Chapter 68: Reconciliation
Su Jinli approached An Zhiyan's dressing room nervously, and then he came out, full and satisfied.
His belly was full, plus, he'd absorbed some positive energy along the way, which made him feel completely refreshed.
After Su Jinli left, An Zhiyan summoned An Zhihan back to his room.
"I've never seen Su Jinli so angry before. He even almost got physical with me," An Zhiyan lamented, putting out some snacks he'd brought in front of An Zhihan.
An Zhiyan used the same tactic on everyone: pacifying Su Jinli until the other man apologized on his own. And then he would cajole An Zhihan a bit before suggesting they work things out themselves.
"Eh? He has such a bad temper?"
"Yes, I don't think he's going to apologize to you. You guys can just end your friendship. We shouldn't bother with these petty kids. Look, I've never even gotten on my own brother's bad side. I brought you some ointment, which should help soothe your face a bit."
Looking at these items, An Zhihan lost his appetite. "How could he do this, after I've been so kind to him in the past?"
"Just consider it as if you never met. There are only a couple rounds left in the competition anyway, you won't have much contact soon."
Upon hearing this, An Zhihan, who had just made friends with Su Jinli, felt a pang of sadness and began to weep, "I treated him like a brother, and he hit me."
"Ah, let it go." An Zhiyan gave An Zhihan a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
An actor, indeed. There was not a single crack in his facade.
An Zhihan thought when his brother arrived; things would be resolved. However, learning he was going to lose a friend rattled him, and he started badmouthing Su Jinli. "What's so good about him? He tosses and turns in sleep like he's doing acrobatics, eats a lot, behaves foolishly, can't even use a phone. It's less bothersome to end our friendship!"
"Right, right," An Zhiyan vaguely responded, then pulled out his phone to browse: How to please your brother-in-law.
"I'll hire a few guys to beat him up once the contest is over!"
"You dare?!" An Zhiyan fired back immediately.
An Zhihan was intimidated by his brother's ferocious look and quickly retreated, "No... I was just saying."
An Zhiyan glared at An Zhihan before returning his attention to his phone.
An Zhihan sat quietly for a while, ate something, then stomped off in a huff.
Watching his brother leave, An Zhiyan couldn't help but smile.
He knew his brother too well. A loose tongue and pretty terrible at handling emotions. During his first love affair, he was slapped harshly by the girl for allegedly buying a bag for another girl while he was still with her.
So he believed that his younger brother deserved a good scolding every now and then.
Watching the two young fools was quite amusing.
________________________
Soon after An Zhihan left, he found Su Jinli. After some hesitation, he walked over and said: "Let’s talk."
Su Jinli responded with an "Oh" and followed An Zhihan.
After seeing this, Fan Qianting lay flat on the floor: "An Zhihan is amazing, he actually tolerated it for three days! I took the initiative to talk to him a few times, and he cursed me every time."
"That's the extent of his abilities," Wu Yu continued his dance practice.
"Don't kick me, hey, hey!"
"Move further away."
They both went to the stairwell, and as soon as they walked in, they saw Zhang Caini, who was always trying to lose weight, squatting in the corner sipping a strawberry milkshake. The blissful expression on her face was akin to a drug addict.
Everyone froze a bit when they faced each other.
Zhang Caini gave an awkward “hehe” laugh and asked: "You guys patched up?"
"Tch!" An Zhihan retorted.
"Where did you buy it?" Su Jinli asked. There was no place to buy it in the training camp.
"I got to know one of the girls, and she helped me bring it in," replied Zhang Caini. Understanding that An Zhihan wanted her to clear out, she quickly took a few more sips. The coldness gave her an instant brain freeze.
Rubbing her forehead, Zhang Caini threw away the empty cup and walked away, "Continue your talk."
"Do you want to drink it? I can ask Brother Jiang to buy it for you," An Zhihan asked him.
"I do, but... I'm too full right now," Su Jinli gazed longingly at the empty milkshake cup.
"Why do you get angry so quickly? Why resort to beating up someone?" An Zhihan questioned.
"You have a bad mouth," Su Jinli retorted.
"But... I've always been like this."
"Therefore, you deserved it."
"Heh!" An Zhihan was so flustered that he bent at the waist, and the conversation stalled.
At this point, someone called them to assemble.
