Idol Chapter 89

Bo Huan seemed to be pinned against the wall, his face turning bright red. “Big brother, big brother, did you hear everything?!”

Bo Jue, with his long legs, stepped out from among Huo Ren’s row of coats. He was only halfway out when Long Jia quickly pushed the door open. “Huo Huo, come and wrap dumplings—Xiao Jue??”

Why is his boyfriend inside his little brother’s closet?

Huo Ren raised his hands and took a deep breath. “Big brother, let me explain…”

“Big brother, why were you hiding in the closet?”

Bo Jue finally emerged from the closet, his hair disheveled, but his gaze remained sharp.

“Bo Huan, come here.”

Bo Huan shrank back, “Brother, I was wrong.”

“Come here.”

The little swan embarrassingly responded and took a few steps toward him, looking sheepish.

Then he was suddenly pulled into a hug, and he froze completely.

“Are you stupid?” Bo Jue scolded him while rubbing his head. “I’ve been eating cherries for years, and you’ve been the one picking them for me?”

Bo Huan replied softly and rubbed his face against Bo Jue.

Big brother smells so good.

Long Jia thought for a moment and decided to take care of Huo Ren first. “The mushroom chicken soup is ready. Come and try a bowl?”

“Okay—”

At mealtime, five large plates of pan-fried dumplings with different flavors were brought to the table. The living room was also decorated festively, giving it a Lunar New Year atmosphere.

Bo Jue sat next to Bo Huan and recounted everything that had just happened.

Bo Huan played with his spoon while keeping his head down, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“You already knew?”

“We knew,” Mother Bao said as she served ribs to Huo Ren. “Didn’t we tell you before? Your little brother has a crush on you, but it’s not a problem.”

Bo Jue choked for a moment and finally said, “Back then, I… thought you were just trying to comfort me.”

“Do you remember the time he ran to the fireplace?” Father Bao stood by the table with a wine decanter, a mix of annoyance and amusement in his voice. “Back then, Little Huan was only eight years old. When we found him, he was covered in soot, and we had to wash his hair four times to clean it.”

“He cried so hard he had hiccups,” Mother Bao sighed. “Then he asked why his big brother didn’t like him.”

Their second son’s clinginess was the complete opposite of their eldest son’s aloofness, and they had been dealing with the contrast for over a decade.

Bo Jue turned his head to look at Bo Huan.

Bo Huan shivered slightly when he felt the gaze, then quickly dug into his dumplings, nearly choking in the process.

“Eat slowly,” Bo Jue said leisurely. “Huan Huan, stay with me tonight.”

“We can chat a bit longer,” Bo Jue added.

Bo Huan was taken aback and almost choked again, but Huo Ren, sitting to his right, helped by passing him some water and patting his back.

“C-Can I?”

“You can also help your big brother braid his hair,” Xie Lianyun said as he picked at his lettuce salad. “Your brother’s mouth may be sharp, but he’s actually quite nice to people.”

Huo Ren suddenly remembered their earlier conversation and handed him a piece of pork trotter.

“Big brother, Happy New Year.”

Xie Lianyun looked at the pork trotter and Huo Ren with a complex expression, then eventually started eating.

During the Lunar New Year, people tended to let loose and not worry too much about self-discipline, knowing that they could diet after the holiday season.

Hmm, this pork trotter is quite delicious; I might want more after finishing this one.

Huo Ren quickly served him another piece. “I’ll go swimming with you later.”

“Sure,” Xie Lianyun replied.

 

The Bo family had returned to Europe not long ago, and it was already time for the OSC Awards.

This time, the host city was Bangkok, and they would stay for two days to complete interviews before heading to the UK to shoot a music video.

As they boarded the plane, Huo Ren glanced at the seat next to him and asked Uncle Jiang after a while, “Where’s Boss Pei?”

Uncle Jiang was busy looking for his melatonin supplements, and the new Assistant Tian, next to him pulled out a small box. “Uncle, I’ve prepared your dose here.”

