Chapter Forty-Eight: Wednesday (I)

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Entertainment at Hand, No Pop-Up Ads
Story set in: April 2005
Recommended Song: Yoga Lin – That Song
Statement: This story is entirely fictional. Please do not associate any real people or events. Any similarities are purely coincidental!

By the time Jiang Yihan woke up the next day, it was nearly nine o’clock. Today, he did not linger in bed for long; within five minutes, he was up. Last night, Li Ran had carried Jiang Yihan home, and it was evident that Li Ran was upset with himself for not taking better care of him. He was sullen the whole way back. Leaning against Li Ran’s back, Jiang Yihan was exhausted and said nothing, his eyes closed. Li Yimei, on the other hand, stayed with them all the way home, worrying over them until Jiang Yihan went to shower before she finally left for her own house.

Glancing at the time, Jiang Yihan saw it was almost one in the morning. He hesitated several times, wanting to say something as he watched Li Yimei, a young woman, head home alone, but ultimately said nothing and slipped quietly into the bathroom.

When he finished his shower, Jiang Yihan saw Li Ran standing alone in the corridor and immediately knew he must be blaming himself. Jiang Yihan dried his hair as he walked over to stand beside Li Ran. The two stood shoulder to shoulder. From upstairs, the view of the city was clear—the lights in most areas had faded to scattered pinpoints, though some places still glowed brightly. The night breeze was cool, always bringing a sense of calm. Neither spoke; they just stood quietly together, gazing out at the night.

After a while, Jiang Yihan smiled and said, “I’m going to bed,” then headed back to his room.

A little after nine in the morning, Jiang Yihan arrived at the beauty salon and launched into another full day. He’d slept in compared to usual, and with better rest, felt much more energetic. After a round of bustling about, it was almost ten o’clock. The contract signing ceremony was scheduled to begin at ten, but as a guest, Jiang Yihan only needed to arrive after ten-thirty, so his schedule wasn’t too rushed.

On the way to the venue, Li Ran suddenly asked, “Kitten, how about I cut a few things from your schedule so you can rest?”

Jiang Yihan laughed. “I chose this path, so I knew what I was getting into. You’ve already trimmed my schedule a lot. I get more rest time than most artists. I heard that a manager for a new group scheduled nearly a hundred performances for them in a week! Compared to them, you’ve given me plenty of breaks. What I need now isn’t a lighter schedule, but your support. Oh, and remember to make some soup for me tonight.”

Li Ran just smiled, saying nothing further, and turned his gaze back to the road.

When they arrived at the contract signing venue, the entrance was packed with Cassiopeia—the name for TVXQ fans. The crowd was so dense it was nearly impossible to move. When news spread that Jiang Yihan was in the black van, fans swarmed around. Though he hadn’t been in the industry long, many already knew about his close friendship with TVXQ, especially Kim Jaejoong, so Cassiopeia were naturally enthusiastic supporters.

It took twenty minutes of struggling through the crowd before the van reached the back entrance. Security guards protected the back passage, so, under Li Ran’s protection, Jiang Yihan quickly exited the van and entered the venue.

By the time Jiang Yihan arrived, the press conference was more than halfway through. The five members were seated at the table, signing their contracts. Once the signatures were done, TVXQ would officially become artists under ABC Company—Jiang Yihan’s junior colleagues. Watching quietly from backstage, Jiang Yihan felt genuine happiness for the five boys, hoping their future would be smooth and they would only become more successful.

Soon the signing was complete—a historic moment. Now it was Jiang Yihan’s turn to take the stage. Amid applause, he walked to the front with a smile.

“Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Yihan. We only just met yesterday, and now here we are again today.” His face was bright with laughter; most of the reporters had attended the Samsung press conference yesterday as well, and his words drew knowing smiles.

“Jiang Yihan, TVXQ are now your juniors. What are your thoughts on them?” a reporter asked.

“Do you want the official line, or do you want the truth?” Jiang Yihan replied with a sly grin.

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“Of course we want the truth!” the reporter laughed. He’d been at the Samsung event as well and was clearly looking forward to Jiang Yihan’s answer.

“The truth, huh?” Jiang Yihan bit his lower lip and adopted a troubled look. “TVXQ are more popular than I am. Now that they’ve joined our company, the company will focus all their resources on them and ignore me—what am I supposed to do? Maybe you reporters can help me out, send them back or something?”

