KAIser’s another member, Luo Cheng, had a brief meeting with the acting manager and then returned to the rest area after receiving the schedule for the day after tomorrow. As many people already know, Zhou Zike is just the nominal team captain, while Luo Cheng is the real person in charge.
“Where’s Zike?” Luo Cheng entered the lounge and glanced around.
“Haven’t seen him,” Xiao Yang said. He had removed his makeup and was focused on playing a game, holding a controller in his hands. “He disappeared when we came back. He probably went back to the hotel.”
“Did Xuesong see him either?” Luo Cheng asked.
Yi Xuesong, who was sitting next to Xiao Yang and watching him playing the game, replied, “No.”
“The third brother made a lot of mistakes today, several times,” Tao Rui, the youngest member, said as he changed his clothes and stuck his head out of the dressing room.
“He didn’t just make mistakes, he didn’t even sing at all. I specifically looked back at him, and he was daydreaming. When it was his turn for the lyrics, he didn’t even open his mouth,” Xiao Yang said and suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” Yi Xuesong glanced at him.
“What if the camera turns to me looking back at him?” Xiao Yang regretfully said. “His group of self-proclaimed fangirls… They’ll say I have a secret crush on him again!”
Yi Xuesong burst into laughter.
Luo Cheng pushed Xiao Yang aside and sat next to Yi Xuesong to share further concerns. “Zike has been completely absent-minded today. During the rehearsal, he stood in the right position, but once on stage, he forgot everything. He just promised me and Guo-jie to improve his work attitude and be more proactive, said all the right things, but when it comes to actions, there’s nothing at all.”
Xiao Yang stared at the TV screen and said, “Yi-ge, please get me a bottle of water.”
“You can’t rely on anyone, especially not Zhou Zike,” Yi Xuesong replied to Luo Cheng without even looking at Xiao Yang. “Ask your assistant to do it.”
“But Xiao Zhu is not here,” Xiao Yang said, his face filled with bitterness. “I can’t spare a hand because I’m playing the game. Yi-ge, kind Yi-ge, Xuesong gege—”
“If you can’t spare a hand, then don’t drink water. Just swallow your saliva,” Yi Xuesong interrupted.
Luo Cheng went out to take care of other matters and also took on the responsibility of getting a bottle of water for Xiao Yang. When he returned, he had a bunch of sweet drinks given to him by the staff in his arms. At the entrance of the rest area, he ran into Yi Xuesong. Yi Xuesong was tall with long arms and legs. Luo Cheng had heard from Xiao Yang back when they were trainees that Yi-ge was a famous athlete at their school. Now, Yi Xuesong was holding a small paper cup filled with water.
As soon as Yi Xuesong saw the bunch of drinks in Luo Cheng’s arms, he laughed.
“The staff here are too enthusiastic. I said I didn’t want any, but they insisted on giving me so many,” Luo Cheng said, opening the door. However, Yi Xuesong stopped outside the door, his gaze fixed on the door of the room opposite, which had opened a crack.
“…It can’t be because of the company. Listen to me, it can’t be because of the company. ASE hasn’t treated Tang Zhen well enough? He’s been treated like a beloved son all these years. And look at what Tang Zhen has become in recent years. Haven’t you heard? His hands tremble when he plays the piano, he forgets lyrics when he’s on stage, he almost gave the director a stroke on set, and he was absent for more than ten days, causing the project to go downhill. Despite all that, Asia Star Entertainment still insists on giving him resources, releasing albums, and even that scammy money-grabbing compilation. I doubt anyone even buys it—”
“But I’ve always heard that Tang Zhen has poor relationships within ASE. I think there must be environmental factors involved. He even attempted suicide, it wasn’t just a joke.”
“Who told you his relationships are poor? Don’t listen to those rumors. That’s not how it works in ASE.”
“It’s not a rumor, how can I explain it to you? Last year when Liang Qiuyun returned and co-hosted a show with Tang Zhen, it caused quite a stir.”
“What show?”
“‘Roman Online.'”
“Just ‘Roman Online’! The one they debuted together. But then Liang Qiuyun left to shoot a movie, and KAIser’s new members took over for him, and they gained popularity. At the end of last year, Liang Qiuyun suddenly announced his return, and they continued hosting the show together, along with Luo Tiantian from ‘Europa.'”
