Su He had insomnia.
Lu Yanbei's unusual behavior had kept her tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
"Forget it, I'll get up and draw my manuscript," Su He stared at the ceiling for a long time before finally sitting up in resignation.
The patron was important, but her livelihood was equally crucial!
Her fans had been urging her for a new series for over a month, and if she didn't start soon, they'd unfollow her.
She had to turn her troubles into motivation!
Since she already had a rough idea, putting pen to paper was much easier. Su He sketched and smudged on the drawing board, and soon the character designs for the male and female leads perfectly appeared before her.
Even though she hadn't started drawing yet, Su He had already fallen in love with the character she had designed.
With handsome features, light brown eyes, a cold and refined demeanor, and an aloof aura. A head of messy black hair covered half of one eye, imbuing him with an air of mystery that was intimidating.
He was practically a mini-version of Lu Yanbei.
"Hmm, I'll call you Gu Shiyan!" Su He pondered for a long time before finally settling on the male lead's name. As for the female lead, she couldn't decide and decided to put out a call for suggestions in her fan group.
The chosen name would receive a five-hundred-yuan red envelope.
Su He's sudden appearance immediately livened up the usually quiet fan group.
"Oh my gosh, Big Shot, you're finally planning a new series? I guess you still have some conscience!"
"To be able to see your work in my lifetime is truly a cause for celebration!"
"What kind of story are you planning to write, Big Shot?"
"What's the female lead's background and personality? Give us some hints at least!"
Looking at the continuous stream of messages, Su He patiently replied. "The female lead has ordinary looks and a modest background. She's an art student. As for her personality, she's greedy for money, would that count?"
"Hahaha, Big Shot, are you planning to write a CEO and Cinderella story?"
"The setup feels a bit cliché."
"It's not cliché, I love it! I'm a simpleton, I love it more the more I see it!"
"Is it a sweet romance? Please don't make the leads suffer!"
"Can we see the character designs? It would help with naming."
Su He thought for a moment, picked up her phone, and took a picture of the drawing to send to the group.
"Wow, are these the male and female leads for the new series? They're so beautiful!"
"Just based on these designs, I'm definitely following the new series!"
"What amazing art style is this? So handsome!"
"Sisters, I've already fallen for the male lead, nobody better try to steal him!"
"Let's call the female lead Xirou, that's me, hahahaha~"
"No, the female lead should be Shen Yan."
In the blink of an eye, the group messages had already reached over a hundred.
Su He rubbed her forehead, slowly sifting through the messages for a satisfactory answer.
Just then, her best friend Jiang Xiaoxiao came online. "Let's call her Asu."
"Ah, the president is online! Sending you a heart!"
"Asu, that sounds pretty good!"
"Asu, it sounds quite pleasant, I vote for it."
"Me too."
Then followed a string of "me too"s.
Su He felt a headache coming on.
She connected with Jiang Xiaoxiao privately. "Why are you causing trouble!"
"I'm not, I'm being serious. The name Asu is both cute and has the characteristics of a Mary Sue heroine, delicate and soft, definitely the type a CEO would like." To add credibility, Jiang Xiaoxiao added, "I guarantee with my ten years of manga experience that this name is definitely the most suitable."
"Is that so..." Su He was skeptical.
"Don't worry, no one will suspect you!" Jiang Xiaoxiao sent a funny emoji.
Su He was speechless. "You figured something out?"
"Others might not know, but how could I not? This face is clearly a copy of Young Master Yan. Hehe, I knew it, there must be something between you two. I'm waiting for the updates." Jiang Xiaoxiao sent a long string of mischievous emojis.
Su He bit her lower lip, typed a few lines, then deleted them. "Is it really that obvious?"
"Unless someone knows both of you and your relationship, others probably won't notice." Jiang Xiaoxiao said with an aunt-like smile.
"That's good." Su He patted her chest, as if she had taken a calming pill.
The number of people who knew her relationship with Lu Yanbei could be counted on one hand. Only her best friend Jiang Xiaoxiao knew they lived together. Lu Yanbei's brothers didn't even know yet.
So, no one probably knew she was drawing herself and Lu Yanbei... right!
With the story in place, drawing went quickly. It only took three hours to finish the content for the first chapter. Su He checked it carefully before uploading it to her newly created account.
Her pen name was "Meow Highness," which was given to her by fans.
Su He took a lazy shortcut and adopted it.
After updating the first chapter, Su He rubbed her sore eyes, turned off her computer, and yawned as she returned to her room. Dawn was only two hours away, and she still had to get up to make breakfast for Lu Yanbei.
***
At the same time, a piece of entertainment news rapidly climbed to the top of the trending list.
#Tycoon Heir and Popular Little Flower Spotted on a Date in Underground Garage, Relationship Suspected to be Exposed# Such a title, inherently carrying traffic, instantly captured the public's attention.
Lu Yanbei's sexual orientation had always been a topic of great interest.
The label of being detached and pure had been attached to him for years, deterring countless girls. Now that his relationship was exposed, it meant he was a normal man, and the girls' joy outweighed the shock of the relationship reveal.
"Young Master Yan actually likes women, he just has high standards!"
"A tycoon heir and a popular female celebrity, this couple is too good to ship!"
"When they stand together, they look so well-matched!"
"Legs for days, were these photos provided by a fan blogger?"
"I have material for my dreams tonight!"
"Ahhhhh, my favorite idol is with the man I love, it's a joyous occasion for all!"
The first to erupt in excitement were Rong Qiao's fans.
Rong Qiao was famously known as a cold and aloof beauty in the industry, always maintaining her purity and never having been rumored with other male artists. She was usually focused on her career, spending more than half the year on set, which alone was enough to satisfy her fans.
However, over the years, the roles she took on were largely similar, leading to audience fatigue. Transitioning was not an easy task and required a good script and good roles.
Logically, at this stage of her career ascent, she shouldn't have been embroiled in such a scandal.
"Qiao Qiao, is it really okay to release this news? Won't it offend someone?" The agent, while pleased with the rising trend, felt a pang of anxiety.
That man was Lu Yanbei!
Rong Qiao was applying lipstick in front of the mirror and replied indifferently, "Don't worry, it won't be long before the Lu Corporation has the trending topic removed."
"You, you anticipated this? Then why..." The agent was very confused.
"What I wanted was this moment of heat." Rong Qiao sighed. "My contract with the company is about to expire, and the higher-ups have been withholding good resources, just to force me to renew my contract."
"Your intention in doing this is to let them know you have backing?" The agent finally understood. "But once the trending topic is removed, the truth will be revealed soon, won't it?"
Rong Qiao's lips curved into a beautiful arc. "That depends on how they interpret it. Removing a trending topic can mean denial, or it can be seen as a protective measure."
Upon hearing this, the agent immediately understood.
This was a game of chess.
Regardless of whether Rong Qiao had any connection with Lu Yanbei, the higher-ups wouldn't dare to act rashly. If their romance was real, then the company would have to pamper her and give her the best resources. Even if it wasn't, being featured in the news with Lu Yanbei was enough to demonstrate Rong Qiao's capabilities, and the company should value her more.
It had to be said, this move was truly brilliant.