Part 2
“Bian Rui, don’t take it personally with your dad. I’ve realized he just doesn’t know how to talk. He always says the most hurtful things.” Bai Sinian tried to comfort him.
Bian Rui said nothing. He was utterly fed up with his father.
Especially now, the pain on his face constantly reminded him of how much he resented his dad.
Bai Sinian spoke softly, “He does care about your mom. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed over to see her. Let them handle their issues. Does your face still hurt?”
Bian Rui lowered his eyes, his long, dark lashes clearly visible. He moved the frozen steak away and said calmly, “It doesn’t hurt.”
“Ah, it’s expired,” Bai Sinian remarked, noticing the date on the steak’s packaging.
Bian Rui: “Just throw it away.”
Unexpectedly, they ended up cleaning out the fridge, tossing all the expired food.
They eventually filled two large trash bags with expired items. Since Zhou Yingzi was often away and Bian Rui stayed at school most of the time, barely spending more than eight days at home each month, it wasn’t surprising that so much food had expired.
Bai Sinian and Bian Rui made several trips in and out to throw away the garbage, finally finishing up the housework.
By the time they were done, it was already time for lunch. Bian Rui ordered takeout, and the two of them sat at the dining table, eating a KFC meal for two.
Bai Sinian tore open a packet of ketchup, squeezed it into a box, and pushed it toward Bian Rui. He also handed him napkins and gloves, making sure Bian Rui was well taken care of.
It came naturally for Bai Sinian to look after others, and Bian Rui seemed used to being taken care of. The two of them had a quiet understanding.
“I won’t be going this afternoon,” Bian Rui said, eating a fry.
Bai Sinian nodded in understanding. “That’s fine. You stay home and rest. I’ll go check on them…”
At this moment, Bai Sinian’s phone vibrated wildly. He hadn’t even finished speaking and had no choice but to answer the call.
It was a video call from Shen Bei!
Bai Sinian smiled and immediately pressed the accept button. However, instead of seeing Shen Bei’s cute face, it was Cui Yeyi and Fan Hongyi, both trying to squeeze into the screen, their faces distorted from the effort.
“Hello! Bai Sinian! Where are you? Didn’t we agree to have lunch together?”
“Uh, well…” Bai Sinian hesitated.
Suddenly, Cui Yeyi’s face on the screen grew larger, clearly scrutinizing the camera. “You’ve got ketchup on the corner of your mouth. Is that ketchup? It can’t be blood, right?”
“Let me see, let me see.” Fan Hongyi’s handsome face then loomed close, filling the entire screen.
“Are you secretly eating burgers without us?!” Fan Hongyi raised an eyebrow in disbelief, questioning Bai Sinian.
Bai Sinian stammered, unable to find words.
At this moment, Bian Rui, holding his phone, approached and took a video of the table full of burgers, fries, and chicken legs. He then aimed his phone at Bai Sinian and said, “We’re having KFC together.”
“Ahhh!” Screams erupted from the other end of the call. They sounded like they were going crazy.
“You two are eating KFC without us?! That’s not fair!”
“Where are you? I want some too!”
Shen Bei, who had been quiet, stepped back a few paces, while Bian Rui coldly said, “We’re almost done.”
Bai Sinian quickly added, “If you guys want, I can head over to the practice room now and bring some for you.”
“Then hurry!” They surprisingly agreed rather quickly.
After hanging up the call, Bai Sinian had to say goodbye to Bian Rui and hurried downstairs to catch the bus. While on the bus, he started placing an order for KFC via a mini-program, so that by the time he reached the practice room, he could pick up the food and bring it along.
Half an hour later, Bai Sinian arrived at the practice room, carrying two large bags of KFC.
The three of them seemed to have been waiting for a long time. As soon as they saw the food, they rushed over, helping to carry the bags and unpack the boxes.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the half-open windows, casting a warm glow on the wooden table by the window. The table was filled with various KFC items, and the golden fried chicken nuggets gave off an enticing aroma, while the chocolate sauce on the ice cream cones glistened under the lights.
Shen Bei picked up a chicken leg, took a bite, and squinted in satisfaction.
The other two were devouring their food ravenously. Bai Sinian, watching them like baby animals fighting over food, couldn’t help but smile.
“Why did you and Bian Rui have KFC together, and you didn’t tell us about something this good?” Cui Yeyi said, chewing as he spoke.
Bai Sinian, with a look of admiration, watched them eat their burgers and said, “Something came up at his house, so I went with him, and we ended up having lunch together.”
Shen Bei, still chewing on fries, started sipping his Coke and asked, “Is Bian Rui okay?”
“He’s fine. He took the afternoon off from practice.”
“Oh right,” Bai Sinian took out his phone. “He composed a song to cheer on the high school seniors. Let’s practice this one this afternoon.”
By now, “Dazzling Star” had gained some fame. Whenever they released an original video, it would easily get tens of thousands of shares.
To put it into perspective, even a regular singer releasing an album didn’t always get that much engagement.
Unfortunately, they still had to attend school. If they could just keep riding this wave of popularity and keep working non-stop, they’d surely become famous quickly.
Still, maintaining a steady pace of uploading videos and solidifying their fanbase would give them a strong foundation for their debut in the future.
Bai Sinian had long been quietly planning their future. Every original song had to be completed seriously, as it was all preparation for their eventual rise to fame.
Only by laying this groundwork could they go further.
After finishing the KFC, Bai Sinian cleaned up the trash while urging them to start practicing.
