You only had to look at Hashimoto Maki's subtle glances to know—her eyes kept sneaking over to Chu Zhi's face.
While most people fell for an idol's looks and stayed for their talent, Hashimoto Maki was the opposite. It was because of the song Once, I Thought About Ending It All that she discovered this "talented singer."
When she finally found a video of the artist himself, she thought, "This is what my future lover looks like," and instantly evolved into a hardcore fan.
"Ragdoll... Chu-san, I really love your songs." Nervous that he might turn her down, Hashimoto Maki quickly added another line.
Chu Zhi had always been accommodating with fan requests—as long as they didn't interfere with his money-making. Even so, he privately considered his Chinese fans more important.
Photo cards were part of South Korean idol culture. Fans who bought an idol group's album would receive a randomly included card of one group member. If they didn't get their favorite, they'd buy more copies. If they were a fan of the whole group, all the more reason to collect them all.
This culture had spread to Japan, the US, and China.
For Just a Little More Hope for the World, Sony Music designed seven card variations. Only one of them came with a stamped signature.
Hashimoto Maki was the definition of a "cursed pull prophet." It wasn't that her predictions were wrong—her prophet side was fine—but her cursed luck showed. She had bought thirty EPs and built a tower of them at home, yet still didn't get a single signed card.
"Thanks for the support." Chu Zhi signed her card and handed it back.
[Wishing Hashimoto Maki happiness every day — Chu Zhi]
She hadn't expected a special signature—not just a name, but a little message too. Hashimoto Maki cherished it dearly.
She said with concern, "Chu-san, your EP has sold over 500,000 copies already. The bookstore next door has been sold out for days. If your fans find out you're filming here, there might be chaos."
Chu Zhi didn't think much of it. First, this wasn't Earth. In this parallel world, Otaru was a small city, with not many people. Second, filming zones were tightly secured. Even though the crew had only rented half the bookstore, the other half remained peaceful...
Or so he thought.
"Is that Ragdoll?"
"Where? I want to see!"
"He looks so young!"
"That hairstyle... he's like a national heartthrob!"
Fans began to gather.
Hashimoto Maki's unlucky prediction came true a little too quickly.
So quickly, in fact, that even the crew's logistics staff didn't react in time. Humans, alongside cats and spores, were some of the most curious creatures. Seeing a crowd, others naturally came to check it out too. Within ten minutes, the bookstore was completely surrounded by a wall of people.
"Chu Zhi-san has so many fans," muttered Sora Taketake with a hint of envy. He used to have that many fans when he first debuted. Back then, fangirls always cheered for him, said they'd support him forever—but fans' 'forever' had an expiration date.
Akari Rie mentally tallied how many people were here... definitely more than she had ever drawn, even as a teen idol.
"What's going on?"
Ozu Etsuji had just finalized a new filming location—the old shipping office in Otaru's Shikinai district. The crew had already arranged the lease. But when he returned to the bookstore, he was greeted by layers upon layers of people. The last time he'd seen a hundred-person crowd outdoors... well, it had been a while.
It was noisy. Ozu noticed most of the crowd were young women, all visibly thrilled.
He leaned in to listen.
"Look at Ragdoll's profile! Even ants would stop to admire it."
"That face is a miracle."
"Even a snow spirit wouldn't have the heart to take such a beautiful life."
"The idol destroyer! No matter the star, next to Ragdoll they're just a regular person."
...and on it went.
All compliments. Ozu Etsuji was delighted. Chu Zhi was already famous in China, Japan, and South Korea. That meant the box office for When I Close My Eyes had huge potential.
"No pre-release promotions, yet he has this much pull? His fame back in his home country must be insane," the assistant director marveled.
"I wasn't in favor of hiring a Chinese actor," he admitted. "But after seeing the makeup shots and his current popularity... my opinion doesn't matter."
"I've got faith in this film now," said Ozu Etsuji.
It took a long time for the crew to push their way back inside.
With over a hundred fans present, Chu Zhi simply held an impromptu signing session. He signed over a hundred cards to ease the crowding.
Filming for Tengjingmu's role in When I Close My Eyes was mostly complete. Chu Zhi was about to take a few days off to return to China for a charity event.
After consulting with Chu Zhi, agent Niu Jiangxue added a "charity manager" to the team. The upcoming event was called "Destroy Snow White"—a flashy name, but in reality, it was a fundraiser for leukemia patients.
If they were going to spend money and put on a show, better to put that money where it was truly needed.
Old Qian usually acted silly, but today he said something that made Chu Zhi look at him differently:
"A lot of families are just barely scraping by, and they still find joy. But their resilience is fragile. One major illness can drag the whole family down, even destroy it. Personally, I think your charity efforts should focus on families hit by sudden illness."
Chu Zhi agreed. Most of next year's charity budget would go to the [Medical Assistance Fund for Impoverished Families] under the Chinese National Charity Association—totaling several million RMB.
How much he had quietly donated already? No one really knew.
At the airport, Qiu-ge asked, "Boss, heading to the company or home first?"
"Company first—to grab the gifts. Then to Xiulan Community," said Chu Zhi. The event was in Shanghai, starting late at night, so there was time.
Qiu-ge knew the routine. Every so often, Chu Zhi would move all the gifts fans had sent him to an empty house.
The nanny van moved between the company and the Xiulan complex. Qiu-ge had to help, because the gifts were too many.
Eye masks, scarves, paper cranes, handmade necklaces—an assortment of items. Chu Zhi returned anything too expensive.
