261: Chapter 261 Birthday

"Celebrating our birthdays together, may we bathe in the river of love forever."

Good grief, just during the day people were criticizing Lin Chuyan for not showing off his relationship, and at 12 AM, both of them posted photos of celebrating their birthdays together and tagged each other.

It doesn't matter that their birthdays are a day apart; choosing to celebrate together at the stroke of midnight is enough.

You guys really know how to play; you really know how to have fun.

"Wuwuwu, Brother and Sister-in-law, please stay happy forever!"

"The cake is so small, which means they're celebrating alone and didn't invite anyone else, right?"

"Lin the Dog couldn't do better than that? He just bought such a small cake for the night? Is that all it took to fool Ruan Xingyu?"

"They can celebrate however they want, why are you being such a busybody? If they got a huge cake and couldn't finish it, should they smash it in your face?"

"Exactly! This cake isn't small at all. This cake is perfect; it's just right for two people to eat!"

As Lin Chuyan's birthday arrived, his birthday support campaign began.

His fan base is growing larger every day, primarily consisting of young people under 30. Although there are more female fans, unlike other idols, he has a significant number of male fans as well.

The most typical example is Hupu. In Hupu's artist rankings and ratings, Lin Chuyan's score not only far exceeds Feng Liqian's, but it also ranks above many male artists, approaching that of veteran actors... it's just absurd.

But that's how male fans are; being bad at something is the original sin. Skill speaks for itself. As long as you're truly awesome, everyone will respect you.

His acting skills are indeed excellent. The role of Fu Weijun in the long season has truly proven himself. Add to that the blue album, the Golden Melody Awards, his record at the Shanghai International Circuit, his charismatic love for learning and professionalism, and his open and generous display of affection... especially that last point, which makes male fans both love and hate him. It is said that the Xingxing "Lin the Dog" also originated from Hupu.

In the eyes of male fans, a male artist who only has a pretty face doesn't count as handsome at all; calling you a sissy would be considered light criticism. Someone like Lin Chuyan, who has works and countless buffs stacked on top, is truly handsome—handsome in a unique way, handsome with personal charm.

As for Lin Chuyan's female fans, in their own words: "There is no substitute in the entertainment industry; sisters, it's time to eat something good."

It's not that there haven't been "prison-style" heartthrobs before, but their looks always felt a bit lacking. The appearance of Lin Chuyan simply filled this gap—this face, combined with the charm of these roles, plus his own flamboyant yet appropriate style and the confidence of his talent... which girl could see him and not be mesmerized?

So, the momentum for his birthday this year was quite big, and #HappyBirthdayLinChuyan# remained on the trending searches.

Online, first of all, Tianxing and his own studio both released Lin Chuyan's personal birthday posters.

Secondly, various films and TV dramas, both released and unreleased, came out to post character posters celebrating his birthday.

Finally, there were all kinds of birthday wishes spontaneously sent by artist friends and fans.

In addition to simple text greetings, fans also created birthday cards, drawings, video edits, and other works related to Lin Chuyan, and shared them across various social media platforms.

As for outdoor city landmarks, billboards were definitely bought in cities where Lin Chuyan often appears, like Beijing and Shanghai. In Shanghai, they even bought the world's largest outdoor full-color LED curtain wall.

Additionally, Star City, where Lin Chuyan won six awards at the Golden Melody Awards in one go, as well as his hometown in Guangdong Province, definitely had to be given special attention.

From outdoor media on city landmarks to large shopping malls, subway stations, and bus bodies... fans in Shanghai even organized a bus fleet funded by them. The buses were printed with large photos of Lin Chuyan and birthday wishes, and they cruised around the city to increase his exposure.

Of course, they had to buy spots abroad too, such as New York Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, London's Piccadilly Lights, the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, and Singapore's Marina Bay...

These were considered relatively standard. What was more interesting was that the fans also designed an interactive outdoor advertisement.

On the surface, this advertisement just looked like a simple Lin Chuyan + birthday cake, but it actually had a built-in sensor. Whenever someone passed by, the "birthday candles" on the billboard would light up.

Because of the clever idea, it added quite a lot of interactivity and buzz to his birthday.

Besides these, there was, of course, the act of purchasing the naming rights to a star.

Fans remembered his songs better than he did; he had sung loves flight diary at Ruan Xingyu's concert.

"Find a star, just to name it for you."

Is there any support more fitting than this? Buy it!

This kind of star naming right is generally a service provided by commercial organizations and isn't actually officially recognized by astronomy authorities. In the end, what you get is a certificate and a star chart indicating the star's location.

But this year was different. Because of his relationship with Ruan Xingyu, the fans chose the star closest to Ruan Xingyu... which was also kind of impressive.

This was also because of another song, the brightest star in the night sky, which he had only sung once at the Golden Melody Awards ceremony.

"the brightest star in the night sky, please guide me closer to you."

Yeah, just getting closer is all that matters.

As for offline events, fan groups in various places would spontaneously organize screenings and concerts—fans can watch even idols without works with great interest, let alone them?

The most important part, of course, was the charity activities that fans carried out in their idol's name on his birthday.

Fans always remembered that Weibo post Lin Chuyan made before the release of the hovering blade:

"12 years old, 42 years old, 82 years old... no matter how old you are, it is never a reason to hurt others. The tragedies in movie stories cannot be undone, but it is not too late to prevent regrets in real life from happening now."

Even though Brother acted as a character who bullied others, in reality, his heart was filled with those who had been hurt.

Therefore, charity projects like "Friendly Campus," "Life Care," and "Wisdom Growth · Sharing Sunshine" were the top choices for fans to support, aiming to help minors stay away from school bullying and improve the mental health levels of adolescents and children.

In addition to school bullying, because of the role of Fu Weijun, fans also participated in charity projects for orphan support, entering orphanages and starting from aspects like funding food and clothing and spiritual communication to promote the physical and mental health of orphans and help them grow into successful adults.

Seeing this, Lin Chuyan finally felt a bit gratified: Does this count as fans being led by their idol to do some good deeds?

This also strengthened his resolve to do more public welfare and charity work once he earned money.

He thought about it this way: Being called an idol every day, so what is an idol? You can't just do nothing, right? Since he has the ability, he should do more good deeds. Also, in his daily life and conduct, he shouldn't lead the children who like him astray... That is what an idol is.

After thinking about it, he posted a Weibo:

"Thank you to everyone who loves me. Xiao Yan will strive to be someone I can look up to myself. I won't say much more, and I also wish everyone: may you get rich and be loved, and may good luck always be with you."

Not long after he posted it, Wu Yue also sent him a message: The Fanqie app's official announcement of him as the spokesperson and the Douyin Mall's Double 11 Recommendation Officer event were ready to go live the day after his birthday. This is what you call seamless integration.