I Became the Koi Actor After Entering the Book

**Chapter 63: Fan**

Translator: Namizaki

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The sudden turn of events and the emergence of proof caught everyone off guard. The first reaction of the outraged netizens under the trending topic was to accuse the account of being a PR bot trying to whitewash the situation. However, upon clicking through, they discovered it was a verified account with over 70,000 followers, each post receiving hundreds of comments.

Scrolling through the account’s posts, most were related to volunteer work. Starting from early this year, the Virtue Education Welfare Home began to appear in these updates.

On September 3rd, the account posted a text-only update with no accompanying images or videos: [ “Aaaah! What kind of divine being am I a fan of?!” ]

Beneath the post, followers flooded the comments, demanding to know what had happened. The account owner simply replied with a smiley face emoji to every inquiry, refusing to reveal any details no matter how persistently her followers pressed.

However, observant users who scrolled further through her posts soon realized that this kind-hearted volunteer sister was actually Chi Zhongqiao’s devoted mother fan—and one of his earliest supporters.

Once this realization dawned on neutral bystanders who were just there for the drama, they gradually adopted a “let’s watch the show” attitude. Oh, those haters are about to get a major reality check.

After that post, Xu Ling’s posting frequency increased dramatically, with a new update almost every other day. As people scrolled through her feed, they gradually noticed that in addition to the original volunteers, two more figures seemed to have joined the group. Occasionally, a sleeve or a hand would appear in the photos and videos, but their faces remained hidden, and no voices were ever heard.

Yet this limited information didn’t stop Chi Zhongqiao’s fans from digging up the evidence they needed.

“The watch shown on the fifth? Brother Qiao has the same one!”

“On the eighth, Brother Qiao wore a plaid shirt for a recording—the sleeve pattern matches the one in the photo!”

“The hand in the picture from the eleventh… it’s definitely Brother Qiao’s! Absolutely!”

These scattered clues piled up. Fans scoured other photos of Chi Zhongqiao and compared them to the ones on the account, making the truth undeniable.

The same watch, the same outfit worn on the same day, and that hand—even if it were reduced to ashes, his fans would recognize it.

Soon, the account owner dumped over a dozen photos and several videos at once. Several of the images were close-ups of Chi Zhongqiao, and one video captured the exact moment he personally wrote the words “A Promising Future”.

The cameraman was skilled, keeping the shot remarkably steady. Throughout the video, Chi Zhongqiao remained bent over, only straightening up after finishing writing. He didn’t look at the camera but turned his head to smile at a towering man beside him, his eyes crinkling with warmth.

At that moment, the camera shook twice before focusing on the table. The still-wet calligraphy, “A Promising Future,” lay flat on the surface. When compared to the banner captured by a media outlet, the characters were identical.

The video silenced all the trolls. Just moments ago, they had been clamoring that Chi Zhongqiao hadn’t written it. Now, with the video evidence, what grounds did they have to criticize?

As for the casual onlookers who had joined the bandwagon, their faces burned with embarrassment. They had been keyboard warriors alongside the trolls, only to be slapped down by the video.

Among the photos was one showing the Virtue Education Welfare Home receiving funding. The account owner had circled the words “Lu’s” on the banner.

At first, no one understood why “Lu’s” had been singled out. Then, a Chi Zhongqiao fan suddenly remembered: “Brother Qiao is an artist with Zhaohui, and Zhaohui is a subsidiary of Lu’s…”

Someone speculated further: “Lu’s hadn’t donated before, so why now, just after Chi Zhongqiao visited? And remember, Chi Zhongqiao has always been close to Lu’s Young Master…”

Was there any need to even think about it? Chi Zhongqiao must have taken President Lu to the Virtue Education Welfare Home as a friend. After understanding the situation, President Lu returned and drafted the sponsorship plan.

The trolls and casual observers fell silent, their fingers hovering awkwardly over their keyboards.

But the humiliation didn’t stop there. Other students who had volunteered with Xu Ling began posting updates, many including photos with Chi Zhongqiao and Lu Yuzhou.

One particularly enraged male student shared a photo of a thick calligraphy workbook: [ “Some people claim they can’t recognize the handwriting? Here’s a workbook personally written by Brother Qiao. Want to compare it character by character? (smirking emoji)” ]

The workbook was meticulously bound, each page pressed flat. A random page revealed the familiar Liu-style calligraphy, covering common characters taught in preschool and elementary school. Beneath each character were common phrases and their meanings.

How much time must it have taken to write such a workbook?

Many casual observers, who had simply jumped on the bandwagon, fell silent, their guilt making them too ashamed to type a single word.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t angry. Fueled by shame and fury, they turned their fire on the black fans who had relentlessly smeared Chi Zhongqiao, bombarding them until the trolls were left dazed.

But the matter didn’t end there. Behind such a large-scale incident, there were often orchestrators—not just one or two, but possibly every artist who resented Chi Zhongqiao. When they realized the situation was turning against them, they immediately shifted tactics.

Online, some of the anti-fans quietly changed their tune, switching from “Chi Zhongqiao’s fans are being tone-deaf and inappropriate” to “Chi Zhongqiao is maliciously hyping himself.” They tried to pin the entire fiasco on Chi Zhongqiao.

“A tiny welfare home like that? Even if it made the news, how could it possibly get so many views and just happen to be recognized by Chi Zhongqiao’s fans?”

“What other explanation could there be besides a publicity stunt? Charity isn’t something shameful; why keep it a secret? It must have been planned for later hype!”

“And how could a single piece of calligraphy expose Chi Zhongqiao? Isn’t that clearly prearranged?”

