Chapter 3: Deification Upon Appearance

Although the company took a heavy hit in this matter, they didn't make things difficult for Jin Li and provided all the promised benefits.

Jin Li also felt a bit sorry for the company, so she had no objections to their arrangements.

In fact, there wasn't much to arrange anyway.

If something were to happen to Jin Li's health during a scheduled appearance, the company wouldn't benefit from it; instead, they would be cursed by the group's fans for being a heartless company that exploits its artists.

It’s strange to say, but while the popularity of each individual member of the group wasn't particularly strong, the group's fandom was incredibly powerful. To them, every single member was a precious treasure.

Because of this, over the past few years, Jin Li had acted more like a mascot within the company.

Jin Li met Sui Lingfang’s cautious gaze and nodded firmly. "Nothing will happen."

Sui Lingfang made her decision: "Then we'll do it!"

...

Sui Lingfang accompanied Jin Li to the supermarket to go shopping.

She was still a bit worried and planned to stay by her side during the afternoon livestream; it was only for half an hour, after all.

She hadn't eaten lunch and suggested taking Jin Li out to eat, but Jin Li said she wanted to cook for herself.

"Sister Fang, you know my health isn't good. Ever since I started recuperating, I've always cooked for myself."

In the supermarket.

Jin Li bought fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat for the day, and she also wanted to buy some snacks.

She wanted to try human potato chips and cola to see just how delicious these "essential supplies for the sedentary" really were, but the moment she reached out, she was pinned by a cold, piercing gaze and had to slowly retract her hand.

That gaze, which watched you closely with a hint of mockery, was truly... terrifying.

After finishing their shopping, the two returned to the apartment.

Sui Lingfang sat on the living room sofa, watching Jin Li move in and out of the kitchen. Only after confirming that she could actually cook did she feel at ease.

Thinking back to that moment earlier, she felt both annoyed and amused.

Jin Li debuted at 21 and became an overnight sensation, constantly busy with appearances. Later, when the group disbanded, she signed with Dawn Entertainment, but had to take a break due to her poor health.

Time flew by, and she had been resting for three years.

Now that her health finally looked a bit better, she actually wanted to eat a high-calorie bomb—potato chips!

Did she not care about her celebrity image at all?

Thinking of this, Sui Lingfang felt worried again. That body of hers...

Unexpectedly, Jin Li’s cooking was quite good, and the two of them finished all the dishes and rice.

Sui Lingfang hurriedly took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen and urged her to leave.

"You don't need to do anything. I'll wash the dishes. You go and prepare; I've written down all the questions for you in the little notebook on the table."

Jin Li opened the notebook. There were ten questions written on it: five about her private life and five about her former group members.

She could tell that this was already the result of Sister Fang’s screening.

If the host were truly allowed to ask whatever she wanted, it would probably all be questions about the group members.

People climb to higher places, and water flows to lower ones; in the entertainment industry, there is no shortage of people who flatter the powerful and trample on the weak. This was normal.

She picked up a pen and earnestly wrote down her answers.

Sui Lingfang came out of the kitchen and saw Jin Li with her head slightly bowed, writing seriously. Her exposed profile was delicate and serene, just like a literary girl on a book cover.

The scene was so pleasing to the eye that she couldn't help but take out her phone and press the shutter button.

"Are you done writing?" Sui Lingfang’s voice came, and Jin Li stopped her pen just in time.

"Done. Take a look and see if these answers are okay." She handed the notebook over.

Sui Lingfang scanned it and nodded. "This works."

The answers were neither sharp nor overly prominent, just like Jin Li herself—cute and filled with a sense of warmth.

Sui Lingfang reminded her, "Later, the host will probably ask you to share some things about your life and ask about your hobbies. Just answer honestly."

Jin Li nodded obediently.

The interview appearance Sui Lingfang had arranged for her was an invitation from "Cat Paw Live," the second-largest livestreaming platform on the internet.

The largest platform was "Wang Wang Live," and the two major streaming sites had recently been at each other's throats, desperately trying to get celebrities to join their platforms.

Half an hour later.

The two cleared the dining table to use as a temporary workspace. Jin Li connected to the livestream room on her laptop and appeared before the netizens.

"Welcome everyone to the official Cat Paw Live channel. Now, let us welcome today's star—Jin Li!"

"Hello everyone, I'm Jin Li. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Jin Li gave a shy smile toward the camera.

She was wearing a pink JK uniform and a pink cat-ear headband. Other than that, she wore no other accessories, giving off a soft and rosy impression.

Jin Li’s skin was clear and fair; she had only applied a light layer of powder and lipstick to cover up a bit of her sickly pallor.

The group of homebodies waiting in front of their screens was first struck by Jin Li’s cute outfit.

Immediately after, everyone was collectively besieged by Jin Li’s sweet voice.

Who doesn't like a sweet girl?

No.

I ask you, who could possibly refuse a sweet girl?

[Jin Li? It’s actually Jin Li!]

[Jin Li is here, Jin Li is so cute!!!]

[Ahhh, my white moonlight has appeared; she is the cinnabar mole I can never reach!]

In a short while, the comments surged past a thousand, and the livestream room began to lag.

The technical staff cut in for maintenance.

The host looked at Jin Li in the screen frame, feeling a bit uneasy.

She had studied abroad and only returned to work in the country two years ago. She hadn't heard much of Jin Li’s name, only remembering that she had been in a hit group, but that was three years ago.

This was the first time she had seen such an aggressive wave of comments.

Had they hired people to spam, or was she really this famous?

The host didn't know that the moment Jin Li appeared, the relevant QQ groups for Cat Paw Live had exploded first.

Many fans shared the livestream link to notify everyone that Jin Li was here, and a crowd quickly entered to watch.

The news spread quickly to blogs, then to various gossip forums, and even dispersed into WeChat groups.

Because the number of people flooding in was too high, the interview livestream lagged repeatedly, forcing a five-minute emergency maintenance.

The screen turned black.

The female host took a sip of water and hurriedly asked the staff who had come to perform maintenance.

"Who exactly is Jin Li?"