Ch 50: Deciding to Participate
Shao Junling had tears running all over his face, dripping onto Yin Chang's hands. Yin Chang grabbed a towel and helped him wash his face and wipe his nose in front of the mirror.
Shao Junling tried to hide, seeming to feel ashamed to break down and cry in front of Yin Chang like that.
"So you know how to feel embarrassed?" Yin Chang said, amused and angry.
Shao Junling glared at Yin Chang in the mirror, trying to be fierce but couldn't. After all, he had just cried like a baby. At this moment, his eyes and nose were red, looking pitiful like a rabbit. So he could only pout his mouth in frustration, expressing his grievances and dissatisfaction.
Yin Chang had never seen him with such rich expressions before and was amused: "Why are you so upset? What did I do to you?"
After wiping Shao Junling's nose heavily again, Yin Chang threw the towel on the table and asked him, "Do you still want to talk to me?"
Shao Junling looked at him with emotions in his eyes, as if he had a lot to say, but he couldn't say it because he was embarrassed.
Yin Chang looked at him seriously for two seconds, then simply picked him up.
Shao Junling: "!!!"
Since Shao Junling started crying, Yin Chang had either been squatting or bending over. This position was tiring after a long time.
He carried Shao Junling to his bed and put him down, saying calmly, "If you still want to say something, just say it properly. Don't be temperamental, and don't cry again."
Yin Chang didn't want to spoil him all the time, afraid of spoiling the kid into trouble.
"If you don't want to talk," Yin Chang pointed in the direction of the study, "you can sleep for now."
His meaning was clear, if Shao Junling wanted to communicate with him, he had to soften up first. If he didn't want to communicate, then he could just leave.
Shao Junling clenched the blanket tightly with both hands. It helped him force out some words, "I want to..."
Yin Chang patiently asked, "Alright, go ahead. How have I been ignoring you?"
Shao Junling pouted and complained, "You haven't talked to me for a long time."
Yin Chang was taken aback, "I've been busy... Every day when I come back, you're already asleep. You hurry off to school in the morning, and I'm in a rush to work. It's normal not to talk much." There were a few days where Yin Chang was so tired that he just wanted to sleep as soon as he got home and had no energy to deal with anything else.
"Besides, you haven't taken the initiative to talk to me either. We agreed on three rules before, what did I say for the second rule?" Yin Chang frowned at him. "I said you have to learn to communicate with me. If there's something that bothers you, just tell me directly... You remember that, right?"
Yin Chang saw the little guy slump his shoulders in disappointment and knew he remembered. "I didn't mean to be mad at you. I finally had a day off and came home early today to chat with you, ask you how you've been, but as soon as I saw you, your attitude was like that. How can I be in a good mood?"
Shao Junling opened his mouth but was speechless. He looked at Yin Chang with wet eyes. The fury inside him had vanished, leaving only dependence and a hint of guilt.
Yin Chang was someone who responded better to coaxing than forcing. He could see that Shao Junling already felt bad so he didn't keep pushing. After Shao Junling's outburst, he was a bit tired himself.
Yin Chang got into bed and had Shao Junling lie down next to him. Yin Chang propped his head up to look at him.
Shao Junling was snuggled up to him, and was well-behaved now.
Not only was he obedient, but he also was affectionate like a little puppy.
Yin Chang laughed. In his entire life, only this kid had the ability to make his mood fluctuate so much.
He rubbed the other's head and asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" If there were any other conflicts, he wanted to resolve them before going to sleep.
After a while, Shao Junling's voice came out from under the covers, "Brother..."
"Yeah?" Yin Chang was relaxed, and was feeling a bit sleepy.
He saw Shao Junling tilt his head slightly, "Could you not be so busy?"
Yin Chang was taken aback and blurted out, "But I have to work."
Shao Junling clarified, "Can you work a little less?"
Yin Chang was speechless. He suddenly recalled many of the innermost thoughts he'd had towards Yin Dong...
He had also thought countless times of saying to Yin Dong: Dad, can you not be so busy. Dad, can you spend more time with me?
...But he never managed to say it even until his father had left for good.
He'd always held himself back from a young age, perpetually trying to be patient and understanding of his father, but it seemed to have festered and left a huge, unfillable void inside of him.
Just like the lyrics: "yesterday ignorant and fearless, today clueless and hopeless."
The regrets of the past can never be made up now.
"Time leaves no trace, dreams leave no wounds."
Reality is cruel and unforgiving, and only in his dreams can he find reprieve.
Looking at Shao Junling's small face, Yin Chang saw himself from a long time ago.
...This child... was he also complaining that he didn't have enough time to spend with him?
Yin Chang felt sad all of a sudden and tried to explain to Shao Junling, "Junling, the nature of my job is...very busy. Once it starts, it's hard to stop. Because it doesn't just affect me, it affects many, many people..."
