"Can't you just lie down in bed and rest?" Xu Zhiqiang sat in the driver's seat with a cold face. He peered through the rearview mirror at An Ruifeng's expression in the backseat with piercing eyes. When Xu Zhiqiang noticed Ruifeng's lack of reply, he slammed the steering wheel fiercely. The car horn blared a violent screech in response to his punches, as though venting on his behalf.
The noise jolted An Ruifeng awake. He drowsily opened his eyes and looked at Xu Zhiqiang, leaning back and said dazedly: "I'm not feeling well. Don't be so noisy." He leaned his head against the car window and closed his eyes. His legs were close together, and his left hand was holding his right hand, which was resting on his knee. His right arm's shirt sleeve was rolled up to the elbow, and the arm was wrapped in bandages.
The anesthetic had worn off, and the wound was as painful as being poked with needles. It was really tough to endure due to the low fever resulting from the injury.
The doctor advised him to rest for a few days and stay in the hospital for at least one night for observation, but he escaped under the guise that the shooting could not be halted. If Xu Zhiqiang hadn't arrived in the nick of time to deliver his food and block him, it was obvious that he would have snuck away from the studio to S city without alerting anyone.
Xu Zhiqiang had a severe mouth when it came to An Ruifeng, yet he cherished him in his heart. When he saw An Ruifeng's pale expression, he took a bottle of water and antipyretics from the bag on the passenger seat and passed it behind him, saying, "Medicine."
An Ruifeng took it honestly. After ingesting the medicine, he curled up again. "Thank you Xu-ge."
"Why do you insist on going when you’re so ill... " Xu Zhiqiang reproached him angrily. "What is wrong with Wang Lili? Why didn’t he restrain himself when filming the action scene? How did you get injured?"
"Don't blame Li-ge. You were not on the scene at the time. I was too anxious when dangling from the wire. I didn't grasp the direction well and accidentally cut myself with Li-ge's knife." An Ruifeng laughed at himself after explaining, "Fortunately, Li-ge wasn’t holding a musket in this scene, otherwise my arm would probably explode."
Xu Zhiqiang scowled at him again: "What's the difference? Your arm was on the verge of being chopped into salmon slices. On the drive to the hospital, you were drenched in cold sweat. I noticed those little nurses feeling distressed to death."
An Ruifeng remained silent. Perhaps he was too tired to respond, or maybe he didn't want to continue the topic. Xu Zhiqiang drove calmly for a while, but after only three minutes of silence, he started nagging again.
— "Take a look at yourself. You've been waking up laughing from your sleep since half a month ago, when you heard Ling Xi was coming to S City for a concert."
— "Previously when the director stated, 'Let's take two more shots', you turned around and told me that he was being too harsh. And what about now? The last few days, you took the initiative to go to the director and ask if you could shoot one extra scene every day only to free up this afternoon!"
— "You were up before the roosters this morning. I was dumbfounded when I entered the dressing room. I noticed even the cleaning lady hadn’t arrived!"
— "You hurt your hand and ran out without getting any anesthesia. What if the wound reopens? How can you be so careless? Have you forgotten that you’re a celebrity and cannot have a scar on your body?"
— "I really want to ask you. What on earth are you planning?"
The first few inquiries were simply ignored by An Ruifeng. He was aware that Xu Zhiqiang had a tough exterior but a kind heart. When upset, he nagged incessantly like Tang Seng. It was just the last question that An Ruifeng couldn't ignore. He sat up straight, his voice low but tone firm and relentless: "Pursuing my love."
Xu Zhiqiang's mouth was sealed by these three magnanimous and forceful words.
{t/n: Tang Seng is the monk in Journey to the West. He always nagged enlightened his disciples throughout the journey to India.}
This was not the first time Xu Zhiqiang had heard this sentence from An Ruifeng, but each time he heard it, he felt the sorrow of "my family's nice cabbage was dug up by the pig" from the depths of his heart. Regardless of how much Xu Zhiqiang cared about An Ruifeng, he was not his mother. Furthermore, when Ruifeng's brother referred him to Upstart Media, the contract was excessively lenient. Xu Zhiqiang was unable to use his agent status to request that An Ruifeng cut off his thoughts. Xu Zhiqiang's only option was to vent his rage on the steering wheel.
He determined that after delivering An Ruifeng to his destination, he would go to the amusement park for two hours to play bumper cars.
He wanted to seize and hit someone.
An Ruifeng dozed off in the car for a while. It was late evening when he awoke. He checked the time and saw that it was less than an hour till the concert began. The Singer Club in S City was not a bar like the previous concerts. The venue was a basketball court in a certain college. According to hearsay, an unknown local tyrant purchased 100 tickets in one go, leaving a message stating that they liked Ling Xi and wished to donate the tickets to other fans. After some deliberation, Ling Xi's agency moved the site from the originally planned 300-person capacity bar to a 500-person basketball court. It was just that the university sat on the outskirts of the business district. To get there, one had to go virtually the full length of S city.
