Chapter 38: Focus
Shen Cheng rarely left events early, but today he was suddenly unwell and had to be assisted out.
News tomorrow might report how Shen Cheng attended a charity event despite feeling ill. It would definitely be full of praise.
An Zhiyan and Shen Cheng, while sharing the stage, were essentially two different entities.
An Zhiyan was just unlucky. At the most unexpected times, he would get blamed for things that made no sense.
Not Shen Cheng though. He constantly received good reviews. Since childhood, he had been the epitome of an excellent student — a veritable model child.
In terms of a well-maintained image within the entertainment industry, no doubt Shen Cheng was the best.
Returning home, Shen Cheng kept his face taut. His assistant, Jiujiu, didn't dare utter a word.
"Did you ask that old fox?" Shen Cheng asked in a deep, quiet voice.
"I asked… your brother did indeed leave the mountains. The old man was also surprised. He didn’t expect him not to find you, having not returned to the mountain for such a long time."
Upon hearing that, Shen Cheng felt a headache.
The blessings bestowed by a koi spirit remained swirling above the recipient's head before they took effect. Any of their kind could easily see it at first glance.
Su Jinli has a unique constitution and due to his pure heart, the blessings he sends are light orange in hue, similar to the blessings sent out by Shen Cheng which are red. This is what they call, 'red luck in abundance'.
Thus Shen Cheng recognized at once that the blessing surrounding An Zhiyan was from Su Jinli.
"What's his name now?" Shen Cheng asked again.
"Old man said, he was too excited when descending the mountain and forgot to tell him the name he had chosen, the old man also doesn't know."
Shen Cheng felt a headache coming on, just the kind of predicament his brother could cause.
"Should I ask An Zhiyan?" Jiujiu tentatively asked.
"An Zhiyan won't tell you, he might even toy with you, then proceed to investigate if he can find any of my weaknesses."
"What to do? How has your brother survived all this time? He doesn't know anything. He wouldn’t starve, would he?"
Shen Cheng's face turned chalk-black at this question, instantly dispelling his usual godly image.
"One thing that puzzles me is that An Zhiyan's yang energy is quite strong, my brother should be afraid of him. Why would he still send him a blessing?" This matter was always on Shen Cheng's mind.
"His constitution is unique, he's scared of those with strong yang energy, but those with strong yang energy seem to like him. Besides, there seems to be a rumor saying that An Zhiyan is gay..."
Before he even finished talking, Shen Cheng glared at him angrily,
Immediately after, the lights in the room started flickering frantically.
Looking up at the flickering light, Jiujiu quickly advised, "Boss, please don't be angry, the light bulb is about to explode."
As soon as his words fell, all the lights in the room burst. In an instant, the entire building went dark.
Frightened, Jiujiu backpedaled while tremblingly saying, "Boss, I was just talking casually."
"If anyone dares to touch my brother, I'll make them regret they were ever born," Shen Cheng declared.
"Yes, yes," Jiujiu quickly agreed, his survival instincts kicking in, "Teach him a lesson!"
"Go investigate the people that An Zhiyan has recently been in contact with, roughly around 18 years of age, male."
"Alright," Jiujiu said, and then started to head towards the door.
"What are you going to do?"
"The power's out here, there's no internet. I'm going to the internet café..."
“…”
Just as Jiujiu was about to leave, Shen Cheng added with a terrifyingly stern voice, "Focus on the people An Zhiyan is interested in, or those who... intentionally hide themselves."
"Alright..."
________________________
The new episode of National Idol was aired.
Although the televised version of this episode had a fixed duration, the online version was often emotionally appealing with very few cuts. What's more, thanks to successful promotions, its viewership increased at a startling rate.
Voting platforms reopened as soon as the show started, and all trainees' mobile phones were confiscated at the same time in the camp.
However, the top ten competitors had their exclusive benefits.
On the first day of the competition, they crossed the long corridor to the lounge. The top ten contestants were allowed in to watch the third episode of the online version on a big screen.
At their collective request, the version with the bullet-screen comments played on the big screen.
There were also cameras in the lounge, likely capturing their expressions while watching the competition, which would also be included in the show content.
The seating was determined by rankings. Su Jinli was seated in the first place, next to him were Wu Yu and An Zhihan. This was the first time the latter two were sitting side by side.
Just as the video began, it entered a 90-second advertisement.
