Zhao Qian wasn’t wrong—he really was smiling at Xu Zhinan.

But the fans surrounding them didn’t think so. Their screams were almost loud enough to pierce eardrums.

“Ahhhhhhhh! Brother is smiling at me!!!”

Zhao Qian refused to back down and shouted, “He’s smiling at our Ah Nan!”

A fan turned her head jealously, “No, he’s smiling at me! At me!”

Xu Zhinan tugged at her embarrassedly, “Qianqian, what are you doing?”

Zhao Qian wrapped an arm around her waist, laughing heartily, and whispered close to her ear, “If everyone knew your true identity, they’d probably all be shocked.”

Soon, the intro melody began playing, and the previously boisterous crowd fell silent.

Summer night, green lawn, evening breeze, glowsticks lit up like a sea, waving back and forth like undulating waves, rising and falling like tides.

Lin Qingye stood before the microphone, as if pushed to the crest of the wave. The music festival lighting wasn’t as sophisticated as a studio setup, just ordinary spotlights, but it still shone brilliantly.

The young man wore a white shirt with half the hem tucked into his waistband.

This was the first time Xu Zhinan had directly witnessed just how many people adored the current Lin Qingye.

She had known he’d gained attention after joining the show and had heard people discussing him on the streets, but experiencing it firsthand was different.

The crowd roared like mountains and seas.

Layers of light and shadow.

He’d always been someone born for the stage, unrestrained and free-spirited.

Xu Zhinan tilted her head up to look at Lin Qingye on stage.

His image merged with the private Lin Qingye in her memories.

From that first absurd night when she woke up in the morning to find him leaning against the window, laughing and saying, “Fine, remember to take responsibility for me.”

To his drunken whisper: “Ah Nan, you don’t like me anymore.”

Then to “Let me like you one more time.”

As the song reached its first section and transitioned to the instrumental bridge, the drummer at the back of the stage beat the drums, the rhythm matching the frequency of heartbeats, making it feel as if her heart was sliding upward, her chest tightening.

Lin Qingye pulled the microphone from its stand, raised it high with an outstretched arm, half-closed his eyes, lifted his chin slightly, his jawline sharp and clean.

With just this one gesture, the fans below immediately coordinated.

“Lin Qingye!”

“Lin Qingye!”

“Lin Qingye!”

“Lin Qingye!”

…

Even Zhao Qian joined in the chanting.

The wind blew gently across the massive venue as everyone called out his name.

Until a rapid, descending bass melody began, and he brought the microphone back to his lips to continue with the second half of the song.

When the song ended, the cheers and screams from below continued for several minutes.

Jiang Yue, who had spent her entire summer vacation in the library, immersed in the ocean of knowledge, was shocked at this scene: “Why do I feel like Lin Qingye is so popular now?”

“He’s not just popular, he’s exploded in popularity!” Zhao Qian said.

Previously, because of Lin Qingye’s story about his 17-year-old first love, she had been indignant on Xu Zhinan’s behalf. The more popular he became, the more annoyed she felt. Now she could finally view the situation calmly.

“You don’t spend much time surfing the internet, so you don’t know. There were even data analysts specifically studying Lin Qingye’s sudden rise to fame. It’s a phenomenon.”

“Most of his current fans started following him because of ‘I Come for Music.’ They’re all active fans with incredible purchasing power and extremely high commercial value. I bet there are already lots of advertisers wanting Lin Qingye to be their spokesperson, though I think he probably wouldn’t accept those kinds of offers.”

Jiang Yue asked, “The endorsement fees must be incredibly high, right?”

“Obviously.” Zhao Qian tapped her head. “But isn’t Lin Qingye’s family supposed to be very wealthy? Maybe he just wants to play music without having to ‘sell himself’ or ‘sell his smile.'”

Zhao Qian suddenly remembered that she had a superstar’s love interest standing right beside her.

“Ah Nan, do you know what his father does? I heard that Minsheng Group belongs to his family. If I remember correctly, the chairman’s surname is Lin.”

