102: Chapter 102 The Silent Little Blackie

The New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous, prepared entirely by his chef father.

Lin Zhiyuan worked away in the kitchen all by himself, efficient and quick; he didn't need his wife or child to help, as having more people around would only hinder his performance.

After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, the family of three waited to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Since it was a small town where fireworks weren't banned, people were already setting them off sporadically.

In such a setting, Lin Chuyan always felt something was missing...

That's right.

He hadn't gone online to wish his dearest netizens a Happy New Year yet.

He logged into Weibo, thought for a moment, and posted a simple message.

He hadn't put any thought into it, aiming for a spontaneous vibe:

"I wish everyone all your heart's desires in the new year! Most importantly, be happy every day! Also, on such a joyous day, everyone should say more words of blessing and stop casually cursing people. Haters, let's call a truce for today, okay?"

He felt he had expressed himself quite well, not as official-sounding as other celebrities.

It was the New Year, so being relaxed was fine, right?

Besides, he had specifically added that extra note; that was foolproof, right?

Lin Chuyan hadn't posted on Weibo since returning home, so this time, there were significantly more comments than usual.

He decided to reply to his fans properly.

"Happy New Year, Little Brother. When will the drama you filmed earlier be released?"

Reply: "I don't know, it's up to the director. But I did ask secretly, and it's very likely this year (though there's a small chance it's not my business~)"

"Happy Spring Festival, Brother! You must release more albums in the new year!!!"

Reply: "As for albums, it's very likely I'll release another one this year, and this time it shouldn't be a mini-album."

"Brother, give us one song to satisfy our cravings first! I've been looping 'rebirth' so many times; it's time to get some new music to listen to."

Reply: "Here's a teaser: you might be able to hear one very soon, and it will also be included in the upcoming album."

When others continued to ask, he didn't say anything more.

Director Li Li was still keeping his ending theme song a secret, but it would be heard tomorrow anyway.

However, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last long, and soon the Haters arrived.

Lin Chuyan was very touched.

It wasn't easy for them to still be thinking about him, dwelling on him, and paying attention to him during the New Year.

"Wish me all my heart's desires? My biggest wish is for you to disappear immediately."

Reply: "Happy New Year! If you don't look at me or follow me, wouldn't I disappear from your sight? You're a perfectly fine person, so why live so contradictorily? Schizophrenia isn't easy to treat, so I wish you good health."

"Lin Chuyan, can you just die?"

Reply: "Happy New Year! I can't, oh. I'm at home eating melon seeds and watching the Spring Festival Gala; I'm so happy. Are you even angrier now that I said that? Since you're so ill-mannered, I'll wish you academic progress."

"I heard your album is rated 9.0? And you have hit songs? Then why are you still sitting at home watching TV? Why not perform at the Spring Festival Gala? Is it because you don't like it?"

Reply: "Happy New Year! We're not in a rush for the Spring Festival Gala; I'll participate in the Spring Festival Movie Season first. What? You still don't know I'm appearing in the Spring Festival Movie Season? Hurry up and check! Anyway, I wish you all your heart's desires."

As soon as this sentence was posted, the comment section exploded again.

Before the fans could even say much, the Haters were already discussing it.

"???????"

"Did Lin Chuyan play any role in a Spring Festival Movie Season film? Which one?"

"Just went to search... nothing at all..."

"What does that mean? Does it mean he's bragging?"

"There really isn't. I checked every single movie, even the voice actors for 'boonie bears'..."

The Haters were dumbfounded.

They wanted to start mocking him, but were afraid of falling into a trap; they felt that Lin Chuyan wouldn't speak aimlessly.

After thinking it over, reason ultimately prevailed.

Endure!

Endure him for now!

Besides, wouldn't they know by tomorrow?

It was just really uncomfortable to endure.

But while they wanted to endure, Lin Chuyan couldn't.

He started teasing the Haters all over the comment section.

