After the Spring Festival holiday ended, Tan Qing joined a film crew. He took on a guest role and had only accepted this small role with just two scenes due to social obligations. The actress he was supposed to act opposite wasn’t present; only a stand-in had come. Given that actress’s high status, the producer and investors had tacitly approved the arrangement, and the director had no choice but to go along with it.
Tan Qing didn’t mind. He adjusted his state and acted opposite the stand-in. He got into character quickly, his pronunciation was crisp, and the emotion in his eyes deepened layer by layer. His lines blended seamlessly with the character’s personality. A tear hovered at the corner of his eye, and at the very moment he delivered his final line, it slid down his cheek. The stand-in actress across from him looked into his eyes and was suddenly moved. She couldn’t explain why, but her nose began to sting with emotion.
The director called out, “Cut.” Tan Qing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then returned to his usual smile.
He looked toward the director. “Do we need to do a couple more takes?”
“No, that last one was great.” The director beamed and patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction. For such a short part, the performance had been unexpectedly compelling. Once aired, this scene was sure to generate buzz.
Tan Qing chatted with him briefly, but before a minute had passed, his assistant rushed over to urge him to change clothes. It was time to head to the airport.
In the car, the assistant sat in the front seat, reviewing the schedule while giving updates. Finally, he asked, “Will you eat lunch at the airport or after you land?”
Tan Qing didn’t answer. When the assistant turned to look, he saw that he had already fallen asleep in the backseat.
Fatigue was written all over his face. Since going solo, Tan Qing’s workload had multiplied. Over the course of the year, he had only gotten a few days of rest in total. The company had even assigned him several assistants to work in rotating shifts.
Such an intense pace would have been unbearable for most, but Tan Qing seemed naturally gifted. Every time people saw him, he was always at his most energetic and charismatic.
When they arrived at the airport, the assistant gently woke him. Tan Qing got out of the car, and the cold snowflakes hit him in the face, making him squint involuntarily.
The assistant caught up and said, “By the way, someone from the copyright department asked about those songs you wanted to buy last year, as the licenses are about to expire. Do you still want to renew them? You haven’t used them yet, right?”
“Probably won’t use them,” Tan Qing said.
He asked for his earphones from the assistant’s bag. Once he put them on, he stopped talking and closed his eyes for a nap in the lounge. Outside the glass doors, many fans had come to see him off. Tan Qing vaguely heard the sound of camera shutters, so he slowly opened his eyes and gave them a faint smile.
The assistant quietly reminded him, “You can rest. No need to entertain them.”
“It’s fine.” Tan Qing gave up on sleeping and spent the time before boarding enduring his drowsiness, letting the fans take as many pictures as they wanted.
He looked down and opened the playlist in his music app. On the music app, he and Zhu Lianzhen still followed each other.
Tan Qing knew Zhu Lianzhen’s taste in music very well and could often guess his mood based on his recent listening habits. Seeing that no new songs had been added over the past week, he guessed Zhu Lianzhen had been staying at home the whole time.
As it neared boarding time, Tan Qing stood up.
In his earphones played a song favored by his former teammate. He looked at the crowd of fans outside the gate and habitually gave them a gentle smile.
When the ice and snow had melted and spring arrived, Zhu Lianzhen returned to Ronggang.
His solo career was progressing steadily. On his way home, he passed a plaza and saw his own billboard advertisement from a distance.
Had this been a few years ago, Zhu Lianzhen might have felt a surge of excitement. But after all the trials of the past year, he had become unfazed by all kinds of honors and achievements.
After all, now he was on his own. Pei-jie had told him he needed to learn to hide his emotions. He had to learn to keep a calm face regardless of how he felt, to smile even when he didn’t want to. He didn’t need to charm everyone, but at the very least, he couldn’t give people something to talk about.
Wasn’t that just learning to be like Tan Qing?
Zhu Lianzhen grumbled to himself.
He wasn’t the type to be stubbornly resistant to change. Since he had entered an industry built around pleasing an audience, he knew how to make appropriate compromises. For example, when facing reporters, as long as the questions weren’t too tricky, he could think carefully and respond with generic, bland answers.
“Welcome, Zhu Lianzhen. This time you’re here with a new album. What feelings from the creative process would you most like to share with everyone?” the host asked.
Zhu Lianzhen calmly recited the prepared response. Then came the next question. The two of them sat in the studio, going back and forth for a few rounds. Soon, Zhu Lianzhen found himself growing increasingly bored.
“Let’s talk about something else.” Zhu Lianzhen couldn’t help but smile at her. Since this was a pre-recorded program without a live audience, the process wasn’t so strict, and he could stop it at any time.
“Hm? What do you want to talk about?” The host flipped through her script. “There’s still a lot I haven’t asked.”
Zhu Lianzhen said, “I’ve already answered those questions so many times in other interviews.”
The host put the script aside. “Okay, let’s start this part over… Three, two, one. Alright, thank you for sharing so much about your new songs. We wish your album great success. Zhu Lianzhen, since you rarely visit our show, I’d like to ask on behalf of your fans—could you tell us a little about your recent life?”