"It's the wrong time..." An Zhihan muttered, "Alright, I'm sorry, can we consider this is my fault?"
Su Jinli glanced at An Zhihan and nodded, but nonetheless declared, "If you say inappropriate things about my friends again, I will still beat you up."
"Yes, you're so powerful. You used all your abilities on me."
"I was impulsive too. When I heard you say those offensive things, I got angry," Su Jinli admitted as well.
"That's right, you always act without thinking. Having such a big head is just to make you look taller," An Zhihan taunted.
Su Jinli glared at An Zhihan angrily and followed the others to assemble.
An Zhihan walked behind Su Jinli, chattering, "So what? Don't you admit your brain is slow?"
"Why are you so annoying?"
"If I were likable, how could others live? They would be so inferior in all aspects that they would feel utterly hopeless."
"That's just twisted logic."
An Zhihan couldn't help but laugh, following Su Jinli closely and poking him in the back, "Don't hold back your laughter, it's like you're having a facial spasm."
Finally, Su Jinli laughed too, but quickly suppressed it.
Such occasions called for seriousness.
The most shameful thing is trying really hard to be angry, but being tickled to laughter instead.
________________________
After gathering, the production team announced that the venue for the upcoming competition needed to be changed. It would be moved to a sports hall in the city.
The previous few performances could accommodate up to 1,500 people on site.
With the increase in popularity of National Idol, the event tickets rose drastically in value. Therefore, they needed a larger venue this time, not just to accommodate more fans but also to earn more revenue from ticket sales.
So for this time, the chosen venue could hold up to 3,300 people.
The participants needed to arrive at the venue a day early for rehearsals and be familiar with the site.
An Zhiyan, as the host, would also go with them. He wanted to take a ride with the others, specifically with Su Jinli, but he found his brother had already parked himself beside Su Jinli.
Su Jinli happened to be bought by An Zhihan with a milkshake, totally ignoring the host who had treated him to good food before. Annoyed, he got off the car and went there in his own chauffeured vehicle.
When they arrived at the venue, they first visited their hotel to drop their luggage. Because it was hot at noon, the venue was not suitable for rehearsals.
As they approached the hotel entrance, they were shocked by the sight of several thousand people there.
Su Jinli had just stepped out of the car when he heard the fans' screaming:
"Su Jinli, Mom loves you!"
"Ah... my God, Su Jinli, you're so handsome!"
"Little Jinli, look at me!"
"Little fish, don't play with An Zhihan, I'll play with you!"
When An Zhihan heard this as he got out of the vehicle, he was confused and called out, "What the heck are you shouting?"
This led to a round of laughter.
Startled, Su Jinli clung to An Zhihan, asking, "Are these the fans?"
"Yes, that's the crowd you're going to get whenever you're out."
Fan Qianting immediately squeezed in between the two, grinning at the fans, then pulled them along.
"What's going on?" An Zhihan was a bit peeved.
"I'm trying to get some camera time by hanging out with you guys, otherwise I'll never trend." Fan Qianting answered.
"Don't you think we look like the character 'concave' right now?" Su Jinli asked seriously. (Note: ‘凹’ The character looks like one short person sandwiched between two tall people.)
The comment was a dagger to the heart, and Fan Qianting couldn't even laugh.
After resting for more than an hour in the hotel, the crew was still busy. The corridors echoed with staff voices because some fans, or "sasaengs", apparently snuck into the hotel and checked in early; the crew was doing its best to handle the situation.
As Su Jinli was sitting cross-legged in his room, performing breathing exercises, someone knocked on his door.
As he opened the door, he was greeted with a large bouquet of flowers.
Stunned, he stood there.
Then he heard a staff member shouting, "How did you get in? Please do not disturb the participants!"
The girl looked scared and said to Su Jinli, "Little fish, you better take these quickly. They're harmless, I got to run!"
"Be careful," Su Jinli reached out for the flowers, and the girl immediately dashed away at full speed.
He looked at the bouquet of pink roses, which smelled quite nice.
He peeked back into the hallway, and a staff member came over to ask Su Jinli, "Do you need our help dealing with them?"
"No need, it's okay." Su Jinli saw that the girl's soul was clean, probably just a big fan of his.
"Let me check them for you," The staff member examined the flowers thoroughly before handing them back to Su Jinli.