At the mention of his family, Xu Zhinan could only think of his mother who had spoken harshly to him.

She shook her head, “I don’t know either.”

“He never told you?” Zhao Qian thought for a moment and understood. “But I guess it makes sense. Lin Qingye probably earns enough on his own. The rich second-generation label is just a useless title for him.”

Zhao Qian sighed, “I’m jealous. Why don’t they give the rich second-generation label to people who really need it, like me?”

Lin Qingye was the final performer. After his last song, Wang Qi came out to express thanks, followed by a closing lucky draw activity.

Zhao Qian excitedly dragged Jiang Yue to participate in the lucky draw. Xu Zhinan wasn’t interested and told them she was going to find a restroom.

The venue was in a square surrounded by fences. Being outdoors, there were many fans and passersby who hadn’t managed to get tickets but were listening from afar.

Xu Zhinan circled around before finally spotting the restroom sign and following it.

Her phone vibrated with a message from Lin Qingye.

[Lin Qingye: Where are you?]

[Xu Zhinan: Going to the restroom.]

[Lin Qingye: Should I come find you later?]

Xu Zhinan thought for a moment and replied: Won’t people see us?

[Lin Qingye: We’ll be sneaky.]

“…”

She wasn’t sure how he planned to be “sneaky,” replying to his message while walking. Before she knew it, she had reached the restroom. When she looked up, she saw herself in the mirror facing the restroom entrance.

…She’d been so caught up in the music that she’d forgotten how she was dressed.

Xu Zhinan uncomfortably tugged at the hem of her top, but it was too short. Fortunately, she had a high-waisted skirt underneath, which only revealed a glimpse of her waist.

While her waist was mostly covered, the skirt was still very short. Even though she wore shorts underneath to prevent exposure, Xu Zhinan had never worn such a short skirt before and felt uncomfortable.

Attempting to pull the skirt down would only expose more of her waist.

A dilemma.

Xu Zhinan spent some time looking at herself in the mirror before sighing and giving up, accepting her fate as she entered the restroom.

Soon she came out to wash her hands. The crowd’s noise had grown louder, probably because the lucky draw had ended.

It was already quite dark. A cobblestone path stretched ahead, dimly lit by streetlamps.

Xu Zhinan suddenly remembered the night when Wei Jing had harassed her. Reflexively nervous, she took her backpack off her shoulder and reached inside, feeling for something—the alarm she had bought earlier.

Thankfully she had followed Uncle Fang’s advice and bought it. Better safe than sorry.

Xu Zhinan gripped the alarm tightly inside her bag, stepping lightly on the cobblestones.

Ahead, she spotted several silver bands, recognizing them as the glowing straps fans had wrapped around their wrists.

She also heard laughter coming from that direction.

Just as Xu Zhinan was starting to relax, an arm suddenly wrapped around her from behind, pulling her into an embrace.

Her eyes widened, stumbling backward two steps from the force. She immediately pressed the alarm.

Instantly, a piercing alarm shattered the silence—

But as it did, she recognized the familiar scent coming from behind her.

Lin Qingye’s scent.

A mix of tobacco with the sharp fragrance of lemon shower gel, plus a slight hint of sweat—not strong, more like the scent of male pheromones.

He had been under the spotlights on stage, inevitably sweating.

Xu Zhinan turned her head and met Lin Qingye’s gaze, their eyes locking.

The alarm continued to blare.

Lin Qingye looked at her and silently raised an eyebrow.

“…”

The voices from ahead grew closer, approaching them.

“Did anyone else hear an alarm? It’s not a fire, is it?”

“It sounds like it’s coming from over there. It can’t be a fire—if it were, they’d sound alarms throughout the square. Could it be a criminal?”

“Damn, don’t scare me like that.”

“What if someone’s calling for help? Like some pervert in the park? Should we go check?”

…

Lin Qingye grabbed Xu Zhinan’s arm and pulled her to a corner behind the restroom.

