The catty remarks mostly came from brainless fans jealous that Jiang Ling had more fans than their own idols.
Seeing their beloved star's popularity overshadowing their own idols, they had been unhappy for a long time and were looking for an opportunity to see Jiang Ling make a fool of herself.
Now that the chance had finally presented itself, they naturally wouldn't let it go.
Jiang Ling's fans, wanting to support their idol who rarely endorsed products, were willing to spend some money.
However, when they actually saw the products she endorsed, they all became discouraged.
If she had endorsed sports shoes worth a few hundred yuan, computers and cosmetics worth a few thousand yuan, they could have gritted their teeth and bought them.
But the prices were all so expensive, hundreds of thousands, even millions. Even if they sold themselves, they couldn't afford them!
Fans complained in their groups about how expensive Jiang Ling's endorsed products were.
It wasn't that they didn't love their goddess, they simply couldn't afford it!
Seeing her fans' complaints, Jiang Ling thought, "Good, I want you to be unable to afford it, to completely give up."
She didn't care about the endorsement fees. On the contrary, she found the way traffic stars exploited their fans quite distasteful.
...
Time flew by.
Soon, it was the day Jiang Ling's endorsed products were to be released.
The first product to go on sale was a Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous series watch, with an official price of 369,800 yuan.
This price was enough to buy a luxury car from the BBA series.
...
Inside a university in Modu.
A tall, thin young man named Xiao Wang, dressed in designer clothes, sat in front of his computer, switching back and forth between the Rolex and Jaeger-LeCoultre official websites, his heart filled with extreme indecision.
On the left was the new Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea in titanium, priced at 203,000 yuan.
On the right was the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous series, priced at 369,800 yuan.
Which of these two watches should he choose?
Xiao Wang was famously a "chai-dai" (a nickname for those who receive substantial compensation from urban redevelopment) in his class. His family had received twenty-odd apartments and tens of millions in cash as compensation.
This month happened to be his birthday, and his father had given him 300,000 yuan to buy a birthday gift.
It was said that the poor played with cars and the rich played with watches. Xiao Wang already owned two valuable luxury cars, so this time he wanted to buy a watch for himself.
He had originally set his sights on the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea in titanium. At just over 200,000 yuan, after buying it, he would still have over 100,000 yuan left for pocket money.
Just as he was about to make the purchase, he happened to see Jiang Ling endorsing a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch.
As the public's darling, Jiang Ling had fans everywhere. Eight out of ten boys in Xiao Wang's class were her fans, and many girls liked her too.
Xiao Wang was also a true fan of Jiang Ling. He had fallen for her from the moment she played the role of Zhao Hede with her alluring gaze, and had been unable to extricate himself from his love since.
His goddess had finally endorsed a few products, and he had no reason not to support her.
The problem was that this Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous series watch was just too expensive.
Actually, it wasn't that he couldn't afford to buy it. His father had given him 300,000 yuan, and he still had some savings in his account. If he gritted his teeth, he could still manage.
But if he bought it, he would have to eat instant noodles for the rest of the month.
On one hand was the Rolex, which fit his price expectation, and on the other was the goddess's endorsed watch, which far exceeded his budget.
Which one should he buy?
Xiao Wang had been struggling for days, unable to eat or sleep well, looking haggard.
After much deliberation, Xiao Wang decided to go for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous series.
Who hasn't had moments of youthful impulsiveness?
King You of Zhou even went so far as to light beacon fires to amuse Bao Si.
Why couldn't he spend a little more money to support the goddess he liked?
Besides, buying it wouldn't make him go bankrupt or his family starve. At worst, he would just have to be more frugal this month.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Wang pooled the money in his card.