Chapter 160: Visiting the Castle Set

Story Timeline: April -- May 2007
Recommended Song: tonyan --- me1ody
Disclaimer: This work is purely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is entirely coincidental!

After working through his complex feelings regarding his father, Jiang Yihan felt a heavy burden lift from his chest, and his already commendable state of mind surged to new heights. His inspiration for both songwriting and acting exhibited an impressive upward trajectory. Aside from crafting his own tracks, Jiang Yihan also put the production of songs for the two new rookie groups onto his schedule.

Lying on a lounge chair on the set during a break in his shooting schedule, listening to the master tracks brought over by Li Ran, Jiang Yihan closed his eyes and gently tapped out the rhythm. He envisioned the feeling of lyrics being added to the melodies, keeping his impressions of Cheng Yu and the others in mind as he selected suitable songs.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan was tapped on the shoulder. Expecting it to be time for his scene, he hurriedly stood up and pulled out his earphones. Taking a closer look, he realized it was Jiang Ziyi. "Yiyi, what's wrong? Is it time for my scene?"

"No, the director has given everyone a thirty-minute break," Jiang Ziyi said with a bright, happy smile.

"Oh? Why is that? Did Director Xu suddenly develop a heart of gold?" Jiang Yihan chuckled. "Didn't they say we were rushing against the schedule? Why suddenly give everyone a break? Could his conscience have had a massive awakening?" Chuckling, Jiang Yihan looked toward the set. Everyone was running around cheerfully in a bustling scene of activity, and many unfamiliar faces were delivering takeout food to the crew. "Could Director Xu be treating everyone to a meal? He must be feeling generous today, haha!"

While Jiang Yihan was still joking around, Zheng Riyu and Jin Xiaoxi ran over, each holding a box of pizza and skipping toward him. Seeing the two excited youngsters, Jiang Yihan feigned a look of shock, let out a loud shout, and took a few steps back. "Hey, you two, didn't you get a bit too excited? Hahahaha." After jogging a few steps and seeing them out of breath yet radiating happiness, Jiang Yihan walked back. "Hehe, what's going on? Why so happy today? Just because Director Xu is treating us to pizza? Though, I suppose that iron rooster has finally plucked a feather; it's definitely worth celebrating."

"Hehe, Brother Yihan, we're actually eating the pizza you bought us. If you don't go get yours soon, there won't be any left for you, haha," Zheng Riyu said happily.

"Huh? Mine?" Jiang Yihan clearly didn't understand.

"Yeah, today Brother Yihan is treating all the staff to pizza, which is why Director Xu gave us a half-hour break," Jin Xiaoxi added with a smile, pointing toward the distance where Director Xu Le was also eating with great enjoyment. "Look, Director Xu is enjoying it too."

"Why am I treating everyone to a meal when I had no idea about it myself?" Jiang Yihan said, laughing and crying at the same time. "Yiyi, where's Xiaojin? Is he settling the bill in that corner over there?"

"Hehe, Brother Li Ran is helping hand out the pizza. I just came over to wake you up and tell you about this, but these two beat me to it and ran over even faster," Jiang Ziyi explained with a smile. "Today's treat is in your name, Brother."

"I did mention to Jin a few days ago that I wanted to treat everyone, but Jin said we should wait until after the press conference before doing it together. Why bring it forward?" Jiang Yihan recalled discussing with Li Ran a few days earlier how hard everyone was working on the tight shooting schedule, and that they should treat the crew to a meal as a token of appreciation to boost morale for the upcoming shoots and improve relationships with the staff, which would ultimately benefit the production of the drama.

"Today isn't treated by Brother Li Ran. It's from your Castle Fan Club," Jiang Ziyi revealed the true protagonist of the day without beating around the bush—Jiang Yihan's official fan club.

That was right. Today, Jiang Yihan's official fan club had spontaneously organized a massive order of pizzas delivered straight to the set to treat everyone in Jiang Yihan's name. The people currently handing out the pizzas on site were local fan club members in Seoul who had volunteered to come and help.

"Them?" Jiang Yihan pointed at the people happily bustling about. "They are all my Castles?"

"Yeah!"

"But where did they get so much money?" Jiang Yihan still hadn't fully processed it.

"They even crowd-funded such expensive gifts before; raising money to treat everyone to a meal certainly isn't difficult," Jiang Ziyi reminded him. Only then did Jiang Yihan remember the extravagant gifts he had received not long ago. Now, the Castles were doing him another favor; it truly came as a pleasant surprise.