Xu Zhinan frantically fumbled in her bag for the alarm. She had only read the instructions for activating it, not for turning it off.

Hearing the group of girls getting closer, Xu Zhinan was nearly sweating with anxiety. Finally, she managed to turn it off just before they arrived.

Silence returned.

The girls looked around, “Why did it suddenly stop?”

“Could it have been a mistake in the square’s broadcast system? If someone was really calling for help, there would be some commotion, right?”

“This is getting creepy. Let’s go, I don’t want to use the restroom anymore. Let’s head somewhere with more people.”

They hurriedly ran off.

Xu Zhinan watched them leave from her hiding spot, her chest heaving with a sigh of relief.

Lin Qingye lowered his gaze, observing her reaction the entire time, unable to suppress a laugh. He gestured to the object in her hand, “What’s that?”

“Ah.” Xu Zhinan paused, then dutifully answered, “An alarm.”

“Where did you get it?”

“I bought it after the incident with Wei Jing.”

He smiled, “Pretty smart.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan put the alarm back in her bag. Looking up, she realized Lin Qingye seemed to be staring at her, his gaze never wavering.

Lin Qingye took a step back, tilting his head as he looked her over.

This was the first time he’d seen the young woman dressed this way—her slender waist, skin so fair it almost glowed, long straight legs, knee-high socks tightly wrapping her calves, creating an inexplicably enticing effect.

From her clothes to her makeup, everything was cool and stylish, with a hint of sexiness. But when looking into her eyes, that sexiness transformed.

Her eyes were too pure.

It became a unique kind of allure.

Xu Zhinan noticed Lin Qingye was examining her outfit and self-consciously pinched the hem of her skirt, trying to keep it from flaring up.

Having finished his observation, he asked with a curved lip, “Why are you dressed like this?”

“My roommate did it for me. She said this is how people dress for music festivals.” Her tone was slightly regretful.

“What style is this called?”

Xu Zhinan thought back and honestly answered, “I think it’s called ‘world-weary makeup.'”

Lin Qingye laughed, his chest rumbling, apparently finding her answer particularly amusing.

Nothing about Xu Zhinan’s face could be associated with “world-weary.”

His laughter made her increasingly unable to lift her face, so she decided to redirect attention to him: “Why did you dye your hair?”

It was blue.

This bold color was something Xu Zhinan had never considered, but she couldn’t deny that Lin Qingye pulled off the blue hair perfectly, without looking out of place at all.

He casually ran his hand through the bangs on his forehead: “The makeup artist did it. It’s a temporary hair color spray.”

“There’s such a thing?” Xu Zhinan had never heard of it.

“Mm-hmm.”

She looked up at his hair. Under the streetlight, the bangs on his forehead appeared even more blue, like a character stepped out of a manga.

“Will it turn back to black after washing?”

“It should. I haven’t tried it before.”

Lin Qingye looked at her for a moment, then bent down slightly, lowering his head, “Want to touch it?”

“Huh?”

“My hair.”

Being tall, he had to spread his legs and bow like he was making a formal bow to bring his hair to her eye level. The blue hair was right in front of her. Xu Zhinan’s fingertips curled slightly before she reached out to touch it. Then she touched it again, more firmly this time, essentially grabbing a handful, her fingers running through his hair.

Only then did he straighten up.

Xu Zhinan opened her palm. Because he had been sweating, the roots of his hair were damp, and her palm was stained with a faint blue mark.

Lin Qingye took her hand and led her to the washbasin to wash it.

Since the dye had just been transferred, it wasn’t difficult to wash off. Soon her skin returned to its natural whiteness.

Xu Zhinan finally reacted, pulling her hand back from his and shaking off the water: “It’s clean now.”

“Mm.” Lin Qingye looked at her and asked, “Do you have plans later?”

“No, why?”

“They seem to be planning a dinner gathering nearby. Would you like to join me?”

“You mean those singers?”