________________________
He went back into the room and looked out the window, noticing a group of fans wearing hats with koi designs still waiting outside.
The blazing sun was punishing, harsh rays feeling as if they could scorch a layer of skin. Waiting below must be torture, right?
Nevertheless, he decided to go out, and after applying with the crew, they assigned someone to accompany Su Jinli downstairs.
Su Jinli went to where his fans were gathered and walked over to greet them.
The group of fans was initially sitting together, planning to wait for the participants to leave the hotel before catching a glimpse of Su Jinli. They were thrilled when they saw Su Jinli purposely coming out to see them.
He walked over, signing autographs for them while asking, "Is it too hot?"
"Yes, it's so hot!"
"Seeing you is enough for me."
"Little Koi, you're even more handsome than on TV."
"I really like you!"
Su Jinli handed out his autographs and, after hearing the fans' confessions, thought for a moment and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't think we're quite suitable for each other".
"You don't have to reject so seriously!" The fans seemed heartbroken.
Su Jinli hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand to pat one particular fan's head, "Then I'll give you my blessings."
Screamings erupted instantly, and a crowd of fans surged forward, all wishing for a pat on their heads too.
Su Jinli's autograph hasn't been designed, each stroke was made meticulously, his handwriting was beautiful, and his name consisted of many strokes, making his autograph writing process quite slow. Considering all this, it could sincerely be deemed as a conscientious endeavor in the autograph world.
While signing autographs, he never stopped interacting with the fans, answering their questions.
After a while, a tall man approached, holding a sun umbrella and stepped beside Su Jinli, using the umbrella to shade him, "How come you didn't bring any sun protection equipment?"
Su Jinli turned back to look at An Zhiyan, replied, "I came down in a rush, I didn't bring anything."
An Zhiyan nodded, "It's okay, you continue, I'll keep you shaded."
"Little Fish, we're sorry, we were too excited!" The fans began to apologize.
"An Zhiyan, can you also sign an autograph?"
"You're so tall..."
An Zhiyan looked at Su Jinli's fans, elegantly smiled and replied, "Focus on your love for Little Koi, and don't jump fences. He deserves your love."
Su Jinli spent quite a while among his fans, and finally took a group photo with them using a selfie stick.
An Zhiyan also joined in the photo. Because he was too tall, he had to squat down. Only after the photo was taken did he realize that Su Jinli's fans had made a circle of scissor-shaped hand signs over his head, making him look like a blooming sunflower in the picture.
Holding the photo, he felt somewhat repulsed, and indeed being in front of someone else's fans was nothing short of being bullied.
The photo was taken with An Zhiyan's phone. He edited the photo briefly before handing it to Su Jinli, "Post it on Weibo."
"But I need the verification code!" Su Jinli had experience in this.
"Right..." An Zhiyan nodded, then sent the photo to Hou Yong: "You handle it yourself."
Hou Yong: "Okay, okay."
Su Jinli walked back cheerfully, only to be told that the other contestants had already gotten ready for rehearsal. He immediately started to panic.
"I'm done for, I've fallen behind!" Su Jinli said to An Zhiyan in horror.
"I asked them not to bother you. Come with me in my car."
"Oh... okay." Su Jinli quickly followed An Zhiyan, fearing that An Zhiyan would also leave him at the hotel. If he didn't attend the rehearsal, he would definitely be panicked the next day.
An Zhiyan smiled a bit triumphantly and took Su Jinli to his chauffeured car.
Su Jinli, who seemed quite naive, was astounded when he got into An Zhiyan's car. He exclaimed, "Wow... it's like a little house inside!"
"Yeah, after you debut, you'll also get a car like this."
"Super awesome!" Su Jinli's eyes were shining.
An Zhiyan was very satisfied with Su Jinli's curiosity and asked with a smile, "Want a drink?"
"There's even a fridge!"
"Yeah, and there's food too..." As An Zhiyan finished speaking, he noticed some small crayfish in the mini-fridge, so he immediately closed the door quietly.
He really planned to quit seafood starting tomorrow. He's not a big pig's hooves. (Note: Comes from a viral phrase, 男人都是大猪蹄子 [Nánrén dōu shì dà zhū tízi] = Men are all big pig hooves. Meaning, men are unreliable, inconsistent, not serious)
However, Su Jinli didn't notice and took a sip of the drink, enjoying it immensely.
