08 My Brother Is a Celebrity Fan?

“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Jin!”
After a full day of variety show filming, Jin Yuchuang took the water cup from his assistant and drained it in one gulp, his tired face still displaying the practiced smile of an idol.
Surrounded by bodyguards, he left the filming venue. Along the way, frenzied fans screamed and crowded around him.
These fans, having heard that Jin Yuchuang was filming here, had staked out the entrance since early morning, waiting for most of the day.
Just as Jin Yuchuang was being escorted by his bodyguards to his exclusive black luxury sedan, a female fan managed to slip past the security line and, trembling, grabbed his sleeve.
“Brother Chuang, please give me an autograph! I haven’t eaten for three days and nights—finally scraped together enough money to buy your new album!”
The gaunt girl pulled a pristine album case from her pocket, the plastic cover polished to a shine.
Jin Yuchuang maintained his signature smile—seven parts cool, three parts warm. Taking out his fountain pen, he swiftly signed his name on the album.
He handed the album back to the girl, then got into the car and sped away to the sound of fans’ shrieks.
“Brother Chuang is so gentle!”
The fans sang his praises, their eyes brimming with adoration.
But soon, they realized something crucial: the woman now held an album personally signed by Jin Yuchuang.
The security staff around the venue had long since dispersed; no one remained to maintain order. Which meant...
“Grab it! The signed album is mine!”
Eyes wild, the fans immediately surrounded the girl who clutched the album.
What began as a scuffle over an album rapidly escalated into a brutal stampede.
“Hmph, lowly paupers,” Jin Yuchuang remarked from the back seat of the black luxury sedan, smiling as he watched the tragedy unfold, all set in motion by himself.
He took off the genuine leather jacket touched by the fan, tossed it disdainfully to his half-cybernetic agent.
“This jacket’s dirty. Throw it out.”
“Mr. Jin, let me have it cleaned for you...” The agent looked torn; the coat was worth her month’s salary.
“It’s been touched by a low-class woman. It’s filthy,” Jin Yuchuang said coldly.
“Yes, I’ll take care of it right away!” The agent could only obey.
Few people knew Jin Yuchuang’s past. Many believed he was the illegitimate son of some high-ranking tycoon, and that he’d always been this handsome.
In truth, had he not met Xu Qing, Jin Yuchuang might have remained just like those fans—a penniless drifter.
It was Xu Qing’s favor that allowed Jin Yuchuang to receive the best cosmetic surgery Night Nexus City had to offer, and to be repackaged by Han Wave Entertainment into a beloved superstar.
Suddenly, the agent handed Jin Yuchuang a smartphone and whispered,
“Mr. Jin, Mr. Xu is calling you.”
Jin Yuchuang pressed the answer button. A projection of a blond youth appeared on the screen.
“Brother Xu Qing, how have you been lately?” Upon seeing his lifelong benefactor, Jin Yuchuang’s face grew obsequious.
“I’m planning a new student gathering next Saturday,” Xu Qing said. “Can you drop by?”
“No problem!” Jin Yuchuang agreed readily. “I can even host for you, Brother Xu!”
“No need, just make an appearance. You’re an idol—best to keep up the aloof persona.” Xu Qing smiled faintly and ended the call.

Staring at the spot where Xu Qing’s image had vanished, Jin Yuchuang gave his orders: “Clear my schedule for next Saturday. I’m attending Brother Xu’s party!”
“But... you have a fan event that day...” the agent stammered.
“Just say I’m sick!” Jin Yuchuang commanded.
“Yes, sir!”
Having arranged everything, Jin Yuchuang leaned back on the plush sofa, pulled out his phone, and opened Night Nexus City’s largest social app—Twibo.
Though his Twibo account was managed by PR, he still liked to log in and read fans’ comments.
“Mr. Chuang is so handsome! I never tire of covering my room with your photos!”
“He even signed autographs for fans outside the variety show today! He’s the gentlest man on earth!”
“Brother Chuang, I wanted to scavenge outside the city to earn money for your album, but I got mugged near the slums. What should I do?”
The fans’ adoration filled him with satisfaction, his lips curling into a smug smile.
But none of this changed the fact that Jin Yuchuang looked down on these lowly paupers.
In the early days of his career, Jin Yuchuang had built his sob story—“parents were migrant workers, bullied as a child”—to gain sympathy, winning over hordes of female fans.
Yet after receiving his first huge paycheck, living in a mansion bigger than dozens of slum homes, and tasting food the poor would never even see, his perspective changed.
He had become an untouchable star, and the wretched masses were nothing more than ants to be exploited at will.
As a star from poverty, he understood better than anyone the value of ruthlessness. Whether it was playing the victim or secretly eliminating rivals, Jin Yuchuang felt no guilt.
Yet as he browsed his fan discussions, he noticed something off.
Aside from the usual familiar faces, many new profiles had appeared in his discussion circle.
More importantly, dozens of these newcomers were posting with unnaturally high frequency, almost dominating half the conversation.
“Did you buy me followers recently?” Jin Yuchuang tossed his phone to his agent.
After checking, the agent frowned. “These aren’t paid followers... but their posts seem normal. Probably just new fans you attracted.”
Jin Yuchuang looked closer. Sure enough, the newcomers’ posts seemed normal—if anything, a bit too normal:
“I heard Mr. Jin stars in ‘Nuclear Rebirth.’ It’s my favorite novel—go, Mr. Jin!”
“Mr. Chuang is so handsome. Saw him outside the variety show today and instantly became a fan!”
Even Jin Yuchuang, who prided himself on being sensitive to fan trends, couldn’t spot anything odd.
“Probably just the hype from your new film attracting more casual fans,” the agent said matter-of-factly.
“True,” Jin Yuchuang nodded.
Now that his new series “Nuclear Rebirth” was about to premiere in less than a week, his popularity would surely soar. The company’s top priority was to promote the show.
But thinking of the series only deepened Jin Yuchuang’s frown, his face darkening with anger.
“Damn it, the more I think about this trash show, the angrier I get!” He downed his wine in one gulp.
“Why should I play a pathetic loser, a worthless shut-in who gives up after a few rounds of bullying? Why didn’t a truck just run him over? And he gets to be the protagonist in Night City?”
“Mr. Jin, please calm down...” The agent poured him another glass, coaxing gently.
“The director already agreed to change the lead’s background to a genius nobleman.”

“If he hadn’t, I’d have had his whole family taken care of!” Jin Yuchuang sneered, scrolling through more fan praise on his phone.
...
In a dim bedroom, Chen Shang sat at his computer browsing Twibo.
He set the keyword to “Jin Yuchuang” and indeed saw dozens of “fans” incessantly posting praise, propelling Jin Yuchuang into the top three trending topics.
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was a call from “Four-Leaf.”
“The accounts have successfully infiltrated the fan groups,” Black Calis’s voice came through the phone. “What do you think? Satisfied?”
“Not bad, very efficient,” Chen Shang nodded approvingly.
“And then?” Black Calis said. “Don’t tell me this is your whole plan.”
“Relax, I’ll tell you the next step now,” Chen Shang said. “Do you have dirty money? The kind so black that the police would be on you the moment it’s reported?”
“Of course~ Last time I was bored, I broke through a cyber bank’s firewall and grabbed a few million,” Black Calis replied offhandedly.
“I haven’t laundered it yet. What’s your plan?”
“I want you to use it to buy Jin Yuchuang’s merchandise and albums,” Chen Shang said with a faint smile.
“Buy as much as you can in the next few days, but not all at once. Use different identities and buy at different times.”
“I see...” Black Calis’s tone took on a trace of amusement. “This is getting interesting~”
“Alright, I’ll hang up now,” Chen Shang chuckled and ended the call.
The next moment, a voice came from the bedroom door: “Brother, dinner’s ready!”
“Coming!” Chen Shang opened the door and headed to the living room.
Ever since his sister had followed him to the black market that afternoon, Chen Shang had activated the system’s “show character distance” feature.
With this tool, he could see how far his sister was from him. It was by noticing her approaching his room that he’d hung up just in time.
Too bad it only worked on romanceable characters—otherwise he’d have found Black Calis’s hiding place by now.
...
As she watched her brother approach the dinner table, Nayuta’s expression grew worried.
Her brother had been acting strange today—cold toward her, and after school he’d visited a suspicious temple.
Most puzzling of all, she’d just overheard him saying something about “buying Jin Yuchuang’s merchandise and albums,” which left her baffled.
When her brother opened the door, she managed to catch a glimpse of his computer screen and saw Jin Yuchuang’s Twibo homepage.
Nayuta had of course heard of Jin Yuchuang, but never imagined her otaku brother would be a fan of a pretty-boy idol.
“When did my brother turn into a fangirl?”
Nayuta was thoroughly confused.