The annual Mango Music Festival was held in the capital city as scheduled.
The venue was packed, and the green grass was lush. Many girls carrying support items and flags had gathered in front of the stage, chatting and eating with their friends while eagerly awaiting the band that had brought them together from various places.
As night fell, the glow sticks held by the girls became even brighter in the darkness. They stared at the electronic screen that continuously displayed performance information. Some of them couldn’t help but let out small screams, saying, “Ah…!”
“Don’t get too excited! The next one is coming!” A girl who seemed to be the leader raised a support flag, with two intertwined flames burning on the flag’s surface, as if igniting the night. “Hot wind, hot wind! Fervent as the wind! Always love, always go crazy!”
“…Damn.” Bian Shenjian quickly glanced at the audience through the barricade and felt goosebumps rising from the chanted slogans. “Can I ask who came up with these idiotic slogans?”
“It definitely wasn’t me,” Li Fei was the first to respond.
“Nor me,” Tan Ming followed suit.
“…It was me,” Xiao Liping sighed as he looked around.
“Nonsense.” Bian Shenjian raised his hand and lightly slapped Xiao Liping’s head. “It definitely wasn’t.”
“Alright, stop arguing,” Lu Shen intervened to prevent further debate over who came up with the silly slogans. He sounded somewhat helpless and asked, “You all will be on stage soon. Are you all ready?”
“We’ve been ready for a long time; it’s not our first time here,” Li Fei said, shaking his shoulders, eager to start. “Look at me..”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his arm being tugged, and when he turned around, he realized that Tan Ming was giving him a frantic look.
“What…” Li Fei hesitated for a moment before quickly realizing what was happening. He grabbed Xiao Liping, who was lost in thought, and rushed toward the backstage. “Guys, hurry up!”
“…I fucking didn’t do anything!” Bian Shenjian was speechless and became even more annoyed when he saw Lu Shen smirking. “Why don’t you stay backstage? Do you have to run to join in the fun?”
“I’m themanager of the band. What about coming to see?” Lu Shen raised an eyebrow.
“Fine, fine.” Bian Shenjian didn’t want to waste more words and waved his arm to call Xiao Liping back. “Are we performing or not? Get back here!”
Lu Shen smiled and patted Bian Shenjian’s shoulder. “Alright, relax.”
“It’s not our first music festival,” Bian Shenjian muttered.
“You guys didn’t sleep until three during the rehearsal yesterday, did you?” Lu Shen said with some resignation.
“…Just didn’t want to disappoint them,” Bian Shenjian muttered again.
“Enough,” Li Fei walked over from behind and hugged Bian Shenjian by the shoulders. “Why be nervous? We’re the best.”
“Yeah, the girls love us,” Tan Ming added.
Bian Shenjian was about to say something when a backstage staff member hurriedly approached Lu Shen and nodded.
“Get ready,” Lu Shen’s expression became serious, and he carefully checked the earpiece connections of all four members. After confirming everything was in order, he smiled and said, “Okay, go.”
“Thanks, Old Lu.” Li Fei patted his shoulder and couldn’t help but feel grateful. Their band wouldn’t have come this far without Lu Shen’s help. Even their first album was successfully released thanks to Lu Shen’s meticulous planning and organization. Not to mention the months they spent on the road, performing at various music shows and events. Sometimes they didn’t have a complete day off for months, and those with weaker physical endurance couldn’t keep up.
But Lu Shen was there with them every step of the way, working diligently and professionally. If it weren’t for the fact that Li Fei knew Lu Shen was in a romantic relationship with another band member, he would have wondered where to find such a responsible manager.
And he heard that Lu Shen had quit his well-paying and easy job just to be with their band. After that, he dedicated himself to his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s career until his unfortunate passing.
Tsk tsk. What a truly remarkable love story.
“Come back to your senses.” Bian Shenjian raised his hand and snapped his fingers near Li Fei’s ear.
“Yeah,” Li Fei looked up and smiled at him. Bian Shenjian felt there was something more to that smile, but before he could think about it, the barrier that had been blocking the stage slowly moved aside with an enthusiastic announcement from the host, and the screams from the girls in the audience grew even louder. “Ah! Ah!”
Bian Shenjian paused for a moment, closed his eyes lightly in the face of the stage lights that were now in front of him, and after a few seconds, he opened them again. Holding a microphone in his hand, he gently said, “Shh, let’s not open our mouths.”
The girls in the audience, who were still immersed in excitement, heard the familiar voice and restrained themselves from screaming. They suddenly looked up—
The young man who had captured their hearts was standing in the center of the stage. He was wearing just a black tank top and casual loose-fitting pants, but this carefree outfit only accentuated the lazy aura he exuded. He seemed like a slow-moving predator in the jungle, licking its claws but ready to pounce and deliver a deadly blow at any moment.
“So,” Bian Shenjian scanned the audience and a slight smile appeared on his face. “Let’s listen to some music.”
