Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season

The press conference was held as planned.

Generally, the organizer would distribute red packets to the reporters who were present, so as to encourage them to be more lenient with their questions. Even after the press conference is over, another round of red packets would be distributed, so as to reduce the likelihood that reporters write negative or badly written articles.

Most media outlets would generally publish positive articles out of consideration for future collaborations or partnerships with the organizers. However, there would also be some unconventional media outlets who would release negative articles to stand out from the rest.

Jiaojiao’s press conference was held in a hotel. When she arrived, she came fully prepared with her group of bodyguards. The guests, who were held up at the entrance of the hotel, were shocked by her entourage.

The place was tightly packed with people, and there were banners with various slogans and LED boards with Jiaojiao’s name on them.

Written on the nearest banner were the words: Er Jiao, we’ll support you forever!

Another banner that was located further away had this written on it: Reporters, please treat our goddess well!

“Jiaojiao!!!”

“Er Jiao! I love you, just like how mice love rice!”[1]

“Jiaojiao, you will forever be the best! Don’t be scared, Jiao fans will always be with you, rain or shine!”

With the atmosphere heating up to unprecedented levels, the security personnel were feeling anxious. Many people were screaming crazily, and the passion emanating from the fanatical fans made the security personnel tasked with protecting Jiaojiao nervous, as they were afraid that the fans might suddenly rush up to them.

The hotel’s security personnel took the situation seriously. The manager in charge of the reception area blocked the entrance with a megaphone in hand and shouted, “Everyone, please remain rational. Do not act impulsively.”

If a stampede were to happen at the hotel’s entrance, it would definitely affect their image. Plus with so many people blockading and surrounding the entrance, how were they supposed to continue operating?

Sheng Jiaoyang had not been online these past few days. Firstly, she had not been in a good mood. Secondly, she did not wish to see the criticisms and hateful comments left by Sheng Shiyun’s supporters. Hence, she did not announce the news about her press conference. Rather, it was done by her manager, Xu Ping.

What she didn’t know was that her lack of online activity caused the Jiao Fans to rally, as the fans really wanted to show her their commitment. Thus, the spectacular scene before her was created.

How could Sheng Jiaoyang not feel touched by this scene?

As she was quite tall, when she raised her hands up into the air, it was clearly visible to everyone in the crowd. When she got everyone’s attention, she gradually put her hand down. With that, the loud and fanatical crowd slowly got quieter, until eventually, all her screaming fans finally came to a stop.

“Don’t rush…” The hotel manager was still shouting through the megaphone when he suddenly realised that everyone had become quiet. Hence, he stopped himself from shouting mid-sentence.

Sheng Jiaoyang slowly walked forward, and all her security personnel became more nervous. However, they were stunned by what they saw in the next moment.

The crowd that was originally blocking the hotel entrance suddenly made way for Jiaojiao to pass.

The hotel manager’s mouth was left wide open for quite a while.

Sheng Jiaoyang sauntered up to the hotel manager and asked him politely, “Can I borrow your megaphone?”

The hotel manager handed her the megaphone in a heartbeat.

Sheng Jiaoyang turned around to face her fans and bowed respectfully to them. Her fans started screaming wildly, but she motioned for them to stop by holding up her hand once again.

The crowd immediately became silent, and many onlookers were shocked by their discipline.

“I understand all of your intentions. If you love me, please take care of your own health first. Please take care of your voices and return home soon. The weather today is chilly, so be careful not to catch a cold. Also, when you’re on the road, please take note of your safety. Otherwise, if any of you fall sick, or if anything untoward happens to you, I will feel guilty and heartbroken.”

Suddenly a group of fans burst out in tears. Then, like a domino, more and more fans were influenced by the atmosphere and moved to tears.

Sheng Jiaoyang then gently added, “Don’t cry! Remember my words: love yourselves before you love me. Don’t worry, no one will be able to bully me. But still, I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement. I think the only way for me to repay all of your efforts today would be to show you an even better side of myself!”

“Jiaojiao, cheer up!” Originally, only one fan had shouted that out, but everyone joined in afterwards.

Everyone had forgotten Jiaojiao’s request to protect their voices.

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled helplessly. After waiting for the crowd to quieten down, she continued, “I got it, I will do my best. I am so proud of every one of you. Alright, let’s disperse. We should not affect the hotel’s guests and prevent them from entering or exiting freely. I will hold a fan meeting in December, so let’s see each other then.”

The fans were excited when they heard that there would be a fan meeting in the future. However, they didn’t want to leave their beloved celebrity in a tight spot, so they started leaving reluctantly. Of course, they did not forget to shout out a few more words of encouragement prior to their departure.

After the last fan had left, Sheng Jiaoyang turned around and handed the megaphone back to the hotel manager.

“Ms. Xu, your fans are the most disciplined and rational fans I’ve ever seen,” the hotel manager complimented her from the bottom of his heart.

Sheng Jiaoyang nodded in acknowledgement before walking in with her bodyguards.

“My palms were sweating earlier. I was afraid that they would create trouble,” one of the security guards who stood by the door said.

“Yeah, I never expected them to just leave like that.”

“Ms. Xu did not panic from the start to the end. It’s surprising for someone of such a young age to have such a tough mentality,” an older security guard commented.

Another young security guard whose face was filled with infatuation said, “Previously, I only had one goddess in my heart: Teacher C. But now, I have another goddess. Even though her chest isn’t as big as a mountain, I’m still captivated by her temperament…”

“Cough cough!” The hotel manager shot the young security guard a warning look. “Alright, back to work!”

