Idol Chapter 88

The atmosphere during the meal was very pleasant.

Uncle Jiang ordered dishes with a southern flavor, which suited the Bo family’s taste. The pigeon soup was cooked to perfection and didn’t take long to be finished.

“Xiao Bo has become much more cheerful during his time with you,” Father Bo said with satisfaction. “Back when Qi Ding approached me, I was a bit worried, but now, seeing him like this, it’s really not bad.”

Uncle Jiang glanced at Long Jia, who was helping to pour wine, and commented casually, “He’s grown up.”

The first time he went to Austria, he was only fifteen, cold and aloof, just nodding to greet people. But now, he had changed a lot, appearing more approachable.

“You may not know,” Mother Bo said with a smile, “but Xiao Jue started to get anxious when Xiao Huan was born. We stayed with him every day, afraid that he wouldn’t adapt.”

“But Xiao Huan has never been clingy with us. He only likes his brother and sticks to him like glue.”

Both Bo brothers were focused on their food, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

“Every time I tried to hold him, Xiao Huan refused and said he wanted to watch his brother play the piano,” Mother Bo sighed. “I told his dad that it wasn’t like we had a child; it was like we had two little emperors.”

“But…” Xie Lianyun calculated the timeline and felt something was amiss. “Bo Jue won the Chopin Championship when he was seventeen. He must have been practicing the piano before, right?”

“Not exactly,” Father Bo said, massaging his temples. “Xiao Jue started practicing the piano when he was four. He did everything himself, and we, as parents, had no involvement.”

So, after spending a long time together with just the two of them, they decided to have another one.

But even their second son followed his older brother’s path and played the piano.

“Then this time’s Chopin…” Huo Ren began, unintentionally.

“Third place, which is quite good,” Mother Bo continued the story, touching Bo Huan’s head. “When Huan Huan was around ten years old, he was the most clingy. But Xiao Jue didn’t respond to his temper tantrums, and he didn’t even bother talking to him.”

“He wouldn’t dare cry in front of his brother, so he always hid in strange places. Sometimes, even the housekeepers and us couldn’t find him for a whole afternoon.”

This led to discussions about changing to a smaller house and installing surveillance cameras in all bookshelves, fireplaces, and wine cellars.

“…I’m not used to taking care of children,” Bo Jue whispered. “He clings to me, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Bo Huan didn’t expect his own mother to reveal everything and buried his face in his soup bowl.

The Bo family had come this time to pay respects to their ancestors and visit their children. It happened to be close to the Chinese New Year, so they decided to make dumplings together before leaving.

After debuting, everyone has been either on the plane or backstage at the performance venue during New Years and holidays. It has been a long time since they felt this festive atmosphere.

The 17th-floor apartment was spacious, even with six people, and it felt lively again.

Xiao Chi and Yao Yao helped Father Bo paste couplets and Spring Festival scrolls, while Long Jia accompanied them in preparing the dumpling fillings and kneading dough. Xie Lianyun, who rarely did housework, was making fruit juice and salad, enjoying the holiday spirit.

Huo Ren was in his room, sorting through old belongings. He planned to finish cleaning up and then help with the preparations. As he listened to the laughter and chatter outside, his mood was also very good.

Suddenly, there were two knocks on his door.

“Jue-ge?”

Bo Jue entered the room and casually tied up the garbage bag for him. “Are you busy?”

“Not really, almost done.”

Every year, they auctioned off their old clothes for charity. They received so many sponsored coats and performance outfits that their assistants were always overwhelmed with work at the end of the year.

“I’ve been thinking…” Bo Jue helped him fold a T-shirt, and they started organizing together.

“I also felt that when I was a child, I was a bit too harsh, and I couldn’t stand him trying to imitate everything I did,” Bo Jue said with frustration. “It sounds childish no matter who I talk to, so I didn’t want to tell Long Jia.”

Huo Ren, who was labeling boxes while organizing, said casually, “Maybe back then, Bo Huan felt that the only way to get your attention was by making you angry.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been learning the piano with you for so long, and I’ve gradually come to understand many things.”

Playing the piano was always a monotonous physical activity.

Two to three hours were just for warm-up, not to mention basic exercises like finger techniques and arpeggios. When practicing more challenging pieces, they had to repeat them and listen repeatedly. While honing their skills, they were also developing their mental fortitude.

Young Bo Jue was already used to this monotonous life, so he could concentrate easily without getting distracted.

However, Bo Huan was too young at the time and often went unnoticed, no matter how much he jumped around.

Using logic, Huo Ren could probably figure out what was going on.

“I didn’t become an idol solely because of him either,” Bo Jue sighed. “I had been playing the piano for over a decade, and it had become a monotonous routine. After winning the competition, I didn’t know what to do next.”

While other award winners had endless music festivals and concerts to attend, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to return home.

“Uncle Jiang suggested that I stay at SPF for a month or two, and if I felt good, I could stay longer and didn’t need to rush into signing a contract.”

“When I took the flight back, I even bought a return ticket for a week later.”

“And then?”

“Then I met Xie Lianyun,” Bo Jue said with a sour expression. “Originally, I planned to win against him and then leave…”

However, he encountered more and more interesting things along the way, and he had ended up where he was now without even realizing it.

Huo Ren suddenly realized that he didn’t know about these details.

He knew that the four of them had been preselected for the group, and only he and Long Jia had gone through multiple rounds of auditions to join.

