“Don’t flatter yourself. Don’t worry, I have absolutely no such thoughts.” Zhu Lianzhen’s voice trailed off as he turned his face to the side, avoiding Tan Qing’s gaze.
Tan Qing said, “Good. I wouldn’t want us to make the same mistake again.”
Make the same mistake.
He wasn’t wrong, but the wording still felt a little off.
It was true—if CEO Chu hadn’t stepped in back then to clean up the mess for them, they probably would’ve already become targets of criticism for being involved in a relationship within the group. Getting a second chance to “reform” was already a stroke of luck. Who in their right mind would risk making the same mistake twice?
Zhu Lianzhen had never believed himself to be someone who felt physical desire for men. He was sure Tan Qing felt the same. They had simply been too young, too inexperienced—mistaking a staged performance for genuine emotion, confusing carefully constructed ambiguity for real affection.
“We’re not kids anymore. It’s not like we can’t tell where the line is,” Zhu Lianzhen emphasized again, as if reaffirming his stance to himself. Right now, nothing mattered more than Acemon’s future. No one had time to dwell on unresolved personal feelings.
Tan Qing smiled. “Mm. As long as we’re on the same page, everything will go much more smoothly.”
Zhu Lianzhen gave a brief reply and absently took off his jacket as he began warming up for dance practice.
It was mid-March. Spring was just beginning, and all things were coming back to life.
Across the entertainment sections of various online forums, the hottest topic of discussion was the lineup for this year’s music shows. The upcoming recording of Music Class had revealed part of its guest list, featuring both powerhouse singer-songwriters and rising stars. While it wasn’t quite exaggerated to say it included half the Chinese music industry, the impressive lineup still had audiences exclaiming, “This is a battle of gods.”
Moreover, Music Class had now taken the lead with its authoritative rankings and high-quality live performances. Alongside the mid-year program Music Platform and the year-end C-Pop Annual Gala, it was considered one of the “Three Major Awards in Chinese Pop Music.”
Revealing the guest list in advance only heightened audience anticipation. But people quickly noticed that the most important slot had been left blank, leading to speculation that the show was keeping a surprise under wraps.
Overnight, countless theories emerged, but no clear answer came to light.
Title: [Weird! A-Group’s 2015 Concert Clip Is Suddenly Trending! Could They Be the Mystery Guest on Music Class?]
[Search keywords: Thorned Crown and Asia Tour.
It’s trending right now. It started at rank 45, and by the time I finished eating, it had already climbed to 26. And the trending term is just the group’s name. But they’ve been inactive for so long. There’s no reason for this sudden surge. Could this be a teaser for their appearance on Music Class?]
[Comment 2: Out of all the guest predictions, yours is the most ridiculous.]
[Comment 6: Out of all the guest predictions, yours is the most ridiculous.]
[Comment 8: I saw it too. No marketing accounts pushing it, so it doesn’t look paid. I think it just blew up naturally.]
[Comment 13: It even showed up on my feed. Can’t believe some gaming otaku reposted it. Damn, A-Group really has wide appeal. They attract all kinds of people.]
[Comment 16: Just give up on hoping they’ll make a comeback, seriously. And you still dare to call them top-tier? That’s laughable. Just look at how their stats tanked—they dropped off faster than a shooting star. What makes you think they’d land a prime-time slot on Music Class?]
[Comment 17: Fun fact: when Music Class first aired, its ratings were garbage. It only gained traction after they paid A-Group to appear.]
[Comment 18: Hahahahahahahaha.]
[Comment 23: If a group stops promoting and goes inactive, of course their numbers will drop. Would you keep paying for a membership at a store that shut down two years ago? Also, check out their solo careers. Every single member outperforms other idols by a mile.]
[Comment 26: This thread is about to blow up.]
[Comment 33: Here we go again. Every time there’s a post about Acemon, it’s the same cycle: haters calling them a fallen group, fans hyping their solo success, casuals saying they only care about the music, and fake fans stirring the pot… And the funniest part is that this post is about the group. Sigh. Honestly, with how obsessed everyone still is, if they did make a comeback, there’s no way they’d flop.]
[Comment 38: LMAO I live for this messy fandom drama.]
