The studio showed clear signs of remodeling.
“Initially, there were only a few computers and a mixing console, and we only had two or three kinds of musical instruments. Everyone took turns sharing the two guitars, and if they weren’t tuned properly, asking Bo Jue to listen was enough.”
Huo Ren led the host around the room, filled with equipment and miscellaneous items, pointing somewhat headache-inducingly at five or six cat climbing frame-like standing storage cabinets.
“Brother Yun and Yao Yao’s stuff is too much, it took a long time to find these larger capacity cabinets.”
The six swivel chairs were of different colors, and on the backrests hung small coral fleece blankets like little white wolves and black swans.
Laypeople couldn’t make heads or tails of the professional equipment, so the host signaled the cameraman to take a round of shots after getting permission, circling a few storage and display cabinets.
Mei Shengyao liked to collect music boxes, and Long Jia liked various gemstone-encrusted trinkets, giving the whole studio a somewhat understated luxurious feel of a French court.
The host’s gaze wandered from a strand of emerald and sapphire pendants deeper into the room, suddenly curious, he exclaimed, “What is this box? Can you introduce it to us?”
The few juvenile ghosts who were bickering with brooms and dusters suddenly snapped back to reality, exchanged glances in panic, and then turned their heads to look at Huo Ren at the same time.
Huo Ren was rather helpless: “Yes…”
“Really?!” Xie Lianyun suddenly raised his voice, “Ren Ren, think again!!”
Long Jia pulled the box out from deep within a storage cabinet and opened the password box right in front of them.
Inside was a stack of manuscript papers.
The host was expecting something valuable and was surprised to see paper: “If it’s confidential, we can skip or cut this part.”
“It’s not that.” Long Jia glanced at Xie Lianyun, “Old Xie, explain?”
Xie Lianyun turned to leave: “I’m going to get you guys some waterโ”
“Come back!”
Not long after the broadcast of “Crown Cafรฉ,” Long Jia gradually noticed Mei Shengyao often running to Xie Lianyun’s place, then closing the door and blasting rock music at maximum volume, yet without a tie on the door.
Long Jia couldn’t help but suspect and seriously took the time to have a heart-to-heart with Xie Lianyun.
“Yao Yao is still just a child… You can’t go too far.”
Xie Lianyun was baffled: “Huh?”
Long Jia was stunned: “It’s not what I thought? Then what are you two doing?”
Just as the conversation turned, he saw a cookie box on the corner of the table.
Long Jia opened the box wanting to grab a cookie, and Xie Lianyun immediately pounced: “No, no, noโ”
“Actually,” Huo Ren spoke slowly, “inside is… fan fiction.”
The host didn’t catch on at first: “Fan what?”
This was a long time ago.
After the official forum was established, the CP section’s popularity soared, with a continuous output of various works.
Aside from the masterpieces of each TAG, many mid-length works had excellent writing and felt very immersive.
But it also produced many by-products, like plots and character destruction.
For example, Xie Lianyun, the scum gong who toyed with the whole team, Huo Ren, the scum shou with a seductive gaze, Lord Long, fully molded into a courtesan, and the little pond in NTR plots marked with a “zheng”…
Xie Lianyun had seen it all, struggling to hold back laughter until his mouth twitched, and simply dragged the little devil Mei Shengyao over, both of them laughing madly and vividly reading the lines.
“Brother Long! Jue has never fantasized about being with you!”
“The head teacher is comingโBrother Yun, quickly put out the cigarette, it’s still not too late to run!”
“Ren Ren, baby! Mountains crumble! Heaven and earth unite!”
After this incident was exposed, the two fools were pummeled with pillows by the other four.
“This should have been the end of it…” Huo Ren rubbed his temple, “But a few months later, we started working on a new album.”
A total of six people in Corona, and among them, only Huo Ren and Mei Shengyao could claim to never slack off during songwriting and composing.
Xie Lianyun belonged to the miraculous species that played games while composing in his head, not included in this discussion.
These years, Crown strived for excellence in albums, all independently original, which meant being chased by deadlines till their heels were hot.
Yet, slacking off is humanity’s eternal enemy, often leading everyone to browse Taobao, apply face masks, and play with erasers while writing.