"How far is it?" An Ruifeng asked nervously.
The hardworking driver Xu glanced at the navigation system: "Five or six kilometers. We’ll be there shortly. However, the premise is that there is no traffic jam."
What a shame that driver Xu had a crow's mouth. They didn't even make it into the commercial section before getting stuck on the overpass.
It turned out that a water line had burst somewhere ahead. The entire block was roped off, forcing all vehicles to take a detour. It was rush hour on the weekend, and many people wanted to get into the business sector. Everyone on the road was trapped because the exit to the commercial sector was 1.5 kilometers away. In the blink of an eye, the traffic bottleneck transformed the wide four-lane road into a big parking lot.
It was the first time An Ruifeng had become so agitated.
He leaned forward and asked Xu Zhiqiang, "Can you think of a way?"
Xu Zhiqiang handed him his phone: "The lock screen password is 1234."
An Ruifeng unlocked the phone.
Xu Zhiqiang: "Flip two pages. There is a folder called ‘Common Software’."
An Ruifeng: "I found it."
"Tap on it."
"Done."
"It has a 'DiDi hits the plane[1]' app..."
An Ruifeng was perplexed: "Is there such software?"
"Oh! As it turns out, you’re aware!!" Xu Zhiqiang glared at him through the rearview mirror: "Brother, open your eyes and look around. We’re on the overpass and we’re blocked in both directions. I can't drive out even if I wanted to. Call a helicopter if you can. If not, we’ll just have to wait here!"
He was ready to continue complaining about An Ruifeng's whimsy when the automobile in front of him finally moved forward five meters. Xu Zhiqiang's eyes shone brightly. He changed gears and was about to accelerate when the automobile on the right abruptly altered direction, attempting to squeeze into the free space in front of him!! Xu Zhiqiang slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. Because of the cut-off, their automobiles collided, and the worst part was that the car behind them didn't stop, smashing into them with a “duang[2]”....
Three cars crashed in a row in this manner. Xu Zhiqiang, who was trapped in the midst, was adamant about not leaving.
The three car owners exited the vehicle to argue, with Xu Zhiqiang taking the initiative to call the police. He was relieved that the car he was driving today had dark film covered windows that prevented others from looking inside. Otherwise, An Ruifeng would very certainly be mobbed by people.
An Ruifeng grimaced more and more as time passed, his expression becoming uglier. He couldn't bear it any longer and yanked open the back door handle. The door had opened just a fraction but Xu Zhiqiang noticed it. He immediately slammed the door shut and even pressed his legs tightly against the car door, blocking An Ruifeng from exiting.
"Xu-ge!" An Ruifeng lowered the car window, but as soon as it lowered a slit, revealing only his eyes, the car window was locked.
Xu Zhiqiang had a grim expression on his face as he admonished in quiet tones: "An Ruifeng, I advise you not to go crazy." He gestured to the stationary traffic behind him, saying coldly: "Do you want to go over on foot as in a TV show? It’s six kilometers away from here! You’re still running a fever. What if you pass out on the road?"
"..." An Ruifeng was silent.
"An Ruifeng, look where we are! You’re a star! This overpass is congested with thousands of vehicles. Believe it or not, if you get off now, within three minutes, your videos will go viral on Weibo!"
Xu Zhiqiang took a deep breath: "I helped you in sneaking out without telling the agency and the director because we are friends. Please don't force me to treat you as a coworker. If you insist on getting off today, we can only do business in the future."
Ruifeng clenched his teeth. He wanted to be willful, but he understood that doing so would just cause endless problems for his agent and his company. Rationally, he understood which option was correct, but his heart felt compelled to live up to Ling Xi's ardent expectations. On the one hand, there was Xu-ge, who was kind to him, and on the other, there was the sweetheart he was pursuing. For a while, An Ruifeng was caught in a dilemma.
Xu Zhiqiang guessed his inner conflict by the struggle in his eyes. He sighed silently and shook his head: "If you really can't make a choice... then let me be the bad guy."
Xu Zhiqiang hit the lock button on the remote control key, locking all four doors simultaneously. The glass raised, hiding the deep dark gray eyes behind the window.
A few seconds later, a curse rang out from within the car, followed by An Ruifeng's fist slamming against the car window.
※※※
"It’s beyond my control." Ling Xi received an apology call from An Ruifeng twenty minutes before the event began. On the phone, An Ruifeng informed him that the filming had ended a bit late and because of the traffic delay during evening rush hour, he would not be able to attend Ling Xi's show.
