Idol Chapter 85

As the eve of their vacation came to an end, everyone eagerly packed their bags, brimming with energy, and awaited the start of a new work cycle.

They had a great time in Belgium.

Pei Ruye often helped Long Jia lift iron to improve his core, while Bo Jue leisurely read books and shopped. The two younger members of the team had already become friends with the forest’s little deer and foxes.

Xie Lianyun, after finishing his recording, entered overtime mode and spent his days indoors with air conditioning. At midnight, he would sneak into the fridge for a couple of pieces of cake.

Their assistants were considerate, helping them send various souvenirs back home in advance and selecting many postcards with a Nordic theme.

Huo Ren was concerned about his family back home and sent a big box of gifts to Uncle Jiang.

He could imagine the expression on Uncle Jiang’s face when he received the gifts.

Certainly, he would grumble about spending money while carefully inspecting each item before storing it properly.

Over the years, the various gifts they had bought for their manager, both domestically and internationally, had filled the office. Bo Jue gave the most gifts, forcing Uncle Jiang to buy an additional display cabinet.

Uncle Jiang had a bad temper and was straightforward in his speech, but he had never had children of his own, so he treated them as family.

The six of them, both young and old, gathered together to write postcards. In the midst of their conversation, they inexplicably started singing.

“Hey…” Xiao Chi noticed that Bo Jue was eating salad in silence and asked curiously, “Brother Jue, you bought so many things, have you finished writing the greeting cards?”

Bo Jue handed him a strawberry and replied, “Not yet.”

Long Jia’s expression twitched slightly, but he didn’t ask further.

Coincidentally, at that moment, the television on the wall began broadcasting the latest news.

The news was in French, and it was difficult for them to understand.

But everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing.

They thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.

On the screen, an Eastern teenager sat beside a grand piano, with a warm and adorable smile, long hair flowing behind him.

His face bore a striking resemblance to Bo Jue, about seventy to eighty percent similar.

However, one had a cold and distant demeanor, while the other was gentle and sweet, giving completely different impressions.

But at first glance, it was almost like a cute, junior version of Bo Jue, around sixteen or seventeen years old and very handsome.

Huo Ren wasn’t fluent in French, but he could roughly make out the news content.

It was about a popular contestant in the 16th Chopin International Piano Competition, currently being interviewed by the officials.

“Bo Jue—” he subconsciously looked at him, and the latter promptly turned off the TV.

“There’s nothing interesting to see.”

Xie Lianyun furrowed his brow and asked, “Why does that kid dress and look exactly like you?”

“Well, he’s my younger brother, Bo Huan,” Bo Jue replied coldly. “He looks a lot like me, doesn’t he?”

People were named using Bo Jue’s name as a reference: “Jue” and “Huan.”

Their parents were certainly good at choosing names.

Everyone paused in their activities, realizing what was amiss.

Bo Jue rarely talked to them about his family’s situation. While they could sense that he came from a well-off background, his relationship with his parents and relatives was distant.

Huo Ren suddenly had an epiphany.

His mind worked quickly, connecting most of the pieces of the puzzle from the past. He quickly identified the issue.

No wonder Brother Jue chose to become an idol—

While Long Jia was born into a wealthy family, with his siblings supporting the family business, he originally wanted to study performing arts. He accidentally got selected by SPF during a friend’s audition, and his life had been relaxed and carefree ever since.

But the Chopin International Piano Competition was one of the highest honors in the piano world. Pianists who received this award could live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Bo Jue, with his talent, didn’t need to force himself to change careers.

As a foreigner, he had come to China alone to develop his career, even though his entire family had settled in Europe. While Uncle Jiang’s persuasion played a part, it seemed more like he was trying to avoid someone.

“Brother?”

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you,” Bo Jue had gone into a defensive mode, speaking rapidly. “I just felt that talking about this would make me seem petty.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” everyone chimed in unison, “It’s impossible.”

Bo Jue hesitated for a few seconds and continued in a low voice, “Alright.”

He had a younger brother named Bo Huan.

When his brother was born, he was cute, but as he grew older, his personality became very strange.

