Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 394 The Devil Who Manipulates People's Hearts

The moment the entryway light came on, hurried footsteps came from inside the door. The door opened, and Minami Hamabe, wearing a loose gray hoodie, poked her head out. Her hair smelled of citrus shampoo. Upon seeing Shen Juan, she exclaimed with delight, "I missed you so, so much! Come in quickly!"

Shen Juan was led into the house by her, and the chill of the autumn night on his body was quickly dispelled by the warm and cozy indoor environment.

"Did you drink?"

"I have work tomorrow morning, so I didn't drink."

Hamabe Minami actually knew that Shen Juan probably hadn't drunk much, because she couldn't smell alcohol on him. But that didn't stop her from using this topic to chat with Shen Juan. They hadn't seen each other for so long, and they could only chat on LINE for so long. She just wanted to talk to Shen Juan more.

"How many days will you be staying in Japan this time?"

"I won't stay for too long, less than two weeks."

"Less than two weeks," Minami Hamabe couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but her face still had that bright smile.

Shen Juan knew she was forcing a smile, so he took out a beautifully packaged misty blue velvet box from his trench coat pocket and handed it to her with a smile: "A new creation by a Ginza perfumer, said to allow one to relive the scent of bygone times."

The box contained a small bottle that reflected a faint light, with a label that read "Rain in Shibuya, May 1998".

“Actually, there are many choices, but May 1998 just happens to be the day I was born, so…” He shrugged.

Hamabe Minami curiously reached out and gently touched the small bottle. The platinum diamond bracelet on her wrist sparkled under the living room chandelier. Shen Juan had a good memory and naturally knew that this was one of the birthday gifts he had given her this August, but he did not expect that she had been wearing it all this time.

"Wow! It's so beautiful! I love it so much!"

When Minami Hamabe laughs from the bottom of her heart, she looks just like Koya, with her features all over the place, but she gives off a very cute vibe.

In any case, Shen Juan prefers a girl who wears her heart on her sleeve, making her easy to guess and understand, to the kind of sophisticated, all-around capable woman who always maintains a flawless demeanor and calmly handles any situation.

Perhaps this is a major reason why he prefers innocent and naive ordinary people to mature and sensible celebrities.

It's already tough enough with all the backstabbing and scheming in this industry, let's just enjoy some simple, beautiful things in private.

As Shen Juan took off his trench coat and hung it on the hanger, he shared his day's experiences with a relaxed smile: "On my way to your house, I met an interesting old man. He said that my Heart of Chrome bracelet looked like a yakuza master from a shoujo manga, and that we were destined to be together. He insisted on giving it to me."

As he spoke, he opened his palm.

A metal necklace slipped out.

Hamabe Minami took a closer look and saw a cat in the style of ukiyo-e curled up in the shape of a Möbius strip, with eyes that changed color like moonstone. She immediately recognized it as a non-sale item or the store's prized possession from a popular jewelry store in Nakameguro, as she is often surfing the internet and has seen a lot of things.

"Isn't this a non-sale item from that store in Nakameguro?" she asked in surprise, her eyes widening uncontrollably.

Shen Juan chuckled softly, then put the chain on Hamabe Minami's slender neck. "The so-called non-sale item is just that the shop owner hasn't found a suitable buyer yet. Besides, that old man said I should bring this cat out to see the world, so I can't let him down, can I?"

The metal felt slightly cool against her skin, and a pleasant sound exploded in her ears, creating ripples. Minami Hamabe felt her breathing and heartbeat become erratic. She subconsciously raised her hands to cover her face, hiding her shyness, and muttered, "Then why did you give it to me?"

"They've identified you as the buyer, not me. This cat won't see much of the world if it stays with me."

"How can you not see it? I took a picture with the shop owner when I bought this necklace. I'll post it on Instagram, and then you can wear it and take a selfie later. That way you'll see it for yourself. Not for sale means there's only one in the market, so it's easy to trace its origin no matter where it goes."

Shen Juan already has so many "Juan Girls" circulating online, so one more won't make a difference. After all, having more debts is never a bad thing.

And if doing this will give her some peace of mind? Then let's make her female fans suffer, I'll take the blame.

"I'd better forget about it. If my agent knew I wanted to do that, I'm afraid she'd yell at me so badly I'd end up in the hospital."

Minami Hamabe sighed helplessly.

As for the rumors about her dating Shen Juan, she doesn't care. After all, she has nothing to lose. As long as she can withstand the overwhelming online bullying from fans like Sister Tian, ​​she won't suffer any losses.

It doesn't matter for established female stars, since their careers are already stable and their foundations won't be shaken by scandals.

But young flowers in their rising stage are very important.

Any scandal could potentially halt an upward trend.