An Ruifeng's voice sounded muffled and slightly raspy, as if he was in a terrible mood.
"How come you sound so strange?" Ling Xi was perceptive: "Are you ill?"
"No. It’s just that I haven't seen you in a long time. I can't listen to you sing even when you’re in S city. I’m extremely sorry about that." An Ruifeng tried to be cheerful: "Do you recall how I interrupted your "zero" while the show was being recorded? I’ve always wanted to hear you sing it again."
"Yes, I know." Ling Xi was also filled with regret. "Zero" was the main track from his most recent album. He took the accompaniment team to rehearse and rehearse for today's show, hoping to sing the song perfectly for An Ruifeng.
After missing this opportunity, it was difficult to predict when An Ruifeng would be fortunate enough to hear it.
The two chatted for a few more minutes but the mood was not lively. It was not only An Ruifeng who was looking forward to this meeting. Ling Xi had been counting the days with his fingers as well. However, their plans were thwarted owing to unforeseen events.
"I have to leave. Wu-ge is urging me to hang up." Ling Xi stated reluctantly. He wished An Ruifeng was playing a joke on him. He hoped that when he went on stage, An Ruifeng would already be seated in the VIP seat reserved for him. He knew, however, that An Ruifeng would never make light of a missed appointment.
"OK. Go for it![3]."
"I will."
Both of them stopped talking, but neither of them wanted to hang up first.
An Ruifeng took the initiative after a few moments to urge him: "Go ahead. I can hear Wu-ge’s roar through the phone."
Ling Xi stopped dilly dallying and hung up the phone.
Wu Youpeng's face was virtually frozen with impatience when he emerged from the bathroom. "Look at the time! Why are you still whispering[4]?"
Ling Xi averted his gaze like a teen caught red-handed by his mother.
"What did he say?" Wu Youpeng didn’t have to guess who Ling Xi was calling.
Ling Xi played with the strings(of a stringed instrument) in his hand and grumbled, "He said he won’t be able to attend."
"I knew it! Not a single word uttered by a man is truthful."
"..." Ling Xi could scarcely contain his desire to mock. Wu Youpeng was chiding while holding a plate of colorful little square cakes. Ling Xi was dying of curiosity: "Wu-ge, where did you get the cakes?" He reached out to snag a piece, but Wu Youpeng smacked him away.
"You're going to be on stage! You can't eat sweets!" Wu Youpeng gobbled up another piece: "A dozen people just delivered tea time snacks backstage. I looked at the uniform. The embroidered name was from a five-star hotel—don't look at me like that. I don't have the money to buy tea time snacks for you—the sender is believed to be a fan of yours. She[5] didn’t even show her face. Just left a name."
"What is their name?"
"FengLin Whisperer. It’s also the name of the local tyrant who purchased 100 tickets to your show in one go. She must be acting on her own."
Ling Xi's eyes lit up: "Which feng?"
Wu Youpeng’s face darkened to the max as he recalled it: "The feng in feng ye[6]." He suddenly felt he couldn’t swallow the cake and was going to choke on it…
If a fan used this word, it was quite likely that the person was also a fan of An Ruifeng. Wu Youpeng almost set off fireworks in celebration when he learned that An Ruifeng would not be attending the Singer Club. The end result? He went in circles but couldn’t seem to get away from him...
Wu Youpeng had no idea that FengLin Whisperer was not only An Ruifeng’s die-hard fan, but also the deputy head of Maple Leaf Fan Club in S city.
Ten minutes later, with the host's introduction and the audience's applause, Ling Xi once again stepped onto the stage holding his guitar. The locale this time was a college basketball hall. The arena was spacious with an oval inner court. The stage was built on one side of the oval, taking roughly one-third of the space. The stands opposite the stage were already packed with fans, who were arranged in a fan-like formation around Ling Xi.
The Singer Club was small in scale. There were no seat numbers and no apparent separation of seats depending on ticket pricing. Everything hinged on the self-consciousness of the fans, and those who arrived first could naturally sit in the front rows and grab a good spot. Fortunately, Ling Xi's fans were well-behaved, and no conflicts broke out in the venue. This time, attendance was really high. After everyone had taken a seat, they noticed a solitary unoccupied sofa in the open space directly opposite the stage.
It was the only infield seat available, yet it was empty.
After singing five or six songs, it was time for the casual questioning session. Ling Xi sat on the tall wooden chair with his guitar in his arms and feet swaying.
A fan inquired about the vacant sofa.