“Mm.” Zhu Lianzhen finally relaxed and started chatting with her comfortably. He talked about spending the New Year in Shanghai and how his cat had just been neutered. There was this hilarious photo of it with its tongue hanging out from the anesthesia.
The host said, “Let me ask a slightly sensitive question. If you don’t want to answer, we can cut this part out.”
“Ask whatever you like.”
“Do you still keep in touch with the other members of Acemon? It feels like ever since you all went solo, you’ve been pretending not to know each other.”
“It’s okay. Everyone’s been busy, that’s all. We’re not avoiding each other, just not much overlap anymore.” Zhu Lianzhen shifted his gaze from her face to the floor.
The host asked again, “Was there anything surprising or regrettable this past year?”
“There were definitely surprises. I successfully held my first solo concert, and there are plans for a nationwide tour. As for regrets… I’m not really the type to look back, so I’d say none. Oh, but there was one thing recently.”
Zhu Lianzhen looked at the host and said, “This winter, I didn’t see a single snowfall!”
Seeing the regretful look on his face, the host laughed. “You’re from Shanghai, right? I know a lot of friends from the south who really like snowy weather.”
“Mm, I saw tons of photos online of snow in Ronggang. But as soon as I came back, it just stopped snowing.” Zhu Lianzhen sighed. “Guess I’ll have to wait another year.”
“Was there something you wanted to do in the snow?”
Zhu Lianzhen thought for a moment. “No.”
He suddenly felt tired from smiling for so long and said, “No, I just like it.”
–
The new album’s sales had far exceeded the company’s expectations. Over the past year, Zhu Lianzhen’s fanbase had grown rapidly, many of them people who hadn’t followed Acemon before but were drawn in purely by his performances on various shows.
Fans had been eagerly asking for a birthday concert, but the company honored Zhu Lianzhen’s request not to hold one this year.
Zhu Lianzhen still loved performing on stage the most. It wasn’t like he’d hit a wall or burned out. He actually had many ideas and creative concepts that hadn’t yet been realized. It was just that he felt the pace of work had become too fast.
Going solo had been a rushed decision to begin with. While everything had gone smoothly this year, the pace of development was even faster than he had anticipated. He had a gut feeling that he needed to slow down now, or else the rhythm of life would soon spiral out of control, and the pressure would become greater than expected.
Zhu Lianzhen was soaking in the bathtub while the Bluetooth speaker played songs from the current charts on shuffle.
He heard that hit love song by Ji Yunting that had dominated the charts for weeks. He had to admit, their leader had a natural gift for songwriting. One breakup could inspire ten tracks. Zhu Lianzhen didn’t even need to contact him. He could pretty much guess his current situation just from the lyrics.
When the song ended, Zhu Lianzhen picked up his phone as if pulled by some unseen force.
Whether it was the latest upgrade in the algorithm or pure fate, the moment he opened Weibo, he saw Tan Qing’s name trending.
[Tan Qing’s One-Year Schedule]
It was rare for Zhu Lianzhen to be curious, but he clicked in and immediately frowned. The schedule was packed to the brim—flights all over the country, with only three to four days between events at most. And even on so-called rest days, he probably had to read scripts and memorize lines. It was practically a non-stop schedule all year.
In the comments, fans spoke with pride as they described this itinerary, praising Tan Qing as a top-tier self-disciplined idol with exceptional execution and stress resistance, someone who could squeeze 72 hours out of a single day.
What was there to praise about that? Shouldn’t they be more concerned about his health first? Zhu Lianzhen was suddenly struck by the softening of his heart, but then quickly reminded himself that everyone was an independent adult. There was no reason for him to worry about Tan Qing.
A year apart was relatively long, but compared to how long they had known each other, it was barely worth mentioning. He still hadn’t completely gotten used to life without Tan Qing’s presence. He didn’t know how the other person felt. Being that busy every day, he probably didn’t have the time to think about him.
Just like last year, the two of them didn’t send each other any birthday wishes this year either. However, CP fans remained optimistic: even though they had unfollowed each other, even though they never mentioned one another anymore, even though they even took different flights—didn’t they still look like a great match! Maybe, if they just waited long enough, they’d get back to how things were.
“Are you there?”
Zhu Lianzhen saw this message on WeChat, which was from a friend he hadn’t spoken to in a long time. He replied: “Yeah.”
“I know someone who says they need to get in touch with you. Seems to be work-related. I’ll send you her business card and Weibo profile. Take a look and see if you want to add her?”
Zhu Lianzhen opened the link. The person described herself as a wedding planner in her profile.
That profession had absolutely nothing to do with his own field. Judging by her Weibo photos, it was clear she had collaborations with fashion magazines and even got verified as a celebrity. The comments didn’t look fake either. Zhu Lianzhen lowered his guard for the moment and added her on WeChat.
