Chapter Eighteen: Jiang Ziyi

Page 1/3

Entertainment by Your Side (no pop-up ads)
Story begins: December 2004
Recommended song: Tim—“I Love You”
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental.

“It’s Uncle Li’s call.” Li Ran’s opening was simple.

“He says everything’s been resolved—no problems at all. But with less than a week left, we won’t make the New Year’s slot. Looks like you’ll debut around mid-January.”

He paused, then continued, “Uncle Li also mentioned that the MS company’s plan didn’t succeed this time—there were too many objective reasons. But they’re not giving up. They’re preparing to launch a new artist to compete with you. Although they have many backup trainees, rushing someone out now won’t help much. Uncle Li estimates that it’ll be around summer break before MS company faces you head-on again.”

“We’ll deal with the future when it comes. For now, at least we know my brother is about to debut, isn’t that right?” Jiang Ziyi, who had already been briefed, broke the silence with the good news.

“Yeah, that’s all in the future. Who knows, maybe before MS company sends someone to compete with me, I won’t even have made it big yet—ha!” Jiang Yihan laughed. With Kim Jaejoong’s issues and his own now resolved, it seemed everything was finally going smoothly as the new year approached.

“Ah, after New Year’s, the hard work begins,” Li Ran remarked, with a sense of foresight.

“Let things take their course.” With that, Jiang Yihan leaned against the window, gazing as the Ferris wheel slowly descended to the ground.

Afterward, the three went to a mid-range Western restaurant for a Christmas dinner before returning home. Thus, Christmas Eve arrived.

“Good morning!” Jiang Ziyi was up early, running to her brother and Li Ran’s room. Li Ran was already awake, but Jiang Yihan was still fast asleep. Glancing around, Jiang Ziyi spotted the Christmas gifts from her brother and Li Ran on the floor. Overjoyed, she ran to open them, but first, she took out the gifts she’d prepared, handing one to Li Ran and placing her brother’s on Jiang Yihan’s bed before opening her own.

Li Ran gave her a cute pink knitted hat, which she immediately put on. Next, she opened Jiang Yihan’s gift—a scarf. Wearing both gifts, she excitedly admired herself in the mirror, clearly pleased.

Li Ran also opened his present—a sleek black wallet. He said nothing, simply transferring his belongings from the old wallet to the new one.

Drowsily, Jiang Yihan finally woke up, rubbed his eyes, and, after looking around, opened the gift from Jiang Ziyi—a necklace with a pea-shaped pendant, slightly flat but very exquisite, engraved on the back with both their names in pinyin. Delighted, he put it on at once. Seeing her brother so happy with her gift, Jiang Ziyi beamed.

“Nice choice, Yi—very tasteful. Thank you!” Jiang Yihan kissed his sister’s cheek in gratitude.

“Of course! Who do you think picked it?” Ziyi replied smugly, making both her “big brothers” laugh. “Brother, where’s your gift for Li Ran?”

“Right here.” Jiang Yihan raised his hand to reveal a ring on his right ring finger—delicate, with many Roman numerals carved into the openwork design. Ziyi glanced at Li Ran and noticed he wore an identical ring, then understood—they must have chosen matching gifts for themselves while shopping.

“Brother, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” Jiang Yihan got up and went to brush his teeth, with Jiang Ziyi following. Li Ran smiled and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

“Hmm? Go ahead,” Jiang Yihan replied, mouth full of toothpaste, keeping his words short.

“Well, it’s like this...” Ziyi hesitated, unsure how to begin, but finally blurted, “Brother, what do you think about Kwon Jiyong?”

Page 2/3

“Kwon Jiyong?” Jiang Yihan paused mid-brush, searching his memory. The brief silence had Ziyi’s heart pounding with nervousness. “That kid? You’ve hung out with him a few times, right? I think he’s alright. Why?”

Having finished brushing, he finally answered—enough to put Ziyi at ease, at least for now.

“Well, he said he wants to date me. I told him I’d need to ask you.” Ziyi blurted out everything in one breath.

“What?” Both Jiang Yihan and Li Ran exclaimed. Li Ran even ran straight out of the kitchen; to him, Ziyi was like his own little sister, so this was a surprise.

“Didn’t you say you two were just friends? How come all of a sudden...” Jiang Yihan frowned as he washed his face.

“Yeah, it was nothing before,” Ziyi admitted, growing uneasy. If her brother didn’t agree, she knew she wouldn’t either, no matter how good the boy was. “But later he started coming to my school a lot, and we kept in touch. It’s been over a week since he started pursuing me.”

“Over a week, huh.” After washing, Jiang Yihan went to the living room, his expression unreadable. Li Ran, having thought it over, returned to the kitchen to bring out breakfast—congee.

“Here’s what I think.” After a long pause that kept Ziyi tense, Jiang Yihan finally spoke. “Have him come meet me. I’ll talk to him. How about that?”

“Okay, I knew you’d say that. I’ve already asked him to come by today.” Ziyi, it seemed, had anticipated her brother’s response and was prepared.

“You little fox.” Jiang Yihan laughed at his sister’s expression.

Since they had the day off, Li Ran and Jiang Yihan didn’t go to the company, and, being Saturday, Ziyi stayed home as well. Jiang Yihan spent time practicing guitar, Li Ran lounged on the bed scribbling who-knows-what, and Ziyi wrote in her CY diary on the computer—a rare, leisurely day all three enjoyed.

The quiet was broken by the doorbell. After a moment’s hesitation, Ziyi went to open it. As expected, it was Kwon Jiyong.

After a few minutes of awkward waiting in the living room, Jiang Yihan finally strolled out, with Li Ran following.

“Hello, big brother!” Kwon Jiyong greeted politely, standing up at once.