“So, Ge, tell me more,” he paused his organizing. “Does that mean that you and Xie Lianyun were the first to join Corona?”

Bo Jue thought for a moment and shook his head. “Uncle Jiang brought in Xie Lianyun first then went around to scout for members.”

“At first, they found Xiao Chi, then confirmed Yao Yao. I had just finished a competition in the third year, and I promised to come and take a look,” Bo Jue explained.

Uncle Jiang had raised Xie Lianyun as if he were his own son and had a lot of trust in his judgment.

Before they settled on Xiao Chi, they had interviewed many outstanding candidates, but Xie Lianyun had turned them all down.

“Uncle Jiang often criticizes him, but in reality, he dotes on Xie Lianyun the most,” Bo Jue said while hugging a pillow. “Mei Heng initially led the project, but at first, he wasn’t sure if Yao Yao was suitable for being an idol; so he just considered him as one of the candidates.”

“Then Xie Lianyun went through the candidates one by one, first selecting Xiao Chi and persuading Uncle Jiang to agree.”

“But to be honest,” Bo Jue finally remembered something from several years ago, “when he met you, he specifically told us about it.”

Huo Ren hadn’t expected the conversation to circle back to him and took a moment to react. “Me?”

“Yes, he used to live next door to us. One day, he suddenly told us that there was a trainee who practiced dancing and jumping rope every night, like a little monster,” Bo Jue waved his hand. “At the time, I didn’t even know he was talking about you.”

They had both encountered him early on, but they hadn’t confirmed each other’s names.

“Later, he would check on you every day after playing games, noticing that you were continuously practicing. Your progress was incredible.”

Huo Ren’s mind suddenly flashed with something.

“Then… he was my roommate…”

“He brought it up himself,” Bo Jue said slowly. “At the time, Uncle Jiang thought he had taken a liking to you and scolded him angrily.”

“However, Xie Lianyun insisted on seeing you in person, saying that he would regret it if he didn’t.”

Huo Ren asked involuntarily, “So, the first time we had an internal discussion, Uncle Jiang saw me first?”

“Yeah,” Bo Jue smiled. “Later, I heard from Yao Yao and the others that there were five or six people who recommended you.”

Xie Lianyun, Wei Jie, the piano teacher Mi, and even Boss Pei.

They were discussing this when the door was knocked on twice again.

“Ren-ge,” Bo Huan’s voice rang out crisply. “Are you there?”

Bo Jue shuddered, with the words ‘Why is this little bastard suddenly here?’ all over his face.

“I’m here…”

“Okay, I’m coming in then.”

Bo Jue didn’t want to be alone in a room with his brother at all and instantly panicked.

Huo Ren quickly pushed him into the closet and closed the door just as Bo Huan entered.

He was holding a small box in his hand.

“I’m sorting out clothes; I’ll come out to help make dumplings later.”

“Okay! My mom makes really delicious mackerel dumplings,” Bo Huan closed the door behind him and his cheeks turned a bit red. “Ren-ge, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“No need… just close the door.”

“Here’s the thing, don’t get the wrong idea,” Bo Huan opened the box and pushed it toward him. “Could you help me deliver these things to Jue-ge?”

Huo Ren vaguely heard some movement in the closet, so he cleared his throat and tried to divert the conversation.

“What are these?”

He crouched down to get a better look and saw that the 26-inch box was packed full.

Bo Huan squatted down next to him with his long hair almost touching the floor, explaining one thing after another.

“This hair conditioner isn’t available in China, and it’s discontinued overseas as well. But I’ve stocked up on dozens of boxes, so it should last.”

“These are Bach’s manuscripts… Ge used to be upset for a long time because he bought a fake one. I managed to get one this year.”

“The fresh fruit in the icebox was picked from our cherry tree at home, and they’re incredibly sweet.”

Bo Huan kept talking, listing off everything in the box and noticed that Huo Ren was watching him.

His cheeks turned slightly red again, and he whispered, “I know Ge doesn’t like me… don’t tell him. Just say that these were all purchased online.”

“Long-ge told me yesterday… I used to annoy him a lot when I was younger, but I’ve been growing my hair long for so long, and I can’t bear to cut it now,” Bo Huan sighed in frustration. “Wearing clothes like this also makes me look good.”

Huo Ren shook the icebox slightly and asked curiously, “You even brought fruit from abroad for him?”

Cherries should be readily available everywhere…

“That’s different,” Bo Huan earnestly argued, “Our cherry tree at home used to be exclusively for the royal family hundreds of years ago, and the taste is amazing.”

“Whenever the cherries ripened in the past, Ge was always too embarrassed to pick them, so I’d pick them, wash them, and send them over. He hasn’t had any for several years.”

Huo Ren probably had a good understanding of Bo Jue’s temperament during his adolescence. He hesitated and said, “If he finds out you picked them…”

“Of course, he won’t find out,” Bo Huan proudly declared. “I hid it very well.”

Bo Jue suddenly kicked the closet door open. “Bo Huan, are you an idiot?!!”

“Eh? Brother?!!”

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There will be another update later. Due to various reasons, I don’t have a stable writing location lately, so the updates are not very consistent. I apologize for that.

* In the story, Bo Jue won the Chopin competition at the age of seventeen in 2009.
* Bo Huan is currently seventeen.
* The Chopin competition takes place every five years, and the timeline here is adjusted for the sake of the plot.

Bo Jue coming out for his brother is truly a testament to brotherly love! Applause is deserved here (maybe?)