156 The Man Behind the Star 6 (1/2)
”Miss Joann Fong, I hope you don't mind the intrusion.” The younger sister hid behind her elder sister, she seemed awfully starstruck. It was the elder sister who had kept the conversation going.
”Of course not, how can I help you?” Joann said with a pleasant smile on her face.
”We, we're very big fans of your work! We're just wondering would you sign this for us?!” The girl stammered while holding out a paper napkin towards Joann. The napkin was of fine quality and Xu Jing believed they were compliments of the restaurant.
”Of course. It would be my pleasure to do so.” Joann took the napkins from them and signed them carefully. She asked the girls for their names and wrote them down on the napkins so they would be personalized.
The girls were so impressed that Joann was so thoughtful even though this was something common among celebrities who had been given PR classes by their agency. The most effective way to retain one's fan was to make each of them feel special. However, the honest truth was most of the celebrities wouldn't even remember your name once they had it signed. After all, they were mere humans, it would be preposterous for the public to expect them to remember the names of their every fan. It was simply a mirage that no one wished to burst for the sake of keeping the illusion alive.
While Joann signed the napkins, the younger sister poked her head out to stutter nervously, ”We, we... we are so in awe by Miss Joann's love for her friend... Even though your friend... has said such horrible things... about you, Miss Joann has stayed by his side through thick and thin.”
The girl was referring to the incident with Lee Mu. After the release of the article and the commercial, Joann had appeared alongside Lee Mu on some variety show to talk about their friendship and the support they had for each others. While Lee Mu and Joann were indeed real-life friends, some of the stories shared were fabricated or enhanced because this was ultimately a PR move to undo the damage Lee Mu had done. It worked to build the image of a caring and understanding friend for Joann in the audience's hearts.
”It was what I was supposed to do. After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed, right?” Joann said as if rehearsed.
However the two girls slurped her PR statement right up, in fact, Xu Jing could see their eyes lighting up with admiration.
After a few more friendly exchanges, the girls left. Xu Jing knew the dinner would not be between them anymore and he was proven right. After the girls had taken the lead, others started to follow suit.
Since they were at an upscale restaurant, the fans didn't act too out of place. They did not crowd Joann and came to see her one group after another. As expected of the upper society, they were respectful and polite.