Her shijie was too cute—so cute that Qin Ran wanted to kiss her several times.
Qin Ran rewatched the scene multiple times, thoroughly captivated by the difference between seeing the performance live in the audience and now on screen. With the added effects of lighting, music, and camera work, she was utterly mesmerized by her shijie on screen. She watched it once, then replayed it, and then watched it again with the comments on.
It wasn't just Qin Ran who was enchanted by Yu Shuman; the comments were filled with people going wild over her.
Comments like:
"Ahhh! It's beautiful jiejie! Awsl!"
"I'd pay anything to get in touch with jiejie—just give me a chance to worship you!"
"Jiejie, jiejie, jiejie is too beautiful!"
"Jiejie's waist isn't just a waist, it's a blade cutting me down!"
These kinds of comments flew across the screen, with viewers instinctively referring to her as jiejie without even knowing Yu Shuman's age. Her aura as an elegant older sister had nothing to do with her age; it was all about her strong, captivating presence. It was impossible not to be drawn in, especially while she danced.
Qin Ran couldn't help but feel a mix of pride, joy, and a tinge of jealousy. Of course, her shijie was amazing, and it was only natural that people would love her. But as she had feared, many people were becoming fans of Yu Shuman, drawn to her like moths to a flame.
In other words, Qin Ran now had more rivals for her shijie's attention.
Some commenters even started organizing fan support groups. Qin Ran scrolled through the comments, but she couldn't find any specific information on how to join these groups. That is, until someone added her as a friend and sent her a request claiming to be Yu Shuman's roommate. Qin Ran didn't hesitate to accept the request.
Shortly after, the friend sent her a link to join the "Shuman Support Group" along with a cute emoji. If it were anyone else, they might have been cautious about clicking on a potentially malicious link. But Qin Ran, not thinking twice, jumped right in. Fortunately, the world still had good people, and it was indeed her shijie's account sending the invite.
Once inside the group, she was warmly welcomed by many members. Yu Shuman's friend even introduced her as one of Yu Shuman's closest friends. Qin Ran felt a bit shy but still greeted everyone. However, after that initial greeting, she went into "lurking" mode, silently observing the group without engaging.
She wasn't the type to be outgoing or chatty, preferring to stay quietly in the background, watching others interact. It was only Yu Shuman who had ever managed to break into her world, dragging her out of her shell to experience the vibrant world around her.
After watching for a while, Qin Ran realized something important: every star has a fan willing to spend big money. This fan, often referred to as a "fan head," might be an employee of the company, someone chosen by fans for their organizational skills, or simply a wealthy supporter who can afford to buy votes and gifts. Qin Ran, as someone with inside access, had one primary skill—her ability to spend money. She couldn't believe anyone could outspend her with her Godly Rich System as her ultimate cheat.
But she couldn't let anyone know about this, so she took the small account she had registered recently and joined the fan chat.
Since her small account was still new, with an empty timeline, she quickly set it to private, hiding the fact that it had just been created. Perhaps because she was using an alias, she became more active, even sharing many beautiful screenshots of Yu Shuman in the group chat.
Her attentiveness paid off as she noticed many details about Yu Shuman's beauty that others had missed, making her screenshots particularly popular in the group. Fans in the chat expressed their admiration and love for "jiejie" with comments like "lick lick jiejie," showing their genuine affection for the beautiful older sister.
After sharing several photos, Qin Ran returned to watching the video. By the end of the first episode, Yu Shuman had already gained a lot of attention. In the second episode, even more people were drawn to her. The crop top she wore showcased her sleek waistline—most women have a bit of a belly, which is natural, but Yu Shuman's waist was toned, even showing faint lines of abs. From her third year of high school to her third year of college, she had always kept herself busy with various part-time jobs. During the hot summer days, she would wear a mascot suit and hand out flyers on the streets, sweating more than she drank.
Moreover, she regularly exercised by running laps around the school track. While Qin Ran struggled to finish an 800-meter run, Yu Shuman was an athletic powerhouse.
That's why her waist was both slender and strong, looking particularly stunning in a crop top. Every movement she made was crisp and powerful. Her group was already strong, and their stage performance stood out as one of the best in the second episode, drawing in many new fans. Within the group, Yu Shuman was the one who attracted the most attention.
