Chapter 4 – Made-up Persona
Novel Title: 我只喜欢你的人设 (I Only Like Your Made-up Persona)
Author：稚楚 (Zhichu)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 夏习清 (Xia Xiqing -MC), 周自珩 (Zhou Ziheng -ML)
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Before going to sleep, Xia Xiqing habitually checked his Weibo account. At first, this account was only used to share his paintings. However, he ended up getting involved in chasing after celebrities.
Why are there so many notifications? He was shocked. Of course he was the most well-known painter in the circle of fans so some other fans do look for him even on weekdays. But this time, the notifications were so much that his Weibo app almost got stuck.
Xia Xiqing exited the app and opened it again. Only then, it behaved normally.
[Little obedient rabbit]: Big Boss Tsing! You are the little brother in the white shirt, right?!
[President Heng, please definitely support me]: Damn it, is it really our Big Boss Mistress Summer???
No fucking way? How come they knew it was me? Xia Xiqing frowned suspiciously. He scrolled through the comments. Sure enough, they were all comments from Zhou ZiHeng’s fans. There were also countless direct messages sent to him. They were almost all of which were about the press conference a few days ago.
People couldn’t really hide anything from the internet for sure. It was easily detected by the netizens.
Instead of letting these fans keep on guessing messily, it was always better to just expose the truth yourself.
Xia Xiqing, whose identity was already on the verge of collapsing, turned on his camera casually. He took a selfie. The distance of the camera to his face was too close. The undried hair after taking a shower was scattered in front of his face. And the angle from bottom to top was also very weird. He took a look and he barely looked like himself. But he still hastily posted that weird selfie on Weibo.
[Tsing_Summer]: I’m sharing my selfie.
The moment it was posted, the vibration on his handphone didn’t stop. New notifications kept pouring out. It was as if the excitement of the fans was almost poured out of the screen and directly hitting his face.
[Universe’s No. 1 Alpha]: Ahhhhhhhh!! So handsome! The looks of Heng’s fans are incredible!
[It’s watermelon, not winter melon]: You’re so beautiful. The mole on the tip of your nose is also so beautiful. Sue me!
[Little obedient rabbit]: The skin is good, the nose bridge is high, the eyelashes are so long. You can look good from any angle. You really are a God-level fan *kneeling*
[Zhou Ziheng’s First Mistress]: Before, I always thought that Mistress Summer was a fairy painter. But now I know that you are indeed a real fairy yourself. It’s really hard to handle *crying tears*
[The only Hengheng’s pro-mother fan on the whole network]: WTF! You have such good looks. With a face like yours, you don’t need to rely on talent!
…
Soon, Xia Xiqing’s Weibo became very popular. His Weibo ID has once again entered the hot search list and he has become a new Internet celebrity that netizens were talking about. There are a lot of job invitations and even debut invitations sent to his direct message.
This era is extremely exaggerated. A good appearance has become the most direct and superficial shortcut to progress in life.
His phone vibrated again.
[Why didn’t you come to the company to find me when you returned to China. Come home on the weekend. I have something to talk to you about. –dad]
The darkness in the room was like a suffocating blanket, wrapping Xia Xiqing in it, making it impossible for him to breathe.
[I don’t have a lot of free time to go to your house. Just call me if you need to say anything.]
After replying to the text message, Xia Xiqing went to the window sill and lit a cigarette. The grey smoke mixed with the soft and indifferent moonlight penetrated into the gaps of his empty brain. His consciousness became blurred.
Like the majority of netizens, Zhou Ziheng, who was doing makeup and hair for the magazine cover, also checked his Weibo.
On the day when Xia Xiqing became famous overnight, Zhou Ziheng was almost certain that he would pretend to be a fan to gain popularity just to enter the entertainment circle. He also thought he would buy some hot searches or something to hype the situation and gain a wave of fans. It’s easy to become popular in this age when looks are in power. But hearing Jiang Yin say that he is unwilling to sign a contract to make a debut, Zhou Ziheng was a little confused. He wondered if he really was just a fan.
So, Zhou Ziheng, who was taking a break from his busy schedule, went to check his Weibo account. He clicked on the trending hot search and found Xia Xiqing’s account.
It turned out that he was really a fan and also a painter.
However, Xia Xiqing hardly reblogged anything on Weibo. He did not even post pictures of himself in various scenes like other fans. He just silently posted his paintings. His painting style is very unique. He can even sketch the perfect texture of the human body with just a few strokes. The sketch was clearly outlined and the strong hormonal impact conveyed by the painting can be felt from across the screen.
When flipping through his Weibo, Zhou Ziheng also looked at the reblogged posts on Weibo. He found that the fans, apart from bragging that Xia Xiqing is a fairy painter, were all saying- “I’m going to explode to the point where I can’t close my legs and just lie flat and pray under the sun” and so and so.
Zhou Ziheng coughed in surprise. What’s wrong with these little girls these days…? He wondered.
The fingers that slid the screen unconsciously accelerated. He suddenly saw a painting flashed in front of him so he couldn’t help but stop and flipped up again.