“My parents, family relatives, and even my friends all think he’s exceptionally sensible and obedient,” Bo Jue took a deep breath and continued slowly, “But I can’t stand him.”

Xie Lianyun silently poured him a cup of hot tea.

Long Jia moved closer, concern in his eyes. “Is he treating you badly?”

“No, quite the opposite,” Bo Jue whispered, “He’s a mimic.”

From the smallest details like clothing and hair accessories to the style of the bowls they used for meals, pillowcases, and bed sheets, Bo Huan insisted on having everything identical to his own.

And on a larger scale, if Bo Jue picked up a musical instrument, Bo Huan would follow suit. If he couldn’t master it, he would stay up late every night practicing and then come to show off.

“During the time when I was preparing for the Chopin Competition, and coincidentally going through puberty, I was very harsh with him,” Bo Jue sighed, hugging his knees. “He would sit by the window and watch me practice the piano all day. When I found out, I felt a shiver down my spine and scolded him harshly.”

“And then…”

“Then Bo Huan hid in the fireplace and cried, and when my parents found him, they scolded me harshly.”

Long Jia gently held him in his arms, not offering many words of comfort but soothing him by rubbing his back gently.

Huo Ren continued to analyze the situation.

“Has Bo Huan ever done anything intentionally harmful to you?”

“No,” Bo Jue replied dejectedly. “But from childhood to adulthood, no matter what I did, he always wanted to learn it, and it made me feel very uncomfortable.”

There was a sense of panic that his existence could be denied. It felt as if he could be replaced with just one wrong step, with his good-natured and smiling brother waiting in the wings.

“My parents never missed the big picture, and they always indulged him in small matters, thinking that I was being unreasonable.”

Bo Jue had always felt insecure, and at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to look at them, feeling embarrassed and childish.

“When he was two or three years old, he saw me using a new blue porcelain bowl for eating, and he pitifully asked my parents if he could use the same bowl.”

“My parents advised me to change my bowl since I was almost ten years old and shouldn’t argue with a child.”

“I agreed.”

Bo Jue paused for a long time before speaking again.

“When I was twenty, I bought twelve blue porcelain bowls for myself.”

But his heart still felt empty, as if it could never be filled.

Long Jia hugged him tightly and whispered, “You have us.”

“You’re different from Bo Huan. He won’t replace you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Bo Jue sniffed and pretended not to care. “He’s still striving to win the Chopin Competition, there’s no way he’d come back.”

He had forcefully changed his career, moving into the entertainment industry unrelated to classical music, just to distance himself from that existing presence.

Huo Ren sat across from him and asked another question.

“Do you still keep in touch with him now?”

“We exchange greetings during holidays and special occasions, but we don’t talk much otherwise,” Bo Jue rubbed his eyes. “I recently went home and stayed for a few days just to avoid running into him.”

Huo Ren had a vague feeling that there might be a misunderstanding in this situation.

His younger brother might just… want to earn his brother’s praise and affection through such means.

This incident was soon pushed aside by them.

The vacation passed in the blink of an eye, and Corona returned to China, reuniting with Uncle Jiang.

The latter half of their vacation had been carefree, with everyone eating well, sleeping well, and having fun. Aside from losing quite a bit of money in a mahjong game, everything seemed fine. Now, Uncle Jiang looked as if he were in his early forties.

When Huo Ren heard that he had recovered well, he breathed a long sigh of relief. He had originally planned to quietly congratulate him, but upon their reunion, Uncle Jiang’s brow was furrowed, and his expression was grave.

“Put away your smiles,” he said as he sat in the passenger seat of the nanny car and handed a bunch of carnations to Huo Ren. “Let’s go to St. John’s Private Hospital.”

…Why go to the hospital right after coming back?

“Feng Yi attempted suicide early this morning.”

“The manager found her in time, and after gastric lavage, there shouldn’t be any major issues, but her mental state is very poor.”

The six big guys were suddenly shocked, unable to believe the news. Just last year, they were rehearsing with her at Angel’s Ring, considering her a dedicated and hardworking senior as a role model.

Queen Feng had a gentle and cheerful personality. How could this be possible?

