The seven members: …

Indeed, it sounded like great news.

Having an idol and esteemed senior writing a song for them was something they wouldn’t even dare to dream of before, but now it seemed like manna from heaven.

They wanted to feel elated, but the surprise was subdued.

According to the director’s team—well, their explanation, not their evasion—every piece of information given previously had a deeper meaning and was intimately connected to both them and Blue Hat.

The theme song of Idol Star Map was actually a nod to their first intersection, Blue Hat’s first album “Sirens” which corresponded to their upcoming debut album titled “Apollo,” similarly named after a mythological figure;

Their first concert was another connection. After releasing their album, Glory was set to start touring, starting in the renowned tourist city of Zhou Mountain—“the firsts” were significant and meaningful pointers. If they thought deeply, they would definitely connect these to the great seniors of Blue Hat.

Thus, the director’s team vehemently denied any intentional misleading, attributing it to coincidence and the members’ misinterpretations.

Although Liu Hao and Song Yu were clearly in on it, signaling them even if initially they hadn’t guessed in that direction, it seemed they were meant to continue releasing distracting clues.

But the director’s team wouldn’t admit it.

Li Chu sighed, too tired to argue: “I knew it.”

They could only go out for supplies once, and even if they had money left, they couldn’t spend it today, and indeed there wasn’t much left.

At this point, there wasn’t time to be shocked or denounce the production team; they needed to start preparing dinner immediately.

For the seven members who rarely cooked, accomplishing this task was harder than they had imagined.

Cooking, sometimes, was like math: if you don’t get it, you just don’t.

“How much is ‘a pinch’ of salt?”

“How should this be cut?”

“A tablespoon of dark soy sauce, but which size? We have everything from small to large.”

Despite some attempts at dividing tasks, everyone was still chaotic.

The first failure was the simplest dish, cola chicken wings. Somehow they had burned a bit, later realizing the heat was too high and before the collagen could stew out, the cola had dried up. After a chaotic switching between high and low heat to force a reduction, they presented a strangely dark dish that clearly looked like a culinary disaster.

As it was served, silence fell, and the kitchen emitted a smell of burnt food.

Luckily, anticipating potential issues, they had only used a third of the chicken wings on the first attempt. Li Chu, ever prudent, had bought plenty.

If not for Li Chu, they would have been doomed.

Serving such a dish to Blue Hat Band would have been unforgivable.

“Let’s try again,” Qu Shoubai broke the silence, “We’ll be careful, next time it will definitely work.”

The second attempt was inexplicably too salty and oddly sour, but learning from their mistakes, the third attempt was much better.

Novices tend to improvise when instructions are unclear or issues arise.

With the cola chicken wings finally done, they realized they had forgotten the sesame seeds. They couldn’t remember if they had forgotten to buy them or if they had left them at the checkout. So, after a discussion, they tore up some seaweed and crushed some crispy potato chips to use as a substitute for the sesame seeds.

“Wait,” said Wang Ruoyi after putting them on, realizing something was off as he looked at the packaging, “I think this seaweed is wasabi-flavored, and the chips are cucumber.”

It didn’t smell wrong, and he tasted a bit of the sauce with a spoon, pondering for a moment before saying, “Hmm, how to describe it? It’s, uh, quite unique.”

Rui Song tried to spin it positively: “Let’s just say it’s an innovative dish.”

Whether it was innovative or not, they dared not touch the dish again; this was all the chicken wings they had left, and with time slipping by, they had spent an hour on just this dish, with many more still unprepared.

Besides the four required dishes, they also needed to create some of their own, but considering their skills, they tried to keep the other dishes simple. The tomato egg soup was foolproof, which Li Chu could handle.

The stir-fried shrimp with seasonal vegetables was slightly overcooked but successful on the first attempt.

However, they were out of their depth with boiled beef in spicy sauce and squirrel fish, especially the latter, which required knife skills.

Desperate, the young idols found another solution—they called for help.

Liu Hao knew how to cook boiled beef in spicy sauce.

Although he wasn’t the actual guest, just a decoy, Ji Mowei and the others had no choice but to call him, coaxing him to come over from a filming location in Hai Cheng after work.

The director’s team objected: “That’s cheating!”

“We can’t let you manipulate us like this,” Li Chu responded, “We’ll just bring him over first.”

These seven could be quite stubborn when they needed to be, and once they discovered how reliable and hardworking Liu Hao was, they surrounded him with praise, lifting his spirits immensely.

After this success, Qu Shoubai contemplated bringing over Song Yu as well.

At this point, Song Yu was live streaming.

Already a well-known streamer, his popularity soared after joining Idol Star Map, with streaming revenues matching those of top idols. When Qu Shoubai called, he didn’t hang up but immediately warned, “Bro, I’m live streaming. About that variety show, you can’t blame me.”

