CH 31

Chapter 31: Idols Face-to-Face

Since he had already carried his pillow and blanket to the study, Yin Chang didn’t want to ask Shao Junling to go back. He could only acquiesce in his early move.

After the bedding was moved, Yin Chang watched Shao Junling walk back to the hall bathroom, come out with his toothbrush, cup, and small towel in hand and bring them to the master bathroom.

Yin Chang: “……” This little guy really doesn’t care about privacy?

Yin Chang watched Shao Junling wash his face and brush his teeth with trepidation. Sure enough, when Yin Chang followed him into the study, he saw the mess on the bed. Shao Junling never made the bed. He ignored the sheets and simply laid down.

“You stand aside…” Yin Chang properly tucked in the sheets and folded the blanket before letting Shao Junling into the bed.

Indeed, the bed in the study was a lot smaller than the bed in the guest room. However, Yin Chang specifically bought him a new bedside table as to allow a place for Shao Junling to put a small night lamp on. The warm light illuminating the study made it cozy.

When Shao Junling went to lie down, Yin Chang asked him: “Are you comfortable?”

Shao Junling whispered:  “Mmm”.

Looking at him, Yin Chang suddenly thought of the photos he found two days ago while packing his father’s belongings in the study. He couldn’t help but ask: “Shao Junling, do you remember what happened to you before you went to the welfare institute?”

On hearing this, Shao Junling narrowed his eyes and pulled up the quilt nervously.

“What’s wrong?” Yin said to his consternation. Can you tell me?”

Shao Junling’s strong reaction surprised Yin Chang. He probed further: “What’s the matter? Can you tell me about it? ”

Shao Junling quickly refused with a stern face: “No.”

Yin Chang: “……”

His simple admission ‘no’ rather than ‘don’t remember’ suggested he does know something about his experiences before he was five but for some reason, he didn’t want to say.

After hearing Shao Junling’s straightforward rejection, Yin Chang didn’t want to pry further, so he gave up: “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Good night.”

After turning off the lights for him, Yin Chang went back to his own bed and went to sleep.

On the small bed in the study, holding the quilt tight, Shao Junling clenched the blankets and shut his eyes. He did not know how long it took for him to finally fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, Yu Chang was suddenly awakened by groaning noises coming from the study.

Yin Chang suddenly got off the bed and rushed over. Turning on the light, he saw the figure on the bed curled up into a ball, babbling unconsciously, covered in sweat, and trembling.

“Shao Junling?” Yin Chang was startled. He quickly squatted down to wake him up: “Are you having a nightmare?”

Even though the little guy opened his eyes slightly, he seemed to be in a trance. Feeling Yin Chang’s hand on his cheeks, Shao Junling looked at Yin Chang in a daze.

Subconsciously, Yin Chang leaned forward and rubbed his forehead and cheeks, offering some small comfort. Normally, Shao Junling was like a stubborn donkey. Rarely has Yin Chang seen him look so weak and helpless. With such a pitiful appearance, Yin Chang felt sorry for him and in a low, soothing voice he said: “It’s okay….”

Relieved by Yin Chang touch and calming tone, Shao closed his eyes again and gradually fell back to sleep.

Yin Chang looked at him for a while with a myriad of thoughts in his mind. What kind of nightmare does a ten-year-old child have that could put him in so much distress? Could it be related to his past? Was it because of the questions Yin Chang asked? If that’s the case, he won’t ask Shao Junling about his past ever again.

The next day, Shao Junling acted like nothing happened during the night. Yin Chang watched him eat his breakfast like he usually did in silence. Since it seemed like Shao Junling had no recollection of his nightmare, Yin Chang didn’t bring it up.

Five days later, Fiona arrived. The next time Shao Junling came home for the weekend, the two of them officially met.

Making the introductions, Yin Chang said: “This is Shao Junling; the child whom my father planned to adopt.”

Fiona looked at the boy in front of her and smiled lovingly: “He really resembles Mr. Yin…”

Although Yin Chang knew it was true, when he heard Fiona admit it out loud, he felt his heart sour.

He suppressed his unsettled emotions and said to Shao Junling: “This is Fiona.”

Shao Junling repeated obediently: “Yang Na.”

Yin Chang corrected his pronunciation: “It’s Fiona, Fi-on-na…there is an F sound in front.”

Without expression, Shao Junling repeated: “Yang Na.”

Yin Chang: “……”

Chuckling, Fiona commented: “Yang Na is Yang Na. This is a good name too. From now on, you can call me Yang Na.”

Shao Junling seemed pleased. After the new housekeeper “Yang Na” was introduced, she spent the afternoon in the kitchen cooking a hearty home-cooked meal for the brothers. Her superb cooking skills quickly won over Shao Junling. In only two days, this little guy followed her everywhere like a puppy, eager to be fed.

***

From the beginning of autumn to the end, the leaves naturally fell. December arrived in a blink of an eye.

In the private lounge of Tianyue Media, Wang Chen was leaning on a sofa while watching the commercial he shot for VI. Today was the launch of the new VI watch advertising campaign and Wang Chen image had replaced the previous spokesperson. As a result, Wang Chen’s recent popularity had increased.

Although Yin Chang got the luxury BG endorsement, Wang Chen’s agent tried to appease him with his own analysis. The BG watch was too expensive for an everyday person. In other words, Yin Chang’s endorsement was very limited in scope and thus, offered him much less exposure. In contrast, VI’s audience was much broader. Since success in the entertainment industry was linked to popularity, once a celebrity was out of site and out of mind, they were already standing with one foot in a grave.

After listening to the agent’s comments, Wang Chen felt better. In any case, the new advertising campaign for BG won’t be released until next year. Wang Chen is still the most popular rookie in the entertainment industry.