“Mm.”

Xu Zhinan had never experienced such a situation before—having dinner with singers she normally only saw on TV—and instinctively hesitated: “But I don’t know any of them.”

“You don’t need to mind them. Just stay with me.”

Just as he finished speaking, more rustling voices came from behind. Fearing someone would see them, Xu Zhinan pulled Lin Qingye back to hide, but the sound suddenly grew louder.

“Ah Nan!” Zhao Qian’s voice called out, “Where are you?”

“Over here.” Xu Zhinan raised her hand.

Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue had finished with the lucky draw and now had a small dinosaur bag in hand, probably a prize they had won.

As they approached, they discovered someone else beside Xu Zhinan—Lin Qingye.

Zhao Qian’s footsteps faltered as she looked at the two of them.

The blue-haired young man paired with the world-weary girl—they looked like characters from another world.

Although Zhao Qian had previously been critical of Lin Qingye because of their breakup, seeing them standing together, they truly matched perfectly, like a magazine spread.

Lin Qingye turned his head and asked again, “Are you coming?”

Zhao Qian caught the thread of conversation: “Where are you two going?”

“A gathering.”

“With the people from the show?” Zhao Qian’s eyes widened.

“Mm.”

“Go! Why wouldn’t you go? There’ll be so many celebrities!” Zhao Qian immediately became excited. “By the way, Ah Nan, could you help me get Shen Linlin’s autograph?”

Zhao Qian was a fan of Shen Linlin and often played her songs in their dorm room.

Lin Qingye said, “I’ll get it for you.”

Zhao Qian quickly changed her attitude: “Thank you so much! But make sure to bring my Ah Nan back safely tonight. And don’t stay out too late—she usually goes to bed early.”

“Alright,” he promptly agreed.

With this development, Xu Zhinan found herself in a difficult position.

She hadn’t agreed to go yet.

Zhao Qian grinned, pulling Jiang Yue away as they left.

Lin Qingye looked down at her: “Shall we go?”

Xu Zhinan pressed her lips together, then steeled herself: “Mm.”

They took a detour back to the backstage area. As soon as they entered, they heard Wang Qi excitedly announcing the dinner location: “I’ve booked the entire place! Tonight we eat and play without holding back! No need to worry about being secretly photographed or watched!”

Everyone applauded and cheered, then noticed Lin Qingye standing behind Wang Qi, with a pretty girl beside him.

Wang Qi turned to look too. Xu Zhinan politely nodded in greeting: “Hello, Producer Wang.”

Wang Qi’s feelings upon seeing her were complicated. He smiled awkwardly: “Ah, Student Xu is here too.”

Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow: “Add one more seat?”

Wang Qi said, “You could add fifty more and it wouldn’t be a problem. Don’t underestimate me—the entire restaurant is ours tonight.”

Someone teased, “Lin Qingye, who’s this young lady? Aren’t you going to introduce her to us?”

He smiled and said, “Classmate.”

“Just a classmate?” They didn’t believe him. “Didn’t you already graduate? What classmate?”

“College junior.”

The group dragged out their response, with suspicious tones: “Oh, a junior.”

Xu Zhinan had watched several episodes of the show later. These people she had previously only seen through a phone screen were now smiling and teasing her and Lin Qingye. It felt surreal.

Shen Linlin leaned against the side and said, “Lin Qingye, you’re being so insincere.”

He took a sheet of white paper from a nearby dressing table and handed it to Shen Linlin: “Sister Linlin, could you give me an autograph?”

Shen Linlin was amused: “What did you call me? Say it again.”

Lin Qingye didn’t repeat himself, just looking at her with raised eyebrows, maintaining the same expression even while asking for an autograph.

Shen Linlin didn’t waste effort on him and turned to look at Xu Zhinan behind him, asking, “Young lady, did you want my autograph?”

“Yes, my roommate likes you.”

