Chapter 42

Time quickly turned to the end of 2008.

During this period, many things happened.

Many were related to Yin Xian, and many were not.

He watched himself and the world like an observer.

First, at the annual "Dream Concert," the Black Sea incident occurred, which later influenced the entire Korean entertainment industry. Girls' Generation was boycotted by fans due to conflicts with fans of Super Junior and TVXQ at the venue. When they took the stage, all the light sticks were turned off, and the fans continuously shouted "Wonder Girls."

In reality, the right and wrong of the matter were only related to the fans.

But the ones who were truly hurt were those nine poor girls.

Almost immediately, Yin Xian called Lin Yoon-a. He listened as the usually carefree and cheerful girl on the other end of the phone cried for half an hour before hanging up.

In fact, he had long known that this would happen. But he still watched it unfold. There were some things he was powerless to change.

Next, Kim Jong-kook officially returned to the music scene with "Fool to Fool," a song written and composed by Yin Xian. The song successfully topped the charts on various music download sites, announcing the return of a potential last triple-crown king.

The attention Kim Jong-kook's song brought also appropriately shifted to Yin Xian, who had completely disappeared from the public eye except for the variety show "Infinite Challenge."

Where had Yin Xian gone? Or, what was he doing besides the weekly recording of the program that Liu Zaishi had struggled to persuade MBC to keep?

It wasn't until the end of July that the public learned from a commentary article in the "Chosun Ilbo" that the controversial figure Yin Xian, who had been both adored and despised by the public, had actually been hiding at Seoul National University to study! In these few months, Yin Xian had published three philosophical papers in prestigious journals, all of which were praised for their groundbreaking and creative ideas. Even his mentor at Seoul National University had requested through his blog that anti-Yin Xian fans intensify their boycott, so as not to mislead a true academic talent...

In his view, Yin Xian's involvement in the entertainment industry was like a parent watching their child become addicted to online games...

If electroshock therapy were legal, he would have used it long ago...

Following these events, another seemingly unrelated but closely connected incident occurred.

A young artist named IU made her debut on "Music Bank."

Yin Xian, who had not watched music shows for a long time, received a text message from Lee Ji-eun, whom he had not been in contact with for half a year, asking him to watch that episode of "Music Bank."

When IU appeared on stage, Yin Xian was stunned. Wasn't this the little girl who used to follow him around?

She had debuted?

Yin Xian suddenly had a vague understanding of why she had quietly left his house and returned to the company dormitory, and why he hadn't seen her for so long.

He had thought she was in a relationship, but it turned out she was preparing to debut!

Yin Xian, who was originally very pleased and excited, felt a sudden sense of guilt when he saw IU pretending to be mature and沧桑 (worldly) on stage, singing a song with no distinctive features.

Damn it, this is my student, my little sister! How could she debut so blindly, singing such a meaningless debut song?

Such debuts happen a hundred times a year, if not eighty. My student cannot just blend into the crowd!

My little sister must be the brightest star on stage!

So, as soon as the live broadcast ended, Lee Ji-eun received a text message from Yin Xian: "Come home for dinner tonight."

When the already swollen-eyed Lee Ji-eun, accompanied by Kim Soo-yeon, walked into Yin Xian's house, Yin Xian was really taken aback.

"Did you urge Ji-eun to debut?" Yin Xian looked at Kim Soo-yeon expressionlessly.

Kim Soo-yeun, who was in even worse spirits than Lee Ji-eun, shook her head and said, "By the time I took over, it was already the last moment."

Yin Xian nodded and then bowed deeply to Kim Soo-yeun, saying, "Ji-eun will need your care in the future. Thank you."

Kim Soo-yeun shook her head and said, "She's my sister; I naturally care for her." Then she turned and left Yin Xian's house.

"OPPA..." Lee Ji-eun... well, now she should be called IU, looked at Yin Xian fearfully and said weakly.

"Change into slippers and come inside. Dinner is almost ready." Yin Xian didn't say much, just like he was telling his sister to come home.

IU was greeted with a table full of delicious food, both Chinese and Korean. A large banner hung in the dining room: "Celebrating the Successful Debut of Superstar IU!"

Thus, in IU's tears, the debut celebration dinner, attended only by her and Yin Xian, was finished.

Although Yin Xian tried his best to encourage her, the fact remained that IU's debut did not cause any waves and almost disappeared from the music scene.

Lee Ji-eun then reappeared at Yin Xian's house, returning to her old routine of running and practicing every day.

A few days later, another event happened to Yin Xian. He followed the "Infinite Challenge" production team to a place where he had lived for thirty years.

Beijing.

To shoot a special episode for the Olympics.

Although Yin Xian had returned to this land of his dreams more than once, after getting off the plane, he could understand everyone around him and even read the stories behind many words and smiles, but he still felt a sense of strangeness.

It was as if this place had nothing to do with the land that had once nurtured him.

Wearing a T-shirt and shorts like any ordinary Beijing youth, as he wandered through the streets that were both familiar and strange, he suddenly felt very lost.

Thus, Wang Shou-cheng's famous song "Beijing, Beijing" became the most direct reflection of his current inner state.

He finally understood why, despite having the means to return and visit, he had never done so. When he found no evidence of his existence near his old home, he realized that his hometown could only exist in his dreams.

After recording the special episode and having a simple family dinner with his father, who was busy and had little time, he quietly grabbed a handful of soil and put it in his water bottle.

Later, this soil, along with the soil he dug from under his house, was placed in a pot on his windowsill. In the pot, a very ordinary cactus was growing.

Then, Yin Xian uploaded a Chinese song to the music platform.

Unlike his previous songs, which immediately topped the charts, this song only stayed in the top ten for a day before dropping off the charts.

Just as everyone in the entertainment industry was preparing to attack Yin Xian for running out of ideas, the song sparked a craze in China.

In fact, the song was just a decent pop rock track. The most outstanding part was the two lines of lyrics:

I laugh here, I cry here

I live here, I die here

Later, an "us" was added to the repetition.

Originally, the song would have been just a popular song with decent sales.

But the identity of the songwriter and singer made the song different. The songwriter and singer was a Korean!

Moreover, the song resonated with many Korean students and workers living in Beijing.

Thus, a month after the song's release, it was pushed back to the top of the music charts by overseas fans, especially those living in China.

Then, the articles that had been hastily published to mock Yin Xian became a top post on his fans' café.

The post was titled: "They laugh here, they die here."

Next, the news that Yin Xian had passed his doctoral dissertation defense and obtained a Ph.D. from Seoul National University appeared again in a commentary article in the "Chosun Ilbo."

Thus, he became the youngest Ph.D. graduate from Seoul National University and the fastest student to complete his studies from undergraduate to Ph.D. in the university's history.

All of this, in just three years.