...
Jian Xingsui had never thought that life could be so dreamlike.
He lay in his hospital bed, recalling his conversation with Actor Fu by his bedside not long ago. When he nodded, Actor Fu remained silent for a while, and his heart was in his throat. Just as he was wondering if he was being presumptuous and putting pressure on Fu Jinxiao, Actor Fu, sitting by the window, asked him, "When does your contract with the company expire?"
Jian Xingsui stared blankly: "Huh?"
After that, Actor Fu didn't say anything else, only leaving out the sentence: "If the contract expires or you want to terminate it, you can come and discuss it with me."
Jian Xingsui was still in bed, confused, when Fu Jinxiao called and left.
He had a fever and couldn't think straight for long. He lay in bed, drowsy and confused, for a while but couldn't come up with anything. Finally, under the hypnotic effect of the medicine, he fell asleep.
When he woke up again, it was Xiao Mi, a staff member from the production crew, who took care of him and said, "Brother Fu had something come up. He was busy with his schedule and took a flight last night, so I'll take care of you."
Jian Xingsui was very grateful: "Thank you, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Xiaomi sighed and said, "Don't thank me. We've worked together before, haven't we? It's just that you're popular now and don't treat me like a friend anymore."
Jian Xingsui quickly shook her head: "No, no, no."
Xiaomi was a staff member of the program crew. Jian Xingsui had worked temporarily for the program crew for a few days to make a living, and Xiaomi was his partner at that time.
“However…” Jian Xingsui hesitated, “Do I really have any popularity?”
Upon hearing this, Xiaomi laughed: "You're incredibly popular, especially yesterday. You were the most popular person in the entire event! Do you know what 'most popular' means? It means that out of all these teams, you got the most votes!"
Jian Xingsui: "Really?"
Xiaomi put her hands on her hips and said, "Why would I lie to you?"
He remembered that although the show's rules prohibited trainees from using their phones, there were no cameras in the hospital at the moment. So he quietly leaned over and handed him his phone, which was now on Weibo: "I'm giving this to you because we're friends. Don't tell anyone else."
Jian Xingsui looked at her phone, a little excited: "I know, thank you Xiaomi."
Xiaomi smiled and went out to keep watch.
Jian Xingsui lay in his hospital bed and opened his phone, tentatively searching for his own name. He found several trending topics, the most popular being "Glimmer," with the top recommendation being a video of his stage performance from the previous night, accompanied by enthusiastic comments.
"Weiguang, hurry up and release your music app!"
"I replayed that scene many times."
"The faint light brought tears to my eyes."
Jian Meixing read many posts about glimmers of light, and then saw someone say this on Weibo:
“Previously, Teacher Tuya and other friends said that Sui Sui’s songs are very emotional and have a strong emotional impact. I never understood why, but yesterday, when I heard ‘Glimmer’, I suddenly understood why. Because on that stage, everyone seemed to be singing, ‘I am a light, I want to illuminate you,’ but only he was saying, ‘You are a light, thank you for illuminating me.’”
In reality, most people are ordinary, like Jian Xingsui, and need others to illuminate their lives.
That's why his singing is so captivating.
Therefore, his performances and his songs resonate deeply with people. While other people's performances express "I'm cool and I'm sunny," his is more like, "Thank you for appearing and bringing me sunshine."
In life, most people would be moved by this.
There were many second comments under that Weibo post:
"Finally, someone has spoken my mind!"
"I really love this guy with the buzz cut who sings."
"I hope he can debut."
Jian Xingsui felt warm inside as he saw many people supporting him and leaving comments. He was somewhat incredulous that he had achieved a decent ranking in the first performance. He felt a lot of pressure during the second performance, fearing that he would disappoint those who supported him. So he tried his best to do well. He wasn't particularly outstanding to begin with, and he was afraid that those who liked him would also look at him with disappointment.
As Jian Xingsui scrolled through the pages, he suddenly came across a different Weibo post. The post was tagged with #TeacherStudent# and contained screenshots and videos of Jian Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao. The videos showed Fu Jinxiao instructing him on movements in the practice room, as well as photos from their performances and everyday moments of eye contact.