“I know you didn’t follow the domestic news during your vacation,” Uncle Jiang leaned against the car window and closed his eyes. “It’s good that you didn’t. It has been getting more and more disturbing in recent years.”

Six days ago, a video of a group of people engaged in sexual acts suddenly appeared online, with the face of the female lead replaced with Feng Yi’s.

Such videos were certainly not allowed to be circulated by authorities, but sellers of short videos on WeChat and Weibo descended upon them, using keywords to sell and spread them everywhere, seemingly tireless.

It was like an overwhelming and silent undercurrent.

After a large number of viewers watched the sensational video, they flooded Feng Yi’s Weibo account, even sending countless obscene and insulting messages via private messages.

She was 46 years old, still had an enviable figure, dressed stylishly, and had been pushing forward despite criticism.

Even if she revealed a bit of cleavage during a concert, it would be blown out of proportion in the media—

“‘Heavenly Queen Feng Yi’s plunging neckline outfit shocks children and adults alike.'”

In recent years, new capital has flooded into the entertainment industry, and the direction of change has been faster in the past three years than in the previous thirty years.

Feng Yi’s old agency had no understanding of these new strategies and was slow to respond.

She had suffered from nervous exhaustion for many years, and the heavy stimulation from the internet, combined with her age, had made her unable to cope.

Huo Ren held the carnations, at a loss for words for a moment. He found himself strangely relieved that they had been on vacation abroad a few days ago and hadn’t encountered this gruesome whirlwind so soon.

“Senior… was she being targeted by someone?”

“No.”

“What?”

Uncle Jiang, holding a bouquet of flowers himself, paused by the window for a moment.

“Cases like what you and Xie Lianyun encountered are the ones where someone is targeted.”

Feng Yi held a godlike position in the entertainment industry, having won the OSC Crown Award multiple times. She had no competition with the current young idols.

“The person who made the video was caught four days ago; he’s a jobless drifter.”

“He said he did it just because… it was fun.”

A heavy silence filled the car.

They even instinctively held their breath, trying to distance themselves from such a concentrated and pure malevolence.

“This matter hasn’t leaked a single word, don’t talk to anyone about it.”

“Of course.”

 

-2-

The seven of them returned to the hospital’s upper floor and handed the bouquets to the manager outside the luxury ward.

Their senior needed some quiet rest, and they had no need to go inside.

Manager Lao Xu and Uncle Jiang had been senior-junior brothers in the past, and now they both looked aged and full of guilt.

Uncle Jiang spoke very little, just giving Lao Xu’s shoulder a strong pat, his voice hoarse.

“This isn’t your fault.”

Lao Xu held the bouquet like a puppet, shaking his head slowly.

“…It is my fault.”

When they were back in the car, Uncle Jiang couldn’t seem to recover for a while.

“Lao Xu has aged a lot all of a sudden,” he absentmindedly touched his newly dyed hair. “I almost didn’t recognize him.”

Huo Ren hadn’t had the heart to look at the person in the hospital room earlier, and now he nodded in agreement.

“Going solo has this downside. When something happens, you have to bear it alone, and it’s hard to get out once you’re trapped,” Uncle Jiang turned his thermos cup and sighed deeply. “Take care of each other and cherish your relationships. Try not to argue over trivial matters.”

“Uncle, it’s all just for fun,” Chi Ji laughed, “We haven’t had a single argument in five years, and our relationship is great.”

“Chi Ji is our little warm stove,” Bo Jue hugged him from the backseat, “Uncle, don’t be sentimental. When you get back to the company, prepare more emergency plans. It’ll be safer if something else happens.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Uncle Jiang had been so distracted by today’s events that he pulled out a document from his briefcase, “This is the content for the debunking this month. The script and everything else are all prepared.”

Everyone gathered around Huo Ren to read a couple of pages, their heads filled with question marks.

“Is there really someone spreading such nonsense?”

“It doesn’t matter if they spread it,” Uncle Jiang waved his hand. “Think of it as providing material for the show.”

That night, the Crown Live broadcast began on time.

“Hi, long time no see! Do you miss us?” Mei Shengyao smiled and said, “Have I gained weight?”