Ling Xi pouted and raised the microphone: "I have a close friend. Despite the fact that we haven’t known each other for a long time, we have a pretty good relationship. He takes excellent care of me. I am very grateful to him for this. He has been filming in S city recently and it is an exhausting job. So I invited him to come and watch my performance. I promised him a VIP seat because he is a very close buddy of mine. As you can see, this place is enormous, and he is a well-known celebrity. I was concerned that if I let him sit among you, you'd ignore me and just gaze at him. After deliberating for a long time, I decided to place him opposite me."
He pointed to the empty seat. Everyone's attention was drawn to the comfy and beautiful sofa, and they began to wonder what type of person could become Ling Xi's friend, and what kind of friend was worthy of Ling Xi preparing a special sofa for him.
"It's really unfortunate he won't be able to attend tonight due to the traffic." Ling Xi bowed his head when he stated this. His voice was hoarse as if he was nursing some ineffable grievances. "In this circle, it is truly difficult to find someone who treats people with sincerity. I consider myself really fortunate to have met him. We have quarreled, but we have never had a true fight. He is a famous star, but he doesn't put on any airs. He is quite gentle and forgiving. I'm aware that many fans refer to me as "the small sun bursting with positive energy" on the Internet. If I am your little sun, he is my universe."
The open questioning session came to an end. Ling Xi had gotten enough rest, so he played the guitar once more and slipped out the prelude to another song.
Wu Youpeng's legs were limp after hearing Ling Xi's response to the audience, and he barely stood strong, leaning against the wall for support.
One is most familiar with their own child. Wu Youpeng swore that based on their recent contact, Ling Xi maybe... possibly… might not be completely straight. He might, just might, have a favorable opinion of An Ruifeng. With Ling Xi's IQ - that was just able to walk upright - he would undoubtedly misinterpret this fuzzy sentiment for friendship (he wouldn't be astonished if Ling Xi sang "Friendship is Forever[7]" on the spot).
However! Ling Xi had not yet attained enlightenment and could still host a casual question and answer session, akin to a coming out of the closet meeting. Damn! If Ling Xi was enlightened, wouldn't the free talk directly turn into a wedding party...
I’m still young! It’s far too soon for me to begin writing wedding speeches… QAQ
Wu Youpeng was worried sick about himself backstage. In his frustration, he was going to pull out his hair when Ling Xi abruptly lost his voice on stage. The tune he was singing came to an abrupt halt. He didn't say anything, and the guitar was silent as well.
Everyone stared at him, puzzled as to what medicine he was selling in the gourd.
Ling Xi tapped the microphone and blinked: "I'm sorry for the pause. I suddenly realized that even though he couldn't come to my show, I can still sing to him."
Fans inquired how.
Ling Xi answered them with actions.
— In full view of the audience, he took out his phone and dialed An Ruifeng’s number from the stage that was solely his.
Ling Xi did not use the hands-free feature, but the mobile phone he was holding to his ear was quite close to the microphone, because of which everyone could vaguely hear the "zero" ringtone. The fans watched with bated breath, not daring to make a sound. The arena was deafeningly quiet.
The call connected. Ling Xi spoke first before An Ruifeng could utter a sound.
"It's me. I know what you’re going to ask. My show isn’t over yet, and it's not an intermission. I just realized that even if you couldn’t be here, I could still let you hear my singing." Ling Xi didn't care that there were 500 people watching him: "Do you want to hear me sing "zero" for you?"
Wu Youpeng's blood pressure skyrocketed. He decided it was past time for him to find a tiny, dark room in which to prepare his wedding speech.
Footnotes:
[1] DiDi is a Chinese vehicle for hire company. Xu Zhiqiang says "di di da fei ji". di means a drop/to drip. and da fei ji is slang for m**t**bat**n. Got the joke? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[2] It should be “crash/thud”. I was under the impression that “duang” was a “sound” in Mandarin. It turned out to be a meme. Read about on wikipedia. I’ll substitute the appropriate onomatopoeia from now on.
[3] Jiayou. It's an expression of encouragement and support; to cheer on. English equivalents are "Good Luck!", "Go for it!", "You can do it!", "Don't give up!". It can be used as a rallying cry with the meaning "Go team go!" or "Let's go!". It is also used to show solidarity. Kinda like saying “I’m rooting for you.” I will use the best fit in succeeding chapters.
[4] Wu-ge uses “qiao qiao hua” which also means “sweet nothings”.
[5] Raws say “that person” which sounds awkward. Since we know it’s a girl, I simply used the feminine pronoun.
[6] A lot of words are pronounced “feng”. The “feng” or “Maple” in An Ruifeng’s name is 枫 same as in 枫叶(feng ye) which means “Maple Leaf”.
[7] This is the Chinese name. It’s actually “Auld Lang Syne”, a Scottish song with lyrics by Robert Burns. You can read the Chinese version on Baidu.