The friend request was quickly accepted. She sent a message: “Hello Mr. Zhu, I’m Vivi. I run the Camellia Club brand in Ronggang. Is your birthday March 21st? Someone arranged a birthday gift for you at our venue. Are you available to receive it that day?”
Zhu Lianzhen: “At the venue?”
Vivi: “Camellia Wedding Art Center.”
Seeing the address, Zhu Lianzhen more or less guessed what was going on.
Ever since he became an adult, the style of fan support had no longer been limited by age. There were plenty of banners jokingly asking, “When are you marrying me?” He had even seen audience members in wedding dresses at his performances. He had always taken this enthusiasm as pure fondness, but this was the first time he had received such a blatant in-person invitation… Honestly, he was starting to think this was crossing a line. No celebrity would feel comfortable accepting a gift like this, right?
Zhu Lianzhen tried to politely decline: “Sorry, if paparazzi catches this, it could be hard to explain.”
Vivi: “Hahaha, no worries! The person just booked our venue, that’s all. No one’s forcing you to attend a wedding. If you’re still concerned, you can bring your manager and security team along.”
Zhu Lianzhen asked again: “Can you tell me which fan or fan club sent it? Maybe I’ll recognize them.”
“Sorry, we have a confidentiality agreement with the client. But the client just wants you to like it, you’ll definitely be happy when you see the gift.”
“Then can it be sent directly to me? I can give you my company address. I’ll cover the cost.”
“Sorry, the item is rather special and valuable. It can only be stored at our venue.”
“Alright then.” Still feeling unsure, Zhu Lianzhen carefully checked the planner’s background and only agreed to visit her venue once he had confirmed everything was legitimate.
On the night of his birthday, Zhu Lianzhen arrived at the art center at the agreed time. From the outside, it looked like a high-end venue. The staff received him politely, led him down a hallway, and stopped to inform him, “Just ahead is the banquet hall reserved for you.”
Zhu Lianzhen nodded to the attendant and walked forward on his own. When he reached the banquet hall, he noticed that its doors were wider than the ones he had passed earlier.
He pushed the doors open with both hands, and a cool breeze brushed his cheek. The moment he stepped half a foot into the hall, he froze in place.
Everything was silent, and snow covered the branches.
Inside was a vast expanse of white, as if he had stepped into winter itself.
Zhu Lianzhen stood still for a moment before letting go of the door and slowly walking into the banquet hall. The snow beneath his feet gave off a crisp, muted crunch. He bent down to touch it, and the coldness melted at his fingertips.
It was real snow.
He looked up. At the far end of his vision, a thick mist lingered. Trees all around were wrapped in faintly glowing lights. Some areas had snowmen in different shapes and sizes, and the ceiling had been turned into a night sky simulation. The entire banquet hall had been transformed into a perfect snowy night scene.
The indoor temperature had also been lowered to keep the snow from melting. Zhu Lianzhen didn’t feel cold. He walked slowly, his heartbeat gradually speeding up.
The birthday surprise left him at a loss. At first, he was confused. Why would someone go to such unexpected lengths for a gift like this? Then he remembered: not long ago, during an interview, he had mentioned feeling regretful about not seeing snow this year.
Was it because of that?
Just because he casually said he wanted to see snow, someone had actually made it snow for him.
Zhu Lianzhen sat on a bench in the snow and stared ahead. Suddenly, a wave of inexplicable sadness welled up inside him.
Why did he like this kind of weather?
Every memory related to snow pointed to the person he most wanted to avoid remembering. He recalled how, in many winters, he used to suddenly slip his cold hands into Tan Qing’s collar, but Tan Qing usually stayed calm and never reacted with the flustered anger he had imagined.
One night, heavy snow had damaged the power lines, plunging the dormitory area into darkness. They had no choice but to go to bed early, but Zhu Lianzhen couldn’t fall asleep and ended up chatting in Tan Qing’s room, eventually dozing off on his bed first.
During the hectic days of concert rehearsals, when everyone was overwhelmed with work, Tan Qing had quietly taken him outside to see the first snowfall of that winter.
They had even shared their first kiss on a snowy night and once gazed at snow-covered mountains under the sun. So of course he liked snow, but it was supposed to be a simple kind of fondness, one that didn’t refer to anyone in particular.
Vivi said the person who arranged the surprise wanted him to be happy. Unfortunately, all he could think about at that moment was Tan Qing, leaving no room for happiness.
Since the breakup, it felt as though there had always been a locked room in his heart. Whenever memories of Tan Qing surfaced, he would throw them all inside without hesitation and refuse to let himself feel down because of them. Now, the lock was broken. All those buried emotions surged out uncontrollably, leaving him at a complete loss, unable to handle them.
Only then did Zhu Lianzhen belatedly realize: Tan Qing was truly gone from his life.
The snowy ground was so quiet, just right for someone as slow as him, slow to feel sorrow.
![Who Are You Calling A Canary? [Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250108211651_200_280.jpg "Who Are You Calling A Canary? [Transmigration]")
