Chapter 121: A Lucky Fan Meeting

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Entertainment at Your Side - No Pop-ups
Story Timeline: January 2007
Recommended Song: G-Dragon (BIGBANG) - "Look Only at Me"
Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional. Please do not project it onto real-life figures. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

Sitting backstage, Jiang Yihan was still mulling over his conversation with his mother from the day before. Perhaps he had been too stubborn; he should probably let go of some of the burden he felt regarding Jiang Haotian.

"Lazy cat, stop thinking about it. Just let things take their natural course," Li Ran said, patting Jiang Yihan on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Jiang Yihan looked up at Li Ran and smiled to put him at ease. "How many people came today?"

"Just a hundred," Li Ran replied. "They were chosen by lottery. It was meant to be a small meetup anyway, so fewer people is better."

"It really is small, haha," Jiang Yihan joked.

It was indeed small, given that the crowd gathered outside the venue was likely approaching ten thousand. With a ratio like that, only one in a hundred got in—good heavens, what a ratio.

However, most of the "Castles" (fans) had no complaints; after all, it had been agreed from the start that entry would be by lottery, with only one hundred spots available. They simply hadn't expected Jiang Yihan's popularity to be so high that so many people would show up today.

At that moment, Little E and her four companions were waiting anxiously at the entrance, holding the ticket stubs from when they bought their albums. Buying the albums that day had been a crush; it was nearly impossible to buy them on-site because there were simply too many people. After discussing it, the five of them decided to leave, which led them to the restaurant where they enjoyed that supreme stroke of luck.

"What if they decide to let people in based on the order of purchase?" B asked worriedly.

"They shouldn't, right? They said it was a lottery," D said, comforting B as much as herself. "I really hope I get picked. Please, please."

The organizers had announced that they would hold a live drawing to prevent the cheating that had occurred in the past. Previously, they had allowed official fan forums or certain staff members to select attendees, which allowed those who were familiar with the organizers to get in easily, causing much resentment among other fans. Today, they chose a live lottery to maintain fairness.

The scene was a bit strange, reminiscent of a lottery draw, as everyone crowded around a small stage. The host on stage held a large box and a microphone, feeling more like a street raffle than a fan meetup.

"I will start drawing the numbers now. Your receipts have the date and a transaction number. I will call out the date and the number; once verified, you can enter directly." Since the event was split over four days at four different record stores, verifying the dates was necessary to ensure accuracy.

Then came the tense moment—the "lucky moment"—where a single digit decided who would get in.

"First, to encourage everyone's participation, after some discussion, the first ten fans from each of the four days will be admitted directly." As soon as the host finished speaking, there were cheers and sighs. The most frustrated and annoyed person must have been the 11th person each day—missing out by just one spot.

Once this was announced, those behind them let out a sigh of relief. At least the first 40 spots were gone, but with 60 spots remaining, there was still a chance.

Everyone watched as those 40 people entered happily; the excitement and joy on their faces were enviable.

The host didn't waste any more time and started the draw. As numbers were called out, more people grew happy, but the number of disappointed fans grew exponentially as the chances dwindled.

The group of five calmed down; three of them had actually been picked, but two were not so lucky. The lucky ones were A, B, and E.

"You guys go in. Coming to Beijing this time, we've already been lucky enough to have several close encounters with the Young Master. We can't be too greedy," C said, though she was also saying it to herself.

"Yeah, three out of five of us got in. I bet others are envious of us; why are we pulling such long faces?" D looked at the dense crowd around them. The odds were one in a hundred; there were so many disappointed people, and the fact that three of them were chosen was incredibly lucky.

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"How about this? After you get in, turn on your phones and take turns keeping the line open so we can hear what's going on inside, okay?" Seeing everyone silent, B suggested hesitantly.

"Haha, of course! As long as I can feel like I'm part of it, I'll be happy," C said, her mood brightening. "You guys go in quickly, or all the good seats will be gone, even though there are only 100 people."

D nodded as well. "Go on in. You three are representing the two of us who couldn't get in. Good luck, and give the Young Master lots of encouragement."