More and more people joined the fan group. Qin Ran, now using her small account, became very active, a stark contrast to her usual lurking on her main account. She even started giving away tickets to the second public performance to lucky fans, covering their travel expenses as well. No questions asked—she just had too much money and needed to spend it.
Her generous actions quickly earned her a place of honor among the fans. As seasoned followers of the entertainment industry, these fans were thrilled to have a wealthy supporter on their side. The last thing they wanted was to be part of a poor fan base, where soon after joining, they'd be asked to chip in for fan events. That would inevitably drive away many fans.
But now, not only did they not have to contribute, but they were also receiving small cash gifts occasionally. This boosted the cohesion of the fan group significantly.
The fan who received the round-trip fare and the second public performance ticket was especially grateful, promising to attend and expressing a desire to meet the generous fan in person. Qin Ran hesitated for a moment before typing a reply:
"I'm abroad, so I can't go."
The fans were a bit disappointed but understood, promising to take lots of photos to make her envious.
After the first public performance and while the production team was busy editing the show for online release, the remaining forty contestants had already been regrouped and started rehearsing. Sister Li had previously informed Yu Shuman about the available songs and recommended two that matched her previous style—sultry, captivating, and intense girl group dances.
Yu Shuman reviewed all the songs and ultimately chose a traditional-style song. Sister Li was stunned—this song was practically reserved for Ling Miaohan and another contestant with a background in folk dance. It was a three-person song, and Yu Shuman, with her striking looks, didn't seem like a good fit. Not to mention, she risked being overshadowed by Ling Miaohan's natural elegance.
But Yu Shuman said, "Didn't you say I should have fun, Sister Li? I want to try something different. If I stay in my comfort zone too long, the audience might get bored."
Sister Li was about to scold Yu Shuman. She wasn't the most obedient artist, and she had a strong sense of individuality. While her reasoning was sound, she had only performed twice—it was far too early to worry about the audience getting tired of her. The truth was that Yu Shuman simply wanted to experiment and enjoy the freedom of performing on stage.
Sister Li wanted to lecture her but ended up sighing deeply instead. "Do as you wish."
After their conversation, Sister Li stood up to leave, but Yu Shuman called her back. "Sister Li."
"What is it?" she asked, turning around to see Yu Shuman standing by her seat. The overhead light cast a glow on her, making her stand out even in such an ordinary setting. Even with her years of experience and sharp eye for talent, Sister Li had to admit that Yu Shuman was the most promising raw talent she had ever encountered.
But this raw talent wasn't allowed to be sculpted by her, the boss preferring to let her grow wild like a weed by the roadside.
Yu Shuman looked slightly nervous. Sister Li thought that if she was going to apologize for her earlier decision, she would certainly let it slide. Just as she was about to flip her hair and strike a dignified pose, Yu Shuman said, "Sister Li, could you give me the contact information for our boss? I have something I want to say to them..."
If it had been any other artist, Sister Li might have thought they were up to something, trying to curry favor with the boss before they'd even made a name for themselves. But Yu Shuman was different. Despite only working with her for a couple of months, Sister Li had already seen enough to know that Yu Shuman wasn't that kind of person.
And besides, who was the boss? The boss was Qin Ran, her beloved little shimei. Why would Yu Shuman need to ask her for contact information?
Sister Li couldn't help but twitch at the corners of her mouth, puzzled by whatever strange game these two were playing. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I'll ask the boss first and get back to you." With that, Sister Li left, still swamped with work. Later that evening, when filing her report, she included the request.
When Qin Ran heard that Yu Shuman had chosen the traditional-style song, she was momentarily stunned. After all, this song had been specifically added by Pei Qi; it was a popular online track, and the original singer was none other than Ling Miaohan. The reason for the song's inclusion in the show was obvious: once Ling Miaohan performed it, they would reveal her identity as the online music sensation behind the song, guaranteed to win her a legion of new fans.
In the original novel, Yu Shuman's performance in the first public show wasn't well received, leaving her with few options for the next round. She ended up choosing this song, and the results were predictable.
Qin Ran wanted to persuade Yu Shuman to choose another song but wasn't sure how to bring it up. Then she saw Sister Li's note about Yu Shuman wanting to contact the boss directly. Qin Ran hesitated for a moment before registering a new account and sending a friend request to Yu Shuman.