“Oh, Boss Pei,” Uncle Jiang took the pill with warm water and wrapped himself in a blanket. “You probably won’t see much of him this year; he’s really busy.”

Huo Ren’s heart sank, but he kept his emotions hidden behind a smile. “He’s been busy with several new livestream platforms this year.”

“It’s not just that,” Uncle Jiang continued with some gossip. “I heard he’s eyeing a new market, either the red ocean or the blue ocean. He’s been poaching talent from abroad every day to form a team.”

Back when Corona was founded, Boss Pei had time to work as a part-time dance instructor and guide the group to find the right style and height.

Now that the boy group was fully operational and mature, he didn’t need to be so hands-on.

Huo Ren made a non-committal noise and went back to reading his magazine, but Uncle Jiang had one more question to ask.

“What, you miss him?”

Huo Ren didn’t respond immediately and took half a minute before speaking. “I won’t see him for more than half a month, so I’ll miss him.”

“I miss Boss Pei too,” Uncle Jiang said, craving a cigarette again as he held a paper cup. “Every time he’s at the company, it saves me a lot of trouble. He arranges everything neatly, and it’s reassuring.”

Huo Ren glanced at him, suddenly feeling a bit envious.

Everyone could talk openly about things related to teacher, but he held deep admiration in his heart and couldn’t say anything.

 

The red carpet was outdoors, and Bangkok had just experienced rain yesterday, making the weather uncomfortably damp and cold.

Female celebrities were dressed in gowns, and they had shawls to keep them relatively warm. The men, including the six of them, wore custom suits with a couple of hand warmers discreetly attached in places that wouldn’t affect their appearance. It helped somewhat in the chilly wind.

Chi Ji shivered, his teeth chattering, while tapping his feet and waiting to enter.

“Keep up appearances,” Xie Lianyun helped him straighten his side-parted hair and glanced at the progress in the distance. “We’ll be indoors in another five minutes.”

“So cold, so cold,” Chi Ji shivered. “Why don’t Ren-ge and the others react at all?”

“Your older brother, Long-ge, can handle the cold, and Jue-ge can endure it,” Xie Lianyun remarked. “Ren-Ren is mainly very patient; he can endure almost anything.”

Yao Yao was standing nearby, warming Chi Ji’s hands. “I feel so warm!”

Huo Ren led the team, preparing to enter, while another car parked not far away.

Feng Yi gracefully stepped out, her smile poised and gentle.

She wore a python-patterned long dress, elegantly draped in a white shawl, exuding an air of sophistication and luxury.

All six boys were momentarily stunned. Their assistant signaled that they could go, and one by one, they walked forward, facing the cameras.

Huo Ren listened to the cheers, smiled faintly, and in his mind, replayed the scene from a moment ago.

Feng Yi had kept her suicide and hospitalization a secret, only announcing that she had caught a cold and needed a week of rest before returning to work.

No one knew that she had ventured into the abyss.

Entertainment news changed quickly, and even if something caused a nationwide sensation, as long as no new information emerged, it would eventually sink into obscurity, fading away without a trace.

In reality, everyone knew that Feng Yi wouldn’t participate in such sordid affairs. Her initial involvement with the trend was just for fun.

Now she walked gracefully, smiling calmly, and naturally garnered a lot of applause and cheers.

It was as if all the insults and mockery from the past had never left a mark on her.

Huo Ren withdrew his thoughts, took the marker from the hostess, and signed his name alongside the “Corona” logo on the advertising wall. He then handed the marker to his teammates.

He truly despised this aspect of the human world.

The playful and cold demeanor had reached its extreme, and even a brief glimpse of the pure malice was enough to make it feel unreal and dark.

 

Inside the venue, warm air was blowing, and waiters were offering hot towels and tea. All six of them heaved a sigh of relief.

This award ceremony was much larger in scale than before. After the opening dance, a golden crown descended from the sky onto a crystal pedestal at the center.

The Best Concert Design Award was the third category, and the host loudly announced the lucky winner from the four nominees: “Let’s congratulate—Co!ro!na!!!”