Even if the person she's rumored to be dating is a world-class superstar, it's the same.

Fans don't care how famous your partner is; they just think that a woman who dates a notorious scumbag doesn't deserve their support and love.

This is also a key reason why Dilraba and Gulnazar, despite being the same age, have completely different attitudes toward Shen Juan.

One is heading towards a bright future, with a promising outlook.

One is barely surviving, its potential exhausted.

Any normal person knows how to make the right choice.

However, the thought that the person she had admired and idolized for so long, or rather, her spiritual anchor, was willing to share a necklace with her and be rumored to be dating made Hamabe Minami want to laugh. So she snuggled into Shen Juan's arms again, grinning foolishly, and said, "But I've already received your feelings~"

I don't know when it started, but it began to rain outside the window, hitting the balcony glass and making a crisp, pleasant sound.

“Before, when it rained, I would wonder when it would stop, but now I don’t want to know anymore.” The petite Minami Hamabe nestled in Shen Juan’s arms, feeling the warmth, and murmured softly, “I always miss you so much, especially on every rainy day.”

如果
I wish our relationship could go beyond this clandestine running buddy relationship and go further.

In that case, one should be able to taste more of the purest sweetness and joy that comes from happiness and love.

It's a pity we don't live in the same country, and it's a pity that Shen Juanjun's career focus is not in Japan, so he won't stay here for too long. So I still hope that more and more Japanese fans will come to like Shen Juanjun, so that he might come more often and stay longer.

The next morning, the clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the sky cleared.

Although last night's comprehensive family survey, from the entryway to the living room to the bathroom to the kitchen and then to the bedroom, made Shen Juan reluctant to open his eyes, he still sat up abruptly when his phone alarm rang, because the 18 Festival organized by NHK was waiting for him to participate in the recording.

So after comforting Abin, a girl who had also been woken up by the alarm clock and felt like she was about to be torn apart, Shen Juan put on his slippers, went into the bathroom to wash up, got dressed, left her residence, and rejoined the team.

"Universal asked if you've already decided to make an EP with seven songs, or if you could add three more songs to make a full album?" Yangyang Jin said to Shen Juan in the car. "They said if you don't have much time to create songs, they can help you find songs."

"After all, you know that album revenue is definitely higher than EP revenue, and the meaning of releasing an album and releasing an EP are also different."

While waiting for Shen Juan to come out of the apartment, she took the time to check on the current production progress of the Japanese EP.

All seven songs originally planned, except for the music video and the Starbucks Christmas promotional song, have been completed.

"BOY" will premiere on NHK's 18 Festival stage. "Destiny" has already been released. "I LOVE" will be released with the EP and will also benefit from the popularity of TV dramas at the beginning of each year (TBS has already contacted Shen Juan to buy the song to be used as the theme song for "Love Will Continue to the End").

The performance of "Renegades" on "The Big Band" can be turned into a Japanese version by adding two Japanese lines.

Then, "Monster Song" (originally sung by Vaundy) is also scheduled to premiere at the upcoming pre-recorded Kohaku Uta Gassen.

With almost every song finding a good home, it was impossible for this EP not to generate explosive initial buzz.

In addition to his large fan base, he is bound to achieve very good initial sales no matter what.

“It’s not impossible to make an album if we really want to, but the question is, do we have the time? Anyway, I don’t plan to postpone this Japanese EP or Japanese album until next year.” Shen Juan certainly knows that for a singer, releasing an album is much more meaningful than an EP, but he also has his own considerations.

When a singer-songwriter is inspired, he can often write a song in just half an hour, while a mediocre singer can write a song in an instant.

So the real problem is the post-production time. If the singer wants to strictly control the process, the progress will be slowed down, and the production time will naturally be extended. This is why even with Shen Juan's amazing skills, it still took so long, because he needed to keep a close eye on the production content of the arrangement team.

“Why not just do it the way before? You write the lyrics and music first, then organize and put forward the arrangement requirements, and then have them find several skilled teams to work on the songs in parallel. That way, you can work on four or five songs at the same time instead of one.” That’s what Yangyang Jin thought.

"Do you really think I can write songs as easily as Charlotte?"

"Is not it?"

Shen Juan rolled his eyes. "There are still three songs missing, right? I'll see if I can write them after we get back to the hotel tonight."

“So that means it’s a sure thing.” Yangyang Jin smiled, and then continued, “Che Che’s new show is currently being filmed in Tokyo. I heard you happen to be in Tokyo, so I’d like to ask you to take some time to come and make an appearance, to generate buzz for the show.”

"What program?"

"The Rap of China, simply put, is about opening a clothing store. The five regular guests are Wu Jiaheng, Yang Ying, Pan Weibao, Zhao Jinmai, and Fox, a popular contestant from this year's Rap of China," Yang Yangjin added.