Reluctantly, the three of them went inside. Once they were in, the guilt and regret were pushed aside, replaced entirely by excitement. One hundred people sounded like a lot, but sitting in the venue, it was just a small group, and with the reporters and staff, the scene looked quite miniature. Even sitting in the back row, they were less than twenty meters from the stage. Good heavens, this really was a lucky fan meetup.

When Jiang Yihan appeared in jeans and a T-shirt, everyone thought he looked like the boy next door, but when he flashed his most radiant smile, he was every bit the prince.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Yihan." Jiang Yihan smiled and sat on the sofa in the center. "You must all be wondering why I'm dressed so casually today, right? Haha. Actually, it's quite simple: today, I just wanted to have a heart-to-heart with everyone, chat, and spend a pleasant afternoon together."

Seeing the confused expressions, Jiang Yihan smiled and scanned the crowd. "I recognize you! You were in the taxi right next to mine on the way from the airport last time, right?"

The girl pointed at gasped in surprise. "Yes... yes, that's right! But... but Young Master, aren't you supposed to have a terrible memory? How did you remember me?" Clearly, she still couldn't believe it.

"Look, look, you're exposing my shortcomings immediately, haha." Jiang Yihan pretended to look aggrieved, causing the room to laugh and the atmosphere to lighten. "My memory is bad, but my manager Li Ran has a good one. He told me. Hahaha, you've been tricked!"

"Eh..." the crowd teased Jiang Yihan without hesitation, but it made everyone feel much more at ease.

"Haha, that's more like it. Don't be too nervous. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me," Jiang Yihan said, taking a sip of water, looking very relaxed.

Today's small meetup didn't have a specific theme; it depended entirely on how Jiang Yihan handled the time, making it a casual, pleasant afternoon—that was the unique charm of this meetup. Such an inventive event clearly felt novel to everyone, and naturally, they began to get excited.

"Young Master, I sent you a gift from China before. Did you receive it?" a girl shouted, leading the way into the conversation.

"What kind of gift? Be specific! As long as it's not food, I probably finished eating it already, haha." Jiang Yihan was in a good mood and spoke a bit mischievously.

"It's a camera, a Canon DSLR," the girl said, laughing along with him.

"Ah, that big 'cannon barrel'?" Jiang Yihan recalled it instantly. "It's right here." With that, Jiang Yihan walked backstage, took his bag from Li Ran, and pulled out a large, professional-grade camera.

"Ah... ah..." The girl screamed as soon as she saw the gift she had sent.

"Haha, I really like this gift, so I've been carrying it with me." Jiang Yihan wasn't lying; the gift was worth over ten thousand RMB and was very precious. "What made you think of sending me a camera? Not many people send me cameras."

"I looked at your Cyworld and saw that many of your photos were taken by yourself. I heard from Jiang Zaimin, the president of the Korean Castle, that you occasionally like to photograph things, so I thought I'd buy a good camera for you," the girl said shyly, a hint of pride in her tone.

"Ha, how thoughtful! This is very expensive. You didn't spend your money recklessly, did you? If you did, I'll have to spank you!" Jiang Yihan said with a smile. Seeing the girl was too shy to speak, he continued, "How about we take a photo together with this camera? Let's make it a memento. I really want to thank you for sending it to me."

The room erupted at Jiang Yihan's suggestion.

With the encouragement of her friends, the girl walked to the center of the stage. With the photographer's help, Jiang Yihan took a photo with her, and it was immediately emailed to the girl's inbox.

After the photo, Jiang Yihan smiled and said, "Thank you! But in the future, please don't send such expensive gifts. Spending so much money isn't great, you know?"

The girl who had just taken the photo was so excited she couldn't speak, remembering only the faint scent of body wash on the Young Master.

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"Young Master, why did you return the gift I sent you?" a girl stood up and asked loudly.

"Huh? What gift did you send?" Jiang Yihan was surprised; usually, he wouldn't return gifts.