Qu Shoubai retorted, “I’m not listening. You’re heartless, betraying your brothers.”

Because of this call, the live chat exploded with messages. Song Yu, knowing how to play up for the camera, laughed and said, “Bro, don’t be like that. I apologize, okay? And besides, it’s late, what do you want?”

“Come over and cook,” Qu Shoubai pressed, “Hurry, it’s an emergency, we’re out of time.”

Song Yu could cook, at least better than any of the seven, and seeing the viewer count skyrocket, he said, “Bro, I have a contract with the platform, I have a daily streaming quota to meet, I’m still over an hour short today, I really can’t leave.”

Qu Shoubai paused, apparently consulting with someone off-camera, then the whole live stream heard him ask someone, “Check how far he is from here.”

Knowing Song Yu was also in Hai Cheng, they found out his address, then heard Li Chu’s somewhat cool voice, “It’s a forty-minute drive.”

“That’s enough time,” Qu Shoubai said, “Bring your camera, I’ll send you the address. Liu Hao is here too, think about it, wouldn’t it be wrong not to come?”

Song Yu relented, “Alright, alright… do you really need to send that address?”

Everyone knew they were at Xiangshan Garden Villa.

“It’s a big place, you won’t find us,” Qu Shoubai responded, “Hurry, if you’re not here in forty minutes, you’re done for.”

Song Yu: “…”

As the chat erupted in laughter and under the threat, along with a glance at the soaring live viewer count, Song Yu really did set off.

On the way, he explained that this was a recording for Glory’s group variety show, but he didn’t know who the guest was today either. From Qu Shoubai’s urgency, it seemed likely they had been duped by the production team.

As he spoke, he watched the viewer count for tonight’s stream continue to rise.

This was an unplanned part of the script.

But after discussing it, the director’s team reported back to Shen Mingzheng, who laughed over the phone and didn’t stop them, simply saying to let them be, that this kind of setup wasn’t bad.

Originally, if the seven couldn’t handle it, the team would have stepped in, naturally not letting the Blue Hat Band actually eat something bizarre just for the sake of a variety show effect. But any such “backing up” would have come with a small punishment or cost for the group.

However, the point of a variety show isn’t to “win” or about punishments; it’s about the “highlights.”

Accidents are highlights.

Thus, Song Yu arrived with his live streaming gear and his audience, capturing Liu Hao already roped into wearing an apron, which only added to the hilarity.

Now with nine people gathered, though only two could really cook, the chaos was inevitable. The live chat laughed along as they fumbled through cooking, with a tricolor cat meowing at their feet.

“It’s over, the secret’s out that my treasure is a dunce.”

“The squirrel fish looks more like a hedgehog fish. What kind of knife skills are these?”

“Hahaha, braised tofu turned into braised tofu crumbles.”

“Wow, it’s nice to see everyone’s still in touch after the competition, didn’t expect the relationships to be so good.”

“So, who are they hosting tonight, really?”

Everyone had an idea who the guest for the night would be, still under wraps, any reveal to be kept a secret until the variety show aired.

Thus, Song Yu’s stream reached its required duration and shut down at 6:45 PM amidst howls of protest from the viewers.

Having helped finish the cooking, of course, they couldn’t just leave; the seven weren’t that heartless. They kept them around, just in time to meet Blue Hat Band, two more people making little difference.

Blue Hat Band arrived promptly at 7 PM, and upon entering and seeing the lined-up nine people, bassist Wu Zhu commented first, “Aren’t there supposed to be seven of you? Why are there two extra kids?”

The young idols, already nervous, were about to explain when keyboardist Cai Xibei laughed, “He’s just teasing you. We saw the livestream on our way here, we know everything. Come on, sit down.”

“Ah, this house is really nice,” lead vocalist Lan He looked around, “It’s just too big to clean.”

Guitarist Hao Zi undercut him, “Ignore him, he’s a neat freak. With such a great place, all he thinks about is how hard it is to clean. He’s going to tire himself out in this lifetime.”

Despite being great seniors, they showed no airs at all, their teasing lightening the tense atmosphere in the room, clearly showing they were old friends.

They were also very considerate of the newcomers, showing that they had some understanding of the members. They ate while cueing each member, even including Liu Hao and Song Yu in their conversation, and complimented their “innovative dishes.” After an afternoon’s efforts, at least the food was edible.

Following the meal, they reminisced about old times.

“I, Wu Zhu, and Hao Zi are from the same town. After meeting Lan He, we formed the band,” said Cai Xibei, “Shortly after, we said let’s have a meal out, found a restaurant, and ordered these four dishes.”

“Not long after, we went out together and wrote ‘Blue Sea.’”

Music was the hidden theme of this group variety show.

But directly showcasing the album production process or demonstrating how meticulously it was made would be self-promotional and boring for the audience.

