Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 29.1

The Weibo posts from several guests were like stones thrown into a lake one after another. Although none of them were major superstars and their influence was limited, the information they revealed was so unexpected that it quickly rippled out, forming a massive whirlpool.

The gossip-loving netizens were stunned.

“What? Ye Huai can actually cook? Is it just a staged photo op?”

“You’ve got to be kidding. How could Ye Huai know how to cook? Didn’t he say he does absolutely nothing at home?”

“I think it’s possible. Knowing how to do something and liking to do it are two different things, right? Wasn’t that one Best Actor who took his kid on a variety show also a master chef?”

“This is the first time Ye Huai, Yuan Xingzhou, and Yuan Cheng have recorded a show together in four years. Netizens are so dramatic, insisting they don’t get along. If they didn’t, would they record a show together? Looking forward to the broadcast @IdolRomanceSeason.”

“I get to see the three of them on the same stage in my lifetime! So excited! @IdolRomanceSeason”

“Huai-Zhou fans say they’ve already topped up their memberships! @IdolRomanceSeason Is it airing this week or next? Please don’t stand us up!”

“Super excited! Last week’s preview wasn’t released. Which day exactly is it airing??? @IdolRomanceSeason.”

“Ye Huai knowing how to cook has already shocked my mother. Also, what does that ‘PYH’ (Pan Yunhai) mean? Is Yuan Xingzhou going to release an original song too?”

“Zhou-zhou used to improvise a lot. He was the only one in the group who understood instruments.”

“Not a Yuan Cheng fan, but why do I feel like Yuan Xingzhou’s water army (paid bots) is over the limit? Our Yuan Cheng is about to release his third album. Former teammates, please don’t step on him to boost your own heat. On October 12, gossip-loving passersby, please pay attention to the handsome guy’s new song CRAZY.”

“Zhou-zhou and Yuan Cheng are good teammates and good brothers. Their relationship has always been great, the kind where they can joke around with each other. Everyone is welcome to follow original singer Yuan Cheng’s new song CRAZY, releasing at 8:00 AM on October 12!”

“Get out of here with that ‘good brothers’ crap. As a former group fan, I can say it’s all plastic friendship in that group. I’m actually looking forward to the three of them subtly snubbing each other. When does it air? @IdolRomanceSeason”

Idol Romance Season was originally scheduled to air every Saturday at 9:00 PM. Currently, only one episode had aired, and the ratings weren’t great. Previously, someone leaked that if the next episode didn’t pick up, it might be pushed to a Friday midnight slot to make room for another wilderness survival variety show.

Now, public attention had suddenly spiked. Some wanted to verify if Ye Huai truly cooked, some wanted to see the three on stage, and others were waiting for “dog food” (displays of affection). Various factions were urging the official Weibo to post an announcement, which actually pushed Idol Romance Season into the middle rankings of the hot search list.

By the time Yuan Xingzhou returned home and managed to track down Yin Fei’s WeChat, the official Weibo finally released a notice. They announced that the episode featuring Ye Huai and Yuan Xingzhou would air on October 10, Saturday at 9:00 PM.

The show airing on the 10th happened to perfectly build hype for Yuan Cheng’s new song. Yuan Xingzhou knew his “goodnight song” definitely wouldn’t be included in the broadcast.

Actually, it was just as well. Yuan Cheng’s manager was very skilled at hype and marketing, whereas Li Yu was a completely different type. If Cheng-fans were to turn black into white and publicize things aggressively, people might even end up thinking he was the shameless one.

Regardless, with Yin Fei’s Weibo and the other guests’ reposts, everyone already knew about Ye Huai cooking. At least Ye Huai’s footage wouldn’t be cut.

Yuan Xingzhou added Yin Fei on WeChat. He had originally wanted to remind her to delete the Weibo post, but now he didn’t know how to bring it up.