The cameras immediately switched to the six of them, and Yao Yao still had a hot towel on his forehead.

Huo Ren led the whole team onto the stage to accept the award, and they smoothly recited their acceptance speech together.

The Silver Comet trophy felt substantial, and its surface was smoother than the one they had received the previous year.

They returned to the stage with smiles and listened to the rest of the award announcements.

This year’s revamped Crown Award was indeed special. The organizers had chosen four veteran artists from the top four Asian countries and would select the most influential one among them.

It was a safe bet with no controversy.

Huo Ren watched the outstanding performances on stage and suddenly felt nostalgic for when they had just debuted.

He couldn’t help but imagine where Corona would be in ten years and how they had transitioned from being the rookies to being looked up to by more and more new faces in the industry.

Time really flew by.

“Now, the winner of the Emerging Artist Award for this year is—”

The host chuckled and raised the cue card in her hand. “Co!ro!na!!!”

Huo Ren nearly choked, thinking it was a good thing they had prepared two sets of acceptance speeches.

Less than ten minutes after they had stepped off the stage, they had to go back up again, and it felt a bit awkward this time.

The audience below kindly applauded them, showing a very friendly attitude.

“Corona, just like last year, has won two important awards in succession,” the host gave them a thumbs-up. “You are faithful to originality, diligent in honing your skills, and your work is indeed getting more impressive year by year!”

“Thank you very much,” Huo Ren led his teammates in another bow. “We will do even better.”

“Have you considered having a concert here in Bangkok?” the host smiled. “Many fans here can’t wait for it!”

Huo Ren nodded with a light smile.

They had already planned it.

After receiving the Crown, their plan was to hold a year-long concert tour, and then embark on a new and free phase of life together.

Once they were seated again, Uncle Jiang sent two assistants to help with carrying the trophies.

Those things were both precious and cumbersome, and dealing with them was indeed a hassle.

Before their seats could even warm up, the big screen displayed the nominees for the Best Group of the Year once again.

The new pair of hosts, who had just taken over, saw the winners and their smiles deepened, giving off a sense of déjà vu as if they were witnessing something entertaining.

“Co!ro!na!”

The camera captured their genuine astonishment.

When they walked up to the stage for the third time, Huo Ren was at a loss for words.

“Hi,” he waved to the audience and guests in the hall. “We’re back again.”

Laughter erupted from the audience, and they clapped spontaneously for Corona.

The album “Just Stay” had indeed exploded in sales, and received excellent responses across the board, so winning this award was well-deserved.

Corona was now undeniably one of Asia’s top idol groups, excelling in every aspect from their work, popularity, looks, talent, to their live performances.

As the award ceremony neared its end, the hosts changed again.

“Now,” an elderly gentleman adjusted his glasses, his voice deep, “the winner of the Asia’s Pop Idol Award is—”

The electronic screen split into four sections, with Corona being shown in close-ups, and even before the elderly gentleman could announce it, the audience below was already applauding and laughing. They were clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Huo Ren felt a bit nervous and turned to Xie Lianyun. “We can’t possibly win another one, can we?”

“More accurately, we’re winning it again,” Xie Lianyun replied calmly. “If that’s the case, all our interview scripts for later will be invalidated, and we’ll have to memorize them again.”

The elderly gentleman patiently waited for the applause to subside and then raised the cue card in his hand.

“Can you guess who it is?”

Both the senior and junior artists, as well as guests from various fields, laughed and joined in.

“Co!ro!na!”

“Correct,” the elderly gentleman shrugged. “Kids, come up to the stage.”

Uncle Jiang glanced at the 18 trophies densely packed next to their seats and spoke with a heavy tone.

“Xiao Zhang, help me buy a copy of the Hundred Family Surnames.”

“Hundred, Hundred Family Surnames?”

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I’ve been having some trouble with consistency in updates lately, and I even missed a day. I apologize for that.

To show my appreciation, I’ll be sending a little red envelope to the first 666 comments on this chapter!! Enjoy your reading, and MUA!!