11
Xu Zhaixing couldn’t even eat her meal anymore. Excited, pulled out her phone, intending to download a blogging app to check it out. Then it suddenly dawned on her that there were no apps yet at this time.
There were only web browsers and the slowly rotating 3G symbol.
She had no choice but to patiently open the webpage, find the office website of Sina Blog, and register for an account. Her online handle in her past life, when she was active in fandom circles, was ‘Picking Stars From Heaven For You’. She decided to continue using it, and after successfully registering, she eagerly searched for Cen Feng’s name.
A search actually brough up results.
The blog was simply named “Cen Feng”, with his photo as the profile picture. Zooming in, it was a picture of him dancing in the practice room. He was wearing a black tank top and a cap, with a tall and lean yet powerful build. The lines of his arms were beautiful, and beads of sweat hung on his sharp jawline.
He was looking down at the floor, his collarbone shrouded in shadow, tracing a path down the black tank top into its depths. The whole image radiated intense tension—both fiercely cool and alluring.
Xu Zhaixing almost performed a live nosebleed on the spot.
What was going on?! When was this photo taken? How had she never seen it before?! At this time, her idol wasn’t even an adult yet, damn it. Was he really this captivating?!
Later, after his debut, Cen Feng followed a gentle and warm image, with conservative clothing and no revealing outfits. Instead, it was the team leader and center, Yin Chang, who embodied the cool and captivating persona, occasionally showing off his abs as a treat for fans.
Back then, some group fans had jokingly asked, “Did Cen Feng take all his teammates’ clothes and wear them himself?”
The difference was just too huge.
After S-Star debuted, their previous blogs were all deleted. By the time Xu Zhaixing started following Cen Feng, he was only on Weibo and Instagram.
These were truly exclusive photos! Hurry, download and save them!
Xu Zhaixing stared at her phone for a full five minutes before she finally snapped out of it. She looked up, glancing around surreptitiously. Good, no one noticed. For now, her treasure belonged to her alone!
After finishing her daydreaming, she quickly opened her idol’s blog homepage.
The latest post was already from over half a year ago. The title was “Dinner,” and the post contained just a single photo: a few small tabby cats huddled together at the edge of a flower bed, eating cat food from a bowl.
It must have been dusk. The light was soft and hazy, the greenery in the flower bed lush and vibrant. The setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a faint, slender shadow on the ground.
Scrolling further back were some photos and records of his usual training sessions. There weren’t many—the entire blog only had about a dozen posts in total. The earliest one was from two years ago. He took a photo of the trainee building and wrote one line: “A new beginning.”
The comments below were sparse, just a few passersby leaving a sentence or two like “Just passing through.”
Two years ago was when he had just signed the contract to become a trainee. He came alone to an unfamiliar city, filled with apprehension and hope, believing the future would be brighter.
Xu Zhaixing started out being captivated by the photos, but by the end, all that remained was heartache.
This warm-hearted young man, who once harbored hopes and dreams for the future, who would feed stray cats every evening—what had he experienced in these short two years to become the cold, detached person she had seen not long ago?
She wished she could sprout wings right then and fly to City B to rescue him from that living hell.
Xu Zhaixing had lost all appetite. She turned down Cheng You and the others’ invitation to return to the classroom together and ran alone behind the basketball court. Pulling out her phone, she called Xu Yan.
Xu Yan, with the new company just getting off the ground, was probably quite busy. It took three calls before he answered.
The noise in the background confirmed he was indeed occupied. “Zhaixing, what’s up?”
Afraid of keeping him, Xu Zhaixing quickly said, “Brother, did you ask Cen Feng? The name I crossed out in red on the last page of the proposal? Did you go find him? Did he agree to sign with Star Era?”
Xu Yan gave a few instructions to his assistant before moving to a quieter spot with the phone, his voice becoming clearer. “I sent someone. He wasn’t willing.”
Xu Zhaixing was taken aback. “You sent someone? You didn’t go yourself?”
Xu Yan chuckled. “Where would I find the time? I sent an assistant.”
“But… what did he say?” Xu Zhaixing pressed anxiously. “Why won’t he sign? Does he have issues with the contract?”
There was a pause on the other end. Xu Yan’s tone was probing. “Are you very familiar with this Cen Feng? You seem overly concerned about him.”
Xu Zhaixing stammered, “I… I just don’t want the company to lose a promising prospect. Did your assistant tell you? He’s incredibly handsome and sings amazingly, right?”