"Can't you just lie down in bed and rest?" Xu Zhiqiang sat in the driver's seat with a cold face. He peered through the rearview mirror at An Ruifeng's expression in the backseat with piercing eyes. When Xu Zhiqiang noticed Ruifeng's lack of reply, he slammed the steering wheel fiercely. The car horn blared a violent screech in response to his punches, as though venting on his behalf.
The noise jolted An Ruifeng awake. He drowsily opened his eyes and looked at Xu Zhiqiang, leaning back and said dazedly: "I'm not feeling well. Don't be so noisy." He leaned his head against the car window and closed his eyes. His legs were close together, and his left hand was holding his right hand, which was resting on his knee. His right arm's shirt sleeve was rolled up to the elbow, and the arm was wrapped in bandages.
The anesthetic had worn off, and the wound was as painful as being poked with needles. It was really tough to endure due to the low fever resulting from the injury.
The doctor advised him to rest for a few days and stay in the hospital for at least one night for observation, but he escaped under the guise that the shooting could not be halted. If Xu Zhiqiang hadn't arrived in the nick of time to deliver his food and block him, it was obvious that he would have snuck away from the studio to S city without alerting anyone.
Xu Zhiqiang had a severe mouth when it came to An Ruifeng, yet he cherished him in his heart. When he saw An Ruifeng's pale expression, he took a bottle of water and antipyretics from the bag on the passenger seat and passed it behind him, saying, "Medicine."
An Ruifeng took it honestly. After ingesting the medicine, he curled up again. "Thank you Xu-ge."
"Why do you insist on going when you’re so ill... " Xu Zhiqiang reproached him angrily. "What is wrong with Wang Lili? Why didn’t he restrain himself when filming the action scene? How did you get injured?"
"Don't blame Li-ge. You were not on the scene at the time. I was too anxious when dangling from the wire. I didn't grasp the direction well and accidentally cut myself with Li-ge's knife." An Ruifeng laughed at himself after explaining, "Fortunately, Li-ge wasn’t holding a musket in this scene, otherwise my arm would probably explode."
Xu Zhiqiang scowled at him again: "What's the difference? Your arm was on the verge of being chopped into salmon slices. On the drive to the hospital, you were drenched in cold sweat. I noticed those little nurses feeling distressed to death."
An Ruifeng remained silent. Perhaps he was too tired to respond, or maybe he didn't want to continue the topic. Xu Zhiqiang drove calmly for a while, but after only three minutes of silence, he started nagging again.
— "Take a look at yourself. You've been waking up laughing from your sleep since half a month ago, when you heard Ling Xi was coming to S City for a concert."
— "Previously when the director stated, 'Let's take two more shots', you turned around and told me that he was being too harsh. And what about now? The last few days, you took the initiative to go to the director and ask if you could shoot one extra scene every day only to free up this afternoon!"
— "You were up before the roosters this morning. I was dumbfounded when I entered the dressing room. I noticed even the cleaning lady hadn’t arrived!"
— "You hurt your hand and ran out without getting any anesthesia. What if the wound reopens? How can you be so careless? Have you forgotten that you’re a celebrity and cannot have a scar on your body?"
— "I really want to ask you. What on earth are you planning?"
The first few inquiries were simply ignored by An Ruifeng. He was aware that Xu Zhiqiang had a tough exterior but a kind heart. When upset, he nagged incessantly like Tang Seng. It was just the last question that An Ruifeng couldn't ignore. He sat up straight, his voice low but tone firm and relentless: "Pursuing my love."
Xu Zhiqiang's mouth was sealed by these three magnanimous and forceful words.
{t/n: Tang Seng is the monk in Journey to the West. He always nagged enlightened his disciples throughout the journey to India.}
This was not the first time Xu Zhiqiang had heard this sentence from An Ruifeng, but each time he heard it, he felt the sorrow of "my family's nice cabbage was dug up by the pig" from the depths of his heart. Regardless of how much Xu Zhiqiang cared about An Ruifeng, he was not his mother. Furthermore, when Ruifeng's brother referred him to Upstart Media, the contract was excessively lenient. Xu Zhiqiang was unable to use his agent status to request that An Ruifeng cut off his thoughts. Xu Zhiqiang's only option was to vent his rage on the steering wheel.
He determined that after delivering An Ruifeng to his destination, he would go to the amusement park for two hours to play bumper cars.
He wanted to seize and hit someone.
An Ruifeng dozed off in the car for a while. It was late evening when he awoke. He checked the time and saw that it was less than an hour till the concert began. The Singer Club in S City was not a bar like the previous concerts. The venue was a basketball court in a certain college. According to hearsay, an unknown local tyrant purchased 100 tickets in one go, leaving a message stating that they liked Ling Xi and wished to donate the tickets to other fans. After some deliberation, Ling Xi's agency moved the site from the originally planned 300-person capacity bar to a 500-person basketball court. It was just that the university sat on the outskirts of the business district. To get there, one had to go virtually the full length of S city.
