[Redemption] [Entertainment Industry] [Love Grows Over Time] [BE]
When she was fifteen, one summer, Yu Qingqing's heart was stirred by a video of Chen Xuan'an dancing. She went from scrimping and saving to buy fan merchandise to resolutely stepping into the cutthroat entertainment industry, just to get a little closer to him.
After ten years of honing her craft, she finally stood on the red carpet at the Starlight Awards as a moderately well-known actress.
By then, Chen Xuan'an was already a top-tier star. The moment Yu Qingqing nervously struck up a conversation with him, the wheels of fate began to turn.
Harboring feelings she could only describe as an unrequited love hidden beneath a great friendship, she quietly confessed, "At last, I'm a little closer to you." Meanwhile, Chen Xuan'an's feelings for her subtly changed as they spent day after day together.
An unexpected scandal brought Yu Qingqing's long-standing crush on Chen Xuan'an into the open. She was thrust into the spotlight and forced to take a year away from the entertainment industry.
When she returned, a host asked her about her relationship with Chen Xuan'an at an event. Her calm, composed demeanor made her popular all over again.
A once-overlooked video of the two together resurfaced, along with a comment that read, "Why do I think they're kind of sweet together?" It racked up over a hundred thousand likes, and the online discussion erupted. Comments like "Their eyes have never been innocent" and "Who would believe they're just ordinary friends?" flooded in, and netizens went from doubting them to shipping them.
Later, a comment Yu Qingqing forgot to switch accounts before posting went viral: "He's not my man, so there's no need for him to be this handsome." At the Starlight Awards, Chen Xuan'an instinctively reached for her hand to keep her from falling, setting off yet another storm of discussion. The pair gained a huge following of shippers.
But the gulf between their social standings still stood between them.
