REI : Chapter 44.1

The entire staff at *Fashion Weekly* was thrown into an unprecedented frenzy of activity.

Feedback from the new issue poured into the magazine headquarters like a tidal wave. Calls flooded in from every entertainment-related online platform, requesting licensing rights for reprints. Retailers demanded restocks, and manufacturers pleaded for more time to fulfill their quotas. Customers, desperate for the magazine’s exclusive photo set, were even offering their own price points to convince *Fashion Weekly* to meet their demands.

Customer service had become overwhelmed. The department manager had to request additional staff from other departments to help manage the phones, but those departments were just as swamped.

From the data streaming in, it became evident to everyone that Luo Ding’s fanbase accounted for a significant portion of the buyers.

No one could have predicted this outcome. Luo Ding, a rising star who wasn’t even considered a major draw before the issue’s release, had ignited a fervor that blindsided many within the management team. They quickly turned their attention to researching his true popularity online, and the more they learned, the more they realized how out of touch they were with the current social trends.

Within two days, all copies of the magazine—twice the usual amount—were completely sold out. Over the following week, demand remained sky-high, propelling the magazine to unprecedented sales, creating a new legend for *Fashion Weekly*.

The driving force behind this success was the incomprehensible wave of fan reactions, dominated by endless strings of “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

Duan Xiubo had enjoyed a long and distinguished career, with countless successful projects under his belt and a well-organized, dedicated fanbase. His fans, while enthusiastic, were mature and composed, always satisfied with the abundance of content Duan regularly provided, whether it be new projects or the occasional photo spread. While they anticipated his *Fashion Weekly* feature, their excitement remained rational.

Luo Ding’s fans, however, were a different story altogether.

Being Luo Ding’s fan was akin to being starved. His fanbase had been growing steadily as his fame increased, but his public appearances and projects remained frustratingly scarce. Although Luo Ding had started filming TV dramas and movies, these projects were still in production, and fans had little to go on besides this knowledge. His older music, in the current landscape, felt like a relic, and even his hit song “Long Time No See” had lost its freshness from being played on repeat. Most of his early photos had been deleted from his social media, leaving only cryptic text posts.

Fans were left yearning to fangirl or fanboy over him but had nothing tangible to latch onto—until now.

When *Fashion Weekly* released the teaser images from Luo Ding’s photoshoot, fans were already bracing themselves for the storm. But no one anticipated just how massive it would be.

Luo Ding’s long-deprived fanbase, desperate for any high-quality content, rushed to buy the magazine. When they flipped through the pages and saw the pictures, jaws collectively dropped.

Luo Ding had revealed so much skin—his slender waist, his firm rear, his narrow shoulders, and his milk-white skin. But what really sent shockwaves was the duo photo with Duan Xiubo. The two men posed together in a way that was undeniably… intimate. The shoot exuded such an intense chemistry, sparking an immediate and widespread fandom sensation.

High-quality scans of the magazine’s pages were quickly uploaded online, a move that would normally harm sales. But this time, it had the opposite effect. People who had no initial intention of buying the magazine suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to own a physical copy, especially to preserve the captivating duo image.

The picture was deceptively simple: a mature, muscular man and a fresh-faced, beautiful youth standing side by side, gazing at each other, embodying the theme of “The Collision of Time.” But it was also undeniably complex—the warmth in Duan Xiubo’s eyes, full of doting affection, and the trust and intimacy in Luo Ding’s smile were palpable through the image. The theme became secondary as viewers were swept up in the sheer emotion captured in the photo.

Even those accusing *Fashion Weekly* of “falling from grace” with such a bold image had to admit it: it worked because the subjects were just too handsome.

Duan Xiubo’s beauty was already world-renowned, with his strong, chiseled features and gentle demeanor enhanced by an imposing presence and stellar career. His status as a “god” in the entertainment industry was unquestionable.

But Luo Ding—who had never been in the same league in terms of fame—stood beside him without being overshadowed. His clean, sharp features made his profile look as if it had been meticulously drawn by a master artist. Though slender, his body was strong and graceful, and his presence in the image commanded attention alongside Duan Xiubo’s. The power of Luo Ding’s aura was undeniable, ensuring that no one could overlook him in favor of his famous counterpart.

This synergy between the two men led to a deluge of posts, flooding social media. Posts featuring the duo image dominated trending topics for days, with fans of both Luo Ding and Duan Xiubo interacting in unexpectedly harmonious ways. Even the fandoms of the two stars, who usually operated independently, found common ground, bonding over the duo’s apparent rapport.

The reason for this harmony lay in the fact that many fans had “jumped the fence.”

Yes, under the influence of *Fashion Weekly*’s massive push, many fans found themselves drifting into a new, obsessive corner of the fandom: the CP (couple pairing) community.

“AHHHHHHHH!!! I CAN’T EVEN COMPETE WITH YOU, MY LOVE! PLASTIC SURGERY IS TOO PAINFUL! JUST HURRY UP AND BE WITH DUAN, PLEASE!!!”

