Chapter 25: The First Time I Felt Like a Star

Zhou Ying had recently arrived and had not yet managed to connect with any well-known makeup artists. The artist for today was someone she had collaborated with during a previous event, and his skills were quite decent.

"Wait and see if you like his style. If not, I'll find you someone else."

Hearing this, Qi Fei turned to look at the man currently tidying up his makeup kit on the balcony. He must be the makeup artist Zhou Ying had mentioned.

"If you think he's good, I'll hire him to be your exclusive makeup artist at the studio."

Qi Fei nodded, having no objections; she was happy to leave these decisions to Zhou Ying.

A week before Zhou Ying contacted him, Shen Xuan had just resigned from a studio. Prior to that, he had been a member of the makeup team for the H production crew. His skills were well-regarded in the industry, but because he had offended a celebrity, the studio, fearing repercussions, had let him go. After resting at home for a few days, he could no longer ignore reality—if he didn't find work soon, he wouldn't even be able to pay his rent.

Just as he was hitting walls everywhere, he received a call from someone claiming to be Qi Fei’s manager, Zhou Ying. To be honest, his first instinct was that it was a scam. Qi Fei was a star; even if she only needed a one-time makeup session rather than a long-term partnership, she wouldn't be looking at an obscure makeup artist like him. He glanced at his shabby rental apartment and gave a self-deprecating smile—he had no money, so what did he have that a scammer would want? Especially since the other party offered to cover his travel expenses. Yet, when asked if he was available, his mouth honestly agreed before his brain could catch up.

When he saw the specific address sent to him, he started to believe it; people who lived in such a place had no reason to waste time playing games with him. Seeing Qi Fei in person today, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. He also keenly realized this was an opportunity. Qi Fei’s recent affairs had been making headlines, and the fact that she was contacting him instead of using her usual makeup artist spoke volumes. Especially after hearing their conversation just now, he realized that since Qi Fei had secured her contract termination, the next step was to build her own team. Thinking of the possibility, Shen Xuan’s heart pounded with excitement.

However, he hadn't expected the process to last two hours. It was the first time Qi Fei had experienced such back pain, and it was also the first time she learned that makeup could take so long.

During the process, Zhou Ying kept chattering away. She had been shocked when she first saw that Qi Fei had cut her hair so short. But since it was already done, there was no use dwelling on it. She had to admit that a beautiful woman could pull off any hairstyle. Besides, she didn't intend for Qi Fei to follow her previous "sexy" image; a change of style was fine.

Although Qi Fei had looked beautiful on camera before, with her figure impeccably showcased in evening gowns and exquisite makeup that made her look stunning at a glance, Zhou Ying always felt that Qi Fei wasn't truly happy. Even though she wore a smile, those who knew her well could see it didn't reach her eyes. Every time they met, Zhou Ying noticed she grew more silent, carrying a heavy heart. The person from her memories seemed to have had her edges worn down by life bit by bit. At the time, she just thought Qi Fei was tired. But after everything that had happened, she finally realized how much pressure Qi Fei had been under all by herself.

Her company pressured her to do things she didn't want to do, and her parents, who should have been her harbor, were like vampires clinging to her to drain her dry. With no one to lean on, she had to bear everything alone. If it were Zhou Ying in that position, she might not have fared as well as Qi Fei. Since the night they drank together and had a good cry, it felt as if the free-spirited, bold Qi Fei had finally returned.

Zhou Ying had been watching Qi Fei’s transformation over this period. She could tell that Qi Fei had let go of her burdens—perhaps a sense of liberation that comes after surviving the darkest moments of life.

Just as Qi Fei thought it was over, she realized she still had to change clothes and get her hair styled. Three hours had slipped away just like that. Once the makeup and hair were finished, she looked at the person in the mirror and finally felt like she had truly transmigrated into a female celebrity. After all, from the first day she arrived, everything she had done had nothing to do with being a star.

Looking at herself, Qi Fei took out her phone and opened a group chat: "I'm going to livestream today. Do you guys want to watch?" Since she looked so beautiful today, she had to show her friends.

Zhou Ying saw Qi Fei put her phone down and said, "Although this is your first livestream, you’ve been in the entertainment industry for a long time. You’ve done plenty of interviews and shoots. There will be a host to interact with you; just treat them like a normal interviewer."

"If you don't know what to say, I'll have the host lead the topic. You just need to respond and keep the conversation flowing."

Seeing Zhou Ying’s nervous yet excited demeanor, Qi Fei laughed: "I'm the one going on the livestream, Yingying, why are you more nervous than I am?"

How could Zhou Ying not be nervous? This was her first time accompanying Qi Fei to an event as her manager.