"A land deed." After the girl said this, the room collectively gasped. A land deed—that was very direct!

"Haha, you say that, but can I accept it?" Jiang Yihan said, feeling helpless. "We were shocked when we received this gift. Of course, I couldn't accept it. It's such a valuable item, and I'm just an ordinary person; I'm not worth such a gift, you know?"

Although the girl was still reluctant and had more to say, others began to jump in, interrupting her, and she had to sit down.

"Young Master, what were you thinking about when you wrote these songs? Why do they feel so relatable, and why do you have so much inspiration for your creations? It's truly amazing!" Another question, this one more professional.

"Haha, first of all, thank you for the compliment." Jiang Yihan stuck out his tongue in embarrassment. "Actually, I can't really explain the creative process. It's as if there's a melody in my head, some irregular fragments, and then they flow from my pen. A rough tune comes out, and then I refine it. Generally, a certain scene, a moment, or a story can make me think of something, and naturally, melodies emerge. It's a magical process; I can't really explain it. Haha."

"Young Master, are your relationships with Jaejoong and Hangeng really that good?" a girl asked, her face full of excitement, though it was unclear what she was thinking. "I watched the movie 'Can I Love You,' and seeing you with them in some photos, I feel like you guys are more than just friends."

"Ha, you're very direct, haha." Jiang Yihan pretended to complain. He naturally knew what she meant. Rumors or speculation about him being gay were not uncommon, but Jiang Yihan had a good mindset and wasn't angry. "Actually, our relationship is very good. With Jaejoong, I feel like we are good brothers. We spend a lot of time together and have faced many things together, so it feels very close. As for Hangeng, we've known each other for a while, and because we are both Chinese, there are some commonalities that make us resonate."

"So, Young Master, have you ever had any misconceptions when you're with them?" This question was even more direct; it was practically asking if there were romantic feelings.

Hearing this, Jiang Yihan laughed heartily for a while. "No, really, no. I'm very sure. Haha. Actually, I know what you mean. I can only say that brothers and good friends can be very close. I collaborated with Hangeng on a song for the third album in Korea; actually, that song was written for him because I felt he had gone through too many setbacks and yet he was so strong. It was a feeling of appreciation, of admiration. As for them, these good friends are just good friends. Don't let your imagination run wild!"

Jiang Yihan shut down all possibilities, leaving most people slightly disappointed. But when they thought about it, from Li Yimei to Lee Hyori, everything Jiang Yihan had shown was very normal. Perhaps the fans were just overthinking.

After the conversation continued for a while, Jiang Yihan picked up his guitar. "What song do you want to hear?"

After intense competition, the popular "Inter-Sleep" was chosen. Perhaps because of what happened last year, or perhaps because the melody was so beautiful, the song was incredibly popular.

He gently plucked the strings and began to sing softly. This time, the song had less sadness and more warmth. Jiang Yihan's magnetic voice echoed through the small venue, intoxicating everyone.

A few more songs showed everyone Jiang Yihan's outstanding live performance ability; he handled fast and slow songs with ease. Finally, in the happy atmosphere of "Can I Love You," the fan meetup came to an end.

"It's time to say goodbye. Actually, today's event didn't have much content—no games, no host, and no specific setlist. I just wanted to spend a leisurely afternoon with everyone. I wonder if you all had a happy afternoon?" Jiang Yihan stood up and smiled at everyone.

Judging by the unanimous affirmation and the happiness on their faces, it was indeed a pleasant afternoon.

"So, before you leave, here is one last small gift. It's not much, but please accept it with a smile, haha." Jiang Yihan finished speaking, walked to the door, and signaled for the people in the front row to come over one by one.

Jiang Yihan shook hands with everyone, and one by one, they walked out. Only after they had left did they realize the final gift was a handshake meeting. They could still feel the warmth of Jiang Yihan's hand, the faint, enchanting scent he wore, and the comfortable, alluring smile on his face. The whole afternoon felt so surreal.

But dreams eventually come to an end. Jiang Yihan's trip to China had come to a temporary close; it was time to return to Korea.