Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 382 Running in Brooklyn
The New York concert lasted for three days, and thanks to Taylor's star power, the atmosphere at the venue became more and more exciting each day!
More and more people began flocking to the Metropolitan Stadium, hoping to catch a free concert outside the stadium.

The phrase "All the girls in New York City came for you" has become a truly tangible reality at this moment.

The happiest thing for Alovers North America right now is that Shen Juan is not only touring major cities in North America to meet with fans, but also officially announced at his New York concert that he is producing songs and expects to release a new EP early next year, with the possibility of singles being released ahead of schedule.

The thing that makes Xiao Chun Juan (a nickname for a young Chinese actor) happiest and proudest right now is probably that Shen Juan has appeared on CCTV again!
Whether it's "World Finance" on the financial channel, "World Weekly" on the news channel, or his old profession as an artist on the music and movie channels, or the most prestigious and highest-profile "News Broadcast," he has been frequently seen appearing recently.

For example, in early August, Shen Juan's Leviathan Era North American tour, which kicked off in Las Vegas, was featured on the national news program "Xinwen Lianbo".

For example, just a couple of days ago, Shen Juan attracted the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of his Twitter war of words with the ship-buying crew, and he was featured on the evening news again.

For example, today the news channel's "World Weekly" once again featured a special report on Shen Juan's recent situation:
A historic collaboration ignites New York! Shen Juan and Taylor Swift perform a remix of "Lover" together at the Mets World Stadium, witnessed by 70,000 fans.

On the evening of August 30th local time, the New York Metropolitan Stadium hosted a momentous event that will go down in the history of pop music. American pop diva Taylor Swift and Chinese pop king Shen Juan performed a brand new version of "Lover" together, bringing the atmosphere of the Leviathan Era tour's New York stop to a climax.

Seventy thousand spectators were immersed in ultimate romance and revelry, and social media was flooded with posts: "Tonight belongs to music and love!"

Around 9 p.m. that evening, Taylor Swift made a stunning entrance as a "mystery guest" at the concert, wearing a light pink haute couture gown adorned with stars. She ignited the entire audience with "You Need To Calm Down," and then added a retro narrative touch to the stage with her new album "Lover's" track "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince."

As the lights dimmed and the guitar began to play, the familiar melody of "Lover" flowed out, and the entire audience held their breath.
When Shen Juan returned to the stage with a brand new look, a storm of screams instantly swept through the entire Mets Stadium.

The two interpreted "Lover" in a "conversational" style, with Taylor's gentle narration intertwining with Shen's weary low-pitched singing, recreating the intimate romance of "dancing in the kitchen by candlelight" in the lyrics.

The stage design also contained ingenious details: when the chorus played, dynamic light and shadow, like a galaxy, rained down from the dome, reflecting off the tens of thousands of glowing wristbands in the audience seats, transforming the Metropolitan Stadium into a "planet of love" floating in the New York night sky.

As the song ended, the embrace and gratitude from the top pop culture stars of the East and West triggered a three-minute cheering session, with many fans shedding tears and shouting "historic moment!"

According to the organizers, all tickets for this performance sold out within one minute, and scalpers were selling tickets for up to 10 times the original price!
Google searches for the two singers surged, and the hashtag #TaylorAlexLover# topped global Twitter trends.

Music critic @The Nian Monster commented: "This is not just a performance, but a collision of pop culture symbols. Shen Juan's addition not only made this collaborative stage even more dazzling, but also made 'Lover' transcend the dimension of a love song, becoming a milestone in the integration of the Eastern and Western music markets."

It is understood that this collaboration stemmed from Taylor's long-term attention to Shen Juan's creative talent. Shen Juan was invited to participate in the creation of "Lover" and completed all the work in two hours. Taylor even joked in a backstage interview: "Alex's talent gives me goosebumps - he is simply the epitome of romance!"

When Shen Juan shouted "New York, remember tonight!" in Chinese, the roar of 70,000 people seemed to tear the sky apart.