“Oh, speaking of Luo Tiantian—”
“Let me finish. On the day Liang Qiuyun returned to record the first episode of the show, I have a friend who works for a video website. He said Liang Qiuyun had a big temper tantrum in the rest area. His voice was so loud that they could clearly hear it next door. He yelled at several people, threw things around, and even kicked Tang Zhen out of the lounge. What I’m telling you is true; many people saw it.”
“No, listen to me. Liang Qiuyun and Tang Zhen have purely personal grievances—”
“Even if they have personal grievances, there were so many people from ASE present at the time, but no one dared to intervene. It was Liang Qiuyun and Tang Zhen causing such a scene in the production unit. If it were to get out, how would ASE handle it?”
“Who could intervene? Liang Qiuyun and Tang Zhen’s situation is so complicated, it’s been going on for so many years. Guo Xiaoli has been managing them since their debut, almost ten years now. Have you ever seen Guo Xiaoli manage Liang Qiuyun?”
“But it still shows that ASE has this kind of environment. It’s one of the reasons, right?”
“No, it doesn’t. Tang Zhen and Liang Qiuyun are just isolated cases. ASE has always been good to whoever is popular. It hasn’t changed in over a decade. Look at the captain of KAIser, for example. He doesn’t take his work seriously, can’t sing or dance properly, and yet he is popular. From top to bottom, everyone in ASE treats him with respect—”
“Forget it, are you talking about Zhou Zike?”
“No matter whom I’m talking about. Who wouldn’t treat him with disrespect?”
“I’m serious, what personal resources has Zhou Zike had since his debut? Xiao Yang, who is also a Top member, has acted in so many movies last year and this year. He even had his own solo concerts. What has Zhou Zike accomplished—”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Lf tjr tlr ojatfg.”
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“Qts vlv rbwfbcf ilxf atja fcafg atf fcafgajlcwfca lcverags?”
…
Oeb Jtfcu kjixfv eq ab Tl Wefrbcu jcv abbx j uijcmf lcrlvf atf gbbw ogbw atf vbbgkjs. Lf xcbmxfv bc atf vbbg, jcv lcrajcais, atf rfnfgji wfvlj gfqbgafgr jcv jc CVS rajoo wfwyfg ofii rlifca.
After a few people left, only one staff member remained in place, her face turning red and pale alternately. Luo Cheng wasn’t angry with her. Just a few hours ago, the company had emphasized repeatedly that no one was allowed to disclose a single word about Tang Zhen to the outside world. Everyone was to keep it under wraps. Yet, gossip had already spread.
“I can’t control how you chat normally, but at a time like this, don’t say things you shouldn’t,” Luo Cheng said to the remaining staff member.
Zhou Zike sat on the edge of the bathtub, his forehead burning, his wet hair dripping water.
His phone vibrated furiously on the vanity.
A new message came from Ms. Guo Xiaoli:
[Little Ancestor, things are in chaos back home. Can you at least open your mouth if you don’t want to sing? The camera is focused on you. Can’t you make an effort to open your mouth?]
A new message came from Miss Wen Xin:
[The hospital is too crowded now. Guo-jie is going crazy, and the doctors won’t let anyone in. I’ll call you as soon as there’s any news! Don’t hang up on me again!]
A new message came from Mr. Ai Wentao:
[Meet me on the first floor of the Norma Hotel in a while.]
A new message came from Mr. Ai Wentao:
[Do you know the way?]
A new message came from Mr. Ai Wentao:
[If you don’t come soon, I’ll go back and sleep.]
A new message came from Mr. Ai Wentao:
[The news just said Tang Zhen attempted suicide? Why are you still in Singapore?]
Mr. Ai Wentao disliked reading newspapers, just like his high school dropout father who made a fortune halfway. He was born with a distaste for anything with too many words—books, newspapers, magazines, instruction manuals. If someone could read it to him, he would never deign to read it himself. But now, he sat in the VIP waiting area on the first floor of the Norma Century Hotel, a rare sight as he took off his sunglasses and indulged in reading the gossip tabloid in front of him.
“Exclusive at midnight! The Mystery Behind Tang Zhen’s Suicide Revealed!”
With small font size, Ai Wentao scanned the headlines from top to bottom and then immersed himself in the content. He didn’t find a single word related to his buddy surnamed Zhou. However, the last paragraph caught his interest. It mentioned that Tang Zhen had attended a party in Hong Kong last year and went missing for 21 hours before being returned on a private plane. According to insider sources at ASE, Tang Zhen returned in a state of unconsciousness, with a high fever and signs of abuse all over his body. The description was quite graphic and detailed.
