At the airport, Lin Qingye didn’t get out of the car. After giving a few reminders to be careful, Xu Zhinan got out.

Once inside, she quickly found Gu Congwang, dressed in an immaculate suit with a suitcase by his side. Seeing her, he raised his arm: “Ah Nan.”

She walked over: “Why are you leaving so suddenly?”

“My father mentioned it before, but only recently decided to go.” Gu Congwang smiled at her, “Did Lin Qingye drive you here?”

Xu Zhinan paused, then nodded: “How did you know?”

“Just a guess. I figured he wouldn’t let you come see me off alone. You two are gradually getting back on track now, which is good.”

Xu Zhinan smiled lightly: “Yes.”

She looked beautiful when she smiled, her eyes brightening, her whole person radiating sunshine. Gu Congwang suddenly realized that during the days when Lin Qingye wasn’t around, he hadn’t seen her smile like this for a very long time.

Regarding Xu Zhinan, it was impossible not to feel regret. After all, he had known Xu Zhinan earlier—they had known each other since elementary school. Gu Congwang, relying on the fact that she always seemed dazed and innocent, had never expressed his feelings to her. By the time he came to his senses, she had already been completely claimed by Lin Qingye.

He hadn’t thought highly of Lin Qingye before. Even before knowing about Lin Qingye’s relationship with Xu Zhinan, he had found Lin Qingye irritating—an inexplicable annoyance, probably because he felt the man was too “sharp.”

“Ah Nan.” Gu Congwang suddenly called her name while looking at her.

She raised her head: “Hmm?”

“I’ve known you for almost 20 years. We used to tell each other everything, but there’s one thing I’ve never told you.”

Xu Zhinan suddenly realized what he was about to say, blinked, and stared at him blankly.

“I like you,” Gu Congwang said frankly. “I don’t know when it started. We were too familiar with each other, so familiar that I couldn’t tell where it began. It was just like one day I suddenly realized, oh, you seem different from all other girls to me. I must like you quite a bit.”

Xu Zhinan didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t show shock or rejection either. She quietly listened as he continued.

In the bustling airport, Gu Congwang’s hand tightened on the handle of his suitcase unconsciously.

He first realized that there would no longer be a possibility between him and Xu Zhinan when Lin Qingye had just gone to prison.

He rushed back from abroad to find Xu Zhinan completely changed, as if the original Xu Zhinan had disappeared along with Lin Qingye.

Later, even as life gradually returned to normal, Gu Congwang could still feel the difference between her and how she used to be.

Until now, Xu Zhinan had finally slowly returned to her former self.

Everything happened silently, imperceptibly. Lin Qingye returned, and she returned to normal, as if the pain and trauma from before had never existed.

She was like this, and actually, so was Lin Qingye.

They had long been inseparable, and no one could break them apart.

“But now I plan to give up. Timing is most important. I thought that knowing you first meant I had the best timing, but later I found out that this doesn’t follow a first-come, first-served rule. Even if you’re in line, someone can cut in front of you.”

Xu Zhinan couldn’t help asking: “Is your choice to go to the branch related to this?”

“Not really, not too much. I’ve known for a long time that I no longer qualify to step between you and Lin Qingye. Now that I see he’s back and you two are doing well, I can rest assured and focus on what I should be doing.”

The boarding announcement sounded over the loudspeaker.

Gu Congwang said: “I’ll be going then.”

These words had been hidden in his heart for a long time. Now that he had spoken them, he felt much lighter.

Seeing how calmly Xu Zhinan accepted them, he understood that she had probably guessed his feelings long ago.

“Mm.” Xu Zhinan nodded, “See you when you return.”

Gu Congwang turned and entered the security checkpoint. At the turn of the corridor, he looked back and waved at her again.

Xu Zhinan waved back and said “goodbye” once more.

Gu Congwang turned his head and went in, his figure disappearing at the entrance of the passage.

He suddenly remembered that he had once encountered Lin Qingye at this same Yan City airport. At that time, he had very directly asked if Lin Qingye liked Xu Zhinan.

Gu Congwang had hesitated and hadn’t admitted it, instead saying, “What’s it to you?”