Only then did An Zhiyan put his mind at ease, smiling happily as he watched Su Jinli.
His own wife, even when acting in such an embarrassing manner, he found particularly adorable.
Upon arriving at the venue, the two of them got out of the car together. Su Jinli ran a little ahead, leaving An Zhiyan far behind.
Once inside, he found there was no place to do makeup. So, he stood at the door, leaning against the doorframe, watching the other contestants doing their makeup.
Why didn't they hire more makeup artists after the budget was increased?
When An Zhiyan came in, he saw Su Jinli waiting at the door with a look of despair. He immediately said to Su Jinli, "Come with me, it's okay if I don't wear makeup for the rehearsal."
"Okay." Su Jinli immediately cheerfully followed An Zhiyan again, "You're such a kind person, Xiao Jingzhi."
"Don't just hand me the nice guy card whenever you feel like it, it scares me."
"Oh no! Can't I even praise you for being nice?" Su Jinli retorted.
"Yes, you're right."
An Zhiyan successfully lured Su Jinli away once again, taking him to his dressing room. Lily brought Su Jinli's costume and exclaimed, "The red outfit is like fire."
"Yes, this time the style is enchanting. It's the image of someone who revels in the world and is unrivaled." Su Jinli explained to Lily.
"Can I put eyeliner on you?"
"Okay, just do as you see fit."
Lily nodded. She then saw An Zhiyan to one side, staring at Su Jinli intently. His infatuated look was a bit too much for Lily.
"Moderate yourself a bit," Lily reminded him.
"There's no need for me to restrain myself in front of you," An Zhiyan, leaning on his hand, kept staring.
With a sigh, Lily began chatting with Su Jinli about some innocuous things. Through these topics, she discovered what Su Jinli liked to eat, what color he liked, and the kind of gifts he preferred.
After listening for a while, An Zhiyan decided to give Lily a raise.
When it came time for the rehearsal, Su Jinli was in a vivid red ancient costume, decorated with black patches in some parts. He held a xiao in his hand, and his appearance provoked a round of exclamations.
This time, Su Jinli had a wig. It was no longer a simple bun hairstyle. With a tidied hairdo and stage makeup, Su Jinli's aura changed entirely.
"Dongfang Daren!" An Zhihan exclaimed.
"Jia Bao Yu!" Fan Qianting echoed in admiration.
"Have you ever seen such an enchanting Jia Bao Yu?" An Zhihan couldn't help but ask Fan Qianting.
While Su Jinli wasn't too familiar with who Dongfang Daren was, he responded, "Just call me Immortal Koi!"
This remark prompted a round of laughter.
"With your costume like this, it's not easy to change for the second song which has such a wide range," An Zhihan couldn't help but comment.
"I can only rush makeup changes, Lily told me she will be with me tomorrow," Su Jinli replied, adjusting his sleeves a bit.
"I think you can certainly play in period dramas, especially roles like pretty young men – you would be outstanding," An Zhihan looked at Su Jinli for a while and said.
"Xiao Jingzhi also said he wants to find me a period drama, but I don't know how to act."
"No, I can't help but laugh when I hear the name Xiao Jingzhi."
________________________
When it was time for Su Jinli’s rehearsal, the production team still arranged for him to make his entrance mid-air.
He had to first climb a ladder and get ready on a frame, then prepare on the swing during the intermission. Once he started, the crew would help him descend little by little.
His performance was still the most dangerous one in this show, so it received the highest priority during rehearsal.
Now Su Jinli was their priority, he simply cannot get hurt again.
When Su Jinli made his entrance, An Zhiyan was watching from below. When he saw Su Jinli swinging in mid-air, his heart leaped into his throat. Subconsciously extending his hand, ready to catch Su Jinli if he were to fall.
Later, he found, Su Jinli was quite stable on the swing.
Then they saw Su Jinli picking up the xiao (Chinese flute) and starting to play. Even though they knew the intro's flute music was pre-recorded, and Su Jinli was just performing, they still found themselves stunned by the sight for a moment.
Su Jinli elegantly put away the xiao, leaped down and landed steadily on the stage. Under the cover of his dance moves, he unfastened the majestic clasp on his costume.
The moment he descended, his clothes fluttered and his long hair danced gracefully, giving a sense of a celestial being making an appearance in the world.