“Mr. Ai, Mr. Zhou has arrived.”
“Oh, you’re here. Take a look at this.” Ai Wentao lifted his eyes and saw Zhou Zike approaching him from a distance. He tossed the newspaper he was holding onto the opposite table. Zhou Zike sat on the couch, leaned back against it, and didn’t even glance at the newspaper. He kept his head lowered, and after a while, he looked at Ai Wentao without saying a word.
“What’s wrong with you? You look so down.” Ai Wentao called out, feeling uneasy as he looked at Zhou Zike.
“What are you looking at?” Zhou Zike asked softly.
Ai Wentao forgot that this person in front of him had never liked reading since kindergarten. In this special situation, Mr. Ai had to reluctantly take the shabby tabloid, open it himself, and read it out loud: “According to insider sources at ASE, Tang Zhen was in Hong Kong attending—”
Zhou Zike turned his head away and stopped listening.
“He wasn’t kidnapped by the underworld?” Ai Wentao couldn’t believe it.
Zhou Zike turned his head to look at Ai Wentao, neither angry nor cursing.
“Why would they kidnap him when you’ve slept with him?” Ai Wentao asked.
Zhou Zike looked out the window again, ignoring him.
“Why, seriously,” Ai Wentao grew impatient, “What the hell is going on with you now?”
Zhou Zike continued to look out the window.
Ai Wentao followed his gaze and saw a group of young girls about a dozen meters away desperately waving towards their direction, being held back by security guards.
They were here to secretly see Zhou Zike.
Just like back in their school days when they were studying.
Mr. Ai Wentao still remembered the scene when he first saw Zhou Zike as a child in kindergarten. It was the year when his poor father had just become rich, and their lives underwent a tremendous transformation. They lived in a beautiful big house, drove a fancy car, and he held his wealthy father’s hand as they stood at the entrance of the beautiful kindergarten. His eyes were fixed on the “beautiful little fairy” who didn’t like to interact with people. His wealthy father stood beside him, laughing heartily and warmly greeting Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, whom Ai Wentao had never seen before. “Wentao, hey, you can’t look at others like that!” his wealthy father said. But Ai Wentao continued to gaze at the face of the “little fairy” and smiled foolishly, as if he had forgotten to blink.
His wealthy father felt embarrassed and laughed while patting Ai Wentao’s head with his large, sturdy hand, saying to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, “This kid is just like me, always so fond of beauty since childhood!”
Mrs. Zhou also felt embarrassed and laughed, “Haha, my Zike…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the “beautiful little fairy” swung a fist and caught Ai Wentao off guard, sending him crashing to the ground.
Ai Wentao always believed that his taste was quite good. During his time in kindergarten, the “little fairy” hadn’t grown taller yet. He had long, curly eyelashes and a snow-white face. His big eyes were like a spring of water, capable of staring at people with a mix of anger and coquettishness. In Ai Wentao’s eyes, he had an irresistible charm that completely captivated the inexperienced little Ai. Despite being repeatedly struck by the harsh reality and being beaten up by the “little fairy,” leaving him with a bruised and swollen face, Ai Wentao never gave up. He relentlessly pursued him, accompanying him to and from school every day. He knew that he liked car models, so he would pester his wealthy father, following him around and asking for this and that, just to impress the “little fairy” with his offerings. While the “little fairy” didn’t pay much attention to him, he never refused the car models. He would sit in a small chair and play with them all afternoon, indifferent to Ai Wentao’s annoyance.
Ai Wentao firmly believed that everything in reality was an illusion. The “fairy” Zhou Zike would surely be moved by his devotion and transform into a girl, becoming his girlfriend. However, his wealthy father would always lament at home, “My foolish son, Zhou Zike is a boy! Are you that stupid?” His wealthy mother would also wear a helpless expression and say, “Oh well, it’s good to make friends in kindergarten. Just don’t make him angry.”