This carnival, which transcends language, region, and culture, not only fulfilled the dreams of fans "once in their lifetime" but also heralded a new era of collaborative creation in the global music industry.

As predicted by The New York Times: "After tonight, The Leviathan Era Tour will be redefined as belonging to all those who believe in the magic of music."

Whether the Leviathan Era tour was truly redefined, and whether music possesses any magic, Shen Juan doesn't know.

What he knew for sure was that since the start of the Leviathan era tour, wherever he went, whether in China or the United States, he sparked a phenomenal consumer boom. As a result, financial analysts in the United States have coined a series of terms, including Shenomics, Alexnomics, Ashen Lift, and Alexmania, to describe the economic and social impact of his tour.

To paraphrase Alovers: He is always creating history! His history!

In Xiao Chun Juan's words: There is no such thing as an overnight success. Every song is given a different meaning. From a talent show idol to a hip-hop champion to a pop king, it is a series of great turning points, which are also a display of his confidence and ability. Shen Juan is not just a temporary sensation.

Burning fiercely and continuously glowing
It's not just shooting stars.

In the afternoon, Central Park, located in the heart of Manhattan Island, New York, was immersed in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Shen Juan pressed the brim of the New York Yankees baseball cap, a gift from a fan, down to his brow bone, and covered the lower half of his face with a black mask.

Cheng Xiao walked ahead, munching on a strawberry ice cream cone. Today, she was wearing a modern Chinese-style dress with delicate floral embellishments on the light green fabric, resembling a simple and elegant landscape painting, shimmering softly in the warm autumn sunlight.

"Do they know you're coming to New York?" Shen Juan tugged at his mask, which was about to slip off, his voice muffled by the fabric.

"They probably don't know. Anyway, they didn't ask, and I didn't say anything." Cheng Xiao turned around and walked backwards, licking an overly sweet ice cream cone as he slowly said, "Besides, I often go out for work, unlike the two of them who are always staying at home, staying at home all day long."

A squirrel, unafraid of people, suddenly darted past their feet, startling the girl who had just finished speaking. Shen Juan took the opportunity to put his arm around Cheng Xiao's shoulder to avoid it, and then naturally took her hand. The two of them enjoyed the leisurely afternoon stroll in the park, which calmed their restless hearts considerably.

How dare you call them homebodies?

"What? Is that not allowed? Just because I'm a homebody doesn't mean I can't say others are homebodies?" Cheng Xiao suddenly stopped, pulled Shen Juan's mask down to his chin, fed him the last bite of the ice cream cone, then pulled the mask back up, asking expectantly, "How is it? Is it good?"

Shen Juan smiled and said, "Delicious."

Cheng Xiao blinked happily and gave a sly smile: "What I was actually talking about was my saliva."

Shen Juan was speechless for a moment, but still smiled and said, "It tastes good too. I remember I ate a lot of your saliva before. Every time we finished, you would hold me and nibble on me for half an hour before you would go to sleep. So I should be the one asking you this question: How is my saliva? Is it tasty?"

"Pervert." Cheng Xiao was both ashamed and angry.

Seeing her slightly embarrassed look, Shen Juan found it cute, but instead of pressing her further, he changed the subject and started talking again: "By the way, now that you're in New York, what about Su Su, Yao Jin, and King Gigi?"

“We’ve all agreed that the people staying at home will help take care of other people’s pets. And I’ve noticed that Xiaotian seems to really like lizards. She’s not afraid of these reptiles at all, so I’ve already passed on all my experience in raising lizards to her. Maybe she’ll get one herself in a while.”

"What about Xiao Ye? I think she also likes cats and dogs." Shen Juan suddenly remembered something else.

A while ago, Sister Tian made a special transoceanic call to him to complain about Xiao Ye's bad behavior. She said that Xiao Ye would always hug and pet her Shiba Inu when she was not at home, and then feed it all kinds of snacks to express his feelings. As a result, Penmei is now closer to Xiao Ye than to her, the owner.

Sister Tian was furious and immediately called her a dog thief!

