Huo Ren dismissed the silly idea that he had been fooling around on the 16th floor every day and shook his head to clear his mind.
He didn’t have the time or qualifications to be in a relationship.
Bo Jue looked at the boy in the mirror, his hair flicking around like a little wolf cub, and chuckled as he took the comb from him. “Alright, alright, I was overthinking. You should go to sleep now.”
Huo Ren casually tied a butterfly knot at the end of Bo Jue’s hair. “The sapphire blue suits you.”
“This hairband was actually a birthday gift from you last time,” Bo Jue’s mood brightened with the compliments. “I wear this one the most.”
The topic was quickly forgotten as they shifted their focus to preparing for the release of their new song at full speed.
Uncle Jiang seemed to become younger and more energetic after their official debut as Corona. He used to have some gray hair at SPF, but now not only did he dye his hair to look like a man in his forties, but his tone and demeanor also became much more cheerful.
With his ambitious nature and big appetite, he discussed a daring plan with the six boys.
All the music videos were recorded by December 15th, and the official release was scheduled for February 10th.
“So, for the New Year’s Eve concert, you guys will be performing on the largest stage of Baichuan TV. The stage alone is nearly 25 meters long,” Uncle Jiang held a cigarette but didn’t rush to smoke. He outlined the overall process for them, “After the New Year’s Eve concert, you’ll be guest-starring in a New Year’s variety show. The Newcomer King Championship will have a comeback stage on Chinese New Year’s Day, and the day before that, you’ll be attending the national Spring Festival Gala. The timing works perfectly.”
Mei Shengyao was curled up on the edge of the sofa, still half-asleep, while Xie Lianyun sat beside him, sipping cold medicine.
“We’ll be performing all new dances?” Huo Ren confirmed the difficulty, “We’ve only been rehearsing for a little over a month for this.”
“It’s not possible to give you a whole year to prepare for a new album every time,” Uncle Jiang handed Xie Lianyun a piece of paper and continued, “The previous year was to accumulate enough experience and demos for you. Practice makes perfect. From now on, we’ll follow this year’s rhythm, and I think it’s good.”
Long Jia, who was sitting opposite him, was looking at the itinerary he had received. He hadn’t finished reading the details of the new variety show when he suddenly saw a familiar term.
“The Musi Chart Show?” His tone rose a bit, then quickly suppressed, “We have to go to Baichuan again on February 13th?”
The Musi Chart Show was a heavyweight music program in Shiguo, consisting of “Musi Top Chart,” and “Peak Star Stream.”
However, the latter focused more on entertainment with music as a secondary aspect, showcasing the shining personalities of the artists and featuring more interactive games.
On the other hand, the Musi Top Chart was the epitome of credibility in terms of music rankings, both online and offline, in various sizes. The most comprehensive scoring structure included expert-level public opinion polls, sample questionnaires, a weekly release of results, and full transparency throughout the process.
This program was jointly invested in and controlled by the top ten entertainment and cultural companies, with ten groups of artists performing and competing in singing each week. Whether they were newcomers or veterans, they all had to perform on the same stage, and the scenes of failure and counterattack had once become annual headlines.
“This… is indeed significant,” Uncle Jiang cleared his throat, picked up his own itinerary in front of him, looked up and down for a while, and slowly brought up the core issue, “You’ll be participating in the New Year’s special edition, with fifteen groups of artists sharing the votes.”
Everyone froze in their seats for a few seconds.
“I heard that Feng Tianhou and Tiwi are also coming for this episode,” Xie Lianyun slumped like a noodle at the edge of the sofa. “I grew up listening to their songs. How can we compare…”
“I think we can,” Huo Ren pondered for a moment. “It just so happens that our new album will be officially released on February 10th, perfect for building momentum.”
Uncle Jiang sighed in relief when he heard Huo Ren agree. “It’s a good opportunity, we can’t let it go.”
The good thing about this is that they will be competing with other senior artists, but the bad thing is also the same.
The program itself is designed to create pressure and bring out the best in the artists. They will be performing live with a live band, exposing their skills for the audience to judge.
In this show, some have become famous by turning their careers around with a new song, while others have been completely overshadowed by newcomers due to accidents on stage.
Whether it’s a blessing or a disaster depends on their performance—-after all, true brilliance is only revealed when artists share the stage.
After Huo Ren agreed, the others gradually felt more confident and nodded one by one.
Having lived and worked together with the Captain day and night, they had an instinctual trust and reliance on him.
