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At the recording site of “Only Deadline.”
After the first week, the program relaxed the work schedule and area, allowing the six guests to visit each other within the work zone and exchange their leisure tools.
Three to four of them were quite disciplined, rarely wasting time both on and off camera, with clear task organization.
First was the elderly professor, followed by Huo Ren, and then the young illustrator known as “Little Swallow.”
Having lived with Xie Lianyun in a dormitory before, Huo Ren was often teased with terms like “discipline demon.” He appreciated people with strict time management and observed the states of different individuals during rest periods.
Now that the first week had ended, the pace of the previously full-speed drafters gradually relaxed.
Qiu Yu casually visited others in his wheelchair, holding different snacks each day and pretending to be sick in front of the camera, even struggling to open a bottle of mineral water.
After rushing drafts for four days to compile 120,000 words, he then irreversibly embarked on the path of slacking off.
Huo Ren unconsciously took responsibility for pushing his wheelchair during break times.
Their workspaces were right next to Han Yang’s, and the three often chatted and laughed together.
Han Yang, only nineteen and a sophomore illustrator, was recognized in the industry as a printing machine for brainstorming.
He was quick at producing and drawing, with precise coloring and composition, working at a pace that could match others in four hours what took ten hours.
Though appearing small and doll-like, he had already won a second prize in a national illustration contest and was sought after by several companies.
“Little Swallow’s speed…” Qiu Yu earnestly said while munching on Want Want Senbei, “could slack off for two hours and work for ten minutes.”
Sitting beside, peeling a grapefruit, Huo Ren curiously asked, “Why are you called Little Swallow?”
Han Yang passed him a wet wipe for his fingertips and, scratching his head, smiled, “I used to… really like singing.”
“Sing a bit for Ren-ge to hear,” Qiu Yu clapped his hands, “Come on, don’t be nervous.”
The young man’s cheeks turned pink as he looked at Huo Ren and began to sing.
He chose “The Guilty Ones” from “Spring Awakening.”
His voice was gentle and soft, like melting marshmallow in a river of milk, sounding lovely and bright.
Huo Ren’s expression changed, suddenly reminded of the first time he met Chi Ji.
Chi Ji was more like a nightingale, without this milky sweetness in his voice.
But whenever Chi Ji sang, every note was so pure it could directly touch the soul, making him, still a trainee at the time, hide beside the wall to eavesdrop, unwilling to leave long after it ended.
They seemed to have not accompanied Chi Ji to a musical for a long time.
As the song ended, Huo Ren returned from his thoughts, noticing the other guests had gathered around.
“The singing is really nice,” the old lady chuckled, “Did the young friend learn professionally?”
Han Yang, getting nervous again, began to ruffle his hair, turning it into a chestnut fuzz.
“He’s a student at Red Egret Music Academy,” Qiu Yu smiled, “A legitimate major in composition.”
“Ah?!”
Huo Ren had thought Han Yang was called that because of his height, but now, thinking back, he suddenly realized something was off.
From chest resonance, breathing methods, to articulation and pitch, Han Yang’s singing, though not as precise as a vocal teacher’s, indeed differed significantly from ordinary singing.
At that moment, as he began to sing, everyone gathered around to watch the excitement.
“Turns out it’s a kid who studied music,” the comic artist uncle scratched his neck and tilted his head, saying, “Then you shouldn’t be here, should you?”
“Well…” Han Yang said with an awkward smile, “Studying music is really expensive, and it’s hard to find a job after graduating, so I thought… maybe I could try my hand at drawing to make ends meet.”
Silence fell among the crowd.
“Kid,” the uncle said meaningfully, “studying music is too expensive… so you came to study painting??”
Han Yang shrugged: “I always put myself in difficult situations.”
Huo Ren enjoyed a life as simple as a Zen meditation, carrying a guitar with him, switching instruments when he got tired of the piano to find the right touch.
He had a special constitution, with sensitive skin, and calluses on his fingertips always formed quickly.
Sometimes, aimlessly strumming some melodies, he could hear the ukulele and harmonica from next door chiming in.
Holding his guitar, Huo Ren went over to see, and saw Qiu Yu and Han Yang watching him with a smile.
It had been a long time since he had made new friends, and he felt both happy and a bit nervous at this moment.
The three of them played music together like middle school students in a music program, sitting together eating snacks and slacking off.
“I stayed in a company for six years,” Huo Ren explained, “I spent most of my time living in dormitories, and most of my friends were from the entertainment industry.”
“That’s like going through med school,” Han Yang was curious, “What was your life trajectory like?”
“Well,” Huo Ren pondered, “it’s probably not much different from office workers?”
The two new friends were somewhat surprised: “Really?!?”
“It’s monotonous. Making music, promoting songs, concerts, shooting commercials,” Huo Ren sipped his sweet milk, “The difference is probably that office workers commute by subway and bus, while we use planes and high-speed trains.”
“Speaking of which, why did you want to become an idol in the first place?”
“Well,” Huo Ren thought for a moment, deciding to keep it simple, “mainly because I was poor.”
The two across from him nearly choked on their Want Want milk.
“Cough cough cough cough—”
Who would think of becoming an idol when they’re poor?!