"How far is it?" An Ruifeng asked nervously.
The hardworking driver Xu glanced at the navigation system: "Five or six kilometers. We’ll be there shortly. However, the premise is that there is no traffic jam."
What a shame that driver Xu had a crow's mouth. They didn't even make it into the commercial section before getting stuck on the overpass.
It turned out that a water line had burst somewhere ahead. The entire block was roped off, forcing all vehicles to take a detour. It was rush hour on the weekend, and many people wanted to get into the business sector. Everyone on the road was trapped because the exit to the commercial sector was 1.5 kilometers away. In the blink of an eye, the traffic bottleneck transformed the wide four-lane road into a big parking lot.
It was the first time An Ruifeng had become so agitated.
He leaned forward and asked Xu Zhiqiang, "Can you think of a way?"
Xu Zhiqiang handed him his phone: "The lock screen password is 1234."
An Ruifeng unlocked the phone.
Xu Zhiqiang: "Flip two pages. There is a folder called ‘Common Software’."
An Ruifeng: "I found it."
"Tap on it."
"Done."
"It has a 'DiDi hits the plane[1]' app..."
An Ruifeng was perplexed: "Is there such software?"
"Oh! As it turns out, you’re aware!!" Xu Zhiqiang glared at him through the rearview mirror: "Brother, open your eyes and look around. We’re on the overpass and we’re blocked in both directions. I can't drive out even if I wanted to. Call a helicopter if you can. If not, we’ll just have to wait here!"
He was ready to continue complaining about An Ruifeng's whimsy when the automobile in front of him finally moved forward five meters. Xu Zhiqiang's eyes shone brightly. He changed gears and was about to accelerate when the automobile on the right abruptly altered direction, attempting to squeeze into the free space in front of him!! Xu Zhiqiang slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. Because of the cut-off, their automobiles collided, and the worst part was that the car behind them didn't stop, smashing into them with a “duang[2]”....
Three cars crashed in a row in this manner. Xu Zhiqiang, who was trapped in the midst, was adamant about not leaving.
The three car owners exited the vehicle to argue, with Xu Zhiqiang taking the initiative to call the police. He was relieved that the car he was driving today had dark film covered windows that prevented others from looking inside. Otherwise, An Ruifeng would very certainly be mobbed by people.
An Ruifeng grimaced more and more as time passed, his expression becoming uglier. He couldn't bear it any longer and yanked open the back door handle. The door had opened just a fraction but Xu Zhiqiang noticed it. He immediately slammed the door shut and even pressed his legs tightly against the car door, blocking An Ruifeng from exiting.
"Xu-ge!" An Ruifeng lowered the car window, but as soon as it lowered a slit, revealing only his eyes, the car window was locked.
Xu Zhiqiang had a grim expression on his face as he admonished in quiet tones: "An Ruifeng, I advise you not to go crazy." He gestured to the stationary traffic behind him, saying coldly: "Do you want to go over on foot as in a TV show? It’s six kilometers away from here! You’re still running a fever. What if you pass out on the road?"
"..." An Ruifeng was silent.
"An Ruifeng, look where we are! You’re a star! This overpass is congested with thousands of vehicles. Believe it or not, if you get off now, within three minutes, your videos will go viral on Weibo!"
Xu Zhiqiang took a deep breath: "I helped you in sneaking out without telling the agency and the director because we are friends. Please don't force me to treat you as a coworker. If you insist on getting off today, we can only do business in the future."
Ruifeng clenched his teeth. He wanted to be willful, but he understood that doing so would just cause endless problems for his agent and his company. Rationally, he understood which option was correct, but his heart felt compelled to live up to Ling Xi's ardent expectations. On the one hand, there was Xu-ge, who was kind to him, and on the other, there was the sweetheart he was pursuing. For a while, An Ruifeng was caught in a dilemma.
Xu Zhiqiang guessed his inner conflict by the struggle in his eyes. He sighed silently and shook his head: "If you really can't make a choice... then let me be the bad guy."
Xu Zhiqiang hit the lock button on the remote control key, locking all four doors simultaneously. The glass raised, hiding the deep dark gray eyes behind the window.
A few seconds later, a curse rang out from within the car, followed by An Ruifeng's fist slamming against the car window.
※※※
"It’s beyond my control." Ling Xi received an apology call from An Ruifeng twenty minutes before the event began. On the phone, An Ruifeng informed him that the filming had ended a bit late and because of the traffic delay during evening rush hour, he would not be able to attend Ling Xi's show.
