The Perfect Relationship Ch 53

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 53: The Best House

Ignoring Shao Junling's unrealistic expectations, Yin Chang exchanged a polite glance with Huang Han from a distance and said to Shao Junling, "I'll go ahead."

The little guy lowered his head and followed Yin Chang up the mountain path.

It was noon at the time, and the two of them huffed and puffed as they climbed for half a day. They finally saw some smoke and a few scattered mountain houses up ahead.

Yin Chang asked the director beside him, "Is that the destination?"

"Yes, we're almost there." The director's words gave him a glimmer of hope.

Yin Chang pulled his collar to catch his breath. He turned to look at Shao Junling. Seeing him show no signs of being tired or uncomfortable, he picked up his pace and continued forward.

It took another ten minutes or so to reach the meeting point, a spacious flat land that looked like a village square.

In the center of the square was a huge ancient tree surrounded by flower beds. The two groups of guests who arrived earlier were hiding in the shade of the tree to cool off. Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen were among them. They sweated profusely, fanning themselves with their caps.

Xue Ziwen saw Shao Junling and excitedly jumped up, "Shao Junling!"

Not hearing a response from Shao Junling, Xue Ziwen desperately waved his chubby little hands at him, "Shao Junling! I'm here!"

Shao Junling looked at him expressionlessly and still didn't respond.

Wang Chen awkwardly patted Xue Ziwen's back, indicating that he should calm down. Instead, Xue Ziwen rushed out to greet his little friend enthusiastically.

Yin Chang saw that Shao Junling was too indifferent. He patted him on the back and told him to say hello to his classmate. He also lifted his chin at Wang Chen and said, "Hey,"

Wang Chen smiled wryly.

Yin Chang entered the shade of the tree and got to know the other group of guests.

This group was the twin sons of an athlete family, with the older brother and father surnamed Lang, and the younger brother and mother surnamed Guo. They took the characters from "perseverance" to make their names, respectively called Lang Chizhi and Guo Yiheng. Although the two brothers were twins, they didn't look particularly alike. The older brother had a smaller frame and was a bit shorter than the younger brother, so he was easier to recognize.

Upon their first meeting, both of them behaved very politely.

As they were chatting, Huang Han and You Luming arrived, followed closely by the host and other staff members of the program.

Upon seeing them, Yin Chang realized that only four of the six groups had arrived. He remembered there was a pair of sisters surnamed Qin, the daughters of director Qin An.

The staff explained, "Qin Jingshan and her sister's flight was delayed, they probably won't arrive until later tonight. We won’t wait for them."

Everyone nodded in understanding, and then the staff handed out boxed lunches to each of them.

Wang Chen was puzzled, "Are we eating here?"

The host walked over, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Everyone who came to participate in this program had all been pampered from birth, and now they had come to such a remote village where they could only squat under a tree and eat boxed lunch. Everyone found it hard to bear.

Wang Chen glanced at the others and saw that most of them looked unhappy. As the eldest among them, he took the initiative to speak up, "Don't we even have a proper place to eat?"

Xue Ziwen followed suit and expressed his dissatisfaction. The host had a box of lunch in his hand, and he stood there eating and laughing. "Why be unhappy when you have food to eat? Soon you'll realize how lucky you are to have a full meal," he said.

Since there was no room to negotiate, Wang Chen rolled his eyes and took a few bites.

Xue Ziwen and the twins just picked at the food in their boxes. Six-year-old You Luming was the most unruly, perhaps because the food didn't suit her taste. She cried and made a fuss, saying she wanted to go home and eat small cakes.

Huang Han struggled to appease her and didn't have time to eat himself.

Compared to everyone else, Yin Chang and Shao Junling were the calmest. They sat on the edge of the flower bed, holding their boxes of lunch and eating quietly.

Yin Chang ate elegantly, savoring the food as if it were a French delicacy. Shao Junling, on the other hand, wolfed down his food, scanned the surrounding staff and cameramen with his eyes, and finished eating in a flash.

Looking around, they could see they were fortunate compared to the team of cameramen and staff working tirelessly in the scorching sun.

After the meal, the staff collected the lunch boxes. The host clapped his hands and walked over, gesturing for everyone to line up.

The camera crew took their positions, and the host cleared his throat, "Welcome to the first episode of 'Superstar Life' for the four families who have arrived. I am your host, Lao Luo, and I will be your temporary guardian. We are currently in an extremely ordinary village in Huisheng Province. I think if it weren't for participating in this program, you might not have had the chance to experience this kind of life."

He smiled and continued, "Over the next three days, I will assign you some tasks periodically. Depending on the completion of each group's task, you will receive different food allocations. This will also be the only way for you to obtain food for the next three days."

Everyone was shocked by his words. After all, the script they received only mentioned "experiencing life" and did not mention such harsh details.

The host continued ruthlessly, "So now, we need to check everyone's luggage and ask you to hand over all the food you brought from outside!"

The scene immediately turned into chaos. Several underage children refused to compromise and held onto their luggage. The older brother of the twins even protested righteously, "This is unreasonable! You are abusing us!"

Xue Ziwen also stamped his feet in defiance, "Exactly! What kind of program is this? I'm not shooting anymore!"

Wang Chen and Huang Han, being older than the other children, were more composed, but they were still also agitated.

The host laughed and clapped his hands. A group of camouflage-clad "special soldiers" appeared behind him.

The children were shocked when they saw these burly men approaching them, wondering if they were actors or real soldiers. They couldn't believe that the production team would be so ruthless in trying to force them to follow the rules.

Xue Ziwen, who had hoped to satisfy her cravings with snacks, was now screaming with her luggage, "Uncle! Uncle!"

The host said, "Give it up, Xue Ziwen. Even if you call your father, it's no use! Ahahaha..."

Everyone was speechless. The staff forcibly opened and searched everyone's luggage, and confiscated a mountain of snacks, including chocolate, potato chips, small cakes, and Chupa Chups.

You Luming cried even louder when she saw her cream puffs being taken away from her small backpack.

Yin Chang didn't bring snacks, and only had a bottle of mineral water. He calmly asked the staff, "Can I drink it now?"

The staff was so captivated by his looks that they blurted out, "…Yes."

Then Yin Chang opened the lid and started drinking slowly.

Shao Junling also had his bag of beef jerky confiscated. He looked at Yin Chang for help, and Yin Chang signaled him to stay calm, even pointing the mineral water bottle toward him and asking if he wanted a drink.

Shao Junling shook his head and stood beside him, feeling a little lost.

But perhaps Yin Chang's calmness was reassuring, for Shao Junling did not show much emotion compared to the others. The two of them leaned their heads to the side and watched the chaos around them.

At this moment, Yin Chang sighed inwardly, finally understanding what the host's words to Wang Chen meant at the beginning.

...It seems that these few days wouldn't be easy.

After taking away their snacks, the host didn't give the guests any time to adjust their moods. He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, guys, cheer up. Next up, we're going to prepare for a competition. The outcome of this competition will determine who gets to stay in the 'best room' here."

Everyone: "????" What? Do we even have to compete to decide where we stay?

However, the two very competitive twins immediately got fired up at the mention of a competition and excitedly rubbed their hands together.

A staff member appeared from afar carrying a flagpole, which was placed fifty meters away from them and had three red flags attached to it.

The host pointed to the flagpole and said, "Do you see that flagpole? In a moment, you'll race to see who can get to it first..."

He didn't finish his sentence before Shao Junling rushed out first.

The twin brothers saw what was happening and, unwilling to fall behind, took off running as well.

Seeing that three people had already run out Xue Ziwen felt anxious. "Uncle, if we don't hurry, there won't be any flags left." He started running forward, and Wang Chen, seeing his chubby figure that couldn't run very fast, quickly caught up too.

The host stammered, "Wait, I haven't finished explaining the rules yet!" He pointed behind the guests who were still standing there, "Whichever team first retrieves both the red AND blue flags and returns here will have the right to stay in the 'best house'!"

Yin Chang turned around and saw a flagpole set up fifty meters behind him with three blue flags flying.

Since five people had headed towards the red flagpole, and Huang Han was left standing there holding onto You Luming, looked bewildered, nobody competed with Yin Chang for the blue flag. He easily ran over and retrieved it.

He turned around, and found one of the twins and Wang Chen gasping for breath as they returned with their red flag. Both of them looked upset to be fooled.

Yin Chang waved his flag at Wang Chen, who was so angry that he almost rolled his eyes - it was all because of Xue Ziwen's foolishness!

As for Huang Han, he was still holding on to You Luming and pacing around. He was muttering, "No more flags left, no more flags..."

The results of the competition showed that Yin Chang and Shao Junling had fortunately come in first place. The twin brothers came in second, while Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen came in third.

The twins were dissatisfied with the results and accused Shao Junling of cheating. "He cheated! He started running before the host said start!"

Shao Junling glared at them and hmphed as he gripped his two flags. The twins were so angry that they reported to the host, "He violated the rules! The official game needs the referee to blow the whistle before anyone can move."

The host laughed and said, "But you guys saw him run and followed him, right?"

The twins remained silent.

Not only them, but Xue Ziwen and Wang Chen as well...

The staff who had been watching from the sidelines burst out laughing.