I didn't realize it at the time, but now someone has taken screenshots of them, and from the angle of these screenshots, it does look like a rather ambiguous pink, which actually looks quite sweet.
The comments below are also:
"This teacher-student relationship is so touching."
"The little white rabbit followed the big bad wolf around."
"Every move she makes is so sweet."
"Sometimes they look like a good match."
As Jian Xingsui watched, a smile crept into her eyes: "Really...?"
I was admiring the photos on my phone screen when Xiaomi came back in, this time with the doctor. Xiaomi said, "Sui Sui, it's time to change the water."
Jian Xingsui's movements trembled, and she almost dropped her phone.
Xiaomi quickly came over to take it, and as she raised her hand, she saw the photo on her phone.
When Jian Xingsui saw that he had seen it, she felt a little ashamed and even embarrassed, as if she wanted to find a place to crawl into. However, Xiao Mi gave him a very understanding smile and only spoke after the doctor left: "I understand, I understand."
Jian Xingsui's earlobes slowly turned red: "What do you know?"
"Who wouldn't be happy to ride on Brother Fu's coattails?" Xiaomi said with a grin. "If it were me, I would watch for a while longer too."
Jian Xingsui's intense emotions slowly calmed down.
Under Xiaomi's questioning gaze, he said softly, "It's not because I'm trying to ride the wave of popularity..."
Xiaomi didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"
Jian Xingsui slowly shook her head: "No."
It's best to keep those unspeakable thoughts buried deep inside for the rest of their lives. Actually, things are already pretty good as they are now. This might be the best ending for them.
...
next day
Jian Xingsui's illness has improved a lot, and she has returned to the gymnasium.
After the second performance, the production team allowed the contestants to rest for a while. When Jian Xingsui returned, she heard some rumors that half of the contestants would be eliminated in the second performance, leaving only about 24 people. Moreover, the third performance would only have three groups competing against each other. This time, unlike in the past, there would be celebrity guests performing.
This includes An Ran's second brother, Jian Zhi.
Shen Xingchen complained to him, "I heard that Jian Zhi is coming over early today, and he said it's because of something, um, it's for An Ran's birthday, I think!"
Jian Xingsui's body stiffened.
Shen Xingchen didn't notice and was a little impatient: "It's so pretentious. The production team even planned an event because of Jian Zhi and An Ran's brotherly relationship. They want to give An Ran more screen time to promote the royal family. And President Jian even invested a lot of money to film this episode. They'll hold a birthday party for him, and we'll all go to celebrate his birthday."
...
Shen Xingchen was speaking when she noticed the silence around her and turned around suspiciously: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Jian Xingsui's expression was somewhat unpleasant. When asked this question, she forced a smile, slowly shook her head, and said, "It's nothing."
If Shen Xingchen hadn't said that, he would have almost forgotten that it was his birthday in a few days.
For several years now, every time it's his birthday, his family members are quite busy. His father says he's away on business, his eldest brother says he's busy negotiating a deal and can't come back, and his second brother says he's busy with a gig and just sends him a WeChat message wishing him a happy birthday.
Everyone is... quite busy.
It seems that, gradually, his family stopped celebrating his birthday. He thought it was because everyone was too busy, but now he realizes that it wasn't that his family didn't celebrate his birthday, but rather that they simply stopped celebrating it for him.
Perhaps the sadness in his eyes was too obvious, because Shen Xingchen hesitated and asked, "You don't like the show's producers favoring the royal family either, do you?"
Jian Xingsui was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and nodded haphazardly.
"Sigh..." Shen Xingchen patted his shoulder with a look that said, "You should be content. That's just how it is. After all, not everyone can be like me, with both ability and money!"
"..."
Jian Xingsui was shocked by this guy's confidence.
When they were called to the cafeteria in the afternoon, they found that many contestants were quite excited. After asking around, they learned that Jian Zhi had arrived early. As a popular young actor in the entertainment industry, Jian Zhi was indeed a senior figure to these contestants who had not yet debuted. Many people wanted to curry favor with him and establish connections.
Jane walked in amidst cheers and jubilation.