As long as Huo Ren leads them forward, there is nothing to fear.
Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Uncle Jiang circled the name of the new variety show with a pencil and was about to move on when the door was knocked twice, followed by the assistant entering with a folder.
“Uncle Jiang,” he looked troubled and said, “There’s a guest here.”
“Who?” Uncle Jiang didn’t take it seriously. “Is Mr. Wang here to play mahjong with me? I’m busy.”
The assistant quickly glanced at Huo Ren and leaned in to whisper in Uncle Jiang’s ear.
Uncle Jiang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his voice became deeper. “What does he want?”
The assistant didn’t dare to say more and looked at Uncle Jiang pitifully, waiting for him to go out.
At the moment the assistant glanced at Huo Ren, his back tensed up.
He clenched his fists, remaining silent, but involuntarily took a deep breath to control his emotions.
“Understood.”
Uncle Jiang picked up his coat and stood up. “The five of you, go downstairs and practice dancing and playing instruments. Huo Ren, come with me.”
“What’s wrong with Captain?” Mei Shengyao, half-asleep, asked, “I want to go too.”
“There’s some trivial endorsement matter that requires him to handle it personally. I’ll take him down to greet the person and deal with it.”
Huo Ren followed Uncle Jiang into the elevator, clenching his fists and remaining silent for a while.
As the elevator descended from the 17th floor to the 10th floor, and then from the 10th floor to the 1st floor, cold sweat trickled down the young man’s back.
“Did you know your father was coming?” Uncle Jiang glanced at him sideways. “Are you this scared?”
“It’s not fear.”
Huo Ren took another deep breath and chose not to voice the rest of his thoughts.
It wasn’t fear; it was an instinctual aversion, not wanting to have anything to do with this person ever again.
For a long period of his youth, he had grown accustomed to sacrificing many things.
At first, he couldn’t secure a place in the prestigious science and technology university program for gifted students. The man felt guilty and quit drinking and gambling for nearly half a year, making both him and his mother believe that they had finally made it through the difficult times.
Later on, he sacrificed the opportunity to study abroad and the chance to attend a selective camp for top-tier universities.
Then, his mother, the only person who attended parent-teacher meetings and received congratulations from teachers, passed away.
The sacrifices grew more numerous while the moments of temporary peace became scarcer.
When Huo Ren gave up attending high school, he even experienced a short-lived sense of relief, albeit untimely.
If I give up on this too, would you allow me to take a few more breaths and live a few more years?
If I leave this house, completely cutting ties with the place where I was born and raised, will you never appear in my world like a nightmare again?
Seeing that the joke didn’t ease the tension but instead made the atmosphere even more strained, Uncle Jiang cleared his throat.
“Let’s go to the G floor.”
“There’s something to attend to later. I will talk to him. You can sit in the adjacent observation room.”
“I won’t open the door, so don’t come out.”
As Huo Ren was still contemplating how to refuse the meeting, he heard that Uncle Jiang intended to shield him from it, which made him resist.
He didn’t want Uncle Jiang to have any contact with such a despicable person.
Uncle Jiang could be grumpy at times and would even berate his subordinates openly when they made mistakes.
But deep down, he was a good-hearted uncle and felt like a true family member.
“I… I’ll go myself.” Huo Ren mustered all his strength to speak those words.
“I’ll meet him alone.”
Uncle Jiang took a drag of his cigarette and glanced at him, then suddenly reached out and roughly rubbed his head.
Huo Ren almost lost his balance from the head rub and exclaimed while protecting his hairstyle.
“What are you trying to prove, you little brat? When I was wandering the world, you weren’t even born yet. Stay where you belong.”
Huo Ren looked at him, holding his head, and reluctantly replied with an “uh.”
But the tightly clenched heart suddenly loosened.
They went to a special evaluation room.
There were two rooms in this place, and the wall in the middle was actually a one-way mirror. The person sitting on the right side couldn’t see the row of seats on the left side.
After Huo Ren took his seat, Uncle Jiang made sure the hidden door was securely closed, put on sunglasses, adjusted his suit, and smoked a cigarette while waiting for the assistant to release the visitor.
Uncle Jiang had lived for over fifty years and had encountered his fair share of good and bad people. He had also been through his fair share of backstabbing.
He knew that this child, Huo Ren, hadn’t yet grasped the things that couldn’t be taught from books. He needed to witness it firsthand.
