After Being Reborn, He Became An Ace In A Boy Band Chapter 19
byChapter 19: As Long As It’s You
The show proceeded smoothly with the replacement, but the news that Tang Ruining would participate had already circulated online. When the episode aired, fans and others realized the reliable rumor had fallen through, leading them to wonder if the information was wrong or if the production team had made a last-minute adjustment.
Fans publicly urged others not to spread rumors, but they couldn’t help but make snide remarks, suggesting the production team deliberately released false information to drive traffic to the show. At this point, someone popped up to reveal that Tang Ruining had indeed been invited and had even shown up, but he had backed out at the last minute, implying he was acting like a diva.
Rumors always spiral out of control. Many people took the opportunity to muddy the waters, and rival agencies helped by buying promotional articles. After several rounds of discussion, the rumor that Tang Ruining was acting like a diva was solidified. Some even described the details clearly, making it sound very convincing. The agency stepped in and deleted a few posts, but Tang Ruining’s reputation had already been affected.
[It’s totally normal for him to do something like this, okay? He always acts like he’s too good for everyone, looking down on people. His fans just say my idol is genuine and doesn’t know how to flatter or pander. They constantly push this image of a cool guy who doesn’t eat the food of mortals. I said long ago he’d crash eventually.]
[Ding! No one who forces a persona doesn’t crash, ha. What ‘genuine personality,’ ‘true cool guy,’ ‘real husband’? Isn’t he just rude and loves to show off? [crying-laughing emoji]]
[Oh, look, they’re starting to delete posts. Someone got called out and is quietly losing it. Can he still maintain that aloof persona he’s kept up for so long? [smirking emoji]]
Tang Ruining himself wasn’t too bothered. When the agency asked him what happened, he didn’t elaborate. The members all knew Tang Ruining was a measured person; he wouldn’t leave abruptly unless someone genuinely provoked him. Even if he wasn’t willing to explain much, his own people stood by him, firmly believing the fault was not his.
They now had to focus on preparing for their full-length album and didn’t have much time to deal with these issues.
The full-length album release was scheduled for the summer, and the agency planned to shoot the title track’s MV by the sea.
Since the filming was done in advance, the weather hadn’t reached its peak heat yet, and getting wet by the sea felt a bit cold. After filming a segment, they sat down wrapped in large towels to rest. When Tang Ruining walked over, Jiang Yilan was on a video call with his phone. Tang Ruining sat next to Jiang Yilan and heard Jiang Yilan’s mother, Wei Qiyao, on the other end.
As soon as he sat down, Jiang Yilan turned to look at him and said to Wei Qiyao, “Ruining is here.”
Wei Qiyao knew that Tang Ruining and her son hadn’t gotten along in the past. Whenever she asked Jiang Yilan about it, he wouldn’t say much, only that Tang Ruining was annoying, too self-righteous, and very irritating. But now, Jiang Yilan smiled whenever he mentioned Tang Ruining, and they seemed to have a very good relationship.
In fact, putting aside the past conflict between Jiang Yilan and him, Wei Qiyao quite liked Tang Ruining. She had watched To5’s performances and variety shows and had met him in person. She thought he was a very genuine young man, straightforward, and his professional skills were outstanding. Their past conflict was just a matter of two kids whose personalities clashed. Now that they were getting along, Wei Qiyao was very happy.
“Oh, Ruining,” Wei Qiyao’s smiling voice came through the phone. “How about you all come over for dinner when you’re done?”
Wei Qiyao had suggested this before—for all five of them to gather at the Jiang Residence—but at that time, Jiang Yilan disagreed.
Jiang Yilan looked at Tang Ruining, seeking his opinion. Tang Ruining suddenly sat up straighter, as if meeting a parent, and said, “I’m fine with it.”
“Then let me know when you finish filming and have time. I’ll have Aunt Fang prepare some good dishes.”
“Okay, thank you, Aunt Fang,” Li Xun said.
“Oh, no trouble at all. Aunt Fang has always wanted to meet your teammates. She’ll be very happy if you come.”
The MV director called for them, so Li Xun said goodbye to Wei Qiyao and hung up the video, walking over with Tang Ruining. Tang Ruining followed behind him, and just before they reached the set, he suddenly asked, “Did your mother invite all five of us?”
Li Xun didn’t think much of the question. “I think so?”
Tang Ruining nodded, saying nothing more.
Wei Qiyao was more familiar with Rong Xiao; she hadn’t seen the others much. Wei Qiyao specifically instructed them not to bring gifts when they came, but they still bought some fruit and flowers.
It was no different from going to a leader’s house for dinner; everyone was a bit reserved. Not just them, even Li Xun couldn’t shake the habit of treating himself as a guest, as he hadn’t spent much time living at the Jiang Residence since becoming Jiang Yilan.
