FIG CHAPTER 25

The promotional period for Shake had already ended. The work that followed mainly involved recording variety shows, performing at evening galas, and attending fan signings.

Fan meetings like this, where idols could chat one-on-one with each fan, were usually small in scale. Most of the fans who managed to get a spot had purchased at least 180 copies of the EP. The competition was fierce.

Before going on stage, Pei Qiao reminded Fu Rong and Zhu Lianzhen, “Don’t give the fans attitude. They’re here to spend money to support you, not to pay off some debt.”

Zhu Lianzhen protested his innocence. He just liked acting cool and wasn’t good at sweet-talking girls, but he had never neglected a fan. How could he be compared to someone like Fu Rong, who basically hated fans?

The atmosphere at the venue was lively. After the performances and interviews concluded, the signing session officially began.

Zhu Lianzhen kept Pei Qiao’s words firmly in mind and did his best to keep a smile on his face. Unfortunately, he hadn’t even signed for five people when half his face started to cramp. He tilted his head and glanced at Tan Qing, who seemed to be effortlessly chatting with fans.

He really should’ve learned how to maintain a professional fake smile from him in advance…

Just as he zoned out for a few seconds, Zhu Lianzhen suddenly felt a chill on his cheek. He blinked, and a figure flashed past him. Staff members followed close behind, giving chase.

Zhu Lianzhen froze in his seat. Tan Qing turned and asked, “What happened?”

It seemed like… someone had pinched his face? Zhu Lianzhen didn’t dare say it out loud. There were still countless eyes on them from below the stage. If he reacted too strongly, it would worry the other fans.

Despite the already strict on-site management, it still wasn’t enough to prevent all instances of overzealous fans making physical contact. They could only rely on the quick instincts of the security personnel.

Zhu Lianzhen snapped back into focus and immediately returned to full-on fanservice mode.

While signing his name, Tan Qing looked up and asked the next fan, “Why do you all like to wear masks to cover your faces? Are you shy?”

The girl gave a bashful smile. “I’m afraid I’d look ugly to you guys.”

After speaking, she hesitated for a moment, probably feeling the opportunity was too rare, and pulled down her mask to meet her idol’s gaze. Tan Qing said sincerely, “You look great. You should have more confidence in yourself.”

In the second half of the fansign event, many fans dressed in outlandish costumes came up to the stage one after another. It was common for people to cosplay as anime or movie characters to get their attention, or wear mascot costumes to amuse them.

This time, when Zhu Lianzhen looked up, a large part of his view was blocked by a white wedding dress.

“Ah, you’re…” Zhu Lianzhen recognized the girl standing in front of him. She was the head of a well-known fansite. Ever since Acemon’s debut, she had attended nearly every important event, always cheering from the front row. Over the years, she had taken countless viral photos of them. She was practically a magnet for attracting new fans.

Especially during the two years of his solo career, Zhu Lianzhen ran into her almost every time at the airport. Sometimes, even at commercial events, if he glanced toward the front row, she would be there. Always supporting. Always present.

Before she could speak, Zhu Lianzhen smiled and asked, “Are you getting married?”

The girl had quietly shed a few tears offstage earlier and had finally managed to pull herself together. Now, hearing him initiate the greeting, her eyes instantly welled up again. She forced a smile and nodded hard, quickly wiped away the tears clinging to her lashes, and beamed at Zhu Lianzhen. “I have someone I like more now, so starting tomorrow, I won’t be following you guys anymore.”

“Alright, congratulations.” This time, Zhu Lianzhen signed his name with extra care and added the words “Thank you” just for her.

Then, he heard her say softly, “Zhu Lianzhen, don’t grow up anymore, okay?”

Zhu Lianzhen looked up and saw that her eyes were already soaked with tears.

Even without counting the trainee period, she had been with him for at least seven or eight years, witnessing his growth step by step. In that moment, Zhu Lianzhen suddenly felt that time had been too short, not long enough for him to find words weighty enough to repay her for her youth with more than just a simple thank you.

“Alright, I’ll try to slow down,” Zhu Lianzhen said firmly. “You look beautiful in the wedding dress.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. When she opened them again, she moved to the next spot.

Tan Qing looked up and smiled at her. “You’ve found something that makes you happier than liking us, haven’t you?”

After she nodded, Tan Qing gently said, “That’s good. I hope you can stay happy like this forever.”

The fansign event gradually drew to a close. Only a few fans were left in line, and those who had already gotten signatures lingered at the edges, continuing to watch them.

Someone called Tan Qing’s name. He responded with an “Mm” and instinctively reached out his hand, looking up to see a girl wearing a black mask.