Today, he would see clearly through a wall and gain insight, so that he would be prepared when he encountered even worse people and situations in the future.
Since sitting down, Huo Ren had been gripping the corners of his clothes tightly.
Soon, there was a knock on the door, and the assistant expressionlessly ushered in a middle-aged man.
When he was young, this man had a decent appearance and seemed like a good person. He married into the Huo family with sweet words, but after a few years, he was lured into gambling by his unruly friends. He gambled away the family fortune and even pawned the Huo family’s house and car, turning a middle-class family into ruins.
And now, his face was so ravaged that it was covered in alcohol-induced redness and his nose was swollen. The scars from keys on his face and chin couldn’t be concealed.
“You didn’t make an appointment, so you can only have a five-minute conversation with Mr. Jiang.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” the middle-aged man nodded and bowed to the assistant, involuntarily tugging on his outdated polo shirt, and he even closed the door for the assistant. “Thank you, thank you!”
When Huo Ren saw his appearance, his nails dug into the palms of his hands.
As the man turned and saw Uncle Jiang, his anger waned a bit.
He stammered a greeting and introduced himself in a friendly manner.
“I am Zhang Wu, Huo Ren’s father. Here is a photocopy of our household registration book to prove our relationship, and here is my ID card…”
Zhang Wu finished his few sentences without seeing any expression behind the Buddha-like sunglasses or receiving any response. Sweat started pouring down his forehead.
“This child, he didn’t study properly and instead chose to become an artist, abandoning his high school education.”
He made up his mind and continued his rehearsed speech to the sunglasses: “He was reckless and caused your company a lot of trouble. But it has also caused us a lot of difficulties…”
Implicit in his words was the intent to collect debts.
Uncle Jiang let out a faint, cold laugh.
Zhang Wu’s movements faltered, and his posture suddenly became more disciplined. He forced himself to say, “This child’s salary…”
“And he took away the property certificate of the house…”
Uncle Jiang turned his head and spat out smoke, completely ignoring him.
Zhang Wu had grown accustomed to being treated like a pest, so he stopped pretending and straightened his neck. He said, “If you ignore me, it’s fine, but shouldn’t the child’s salary go to me?”
“Now that he’s a big star, even holding concerts, shouldn’t the money that our family lacks and the holes that need to be filled in our home be taken care of?”
-2-
Zhang Wu, in order to collect debts, resorted to escaping to his ancestral home in the countryside, where he couldn’t even sleep well in a dilapidated wooden shack.
One night, he went out to beg for a meal from his distant relatives and discovered that his niece was holding a poster of his own son.
Zhang Wu thought he must have been fed too much manure soup in his past life to end up in this situation.
He had gambled and then quit, quit, and then gambled again. He was constantly on edge, seeing enemies everywhere.
“Why would your son, who has become a big star, come to the countryside?” his distant relative, who had just moved back for retirement, teased him with a smile. “Isn’t it annoying to be the father of a celebrity? Do the neighbors knock on your door every day for autographs?”
“Yes… yes.”
“I’ll just leave it at that,” Zhang Wu, lacking confidence, still resorted to raising his voice and demanding money: “If Huo Ren doesn’t hand over five million, I’ll expose everything to the media and the police. I’ll dig up everything about your company and that unfilial son!”
Uncle Jiang calmly smoked his cigarette and took off his sunglasses with one hand. His sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned Zhang Wu.
In an instant, Zhang Wu pushed his chair backward, and the metal chair legs made a sharp sound as they scraped against the tiled floor.
Uncle Jiang threw a contract directly in his face.
As a manager of SPF Entertainment, he had encountered many similar situations over the years. This was nothing new.
The contract, bank statements, and even fingerprints had already been prepared. He had even rehearsed three sets of arguments.
“So, you’re Huo Ren’s father?”
Uncle Jiang propped himself up on the table and leaned in, while Zhang Wu, in a panic, tried to retreat but was grabbed by his ragged collar.
“You’re his father, so are you here to pay the penalty fee?”
Uncle Jiang knew that this scum of a man couldn’t understand the intricate clauses in the contract. He only cared about money.
There was no need to explain anything further.
“I… Don’t try to deceive me with this nonsense!” Zhang Wu was already panicking and trying to break free from his grip, but the oppressive aura made him feel diminished. “How can a celebrity not have money? How could he still…”
Uncle Jiang suddenly let go, allowing the man to lose his balance and fall onto the chair along with it.