Too many contestants shamelessly stepped forward:
"Brother Jian, I've heard your songs."
"Hello, Brother Jian."
Jian Zhi stood next to An Ran. Unlike Fu Jin Xiao, who was low-key and would consider the contestants' camera time, he always wore casual clothes. This time, he came dressed to the nines, wearing a black suit and tie, his hair was neatly styled, and his face was shiny. An Ran was right next to him, and they looked like brothers with a good relationship.
Jianzhi smiled and said to everyone, "I'm here today just to cooperate with everyone in the stage performance, so please don't be too reserved and just treat me as a friend."
Other trainees expressed their feelings:
"Brother Jian is such a nice guy."
"So this is how close people can be."
Only Jian Xingsui knew that Jian Zhi was actually a very arrogant person. If he was really coming to be a friend, he shouldn't have dressed so flamboyantly. He wasn't low-key at all, and he wasn't approachable at all. In the past, when Jian Xingsui wanted to bring friends over to her house, she was scolded many times.
Many students rushed over to greet Jian Zhi when he arrived. Jian Zhi's gaze swept across the hall and noticed that only Jian Xingsui and Shen Xingchen, who were sitting in the corner, ignored him. His expression immediately changed, as if on purpose. Jian Zhi took An Ran's hand and raised his voice slightly: "I'm here mainly to support my younger brother. An Ran has been causing trouble for everyone."
An Ran smiled shyly after being protected by her brother.
The other students quickly replied:
"Brother Jian, you're too kind. Ranran is fine; it's no trouble at all."
"She's so good to her younger brother."
"I really envy Ranran."
An Ran's face beamed with a happy smile as she basked in the envious and jealous glances of the crowd.
Some students mustered up their courage and asked if they could get autographs, and Jian Zhi agreed to each one. As a result, many people gathered around to ask for autographs and WeChat IDs. However, for some reason, Jian Zhi looked to the other side with some concern. Jian Xing Sui, who was sitting there, not only did not notice him, but she and Shen Xing Chen also got their food and started eating at the dining table because they were too bored.
...
It was a very subtle and strange feeling.
In the past, Jian Xingsui always treated Jian Zhi as his whole world. No matter when, wherever Jian Zhi appeared, Jian Xingsui was a shadow he couldn't shake off, always following behind him as if he wanted the whole world to know that he was his brother. That clingy and pathetic behavior made Jian Zhi really disgusted with this useless younger brother.
On his way here, he watched the previous performance, not for Jian Xingsui, but just to see An Ran. Everyone online was praising Jian Xingsui's amazing composing ability, and he had originally gone there with a scornful attitude, but he was genuinely attracted by "Glimmer" through the screen. Looking at the person shining on the stage, Jian Zhi suddenly felt... like he didn't recognize this kid anymore.
Is this really Jian Xingsui?
Is it his useless younger brother?
When did he start composing? Why did I never know?
With these doubts in mind, Jian Zhi arrived at the sports stadium ahead of time. He guessed that Jian Xingsui probably knew that he would not be debuting. He thought that when he saw him, he might still come over shamelessly as before, and might even beg him to talk to the production team not to eliminate him. He had even thought about how to refuse.
But……
An Ran nudged Jian Zhi: "Brother, what are you looking at?"
Jian Zhi snapped out of his daze at Jian Xingsui and said somewhat guiltily, "No, I wasn't looking at anything."
An Ran's smile was somewhat forced: "Really?"
That's a lie.
It was clearly Jian Xingsui who was watching.
An Ran felt a little unhappy, but she still smiled gently and said, "Brother, shall we go eat?"
Jane nodded.
An Ran was unhappy when she saw Jian Zhi staring at Jian Xing Sui. He had lost the performance and was determined to regain some face with Jian Xing Sui, so she deliberately pulled Jian Zhi to sit opposite Jian Xing Sui. She even brought shrimp from the cafeteria, as her second brother used to peel shrimp for her when they were at home.
After everyone was seated, An Ran said softly, "Second Brother, do you like shrimp? I'll peel them for you, okay?"
