Chapter 38: A Tremendous Shock! The Birth of the Super-Aged Fans' Support Club!

The name Zhao Min was indeed easy to remember. Li Xian nodded and blurted out, “Your husband’s not named Zhang Wuji, is he?”

Zhao Jin-zhi burst out laughing and shook her head.

But she seemed not to want to linger on that subject and quickly changed the topic. “By the way, old brother, I saw that video of you online, the one where you played the old beggar. You were really good in it.”

Li Shixin chuckled, “Of course I was.”

How could I not be? Back then, I was hanging on by a thread. If the other extras didn’t perform well, at worst they’d go without a meal the next day. But if I messed up... I’d be getting a meal in the underworld with King Yama!

“And after playing the beggar, did you get any new roles?” Zhao Jin-zhi asked again.

Hearing this question, Li Shixin couldn’t help but straighten his back.

“I did!” he crowed, “Have you heard of Director Jiao Chendong? He’s making a new drama set in the old days. He came to my house today, personally, to invite me to join the cast.”

“???”

Zhao Jin-zhi frowned in surprise, glancing at Li Shixin.

A moment later, she curled her lips into a slight smile. “Is that so? That’s wonderful.”

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the 98 Gongti Square.

It was after six o’clock, and dusk was falling. The square was bustling with people—some doing square dancing, some exercising, others strolling to help their digestion. Everyone was settling into their routines.

As a newcomer, Li Shixin knew he’d need to find a group with an established following to blend in. So, once inside the square, he headed straight for the area where the senior citizens’ dance troupe had gathered two days earlier.

But as he walked along the path and reached the spot, he was surprised to find that the elderly men and women, who should have been dancing to music, were not dancing at all. Instead, they were huddled together in clusters, their expressions furtive, as if they were plotting... something earth-shattering!

...

“Sister Liu, are you joining or not? I’m telling you, two-thirds of our dance troupe have already signed up. If you wait any longer, once registration closes, you won’t be a core member. When our support club holds events, you won’t be able to join in.”

Amidst the crowd, Granny Wu Ming was clutching a small notebook, trying to persuade a lady who looked well into her seventies.

On her shoulder was a palm-sized armband, pure white, emblazoned with the logo of an old man’s face with a pipe. Below the logo, in elegant font, were the words “The Faithful.” Around the edge, in small print, it read: “Li Shixin Fan Support Club!”

Behind her, a little girl with twin ponytails was watching her grandmother—now president of the Li Shixin “Faithful” Fan Club—with a look of disdain.

As for the old lady Wu Ming was coaxing, she hesitated, “Xiao Wu, has everyone else joined?”

Wu Ming sighed righteously, “Would I lie to you? Both Old Sun and Old Liu have joined—just a moment ago!”

“Well, then count me in! And if there’s anything this old bag of bones can do, just say the word!”

“Good!” Wu Ming grinned, scribbled Granny Liu’s name into the roster, and held out her hand. “The fee, fifty yuan for membership.”

“We have to pay?” Granny Liu looked bewildered.

“Of course! As the first batch of core members, we have to shoulder the responsibility of promoting our idol—how can we do that without an activity fund? Didn’t you just say I could count on you for anything? Now that money’s involved, you’re reluctant?”

Wu Ming’s expression was stern. Seeing Granny Liu reluctantly hand over a green bill, she snatched it up. “Come on, this is nothing. When Shixin gets famous, he’ll give you an autographed photo!”

“Then Xiao Wu, you have to tell Xiao Li not to forget us when he’s famous!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll remember!”

Pocketing the money with practiced ease, Wu Ming moved on to another old lady. “Sister Sun, Sister Liu and Sister Zhou have already become full members and paid their dues. In our group, you’re the only one left!”

Using the same strategy, Wu Ming soon persuaded another newcomer to join. Then she grabbed her next target: “Sister Zhou, Sister Sun and Sister Liu have all joined. If you keep hesitating, when we’re busy in the future, you’ll be left all alone!”

...

Standing on the edge of the crowd, Li Shixin stared at the large sign beside Wu Ming that read, “Li Shixin ‘Faithful’ Fan Support Club Now Recruiting Core Members.” He couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his eyes.

And seeing the group of elderly women surrounding Wu Ming, excitedly sticking armbands on their sleeves, Li Shixin’s mouth twitched again.

So... this is my support group?

“Li Shixin! Hey, Li Shixin’s here!”

At that moment, an elderly man spotted Li Shixin standing awkwardly to the side and called out.

In an instant, more than a hundred grannies turned and swarmed toward Li Shixin.

“Shixin! Xiao Wu showed us your videos! We support your dream!”

“Go for it, Shixin! No matter how much time you have left, make a name for yourself and show that unfilial son of yours!”

“Shixin! Shixin! I even donated fifty yuan to you! Give me your autograph first!”

...

Surrounded by a crowd of grannies, Li Shixin was completely dumbfounded.

In his previous life, he’d faced plenty of fans. But what was the situation back then? Ten fans combined probably didn’t add up to one hundred and fifty years old in total. Now, just picking three at random from this crowd, their ages would easily add up to two hundred!

Faced with this enthusiastic rush, he didn’t dare move. If one or two of them fell, that would be a disaster!

“Calm down! Everyone, calm down!”

Fortunately, a few voices rose from the crowd, restoring order.

Wu Ming then emerged from the throng, dragging along the twin-ponytailed girl, her face full of teenage annoyance.

Spotting Li Shixin, Wu Ming’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Brother Shixin, I waited for you all day yesterday at the square. Why didn’t you come?”

“I...” Li Shixin hesitated, “Something came up at home last night.”

“Well, as long as you’re here now.” Wu Ming patted his arm and gestured to the crowd. “I’ve already told everyone about your story. Since you’re here in Rongdian chasing your dream of stardom, you need some popularity, right? So I took the liberty of organizing a support club for you. Look, this is our team!”

When Wu Ming spread her arms and pointed at the crowd of fans, her whole bearing radiated pride. For a moment, Li Shixin almost felt as if she was declaring, “Behold, the empire I’ve built for you!”

Looking at all the aged faces turned toward him, Li Shixin forced a laugh and waved, then turned to Wu Ming. “Sis, thank you... Thank you for all your trouble!”

“Oh, come on!” Wu Ming playfully slapped his arm. “What are you saying? This is only right! From now on, I’m your number one fan and the head of your fan club. Don’t say such distant things!”

“Well, uh...” Rubbing his arm, Li Shixin grinned, “So how many people do we have in the support club now?”

“Eighty-six!”

Wu Ming’s face shone with pride.

“Average age—seventy-two!”