“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!” The girls erupted in even more passionate cheers as the first accompaniment started playing. Some of them started bouncing in place to the beat of the drums. “Look at me! Look at me!”
Bian Shenjian adjusted his earpiece and began to sing while responding to the enthusiastic crowd below. The girls, seemingly on the verge of tears, waved their support flags vigorously, shouting, “Big brothers, we’ll always support you!”
Lu Shen leaned against the backstage area, quietly watching the young man who was now shining brightly on the stage. His figure seemed to melt into the surrounding light. No matter how many times Lu Shen saw Bian Shenjian in this kind of setting, he always had that momentary illusion: he was looking at light itself.
Of course, there were plenty of lights on the stage, so much so that they could be blinding after a while. But the radiance emanating from Bian Shenjian, both from within and outside, had a way of making everything else in the world pale in comparison.
Lu Shen couldn’t help but smile, feeling incredibly happy at this moment.
Because that light belonged to him, and it had always been
****
After the performance, only Tan Ming persisted in throwing kisses at the girls feeling reluctant to part with them off stage. However, he was rejected by the girls and instead received kisses from the boys. After that, he walked down the stage with a painful expression on his face and said, “Fuck. Why can’t they share their love for big brother to me? I’m also a big brother!”
“Because you look creepy,” Li Fei commented.
“You fucker…..” Tan Ming glared at him. “Where do I look creepy?”
“Pretty much everywhere,” Li Fei continued to criticize.
“Fight me! Come on!” Tan Ming shouted.
“Both of you, stop it.” Bian Shenjian raised his hand and pointed at them. “You guys are all grown up, can you act more mature?”
Tan Ming hesitated for a moment before trying to please Bian Shenjian. “Don’t, Third Brother…”
“By the way,” Bian Shenjian suddenly remembered something and turned to Lu Shen. “You don’t have any other plans for tomorrow, right?”
“Oh, no,” Lu Shen paused and nodded. “My flight is the day after tomorrow.”
“Good,” Bian Shenjian breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m going out tonight. Don’t follow me.”
“What’s the matter?” Lu Shen immediately asked.
“Don’t worry about this, ” Bian Shengjian gave a simple tsk. “Just don’t follow me.”
“What is Third Brother up to that’s so secretive? Is there something good?” Tan Ming asked curiously.
“I said, don’t worry. ” Bian Shengjian gave him a sidelong glance and pulled on the mask hanging from the tip of his chin as he walked towards the door. “I’ll go now, Liping. Watch them and don’t fight.”
“Okay,” Xiao Liping responded with a smile.
“Where are you going?” Lu Shen hesitated but was about to chase after them. However, Bian Shenjian stopped him at the door.
“I said don’t worry, will be back soon,” he repeated.
“That you…” Lu Shen hesitated for a moment, still wanting to ask, but he was quickly pulled by Bian Shenjian’s arm. While the other three weren’t looking in their direction, Bian Shenjian swiftly leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips, then repositioned his mask. “Be good, don’t follow.”
Lu Shen stood in place and reached out to touch his lips, his expression somewhat pensive. After a while, he tugged on Bian Shenjian’s arm again, his voice low, “Kiss me again.”
“…Why are you acting like a dog?” Bian Shenjian glared at him. “Even Little Seven isn’t this needy.”
Little Seven was the Akita dog they raised together. It had nearly been overfed due to its insatiable appetite, but every time Bian Shenjian came home exhausted, half-dragging and half hugged by Lu Shen, he would always be cured by the smile on Little Seven’s face. Indeed, dogs were man’s best friends.
But sometimes, people could be quite dog-like.
“I said don’t follow,” Bian Shenjian repeated impatiently.
“We should at least know where you’re going tonight, right?” Lu Shen looked at him with a somewhat worried expression. “Don’t forget, the cooperative event for the Ina Music Festival is tomorrow night…”
“I know,” Bian Shenjian impatiently interrupted him. “But tonight, something came up. Don’t worry about it.”
“…Alright,” Lu Shen sighed. “Just remember to come back early tonight, I’ll leave the lights on for you.”
“Hm,” Bian Shenjian glanced behind him, then opened the door and walked out, his steps firm. He was afraid that if he didn’t walk away quickly, he might be tempted to do something he shouldn’t tonight, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. But the way Lu Shen had looked at him with sadness in his eyes earlier made him feel like he was on the verge of crossing a forbidden line.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Bian Shenjian finally breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he got into a taxi, remembering the purpose of this trip. His face began to flush inexplicably, and he seemed a bit feverish, as he pulled the door, even the driver’s warm words were somewhat ignored. After getting out of the car, he quickly accelerated a few steps towards the target store and took a deep breath. His hand extended and pushed open the door–
“Welcome!”
