Tang called Fang Ting, wanting them to come back immediately so as not to get caught in the rain, but she couldn't get through.
"They should be on their way back. The weather really looks like it's going to rain. They're all adults. Don't worry about them so much."
Ren Qingzhou suddenly remembered what Fang Ting had said before and asked her, "I heard Fang Ting say that when I was filming on the set, you checked the weather forecast every day. You were afraid that I would get heatstroke if it was too hot, and if there was a thunderstorm in the forecast, you were afraid that I would get wet in the rain."
Hearing him say this, Su Tang felt a little embarrassed. Just as they were talking, Fang Ting and Jiang Bai came back.
They had only been out for a short while, but they came back carrying a lot of things.
As soon as Fang Ting entered the door, she said, "It seems to be going to rain outside. The wind has been blowing really hard."
Jiang Bai also put the things in his hand on the table. Then he said to Ren Qingzhou, "There's another thing. I think something's not right."
"When we were coming back, I always felt that there were some sneaky people around the hotel. Could it be that those reporters smelled something and found us?"
"I don't think so. Except for the people in my studio, no one else knows about this trip. They shouldn't be that fast, right?" Ren Qingzhou was really startled.
"Maybe I'm just being too sensitive. But it's a special time now, so we really need to be vigilant."
"We shouldn't have come to the grassland on this trip. We should have gone abroad to stay away from all these gossips."
"It's too late to say anything now. Should we go back earlier or wait until this storm has passed?"
"I'll call Li Momo and see if we're still going to film that variety show."
Sometimes, the schedules of artists may change because of some sudden news. This is very common.
"I think Li Momo's temper has really become more and more irritable in the past two years. Since she started this business with you, she's never had a moment of peace."
Ren Qingzhou called Li Momo and asked her if the crew of *They're Coming* had contacted her.
"I was just about to call you. The production crew contacted me and said that the show will still be broadcast as normal. Since *Youth Trainee* won't be postponed either, this isn't really a scandal. You're actually giving the production crew some free publicity now."
"Another thing is that the production crew asked if it's possible for you to respond to this matter publicly on their show."
"But I haven't promised them yet. I thought I'd discuss it with you first and then give them an answer. But it would be good to clarify this matter on this platform. What do you think? Would you like to..."
"How do you plan to clarify this matter?"
"How else? Just say it was a gathering of friends. What else can we say?"
"Isn't this the usual explanation when something happens and there are no explosive pictures?"
"Okay, then let's do it like this."
"Then come back as soon as possible in the next few days. Anyway, you can't have fun there. Be careful on your way back. I guess there will be paparazzi waiting for you."
"Let them take pictures. I don't care. Anyway, there are four of us. If we're photographed, it will just prove that we're just friends."
Ren Qingzhou hung up the phone, feeling a little annoyed.
This matter had really bothered him a lot. Whether as an actor or a singer, young artists always wanted to make a transformation.
Although being a popular idol could bring some benefits because of youth, there were also more restrictions.
Maybe one day when an idol transforms into a powerful actor, they won't need to follow the rules of the fan circle anymore.
But then he suddenly thought that even the powerful actors who debut now seem to need to follow the rules of the fan circle because that's the survival rule here. If you don't follow it, you won't be able to stay in this circle.
It was strange in City N. The rain hadn't stopped since that night.
At first, it was a violent storm with lightning and thunder. Then it turned into a continuous drizzle.
Normally, this kind of continuous rain only happened in the southern regions. City N had a dry climate. Generally, it wouldn't rain continuously.
It seemed that this trip was a complete failure, from the weather to all the unexpected situations. They had no luck at all.
The four of them stayed in City N for another day and then decided to set off back to the imperial capital.
The weather on the day they left was surprisingly good. The sun came out early in the morning. Even Su Tang couldn't help being surprised. "This weather is really abnormal."
"It's showing us that it doesn't really welcome us." Ren Qingzhou threw his suitcase into the trunk.
"We didn't get to have a good vacation. Let's get ready to face a storm when we get back." Jiang Bai took the car keys. He would drive on the way back.
"Since I debuted, when haven't I faced difficulties? These things are nothing."
"That's true. But the difference is that the previous ones were all false. Even though the rumors were there for a while, the truth will always prevail. But this time, it's real. So you two should think it over carefully." Fang Ting hit the nail on the head.
He had indeed had some rumors and negative hot topics before, but those were all fabricated by others. Since they were false, there would always be a day when the truth would come out.
Sooner or later, people would focus on the facts and evidence, and the truth would be restored.
Although after a certain period, passers - by might not understand the whole story, to be honest, the popularity among passers - by was one thing, and the purchasing power was another.
Most of the people who spend money on you are fans. No matter how popular you are among passers - by, if there's no economic foundation, it's all in vain.
This is why some popular idols may have a bad reputation among passers - by, but their net worth is still quite high.
As long as there are people who buy their endorsements and magazine posters, they have commercial value.
This is a capital - driven society. As long as you have commercial value, someone will support you.
Conversely, as long as someone supports you, you will have commercial value.
The reason why Ren Qingzhou wasn't a top - tier idol in the entertainment circle wasn't because he lacked talent, but because there was no capital to support him.
Over the years, he had accumulated some popularity through his works and had a group of die - hard fans. This was the commercial value he had built up on his own. This kind of commercial value came much slower than that of popular idols, but the advantage was that the fans were more loyal.
It was not easy to accumulate such a group of fans, but it was very likely to lose them overnight.
So in this circle, it's really hard to tell the truth from the falsehood.
But there's an old saying: Lies are always lies. You can deceive people for a while, but not for a lifetime.
If it's false, there will always be a day when it's exposed.
If it's true, there will always be a day when it's discovered.