Disciplinary committee member Mei Shengyao, after repeatedly getting furious to no avail, somehow brought out this source of all evil, the little box.
“Whoever slacks off again!! Will have to read a thousand words of their own character as the protagonist in fan fiction!!!”
“Long Jia, try playing with that feather pen again!!!”
The host, while listening to the explanation, glanced briefly at the content of the manuscript and was so shocked that he was stupefied.
What… what kind of alternate dimension literature is this…
Why in this novel does Mei Shengyao refer to himself as ‘this humble one’… and Huo Ren is wearing a cheongsam… a cheongsam???
“So, how effective was it?”
Everyone nodded with solemn faces.
“The cost was too terrifying.”
Seeing oneself as the protagonist of a novel was already like a public execution, and then having to read out those utterly OOC (Out Of Character) lines…
When Long Jia finished reading the cornerstone text of the ALL Long Evil Cult, he laughed until he collapsed next to a cabinet, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“Damn, who wrote this?!”
When the first episode of “Crown Sunset” aired, the fans felt like they had received a huge red envelope.
Over the years, the Crown’s variety shows were aimed at the general public, and although they were very entertaining, they had a stronger commercial nature and required the help of data and publicity teams.
But this program was purely a special gift for all the fans.
No need for broadcasts, no need to rack one’s brains for flattering words, and no extra game segments; it just showcased the daily lives of their favorite people.
Loving someone from afar is really hard.
Unable to meet, let alone touch the warmth of their fingertips, all emotions felt like unrequited love from afar.
Yet, it was these distant stars, like a light hanging in the far north, that turned every affection into guiding fireflies, leading them out of the darkest and most suffocating pages of their lives.
This gift allowed the fans to fully see the six real and charming people, akin to a long love letter from a boyfriend in a long-distance relationship.
Group fans, solo fans, career fans, mom fans, girlfriend fans, and CP fans had completely different perspectives and feelings when watching the program.
“Ren Ren can really carry the flag of the main gong!!! My soul for Ren ALL is the exploding neutron star shining in the galaxy!!”
“Xie Lianyun, please keep your fan life a bit further away, pretty please!!”
“Brother Long’s gym is so pitiful, huh? Do gyms have no human rights?! The Gym Protection Association issues a stern condemnation!!!”
“Holy cow, there are even postgraduate entrance examination guides in the study… Suffocating.”
“I really like the small gardens on the 17th floor, wuuu, if I were Snowball, I could live with the brothers every day…”
The location for each episode’s shoot starts with the order of joining the group.
The first to join the group was Xie Lianyun.
Everyone thought Xie Xie would choose places like internet cafes or arcades, and Bo Jue even secretly bought an enhanced smoke-proof mask before the filming.
However, Xie Lianyun chose Shidu Music College.
Shidu Music College and Shidu Drama College are only a street apart, with evergreen pines and cypresses in the university town, and young faces all brimming with vitality.
“I used to sneak in here to listen to classes a lot when I was a kid.” Leading everyone into the campus, Xie Lianyun walked through the phoenix flower forest and the ivory atrium, moving forward amidst the melodious violin music.
“This is my favorite place.” He smiled, “Swings, lake water, Baiwen Building library, and Hailing Concert Hall.”
Many college students recognized the six of them, forming circles from afar trying to take pictures, or simply waving and making heart gestures with a smile.
Huo Ren had not entered a campus for a long time and was once again lit up with anticipation when he saw the unfamiliar environment.
“Is Berkeley bigger than this place?”
“Different colleges, different styles,” Xie Lianyun glanced at him, “If it’s you, studying for a PhD and changing universities to have fun, you could still have a blast in the second half of your life.”
Huo Ren chuckled helplessly, “Brother Xie, you flatter me too much.”
Among the old professors, one had already passed away, but the other old gentlemen and ladies were delighted to see Xie Lianyun, patting his shoulders and touching his face as if he were their own grandson.
Xie Lianyun, uncharacteristically docile, let them touch his face, answering whatever they asked, especially compliant.
Bo Jue laughed, “Lost your rebelliousness? If Uncle Jiang saw this side of you, he might be scared stiff.”
Xie Lianyun silently shook his head, “It was this side of me that deceived him into taking me away, all fateful misfortune…”
The second to join the group was Chi Ji.
