– 1 –
This year’s Qixi Festival theme is still “Lovers in Paintings,” but the costumes, props, and miniature sets have been upgraded significantly, showing a noticeable improvement from the past.
They arrived in Hongzhou at 10 a.m., finding the airport already filled with enthusiastic fans waiting to receive them.
“Thank you for your support~” Huo Ren expertly signed autographs and took photos with the fans. When he looked up, he suddenly saw a fluffy figure and, holding back a laugh, called out, “Jue-ge—Jue-ge, look over here!”
Two little girls were wearing faux fur capes of a little bear and a little fox, extending their ‘paws’ to greet them.
Bo Jue was initially unresponsive until Huo Ren reminded him, “Hey, remember what you said back in winter? You were worried about them catching a cold,” to which Bo Jue, smiling helplessly, took photos with them, “Be careful not to get heatstroke, you two.”
“Teacher Bo, you look so handsome!”
“Captain, your new hairstyle is amazing! You look stunning from every angle, wow!”
After arriving at the venue, as usual, they had to sign albums and take photos with fans who had won the lucky draw.
The number of male fans had increased significantly, many of whom had shiny crown face paintings, making them look like a family.
“Brother Ren,” a male fan said, a bit shy to speak too sentimentally, but very serious during the handshake, “Your album sounds better than the previous ones—not that the old ones weren’t good, but this one is just too impressive!”
Huo Ren smiled a bit awkwardly.
He once got drunk while vacationing in Belgium last year and was taken advantage of by Yun-ge, who brought him to a recording studio.
Though his pitch was not very stable when drunk, his emotional performance was indeed full and immersive. He could never quite recapture that feeling in subsequent recordings.
After the midday event, they hurriedly rested and ate before starting a new round of makeup.
“This time, everyone will wear long hair with ancient costumes, but there’s air conditioning in the work area, so it won’t be too hot.” The makeup artist was arranging Huo Ren’s hairpiece and suddenly laughed, “Captain, you look good in this style too. When will you take on an ancient drama?”
Huo Ren responded with a smile.
He had never considered acting.
Others might laugh at Manager Jiang’s traditional and conservative mindset, but he shared the same attitude.
Nowadays, more and more idols are entering the film industry, and the old terms like ‘amphibious’ or ‘triple-threat’ have faded away, but he just wanted to continue singing and dancing.
His years with SPF had given him a sense of stubbornness.
Years of training and refinement aimed to place him at the pinnacle of the industry, speaking through absolute talent rather than looks or popularity.
The theme started with primordial myths, partially drawing inspiration from different characters in Qu Yuan’s “Nine Songs.” Each role had its own highlights.
Mei Shengyao, with his slender and graceful figure, portrayed the elegant Lord of the Clouds.
His set included clouds and mist, dispersing the fragrance of a new perfume from a collaborating brand.
Stacks of books were piled on exquisite shelves, with strings of silver wind chimes tinkling from above.
Chi Ji played the role of The Mountain Spirit, sitting barefoot among blooming flowers and fallen leaves, with a leopard cat resting on his knee.
Flower vines hung on both sides of the set, and a bamboo swing was there for him to gently sway, fitting his innocent and tender smile.
Xie Lianyun played the role of The Master of Fate, while Bo Jue was the Moon God, Wang Shu, holding a long staff in the serene night, enjoying a corner of darkness and moonlight.
Long Jia was the Eastern Lord, the Sun God, and Huo Ren’s role was the God of Autumn, Ru Shou.
Ru Shou dwelled in Hui Mountain, rich in beautiful jade to the south and realgar to the north.
With a snake in his left ear and riding on two dragons, he was not only the God of Autumn but also the God of Gold.
According to the description in the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” Huo Ren was dressed in white fur and tiger claws by the staff, feeling like a fluffy monster even when drinking water.
“That’s quite cute,” Xie Lianyun helped him drink through a straw, pinching the paw pad of the tiger claw, “This Qixi interaction is a semi-open set, be careful of those with wandering hands.”
Huo Ren clicked his tongue, “Xie-ge, last time it was you who almost got forcibly kissed.”
“That’s because I dodged fast! They didn’t even get to kiss me!”
Fortunately, most fans cooperated well, and no chaos ensued at the event.
As usual, security checks prevented fans from bringing gifts, but people still magically presented roses, chocolates, and other gifts to them.
The six letter boxes were stuffed full, the lids barely able to close.
Apart from the heart-shaped photo ops, the organizers thoughtfully prepared a live Q&A and hug-drawing session.