“I’m so stupid, I forgot to switch accounts.” Seeing Yuan Xingzhou take the initiative to add her, Yin Fei called him excitedly. After shouting for a long time, she finally said, “I thought you didn’t want to add me, Brother Yuan, so I was too embarrassed to mention it.”

Yuan Xingzhou put her on speakerphone and set it aside, smiling while he changed clothes. “How could that be? Do I look that hard to get along with?”

“No, no! You look especially easy to get along with—the soft type that makes people feel protective,” Yin Fei chirped. “But I was afraid Brother Huai wouldn’t agree. You don’t know, when I went out with you that first day, the look Brother Huai gave me when we got back… he nearly turned me into a sieve with his eyes… Hahahaha…”

“Hardly,” Yuan Xingzhou laughed. “He didn’t mean it that way.”

“How could he not! You’re too easily embarrassed,” Yin Fei said. “The next day when you went up the mountain in my place, Brother Huai even yelled at me. I was almost scared to tears…”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“Later, when Sister Li Yi saw him going up the mountain to bring you clothes, she reminded me that he was just feeling distressed for his ‘wife,’ woohoo,” Yin Fei said. “That day was just incredible—both heartbreaking and satisfying. It’s all Yuan Cheng’s fault, that calculating bitch. Everyone thought you two were fake, but then we found out it’s more real than real.”

Yuan Xingzhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He thought, But we are fake. However, in the entertainment circle, right and wrong were often blurred; it didn’t matter what others guessed, but he couldn’t rashly admit the truth.

Fortunately, Yin Fei didn’t chat for too long. She was still packing her bags, waiting for the crew’s car. After they agreed to meet up again later, Yuan Xingzhou hung up, took his dirty clothes to the wash, and tidied up the house.

After Ye Huai returned, he went to catch up on sleep. He didn’t even close the door, lying spread-eagle on the bed. Yuan Xingzhou was a bit puzzled; while recording the show, Ye Huai clearly woke up early every day, yet after coming back, he acted as if he hadn’t slept for days.

He had originally thought about washing Ye Huai’s clothes together with his, but now he didn’t want to disturb him. He quietly closed the door for him and then wiped down the small apartment where no one had lived for a few days. After cleaning the furniture and floors, he took the sofa covers and dining chair cushions to wash and dried them in the dryer.

In the evening, Ye Huai’s extra-long nap finally ended. Upon pushing the door open, he smelled the fresh scent of fabric softener in the air.

The house was spotlessly clean, with everything from the floor to the furniture dust-free.

Yuan Xingzhou had just showered. With a towel draped over his head, he sat cross-legged on the sofa browsing Weibo.

“What are you doing?” Ye Huai leaned against the doorway, glancing at him lazily.

“Browsing Weibo. Pan Yunhai added me; he asked if I want to make music together,” Yuan Xingzhou said, finding it hard to believe. “I didn’t even know he was into music. Do you know him?”

Ye Huai: “No.”

Pan Yunhai’s repost had been the one that touched Yuan Xingzhou the most. That unnamed improvised piece was a delicate, gentle emotion—like rain and mist, not suited for clamor. Yuan Cheng’s new song, however, was just like its title: a crazy vent.

Yuan Xingzhou had never paid attention to this male guest with the lowest presence, but when he saw that repost, he strangely felt a sense of finding a kindred spirit. Being understood in one’s expression was a very happy thing.

However, although Pan Yunhai had expressed himself subtly, he hadn’t directly mentioned Yuan Cheng’s name. But Yuan Cheng’s fans had already sniffed out a signal. While Yuan Xingzhou was cleaning in the afternoon, Cheng-fans started mocking Pan Yunhai, calling him a “loser” pretending to be a musician to suck up to Ma Yin.

They even took a segment of Pan Yunhai’s self-introduction from last week’s behind-the-scenes footage for “deep analysis,” claiming that when he talked about his travel experiences, his pronunciation of country and place names was wrong—an attempt to act cool that backfired.