The anti-fans spun elaborate narratives, each person managing multiple accounts to flood comment sections with pre-written arguments, desperately trying to regain lost ground.

Just as neutral observers began to waver, the long-silent official Zhaohui account finally posted an update:

[ On September 3rd, our artist Chi Zhongqiao accidentally visited the Virtue Education Welfare Home and made a personal donation. ]

(Image attached.)

[ On September 11th, our company’s artist Chi Zhongqiao and President Lu visited the Virtue Education Welfare Home to assess the situation. /Photo/ ]

[ On September 12th, at President Lu’s request, the headquarters drafted a sponsorship plan. /Photo/ ]

[ On September 19th, the plan was approved, and a sponsorship team was established. Our company invited social media outlets to cover the event. /Photo/ ]

[ At the request of our artist Chi Zhongqiao, and considering the Welfare Home’s unique circumstances, we agreed not to disclose the artist’s connection to the Welfare Home to avoid disrupting the children’s daily lives. ]

Each line of text was accompanied by a photo, mostly group shots. The first two photos were not staged formal portraits but rather commemorative snapshots.

Neither Chi Zhongqiao nor Lu Yuzhou wore suits. Lu Yuzhou was in a shirt, while Chi Zhongqiao wore a thin summer hoodie, the corners of his lips slightly upturned—a genuine expression far removed from his usual polite demeanor under the spotlight.

From September 3rd to today, September 19th—a total of sixteen days—Chi Zhongqiao and his Manager had kept the Welfare Home news completely under wraps.

If they had wanted to create buzz, they would have leaked the information long ago. Why keep it so tightly guarded? Besides, as the haters pointed out, there’s nothing shameful about charity. Why not just buy a trending topic? Why go through such a convoluted route?

Just looking at the situation, one could imagine that if it weren’t for today’s trending topic and the barrage of vile insults, this matter might never have come to light.

The thick calligraphy practice book, painstakingly written over countless hours, the photos showing Chi Zhongqiao teaching calligraphy hand-in-hand, and the blessings hanging in the activity room…

A publicity stunt? If this were a publicity stunt, it was far too genuine and heartfelt.

As the trolls prepared for one last desperate struggle, Lu Yuzhou posted an update: “When I remained silent, I was accused of inaction. When I spoke out, I was accused of seeking attention. Though clearly the victim, I’ve been twisted into the villain.”

With the official statement finally released, the long-suffering fans rallied, posting screenshots of the trolls’ abusive comments. The vile curses made many outside the online fray furrow their brows in disgust.

Just as the trolls were about to twist Lu Yuzhou’s post into more fodder for their attacks, they discovered their accounts had been banned. The trolls were so enraged they nearly choked.

The reason for the bans was simple: personal attacks, privacy violations, and inciting conflict on the platform.

Accounts that went too far with their comments were immediately banned, and malicious trending topics were removed.

One of Chi Zhongqiao’s biggest fans posted: [ “While the antis were clearly out of line this time, it was the fans’ inappropriate behavior that started it all. Sisters, let’s learn from this and not casually mention our love for him.” ]

Sun Qi replied underneath: [ “He’s the love I weigh every word a thousand times before speaking. How could I ever carelessly mention him in the wrong context?” ] 

By 10:25 PM, the chaotic drama that had raged all day finally came to an end. Chi Zhongqiao only learned about the incident after escaping the banquet.

Lu Yuzhou came to pick Chi Zhongqiao up and briefly summarized the key points.

After Lu Yuzhou finished, Chi Zhongqiao remained silent for a long time. Lu Yuzhou glanced sideways at him.

Chi Zhongqiao was leaning against the window, his eyes half-closed.

He had drunk some wine at the banquet, and the alcohol was now hitting him, making his reactions sluggish.

Lu Yuzhou sighed inwardly. He hadn’t wanted to burden Chi Zhongqiao with this mess, but he knew Chi Zhongqiao would inevitably hear about the day’s turmoil from Du Yusheng the next day, so it was better to tell him himself.

After a moment, Chi Zhongqiao slowly said, “Those young girls must have been terrified.”

Lu Yuzhou hummed in agreement. After another pause, he murmured, “Brother Qiao, are you angry?”

Chi Zhongqiao chuckled. “Of course not.”

He was drunk, his thoughts moving much slower than usual. After a moment, he continued, “It’s perfectly normal. The whole ‘similar or not’ thing is usually just a casual remark. The person saying it doesn’t mean anything by it, and you can’t control how others take it to heart. The person who mentioned me probably didn’t mean anything by it either. If they thought it looked similar, they just said so. There’s no reason to get angry.”

Lu Yuzhou said, “But Brother Qiao’s little fan did cry.”

Chi Zhongqiao’s half-closed eyes snapped open, his gaze shimmering like water under the streetlights. “Was the criticism harsh? Did they dox her? Did she report it to the cyber police?”

Lu Yuzhou kept his eyes on the road ahead. “No, nothing like that. She just felt she’d caused you trouble and was afraid you’d be angry.”

Chi Zhongqiao leaned back against the car window, his voice returning to its usual languid tone. “It’s nothing. Fans are like children. At first, they’ll make a huge fuss over every little honor their idol receives. Some artists, who lack integrity themselves, often get caught up in the toxic cycles of mutual bashing between themselves and their fans. But if you restrain your fans and avoid getting involved in such nonsense, they’ll gradually mature and become more level-headed after a few incidents.”

Drifting into sleepiness, Chi Zhongqiao leaned slightly toward Lu Yuzhou. “I’ll wait for them to grow up.”

Zaki~ English is not my first language so if you see any grammatical error or wrong spelling, please feel free to put them on the comment section so I can correct them. Thank you and Happy Reading 🙂