Chapter Two: Overture to the Concert, Part 2

“Over here! Jingyan, hurry up!”
“Zaiyan, I’m here! Come this way!”
Most of the concertgoers had already entered, and the atmosphere was growing crowded and lively.

“I can’t believe every seat is filled—it looks so packed!” Zhao Jingyan was pulled to her seat by her good friend Han Mina. Gazing at the sea of people in the venue, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth, her face full of astonishment.

“There must be over sixty thousand people here! For A-Zhe’s first world tour to start with such a bang is incredible!” Han Mina glanced around at the packed audience, marveling aloud, then handed her homemade cheering glow board to her dear friend Zhao Jingyan.

“It’s only natural there are so many people—it’s his debut concert, after all. This is a moment worth witnessing!” After accepting the glow board and tucking it away, Zhao Jingyan wrapped her arm around Mina and looked eagerly toward the stage, anticipation shining in her eyes.

“Exactly! It’s such a special moment. I even flew here from Huaguo just to experience this in person!” Overhearing their conversation, the girl sitting beside them suddenly spoke up in somewhat halting Korean.

“Wait… You flew here from Huaguo? Are you, like A-Zhe, from Huaguo too?” Mina frowned slightly at the girl’s awkward Korean, but then seemed to realize something and asked in surprise.

“That’s right, my name is Lin Yiru. I’m from Huaguo, just like A-Zhe! But how did you guess?” Lin Yiru looked at Mina with a trace of surprise, curiosity lighting her face as she sized her up.

“Well, your Korean isn’t very fluent, and you mentioned flying in from Huaguo. So I just took a wild guess.” Catching Lin Yiru’s curious gaze, Han Mina gave a polite, slightly awkward smile. Inwardly, she thought, “With Korean at that level, it’s obvious you’re not from here, and since you came by plane from Huaguo, there’s really only one possibility—I didn’t even have to guess.”

Meanwhile, backstage, Chen Zhe’s invited guests—old friends all—had also gathered.

“A-Zhe, how are you feeling now? Are you nervous?” Park Chorong, seeing Chen Zhe staring blankly into space, gave his shoulder a gentle push. Her distinctive sweet voice carried a note of concern.

“No, Chorong noona, I was just lost in thought. Nervous? Not really! I’ve participated in plenty of concerts before. I was even a guest at most of yours—so I’m actually very experienced!” Snapped out of his reverie by Chorong’s voice, Chen Zhe turned to meet her worried gaze, his tone gentle and tinged with a smile.

“That’s true—you’re a real veteran now, having been in so many concerts!” Hearing his words, Chorong’s worried frown eased, and she patted him affectionately on the head, as if comforting a younger sibling.

“But, A-Zhe, have you decided on your intermission act yet? The program list still has that slot blank.” Having finished her makeup, Jung Eunji was idly flipping through the performance rundown when she noticed the “Surprise Intermission” slot was still empty—no song or performer listed.

“Hehe, it’s all decided! You’re in for a huge surprise!” Thinking of the bold plan he and his close friends had concocted, Chen Zhe couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face. It was a daring idea, though one of the group had started to get cold feet and needed the others to bolster his courage.

“A surprise? What kind of act are you planning?” The moment she heard “surprise,” Yoon Bomi, sitting beside him, was instantly intrigued. She threw her arm around his shoulders, her face alight with curiosity.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore! Surprises have to be kept secret.” Draped over his shoulder, Chen Zhe pulled a mischievous face and arched his brows playfully at her.

“How dare you keep secrets from your noonas! I think you need a little lesson.” Seeing his cheeky expression, Jung Eunji played along, looping her arms around his neck in mock threat, as if she’d choke the secret out of him.

“Noona, you may overpower me physically, but my spirit will never yield!” Clutched in Eunji’s grip, Chen Zhe put on a look of tragic defiance, as though a virtuous man was being tormented by villains.

“Who wants you to yield physically!” With her teammates casting odd glances their way at Chen Zhe’s words, Jung Eunji was instantly mortified, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him furiously.

“Noona, at this rate, you really will make my body surrender!” Shaken so hard he was dizzy, Chen Zhe’s words emerged in a slur, but he simply couldn’t resist egging her on further.

Watching the two of them bicker and play, Park Chorong could only shake her head with a wry smile. She understood why they were doing this—it was all just to help Chen Zhe relax before his first solo concert.

Elsewhere backstage, in another lounge, Chen Zhe’s so-called “brothers” and the group’s resident clown were gathered. Even Zhou Jing, who’d just gone to fetch drinks, was there.

“Xiao Yu, I’m not lying—have a drink to steady your nerves, it really works.” Zhou Jing picked up a beer from the table, weighed it in his hand, opened it, and placed it in front of Xu Yu with a broad smile.

“Uncle, are you sure? How much do I need to drink to feel brave?” Xu Yu eyed Zhou Jing’s smiling face with a hint of apprehension, as if he were being eyed by a predator. Forcibly shifting his focus to the beer, he asked with evident mistrust.

“Of course I wouldn’t trick you. But as for how much you need… that’s a tough call.” Zhou Jing paused, realizing he actually had no idea where Xu Yu’s limits lay. If he overestimated and Xu Yu got completely drunk, their performance would be in jeopardy.

“Oh, come on, stop overthinking it. Just drink until you feel ready!” Seeing Zhou Jing lose steam, Lin Yuzhe stroked his chin and decided it was time for him, the expert at dealing with Xu Yu, to step in. He’d get him started; how much he drank after that wasn’t his concern. With that, he let a sly smile slip onto his face, which he quickly hid.

“That’s right—Yuzhe is spot on. Just drink, Ah Yu!” Always the one to stir the pot, Ju Guangyu eagerly chimed in.

“Exactly, just drink until you’re in the zone.” The oldest among them, Bai Fan, should have objected, but he was secretly curious to see what Xu Yu would be like drunk. In the past, Chen Zhe would always step in to shield him, but with Chen Zhe busy, there was no escape this time. The corners of Bai Fan’s mouth lifted in anticipation.

“Well, since even Fan-ge says so, I’ll do it!” With the air of a martyr, Xu Yu picked up the beer, hesitated, then steeled himself and drank it down in one go.

“Let’s bet on how much this clown can drink, shall we?” Meanwhile, Yi Ziyuan, who’d been watching the show, nudged Li Zhuxian beside him with his elbow, signaling with a glance.

“Not interested. I’d rather wait till he’s drunk and trick him into posting his drafts online.” Li Zhuxian lounged back with arms crossed, looking utterly unimpressed.

“Drafts? Oh, I remember now—you mean that novel he’s writing, where he’s the male lead and Sunny is the heroine.” Yi Ziyuan paused, then recalled what Xu Yu had said about his writing, suddenly enlightened.

“That’s the one. He’s always flaunting how much he’s written, yet keeps teasing that he won’t publish it—just releasing one chapter at a time for fun.” Remembering Xu Yu’s smug antics, Li Zhuxian’s arms tightened across his chest and he spoke through gritted teeth.