But as more people chatted, the atmosphere lightened considerably. Yuan Zhiyan kept praising Jiang Yilan, saying the mother and son looked alike and were both especially good-looking. When Yuan Zhiyan complimented people, it didn’t feel like flattery; you could sense his sincerity, which delighted Wei Qiyao.
Tang Ruining noticed that the dishes on the table were varied, yet none of the things he disliked were present. He was a bit of a picky eater, and usually at large gatherings, he wouldn’t eat half the dishes.
Aunt Fang’s cooking was excellent, and everyone ate happily. After dinner, Wei Qiyao suggested they stay the night. The house had enough rooms, and they had nothing scheduled for the next morning. But the members felt awkward and politely declined.
Unexpectedly, Tang Ruining agreed.
Aside from Li Xun, the other three stared at him as if they had seen a ghost.
“We don’t have anything else going on anyway,” Tang Ruining said.
Tang Ruining has really been acting strange lately, Rong Xiao concluded. When did he ever like staying at other people’s houses?
The three exchanged glances, raised no objections, and left the Jiang Residence after saying goodbye to Wei Qiyao.
Wei Qiyao was in high spirits and asked Aunt Fang to cut up a lot of fruit, keeping the two of them in conversation. Tang Ruining wasn’t a talkative person and wasn’t very good at dealing with enthusiastic elders. Li Xun seized a gap in the conversation to suggest going for a walk with Tang Ruining after dinner to ease the slightly awkward situation.
The villa complex where the Jiang Residence was located was very quiet, with houses spaced far apart and spacious areas for walking. The landscaping was excellent, with brightly blooming flowers nearby. The two walked slowly, admiring the flowers, when they suddenly heard a voice behind them.
“Jiang Yilan!” a woman’s voice called out to him.
Li Xun turned around. It was an unfamiliar face, but since they met near the house, was she someone the former Jiang Yilan knew?
Li Xun didn’t speak, waiting for her to start.
But the confusion in his eyes seemed to anger the woman. She took a few steps forward and sneered, “Are you really planning to pretend you don’t know me now?”
That tone instantly reminded Li Xun of the person who had been sending him text messages these past few days.
Besides that one time, he had received similar messages afterward. He never replied, and every now and then, that number would send him strange texts.
How could they meet here? Did she know he was home today and come specifically to find him?
Tang Ruining stepped forward, partially shielding Li Xun’s body. “Who are you?”
“Who am I? Ask him,” the woman shouted, pointing at Jiang Yilan. “He suddenly deleted my WeChat and blocked me! I haven’t deleted the chat history, though. You privately contacted a fan—did you think I wouldn’t expose you?”
Actually, the chat history wasn’t much. The former Jiang Yilan was very cautious in this regard; even if he added someone on WeChat, he wouldn’t send messages.
She was a fan he met at a fan signing, very pretty. He didn’t mind knowing she was his sasaeng, so he added her contact information. But then he found her annoying. She messaged him daily, demanding to meet, and kept messaging when she didn’t get a reply, seemingly treating herself as Jiang Yilan’s girlfriend. That’s why she was deleted and blocked.
Tang Ruining looked back at Li Xun, who shook his head slightly, indicating he hadn’t done it.
Tang Ruining understood the situation. He now clearly separated the former Jiang Yilan from the current one, and he silently cursed the former Jiang Yilan twice.
The woman’s mental state didn’t look good. Her eyes looked very similar to the sasaeng who had followed their car until it crashed and then rushed forward trying to hit someone. Tang Ruining shielded Li Xun more completely and said, “Please leave, or I will call the police.”
When the woman heard this, she first widened her eyes in disbelief, then burst into laughter.
“Call the police! Go ahead and call!”
“Calling the police on a fan, how impressive.”
Tang Ruining looked at her coldly, taking his phone out of his pocket.
Li Xun pressed down on his hand, shaking his head.
He walked to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tang Ruining and asked her, “Security is very strict here. How did you get in?”
She scoffed, not understanding the point of Jiang Yilan’s question. “I have my ways.”
“Don’t come here again. I will call security, and you won’t be able to get in next time,” Li Xun said. “You can post whatever you want online.”
He called the villa complex security. The woman unconsciously took a step back, raising her voice, “Do you think I won’t actually post it?”
Li Xun shook his head, his tone very calm. “No, you really can post it. I can’t stop you.”
The woman glared at him with intense hatred, her eyes darting between the two of them as she muttered something under her breath. Soon, several flashlight beams shone from a distance. The woman cursed under her breath, turned, and ran.
This villa complex was home to wealthy residents who paid high property management fees. The security guard bowed and apologized to Li Xun. Li Xun stopped him, saying, “Don’t apologize since it already happened. Just be more careful in the future.”
The security guard repeatedly agreed and made many assurances before leaving.
“Why didn’t you let me call the police?” Tang Ruining, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, asked. “If she doesn’t learn a lesson, she might suddenly show up in front of you again. Are you going to be soft-hearted toward people like this?”
“It’s not being soft-hearted,” Li Xun said. “Don’t get involved in this kind of thing again. You were just labeled a diva recently. If word gets out that you called the police on a fan, it won’t look good.”
“Regardless of whether she was a sasaeng stalker, as long as you call the police, and she posts about it online, the rumors of you acting like a diva will only intensify.”
Tang Ruining looked at him. “I don’t care.”
“Well, I do care, okay?” Li Xun smiled helplessly. Seeing Tang Ruining’s tightly furrowed brow, he gently tugged his arm. “Alright, let’s just let this go. Don’t be unhappy. There’s a small garden over there where many residents’ dogs gather every evening. Shall we go for a walk?”
A small Pomeranian saw Li Xun and came over to paw at his leg. Li Xun crouched down, stroked its head, and introduced it to Tang Ruining. “This is Xiaotangyuan (Little Rice Ball).”
The person walking it was a housekeeper from one of the homes. She also recognized Li Xun and greeted him, “You’re home, Xiao Jiang.”
Li Xun smiled. “Yes, I brought a friend with me.”
Xiaotangyuan looked like a fluffy snowball. Li Xun played with it for a while, and when he turned around, Tang Ruining was taking pictures of Xiaotangyuan with his phone.
“It’s very cute, isn’t it?” Li Xun picked up the dog and let Tang Ruining pet it.
In the distance, a German Shepherd sat quietly, not playing with the other dogs. Its body was upright, and its expression looked very serious.
“Look at that German Shepherd,” Li Xun said to Tang Ruining. “When you were frowning just now, you looked a lot like it.”
Tang Ruining looked over. The German Shepherd raised its head and met his gaze, its erect ears twitching. The man and the dog observed each other for a few seconds. Tang Ruining said, “I’m handsomer than it is.”
“That is certainly true,” Li Xun suppressed a laugh. “You are the most handsome.”
It was a teasing remark, but Tang Ruining turned to look at him seriously. “Really?”
Li Xun confirmed, “Really.”
Tang Ruining pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Who is handsomer, me or Huang Ming?”
Huang Ming was a member of another idol group, Cherry Pit, a newly debuted Boy Group. During one of their conversations, Li Xun had mentioned him, praising him for being very handsome and noting that he was also the Main Dancer of that group.
Li Xun hadn’t expected Tang Ruining’s thoughts to jump so quickly, but he still answered, “Of course, you are handsomer.”
Only then did Tang Ruining seem satisfied. Li Xun couldn’t help but find it amusing; Tang Ruining actually cared about this.
Back at the house, a guest room had been prepared, but Li Xun still took Tang Ruining to see his own room. Tang Ruining immediately saw the huge hanging portrait. He remembered it; it was from one of their past performances.
Because he remembered the outfit, he recalled that Jiang Yilan had been dissatisfied with the costume backstage and wanted to change it at the last minute. The assistant and Rong Xiao had coaxed and persuaded him. Tang Ruining had almost lost his temper, but thankfully, Jiang Yilan wore it anyway.
There was a feeling of being separated by a lifetime. The person in the portrait and the living, breathing Jiang Yilan standing in front of him now felt like two different people.
“When you woke up and realized you couldn’t remember the past, were you scared?” Tang Ruining asked, looking at the portrait.
No one had asked him this question before. Li Xun paused, repeating softly, “Scared…?”
The situation at the time was too chaotic and shocking; he hadn’t seemed to realize he was scared. His mind was only focused on how to deal with the situation. Looking back now, of course, he was scared. Even now, Li Xun often dreamed of the scene where he was hit and killed by the car. In the dream, he could see his bloody corpse, hear hysterical screams he couldn’t identify, and feel his body being struck and crushed. He would wake up drenched in cold sweat, the pain from the dream still spreading through his limbs, his hands and feet cold and numb.
“Yes, I was scared,” Li Xun answered. “I didn’t know what happened, and I was very panicked.”
Tang Ruining heard him let out a very soft breath and asked, “Ruining, do you believe in the human soul?”
Tang Ruining said, “No.”
“I didn’t either. When a person dies, they are dead. Their spirit won’t remain in the world,” Li Xun said faintly, looking at the portrait, though it seemed he wasn’t looking at the person in the picture. “That’s what I used to think.”
“Used to? You don’t think that anymore?”
“Now… now I’m not sure. Maybe supernatural things really do exist.” He looked at Tang Ruining with a smile. “For example, you all say I seem like a completely different person. Maybe my soul really was swapped for another?”
After a moment of silence, Tang Ruining spoke softly, as if to himself, “As long as it’s you.”