Master of Raw Images

Zhou Yi realized that staying at school would likely still attract fans looking for him, so he simply took leave and hid back at home.

It was from Zhang Wu that Zhou Yi learned about the fans planning to organize a support event for him.

Although people had also mentioned this in the comments under his Weibo post, Zhou Yi thought the number wouldn't be large. He never expected it to be tens of thousands of people.

In that case, he would definitely have to go out and meet the fans.

After all, they were all potential sources of "Heartbeat Points," and since everyone came all that way just to see him, not showing up would seem too heartless.

After some thought, Zhou Yi finally booked an entire floor—a banquet hall typically used for annual galas—at the largest hotel in Huaihai to host the fan meeting.

Originally, some celebrities charge for fan meetings, as that's how they make money from such events, but Zhou Yi had no intention of charging.

Just kidding, this was a perfect opportunity to build a positive public image, attract fans, and earn Heartbeat Points. The money from tickets paled in comparison to the value of Heartbeat Points and attribute points.

Later, Zhou Yi still posted a Weibo to inform everyone about the fan meeting.

["I'm so jealous, I'm so jealous, wuwuwu, I didn't manage to get a ticket ahhhh."]

["A free fan meeting! No tickets required! He's really... I'm crying......"]

["Currently in Huaihai, hehe, just two more days until I see Brother Liyu. Lucky me right here."]

["I'm a fansite master, no joke. When I went to stake out Zhou Yi today, I wasn't even a fan yet. After seeing him in person, I instantly fell head over heels. The photos didn't even need editing; his raw, unedited pictures crush a huge number of male celebrities."]

["So where are the pictures! Have you posted them?"]

["I feel like my photos didn't do his real-life appearance justice, it's truly a sin, so I'm too embarrassed to post them."]

Under the strong demands of Zhou Yi's fans, she eventually posted the pictures.

In the photos, Zhou Yi was wearing a white hoodie with a black jacket over it, carrying his backpack slung over one shoulder as he walked on the campus path, looking like he was filming a TV drama.

This fansite master's ID was "Crazy Rabbit." Fans generally called her Sister Rabbit or Bunny. In the fandom circle, she was known as a fansite master who produced high-quality photos quickly.

["You call this 'not good looking'? Sis, you're being too modest."]

["Damn, his nose is way too perfect. I'd say some actors playing the school heartthrob in TV dramas aren't as good-looking as his raw photos."]

["If you don't have this level of looks, don't go playing school heartthrobs. If Zhou Yi entered the entertainment industry, wouldn't he just dominate effortlessly?"]

["His skin is even better than some female celebrities, my god, not a single flaw. What skincare does he use?"]

["She actually said she made Zhou Yi look bad in the photos. It's hard to imagine how much more handsome Zhou Yi must be in real life."]

["Learned a new phrase: 'Not photogenic' Zhou Liyu. If this is 'not photogenic,' then what are all those odd-looking ones in the entertainment industry?"]

["He really is more handsome in person than in photos, I'm a Huanyu employee, I can vouch for it."]

Zhou Yi's few candid "on the way to school" photos became legendary among raw, unedited pictures.

Not only were fans praising them, but casual netizens and fans of other male stars were also complimenting them. After all, with looks like that, they also appreciate a handsome guy.

However, as the praise continued, some netizens inevitably started comparing Zhou Yi to other male stars.

There were also fansite masters using their alternate accounts to complain in the comments.

["I only realized CX is heavily reliant on photoshop after I photographed him. His real self has no relation to the photos. I didn't even want to edit the pictures."]

["Last time I saw BW, I regretted squatting in the bushes for hours. So ugly, and short too. How dare his fans boast about him being a 188cm tall handsome guy?"]

["Zhou Yi really looks like this? Damn, I always thought it was just the photos. Had I known, I would've gone to Huaihai to shoot him too."]

["This set of pictures blew up, right? I see lots of people reposting them. Damn, I should've gone to shoot Zhou Yi instead."]

["Shit! Shouldn't have gone to shoot KL. His fans are super problematic, complaining my photos were ugly, saying I made their 'gege' look bad and even cursing me. Please, your 'gege' just looks like that! And I still edited the pics before posting. If I posted the originals, it would scare them to death."]

Seeing these comments from fansite masters, netizens and fans of other artists started joining in for the gossip, asking the fansite masters to post the original unedited photos so they could enjoy the drama.

A few fansite masters, fed up, actually posted the originals, which ended up trending on Weibo.

The familiar battle between fans and anti-fans erupted on the hot search.

Because some male celebrities were being compared unfavorably to Zhou Yi by netizens, the fans of those male stars mentioned by netizens and fansite masters weren't happy and started making sarcastic remarks.

["You call these 'raw photos'? Zhou Yi fans, stop joking around."]

["Clearly edited. Not a single pimple. Who are you trying to fool?"]

["Fans, stop pretending to be netizens to make unfavorable comparisons. You haven't even entered the entertainment industry's door and you're already playing the fandom games. So skilled."]

["Buying black hot search for my brother, right? Whose cake did my brother touch?"]

["Little haters!"]

["You got paid, right? Zhou Yi's side, don't go too far."]

......

The comment section was in chaos. Zhou Yi's fans largely ignored them, leaving it mostly as a shouting match between netizens and those other fans.

Because of this incident, the public perception of certain male celebrities worsened. Not only were their fans trying to silence criticism, but they also wanted to control netizens' freedom of speech.

Even worse, some celebrities used their "monetary power" to get netizens' accounts suspended. This backfired, making netizens even more rebellious, and they directly went to the male stars' comment sections to criticize.

In contrast, things were calm and peaceful on Zhou Yi's side.

The initial fansite master "Crazy Rabbit" who posted Zhou Yi's photos saw her traffic and discussion explode, earning quite a bit of money.

Fansite masters have their own groups and circles. Seeing this business opportunity, they all wanted to go shoot Zhou Yi.

Since tickets to Huaihai were sold out, they were determined to drive for two days if necessary just to photograph Zhou Yi!

Zhou Yi had already been a traffic goldmine for some gossip accounts, and now he added fansite masters to the list.

Crazy Rabbit even got cyberbullied by some fans over the comment section drama, who insisted she was paid by Zhou Yi.

After she had earned enough traffic and money, she posted another video to prove these were indeed raw, unedited photos.

In the video Crazy Rabbit shot, she took out her camera and flipped through the photos one by one, showing the time and date stamps on each, all original, unedited shots. Only then did some fans have nothing left to say.

Netizens directly gave Zhou Yi a nickname: "The Raw Photo God of War."

Everyone had become accustomed to Zhou Yi occasionally trending on Weibo.

Yet he himself remained exceptionally low-key, rarely appearing in public. The more he did so, the more curious people became about him, and the more favorable their impression grew.

This wave of raw photos directly earned Zhou Yi a large batch of new casual fans and dedicated fansite masters.

The influence of fansite masters should not be underestimated. Their followers are often fans of various celebrities, and they hold a certain amount of sway within fan circles.

Fansite masters also have their preferences. For those they like, they post more content and put more care into editing photos. They can influence the preferences of a large number of fans.

To photograph Zhou Yi, they set off early, driving to Huaihai.

Those who lived closer arrived a day early. Coincidentally, Zhou Yi went to Luo Bingqing's concert rehearsal that day. A fansite master photographed Zhou Yi from the rooftop of a high-rise building opposite and posted the pictures early. They quickly received a huge number of likes, reposts, and comments.

She sighed in the group chat: "It's so much better to photograph a handsome guy like this. You don't even need to edit the pictures before posting them, and the traffic is still this high. This handsome guy has potential!"