Idol Chapter 194 Part 2

-2-

The two guests left the stage one after another, and the second half of the concert seemed to melt silently, seeping into everyone’s hearts.

The air carried a warmth.

Huo Ren sang and danced smoothly, not making a single mistake until the end.

He knew he was standing alone on stage at this moment.

He was no one’s controller, nor was he controlled by anyone.

Free and joyful, without any restraints.

He also knew that many people were always by his side, even if he couldn’t touch them, they were always there.

His gaze was resolute, his smile warm.

His idol group had never disappeared, and he would live just like this group.

The name of the group was Crown.

Before the last performance, he went backstage to change into a deep red suit and returned to the center of the stage.

All the lavish set pieces had been removed, leaving only a single spotlight.

“This is the last song,” Huo Ren explained. “Actually, many people in the team don’t know what this impromptu program is.”

His gaze fell on a certain spot, his eyes smiling like the first thaw of spring rivers.

The camera turned, allowing everyone to see tonight’s Pei Ruye.

The man was dressed in a pure white suit, his expression slightly surprised but still strikingly handsome and composed.

Pinned on his chest was a red rose brooch, a gift from Huo Ren on the night they went to the wonton shop after an awards ceremony.

That brooch had accompanied Pei Ruye through many occasions.

Perilous negotiations, a narrow victory one night at the trading floor, the finale of “Chosen by the Gods,” and more.

Because it appeared so frequently, fans thought it was some kind of heirloom treasure, to the point that now there were many replicas trending on Taobao.

“Teacher, I have a secret I’ve never told you,” Huo Ren said, his head bowed as he pulled a pure white rose identical to the brooch from the photo holder in his wallet, under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

“I’ve always carried it with me too, afraid to forget it wherever I go.”

The sudden confession of a youthful emotion, spoken aloud at this moment, was like a finely aged wine.

It was fragrant and slightly bitter, like a heart fluttering with nervous joy.

For a moment, the entire venue fell silent, the man standing still at a distance, silently watching him.

“A long time ago, there was a battle song called ‘Night Fire,’ which spoke of who I was in the past.”

“Today’s love song,” the young man said with a light smile, free of any reservations.

“It’s called ‘Like a Blade.'”

The pure piano notes flowed out as he closed his eyes and began to sing softly.

“The piano room door is slightly ajar, a corner of light trapped like a sealed butterfly.”

“In a quiet corner of the stage, who is turning back to wait?”

His voice was now free of any impurities, clear and slow, like the deep currents under a glacier.

His emotions were delicate and tender, possessing a completeness and authenticity that none of his previous performances could match.

“If swimming against the current to chase the light is the destined choice, then those missed opportunities are like scars hidden too deep.”

“That day in the crowd, I stood frozen for a long time, suddenly unable to feel my own body temperature.”

Outside, it seemed someone screamed in surprise, the spotlights and cameras still burning intensely.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Huo Ren gently held the microphone, his gaze lowered as he sang like unwrapping a gift on a birthday night, presenting his rebirth.

The day he felt love, accepted love, was the beginning of his soul’s awakening.

“Time is like a blade, cutting through all my naive fantasies.”

“But you stand at the end, making me heed no more the whispers of the wind.”

“Your smile is like a kiss, silently telling me daily how much you love me.”

“Memory is a lover from past days, every touch extraordinarily tender.”

Suddenly feeling something, he slowly opened his eyes.

Pei Ruye had already walked up to him, the roses on their chests perfectly aligned.

The screams from below nearly flipped the roof off, as millions watched their mutual gaze, almost clutching the screens and howling.

For a moment, Huo Ren’s face heated up, as if suddenly returning to his more innocent days on the seventeenth floor.

He hadn’t expected Pei Ruye, who had so often stayed behind the scenes, to stand here for him today.

All he could do now was pause again to breathe, his heart beating slowly as he sang out the last line.

“If you ask again… do we match in front of the church cross?”

“Can we, perhaps, exchange another kiss?”

Pei Ruye lowered his gaze to meet his, then leaned in and kissed him.

Old conventions didn’t matter, thousands of watching eyes didn’t matter.

Their world was built around each other, beginning and ending with one another.

It was an unbreakable deep affection, an endless tremor of the heart.

It was also the most solemn vow given to each other in times of utter despair.