239 The Treatment of a Star
On a new morning, Pei Ningle yawned as she got out of bed, brushed her teeth and washed her face, put on a casual sportswear, and planned to go downstairs to buy some steamed buns and soy milk for breakfast without even combing her hair.
But just as she walked out of the apartment building, she saw a man wearing a baseball cap standing behind the green belt, aiming a camera at her.
No extra sound or movement, just snapped a picture and disappeared.
Pei Ningle froze on the spot.
For a moment, the girl didn’t react. What was going on?
A fan? Or the legendary paparazzi?
Standing there thinking for a while, the girl shook her head, temporarily ignoring this question. After all, breakfast was more important.
Walking to the entrance of the breakfast shop, she took out a five-yuan bill and said to the shop owner, “Two steamed buns and a soy milk.”
The owner packed the buns and soy milk and handed them to her, but didn’t take her five yuan.
“It’s on the house, little star! I watched the competition last night, you sang really well…”
After listening to the owner’s flattery, Pei Ningle turned and walked away in a daze. When she reached the entrance of the apartment building, she thought for a long time and still regretted it a little.
“I should have been firmer just now. I’m not short of five yuan…”
Just as she was feeling melancholic, the girl vaguely heard a little movement. Turning her head, she saw another stranger aiming a camera at her from a dozen meters away. After being discovered, the man shrank his neck and disappeared behind the corner of the building.
Pei Ningle suddenly felt a chill and ran into the apartment building. While climbing the stairs, she took out her phone and called Wang Heng.
**
“You mean, you were followed by more than one person?”
Wang Heng asked as soon as he entered the room. Pei Ningle didn’t make it clear on the phone earlier, so he really didn’t know how serious the situation was.
“Really, someone took pictures of me as soon as I went downstairs! And when I came back from buying buns too…”
After listening to Pei Ningle’s explanation, Wang Heng sat on the sofa and laughed. “I thought it was something serious. This is obviously entertainment reporters and paparazzi.”
Pei Ningle stood in front of him, her eyes wide. “You don’t think it’s a big deal? Hey, hey, hey, they followed me to my home!”
Wang Heng shrugged. “Since you’re on the trending search, this is normal treatment.”
Pei Ningle: “Treatment?”
Wang Heng: “Yes, you have to get used to it. Pay attention to your words and deeds in the future, don’t let people take pictures of bad things. Those who break the news won’t care about your feelings and face. Of course, also pay attention to safety, don’t go to remote places alone.”
“Of course I have to pay attention to safety. Being kidnapped once is enough…” Pei Ningle tugged at her messy hair melancholically. “But, will I be peeped at like this in the future?”
Wang Heng nodded and was about to speak. But just then, Pei Ningle’s phone rang.
Picking up the phone and answering the call, Pei Ningle heard her mother’s voice: “Little Le, a reporter came to our house and said he wanted to interview us…”
Pei Ningle covered the microphone of the phone, looked at the amateur manager in front of her, and asked hurriedly, “A reporter said he wants to interview my parents, what should I do?”
Wang Heng said decisively, “Refuse! If they want an interview, let them come to you, or find me and Han Yixuan, don’t find relatives. Otherwise, saying anything casually might become trouble. The key is, we don’t know where that reporter came from. Entertainment tabloids have no bottom line.”
Pei Ningle nodded and said to the phone, “Mom, don’t accept the interview. Let them ask me first if they have any questions!”
After hanging up the phone, the girl sat on the sofa and sighed tiredly, “So annoying…”
But Wang Heng quietly moved to the side. “You’d better keep a little distance from me.”
Pei Ningle: “Huh? Why?”
Wang Heng: “In case someone is secretly taking pictures here now, being too close to me might turn into a scandal.”
“Impossible!” Pei Ningle slapped her thigh angrily. “Are they sick? Chasing shadows shouldn’t go to this extent!”
Wang Heng said calmly, “Don’t underestimate the mobility of entertainment reporters and paparazzi, and don’t overestimate their moral bottom line.”
Pei Ningle: “…Then I’ll close the curtains now!”
Wang Heng: “Better not. It looks like there’s no silver here but three hundred taels buried. It will be interpreted by interested people as you having something shameful to hide.”
Pei Ningle was stunned for a while and doubted, “I did get on the trending search, but it shouldn’t be like this, right? I’m not a big star like Peng Xiaoya. There’s no need to stare at me like this.”
Wang Heng shook his head and explained, “In a few days, when you get off the trending search, it definitely won’t be so exaggerated. But you are on the trending search now, and already in the top ten, which means many people are paying attention to you. It’s not just the position bought by the program team anymore. As long as there is enough heat, the paparazzi have enough motivation. They rely on people’s eyeballs to survive, of course they have to chase the heat and look for gossip.”
Pei Ningle frowned. “This is already an invasion of privacy, right?”
Wang Heng asked back, “Are there few privacy invasions in the world?”
Pei Ningle: “…”
Wang Heng added, “Of course, think about it. If they take a picture of you and a boy alone in a room now, and the curtains are closed, how will they make up the story? With photos and videos there, they can make up any story.”
Pei Ningle scratched her head. “Then, when I get off the trending search, no one will peep at me like this, right?”
Wang Heng thought for a moment and concluded, “Not necessarily. If you become more popular in the future, there will definitely be more paparazzi chasing you.”
Pei Ningle sat there silently for a long time, suddenly sighed deeply, “I regret going on the show a little…”
Wang Heng: “Everything has pros and cons, and being famous is the same. But obviously, there are more benefits. Didn’t you always hope more people would hear your songs? Did you see the number of plays on NetEase Cloud Music? Dawn has multiplied dozens of times, and Lost Path has also multiplied several times. Isn’t this popularity good?”
The girl thought for a moment and cheered herself on, “Then I’ll hurry up and write the third song. After writing and posting it, there must be many people who can hear it!”
Wang Heng smiled. “That’s right, go for it, Little Lele.”
Pei Ningle couldn’t help blushing. “Eh, what did you call me?”
Wang Heng: “Is there a problem, Little Lele?”
The girl lowered her head and whispered, “No problem…”
Glancing at the blushing girl, Wang Heng suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch her head. But the next moment, this urge was suppressed by his reason.
On one hand, it might indeed be photographed by paparazzi. On the other hand, if unnecessary actions caused Pei Ningle to have unnecessary thoughts, it would not be good.
Wang Heng cleared his throat and asked, “How is your third song going?”
Pei Ningle patted the notebook beside her and said with fighting spirit, “Lyrics and music are more than half done. It won’t take a week to finish, then go to record, and see the results within two weeks!”
Wang Heng estimated the time.
If the song is released within a month, then it will be almost summer vacation. At that time, there will definitely be many music festivals inviting Pei Ningle, and he and Han Yixuan can accompany her.
At the same time, there are investment plans… The World Cup is in the summer vacation.
Even considering the influence of the butterfly effect, some matches might change, but having an accurate assessment of the strength of each team in advance also means a much higher success rate in betting than others. Plus the hamster as a cheat support, Wang Heng couldn’t help but look forward to it.