The show was about entertainment effects, not fairness and justice. Although the guests didn't follow the instructions, their reactions were amusing, so the host accepted this outcome.

Seeing that the twins were still upset, the host comforted them with a smile, "Don't worry, even though you lost the 'best house,' you can still get a better one."

The host retorted, "Isn't the best the best? Is there anything better than the best?"

At the time, no one understood the joke until they were led to visit Yin Chang and Shao Junling's house.

It was a dilapidated thatched cottage that had been uninhabited for a long time. It was completely empty inside. There wasn't even a stool, just hay covering the ground and a piece of old bed sheet that could be used as a bed…

There were cracks in the roof that even let in sunlight.

The reason it was called the "best house" was because there was a plaque hanging on the entrance to the courtyard with those two words written on it. There were also two vertical scrolls posted on both sides, which read, "The sky is the roof, and the earth is the seat." "This is a humble dwelling, but my virtue is great."

Everyone pointed at the plaque and laughed hysterically: "Hahahaahaha!"

Yin Chang: "...this production team."

Although he was frustrated, Yin Chang had already figured out when they arrived at the foot of the mountain that all the rules in this place were made by the production team and the guests could only be played around with. So he adjusted his mindset and calmly accepted the result.

Yin Chang noticed that Shao Junling was unhappy, so he took his hand and walked in. He comforted him, "It's only three days, it doesn't matter where we stay."

Fortunately, this room was probably originally used to store hay or other dry goods, and not for raising livestock, so there was no strange smell.

Yin Chang unpacked his suitcase and explored the space. He found that there was a simple washroom next door, a toilet, and a large tub of water for washing up...

Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that the production team wasn't overly harsh.

He took out a towel from his suitcase and went to wash his face with some water. He had climbed the mountain earlier and competed for the flag, and was covered in sweat, feeling uncomfortable all over.

The staff were surprised to see him just washing his face with water. He asked, "Yin Chang, you don't use skincare and sunscreen?"

"Huh? Use what?" Yin Chang asked, while calling Shao Junling over to wipe his face for him too.

"Your skin is so clear..." The staff exclaimed.

After washing their faces, they faintly heard some noise outside the door. When Yin Chang went out to take a look, he saw Huang Han and You Luming, who were assigned to the neighboring house by the program group. Even though they hadn't managed to grab any flags, they ended up being assigned to a nicer house than them - at least it had a door and the roof didn't leak.

"Hey, we're neighbors now," Huang Han greeted Yin Chang with a wry smile. He looked completely exhausted, with none of the spirit he had when he first got off the car.

"Hello," Yin Chang glanced at the little girl who had no energy left to fool around. He sighed in his heart. This big brother had it really tough...

After greeting each other, Huang Han carried You Luming into their house.

After resting for half an hour, the program group sent them their first mission - finding dinner.

The mission statement said that the staff had hidden eight treasure boxes in the village, each with food inside, but the food in each box was different.

Starting now, the guests could go out and search for the treasure boxes. Each group could only collect a maximum of two dinners, but if they found better food in other boxes, they were allowed to swap out what they had already found.

After the program messed with them at noon, no one dared to be picky about food anymore. After receiving the mission, everyone immediately started to act.

It only took five minutes for Yin Chang and Shao Junling to find the first treasure box, which contained a sandwich and a bottle of milk.

But the second one was extremely difficult to find. It took them a full twenty minutes before Shao Junling saw a box under the corner of a wall of a building.

However, when Shao Junling ran towards that direction, Lang Chizhi and Guo Yiheng appeared. They were closer to the treasure box and, following Shao Junling's gaze, they rushed to it first.

Shao Junling didn't give up and increased his speed.

Yin Chang felt anxious and hurried to catch up. He saw that Shao Junling arrived at the treasure box at the same time as the twin brothers.

But there were two of them on the other side and only one Shao Junling. Lang Chizhi stood in front of Shao Junling and successfully shielded Guo Yiheng while he opened the treasure box to grab the food.

Shao Junling was so angry that he was fell into a fighting stance.

"Shao Junling!" Yin Chang shouted loudly.

Shao Junling seemed not to have heard, glaring fiercely at the brothers. Lang Chizhi, the leader, was stunned by his glare. However, being a young man, Lang Chizhi could not resist the provocation and glared back fiercely.

If it were not for Yin Chang arriving in time and grabbing Shao Junling, the two would have started fighting in minutes.

"Let's leave it!" Yin Chang pulled him away, surprised to find that this kid had quite a bit of strength. If Shao Junling had not relaxed his body voluntarily, he would not have been able to pull him away.

Shao Junling gave Lang Chizhi a fierce glare from the corner of his eyes. Although unhappy, he obediently followed Yin Chang and left.

The two finally found another treasure chest, but it only contained a plain steamed bun, an egg, and a bottle of water – probably a dinnee that someone else didn't want.

A while later they still had not found another box of food. Yin Chang didn't want to waste any more energy. He persuaded Shao Junling, "Let's go back and just eat this."

Back at the thatched hut, the two sat cross-legged on a torn sheet and shared the two pitiful bags of food.

Yin Chang originally wanted to give Shao Junling the milk, egg, and sandwich, but Shao Junling shook his head and pushed those things back, grabbing the cold steamed bun and biting into it instead.

"This one's for you to eat." Yin Chang insisted on giving the egg and milk to Shao Junling.

"I don't want it." Shao Junling shook his head.

"Really?" Yin Chang knew this kid was being modest and was also somewhat moved. If there had been plenty of food, how could he not want to eat anything?

Shao Junling was extremely stubborn, turning his back and insisting he didn't want it.

Yin Chang had an idea and said, "If you only eat steamed buns, you won't grow tall."

Shao Junling was startled at his words.

Holding the egg in his hand, Yin Chang played with it while urging him, "You're still growing, and you need to drink milk and eat eggs for the protein. Don't think that skipping one meal won't matter. Each time you miss out on nutrition you might miss out on a few millimeters... Added up, you may end up much shorter than others in the future."

Before Yin Chang finished speaking, Shao Junling quickly turned his head and took the egg and milk from his hand. But his eyes still flickered with hesitation, as if he was worried that Yin Chang wouldn't have enough to eat.

Yin Chang rubbed his head, "You eat it. I'm not hungry."

After dinner, the program staff gave them a new mission.

This time, the crew brought them paper and pen and asked them to write a sentence each. It could be a message to each other or something they hoped to gain from the show. These messages would be played in the final episode of the program.

Under the supervision of the staff, the two wrote their wishes back-to-back.

The staff folded the papers, put them in envelopes, sealed them, and said to Yin Chang, "If your wishes for each other are similar, it means you have a great understanding. You may receive a reward from the program group at the end of the show."

Yin Chang smiled, not expecting much. He knew that Shao Junling was still young and wouldn't write the kind of things he wrote.

After writing the wishes, the day's filming came to an end.

The staff removed the cameras from the bedroom and the microphones from their bodies, and let them rest.

There were no lights in the thatched house. After washing up, Yin Chang lay down on the bed made of dry hay to sleep.

Shao Junling finished washing up too and lay down next to him. He played with the hay.

Both of them didn't feel particularly sleepy. Yin Chang turned to ask Shao Junling, "Are you bored?"

Shao Junling said, "No."

Yin Chang asked again, "Do you feel tired after today?"

Shao Junling replied, "Not tired."

Yin Chang remembered that Shao Junling grew up in an orphanage and had experienced a lot of hardship, so maybe this kind of work wasn't much for him. He felt a little sad for him.

He tried to find some topics to talk to Shao Junling about, but Shao Junling didn't know how to express himself.

After struggling to make conversation for a while, Yin Chang started to feel tired. The night in the countryside was very quiet. Yin Chang crying of the grasshoppers and felt the gradual dropping of temperature. It really gave him a pleasant feeling.

In a daze, he unconsciously reached out to Shao Junling, hugged him close, and slowly fell asleep.

After a long time, when Yin Chang had completely fallen asleep, Shao Junling gently lifted his brother's hand. He quietly got up, and left the room.

There were camera crew and staff on night watch in the yard. When they heard noise, they instinctively grabbed their cameras and followed.

Shao Junling ran for a while before realizing that two people were following him. He abruptly stopped and turned to look at them.

The staff asked, "Where are you going so late?"

In the darkness, Shao Junling's eyes shone like a young wolf as he wordlessly scrutinized the two.

The staff asked, "Is there anything we can help you with? You can tell us."

Perhaps hearing the kindness in their tone, Shao Junling hesitated before replying, "Looking for food."

The staff was surprised, "Are you still hungry?"

Shao Junling shook his head, "For my brother."

Feeling touched, the staff tried to persuade him gently, "But the boxes are empty now."

Shao Junling indicated in a direction, "There's somewhere else."

The staff and the cameraman exchanged a glance and said to Shao Junling, "We'll go with you, since it's not safe outside. Don't worry, we won't tell your brother."

Shao Junling nodded to the staff, "You can come with me." He looked pointedly at the cameraman, "Not you."

The cameraman felt rejected, "...".

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🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: "Couldn't find enough food, so nervous! So anxious! (Q︿Q)"

No, his brother couldn't survive on just this tiny bit of food. He needed to find a way to get more food for him.