"Quiet, so quiet..."

"So cowardly, isn't it too cowardly?"

"I said let's have a truce for the New Year, but you chose to ignore it, right? Come on, continue."

"You talk trash about me every single day, and this is it at the critical moment? Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren't as patient as you!"

"I said I'm in a Spring Festival Movie Season film, and you believed it? Even after checking 'boonie bears' and seeing my name wasn't there, you still don't dare to curse? My fans don't even trust me as much as you do; how can you still be called Haters? You might as well just become my fans, hahaha!"

Soon, the comment section of this Weibo post completely devolved into a fan gathering, mocking them to the fullest.

However, even then, the Haters still endured; not a single one could be seen...

Lin Chuyan found it funny and stopped paying attention.

The quality of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala was the same as always, but Lin Chuyan watched it with great interest.

During this time, Wu Yue added him to a group chat.

It was named 'Lin Chuyan Media New Year Greetings Group'.

With hundreds of people, he even saw an old acquaintance—Li Xue from Bilibili, who had done a live stream and exclusive interview with him last time.

"The group is full of media friends. Some you've interacted with when you were popular before, and some I've met later."

"The reason for setting this up is simple."

"First, because you, kid, are quite good at causing trouble now. If something really happens, I'm not asking them to help or be lenient, but at least they can speak more objectively."

"Also, it's about leaving a good impression. Don't underestimate these media friends; they are all working professionals, but many times they are the ones writing the topic proposals. Whether it's magazines or new media, who to shoot for the next issue? Isn't it they who submit it for the leaders to make the final decision?"

"Even when a place is holding an event, won't they think of you? You are still in the rising phase; there's no harm in it."

"So for the New Year, I pulled this group together; we'll send out some red envelopes, it's not a loss."

Lin Chuyan still listened to Wu Yue quite well and agreed immediately.

As for the New Year greetings, Wu Yue told him to just send voice messages.

These weren't important; the most important thing was just to drop red envelopes into the group every once in a while.

"How much is appropriate to send?"

"1000 yuan per red envelope, send a few dozen. Don't feel bad about this tens of thousands of yuan; it only happens once a year. That's how celebrities are; they earn a lot and spend a lot. There are plenty of places to spend money, and you have to spend it when you need to; you can't save it."

"Keep track of the numbers. Later, when I get the studio set up, we'll count these expenses under the studio."

Lin Chuyan wasn't feeling bad about the money, but he had another question: "Um, is there a specific requirement for the number of people in the red envelope?"

"Just don't make it too many. 1000 yuan... 20 people is about right. Those who grab it will praise you for being generous, and those who don't can't blame you."

"Got it."

After sending the voice message, Lin Chuyan started scattering money.

The media friends pulled into the group by Wu Yue also knew what was going on.

After grabbing the red envelopes, they started with the flattery.

"A phoenix nirvana! Reborn from the ashes! Lin Chuyan will definitely be hot at the start of the year!"

"I'm not going to the other groups; from now on, I'm keeping my eyes on this group."

"It is only right for Lin Chuyan to become popular again! Little brother is so generous!"

"New year, new atmosphere! Lin Chuyan's movie box office will be a big hit! The album will be a big hit!"

"..."

Mixed in were some repeaters who were too lazy to think of words; the flattery came one after another, and it was quite a spectacle.

The whole group was very lively.

Lin Chuyan didn't speak; there was no need. He just sent a red envelope every once in a while, and then another one a while later.

Tossing out one thousand yuan after another...

Ah, this feeling.

In his past life, Lin Chuyan had no money, and back then he was always thinking about how he would spend it if he had it. In this life, having money, he discovered that the biggest thrill of having money lay in the sense of security.

Just like now, having just received a large sum of money from Director Li Li, he wasn't panicked at all and didn't need to worry about other problems; this was the sense of security.

This kind of happiness is something you truly cannot feel when you don't have money.