Jianzhi didn't really like it, but he still said, "No need, Ranran, I know you like to eat it, your second brother will peel it for you."
An Ran gave a shy smile: "I can't accept that."
Jianzhi gently patted his head: "You're my younger brother, why are you being so polite with your older brother?"
As if deliberately trying to attract the attention of the person opposite him, Jian Zhi also acted like an older brother, treating his younger brother with gentleness and consideration that made the other students envious. Jian Xingsui on the other side also noticed it. Although he had long since stopped caring, seeing Jian Zhi's differential treatment still made him feel depressed and a little sore.
Shen Xingchen, who was standing next to her, hated these kinds of mushy scenes the most.
The arrogant man, in a very disruptive manner, threw down his chopsticks and said, "I'll go get some shrimp too."
After returning with a plate of shrimp, Shen Xingchen, as if deliberately trying to annoy the person opposite him, put his arm around Jian Xingsui's arm and said, "Come on, second brother, do you like shrimp? I'll peel them for you."
"..."
Jian Xingsui was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by him.
After taking the shrimp from Shen Xingchen, Jian Xingsui said softly, "No need, I don't really like eating them, and you should avoid them too, since you're allergic to seafood."
Shen Xingchen, being rather simple-minded, asked in confusion, "How did you know?"
Jian Xingsui said helplessly, "Because when we ate hot pot last time, you didn't touch any seafood at all. You said you couldn't eat it."
Shen Xingchen pouted and reluctantly put down the shrimp.
Seeing his discomfitured expression, Jian Xingsui picked up a chicken leg from her bowl and gave it to him: "Eat this."
Shen Xingchen angrily put the chicken leg back, then thought for a moment and put the chicken leg from her own bowl back on his plate. Yihao Yuntian said, "Second brother, since we can't touch the shrimp, let's settle on the chicken leg."
Jian Xingsui was both amused and exasperated by his nonsensical behavior, but her previous gloom vanished, and a smile appeared on her face.
Jianzhi, on the other side, seemed to be lost in thought for some reason.
He never told Jian Xingsui that he hated shrimp, but Jian Xingsui never let him eat shrimp at meals. And every time he came home, the table would almost always be filled with his favorite dishes. Sometimes Jian Xingsui would even say cautiously, "Second brother, I made this. It's a little burnt, but it should still taste pretty good..."
At that time, he only thought that his younger brother was clumsy and only knew how to cause trouble.
An Ran is skilled in cooking, so he would be moved by the dishes she carefully prepared, but he would never be moved by Jian Xingsui's clumsiness. Over the years, he has never given this clumsy younger brother a second glance.
An Ran said from the side, "Second brother, I peeled some shrimp for you."
Her gentle voice remained as sensible as ever.
Jianzhi snapped out of his reverie, but felt a little uneasy. In the past, he would have felt that An Ran was considerate, but now he didn't feel that way at all. He simply said, "No need, I don't have an appetite."
An Ran's smile suddenly froze.
He held his chopsticks in disbelief, looking at his second brother who had suddenly become colder towards him for some reason. He was filled with endless questions. Why? What was wrong? Everything was fine before.
...
next day
In preparation for filming that program, many trainees have been decorating the cafeteria these past two days, preparing to buy cakes and other things to hold a birthday party for An Ran. Many people are talking about this, and it's quite a lively scene with lanterns and decorations.
After returning from the training room, Jian Xingsui was a little tired and went to the bathroom to take a shower first.
Although Shen Xingchen is usually carefree, he sensed something was wrong today. He pulled Ning Ze aside and said, "Don't you think Comrade Xiao Jian is acting a bit strange today?"
Ning Ze was usually not a talkative person, but after a moment of contemplation, he nodded.
"Why?" Shen Xingchen asked, bewildered. "Are you still sick?"
Ning Ze was silent for a moment before finally speaking, "It shouldn't be. I think it might be because his birthday is in a couple of days."
!!
Shen Xingchen nearly jumped three feet high: "What did you say?"
Ning Ze remained calm: "I guess that's how it is."
Shen Xingchen pressed further, "How did you guess?"