What kind of novel thinking is this?! It doesn’t seem right at all!!!
By the time the second episode aired, the real-time viewing rate on the TV station had already broken through three points, shooting up into the top three of the satellite TV rankings.
Everyone was eagerly awaiting to see if their own “Pigeon King” would perform well, and secretly hoping for Huo Ren to amaze them once again.
The production team not only recorded a lot of exciting daily routines during the rush periods but also introduced a new segment—Evening Calls.
Each guest had five minutes of video call time in the evening, which they could use to call anyone they wished, choosing to keep it completely confidential or allow filming.
If they allowed filming, the call time could be extended to eight minutes.
Huo Ren readily chose the latter.
Among the first few guests, an elderly person called to watch his granddaughter practice calligraphy, the comic artist was focused on playing games, a folk singer listened to a heartbroken friend cry over the phone, and the young illustrator from a single-parent family reluctantly chatted with her mother for a long time.
When it was Huo Ren’s turn to appear, the density of the barrage shot up, and everyone was excited before he even made the call.
[Here it comes!! The alchemical moment that decides the top three CPs of the week!!!]
[Bet fifty cents the first call is to Brother Long! Today, I too shall join the Dragon-Blade cult!!!]
[Ahhh, Blade is going to call his brothers and sisters, ahh, my Blade——]
After thinking for a while and calculating the time difference, Huo Ren made the call to Chi Chi.
The screen buzzed for a few moments, followed by lively and cheerful laughter: “Hahaha, wait a moment, I’m on the phone.”
“Ren—Ren!” Chi Ji lifted his phone high, showing him the blue sea, sky, and the beach: “Today’s sun is especially nice! I applied sunscreen twice!”
After distancing himself from work and the entertainment industry, his energy greatly improved, and the smile on his face was lovely and bright.
The audience was completely unaware of Chi Ji’s previous illness, and their attention was entirely diverted.
Jiang Jue was actually playing beach volleyball with Chi Ji—and a group of male models!!
Holy cow, swimwear Chi Ji?? Little Chi actually has abs???
Holy cow, isn’t that male model the one who rose to fame at last year’s Milan Fashion Week? The one with Ukrainian heritage???
Huo Ren waved at the screen, and a bunch of male models from the other side of the world gathered to say hi with a laugh, their white teeth and tall figures were off the charts in perfection.
The azure sea and golden sand behind them, the gathering of handsome men made the air thick with testosterone.
The barrage was exploding.
[This—this is just—too exhilarating my god—]
[Pajama outfit Huo Huo, swimwear group Jiang Chi, and so many foreign hotties, ah ah ah who do I look at first qaqq]
[Hello everyone, I am that volleyball, currently nestled in Jiang Jue’s arms, feeling very peaceful =v=]
The next day, during the phone call segment, Huo Ren called Bo Jue and the others.
Since Chi Ji had informed them of the time the night before, Bo Jue was punctually by the computer, his gaze concerned and tender.
“Ren Ren, are you getting used to living there by yourself?”
Huo Ren nodded quickly, unable to resist acting spoiled with his brother: “I miss you guys so much—where’s Yun-ge? Why isn’t he coming on video?”
Bo Jue turned the computer around: “He’s being punished, he gained three pounds this month, and Uncle Jiang caught him.”
Xie Lianyun, propping up a copy of “Advanced Cubase Techniques,” pushed up his glasses: “Ren, brother misses you too.”
Huo Ren was silent for a few seconds: “Brother, did you sneak out to eat barbecue again?”
Bo Jue’s tone was subtly meaningful: “He directly ordered fried chicken delivery, just as Director Su came over to discuss business with us, and she personally accepted the delivery.”
The moment the door opened was exceedingly awkward.
Huo Ren sighed deeply: “Yun-ge, you have to take it easy when I’m not home…”
Xie Lianyun took a deep breath and then rapid-fired complaints: “Bo Jue polishes your picture frames ten times a day! He drags me into writing letters to you! He worries about you being cold or hungry ten times a day!! Ren Ren, you have to manage him!!!”
Bo Jue turned the webcam back to himself, seriously saying: “Xie Lianyun is talking nonsense.”
From off-screen, someone dragged out their voice in jest: “You were lonely enough to watch military documentaries with me last night.”
“They should be coming back soon, right?” Huo Ren knew there was a sensitive issue he carefully avoided mentioning.
He knew Bo Jue had always been too lonely.
“I’ll definitely call you guys often, Jue-ge, Yun-ge, take good care of yourselves too, the weather’s changing a lot, be careful not to catch a cold.”
Xie Lianyun’s punishment time wasn’t over yet, but now he sneakily came over to look at Huo Ren together with Bo Jue.
“You’ve lost weight.” Xie Lianyun clicked his tongue: “Is the food not good? If not, eat some instant noodles at night, don’t tire yourself out.”
Bo Jue leaned against Xie Lianyun, watching Huo Ren for a long while, finally saying: “I’ll make soup for you when you come back, whatever you want.”
“Okay.”
“These past few days, I’ve been missing home especially, especially much,” Huo Ren said with a gentle smile: “Fortunately, I have you guys waiting for me to come back.”
“Love you guys.”