His answer sent the reporters into peals of laughter.

“To be honest, I’m thrilled that TVXQ joined our company,” Jiang Yihan continued, now speaking more earnestly. “They have talent and popularity—why wouldn’t I be happy to see such outstanding people join us? But they debuted before me, and now they’re calling me ‘senior,’ which makes me feel a bit guilty, haha.”

Laughter rippled through the room, lightening the atmosphere.

“It’s said this contract happened because MS Company fell out with TVXQ and thought they had no future, so they sold them off to ABC Company. Is that true?” another reporter suddenly asked, stirring the pot. The question instantly darkened many faces—such a sensitive topic, answered poorly, would offend either the company or the fans.

Jiang Yihan’s mind worked quickly, and he responded with a smile, “I wonder if this reporter is questioning MS Company’s ability to nurture new talent or doubting the taste of TVXQ’s fans, Cassiopeia? Personally, I think MS Company is excellent at developing new artists—TVXQ themselves are proof of that, combining talent and looks. Their widespread popularity among Cassiopeia shows that the public’s eye is sharp and discerning. So, rumors about discord between company and artist, or talk of an artist’s lack of future—such things shouldn’t be said lightly. After all, there are a lot of Cassiopeia outside listening in.” He finished with a little gesture toward the door, signaling the reporter to be mindful of the fans outside. The reporter broke into a cold sweat, while the room erupted in applause for Jiang Yihan’s wit and for TVXQ, the stars of the day.

With that unpleasant episode behind them, the press conference proceeded smoothly. Backstage, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

No sooner had Jiang Yihan sat down than the producer of “A Million’s Happiness” called him out. “Jiang Yihan, you haven’t completed your task for today. Want to try it now?”

“Sure, let me have a look.” Jiang Yihan readily took the challenge—the task was to guess a movie, and today’s answer was “Superman.”

Jiang Yihan ran over to Kim Jaejoong. “Jaejoong, I’m taking part in ‘A Million’s Happiness.’ Can you help me with a task?”

“Of course!” Jaejoong grinned, and the other members crowded around, eager to join in.

Jiang Yihan stuck out his tongue in embarrassment before starting: first, he mimed pulling on a cape, then gestured at his pants to indicate red shorts, and finally, struck a silly flying pose—one leg on the ground, body tilted, one hand on his hip, the other pointed straight ahead. Everyone burst out laughing at his antics. It was obvious they all knew the answer, but Jaejoong deliberately teased him, guessing “Batman?” then “Spiderman?” until Jiang Yihan was nearly fuming. Finally, on Jiang Yihan’s third attempt at the pose, Jaejoong said, “Superman,” sending Jiang Yihan bouncing up in joy as they all exchanged high-fives.

Before he could linger, Jiang Yihan dashed off to his next engagement: a magazine photo shoot. Upon arrival, everyone sprang into action—changing clothes, applying makeup, styling hair, and immediately diving into the shoot with no time to rest, let alone eat, not that he had a meal to miss, since he was still on “A Million’s Happiness.”

Standing in front of the photo studio backdrop, high-intensity spotlights shining down, the photographer kept barking orders: “Be more lively,” “Smile more,” “Look cooler,” “Move your shoulders left,” “Tuck your chin in.” As a newbie, Jiang Yihan had little idea how to pose, so he cycled through the few he knew, feeling more and more at a loss. After one set of clothes, it was time to change, touch up makeup and hair, and continue shooting. After six outfits and nearly three hours, he finally wrapped up the shoot. Climbing back into the van, his whole body ached; his muscles had been tense the entire time and now felt sore.

But there was no time to rest. At three in the afternoon, he had an album signing event, so he could only nap briefly on the ride and then prepare to face his supporters at his best. The “A Million’s Happiness” producer had nothing else to do but faithfully document Jiang Yihan’s grueling schedule. Since Jiang Yihan didn’t even have time to eat, there was no expense to record.

He arrived at the signing venue at 2:50 p.m.

“Kitten, will there be people outside today?” Jiang Yihan asked nervously. For a newcomer, popularity was always the biggest worry.

