Rong Xiu [Entertainment Industry]

A top-focused story. The protagonist is the lead singer of a rock band, making a triumphant return.

A story about a rock band.

[The surgery went very well. I’ll have a follow-up in a month, then every three months. If it hasn’t spread, I won’t need chemotherapy. I’ll keep writing. Thank you for supporting the official release.]

Blurb

Nine years ago, Rong Xiu, lead singer of an underground rock band, shot to fame, only to get caught up in a huge scandal. The whole city was abuzz, and his debut plans fell through. Young and reckless, he spiraled into drunken despair, met someone, and spent one chaotic night with them. Before long, the whole band disappeared from public view.

Nine years later, Rong Xiu retires due to an injury and picks up the passionate rock dream of his youth once more.

Soon after, the movie star, who rarely posts on Weibo, sends a rock band’s lead singer straight to the top of the trending list with two sentences.

[Gu Jinchen V: You’re back.]

Fan circles: ???

[Gu Jinchen V: I hope you’ve been well. @DK-Rong Xiu]

Fan circles: !!!

[Rong Xiu] Heh.jpg

*

After they meet again

Rong Xiu: “I’m not gay. I don’t like sex. I want to be single for life. Thanks for liking me all this time, but I won’t sleep with fans, followers, or men.”

After they grow closer

Gu Jinchen: Heh.

Rong Xiu: …

*

Nine years later, the king returns.

Scaling walls and leaping rooftops, patriotic warrior, rock musician?

Raking in awards left and right?

Best Popularity Award for a band?

And he can do variety shows, too?

That stern CCTV face, that old-cadre air, that rock-star presence: enough to stop a child crying at night.

In reality…

[The girls in the fan club] Hahahahaha, yoooo~

*

Making movies? The big screen? A cameo as the BOSS?

Red carpets overseas?

What on earth is rock symphony?

Wait, he’s performing at the Spring Festival Gala? Isn’t he just a rock musician?

When has the Gala ever brought rock’s three big instruments onto its stage?

Wait, wait, wait!

What? The World All-Star Olympics?

What can a singer do at an international sporting event? Sing “Ode to the Motherland”?

[The girls in the fan club] Aaaah, if it’s Brother Rong, anything’s possible! Go, Brother Rong! Bring glory to the country!

*

What I seek: dreams, glory, a life of glorious madness, and you by my side in all your splendor.

There are three things that matter most in my life: my country, my band, and you. My country is my faith, my band is my dream, and you are the rest of my life.

Teamwork, passion, hard work, ideals. With hearts full of youthful conviction, the band stands together, supports one another, and works toward their dream.

[Reader’s guide and warnings]

★ This story has had a rough ride: locked for nearly half a year, then extensively revised. Characterization, details, foreshadowing, character arcs… every chapter has been revised. It’s exclusive to Jinjiang. Copies on other sites are fake. If you read it elsewhere, the settings and plot won’t match.

★ Rong Xiu (top) x Gu Jinchen (bottom)

★ The male lead retired due to an injury. He’s dashing and brave, a valiant fighter with a love for the military and a heart devoted to his country. An uplifting entertainment-industry story: everyone is patriotic, and rock music burns with passion.

★ A powerful, naturally flirtatious top, the band’s tyrant and its darling.

★ Happy ending. The bottom makes the first move, the top has a character arc, and once their relationship matures, they dote on each other.

★ Warning! This isn’t for readers with rigid preferences. Both of them have been hurt. They’ve known happiness and sorrow, and times when they were powerless, yet they kept going, giving everything for each other while being let down by reality. They chose this willingly. That is what love itself looks like: terrifying, and yet great.

★ This is an alternate-universe story! An alternate universe! The fan circles are all sweethearts and darlings, and not entirely realistic. Reality is too chaotic, and the author doesn’t like it, so it can’t be written as it is.

★ The author has no fan affiliation. The idol characters aren’t based on real people, the variety shows draw on references, covers include notes, and the original works were painstakingly created. All real-world celebrities are respected.

★ There are no awful aunts, uncles, or other extreme relatives. That’s a pet peeve of the author, who doesn’t like writing them.

★ Readers are the author’s bread and butter. Please be civil, enjoy the story, and agree to disagree. If you like it, show your support; if not, don’t insult anyone. Please don’t get angry.

★ The entire story has been heavily revised, including the settings. Some author’s notes, comments, and chapters may no longer line up, but they won’t be far off from the surrounding context.

★ No writing advice and no nitpicking. Don’t complain all the time; stay positive and remember, “I am not the world.” If you want to drop the story, there’s no need to tell me. Don’t mess with the author’s state of mind!

★ Reading is subjective. Praise and criticism may feel good in the moment, and the author understands, but reserves the right to delete comments that affect their mood and shorten their life.

★ A top-focused story, with the relationship kept as balanced as possible. They dote on each other in the middle and later parts. They’ll need time to adjust to each other, and their relationship develops over time. Both the top and bottom are precious to the author, and so are the readers. Comments that provoke fights may be deleted, so please enjoy the story in harmony.

★ Enjoy the feast for the senses! The story includes lyrics; original songs draw on references, and NetEase Cloud Music has a playlist of the same name, “Rong Xiu.” Remember the quotation marks: the melodies are part of this book too.

*

Cover credits:

Thanks to the lovely reader Jing Ye for the board design.

Thanks to the wonderful artist Yi Tiao He for the gift.

Theme: Passion, positivity, kindness, love of country, and staying true to one’s original aspirations.