Lin Qingye had very calmly laughed, with his unique mockery, which was quite irritating.

He had then said, “It’s good that you don’t like her, because I’m pursuing her now.”

Perhaps the situation had been determined from that moment.

With someone as wonderful as Xu Zhinan, falling one step behind meant being out of the game.

Xu Zhinan stayed at the airport a bit longer.

Although she had previously guessed Gu Congwang’s feelings, now that the final layer had been pierced, she still felt momentarily dazed.

But she hadn’t stood there in a daze for even half a minute when Lin Qingye called: “Not done yet?”

“All done.”

She walked out of the airport back to the parking lot, opened the car door, and sat down.

Lin Qingye turned his head, looking her up and down. Xu Zhinan felt a bit awkward under his gaze, not knowing what to say. Then she heard him say: “Forty-six minutes.”

“What?”

“You spent a total of forty-six minutes with him.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan looked up at him, as if trying to determine if he was serious.

But after searching his face for a moment and finding no evidence, Xu Zhinan reached out, hooked his pinky finger, pulled it gently, and couldn’t help smiling: “Brother Qingye, you’re not angry, are you?”

Lin Qingye looked at her for a while, then directly reached out and pinched her face.

Xu Zhinan obediently let him.

He stretched her face outward as he said each word: “Is. That. Okay?”

He used quite a bit of force, making a part of her face turn red.

With her face being pulled, Xu Zhinan had no choice but to yield: “…Okay.”

The young lady’s temper was inexplicably soft, seemingly impossible to anger no matter what. She had gained some weight recently, making the flesh on her face feel even better. Lin Qingye kneaded it once more as if kneading dough.

“What did he say to you?”

Xu Zhinan told the truth.

Lin Qingye snorted: “Someone who confesses but still worries about whether they can remain friends afterward—what business does he have pursuing girls?”

“What about you?”

“I never thought about being friends with you.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan thought back and realized that she and Lin Qingye indeed never had that friendship stage, considering their first encounter was such an outrageous affair.

She pursed her lips and muttered: “You have some nerve to say that.”

Lin Qingye chuckled softly.

That evening, “Music Moment” officially aired.

With the sensational scandal earlier and the timely clarification, the show had already generated buzz in advance. It was also Lin Qingye’s first public appearance since his comeback.

The night it aired, it immediately broke viewing records, taking first place in its time slot.

Initially, purchases of “Murmurs” were mainly driven by fans, but after “Music Moment” aired, many casual viewers also heard the song, and online purchases and downloads of the new album reached a second peak.

Public reviews also rose dramatically.

*This brother truly belongs on stage. I even think the unedited Live version on “Music Moment” sounds a hundred times better than the album recording.*

*I was just a passerby before. Recently, I saw so many people discussing “Murmurs,” but I was too lazy to listen. Now I’ve fallen for it too. Damn, it’s too good.*

*Lin Qingye’s voice is truly exceptional, absolutely a treat for voice enthusiasts. So gentle when singing, yet cool and clear when speaking normally.*

*Ahhhhh my ears are pregnant!!!*

*Wait, is no one crushing on Lin Qingye’s looks? Everyone’s just talking about the song? Aren’t you all being too wasteful?*

*Hahahaha I was thinking the same thing—why ignore the handsome guy’s face!! Indeed, handsome people look good no matter what, handsome with scars, handsome with a crew cut!*

*I say Lin Qingye is the entertainment industry’s number one handsome man with a crew cut—anyone disagree?*

…

The next day, these discussions became even more lively.

Later, people even began discussing why Lin Qingye could become so popular immediately upon his comeback, truly an exemplary return. They sought to explore the methodological reasons behind this phenomenal success.

The most upvoted answer pointed out three reasons.

First, of course, was his appearance. Lin Qingye had a face with a distinctive style, unique in its way, with no substitute in the entertainment industry. Naturally, he could bring back all his former fans immediately upon his return.

Second, rivals deliberately smeared him, but Lin Qingye’s reversal was good enough. Not only did he shoot that dark arrow back exactly as it came, but he also used this opportunity to build momentum for himself.