As soon as the greeting came out, a jewelry saleswoman greeted him warmly. Even though Bian Shenjian was wearing a mask, it couldn’t hide his innate charisma. One of the younger, long-haired girls rushed forward, her eyes almost sparkling as she looked at him. “Sir, what kind of accessory are you looking for?”
“…A ring,” Bian Shenjian cleared his throat.
“Alright, this way, please!” Although the young girl seemed a bit disappointed that her first impression of him was as a customer buying a ring, she was still enthusiastic. “Sir, please take a look at the styles we have here…”
Before the young saleswoman could finish her sentence, a male voice suddenly came from behind:
“What’s the most expensive ring in this store?”
Both Bian Shenjian and the saleswoman were taken aback for a moment, and they both turned their heads.
“Oh?” Bian Shenjian looked at this man, who seemed arrogant in both demeanor and speech. From his age, he didn’t seem to be over thirty, but his attitude just now gave off the air of a wealthy middle-aged man… Was he rich?
The man stepped forward and walked towards the jewelry counter, casually taking off his sunglasses to reveal a surprisingly handsome and confident face. “Hurry up, I’m in a hurry.”
“He…Hello sir,” said the girl, who had probably never seen buying a ring like a robber before. She hesitated and said,” If you want to buy a ring, you can take a look at our styles first…”
“Won’t look, expensive ones will do.” The man rudely knocked on the glass display case,” Hurry up, I’m in a hurry to propose.”
“Propose?” The young saleswoman couldn’t help but laugh, adding, “Your girlfriend is really lucky.”
“Boyfriend,” the man said.
“Huh?” The young saleswoman was momentarily stunned, looking at him in surprise.
“Proposing to a boyfriend.” The man raised an eyebrow. “What, men can’t propose to men?”
“No, it’s not,” the young saleswoman said awkwardly. “Sir, what I mean is…”
“Okay,” the man frowned and pointed at one of the rings in the display case. “Do you have two men’s styles for this..?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but this is a limited edition style available only as a set,” the young saleswoman explained apologetically.
“Hmm, inconvenient,” The man frowned and looked down at it before saying,” It’s okay. Wrap it up for me. I can wear women’s styles anyway, my fingers are thinner…this pair should be the most expensive in your store, right..?”
“Yes, that’s right.” The little girl quickly nodded, almost forgetting the detailed introduction to the ring.” Oh, by the way, sir, I want to explain to you that the meaning of our ring is… ”
“Wait a minute,” Bian Shengjian suddenly spoke, and then spoke in a tone that was not very friendly and the man raised his eyebrows and looked over. “Sorry, it seems like I came first, right?”
“Who are you?” The man looked at him, sounding confrontational. “You’ve been standing here for a while and still haven’t bought anything. What’s the matter, if you don’t buy, should you stop others from buying?”
Hearing these provocative words, Bian Shenjian couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Although he was shocked by the man’s attitude and behavior earlier, the inexplicable sense of familiarity he felt from the moment he saw him made him lose control. “I also had my eyes on that ring.”
“Oh?” The man raised an eyebrow, looking at him, and then he suddenly stopped, leaning forward slightly. “Huh, are you that…?”
Bian Shenjian quickly pinched the mask hanging from his nose, then tilted his head back with some annoyance. “Are you sick?”
“Oh, so the big star swears,” the man said, although he had recognized Bian Shenjian, his tone remained arrogant. “I thought these idols were supposed to have some manners.”
“Wrap up that ring,” the man turned his head and continued to command the young saleswoman.
“I told you, I had my eyes on that ring.” Bian Shengjian’s last displeasure was lightly ignited by his words, and he took a big step forward, “And I can also afford that ring.”
“…I also said, I’m in a hurry. ” The man narrowed his eyes and stared at him, and their aura began to collide. “Are you also in a hurry?”
“In a hurry. ” Bian Shengjian also stared at him.
“I’m in a hurry to propose, what about you? “The man curled his lips.
“Me too,” Bian Shengjian continued to stare.
“These two gentlemen, you can’t… “The little girl saleswoman was simply scared and didn’t know how to come forward to dissuade them for a long time.
“Oh? Who are you proposing to? A girlfriend?” The man raised his eyebrows.
“Just like you, “Bian Shengjian said, probably out of control of his brain,” to my precious boyfriend.”
The air froze for an instant, Bian Shengjian heard the man chuckle softly, then he finally took a deep breath and cursed softly, “… fuck it.”
“Wait a minute.” Bian Shengjian suddenly spoke up before the conflict broke out in this 0.1 second moment, and was completely shocked. “… is your name Kou Ming?”
“How do you know?” Kou Ming looked at him in confusion.
“…Damn,” Bian Shenjian couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, but his tone was no less arrogant than before. “Of course I know, your boyfriend’s name is Ye Huai, right?”
Kou Ming looked at him and after a while, under Bian Shenjian’s gaze, he nodded with a complex expression. “Yes.”
