Idol Chapter 118

The final location for the program was set in Lin Du, the neighboring country next to Shi Guo. The two countries have always had a close and friendly relationship, and the local TV station was very willing to collaborate on this project, having contacted the local police department early on.

Shi Guo focuses on high-tech development, with an overcrowded capital where traffic management is crucial, and rashly filming a program could easily lead to misunderstandings and stampedes.

But Lin Guo is famous for its tourism industry. Located in the subtropics, with its pleasant scenery and expansive cities, filming a variety show there could also promote tourism, making it a win-win choice.

Currently, both TV stations are still repeatedly scouting locations and confirming the process, so Huo Ren and his teammates need to wait a few more days in their country.

Just in time for the annual Ask charity dinner.

Ask Weekly does not cater to the entertainment industry but to the entire fame and fortune scene of the country.

The finance sector, manufacturing, creative design…

Because this dinner covers a wide range and has a high threshold, it has become an occasion to test the real popularity of stars in the entertainment industry.

Corona finally reunited, this time all dressed in new moonlight silver suits picked by Bo Jue, even wearing the same model of earrings, looking unified and harmonious.

“Pretty handsome.” Jiang Shu, waiting by the nanny car, waved his hand, “Charity donations and the like are all arranged. After you arrive, just take turns greeting, take a couple of photos, and you can finish up and leave. No need to mingle and exchange pleasantries with those businessmen.”

“We’ll follow your instructions.”

Huo Ren got into the second row, seeing a familiar figure in the dim light. His expression shifted slightly, and the teammates entering one after another also had sparkling eyes.

“Long time no see.” The man spoke softly.

“…Yes.” Huo Ren politely responded: “How have you been recently, Mr. Pei?”

Pei Ruye also smiled silently.

They didn’t talk much along the way, only Uncle Jiang in the front row swinging his head and humming along to the catchy song “Heart, Oh My Heart.”

Before getting out of the car, Pei Ruye finally turned his head to look at Huo Ren.

Before he could speak, Huo Ren felt somewhat panicked.

“Want a strawberry candy?”

Huo Ren felt something lift and then settle in his heart, responding dryly.

The candy was sweet after all.

The dinner, as usual, had a red carpet segment.

Photographers with long and short lenses snapped away, business magnates took turns on stage, and stars were all glittering, trying their best to blend into the complex atmosphere here.

Corona’s popularity had skyrocketed over the years, receiving the organizer’s invitation two months in advance, with their seats in one of the best viewing positions.

Interestingly, FALSE didn’t come this time.

Han Qu, warned by his father, acted cautiously and dared not misuse his connections any more.

When he entered with Han Gaozhi, his gaze darkly swept over Corona in the distance.

The six young men, surrounded by celebrities, raised their champagne glasses in greeting and laughter.

They looked poised, as if radiating light.

That glory and profit should have been mine.

Just destroy this group, tear them apart, and then Corona and SPF will both be severely damaged… Severely damaged, and then take everything from them…

“What are you thinking about?” Han Gaozhi glanced at his son, his tone not very gentle, “Just now, Hong Bo was talking to you, and you were distracted. He is a leading figure in the hardware industry, came over to greet us especially, and you didn’t even smile. What do you think you are?”

Han Qu snapped back to reality and hurriedly responded.

“I’ll go toast him in a bit.”

Huo Ren had scanned the guest list upon entering.

He subtly guided Chi Ji to the edge, trying to stay as close as possible to familiar friends and as far away from certain individuals as best as he could.

Long Jia, understanding Huo Ren’s intentions, greeted the seniors in the entertainment industry beforehand, then switched back to his identity as the third young master of the Long family, mingling with his father and siblings to network and gauge the latest trends.

As the dinner progressed into the latter half, the scheduled performances were over, and the guests below had already started dancing and chatting.

Han Qu, holding a glass of champagne, wandered around for a while before finally spotting where Huo Ren and his teammates were, and he quickly walked over.

He was still somewhat sober initially, but after downing three glasses of red wine, the suppressed irritation and bitterness surged up, leaving him looking for an outlet for his frustration.

“Isn’t this—the idol of our circle?”

Before Huo Ren could signal, Bo Jue and Xie Lianyun had already shielded Chi Ji behind them. Chi Ji himself didn’t recognize who this was, looking a bit confused.

“Mr. Huo is now in his prime. I’ll toast to you.” Han Qu smirked as he raised his glass, his eyes, however, were on the slender boy behind Bo Jue.

“No need.” Huo Ren stepped forward, making sure Han Qu looked him in the eye, “Is there something you need, Mr. Han?”

“Getting arrogant now that you’re famous? Didn’t old Jiang teach you any manners?” Han Qu glanced at him sideways, “Hiding so tight, as if nobody knows he got expelled for being—”

“FALSE didn’t come today, did they?” Huo Ren cut him off, his tone cold, “The words ‘big hit’ this year should be given to your group. It seems your schedule is too packed to care for tonight’s small event.”

Raising one’s profile on false pretenses is also worthy of being called light, isn’t it?

Stung by the remark, Han Qu retorted angrily, “You sure have a way with words!”

“By rights, as a newcomer in the industry, I should toast to you, and even more so to your father,” Huo Ren said with a faint smile, “Why don’t you lead me to him, so I can pay my respects to the new power in the entertainment industry? After all, you’re both Hans, and it’s only right for a son to wave his father’s banner around.”

Han Qu was so infuriated by Huo Ren’s block that he felt a tightness in his chest, even contemplating smashing his glass on the spot.