🍁 Vignette 2

After the twins successfully stole some food, Lang Chizhi paced back and forth in the room.

Guo Yiheng asked his brother, "What are you doing?"

Lang Chizhi impatiently replied, "Didn't you see the look in that kid's eyes? He wants to fight me!"

Guo Yiheng said, "He's so small, he can't beat you."

Lang Chizhi retorted, "No! The look in his eyes makes me feel like...he can!"

Guo Yiheng reassured him, "You're overthinking it...He's afraid of his brother, the tall and handsome one. His brother will keep him in line."

Lang Chizhi relaxed, "True..."

🍁 Vignette 3

Xue Ziwen called out to Shao Junling so enthusiastic that it made Wang Chen feel uncomfortable.

He felt like he'd already lost the competition before it even started! Why!

He needed to win against Yin Chang! He must remain aloof in front of Yin Chang!

Yin Chang: ??? 

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 52

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 52: Mysterious Shoot

Fiona wanted to knock on the door of the master bedroom and let Yin Chang know that the camera crew had arrived.

The director made a shushing gesture at her and whispered, "We want to authentically capture the brothers’ lives so we’ll go in directly to shoot. Don't worry, we'll let Yin Chang review it afterwards. If there are any scenes he feels unsuitable for broadcast, we'll delete them as appropriate."

Fiona wasn’t too clear on the norms, and assumed this was typical. She took the initiative to explain, "There are two rooms inside, Yin Chang sleeps in the bedroom on the right, and Jun Ling sleeps in the study on the left."

Upon hearing this, the staff member asked, "Jun Ling sleeps in the study?"

Fiona replied, "This house originally had two bedrooms. When I came back from abroad, Yin Chang let me sleep in the guest room, and Jun Ling's room was originally a study. Later, Yin Chang changed the layout and it became his bedroom."

The staff and director exchanged glances and quickly made a note in their notebooks.

Then, the director commanded a cameraman to shoot the living room scene outside, and waved to the other two cameramen to follow him.

The group quietly opened the door and sneaked into the bedroom. One cameraman shot the left and the other shot the right.

Sure enough, there was someone lying on the big bed on the right, sound asleep. One arm, along with a shoulder and two long legs stuck out from under the blanket. From the figure, it was indeed Yin Chang.

However, the other cameraman who went to the study on the left found it empty.

The air conditioning in the rooms were on so it was a little chilly. The curtains were drawn, and the lighting was somewhat dim.

Yin Chang heard some movement and thought it was Fiona who had come in, so he instinctively asked in English, "Fiona... What's up..." His voice carried the lazy tone of having just woken up.

The director was wondering where Shao Junling had gone when he saw Yin Chang move and another head poked out from under the covers.

These two brothers... were actually sleeping in one bed?

The little guy woke up and immediately became vigilant seeing the strangesr in the room. His first reaction was not to shrink back into the covers or wake up Yin Chang, but to climb out of bed, and pull the covers tightly over Yin Chang. He warily stared at the two cameramen while squatting next to Yin Chang and calling out, "Brother".

The cameramen: "..." This little guy's stare... enveloped them with a heavy pressure.

Yin Chang was awakened by Shao Junling's movements and words. He sat up and saw the visitors. He asked in a daze, "You guys..."

The director greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, Yin Chang. We're starting to shoot the program now."

Yin Chang was a bit confused. Did he oversleep? Why did the program team appear directly in his bedroom?

Next to him, Shao Junling called out nervously, "Brother."

His expression seemed to say he was ready to pounce into battle at any time, but was waiting for instructions from Yin Chang, 

The cameramen: "...oh my."

Yin Chang checked his phone for the time and finally realized what was going on. He smiled wryly and averted his gaze, "You guys... it's too early."

The director was unfazed. "Hehe, it was mentioned in the last paragraph of clause 9 of the contract - in order to showcase the authentic life of the celebrities, the program team may conduct some surprise filming. Yin Chang, you didn't do your homework in advance, so you can't blame us."

Yin Chang laughed awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair. "Could you step outside for a moment? Give us ten minutes... to get dressed and wash up."

The director "understood" and directed the crew to temporarily leave. The two cameramen quickly packed up their cameras and left.

Ten minutes later, Yin Chang came out, fully dressed. He saw seven or eight staff members standing in the living room and said politely, "Morning, feel free to sit down."

Fiona explained apologetically on the side, "They didn't let me inform you..."

Yin Chang waved his hand to indicate that it was okay. He paid attention to his image in front of others and wouldn't easily get angry, especially since all his actions were being recorded. He also vaguely remembered that Lu Lingjuan had warned him that the program team might have some surprise filming. He just hadn’t thought that it wouldn't happen on the first day. He had let his guard down.

Soon after, Shao Junling also came out. Compared to Yin Chang's easy going manner, the little guy was much more on edge. He scanned the group of staff members with a fierce look, treating them as imaginary enemies.

Yin Chang signaled to him to go eat breakfast before he left the bedroom.

He had already reminded the kid to behave well and not mess up in front of the camera.

"Have you had breakfast?" Yin Chang sat calmly at the table with the staff, chatting with them. "Would you like some porridge?"

Fiona cooked them salted egg and lean meat porridge today, and the fragrance drifted out of the open kitchen and filled the whole house.

"We've eaten, we've eaten!" The camera crew put on the pretense of politeness, but they were clearly drooling with hunger.

"Those who haven't eaten yet can eat with us. Fiona's porridge is very good," Yin Chang added.

"You eat, don't mind us." The director had the camera crew film the scene of the brothers having breakfast.

The two brothers sat together, silently drinking porridge, one sip at a time, without saying a word.

Fiona brought out a basket of custard buns from the kitchen. As Shao Junling ate, he stared at the cameraman expressionlessly. He would take a bite, stare for two seconds, take another bite, stare for another two seconds, and so on. The cameraman's head shrunk further and further behind the camera from the heavy pressure.

The staff fumbled for a topic to combat the increasingly heavy atmosphere. “Yin Chang, why do you eat so little?"

Yin Chang was puzzled. "Do I?"

The staff said, "I saw that just now, you only ate one of the steamed buns, and the rest were eaten by Shao Junling."

Yin Chang glanced at Shao Junling and smiled. "He's growing taller now, so his appetite is bigger than mine."

Seeing the fierce look on Shao Junling's face as he ate the buns, Yin Chang couldn't help but whisper, "Slow down."

Shao Junling paused when he heard the whisper, and his movements became slightly more refined.

The staff continued, "We heard from your housekeeper that Shao Junling sleeps in the study, but when we went in just now, we saw that he was sleeping on the same bed as you... Do you usually sleep together?"

Yin Chang replied, "Occasionally."

The staff asked, "What determines this 'occasionally'?"

Yin Chang smiled lightly. "It depends on his willingness."

"So it's entirely up to your little brother whether he wants to sleep with you or not," the staff remarked.

"Right," Yin Chang replied.

But Shao Junling's eyes widened when he heard this.

The staff noticed this detail and asked him, "Do you have anything to say, little brother?"

With a bun in his mouth, Shao Junling paused for two seconds before shaking his head and continuing to eat.

After the meal, Yin Chang and Shao Junling began to pack their bags under the gaze of the camera.

Everyone saw Yin Chang neatly folding and packing the clothes he would wear for the next few days into his suitcase. In contrast, Shao Junling's clothes were a mess, with his taekwondo uniform thrown in the mix.

"Why are you packing this?" Yin Chang frowned.

"I need...to practice," Shao Junling replied seriously.

Yin Chang was speechless, thinking that this kid was too obsessed with taekwondo, even bringing his uniform on a program shoot.

"Fold your clothes neatly, don't cram them like that, they'll wrinkle...Just move aside, let me do it," Yin Chang couldn't stand it and helped him pack, even repicking his outfits for the next few days and putting away the unnecessary clothes.

"Big brother is so meticulous," the staff exclaimed.

Although the production crew arrived early, their departure time was still similar to what was scheduled.

Lu Lingjuan met up with them at their place as planned. They all got into a car and headed directly to the filming location.

Yin Chang didn't know exactly where the first filming location was, as the program team had kept it a secret from them.

The car left Haicheng and headed west. Yin Chang and Shao Junling sat in separate seats in the back of the business car. At first, they could still see the scenery outside the window, but then the program team asked them to put on blindfolds.

Shao Junling had to wear a blindfold too, but he refused to listen until Yin Chang told him to put it on.

After a few minutes, Shao Junling suddenly called out to him, "Brother."

"Uh-huh," Yin Chang responded.

When they had gotten into the car, the staff had put microphones on them, so they could record every uttered clearly. So Yin Chang tried not to say anything unnecessary, so as to avoid exposing any issues.

After responding to Shao Junling’s call, he didn't speak again.

Later, as the car shook along, Yin Chang felt drowsy.

After a while, he vaguely heard Shao Junling calling him again.

Yin Chang shuffled and lazily responded with a "yeah."

After some time passed, Yin Chang suddenly felt something touching his hand. He squinted and asked, "Shao Junling?"

"Brother..." Shao Junling whispered, holding his hand tightly and not letting go.

