Su Zhiyi usually didn't have any schedule commitments. When she stayed at home, she wore clothes from Pinduoduo that cost nine ninety-nine with free shipping—everything on her added up to less than a three-digit number. But if she had to be exposed to the public eye, she had to wear expensive designer clothes to maintain her persona.
She came from a rural background, her salary completely swallowed by the shady company. She worked herself to the bone without getting a single cent. She even scrimped on food and drink, let alone buying designer labels to pretend to be rich.
The shady company had a bit of a conscience, though—they wouldn't force a poor person like her to spend her own money on designer clothes just to uphold the persona they provided. Whenever she went out, the designer clothes she wore were all supplied by the company.
A little conscience, but not much.
Every time she asked the company for money, they'd guilt-trip her, saying: "Your salary all goes into buying designer clothes for you. The company is really struggling here—you need to understand. As a good actress, you can't be thinking about money all the time."
Then they'd launch into a lecture, spouting the same nonsense she'd heard a thousand times.
For example, this time, Su Zhiyi was going to attend Jiang Yuanheng's concert. The company would arrange fake paparazzi to take photos, then buy trending searches for her and Jiang Yuanheng. She needed to wear designer clothes.
Su Zhiyi dressed very low-key, but anyone who recognized the brands on her could tell she was "rich."
To avoid being recognized in advance, she wore a baseball cap and a mask, leaving only her eyes visible.
As soon as she arrived outside the concert venue, a message from Jiang Yuanheng came through.
[Jiang Yuanheng: Sister Zhiyi, have you arrived?]
[Su Zhiyi: I'm already here, outside the venue now.]
While waiting for Jiang Yuanheng's reply, Su Zhiyi looked around.
There were a lot of people outside the venue, all queuing to get in.
Jiang Yuanheng really had tons of fans. If she had this many true fans, she'd be laughing in her dreams.
[Su Zhiyi: There are so many fans coming to see your concert—the line is really long.]
[Jiang Yuanheng: You don't need to line up. My assistant is waiting for you at Gate 3. Come in through the backstage. I've arranged the seat closest to me for you.]
"Excuse me, which way is Gate 3?"
Su Zhiyi randomly picked a lucky staff member to ask.
"Go that way, straight to the end, then turn left, and a few more steps. The door with the number 3 above it is Gate 3."
The staff member helpfully answered.
"Thank you."
Su Zhiyi thanked the staff member, raised her hand to press down the brim of her baseball cap, and walked toward Gate 3 while typing a reply to Jiang Yuanheng.
[Su Zhiyi: Got it.]
[Su Zhiyi: The concert is about to start, so just focus on preparing!]
[Su Zhiyi: You're the star of the show. Don't worry too much about me. My eyes will be on you the whole time, and I'll be listening to you sing.]
Jiang Yuanheng sent her an OK emoji and didn't say more.
Su Zhiyi put away her phone, avoided the crowd, and followed the staff member's directions until she reached a glass door with a "3" above it.
There weren't many people at Gate 3. A man with regular features stood at the door, occasionally glancing at his phone and then looking around, as if searching for someone.
When he saw Su Zhiyi, he immediately broke into a smile, put away his phone, and walked straight toward her.
"Are you Miss Su?"
This was Jiang Yuanheng's assistant, right?
Su Zhiyi replied politely, "Yes, are you Jiang Yuanheng's assistant?"
Xiao Chen said very courteously, "Yes, yes, I'm Brother Jiang's assistant. Just call me Xiao Chen."
Su Zhiyi nodded politely. "Hello, hello."
Xiao Chen pointed to the door behind him. "Brother Jiang asked me to take you in through the backstage. He's doing his stage makeup right now, so it's not convenient to meet. I'll take you directly to the venue."
Su Zhiyi nodded to him. "Okay, thank you for leading the way."
Jiang Yuanheng had indeed arranged the seat closest to the stage for Su Zhiyi.
It was in the front row, middle seat, about four or five meters from the stage.
If Jiang Yuanheng sang and danced on stage, from this seat she could hear his live voice and see him up close without any equipment.
Two girls sat around her. One held an expensive-looking camera, ready to record. When she sat down, the girl just glanced at her, probably didn't recognize her, and turned back to focus on the stage.
The girl next to her was recording with her phone, holding it up with one hand to find the right angle, and holding a glowing support stick with the other.
This neighbor was much friendlier than the other.
When she saw Su Zhiyi sit down next to her, she stared at Su Zhiyi's exposed eyes for a while, then gradually widened her eyes in surprise.
"You..."
Su Zhiyi smoothed a stray hair by her ear, her clear, bright eyes looking at the girl as if they held a gentle smile.
Her voice was like a clear spring, soft and gentle. "What's wrong?"
The girl realized her gaze was a bit rude, quickly averted her eyes, cupped her cheek blushing with embarrassment, and apologized several times to Su Zhiyi.
"Sorry, sorry. Are you also a fan of Brother Jiang? I thought you were so beautiful, I got lost staring at your face."
"If I offended you, I'm sorry!"