The scene was so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
"He was crying out in terror before," An Zhihan came to An Zhiyan's side and couldn't help but tease Su Jinli.
An Zhiyan snapped back to reality and asked, "Why?"
"He's afraid of heights."
"But doesn't he live on the upper bunk?"
"Uh... he was originally on the lower bunk, but I stole it."
An Zhiyan was not happy upon hearing this and asked, "You asking for trouble?"
"I am tall, isn't it uncomfortable for me to live on the upper bunk?"
"Su Jinli isn't short either."
"Because Wu Yu is short and doesn't want to climb up," An Zhihan finished speaking and immediately felt a chill down his spine. He turned around and saw Wu Yu standing by his side and quickly shut his mouth.
An Zhihan listened to Su Jinli's song for a while and couldn't help but remark, "The melody is nice."
"He has broadened his style. Despite Su Jinli's company being small, the employees inside do have some skills. The music produced is good, and Su Jinli’s lyrics are decent too. Most importantly, he has a beautiful voice and his singing skills are improving. He sings very well," An Zhihan commented.
"It's rare for you to give out praise," Wu Yu couldn't help but speak.
"That's because he's my brother."
"Just a few days ago you said if you ever talk to Su Jinli again, you'll be his grandson."
An Wu Yu didn’t reply to that, and An Zhiyan wasn’t pleased. He didn’t plan to keep downgrading himself with An Zhihan.
Wu Yu left the venue only after Su Jinli's performance. Seeing Wu Yu leave, An Zhihan couldn't help but ask An Zhiyan, "Is he only seeing Su Jinli as a competitor and only watches his rehearsals?"
"Probably."
"Doesn’t he take me in consideration?"
"He might still care about Wei Jiayu."
"Dam..." A curse word had just left his mouth when it got answered with a smack on the back of his head by An Zhiyan.
________________________
After the rehearsal, Su Jinli followed the car back to the hotel.
Upon entering the room, he saw the fluorescent lights on and paused in surprise, his instinct was to leave the room.
From inside the room, a cold voice sounded, "It's me."
"Brother!" Su Jinli immediately hurled himself into the room.
Shen Cheng had been sitting on the bed looking at his phone, but with Su Jinli pouncing like that, he ended up laying back on the bed. He grabbed onto his waist, causing his body to shake violently.
"Have you finished the rehearsal?" Shen Cheng asked.
"Uh huh, Brother, I missed you so much!"
"I know, you always say that."
"How did you get here?"
"I teleported directly here."
Su Jinli knew that Shen Cheng and the others have spells for fast movement, but his own power was not enough, hence he couldn't do it. So, he asked Shen Cheng optimistically, "Brother, can I teleport?"
"Uh..." Shen Cheng knew that it might not be possible for Su Jinli and he didn't want to upset him, so he said, "How about I buy you a car instead? What type of car do you like?"
Su Jinli immediately understood and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Shen Cheng ruffled Su Jinli's hair, but he quickly felt that something was off. He asked Su Jinli, "Have you been absorbing human Yang energy?"
"Yes, just a little."
"How did you do it?"
"Well..." Before Su Jinli could answer, there was a knock on the door of his room.
He quickly got up and pulled Shen Cheng to stand in a spot that would be out of sight when the door was opened. Then, he went to the door and asked, "Who is it?"
The voice outside belonged to An Zhiyan, "It's me."
"Do you need something?"
"You left your costume with me. I've brought it back to you, and also brought some late-night snacks."
Only then did Su Jinli remember that he had left his costume in An Zhiyan's dressing room when he changed during the rehearsal. He immediately opened the door and reached out to take the items, but only grabbed a hold of An Zhiyan's sleeve.
Standing at the door, An Zhiyan couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Are you not going to show your face?"
"After you give it to me, go back and rest early," Su Jinli hurriedly said, taking the items from An Zhiyan's hand.
Just as he was about to close the door, it was opened from the inside.
Turning around, he saw Shen Cheng standing behind him. He had opened the door and was smiling at An Zhiyan, "Long time no see."
An Zhiyan's expression froze instantly upon seeing Shen Cheng.
Right now, Su Jinli was stuck in the middle, with An Zhiyan in front of him and Shen Cheng behind him. Just standing between the two, he could already feel a strong, abrupt killing intent.
Yes... It was killing intent.
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