She didn’t take his hand. A stiff voice came from behind the thin mask. “Stay away from Zhu Lianzhen. Do you really think clinging to him and pretending to be a couple all the time is fun?”

Though her voice was quiet, Zhu Lianzhen, sitting right beside him, heard every word loud and clear.

His breath caught. He turned his head to look.

The girl was wearing one of his personal fan support outfits, with a headband bearing his name. After throwing that line at Tan Qing, she walked off.

Zhu Lianzhen’s lips parted slightly, wanting to call for the staff, but he felt Tan Qing’s hand lightly press down on his wrist.

“It’s fine. Just keep signing,” Tan Qing said.

Zhu Lianzhen’s fingers holding the pen had gone stiff.

This kind of thing had happened to each of them in one way or another, especially since “QingZhen” was basically considered an official CP. Fans of one member often disliked the other, sometimes even deliberately picking fights face-to-face. For idols who had been in the industry for years, this kind of small drama wasn’t truly damaging, but it could easily put both parties in an awkward position.

Zhu Lianzhen was a bit distracted, but for the sake of the remaining fans, he kept the smile on his face.

Just as the fansign event was about to end, another unexpected incident occurred.

Zhu Lianzhen suddenly heard a wave of gasps from the fans below the stage. He looked up but couldn’t immediately find the source of the commotion. Turning his head, he saw that several security guards had surrounded Fu Rong and were helping him step back.

“What happened?” Zhu Lianzhen asked Tan Qing.

Tan Qing didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up, put an arm around Zhu Lianzhen’s shoulders, and leaned in close to whisper, “Let’s head backstage first.”

Once they reached the lounge, Zhu Lianzhen asked around and pieced together what had happened: because the event was nearing its end, security had relaxed a bit. In that moment, a man had taken advantage of the lapse and rushed onto the stage.

Zhu Lianzhen frowned. “What the hell did he want? Don’t tell me he tried to force a kiss on Fu Rong!”

Fortunately, Koty had reacted quickly and blocked the man before he got the chance, so the pervert didn’t succeed.

Pei Qiao had already called the police and was outside yelling at the on-site staff for their carelessness. After giving them an earful, she came in, visibly shaken, and let out a breath of relief as she asked Fu Rong whether he was hurt.

Fu Rong shook his head, still wearing his usual indifferent expression. He sat alone in the farthest corner, smoking a cigarette. His fingertips trembled slightly, most likely not from fear, but from anger.

On the other hand, Koty had accidentally bumped into the corner of a table during the scuffle. The joints of his fingers were swollen and red, and he was holding an ice pack against them.

The police arrived and took the crazed male fan away. Once everything had been handled, Pei Qiao quickly ushered all five of them into the van to return to the dorm.

What had happened at the fansign had been witnessed by so many fans that it quickly spread online. Unlike the usual chaotic fan-versus-anti-fan arguments, this time, most of the voices online expressed sympathy for Fu Rong.

It wasn’t the first time Fu Rong had encountered something like this. Every member of Acemon had dealt with overly zealous fans before, but Fu Rong had always been the unluckiest. He was already notoriously germaphobic and disliked physical contact with others. Who knew how long today’s incident would leave him feeling upset?

The sound of running water in the bathroom had been going on for a long time. Fu Rong had been washing and disinfecting his hands over and over again.

Koty leaned against the doorframe, eyes scanning Fu Rong up and down several times. The other seemed to finally grow annoyed by the staring and glanced at him sideways.

That gave Koty the perfect opening to speak up and fish for some credit. “Not even a ‘thank you’?”

Fu Rong pressed out more hand soap. “Thank you?”

Koty raised an eyebrow.

Fu Rong rubbed his hands slowly. “Do you deserve it?”

Koty laughed heartily, completely unfazed by the cold response. “If I hadn’t stepped in, that pervert would’ve had his hands all over you.”

“So what.” Fu Rong didn’t bother looking at him directly again. “You think you’re any better than that pervert?”

“At least I never acted on anything,” Koty replied with smug pride after comparing the two. “I held back every time.”

Seeing no point in continuing the conversation, Fu Rong said, “Got it. Get lost.”

To Koty, “get lost” meant he’d pushed it just far enough, so he happily went off to eat with the others.

Ji Yunting couldn’t bear to watch. “Why are you always throwing yourself at him all day? You like getting rejected or something?”

Koty still felt Ji Yunting didn’t understand a thing. Fu Rong’s attitude just now had been no different from usual, which meant the incident at the fansign hadn’t affected his mood at all. Wasn’t that a relief?