An Zhihan clapped his thigh and complained, "Can't you guys get some premium membership?"
A few of the ten contestants couldn't help but chuckle at this.
Su Jinli didn't say anything. He felt that it didn't bother him to watch the ads for a while, quite a good chance to save money. However, in general, it could be said that he was simply poor.
After the video began, as soon as An Zhiyan appeared, his fans began to dominate the screen.
An Zhihan stared at the screen, his mouth agape in an "O" shape.
"Why are there suddenly so many words?" Su Jinli, looking at the barrage of comments, felt his eyes spinning.
"Don't you usually watch videos with comments?" Wu Yu asked.
"No, I didn't know about this feature. I thought the words just now were special effects made by the program group, but they kept appearing."
“This allows us to see the audience's real-time comments,” Wu Yu explained.
"Wow, Brother An is so popular," Su Jinli exclaimed.
Sitting next to him was Wu Yu, who only responded with a "Hmm," leaving Su Jinli feeling awkward and not continuing further.
When Zhang Caini's group took to the stage, the number of comments decreased a little.
However, when Zhang Caini singled out Su Jinli, the comments once again exploded.
He tried to read them but found their content quite strange.
[Ah! That little vixen is trying to seduce my husband!]
[There's a love rival on the scene!]
[An Zhihan, someone is trying to woo your wife!]
[They totally don't match.]
[I bet that scheming woman is trying to create a buzz as a celebrity couple. Taking away my darling without asking!]
[She actually used the head-pat move!]
[My darling, you actually cheated on me!]
[Ah!]
[Zhang Caini's smile is somewhat sweet.]
[The head-pat move makes my girl's heart overflow.]
[An Zhihan, keep your wife in check.]
An Zhihan was completely baffled when he read this and asked in confusion, "My wife? I barely know Zhang Caini, we've never even had a conversation."
Zhou Wenyuan seemed to understand, leaning over to explain, "The 'wife' they're referring to is Su Jinli."
"Su Jinli? He's my younger brother."
"I guess they feel there's a 'CP vibe' between you two."
Su Jinli quietly asked Wu Yu, "What's a 'CP vibe'?"
"Um... it means a couple-like chemistry."
"Ah?" Su Jinli found this greatly amusing, "But I'm a boy."
"Don't worry about it, I believe your tastes wouldn't be that off."
An Zhihan immediately shifted his chair, bumping into Wu Yu's, which elicited a quiet grumble from Wu Yu, "Childish."
After the show was over, Zhang Caini ran to hug Su Jinli, but Su Jinli responded with a high-five.
[I re-watched this part three times!]
[We can say that Su Jinli's fans are very strict.]
[Single by choice and empowered. No problem with that.]
[Tears from cuteness overload!]
[I'm finding this couple surprisingly adorable.]
[A contrasting cute pair?]
[One look and you can tell that Zhang Caini's an experienced operator.]
Su Jinli watched the barrage of comments, attempting to understand, yet found some of the phrases particularly challenging. He was perplexed about why they would appear in this segment.
"This feature is really good; you can see the viewers' reactions," Su Jinli expressed his wonder.
"You really are an old-fashioned boy, not knowing all these?" Zhou Wenyuan sounded surprised.
Being somewhat intimidated by Zhou Wenyuan, Su Jinli seldom responded to his remarks, he sneakily fired his questions at Wu Yu instead.
However, Wu Yu was too aloof, which left him a bit lonely.
Now that Zhou Wenyuan took the initiative to talk to him, he had no choice but to answer, "Yeah, I don't know."
"A while ago, my brother inexplicably got a PSP from somewhere. This lad has been avidly playing it. I think the next time I give a gift, I'd have to present him with a phonograph," An Zhihan joined in the discussion.
"What's a phonograph?" Su Jinli asked again.
Seeing his confusion, An Zhihan shook his head helplessly, "Just watch the show."
"Oh." Su Jinli, disappointed, continued to watch the show.
When it was Wu Yu's turn on stage, it was obvious that his popularity had also soared.
During every contest between the groups, they would screen segments of their practice sessions so that the audience could see what they were like during rehearsals.
The video clip of Wu Yu's group showcased their struggles during practice, and even featured Su Jinli, An Zhihan, and others making appearances.
The moment the screen displayed An Zhihan provocatively swaying his hips in front of Wu Yu before being chased away, the comments went haywire.
[A love-hate relationship.]