He stood up and casually grabbed a stack of ticket and invoice bills, holding his cigarette as if he were an old customer at a casino, and slapped them toward Zhang Wu.
“Travel expenses.”
“Training fees.”
“Compensation for missed work.”
“Penalties for violations and breaches.”
Zhang Wu frantically tried to sit up but ended up with the colorful bills slapped all over his face, making him look disheveled.
“Do you need the phone number of magazine publishers or newspaper companies?” Uncle Jiang asked casually. “Or maybe the police chief’s mobile number? I just had dinner with the guy, and I have his business card right here.”
“You can’t…” Zhang Wu wiped the pieces of paper off his face, his face turning red. “Who do you think you are…”
“Do you know what they would do?” Uncle Jiang crouched down and looked down at him.
His expression was filled with undisguised pity.
“They will pretend to interview you, then go to the casino and strip you of every detail, even if you hide overseas, they will still be there with cameras to capture your every move.”
“Do you think… the people at the casino won’t recognize it?”
Zhang Wu got up, scrambling to his feet just as his secretary, expressionless, opened the door.
“Sir, the meeting time is up.”
Zhang Wu glared at him fiercely, not even bothering to straighten his clothes as he quickly rushed out.
Uncle Jiang, cigarette dangling from his mouth, glanced at the man’s back before waving his hand to signal his assistant to clean up the mess.
He turned to the other side of the wall and locked eyes with Huo Ren.
“Kid, come out.”
Huo Ren had felt like he was in an icy cave the whole time and now he took a deep breath, pushing the door open and stepping out in quick strides.
“Uncle Jiang.”
“That father of yours is already dead.” Uncle Jiang couldn’t be bothered to comfort him like a child. “Even if he comes again, he won’t be able to touch you.”
Even scalpers charging high prices for artist schedules could barely get their hands on them, let alone someone with this level of status.
Huo Ren lowered his head, unsure of how to respond, and took the broom from the assistant to help sweep the pieces of paper.
“Not having a father doesn’t mean anything.” Uncle Jiang’s gaze shifted to the window, his tone indifferent. “I haven’t had a father since I was a kid, but I’ve been doing well.”
“I’ve never planned to get married and have children in this lifetime, and that’s fine.”
The young man paused for a few seconds before sighing.
“No sighing allowed.” The older man’s voice turned cold. “I hate hearing that sound. Hold it in from now on.”
“Okay.” Huo Ren suddenly smiled. “No more sighing.”
The New Year’s Eve concert on December 31st had a very special venue, the Dongjun Red Palace in Baichuan City.
As the leading record label, Dongjun had bought the naming rights to this building to build momentum for their 40th-anniversary celebration.
The Red Palace was designed to resemble an open eagle wing, with its feather-like structures resembling sharp blades. It could accommodate up to 150,000 people and was often chosen as a venue for major sporting events.
On the 29th, they arrived at the venue and began following Pei Ruye to familiarize themselves with the layout and rehearse.
The New Year’s Eve concert lasted for five hours, and Corona’s new single, “Night Fire,” was scheduled for 23:52 to 23:56, perfectly timed to create an atmosphere for the countdown to the new year.
Pei Ruye led them onto the stage, his hands in his pockets, indicating they should look at the LED screens on both sides, which were rolling like waves.
“There will be 36 fireworks points, and they will be about four meters away from you. The safety has been tested repeatedly, so don’t be frightened.”
He was familiar with the top ten large venues in the country and had been involved in design and construction with other well-known artists several times.
Now, walking leisurely on the vast and spacious stage, he felt as free as a ferryman.
Huo Ren followed behind Boss Pei, surveying the empty audience seats in the distance. His companions walked alongside him, joking and moving forward together.
“These four spots may have dry ice and the lighting booth isn’t fully set up yet. It’s probably in the southeast direction, right here.”
“The stage at the Red Palace is so huge.” Chi Ji couldn’t help but exclaim, “I’ve never performed in such a large venue, not even in the UK.”
Boss Pei stopped upon hearing the comment, turned around, and explained, “You should remember the green ‘X’ marks on the floor.”
“They may all be torn off during the actual performance.”
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Huo Ren, not paying attention, bumped into him and took a step back, rubbing his nose in a belated response.
“If the four of us have to go to the end of the cross and interact with the audience, then run back, it will require a lot of stamina, right?” Chi Ji looked around and said, “I remember there are five changes in formation… and interaction with the dancers.”