Yin Chang suddenly realized that the little guy knew even less about the details of the program than he did. They couldn't see anything now and so he was probably very uneasy. So he turned his hand over and held his hand in his palm, comforting him, "Be good, we'll be there soon..."

Shao Junling finally settled down.

Several staff members in the car looked at this scene and didn't dare to say a word.

Three hours later, the car finally stopped.

Once Yin Chang and Shao Junling got off the car and could see light again, they saw a deserted mountain with a winding, unpaved road that even the car they came on shouldn’t be able to pass through.

...Where was this?

Yin Chang was just thinking about checking the location on his phone when a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat appeared in front of them.

The man smiled at them, "Hello, I'm Lao Luo, the host of 'Super Star Life' and the guide for this program. From now on, we need your cooperation. Please hand over your phones. For the next three days, all your time belongs to this program. We hope you can focus on enjoying every moment with us."

Yin Chang: "..."

Isn't this supposed to be a parent-child variety show? Shouldn't it be warm and happy? Why does it feel like some sort of isolation camp?

The host continued, "Don't worry, your phones will be with Miss Lu, your agent, who will notify you in case of any emergency."

Yin Chang and Shao Junling glanced at each other and could only follow the arrangement.

The host stuck a circle with the number 3 on both Yin Chang and Shao Junling’s chest, indicating that they were the third group to arrive.

"Alright, please go up the mountain, group three," he pointed to the mountain road behind him.

Just as they were about to leave, three more cars came from behind. More than ten people came out one after another, including camera crew and staff, with the same makeup as them, but with a young man and a little girl.

The young man looked about the same age as Yin Chang, and had a gentle look and temperament. The girl was much younger than Shao Junling, only about five or six years old, and was a little doll of a child.

Yin Chang thought about the information provided by the program group and realized these were the siblings with different fathers. The young man was the son of the famous Hong Kong star, Meng Qing, and her ex-husband Huang Han. The girl was You Luming, Meng Qing and her current husband's daughter.

At this moment, You Luming, seeing so many strangers in front of her, timidly tugged at her brother's pants and called out "brother" in a milky voice.

Huang Han bent down and picked her up, softly saying, "Don't be afraid, little Lu, brother is here."

The girl hugged her brother's neck tightly, as though he was the source of her courage, and curiously looked around.

Looking down, Yin Chang saw that Shao Junling was also looking up at him expectantly.

Yin Chang: "???" How old are you? You want me to hold you like a baby?

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🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: Filming a program is risky business! Someone even snuck in while we were sleeping... I don't know what to do with them…

Ah, protecting my brother is a long and arduous task, I have to continue to work hard! o(￣ヘ￣o)

Cameraman: Shivering...

🍁 Vignette 2

Shao Junling: I have to wear a blind fold too?! Filming a program is full of risk and danger. To protect my brother and not let him be kidnapped, I must hold onto him tightly! o(￣ヘ￣o)

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 51

 🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 51: Starting to Record the Program

Because Yin Chang and Shao Junling had never practiced singing before, the staff took them to the vocal room first and had a professional teacher help them get the lyrics in order.

Yin Chang thought that reciting the lyrics at home was embarrassing enough, but it turned out that the recording studio was the real battlefield!

The vocal teacher was a man in his thirties, with a chubby face and a rough demeanor. He noticed that the two brothers were nervous, so he made a grand gesture to reassure them: "Don't be afraid! Just sing out loud! If you can't sing well, we have a sound engineer who can fix it no matter how off-pitch you are!"

However, while a sound engineer can salvage mistakes in tempo or pitch, the emotions conveyed during singing cannot be fixed.

This theme song was clearly a lively and upbeat song, requiring the singer to perform with a joyful mood. It would be even better if they could add natural laughter and joy like Xue Ziwen and Wang Chen had.

But Yin Chang had always followed the "melancholic prince" route since his debut, and he rarely had had to convey joyous emotions. Shao Junling had a complete poker face, because of an emotional expression disorder caused from his childhood trauma. Therefore he only had noticeable changes in facial expression when he was particularly excited or angry.

At first, the vocal teacher was quite passionate: "Come on, little guy, let's try to sing the first sentence as cute as possible! ... No, no, no, you can't sing so coldly, you need to show the eagerness of being held by your brother! ... Uh, raising your voice doesn't mean you're in a good mood ... Smile a little, be happy ... You, wait a minute ... That last smile was too forced ..."

He turned his head and quietly asked Yin Chang, "What's with this kid's fake smiles? Is he unhappy?"

Yin Chang replied, "No, he just doesn't have very obvious expressions ... He's like that at home too ..."

The vocal teacher continued to force a smile. "Little guy, think back to when you've been really happy! Like when you see your mom and dad and want them to hug you like that!"

Yin Chang said, "Sorry, teacher... he doesn't have parents..."

The vocal teacher: "..."

The vocal teacher forced an even bigger smile, trying to create a better atmosphere. "No worries. Let's practice the next line. As long as you two can say it, we can add it to the background music later. And, you need to be more excited, like you're taking your little brother out to do something naughty without your parents knowing," the teacher instructed, "And you, Shao Junling, you need to feel rushed because you're still putting on your pants."

Yin Chang was confused. "Teacher, I don't quite understand how 'digging a bird's nest' and 'putting on pants' are related."

The vocal teacher let out a deep sigh. "Uh, sorry, I need to step out for a smoke,"

A minute later, Yin Chang heard the teacher ranting outside with the producer, "What's wrong with those two brothers! Where did you find these fake siblings! I feel embarrassed just listening to them sing!!!"

Yin Chang and Shao Junling remained silent.

Originally, the show team wanted to arrange for them to record with Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen. But there was no way they could record with the two of them in this state. After Wang Chen and Xue Ziwen finished recording, they found Yin Chang and Shao Junling were still locked in the small room, practicing their lines over and over again.

The uncle and nephew came over to say hello before leaving, as if they were just there to watch the show. Especially Wang Chen, whose glee was practically dripping off his face.

After much practice, the two barely passed. The vocal teacher was worn out and had long lost the enthusiasm he had had at first. This made Yin Chang worry about the final outcome of the song.

Luckily, the theme song's music video was animated, so they didn't have to "happily hug and raise their arms." They only needed to take some photos, and later, it could be merged with the animation.

In early June, the official Weibo account for "Superstar Life" was quietly opened, and the program started promoting itself by releasing some behind-the-scenes footage of the guests gradually. Their faces were pixelated or obscured intentionally to arouse the curiosity of netizens.

By the end of June, there were only ten days left until the first recording. The program team created a "Superstar Life" guest group and invited the "parent representative" of the five family pairs. However, since they were all strangers, the group fell into an awkward silence after some initial small talk.

During this time, Shao Junling took his first grade end-of-term exams.

A few days later, while out of town on a film shoot, Yin Chang received a WeChat message from Teacher Lin: "Hello Yin Chang. Although the school has a rule not to disclose students' specific rankings to any parents, I couldn't help but share the good news - Shao Junling ranked first in the whole grade for the final exams this semester!"

Yin Chang was a bit shocked and asked, "What about English?"

Teacher Lin replied, "He got an A+ in his English exam this semester. His progress is so fast that it's really unbelievable. He told me that you hired a tutor for him, and it seems that the tutor is very skilled. Of course, your little brother is also excellent."

Yin Chang said, "..."

Teacher Lin continued, "According to the current situation, the school will make special course arrangements for him next semester to prepare him to skip a grade. Perhaps by this time next year, we will allow him to take the final exam for third grade directly. The teachers in the teaching and research group all feel that with his ability, catching up with his new classmates will only be a matter of time. This semester, he applied for information technology innovation class and robot design class, and his performance was very good. The teacher from the math Olympiad class also took him to participate in the Central China Cup Elementary School Math Olympiad earlier, where he won first place..."

Yin Chang wondered, "He won an award? When was that?"

In April. He took the trophy home and also received prize money of a thousand yuan from the school. He didn't tell you?" Teacher Lin chuckled.

Yin Chang said, "No, he didn't."

At that time, Yin Chang had been busy with his single and hadn't had a chance to talk with Shao Junling for half a year.

After hearing so much from Teacher Lin, Yin Chang realized that he hadn't been paying much attention to Shao Junling's situation.

Thinking back to the argument between the two brothers in early May, Yin Chang felt guilty.

The child had made such great progress in his studies, but he hadn't even had a chance to tell him...no wonder he was so angry.

Yin Chang thought for a moment and anonymously called the taekwondo gym where Shao Junling trained.

He didn't give his name, only said that he was Shao Junling's parent and wanted to inquire about his training over the past six months.

After verifying some private information that Lu Lingjuan had registered for Shao Junling, the taekwondo gym allowed his coach to answer the call.

"Oh! You're Shao Junling's parent! Your child is doing very well!"

"Thank you. I saw that he had already gotten a green belt a few days ago."

"That was the exam in early May. He just registered for the promotion test next week, so he should be able to switch to a blue-green belt soon."

"So fast?"

"I thought it was a bit too fast too. Actually, our gym mainly focuses on cultivating interest and improving physical fitness for children under 15 years old. Although the gym offers an assessment once every two months, I personally don't recommend children to be so eager to take the promotion exam...I originally thought it was because his parents were pressuring him."

"...I didn't push him at all..."