The entire process of the fans gathering up outside the hotel to the point when they left, was fully captured. When the video was posted online, its views quickly soared.

Many netizens shared the video on their Weibo or to their network of friends, as they were astonished by the discipline that Jiao fans had shown. They then conveniently linked back to a past incident where some fans created a stampede just to see their beloved celebrity. The netizens compared the two celebrities, and many have come to the conclusion: The type of celebrity you are affects the type of fans you have.

Their conclusion was quite logical. After all, a celebrity’s actions largely influenced the actions and behaviours of their fans.

As the saying goes, the fans’ actions are the celebrity’s responsibility. The outstanding performance of Jiao fans has boosted Jiaojiao’s image.

The fans who did not manage to get to the venue were moved by Jiaojiao’s words, even though her voice was distorted in the video due to the poor megaphone quality and the background noise from the crowd.

Although the fans had willingly put in the effort for her by their own volition, they also hoped that she would be able to see their effort.

Jiaojiao had also revealed that she would be holding a fan meeting soon. Attending a fan meeting would certainly be different from watching a live stream. Additionally, the fans who attend the fan meeting might be lucky enough to be chosen by Jiaojiao and get to enjoy closer interaction with her.

Of course, there would always be keyboard warriors online. Some people claimed that Jiaojiao was not genuine, and that her actions in the video were only an act. They even claimed that she honed her acting skills by acting in her daily life.

Sheng Jiaoyang was not aware of the online frenzy she had caused. When she walked into the hotel’s lobby, she met Xu Ping and Zeng Huan.

“Jiaojiao, you’re awesome. You managed to get the fans to disperse in just a few short sentences.” Xu Ping smiled as they entered the elevator.

“I didn’t get them to disperse. It’s just that they had some self-awareness.” Sheng Jiaoyang smiled as she recalled her group of cute fans from earlier.

“I think Jiaojiao’s fan club is quite strong. The fan club rules are quite comprehensive, and the rules help the fan club members to remain rational while still being enthusiastic. Even if there are irrational fans, as long as they joined the fan club, they would become rational too,” Zeng Huan commented.

Ding! The elevator door slid open.

Once they arrived at the side entrance to the venue of the press conference, Xu Ping said, “The media representatives have all been waiting for you.”

“Okay.” Sheng Jiaoyang did not seem anxious at all. Instead, she suddenly seemed to have become much more composed.

Following Xu Ping’s instructions, Zeng Huan reached out and opened the door.

The people who were conversing with each other suddenly stopped. The photographers swiftly directed their cameras at the main subject, and the sounds of camera shutters filled the room.

Sheng Jiaoyang remained calm as the cameras flashed in her face. She headed up to the stage without even blinking.

On the stage was a long table with two chairs. Clearly it was meant for both Jiaojiao and Xu Ping.

Sheng Jiaoyang raised her hands to motion for all the media representatives to take their seats before she took hers.

“Hello everyone, I’m Jiaojiao’s manager, Xu Ping. I’m thankful for everyone’s attendance today. I believe everyone can already guess the agenda for today’s press conference. Jiaojiao will be giving her response to the recent rumours alleging that she is an illegitimate daughter,” Xu Ping announced the start of the press conference.

Here comes the main point! Everyone loved how straightforward Sheng Jiaoyang and her team were being, and they all looked earnestly towards the stage.

Sheng Jiaoyang picked up the microphone and said to the audience, “To the certain someone who claimed that I am her father’s illegitimate child, I would like to say this. If you still have brains, please check your facts before clamoring at me.”

There was an uproar in the audience. No one expected her attitude to be this tough.

“I would also like to take this chance to clarify another matter. The DNA report disclosed on the internet is true.” Sheng Jiaoyang threw out another bomb, and this one stumped everyone.

“So, Xu Jiaojiao, do you admit that you are the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy businessman, Mr. Pan?” a sharp-tongued reporter asked.

“Sorry, it’s not time for questions yet,” Xu Ping cut in.

Sheng Jiaoyang looked at the person who posted that question before continuing at her own pace. “Since everyone is interested in my birth history, let me share with you the truth before anyone starts to speculate. I don’t want you guys to be exploited either.”

“My biological father’s surname is indeed Pan. He and my mother had loved each other since their college days. They got married, but their marriage did not last long, as that man divorced my mother for his own future. It was only after the divorce that my mother found out that she was pregnant with me. She single-handedly raised me up and has not remarried all those years…”

“But what has this got to do with the founder of Sheng Industrial? Why did he hand you all of his assets?” The same sharp-tongued reporter cut in with another question.

---

1. This phrase is from the song 'Mouse Loves Rice', a 2004 Chinese pop song written by Yang Chengang. One of the song's most catchy lyrics is: 'I love you, I’m loving you, just like mice love rice'. For the full song + lyrics: https://bit.ly/38hB7IQ

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Hi everyone! Today marks the end for ROF! Although I have already mentioned this in my thoughts in the final chapter, I want to thank everyone again for all your love and support!! Thinking back on how things started, Kakaoo was actually the one who started translating this novel, but then the project remained as a teaser on volare for quite some time. Thanks to our readers’ request, we have decided to license this novel and continue translating it. Also, I would like to specially thank Kakaoo and the rest of...

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TL: J.Andie | Editor: Cookies | TLC: Grace