Celebrity Neighbor: My girlfriend is a big star?
Chapter 140. The Plan to Sneak Past! (Subscription Request! Monthly Ticket Request!)

Chapter 140: 140. The Plan to Sneak Past! (Subscription Request! Monthly Ticket Request!)

The next morning, Liu Xin’an got himself ready and headed to the venue for the rehearsal.

"Yo, look who it is, isn’t this our Anzi?"

Hearing the familiar hometown accent, Liu Xin’an grinned and gave the tall man in front of him a hug.

The last time they met was about half a year ago. Since they were both from Jin City, they had a good relationship.

So, upon arriving at the venue, the first thing he did was find this small circle of people from his gaming community.

Old E was also sitting nearby. When he saw Liu Xin’an, he came over with a smile to greet him.

"I heard from Lao Zhang that you got into a relationship?"

San Ren’s last name was Zhang, and so was Old E’s. But this time, it was Old E who was speaking, so the Lao Zhang he mentioned was actually San Ren.

"Yeah, not too long ago. When do you plan to go public with Feifei?"

Getting into a relationship was still fresh news, but honestly, compared to keeping it from the fans, Old E and fellow small-time UP master Feifei’s relationship was kept even more under wraps.

The two had been together for almost a year, and so far, only a few people in their small circle knew about it.

Everyone was tight-lipped, and the secret hadn’t leaked yet.

So, Liu Xin’an wasn’t worried about San Ren and Old E spreading the word about his relationship.

"We’re not in a rush. Gotta purify the fans a bit more."

The fan purification tactic was taught to Liu Xin’an by Old E.

Compared to this live-stream veteran, his own method of purifying fans was much gentler.

Old E had a personality that could clash with fans, and over the years, those who continued to support him knew his temperament and character, so the remaining were mostly die-hard fans.

Liu Xin’an and Old E had similar temperaments, shared the same initial motivation for making videos, and both disliked fan culture.

If you’re good at streaming, you’re good at streaming. If you’re good at playing games, you’re good at playing games. Why complicate things unnecessarily?

What both of them disliked the most were fans who, despite not playing well, still defended themselves aggressively.

"Still purifying? Do you have any fans left to purify?"

"Yep, no big deal."

"What’s been eating at you lately?"

Old E spread his hands, smiling: "You know me, it’s a common affair. But let’s not talk about me. What about your girlfriend? When are you gonna show her off?"

Everyone was around the same age, so Liu Xin’an didn’t take such jokes personally. However, because Old E was joking about his girlfriend, he punched him in jest out of dissatisfaction.

"Don’t joke like that, I might get serious."

"Whoa! San Ren, this guy seems serious."

"Don’t talk to me. You two got into relationships early. We’re not even on the same level anymore."

Liu Xin’an and Old E exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes.

"Anzi!"

While they were chatting, a delicate-looking man with a sharp chin walked over with a smile and patted Liu Xin’an on the shoulder.

Liu Xin’an turned around, smiled when he saw him.

"Long time no see."

Strictly speaking, Lao Fanqie still belonged to the gaming community, but this once-close friend of his seemed to be transitioning away from it... Now, as one of the most promoted UP masters, he didn’t have much time to spend on gaming anymore, which Liu Xin’an found somewhat regrettable.

In the past, even Liu Xin’an had to learn a lot from Lao Fanqie’s video rhythms.

"Tomorrow, we’re planning to shoot a prank vlog. Care to join us?"

Liu Xin’an spread his hands: "I already made plans to meet some friends tomorrow. Maybe next time."

"That’s such a shame."

Lao Fanqie sighed, fist bumped Liu Xin’an again with renewed excitement, and went off to chat with others.

After Lao Fanqie left, Old E glanced at Liu Xin’an sideways.

"What, feeling like you’re not part of the same group anymore?"

"There aren’t many left who are genuinely dedicated to making gaming videos." Liu Xin’an sighed. He truly loved gaming, so seeing his once-close friend gradually give up on the games they both loved didn’t sit well with him.

But that didn’t mean Lao Fanqie’s choice was wrong—it’s just that... people have different aspirations.

"Get lost! You’ve been streaming less and less lately, and you have the nerve to talk about others?"

Hearing this, Liu Xin’an, who was pretending to be deep in thought, blushed and smiled awkwardly, as if trying to explain: "I’ve been spending time with my girlfriend!"

"Enough already." San Ren was getting impatient, can’t they talk about something he could join in on?

After a quick round of greetings, Liu Xin’an stood aside, arms crossed, looking enviously at the confident UP masters from the lifestyle community.

He couldn’t imagine striking up conversations with so many unfamiliar faces and recording it all on camera... That’s just not something he could do.

But even if he lacked the courage, some of the lifestyle UP masters recognized him.

After all, he’d caused a bit of a stir on the platform when his face was accidentally revealed—many people had heard about his good looks, but seeing it in person was something else.

Handsome and refreshingly charming, Liu Xin’an was hard to ignore, even when standing in the corner.

The first to come over and greet him was Da Xiang Ge from the food lifestyle section. Liu Xin’an had watched his videos and had followed him for quite a while, so he wasn’t a complete stranger.

"Yo, Anzi, you’re not wearing a mask this time!"

Last year, Da Xiang Ge was also one of the top 100, and back then, Liu Xin’an had shown up wearing a mask...