Xu Yan chuckled, perhaps not fully convinced by her excuse but not calling her out on it. “He is a good prospect, but his attitude was very resistant. The assistant came back and told me that after explaining the situation, the guy just replied with two words: ‘Not signing.’ No matter how much he tried to persuade him, there wasn’t a single extra word.”
Xu Zhaixing had expected this outcome, but after seeing Cen Feng’s blog and gaining a more direct understanding of his transformation over the past two years, she couldn’t wait another moment.
She pleaded with Xu Yan, “Brother, please go again. Go yourself, show your sincerity. Tell him that as long as he’s willing to sign with Star Era, we’ll help him pay the penalty fees. He can bring up any conditions he wants.”
After she finished, Xu Yan was silent for a while before speaking. “What you’re describing sounds more like charity than signing an artist.”
Xu Zhaixing felt tears welling up, her voice choking. “Please, brother. Consider it as me borrowing the money from you. The penalty fees, the monetary value of any conditions he asks for—I promise, after I graduate and start working at the company, I’ll repay you many times over. I’m begging you.”
Someone called for Mr. Xu in the background. Xu Yan acknowledged them and let out a weary sigh. “Alright, fine. Once I’m done with work today, I’ll go there myself. Happy now?”
Xu Zhaixing’s eyes grew warm. “Thank you, brother! You’re the best!”
After hanging up, Xu Zhaixing sat alone behind the basketball court for a long time. She held her phone, looking at that latest blog post from half a year ago. She opened the comments section, typing and deleting, deleting and typing, until the bell for afternoon classes finally rang. Only then did she manage to post a comment:
“Make sure to eat on time, just like the little kitties~!”
Big dreams were luxuries she couldn’t afford. For now, she just hoped he would eat on time and take care of himself.
This incident cast a shadow over Xu Zhaixing’s entire afternoon. She couldn’t focus in class, and after school, she started waiting anxiously for Xu Yan’s call. During dinner, her mother, noticing her fidgety impatience, even asked if she had ants in her pants.
While she was on tenterhooks, Xu Yan wasn’t deliberately stalling. Once his work at the company was done, he immediately set off by car. Hitting the evening rush hour, he got stuck in traffic for a while. By the time he reached his destination, the night market was in full swing.
Despite the winter chill, the night market was bustling with people. The entire street buzzed with noisy, vibrant energy. In the midst of it, his eyes landed on the young man standing at the corner, playing his guitar.
Just that one glance, and Xu Yan couldn’t help but silently agree with his younger cousin’s intense interest. This young man’s presence was truly exceptional.
Amidst the lively, earthly clamor of this mundane world, the space he occupied seemed to transcend it.
Xu Yan felt that he didn’t even need to do much. With an aura like this, simply standing on a stage would be enough to make countless fans rally behind him without a second thought.
His previous casual disregard was replaced by genuine curiosity. Crossing the street, he approached Cen Feng, who was singing while cradling his guitar.
Xu Yan didn’t interrupt. He waited until the song ended before taking out two hundred yuan and placing it in the open guitar case in front of him.
Cen Feng didn’t speak. His gaze remained lowered as he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. His fingers found the strings again, poised to begin the next song.
Xu Yan spoke up with a friendly smile. “You have a great voice. You sing very well.”
He saw the young man before him frown almost imperceptibly.
Xu Yan knew that with someone like this, beating around the bush would only lower his standing. So he went straight to the point: “My assistant came to see you. You turned him down.”
The young man finally looked up. Dense lashes cast a heavy shadow over his eyelids, deepening the intensity of his gaze.
In that moment, Xu Yan finally understood the source of his unique aura.
His eyes… held nothing. They resembled a mountaintop blanketed in volcanic ash—pale, lifeless, radiating only a sense of dispassionate world-weariness.
It was remarkable. How could a young man his age possess such an aura?
Keeping his tone friendly, Xu Yan pulled out his business card and offered it. “Hello, I’m Xu Yan, General Manager of Star Era Entertainment. Both I and my company admire your talent. You don’t need to refuse immediately. Please, hear the conditions I’m prepared to offer.”
His words were spoken with sincerity. Anyone genuinely interested in pursuing a career in this industry would not turn down such an offer.
But Cen Feng defied his expectations.
He didn’t take the card. Not even his expression shifted. Only the icy rejection in his eyes grew colder, his voice frigid as winter: “Not signing.”
With those words, he bent down, picked up his guitar case, packed away his instrument, and turned to leave.
