Celebrity Neighbor: My girlfriend is a big star?
Chapter 149. Liu Xin’an’s Troubles (Subscribe! Monthly Votes!)

Chapter 149: 149. Liu Xin’an’s Troubles (Subscribe! Monthly Votes!)

The next day, which was the day of the Top 100 Awards, Liu Xin’an woke up early. He discreetly moved Bae Juhyun’s hand and leg off him, finally freeing himself to get up.

The awards ceremony was in the evening, but preparations had to start early. After all, there were so many streamers attending the event. Just queuing up for makeup and styling would take a while.

After a quick shower and changing into a casual outfit, Liu Xin’an returned to the bedroom before leaving, gently calling his girlfriend’s name while sitting by the bed.

"Juhyun, I’m heading out."

This was what Bae Juhyun had asked him to do the night before. If he didn’t, she would likely leave those painful bite marks on his arm again with her pearly white teeth.

Half-asleep, Bae Juhyun was awakened by Liu Xin’an’s call. She struggled to open one eye and, seeing him fully dressed, suddenly became alert.

She sat up reflexively and began to smooth her long hair with her hand.

"You’re leaving?"

"Mm-hmm, you can continue sleeping. I’m going."

"Wait!"

Bae Juhyun stretched out her hand to hold her boyfriend’s shoulder and quickly stood up.

Though she usually found it hard to get up in the morning, it seemed easy now. She got out of bed, ran to the door in her slippers.

"Wait for me a bit! Don’t leave yet."

"Huh?"

"Just wait."

Bae Juhyun didn’t want to explain and left the bedroom after saying this.

Although he didn’t know what his girlfriend was up to, Liu Xin’an obediently sat down.

Going ten minutes earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference, so waiting for a few minutes wasn’t a big deal.

Bae Juhyun didn’t make him wait long.

A few minutes later, the tightly shut bedroom door opened from the outside. She still looked natural and without any makeup, yet she was stunning enough to make Liu Xin’an’s heart race.

But what truly made his heart race was what happened next.

This usually shy girl walked up to him, gently cupped his cheeks with her hands.

Before Liu Xin’an could react, his lips were silenced by hers.

This time, Liu Xin’an knew what she had gone out for.

Yeah... it was a cool mint flavor.

Very refreshing.

———

"You’re here?"

"Yes."

The socially anxious duo reunited again. Liu Xin’an casually grabbed a bottle of mineral water, opened it, and took a sip.

"I heard you’re this year’s Rising Star Award winner. Have you thought about your acceptance speech?"

The Top 100 Awards didn’t just give out the Top 100 up-and-coming streamer award; there were many other awards like Rookie of the Year, Rising Star, King of Live Streaming Popularity, and various others.

Last year, Liu Xin’an only won a spot in the Top 100. After all, he didn’t show his face back then and only made a name for himself in the gaming community, which couldn’t compare to the much more popular lifestyle streams of that time.

But this year...

"Rising Star... does that mean my social death from showing my face?"

Liu Xin’an had a strange expression. Was this award recognizing his talent or his looks?

"Darn, isn’t having high popularity enough for you? Didn’t the money reach your pocket?"

Old E retorted grumpily, although he didn’t really have the right to say that either.

"Aren’t you really planning to show your face? If you kept appearing on screen after that initial surge in popularity, you’d probably be this year’s King of Popularity."

"Nonsense. The hottest one this year is Director Fox. I can’t compare."

Director Fox, the person Liu Xin’an mentioned, was a particularly popular science streamer lately. Because he resembled an animal called the ’Tibetan fox’ with his looks, he was affectionately named ’Director Fox’ by everyone.

Liu Xin’an was also a fan. Such a fun and profound streamer was liked by everyone.

Besides, he was naturally interested in wildlife.

"I meant King of Live Streaming Popularity. What are you thinking about?"

"Uh... I haven’t thought about it." Liu Xin’an scratched his head, looking like a confused lad.

"It seems like there’s no longer a single King of Popularity this year. It’s been changed to three Popularity Streamers."

A voice interrupted, causing Liu Xin’an and Old E to look back in surprise.

Seeing Mu Shang behind them, they both let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me, Mu Shang. I thought it was someone else." Old E chuckled, extending his hand to pat Mu Shang’s increasingly rounded belly.

After all, as a mukbang streamer, Mu Shang had been traveling and eating across the country for the past couple of years. It would be strange if he didn’t gain weight.

Mu Shang dodged with a laugh, then winked at Liu Xin’an.

"Brother An, get ready for your acceptance speech. You aren’t going to escape the Popularity Streamer award."

"Huh? Me?"

"I think so too. Even if you don’t get first place, securing a top three spot shouldn’t be a problem for Liu Xin’an."

Liu Xin’an attracted quite a few female fans with his handsome looks. You could tell from the viewership numbers of his occasional vlogs.

His usual gaming guide videos or live commentary videos would gather around 2 million views, and some niche games might not even reach 2 million.

But whenever he posted a vlog, it would easily start at 5 million views.

Every day, there were countless fans in Liu Xin’an’s comment section begging him to post more lifestyle videos, but he stubbornly refused...

"King of Popularity? Me?"