However, now, after a bustling day, well-fed and gathered in the half-outdoor garden of the villa, Lan He casually picked up a guitar from inside and sang a segment of “Blue Sea.” His vocal skills hadn’t faded over the years, and memories surged back.

They also discussed their original creative concepts.

“When we were about your age, the four of us set out on a green-skin train to make our mark,” said Wu Zhu, “Looking forward from the train, the sky beyond the mountains was incredibly blue, not a cloud in sight. I’ll remember that scene for the rest of my life.”

“When we were kids, our teachers told us the sea was beyond the mountains. We had never seen the sea. The first time we stepped out of the mountains, what we saw became our sea.”

So in “Blue Sea” they sang,

Life, ah, is a vast ocean, and I am but a small boat, on a long journey, my heart wanders far, I will sail to a distant oasis, the waves that meet me, they are my friends.

They talked about writing songs, performing, the changes in popular music over the past twenty years, and listened to these young people’s own experiences.

Su Ning had previously advised them to observe and think more, emphasizing the importance of keeping a thoughtful mind and encouraging Rui Song and Zhou Heng to create original work. So now, they could converse with the veterans without faltering, asking questions naturally.

The discussion flowed smoothly, eventually leading to the writing of this album’s songs, delving into many behind-the-scenes details that, while not likely to be included in the final cut, were highlighted by lead vocalist Lan He, primarily because of Shen Mingzheng.

He had known Little President Shen since the lyric writing of the Idol Star Map theme song, had enjoyed working together, and lamented that such a talent had not debuted but instead gone into management. So when Shen Mingzheng extended the invitation, this collaboration came to be.

He respected talent, but after lamenting, seeing so many young people continually passionate about music and the stage was quite comforting.

The group talked late into the night before going their separate ways, and before leaving, they all took a group photo, with a lazy tricolor cat lying in the middle of the table.

This photo was quickly shared on social networks that same night. With the excitement from Song Yu’s livestream, Blue Hat Band also actively praised them.

The previous altercation with so-called “senior” Liao Yuansi’s fans seemed trivial now. Blue Hat Band were the true music industry veterans. With their endorsement, who would bother arguing?

Blue Hat Band’s seventy million fan count wasn’t for nothing. As for the baseless accusations of disrespecting seniors, they hardly held water.

But the moment that truly stayed with the seven members was what Blue Hat Band said before leaving.

“Seeing you young people come together to collaborate like this today, we feel great.”

“We’re old now, often eager but powerless. Looking back on our youth, we thought what we’d leave behind were our works, but at this age, more precisely, it feels like what we leave behind are the emotions within those works. Everyone still remembers the song ‘Blue Sea,’ maybe it’s just the emotions from back then that they can’t forget.

“Thank you for hosting us today. Let’s encourage each other, and please, don’t forget the original emotions.”

This group variety show aired a week before the album release, ending with a short clip of Blue Hat Band’s contribution to the only ballad on the album, “Our Story,” featuring the members in the studio.

“This is our story,

Holding each other’s hands at this moment,

Then winter turns to spring,

Even ordinary times turn into poetry.”

Blue Hat Band’s skill was undeniable, the melody was engaging and flowed smoothly, catching the ear.

Undoubtedly, among the many idols releasing albums soon, Glory’s momentum was the largest. The music video production and the arrangement of the release day performance were well-organized, with Su Ning already preparing a sweeping online media promotion.

With such extensive pre-release buildup, even the fans said, with this kind of support, as long as the song wasn’t bad, it was bound to be a hit.

Then the new album “Apollo” debuted amid great anticipation, with the titular track “Apollo” taking on a concept of ancient Greek gods, and the secondary lead track, a dynamic electronic tune, “Pirate Ship.”

As for how the album would fare, Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng had done their utmost.

The rest was up to the audience to decide.

Over a week after Glory’s album release, Su Ning stepped out of a business center after negotiating resources. The large dynamic billboard up ahead quickly featured a shot of the group.

—It was a special award they had won on a music competition show, breaking a historical record.

For this lead single, the members with fairer skin had dyed their hair golden, each shade subtly different tailored to their individual features, with Li Chu as the center, his blonde hair particularly striking.

Yet, it was his performance on stage that shone even brighter.

Known as a killer in close-ups, Li Chu could captivate in zoomed-in shots, with a specific movement where a finger covered his face but left his eyes exposed, a sun pattern drawn on his forehead being particularly memorable, matched with his indifferent gaze like a deity at that moment, leaving an indelible impression.

This was a center lead dancer’s masterful control of expressions.

Before the album release, there had been hesitation; now, those trailing behind him in cooperation voiced out, “President Su, it’s a pleasure to work with you.”

He even took the initiative to hold an umbrella for Su Ning afterward.

Su Ning shifted his gaze from the billboard, turned back to look at him, and smiled, “Pleasure to work with you.”