Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

Besides catering to die-hard fans, do they also cater to gay couples?

Wouldn't all his preparations have been for nothing?

He Ziyu's lips twitched twice as Jiang Chengyu led him into the bar. Even after they found a seat, he was still somewhat dazed.

To solidify his status as a die-hard fan, he stayed up all night researching every album Old Brickwall had ever released since the company's inception, every award they had won, and even carried all that merchandise all the way to Denmark. And then…

They just got in like that?!

"Look at your resentful little eyes, anyone who didn't know better would think I was bullying you." Jiang Chengyu took out a mint from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into He Ziyu's mouth.

"I refuse to accept this," He Ziyu said, resting his chin on his hand with a look of despair. "It feels like when you finally manage to make a cheat sheet in college, only to have the teacher announce an open-book exam, and all your hard work goes to waste..."

"Wouldn't it be better to learn more about the things I like?" Jiang Chengyu was both amused and exasperated by He Ziyu's reaction.

"Of course it's not bad," He Ziyu quickly explained, "It's just that I've memorized what the members like and dislike to eat, isn't that unnecessary..."

……

Half an hour later, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, and the small bar became packed with people.

He Ziyu was also busy, taking out the banners and light boards he had prepared earlier and holding them up. He also ordered a large plate of French fries and roasted chicken wings, eating while waiting for the performance to begin.

At 7:30 sharp, dry ice was sprayed from both sides of the stage, and the four members of the Old Brick Wall took to the stage.

The bar erupted in enthusiastic applause!

The lead singer walked to the microphone, and without much small talk, immediately asked, "Ten years have passed. How is everyone doing?"

"good!"

"It wouldn't be any better without you all!"

Fans responded enthusiastically below, saying all sorts of things.

It has indeed been ten years since the last concert at Old Brick Wall. The process is neither short nor long... it has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Do you remember what I said at the last concert?" The lead singer held the microphone and looked around at the audience. "I said we would meet again someday, and I proved that I did not break my promise."

Fan A: "But we've waited so long for this day!"

Fan B: "Yeah, I haven't followed any other bands in the last ten years!"

"But some things only become more meaningful after the passage of time, don't they?" Amidst the sighs, the lead singer smiled slightly. "Actually, our withdrawal from the industry back then wasn't because of any internal conflicts as rumored. It was because we disagreed with our original management company and were sidelined. Now that our 20-year contract has expired, we finally have the freedom to choose."

Fan C: "Then why hold the fan meeting in Denmark, which is so far away?"

"I knew someone would ask that," the lead singer strummed the guitar hanging on his body. "You'll know the answer after this concert."

……

For three hours, Lao Zhuanqiang sang all his songs from his debut to the present, only taking a sip of water at most. The fans listened with great enjoyment, waving glow sticks and singing along, leaving He Ziyu stunned.

He's never been in close contact with anyone who's a fan of celebrities before.

Although Jiang Chengyu likes old brick walls, he only buys albums and related merchandise at most, unlike these people who are so enthusiastic that they almost turn the place upside down.

Finally, the fan meeting came to an end.

The lead singer wiped the sweat from his forehead, pulled up a high stool and sat down, panting as he said, "Thank you all for remembering the old brick wall after so many years and for still loving rock and roll. Next, I will tell you why we chose to hold this fan meeting in Denmark and why we specially welcomed gay couples."

After he finished speaking, a curtain slowly fell from the top of the background wall.

The bar lights suddenly went out, and a projection appeared on the screen, accompanied by melodious background music, showing a sand table.

Immediately afterwards, a narration began.

"A long, long time ago, a little boy named Zheng lived alone in this world."

"Suddenly one day, another boy named Afan appeared in his life."

"A-Fan is completely different from him. He has a cheerful and smiling personality and likes to be at the forefront of everything he does."

The narration was provided by the lead singer, whose voice was deep and magnetic. As he narrated, a long, slender hand began to draw on the sand table, sketching the figures of two little boys.

"Elementary school, middle school, high school..."

"A-Zheng and A-Fan are inseparable, always keeping each other company."

Gradually, Ah Zheng realized that he had fallen in love with Ah Fan.

"His gaze began to be drawn to A-Fan involuntarily. He looked forward to doing more interesting things with him and hoped that A-Fan would only have eyes for him."

"Ah Zheng harbored a secret and dared not speak out, so he could only let the seed of unrequited love take root and sprout in his heart, bearing bitter fruit."

"Who would have thought that one day, A-Fan would confess his feelings to A-Zheng."

"Ah Zheng was overjoyed and vowed to give Ah Fan the best of everything, but what he didn't expect was that Ah Fan was even more serious than him."

"In order to gain the approval of Ah Zheng's family, Ah Fan studied hard and worked hard..."

"This effort has lasted for ten years."

……

Fingertips sketched pictures on the sand table, depicting two little boys growing up, from school uniforms to suits.

The more He Ziyu looked at them, the more familiar they seemed. He couldn't help but ask Jiang Chengyu beside him, "Brother Yu, why do these two little boys look so much like us?"

Jiang Chengyu didn't answer, but only gave him a smile.

After a long while, the video finished playing, and the lead singer said into the microphone, "Actually, the protagonist of today's love story is right here."

