Chapter 11 Paparazzi on the Hill
I had a somewhat niche hobby as a kid.
While others played with dolls, toy cars, and mud pies, I loved watching our family chef flip the wok.
My dad customized a set of real kid-sized kitchen tools for me.
My parents were kind enough to taste the dishes their young daughter made.
The food was undercooked.
Both of them ended up with stomachaches.
But that never stopped them from spoiling me.
Back then Ji Mingxu was both my neighbor and classmate.
We saw each other constantly.
Whatever I played, he would come over curious and join in.
That was how we both grew up knowing we would never starve.
By junior high I could already cook eight dishes and a soup for the family.
Of course the hobby faded as I grew older, but skills stay with you for life.
The twins at the table, who knew nothing about cooking, stared at Ji Mingxu and me with admiration.
Especially Su Lanyu, who was studying abroad.
He asked sincerely, “Can culinary skills be learned quickly?”
His face was full of longing.
He looked like he'd been through something abroad.
After the meal I relaxed under the blue sky and white clouds and started to feel sleepy.
In front of the cameras I was at most a supporting role, but it was still work.
I could not just nap anywhere.
Life variety shows naturally had leisure time.
I sat under the sunshade and looked into the distance.
Suddenly something felt off.
“Ji Mingxu, look at that hill over there.
Is something moving?”
Ji Mingxu followed my gaze.
“Yeah, it looks like a person.
I will ask if they have binoculars.”
The two of us staring and then using binoculars naturally drew everyone’s attention.
“Ji Mingxu, what are you guys looking at?” Zhao Qianlin came over, seeming to want to join the fun.
I handed him the binoculars.
“There seems to be paparazzi on that hill.”
***
That was strange.
Everyone else gathered around.
The binoculars passed hand to hand, and gasps rose everywhere.
“Whose fan site admin is this skilled?”
A few people kept deferring to each other.
No one dared to claim it.
I stayed quiet.
That little blue hat on the hill looked familiar.
But I thought about it.
The filming location had never been publicized online.
The guests were all more popular than me.
Their fan site admins would not come here.
There was no reason for my Paparazzi Bro to show up.
In the afternoon the live stream was paused, but the cameras still rolled random footage.
During free time I checked my phone and saw a message from Zhang Youze.
Can you perform well and fight for some screen time?
Otherwise with your laid-back attitude, how much footage will you even have left when the main episode airs?
Sometimes I really felt Paparazzi Bro was my most loyal career fan.
But he never admitted it.
He always said he filmed me just to make money.
I worded my reply carefully.
Paparazzi Bro, where are you today?
The reply came back.
On the hill, using my expensive equipment to watch you lounge around.
***
Was that little blue hat really him?
With that kind of dedication, why would he fail at anything?