…
When Pei Qiao heard that Acemon was trending, she assumed it was because of some new scandal. But when she clicked in, she found a random blogger had posted a concert clip along with a heartfelt comment: “To be honest, Acemon’s stage performances, from skill to creativity, are top-tier among idols. I’ve never even followed any of the members, but if I ever get the chance to see them live, I swear I’d fight for a good seat. Just watching through a phone screen already had me hyped.”
Many people in the reposts and comments agreed:
“Same! I don’t even remember who’s who, but I somehow know so many of their songs. Wait—they’ve already disbanded? That’s such a shame.”
“Wow, someone’s still posting about A-Group in this day and age? I’m touched. They were insanely popular when they debuted. I remember hearing students talk about them in the hallways, and even the boys in my class were recommending their variety show. That’s how I got into them.”
“I’m not a fan, but I’d occasionally watch A-Group’s shows… Those guys’ faces were pure eye candy (.”
“I highly recommend everyone check out the Tan Qing × Zhu Lianzhen vampire duet stage!!! Just search the keywords on V-site—it’s the first result!! I swear, every time I watch it, I ship them so hard that I end up writing 10k words of NSFW fanfic in the middle of the night 555555”
…
The video clip came from Acemon’s third-anniversary concert—their first large-scale tour. At the time, the members’ average age was only 20, yet their popularity had already reached top-tier status in the industry.
That concert was personally named by Zuige Entertainment’s CEO, Chu Yu. He probably saw how young, reckless, and flamboyant Acemon was, so he gave them the deeply meaningful name “Thorned Crown”—a reminder that reaching the peak meant enduring pain. Ironically, Acemon’s hardships came one after another, not due to outside interference, but entirely from internal drama.
First, the main vocalist announced his departure and contract termination without consulting anyone, wanting to transition into a serious solo singer. Then the rapper’s relationship was exposed. After that, rumors emerged about the leader getting into fights during his trainee days. On top of that, Fu Rong was repeatedly accused of slacking off on stage, snapping at reporters, skipping schedules, and acting like a diva—all signs of poor professional conduct…
Acemon was quickly thrown into the eye of the storm, and online haters reveled in it.
On every platform, simply insulting or mocking the group would earn massive likes and agreement. Many once-passionate fans left in disappointment, and if they didn’t throw a few insults on the way out, that was considered being generous.
To appease public sentiment, and more importantly, to secure the futures of the individual members, the company announced that Acemon would suspend all group activities and enter an “internal reorganization” phase, with no set date for their return.
Two years had passed since that announcement. Now, Acemon was little more than an empty name. The members’ solo careers had flourished, but the youthful spirit they once had, standing on stage before tens of thousands of cheering fans, had become a thing of the past.
No one truly believed they could ever reunite as a group again. In the threads predicting Music Class’s mystery guest, the most impossible nomination was Acemon—
[Comment 1421: Hahahahaha, scrolling down, it’s all just “your prediction is the most ridiculous.” What a spectacular sight.]
[Comment 1424: Told you this thread would blow up! Prophecy fulfilled!]
[Comment 1426: I saw the “Hot” tag and thought this post had some well-reasoned analysis. Turns out you’ve all been arguing this whole time over the least likely guest…]
[Comment 1430: LOL, Acemon really is the ultimate clickbait. Funny how there’s never this much buzz when discussing individual members. The group’s already disbanded, but haters still won’t let go.]
[Comment 1439: Nah, from what I’ve seen, most of the people trashing them are definitely ex-fans. That’s what deep love looks like.]
[Comment 1446: If they actually reunite, I’ll eat my computer screen on the spot.]
[Comment 1447: HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT! Music Class’s official account just posted a picture of FIVE BLACK SILHOUETTES!! It’s really A-Group, isn’t it!!]
[Comment 1448: ???]
[Comment 1452: ????? Huh]
[Comment 1453: What are you talking about…]
[Comment 1455: The official account posted it one minute ago! @ChinaMusicClass: “The dark era is over.”][mfn]The original post was in English. The next comment translates it to Chinese.[/mfn]
[Comment 1458: “The dark era is over”? That’s the correct translation, right… But why does it sound so chuuni?]