Yin Chang thought of Ye Zheng staying up all night composing for him, the production team working day and night to release his single, and the tired-looking Lu Lingjuan...sometimes he could go home to sleep, but many people were still working overtime for him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to rest, but the pace of this era was too fast, and the pressure of competition forced everyone to move forward together, unless he quit altogether. But at the moment, even that wasn't realistic. He wasn't the type of person who would give up easily. Since he chose this path, he would stick to it and see where it took him.
Moreover, in the past year, through being a celebrity, Yin Chang also experienced the pressure of being a core member of a team. Everyone around him was very professional and hardworking, so he couldn't be selfish.
Presumably, Yin Dong was the same when he was famous; the bigger the fame, the greater the responsibility...
Yin Chang recalled what Yao Manhuai had said to him about going on the parent-child program, "He will see a lot of behind-the-scenes staff, experience the environment you work in, and also meet peers on the show..."
Yin Chang's heart sped up as he asked Shao Junling, "Do you remember the lady we met at the TV station on New Year's Eve? She wanted to invite us to go together during summer vacation..."
He was only halfway through his sentence when Shao Junling looked at him expectantly.
"Participate in a program..." Yin Chang finished his sentence and suddenly thought that the parent-child program also invited Xue Zhiwen and Wang Chen, and Xue Zhiwen and Shao Junling were classmates, "Do you already know about this?" he asked suspiciously.
Sure enough, Shao Junling didn't deny it and just made a "Hmm" sound, then lowered his eyes and murmured, "I thought you didn't want to take me."
Yin Chang was taken aback, "Why...would you say that?"
Shao Junling burrowed into Yin Chang's arms and hesitated, "Because Xue Ziwen's little uncle said that you and I are not real brothers, and our relationship is not good, so you wouldn't take me with you."
Yin Chang did have some concerns about bringing Shao Junling to the program, but hearing it from someone else was a bit upsetting.
He narrowed his eyes... Could it be that this little guy was also upset with him for the same reason?
"Do you want to come with me?" He asked Shao Junling.
Shao Junling immediately raised his head, "Yes!"
Yin Chang's question was impulsive, but he didn't expect Shao Junling to answer so decisively.
He cleared his throat and quickly told Shao Junling the negative impact he had already thought about: "But if we go, when the program airs, someone will point at you behind your back and say... you're your father's... illegitimate child... This kind of thing may follow you for a long time... Is that okay?"
Shao Junling didn't hesitate, "It's okay."
Yin Chang continued, "If you just want to go out with me and have fun, I can set aside some time every year to take you out, like when we went to Switzerland last time. There's no need to go on TV."
Shao Junling insisted, "No, I want to go on the program."
Yin Chang didn't understand why Shao Junling was so persistent about this program. The only thing he could think of was that Xue Ziwen might have said something to him, which made him particularly eager.
Yin Chang sighed helplessly, his heart had already softened.
"But if we went on the show as brothers and we didn't get along well...for example, if something like what happened tonight were to happen..." Yin Chang raised an eyebrow, indicating that he wanted some reassurance from Shao Junling, like saying "I'll behave well" or "I'll listen to you", so that he could feel at ease.
Shao Junling furrowed his brows and thought carefully for a moment before looking up and saying, "I'll go easy on you."
Yin Chang: "??????"
Shao Junling seemed to have made up his mind and grabbed the blanket, preparing to go to sleep. He even licked his lips, feeling satisfied, "Let's go together."
Yin Chang: "..........."
The next morning, Yin Chang rubbed his forehead and called Yao Manhuai to tell her that he and Shao Junling had decided to accept the invitation to the parent-child variety show.
Yao Manhuai seemed unsurprised by the news and calmly said, "Okay, I'll let Producer Xu know. She should be very happy. Come over to sign the contract when you have time in the next few days. Since I'm Shao Junling's legal guardian, I'll sign on his behalf."
Yin Chang: "...Okay."
After confirming the arrangement, Yin Chang had to re-plan his entire July and August schedule because the parenting program required them to visit six different filming locations chosen by the program. Starting from early July, they would be going out every ten days for three to four days each time, until the end of August.
During this period, Yin Chang found it hard to accept projects aside from occasionally coming back to take some fashion photos.
Soon after signing the contract, Producer Xu added Yin Chang on WeChat and invited him to a group chat with the liaison person, screenwriter, director, and cameraman specifically responsible for coordinating with Yin Chang and his brother, Shao Junling. They warmly welcomed Yin Chang and Shao Junling to join the group.
Later, the screenwriter sent more information to Yin Chang. The program team confirmed the schedule in mid-May with him, and asked him to bring Shao Junling to record the program theme song.
Since each pair of guests had different schedules and filming locations, the theme song was recorded separately, with each group responsible for singing one or two sentences. The climax of the chorus was all their voices merged together in post-production.
