Superstar Ch.49

Chapter 49: Stirring Up Anger

The cool ointment touched his neck, and Yun Pan shivered slightly.

He whispered, “I can do it myself, brother.”

Xie Xizhao didn’t stop his hands. “You can’t see it.”

His tone wasn’t particularly gentle, but his touch was light.

After applying the ointment, he closed the lid and stuffed it into Yun Pan’s pocket.

“Three times a day,” he said.

“Oh,” Yun Pan responded.

Xie Xizhao looked at his slightly uneasy and nervous expression and let out a soft breath. He asked, “Still don’t want to talk?”

“No,” Yun Pan blurted out hastily, almost stuttering.

Then he added, “…It’s not that I don’t want to talk.”

“It’s just that saying it wouldn’t change anything.”

He could talk about things that had already passed because they were over. But for something that still trapped him now—besides making others worry, what was the point of talking about it?

He muttered to himself, then looked up and met Xie Xizhao’s disapproving gaze. He instantly shrank back.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll talk.”

He paused for a moment. “Brother, you know that Xia Ruiyan and I are in the same company, and we debuted in the same trainee batch, right?”

Xie Xizhao sat down on his bed and gave a soft “hmm.”

Every company had a pool of reserve trainees.

Most of these trainees remained undisclosed, being groomed either for the company’s official debut groups or to participate in talent shows.

That was why he had always been curious when Ji Yan told him that Xia Ruiyan and Yun Pan had been a popular CP for a long time. Normally, to maintain a sense of freshness, trainees like them wouldn’t be exposed to the public too soon.

“A year ago, we were actually supposed to debut as a new group.” As if he knew what Xie Xizhao wanted to ask, Yun Pan added an explanation. “But then, something unexpected happened in the company, and the plan was put on hold.”

“I, Wen Hai,” he said, “and Xia Ruiyan—we were all supposed to be part of that new group.”

Xie Xizhao suddenly understood.

“I and Xia Ruiyan…” Yun Pan hesitated. “If you ask whether we had conflicts, not really. Nothing major.”

He lowered his voice. “At first, I actually liked him quite a bit.”

“…Maybe I was just too easy to b*lly.”

Too easy to b*lly—so his sincere feelings had been trampled underfoot.

He was a kid from a small town, someone who had lived through days of hunger and hardship, who had encountered truly terrible people. That was why he cherished every bit of kindness he received.

When he first joined the company, the person assigned to guide him was Xia Ruiyan.

In truth, Xia Ruiyan hadn’t done anything particularly special. If anything, he had simply shown him around and helped him get familiar with the place.

It was something anyone would do in passing, but because Xia Ruiyan was the one who did it, Yun Pan had naively believed that this senior was a good person.

“Later,” he said slowly, “we started training together.”

He paused. “And then I realized… he might be a little…”

“Violent?” Xie Xizhao finished for him, offering the right word.

Yun Pan nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then later,” he took a deep breath, “we failed to debut, and the company decided to bind the two of us together.”

He averted his eyes. “…His family is wealthy. The company didn’t dare to control him. Everyone else listened to him, so… it just stayed that way.”

Stayed that way—what way?

He didn’t spell it out.

But Xie Xizhao understood.

He took a deep breath, and for the first time in a long while, he had the urge for a cigarette.

He usually didn’t smoke. He had only learned for a role.

But he had to admit—this kind of thing did relieve stress, and it was addictive.

The truth was, once someone had tried it, even if they had quit, there would always be moments when the urge resurfaced.

But just as that thought flashed through Xie Xizhao’s mind, something else came to him. “The cigarette burn on your shoulder—was that from him too?”

Yun Pan remained silent for a long time.

Then, in a soft voice, he said, “Yeah.”

Half a second later, he stammered, “Brother, don’t be mad. Really, it was just that one time.”

“The manager talked to him afterward,” he added in a low voice. “And it never happened again.”

Xie Xizhao didn’t say anything.

But a moment later, Yun Pan felt a light, fleeting hug.

Just that one touch was enough to make his eyes sting again.

When Xie Xizhao had observed the way the two interacted, he had already had a vague sense of what was going on.

Of course, he knew about b*llying within groups.

He was more than familiar with it.

Just like how ordinary people wouldn’t randomly end up in court, worlds that required system missions were never peaceful to begin with—especially when the Chosen One had to endure hardships.

Why did b*llying exist?

There were many reasons. Stress was a major one.

Endless, grueling practice, sudden losses of opportunity, and exhaustion from relentless schedules—some people handled the pressure internally, while others found relief in hurting someone else.

And Xie Xizhao could almost guess why Xia Ruiyan had chosen Yun Pan.

He was young. Easy to control.

And the company just so happened to need them to be bound together.

…As much as Yun Pan’s words stung, there was also another reason—his own personality. He was naturally quiet and soft-hearted.

Sometimes, kindness could be met with kindness.

But sometimes, kindness was just fuel for the wicked to act without restraint.

After a long silence, Xie Xizhao finally spoke. “You’re staying because of the contract?”

“Yeah,” Yun Pan replied in a low voice.

He hesitated for a moment before adding softly, “The penalty fee is really high.”

“And… I don’t want to make anyone worry.”

Xie Xizhao paused.

“When our band disbanded, it dragged on for a long time.” Compared to before, Yun Pan’s voice sounded even lower. “I only found out later that we had actually been losing money for a while. The reason they kept it going for so long before finally dissolving was…”

“…because of me.”