Their filming pace was very relaxed, just enjoying a few days of fun in London without any rush.
Mei Shengyao was a bit worried knowing they could take advantage of the trip to have fun, “Uncle Jiang won’t deduct our holidays next year, right?”
Huo Ren couldn’t help but rub his head, “No, next year we’re going to Switzerland for a vacation; the hotel is already booked.”
Flowers, grasslands, pastures, snow mountains, a month of play wouldn’t be too much.
Chi Ji had returned to London a few times during fashion week before and had already boldly introduced his ethnically diverse family to his teammates.
Chi Chi’s first choice on the intention form was West End.
Here, a play could run continuously for over twenty years upon its debut, and the entire cultural district was filled with Gothic buildings, each theater carrying the profound soul of different plays.
Chi Chi visited a theater that was not very large but equally historic, still playing “Spring Awakening”.
Diagonally across, another was displaying a giant poster for “Rock Barbie”, with its long-haired, seductively made-up figure still eye-catching.
People of different races, ages, and genders passed by, and occasionally, a little girl dressed as Matilda would hop and skip by.
The six of them stood amidst the bustling streets, laughing and signing autographs for other foreigners.
The theater owner had also heard about Chi Ji’s return to the country to become an idol, and over the past few years, had exchanged a few emails with him.
This time, when the program team came back, the kindly old lady cleared out the old stage for them to shoot and learn about Noah’s former haunts.
Most of the cast was practicing backstage, some replaced by new faces, with piano sounds tinkling through the curtain walls.
There was no performance today, and the sets were not laid out, leaving the stage wide and empty, with the audience seats hidden in the dim light.
However, there was still an upright piano in the corner of the stage.
Chi Ji turned around a couple of times on the spot and then, out of habit, sat down in front of the piano.
“When I first came here, I was only this tall.” He indicated with his hand and smiled nostalgically, “When we were rehearsing ‘Matilda’, Jiang Jue would lie on the swing, and I would stand behind to push him.”
With a whoosh, he could fly over the audience’s heads, which was so much fun.
Xie Lianyun thought back to their first meeting and the performance then, his eyes also filled with a gentle smile.
“Play something.”
Everyone echoed together, “Chi Chi, play us another piece.”
Chi Ji revisiting the old place, at that moment, could not think of any other melody and played “Wicked Little Town,” a tune they had heard many times before.
“You know the sun is in your eyes
ไฝ ๅฏ็ฅไฝ ็ผไธญๆ็ๆฅ
And hurricanes and rains, blade cloudy skies.”
ๆ้ฃ้ฃๅๆด้จ๏ผ่ฟๆไนไบๅฏๅธ็ๅคฉ็ฉบ
This song also came from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” unknowingly accompanying them through every year with the Crown.
Warm and healing, like a comforting hug.
As the intro played, the six instinctively harmonized without needing a glance to synchronize.
Xie Lianyun and Long Jia provided the bass, while Mei Shengyao and Chi Ji’s gentle singing spread its wings and flew afar.
Every time they sang, they felt alive and free.
“You’ve crossed the hills effortlessly
ไฝ ็ฉฟ่ถ้ฃๅบงๅฑฑไธ๏ผๆถๆพ่ชๅฆ
There’s nothing here that can bring you down.”
่ฟ้ๅทฒๅไนๆฒกๆไปไนไผ่ฎฉไฝ ๆๆธ็่ฆ
First a chorus, then a duet, alternating back and forth, flowing smoothly like a river rushing forward.
Years of familiarity were engraved in their bones; if anyone’s voice faltered, the others could instantly follow and harmonize together.
Then it shifted from a duet to a cappella, reminiscent of the days before their debut when they were punished to stand together outside the company building.
The song was always the same, but sung by different hearts, it conveyed utterly different effects.
“Oh boy, luck has led you here
ๅนธ่ฟๅทฒ็ปๅผๅฏผไฝ ๆฅๅฐ่ฟ้
And they’ll twist you up, I fear
ไปไปฌๆญ่ฝฌๆฏ้ๆฒ็ด๏ผๆๆไผๅฐไฝ ็ฝฎไบ้ฉๅฐ
The pious, ‘returning tricks’ till you’re turned out”
ไผชๅ็่่ฏๅๆๆถ๏ผ่ฎฉไฝ ๅ็ๆณ็ๆฉ้ฅฐ่ชๅทฑ
When each of them struggled through tough times, the others would reach out to pull them out of the mire.