"Oh okay, then it's probably just his own strong personality, right?"

"Can his body handle it?" Yin Chang worried.

"Don't worry about that. Before the exam, we always evaluate the student's state. If it's too much of a strain, we won't let him participate. His promotion exam next week should be fine, and if he passes, he'll be matched with peers at a similar level. I'll put adjust the pressure on him appropriately during the later promotions."

"Um...does he get along well with his peers?"

"Hahaha..." The coach chuckled, "How should I put it..."

"Just tell me."

"Uh, your child is a bit fierce. To be honest, all the children who came in at the same time as him are afraid of him."

"..."

"But our gym leader really likes him and said that when he reaches the red belt, he will personally train him..."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Yin Chang's mood was a bit complicated."

He knew that Shao Junling had a tendency for violence. When he first came to De International, he beat up Xue Ziwen. Last semester, he even dared to collect protection fees at school. But after disciplining him, he thought Shao Junling had improved a lot - at least he was quite docile in front of him.

For example, last time, he thought Shao Junling was going to fight him. But in the end, the little guy just cried.

But now, after hearing what the coach said, Yin Chang couldn't help but start to worry.

He remembered that there would be two fourteen-year-old twins in the parent-child program they were about to participate in. These twins were from an athlete's family, and their parents had won many championships.

Yin Chang had read the information given to him by the screenwriter in his spare time, which said that these two kids were also very competitive, especially the older brother...

Yin Chang suddenly felt a lot of pressure. When they went to record the show later, he had to focus all his attention on monitoring Shao Junling.

A few days later, Shao Junling officially started his summer vacation and went home.

Yin Chang learned from Teacher Lin about his grades and had already prepared a gift for him as a reward.

But after waiting for two days, Yin Chang didn't see Shao Junling let him know the good news. He could only awkwardly put the gift in the study and wait for the little guy to discover it himself.

Moreover, Shao Junling seemed to be preparing for his belt promotion exam as soon as he started his vacation. He would run to the Taekwondo gym every day and wouldn't come back until he was exhausted.

Yin Chang calculated the date and wanted to praise him after the exam. However, when Shao Junling came back that day, he'd already taken a shower and changed his clothes at the gym, and Yin Chang didn't know if he'd passed the exam or not...

He would only see him during bedtime when Shao Junling crawled onto his bed. Since the dispute in early May, Shao Junling had slept with him every two or three days, without asking for his opinion. Yin Chang tolerated and eventually got used to it... Sleeping with this little guy was quite comfortable, and he could even use him as a human pillow in the middle of the night.

"Brother." Shao Junling finally took the initiative to say something to him.

"Hmm?" They were going to start recording the program the day after tomorrow. While eating, Yin Chang mentioned to Shao Junling that he was looking at the itinerary sent by the program team on his iPad.

Shao Junling lay next to him, and had been staring at him seriously for a while. Before Yin Chang could ask what he was going to say, he suddenly spoke up, "Don't be afraid."

Yin Chang was puzzled, afraid of what?

Shao Junling blushed, "I will...protect you."

Yin Chang was stunned for a moment and almost burst out laughing. What was this guy thinking? Did he need protection? Yin Chang would be grateful if this guy didn't cause him trouble.

But upon hearing Shao Junling's bold words, Yin Chang couldn't bear to discourage him. After all, it was a child's heartfelt intention.

Yin Chang rubbed his head and smiled, "Okay, silly, go to sleep."

On July 7th, "Super Star Life" officially started filming.

Since the show was going to be filmed in a documentary style, the production team would come to their homes before they left and film some footage of their daily lives.

Yin had already read the script and knew that the production team would come around 9 or 10 in the morning. He had told Fiona to tidy up the house beforehand.

But he never expected the production team to play dirty on the first day.

Before 6:30 in the morning, the camera crew arrived at their house to film. Yin Chang and Shao Junling were still asleep in their bedroom.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: "Brother looks so nervous lately. Is he afraid of going on the show? He must be. He was even targeted when we went to record a song together. He's definitely more nervous than I am...hmm, I need to try my best to do well on the English exam before we go on the show so I can protect him well. o(￣ヘ￣o)"

Yin Chang: "?????"

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 50

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

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.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

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."

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🍁🍁🍁 want extra chapters? 🍁🍁🍁

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 49

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 49: Yin Chang’s Single

Shao Junling's confident words didn't bother Yin Chang too much. Perhaps the child had a strong personality and didn't like being provoked.

But as he looked at the other person, Yin Chang was reminded of what Yao Manhuai had said that day...

"If Yin Dong invited you to go with him when he went out for work, how would you feel?"

"You ask him if for five million he would want to record a program with you during his summer vacation."

Yin Chang let out a light sigh, wanting to speak but hesitating. He could guess that Shao Junling would definitely agree. Children didn't have many things they needed to do. For him, following him out to play and also earning money would sound amazing. But he didn't know how many vicious beasts were out there in the rest of the world. Even if he explained it to him now, he wouldn't understand.

🍁

In mid-March, Yao Manhuai personally took Yin Chang to meet a well-known musician in the industry named Ye Zhengming in the northern city. She planned to release a single for Yin Chang in the first half of this year.

The musician's name was Ye Zhengming, and he had a music production company in the northern part of the city that had gathered many talents. He wrote many songs for popular idols in the industry, but few could afford to have him personally involved.

This time, when Yao Manhuai approached him, saying she wanted a tailor made song for Yin Chang, he readily agreed.

Ye Zhengming looked to be in his forties. When he saw Yin Chang, he was like an elder meeting a younger one. He cordially invited him to sit in his office.

Yao Manhuai originally wanted to follow, but he waved his hand sending her out. "I'm making a song for him, not for you. Go wait outside."

It was the first time Yin Chang had seen someone dare to speak to Yao Manhuai in such a manner. He couldn't help but look at this person with newfound respect. But the fact that he could speak in this way also proved that Yao Manhuai and he had an extraordinary relationship.

Once inside his office, Yin Chang saw that it was a mess. The desk and floor were littered with scattered scores, and a guitar was casually placed on the ground beside a piano on the wall.

Ignoring the rules of hospitality, Ye Zhengming lit a cigarette as soon as he sat down and began chatting with Yin Chang about things related to him.

Faced with a stranger, Yin Chang didn't know what to say, so he just talked about Yin Dong. Yin Chang said that Yin Dong's departure had a great impact on him and it was because of Yin Dong that he entered this industry. However, he had been feeling lost lately.

At first, Ye Zhengming asked him a few questions. But later he didn't interrupt and let Yin Chang talk freely, saying whatever came to mind.

After listening to Yin Chang's fragmented story for nearly half an hour, Ye Zhengming finally said, "You haven't moved on from that incident yet."

Yin Chang was taken aback. He saw Ye Zhengming press out his cigarette "Xiao Yao shouldn't have let you enter the industry so early."

Just as Yin Chang was pondering over the meaning of Ye Zhengming's words, he saw the other person put his emotions aside and say, "Okay, I know what to write now. You can go back and wait. When it's done, I'll send it to you to take a listen."

Yin Chang added Ye Zhengming on WeChat. He originally thought that it would take a while for the other person to write the song, but he didn't expect that the next morning, Ye Zhengming sent the lyrics and demo of the score to his phone. The message was also very simple, just two words: "Listen carefully."

At that time, Yin Chang had just boarded the plane back to Haicheng with Yao Manhuai. He downloaded the song, put on his headphones, and listened to the lyrics. He couldn't stop listening to it on repeat, so by the time the plane landed, he already knew the song by heart.

Yao Manhuai slept on the plane. When she woke up, she saw that Yin Chang looked sad and asked him what's wrong.

Yin Chang took off his headphones, shook his head, and smiled lightly, "Teacher Ye sent me the song earlier. I listened to it this whole time."

Yao Manhuai was surprised, "So fast? Forward it to me, I want to listen too."

Yin Chang forwarded it to her, and after listening to it once, Yao Manhuai calmly commented, "This guy is still as good as ever. We found the right person. You singing this song will definitely be a hit."

Yin Chang: "..."

In the afternoon, Yin Chang returned home and saw Shao Junling wearing his thin Taekwondo uniform, clenching his fists and running around in the living room... As soon as he saw Yin Chang, the little guy bolted over, with his hands in position, standing in front of him like a rabbit on steroids.

Yin Chang looked at him inexplicably. "What are you doing?"

Fiona heard the sound and came out. "I don't know what's wrong with this child. He's been wearing this bathrobe-like outfit all day."

Yin Chang looked at him again and then noticed something different - Shao Junling was wearing a yellow belt around his waist.

The color of the belt symbolized the level of Taekwondo, with white being the entry level. Now that Shao Junling had a yellow belt, it meant...

"You passed the trial?" Yin Chang asked in surprise.

Shao Junling's eyes lit up and he "ummed" excitedly before running off again.

"The weather hasn't turned warm yet," Fiona worriedly said, "He's not even wearing socks or slippers, and his legs are bare. Isn't he afraid of catching a cold? Xiao Chang, you have to say something to him."

"He's running, he won't catch a cold. Let him be," Yin Chang smiled. He checked his email on his phone. Sure enough, the martial arts gym had sent him a message last night, informing him that Shao Junling had completed the trial period and had become an official student of the gym.