They were afraid he’d have nowhere to go.

Afraid that he’d end up being b*llied by that scumbag father of his again.

It was only when Yun Pan received an offer from Wenyao that they finally felt at ease.

He looked up. “I don’t want them to worry.”

His eyes were red, but his voice was firm.

Xie Xizhao’s hand paused for a moment before he finally let out a sigh.

Then he said, “If you keep going like this, they’ll only worry more when they find out.”

Yun Pan fell silent.

“Is that everything?” Xie Xizhao asked.

“Yeah,” Yun Pan replied.

It wasn’t really that complicated of a story to begin with.

“If you’re done, go wash your face,” Xie Xizhao said. “Your eyes are all red from crying.”

“…I wasn’t crying,” Yun Pan muttered, a little awkwardly.

But since Xie Xizhao had said it, he obediently got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

The sound of running water filled the space. He wiped his face forcefully with a tissue and suddenly felt much lighter.

Then, he heard Xie Xizhao ask, “Three more years on the contract?”

Yun Pan turned off the faucet. “Yeah.”

He wasn’t someone who was good at showing ambition.

But since Xie Xizhao had asked, that meant he had heard it just now.

That realization made Yun Pan feel a little uneasy.

After a brief pause, he finally said, “I… I want to debut. I think I can do it.”

He had been thinking about this a lot these past few days.

He had always loved singing, but with Xia Ruiyan around, he had always been the one standing in the corner. In the beginning, he had even hoped Xia Ruiyan would debut soon—because once he did, he wouldn’t come back to the company as often.

The others had only b*llied him because of Xia Ruiyan, too.

But that mindset had slowly faded ever since he got closer to Xie Xizhao.

Xie Xizhao was really good.

A good person.

A great performer.

He had never once doubted that his Brother Xizhao would debut—probably even in the center position.

And he thought, if he could stand beside him, become his teammate, that would be something truly, truly wonderful.

Time had only proven him right.

These days, being in Xie Xizhao’s group, watching him organize everything and lead everyone toward a shared goal—he really loved that feeling.

And then, he thought—

Why did it have to be Xia Ruiyan who debuted?

If he debuted, he could escape from him just the same.

If he debuted…

Why couldn’t he debut?

That night, Xie Xizhao didn’t say anything else.

And Yun Pan was actually scared he would.

Like offering sympathy. Or pity. Or even blame.

He had been through a lot.

The other trainees at Wenyao looked at him with sympathy and regret. Behind his back, they whispered about how unlucky he was.

When the manager talked to him, they asked, “Why do you put up with all this?”

He only hit you.

And yet you endured it. Why are you so weak?

For a long time, he really thought there was something wrong with him.

But Xie Xizhao—

Xie Xizhao almost felt like he could read minds.

He didn’t say anything, as if he already knew all of Yun Pan’s thoughts. He simply said, “Practice well. If you want to debut, this stage will be your best opportunity.”

Yun Pan thought the same.

Compared to the last stage, this one had a major shift in dynamics, and it also happened to be his strongest area.

Most importantly, Xie Xizhao was his team leader.

His heart softened, but then he suddenly remembered something and added in a small voice, “Brother, you don’t have to worry. He wouldn’t dare cause trouble here. And I’ve already moved out. Once I debut, he won’t have any control over me.”

His tone was serious.

He was afraid Xie Xizhao would get into a conflict with Xia Ruiyan.

Xie Xizhao said, “Alright.”

He patted Yun Pan’s head. “What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it back for you tonight. You can stay in my dorm and hang out.”

“Fried chicken drumsticks,” Yun Pan immediately placed his order.

After Xie Xizhao left, Yun Pan stayed in the room.

As soon as Xie Xizhao walked out, he spun around the room twice, then climbed onto the sofa chair and ate the candy Xie Xizhao had left for him.

Meanwhile, Xie Xizhao, after stepping out, casually took a detour into the neighboring dorm.

After confirming that only Ji Yan was inside, he spoke.

“Let me borrow your phone.”

Ji Yan said, “Hang on, brother.”

As he pulled out his phone, he asked casually, “Calling your family?”

“No,” Xie Xizhao replied. “The manager.”

Ji Yan was startled. “What happened?”

Xie Xizhao hadn’t planned on explaining, but Ji Yan—though carefree—was actually good at keeping secrets.

After thinking for a moment, Xie Xizhao asked, “How much do you know about Wenyao?”

Ji Yan humbly said, “A little bit.”

Xie Xizhao: “…”

“Didn’t you say a few days ago that you knew nothing?”

“Lately, I’ve been getting to know people,” Ji Yan said. “I happened to overhear some gossip about their boss’s love affairs.”

Xie Xizhao: “…”

He couldn’t help it—his lips curled up slightly.

When he had entered the room, he had carried a chill with him. Compared to his usual gentle demeanor, there was an unusual sharpness about him. Ji Yan, caught between feeling weak in the knees from how good he looked and wondering in disbelief who could have possibly made his ever-patient brother angry, was at a loss.

That small smile brought some warmth back to Xie Xizhao’s expression, returning him to his usual gentle and harmless self.

Ji Yan let out a small sigh of relief.

Then, he heard Xie Xizhao say, “It’s nothing.”

“I want Xia Ruiyan to withdraw from the competition.”

With a thud, Ji Yan’s phone slipped from his hands and fell onto the bed.

<< _ >>