So, under Ai Wentao’s misguided infatuation, he became Zhou Zike’s best friend. They went from kindergarten to elementary school together, and from elementary school to middle school. Ai Wentao witnessed Zhou Zike growing taller, becoming more muscular, and his punches becoming stronger with each passing day. Even his girlfriends frequently changed. When Ai Wentao looked at Zhou Zike again, he no longer saw the “pure and lovely” “fairy” that he remembered. Zhou Zike now had a prominent nose, deep facial features, and his eyes had escaped the ravages of time, still retaining a hint of the former “fairy.” But the expression in his eyes became increasingly impure, less adorable, and far from being a “fairy.” It used to make people feel excited, but now it made their legs go weak. Zhou Zike spent his days playing sports, chasing girls, smoking, and drinking with those stinky boys around Ai Wentao. Over time, even the last trace of his fairy-like aura vanished without a trace.
Ai Wentao’s heart ached, and even Zhou Zike’s thick eyebrows were too much for his adolescent heart to accept. In his second year of junior high, Ai Wentao suffered a crushing defeat in a competition among his buddies. When he looked at the results, he realized that it was Zhou Zike, the classmate he had competed with for the first time, who had the last laugh. It was at that moment that Ai Wentao had to face reality. Zhou Zike, indeed, was a genuine and pure guy through and through.
Ai Wentao looked out the window, his heart surging with mixed emotions. Throughout all these years, the scene before him had never changed. It started with him, then it became the school’s girls, and later, it was everywhere, in the streets and alleys, the sudden appearance of photos of Zhou Zike, hailed as the “perfect boyfriend” by the newspapers.
“The other day, I ran into Xu Wenjun,” Ai Wentao suddenly said. “She asked me to greet you for her.”
“Greet me?” Zhou Zike replied.
“And your ancestors from the past eight generations,” Ai Wentao added.
Zhou Zike laughed.
“She saw the interview with you in the newspaper, where you said you like girls who are kind and filial, appearance doesn’t matter. What a load of nonsense.”
Zhou Zike said, “Don’t let my agent hear this, she spent half the night writing it.”
“Xu Wenjun is busy exposing you all over the internet, trying to unmask you,” Ai Wentao said.
Zhou Zike took out a cigarette case from his pocket, intending to smoke, but then remembered that it was a non-smoking area. “It’s been so many years, I don’t have much else to do.”
“I told you she’s not easy to mess with. But back then, you still had to pursue her,” Ai Wentao glanced at Zhou Zike. “You were determined to quit smoking last year, remember?”
Zhou Zike shook his head. “It’s hard to quit.”
After a while, Zhou Zike added, “It became a habit.”
“Zhou Zike, what’s the deal between you and Tang Zhen?”
“What deal?”
“Are you serious about it?”
“What do you mean by serious or not?”
“Look, he even committed suicide. Don’t you think you should come back to China and see him?”
“The hospital is crowded with people. What’s the point to see?” Zhou Zike lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, and then said, “I don’t think he wants to see me either.”
“Have you called your father?”
Ai Wentao walked out of the hotel close to dawn, and Zhou Zike parked his car by the roadside, rolling down the window.
“Enough with the nagging. Was it worth causing such a big conflict with your own father?” Ai Wentao said.
Zhou Zike didn’t respond. Ai Wentao knew that after more than twenty years, Zhou Zike didn’t like hearing those words. Once said, it wouldn’t be said again. He glanced at the car and asked, “Is this junk car yours?”
“It’s borrowed,” Zhou Zike replied.
“I happen to be heading out,” Ai Wentao casually opened the passenger door and was about to get in. “Bro, just drop me off at the second intersection after the right turn up ahead.”
“Get out,” Zhou Zike said.
Ai Wentao was slightly annoyed and tapped the dashboard. “You won’t even let me sit in this junk car?”
Ai Wentao stood on the roadside, watching Zhou Zike drive away in that rundown van.
Having been classmates since they were four years old in kindergarten, Ai Wentao and Zhou Zike had known each other for nearly twenty years. While they may not have known each other inside out, Ai Wentao still had a good understanding of Zhou Zike after all these years. Zhou Zike rarely lost his composure in front of anyone. You could count the number of times he had done so in twenty years on one hand. The most recent time was last year when the group of friends got together. Zhou Zike was sitting alone, immersed in drinking as usual. It wasn’t unusual for him, and no one bothered to disturb him. Suddenly, he said to Ai Wentao, “I slept with him.”
Ai Wentao was shocked. The bar fell silent, and he pulled the slightly intoxicated Zhou Zike aside. “What?!”
“I slept with Tang Zhen,” Zhou Zike repeated, closing his eyes as if reporting an achievement.