The fans who had been eagerly waiting for the show since the weekly preview went out flooded the chat room with comments like a meteor shower.

[Yao Yao is not fat at all! Your little fangs are so cute, let mommy hug you!!]

[How did Ren Ren become even thinner after going on vacation! What kind of godly physique is this—]

[The show is finally on! I’ve been waiting for it for three hours!]

[Corona’s little gems send out airplanes x100]

[All Ren’s miracles send out yachts x99]

…

“Today’s hot topic has also been selected through public voting by netizens,” Huo Ren stood next to the electronic board with a gentle expression. “Let’s find out together whether it’s true or false.”

 

【Rumor Prosecution List】

Top 1: Huo Ren has been secretly in a passionate love affair with a certain new-generation singer while abroad.

Top 2: Xie Lianyun and Mei Shengyao have had numerous violent clashes, and there has been long-standing discord within the team.

Top 3: Corona as a group showed extremely poor manners, and once verbally abused fans with profanity.

…

 

When the electronic screen lit up, Huo Ren silently stared at the first one for a long time.

The audience began to cheerfully comment on the rumors, as they always enjoyed doing.

[It’s here! Huo Huo’s puzzled gaze!! Huo looks so cute when he’s confused!!]

[Can’t marketing agencies make up better rumors? How much money did they pay to spread this nonsense? Don’t they get nightmares at night?]

[But that four-leaf clover pendant… it feels like a dead giveaway.]

This rumor had indeed spread for less than a month.

A certain female idol who debuted last year recently participated in a TV show and exposed her home filled with four-leaf clover decorations in the news.

“I really love this lucky charm~” she held a large plush toy and stood in front of the camera, looking petite and lovely. “Rings, necklaces, earrings, my friends often give me these~”

During the show, she had a four-leaf clover pendant on her neck, which was unmistakable.

It looked very similar to the one when Huo Ren kissed during the New Year’s concert.

The meddlesome immediately connected the dots, while the young idol happily basked in the attention, only vaguely denying it after several days.

However, some shippers had already started shipping and even editing videos.

Huo Ren also didn’t expect to go on vacation and come back with a rumored girlfriend, smiling as he removed the pendant on a live broadcast.

He openly displayed the four-leaf clover in front of the camera, with a smile on his lips.

“This necklace… is one of a kind.”

Silver edge, lush and transparent gemstone.

No unnecessary logos or marks, just two letters engraved in the gap.

The spectators rushed to the front lines, passionately chatting in the live stream comments.

[I knew it!! How come I couldn’t find it on Taobao after searching for so long!!]

[That person riding the trend only bought from a certain brand, clearly you can find similar styles online…]

[What’s going on? It really does look beautiful.]

After showcasing the pendant, Huo Ren carefully hung it around his neck again.

“This was personally made for me by my teacher, and there’s only one in the world.”

 

As soon as he received the materials, he had called his teacher immediately, feeling a bit mischievous.

It was as if he wanted to make it difficult for his teacher by suggesting that if other celebrities had received similar necklaces, it meant that the teacher’s gift was not unique enough.

“Teacher, if the necklace you gave me is also worn by other celebrities, it means your sincerity wasn’t enough, right?”

Pei Ruye was still working overseas, wearing Bluetooth earphones while typing away. He calmly responded.

“It was made by my own hands.”

“Huh?”

“I personally selected the gemstones and designed the blueprint,” Pei Ruye also glanced at the silver chain around his neck, calmly lying, “It’s one of a kind in the whole world.”

Huo Ren didn’t expect that he could blush even over the phone. He wasn’t sure what he said in response, but he hung up after a couple more sentences.

Then he rolled around on his bed, clutching the pendant and laughing for a long time.

It had been almost mistaken as a cellphone case pendant when he first received it. Surprisingly, his teacher hadn’t stopped him.

 

“Last year happened to be the fourth year since I met my teacher, and my coming-of-age ceremony was also approaching,” Huo Ren said with a hint of a smile. “I’ve always loved this gift.”

The netizens were rarely treated to such a gentle smile from Huo Ren, and they were busy capturing screenshots and creating GIFs. They were completely enthralled.