"She really likes pets, but she doesn't keep any herself. She spends all her time either petting my cat or Xiaotian's dog."

Cheng Xiao wasn't as angry as Xiao Tian, ​​because her bond with her two cats was clearly much stronger than that between Sister Tian and the Shiba Inu she had been fostering in her hometown of Tongliang for a long time. Naturally, she didn't have to worry about being NTR'd by Zhou Ye, the third party.

The two walked for a while longer, basking in the warm afternoon sunlight, so pleasant that they couldn't help but relax.

Cheng Xiao seemed to suddenly remember something, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, and asked, "So where do we go next? We can't just stay in the park all day, can we? Although it's quite comfortable and relaxing here, time is so precious, it would be a shame not to visit more places."

Shen Juan asked softly, "So you want to change places so soon?"

Cheng Xiao nodded and said seriously, "There's no other way. After all, time is limited, there are so many fun places, and more importantly, I want to go to all these places with you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Juan's smile deepened. He reached out and took her hand, saying simply and firmly, "Then let's go!"

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, is naturally one of the must-see attractions for tourists visiting New York.

As the two followed the crowd into the museum, the afternoon sun slanted into the art-filled atrium. The statues in the Egyptian exhibit were covered with a thin layer of dust. Shen Juan was taking pictures of a mummy's coffin when he turned around and saw Cheng Xiao standing on tiptoe, studying the serpentine patterns on a Greek pottery jar.

"Juanjuan, come quick!" Cheng Xiao suddenly grabbed his wrist and walked quickly to the east side. There, at the corner of the exhibition hall, stood several Qing Dynasty celadon vases with fine cracks in the glaze. She pointed to a Northern Song Dynasty porcelain plate in the display case and chuckled, "Doesn't this color look like King Gigi's belly after shedding his skin?"

Shen Juan didn't answer the question directly, but instead said with a smile, "How about I take a couple of pictures of you?"

Then, as they passed through the Persian antiquities area, the two of them quietly began to argue about the color of the eyes of the beasts in the murals.

Shen Juan tried to find photos of Cheng Susu and Cheng Yaojin in his phone's photo album to prove his point, but he was worried that Xiao Xiao would see some things she shouldn't see, such as explicit photos and videos sent to him by others, especially Xiao Hu. So he had no choice but to surrender and give up.

After passing through the European oil painting gallery, Shen Juan stood in front of Van Gogh's painting, focusing on appreciating the master's colors and brushstrokes. He had mentioned during the filming of a Netflix documentary some time ago that he and Van Gogh had both lost their minds for art. It was quite peculiar to encounter his work in New York now.

Cheng Xiao quietly admired her boyfriend's handsome profile, which was so soft it made her feel soft and sweet, and felt happy and sweet.

The two finally stopped by the pool in the temple exhibition hall. Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, shining on the shimmering water and creating golden ripples. It also reflected their close-knit images on the water, creating a warm and beautiful scene.

A little after four in the afternoon, the two of them went hand in hand to the Roosevelt Island Tramway that connects Manhattan Island and Roosevelt Island.

With the money at their disposal, they were able to enjoy some alone time since there were no other passengers on their cable car.

While chewing gum, Cheng Xiao drew little figures on the fogged glass. If Shen Juan were a mind reader, he would know that the extremely abstract smiling boy was actually him. She asked curiously, "Have you ridden this cable car before when you came to New York?"

"No, this is the first time." Shen Juan was recording his girlfriend's adorable every move on his phone.

"You've been to New York so many times, and you haven't even visited these most famous attractions?" Cheng Xiao asked, puzzled.

"Because I have no one to go with. My girlfriend isn't around. What's the point of going to all these tourist attractions by myself?" Cheng Xiao said, a little happy. "Can't you make travel vlogs? Just film them for your fans to watch!"

Shen Juan shrugged. "You should know that I haven't updated this vlog series for a very, very long time."

After Cheng Xiao finished drawing the fourth little figure by breathing on the glass, he clapped his hands with satisfaction. Shen Juan's phone camera quietly shifted, framing the scene with three long-haired girls, seemingly stick figures, surrounding a boy in a sloppy baseball cap, and the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance.