Looking at the radiant Qi Fei, Zhou Ying leaned in and asked, "How is it?" She then shot a glance at Shen Xuan.

Qi Fei didn't know how others did makeup, but she was quite satisfied with the clothes and style Shen Xuan had chosen for her. The makeup wasn't exaggerated, but it highlighted the advantages of her facial features perfectly.

"Not bad."

Zhou Ying was also satisfied with Shen Xuan's skills. Since Qi Fei felt the same, she would handle the rest.

As they got into the car, she noticed Shen Xuan’s excitement. Through her mind-reading ability, she knew he already considered himself her future personal makeup artist. Shen Xuan kept calling her "Teacher Qi," but Qi Fei waved it off: "No need to call me Teacher Qi; we're all on the same team now."

"Then, Sister Fei, please take care of me from now on."

"Oh, right," Zhou Ying remembered something. "The studio doesn't have the money to buy a van yet. I have an SUV at home that no one is using. I've already asked my dad to have someone drive it over so we can use it as a work vehicle for now."

Qi Fei only just learned that the original owner didn't have a car; the vans she used before were provided by the company. After the incident, the manager and assistant had left, so naturally, the driver and the van were gone too.

"I'll work as your driver for the time being. Once the studio renovation is finished, we'll hire a proper driver and assistant."

Zhou Ying acting as her driver? Qi Fei hadn't expected that. After all, the studio had so much work, and she wasn't incapable of going out without a driver. If she wasn't leaving Beijing, she had her motorcycle, and if she left the city or joined a production, she wouldn't need Zhou Ying anyway.

The trio arrived at the livestream location half an hour early. However, when Qi Fei appeared on the stream, there were no cheers. Instead, the chat was filled with comments questioning whether it was really her.

Qi Fei and Zhou Ying realized upon arrival that because they had no money, they hadn't bought any promotion. The only advertisement was the livestream title: "Celebrity Qi Fei to appear in the stream." Combined with the fact that the Qi Fei on screen looked quite different from her previous image, it was understandable that people were skeptical.

Looking at the pitiful few hundred viewers, Qi Fei felt a sudden pang of sadness.

When she arrived, she had been wondering how to liven up the atmosphere. After all, Su Xiang had told her that a streamer needed to be articulate. But with only a few hundred people watching, Qi Fei couldn't muster much motivation. She was struggling to keep the smile on her face.

Zhou Ying hadn't expected only a few hundred people either. If there were no viewers by the end of the stream, wouldn't Qi Fei become a laughingstock? She quickly used both Qi Fei’s social media account and the studio’s account to post a message, hoping to drive some traffic to the stream.

Along with the contract, she had finally regained control of Qi Fei’s social media accounts. The first post she released was the one about the contract termination. It must be said that once the news of the termination broke, it was met with immediate cheers and celebration from the fans.

The promotional post wasn't in vain. Soon, fans began flooding into the stream. When they entered, they saw a Qi Fei completely different from her usual style. On the screen, she had short, sharp hair, a black sleeveless form-fitting top, and high-waisted skinny jeans with boots. Although she wasn't wearing a glamorous gown, she was incredibly striking.

Just standing there with sunglasses on and one hand in her pocket, she radiated a powerful and cool aura. Even the fans were skeptical—was this really their "sister"?

The four people in the group chat had seen that Qi Fei was doing a livestream today, but since Qi Fei didn't have her phone on her, she didn't see how lively the chat was. Shi Lin was the most free; he had been waiting in the stream early. Even though he knew what she looked like, her appearance still made his eyes light up. He hadn't expected such a massive change in such a short time. Excited, he immediately sent a wave of gifts, and his comments about how beautiful "Feifei" looked were more enthusiastic than anyone else's.

Shi Lin’s gifts acted like a trigger; a continuous stream of gifts followed, and waves of netizens flooded into the room. Many were attracted by the title; those who hadn't seen Qi Fei earlier had clicked away, but upon returning, they saw it was actually her—or at least someone who looked very much like her. Even if they weren't sure it was the real celebrity, curiosity kept them there.

Even though the chat was still filled with questions about her identity, the viewer count jumped from hundreds to thousands in a short time, and the number kept growing. Let alone the real Qi Fei, even imitation streamers could gain significant traffic. Qi Fei's current popularity was high—after all, she was still trending on search engines just yesterday.

The livestream backend could see the gift amounts and the rising viewer count. Upon confirming that it was truly Qi Fei, they didn't hesitate to tilt the traffic in her favor. With Qi Fei’s influence, the audience grew larger and larger. The staff at the livestream studio were witnessing the power of celebrity influence for the first time, and it was impossible not to be excited as they watched the numbers soar. Even the owner of the products being sold was too excited to sit still, watching the growing crowd.