Chapter Twenty-Nine: Confession

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After seeing the guests off, Jiang Yihan escorted them all the way downstairs. Li Ran and the other three were tidying up and cleaning the apartment. Just as Jiang Yihan was about to head back upstairs, he noticed a girl sitting beside the stairwell, looking up at him with tear-stained cheeks.

It was Li Yimei.

The two stared at each other in silence, maybe for a long time, maybe just a moment, before Jiang Yihan finally sighed.

“Give me a reason,” he said.

Li Yimei stood up.

“Why are you doing this to yourself? I’m not worth it,” Jiang Yihan replied, not directly answering her question because he himself didn’t know how.

“Whether you’re worth it or not isn’t for you to decide, it’s for me,” Li Yimei said stubbornly. “From the first day of school when I saw you, I liked you. But I could never find a way to get close to you. Finally, I got the chance through that show, but you kept avoiding me. I’ve worked so hard for so long, and now you’re just telling me to give up—you have to tell me why. You owe me a reason.” As she spoke, her emotions surged, as if venting all the pain Jiang Yihan’s avoidance had caused her.

“I just don’t think we’re suitable for each other,” Jiang Yihan said, helpless before the resolute woman. “Besides, there’s already someone in my heart. I don’t want to hold you back.”

“Someone in your heart? Who is it? Do I know her?” Li Yimei pressed, almost aggressive. “Then why aren’t you together?”

Jiang Yihan felt irritated by her interrogation, wanting to scold her—why should he tell her, what right did she have to demand answers from him? But after a moment’s hesitation, seeing the tears at the corners of her eyes, he softened. “She’s in my heart, but I’m not in hers.”

Li Yimei was struck speechless by his answer, her mind whirling, unable to find words. “Since she doesn’t care about you, what are you waiting for? Why not let go and give yourself another chance?”

Jiang Yihan said nothing more, just looked at Li Yimei for a while, then sighed and turned to go upstairs. “Go home soon. It’s late, and it’s not safe for a girl to walk alone at night. Get back early.”

“Don’t keep running away! You should give yourself a chance, and give me a chance. How do you know we’re impossible?” Li Yimei shouted at his retreating back. “How can you treat me like this?” She sobbed uncontrollably, venting all her grievances.

Jiang Yihan paused on the stairs, but did not turn around. The quiet street echoed only with Li Yimei’s cries. No one knew how long she cried, but when she finally looked up, Jiang Yihan was still standing there, unmoved. She wiped her tears stubbornly and stared at his back. Neither spoke; they remained locked in silence.

“At least, from now on, I won’t run away. I’ll give you a chance, and give myself a chance,” Jiang Yihan said at last, as if after a long internal struggle. “Go home early.” Without looking back, he disappeared around the bend of the staircase.

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Li Yimei remained where she was. At first, she was drawn to Jiang Yihan because he seemed indifferent, unaffected by her beauty—the sort of reaction no other boy ever had. His calmness stirred her pride. But the more she learned about him, the more she fell, irretrievably, into the trap of love named Jiang Yihan. Boldly pursuing her feelings was the way of a confident modern woman, and Li Yimei chose to take the initiative without hesitation: rush forward, hit the wall, pick herself up, rush again, pick herself up, and repeat…

Jiang Yihan was like a master of Tai Chi, always playing a “bagua game” with her. Heartache, disappointment, frustration, depression, all her unhappiness burst out today. Earlier, when she went upstairs to find Jiang Yihan, she heard lively voices from his room and realized she had never held a place in his heart—not even as a friend. For the first time, Li Yimei lost hope, sitting downstairs, her mind blank, not knowing where to go or what to do. She thought back over the past six months—calling him, texting him, making lunchboxes, giving gifts—she had done everything she could, short of stripping naked in front of him. Every meeting was carefully prepared: makeup, clothes, hope. But every time, Jiang Yihan fled, never giving her a chance for a face-to-face confrontation. Thinking about this, her tears began to fall—quiet at first, then turning into sobs. Exhausted from crying, almost drifting off to sleep, Jiang Yihan appeared. She exploded.

She had dreamed of this ending countless times, always hoping, and finally, Jiang Yihan agreed to give her a chance. Li Yimei could hardly believe it. She stood there for a long time, lost in thought, before finally wandering home. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day, won’t it?

When Jiang Yihan entered his apartment, he was greeted by Li Ran, Jiang Ziyi, and Kwon Ji Yong in the living room. The TV blared in the empty space as the three looked at him. Jiang Yihan smiled and said, “I’m tired,” and went into his room.

Jiang Ziyi followed him in, looking at her brother lying on the bed without saying much. “Brother, maybe giving yourself a chance is the right thing to do.” Then she left. The door opened and closed again—it must have been Kwon Ji Yong leaving.

Li Ran entered, quietly closed the door, and sat on the edge of the bed, saying nothing, just sitting in the dark.

“When I agreed to give her a chance tonight, I felt like I’d betrayed Liu Yan. We never began, she doesn’t even know, but I waited for her for so many years. To just give up like this—I’m not happy, I’m hurting.” Jiang Yihan’s voice trembled. “But maybe this is for the best. Liu Yan and I are better as friends. Maybe fate just isn’t on our side this lifetime. Perhaps this is best for her, for me, and for Li Yimei.”

