From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 373: Shino 2

Shina did not breathe for a few seconds.

The message stayed on the screen.

I want to see you.

He blinked once. Then again. The words did not change.

His thumb hovered over the phone like touching it might make the message disappear. For a moment he honestly wondered if someone had edited the screenshot and sent it to him as a prank.

Then he checked the profile again.

Blue verification badge.

Millions of followers.

The same profile picture he had seen on streaming platforms and award shows.

It was real.

Shina jumped to his feet so suddenly the plastic chair beside the bed fell over.

"Jesus!"

He paced the small lodge room, running one hand over his head.

"Jesus... Jesus..."

His heart was racing so hard it almost felt painful.

He opened the message again just to be sure.

Still there.

Still real.

"I want to see you."

He let out a laugh that sounded half like panic.

"No way."

He paced again, faster now, then suddenly grabbed the edge of the bed and bounced on it like a child who had just received impossible news.

"JD messaged me!"

He said it out loud, as if the walls needed confirmation.

For years he had been talking about this man to a camera. Defending him in comment sections. Predicting his comeback during the years everyone else had moved on.

And now the same man had sent him a message.

Shina grabbed his phone again and stared at the message.

His fingers started typing.

Then he deleted it.

Typed again.

Deleted again.

"What do I even say?"

He laughed nervously and ran a hand down his face.

Then the excitement burst out of him again.

He jumped onto the mattress and began singing loudly, not caring that people might hear through the thin lodge walls.

"Be my Juliet, and I’ll be your Romeo..."

He laughed halfway through the line.

"Ah!"

He continued singing, walking around the room now like he was performing on stage.

"Shade o... Shade o..."

His voice cracked and he laughed again.

"Guy, calm down," he told himself. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

But he couldn’t calm down.

He grabbed the phone again and opened the message.

Still there.

Still real.

"I want to see you."

He dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"This is crazy."

Then he opened WhatsApp.

First call.

His cousin in Ibadan.

The cousin answered immediately.

"Guy!"

Shina didn’t even greet.

"JD messaged me."

Silence.

Then the cousin shouted.

"Liar u dey whine me !"

"I swear!"

"Send screenshot now!"

Shina sent it immediately.

The reply came almost instantly.

"Jesus Christ."

They both started laughing through the phone.

"Bro," the cousin said breathlessly, "you don finish."

"I never even reply yet."

"Reply fast before he change mind!"

Shina laughed again, nerves mixing with excitement.

"I go reply. I just need to think nah JD be this a Global Superstar at his peak man this is confusing oo."

He ended the call and sat quietly for a moment.

Then he opened Instagram again.

The message waited there calmly like it had all the time in the world.

He typed slowly this time.

Hello sir. I’m a huge fan. I’ve followed your work for years. Thank you for even messaging me.

He paused.

Deleted "sir".

Typed again.

Hello Dayo. I’m a huge fan. I’ve followed your work for years. I honestly don’t know what to say right now.

He stared at the words.

Too long?

Too emotional?

He erased half of it.

Typed again.

Hello. I’m Shina. I’m a huge fan. It would be an honor to meet you.

He stared again.

Better.

He didn’t send it yet.

Instead he leaned back against the wall and breathed slowly.

The excitement was still buzzing in his chest.

His phone buzzed again.

Twitter notifications.

The video was still climbing.

A new article had dropped.

This one from an international outlet.

It talked about how a fan accidentally captured a moment that reshaped public perception of a global artist. It described the clip as "unfiltered humanity" and pointed out that the artist himself had not even acknowledged the footage yet.

Shina read the article slowly.

It felt strange seeing his name inside the story.

He wasn’t used to being written about.

Another notification appeared.

YouTube.

The video had crossed another milestone.

His subscriber count had jumped again.

Shina laughed softly.

"This is madness."

Then he remembered something.

Home.

He quickly opened the family WhatsApp group.

Messages were already waiting.

His aunt had sent the clip earlier that morning.

One of his uncles had replied with a long voice note praising Dayo.

His younger sister had sent fire emojis.

Then his mother wrote something simple.

Shina, call me.

He dialed immediately.

His mother answered on the second ring.

"Shina."

"Ma."

"So this is what you went to Lagos to do?"

He laughed nervously.

"I didn’t plan it."

"I saw the video," she said. "Everyone is sending it."

"It just happened."

There was a pause.

Then she spoke softly.

"That boy in the video... I cried when I saw him."

Shina swallowed.

"I know."

"You did well posting it," she said.

He hadn’t expected that.

"You think so?"

"Yes."

Her voice grew firmer.

"But listen to me."

"I’m listening."

"Things may become serious now."

He nodded instinctively even though she couldn’t see him.

"Yes ma."

"Fame comes with pressure," she continued. "People will talk. Some will praise you. Some will insult you. Some will try to use you."

"I know."

"You must stay focused."

He leaned back on the bed again.

"Yes ma."

"And don’t forget who you are."

"I won’t."

She exhaled softly.

"Your father saw the video too."

Shina laughed.

"What did he say?"

"He said you finally used your stubbornness for something useful."

Shina laughed loudly now.

"Haha That sounds like him."

"Just be careful," she said again.

"I will."

They ended the call.

Shina stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

Everything had changed in less than twenty-four hours.

He had gone to Lagos chasing content.

Now his name was inside headlines.

His phone buzzed again.

Instagram.

He opened it quickly.

New message.

From Dayo.

Shina’s heart jumped again.

The reply was simple.

Tonight.

Location coming soon.

Shina stared at the screen.

Then slowly lowered the phone.

For the first time since morning he sat completely still.

The excitement returned like a wave.

He stood up again and laughed helplessly.

"Tonight?"

He walked to the mirror in the room and looked at himself.

Simple T-shirt.

Shorts.

Barefoot.

"Guy..."

He shook his head.

Then he grabbed his phone again and finally pressed send on his reply.

Hello. I’m Shina. I’m a huge fan. It would be an honor to meet you.

The message delivered instantly.

He stared at it.

Outside the window Lagos continued moving like nothing had happened.

But inside that small lodge room, Shina’s world had just changed again.

Tonight he was going to meet the man he had spent years defending on the internet.

And for the first time since the video went viral, the story was about to move offline.