Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Editor: Eli
Chapter 9
In the end, Long Xingyu never really learned to dance well. He could only remember the basic moves; enough to muddle through.
It wasn’t for lack of effort—Lu Zheming truly seemed to jinx things. Long Xingyu’s back injury had indeed flared up again.
Regardless of his singing and dancing, the fan club’s support with flower baskets was impressive. Long Xingyu clicked his tongue in amazement. “Where did all this money come from…”
Of course, he knew. The fans had pooled money round after round. After supporting the production crew, they had to fund the fan meeting activities. He felt a bit guilty, like a robber snatching breakfast money from elementary school kids. Moreover, the fan club probably embezzled some money. The wallet they gave him was an old model and a counterfeit. He wouldn’t have been able to recognize luxury goods, but it just so happened that Jiang Yu once owned the authentic version of that wallet.
“Don’t send any more gifts,” Long Xingyu told the head of the fan club. “People are very sensitive about this now. No more fundraising or gifts, or one day we’ll become a bad example that was dealt with as a warning to others.”
He found an excuse that sounded noble. After all, Long Xingyu was an idol and couldn’t bluntly say, “Stop giving me fake stuff.”
“Just issue a statement saying it’s my decision,” Long Xingyu said firmly. He softened the blow a bit, acknowledging the corruption but recognizing that he didn’t have many fans and couldn’t afford to lose the ones who did the work. “There are other things you can do.”
Chasing idols required money and effort. Whenever Long Xingyu looked into it, he felt that this was more exhausting than working. Naturally, this meant that there were private interests involved. But for the current Long Xingyu, he couldn’t meet most of the standards, so he could only set expectations to avoid too much disappointment.
He thought if Long Xingyu in heaven saw this unremarkable person occupying his body, doing nothing but going back to a man, he would probably be furious enough to come back and reclaim it.
Well, he hadn’t succeeded in the latter either. Yu Ruoyun’s attitude towards him grew more ambiguous. He’d call him to express his strange concerns and make him listen to his own song—what was he supposed to say? “Bro, stop listening to such old songs and try our new track. We can’t even chart.”
If Yu Ruoyun cooperated, maybe Long Xingyu’s wish to become popular nationwide could come true.
But another of the wishes Long Xingyu had made when he’d died was that he’d no longer be criticized.
Long Xingyu suddenly laughed out loud. Lu Zheming, next to him, looked over in confusion.
“Just remembered a joke,” Long Xingyu said. “One day, I was walking in the desert when a genie appeared and offered to grant me a wish. I said I wanted to be famous worldwide. The genie said that was too hard and asked for another wish. I then said I wanted no one to ever criticize me. The genie replied, ‘What was your first wish again?’”
It didn’t amuse Lu Zheming, but he said, “Seems like you’ve really come to terms with things. I always worried you were too fragile before…”
Long Xingyu suddenly felt annoyed. Though his temper had improved, it was still unstable.
“I never thought I was fragile,” Long Xingyu said coldly, then went to change his clothes. “Get ready. It’s time to go on stage.”
Maybe he was being tactless again, but Long Xingyu couldn’t help it. Those who endured were strong, but those who couldn’t weren’t necessarily weak. Everyone had moments where they couldn’t breathe. Jiang Yu had those moments too, so angry he bit his lip until it bled. The protagonist in those cool stories might get to slap back, but he didn’t. He kept living as usual, without shedding a tear.
A fan meeting meant they didn’t have the ability to hold a full concert or sell that many tickets. They found a small venue to barely get by. After the performance, there were many other segments to fill the time and make fans feel it was worth the ticket price.
When the microphone was handed to Long Xingyu, he was absentminded and hadn’t collected his thoughts. He hesitated for two seconds and blurted out, “I’ll sing a song.”
He quickly added, “My back hurts today. Not feeling well.”
So, he could only sing. Everyone accepted this explanation.
He didn’t sing his own part but sang the old song Yu Ruoyun had played for him. With limited time, he sang only the final part.
“Romance has no destiny, the story ended long ago.”
“I don’t remember the earlier parts,” Long Xingyu said with a smile.
Before returning to the set, Long Xingyu was summoned by his agent.
The agent subtly asked if Long Xingyu had recently met anyone.
Long Xingyu feigned surprise. “How could I? I’ve been filming on set these days.”
The agent, half-believing, relaxed and then mentioned that the micro-business endorsement was off the table. It had only been a preliminary discussion, but the company suddenly decided that Long Xingyu wasn’t famous enough after a comprehensive evaluation and needed more consideration.
Long Xingyu sighed in relief. For the first time he was grateful for his lack of fame. Even micro-businesses weren’t interested in him.
The next day, back on set, he sought out Yu Ruoyun.
Eating was a good time to chat, just like he used to talk a lot when he was with Yu Ruoyun in bed. Long Xingyu said, “My company’s trouble got sorted out suddenly.”
“Mm.” Yu Ruoyun asked an unrelated question, “Can you eat bitter melon?”
Long Xingyu looked down, noticing the dishes of the day
“Should be… okay, I guess,” Long Xingyu said hesitantly, not wanting to continue this topic. “Don’t distract me. Did you do something behind the scenes?”
Bitter melon was indeed hard to eat. Long Xingyu forced it down, his face almost contorting.
Yu Ruoyun said, “Why is it that when I’m with you, I can remember things about him more easily? He was also like this, very picky about food, with many things he couldn’t eat.”
He continued, “Don’t overthink it. I just wanted to thank you.”
Long Xingyu knew whom Yu Ruoyun was talking about but pretended not to. It felt degrading, suddenly acting as his own substitute. So, he asked, “Who?”
Yu Ruoyun left a final mystery. “My lover.”
Long Xingyu felt his stomach churn, and the food he had forced down almost came back up. It was absurd. Yu Ruoyun seemed genuinely sad. Why did it take a person’s death for him to become so sentimental? It felt no different from a cult promising 72 virgins in heaven for self-sacrifice.
Yu Ruoyun continued, “That day when you were at the door… after that, I remembered some things about him.”
“What things?” Long Xingyu couldn’t help but ask.
“About when he died,” Yu Ruoyun said.
It sounded ominous. Long Xingyu rolled his eyes. Yu Ruoyun continued, “I was abroad at the time. When I saw the news, it was early morning. That night, I kept calling. I wondered if he was unwilling to answer and was borrowing someone else’s phone to call back. He never answered.”
Long Xingyu lost his appetite, throwing his chopsticks down, “Enough. It’s just he, he, he, he. Doesn’t your boyfriend have a name? Stop being so vague. Do you think no one can tell who he is?”
Every time he met Yu Ruoyun, he told himself not to lose his temper, not to be a powder keg. Since heaven had given him this chance, Yu Ruoyun should have a more considerate, gentle, and younger boyfriend. Someone who could bring simple joy and longevity to their relationship. Yet, he always ended up exposing his true nature.
“He was Jiang Yu,” Yu Ruoyun said.
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