[Wu Yu is usually a cool guy, but he breaks character around Zhihan.]
[Are these two gathered here to perform a comedy routine?]
[This scene is simply unbearable to watch...]
Afterward, the video showed Wu Yu teaching Chang Siyin pronunciation, while Su Jinli sang along. The beautiful voice and the dolphin notes caused a barrage of comments to light up the screen again.
[Are Little Yu and Little Jinli a duo of aquatic organisms?]
[Powerful singers in this competition: Wu Yu, Su Jinli, Wei Jiayu.]
[Little Jinli has such a pleasant singing voice and such a nice timbre.]
[A voice kissed by angels.]
Looking at the barrage of comments, An Zhihan chuckled and said, "Is it true? Wu Yu and Jinli, are you two a duo of aquatic organisms?"
"When my mother named me, I always felt like she didn't put much thought into it. She probably didn't even read it out loud once," Wu Yu commented with a sigh, crossing his arms.
"I put a lot of thought into my name," replied Su Jinli.
He was born in Suzhou and was a koi spirit, so he named himself Su Jinli (Suzhou's koi).
Their names all had commemorative meanings. He imagined his brother's name was Shen Cheng because he was born in Shenyang.
Their family names were usually derived from place names, and if it was really impossible to use a place name, they would choose something else.
"Your name sounds better than Wu Yu's." An Zhihan answered while holding back laughter, "Wu Yu is really an awful sounding name."
"What about your name? An Zhihan, with the name Zhihan, did you want to be manly (Nan Zhihan)? But Nan became An, so the possibility of you becoming manly (Man) is none (An)."
It took An Zhihan quite some time to understand Wu Yu's wordplay. He nodded and asked, "You've spent quite a lot of time studying my name, haven't you?"
"I'm not interested."
Soon, it was An Zhihan's turn to go on stage. The comments section instantly became especially cheerful.
[Finally, the Plastic Brothers are here!]
[Today's Brothers Crosstalk Special is about to begin.]
[Initially, I wasn't a fan of An Zhihan, but I've grown fond of these brothers due to their mutual teasing.]
[Zhihan, I'm your sister-in-law!]
[Zhiyan, I'm your younger sibling.]
[Sisters-in-law, let me see your hands!]
[Hands.]
"Hey, I can really compare who has more female fans with my brother. Whoever has more will become the ruler." An Zhihan said with a grin while looking at the screen.
Su Jinli smirked after watching: "Even if you become the ruler, your brother will still be the Regent."
"Hahaha..." Wu Yu finally laughed out loud.
"Why do you always laugh so happily at my jokes?" An Zhihan was particularly upset while looking at Wu Yu.
"What's it to you?" Wu Yu retorted.
"Who cares about you?" An Zhihan and Wu Yu once again ignored each other.
When Su Jinli came on the scene, a new round of barrage bombing began.
[Su Jinli has a school grass vibe today.]
[Stop with the schoolboy charm, okay? Your boys are uneducated. Illiterate, really.]
[The one talking about illiteracy doesn't know how good private tutoring is in our country, do they?]
[I'm curious about their discussion group.]
[Is it true, Mom? A spring onion up the nose, An Zhihan, are you for real?]
[An Zhiyan must really spoil his brother. Someone says that about him and he's still laughing so unabashedly.]
[Wait a minute! An Zhiyan is laughing because Su Jinli said his nostrils are delicate, right?]
[I would like to join the discussion group.]
[Eye contact?]
[Oh my god, what's going on with An Zhiyan's tender and loving gaze?]
[An Zhiyan has never been this flirtatious even in idol dramas!]
[The two brothers competing for a wife?]
[What if I switch sides all of a sudden?]
[Su Jinli ALL?]
[Don't go if you're saying ALL!]
After reading this, Su Jinli couldn't help but ask Wu Yu, "What does 'ALL' mean?" (Note: I, too, have no idea what it means. The word "ALL" is spelled in English and in uppercase. If anyone knows, leave a comment. I'd be so grateful.)
"Uh..." Wu Yu was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
"Su Jinli, all this time, and not one comment mentions you being dominant. Shouldn't you reflect on yourself?" Zhou Wenyuan suddenly asked Su Jinli.
"Huh?" What's this all about? Su Jinli was confused.
"I noticed that you seem to understand quite a lot," An Zhihan said to Zhou Wenyuan. He even thought that Zhou Wenyuan's knowledgeable look could become a popular tweet and be ribbed by others.
