It was already past midnight.
Gong Juren and his entourage emerged from Shuangqing Airport.
Su Yu had initially thought that after the Times Music Awards ceremony, it would be around ten in the evening.
Everyone had gone for a celebration dinner. Su Yu had assumed they would stay at a hotel for the night and return to Shuangqing City the next morning.
But after dinner, Gong Juren and Zhang Wei both told Su Yu that they wouldn't be staying in a Kyoto hotel. They wanted to catch a flight back to Shuangqing in the middle of the night.
What's more, they had all already booked their return flights.
Su Yu could understand their eagerness to go home.
After all, once a dream is achieved, the most important thing is to share it with those you care about.
They had all achieved their dreams of becoming King or Queen of Pop, so it was only natural for them to want to return home.
Su Yu didn't try to keep them.
Gong Juren and his group exited the airport.
Zhang Wei parted ways with them.
He hailed a taxi to return to his apartment.
All the way, he held his backpack to his chest, his heart filled with excitement.
Upon returning to his apartment,
When he opened the door, the living room lights were still on.
Li Yunchuan was watching television on the sofa. The television was playing a replay of the Times Music Awards ceremony.
He couldn't remember how many times he had watched it, but each time it made him feel a surge of adrenaline.
"Zhang Wei, you're back?" Noticing the sound of the door opening, Li Yunchuan looked over. Upon seeing Zhang Wei, he first froze, then his face broke into a wide smile.
He quickly walked over to Zhang Wei.
"Where's the trophy?" he asked eagerly.
"Senior Brother, the trophy is right here!" Zhang Wei smiled and patted the bag on his chest.
"Let me see!" Li Yunchuan reached out with trembling hands.
Seeing this, Zhang Wei carefully unzipped his backpack and took out the King of Pop trophy, holding it with both hands.
Li Yunchuan wiped his hands on his pajamas and then nervously took the trophy.
His gaze was infatuated, as if he were looking at a completely undressed woman, with immense desire.
"King of Pop, the King of Pop trophy!"
As a singer, becoming the King of Pop was arguably a lifelong dream.
Li Yunchuan was no different.
His greatest dream in life was to be nominated for King of Pop. Unfortunately, after toiling in the music industry for so many years, he was still only a first-tier artist.
Of course, after singing "Listen to the Rain," he had already entered the ranks of the super first-tier.
But Li Yunchuan knew that this was probably the extent of his achievements in life.
However, being able to touch the King of Pop trophy filled him with immense satisfaction.
"Senior Brother, should I go find Brother Yu to help you with something?" Zhang Wei asked, looking at Li Yunchuan with a pang of sympathy.
"No!" Li Yunchuan quickly waved his hand. "I know my own capabilities. I'm already very satisfied with the achievements I've made. I'll just treat becoming the King of Pop as a dream."
His tone was complex.
This profession was far from as simple as people imagined. Everyone only paid attention to the dazzling King and Queens of Pop, but there were many more ordinary people who strived for it.
Li Yunchuan was a true reflection of many dream chasers. He had worked hard and pursued his dreams.
But sometimes, dreams remain just dreams, and hard work doesn't always guarantee their realization.
This was the harshness of reality.
After a long pause.
Li Yunchuan handed the trophy back to Zhang Wei.
"Senior Brother..." Zhang Wei's eyes were a little red.
In his opinion, his Senior Brother had worked harder than many others, and there was no reason why he shouldn't have become the King of Pop.
Li Yunchuan looked at Zhang Wei, sighed, and then patted him on the shoulder.
With a smile filled with both pride and admiration, he said, "You successfully pursued your dream. Senior Brother is proud of you!"
...
Gong Family Villa.
When Gong Juren returned home.
His relatives had already left.
The living room lights were still on. The house was empty. The mahjong table had been tidied up. His relatives must have left, and the housekeeper had already gone to rest.
As Gong Juren entered the house, he heard activity from the screening room upstairs.
"Could it be that Dad hasn't gone to bed yet?"
The screening room was his father's private domain. He often watched Jiangnan's dramas there. As a fan of Jiangnan, he would watch every drama and movie he made multiple times.
Gong Juren followed the sound upstairs and opened the private cinema, which had cost millions to build.
On the screen was Gong Juren singing on stage. The song "Rivals" echoed in the screening room.
Gong Youcai was lying on the sofa, fast asleep, snoring heartily.
His snores and the song created a rather fitting duet.
"Quite rhythmic..." Gong Juren looked at his father and couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
He walked over to Gong Youcai and gently nudged him a couple of times.
Gong Youcai suddenly woke up. Seeing that it was Gong Juren, he let out a sigh of relief, and then jumped up from the chair!
"Why are you back?" Gong Youcai asked his son in surprise.
"Of course, I'm back to show off my King of Pop trophy!" Gong Juren patted the bag on his chest.
"Quick, let me see!" Gong Youcai's eyes lit up, and he urged.
Hearing this, Gong Juren took the King of Pop trophy out of his bag.
"Hahaha... As expected of Gong Youcai's son, you're amazing!"
Gong Youcai's laughter was unrestrained.
As a father, everyone wants their child to succeed. Seeing his son achieve his dream made him happier than anything else.
"Tomorrow, have Old Li put it in a crystal display case and place it in the most prominent spot in our living room!" Gong Youcai held the King of Pop trophy, unable to put it down.
"Do we need to be that ostentatious..." Gong Juren scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward.
"What do you mean ostentatious? This is the top honor my son has received in the industry. You must know that those who reach the pinnacle in any industry are rare. My son is one of them." Gong Youcai said this with a very serious and proud expression.
Gong Juren looked at his father, and suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
Because from Gong Youcai's words, he heard a form of recognition—the recognition of a father for his son.
"Dad..."
Gong Juren's eyes were a little red.
Suddenly, Gong Youcai slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something.
He took out his phone from the sofa and started making a call, muttering curses as he did.
"You didn't say you were coming back tonight. I thought you'd be back tomorrow, so I let your second uncle and the others go. No, you can't show off overnight, I must call them back again!"
Gong Youcai said this and made the call.
"Hello, Juren is back."
"What do you mean 'back is back'?"
"My son has won the King of Pop trophy in the Chinese music scene!"
"Are we still brothers? If you're a brother, come to my house immediately. I'll show you the King of Pop trophy!"
"You're not coming? Our relationship has grown distant..."
"Remember back then, I, Gong Youcai, would break a steamed bun into three pieces and eat the smallest one myself. I never expected you guys to be like this..."
"Haha, that's more like it. Hurry up and come over, I'll prepare the champagne!!"
Gong Juren stared at his father blankly.
The emotion in his heart instantly vanished.
He was still the same Gong Youcai who loved to show off, not changed in the slightest...