Shen Bei lowered his head, his bangs swaying with the motion of his strumming. At that moment, he was completely immersed in the music. Cui Yeyi was also performing well, every beat of the drum was like the roar of a beast, deeply moving. His sense of rhythm was impeccable, and each strike of the drum was precise.
Fan Hongyi’s fingers danced lightly over the piano keys, exuding a lazy and relaxed vibe.
The music surged like waves. The guitar, drumbeats, and piano harmonized together. As the final note fell, they all looked at Bai Sinian and smiled.
Bai Sinian sent the recorded video to Bian Rui and gave a thumbs-up to the three on stage.
What a powerful and stirring piece of music!
Even more gratifying was that the three of them were now much more in sync than before.
“How was it? Did you send it to Bian Rui? What did he say?” Fan Hongyi, holding his bass, jumped down from the stage.
Bai Sinian’s smile faltered as he opened WeChat to check Bian Rui’s message.
[Br (study version)]: Immersed in your own emotions, but the rhythm is all off.
Bai Sinian’s smile slowly faded.
[Br (study version)]: Cui Yeyi’s drumming is too loud, the guitar’s not even audible, and Fan Hongyi was off by four beats.
“Well? Did he compliment us?” Fan Hongyi asked eagerly.
Bai Sinian forced a smile. “He said you guys made a lot of progress!”
“See! I told you this time was great!” Fan Hongyi put down his bass, sat on a chair, and sighed. “I need a break, I’m exhausted.”
Cui Yeyi also packed up his drumsticks, seemingly ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” Bai Sinian stopped him.
Cui Yeyi glanced at Bai Sinian, then looked away, staring at the door. “Didn’t we finish practicing? I’ve got something to do.”
Bai Sinian said, “What do you have to do? Weren’t you supposed to stay here all afternoon?”
That blatant attempt to keep him there made Cui Yeyi’s mind wander.
Bai Sinian added, “We haven’t perfected it yet. It’s only 3 o’clock. Let’s rest a bit and then keep practicing.”
Is he trying to make me stay? Cui Yeyi wondered. Even though Bai Sinian had clearly said he didn’t like him, his actions made it hard not to read into things.
Cui Yeyi still couldn’t meet Bai Sinian’s gaze directly. He stared at the floor and mumbled, “Bian Rui has things to do, so why can’t I leave if I have things to do too?”
Bai Sinian replied, “He’s him, and you’re you.”
Cui Yeyi’s heart started racing. That “you’re you” sounded just like a line from a romance novel: *I love you for who you are, not because you resemble her.*
“Fine.” Suddenly, Cui Yeyi turned around and walked back to the stage.
Bai Sinian was puzzled: “??”
He’s being surprisingly agreeable today!
With the most rebellious one sorted out, the others were much easier to handle. After a short break, they resumed practicing.
That night, Bai Sinian sent a message to Bian Rui, asking if he was feeling better, but there was no response.
Bai Sinian got busy with receiving packages and uploading photos, and soon forgot about it.
The next afternoon, when it was time to return to school, Bai Sinian went early to Bian Rui’s house, planning to head to school together.
At the entrance of Bian Rui’s neighborhood, a black Alfa car was parked, with a large zoom camera sticking out from the window. Bai Sinian immediately sensed something was off.
As a long-time fan, he knew this scene all too well—it looked just like paparazzi staking out.
Suspicious, he walked into the neighborhood and, sure enough, spotted a man in black clothes and a baseball cap lurking near Bian Rui’s building. There was even a small camera hanging from his collar.
Definitely a paparazzo!
Bai Sinian pulled out his phone, pretending to be engrossed in it, and hurriedly walked past the man, “accidentally” bumping into him.
“Ah!”
With a loud *thud*, his phone fell to the ground and the screen shattered.
The man seemed stunned for a moment but didn’t say anything and turned to walk away.
Bai Sinian grabbed his arm. “You broke my phone! You need to pay for it! Wahhh… my phone!”
Bai Sinian’s “wailing” was so loud it could’ve shaken the heavens. Residents on the third and fourth floors opened their windows to see what was happening.
“Keep it down!” The man was starting to panic. “How much?”
Since no one in the neighborhood knew him, Bai Sinian went all out, shouting, “Where’s security? Security! This man broke my phone—help!”
More and more residents peered out from their windows, and a concerned neighbor had already called property management.
The man, now thoroughly flustered, shoved Bai Sinian, who theatrically fell to the ground, sobbing like a fool. “You hit me! You broke my phone, and now you’re hitting me!”
Just then, the property manager arrived with a few security guards and, seeing it was a student, quickly helped Bai Sinian up.
“What’s going on here?” the manager demanded.
The man forced a smile. “It’s a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding.”
Bai Sinian seized the moment and wailed, “Uncle, look! He broke my phone, and then he pushed me. And look, he’s been filming me!”
The property manager followed Bai Sinian’s pointing finger and saw the camera hanging from the man’s collar. He immediately recognized what was going on.
The manager signaled the guards to surround the man and sternly said, “You’re not a resident here, are you? Come with us to the security office. We’ll get to the bottom of this, or we’ll call the police.”
“Wait, wait, it’s a misunderstanding!” The man was desperate.
Bai Sinian leaned toward one of the guards and whispered, “There’s a car at the entrance, I think it’s his.”
“Got it, we’ll check it out,” the guard replied.
Heh heh, Bai Sinian grinned as he watched them drag the man away. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to scare off the paparazzi with his exceptional acting skills.
Maybe one day, he could enter the entertainment industry himself and be as famous as “Dazzling Star.” Heh heh.
Amused by his own daydreams, Bai Sinian arrived at Bian Rui’s door and rang the doorbell.
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