Ji Yunting: “I thought you were trying to use this as a chance to pursue him.”

As soon as he heard that word, Koty looked horrified. “No!”

He explained that while he did have improper thoughts about Fu Rong, those thoughts were purely physical.

Ji Yunting: “Don’t say it like you’re proud of it.”

Koty had absolutely no intention of dating Fu Rong. In fact, he didn’t even see Fu Rong as a man.

Zhu Lianzhen: “Then what is he? A female ghost?”

Koty thought for a moment. “An angel, I guess. Angels are all beautiful and genderless.”

Ji Yunting: “Aren’t you afraid of going to hell for lusting after an angel’s body?”

Koty replied with fearless conviction, “If going to hell means I get to spend one night with Fu Rong, then I’ll go straight down all eighteen levels, no problem!”

Ji Yunting shut his eyes. As an innocent straight man, he couldn’t endure this kind of filthy ambition.

As they spoke, Koty suddenly realized someone was missing from the dinner table. “Kissy’s not eating?”

Zhu Lianzhen: “He’s about to join a film crew. He’s dieting early to look good on camera.”

He’d probably eat some salad or something… As that casually crossed Zhu Lianzhen’s mind, he suddenly remembered the fan he’d encountered at the fansign. He knew that, as a seasoned idol, Tan Qing wouldn’t be bothered by such nasty words. But still, that person had been his fan, and since he’d heard it happen right beside him, he figured he should’ve at least offered a symbolic word of comfort.

He’d meant to say something after the event ended, but the situation with Fu Rong had completely distracted him. If he went to Tan Qing now, it would feel too deliberate.

So, Zhu Lianzhen could only shelve the matter for now.

After two days of rest, they headed to another city for the next fansign.

This time, the staff were far more cautious, limiting the distance between fans and Acemon. At most, fans were allowed to shake hands.

When the members took their seats, Zhu Lianzhen noticed that Tan Qing had taken the chair on the far end. He walked over and asked him to move over one spot.

Tan Qing: “Xiao Zhu, why don’t you sit in the back?”

Zhu Lianzhen: “No. If I sign from the back, I’ll probably smudge ink all over my hand. I want to go first.”

Tan Qing stood up, gave up the seat, and went to sit at the very end. Now there were three people between them.

At first, Zhu Lianzhen didn’t think much of it. But the next day, at another event, Tan Qing sat in the same order again. That’s when it started to feel like a deliberate effort to keep some distance.

While the staff were still arranging the table, Zhu Lianzhen walked over and sat down next to Tan Qing.

Tan Qing glanced at him, then looked past him and said to Ji Yunting at the end, “Leader, let’s swap seats.”

Ji Yunting didn’t care and agreed, but Zhu Lianzhen quickly cut in, “Don’t move.”

He turned to Tan Qing and stared at him. “What’s the deal with you insisting on sitting away from me?”

Tan Qing gave a slight smile. “Just avoiding suspicion.”

“We’re just regular teammates. There’s nothing going on. What suspicion is there to avoid?”

The signing hadn’t officially started yet, so the fans in the audience couldn’t hear them. Tan Qing’s expression stayed calm. “Of course there’s nothing going on. But Pei-jie said before, we should tone down the fanservice. I don’t think it’s good for us to always be sitting so close on camera. Some fans don’t like it.”

Zhu Lianzhen had been distracted, watching the staff tidy up the table, and only caught the last half of what Tan Qing said. Without thinking, he asked, “Which fans aren’t happy?”

The answer hit him the moment the words left his mouth: obviously, some of their solo stans, unhappy with seeing the two of them constantly acting so close.

Sure enough, Tan Qing hadn’t forgotten that incident. Zhu Lianzhen sighed. “You don’t have to take that kind of thing to heart. Just ignore it. It’s only a few people anyway.”

Tan Qing: “Tickets are limited. The fans who come to these signings spend quite a bit of money. It’s not easy for them to make the trip, so I’d like to consider everyone’s feelings as much as possible.”

Zhu Lianzhen could tell he was getting serious again. Quickly grabbing a pen from the box, he shoved it into Tan Qing’s hand. “I’m in a great mood today, and I want to be with you.”

Then he immediately corrected himself, “Sit with you!”

A brief smile flickered across Tan Qing’s lips before vanishing. He lowered his head and pulled the cap off the pen.

Thanks to strict on-site security, no overly aggressive fans showed up this time, and the signing event finally concluded without incident.

In the blink of an eye, it was already May, and Tan Qing was due to join the filming crew.

During this time, he temporarily moved out of the group dorm. Before leaving, he even thoughtfully restocked the fridge with drinks.