"Isn't it enough for travel bloggers to just lose their jobs and find new ones?" Cheng Xiao added a trident to the sloppy boy's hand. "By the way, why aren't your fans urging you to update?"

“The client has more important projects to complete now, so these secondary projects will naturally have to wait.”

"Honestly, what if we get photographed today?"

"So what if they took the photos? Just say they went out to gather inspiration from the Z generation's pop king. What great marketing material!"

"Hey Juanjuan, what do you think about us going on a date to Antarctica next time? No one will be able to take pictures of us, and it'll be so romantic!"

"That's hard to say."

"What do you mean?"

"Because penguins might also want my autograph."

Cheng Xiao was speechless and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

As the two chatted back and forth, the cable car glided slowly along the steel cable under the clear blue sky, gradually unfolding the scenery along the East River in New York before their eyes, with rows of buildings and the shimmering river surface complementing each other beautifully.

Without warning, the cable car suddenly lurched, and Shen Juan instinctively reached out and firmly protected Cheng Xiao's lower back.

Just then, a flock of white gulls flew past the cable car, their white plumage flashing past the window. Shen Juan, quick-witted and agile, pressed the shutter button, capturing Cheng Xiao's adorable, flustered state as he frantically tried to grab the handrail on his phone screen.

At dusk, Shen Juan took Cheng Xiao to the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan Island.

Cheng Xiao leaned on the railing, intently munching on a hot dog. When some yellow mustard got on her lips, Shen Juan wiped it off with his thumb, eliciting a silent, contented smile from the elderly couple nearby who were also admiring the scenery. This transcended nationality and race; beautiful love always brings a genuine smile to one's face.

After finishing their hot dogs, the two headed toward Manhattan Island, passing by many small stalls selling various items.

“Back when I was a trainee in South Korea, Xuan Yi and I often took walks on the Han River Bridge to relax.” Cheng Xiao looked at the Manhattan skyline in the distance and said with a mix of nostalgia and emotion, “At that time, even though I had been training for three or four years, I still had no idea how the future would unfold.”

“It’s all the same. When I withdrew from the competition and returned to China, it was a decision I made on a whim. Now, it’s still a matter of taking it one step at a time.” Shen Juan pulled his mask down to let in some fresh air. “Actually, the only thing you can be sure of in life is the uncertainty of life itself. True generosity towards the future is to dedicate everything to the present.”

Cheng Xiao nodded thoughtfully, then hugged Shen Juan's arm even tighter, leaning against him. "Why do I feel like everything you say makes so much sense? Why do I feel like you're so good at comforting people? Could it be that I'm seeing things through my eyes?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Shen Juan smiled.

"Narcissistic!" Cheng Xiao laughed and scolded.

"I'm narcissistic?" Shen Juan said, feigning heartache and seriousness. "Fine, if you admit you don't like me, I'll turn around and leave right now, and I promise I won't bother you again."

"Don't go!" Cheng Xiao held Shen Juan tightly, refusing to let go.

Shen Juan curled the corners of his lips. "Then what should you say?"

"I like you!"

"anything else?"

Cheng Xiao's voice was soft yet firm: "I love you!"

Shen Juan raised an eyebrow and chuckled: "Not being stubborn anymore?"

"I'm not Sister Tian, ​​why should I be stubborn?"

"If Sister Tian knew you were talking about her like that behind her back, she would be very sad." Shen Juan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"It's okay, you'll always find a way to appease her. No, to be precise, as long as you're in front of her, her anger will dissipate." Cheng Xiao muttered as she buried her head into Shen Juan's arms, like a puppy seeking warmth, with a hint of coquetry.

However, she didn't receive the familiar embrace; instead, she heard Shen Juan ask gently yet with a hint of mystery:
"Could you wait here for me?"

Cheng Xiao looked up, her face full of confusion, her watery eyes brimming with curiosity: "Okay, but what are you going to do?"

"We'll find out later."

