vstars Chapter 446 Two Stubborn Fools
Chapter 446 Two Stubborn Fools
The production team made an exception and allowed them to use a spare meeting room.
After his father sat down, he pushed the envelope in front of Cheng Yu'an: "Open it and take a look."
Inside the envelope was a yellowed admission letter—Southern Conservatory of Music, Department of Popular Music. Cheng Yu'an's name was clearly visible, and the date was five years ago.
"This is..."
“I didn’t let you go back then,” the father’s voice was hoarse, “because I thought studying music was a dead-end career.”
His rough fingers traced the notification letter. "I later found out you secretly went to take the exam..."
Cheng Yu'an's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
That happened the year he graduated from high school. He secretly applied to a music academy, but his father tore the acceptance letter to shreds after he received it.
That was the beginning of the breakdown of their relationship.
“I found these while sorting through your mother’s belongings,” the father continued. “She kept these all along…” He then took out a small tin box containing photos and clippings of Cheng Yu’an’s participation in arts performances from childhood to adulthood, each one carefully preserved.
Cheng Yu'an's hands trembled slightly.
Three years after his mother's death, he thought his family never cared about his dreams.
“I came here this time,” the father took a deep breath, “to tell you that no matter what the outcome of the finals is, I…” He paused, as if overcoming some great obstacle, “I am proud of you.”
These words shattered all of Cheng Yu'an's defenses.
He lowered his head, tears falling onto the photograph.
The father hesitated before reaching out and finally gently patting his shoulder, as if handling a fragile treasure.
After seeing his father off, Cheng Yu'an sat alone in the conference room for a long time.
When he returned to the training room, it was already late at night, and most of the trainees had already left.
Only the innermost room had its lights on, and the faint sound of a piano could be heard from within.
Cheng Yu'an gently pushed open the door and was stunned—Lin Xiu was sitting in front of the piano, his slender fingers moving smoothly across the black and white keys, playing a beautiful melody that he had never heard before.
Even more surprisingly, Lin Xiu was singing, his voice so gentle it was completely different from his usual self.
When the lights went out and the applause faded, only my reflection in the mirror remained...
Lin Xiu suddenly noticed the commotion, slammed the piano lid shut, and turned around with a look of panic on his face that Cheng Yu'an had never seen before.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Cheng Yu'an stood awkwardly at the door.
Lin Xiu quickly regained his composure: "Come in, and close the door."
Cheng Yu'an walked in and found a notebook filled with musical notes and lyrics on the piano.
"Did you write this song?" he couldn't help but ask.
Lin Xiu was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "I'll write occasionally."
"That's fantastic..." Cheng Yu'an exclaimed sincerely, "I never knew you could compose."
“There are many things you don’t know,” Lin Xiu said softly, his tone lacking its usual sharpness.
He flipped to a page in his notebook. "This song, 'Crossroads,' is my favorite."
Looking at the densely packed musical notes and traces of modification, Cheng Yu'an suddenly realized that Lin Xiu's world was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
"Why not showcase these on stage?"
Lin Xiu's expression darkened: "His former company believed that idols didn't need to create anything, they just needed to perfectly execute the persona they assigned them."
He gave a cold laugh. "So I left."
This was the first time Lin Xiu had talked about the past.
Cheng Yu'an asked cautiously, "Do you regret it?"
“No.” Lin Xiu looked up, his eyes resolute. “But sometimes I wonder, if one day I’m no longer the ‘perfect idol Lin Xiu,’ will anyone still like the real me?”
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, and a summer downpour began.
The sound of rain filled the silence between the two.
Cheng Yu'an, emboldened by some unknown source, sat down next to Lin Xiu: "I like it."
Lin Xiu turned to look at him, his eyes flashing with a complex light.
“Not Lin Xiu as an idol,” Cheng Yu’an continued, “but you, the one who helped me with special training, took me to the rooftop, and spoke up for me during the live stream.”
The rain grew louder, tapping against the windows of the training room.
Lin Xiu lowered his head, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his face: "Cheng Yu'an, I have a secret."
Cheng Yu'an held her breath.
"I'm participating in this show... not to debut," Lin Xiu's voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the rain, "but to prove to my former company that I can succeed without them."
A flash of lightning illuminated Lin Xiu's moist eyes.
This was the first time Cheng Yu'an had seen the vulnerable side of this idol who was always perfect.
“But now…” Lin Xiu looked up, raindrops casting tear-like streaks on his face as they streamed down his cheeks through the window. “I’m not sure what I want anymore.”
Cheng Yu'an didn't know how to respond, so she simply held Lin Xiu's hand gently.
A page of the sheet music on the piano was blown up by the wind, revealing the title "To the Person Who Taught Me Truth".
The torrential rain continued all night, and the two chatted in the training room until dawn.
Lin Xiu recounted his experience of being discovered by a talent scout at the age of ten, becoming a top trainee in JYP China at the age of fifteen, but being sidelined on the eve of his debut because he refused the company's "fake CP" marketing.
Cheng Yu-an shared his hardships of leaving home after his mother's death and going on to various talent shows.
“We really are…” Lin Xiu looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky, “two stubborn fools.”
Cheng Yu'an smiled: "But at least now it's not just one person being stubborn."
In the days that followed, the two developed a tacit understanding of competition and cooperation.
During the day, they each led their teams to prepare for the final performance before the finals; late at night, they would exchange ideas in that small training room, and Lin Xiu even began to teach Yu An basic composition knowledge.
“Your melody is too straightforward,” Lin Xiu frowned as he listened to Cheng Yu’an’s first attempt at composition. “It needs to have ups and downs, like telling a story.”
Cheng Yu'an snatched the notebook away defiantly: "Then you demonstrate!"
Lin Xiu took the pen, quickly wrote down a few notes on the paper, and then hummed softly.
The simple melody came alive in his mouth, and Cheng Yu'an had to admit that this guy was indeed a genius.
A week before the final, Cheng Yu'an was called to the producer's office.
The atmosphere in the room was heavy, with several documents spread out in front of PD Xu.
"Something's happened." PD Xu pushed a tablet computer over.
The screen displayed an entertainment news headline: "Breaking News! Popular trainee Lin Xiu embroiled in contract dispute, JYP China demands 10 million yuan in damages for breach of contract."
The article states that Lin Xiu's contract with his former company has not yet been terminated, and his unauthorized participation in the competition constitutes a breach of contract. JYP demands that the program team immediately disqualify him from the competition.
Cheng Yu'an's hands trembled involuntarily: "Will this...affect Lin Xiu's competition?"
"The legal department is handling it," PD Seo said seriously, "but the public pressure is immense. JYP has threatened to sue the production team if we don't cooperate."