He Ziyu was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, a beam of light shone on him and Jiang Chengyu.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Chengyu stood up and faced He Ziyu. Suddenly, he knelt on one knee and took out a small box from his pocket.

He Ziyu was dumbfounded. "Brother Yu, what are you doing...?"

Jiang Chengyu looked into his eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Actually, two months ago, I suddenly had a whim and wrote down our story and sent it to the old brick wall's email address."

"I originally just wanted to share my love story with my idol, but I didn't expect to get a response and it even led to this fan meeting in Denmark."

"Although we're already married, I still owe you a formal proposal, and I'm making up for it now."

He Ziyu stared in disbelief, his pupils reflecting the handsome figure under the spotlight.

"We have different personalities, different hobbies, and even different tastes."

"But we are drawn to each other, and neither of us can live without the other. We are like the palm and the back of the hand, one positive and one negative, complementing each other."

"So, Ayu..."

"will you marry me?"

Jiang Chengyu opened the small box, revealing a sparkling men's diamond ring inside.

He Ziyu's eyes reddened slightly, but he nodded without hesitation and said, "I'm willing."

The quiet air was suddenly filled with enthusiastic applause.

Jiang Chengyu gently slipped the diamond ring onto He Ziyu's ring finger, then stood up and embraced him, whispering in his ear:

"I must have wronged you in my past life."

"I will definitely stay with you until the very end of this life."

The tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally spilled onto Jiang Chengyu's shoulder.

He Ziyu wrapped his arms tightly around Jiang Chengyu's waist, buried his head in his neck, and felt the other's strong heartbeat.

They hugged for a long time when a familiar voice suddenly came from beside them.

"Don't just hug me, give me a kiss!"

"I second that! Kisses, hugs, and piggyback rides—we can't leave any of them out!"

He Ziyu was slightly taken aback. When he looked in the direction of the sound, his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

As far as the eye could see, Jing Ran was taking pictures with her phone, with Bei Yao, Jiang Nanqiao, and Han Zhiruo standing next to her.

"Ah Yu! Happy wedding!"

May you have a son soon!

"What are you saying? Ah Yu can't have children!"

Familiar faces came into view, leaving He Ziyu completely dumbfounded.

For three whole hours, he was completely unaware that so many familiar faces were hiding in the shadows, and even now he still wonders if he was hallucinating.

……

After the fan meeting, fans went to interact with and take photos with the old brick wall, while He Ziyu pulled Jiang Chengyu in front of those people to "question them".

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"If I told you, there wouldn't be any surprise," Jing Ran raised an eyebrow, took a small box from Bei Yao's arms, and handed it to He Ziyu. "This is a wedding gift from Yao-ge and me to you."

Jiang Nanqiao: "We have that too!"

He Ziyu accepted the gift and was about to say thank you when two more people suddenly appeared beside him.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Gu Wang and Wen Xiuxiu.

"When it comes to wedding gifts, this is definitely the most high-end one." Wen Xiuxiu tossed her hair, picked up the paper bag in her hand, and said, "It's a super artificial intelligence robot. If you two ever have a fight, it can even help mediate."

"You call this high-end? It's clearly unreliable." Gu Wang nudged her aside. "Look at mine, a portable coffee machine, perfect for big bosses like you who need to work overtime and stay up all night. Oh, and this mural..."

"My cousin and Xin Chuanhua bought this mural at a high price. It's said to be able to ward off evil spirits and protect the house."

He Ziyu received many gifts, and after thanking them one by one, he decided to invite them to sit at his short-term rental apartment.

Since the distance wasn't far, the group didn't take a taxi, but instead walked back under the moonlight.

Carrying a backpack full of stuff from around the old brick wall, He Ziyu couldn't help but complain, "Jiang Chengyu, I'll settle the score with him when I get back..."

"What's wrong?"

"You knew perfectly well what was going on at today's fan meeting, yet you still let me carry so much stuff."

"Then take it off, and your husband will carry it for you."

"Forget it, yours weighs more than mine!"

As they neared their destination, Jiang Nanqiao suddenly stopped and pointed to the sky, exclaiming, "Look, there's a shooting star!"

Everyone looked up and, sure enough, saw a shooting star streak across the sky.

Next is the second one, then the third one.

The last time they encountered so many shooting stars was ten years ago, when they were all students at No. 8 Middle School. Except for He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu, almost all of them went to Central Park and waited for several hours.

At this moment, in Copenhagen, more than 7,000 kilometers away from Moon City, they felt as if they had traveled through time and returned to the past.

"Make a wish quickly!"

At Jingran's urging, everyone stood still, put their hands together, and closed their eyes.

Ten years ago, He Ziyu made a wish that everyone he cared about in this life would be happy.

This time, he will make the same wish again.

In the night breeze, He Ziyu opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Chengyu. Unexpectedly, Jiang Chengyu was also looking at him.

The two smiled at each other and took each other's hands.

At the same time, the lyrics of the new song by Old Brick Wall flashed through their minds like an electric current.

I want to be with you from childhood sweethearts to old age.

Spring comes and autumn goes; these are the fleeting years that belong only to us.