Chapter 7: Leaving the Group. I got married. I'm deeply concerned about his feelings.

He Guan hails a taxi outside. When the car pulls up, he greets the driver with a smile, "Oh, it's you again?"

The driver: "...You're up early today. I was wondering who could be in this remote mansion. Never thought it'd be you, heh."

He Guan: "Yes, I've got work today."

After letting He Guan board, the driver starts the taxi and asks, "You work in the city center? That's quite a distance."

He Guan: "Work is work."

Outside, dawn is just breaking.

The pale blue-gray hue of the sky hasn't yet fully faded, with misty orange strands converging at the horizon, melding into an indistinguishable chaos.

The mountain air is particularly refreshing. He Guan takes a light breath, the spark in his eyes occasionally flickering.

He's in high spirits.

As the journey is quite long, the driver initiates casual conversation, "Work's good. My son just graduated from a community college, and he's clueless about job hunting. These days, he..."

He Guan, intrigued, prompts, "Tell me more."

The driver: "Don't laugh, but he's about your age and just can't seem to find a decent job. He finally landed one, but got fired for clashing with the boss's wife."

Avoiding the topic of the firing, He Guan picks up on another point, "Can't find a decent job?"

The driver: "Yeah, well, since he couldn't find work, after his mother scolded him, he started laboring on a construction site. All manual work. He's busy with cement all day, comes home dirtier than even me and just crashes. Doesn't complain, though."

After thinking for a moment, He Guan offers, "If you want him to try something different, let him come to me. I'm short-staffed."

The driver pulls over to the side and turns to He Guan, "Really? You look quite young..."

He Guan: "My family wants me to take over our business soon, and I'm worried I don't have enough support."

The driver, slightly skeptical, asks, "What kind of business?"

After posing the question and noticing He Guan's hesitation, he lightly smacks himself, murmuring, "I shouldn't pry."

He Guan shakes his head, "No, it's alright. It's not a secret, and I'd have to tell him anyway. It's an entertainment company."

He pointed towards the distant, towering spire.

The driver followed his pointing finger, looking out.

Atop that spire, the words "Star Domain" shone so brightly they could be seen even from kilometers away.

He Guan: "That's the place, right in the city center. In a few days, it'll be mine."

A playful smirk curled his lips, his eyes dancing with mirth.

*

Today, preparations for the debut press conference of the Nolimit five-member boy band were in full swing.

Just before six, the event staff arrived early to inspect the venue and equipment.

He Guan alighted at the residential area assigned to trainees by Star Domain. He accessed the gate using facial recognition.

He reached his dormitory and unlocked the door with his fingerprint.

The door made a soft beep.

Someone inside the room, alerted by the sound, asked, "Who is it?"

He Guan: "Gan Qing, it's me, He Guan."

The leader of Nolimit, Gan Qing, was known for his angelic voice and rigorous training.

With a mop of misty blue hair and dressed in soft loungewear, Gan Qing's face lit up upon seeing him, "He Guan, right on time!"

As the eldest in the group, he shouldered many responsibilities. On variety shows, he acted as the mediator, trying his best to prevent He Guan from making impulsive remarks. He had even volunteered to share a room with He Guan.

The others in the band joked that he'd jumped into a fire pit.

He Guan: "Yes, I came early to discuss some inside news. Thought you should be prepared, considering you're the leader. There's no harm in knowing."

Gan Qing: "What news?"

He Guan, nonchalantly, shared: "There might be some changes in the band's lineup soon. We may not be together for long."

Bypassing Gan Qing, He Guan entered the room, "I'm here to grab a few things. Once done, we'll head out together. Get the other three. Just wanted to give you a heads-up since you've always looked out for me. It must've been tiring, thanks for that."

Gan Qing's smile faded, "How soon is 'not for long'? Do you know?"

From inside, He Guan responded: "Pretty soon, I suppose. Just in the near future. Let's not tell the others for now; I fear Tong Jiaqi might confront me."

Gan Qing: "...Alright."

Tong Jiaqi, the youngest member of the band, had just turned eighteen. As the main dancer and full of energy, he was a mischievous lad.

On variety shows, the number of times he and He Guan had clashed was countless, leading fans to affectionately dub them the "Bicker Duo."

However, the dedicated fans don't see it that way.

Fans of He Guan feel that this little demon emperor is getting too much screen time.

Fans of Tong Jia Qi pretend to be bystanders on other platforms every day, mainly posting about He Guan's arrogant and disrespectful behaviors on variety shows.

That's just the two of them.

And then there are three more...