The Q&A involved collecting little notes from the audience for selection, while another part was conducted through live streaming votes.
“I’d like to ask, what are the brothers’ ideal types?”
The host drew out a long “Oh,” winking mischievously, “Dangerous question, answer carefully.”
Huo Ren quickly grabbed the microphone, and before he could even speak, there was a loud scream from the fans.
He deliberately slowed down his speech, buying time for his teammates: “I like… someone calm and intelligent.”
The girls who were just covering their faces and screaming instantly quieted down, instantly becoming dignified and restrained in their expressions.
“…Someone who is excellent in their field, mature and gentle, and family-oriented.”
Huo Ren felt like he was indirectly confessing to Pei Ru, thinking that someone busy wouldn’t watch such a commercial event live, and continued leisurely.
“Bonus points for cooking well, having a beautiful smile, and liking animals even more.”
The comments in the livestream went wild.
[Don’t fight!! My boyfriend is praising me for being family-oriented and a good cook!!!]
[I knew it, a career-oriented good young man, professional competence as a standard for choosing a partner, I’m going to study for my proficiency exam now #tears#tears]
[Baby Ren Ren!! Wait for me to pass the judicial exam and I’ll marry you!!!]
Next up was Xie Lianyun.
As soon as he appeared, the suppressed screams were instantly released again.
A girl shouted, “Xie Lianyun, when will you marry me—”
“That’s a bit difficult,” Xie Lianyun said seriously, “The company doesn’t allow dating.”
Everyone laughed heartily.
“So what type of girl does Xie Xie like?” the host asked with a smile.
“Does it have to be a girl?” Xie Lianyun countered, “I heard same-sex marriage laws are coming in a few years?”
The others didn’t expect him to play so boldly on Qixi Festival, and the brothers on stage were also stunned.
Aren’t you always saying you’re straight, Xie Lianyun?!
The audience and live stream were equally shocked.
This man is just too happy!
“I like… let me think, a good personality, kind-hearted, someone I have chemistry with, cheerful and sunny,” Xie Lianyun said leisurely, “The key is, they must, have, a good temper.”
Bo Jue’s face darkened.
The entire audience: yooooooooo—
Fans of multiple CPs were ecstatically dancing.
A good, cheerful, sunny, and kind personality, isn’t that just describing Ren Ren, Chi Chi, and Yao Yao! My CP is the realest!
Ha, isn’t it you who spoiled him, High Mountain Flowing Water, also giving out candy today!
When it came to the draw, six fans were invited to the stage, able to confess to their idols.
A long-haired girl stood in front of Bo Jue, smiling shyly.
“Mr. Bo,” she said nervously, “I applied to the music school because I saw your old competition videos, and now I’ve been accepted to Shi Du Music College!”
“That’s great,” Bo Jue nodded with a smile, “Keep it up.”
The girl wearing wolf ears turned red as she approached Huo Ren, clenching her fists and finally shouting, “I love you!!!”
The girls in the audience were boiling with excitement: “Ren Ren, we love you!!!”
“Alright,” the host felt like an emcee at a large wedding, “You can have a loving hug now.”
The idols opened their arms and embraced the fans who had supported them for so long with a smile.
Then, as scripted, they whispered a “Happy Qixi Festival” in their ears.
As Bo Jue opened his arms for a hug, he suddenly saw Long Jia’s back.
Time seemed to stop for a few seconds.
He was embracing another curly-haired girl, who was smiling blissfully.
He was stunned for a few seconds, feeling a sour sense of betrayal rising again in his heart.
All his expressions and glances were hidden by the angle, unseen by anyone.
Even so, he was still looking at Long Jia’s back as he let go of the girl in his arms.
Then, he subconsciously apologized to her.
“Huh?”
“Nothing, happy holiday.” He smiled lightly as he sent her off, then stood back next to his teammates.
That night, on the way back to the hotel, Bo Jue suddenly suggested changing rooms.
“Ren Ren, let’s stay together tonight.”
Long Jia was surprised, while Xie Lianyun clicked his tongue, “Looks like someone was too harsh, Long Jia, that’s not cool.”
“Xiao Jue?”
Huo Ren, realizing Bo Jue’s hidden moodiness, quickly intervened, “I did have some scores I wanted to ask Jue-ge about today, sorry Jia-ge.”
Long Jia felt something was off and knocked on their door again later that night.
“Xiao Jue, are you okay? Do you need me to call the team doctor?”
“I’m fine.” Bo Jue opened the door, neatly dressed, and said naturally, “We’ll stay together again later, it’s too conspicuous now.”