"Wait, Wu Jiaheng?" Shen Juan was genuinely surprised, not feigning it. "Che Che wants me to be in the same frame as him?"

"This is obviously a great marketing topic." Yangyang Jin was also a little nervous. After all, the significance of Shen Juan and Wu Jiaheng appearing together was no different from that of wearing overalls and a basketball. The former would remind people of those drooling memes, and the latter would remind people of a certain Idol Producer's center.

"Does Wu Jiaheng really want to?"

Didn't everyone say that Kris has developed PTSD and gets so scared that he shakes his legs and drools whenever he sees me?
Under these circumstances, why would he still ask me to meet with him? Isn't he just trying to kill Chris and eat his blood?
“If it were two years ago, he would certainly have the right to refuse, but things are different now.” Yangyang Jin said with a playful smile. “And you can tell from his new song ‘Big Bowl of Noodles’ that he realized the high-end route wasn’t working, so he has now switched to a more down-to-earth approach.”

"So being in the same frame as me means being down-to-earth?" "It tells the outside world that he has made peace with his dark past, which will win him a lot of goodwill from the public."

"A divine being." Shen Juan was speechless.

"So, are we going or not? Since it's not a formal guest appearance, just a customer visiting the store, it won't take up too much time." Yangyang Jin was indifferent to the matter. After all, Shen Juan's current level as an artist is not someone that a small-time celebrity like Kris can easily emulate.

Where do they open their shops?

"Harajuku Minami Aoyama."

"Then let's find some time to go have some fun."

Shen Juan leaned back in his chair and began to rest with his eyes closed.

His thoughts are very simple now.

That means bullying Chris for fun, so that when he goes to jail, he'll have nightmares about himself every night.

What many people don't know is that besides being a playboy, he's also a very, very bad gangster.

Therefore, if you want to completely destroy a person's psychological defenses and destroy a swordsman, this is the only way.

Chris is lucky to have messed with him.

The late autumn air in Tokyo carries a slight chill.

Yuki Yoda was following the crowd into the NHK TV studio, queuing to have her ticket checked. Her fingers kept touching the invitation in her hoodie pocket. This was the first time she had participated in an offline event as an ordinary fan, and her heart, hidden behind the idol's aura, was beating exceptionally fast at this moment.

The electronic screen at the entrance was playing a promotional video for "18 Sacrifice", with Shen Juan's face appearing and disappearing in the light and shadow.

"Shen Juanjun's face is so, so handsome!" The girl couldn't help but exclaim in her heart like a fangirl.

Actually, if we look at the debut time, Shen Juan, who debuted in 17, should probably call her senior, who debuted in 16.

However, she was acutely aware of the vast gap between herself and Shen Juan, and at the same time, she greatly admired Shen Juan's achievements.

Therefore, they naturally wouldn't think that being a fan of their idol is something shameful.

On the contrary, she has mentioned Shen Juan in public and on social media more than once, referring to herself as Alovers.

It seems she's determined to compete with Minami Hamabe, Elaiza Ikeda, and others for the title of "Number One Shen Fan" in all of Japan.

So when NHK announced that Shen Juan would be the performer for this year's 18 Festival, Yuki Yoda, who is 19 years old this year and falls right in the 17-19 age range, immediately filled in her personal information on the official website and submitted her application.

Then, by sheer coincidence, I was selected by NHK and became a lucky fan. Not only did I get the opportunity to come to the recording, but I also got to hear Shen Juan's unreleased new song "BOY" half a month in advance, and started rehearsing with other lucky fans for today's collaboration stage.

Shen Juan's "Pretender" is playing in my headphones.

The queue is getting longer and longer.

The people around had already started talking.

Someone was chatting with their companion about Shen Juanjun's upcoming concert at Tokyo Dome, which made Yuki Yoda feel very happy and secretly pleased, because she had successfully bought tickets for the inner field.

People are talking about Shen Juan's career development. Those who are here are mostly Shen Juan's fans, and naturally they all feel that their idol has a bright future.

Someone was playing Shen Juan's old music video, "Hold On," on their phone! The scene on the screen of him speeding and dodging police cars reminded her of the racing short film Porsche released earlier this month: Shen Juan was wearing a racing suit and helmet, with sharp and arrogant eyes, looking incredibly cool!
We moved forward slowly, step by step, until we finally reached the ticket gate.

However, when I took out the invitation, I unexpectedly came across the handwritten letter, and I suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

She wrote it in her dorm room last night when she couldn't sleep. She neatly copied the lyrics of the chorus of "BOY" and drew a cute smiley face and a little musical note at the end, with the words "Please continue to be a star that illuminates the world" written next to it.