This song had embraced too much anger and pain, pure and peaceful as ever.
Today, singing it again, they were carefree, each with a smile on their faces.
“And then you’re someone you are not
ไฝ ๅทฒ็ป่ฟทๅคฑ่ชๆ
And Junction City ain’t the spot…”
่็ซ ๅ ็ณๅๆ ๆณๅฎน่บซ
Remembering Mrs. Lot, as she looked back…
่ฟ่ฎฐๅพ็ฝๅพทๅคซไบบ๏ผๅฝๅฅนๅ้ฆๆถโฆโฆ
Before they could finish the line, Chi Ji suddenly saw the kindly smiling theater owner and blushed, hitting two wrong notes.
They stopped in unison, and Bo Jue curiously asked, “What do you think of this harmony?”
“It’s stunning,” the old lady smiled, “But what I see more is how much you truly love each other.”
“I’m happy for Noah that he has become family with you all.”
Mei Shengyao was the third to join.
Although this decade-long plan originated because of him, due to age and comprehensive reasons, he was the third to pass the assessment and officially join the group.
Huo Ren, while helping Mei Shengyao fill out the intention form, keenly remembered the past.
From birth, Mei Shengyao was like a pup abandoned by his mother, locked in a vast, empty mansion for years on end.
Although Mei’s grandparents were always attentive, and he had home teachers, servants, and a butler, his childhood was rather colorless because his parents were too busy.
Mei Shengyao, being the son of a film queen and a king of the entertainment industry, was born into privilege and was constantly under the paparazzi’s watchful eye. Luckily, he spent a few years in the Red House in Los Angeles with a group of dance students, including Chi Ji, which spared his personality from becoming cold and distant.
So on the matter of where to return at sunset, he had no answer.
The 17th floor was all the options he had.
Huo Ren didn’t want to see him sad and helped look for other alternative projects.
The boy looked at his Brother Ren trying hard to cheer him up and suddenly flipped out a diary.
“How about this?”
The diary was especially thick, heavy to hold.
The first dozen pages were all written in crooked, large crayon letters, with some suns and little flowers drawn.
As the pages progressed, the handwriting was continuously corrected and adjusted, now already a smooth and clear willow script.
Huo Ren was somewhat surprised to see the familiar handwriting, instinctively casting an inquiring look.
The little rascal chuckled honestly admitting, “If Brother Ren thinks it’s good-looking, of course, I think it’s good-looking too~ This was quick to practice~”
Huo Ren couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s very well written, you’ve clearly put in a lot of effort for a long time.”
The diary contained bits and pieces of daily records, with many Q-drawings done in colored pencils, which when placed alongside the cold and elegant willow script created a subtle sense of dissonance.
Huo Ren picked a few warm and simple stories and revisited them with everyone when they returned.
The ice cream shop Jiang Shu took them to, the high suspended stage they first performed a concert on, several cool sports cars Long Jia drove, the beehive dance studio on the sixteenth floor…
The host wasn’t initially a fan, but over time became emotionally involved, quietly going through several of the Crown’s albums repeatedly, and then unconsciously started following all their variety shows from the past.
Such a warm and uplifting boy band, truly like a beacon of light, offering warmth and illumination to the whole world.
Who could not like them?
The fourth turn came to Bo Jue.
Bo Jue naturally chose to go home, taking them to Austria and even washed a big plate of cherries.
Indeed delicious, so sweet and fragrant that Xie Lianyun was embarrassed to argue with him anymore.
Long Jia hadn’t expected to visit his ex-boyfriend’s home after their breakup, feeling somewhat unnatural as he entered the understated classic manor.
Accompanied by Huo Ren receiving a bear hug from Bo Huan, Bo’s parents smilingly asked Long Jia all sorts of questions, very fond of him.
“Little Huan has grown taller.”
“This child, now has hired a vocal and dance teacher, practices at home every day,” Father Bo lamented, “Your brother has exploded several times, why doesn’t he listen.”
“It’s too hard to win first place, brother said third place is also very good,” Bo Huan earnestly said, “Brother dances so beautifully, I can do it too!”