[Comment 1463: THAT’S A LYRIC! It’s from A-Group’s debut song “Ace of Spades”! I remember it! The official account posting this has to be hinting that Acemon’s low point is finally over! I looked at the silhouettes and they really look like the five of them (height and hairstyle). There’s no doubt, THEY’RE REUNITING AHHHHHHH!]
[Comment 1466: No way, I just watched y’all swear that A-Group was never coming back, and now the OP actually jinxed it into happening?! LMAO]
[Comment 1472: I clicked into this thread the moment it was posted. Watched it rise like a skyscraper, and now I’m watching it collapse.]
[Comment 1476: Don’t forget Comment 1446 promised to eat their computer screen.]
[Comment 1480: Stop getting our hopes up, I don’t dare believe it! Where’s Pei Qiao? Hurry up and make an official statement on Weibo!]
[Comment 1485: Screenshotting this for the archives. No way this thread isn’t getting pinned. We got fan wars, cursed predictions, and instant karma. Absolute masterpiece, hhhh.]
…
When Zhu Lianzhen woke up, he learned that he was trending—his name appearing right next to his teammates on the hot search list. He went to Ah-Xu for details and found out that a blogger had dug up and praised Acemon’s third-anniversary concert. The post had gone viral, so the Music Class production team decided to ride the wave and drop some hints.
Their method of hinting was ambiguous, but anyone with a sharp eye could immediately tell it was referring to Acemon.
“Wait.” Zhu Lianzhen was scrolling through the trending list when he noticed something off. “Why is ‘QingZhen: True Affection’ ranked so high?”
It was even above his and Tan Qing’s individual trending topics.
Ah-Xu: “Oh, it’s nothing—just that someone noticed you two whispering to each other at the end of the song. A lot of netizens are trying to read your lips and guess what you were saying.”
Zhu Lianzhen clicked on the video. The footage showed the audience singing along to the ballad “Monologue,” tens of thousands of voices in harmony. The camera cut to close-ups of Acemon’s members, their faces illuminated by the lights, beads of sweat glistening. The admiration of the fans seemed to materialize into a tangible white glow, gently melting into their pupils.
As the song came to an end, the members stood in a line, their expressions reluctant as they awkwardly held hands with each other. After bowing to thank the fans, they simultaneously pulled apart, each showing a hint of mutual dislike.
Watching this, Zhu Lianzhen couldn’t help but laugh, thinking how clumsy they all were back then—goofing around on stage with messy hair, still trying hard to look cool.
But in the next shot, his laughter faded. The frame now focused solely on him and Tan Qing. Their gazes were directed in different directions, yet their hands remained firmly clasped.
Zhu Lianzhen’s brows furrowed. On screen, Tan Qing leaned in and whispered something in his ear. The moment Tan Qing’s lips closed, the brightness in Zhu Lianzhen’s eyes was instantly replaced by shock.
It seemed they had discreetly turned off their microphones, so no one knew what had been said between them. Even Zhu Lianzhen’s memory was blank, but his instincts told him that whatever was whispered in that moment had been anything but good.
The comment section was in a frenzy:
[What exactly was said! Why did the atmosphere suddenly get so weird!]
[ZLZ looks like he just got flirted with. Damn, TQ, you’re even smiling (not gonna lie, I’m grinning like an idiot too)]
[Just a couple flirting in secret, that’s all.]
The next clip jumped to the concert’s finale. The members had white towels draped over their shoulders, each embroidered with the “Thorned Crown” logo. As the energy reached its peak, they began tossing signed balls and small personal items into the crowd.
Everyone else had thrown their towels, but Zhu Lianzhen still had his firmly wrapped around his neck, as if he couldn’t bear to part with it.
[Everyone else threw theirs. Why are you still holding on?]
[Throw it! I’m ready to catch it!]
[LMAO, he completely forgot he was supposed to interact with the fans.]
Glancing at the comments, Zhu Lianzhen suddenly remembered why he hadn’t thrown the towel.
At the time, it had been the only thing covering the hickey on his neck.
Everything suddenly clicked into place. He immediately rewound the video clip. After carefully matching the lip movements, the line Tan Qing had said came rushing back, something no one else had heard. It felt like waking from a dream—
“Xiao Zhu.”
“Hm?” He had instinctively turned toward him.
Tan Qing had turned off his mic, leaned in, and asked, “What would happen if I kissed you right now?”
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