"Da Xiang Ge, how have you been?"

"Couldn’t be better." Da Xiang Ge’s authentic Beijing accent made Liu Xin’an chuckle, "When you have some free time, let’s grab a meal together. I know a few great spots around here."

"I’ve been quite busy lately. Maybe next time."

"Alright then, let me know when you’re back in Jin City. I’d really love to ride on your popularity wave."

Da Xiang Ge’s straightforward personality was something Liu Xin’an appreciated, so he nodded with a smile, without refusing further.

"If I get the chance to go to Beijing, I’ll definitely get in touch with you first."

"Sure, we all have each other’s WeChat."

"I liked your post just yesterday!"

"Too many likes to keep track, hope you understand, brother."

Da Xiang Ge cheerfully complained to Liu Xin’an, then backed off to chat with someone else.

He wasn’t the only one who wanted to capitalize on Liu Xin’an’s sudden popularity. Soon, several more UP masters came over, and Liu Xin’an, having done his homework, could call them all by name.

After making the rounds, Liu Xin’an found a more inconspicuous spot to sit and let out a long sigh.

He really was socially anxious; he still couldn’t adapt to such social settings.

He took out his phone and opened the chat with his girlfriend. As expected, Bae Juhyun, who was out having fun with Li Chenglu today, had already sent him many photos—some selfies, and some with Li Chenglu.

Liu Xin’an saved all the photos out of habit and started casually chatting with his girlfriend via text.

The rehearsal had just begun, and there was still a long way to go before his turn.

There wasn’t much he needed to do—just go on stage with a few other gaming UP masters, accept an award, take a quick walk, wave for photos, and step down.

Then, come back towards the end of the award ceremony to show face again...

Pretty simple, right?

So simple he couldn’t understand why rehearsals were necessary!

———

"Looks like Xin’an has already started."

"Really? Irene, don’t forget to remind him to get me DaoYueShe’s autograph!"

"Uh..." Bae Juhyun could understand the first part, but the Chinese "DaoYueShe" was a bit challenging for her.

"DaoYueShe?"

"Just type it in English, DaoYueShe. He’ll get what I mean."

Bae Juhyun nodded and obediently sent Liu Xin’an a message with Li Chenglu’s request.

Soon, she was smiling at Liu Xin’an’s reply.

"Chenglu, Chenglu, Liu Xin’an called you names."

"Huh? That jerk... Never mind, I’ll ask for it myself later."

"Is this person you like a really famous video creator?"

"Well... They often shoot food-related videos that make you want to eat, so over time, I got to like them."

"Oh... Like a mukbang?"

"Not exactly." Li Chenglu shook her head. She knew mukbang was very popular where Bae Juhyun was from, but honestly, while she could enjoy DaoYueShe’s food videos, those mukbangs where people just ate for the sake of eating... she couldn’t stand them. She even found them disgusting.

Oh! And ASMR.

"I see... Chenglu, can we go there on the 24th to watch the live broadcast?" Bae Juhyun glanced at the pictures Liu Xin’an sent her from the venue, feeling a bit tempted.

In fact, after finding out that Liu Xin’an was attending the award ceremony, she had secretly looked up some news about it.

She also found out that he would have to wear formal attire when accepting the award.

Formal attire, oh my! She’d been with Liu Xin’an for so long and had never seen him in a suit and tie.

She really wanted to see it!

"Live broadcast? You mean on the award day?"

"Yes!"

"Uh... You’re here in China under the pretense of traveling with me to unwind, right?"

"Yeah."

"If that’s the case... We’ll have to find a quiet corner where we won’t be noticed."

"Are you willing to take me?" Bae Juhyun was pleasantly surprised; she thought Li Chenglu would flatly refuse her request like Liu Xin’an.

Unexpectedly, she had actually thought about how to pull it off.

"As long as we’re together, even if someone takes a picture, we can just say I brought you along. As long as you don’t interact with Liu Xin’an, who would know you came to see him?"

Li Chenglu laid out her plan clearly. Of course, the key was... not getting recognized.

It wasn’t hard to slip in unnoticed; just find a quiet corner and keep a low profile. By the time Liu Xin’an took the stage, they could just look up.

Getting caught wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

Being cautious was good, but being overly cautious...

It wasn’t necessary.

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense."

"Of course, not being noticed or recognized is still very important. If news about you coming out to unwind surfaces, it could cause you significant trouble, right?"

Liu Xin’an was an idiot about the entertainment industry, but Li Chenglu had a comprehensive view of it.

Right now, Bae Juhyun’s controversies had finally started to die down, and public opinion was beginning to reverse. If it came out that she was out having fun during this time... it could completely undo all the reversed public opinion.

However, this was due to a difference in information, which led Li Chenglu to overthink.

Li Chenglu’s understanding of Bae Juhyun’s current situation was still primarily through domestic media.

Actually, in Bae Juhyun’s home country, her situation had completely turned around.

Those so-called whistleblowers and insiders had either fled or apologized.

Of course, some still claimed that those people had taken bribes from S-M, but there were more who chose to believe in Bae Juhyun.

Otherwise, the company wouldn’t have so easily allowed her to go abroad.

Her current break was more of a self-imposed punishment for her perceived wrongdoings.

Rather than a lack of job offers.

Uh... well, self-imposed wasn’t quite accurate; it was actually the company’s punishment.

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