After saying that, Shen Juan turned around and hurriedly ran back the way he came. His steps were urgent and firm. The flock of pigeons that were resting were startled and scattered. His shadow, which ran with the setting sun, and the mask strap that broke due to the strenuous exercise seemed to be a true reflection of his mood at this moment.

At the handicraft stall at the end of the bridge, an elderly man was slowly packing up his beaded cloth. Next to him, a gilded Statue of Liberty sculpture swayed gently in the breeze, making a clear and melodious tinkling sound.

"Wait! Four-leaf clovers, I want them all!" Shen Juan pushed through the tourists blocking his way and arrived at the stall. The large four-leaf clover that Cheng Xiao had casually praised a few minutes ago was now shining brightly under the glow of the setting sun.

The old man clearly remembered the handsome Asian man who had just passed by his stall. He looked up and examined Shen Juan's delicate features, which were not hidden by the mask, and slowly said, "You've already closed up shop, young man, unless you can tell me a love story in a Brooklyn accent that can move me."

“Let’s get straight to the point!” Shen Juan took off his hat and quickly tidied his sweaty hair. “I gave her a refrigerator full of flowers. She said it was so old-fashioned, but also so touching and romantic! Then I introduced the name of each flower to her.”

"Cool! It's not easy to remember the names of all the flowers. You must have done a lot of research."

Shen Juan shrugged noncommittally.

Perhaps the knowledge he learned from his mother, who owned a flower shop, when he was in elementary school was for this very moment.

"How about I trade all my four-leaf clovers for this Yankees baseball cap you have?"

The old man squinted at the face that was beautiful from any angle, then suddenly laughed and joked, "I've seen you a lot in Times Square and Fifth Avenue lately. Singing must earn you more than setting up a stall, right?"

"Deal." Shen Juan handed it over without hesitation, just as the New York skyline swallowed the last rays of sunlight.

He turned around, clutching the four-leaf clover with satisfaction, only to bump into a South Korean tour group consisting mostly of young people.

"HolysAlex?!" The girls' excited screams instantly pierced the night sky, attracting the attention of countless passersby.

"Fxxk!" Shen Juan thought to himself, feeling a chill run down his spine. He instinctively lowered the brim of his hat, only to find there was no brim to lower. He paused for a moment, then ran even faster, afraid of being blocked by the enthusiastic fans on the bridge and forced to steal the headlines for tonight.

Meanwhile, Cheng Xiao was leaning against the railing of the observation deck, looking in the direction Shen Juan had left. She would occasionally glance at her phone to check the time. When she saw him running back, covered in sweat and looking a little disheveled, she couldn't help but tease him while gently wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"So you made me wait here just so I could enjoy the screams your fans made for you?"

Shen Juan explained helplessly, "That was an accident, and I think our top priority right now is to leave here as soon as possible, otherwise things will get very complicated."

As he spoke, he quickly handed the four-leaf clover he was holding to Cheng Xiao, forcing a gentle smile as he could, and said softly, "Didn't you used to love making all sorts of wishes on your alternate account? Here! You can't make wishes with a three-leaf clover, but you can with a four-leaf clover. I wish you peace and happiness in the future!"

Cheng Xiao took the four-leaf clover that Shen Juan had crumpled up in newspaper, then carefully picked out the prettiest one and stuffed it into his pocket, saying with a smile, "Keep it. Last time you were photographed, didn't your fans say you were actually doing music research? Next time you're photographed, just say you were doing fieldwork."

Shen Juan felt a little embarrassed and shook his head with an awkward smile. "Actually, in my original plan, this should have been a pretty good scene, but the mask held it back."

Cheng Xiao already knew that her boyfriend was an incurable romantic idiot, so she naturally wouldn't feel regretful about the failure of this impromptu romantic gesture. So she smiled and comforted him, "It's okay, you just created a scene that is ten thousand times more precious than the four-leaf clover itself!"

Shen Juan was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant.

The two smiled at each other and ran side by side into the distance.

Only the group of fans behind him remained, shouting incessantly.

(End of this chapter)