Finally, his talent truly deserved it. From the beginning, he could win first place on a stage filled with already-debuted singers, defeating Shen Linlin for all to see. A genius who won the Golden Melody Award at 18, finally becoming famous at 26, was already quite late—correctly speaking, he had “finally become famous.”

The renewed wave of exploration about the “Locust Girl” that had surged earlier suddenly disappeared without a trace after some time.

It was probably Lin Guancheng’s influence at work.

So the focus completely returned to Lin Qingye himself.

Wang Qi had also arranged the previously prepared five-city tour music festival for “Murmurs.” The first stop wasn’t in Yan City but in B City.

Xu Zhinan had taken care of the shop’s affairs in advance, handing it over to Li Yan to manage, planning to go to B City with Lin Qingye.

The night before departure, they packed their luggage.

Xu Zhinan sat on the bed, while Lin Qingye sat directly on the floor, folding clothes one by one and placing them inside.

Xu Zhinan watched him organize and smiled: “Don’t we look like we’re going on a vacation?”

Lin Qingye: “Once this busy period is over, we’ll go on vacation.”

“By the way, what about your instruments?”

“The main ones have already been transported there in advance, and the venue has been prepared for a long time.”

Looking back now, Xu Zhinan still felt like this period was like a dream. Just over two months had passed, and an album had already been released, with the first promotional music festival about to take place.

Even though she had always believed in Lin Qingye, she hadn’t expected him to move so quickly.

She sat on the edge of the bed, kicking her legs slightly, and looked down at Lin Qingye.

He was already different from when he had just been released from prison.

At that time, his entire aura had been very low, with coldness and indifference floating on the surface of his emotions, completely keeping people at a distance. Perhaps after being in darkness for too long, his brilliance had been temporarily obscured.

Now Lin Qingye had regained his former vitality. Beyond that, he was also more determined and mature.

Gleaming anew while rooted in the ruins.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhinan laughed softly.

Lin Qingye caught it: “What are you laughing at?”

She stretched out her arms to get closer to him. Lin Qingye thought she was going to embrace him, but after leaning closer, she cupped his face with both hands.

She leaned in very close, smiling sweetly with curved eyes: “I think you’re amazing.”

Lin Qingye raised his eyebrows, smiling: “How so?”

She swung her legs, her beautiful, delicate toes tapping the suitcase: “Having a music festival so quickly, and one that’s just for you alone.”

Lin Qingye laughed softly and leaned in to kiss her, suddenly saying: “Before I got out of prison and came to find you, I went to see Uncle Wang first.”

“Hmm?”

“I didn’t dare to come find you at first. I felt that I was already in such a state, and coming to find you would only bring you misfortune. I had already caused you trouble once and didn’t want to do it a second time.”

“Then Uncle Wang told me that I had already brought you misfortune for two and a half years, and if I didn’t go find you, I would be ruining the rest of your life as well.”

“After going back, I stayed alone for an afternoon, then went to find you that evening.”

At this point, Lin Qingye fell silent for a moment. Xu Zhinan didn’t speak either. After a while, he continued slowly and softly: “At that time, I thought, you had bet so many years on me, I couldn’t let you lose that bet.”

Early the next morning, they got into a commercial vehicle from the underground parking garage of Chuanqi Entertainment Company, steadily heading to the airport, preparing to go to B City.

Xu Zhinan wasn’t someone who liked to travel. When her father was still alive, the family would go on vacations, but since her father passed away, she hadn’t traveled far.

This was the first time.

She inevitably showed some excitement.

And being with Lin Qingye meant using the VIP channel all the way, no longer the crowded airport of before.

The two of them walked in with another staff member when suddenly a chorus of voices came from behind: “—Captain!”

In the long, spacious VIP channel, this resonant sound echoed as it reached their ears.

They turned around.

Guan Chi, Shi Si, and Ji Yan stood not far away, each with instrument bags on their shoulders.

Their faces were beaming with smiles.

Lin Qingye turned around, looked at them, and slowly curved his lips into a smile.

Guan Chi stood in the middle of the three, chin raised, smiling.

“Locust Band’s drummer, bassist, and keyboardist, at your service.”