“No need to be nervous. Have some tea and then we’ll talk.” Jiang Yihan sat down unhurriedly, while Li Ran naturally went to brew tea.

Once the tea was served, the four sat around the table. Jiang Yihan sipped his tea, looking quite at ease. Ziyi and Kwon Jiyong were both silent—Ziyi was unafraid and calm, while Jiyong was visibly nervous. Li Ran, meanwhile, looked more relaxed than Yihan, completely detached, as though none of this concerned him.

Yihan studied the young man before him—delicate features, a slightly thin face, a cute smile revealing canine teeth, and faint dark circles under his eyes—perhaps from lack of sleep. After a moment’s thought, Yihan broke the silence.

“Kwon Jiyong, right?” Yihan finally put down his cup. “You were born in ’88, right? What are you doing now? Still in school? I think Yi mentioned it before, but I forgot.”

“Oh, big brother. Yes, I was born in ’88. I’m still in high school, but I’m also a trainee at YG Entertainment, preparing for my debut.” Jiyong was clearly nervous.

“Tell me about your experiences.” Yihan changed the topic.

Jiyong was momentarily taken aback, then replied, “I’ve performed on TV since I was young, and acted in some dramas. When I was twelve, YG discovered me and I joined a group for kids called ‘Little Gentlemen,’ starting my path in hip-hop and rap. After those activities ended, I became a trainee at YG, and it’s been almost seven years now. Lately the company is forming a new group—maybe I’ll debut in that, but I’m not sure yet.”

“Wow, you started early—impressive.” Yihan clicked his tongue in admiration and sipped his tea. “So, what are your plans for the future? Your dreams?”

“I really love hip-hop, so I hope my music can be recognized and loved by everyone.” Talking about his passion, Jiyong became more animated.

Page 3/3

“Recognized? What do you mean?” Yihan prompted.

“I’ve been writing songs, and I hope that my music will be loved by all, that people will acknowledge it as good music,” Jiyong replied, his eyes shining with a confidence that was genuinely compelling.

“Yes, all musicians hope for recognition, for their music to be loved. But the road is never easy.” Yihan’s gaze drifted out the window, his expression briefly distant. The room fell silent. “By the way, you and Yi haven’t been together long—tell me about you two.”

Jiyong snapped back to attention, sipped his tea, and took a deep breath. “I haven’t known Ziyi for very long, and I don’t know her very well yet. She’s cheerful, considerate, and caring. I’ve been a trainee for almost seven years, but I still have no real sense of what debuting means. Sometimes, I get so tired I want to give up. But every time I went out with Ziyi, she comforted me and gave me courage. I feel at peace when I’m with her; she gives me motivation to keep going. Gradually, she’s become like an angel to me—maybe she’s the one I’ve been searching for. That’s why I want to be with her.” As he spoke, the earlier confidence was replaced by nervousness.

A heavy silence followed.

“Let me ask you something,” Yihan suddenly interrupted. “Those dark circles under your eyes—what’s going on? Didn’t sleep well?”

“Ah, big brother, I’ve been training hard lately, so I haven’t rested well. And last night, I didn’t sleep much…” Jiyong answered sheepishly.

This made both Yihan and Li Ran laugh. “Don’t worry, dark circles or not, you’re still handsome and cute,” Yihan joked.

Yihan glanced at Jiyong, then at his sister, lifting his teacup. The rising steam blurred his features. “Our family situation is complicated. For various reasons, Yi lacked care growing up. I’ve always hoped she’d find someone who could look after her. Honestly, I didn’t want to agree to your relationship—you're a trainee about to debut, and I’m not confident you can take good care of her. But I trust Yi’s judgment, as well as Li Ran’s and my own, so I have no other requirements. As long as you treat her well and care for her wholeheartedly, that’s enough.”

Once Yihan finished, the room lapsed into silence again. Ziyi sat beside her brother, quietly taking his hand, a wave of warmth passing between them. Neither sibling spoke; they simply sat together in silence.

“Big brother,” Jiyong said after gathering his thoughts, “I know words are empty right now. I understand that after I debut, I’ll have even less time for Ziyi. But I promise I’ll do my best to look after her. I won’t make empty promises—you’ll see my actions.”

Though his face still showed traces of youth, there was a firmness in his expression.

“In truth, young people’s relationships are always uncertain—breaking up and getting together again. This meeting wasn’t really necessary; I’m just an overprotective brother who worries too much. I won’t interfere in your relationship, but I do hope that, if you must part ways, you do so kindly and without hurting each other.”

“Seriously, you’re such a killjoy,” Li Ran couldn’t help but tease. “They just started dating, and you’re already talking about breaking up.”

“Oh, right!” Yihan scratched his head, embarrassed. “I overthought things—my bad.”

Seeing Yihan’s sheepishness, everyone burst out laughing, and the previous tension melted away.

Ziyi and Jiyong exchanged a glance and shared a smile.

A Note from the Author:
Reading the comments today, I noticed some readers pointed out issues with Ziyi’s storyline. Only then did I realize, as a first-time novelist, there are bound to be plot holes and overlooked details—I sincerely apologize and welcome your feedback.

To clarify: Ziyi and Jiyong met in September and only made things official in December, so the timeline is reasonable; I just didn’t depict it much. Also, Ziyi’s character is important—not just a random addition. I originally intended for her to become Yihan’s assistant, but couldn’t find a suitable opportunity to have her leave school and fully enter his life, so her presence has felt insignificant. Both Li Ran and Ziyi are meant to be important to Yihan, and their stories will develop more. As a first-time writer, my early handling of details and characters was weak, which led to this and made Ziyi’s relationship seem abrupt. I apologize! I’ll be more careful going forward and will consider revising earlier chapters as well.

Thank you all for your suggestions—please keep them coming!