“Damn it,” Ai Wentao was genuinely caught off guard, wondering why Zhou Zike would suddenly bring this up to him. He lowered his voice, “Are you serious?”
Then he realized something was off. Zhou Zike’s expression was strange, his eyes were red, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“What’s wrong?” Ai Wentao asked softly. “Who knows about this?”
“Me, you, and him,” Zhou Zike slowly responded.
Ai Wentao quickly called the bartender to pour a drink. “After all these years of perseverance, you’ve finally made some progress. Come on, let’s have a toast, bro.”
“No,” Zhou Zike said, shaking his head with closed eyes.
“Come on, let’s toast, celebrate this happy occasion.”
“No toast,” Zhou Zike extended his hand to block Ai Wentao’s drink. With a slurred voice, he said, word by word, “I’m not happy.”
Ai Wentao wasn’t stupid. He asked, “Why aren’t you happy?” Zhou Zike opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at the decorations on the wall of the bar with a vacant gaze. After a moment, he looked at Ai Wentao’s face and said, “I fucking want to kill myself.”
Ai Wentao knew it was over. That day, Ai Wentao knew he had completely lost the little fairy.
Zhou Zike drove the car straight back to the hotel where KAIser was staying. He didn’t have time to appreciate the night view of Singapore. He immediately called his assistant, Qi Xing, and asked him to book a flight back to China for the next morning.
“Ah, Zhou-ge, um, have you looked at tomorrow’s schedule? Luo-ge said he sent it to you. There are a few interviews, a magazine cover shoot, and a program. It seems like you won’t be able to make it,” Qi Xing informed him.
“Can’t make it?” Zhou Zike asked, bewildered.
“Can’t make it,” Qi Xing confirmed.
Zhou Zike sat in the car, quietly staring at the glaring headlights. After hanging up the phone, he glanced at the time and quickly dialed another number.
Tang Zhen’s assistant, Miss Wen Xin, was dozing off on a bench in the hospital corridor. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for several nights, and she didn’t even notice when her phone fell to the ground. It was a passing nurse who heard the ringing and picked up the phone to wake her up.
If this had happened two or three years ago, Wen Xin would never have expected Zhou Zike to proactively call her like this.
“Who is it?” Wen Xin rubbed her eyes and stood up from the chair, looking towards the crowded entrance of Tang Zhen’s ward. “Not yet. The doctor has come out several times, but Tang Zhen Laoshi1 still hasn’t woken up. We’re still waiting here.”
“Did Guo-jie scold you?” Wen Xin asked, requesting a glass of water from a nurse. Then she continued speaking to Zhou Zike, “Don’t think that just because she’s in the hospital, she doesn’t know what’s happening outside. Her temper has been particularly bad these days. She’s been scolding everyone she sees. Don’t provoke her. Today, she even scolded several reporters who were staking out downstairs. Can you believe it? Guo Xiaoli was once caught on camera scolding reporters too.”
“Yeah, who in the company dares to criticize Guo-jie? It doesn’t matter anymore, given the current situation,” Wen Xin sighed, and suddenly, a commotion erupted in the corridor behind her.
She wondered which reporters had arrived this time.
“Who can we blame for this?” Wen Xin said on the phone. “Today, Tang Zhen’s doctor came and gave Guo-jie some comfort in the hospital cafeteria. He said that the majority of people choose suicide because they believe that their friends and family will find relief from their death. Can you believe it? People like Tang Zhen, with the kind of illness he has, actually think that someone will find relief because they died,” Wen Xin choked up as she spoke. “Do you think Tang Zhen is stupid? Is his brain malfunctioning? I really want to ask him a thousand times when he wakes up, who does he think will find relief? Who will be relieved by his death? Only idiots and scum like Liang Qiuyun would find relief!”
Suddenly, a group of people surged up from the stairwell. Wen Xin stood by the nurse’s station, still on the phone. When she turned her head, she immediately noticed a figure in the center of the crowd.
It was Liang Qiuyun, appearing at the hospital ward building at half-past one in the morning, looking disheveled and coming to visit Tang Zhen.
Translator’s Note:
1 In the Chinese entertainment industry, professionals often address each other as “lǎoshī” (teacher) as a form of respect. However, this term of respect does not necessarily imply that the person being addressed is an actual teacher. When people are unsure about how to address someone, they often choose this safe and respectful term.