The rivalry between these five dedicated fan bases isn't just intense, it's fiery and passionate.

After He Guan collected his ID and household registration, he came out with a backpack.

Seeing Gan Qing sitting on the sofa with a blank expression, obviously not having processed the information from He Guan's words, He Guan kindly reminded, "It's already 6:50, aren't you leaving? You still need to do makeup and change clothes later."

Gan Qing noticed the dew on his jacket and suddenly asked, "Where did you come from?"

He Guan: "From my home."

Gan Qing: "If it ends, you..."

He Guan grinned, "I'll go back and farm. We have a hundred acres of land at home."

He wasn't lying.

The Tibetan Winter Garden spans a hundred acres.

Gan Qing patted her face, "Anyway, thank you."

He Guan: "No need for that."

You won't be thankful in a while.

A group of five met at the dormitory entrance. Tong Jia Qi with his pink hair took the lead, sarcastically saying, "The busy man has time to show up today?"

He Guan, who is two centimeters taller than him, standing at a solid 180 cm, glanced down puzzledly, "Who's talking to me? I don't see anyone."

Tong Jia Qi: "You!"

Jin Jue with a black wolf tail held Tong Jia Qi back, provocatively saying, "Have you ever gotten on his good side?"

Tong Jia Qi bit him on the hand.

He Guan and Jin Jue exchanged glances.

Jin Jue, with black hair, is slightly taller than He Guan. The disdain in his eyes when looking at He Guan seems to suggest he's seen through He Guan's identity long ago but chooses not to reveal it, wolf-like.

Two black obsidian earrings shine brightly on him.

He took two steps forward, blocking the corridor corner, forcing Guan to step back. Mockingly, he asked, "What are you here for? Didn't you disdain the group? You're nowhere in the practice room, but show up today for the debut?"

He looked down slightly, his eyes filled with scrutiny, icily cold.

Guan didn't argue, just responded with a simple, "Yes."

The veins in Jin Jue's tightly clenched left hand were visibly prominent.

The original book didn't describe this boy group in detail. Even in his original memories, Guan barely recognized them. He only recalled their faces and names.

In variety shows, the original him hardly interacted with others, just messing around.

His popularity was solely because of his looks.

Even Guan himself didn't realize the value of his face.

Someone peeped out, tugging at Jin Jue's arm and yawning, "Come on, be nice. The group's debut is a happy occasion, don't start fighting here. It'd be bad if the paparazzi capture it."

The group's peacemaker, Wen Mo, with his milky gold short hair.

Jin Jue coldly stated, "There are only five of us on this floor, and the balcony is enclosed."

Before he finished, Guan swiftly pushed the nearby fire exit door open!

Behind the door, buckets and mops fell with a crash, and a red plastic bucket rolled down the stairs.

Someone had knocked these items over behind the door.

By the sound of it, that person was attempting to get up and flee, but Guan swiftly kicked open the door, delivering a sharp knee to their abdomen, sending them sprawling back into the puddle of mop water.

Guan approached, pinning the person's foot, restraining the curled figure, and remarked with a flick of an eyebrow, "And here's the sixth member, isn't it?"

Having lost face, Jin Jue's expression grew even darker.

Wen Mo stepped back, "What should we do now?"

Tong Jia Qi: "What else? He's a paparazzo, right? Search him! Does he have a recorder? Hand it over!"

Gan Qing, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up, "I'll do it."

The mop water didn't have a strong smell; it was a bit dirty from cleaning the stairway steps. Yet, Gan Qing didn't flinch and began checking the man's pockets.

Indeed, there was a voice recorder.

Seeing Gan Qing retrieve the item, Wen Mo handed him a wet wipe from the side.

Gan Qing: "Thank you."

The man Guan had caught kept his head bowed throughout.

Guan didn't force him to look up, instead asking, "How much do they pay you for a month's worth of this?"

The man had bulky joints and thick callouses on his hands. Even when He Guan stepped on him with his shoe, he didn't cry out in pain. He looked like a man of hardship, likely a temporary hire.

The man looked up with a raspy voice, "...Five thousand."

He Guan's mind blanked for a moment.

It took him a while to find his voice, "I'll give you ten thousand. Work for me. I'll cover the penalty if you break the contract."

He pulled out a thousand in cash from his wallet, saying, "If you agree, the money's yours now. Go to my room and change your clothes."

The middle-aged man stammered, "...Yes, sir."

He Guan nodded, "Off you go."

Tong Jia Qi, ever impulsive and quick to speak, was in utter shock, "Are you out of your mind? Hiring the paparazzo who just trailed us?"