On May 10th, the planner sent the sheet music for the theme song to Yin Chang in advance, so he could familiarize himself with it and also suggested that he teach Shao Junling at home if he had time.
Yin Chang had released singles before, so he didn't think singing a song would be a problem. Although he didn't know how well Shao Junling could sing, he thought that one or two lines could be read out loud, so he didn't feel too much pressure.
However, when he received the lyrics and took a look, he was dumbfounded.
"What the hell is this!?"
"How am I supposed to sing this!?" he thought.
That evening, when Yin Chang saw Shao Junling, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
He thought maybe he shouldn't try to practice it and just go to the recording studio and learn and record on the spot. That would minimize the awkwardness to a day.
After dinner, Yin Chang received a message from Wang Chen: "Are you and your brother going to participate in that Super Star Life?"
"Yep," Yin Chang replied.
"Hehe," Wang Chen responded.
Yin Chang was staring at the "hehe," wondering what Wang Chen meant when the program group called.
"Yin Chang, do you know Wang Chen?" they asked.
"Yes..." Yin Chang replied.
"I just heard from Wang Chen's artist contact that Xueziwen and Shao Junling are classmates."
"...Yes." Yin Chang had a bad feeling about this.
"In that case, we want to arrange for you and the other two guests to record the song together. You and Shao Junling are from the same city, and we just confirmed with Wang Chen that he is available in mid-May. You all know each other, so it'll be more fun to record together. Are you guys available?"
Yin Chang said he needed to ask Shao Junling first, hung up the phone, and saw that Wang Chen had just sent him another message.
"Then let's go record the song together~ [smiling face]"
"...Can I still say I'm not available?" Yin Chang thought.
That night, Shao Junling went to his English tutoring class. When he returned, Yin Chang nervously called him into his room, "Come over and practice singing."
Shao Junling looked confused, but Yin Chang had already transferred the lyrics and music to his iPad for them to look at together.
The program group had already marked the part they were supposed to sing on the score.
Yin Chang pointed to the embarrassing lyrics and pretended to be calm, "Let's read it together first."
Sitting next to him, obediently, Shao Jun Ling said, "Big brother hug, lift me high," in a flat tone.
Yin Chang: "Arguing and bickering is our daily routine..."
For the next set of lyrics, they read instead of singing.
Yin Chang started, "Hurry up, hurry up, I'll take you to dig a bird's nest."
...Dig a bird's nest? He hadn't dug a bird's nest since childhood... and at this age, he wasn't going to take Shao Jun Ling to dig any bird's nest...
Shao Jun Ling stared at the lyrics nervously, "Wait, wait, my pants... are not on yet!"
Yin Chang: "You can't pause in the middle of this sentence. 'Wait, wait should be read continuously..."
With his cheeks slightly red, Shao Jun Ling repeated the sentence three or four times before finally reading it correctly.
They moved on to the next set of lines.
Yin Chang: "Stop arguing, it's making me so annoyed."
Shao Junling: "Stop bothering me, I don't want to listen to you nagging."
Yin Chang had a headache. "Where there are no commas, don't pause. Say it again with rhythm... "
When they finally got this set of lines right, they reached the climax of the duet.
Yin Chang cleared his throat and pointed to the slash mark, "You say 'big brother' on this side, and I'll say 'little brother'."
Shao Junling nodded.
Yin Chang said, "Okay, let's start - la la la~~ you are my dearest little brother..."
Shao Junling followed, "La la la~~ you are my dearest big brother..."
Yin Chang continued, "La la la~~ I want to love and be with you for the rest of my life..."
Shao Junling echoed, "La la la~~ I want to love and be with you for the rest of my life..."
Yin Chang said, "..."
Shao Junling said, "..."
The two of them looked at each other, and Yin Chang awkwardly averted his gaze... He was already regretting agreeing to participate in this program!
Shao Junling whispered to him on the side, "Brother, are we still rehearsing?"
Yin Chang stood up and said, "No. You've got your lines down, and there will be a special teacher to teach you how to sing when we get there."
"Oh," Shao Junling replied quietly.
On the weekend, Yin Chang took Shao Junling to the designated recording location of the program team.
Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen arrived first. They had already practiced the song at home and went straight into the recording studio.
Wang Chen was already a singer and dancer, and Xue Ziwen was very outgoing. The two of them worked together seamlessly and there were occasional bursts of laughter and cheering.
The staff on the side laughed and said, "They are like brothers, even though they are uncle and nephew. Their relationship is very good."
Yin Chang stood outside and silently watched for a while and couldn't help feeling emotional. This was true brotherly love, different from his own superficial relationship with Shao Junling.
Shao Junling: "Once we're on TV, a lot of people will know that I'm brother Yin Chang's little brother, so he won't abandon me anymore." (*￣︶￣)
The two of them read the lyrics together.
Yin Chang: "This is so awkward..."
Shao Junling (secretly clenching his fists): "Exciting."