She knew it was inappropriate for an idol to deliver letters to men, as private contact was a sensitive issue in any East Asian country.

But because of the excitement and longing in my heart, I couldn't help but bring this impromptu handwritten letter with me.

Stepping into the venue, you are greeted by a wave of warmth.

Her seat was arranged in the second row on the left, facing the end of the T-shaped stage. Looking at the "18 Festival" logo printed on the floor, she suddenly recalled the feelings she had when she suddenly heard Teacher Shen Juan's "You Are All I See" on that quiet night last year.

At that moment, she was completely drawn into the melodic atmosphere created by Teacher Shen Juan's beautiful singing voice.

And today?
She was already in the zone before the song even started.

So the moment the studio lights went out, deafening cheers erupted throughout the venue.

Then, the golden lights on the dome fell, the elevator slowly rose, and Shen Juan appeared amidst frantic screams.

This was far more real and cooler than what you see on TV shows and in music videos. In this moment, Yuuki Yoda, feeling a little dazed, couldn't help but think of the sunrise she saw in a convenience store in the early morning. Although it was high above and out of reach, it could dye the whole city a gentle gold.

"Let's move forward with a smile, carrying this unique beauty, mingled with our tears and sweat."

When Shen Juan opened his mouth, his voice, which was unusually gentle compared to usual, made Yuuki Yoda gasp.

But she didn't forget her mission, so she joined the others who were equally amazed in singing along.

Teacher Shen Juan's live performance was really great!
He's even more handsome in person than in his photos! Why is there such a huge difference between him and the handsome men in our country?

But soon, the girl had no time to think about such things.

Because Shen Juan suddenly turned to face her, Yuki Yoda immediately held her breath.

Shen Juan's eyes, which always seemed somewhat aloof in front of the camera, were now staring directly at her.

It is said that eye contact is a spiritual kiss without lust, and she probably felt the same way about kissing at that moment.

My breathing became rapid, my heart was pounding, and my mind briefly lost its ability to think, becoming a jumbled mess.

But Shen Juan quickly turned to look in the other direction, leaving her with only his back.

So this moment became exceptionally long in her memory.

As the last note of the song faded, air columns shot out from both sides of the stage, and silver sequins danced like snowflakes in the beams of light from the dome, eliciting thunderous applause from the entire audience.

Many people had tears in their eyes, and those around them hugged each other, celebrating their once-in-a-lifetime 18th birthday.

This stage is so beautiful it's heartbreaking.

Moreover, because of Shen Juan's singing voice and the light in his eyes, there seems to be something more worth savoring.

Stepping out of the NHK building, the wind was a bit chilly.

As she bought a hot coffee from the vending machine on the street corner, she recalled the scene she had witnessed backstage:
When she went backstage to find him, he was looking down at his phone, where a group photo of everyone that had just been taken was displayed.

When she mustered up the courage to hand him the handwritten letter, the smile on his face was so gentle.

It turns out that outside the stage, the relationship between idols and fans is never one-way, but rather like two stars illuminating each other, shining together in the same night sky from their respective places.

She couldn't help but laugh.

Aside from being an idol of Nogizaka46, Yuuki Yoda, she is just an ordinary fan with similar hobbies to everyone else. Only through Shen Juan's singing can she temporarily escape the constraints of being an idol and rediscover the passion hidden deep in her heart.

The sounds of traffic in the distance brought her back to reality. She knew that no matter what difficulties and challenges she would face tomorrow or in the future, the sea of ​​light that illuminated Shen Juan today, and the voice singing freely on the stage, would become the courage for her to continue on her path as an idol.

Just like the lyrics Shen Juan sang in "BOY": "No matter how many times you try, you must strive for tomorrow. Even if the goal is still out of reach, you must persevere and fight on. You are more dazzling than anyone else."

Often, what fans really need to do is not to act like clueless fools trying to discern the truth or falsehood of the content their idols produce.

It's not about what you can get from your idol, but about what you can gain from them.

What kind of person can you become by influencing your favorite idols?

Standing by the roadside, with the cold autumn wind blowing, Yuki suddenly understood: the connection between idols and fans is never a simple matter of looking up to someone and being looked up to, but rather two people with dreams writing their own stories on different stages of life, creating a light that will never fade away.

Sure enough, after becoming a fan of Teacher Shen Juan, I can learn a lot of things from him that I can't learn normally!
really,

Only Shen Juanjun is the answer to my life!

　I'm taking a break. Chapter 2 should be released around midnight, so you don't need to wait.
　　Thank you Xiaonannan for the 1500 points reward!
　　Thank you to Qianjun Yifa for the reward for the character Hu Lianxin!
　　Thank you to "Is Seeking Pleasure on a Certain Point a Mistake" for the 1000-point Tian Xiwei character reward!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)