Yin Chang felt relieved and immediately paid for a year of Shao Junling's training online. He had passed the grueling trial period, so he should be able to stick with it for a year without any problems.

Just as he finished paying, he looked up to see that Shao Junling had changed his clothes and was staring up at him unhappily.

Yin Chang: "???"

Still lost in the atmosphere of that song, Yin Chang didn't pay much attention to Shao Junling's reaction.

Yin Chang returned to his room and wrote a sincere thank-you message to Ye Zhengming: "Teacher Ye, I listened to your song, it's really good. The lyrics express my heart very well, thank you."

Ye Zhengming replied in the evening: "Just woke up. Stayed up all night writing yesterday."

Yin Chang: "Wow, thank you for your hard work."

After finalizing the lyrics and melody, Ye Zhengming immediately had his team move into the formal arrangement and production stage.

The days passed in a hurry.

Shao Junling went to school, took English lessons, and practiced taekwondo, all with a driver picking him up and dropping him off.

Yao Manhuai directed the recording of the song and took photos for the album. They frequently traveled between Haicheng and the Northern part of the city for performances and events.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed and the recording of the new song was completed, with only the final music video left to shoot.

However, when he saw the script for the music video, Yin Chang was a little confused. He thought the lyrics of the song were about Yindong, but the script for the video included a "female lead."

When Yin Chang raised his concerns, Yao Manhuai explained that although the song was written by Ye Zhengming based on Yin Chang's emotional experiences, the lyrics were actually a prose poem that could be interpreted in different ways. He wrote this song mainly to give Yin Chang a sense of empathy when singing it, and also to be able to pour out his emotions. But in the production process, they couldn't position this song as a "song of a child's longing for his deceased father." If they were limited as such, even if the song was good, it would be difficult to promote and spread it.

Therefore, the production company added a female lead in the MV, telling a story about a young man who was hurt by love. After his love left him, the young man grew from the experience.

Yin Chang cringed at the cheesy script. He was helpless and could only accept it.

Selecting the MV leading actress was more of a struggle than expected.

Initially, Yao Manhuai picked an in-house actress to be paired with Yin Chang, but the actress kept messing up during the shoot.

There was a scene in the MV where the leading actress had to face Yin Chang and show a cold and indifferent look, then turn around and walk away after a few seconds. But as soon as that actress locked eyes with Yin Chang, her face turned red and she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. Her eyes would sparkle and her gaze would be shy.

She couldn't even do such a simple scene, let alone the scenes of the couple's first meeting where they had to lean on and hug each other.

Yao Manhuai frowned and observed for half an hour, then directly sent the actress and her agent back.

The production team filmed Yin Chang's solo shots first while Yao Manhuai continued to search for the perfect leading actress. However, it was not easy to find someone who was suitable. Firstly, the person's popularity couldn't exceed Yin Chang's, or they would steal the spotlight. Secondly, they had to portray a "goddess" whom Yin Chang loved but couldn't have, so the actress had to have a certain level of beauty and temperament, otherwise, the fans would mock the MV.

Yao Manhuai couldn't find anyone suitable in-house, so she cast her net outside.

Many companies rushed to provide information to New Star Entertainment upon hearing the news. Yin Chang was very popular that year, and it was an excellent opportunity to gain exposure by appearing as the leading actress in his first single MV.

Yao Manhuai screened through the candidates and picked a few, but when they stood next to Yin Chang, they paled in comparison.

As time passed, the production team became more and more anxious. The producer suggested, "Why don't we change the MV script and not film the actress's face? Let's just find a girl with a decent figure and film her with her back facing the camera."

Lu Lingjuan asked, "What about the scenes from their 'dating period'? Should we scrap them?"

The director flipped through some previously unused footage and analyzed, stroking his chin. "To be honest, I always thought this action design was a bit far-fetched when I read the script. Because Yin Chang is just too good-looking. If I were the audience, I wouldn't understand why the female lead would leave the male lead... This song is about the male lead's process of growing up and maturing. Let's switch our perspective. If he himself hasn't grown up and is still a child at heart, the female lead can't get the emotional connection she wants from him, so she has to leave him with a heavy heart..."

The producer agreed after listening, "Yes, this explanation is good. Let's all think about how to design an action to show that Yin Chang is still a child at heart."

Lu Lingjuan had a sudden inspiration, "What if the girl holds Yin Chang's head and strokes it like a small animal?"

Yin Chang: "..."

The producer slapped his hand and pointed Lu Lingjuan, "That's a fantastic idea!"

The director also nodded repeatedly, "That way we only need to film Yin Chang's head and the girl's hand, and we don't even need to film the girl's head."

The producer snapped his fingers, "Perfect!"

When Yao Manhuai saw they had finished discussing, she was about to randomly pick someone from the eliminated contestants. But as soon as she picked up her phone, she realized it wouldn't work. If this girl knew she wouldn't even have a chance to show her face in Yin Chang's MV, would she still be willing to come?

The director on the side had already started redesigning the shots, "Let's first get someone to pose with Yin Chang, and let me see if this shot is easy to take..."

As Lu Lingjuan was looking around for a suitable girl, she saw Yin Chang walking towards her, saying, "You."

Lu Lingjuan: "?!?!"

Five minutes later, the Lu Lingjuan who'd brought herself trouble knelt down with a beautiful posture, shivering as she let Yin Chang's head rest on her lap.

Director: "Yin Chang, move a little closer...Girl, don't move back, hold onto his head...Yes, stop shaking!"

Lu Lingjuan: "..."

Director: "Touch him!...More naturally...Yes, very good! Yin Chang closing his eyes just now was very cute...keep them closed."

Yin Chang: "..."

After the two tried the shot, the director kept clicking his tongue as he looked at the footage, "Not bad, not bad. Who is she? I think this girl is pretty good... Is she Yin Chang's assistant? If not, then let's use her. Her hands are pretty too, and we're not filming her face anyway. I think the effect is pretty good."

Lu Lingjuan: "..."

Yao Manhuai heard this and simply put down her phone to size up Lu Lingjuan. She seemed appropriate so she directly said, "Go change your clothes. When you come back, we'll sign a contract and give you your actress fee."

Lu Lingjuan turned awkwardly to look at Yin Chang. She saw Yin Chang nod encouragingly at her, with a hint of a sly smile on his face.

On the eve of Easter, Yin Chang's single "Farewell My Self" quietly appeared on major music platforms.

The single cover featured Yin Chang's photo. In the picture, he closed his eyes with a slightly solemn expression, but half of his face was covered with a silver half-smiling mask. This created a strong contrast between the expressions on the left and right halves of his face.

Yin Chang's Weibo was silent, and there was no additional publicity, but the song was still discovered by observant fans.

Immediately, fans spontaneously spread and reposted the song like crazy.

"Please, everyone, go listen to it! It's so good!"

"My idol is just too amazing, he's so good at everything!"

"They actually managed to get Ye Zheng to compose a song for them, their resources are so awesome..."

"I originally thought it was just a hip-hop song that comes with being a popular star, but I was pleasantly surprised that it's a super beautiful love song!"

"My ears are pregnant ahhhh, I'm going to loop this single 10,000 times!!"

🍁

The next day, the official accounts of various music platforms finally announced this new song, and highlighted how it quickly entered the top of the new song charts within 24 hours.

At this time, Yin Chang's Weibo finally released the official MV for "Farewell My Self", allowing fans who were hungry for more to feast their eyes on it.

The beginning of the MV showed a desolate grassland. Although there was sunshine, the overall tone was gloomy, giving off a feeling of despair.

As the piano prelude started playing, Yin Chang's deep and pleasant voice followed along: "Under the warm flowers in the sunlight, swaying your dreams...The birds flying in the sky, have they been to the faraway places you wanted to go..."

A figure of a young man appeared on the screen, dressed in a black shirt, wandering aimlessly on the barren land.

"Yesterday, ignorant and fearless; today, helpless and hopeless... Time leaves no trace, dreams leave no wounds..."

With these two lines of lyrics, a sunny room appeared before his eyes. There was a white-dressed woman sitting on the floor, but her face was not visible. Yin Chang closed his eyes, leaned into her bosom, and the woman gently stroked his hair...

Then the scene changed, and the desolate grassland appeared again.

The young man stood on the empty ground, looking around with loneliness.

"I look up at the sky, watching the clouds gather and disperse, waiting for you to return to my side... I gaze through the autumn water, watching the falling leaves, guarding the tenderness in my heart..."

Then, the scene returned to the room just now, but this time the camera showed the white-dressed woman leaving Yin Chang while he was sleeping.

By the time Yin Chang awoke, his beloved was no longer there.

"Yesterday, ignorant and fearless; today, helpless and hopeless... Time leaves no trace, dreams leave no wounds..."

He ran around in the wilderness, unable to distinguish what was real and what was a dream.

Until the end of the music video, the young man never found the girl again. But he picked up a dirty, smiling mask from the ground, wiped off the dirt, and slowly put it on his face, echoing the single's cover.

Fans went crazy after watching the MV.

"What a heartbreaking song! I cried so much!"

"The MV is just too sad. Can't find her no matter what. I can feel the desperation 😭😭😭..."

