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Capital City, Capital International Airport.
The arrival announcement for the flight had already been broadcast twice. Outside the exit passage of Terminal 2, a large crowd had gathered. More than a dozen airport security officers stood guard like they were preparing for battle, keeping the people behind the barricades.
Aside from the reporters holding cameras or carrying camcorders, there were even more young fans holding up welcome signs. Curious travelers nearby couldn't help but glance over, wondering which big-name celebrity was arriving from abroad.
"Here they come! They're here!"
As the shouts rippled through the crowd, a group of people appeared in the passageway, lugging large suitcases and pushing luggage carts. Walking at the front was a tall man in sunglasses and a woman wearing a white dress and a mask.
The two were holding hands, their closeness unmistakable.
Kacha! Kacha!
In an instant, flashes erupted one after another as cameras locked onto the couple like a barrage of long and short guns aimed at their targets.
"Lu Chen!"
"Chen Fei'er!"
The gathered fans instantly broke into loud cheers, their cries mingled with declarations like "I love you!" Beautifully made welcome signs were held high in the air, and the atmosphere became feverishly electric.
Many fans tried to push forward, causing a brief commotion, but the seasoned airport security quickly restored order before things could spiral into real chaos.
Lu Chen was momentarily stunned by the scene before him, coming to a halt in surprise.
The "Full House" film crew had just wrapped up two days of shooting in Seoul and returned to the Capital City today, May 20th.
With this, all the foreign scenes of the drama were now complete. Meanwhile, a second domestic unit had already begun filming scenes involving the supporting cast in Capital City. Once the two units rejoined, they would move on to the Jinling Film Studio.
Lu Chen had never imagined that he and Chen Fei'er would receive such a grand welcome at the airport.
Hundreds of fans had shown up, along with a large number of media reporters.
Chen Fei'er, far more experienced, whispered softly, "Ignore the reporters. Just keep walking. Don't stop here. The car picking us up should be waiting outside."
Lu Chen nodded, tightening his grip on her hand as they quickened their pace toward the exit.
"Lu Chen, how do you view your recent altercation with Kitagawa Koji?"
"Miss Chen Fei'er, can you share what went through your mind when Lu Chen was taken away by the Korean police?"
"Lu Chen, what was your motivation for getting personally involved during the Jeju Island incident?"
"Lu Chen! Lu Chen, !"
With reporters shouting over one another, chaos filled the air. Lu Chen truly didn't know what to say. No wonder Chen Fei'er had told him not to respond, even a hundred explanations might not make things clear.
He hadn't expected the incident's influence to spread so widely. Back in Seoul, not only had several Korean TV stations interviewed him, but even Chinese reporters had flown in to cover the story.
But Lu Chen had already said everything that needed to be said, and he'd also published an official statement on his blog.
He had no intention of exploiting the incident for hype, even though it had already become a wildfire online.
"Lu Chen, can I get your autograph?"
A young female fan suddenly broke through the security line, struggling past the guards to thrust a notebook and pen toward him. Her pretty face was flushed red, her eyes glistening as if she might burst into tears at any second.
Lu Chen had been ignoring the reporters, but when he saw the teenage girl being shoved and scolded by the guards, risking so much just for an autograph, he couldn't bear to stay indifferent.
Quickly letting go of Chen Fei'er's hand, Lu Chen stepped forward.
He took the girl's pen and swiftly signed his name on her notebook.
After finishing, Lu Chen turned to the two airport security officers, who looked none too pleased, and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry for the trouble we've caused you."
He truly hadn't anticipated this situation. The film crew had no idea so many fans would show up at the airport today, otherwise, they could've simply taken the VIP exit and avoided all this fuss, sparing the airport staff a lot of trouble.
The two guards exchanged a glance, and one of them replied, "It's alright. You should go quickly. I'll have my colleagues clear a path for you, don't block the doorway."
They had handled plenty of celebrity arrivals before, but Lu Chen was the first star who had ever apologized to them.
Usually, big-name celebrities wouldn't even spare a glance for small security staff like them.
"Lu Chen! Lu Chen!"
Seeing one fan successfully get his autograph, the rest of the fans grew even more excited, eager for their own chance to get close to their idol.
Lu Chen knew that if he didn't leave now, things might really get out of control.
He quickly waved to the crowd of fans and said, "Thank you!"
Then, pulling Chen Fei'er along, he hurriedly made his way out under the protection of the security personnel and boarded the business van waiting for them in the pickup area outside.
Only after the car had driven some distance did Lu Chen finally exhale in relief.
Chen Fei'er chuckled and said, "Congratulations, you've officially got your own fan club now!"
The term "chasing stars" first appeared in the 1990s. Literally meaning "star chasers," it referred to people or groups who idolized celebrities. Most of them were young, energetic, trendy, and full of passion.
Chasing-star fans were still fans, but of a different kind. Their reputation in society wasn't exactly glowing; news reports often featured stories of overzealous fans who became obsessed to the point of neglecting sleep or meals, with some even taking things to dangerous extremes.
Compared to that, showing up at the airport to welcome a celebrity was relatively harmless. Some of these fans would go to astonishing lengths, following their idols across cities or even countries just to catch a glimpse of them, driven by sheer persistence and devotion.
From a certain perspective, an idol without a few fanatics chasing after them wasn't really considered a successful idol.
In fact, an entire industry had sprung up around this culture, and some professional fans were secretly hired by entertainment agencies to lead fan groups, control narratives, and create artificial buzz for their idols.
Lu Chen, however, ran his own studio. Although he did invest in media promotion, he had never hired a single professional fan.
That meant all these chasing-star fans were genuine supporters, a true sign of how popular he had become.
Lu Chen had some understanding of this fan culture, so when Chen Fei'er teased him, he could only smile helplessly.
Having too many obsessed fans wasn't necessarily a good thing. It could lead to all kinds of disturbances and invasions of privacy. In comparison, those fans who interacted on live-streaming platforms, blogs, or forums were much more adorable and well-behaved.
Ding-ling-ling～
Just as Lu Chen was about to discuss the topic further with Chen Fei'er, his phone, which he had only recently turned back on, suddenly started ringing.
The call was from Sister Li.
"Lu Chen, have you two arrived in Capital City yet?"
Lu Chen smiled. "Just got here. We're in the car now. Any orders for us, Sister Li?"
Sister Li laughed and scolded lightly, "Orders? What nonsense! I've reserved a table at the Imperial Deluxe restaurant. You and Fei'er come over, consider it a welcome-back dinner."
Lu Chen readily agreed. "Sure. How about we get there around six?"
Sister Li replied happily, "Perfect! I'll head over first and wait for you two, don't stand me up!"
After hanging up, Lu Chen turned to Chen Fei'er and said, "Sister Li's treating us to dinner."
Chen Fei'er laughed. "You're in for a busy evening, then."
Lu Chen could only chuckle and shake his head.
(End of this chapter)