Ignoring everything, Su Jinli would just become a background board.
Suddenly, he found himself outdone.
"I've read a lot of these books at home because of my sister," Zhou Wenyuan answered frankly.
"You have a sister? Is she pretty?"
"She's quite cute."
At this moment, the big screen was playing a clip where Su Jinli answered Han Kai and said he really wanted to fall in love.
"Ha ha ha, oh my god, this is so cute," Zhou Wenyuan couldn't help but exclaim.
Su Jinli turned his head to look at Zhou Wenyuan, unsure whether to engage in conversation, so he just smiled.
Zhou Wenyuan leaned forward, his arm resting on his knee, and looked smilingly at Su Jinli with a single twist of his head.
The barrage comments were similar in tone:
[Little Jinli, I want to fall in love with you!]
[How do I deal with this cuteness?]
[You want to fall in love, but your single status is based on your own merits!]
[Yes, what's the point of living if you don't eat good food and don't experience love?]
[How long have you been alive?]
[What happened with your brother? Did your parents divorce?]
[Aww... It's heartbreaking when he cries.]
[Is it because Little Jinli's family isn't well-off, and the company is poor too? Poor thing!]
[The golden koi rises from poverty within the company.]
When An Zhihan rushed to find Su Jinli and asked him to call him 'brother', the comments took another turn.
[Little Jinli, it's okay. Your brother and sister-in-law are here with you.]
[Your bro An and me will protect you.]
[The silhouette of the two little ones huddled together is cute.]
[Behave and call him bro, how cute.]
[An Zhihan seems to really like Su Jinli.]
"Indeed, I really like him!" An Zhihan suddenly proclaimed, and then made a heart shape with his hands toward Su Jinli.
Su Jinli glanced at An Zhihan and reciprocated the gesture, grinning widely as if they were just playing.
Both of them knew it was all just a joke.
The others began to jeer, calling them disgusting.
"Get it out of here!" Even the powerful female contestant, Wei Jiayu, couldn't stand it.
"No, no, no, let me finish watching my little bro sing this song," An Zhihan pleaded in a showy manner.
"Hahaha," Su Jinli laughed so much that he was like a laughing doll.
Lifting his head again, Su Jinli suddenly saw a new comment.
[My little brother doesn't need you two to take care of him.]
Looking at the comment, Su Jinli couldn't help but pause.
Was it a joke?
Or...
Does his brother not know he's already left the mountains?
He quickly returned his attention to the show.
After Su Jinli's score was announced, many people cried foul on his behalf.
[Little Jinli's song choice was a disadvantage.]
[Su Jinli's singing is great, the score shouldn't be so low.]
[The company is poor, sadly. High scores are reserved for those from big companies.]
[Later, Zhou Wenyuan will surely get a high score, just wait and see.]
Zhou Wenyuan looked at the comments and still managed to smile, "The pressure is so high now because of these comments."
At this point, Su Jinli couldn't help but admire his fellow contestants' attitudes.
The comments hadn't been filtered, and many were offensive. Among them, An Zhihan received the most attacks. However, he seemed to just ignore them.
Wu Yu, of course, remained calm and composed from beginning to end.
Zhou Wenyuan always maintained a cheerful demeanor.
In truth, when Su Jinli saw others labeling him as illiterate or accusing him of pretending to be innocent, he felt uncomfortable for a moment.
He came out of the deep mountains and arrived in the world, surrounded by people and attention. It wasn't long before he suddenly entered the public eye and became well-known.
And then, people would scrutinize him and maliciously speculate on his every word and action.
He was struggling to adjust his mindset in time.
He continued to watch the screen, noticing that Zhou Wenyuan also seemed popular, with many fans mentioning his name. Zhou Wenyuan would occasionally reply to some of them.
Su Jinli fell silent, watching intently.
What had his brother done back then?
Was it like this?
________________________
That day, the trending topics on Weibo were once again dominated by the show "National Idol".
#Su Jinli wants to fall in love
#An Zhiyan An Zhihan
#Su Jinli wants a head pat
#Wu Yu's high pitch
#Zhou Wen Yuan strikes back
#Su Jinli is single by choice
These phrases have made it to the trending list, rotating in order.
One night, a new trending topic emerged out of nowhere and instantly became a hot search term, staying on the list without dropping.
#Shen Cheng pays attention to Su Jinli.
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment