Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fan Meeting (Part Two)

Page (1/3)

Entertainment Beside You, No Pop-up
Story takes place: March 2005
Recommended song: Evan (by Hao Xi) — "It's Okay to Cry"
Statement: This story is purely fictional; please do not take it personally. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental!

“Now that our sexy queen, Lee Hyori, has joined us live, shouldn’t we see Lee Hyori dance with our young master?” Jin Xiaoxi reappeared on stage to lead the next game segment. Originally, this part was meant for fans to come on stage and perform, after which Jiang Yihan would choose the best performer to dance with him. But with Lee Hyori’s sudden appearance, the plan was slightly changed.

Jiang Yihan and Lee Hyori blushed as they heard the teasing from the audience below, but the music had already started, leaving them no room to refuse. Lee Hyori, being experienced on stage, began to move in time with the music, leaning close to Jiang Yihan. Her movements weren’t exaggerated, but they fully showcased her stunning figure. Jiang Yihan seemed quite unaccustomed, standing there hesitantly for a while before finally moving in sync with Lee Hyori. Their bodies occasionally touched, and each contact elicited wild screams from the audience, making them even more embarrassed.

So close, Jiang Yihan could clearly smell the faint perfume on Lee Hyori, mixed with a subtle scent of shampoo. The occasional touch left him intoxicated, immersed in a world of temptation. Lee Hyori, too, could sense the slight mint fragrance on Jiang Yihan, along with the youthful scent of perspiration that somehow acted like an aphrodisiac, making her feel a bit lost herself.

Fortunately, the music suddenly stopped, snapping Jiang Yihan and Lee Hyori out of the atmosphere. They paused, then chose to hug briefly before facing the audience again. The subtle air currents and peculiar magnetic response between them made some sensitive people feel a vague hint of ambiguity. Li Ran easily noticed Jiang Yihan’s discomfort—after years of knowing him, he understood every little gesture and expression. He immediately sensed something was off between the two, but his face remained icy, betraying no curiosity or other emotion. Jiang Ziyi and Li Yimei also caught on; Jiang Ziyi smiled knowingly at her brother’s awkwardness but said nothing, while Li Yimei was different—looking tense, a bit disappointed, and slightly relieved, convincing herself maybe there was nothing between them. Apart from telling herself so, Li Yimei didn’t know what else to do.

“Alright, next up is our castles’ performance time! Who wants to come up and show off their talent so our young master can see your skills?” Jin Xiaoxi, busy managing the atmosphere, didn’t notice the subtle relationship between Jiang Yihan and Lee Hyori and continued with the event.

With the host’s encouragement, a sea of hands went up, and Jin Xiaoxi selected five or six people to come on stage. Before they could even approach Jiang Yihan, the music began, and everyone started dancing. The song was the familiar “Puppet,” which excited the crowd, with some fans even imitating Jiang Yihan’s “Puppet” dance. Seeing this, Jiang Yihan shook off the earlier ambiguous mood and joined the castles in dancing “Puppet.” The fans on stage became ecstatic as Jiang Yihan approached, crowding around him and dancing close together, causing the rest of the castles in the audience to scream with excitement, envy, and unwillingness.

Facing such a situation for the first time, Jiang Yihan began sweating, his face flushed, feeling awkward as he tried to keep up with the dance. Luckily, the sound engineer was quick and soon turned off the music, allowing Jiang Yihan to breathe a sigh of relief. He knew he had to thank the sound engineer after today.

In the end, Jiang Yihan selected the best performer among the fans—the castle who danced the “Puppet” most convincingly. The prize was a hug from Jiang Yihan, which left the winner speechless with excitement. Even more thrilled were the castles in the audience, shouting, “No, no!” “The young master is mine!” In the lively atmosphere, Jiang Yihan hugged the winner, sparking intense envy among everyone.

“Alright, now let’s invite Lee Hyori, who has taken such good care of our young master, to showcase her own stage.” With that, Jin Xiaoxi retreated backstage. Jiang Yihan and Lee Hyori hugged once more before running backstage to change clothes.

Lee Hyori performed her classic hit “Ten Minutes,” and the atmosphere was electric, as the song had swept Korea and was beloved by all, prompting enthusiastic cheers. After her performance, Lee Hyori went backstage to greet Jiang Yihan, then left due to other commitments.

At that moment, Jin Xiaoxi’s voice echoed on stage, “Just now we only got a taste of the young master’s ‘Puppet’—was that enough for everyone?”

The castles in the audience responded, “No!” prompting Jin Xiaoxi to announce the next segment, “Then let’s enjoy our young master’s spectacular stage performance of ‘Puppet’ once more.”

Page (2/3)

Jiang Yihan changed into a new outfit—a fitted white shirt and a black double-breasted jacket. Jin Yiyun and several backup dancers joined him on stage. As the music started, Jiang Yihan began the intro to the “Puppet” dance on the empty stage. Under the spotlight, countless dust motes floated in the air, rhythmic music echoed through the quiet hall, and Jiang Yihan’s every movement seemed like a puppet controlled by invisible strings. The surrounding lights cast delicate halos on him, enchanting all who watched.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan’s magnetic voice rang out in the hall, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves. The intense music from the speakers filled everyone’s ears, and they couldn’t help but sway along, their eyes fixed on Jiang Yihan enjoying the music on stage, dancing like a sprite in a summer forest. Unconsciously, they forgot everything else and could only shout, only see the prince before them.

The music stopped abruptly at some point. Jiang Yihan placed his finger on his lips in a “shh” gesture, his mouth curling into a seductive, mischievous smile. The audience fell silent for a second, then erupted in a tidal wave of screams.

“How was our young master?” Jin Xiaoxi appeared on stage, holding the microphone toward the audience. The response was nothing but screams.

When the crowd’s voices finally softened, Jin Xiaoxi began the next segment: “Now comes the anticipated ‘You Ask, I Answer’ session. Our castles can ask any question, and the young master must answer them all. Are you excited?”

The phrase “must answer” greatly stimulated everyone’s nerves, and the voices rose again. Jiang Yihan smiled helplessly at his happy castles, his expression filled with affection.

Soon, Jiang Yihan drew the first number from the box handed to him by Jin Xiaoxi. The chosen castle couldn’t believe it, stood up, took the microphone from the staff, and was at a loss. Her friends tugged at her clothes, chattering about what to ask, while the other castles envied her for being the first. After a while, the lucky castle finally asked, “Young master, when do you think you’re most handsome?”

“Ah, this question. I answered it once on the radio—does anyone know the answer?” Jiang Yihan said, pointing the microphone toward the audience. Everyone shouted, but the voices muddled together, so he brought the mic back to his lips, “I believe someone down there knows. I think I’m most handsome just after I shower, because I really like how I look with wet hair—I think it’s very sexy.” He laughed shyly, and the answer sent the audience into a frenzy.

“Young master, is your figure good? Can you show us?” came the second question.

“Ah, such a bold question,” Jiang Yihan exclaimed, startled. “Actually, my figure isn’t great, really—you’ll be disappointed. Because it’s not good, I can’t show you, or you’ll all stop liking me, right?”

“No!” “No!” “No!” the audience shouted, clearly eager to see Jiang Yihan’s figure, but he still disappointed them, “No, no, maybe next time if there’s a chance, haha.”

“How many girlfriends have you had? Do you have a girlfriend now?” The third question was clearly what everyone wanted to know.

“Haha, would you believe me if I said I’ve only had one girlfriend?” Jiang Yihan smiled slyly. When he heard everyone shouting “No!” “Liar!” he burst out laughing, “Haha, I really have only had one girlfriend, and I’m single now. All the girls interested in me are welcome to come find me.” This answer made hearts flutter and the audience turned pink with excitement.

“Would you cook for your girlfriend? Because we saw you cooking on mpick and it looked so delicious.” Many fans had learned about Jiang Yihan’s domestic side through mpick and didn’t want to miss their chance.

“Haha, of course I would. I love seeing my girlfriend’s satisfied expression when she eats my cooking.” Jiang Yihan blushed, covering his face, then laughed happily.

The segment lasted quite a while, and even when it ended, everyone was reluctant to leave. But end it must, and Jin Xiaoxi regretfully moved to the next part: “Now our young master will present his exclusive performance, delivering his heartfelt emotion to our castles.”

Page (3/3)

The hall went dark. A single spotlight illuminated Jiang Yihan as he sat at the piano, gently playing a song—David Tao’s “Angel.” This was the song Jiang Yihan sang for his first ABC company music teacher exam, and he loved it, so he performed it for everyone here. The melody was moving, and the audience was immersed in Jiang Yihan’s clear voice. Though he sang in Chinese, which most didn’t understand, they still enjoyed it and were touched. The falsetto in the chorus amazed everyone, even those already aware of Jiang Yihan’s talent couldn’t help but admire him.