Bo Jue gave up communicating with this little fool, casually handing cherries to Long Jia.
“Try one, they’re very tasty.”
Long Jia was stunned for a moment, completely not expecting he would feed him in front of the camera.
After their breakup, they had been deliberately maintaining a polite distance, with almost no real communication.
The young man hesitated for a few seconds, but still slowly bit the cherry from his fingertips, then quickly finished both.
Bo’s parents were stunned on the spot.
These two kids… what’s going on? Very close, aren’t they?
Everyone witnessing this scene turned to stone.
What’s happening??
These two finally ended their cold war??
Bo Jue’s ears turned red in an instant, couldn’t help but say with a cry and a laugh, “Could you use your hands next time?”
Long Jia realized his sudden foolishness, awkwardly made a sound, and quickly apologized.
“It’s okay,” Bo Jue casually fed him another, letting go only when his fingertips reached the lips, contentedly saying, “If it’s tasty, have another.โ
He was open and honest, leaving the bystanders even more confused.
Was it us who thought too much??
Long Jia ate the cherry in a daze, obediently nodding, “Very sweet.”
They stayed in Vienna for four days, skiing, mountain climbing, listening to opera, visiting churches, and taking a heart-shape photo in front of the National Opera House.
Before leaving, Bo Huan reluctantly let go, pitifully hugging Bo Jue, “Brother, I will miss you… I’ve always missed you.”
Bo Jue sighed, ruffling his hair, “If you get bored here, it’s also good to stay for a while when you come next year, I’ll take you around then.”
Bo Huan thought he had heard wrong, “Ehโ”
Bo’s parents turned to see if the sun rose from the west, “What day is it today?!”
“Make sure not to hurt your waist and legs when practicing dance, do proper stretching at the end,” Bo Jue helped Bo Huan adjust his scarf, gently saying, “Learning to be an entertainer is quite good.”
Bo Huan’s eyes reddened, “Brother, I like you the most!”
When it was Long Jia’s turn, the third young master of Long pondered for a long time, then took them on a trip to the headquarters of Xuan Yu Group.
Wherever he went, the passing employees dared not come over to chat, just respectfully greeted ‘Young Master Long, hello everyone’, then hugged their briefcases and walked away quickly.
“My home is right there,” Long Jia pointed to a villa on the hillside, explaining simply and plainly, “Indeed, my family has considered… letting me come back to help my brothers and sisters and spend more time with the family.”
Here, “spending time” refers to meeting with the whole family, including the three generations of CEOs, to co-host the strategic planning for the next branch company.
The elder of the Long family is a traditionalist, once hoping his child wouldn’t go to Britain to study at Eton, stubbornly keeping his school registration in China, which later led to the impostor ex-girlfriend making a big joke on Weibo.
Both the grandfather and grandmother were not quite accustomed to their grandson’s idol status, but after watching him on TV more, they couldn’t help but grow fond of him.
Though they would still remind him during holidays, hoping he would come back early to relieve his parents of some work, protect and guide the Xuan Yu Group through its bottleneck period and transition to an upgrade, they never really forced him to give up what he loves.
Long Jia, with his hands in his pockets, leisurely strolled around the park, his posture relaxed.
“Sometimes when I come back, I feel like time passes so quickly. When I was a child, my dad would take me for walks here, and we’d joke around when we passed by this sculpture.”
The joke was about whether to send this kid to Wall Street or the London International Financial Centre for a golden touch.
Xie and the others, who grew up in the entertainment industry, craned their necks trying to count how many floors the skyscrapers here had.
“It seems quite dull, doesn’t it?” Long Jia remembered something and turned his head to the host, “This isn’t enough for a whole episode, is it?”
The host, who had never been to such a place, spoke without much confidence, “It, it’s all good… You decide.”
Bo Jue couldn’t help but cover his mouth and laugh at the side.
Seeing Bo Jue laugh again, Long Jia suddenly blushed, like a high school student with a crush.
“Then, how about we take a walk in my family’s estate?”
He saw the cameramen were shooting the scenery in the distance and lowered his voice.
“Teacher Bo, actually, my family’s dogs and horses miss you too…”
I miss you too, wanting to see you smile like this every day.