“AHHHHHHHH!!! I’M NOT WORTHY OF YOU! LOSING WEIGHT IS JUST TOO HARD! SO PLEASE GET TOGETHER WITH LUO, ALREADY!!!”

This CP fandom took off in a way no one could have predicted. Duan Xiubo, with his long-standing image as an unattainable idol, was suddenly being seen in a down-to-earth, intimate light, and his fans mostly embraced it. Those more traditional fans, who might have raised objections, were mostly absent from online forums, and the few who remained were largely outnumbered. Luo Ding’s fans, many of whom were more like “parent-fans,” were surprisingly open to the idea, finding the pairing charming rather than scandalous. The CP fandom grew rapidly, sweeping up countless new followers along the way.

Of course, the fandom kept things discreet. Many fans recognized that these pairings were just playful fantasies, not to be taken seriously, as public acknowledgment could harm their idols’ reputations. For now, the only material the CP fans had to work with was that one magazine spread.

So they dug deeper, combing through old content for clues.

And they found something big.

Aside from Duan Xiubo’s public support for Luo Ding on Weibo, they unearthed a long-forgotten video from Luo Ding’s vocal tryouts. In this video, while Luo Ding was being swarmed by fans outside the venue, a mysterious man stood protectively by his side.

Though the man wore a mask, his striking eyes and tall, handsome figure immediately drew comparisons to none other than Duan Xiubo.

This theory had floated around ever since the video’s release, but without the backing of a dedicated CP community, it had never gained much traction. But now, combined with the steamy *Fashion Weekly* photos, the old video was generating new excitement.

The idea that Duan Xiubo and Luo Ding had always had a close relationship—that Duan Xiubo would even act as Luo Ding’s bodyguard—spread like wildfire. People pointed out that Duan Xiubo had posted about being present at the event, and his company’s offices were located in the same building where Luo Ding’s tryouts had taken place. But Duan Xiubo’s fans quickly countered, claiming that his post was merely polite and that the company’s office was far from where the tryouts were held, so it didn’t prove anything.

As Duan Xiubo skimmed through the comments, he shook his head, amused. “They call me ‘god,’ but they can’t even recognize me in low-res footage.”

He considered removing one particularly vocal fan from his list, but decided it would be too obvious. Instead, he logged into his main account and left a simple comment under the original post: “They look good together, don’t they? XD”

Satisfied, Duan Xiubo finally set his phone down and went to brush his teeth. But no sooner had he picked up his toothbrush than a flood of notifications buzzed on his phone.

To his surprise, the original poster had sent him a private message.

“Hey there! 😊 I had to delete your comment, hope you don’t mind! While we’re all shipping for fun, it’s better not to leave such direct comments that might attract unwanted attention. We don’t want outsiders getting the wrong idea, right? We all know it’s just senior/junior friendship! 😊”

Duan Xiubo stared at the message, his smile slowly fading. He immediately unfollowed the account.

“Man,” he muttered to himself, “I need to find a more supportive fandom.”

After flipping through a few more beautifully edited photos from the shoot, his appetite for breakfast finally returned. He whipped up a couple of fried eggs and sat down to eat, only to have his phone ring again just as he was about to step onto the treadmill.

It was Luo Ding.

Seeing the name “Xiao Luo” flash across his screen, Duan couldn’t help the surge of happiness that welled up in him. He answered with his usual calm voice, “Xiao Luo?”

“Hey, Duan Ge,”

Luo Ding’s awkward chuckle came through the line. “I, uh, wanted to ask—did you check Weibo today?”

“Oh?” Duan feigned ignorance. “What’s up?”

“Well… some fans are pairing us together, because of the *Fashion Weekly* photos. My manager said we shouldn’t address it directly—just act like we haven’t seen it. But I thought I should apologize to you first. It seems my fans started it.”

“An apology? No way!” Duan’s heart soared, but he kept his voice steady, panting slightly from his warm-up run. “It’s not a big deal at all. Why, are you upset?”

Luo Ding, relieved by Duan’s nonchalant attitude, let out a laugh, regaining his usual calm demeanor. “Honestly, getting linked to you is an honor. How could I complain?”

Even though he knew it was just politeness, Duan couldn’t help but feel giddy.

Luo Ding hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Beside him, Wu Fangyuan leaned over, concern written on his face. “Everything okay?”

Luo Ding nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He then opened his phone again to scroll through the fan-made gifs and images, growing more perplexed with every one he saw. These fans were crazy—reposting the same gifs over and over, adding special effects, and still reacting with shock and excitement as if they hadn’t already seen it a hundred times. The endless strings of “AHHHHHHH” filled his feed, leaving him bewildered.

Luo Ding carefully scrutinized the images, looking for any hint of the romantic tension that fans seemed to be reading into them. But he couldn’t find anything. How did they come up with this? Had fan pairings always been this intense, or was he just out of touch?

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