Long Jia was still trying to recall what had happened during the day and handed him a gift, “Happy Qixi Festival.”
He stood with his back to the surveillance camera, well shielding the gift.
Bo Jue hesitated for a moment but accepted it.
“Mm. Good night.”
Just as he was about to close the door, Long Jia suddenly put his hand to stop it.
“Are you unhappy?”
He wanted to give him a reassuring kiss, but reason made him hold back.
Bo Jue laughed softly.
He felt he was being a bit sentimental.
They were entwined in a deep kiss at dawn, fingers interlocked, feeling each other, but in the afternoon, he had to watch his lover embrace another girl.
That curly-haired girl’s smile was so blissful, as if she was at a wedding.
“Jia Jia.”
He finally spoke softly.
“You have no right to ask, I have no right to say.”
As he closed the door again, Bo Jue stood leaning against it for a long time, holding the gift.
And Long Jia stood on the other side of the door for a long time before turning away without a word.
Huo Ren witnessed everything and sat on the sofa for a while, not knowing how to comfort him.
Bo Jue leaned against the door for a long time in a daze, then quietly opened the door to see if the person outside had left.
He had already gone.
“Brother,” Huo Ren got up and poured him a cup of hot water, “Don’t overthink some things, okay?”
“I sometimes think, why not just come out?” Bo Jue caressed the red velvet ribbon of the gift, speaking softly, “So what if we come out of the closet, or openly date? Isn’t it good to live openly?”
The gift was a necklace with a silver moon pendant, quite beautiful.
Huo Ren felt as if he had done something wrong.
By letting the parties involved directly say it was love during the live broadcast, they effectively sealed off any possibility of a romantic relationship between them.
—Now, the whole world wouldn’t believe there was love between Long Jia and Bo Jue.
Because they had truly admitted it.
A thing that can be joked about can never be love.
“Is it my fault?” he quickly thought of a solution, “Should we think of another way?”
Bo Jue looked at him a bit surprised, shaking his head gently, “Ren Ren, it’s always been us causing you trouble.”
“I and Jia Jia are too greedy, wanting too much, and thus expecting more.”
“Ren Ren, I really appreciate you taking care of us.”
Huo Ren still held his phone, nodding lightly with his head down.
He had almost confessed to his teacher just now.
He always fantasized that if the brothers were secretly in love, maybe he could too.
But as Jue-ge said before, love is greed.
Jue-ge was right.
Greed leads to mistakes, and as the captain, he must not err.
Huo Ren finally calmed down, deleting the unfinished WeChat message, putting his phone aside to chat with Bo Jue, diverting each other’s attention.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Pei Ruye also stared intently at his phone screen.
They had just started chatting, asking each other about the weather.
Ren Ren had been typing for a long time, seemingly with a lot to say.
Pei Ruye also waited intently for the continuation, watching the line ‘The other party is typing…’ for a long time.
Then it ended.
At that moment, he suddenly wanted to ask Huo Ren, on this Qixi Festival, after typing for so long, did you want to say you love me?
As long as you’re willing to love me, we can face all problems together—we can be together.
The chat box remained silent.
…Everything was deleted.
The man sat in the dim light, smiling bitterly after a long while.
It’s all about greed.
Translator’s Notes:
I’m sorry, the chapters became a bit too long for me. Rather, each chapter was really long, so I’ll just follow the author’s division. If you’ve noticed, there are numbers within the long chapters so I’ll be following that. This will also make it easier for me to post every day. Thank you for understanding.
Even though it’s a bit immature, I understand Bo Jue’s discomfort. However, I think it’s crazy that any of them are feeling guilty for dating. Just because they’re idols, they don’t owe all their feelings to their fans. Yes, they’re selling the idea of a “perfect boyfriend” and that means that they’re also selling the idea of being unavailable. But that’s the “social contract” signed between idols and fans: Idols pretend to be single and fans pretend to believe that. If any fan truly believes that idols have no romantic relationships, then they are delusional.
bo jue is a person who’s jealous so easily huh. like bro trust your boyfriend for a bit. he can’t hug female fans but you can?
Xie Lianyun. bro are u gay or straighttt whatever it is, you’re still one of my favs.
idols.. relationship.. ah kinda sensitive esp in rl. imo they shouldn’t be afraid revealing their relationship whether they’re dating, married, or not.
if your fans leave you because of that, it means they’re not true fans who want you to be happy. it’s kinda stupid tbh
sorry why am i even replying to your comment ah…
Delusions are part of the package, take it and don’t leave it otherwise it will drag down the entirety of Corona and all their hard work, it really is all about greed and it goes both ways.