[The important thing isn’t the four-leaf clover!! It’s a one-of-a-kind gift!! This teacher really knows how to give presents!!!]

[Darn, if I were a craftsman, I’d want to make wallets, pendants, and keychains for Huo Huo. Does that teacher also idolize him? Please send more in the future!!! The design is just too beautiful!!!”

[Warning: The Taobao imitation army will arrive in five minutes!]

[I also want to be the teacher of my stan. Watching him grow from fifteen years old until now must feel so gratifying. Please take care of your health, elderly teacher.]

This rumor was resolved quite beautifully, especially considering that Huo Ren usually moved everywhere with the entire group, rarely acting alone. Any photos with female celebrities were usually taken in public settings and conducted politely, so there was no need for further explanation.

“As for the second rumor…” Huo Ren looked at the two teammates and stroked his chin. “Half true, half false, right?”

Xie Lianyun nodded calmly. “Yes, that’s about right.”

Huo Ren returned to his central position and spoke clearly. “In fact, within Corona, we usually only have disputes about three types of issues, but they can’t really be called arguments.”

“The first type is about composing and arranging. In severe cases, the whole group will argue with each other. The longest—”

He turned to look at Bo Jue and asked, “The longest was from noon to evening, right?”

“No, it was three days,” Bo Jue replied expressionlessly. “I had an overtime match with Xie Lianyun in private.”

Normally, they got along well and had friendly pillow fights during their creative process. However, once Xie Lianyun deleted more than half of the sound effects that Mei Shengyao had added, Mei Shengyao became so angry that he jumped up and turned red.

“Xie Lianyun, you’re a pig!!!”

“I don’t like spiders.”

“Only a pig would write the drumbeat like this!!! You actually dare—”

“Your section is messed up.”

“I’m not—You’re the one who’s messed up—”

This segment definitely couldn’t be aired.

“Getting too engrossed in creating is quite common,” Xie Lianyun said calmly. “At first, we threw pillows at each other, but we felt it wasn’t suitable since it required too much physical strength.”

The audience nodded in understanding, thinking, “You’re still the second oldest, how can you wrestle around with the youngest member of the group? Your stamina is also so bad that you can’t keep up.”

Xie Lianyun pushed up his glasses and signaled the director to switch the screen. “So, we started competing in Tetris and Snake to determine the winners.”

On the screen, the video game rankings were displayed, and two accounts with fox and lion avatars occupied the top ten spots. Each time, the nicknames were different.

[2] Thank you for your piano. Go to bed after screaming and crying. Don’t write anymore.

[3] Mei Shengyao is a childish ghost.

[4] I’m not a childish ghost, you are! Why couldn’t I win?

[5] Mei Shengyao, your flow is really old-fashioned.

[6] Xie Lianyun is an unbeatable big dumb pig pig pig pig pig.

The first place was held by a skull avatar.

【Top 1】 You two pigs, can you give the TV back to us to watch the news?

“Oh, this one was mine,” Long Jia volunteered. “After I played, Teacher Xiao Bo changed his name.”

Bo Jue quickly nodded. “During the time we were releasing a new album, our home was a bit chaotic.”

The live chat quickly followed suit.

[Oh no, why do I kind of want to start—]

[Don’t do it!! It’s all about brotherhood!! Sister, hold yourself back!!!]

[Ren-All and Mei-Ren have also been dominating the charts for a long time. Maybe we…]

[I don’t think this is an actual debunking show at all. LOL.]

“As for the third item…” Huo Ren signaled the director to switch to a part of the screen showing footage provided by fans and reporters, and he sighed deeply.

“How should I put it, out of professional courtesy or personal upbringing, we try to remain polite even when dealing with impolite fans.”

He paused for a moment before slowly saying the next sentence.

“But there are exceptions in certain situations.”

“This incident actually starts with a certain private fan who hid in Qi Lin’s dormitory bathtub…”

---

The author has a message to share:

The other party retracted the leave request and I’m back with a 6,000-word update! 😄

Feeling well-rested and in good condition, so I’ll save the next break for when I really need it…

Happy Singles’ Day, everyone! 😘❤️