Li Ran still said nothing, but lay down beside him. A long time passed before he spoke: “Sleep.”

“I’m scared tonight. I’m afraid I’ve made the wrong decision.” Jiang Yihan pressed his face gently against Li Ran’s back. This brother who had protected him all his life was like a guardian angel, always there, giving him the warmth he needed.

Tired, he soon fell asleep.

The next day, Jiang Yihan and Li Ran arrived early at the company. The holiday was officially over, and work was beginning anew.

“Ah, Yihan!” Li Tong greeted them as they entered the office, happily standing up. “I have two pieces of good news for you!”

“Two? That’s a lot—today must be a good day.” After a night’s rest, Jiang Yihan smiled brightly, just as he always did, though no one knew what he truly felt inside.

“Yes, yes! The first is your main song, ‘Castle,’ has reached number one on the online charts. Such an impressive achievement!” Li Tong rubbed his hands excitedly. “Even better, you have three songs in the top ten—‘Castle’ at number one, ‘Puppet’ at five, and ‘The Sweetness of Breaking Up’ at nine. Such good results!”

“Wow, really? That’s amazing!” Jiang Yihan glanced at Li Ran and smiled. “So, what’s the second piece of good news?”

“The second is,” Li Tong announced, “we’ve decided to hold a fan meeting for you in two weeks. Preparations started right after the New Year, and now it’s been about a week—the groundwork is nearly done, so we can manage it in two weeks. After the mpick fan meeting, the program will be wrapping up.”

“Ah, that really is good news—no more 24-hour surveillance!” Jiang Yihan focused on the latter half of the news, clearly delighted. Li Tong and Li Ran laughed along.

“Yihan, your schedule starts Thursday with an mnet recording to see its effect. We’ll discuss future plans next Monday,” Li Tong explained.

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“Sigh, the last week of leisure,” Jiang Yihan made a playful face. The easy days of just running to music shows each week were coming to an end; soon, he'd be as busy as a spinning top. “Alright, I’m off to practice—I haven’t trained in ages, I’m getting rusty.”

He left the office and was greeted by Han, the producer of mpick. “Yihan, I heard your new songs are doing great—first, fifth, and ninth on the online charts! Tell us how you feel.”

“I just found out! First, I want to thank all the fans for their support. I only just debuted, so achieving this is overwhelming. Thank you for loving my songs—I’ll keep working hard. And I have to thank all the staff at our company for suffering through my picky tastes while making the album. Next time, I’ll treat them to dinner. Special thanks to President Li Tong, who discovered me and helped me debut, and to my manager Li Ran for always running around on my behalf. I’ll keep striving to make music everyone loves,” Jiang Yihan said as he walked, addressing the camera.

“Yihan, your popularity is soaring—how do you feel?” Han asked again. “Our mpick ratings are at levels the TV station is very satisfied with. The show’s future format is pretty much decided, thanks to your high profile.”

“Honestly, I don’t feel popular at all,” Jiang Yihan laughed. “I still go to class and stroll through the city, and no one recognizes me. How can I say I’m popular?” His plaintive expression made Han laugh so hard the camera shook. “Just kidding. The other day at school, someone asked for my autograph—it was my first time! I was so embarrassed, I wasn’t prepared, and my signature turned out awkward and ugly. What should I do, what should I do?” Jiang Yihan covered his face shyly, making Han laugh even harder.

Entering the practice room, Jiang Yihan hugged Jin Yiyun and the dancers warmly, expressing how much he missed them. After warming up, Jin Yiyun turned on the music, and they began practicing—not with Jiang Yihan’s own songs at first, but with some Western music, learning others’ choreography to stretch and pick up new moves.

After several fast-paced songs, Jiang Yihan gulped water, panting, but didn’t rest—he immediately started practicing “Puppet.” The familiar music played, and Jiang Yihan danced again, his expression serious, the focused look caught in Han’s camera mesmerizing.

After finishing, Jiang Yihan wandered the room, taking a short break, but soon began moving about restlessly, playing and joking with Jin Yiyun and the others, their laughter filling the space. After playing, they practiced again, then rested, then practiced, repeating several times until it was finally lunchtime.

“Jiang Yihan, you were so cool just now,” Han praised as they walked toward the company cafeteria.

“Thank you for the compliment!” Jiang Yihan wiped the sweat from his face, smiling.

“Has anyone ever told you how sexy you look wiping sweat?” Han was sure the viewers would be mesmerized by Jiang Yihan’s sweaty look.

“Huh? Really? Haha, you’re imagining things—wiping sweat is just wiping sweat.” Jiang Yihan glanced at Han, realizing he was joking, and replied.

“So, when do you think you look your best?” Han asked.

“When do I look my best? Let me think…” Jiang Yihan paused, thinking seriously. “Ah, I know—every time I dry my hair after a shower, I think I look the coolest!”

“That’s quite an image,” Han teased.

“Haha, you can imagine it, but don’t get carried away!” They soon reached the cafeteria for lunch.