Shen Linlin caught that she had used the respectful “nin” form, and then looked back at Lin Qingye, a newcomer who had just debuted and who had always addressed her by her full name. Calling her “Sister Linlin” today was a first.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

“Roommate?” Shen Linlin tilted her head. “Still a student, then.”

“Senior year.”

Shen Linlin nodded, pointing her index finger at Lin Qingye: “Not a decent man!”

Lin Qingye laughed, accepting the assessment calmly.

“I can give you an autograph.” Shen Linlin found Xu Zhinan increasingly adorable and couldn’t resist teasing her. She asked Lin Qingye, “Answer one question for me, and I’ll sign.”

“What?”

“Is she the girl from your song?”

The surrounding crowd erupted, their gazes toward Xu Zhinan suddenly filled with respect.

Lin Qingye scratched his eyebrow: “Mm.”

A commotion broke out, almost raising the roof: “So dishonest! She’s your girlfriend, yet you just told us she was a college classmate.”

“Not yet a girlfriend,” Lin Qingye said.

The emphasis wasn’t on “girlfriend” but on “not yet.”

Shen Linlin gave a thumbs up: “Honest.”

She took out a pen from her bag. Instead of using Lin Qingye’s paper, she happened to have some photos she’d just received and directly signed one of them.

“Here.” She handed it to Xu Zhinan.

Xu Zhinan accepted it with both hands, politely expressing gratitude: “Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re such an amusing girl. Don’t be nervous—we’re just like ordinary people. No need to be so formal. Learn from your senior.”

The way she emphasized “senior” was somewhat ambiguous.

“Sometimes you don’t need to be so polite. Using such formal language makes me feel old.”

Xu Zhinan smiled mildly but didn’t know what to say in response.

Lin Qingye lightly supported her back with his hand, reaching sideways to take a jacket from the clothing rack for her.

It was a baseball jacket with blue, green, and white color blocks, quite long.

After Xu Zhinan put it on, it covered the outfit Zhao Qian had coordinated for her, making her feel more comfortable.

Everyone headed to the barbecue restaurant Wang Qi had reserved. This restaurant was owned by a friend in the industry as a side business. With the celebrity effect, it usually did good business in the evenings, so temporarily closing for a private booking wasn’t easy.

Besides the members of the “I Come for Music” production team, several others arrived.

They seemed to be boyfriends and girlfriends of others, unfamiliar faces. Xu Zhinan didn’t know if they were in the entertainment industry or whether they had gone public with their relationships.

It was a self-service barbecue, and the wait staff had withdrawn.

“Where’s Fan Kai!” someone called out.

Fan Kai, the owner of the barbecue restaurant, entered in response, carrying two bottles of wine in exquisite packaging that looked expensive.

The person laughed, “Your timing is perfect. I was just about to ask you to bring out your good wine.”

Fan Kai placed the two bottles on the table and opened one himself, joking, “This wine costs more than your venue booking fee. It pains me.”

Xu Zhinan sat next to Lin Qingye.

She didn’t know these people, but fortunately, Lin Qingye wasn’t the type to chat incessantly with others. He remained beside her, occasionally asking what she wanted to eat or passing her food, so it wasn’t too awkward.

Everyone there had navigated the entertainment industry for years, all shrewd and perceptive. Noticing Xu Zhinan’s discomfort, they didn’t keep the focus on her, ending their teasing after a while.

Xu Zhinan had previously heard Zhao Qian discuss entertainment industry gossip, like how certain celebrities were feuding or calling each other out, making the entertainment world seem tumultuous.

But now it didn’t seem so terrifying.

Perhaps it was because the “I Come for Music” production team got along well.

“Qingye.” The person beside them raised a wine glass and moved to pour him a drink.

This wine had a high alcohol content—two glasses would probably be enough to make someone tipsy.

Lin Qingye covered the bottle opening with his hand: “I’m not drinking anymore.”

“Why?” The person was surprised. There had been several gatherings before, and Lin Qingye had never hesitated to drink.

