Chapter 199 Double Standards from the Border

After her twentieth birthday, Lu Yinzhao stayed at home for two days before returning to school.

This time, there were other emotions in everyone's gaze towards him.

Some offered blessings, others envied, some gasped in astonishment, and still others marveled.

In their eyes, Lu Yinzhao's life was something they could never have in their lifetime.

Excellent personal qualities, a powerful family background, and a perfect lover—this is the pinnacle of life that everyone envies.

On the day she returned to school, Lu Yinzhao pushed open the door to dormitory 506.

The three roommates, who were originally reading, watching TV series, or playing games at their respective desks, suddenly sprang to life like springs that had been turned on.

They all bounced up with a "whoosh".

Three pairs of eyes, shining like stage spotlights, stared intently at Lu Yinzhao.

Then they all clapped together: "Welcome! Welcome! A warm welcome! Welcome back to China, internationally renowned photographer Mr. Lu!"

"Congratulations to our wonderful Xiaolu for finding her soulmate! Her relationship is officially announced!"

"Finally, I hope that Lu Yinzhao will always walk a flowery path on the road to her dreams!"

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

Thinking about the crazy things his roommates might do, Lu Yinzhao was still greatly shocked when he experienced it again.

His three roommates acted like his family and friends, and even made prop cards.

"Three, two, one, stop!" Lu Yinzhao made a gesture to signal everyone to stop.

"Don't look at me like that, it's giving me goosebumps." Lu Yinzhao rubbed the goosebumps on his body. "From now on, things will be the same as always. Don't have too much of a bias against me. I'm just an ordinary person."

The three roommates: "..."

They also want to be ordinary people like that.

Lu Yinzhao tidied up her bed and went straight to bed after taking a shower.

Song Shuye, who was on the opposite bed, peeked out and asked, "You...don't you need to call your partner?"

Lu Yinzhao coughed lightly: "He's very busy. We don't call each other much anymore. We just send messages directly."

"Oh~"

Song Shuye looked at him with a resentful expression.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yinzhao asked, puzzled.

“You don’t understand… The moment I learned the truth, I felt like my whole body was breaking apart. I always thought you and Brother Ji were brothers who were related by blood,” Song Shuye said.

God knows that when Song Shuye saw the news, he almost thought his roommate had become an orthopedic surgeon.

"We don't even have the same last name, how could you think that?"

"So what if we have different surnames? One of my younger brothers even has my grandmother's surname. I'm sorry, I'm just too dense. Old Xu and Old Jiang both noticed, but I'm the only one who didn't know." Song Shuye shrugged helplessly.

Song Shuye felt he was too naive; he saw everything as socialist brotherhood.

"Hahahaha!" Jiang Yi and Xu Zishi burst out laughing.

Lu Yinzhao was stunned: "When my identity was exposed last time, you should have known who my brothers were, right?"

Song Shuye continued, "Who knows if you have any cousins ​​or anything like that? I don't know anything about your family's genealogy either."

Lu Yinzhao was defeated by Song Shuye's thought process.

Song Shuye belatedly said, "I was wondering why you and your brother were so affectionate on the phone before, like you were talking to a young couple. I didn't expect it to be true. People should really trust their first instinct."

Lu Yinzhao scratched his head sheepishly: "I'm sorry, at that time I thought the relationship wasn't stable yet, and I planned to tell you later."

"It's alright, Xiao Lu, we all saw it, except for that idiot Ye Zi who didn't, hahaha!" Xu Zishi said.

Song Shuye sighed, "I thought Lu Yinzhao was straight like me, but I didn't expect him to be gay too."

Lu Yinzhao: "..." Well, I'm really sorry.

Even he himself didn't expect it at the time.

*

Early April.

The music talent show that Bian Ji recorded last year has started airing.

It was originally scheduled to air at the beginning of the year, but I don't know what happened with the censorship department, it's been under revision and only started airing now.

Reuters had previously reported that Byun Ji was very strict on the show, which made netizens who had booked the show even more excited.

At 8 PM on Friday, the moment "Chasing the Stars" premiered, the entire internet was flooded with comments.

As soon as the camera cut to the mentor's seat, Bian Ji, dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exuded a sense of pressure as he lightly tapped the table with his fingertips.

When the first contestant finished singing his original song with his guitar, his face full of anticipation, Bian Ji spoke first, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"You went off-key three times in B-flat major, had a broken transition in the chorus, and went on stage with your guitar strings out of tune. Is your understanding of the word 'stage' just something you throw together?"

The contestant's face turned pale instantly, his fingers gripping the guitar strap turned white, and he stammered, "I...I practiced until dawn yesterday, I was probably too nervous..."

“Nervousness is not an excuse for mistakes. Everyone is working hard to prepare for this stage. If you don’t give your best, you will be the one eliminated.” Bian Ji interrupted him.

[Holy crap, Bian Ji's aura is incredible! I'm even holding my breath through the screen! Bian Ji's cold expression is a bit intimidating.]

[I didn't believe Reuters' earlier reports that Bian Ji was very strict. I thought it was normal for him to be a bit strict with music because of his strong professional skills. Now it seems I'd be eliminated in the first round if I went.]

[I feel sorry for the player for a second, but for some reason I think Bian Ji is so handsome... This is what professionalism looks like!]

Is this the same Bian Ji who gave a heartfelt confession at the concert? He definitely wouldn't act like this towards Teacher L in private, right?

What are you even talking about? This is work, that's personal feelings—keep them separate. How can you compare them like that?