When the song ended, the hall went pitch black for several seconds, then the lights returned, and Jiang Yihan appeared center stage. The music switched to a Justin pop song with energetic dance. Justin’s performance was clean and crisp, but Jiang Yihan’s was slightly naive, giving it a unique charm and handsomeness. Though it was a solo performance, it didn’t feel monotonous—the audience’s attention was completely captivated, their hearts following his every move, each rhythm and pace. His solo act revealed a stage meant for him, making people sigh that he was born for the spotlight.

After the performance, Jiang Yihan once again won everyone over with his distinctive style and emotion. He moved to the front of the stage and wiped sweat from his forehead. Jin Xiaoxi appeared again, but didn’t linger, moving directly to the next segment: “Now let’s present our own feelings to the young master.”

As Jiang Yihan continued wiping sweat, puzzled about what this “emotion” entailed, the hall suddenly went dark. The large screen on the side of the stage lit up. First appeared Koyote, with Shin Ji speaking: “Jiang Yihan, you finally have your fan meeting! We’re so busy with our schedules that we couldn’t make it, which is really a pity. But we hope you do your best and show your fans your best side. The Jiang Yihan we know is a cheerful, optimistic, and charming young man. His radiance will make everyone else fade, so we hope you all continue to support him. Yihan, I’ll treat you to a meal next time!” The three smiled and made encouraging gestures.

The next guests shocked everyone: Chae Yeon, Yoo Jae-suk, Kang Ho-dong, Park Kyung-lim, Andy, Park Myung-soo, even Jang Dong-gun appeared on the screen. Seeing these stars, usually so difficult to meet, the crowd was amazed. It showcased Jiang Yihan’s rare popularity as a newcomer, and the big comedy stars sparked laughter in the hall. Jiang Yihan was visibly delighted.

Suddenly, the screen switched to a stranger—a woman about forty, sitting on a sofa, speaking a string of Chinese no one understood. Thankfully, there were subtitles, and everyone realized it was Jiang Yihan’s mother, Zhou Bing.

“Yihan, you’re having a fan meeting! When Li Ran told me, I was so surprised. I heard you’re doing well in Korea, so I’m relieved. I always worried about you suffering in the Korean entertainment industry, worried you’d be excluded, worried you weren’t eating properly, worried about this and that. Now, things are finally better. But you’ve only just started—you must be diligent and treat your fans well. They support you even though you’re strangers, so you must thank them, understand? As we discussed over New Year, I’m almost ready to enjoy life, so don’t worry about me. I’m fine. But you and Ziyi, even with Li Ran taking care of you, I still worry, so take good care of yourselves, alright? Lastly, to the children who like our Yihan—I’m Jiang Yihan’s mother. I heard you all support him, and I’m truly grateful. Yihan still has many shortcomings, so please point them out so he can improve. Please continue to support him, thank you.” Zhou Bing stood up and bowed, and one could vaguely see tears shining at the corners of her eyes—a mother’s worry for her child traveling a thousand miles.

When the video ended, the lights came back on. The audience erupted in applause—supporting Jiang Yihan’s fellow stars, and especially the mother who brought him into the world. Jiang Yihan turned away, wiping tears from his eyes, unable to face the crowd. The audience shouted together, “Don’t cry! Don’t cry! Don’t cry!”

It took a while for Jiang Yihan to collect himself and turn back, “Ah, thank you everyone. I lost my composure just now.” His voice was a bit hoarse. “Honestly, I didn’t expect my agent, Li Ran, to find my mother. No wonder he said he would give me a gift—he really made me cry.” He laughed, genuinely happy. “To tell the truth, at first I never intended to stand on this stage, but my mother, Li Ran, and my sister always supported and encouraged me to stand here, so here I am today. As my mother said, I’m truly grateful for everyone’s support. I’ll keep working hard. Thank you, everyone.”

As Jiang Yihan was still recovering emotionally, the audience applauded again. Bewildered, he followed their gaze to the side of the stage and saw Kim Jaejoong, Kang Jae-min, Yoon Yoon-eol, and others pushing a giant cake onto the stage. Jiang Yihan’s tears, barely subdued, welled up again.

“Congratulations, brother. The fan meeting was wonderful,” Kim Jaejoong stepped forward and gave Jiang Yihan a big hug.

“Ah, you’re all big troublemakers—just wanted to see me cry, didn’t you?” Jiang Yihan laughed and cried, looking at his mischievous friends, hugging them one by one.

After everyone cut the cake together, it was finally time for the last segment. “Today’s fan meeting has finally come to an end. I hope everyone had a good time. Now, I give you this ‘Castle’—may my castles always be healthy and happy.”

It was still “Castle,” still the young master Jiang Yihan, but the emotion he brought was doubled—because of this fan meeting, because of the tears, because of this gathering, because of this afternoon.