That painting was once popular. It showed a silhouette of him jumping up in three steps. The shadows of the surroundings were scattered on his body. His slender fingers were clutching the basketball. He was wearing a red sweat-soaked jersey which was wrapped all over his body, showing his muscle texture.
He exited the Weibo app and opened his photo album. He found this painting in an album named ‘fan-art’. He had never noticed that there was a handwritten signature in the lower right corner of the painting –Tsing.
It turned out that he had seen one of his paintings before and he even kept it to show off to his friends.
Zhou Ziheng, who withdrew himself from Weibo, hesitated all night. He finally did not delete the painting from his phone.
But he always felt that there was always something wrong in his heart.
Probably wanting to take advantage of the popularity, the reality show mentioned by Jiang Yin finished the long-awaited planning work in a hurry. It finalised the list of celebrities and amateurs for the recording and will start on Saturday. On Friday, Xia Xiqing checked into the arranged hotel at the request of the program team. That evening, Jiang Yin took the time to come to the hotel to see him.
“Are you afraid that I will run away?” Xia Xiqing wore only a pair of cotton trousers. He sat cross-legged on the bed and wiped his wet hair.
Jiang Yin took a look. His abdominal muscles were clearly defined, which was obviously the result of long-term exercise. They were not very prominent. He was still under the slender type. But still, the muscled body didn’t correlate well with that pretty face to some extent. It made her feel uncomfortable like she was deceived by a pretty face. She was somehow a little surprised. However, she just put the document in her hand down on the table calmly, “You’re right. Here’s some information about the program. Read it when you have time.”
“Is there a script for me?” Xia Xiqing stretched his neck to put on a loose T-shirt. He looked like a high school student in that shirt. “Let me tell you beforehand. I won’t follow your script. So don’t expect much from me.”
Jiang Yin showed a somewhat helpless expression on her face. But she seemed to have guessed it, “I knew it would be like this. In fact, there was a script. But this script was not for you. It was a secret room plot specially hired by the program team.” After she’s done talking, she changed the subject, “Although the script was not for you, we still arranged a made-up persona for you. We need you to get into character. Anyway, are you good at pretending?”
This woman always speaks straightforwardly and Xia Xiqing was already used to it, “I can do it…” He stretched out his long legs and threw his bath towel on the chair beside him. He then folded his hands behind his head and leaned back on the bed. When he spoke, his tone was casual, “Tell me, what kind of made-up persona did you arrange for me?”
Jiang Yin sat at the table in a relaxed manner, “I’ve given it some thoughts. Since Ziheng’s transformation, his popularity has soared. So, the company must want to continue his aggressive Alpha made-up persona. Then, if we want to hype a CP, what do you think will be suitable? What kind of persona should be matched with an aggressive persona?”
Xia Xiqing, who was leaning on the bed, stared at Jiang Yin. He slowly blinked his eyes in a slow motion. An innocent smile that looked harmless to humans and animals began to appear on his face. The mole on the tip of his nose added a little bit of the effect on him. Such an innocent look.
“An angelic made-up persona. It is suitable for all ages. Both children and old people would be easily deceived.”
Jiang Yin shrugged, “Smart.”
He sneered, looking completely different from his gentle look just now. It is filled with disdain for a moment.
“You seem to have decided everything on your own will.” Xia Xiqing bent one leg. He put his arm on his knee, propped his chin with his palm, and looked at Jiang Yin with judging eyes.
“It’s not like that…Ziheng’s made-up persona is just a little… you know? Hmm but of course, it all depends on what netizens think.” Jiang Yin was a little flustered at first. She didn’t expect Xia Xiqing to raise this question. But as she said this, she suddenly felt that although this person is beautiful, his aura is really powerful.
Although Xia Xiqing didn’t hide his true character in front of Jiang Yin, she didn’t know Xia Xiqing’s style in his sexual life. She would definitely also not know that he was always the top in his previous relationship. So, she could only chalk it up to him being a bottom with an innate desire for control.
“There’s no helping it. It’s alright.” Xia Xiqing’s mouth curled up as his eyes softened again, “My made-up persona is easy to be done.”
In just a few minutes, the expression on Xia Xiqing’s face managed to change from one persona to another so swiftly. Jiang Yin was amazed just by seeing it. It would be useless not to be an actor with such talent. Although she had learned of Xia Xiqing’s ability, she didn’t know why he would agree to her invitation so simply, “You agreed to participate in the show without even asking how much you will be paid?”
“It doesn’t matter how much. I don’t really care.” Xia Xiqing suddenly fell back on the bed, “Don’t worry. I can’t guarantee I would be of much help with anything else but I can guarantee that the traffic will definitely satisfy you.” He suddenly remembered something. So, he turned over and lay on his side, looking at Jiang Yin, “However, Zhou Ziheng probably won’t recognize the made-up persona you gave me.”
“It’s okay. I will communicate with him. He has been acting for so long anyway so he won’t be in a hurry to tear down his image on camera.”
Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows, feeling that things should not be as simple as Jiang Yin thought.