Yuan Xingzhou didn’t know if this was a hint from Yuan Cheng’s team or the fans’ intuition, but Pan Yunhai was effectively being dragged down because of him. So, he switched to his main account and sent a private message to Pan Yunhai to apologize.

Pan Yunhai didn’t think it was a big deal. Instead, he added Yuan Xingzhou on WeChat and asked if he was interested in releasing an album.

“I feel like my ‘talents’ have run dry. Though I didn’t have much to begin with…” Yuan Xingzhou pressed his phone to send a voice message to Pan Yunhai, laughing sheepishly. “I only did some improvisations before, but they were all immature…”

“You’re too modest,” Pan Yunhai replied via voice message. “Of course, I didn’t plan on using only your own songs.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Pan Yunhai laughed. “After going back yesterday, I watched your old performance videos and feel it’s worth a try. The producer will choose from a copyright library based on your image and temperament, or invite famous creators to write songs for you. You just need to come and sing. Your timbre and vocal style are very similar to ‘God D.’ Have you ever deliberately imitated him?”

“I have. I mostly sang his songs when I first started.” Yuan Xingzhou was shocked. “God D” was a niche singer; Pan Yunhai could even hear that?

Ye Huai was holding a bath towel, preparing to shower. As he passed the sofa, he lowered his head and took a light sniff near the back of the sofa.

Yuan Xingzhou felt an itch on the back of his neck and looked back in confusion. He saw Ye Huai step over the back of the sofa with his long legs and sit down right beside him, signaling to listen to the voice messages together.

“Your vocal range is broad and indeed somewhat similar to his, but your most comfortable register is in e1−e2; that part is different. Also, his style is sexy and lazy, whereas your performance…” Pan Yunhai paused and said bluntly, “Your performance is very ‘green’… Um, if I may ask, you should have had a sex life, right?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “!!!”

Yuan Xingzhou hadn’t expected Pan Yunhai to suddenly ask this. His face turned red instantly, and he shrank back in embarrassment.

“If you channel that kind of crazy, intoxicated feeling, it’ll have the scent of hormones,” Pan Yunhai said. “Of course, I’m not suggesting you imitate him. A very attractive point about you is that your timbre is very special—it can be both pure and seductive. Do you understand? If you’re interested, just contact President Deng directly and let him talk to you.”

Pan Yunhai stopped the voice message and pushed a business card over.

“Deng Bass, the boss of Bass Records.” Ye Huai glanced at it and said with surprise, “Not bad. This works.”

Yuan Xingzhou hadn’t expected it either. Bass Records was a label that had suddenly become popular in recent years. While it couldn’t compare to international labels like Universal or Sony, its competitiveness in the domestic market was strong, and the treatment for its signed singers was very good.

“Do… do I want to try?” Yuan Xingzhou was stunned.

Release an album? A person who could only get ten-something seconds in a group actually had a chance to release an album? Could he do it?

“Eh? You want to try?” Ye Huai turned his face to look at him and asked with mock solemnity, “How do you ‘try’ a sex life?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Flushed red to the point of feeling like he might explode, Yuan Xingzhou could only grab a throw pillow and pounce on Ye Huai aggressively. Ye Huai laughed out loud as he was tackled onto the sofa.

Yuan Xingzhou smothered Ye Huai’s face with the pillow, listening to him muffled-shouting underneath.

“Are you trying to silence me?” Ye Huai laughed until his chest vibrated, asking indistinctly from under the pillow, “Have you ever had one? Tsk, if you have, wouldn’t that be a ‘hammer’ (proof) of cheating within the marriage?”

“Shut up!” Yuan Xingzhou was fuming with embarrassment. He wanted to block the man’s mouth but didn’t dare to actually suffocate him, so he could only roar with restrained force, “I’ve cheated plenty of times! You can’t even count all the green hats on your head!”