"Can any sister interpret the meaning of the mask? Is it saying that Yin Chang is not actually happy now, just forcing a smile?"

"It's just an MV. I swear I don't believe anyone would abandon Yin Chang in real life!"

"You mean Yin Dong...well, let's not talk about it, it's heartbreaking."

"To be honest, when I watched the MV, I thought about Yin Dong leaving him, birds flying away and all that. It's too much like a plane crash metaphor..."

"This is Yin Chang's song! This is Yin Chang's Weibo! Can some people stop bringing up Yin Dong here? It's so annoying every time!"

"Can someone tell me who the female lead in this MV is? I want to send her a razor blade!"

"After watching it three times, I still couldn't find the name of the artist. The young lady has a strong will to survive. [smile]"

🍁

Although it was just a pop song, from the cover to the lyrics to the music video, there was a unique, luxurious feel to it.

Within the next day, "Farewell My Self" climbed to the top of the new song charts on various platforms under the strong support of fans and music lovers, far surpassing the second most popular song in terms of play and download counts.

As Yao Manhuai had anticipated, the song exploded and there was no doubt about it.

It was the end of April and Yao Manhuai brought up the issue of the parent-child variety show on Starry Sky TV with Yin Chang again.

The general manager of Starry Sky TV, Xu, was unwilling to give up and asked her to inquire about Yin Chang again. The other two previously uncomfiremd pairs of guests had already confirmed: the fourteen-year-old twin sons of famous ping-pong player Lang Yangxu, and the son of Meng Qing, a well-known actor in Hong Kong, and his current wife.

There was only one unfilled pair left, and Xu had kept it open for Yin Chang and Shao Junling, hoping that Yin Chang would reconsider.

The deadline for the final response was May 10th, because the production team needed to start working on the theme song mid-May.

Up to this point, Yin Chang had not explicitly told Yao Manhuai to notify the variety show of his final decision because he was still on the fence. He admitted that Yao Manhuai had a point; Starry Sky invited not just him but also Shao Junling. No matter what, he should ask Shao Junling for his thoughts.

On a weekend in early May, Yin Chang finally got a day off. He came home early on Saturday afternoon, determined to pluck up the courage and talk to Shao Junling. He also wanted to take advantage of Sunday to bond with his little buddy. Over the past few days, he had been so busy with the single that he had not paid much attention to Shao Junling's state.

However, when he got home, Shao Junling was nowhere to be seen. Yin Chang casually asked, "Fiona, where's Shao Junling?"

"He went to the Taekwondo gym," Fiona replied, "He goes to practice every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. He left early this afternoon, around two or three, and will be back for dinner later."

"Oh..." Yin Chang looked at the calendar and remembered that Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays were part of the trial period schedule. How was it he was so rigorous even after becoming an official member? It seemed he was really quite determined.

When it was almost six o'clock, Shao Junling came home, still wearing his martial arts uniform. To Yin Chang's surprise, he noticed that in just two months, the young man's belt had turned green.

As he was about to praise him, the boy gave him a glance from the corner of his eyes and walked past him without a word of greeting.

Confused, he called out to him, "Hey, where's my greeting?"

To his surprise, the young man even gave him a disdainful snort before turning away.

Just then, Fiona came out of the kitchen with a pot of hot soup and was surprised to see the two brothers at a stand off.

"What's going on?" she asked. "You two rarely get a chance to eat together. Come, sit down and have some food."

Ignoring him completely, the young man went straight to his room after hearing Fiona's invitation.

Feeling abandoned, Yin Chang felt like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, and he paced back and forth. Fiona tried her best to give him a meaningful look, but he had nowhere to vent his frustration.

After an awkward dinner, the three of them went their separate ways. Fiona tried to make things less uncomfortable, but the brothers showed no signs of reconciling.

Later that night, Yin Chang went to his bedroom with a scowl on his face, and Shao Junling stayed in the living room, seemingly avoiding him on purpose.

Fiona quietly tried to persuade him to talk to Yin Chang, but Shao Junling ignored her and stubbornly kept his head down.

Late in the night, Shao Junling finally crept back to his room.

Yin Chang had finished washing up and was lounging on the bed in his silk robe. When he saw Shao Junling come back, he put down the iPad he had been holding and narrowed his eyes coldly, "You actually came back to sleep? I thought you were going to sleep in the living room."

Shao Junling hung his head and went to take a shower. When he finished and walked to the door, he saw Yin Chang blocking the way with an angry expression, his arms crossed.

There was no way Yin Chang was going to let him go to sleep without finding out what was wrong.

"What's wrong with you? Did you learn taekwondo and suddenly get a chip on your shoulder? Do you think you're so tough?"

Yin Chang finally had a chance to vent his frustration, and he let it all out.

He even felt like laughing a little because, for a moment earlier that day, he had considered taking Shao Junling with him to that variety show. But that would have been crazy – if they went on TV like this, they'd probably be laughed at by the whole country!

Shao Junling kept his head down and remained silent, but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

Yin Chang sneered, "Do you want to fight me?"

Shao Junling looked up at him with bloodshot eyes filled with rage.

Yin Chang was taken aback, but he wasn't afraid of Shao Junling. This guy had only been learning taekwondo for a few days, he wouldn't be able to beat him, right?

Yin Chang was prepared to use force if he had to, but he didn't expect Shao Junling to burst into tears in front of him.

Yin Chang: "???"

Shao Junling cried harder and harder, shoulders heaving as if he had been tragically wronged.

Yin Chang was completely confused by Shao Junling's unexpected reaction. "Why are you crying!?"

"It's because you ignored me first!" Shao Junling yelled, his voice thick with tears.

Yin Chang: "......"

"When did I ignore you?" Yin Chang asked.

"Always!" Shao Junling yelled and started crying again. "You've always ignored me!"

Yin Chang couldn't keep his temper in the face of Shao Junling's tears.

He thought about when he could've given Shao Junling the impression that he was ignoring him. After thinking for a while, he could only attribute it to being too busy with work lately and not being able to pay attention to this guy. But he didn't mean to ignore him intentionally.

"I..." Yin Chang squatted down, at a loss for what to do, and comforted him, "Stop crying...you look like a spotted cat with your tears all over your face. It's so ugly."

Shao Junling paused, glaring at him in disbelief. He turned his back on him, and cried even harder.

Yin Chang was afraid that Fiona would hear him crying and think he was bullying him. He hugged him, comforting him, "Okay, I won't say anything more! You're not ugly! Don't cry, my little boss!"

Shao Junling sobbed in Yin Chang's arms for a while before finally calming down.

Yin Chang sighed inwardly, "I must have owed this kid in my past life!"

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Lu Lingjuan (suggested), "Hold his head and stroke him like you would a small animal!"

Yin Chang, "???" You're amazing, come on, come here and hold my head, I'll give you this chance.

Lu Lingjuan, "............" QAQ

🍁 Vignette 2

Shao Junling passed the grueling trial and wore his Daoist robes all day, shivering with cold, waiting for his older brother to come home so he could show off and receive praise.

But his brother didn't react at all and ignored him completely.

Shao Junling was so angry that he felt like a puffed-up pufferfish.

After that, Yin Chang was busy with his single, working early and returning late.

Shao Junling was angry for two months and was about to explode!

🍁 Author’s Note: Yin Chang's Single was inspired by Shang Dongfeng's "Boneless, Flowerless, Selfless, and Otherless". Please give it a listen!

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🍁🍁🍁 will love you 5 ever 🍁🍁🍁

The Perfect Relationship Ch 48

  🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 48: The Parent Child Variety Show

Regarding the parent-child variety show, Lu Lingjuan explained to Yin Chang it hadn’t been officially confirmed.

Just as Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Lingjuan said, "But from what Manager Yao said, it seems like she really wants you to take Shao Junling to participate. She said she'll talk to you personally when you go to the company after vacation."

Yin Chang: "..."

Yao Manhuai's eloquence was something Yin Chang had experienced before, and after hearing what Lu Lingjuan said, he felt pressure again.

A few days later, Yin Chang, who had just finished his 15-day vacation, met Yao Manhuai in the general manager's office at New Star Entertainment.

Yao Manhuai stood up and gave him a hug. Yin Chang politely wished her a happy New Year.

"Please sit down," Yao Manhuai pointed to the sofa next to her, then cut to the chase. "I told Xiao Lu about your work arrangement for the next six months. Did she talk to you about it?"

"Yeah, she did. But the parent-child variety show..." Yin Chang decided to be direct, "I don't want to participate in it."

"Why?" Yao Manhuai calmly poured tea for both of them and sat in front of him, "It's a rare opportunity from a top-tier TV station."

If this opportunity fell on Baixiao Zhi and Jia Siqi, they would be overjoyed.

But Yin Chang wasn't like them. He stood at the peak of popularity from the moment he debuted. When he first entered the industry, he might have been a bit naive and accepted Yao Manhuai's arrangements without any scruples, but after a year, he had started to have his own thoughts and opinions about the industry.

For him now, whether a resource was good or bad wasn't the most important thing. The premise had to be that he felt he could accept it.

"Shao Junling's identity is too controversial. I don’t want to bring him onto the show," Yin Chang had already thought about how to refuse before coming. "Plus, he's still in school, and being brought into the spotlight will affect his current life."