“When I first arrived here, I had to register my information. I was the one after him. I glanced at the identity information he filled out, and because the dates were relatively recent, only two months ago, I remembered it.” Ning Ze calmly said, “It should be the same day as An Ran.”
Shen Xingchen was shocked: "Then why didn't this kid say anything?"
Ning Ze sat down next to him: "I think he's probably afraid of being embarrassed. After all, he's from a royal family with powerful connections, and his father invested in the show, so he can openly celebrate his birthday. It was filmed just to promote him. If he says it's his birthday at this time, wouldn't that be very awkward?"
This mentality is actually understandable.
Shen Xingchen didn't understand: "You can keep your birthday to yourself? It only comes once a year!"
In the Shen family, the young prince receives so many gifts every year on his birthday that his hands are sore. Such a grand occasion is absolutely not to be ignored by him, but his second brother is keeping it to himself.
Most importantly, the production team pretended not to mention it, just so that An Ran would be the only protagonist that day. Isn't this going too far? The righteous Shen Xingchen was not happy about it.
Ning Ze said, "There's nothing we can do... Where are you going?"
Shen Xingchen strolled out of the dormitory. Those of them who came from well-off families would hide their phones. They were afraid of being caught and didn't dare to use them much. But this was a special case, so he mustered up his courage and stole the phone.
I need to buy my second brother a birthday present.
I need to have my family send over a cake, preferably a big one.
Shen Xingchen first called her older brother, but the call couldn't be connected. She figured he was probably on a business trip or in a meeting, so she couldn't rely on him. But she couldn't use her phone for long, so she could only call home. After a while, a gentle female voice answered the phone. It was Xu Enzhen.
Shen Xingchen called out, "Mom, aren't you asleep yet? It's so late!"
It's a cloudy day, and it's raining outside. I can hear the rain on the other end of the phone. Xu Enzhen said, "I was just about to go to sleep. What's up?"
Shen Xingchen asked with some concern, "Is Dad home?"
Xu Enzhen nodded: "I'm here, don't worry."
Shen Xingchen finally breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, this was a taboo in the Shen family. The reason was that on the night Madam Xu gave birth to her youngest son, it was raining heavily. And on the day the child died, it was also a rainy day. Since then, whenever it was rainy, especially when there was thunder, Madam Xu would have nightmares and couldn't sleep all night. She said that she would dream about the child as soon as she went to sleep, and she would cry even more when she woke up.
Xu Enzhen asked softly, "What's wrong, Chenchen?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Shen Xingchen said. "Mom, you know Jian Xingsui, right? His birthday is the day after tomorrow, and I wanted to prepare a birthday present for him, but I'm in closed training here, you know, so I can't prepare anything. I heard before that Jian Xingsui's parents don't really love him, and the production team is pretending not to care, so I was thinking..."
The phone suddenly went silent.
When the incident happened, Shen Xingchen was only three or four years old and didn't remember anything. Later, because Madam Xu suffered from postpartum depression and mental problems, the family strictly forbade discussing that matter. Therefore, Shen Xingchen did not know the date of her deceased brother's death.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap flashed outside, its deafening roar seeming to strike the heart, making one's spirits tighten.
Shen Xingchen suddenly had a bad feeling and hesitated before asking, "Mom?"
Inside the Xu residence, the woman sitting on the sofa was stiff all over. Her beautiful face showed sadness, and her body trembled uncontrollably. Finally, two lines of clear tears fell down her cheeks. She covered her lips slightly and whispered, "Is it the day after tomorrow? Is that child's birthday really the day after tomorrow?"
Shen Xingchen didn't know why her mother was suddenly like this, so she could only nod honestly: "Yes, it's the day after tomorrow, so I think..."
"Okay, Mom will help you prepare." Xu Enzhen's voice trembled slightly as she said, seemingly at a loss, "What should I prepare? What does he like? What does he need? I'll have to go to the mall tomorrow. Oh right, he wants cake, right? He should be 20 this year, right? I don't even know what kind of cake he likes... I..."
Shen Xingchen held her phone, looking at the rain streaks on the glass outside the window, and said softly, "Mom, why are you crying?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