He nodded toward Xu Zhinan: “I need to drive her back to school later.”

Hearing this, the person stopped insisting but teased, “That’s quite a convenient excuse you’ve come up with.”

Xu Zhinan knew Lin Qingye enjoyed drinking—she’d seen him drink often before—so she leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You can drink if you want. I can take a taxi back.”

“I won’t drink. I’m trying to smoke less and drink less these days.”

“You’re cutting back on smoking too?”

“Mm, gradually. It won’t happen overnight.” Lin Qingye leaned back against the sofa, very close to her, their shoulders touching. “I’m preparing to release an album, and with all the smoking and drinking before, my throat would often hurt.”

“How about now?”

“Much better recently.”

Xu Zhinan smiled: “That’s good. Smoking isn’t good for you anyway. Quitting is better for your health.”

Lin Qingye smiled and made an affirmative sound.

This group seemed ready to party all night, but Lin Qingye didn’t stay long. He got up to say goodbye around eleven o’clock. Everyone knew Xu Zhinan needed to return to school and didn’t try to keep them.

Fan Kai’s barbecue restaurant connected directly to a private underground parking garage, so there was no need to worry about paparazzi.

As the car approached the school, Xu Zhinan took off the baseball jacket and returned it to him.

Lin Qingye glanced at it: “Keep it on.”

“It’s fine, I’m not cold.” She folded it neatly and placed it on the back seat.

Lin Qingye parked the car on the small road on the east side of the dormitory area. Unlike during summer vacation, now that school had started, there were still people coming and going at the entrance even at eleven at night.

There was no one on the east side road. Xu Zhinan didn’t let him walk her: “It’s just a short distance. I can go back by myself. No need to see me off.”

“Mm.”

Though he verbally agreed, he still held onto her wrist.

Xu Zhinan paused, looking up at him.

His flamboyant, arrogant stage presence had faded. Now Lin Qingye appeared more subdued, his eyes dark and deep, as if hiding complex emotions.

The blue hair wasn’t as noticeable on this dim road, except for a few strands of bangs on his forehead.

Having spent a long time in the barbecue restaurant, Xu Zhinan’s eyeliner had smudged a bit, the tail end fading, which diminished the “world-weary” effect. When she looked up, her eyes turned slightly upward, creating a subtle, enchanting effect.

Lin Qingye looked at her for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his voice inexplicably turned hoarse: “When is the tattoo competition finals?”

“Next Monday.”

“Mm.”

“I’ll head back now.”

Lin Qingye leaned lazily against the car door, merely nodding slightly.

Xu Zhinan gave him one more glance, about to turn and leave when he caught her wrist again, pulling her toward him. She lost her balance and fell into his embrace.

She let out a small cry, her nose bumping against his collarbone. It didn’t hurt, though, because Lin Qingye had caught her waist before she fell, steadying her again.

“I’m sorry,” Xu Zhinan stepped back and apologized to him.

He had mischievously pulled her, yet she was the one apologizing.

Lin Qingye curled his lips, looking into her eyes. After a moment, feeling the restlessness rising from the bottom of his heart and his throat itching, he simply raised his hand and covered her eyes.

He could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his palm.

Lin Qingye leaned down, smelling her unique fragrance, and his temple throbbed.

He tightened his jaw, his lips forming a straight line as he restrained himself for a moment.

The surroundings were very quiet. Xu Zhinan, with her eyes suddenly covered, felt confused and lost, instinctively calling his name: “Lin Qingye.”

Those three syllables made Lin Qingye’s temple throb again.

His breathing tightened as he leaned in with restraint, his hand still covering her eyes.

Bending down, his lips touched the back of his hand.

The night was silent.

Xu Zhinan couldn’t see anything, only feeling his scent drawing closer, enveloping her.

Three seconds later, the scent dispersed slightly, and then his hand was removed. She blinked and looked up.

Lin Qingye remained as before, lazy and relaxed. He lifted his chin and said, “It’s getting late. You should go back now.”