"You two are so brazen. Irene could hardly hide her happiness, afraid the fans wouldn’t notice, huh?"
Liu Xin’an heard Li Chenglu’s voice the moment he got off the stage.
And some of the fans who were still paying attention to Liu Xin’an and knew about him also noticed Li Chenglu talking to him.
Recalling Li Chenglu’s intimate interactions with Kang Seulgi and Bae Juhyun at the recent signing event, a shocking thought popped into the minds of the fans.
"Could this be Bamboo Sister?"
There were not only female fans at the event; this bold guy who approached to chat was an exception.
In a distinct Beijing accent, he asked Liu Xin’an in surprise.
But soon, this woman, whom he had mistaken for Bamboo Sister, proved with her actions that she was not.
Because Li Chenglu spoke very fluent Mandarin.
"Of course not, I’m his sister."
"Ah, sorry, but I didn’t know you had a sister, Xin’an? I thought you were an only child?"
Though it wasn’t a secret, knowing such details meant this fan was indeed an old-timer.
Liu Xin’an chuckled and nodded, then shook his head.
"This is Admin Orange. You should remember her, right?"
"Ah! So Admin Orange is this beautiful!?"
The male fan looked shocked, as if he had heard something unbelievable. No wonder; Li Chenglu was often the one cracking jokes in the group... sometimes so fast-paced it was hard to link a pretty girl to her.
"That’s so rude - what kind of impression did I leave on you?"
The male fan gave an awkward smile, and after Liu Xin’an granted his request for a photo, he left gleefully.
He looked as excited as if he had just gotten an autographed album from Bae Juhyun and the rest.
Who knew if this guy was a Red Velvet fan or one of Liu Xin’an’s followers...
"I saw everything clear as day from the audience. It seems some great pictures of you two are already circulating online."
Li Chenglu pulled out her phone, showing Liu Xin’an a picture she found on Weibo.
The image of him and Bae Juhyun was reminiscent of the viral photo from their first encounter, their eyes locked in the same way.
As for the comments below...
[Secret relationship between celebrity heroine and gentle younger brother!](Panting noises)]
[Is it just me, or does Bae’s gaze look like it’s melting?]
[I was there, I can confirm. Ever since Xin’an went on stage, Bae’s expression brightened up significantly. If you tell me these two have nothing going on, I won’t believe it.]
[But I still can’t believe Xin’an would do such a thing after getting with Bamboo Sister; it’s too obvious, right?]
[Aren’t all men ? How many can resist Bae’s face?]
[So is Xin’an actually a scumbag now?]
[Not necessarily... Bamboo Sister is clearly a Bae fan. Maybe Xin’an was just getting an autograph for her?]
[Celebrity fighting a fan for a man? Ah... seems even more interesting now!]
[Just a small query, isn’t Bamboo Sister supposed to be Bae as well?]
"It’s okay. During their comeback period, they need the buzz. Anyway, after their comeback finishes, Juhyun plans to go public."
Li Chenglu put away her phone and looked around, soon spotting Seong Taekyon walking towards them.
A couple of days ago during a meal, Li Chenglu officially met this manager. Of course, Seong Taekyon was stunned to learn how close Liu Xin’an and Li Chenglu were.
After all, long ago, Bae Juhyun had visited China twice using Li Chenglu’s connections. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ noⅴelfire.net
Once for a certain award ceremony at a minor event site, and once for the Chinese New Year.
So in retrospect... Bae Juhyun’s reason for visiting China twice was all for Liu Xin’an!
He felt utterly duped.
"Good afternoon, Manager Seong."
"Good afternoon, Miss Li." Seong Taekyon first greeted Li Chenglu, then looked at Liu Xin’an.
Liu Xin’an cooperatively handed over the album in his hand, a bit embarrassed, saying, "This isn’t urgent, have them sign it when they’ve fully rested."
The gifts for his followers naturally had to be signed, or how could he keep his status as Red Velvet’s sixth dream member?
"No problem. Any special requests, like writing specific names?"
"No need, just signatures are fine."
Actually, Liu Xin’an could have asked Bae Juhyun and the others to sign the albums on stage.
But... doing so would definitely delay the signing event’s progress, and with so many fans watching, blatant favoritism wouldn’t be right.
Better to do it privately.
"Do they have any schedules tonight?"
"Yes, they’ve got events lined up for the next few days. Though, this comeback is slightly easier compared to before since there aren’t many shows to attend."
Seong Taekyon’s words left Liu Xin’an stunned: "Easier, you say?"
"Yeah, the public opinion around Irene’s issue seems to be resurging with this comeback, so the company didn’t schedule any variety shows for Irene, trying to minimize her exposure to fans."
This comeback’s success far exceeded S-M’s expectations. Originally, S-M planned to quietly announce Red Velvet’s return to the music scene this year, and then fully ramp up efforts in 2022.