[Agreed! I think Bian Ji is absolutely right. Isn't the point of these shows to select the best one? If anyone can get in and muddle through, then what will we hear about the songs of the artists who debut?]

[The other mentors' comments were too official; I prefer Bian Ji's style—he speaks his mind and gets straight to the point.]

Lu Yinzhao is also watching the show this weekend.

That evening, after he took a shower, he sat on the sofa with Bian Ji.

He glanced at the sarcastic man on the show, then turned his head to look at the man next to him who was composing music on the computer.

He looked back and forth, his hair sticking up on his head swaying back and forth as he turned his head.

A hand suddenly reached out and pinched his cheeks. "You keep looking back and forth, is there something on my face?"

Lu Yinzhao was forced to pout as he was pinched. He shook off Bian Ji's grip and couldn't help but say, "I was just curious. You've never shown such a fierce expression in front of me."

"Is there anything about you that would make me angry with you?" Bian Ji asked with a smile.

"I...I'm tone-deaf! Since you're so serious about music, you shouldn't look down on someone as tone-deaf as me," Lu Yinzhao said, revealing her biggest disadvantage.

"Do you remember when you were called on to sing a nursery rhyme in kindergarten music class? I even asked Aunt Yin for the video." Bian Ji said, a slight smile curving her lips as she recalled the past.

Lu Yinzhao felt embarrassed just thinking about it, and then alarm bells went off immediately, "You don't still have that video, do you? You're a professional musician, how can you tolerate singing off-key! Delete it right now!"

"If it's you, I can accept it. You're kind of cute when you're off-key."

Bian Ji started playing direct attacks again, making Lu Yinzhao blush.

He muttered under his breath, "Isn't that a double standard?"

Bian Ji moved the computer to the side and closer to Lu Yinzhao, gently pinching his earlobe with her fingertips. "They are here to pursue their dreams. I am strict with them because I don't want them to waste their opportunities."

"..."

"Even though you say you don't like singing, you'll unconsciously hum a tune when you're in a good mood, without even realizing it yourself."

Lu Yinzhao was stunned; he hadn't realized that at all.

"You sing because you're happy, and it doesn't matter if you're completely off-key, I still like it."

Lu Yinzhao felt that Bian Ji had a very thick filter for him, and if netizens heard this, they would definitely criticize him again.

How can this be praised to such an extreme?

Lu Yinzhao stopped discussing the issue with the other party and continued watching the first episode of the show.

There are a few very promising contestants among them; you can tell they have talent just by listening to them.

That night, after falling asleep, Lu Yinzhao dreamed that he could sing without going off-key, and that his voice was comparable to Bian Ji's.

He woke up laughing from his dream, and the next morning he sang a new song by Bian Ji.

"The wind swept around the old alleyway, blowing candy wrappers onto my sleeve..."

As soon as the last word was spoken, footsteps sounded behind him, and Bian Ji was carrying two cups of hot milk.

"Good morning." Bian Ji placed the milk on the coffee table, smiled, and ruffled Lu Yinzhao's hair. "Why are you in such high spirits today? Listening to you... you seem to be singing less off-key."

Lu Yinzhao's eyes lit up even more, and she leaned closer to him to boast, "Right! Last night I dreamt that I could sing without going off-key, and I wanted to try it as soon as I woke up this morning!"

“Not bad.” Bian Ji nodded in approval.

Lu Yinzhao curled the corners of his mouth: "Maybe it's because this song 'Following the Wind' from your new album is easier to sing, it just happens to be in my vocal range, hehe!"

Bian Ji paused, raising an eyebrow in confusion, "'Following the Wind'? Didn't you just sing 'Chasing the Light'?"

Lu Yinzhao's smile froze instantly, as if it had been paused.

"I clearly sang 'Following the Wind,' which you wrote! Can't you hear the lyrics?!"

Bian Ji was taken aback, then apologized, "I'm sorry, there was something wrong with my ears."

"Bian! Ji!" Lu Yinzhao pounced on Bian Ji and unleashed a flurry of punches. "Why don't you just say I'm completely off-key!"

Lu Yinzhao thought angrily, "Dreams and reality are indeed opposites. I'd better give up on this struggle."

I'll just be a good listener for the rest of my life.

"I thought I could become a singer in my dreams... but talent is something you can't just have if you want it."

Bian Ji watched as Lu Yinzhao was still poking at the fluffy fur in the sofa cracks, her cheeks puffed out like an angry little hamster.

“Who says you have no talent? Your talent lies in photography. The light in your lens is something others can’t learn.” Bian Ji pulled the person into his arms, gently comforting him.

Lu Yinzhao quickly adjusted his mood. He was just venting. He was still very confident in his professional skills.

“When you hold your next concert, I’ll take the photos for the poster and the album cover! I promise I’ll make you look absolutely stunning!” Lu Yinzhao looked at Bian Ji with bright eyes.

"I couldn't ask for more." Bian Ji tightened her embrace, her fingertips gently brushing across the top of his head.

My song is only complete when paired with your picture.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Bian Ji (to someone else): Stop singing, you're off-key. [Shrugs]

Bian Ji (to Zhao Zhao): It's okay, keep going, you're so cute. [Hugs]

——————

P.S.: The main story is almost finished [glasses]. I'll write the side stories selectively, depending on the situation. I'll let everyone know who will be in their side stories before I start, so feel free to choose whichever you prefer [buffet style]. [milk tea]