"Then... then I really need to thank them properly." Jiang Yihan genuinely didn't know how to express his emotions. Ever since his return, whether it was called guilt, absolute trust, or a steadfast loyalty that had never changed, whatever the label, Jiang Yihan had truly and tangibly received their sincere affection.

"Don't worry, Brother Li Ran has organized a small meet-and-greet right here for later. It won't take up too much time, so you can properly thank everyone," Jiang Ziyi said. "I came over just to let you know."

"Right, I should. Let's go help out together first," Jiang Yihan said, pulling Jiang Ziyi along as he turned to look at Zheng Riyu and Jin Xiaoxi, who were still eating. "You two, come help as well."

Both youngsters still had pizza in their mouths and looked at Jiang Yihan with pitiful, pleading eyes. Jiang Yihan deliberately put on a fierce expression. "You two are still eating? Come and help!" He swung his fist playfully, and the two youngsters immediately surrendered.

Through spending time together lately, Zheng Riyu had grown quite close to Jiang Yihan, often joking around and sharing a tacit understanding with him. Putting down his pizza, he immediately ran over to help alongside Jiang Yihan. Jin Xiaoxi went without saying, obediently stepping forward to join them.

When the busy Castles saw Jiang Yihan rolling up his sleeves and coming over to help as well, bursts of shrieks echoed through the air. Jiang Yihan smiled, greeted everyone, expressed his appreciation for their hard work, and then took the pizza boxes to hand them out to each staff member. The Castles temporarily suppressed their inner excitement and continued with their tasks.

"Thanks, Yihan!"

"I'll enjoy it!"

"Thanks for your hard work!"

The staff members happily thanked and greeted Jiang Yihan. Having spent only a week or two with him, the staff could deeply feel Jiang Yihan's sincerity and effort. Although he was extremely popular and stood at the pinnacle of the Korean music industry, he remained exceptionally humble. Whenever he was unsure of something, he would humbly seek others' advice and listen intently. He got along wonderfully with everyone and carried none of the airs of a big star. Previously, Park Young-ho's camera crew within the industry had mentioned that Jiang Yihan was a great person, but experiencing it firsthand made it all the more pleasant.

After finally taking care of nearly four hundred staff members on set, everyone gathered around the small tent where Jiang Yihan rested. Around thirty Castles had come today. Wiping away his sweat, Jiang Yihan first greeted everyone. "Thank you all so much for today. I'm truly grateful." He bowed deeply in sincere appreciation.

Kang Jae-min hurriedly stepped forward to help Jiang Yihan up on behalf of everyone. "Young Master, we really can't take a bow like that from you." Kang Jae-min was an old acquaintance, and with a mischievous wink, he managed to make Jiang Yihan laugh.

The Castles opened an insulated box, inside of which was a seafood pizza—Jiang Yihan's absolute favorite flavor. They took it out and handed it directly to him. "Wow, you even prepared this specially for me? I thought mine had all been eaten by Riyu and Xiaoxi."

"Of course! We came here specifically for you today; how could we not prepare your favorite?" The Castles chuckled inwardly, feeling happy just seeing Jiang Yihan's satisfied expression.

"Jin, Yiyi, come over here. There's more," Jiang Yihan called out to invite Li Ran and Jiang Ziyi to eat together, then turned back to the crowd. "Have you guys eaten yet? You didn't just buy food for us and forget yourselves, did you?"

The Castles smiled at Jiang Yihan and replied in unison, "We ate. Of course we did. We ate before coming." Even if they hadn't eaten, seeing Jiang Yihan's happy smile made them feel completely satisfied.

"Brother Yihan, I want some more!" Zheng Riyu trotted over, picked up a slice, and smiled mischievously. "You guys don't mind, do you?"

Jiang Yihan chuckled. "You've eaten so much, aren't you afraid of getting fat?" As he spoke, he handed another slice to Zheng Riyu. Seeing the familiar, easygoing rapport between Jiang Yihan and Zheng Riyu, the fans didn't mind at all. Triumphantly munching on his pizza, Zheng Riyu scampered off to the side.

"You guys... shouldn't you be in class today? I remember today is Thursday," Jiang Yihan set down his pizza, trying to look stern as if remembering something, though he soon realized he couldn't stop smiling. His mood was undeniably wonderful.