An Ruifeng's voice sounded muffled and slightly raspy, as if he was in a terrible mood.
"How come you sound so strange?" Ling Xi was perceptive: "Are you ill?"
"No. It’s just that I haven't seen you in a long time. I can't listen to you sing even when you’re in S city. I’m extremely sorry about that." An Ruifeng tried to be cheerful: "Do you recall how I interrupted your "zero" while the show was being recorded? I’ve always wanted to hear you sing it again."
"Yes, I know." Ling Xi was also filled with regret. "Zero" was the main track from his most recent album. He took the accompaniment team to rehearse and rehearse for today's show, hoping to sing the song perfectly for An Ruifeng.
After missing this opportunity, it was difficult to predict when An Ruifeng would be fortunate enough to hear it.
The two chatted for a few more minutes but the mood was not lively. It was not only An Ruifeng who was looking forward to this meeting. Ling Xi had been counting the days with his fingers as well. However, their plans were thwarted owing to unforeseen events.
"I have to leave. Wu-ge is urging me to hang up." Ling Xi stated reluctantly. He wished An Ruifeng was playing a joke on him. He hoped that when he went on stage, An Ruifeng would already be seated in the VIP seat reserved for him. He knew, however, that An Ruifeng would never make light of a missed appointment.
"OK. Go for it![3]."
"I will."
Both of them stopped talking, but neither of them wanted to hang up first.
An Ruifeng took the initiative after a few moments to urge him: "Go ahead. I can hear Wu-ge’s roar through the phone."
Ling Xi stopped dilly dallying and hung up the phone.
Wu Youpeng's face was virtually frozen with impatience when he emerged from the bathroom. "Look at the time! Why are you still whispering[4]?"
Ling Xi averted his gaze like a teen caught red-handed by his mother.
"What did he say?" Wu Youpeng didn’t have to guess who Ling Xi was calling.
Ling Xi played with the strings(of a stringed instrument) in his hand and grumbled, "He said he won’t be able to attend."
"I knew it! Not a single word uttered by a man is truthful."
"..." Ling Xi could scarcely contain his desire to mock. Wu Youpeng was chiding while holding a plate of colorful little square cakes. Ling Xi was dying of curiosity: "Wu-ge, where did you get the cakes?" He reached out to snag a piece, but Wu Youpeng smacked him away.
"You're going to be on stage! You can't eat sweets!" Wu Youpeng gobbled up another piece: "A dozen people just delivered tea time snacks backstage. I looked at the uniform. The embroidered name was from a five-star hotel—don't look at me like that. I don't have the money to buy tea time snacks for you—the sender is believed to be a fan of yours. She[5] didn’t even show her face. Just left a name."
"What is their name?"
"FengLin Whisperer. It’s also the name of the local tyrant who purchased 100 tickets to your show in one go. She must be acting on her own."
Ling Xi's eyes lit up: "Which feng?"
Wu Youpeng’s face darkened to the max as he recalled it: "The feng in feng ye[6]." He suddenly felt he couldn’t swallow the cake and was going to choke on it…
If a fan used this word, it was quite likely that the person was also a fan of An Ruifeng. Wu Youpeng almost set off fireworks in celebration when he learned that An Ruifeng would not be attending the Singer Club. The end result? He went in circles but couldn’t seem to get away from him...
Wu Youpeng had no idea that FengLin Whisperer was not only An Ruifeng’s die-hard fan, but also the deputy head of Maple Leaf Fan Club in S city.
Ten minutes later, with the host's introduction and the audience's applause, Ling Xi once again stepped onto the stage holding his guitar. The locale this time was a college basketball hall. The arena was spacious with an oval inner court. The stage was built on one side of the oval, taking roughly one-third of the space. The stands opposite the stage were already packed with fans, who were arranged in a fan-like formation around Ling Xi.
The Singer Club was small in scale. There were no seat numbers and no apparent separation of seats depending on ticket pricing. Everything hinged on the self-consciousness of the fans, and those who arrived first could naturally sit in the front rows and grab a good spot. Fortunately, Ling Xi's fans were well-behaved, and no conflicts broke out in the venue. This time, attendance was really high. After everyone had taken a seat, they noticed a solitary unoccupied sofa in the open space directly opposite the stage.
It was the only infield seat available, yet it was empty.
After singing five or six songs, it was time for the casual questioning session. Ling Xi sat on the tall wooden chair with his guitar in his arms and feet swaying.
A fan inquired about the vacant sofa.