He had come to provoke but now found himself at a loss for words after a few sharp exchanges, his face unable to hide his embarrassment.

Huo Ren, Huo Ren, what weakness does he have?

It seemed like this guy had no vulnerabilities. His father, right, his father—

Han Qu struggled to think of the most cutting remark, but before he could speak, he heard a teasing voice.

“Young Master Han, drank too much and lost your way?”

Pei Ruye’s eyes twinkled with mirth, his voice calm and deep: “Do you need me to lead you back?”

Seeing him, Han Qu instinctively stepped back, shooting Huo Ren a venomous look before turning to leave.

Pei Ruye was not someone to be trifled with, even calculating against his own father.

Having prepared his trump card to verbally bash Huo Ren, Han Qu could only forcibly swallow his words, his expression as if he had swallowed a live toad.

Huo Ren quietly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to check on Chi Ji’s condition.

Chi Ji, having been disconnected from the internet for too long this year, was completely lost: “Expelled blue what?”

“Smurfs,” Xie Lianyun said without changing his expression, “He’s talking nonsense because he’s drunk.”

Pei Ruye’s return this time was to lay the groundwork for the upcoming short video platform’s launch, briefly instructing before disappearing again into the crowd of businessmen in the distance.

Huo Ren didn’t look to see where he went.

Jiang Shu only learned about the incident after the dinner ended and rushed back to the seventeenth floor.

Everyone had already removed their makeup, soaking their feet or applying face masks, not bothering to move when the manager stormed in.

“I need to talk to you guys about something.” Jiang Shu quickly found a stool to sit on, gesturing for the five to gather around: “Where’s the sixth?”

“Here—” Xie Lianyun called out from the bathtub on the balcony, “Just say it, I can hear you.”

“Was it inappropriate what I did today?” Huo Ren frowned.

“Whether you offended Han Qu or not, he was bound to target you eventually,” Jiang Shu looked towards Chi Ji, trying to find a more comprehensive angle, “Our PR department has analyzed for a long time, and their next target might still be you.”

Chi Ji turned pale, reflexively saying, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Don’t panic, don’t panic,” Bo Jue pulled him into his arms, patting his back soothingly, signaling Jiang Shu not to discuss such matters openly, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow, it’s too late today.”

“Chi Chi, Uncle knows you’re upset. Don’t worry about the nonsense online,” Jiang Shu took a deep breath, trying to nip the crisis in the bud, “But you’ve acted in ‘Spring Awakening’ abroad, which contains many explicit… sexual implications, which they might use as a new point of attack.”

The last time it was “Rock Barbie,” this time “Spring Awakening.” Stirring public emotion, being sexy is wrong, singing explicit lyrics is wrong, doing anything is wrong.

Moreover, “Spring Awakening” talks about sexual enlightenment and awakening, something openly discussed abroad but easily manipulated and misinterpreted, giving troublemakers a wrongful impression akin to an R-rated movie.

The videos related to the issue abroad had mostly been cleaned up, but removing videos and reports from overseas sources would take another month or two—

Jiang Shu tried to lower his stance, communicating with Chi Ji in the most earnest tone.

“Xiao Chi, there’s a core principle in public relations called ‘breaking without toxicity.'”

It applies the same way Crown Prosecutors played with their own dark jokes.

If the person involved jokes about their own controversial points, people tend to see them as more approachable and easy-going.

Stutterers self-deprecating about their speech, dwarfs joking about their height, women shamed as promiscuous speaking openly about their many relationships—it’s all about dissolving old attacks and prejudices.

“Xiao Chi, if you cooperate, this issue can be resolved easily, and Han Qu won’t be able to use these things against you anymore—”

“I don’t want to.”

Silence fell over the living room.

Huo Ren got up to sit next to Chi Ji, joining Bo Jue in embracing him.

Before Jiang Shu could continue, he sighed, troubled, thinking of other possible solutions.

But Chi Ji, thinking Jiang Shu wanted him to reconsider, hastily repeated, “I don’t want to.”

“Why should I please those people when it’s not my fault?”

He was unaware of the overwhelming number of mocking videos and the craze of being expelled from masculinity online, as well as the many haters joyously photoshopping death and pornographic images.

But he had been attacked too many times over his gender to be unclear about what he was facing.

“If you don’t want to, then you don’t have to. What’s the big deal?”

Everyone looked up to see Xie Lianyun wrapped in a bath towel, dripping wet as he climbed out of the bathtub.

Jiang Shu said gravely, “We need to solve the problem before Han Qu does.”

“Let’s solve it then,” Xie Lianyun said calmly. “Isn’t it just a matter of filling a month? I’ll give you a headline.”

“Can it last a month?” Uncle Jiang seriously analyzed the timeline, “Right now, from preparing to filming the variety show takes time—”

“What’s so hard about that?” Xie Lianyun, toweling his hair dry, left wet footprints on the floor, “I’ll just make a self-disclosure.”

Silence fell again.

Huo Ren struggled to ask, “Xie-ge, you… you’re not planning to come out, are you?”

Xie Lianyun: …?

“The situation is like this.” He took the glasses Long Jia handed to him, his eyes slightly upturned, “I wrote ‘Drunken Darling’ and ‘Heart, Oh My Heart.'”

Jiang Shu was stunned for a moment.

A middle-aged man’s frustrated roar echoed through the upper floors of the seventeenth floor.

“Xie Lianyun, what on earth are you writing all day long—!!!!”