"Don't worry, the ones who came today are all college students with no classes scheduled," Kang Jae-min said, as if anticipating Jiang Yihan's concern, proving that the fan club organizers had paid close attention. Knowing how busy Jiang Yihan's schedule was, he still tried his best never to miss classes unless absolutely necessary; even then, he would always apologize and explain the situation to his professors afterward. Consequently, Jiang Yihan had maintained excellent grades in university, and many professors adored this student. Aside from punctuality, his academic performance was quite respectable—while perhaps not top-of-the-class, it was well above average. This earned him widespread admiration, especially considering that at times, Jiang Yihan's schedule was so packed he only had three or four hours of sleep a day, yet he still managed to write papers and maintain good grades. It was truly a rare feat. Aside from Jiang Yihan's own diligence, a major factor was Li Ran's meticulous planning, ensuring his schedule accommodated his university commitments.

Naturally, as Castles, they also wished to follow their idol's example and not let the Young Master down.

Jiang Yihan smiled happily. "Right, you're all such good students, haha. Thanks for your hard work today. What made you suddenly think of bringing pizza over?"

"It was Shangguan Yewu's idea. Let her explain," Kang Jae-min said, pointing to a girl sitting nearby.

The girl stood up shyly and explained, "Actually, ever since I found out the Young Master started filming, I've come to the set to watch from time to time. I saw that the Young Master works so hard filming all day, sometimes unable to eat meals on time or having to rush through drinking water. I thought to myself, if even the Young Master is this exhausted, the staff must be even more tired. Furthermore, everyone is working hard to present the Young Master's best side to us, so of course we should thank them. That's why I proposed on the forum that we pool our funds to treat all the staff and check in on the Young Master at the same time. Everyone was very supportive."

"I think the main point was just to want to see the Young Master," a girl beside her teased with a chuckle.

"Hey, Xiao Ye, you're no different," Shangguan Yewu retorted, prompting laughter from everyone.

And indeed, who could deny it? Everyone simply wanted to see the Young Master whom they hadn't seen in a while.

"Hehe, is there anything different about seeing me?" Jiang Yihan said casually, chatting just like a friend. "However, you mustn't leak my costume! Our drama's press conference hasn't been held yet. If it gets exposed in advance and nobody pays attention later, I'll be heartbroken."

Jiang Yihan's exaggerated expression instantly cracked everyone up.

"Young Master, you've lost weight," said a girl from China named Xiao Wang. "You really have been staying up late filming every day, so you've gotten thinner. Young Master, you're already skinny enough; if you lose any more weight, you won't have the energy to dance. Please don't lose any more weight."

As soon as Xiao Wang spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.

Jiang Yihan touched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Alright, I know. I'll take care of my health, and you guys should stay healthy too."

"Young Master, we have a Castle here all the way from Japan. She came to Korea specifically to see you this time," Kang Jae-min introduced.

A petite girl stood up. Her hair was a bit long, styled in cute little curls, and she had large, expressive eyes. Jiang Yihan hurriedly stepped forward to shake her hand, but as he did, a thought crossed his mind. "You are... you are... Yoshikuni Chiyoko?" The girl before him was actually an acquaintance! She was none of other than Yoshikuni Chiyoko, one of the trainees from the former ONE agency.

"Hehe, Young Master, you still remember me? That's right, I'm Yoshikuni Chiyoko," she replied in surprisingly fluent Chinese, though with a slight accent, leaving Jiang Yihan quite amazed.

"Yoshikuni Chiyoko, after you weren't selected last time, what have you been doing? Are you still practicing?" Jiang Yihan sighed. To run into someone he knew like this—it seemed Yoshikuni Chiyoko was also a fan of his.

"Ever since I came to like the Young Master, standing on that stage has been my dream. I will keep working hard. That's why I chose to continue training at ONE. Maybe one day I'll get another chance. And if it still doesn't work out, at least I tried my best, right?" Yoshikuni Chiyoko said with a sweet smile. Her persistence and determination touched Jiang Yihan deeply.

During the time Jiang Yihan spent happily chatting with everyone, staff members continuously came over to express their gratitude, making the Castles feel that their visit was entirely worthwhile. Not only did they get to see the Young Master, but they had also helped him strengthen his relationships with the crew.

The brief half-hour passed swiftly, and the time for parting arrived. Though reluctant to leave, everyone behaved sensibly for the sake of Jiang Yihan's shooting schedule and departed orderly.

After shaking hands with each person one last time, Jiang Yihan once again sincerely thanked the Castles for their thoughtfulness. "Hehe, if there's something like this next time, let me know in advance. Don't give me such a surprise—let me join in the fun with you all next time."

Amidst Jiang Yihan's smiling farewells, the Castles' set visit concluded with a wonderful result.