"For sure. You stream for long hours, have plenty of subscribers, and your regular streams always have high engagement. Winning the King of Popularity title should be a piece of cake."

Old E rubbed his chin and analyzed for Liu Xin’an.

Liu Xin’an, seeing that Mu Shang looked tired standing, moved aside to make some space for him to sit.

"Actually, I think you might consider branching out a bit, Brother An. There’s no harm in catering to your fans a bit. A shift in direction might help you break through your current bottleneck."

Facing a bottleneck was something all gaming streamers experienced at some point.

There came a time when one’s creativity ran dry. Early on, Liu Xin’an would emulate popular streamers like Lao Fanqie or others, making fun and interesting game videos.

But now, he genuinely had fewer good ideas...

"Will branching out really help with the bottleneck?"

"For sure. You need to step out of your comfort zone. Just like Lao Fanqie and others, they gradually stepped out of their shell. Look at the quality of their recent videos."

Liu Xin’an fell silent. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

He did need to change.

At least... he couldn’t just settle for his current situation.

His willingness to relent made Mu Shang widen his eyes. As a loyal viewer who also loved gaming and often watched Liu Xin’an’s streams, he had only intended to advise him tentatively.

Wait, did he really agree?

Was this still the stubborn Liu Xin’an?

Old E, on the other hand, seemed to have figured something out.

What could make a man not settle for his current situation and strive to be better?

A significant other, of course!

However, Old E was somewhat surprised.

Liu Xin’an already had quite a presence... What kind of person could motivate him so much?

Could she be... a wealthy woman?!

This guy was really something.

"Mu Shang, you’re up next!"

Mu Shang barely had time to warm his seat before the stylist called for him.

He awkwardly smiled and waved to Old E, then gave Liu Xin’an a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck—I’ve been your fan for ten years!"

"...I haven’t been streaming for ten years yet."

Mu Shang walked away without looking back.

After Mu Shang was out of sight, Liu Xin’an felt a nudge from Old E beside him.

"What’s your girlfriend’s background that makes you so motivated?"

Liu Xin’an sighed and shook his head without saying a word.

Bae Juhyun’s identity couldn’t be explained in a few words, and he didn’t intend to tell Old E about it.

Even if their relationship was good, he knew what he could and couldn’t say.

While he was waiting for his makeup, the door to the suite where Juhyun was staying opened, and two neatly dressed girls came out.

Both wore baseball caps, their long hair flowing loosely, and their faces covered with masks.

These two, of course, were Bae Juhyun and Li Chenglu, who were about to go for lunch.

Because they wanted to surprise Liu Xin’an by attending the Top 100 ceremony, getting inside tickets was the top priority.

Luckily, they both didn’t lack money. When it came to tickets, the problem was easily solved by ensuring they had enough cash.

Li Chenglu, bringing Juhyun out to have fun, wouldn’t let Juhyun spend a dime. She effortlessly secured two inside tickets from a scalper.

As the two sat in a corner of the restaurant, Juhyun finally took off her mask, looking conflicted.

"Let me spend some money too. These past few days, both you and Liu Xin’an have been spending..."

"Oh, come on, just give it to him. Having the chance to treat my idol to a meal is a sacred and..."

"Stop, don’t say that!" Bae Juhyun, having gotten comfortable with Li Chenglu, directly reached out to stop her from finishing the sentence.

Li Chenglu shrugged, smirking, and propped her chin up with one hand.

"Did Liu Xin’an send you a picture yet?"

"Uh... not yet. He said he’s eating." Bae Juhyun scrolled through her phone, showing Li Chenglu the chat with Liu Xin’an.

Li Chenglu scanned it briefly and then looked away.

"Chenglu, is bringing your girlfriend home for New Year’s really important?"

With Liu Xin’an absent, Bae Juhyun broached the topic of going home with him for New Year’s.

She hadn’t made up her mind yet. She intended to discuss it seriously with Liu Xin’an last night, and that’s why she had straddled him.

But unexpectedly...

In the end, she didn’t manage to talk about it, and she ended up giving herself away.

To be honest, her arm still felt a bit sore even now.

"Uh..." Li Chenglu paused for a moment, putting aside her playful attitude. Knowing this was a serious topic, she replied earnestly, "Well, in our country, going home for New Year’s with your girlfriend is indeed quite important."

"Really?" Li Chenglu’s response matched what Bae Juhyun had read online last night.

"Yes, at least where I’m from, it’s quite significant. Liu Xin’an really wants to take his relationship with Irene seriously."

"...So, should I go back with him then?"

"Ah, that’s not mandatory. You’ve only been together for less than six months; it’s actually a bit early."

Li Chenglu wasn’t making this up. Typically, relationships would go on for a year or so before reaching the stage of meeting parents.

They hadn’t even been together for half a year...

Wait, hadn’t Liu Xin’an already met Juhyun’s parents in advance...

Never mind, different country, different customs! In Korea, this might be a common thing.

In China, meeting the parents was important with many specific customs... There was no need to rush into it this year.

"But the problem is... if I don’t go this year, I don’t know if I’ll have time next year."

Bae Juhyun took a sip of her Coke, looking glum.

This gave Li Chenglu pause.

Indeed, that seemed to be the case.