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“Don’t worry, there are plenty of people.” Li Ran replied, while Jiang Ziyi handed him a bottle of water—complimentary, of course.

“Phew…” Jiang Yihan took the water, smiled at his younger sister, exhaled, patted his cheeks to perk himself up, and got ready to go out.

“Jiang Yihan.” The owner of the record store where the signing was being held came in. “Wait a moment before going out.”

“Why? Wasn’t it agreed we’d start at three?” Jiang Yihan was confused.

“There are too many people outside right now, and things are getting chaotic. If you go out now, it could cause a disturbance and people might get hurt.” The owner was at a loss; the turnout far exceeded expectations, and security was inadequate.

“No, we have to go out on time. Otherwise, there’ll be negative news tomorrow, saying Jiang Yihan is acting like a diva. He’s a newcomer—he can’t have rumors like that,” Li Ran firmly refused any delay.

“But with the situation outside… if the reporters know, they won’t write anything negative,” the owner tried to reason.

“The public only cares about what’s written in the news. If the news says Jiang Yihan is being a diva, that’s what they’ll believe. They won’t understand how dangerous things were at the venue today,” Li Ran analyzed. “Besides, we’ve promoted this album signing for a long time—it’s a promise to the Castles. If we break that promise, the news will be even uglier.”

Everyone fell silent, wracking their brains for a solution as the clock ticked closer to three. Suddenly, Jiang Yihan had an idea. “Boss, do you have a microphone? I’ll try to organize things from inside. If it works, at least everyone will know I’m here. As soon as things settle down, I can go out immediately. Does that work?”

They exchanged glances and agreed it was worth a try. The owner quickly fetched a microphone.

Jiang Yihan walked to the back of the stage and peeked through the curtain. The record store was packed. The people at the front were lined up in order, but those at the back kept pushing forward, making it dangerous.

He took the microphone. “Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Yihan.” The noise quieted instantly at the sound of his voice, and for a few seconds, there was silence. Then the screaming resumed, and the crowd at the back pushed even harder, making things even more chaotic.

Jiang Yihan quickly tried to calm them. “Everyone, Castles at the back, please stop pushing, okay?” The uproar gradually subsided, and those pushing seemed to freeze, holding their positions but no longer advancing. Sensing he had their attention, Jiang Yihan continued, “My Castles, it’s already three o’clock. I should be on stage by now, starting today’s event. But because things are too chaotic, I’m worried someone might get hurt, so I haven’t gone out yet. Please line up, okay? If everyone follows the rules, the event can proceed smoothly and everyone will be safe. Okay?”

He paused for a few seconds after speaking. The crowd began shouting again, then the front rows joined in the shrieking as the back started pushing again. Jiang Yihan wasn’t sure what to do, but he vaguely heard people saying they were worried they wouldn’t get their turn. Not sure if he’d heard correctly, he decided to take a chance.

“Everyone, please quiet down. I know some Castles at the back may be worried you won’t get to come up on stage, but I promise I’ll do my best to make sure everyone here today gets a chance. Let’s make that promise, okay?” He listened uncertainly for a response; some scattered noise filtered in from outside. Looking out again, he saw that although the people at the back hadn’t retreated, they’d stopped pushing and started adjusting their positions in place. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, seeing that order had been restored, Jiang Yihan wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at Li Ran, who gave him the go-ahead. Xu Xian came over to straighten his collar, and after a deep breath, Jiang Yihan stepped out from behind the curtain.

“My Castles, hello everyone, I’m Jiang Yihan.” He greeted the crowd with a smile.

The audience was stunned to see him suddenly appear on stage, but after a moment of surprise, the screaming began anew. Jiang Yihan could feel his eardrums vibrating from the noise. Smiling, he gestured for everyone to quiet down before saying, “Thank you all for your patience today and for waiting so long for me. I’m really sorry. Before the signing begins, let me sing a song as a small compensation for you.”

With this unexpected announcement, Jiang Yihan added an impromptu segment to the signing. At the back, Li Ran shook his head with a smile and said to the owner beside him, “We’ll charge extra for the song, but since we didn’t agree on it beforehand, we’ll only take half. How’s that?” He looked at the owner with determined eyes. The owner awkwardly smiled but nodded in agreement—after all, today’s turnout far exceeded expectations.