Ye Huai: “So you’re going to murder your dear husband? Your dear husband isn’t ‘incapable’! Why be so cruel!”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“Okay, okay.” Ye Huai turned his face away and clutched his stomach, laughing for a long time before he started begging for mercy. “I won’t tease you anymore.”

Yuan Xingzhou petulantly took the pillow away, kneeling on the sofa and looking down at him from above. However, his entire body was like a boiled shrimp, red from his face down to his neck.

“Fortunately, this sofa is wide enough.” Ye Huai glanced at him and then turned away, lying there groaning as he caught his breath. “Actually, I think you could consider it. There’s no harm in trying.”

Yuan Xingzhou eyed him warily, ready to smother him with the pillow again at any moment.

“You sing very well.” Ye Huai turned his head back, his eyes full of a smile as he said to him, “Exceptionally well. I like it very much.”

Yuan Xingzhou hadn’t expected the sudden praise. He froze for a moment before giving an “oh,” sitting back down awkwardly with a red face.

However, whether to actually try was a difficult decision to make.

Over the next few days, Yuan Xingzhou consulted several close friends but remained undecisive.

As for composing, the music theory knowledge he had learned definitely wasn’t enough. His so-called “improvised creations” were just a natural flow of emotion. Such a state was far from enough for releasing an album. But if he were to buy songs from others, he felt it wasn’t necessary. After all, if he wanted to make money and become famous, acting was already enough.

His current status was actually better than that of an average singer. When there was a script, he would act; when there wasn’t, he lived as he did now—with more free time. He would go out for classes every day to practice lines or go to the company to work out and maintain his figure.

But to truly refuse, Yuan Xingzhou felt it was indeed a bit of a pity.

If this opportunity had appeared four years ago, he would have accepted it without hesitation, even if he had to go through fire and water. If it were four years from now, he would definitely refuse. A person in their thirties—those who should have succeeded already have, and those whose dreams couldn’t come true have already woken up. He wouldn’t harbor a shred of wishful thinking.

“I would suggest you give it a try. You’re very charming when you sing; you can move people. Even without vocal skill or technique, you are very infectious.” While working out, Zhu Yueming saw his message and called him, saying with a laugh, “I don’t know much about music, but I remember Jonathan Lee once said that in this industry, the people at the top are born for it.”

“I remember. The second half of his sentence was: ‘You don’t have to look for him to see him, because he is bound to be bright enough.'” Yuan Xingzhou stepped off the treadmill, panting and saying wistfully, “But I’m not bright. Sigh, I’ve already hung around in this industry and didn’t make a name for myself.”

“Are you talking about the old group?” Zhu Yueming laughed. “A group and an individual are still different, right? There’s also a difference between an idol and a singer. Not saying one is higher or better, but the groups they attract are different.”

Yuan Xingzhou continued to struggle, walking back and forth in the gym while aimlessly wiping his face with a towel.

Most of the people he knew in the circle were just nodding acquaintances—it hadn’t reached the point of consulting them on life’s direction. So, after asking around, most were friends from real life. And Zhu Yueming was considered a successful person in his circle of friends, plus Yuan Xingzhou had always admired this class president.

Zhu Yueming’s voice carried a kind of persuasiveness and felt very reliable.

“Furthermore, an album is a commercial activity,” Zhu Yueming continued. “If you’re considering this, you might as well look at the company and the contract first. Your current management contract is with Huayu. If that side is interested in you, what about the album and performance contracts? If they can negotiate well, then consider the contract duration, the investment they can give you, the space they offer, as well as the subsequent profit distribution and copyright ownership.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“If all these can lead to a satisfactory choice,” Zhu Yueming smiled, “then why not agree? Just treat it as a dream-fulfilling opportunity given to you by heaven.”

“Then what if, after I sing, the response isn’t good?” Yuan Xingzhou asked.

“If it’s not good, then it bombs,” Zhu Yueming said. “You can still go on acting; it won’t damage your image. Making or losing money is the company’s concern. If they choose you, they have their reasons for doing so.”