Xu Yan sighed inwardly, remembering his little cousin’s pleas. He quickened his pace to follow. “We are willing to cover the penalty fee from your current contract with Zhongtian. You can add any conditions you want to our agreement. Star Era’s offer is genuine. I hope you’ll give it serious consideration.”
The young man’s steps halted. He looked back.
For a fleeting second, Xu Yan felt a spark of hope. Then he heard the emotionless words: “Don’t come looking for me again.”
The dislike and rejection were completely undisguised.
Xu Yan knew it was over.
He stood there for a moment, then let out a long, slow breath and turned to leave. The phone in his pocket began to vibrate. Pulling it out, he saw it was Xu Zhaixing, who couldn’t wait any longer, calling to ask for an update.
Xu Yan answered, a touch of resignation in his voice. “Hello?”
Eager anticipation poured from the other end. “How did it go, brother? Did you find him? What did he say? Did he agree?”
Xu Yan glanced at Cen Feng’s retreating figure in the distance. “No.” His tone was a mix of helplessness and admiration. “He spoke a grand total of two sentences to me: ‘Not signing,’ and ‘Don’t come looking for me again.'”
There was a brief silence on the line before Xu Zhaixing’s voice came through, muffled: “Did you tell him about all the things I mentioned?”
Xu Yan continued walking as he spoke. “I did. But his stance was firm. He refused me outright, without any courtesy.” He paused, a hint of regret in his voice. “Your eye for talent is sharp, I’ll give you that. It’s just a shame Zhongtian got to him first.”
Xu Zhaixing couldn’t find her words, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her chest.
Why? If he’s unhappy there, wouldn’t changing to a new place be better?
Does he not trust the sincerity of a new company, or does Zhongtian hold something that makes him determined to stay?
Xu Yan waited for a while, hearing only silence. “People have their own paths,” he consoled. “You can’t force it. Maybe it’s because Morningstar is newly established, without a reputation yet. In a few years, once we’ve made a name for ourselves, it might not be too late for you to try signing him again.”
Still, Xu Zhaixing said nothing.
Xu Yan continued, “Since you called, let me give you an update on the company’s recent progress. Want to hear?”
After a long pause, a weak “Yes” finally came through.
Xu Yan smiled slightly and gave her a general overview. Regarding the TV variety shows she’d listed in her proposal, he was already in preliminary talks. However, as a new company with a fresh-out-of-college CEO, most in the industry looked down on them. It would likely take some time to secure anything.
As for the other potential artists she’d mentioned, aside from Cen Feng, most had shown interest in signing upon receiving the company’s offer. Contracts were currently under negotiation, and the chances of success looked promising.
Even though Xu Zhaixing was still just a minor high school student, in Xu Yan’s eyes, he regarded her as a mature business partner, sharing every detail with her.
Towards the end, probably trying to cheer her up, he added with a chuckle, “Oh, and another thing. That person on your list, the one feeding pigs in the county town—where on earth did you find such a gem? It’s hilarious.”
Xu Zhaixing also laughed. “What did he do?”
Xu Yan said, “He told the assistant I sent that he doesn’t want to debut; he just wants to feed pigs.”
Xu Zhaixing was nearly in stitches. “Tell your assistant to tell him that he can still feed pigs even after debuting. Later, he could even live-stream himself feeding pigs for millions of viewers. Brother, you absolutely must convince this guy to sign. His commercial potential is huge.”
This man would become a pioneer in the live-streaming industry and a first-generation internet celebrity king years later, his fame surpassing even many stars and lasting for an entire era. He initially went viral from a short video of him chasing after an escaped pig. Later, he started live-streaming—not only feeding pigs but also cutting pig grass and cooking pig feed. After making money, he outright purchased a pig farm.
Crucially, he was handsome. Even holding a pig-feeding stick looked like he was holding an AK-47.
Later, he even released a short film titled “Those Pigs I Chased,” which became the third most-watched video on YouTube at one point.
Xu Yan agreed with a laugh. Xu Zhaixing then shared some of her thoughts on the issues they had just discussed. They talked for nearly an hour before hanging up.
The conversation did lighten her mood somewhat.
She sat on her bed in a daze for a while, then took out her phone, logged into the blog, and clicked into Cen Feng’s homepage again.
Nothing had changed. Everything remained as before. Her comment lay quietly at the bottom.
After a moment’s thought, Xu Zhaixing continued leaving messages below it:
“It’s dark now, time for bed. Don’t stay up late. Goodnight~”
Don’t stay up late, eat on time, rest well, stay healthy.
That was the entirety of her wish for him.
**