Whether one could sleep or not, the sun would still rise the next day.
Wen Ying slept wonderfully and woke up full of energy.
The make-up artist Ding Chao brought was an old acquaintance, Kiki, one of Yuan Fenghui’s most capable assistants.
“Sister Kiki, how come it’s you?”
Wen Ying was slightly surprised. At this time Kiki should have been out of town with Li Mengjiao. Wen Ying had barely finished the gaokao before Yuan Fenghui put her to work; Li Mengjiao could not escape either.
Kiki set down her make-up case, studied Wen Ying’s skin, and could not resist pinching her soft cheek. “Being young is wonderful. Your skin is perfect. I’ll give you a no-make-up look today. Surprised I’m in Shanghai? Mengjiao is important to the company, but you’re just as important to Sister Yuan.”
Wen Ying smiled. No wonder charming rogues always had the upper hand in society; even after two lifetimes she still loved hearing sweet words.
Kiki gave Wen Ying a flawless natural look.
A natural look was harder than heavy make-up. Every step was still required, yet when finished Wen Ying looked more refined and beautiful without any obvious trace of cosmetics.
It demanded real skill.
Kiki finished, then lightly swept a brush across Wen Ying’s face. “Don’t worry, this make-up is locked in. No matter how hot or sunny, it won’t budge.”
Kiki had to take it seriously.
Today Wen Ying would be competing directly against Blue Whale. Wen Ying had no fear when it came to popularity, but what if Blue Whale tried to compete on appearance?
They could not lose.
Wen Ying checked the mirror carefully and gave Kiki a big thumbs-up. “Sister Kiki, your skills are amazing. I definitely won’t lose today.”
War?
Then let there be war.
Two young bestselling authors, similar age, striking looks, similar branding.
Same day, same venue. The air was thick with gunpowder, and the media loved nothing more than this kind of explosive story.
The nanny van stopped outside the venue. Wen Ying did not get out immediately. She looked through the tinted window.
The ground floor had been divided in two by a red cordon. The left side displayed posters for Seeking Yong, her territory. The right side had Crown of Thorns posters, clearly Blue Whale’s area.
Both sides were exactly equal in size. No advantage either way.
Wen Ying’s popularity was genuine. Somehow Blue Whale’s queue looked almost as long at first glance.
Yet Wen Ying still held the upper hand. She had three books out. Countless fans clutched Boy Idol, Star River and You, and Seeking Yong together.
Blue Whale had only one book, and it was plagiarised.
Wen Ying genuinely worried Blue Whale might get beaten. She quietly reminded Ding Chao, who sat beside her. “Editor Ding, we must manage the readers’ emotions. No over-the-top behaviour.”
Beating Blue Whale up would feel great, of course.
But assault was illegal. Wen Ying did not want any reader ending up in a police station because of it.
Ding Chao smiled. “Teacher Little Fish, don’t worry. We’ve planned for everything. You might not know this yet, but your loyal readers don’t just gather on blogs and forums. They love joining QQ groups to chat.”
Infiltrating the QQ groups meant infiltrating the reader base.
Once inside, guiding them became easy.
Ding Chao finished speaking. The young female staff member who had stayed with Wen Ying at the hotel last night immediately leaned forward and showed her phone.
She was logged into QQ. The screen was packed with groups: Little Fish Fanclub 1, Little Fish Fanclub 2… there were so many they were numbered. Pinned at the top was Little Fish True Love Group.
Wen Ying’s eyes widened. “I have this many reader groups?”
The staff member looked at her with adoration. “These are just the official ones. Some readers prefer unofficial groups. When those grow big enough, we keep an eye on them too.”
Afraid Wen Ying might misunderstand, she quickly added, “Of course, besides our publishing house, Tianjiao also has dedicated staff monitoring them.”
Control lay with Tianjiao, which meant it lay with Wen Ying.
Signing with Yuan Fenghui had been the right choice. All these trivial matters were handled perfectly without Wen Ying lifting a finger.
Wen Ying asked no further questions.
A few minutes later another nanny van pulled up outside the venue.
Ding Chao reacted instantly. He slid the door open with a whoosh. Wen Ying stepped out first.
The waiting reporters surged forward. Readers screamed. Ding Chao and venue security formed two layers of protection around her.
“Little Fish!”
“Little Fish, we love you!”
“Aaaaaah!!!”
The signing felt more like a celebrity meet-and-greet. Wen Ying smiled and waved. A huge crowd clutched their chests in bliss.
What to do? Their hearts were racing.
Thump-thump, faster than meeting a secret crush.
Wen Ying had seized the momentum from the start. By comparison, Blue Whale’s entrance was far less spectacular.
The other van’s door opened and Blue Whale appeared.
Wen Ying wore natural make-up. Blue Whale’s was visibly heavy.
She had not wanted thick make-up either, but she had barely slept. The dark circles were impossible to hide.
Seeing journalists and readers swarm Wen Ying, Blue Whale bit her lip. Bao Lixin pushed her from behind. “Quick, go say hello first.”
That was the strategy they had agreed on last night.
Blue Whale approached nervously. The journalists parted for her, but the readers did not.
Once they recognised Blue Whale, hostile stares locked onto her.
Blue Whale felt she was about to be hit, but then the readers looked away.
In the various Little Fish QQ groups that Blue Whale knew nothing about, messages were flying.
“At the venue. Today’s Little Fish is gorgeous. I will protect Little Fish. I’ll hold it in. I won’t hit Blue Whale.”
“At the venue +1. Won’t hit Blue Whale +1.”
“Be classy readers. Do not hit Blue Whale.”
“So many journalists. We mustn’t bring hate to Little Fish. Our slogan is: DO NOT HIT BLUE WHALE!”
“I still don’t know why Little Fish hasn’t sued Blue Whale for plagiarism yet, but I’ll restrain my urge to punch. I won’t hit Blue Whale.”
“Blue Whale’s make-up is so thick today. I’m close. The powder is practically falling off her face…”
Apart from one or two slightly off-topic comments, the rest were remarkably uniform.
Blue Whale remained oblivious. She simply could not get near Wen Ying. The readers could refrain from hitting her, but they had no intention of letting her approach their idol. A plagiarist was filthy. If she got too close she might taint Little Fish’s literary aura.
The readers still wanted the second Nine Cauldrons book as soon as possible.
Wen Ying was very satisfied.
This generation of readers was excellent, highly disciplined and self-managing. Very good indeed.