Zhu Lianzhen noticed the small gesture while eating. After thinking it over for a moment, he grabbed his car keys and went out.

Ever since learning that their old shared apartment had been bought by Tan Qing, Zhu Lianzhen had felt a lingering sense of unease. Maybe it was just a meaningless hunch, but still, he wanted to check if he had left anything behind.

When he arrived, he wasn’t sure if the door code was still the same. He tried one from memory, and to his surprise, it worked on the first try. The code hadn’t changed.

As soon as he stepped inside, a familiar feeling gradually surrounded him.

To be honest, calling it “living together” had always been a bit of a stretch. They only stayed there a few days each month, so there weren’t many traces of daily life. Judging by how empty the place looked now, Tan Qing probably just used it as a temporary resting spot.

Feeling thirsty, Zhu Lianzhen headed to the kitchen for some water. On the way, he accidentally kicked something that slid across the floor with a sharp clink. Looking down, he saw several shards of glass scattered across the floor.

He crouched for a closer look. It seemed to have been a cup. He wasn’t sure when it had broken and wondered why Tan Qing hadn’t cleaned it up.

No—something wasn’t right.

Zhu Lianzhen froze, suddenly remembering something.

Back then, their breakup had started because of external pressure from the company. But the moment they truly split was right after coming back to this apartment. Zhu Lianzhen had still been fuming, while Tan Qing had acted as if everything was normal, even gently asking, “Want some pomegranate juice? I froze some ice cubes yesterday.”

The sound of Tan Qing picking out ice cubes had grated on his nerves. His long-held frustration exploded right then and there.

Zhu Lianzhen couldn’t remember exactly what he’d said, probably nothing pleasant. But no matter how angry he got, Tan Qing had responded with calm patience, as always.

When that glass of iced pomegranate juice was handed to him, Zhu Lianzhen slapped it away. It hit the floor and shattered, glass flying everywhere.

Tan Qing hadn’t flinched. He didn’t even glance at the mess, just grabbed another cup and quietly poured him a glass of water.

Zhu Lianzhen had no patience left to drag things out. Without another word, he turned and left. From that moment on, the two of them stopped contacting each other completely.

Now those same shards were still on the floor?

Zhu Lianzhen scanned the area in disbelief. The floor was spotless, clearly cleaned not long ago. The shards themselves were clean and clear, with no trace of pomegranate juice. They must’ve been rinsed.

If he remembered right, that cup had been a limited edition from back then. It would be hard to find a replacement now.

So those shards hadn’t just been left there. Tan Qing had actually washed them and placed them back in the same spot? What kind of strange habit was that?

—I go over and clean it often. It’s pretty tidy. Ever since you left, it’s stayed exactly the same.

Zhu Lianzhen frowned, recalling what Tan Qing had said to him beneath the stage at the awards ceremony.

Damn it. He’d never seen Tan Qing act so obsessive before. Could it be that he’d been hung up on that incident all this time?

Zhu Lianzhen carefully recalled what he had said back then and was sure there had been no personal attacks or insults that could have wounded Tan Qing’s pride. The harshest thing he’d said was right before walking out: “I finally see what kind of person you really are.”

Even that “what kind of person” hadn’t been specified. It had just slipped out in the heat of the moment. Could Tan Qing really have taken it that hard?

With a sigh, Zhu Lianzhen picked up the shards and tossed them into the trash.

After a quick cleanup, he wandered into the bedroom. The furnishings were exactly the same as before, and the whole place had been cleaned thoroughly.

The only new addition was a painting hanging above the bed—abstract, composed of overlapping geometric shapes. It looked like it belonged to a set. He’d seen similar pieces on the living room wall earlier.

Zhu Lianzhen walked closer to inspect it. Judging by the framing and quality, they were cheap prints, likely bought in bulk. No way these matched Tan Qing’s taste.

He was still wondering why Tan Qing would bother hanging them when something seemed to flicker in the corner of his eye.

He focused, eyes returning to the painting.

A moment later, he noticed something strange.

Stepping forward quickly, he locked onto a particular spot in the painting, then decisively took it down from the wall—

And came face-to-face with a surveillance camera.

The small glowing red light confirmed it was active. Zhu Lianzhen stared at it in stunned silence.

Something was very wrong.

He hurried back to the living room and pulled down the other similar paintings. Behind each one was a hidden camera, every single one with a blinking red light.

Less than thirty seconds later, his phone rang.

Zhu Lianzhen pulled it out. It was Tan Qing.

He took a deep breath and answered.

Tan Qing’s low voice came through the line. “So you went there, Xiao Zhu.”