When it came to the award ceremony, two performances from Class 5 Year 1, Jiang Mingqin’s dance, and the skit performed by the boys didn’t make it to the top three. After all, the seniors were also quite talented. A spirited performance of “Defending the Yellow River” with raised arms and loud shouts conveyed the heroic spirit of the Iron Horses in the autumn wind, leaving the audience deeply moved. The group dance further enthralled the audience, making them feel as though they were witnessing a visual feast as if feathers were transforming into immortals.
In comparison, the freshmen from Class 5 Year 1 had less mature performances, more like child’s play. However, Yin Minglu and his group still received an award: the Best Popular Award.
When they went on stage to receive the award, the female host looked at them with great interest. When she handed the microphone to Yin Minglu, the audience’s attention shifted towards them. Yin Minglu was worried that someone from the audience might rush up to confront him. As it turned out, there was indeed a male student sitting in the front row who quickly jumped onto the stage, looking fierce and determined as he approached Yin Minglu.
Before Yin Minglu could even shout “protect me,” he was startled by a bouquet of roses in front of him. He dumbfoundedly accepted it, “Um…”
Before he could say thank you, the male student dashed away, leaving Yin Minglu bewildered. Both Yin Minglu’s hesitant reaction and the roses thrown onto the stage successfully elicited another round of laughter from the audience.
Infected by the laughter, Yin Minglu couldn’t help but laugh in the end. A naturally handsome young man, he would catch anyone’s attention when walking down the street. At this moment, with his laughter, he seemed to shine even brighter than the neon lights on the stage. He felt that this moment was exceptionally beautiful, and the spotlight in the venue continued to flicker.
Unable to contain herself, the class teacher stood up and shouted from the depths of her soul, “Didn’t you all hand in your phones? What’s with all the camera clicks in the audience? These sneaky little bunnies! They didn’t even put their phones on silent!”
“Teacher, please don’t be like this. It’s the annual Mid-Autumn Festival performance!”
“Teacher, we’re taking pictures of the principal! We promise to capture the principal looking fabulous!”
“I can’t believe you! Hand over your phones right now!”
It wasn’t just the students taking photos; even in the parents’ section, Yin Yunqiu took a few pictures. His assistant, Xiao Chen, exclaimed, “Young Master looks even more handsome as he grows up.”
Yin Yunqiu didn’t respond, but he secretly agreed. Some people were naturally good-looking, and when you saw them, you couldn’t help but feel delighted. Unfortunately, the child who was so beautiful and happened to be associated with him was not his biological child, which was regrettable. But at least he had raised him himself, and in every way, his own child was the best.
Yin Yunqiu skillfully opened his social media feed and posted the photos. Others were unaware that the handsome man with a cold expression sitting next to them was, in fact, an enthusiastic show-off. He had shown off his son from a cute little child to a high school student in his school uniform without missing any part of his growth journey.
Out of ten posts on his social media, seven or eight were related to his son, such as his son’s report card, his son winning competitions, his son’s first new game release, his son’s fifteenth birthday, the gifts his son gave him, and so on. As a result, everyone connected to the Yin family, including the employees of the Yin family’s company, knew Yin Minglu. They even knew small details about him, like his love for milk, the mole on his shoulder, and his last summer vacation in the United States.
…
Out of habit, An Meijun glanced at her phone. She hadn’t remarried in recent years, waiting for her daughter to return to the Yin family so she could become the rightful Mrs. Yin. With this thought in mind, she turned down all the suitors around her. Over the years, as she grew older, fine lines appeared on her face, and the quality of men who pursued her gradually declined. They were either middle-aged widowers or men who had lost their wives and children. There were also some handsome young talents, but these men lacked money and career stability. Besides youth and love, they couldn’t offer her a comfortable life.
An Meijun naturally wouldn’t accept such men, even if it angered her father and mother, who wanted to cut ties with her. They scolded her, saying that she was a thirty-year-old woman with unrealistic expectations. She remained stubborn, maintaining her own pride and dignity. After all, there had been no one around Yin Yunqiu all these years. Besides, with her own daughter becoming increasingly beautiful, she had endless hopes.
She would make her daughter return to the Yin family and make up for the regrets of the past fifteen years.
An Meijun saved the photos taken by Yin Yunqiu with a heavy heart because only she noticed that the smiling youth in the center of the photo had a slightly distant figure nearby, a beautiful girl in a black dress.
The girl’s smile looked forced, holding a small trophy in her hand. On the stage, she seemed to fade into the background, with even the stage lights appearing dimmer on her. An Meijun couldn’t help but feel sorry for her daughter. Her eyes welled up with tears, thinking it was fortunate that her daughter didn’t know she was switched at birth, and she wouldn’t know how hurtful it was to have such a small presence in her biological father’s photos.
