I Became the Koi Actor After Entering the Book

**Chapter 51: Discount Coupons**

Translator: Namizaki

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Chi Zhongqiao lowered his head in humiliation, pressing his forehead against the sofa. The post he had originally drafted hadn’t been so blatantly Taobao-esque, but Du Yusheng had simply sent him a text to copy and paste directly.

Chi Zhongqiao stubbornly refused, but Du Yusheng threatened to take his own life—

Du Yusheng: “If you don’t post this, I’ll get you another Five-Three next time.” Though he doubted he could manage it.

Chi Zhongqiao: “……”

He hung up on Du Yusheng.

Reluctantly, Chi Zhongqiao copied the post Du Yusheng had sent, feeling every line reeked of Taobao marketing: [ “Dear customer, click to claim your discount coupon! Please note that coupons cannot be stacked on the same item~” ]

After posting the update, Chi Zhongqiao stared blankly ahead. “Yuzhou…”

Lu Yuzhou patted his back reassuringly. “What’s wrong, Brother Qiao?”

Chi Zhongqiao lowered his head. “I want to change Manager.”

Looking across the entertainment industry, few celebrities promote exam papers. Thus, fans’ first reaction was that their “baby’s” account had been hacked, causing several fan groups to erupt in chaos.

“Can this software ever get its act together? They’re even hacking high-level VIP accounts now?!”

“I’m going to find out which bastard hacked my darling’s account right now! I’ll hack their computer!”

“Damn it! I’m reporting this! What the hell is going on?!”

After being persuaded by a few rational fans, the others managed to barely maintain their composure. They then chose to bombard the official channels, flooding customer service with complaints and calls.

Meanwhile, Chi Zhongqiao’s social media posts were now filled with comments like:

“Get lost, you account-stealing scum!”

“I’m tracking your IP address. Stay away from my baby’s account!”

The most upvoted comment read:

[ I Heard Your Voice in the Wind V: “Everyone, don’t click that link! It might contain a virus!” ]

Chi Zhongqiao, who had been observing this whole farce, was speechless.

He stared at the top comment, torn between laughter and tears.

He recognized the account—it belonged to one of the most active and influential fans in his first fan group, a talented composer and a rational fan he deeply admired.

The comment was excellent, and the caution was warranted, but…

As Chi Zhongqiao scrolled through the comments, he realized most fans were convinced his account had been hacked. They were furious, venting their anger at the “account-stealing scum” through their screens. Chi Zhongqiao felt too embarrassed to even post a clarification.

Moments later, Du Yusheng called. “Zhongqiao, you need to post a clarification. The official <Secret Scroll> account can’t proceed with the promotion until you do.”

Chi Zhongqiao replied coldly, “Why didn’t you draft the clarification for me and send it over?”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Du Yusheng hung up after giving his instructions.

Chi Zhongqiao painstakingly drafted a post and published it.

[ Chi Zhongqiao V: My account hasn’t been hacked. This is a promotional post encouraging everyone to be positive and study hard… for the <Secret Scroll: 108 Sets of Mock Exams for Junior Year Preparatory Students, Ready for Senior Year’s Final Sprint>, compiled by Teacher Wang Qianjin and his team. Covering all key concepts from grades 11 and 12, it solidifies your foundation and prepares you for the Gaokao. Every high school student deserves this. ]

Having given up on resisting, he decided to embrace the absurdity.

The official <Secret Scroll> account likely wasn’t interested in his popularity alone. This promotional campaign might just be the beginning. Chi Zhongqiao suspected they were capitalizing on the momentum of <Campus Prince and Campus Belle>, hoping to integrate subtle advertising for the <Secret Scroll> into the show’s promotion.

However, such promotions typically offer meager compensation. The real challenge would be convincing <Campus Prince and Campus Belle>’s marketing department to agree.

But that wasn’t Chi Zhongqiao’s problem. Ten minutes after he posted his clarification, the official <Secret Scroll> account retweeted his previous post.

[ High School Secret Volume V: Retweet this post, and we’ll randomly select one lucky follower from among those who follow @Chi Zhongqiao and us to receive a free full set of practice exams and a Gaokao study guide from a top-scoring student! ]

[ Fans: No thanks! ]

Although it was a misunderstanding, the misunderstanding had a positive impact.

In all the years of the entertainment industry, no A-list celebrity had ever promoted educational materials. Chi Zhongqiao might not be the last to do so, but he was certainly the first.

