The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 266 Elderly Fans

At the dining table, the family sat neatly together, a tradition Chu Fanqing had always upheld, and a promise he made to his adoptive father, Shang Xiaolian.

Chu Yiming was still the most talkative one at the table, while Chu Fanyan kept putting food into Shang Yibo's dish.

Fang Xichen patiently advised Chu Fanqing to eat more vegetables and less fatty meat.

Dinner was a long-awaited warm and pleasant experience.

Chu Fanqing put down her chopsticks and said to Shang Yibo, "You're going to America tomorrow, are you all ready?"

Shang Yibo: "This time I went to the college to meet with the school committee members. I'll be back in less than a week. The semester won't start until September."

"I mean, are you mentally prepared to put aside all your affairs in China and go study abroad?" Chu Fanqing emphasized.

"I've thought it all through. This has always been my dream. I want to study in New York, and I want to work on Wall Street," Shang Yibo said earnestly.

“He wants to be like Bart,” Chu Yiming added, chewing on his stewed beef brisket.

Fang Xichen said to Chu Yiming, "The adults are talking, don't interrupt. It's rude of you. Even eating can't shut your mouth."

“My brother is all grown up now, so I’m not a child anymore either,” Chu Yiming retorted defiantly.

Fang Xichen glared at Chu Yiming, and Chu Yiming fell silent.

Then she asked Shang Yibo, "Yan Ruo won't have any objections, will she?"

Shang Yibo: "She is very supportive of my decision."

Fang Xichen: "That's good. Do you really have to leave tomorrow? Can't you wait a couple more days? Yan Ruo's show has its final tomorrow. If you leave, you'll miss it."

Chu Yiming blurted out, "Sister Yanruo is participating in a variety talent show called 'Sisters Gone Wild'."

“Yes, yes, that’s the strange name.” Fang Xichen laughed. “Your dad and I will watch the show on TV. It’s a way of supporting Yan Ruo’s stage.”

Chu Fanqing nodded solemnly.

Shang Yibo: "Thank you, Mom and Dad."

"Mom, if you're going to watch the finals, I should give you a rundown of how intense the auditions, elimination rounds, and semi-finals were." Chu Yiming said, shaking his head and rambling on about this and that. "By the way, you probably haven't seen the trending topics that broke at noon, and you didn't see them either, did you, bro?"

Shang Yibo had been busy at the company all day and really didn't have time to pay attention to public opinion. "Is it related to Yan Ruo? What is it?"

Chu Yiming finally grasped something that the people at the table hadn't, and he was quite pleased with himself. "Yan Ruo's screen debut from twenty years ago has been released by fans. It's a short youth film with a very pretentious title. What was it called again?"

"'Gone, yet to come'."

"That's right, that's the name." Chu Yiming shouted, "Brother, you don't work hard and just think about surfing the internet. I didn't even remember the name, but you said it right away."

Shang Yibo's expression changed after he mentioned the title of the short film, and he asked urgently, "Where did you see this short film? Who released it?"

"It's online now, it should be available on all the platforms that have been uploaded to it."

Chu Yiming was confused by Shang Yibo's expression and attitude. "Brother, don't worry, this isn't a smear campaign by Yan Ruo. On the contrary, her reputation is very good. Just look at how fast Yan Ruo's followers are growing. After this day of hype, she'll definitely debut in the center position at tomorrow's finals."

Shang Yibo's expression grew increasingly serious as he muttered to himself, "How could fans have a short film from Yanruo from twenty years ago?"

"Gone, Yet to Come" stirred up Shang Yibo's memories. The distant past, his youthful friends, Cheng Zhi and Xue Jiang's faces flashed before his eyes. His heart felt as if a layer of membrane had been peeled away, and jumbled fragments stabbed him with pain.

If Zhou Yanruo were to see this film, she would definitely feel the same way he did, which is what he was most worried about.

"Yan Ruo was so beautiful back then, and she's still just as beautiful now, but there seems to be something different about her, I can't quite put my finger on it." Fang Xichen leaned closer to Chu Yiming's phone, which was playing "The Gone, Yet to Come." "Hey, isn't that Yibo next to Yan Ruo?"

The film was shot a long time ago, and it's clearly not recorded with a professional camera; the videotape is severely demagnetized. The clearest frame of the male actor who acts opposite Zhou Yanruo is a side silhouette, which vaguely resembles Shang Yibo's figure.

Chu Yiming pouted, "Mom, why are you saying that too?"

"The face is blurry, I can't see it clearly. Judging from the time, that's impossible," Fang Xichen muttered.

"Mom, look here." Chu Yiming pointed to the comments below the video.

"That boy looks like Shang Yibo."

"Stop talking nonsense. You CP fans are the worst at fantasizing. Open your eyes and see what year that is. Shang Yibo wasn't even born yet, okay?"

You know what, you really have to admit, Zhou Yanruo and Shang Yibo have a deep connection; they look like a perfect match.

[Can you blame me for shipping them so passionately? Maybe I'll even find a real couple in the process.]

[Don't get close to pretty girls. Shang Yibo is already a former top star, why are you trying to piggyback on his fame?]

[He doesn't need to piggyback on others' fame anymore; he retired from the entertainment industry and became a CEO.]

Shang Yibo was also looking at the comments on his phone. These weren't topics he cared about. He wanted to know where the short film came from and what kind of impact it would have on Zhou Yanruo.

He called Ding Jiajia, but no one answered after two attempts.

Just as he was about to dial Hong Yun's number, Chu Yiming interrupted, "Brother, why are you panicking? Your face has changed."

Shang Yibo: "I need to find out as soon as possible where this short film came from."

Chu Yiming: "You're asking me why I called Sister Jiajia? She and Sister Yanruo are busy rehearsing, they don't have time to care about us fans."

"you know?"

"Of course I know. This was released by our 'Yanli Popping Candy' alliance itself, and it's part of our plan to let it ferment."

"What? What are you talking about candy? I don't understand."

"Yanli Jumping Candy" is the name of Yan Ruo's fan alliance. Our motto is: "Unleash Yan Ruo's full power on stage, and let the candy granules cheer for you!" We call ourselves "Candy Jars" to emphasize our collective identity. Chu Yiming proudly declared, "I'm the district head in charge of the Beijing region."

Fang Xichen pursed her lips, "You've even become the 'district head' now."

"Mom, don't interrupt, I'm serious."

This wasn't the time for Shang Yibo to worry about that, so he pressed on, "Tell me quickly, what's the story behind the short film?"

"Don't rush me, this is about to be revealed." Chu Yiming continued, "There's a fan in the Xichuan region of the fan alliance, the oldest among them, who's already in his eighties or nineties. This short film was contributed by him, and it's said that he's treasured it for over twenty years."

Shang Yibo was puzzled. The variety show Yan Ruo participated in aimed to promote the spirit of independence and self-reliance among women over 35, naturally attracting mainly professional women as well as a portion of loyal viewers who enjoy voting for talent shows. The age distribution should definitely be predominantly young people, so how could she have fans of that age?

The short film 'Gone, Yet to Come' was only shot in a few scenes and was never completed. Neither he nor Zhou Yanruo ever saw the film after the incident.

How did it end up in the hands of fans and be treasured for twenty years?

"Could it be," Shang Yibo dared not think, but still tentatively asked, "that the old man's surname is Cheng?"

"You know this oldest fan? I don't know his surname, but I do know that he used to be the seafood farming king of Xichuan and the former richest man in Xichuan City."