He Guan's patience thinned. His eyelids drooped, indicating his growing irritation.

Uncharacteristically, Jin Jue prevented the situation from escalating, muffling Tong Jia Qi's mouth and ordering, "You wait here for him. We're leaving. We're running late. Handle this properly."

He Guan nonchalantly acknowledged with a hum.

The muffled Tong Jia Qi made protesting noises, "Mmmph mmmph mmmph—"

Wen Mo, always feeling cold, waved two fingers, "See you later, Little Guan~"

Gan Qing reached the elevator before looking back at He Guan one last time.

It was almost 7 o'clock, the sun was rising.

Rays of light casted a wing-like silhouette around He Guan.

With the light behind him, He Guan's features were shadowed. Only the upturn of his lips was visible, the shadow on his lips deepening with the smile.

He was smiling at Gan Qing.

After the group left, the man moved quickly, dressing in He Guan's old clothes after washing up and then addressing him, "Boss."

He Guan stroked his chin, "Call me Young Master."

The man complied, "Young Master."

His hair was still wet, showing signs of freezing in this cold weather.

He Guan passed him a towel from his backpack, "Dry yourself. My manager will be here soon, and you'll come down with me. Your surname?"

He Guan's choice to recruit him wasn't just a whim.

Truth be told, the man bore a striking resemblance to He Guan's former butler.

Almost identical.

Even in temperament.

The man replied, "My surname is Yue."

Even the surname matches.

He Guan graciously said, "Uncle Yue, how adept are you physically? There might be some commotion during the press conference later, and I'd appreciate it if you could escort me out. I'm somewhat frail, so it might get a bit troublesome."

He had been exhausted the day before, and although he felt better today, his body still felt somewhat sore.

Uncle Yue replied, "No problem."

He Guan responded, "Good."

He made it to the press conference as promised.

Compared to the other four members, He Guan was half a minute late.

Under the flashing lights, the young man radiated a handsome smile. He was impeccably dressed in a custom white suit and black shoes, taking his seat on the fourth individual sofa.

To his left was Tong Jia Qi, and to his right were, in order, Wen Mo, Jin Jue, and Gan Qing. It seemed seating was arranged by age.

Naturally, the conference's host noticed him and jokingly inquired, "Our He Guan is fashionably late. Might we ask the reason?"

He Guan, crossing his legs and leaning back, answered, "Of course. This morning, I instinctively made breakfast. Only after I finished did the team leader come out of his room to tell me he had already prepared it. He quickly got dressed, teased me, and left. I had to scramble to catch up."

Yet, he didn't apologize for being late.

At that moment, many were still adjusting their equipment, and the press conference would officially start in five minutes.

The cameras quickly turned to Gan Qing.

Gan Qing sat upright in his seat, and upon hearing the comment, he lowered his head and smiled—a gentle, flawless grin that rivaled the brightness of the flashbulbs, "Yes, he's always been one to oversleep. It's rare for him to wake up early, and even then, he managed such a mix-up."

Wen Mo chimed in with warmth, "Ah, our little Guan."

Everyone in the room laughed good-naturedly.

The host smoothly transitioned past the minor incident.

The press conference officially began five minutes later.

Each member shared their feelings on the group's debut, mostly expressing gratitude towards their agency, teammates, and fans.

He Guan's gaze swept the room, finally spotting Uncle Yue squeezed in the front amongst the crowd.

Soon, it was He Guan's turn.

He retrieved an eight-carat diamond ring from his pocket, slipped it on, then picked up the microphone, smiling broadly at the central boom camera.

"Ah, so it's like that, I'm not particularly fond of the cosmos."

Silence filled the room for three seconds.

Gan Qing gripped the armrest of the sofa in disbelief.

"What?!"

He never expected it to be this soon!

Tong Jia Qi was taken aback, lost for words.

Jin Jue deeply furrowed his brows. "Has he lost his mind?"

Wen Mo twirled a strand of her hair, her usually listless eyes brightening a bit, "...Interesting."

In the next moment, the sound of camera shutters was deafening, rushing towards He Guan.

He rose from the single-seat sofa, fearless, facing the main camera crane and showing off his ring.

"As you can see, I'm married."

"I deeply care about his feelings."

His voice was soft and affectionate, with his classically handsome face shining brilliantly under the lens.

He said with a smile, "I've spent enough time with the group. Being a star after getting married would be deceitful, right?"

"So, about joining the group this time..."

He paused artfully.

"Sorry, I'm out."

Author's note:

Hello everyone, the first 30,000 words are completed. See you on the leaderboard next Thursday.