As a result, when fans mentioned their “Qiao Bao,” even their parents and Grandparents would nod knowingly. “Oh, I know him! Isn’t he the Chi Zhongqiao who gives out coupons? Is he a good student?”

Fans: “…He’s pretty good.”

How else could he have gotten into such a prestigious performing arts school?

Parents: “Look at you! Did you fail math again? See how he could get by on his looks, but he chooses to rely on his talent instead.”

Fans: “…You’re right.”

Thanks to the unexpected boost from the educational materials, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> gained another wave of free publicity, and its box office revenue steadily climbed. By the halfway point of its theatrical run, it had surpassed the total gross of <A Sea of Falling Stars>, which had already finished its run, and firmly exceeded 180 million yuan.

Despite its promising early performance, <Across the Water> suffered from inadequate pre-release promotion, squandering valuable screen time and allowing <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> to firmly dominate the box office.

<Across the Water> was a female-lead film with no male protagonist. The actress had been closely monitoring its box office performance since its release, and during its late surge, she had secretly entertained the possibility of becoming June’s box office champion. However, the emergence of <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> shattered that dream.

While the actress felt a pang of regret, she couldn’t bring herself to resent the film’s success. After all, <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> had the resources to achieve such popularity—what right did they have to be envious?

Among all the films released in June, <Campus Prince and Belle> soared ahead, already securing the title of June’s box office champion.

A true win-win situation, reaping both fame and fortune.

Chi Zhongqiao’s fans were among the first to see the film. Immediately after their initial screenings, they flooded social media with enthusiastic recommendations, driving fans who hadn’t yet seen the movie wild with anticipation.

These fans had initially braced themselves for a mediocre viewing experience, but the film—which had been largely dismissed before its release—turned out to be a delightful surprise.

Especially Chi Zhongqiao’s scenes in the final minutes, every glance and expression pierced their hearts with precision.

It wasn’t the first time they’d witnessed Chi Zhongqiao’s god-like acting, but each time they met his gaze, they were deeply moved by the emotions conveyed within.

A fan even isolated that particular sequence of glances into a GIF, which immediately went viral online.

For the group of fans who had been most critical during filming, they now felt a bittersweet mix of pain and satisfaction:

[ White Tail: Finally saw the movie today. My Qiao Bao’s acting is divine! 1551! ]

[ Olive Oil Cauliflower: Remember when we said a terrible movie would bring President Lu out of hiding? Now that the film is a hit and everyone’s praising it, we… ]

[ Group Admin: This is so awkward. ]

[ Lu Lu Lu: How is it awkward? This is a script our Qiao Bao personally chose (overjoyed)! Our son’s taste is better than ours! ]

[ Drank Sanlu, Head’s Huge: Is it embarrassing for a son to have better taste than his mom? No way! ]

[ Group Admin: Exactly! ]

The buzz around <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> didn’t fade with time; instead, the clamor for it grew louder.

The foundation of any film lies in its script. If Ji Shan’s directing skills earned a 70 out of 100, the script for <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> deserved a 95. A great story and a well-crafted script are worth savoring again and again.

Though a comedy, the movie showcased Ji Shan’s meticulous attention to detail. The script itself emphasized subtle moments of warmth. This synergy between the script’s strengths and the Director’s talents masterfully amplified the film’s understated emotional resonance.

During the initial viewing, these scattered moments of tenderness were overshadowed by the film’s uproarious humor. But upon second and third viewings, audiences were astonished to discover that beneath the nonsensical comedy lay a wealth of poignant moments.

The Campus Belle scaling a wall to visit her best friend, the Campus Prince taking a late-night taxi to rush his buddy to the hospital, the entire class pooling their money to buy their homeroom teacher a surprise wig…

The humor lay in the process, while the emotional impact came from the purpose and original intentions. These young people possessed a clumsy yet tender gentleness, but their wildly imaginative minds and bizarre thought processes often led to a series of absurd and hilarious mishaps.

When viewers uncovered these details, their inner delight felt like discovering a forgotten pearl.

“OMG, the Campus Prince is so adorably clueless yet undeniably handsome! When he’s fierce, he’s so alpha! 1551, I love him!”

“The homeroom teacher is the best! She waits for them to leave every night before going home herself QAQ”

“Holy shit, I only noticed on my third re-watch that Li Dou is wearing the Campus Prince’s jacket! OMG!”

Gradually, however, the audience’s attention began to stray—they started shipping couples.

<Campus Prince and Campus Belle> had no romantic subplot, but that didn’t stop fans from wanting to ship the characters.