On the second day, Xia Xiqing went to the recording site much earlier. He was taken to the dressing room by the staff to freshen up. The makeup artist was a young girl. Although she was used to seeing beautiful celebrities, she was still surprised to see Xia Xiqing. After a while, she asked him about his beauty secrets while putting on makeup on him. A young assistant named Xiao Jie entered the dressing room. Xia Xiqing smiled at the young boy from the reflection of the mirror. The boy was a little embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and said, “Sir, you can come to me for anything you need during the recording of the show.”
“I thought only elderly people were called ‘Sir’,” Xia Xiqing showed him the most gentle expression on his face, “I should look quite young.”
“Ah? No, it’s not…”
“I’m not?” Xia Xiqing smiled. His eyebrows and eyes crooked like a crescent moon.
“Ah, I mean… I’m sorry. Sorry. You do look like a college student. I… I’m new here and I’m a little nervous…” Xiao Jie waved his hand frantically, “So…”
“Just call me Xiqing.” The so-called make-up that was put on his face is nothing more than a base make-up and eyebrow drawing. It was all done faster than expected. Xia Xiqing stood up, turned around and shook hands with Xiao Jjie, “I’m 25 years old and I should be older than you but I have to trouble you to take care of me for the next few days.”
“Ah, then I’ll call you Xiqing Ge.” Xiao Jie held Xia Xiqing’s slender hand with both hands, “I also have a lot of things I need to learn. Please bear with me.”
This young boy is so honest, Xia Xiqing was surprised inwardly. It was a pretty good thing. He thought Jiang Yin would put up someone to watch him, but it seems he was overthinking. The recording was scheduled to start in the evening. That morning, Xiao Jie brought Xia Xiqing into the studio to take a set of promotional photos. After entering the studio, Xia Xiqing met two other guests who also came to participate in the recording. He recognized both of them. One of them is Cen Cen, a solo female lead singer whose popularity has skyrocketed recently while the other is Shang Sirui, a member of the recently popular boy band called High Five.
“Am I the only amateur here?” Xia Xiqing turned to ask Xiao Jie.
Xiao Jie nodded at first but then shook his head, “No. There is another amateur. A girl who is said to be a member of the Mensa Club.”
Xia Xiqing nodded to show his understanding. He was quickly called to take photos. Unlike ordinary amateurs, Xia Xiqing was not awkward in front of the camera. The photographer first took a few photos to try it out. After confirming the preview, he found that they were not bad shots at all. He was a little surprised, “Have you ever been a model before?”
“I have” Xia Xiqing recalled his weird experience of being a model for a friend from the School of Fashion Design in Florence. He modelled for a blockbuster of clothing, “But not professionally.”
“That’s good. You are really tall and you are also photogenic.” The photographer took a few more photos and then officially started shooting promotional photos according to the requirements of the program. While shooting the last set, Xia Xiqing saw a tall figure entered the studio.
“Ziheng is here.”
There was almost no need to look further. His radar scanned and could recognize Zhou Ziheng in an instant. Not only due to his dignified face as an actor but he couldn’t find another person as tall as him.
It’s been a while, Xia Xiqing thought silently in his heart as he turned his eyes back to the camera and smiled.
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*Author’s Note:
Reader: I want to change CP…
Zhou Ziheng: *cover reader’s mouth* No, you don’t want that. The next chapter will be officially launched. Everyone, hold on tight.
Little Uncle: So what if people ship whoever they like online? Will you still suffer because of me? *shrug*
Zhou Ziheng: Everyone in the comment area who is shouting against this CP, you will all be caught as part of the zhēnxiāng meme. -ZC
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*GLOSSARY:
- ‘Gē’ [哥] ‘brother’ = Xiao Jie called Xia Xiqing as Xiqing Ge. Chinese people call others as uncle, auntie, brother, sister even without blood relation. It’s their culture.
- Mensa club = Part of the Mensa International. People involved in this club came from different fields of work but they share a common characteristic which is they are all highly intelligent. ‘Mensa’ is the Latin word for ‘table’, ‘mind’, and ‘month’. So, the members (with an intelligent mind) will hold a meeting monthly around a table.
- ‘zhēnxiāng’ [真香] meme = a meme to roast those who easily failed to stick to their words. It directly translates to ‘smells good or delicious’. It was first used in 2018. This meme originated from a hot reality TV show by the name of ‘Metamorphosis’ where urbanites are arranged to swap lives with rural participants temporarily for a change. One of the urbanites, Wang Jingze, refused to eat meals served to him in the village and vowed; “I, Wang Jingze, would rather die of starvation or jump off a building than touch your food!” But within two hours, apparently starved and desperate, he could be seen digging heartily into his bowl, claiming it to be “zhēnxiāng (so delicious)” as he gobbled up his food. This scene has since gone viral on the internet and quickly became a meme to roast those who easily failed to stick to their words. Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=369428943946706
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*DROPPED NOTICE: I was rather impulsive when I decided to translate this novel. I found something that I like and wish to share it with the world. Silly me. The comments on chapter 1 made me realise that I’ve made a grave mistake. This novel is already licensed so I couldn’t continue to translate it. I’m sorry to disappoint you guys. I’ve translated up to this chapter out of my impulsivity so I’ll just post them anyway but that’s that. Another unfinished business of mine, this will be. Have a good day, everyone. -K