As Wang Chen was immersed in his own thoughts, his agent came over and smacked him on the head with a small stack of rolled-up documents: “What kind of fantasy are you dreaming about that drool is flowing out of your mouth!”

“Eh?” Wang Chen hurriedly closed his lips and said with attitude: “What’s that for? Is something going on?”

The agent pretended to be dramatic: “There’s good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Wang Chen sneered: “Don’t be so cliché. Hurry up and just say it. Don’t stall!”

The agent smiled and said: “The TV program, Idols Face-to-Face, wants you to be a guest on their variety show.”

Wang Chen jumped up excitedly: “Wow! Really?”

His agent raised his eyebrows: “You think I’m lying?”

“Idols Face-to-Face” was a highly rated variety show that interviews celebrities. It specially invites the most popular young idols to be guests. As was the case with the magazine ‘New People’, being on the show was a mark of being a true celebrity. Both standards are used as criteria for other celebrities to gauge whether or not a person is truly famous.

Since Wang Chen won the newcomer title from “Absolute Idol”, he has been waiting for an invitation to appear on the show for almost four months.

Having disregarded any sense of ‘bad news’, Wang Chen spat out: “Finally, they invited me. Ha-ha! It seems this young master’s popularity is so great that they have to pay attention to me!”

Before Wand Chen could say more, the agent interrupted him. He couldn’t afford to let Wang Chen continue his dream so he bluntly delivered the bad news: “Yin Chang was also invited.”

Each broadcast of Idol Face to Face involves more than one celebrity. In addition to the interview, there are various activities for the celebrities to participate in during the show. Normally, two high-profile stars are invited officially. There are a few less-known people on the show to help highlight the stars and facilitate the games.

As soon as he heard it, he exclaimed: “What!? Yin Chang again!? ”

…..Is that guy trying to snuff me out? Last time it was the watch endorsement and this time it’s a talk show!

The agent tried to comfort him by saying: “I’ve already inquired about the invitations so you don’t have to worry about it. They invited Yin Chang first. It was just coincidence that the two of you would be together. I heard Yin Chang already accepted the offer. The producer said if you don’t want to meet him, he can make you the guest star of the next episode!”

When Wang Chen heard what his Agent said, he nearly exploded. What’s this? …the producer invited Yin Chang first?  … he could be the star of the next episode? Can’t he be the star of this episode?

Wang Chen: “No! I’m going! I can’t go to this show after Yin Chang!” ….Otherwise, I’ll lose!

Agent: “……”

However, now that he said it, Wang Chen was reminded of the crushing feeling he had during the audition for VI. Wang Chen could act, sing and dance for he was the Absolute Idol! But, what if they went together and Yin Chang stole the show? It’s not possible to be as good as him, right? Wang Chen couldn’t help but be scared.  

The agent seemed to see his concerns and offered comfort: “Yin Chang is only strong in fashion shoots. In other respects, he is very stiff. You saw it that day in the audition. Besides, you have already had experience fighting to the top on Absolute Idol. Since it’s the first time he will be on TV, he will probably be more nervous than you will be so you don’t need to worry so much.”

Hearing what the agent had said, Wang Chen recalled Yin Chang’s stiff acting when he was filming the commercial for VI. He sneered and said: “That’s right. I am much better than him.”

The agent added: “Furthermore, the members of the live audience are prearranged. Since the producers invited the both of you, they will make sure your respective fans are equal in numbers sitting in the audience.”

Relaxing noticeably, Wang Chen waved his hand: “Then let’s do it.”

Agent: “Okay. The show will be recorded in the afternoon on December 29. It will be aired two weeks later on Saturday night. I will ask the program manager to send the script to you in advance so you can prepare for it carefully.”

Wang Chen: “The afternoon on the 29th? I’m supposed to go to my sister’s place for dinner that day. I guess I’ll just go afterwards”

The agent asked, “What? There’s another family dinner?”

Wang Chen pushed his bangs out of his eyes and said: “No. My little nephew asked me to come home for dinner to meet his classmate. I heard his classmate wants to meet me. Even elementary kids are my fans so I have to go back and meet him.”

Agent: “Yes. Your fan base is greatly expanding.”

***

At the same time, in the practice room of Nova Entertainment, Lu Lingxuan is teaching Yin Chang how to deal with the TV show by explaining the script of Idols Face-to-Face to him.

“There are five guests on the show. The host will ask you questions one-by-one, most of which are written here….. How well you interact with each other on the fly is the key to a variety show. In addition, it’s important to know the people on the show in advance so you can prepare. One of your biggest strengths is your looks. As long as you can behave normally, it will be enough to attract viewers…”

Lu Lingxuan  continued: “I’ve compiled information about the other four guests for you. Look over the profiles and think of them as your friends. When you get on stage, it will be like chatting with your buds. It’ll be very easy….”

Yin Chang looked down and quickly glanced at the list of artists scheduled to be on Idols Face to Face:  Bai Xiao Zhi, Jia Siqi, Yu Ruize, Wang Chen……

…. Wang Chen again?

____________________

【Vignette】

ONE:

Wang Chen: “We are all dependent on the amount of viewers we have. The endorsement for BG is useless for you!”

Yin Chang: “What misunderstandings do you have about me?”

Wang Chen: “???” Damn, do you even want to be a celebrity?”

Yin Chang: “I am just a magazine model now, thank you :)”

Wang Chen: “…” Why is my honor being smashed in by a magazine model!?  (╯#°Д°)╯

TWO:

Wang Chen: Why aren’t I the protagonist even when Yin Chang is with me!?

Author (unconcered):  Because he’s the main character of this book.