In a forum thread discussing potential romantic pairings, one commenter replied to the original poster: [“If you absolutely must ship, I recommend Campus Prince × Li Dou and Campus Belle × her best friend.”]

To everyone’s surprise, this comment went viral, as if opening a new world for viewers. 

Look, look! Li Dou is wearing the School Prince’s jacket! They must be hooking up!

The School Belle’s best friend used the School Belle’s lipstick—basically, they’re married!

Someone even edited together a series of passionate CP-themed short videos, which quickly racked up over a million views.

Unsuspecting viewers who stumbled upon the videos inexplicably joined the frenzy, gushing, “So sweet! I’m shipping this CP!”

Among the fans, the CP fandom couldn’t be ignored.

Before Chi Zhongqiao left to film the reality show, he and the key supporting cast of <Campus Prince and Campus Belle> hosted a live stream to interact with fans.

Chen Zhou, who played Li Dou, sat beside Chi Zhongqiao, while Kou Yinyin, the actress portraying the second female lead, sat next to Yan Yiyun.

The moment the live stream went live, a flood of viewers poured in.

Chi Zhongqiao greeted the audience naturally, while Yan Yiyun and the others seemed a bit nervous, stammering their greetings and eliciting a chorus of squeals from the chat: “So cute I could die!”

The comments flooded the screen:

“Ah! My Qiao!”

“Baby, you finally remembered to do a live stream! I missed you so much!”

“Yunyun looks so beautiful today too!”

“Teacher Chi and our Zhouzhou are sitting together! I’m locking in this CP!”

Chen Zhou sat beside Chi Zhongqiao, immediately noticing the fans spamming CP comments in the chat. He felt incredibly awkward, terrified Chi Zhongqiao would notice.

Chi Zhongqiao, however, seemed oblivious to the CP fans. He reached into a box in front of him and pulled out a stack of small cards.

Holding the cards up to the camera, Chi Zhongqiao smiled. “I’ve collected some of your most frequently asked questions, and today we’ll answer them all.”

He sat in the center, with Chen Zhou to his right and Yan Yiyun and Kou Yinyin to his left. Before starting, he adjusted the camera angle to ensure all four of them were in frame.

“Let’s start with the first question…” Chi Zhongqiao drew the top card.

The staff had pre-selected fifteen questions, ensuring an even distribution among the four members to avoid awkward silences for the less popular newcomers.

Chi Zhongqiao directed each question to the relevant person, never interrupting their answers.

Firstly, he had no interest in hogging the spotlight. Secondly, he knew how difficult it was for newcomers to break through, and since they were all Zhaohui Entertainment artists, he was happy to help.

After answering two questions, Chen Zhou noticed Chi Zhongqiao making a point of checking in on the shy Kou Yinyin. He finally understood why his Manager always said having a top star like Chi Zhongqiao in the company was a blessing—what could be better than a senior willing to mentor and elevate their juniors?

Meanwhile, the chat exploded:

“OMG, did you guys notice? Chen Zhou keeps looking at Brother Qiao!”

“The ChenChi ship sails strong!”

“CP fans, wake up! Yan Yiyun and Kou Yinyin are also looking at Teacher Chi!”

As a tech-savvy young man who even knew about “battle-torn cars”–a term used in online fandom, Chi Zhongqiao was well aware of the existence of CP fans. So, when he saw them swarming around, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

In this world, same-sex marriage was legal, so shipping couples carried no negative connotations. Let them have their fun, he thought.

He pulled out the sixth question and paused, frowning.

Yan Yiyun leaned closer. “What’s wrong?”

Chi Zhongqiao read aloud: “If you were to collaborate with Chen Zhou again, what kind of relationship would you want your characters to have in the drama?”

This is definitely a CP fan question, he thought. Probably one of the most subtle ones they could come up with.

Chen Zhou, who had suddenly heard the question, immediately felt his hair stand on end.

The staff must have included this question to sell some fake sweetness.

In the past, Chi Zhongqiao might have played along, offering ambiguous answers and scattering a few crumbs of “sugar.” After all, CP fans were adept at finding their own “sugar,” and they rarely conflated the characters with the actors themselves.

But this time, Chi Zhongqiao wasn’t in the mood.

He blinked rapidly and grinned. “Well, I’d definitely want him to call me ‘Dad.'”

Zaki~~ If you like my translations, consider treating me to a coffee and cream-puffs. Thank you sweeties 🙂