It wasn't like ten years ago. Most fans now knew that agencies often didn't pass along gifts, so fewer people bothered. But with such a huge Little Fruits fanbase, there were still many.
"In a few years, when I release all the gifts and letters the Little Fruits have sent, people will cry again," Chu Zhi plotted.
He neatly arranged everything. Letters filled two entire bookshelves. A cabinet beside them held a box full of thank-you letters—
[First of all, please accept our heartfelt thanks and highest respect from all of us at the Sunshine Children's Foundation in Star City for your donation of 200,000 RMB to the 'Hope School Breakfast Program'—from Mr. Tree Planter.]
Anonymous donations had different limits: 8,000, 30,000, 500,000, even a million. Chu Zhi always donated under the name "Tree Planter." So far, he had donated over 40 million RMB.
He went through all that trouble anonymously—not out of love, but because non-anonymous donations didn't count toward personal achievement coins.
Realistically, if a charity wanted to investigate who donated, they could. There was always an address, and big transactions had to go through the bank.
Still, most organizations respected anonymity. There were regular anonymous donors like "Golden Lotus Benefactor" or "Let It Be" who had given millions. Chu Zhi just spread his donations across multiple organizations.
Who knew? Maybe in a few years, he'd donate billions and earn the title of Charity King. By then—
"It's almost time. I need to change clothes," Chu Zhi said, checking the time on his phone.
You couldn't show up to a charity event looking flashy. His team's stylist would take care of it.
Some stars relied heavily on stylists. Take G.E.M., for example. Her early "leather pants" look made her height disadvantage glaringly obvious. After switching to a better stylist, long dresses greatly improved her image.
But Chu Zhi's looks were so strong, even a mediocre stylist couldn't mess it up—as long as they didn't try anything too eccentric.
Besides, the agency was still in talks with luxury menswear brands. Since no contract had been finalized, stylists had creative freedom.
Time: Late evening, near but not quite after work hours
Location: Zhiping Building, built in the 2000s, with visibly outdated walls and interiors
Characters: Mostly side characters, aside from Chu Zhi
"A million-selling album, and only Yangcheng Daily showed up. The rest are all provincial or local papers. Compared to entertainment awards shows, the buzz is way lower," Xiaozhu muttered.
Old Qian said flatly, "The entertainment industry thrives on fame and profit. Stars entertain the public, so people naturally care more about them. The media chases traffic. Honestly, if Jiuge weren't here, even fewer outlets would've come."
The agent team discussed in hushed tones.
The charity foundation's press conference followed a standard template: introduce some hardship cases, show photos of successful aid, share future plans and funding goals.
The foundation's founder and vice president of the Chinese National Charity Association both gave speeches. Chu Zhi, as the event's goodwill ambassador, came up at the end for a media Q&A. The entire event lasted over three hours.
Afterward, Chu Zhi climbed into the nanny van. But the atmosphere inside was far from usual.
Even when schedules were tight, it was usually relaxed. This time, it felt like a boss lighting up a cigarette in the elevator—no one could speak, but everyone felt the pressure.
"Jiugo, there's something I need to tell you," Niu Jiangxue began hesitantly.
"Niu-jie, just say it. We've worked together long enough. No need to hold back, professionally or personally."
"It's about a fan. Late-stage leukemia. She's one of the patients supported by the 'Destroy Snow White' initiative. She's undergoing chemotherapy… but the prognosis isn't good."
"Not good?" Chu Zhi didn't react right away.
"That's what the doctor told me," Niu Jiangxue explained. "Her name's Xiao Ai. She's been a Little Fruit since your debut. Her ID is 'Remembering Chu on September 9.' She has a Star Cluster account."
Niu Jiangxue handed over a phone. The fan's personal page was still publicly viewable.
Before her health declined, she reposted all kinds of Chu Zhi news. Scrolling further back—
[#ChuZhiSugarDaddyRumor# There's no proof. A photo doesn't prove anything. Everything needs evidence. I trust Brother Jiu would never lie to us.]
[#CheatingScandalKickChuZhiOut# @RumorMonger Could you post something accurate? Otherwise, defamation is illegal.]
Back when Chu Zhi was falsely accused, Xiao Ai never wavered. She calmly asked for proof and defended him.
Not just during trending hashtags. She also left encouraging messages:
June 7: "Brother Jiu, keep going. We Little Fruits are always here."
June 8: "I trust Brother Jiu. Waiting for his statement."
June 9: "I believe in Brother Jiu because his eyes are so clear."
June 10: "Support!"
From June to August, through the smear campaign, the company's silence, and the fanbase tearing itself apart—she posted support every single day.
She even argued with fans who turned on him.
"It hurts when idols fall, but sis, that's no reason to call him scum."
Remembering Chu on September 9 replied: [There's no hard evidence. None of the claims hold water.]
"Are you blind? The screenshots from when they dated back in school to the chats after he got famous—how can you still believe him?"
Remembering Chu on September 9 replied: [Screenshots can be faked. Long text posts say a lot, but if they were really married, show the certificate. That'd be clear. I'm not blind. I just believe in my idol. I trust Brother Jiu.]
"LMAO. If it's fake, why haven't Chu Zhi or his agency spoken up? Just a half-assed statement. You really think lies can flip reality? Dumb fangirl."
Remembering Chu on September 9 replied: [The internet amplifies emotion and wears down patience. I haven't seen any solid proof in these accusations.]
The last replies were just insults thrown her way. But through it all, she remained a true Little Fruit.