In the audience, there was also a figure that attracted a lot of attention. A man with thin lips slightly pursed, narrow eyes, deep brows, and a hidden face in the darkness. Only the faint light shone through his eyelashes, revealing his attractive chin and lips. Even when the man sat in the most remote corner, people couldn’t help but look at him.
The man took a photo of the youth holding flowers and smiling, then set it as his desktop background. Satisfied, he closed his phone and left with his assistant.
Hearing the suggestion, the assistant hesitated for a moment, then followed and whispered, “Mr. Chu, since we’re all here, should we greet Young Master before we leave?” They had come here so secretly, should they leave just as secretly? It was as if they were doing a good deed without leaving a trace. If the child found out that his idol had skipped training camp to watch his performance, he would surely be overjoyed.
Fans also need to be inspired, he thought.
“No need,” the man casually replied as he pulled on his mask, donned a dark duckbill cap, concealing his striking, glossy black hair and distinctive features. He then got into his chauffeured car.
Back at the training camp, he reverted to being the ruthless devil of a mentor, squinting his eyes with a formidable presence. His sharp tongue spared no one, leaving many young and beautiful female trainees with broken hearts.
…
After the performance ended and he returned home, a refreshed Yin Minglu checked the alarm clock that had just gone off. His tiredness dissipated instantly, and he quickly regained his energy. He went downstairs and skillfully turned on the television.
Soon, on the big screen, he saw that handsome man dressed in wide-sleeved robes, with ink-black long hair flowing behind him, holding a paper umbrella, standing amidst a vast expanse of snow. The backdrop of weeping blood-red plum blossoms made him appear even more desolate and lonely, making people want to rush forward and embrace him tightly.
As the words “The End” appeared on the screen, Yin Minglu was on the verge of tears. He quickly sent a message on WeChat to his idol.
At that moment, Chu Run had just finished a several-hour-long photography session, guiding young girls who were neither good at dancing nor singing but believed they were superior due to their youth and beauty. They thought that a little bit of cutesy behavior could make the whole world forgive them for their mistakes. Little did they know that the unrelenting camera was capturing everything.
Moreover, he had encountered individuals from affluent families who were accustomed to a life of luxury and privilege. The child he was thinking of was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he was incredibly intelligent and capable. His temperament was gentle and obedient, free from the vices commonly associated with privileged families. He would eat a $0.25 bun from a street vendor, ride a $0.50 bus, and approach everything with dedication and appreciation. In his eyes, this child was even more dazzling than any treasure.
To avoid disappointing such an exceptional child, Chu Run had spent the past decade habitually pushing himself to become a better person, worthy of that passionate gaze.
However, he couldn’t help but feel that guiding these young trainees was even more exhausting than staying up late for filming. When he returned to the dressing room, he didn’t even have the energy to change his clothes. He slumped on the couch. The mirror in the dressing room reflected his current state—a slight frown, his thin eyelids half-closed, his ink-black hair occasionally falling onto his smooth forehead, and the top button of his white shirt undone. He exuded a lethargic yet sensual charm.
Just as he was about to succumb to a well-deserved rest, he heard his familiar notification tone. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he picked up his phone. As expected, it was a message from a young fan. Using a familiar tone, he confessed, “I wish I could become snow so I could land on my idol’s shoulders.”
Chu Run didn’t need to think twice to know that the fan had probably just watched the heart-wrenching finale. He decided to tease him, “What if I use an umbrella?”
He expected him to respond with something beautiful, like in a TV drama, such as, “Then I’ll land on your red umbrella, quietly carrying the moonlight all the way.”
However, his reply was unexpectedly, “Then I’ll become water vapor and drift in the air, forever accompanying my idol!”
Well, that was quite assertive. But he liked it, especially the word “forever.”
That night, the confrontation between the trainees and Chu Run’s involvement in a potential incident at Capital First High School began trending on social media. It was accompanied by numerous exquisite personal photos of Chu Run, attracting the attention of netizens who couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
It was time to change his phone wallpaper again. Yin Minglu was satisfied as he saved Chu Run’s latest photo and set it as his phone wallpaper.
—
Author’s Note:
I’m sorry, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck in my writing lately, so the word count has been decreasing. I’ll try to adjust back tomorrow.
Additional Note: The dialogue, “I wish I could become snow so I could land on my idol’s shoulders. What if I use an umbrella? Then I’ll land on your red umbrella, quietly carrying the moonlight all the way. What if you brush the snow away? Then I’ll let you brush it away. Just being able to rest in your palm for a moment would be enough.” is from the character Yukino from the novel “Jin’i” by Yukari Ichijo. It’s a beautiful passage.
Thank you to the angels who voted for me or gave me nutrients~
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