Boss Pei flicked Huo Ren’s nose with his knuckles, then continued explaining the coordination arrangements between the dance troupe and Corona to the others.
Huo Ren blinked and suddenly felt like he had been given a piece of candy.
He suddenly remembered what Bo Jue had mentioned.
The young man quickly shook his head twice and ran back to the middle of the group, standing beside Long Jia. He kept a safe distance from Boss Pei.
He couldn’t afford to be so clueless.
Boss Pei glanced at the captain who had suddenly run off, continued walking with his hands in his pockets, and led them forward.
“I’ll teach you two dance routines today, and tomorrow evening we’ll go through the entire routine again.”
“Thank you, Boss Pei—” the five young idols shouted loudly, trying to get close to their teacher. “We love you—”
One of the boys rubbed his nose and didn’t say anything.
When New Year’s Eve arrived, most of the fans couldn’t get tickets, so they gathered along the roadside where the artists would pass by, waiting to cheer them on.
The Six Gems hadn’t even finished their makeup when they walked this stretch, but it already felt like walking on the red carpet.
As they got off the car, they heard one high-pitched scream after another. At the entrance, there were staff members checking the work badges of the accompanying assistants, and artists lined up, waiting to enter slowly.
Chi Ji suddenly exclaimed, leaning on the car window, “Is that a flower wall?”
“A flower wall?” Bo Yue asked curiously, “What kind of wall?”
“Take a sneak peek when we do the autograph session later,” Chi Ji smiled, “It looks really beautiful, doesn’t it?”
The moment they stepped out of the car, the Gems closest to the edge exploded with excitement, followed by a long string of fans, getting louder and louder.
“It’s Corona!! Corona is here!!!”
“Captain, ahhh, the captain’s hair color is ash blue today! Ahhh, I’m dying!!!”
“Yao Yao is the cutest—-Yao Yao, look at me, sobbing, I don’t want to ruin my makeup!!”
The boys walked forward one after another, following Chi Ji’s gaze, secretly looking at the massive support flower wall outside the railing.
The gradually changing colors of red, gold, and white roses were arranged to form a flower wall nearly two meters high and over ten meters wide. The scattered golden and silver glitter made the central flower characters shine brilliantly.
“Corona”
“The One and Only Crown”
The fan club came up with a clever idea, avoiding words like “strongest” or “number one” in a gathering of seniors. The phrase “the one and only” was just more precious.
In addition to the splendid rose wall that resembled radiant clouds, the Gems collectively held up large individual and group posters of the six members. Among them were smiling young girls, mature professionals, and many boys blushing as they loudly confessed their admiration.
The six of them slowed their pace, trying to sign autographs and take photos with as many people as possible.
Huo Ren was accustomed to signing autographs, but every time he got closer to the fans, he couldn’t help but feel a natural tenderness in his heart.
“Gege!” Mei Shengyao smiled and held up a fan’s phone, showing them the phone case. “Gege! It’s us!”
His voice was bright and clear, and as soon as he called “gege”, the girls next to him immediately screamed, feeling too shy to even look at them, and started covering their faces while taking photos.
The six boys embraced each other’s shoulders, laughing heartily, exuding the youthful vigor of a rising sun amidst the majestic mountains and vast sea of clouds.
“It’s us.” Bo Jue also smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. “You’ve made me look pretty good. Give me a signature too.”
They took turns signing the phone case, unreservedly taking selfies with all the fans. The boys next to them who succeeded in their idol pursuits were already so happy that they were about to faint.
“When you post on Weibo, remember to mention me,” Long Jia patted Huo Ren’s shoulder. “I really like this.”
Huo Ren smiled and signed the last name.
The six names were neatly written, strokes connected, as if they were still in a tight embrace.
Author’s Note:
Sorry, sorry for the late update… I went for a medical check-up early this morning, and then I took a nap in the afternoon. I haven’t eaten breakfast and got gallstones. The other results haven’t come out yet, but there does seem to be a problem with my heart rate… The doctor said it’s a bit fast, but we’ll have to see the results of the electrocardiogram.
Everyone, make sure to have a good breakfast!! It’s super important!!
The next chapter will feature an exciting new song and dual stages! Thank you for following the updates~~!
I’m late with the update today, so I’ll make it up to everyone. The first 300 comments will receive red envelopes, muah muah.
The artist next door has also forgotten to send out red envelopes. They will probably update around 10 p.m., and it will also be for the first 300 comments. Thank you all for your love!