But Yin Chang was more worried about the former issue than the latter.

Earlier, Yao Manhuai had leaked proof of Shao Junling's relationship with Yin Dong to the media in order to quell the controversy over Yin Dong's illegitimate child. This misled the public into believing that Shao Junling was not Yin Dong's illegitimate child, which helped maintain Yin Dong's reputation.

But in fact, Shao Junling was indeed Yin Dong's son, and the paternity test hidden in the study cabinet was the best evidence.

Even without evidence, anyone with a discerning eye could see from Shao Junling's appearance. This was clear by the way people looked at him, such as Fiona, Wang Xuan, and those who met him on the night of the New Year's Eve Gala at the television station...

On the other hand, Yin Chang, who was publicly known as Yin Dong's only son, was the actually adopted child.

This sense of guilt from twisting the truth made Yin Chang afraid to face the audience's scrutiny... but this was his own problem, and he didn't want to drag it in front of Yao Manhuai.

Yin Chang continued, "And also, my relationship with Shao Junling is not as good as it seems."

Regarding this concern, it was necessary to mention Yao Manhuai's previous actions. Upon learning that Yin Chang had decided to leave a portion of Yin Dong's estate to Shao Junling, Yao Manhuai bought a series of news releases that exaggerated the situation and portrayed Yin Chang as a selfless and exceptional older brother...

But to Yin Chang, Shao Junling’s inheritance was merely what he deserved. Furthermore, no action had even been taken yet because Shao Junling was too young.

Under Yao Manhuai's packaging, Yin Chang felt like he’d been made out to be the golden standard.

But in his heart, he was merely an ordinary person. He had ups and downs like everyone else. He had his ugly moments – he’d feel despair from Yin Dong's death, regret at being born, unhappy at his nanny's partiality, erupt in anger because of Shao Junling's stubbornness...

Just the thought of going on the variety show made him feel like he had to wear a mask. Disguise himself. That he had to play the role of a perfect older brother in front of Shao Junling. He was very resistant to this.

After listening to his reasons, Yao Manhuai looked up and asked, "Anything else?"

"...That's it," Yin Chang was fully prepared mentally. No matter what reason Yao Manhuai gave to persuade him to participate, he would not accept it.

But unexpectedly, Yao Manhuai smiled and looked at him gently, "Xiao Chang, have you been under a lot of pressure lately?"

Yin Chang: "..."

Yao Manhuai put down her cup and sighed, "This is a very good opportunity. I think it's a shame to give it up. But if you don't want to participate in it, you don't have to. With your current popularity, you don't need to worry about jumping on every opportunity."

Yin Chang didn't react for a moment... Did Yao Manhuai just agree?

Yao Manhuai said, "But regarding those points you mentioned, I have some thoughts. If you want to hear them, you can listen. But no need to overthink if you disagree."

Now that Yin Chang knew he didn't have to take Shao Junling on the show, he wasn't as nervous as he was when he first came in.

He picked up his tea and took a sip. "Go ahead," he said. He also wanted to hear Yao Manhuai's unique insights.

Seeing Yin Chang relax, Yao Manhuai slowly said, "What you just said are all points that are not in favor of you and Shao Junling. But have you thought about the benefits that going on this show can bring you? First of all, you, Xiao Chang, are different from the celebrities who lack character. I've always emphasized that you're a very charming person, and I believe in my ability to judge people. Not just me, but Lu Lingjuan also feels the same way. She must have told you, right? On this kind of reality show, you don't have to work hard to please the audience, you just need to show your true self and the audience will naturally fall in love with you, and give you a continuous stream of popularity..."

Yin Chang frowned. Perhaps his popularity came too fast and easy that he hadn't felt anything.

Yao Manhuai continued, "As for Shao Junling, have you asked him if he wants to participate in this show?"

Yin Chang said, "He's still a kid. What does he know?"

Yao Manhuai smiled lightly, "He may not fully understand, but I feel that children have the right to express their thoughts. Think about it, if a few years ago, instead of leaving you alone abroad every time he went out to work, if Yin Dong asked if you wanted to go with him, even if it meant enduring hardship and criticism, how would you have felt?"

Yin Chang: "..." If Yin Dong had been willing to take him, he would have been ecstatic. Never mind the hardship and criticism, as long as he could be with his dad, he wouldn't mind.

Yao Manhuai continued, "I think Shao Junling would also be happy if you asked for his opinion. You're his only relative now, and going on the show with you will not only give him more opportunities to spend time with you, but also allow him to gain some experience. He'll see many behind-the-scenes staff, experience the environment you usually work in, and make friends with some peers on the show. And not just him, you can also learn how to get along better with Shao Junling from these other siblings."

Yin Chang: "..."

"And do you know how much money you and Shao Junling can make from participating in this variety show?" Yao Manhuai paused for a moment and then delivered another blow, "Starry Stage has offered you and Shao Junling a price of 15 million yuan, which is comparable to what a top variety show star might make...I know you don't care much about money since Yin Dong left you a lot of property and you've also earned a lot in the past six months. But what about Shao Junling? His background is completely different from yours. Ask him if he's willing to go with you to record the show this summer for 5 million yuan..."

Yin Chang: "!!!"

Thinking of the neatly stacked ten yuan bills under Shao Junling's pillow, Yin Chang thought to himself, "Uh-oh," this kid would definitely agree immediately!

Yao Manhuai took a sip of water and continued, "Speaking of the controversy you mentioned earlier, I don't deny that Shao Junling's current identity is more controversial than yours. But he is still your father's son. Your identity and Yin Dong's identity and the subsequent fame will attract all kinds of criticism, which is something Shao Junling needs to learn to face... by protecting him like this, do those controversies would disappear? No, they would lurk in the shadows waiting to be exposed. Avoidance is never the solution to controversy, the best way is to face it. The audience has no evidence, what can they do to you? People always yearn for positive emotions, as long as you brothers stand in front of everyone, love and support each other openly, the audience will feel the positive energy, and they will pay more attention to you as individuals. Those rumors about your background will slowly fade away and no longer be a hot topic."

Yin Chang remained silent.

"And I also think that children need some setbacks to learn from. They need to hear both good and bad things, and learn to accept them with a peaceful mindset. I disagree with your father's approach of protecting you like a hothouse flower in the past. If he had brought you out earlier, you would have understood his work better, what he faces every day, and your relationship with him might have been better too."

At this point, Yin Chang was speechless. He had thought he had enough reasons and righteousness before coming here, but in front of Yao Manhuai's words, he felt helpless and defeated.

Yao Manhuai smiled, "Alright, I've said what I wanted to say. The producer of Starlight TV, Ms. Xu, and I have some private connections. I agreed to take on this variety show for you because I trust her ability and character. I know that if you and your brother go on her show, the word-of-mouth will definitely be positive. But I won't make the decision for you, you can go back and think about it. If you still don't want to go, I'll help you find an excuse."

"Okay..." Yin Chang left Yao Manhuai's office like a defeated fox with his head down.

Yao Manhuai watched Yin Chang's departing back and sighed helplessly. Memories of the day when Shao Junling left home came to her mind, the scene where Yin Chang found him under the street lamp and hugged him...

The warm feeling, the power to capture hearts, was something she had never felt even after watching so many parent-child shows.

For the past half year, she had more or less known about Yin Chang's efforts for Shao Junling. If these two brothers were on a show together, they had the potential to make huge waves... Why did he lack so much confidence in himself?

🍁

During spring break, the backlog of work made Yin Chang busy for more than ten days after returning to work. He left the house at seven in the morning and didn't come back until midnight.

One day, he happened to come home early. As he approached the entrance of the neighborhood, he saw the car hired to pick up and drop off Shao Junling. The driver dropped Shao Junling off at the entrance of the neighborhood. The little guy walked with a limp and didn't run and jump like he usually did.

Yin Chang frowned. He recalled that Shao Junling had started attending a trial class at the taekwondo gym.

After parking the car and going upstairs, Yin Chang saw Shao Junling sitting at the dining table, holding a large bowl of noodles and wolfing it down. His head was almost buried in the bowl.

"Oh? You came back early today!" Fiona saw Yin Chang and said happily. "Junling just got here, do you want some noodles? I'll make you a bowl too."

"No, I already ate," Yin Chang said. He had eaten at the hotel with the cooperation partner. He put down the car keys and sat down next to Shao Junling.

The little guy raised his head wearily and glanced at him, his mouth still stuffed with noodles, and his small face red.

"Eat slowly..." Yin Chang couldn't help but laugh at his silly appearance, "Is learning taekwondo fun?"

Shao Junling finally managed to swallow the noodles and say dejectedly, "Not fun."

Yin Chang smiled faintly, "Can you handle it?"

Shao Junling took a sip of the noodle soup and remained silent.

Yin Chang felt a little sorry for him, "If you can't handle it, you don't need to force yourself."

Unexpectedly, when Shao Junling heard this, he slammed his bowl on the table in a fit and glared at him, "I want to learn!"

Yin Chang: "......"

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Yin Chang (feeling distressed): Don't force yourself to learn taekwondo.

Shao Junling: I'll learn it no matter how hard it is, for the sake of growing taller! o(￣ヘ￣o)

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