Chapter Six: Labels

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Lin Shouxia grabbed his sister’s collar and gave the girl in front of him an embarrassed smile. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that the leader of his black fans since his debut was actually his own sister. Who would sabotage their own younger brother like that?

“Hey, Lin Shouxia, I’m still your sister, you know. How about a little respect?” Lin Yinglu, feeling a bit embarrassed, waved her hands, trying to escape her brother’s grip. This kid was really shameless—picking a fight with his sister in front of others, as if being raised abroad had made him wild and forget who fed him bite by bite.

“You still remember I’m your brother?” The man released his hold and rubbed his forehead, wanting some peace. They were clearly recognized as siblings, so how did things come to this?

“Of course I know…” Lin Yinglu patted her pants, giving her brother a disapproving look before turning her attention back to her good friend. Raising a brother like this was a waste; Zhi Min was much better—she knew how to care for people.

“Let me introduce you.” Although reluctant, since she still planned to get something out of this, Lin Yinglu straightened up and led Lin Shouxia to stand properly before the girl. “This is my brother, a complete fool. He just got back from abroad recently and is one of those pretend singers.”

“Lin Yinglu, please mind your family ties…” Lin Shouxia sighed helplessly. This woman’s teasing would never end. Once he officially debuted, wouldn’t she just create a black fan group for him and post all his embarrassing childhood stories?

“Did I say anything wrong?” Lin Yinglu was defiant. Honestly, even if it was teasing…

“We’re siblings…”

“I know that!”

“If you’re calling me dumb, aren’t you insulting yourself too?”

…

Lin Yinglu fell silent. She hadn’t thought about that perspective before she spoke, but she didn’t regret it—at worst, it was a fair trade.

Zhi Min smiled, watching the siblings’ usual bickering and occasionally shook her head as if saying there was no helping these two.

“Hello, I’m Lin Shouxia.” The man shook off Lin Yinglu’s grip and extended a hand of friendship to the girl before him.

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“Hello, I’m Liu Zhi Min.” The girl also reached out, and they shared a brief but friendly handshake.

After a quick introduction, the three began their evening activities planned by Liu Zhi Min. Girls generally liked shopping, and although Lin Shouxia had been busy all day and had just said goodbye to Lee Do Hyun, he felt it would be rude to refuse them outright.

They only stopped when the woman known among fans as “Han River Sister-in-Law” grew tired, finally settling on a picnic blanket by the riverbank to rest.

Naturally, Lin Shouxia became the one tasked with buying milk ice cream from the store.

“Your brother doesn’t seem as bad as you described.” Liu Zhi Min bit her hair tie and tied up her long hair again. She looked towards the figure trying to squeeze through the crowded street, seeing a man completely different from Lin Yinglu’s description.

Moreover… this was the same man who had sung at the restaurant not long ago, and Liu Zhi Min’s first impression of him was quite good.

“That’s because you don’t know him well enough. That cold, aloof male idol image? At home, he’s nothing but a troublemaker.”

“People tend to avoid revealing their true selves publicly to protect themselves. That’s not really a flaw, is it?”

In this, Liu Zhi Min had some authority. Her own sister bullied her daily at home, accusing her of laziness and the like, showing none of the grace she displayed as an entertainer.

“So you’re siding with him now?”

Lin Yinglu was displeased to hear this. She didn’t know why, but her best friend seemed to have taken Lin Shouxia’s side from the moment they met.

Now she wasn’t even hiding it—she had started lecturing her!

“When will you give me some attention? Your fans call me ‘Han River Sister-in-Law,’ yet I haven’t enjoyed any sister-in-law privileges!”

“I’m just straightforward,” the girl tapped her friend’s shoulder. Who would be jealous of their own brother?

“But can your brother actually sing?” After some thought, Liu Zhi Min decided to ask directly to settle her doubts.

“He studied vocal music abroad, mainly pop. Just signed with Loen a few days ago and debuted as a singer.”

Mentioning the contract made Lin Yinglu start talking nonstop. She was actually quite happy for her brother; after all, it was the job and life he dreamed of. She was proud too—Loen was the agency of IU, after all.

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But as soon as she started, she began sharing insider gossip about the contract.

“Let me tell you…”

“What are you saying? Gossiping behind my back again?” The man appeared cautiously with three boxes of ice cream by the river.

After handing out the ice cream, he plopped down at one corner of the picnic blanket, turning his back to the two girls whispering nearby, leisurely gazing at the river.

Hmm?

Liu Zhi Min had expected the sibling war to reignite, but the moment Lin Shouxia arrived, she was already prepared to mediate.

Instead, he silently watched the river view, leaving her feeling somewhat deceived and frustrated.

“Isn’t he going to retort?” Liu Zhi Min asked, biting her spoon as she stared at the seemingly lonely figure.

“He can’t,” Lin Yinglu shook her head twice. She understood her brother’s mind, which explained her indignant attitude while gossiping.

Though he got into the company on his own merits, Loen staged a signing spectacle to boost his popularity. Indeed, he had some attention now.

But unfortunately, his popularity came tagged with IU’s name.

No singer wanted to live in someone else’s shadow. He wanted to forge his own path, not be labeled as ‘XXX’s junior brother’ right from the start.

As night deepened, silver moonlight spilled over the river like silk falling into water. The trees along the road gently swayed in the breeze, whispering softly.

Liu Zhi Min deeply empathized with the pain of such labels.

She had endured online bullying before her debut.

She long understood her mistakes—it was the hardest time in her life. Tagged as a villainess before even debuting, it took her a whole year to shed that shadow.

Lin Shouxia’s days were surely better than hers once were.

But the label would cling to him much longer than it did to her.

Living in the shadows was never easy…