Ling Xi pouted and raised the microphone: "I have a close friend. Despite the fact that we haven’t known each other for a long time, we have a pretty good relationship. He takes excellent care of me. I am very grateful to him for this. He has been filming in S city recently and it is an exhausting job. So I invited him to come and watch my performance. I promised him a VIP seat because he is a very close buddy of mine. As you can see, this place is enormous, and he is a well-known celebrity. I was concerned that if I let him sit among you, you'd ignore me and just gaze at him. After deliberating for a long time, I decided to place him opposite me."
He pointed to the empty seat. Everyone's attention was drawn to the comfy and beautiful sofa, and they began to wonder what type of person could become Ling Xi's friend, and what kind of friend was worthy of Ling Xi preparing a special sofa for him.
"It's really unfortunate he won't be able to attend tonight due to the traffic." Ling Xi bowed his head when he stated this. His voice was hoarse as if he was nursing some ineffable grievances. "In this circle, it is truly difficult to find someone who treats people with sincerity. I consider myself really fortunate to have met him. We have quarreled, but we have never had a true fight. He is a famous star, but he doesn't put on any airs. He is quite gentle and forgiving. I'm aware that many fans refer to me as "the small sun bursting with positive energy" on the Internet. If I am your little sun, he is my universe."
The open questioning session came to an end. Ling Xi had gotten enough rest, so he played the guitar once more and slipped out the prelude to another song.
Wu Youpeng's legs were limp after hearing Ling Xi's response to the audience, and he barely stood strong, leaning against the wall for support.
One is most familiar with their own child. Wu Youpeng swore that based on their recent contact, Ling Xi maybe... possibly… might not be completely straight. He might, just might, have a favorable opinion of An Ruifeng. With Ling Xi's IQ - that was just able to walk upright - he would undoubtedly misinterpret this fuzzy sentiment for friendship (he wouldn't be astonished if Ling Xi sang "Friendship is Forever[7]" on the spot).
However! Ling Xi had not yet attained enlightenment and could still host a casual question and answer session, akin to a coming out of the closet meeting. Damn! If Ling Xi was enlightened, wouldn't the free talk directly turn into a wedding party...
I’m still young! It’s far too soon for me to begin writing wedding speeches… QAQ
Wu Youpeng was worried sick about himself backstage. In his frustration, he was going to pull out his hair when Ling Xi abruptly lost his voice on stage. The tune he was singing came to an abrupt halt. He didn't say anything, and the guitar was silent as well.
Everyone stared at him, puzzled as to what medicine he was selling in the gourd.
Ling Xi tapped the microphone and blinked: "I'm sorry for the pause. I suddenly realized that even though he couldn't come to my show, I can still sing to him."
Fans inquired how.
Ling Xi answered them with actions.
— In full view of the audience, he took out his phone and dialed An Ruifeng’s number from the stage that was solely his.
Ling Xi did not use the hands-free feature, but the mobile phone he was holding to his ear was quite close to the microphone, because of which everyone could vaguely hear the "zero" ringtone. The fans watched with bated breath, not daring to make a sound. The arena was deafeningly quiet.
The call connected. Ling Xi spoke first before An Ruifeng could utter a sound.
"It's me. I know what you’re going to ask. My show isn’t over yet, and it's not an intermission. I just realized that even if you couldn’t be here, I could still let you hear my singing." Ling Xi didn't care that there were 500 people watching him: "Do you want to hear me sing "zero" for you?"
Wu Youpeng's blood pressure skyrocketed. He decided it was past time for him to find a tiny, dark room in which to prepare his wedding speech.
Footnotes:
[1] DiDi is a Chinese vehicle for hire company. Xu Zhiqiang says "di di da fei ji". di means a drop/to drip. and da fei ji is slang for m**t**bat**n. Got the joke? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[2] It should be “crash/thud”. I was under the impression that “duang” was a “sound” in Mandarin. It turned out to be a meme. Read about on wikipedia. I’ll substitute the appropriate onomatopoeia from now on.
[3] Jiayou. It's an expression of encouragement and support; to cheer on. English equivalents are "Good Luck!", "Go for it!", "You can do it!", "Don't give up!". It can be used as a rallying cry with the meaning "Go team go!" or "Let's go!". It is also used to show solidarity. Kinda like saying “I’m rooting for you.” I will use the best fit in succeeding chapters.
[4] Wu-ge uses “qiao qiao hua” which also means “sweet nothings”.
[5] Raws say “that person” which sounds awkward. Since we know it’s a girl, I simply used the feminine pronoun.
[6] A lot of words are pronounced “feng”. The “feng” or “Maple” in An Ruifeng’s name is 枫 same as in 枫叶(feng ye) which means “Maple Leaf”.
[7] This is the Chinese name. It’s actually “Auld Lang Syne”, a Scottish song with lyrics by Robert Burns. You can read the Chinese version on Baidu.
