Four years ago.
On the morning of the first show of Sweet Day’s second tour, the group’s villa was in a chaotic mess.
“Captain! Where are my cherry earrings?” Meng Ying shouted from the bedroom.
“Walk-in closet, cabinet number 6, second drawer from the left.” Song Yushi slowly ate her breakfast, calmly witnessing the entire chaotic scene.
“Captain—” Chengzhi frantically held onto the second-floor railing and called out to her: “My Chanel tea-colored long skirt is missing!”
“Walk-in closet, standing cabinet number 3.”
“Captain, something terrible has happened.” Zhong Yi came out of the bathroom, shaking the electric toothbrush in her hand: “It’s out of battery.”
“…”
Qi Ke popped out from behind Zhong Yi, slapped her on the back, and said with a kind smile: “The Captain doesn’t have any power.”
“Who says she doesn’t?” Zhong Yi muttered under her breath, “Didn’t she give you such a shock you were dazed and confused?”
Qi Ke: “…” Well, you’re not wrong about that.
The two of them spoke quietly, so the Captain, far away at the dining table, couldn’t hear. But she intuitively felt they weren’t saying anything good, so she casually threw a threatening glance their way.
A chill ran down Qi Ke’s back. She grabbed Zhong Yi’s arm, spun her around, pushed her into the bathroom, and closed the door.
Then she turned back, smiling brilliantly.
Song Yushi: “…”
Qi Ke walked over. She hadn’t changed yet; her light yellow pajamas made her skin look fair, and she seemed as docile as a newly awakened golden shaded cat. She sat across from Song Yushi, cupped her chin with her hands, and deliberately drew out her voice: “Cap—tain—”
Song Yushi pushed the plate towards her: “Shut up and eat.”
“How can I eat if I shut up?” Qi Ke retorted, then brought the conversation back to the main point: “They all just asked you questions, I want to ask one too.”
Their group, Sweet Day, wasn’t that famous, so they shared assistants with other artists from the same company and handled most things themselves. Although the Captain was aloof and didn’t talk much, she shouldered her responsibilities. Most importantly, she had a good memory, which led to the current situation.
Sister Ming discovered this once and was dumbfounded: “Aren’t you afraid that if word gets out, Yushi’s solo stans will tear you all apart?”
Chengzhi ah-ed and said: “They’re tearing us apart even without word getting out.”
The rest of Sweet Day: “…” The truth has been spoken.
Song Yushi lowered her head and took a sip of pumpkin porridge: “What are you looking for?”
The villa was still noisy. Chengzhi was making a fuss, yelling for Zhong Yi to hurry up and pick out shoes for her. The cat they kept was meowing fiercely at the top of the stairs, and Meng Ying rushed over to add cat food to its bowl. The morning weather forecast was playing on the TV, the host announcing in a clear, standard accent that there would be localized rain.
No one noticed them. No one noticed that in a small corner of the dining room, their lead singer had hooked the Captain’s pinky finger and was ambiguously scratching her palm.
It was like a scratch on the tip of her heart, ticklish.
Song Yushi looked up at Qi Ke, her fingertips twitched, but she didn’t pull away.
Qi Ke slowly and methodically stated her request: “I’m looking for my girlfriend. Can you tell me where she is?”
Song Yushi: “…She’s eating.”
Qi Ke froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Under Song Yushi’s gaze, she laughed so hard she pounded the table: “Hahahahaha, you’re so cute!”
Song Yushi said coldly: “If you keep laughing, you can skip breakfast.”
Qi Ke stopped instantly.
She blinked: “Then help me find something else.”
The corner of Song Yushi’s mouth twitched. Her patience was clearly reaching its limit, but she forced herself to remember that lovers should be tolerant of each other and held back. She closed her eyes and said, “What?”
Qi Ke asked: “Where is my good morning kiss?”
Song Yushi couldn’t bear it anymore. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a soft warmth on her lips.
A kiss as light as a dragonfly touching water, breaking away in an instant.
Qi Ke licked her lips: “Today’s breakfast is pretty good.”
Turning around, Zhong Yi was standing at the top of the stairs with a look of utter disappointment. “I’m begging you, can you two be a little more low-key! Captain! You too! She’s used to being wild, and you still indulge her. Can you please show some of your captainly authority!”
Song Yushi, who had just had a kiss stolen and was still dazed at the dining table: “…?”
Sweet Day had a tour every year, and this year, they had an especially large number of fans. Solo stans and group stans made up half, while CP fans held up the other half of the sky.
On the day of the tour, starting from the morning, with the release of the final official promotional materials and the company’s strong marketing efforts, they hit several trending topics. Furthermore, with the interactions among the group members, all the CP fans were high on shipping.
【@GirlGroupLoveBot: [Submission] A certain domestic entertainment girl group. S is the captain, Y is the lead singer. The captain is a beautiful, all-rounder sweetie who can be a little aloof at times. The lead singer is a rich young lady from a wealthy family, known as the “King of the Sea” for seducing the world with a single love song. Yesterday during rehearsal, the lead singer was probably whispering to the captain and was reminded by a teacher on site: Y, can you stop sticking to the captain all the time? As everyone knows, the captain doesn’t really like physical contact, but she didn’t push Y away.】
【Domestic girl group, Captain S, I can only think of one. Ah, no way? You can ship this? [Confused]】
【Decoded. Song Yushi and Qi Ke from Sweet Day? They’re not close, are they? They don’t even interact usually. The stage sound system was probably too loud, so they were talking about work. This pair actually has living CP fans?】
【Just colleagues. Song Yushi is beautiful on her own.】
【Song Yushi: Wanted to push her away, but endured it for the sake of work.】
【A CP that even I, a rotten solo stan of Qi Ke, can’t ship. Let’s type “hard to ship” on the public screen.】
【Ugh, if you don’t ship it, don’t be a KY, okay? And it’s baffling that solo stans are coming to the GirlGroupLoveBot to flood the comments. Can’t we just ship a crack pairing?】
【Even if they’re not close, it’s still shippable. Maybe they’re friends with benefits (not really)】
【I looked into it, and it’s indeed hard to ship. They don’t even have a Super Topic. What are the CP fans shipping every day, their own imagination? Come out already, stop living in your imagination.】
Zhong Yi scrolled through Weibo with a complicated expression, watching the fans of various CPs fighting in the comments with an indescribable feeling. She glanced to the side—at that moment, their captain was performing a solo on stage, and their lead singer was intently watching the livestream on the wall of the dressing room, occasionally sending a few gifts with a shameless ID.
【”Song Yushi’s Unannounced Girlfriend in the Industry” gifted 26 deep-sea torpedoes and said: Crying over my sister’s divine figure again today.】
Zhong Yi: “…” And you’re the one who’s touched it?
【”Song Yushi’s Unannounced Girlfriend in the Industry” gifted 50 deep-sea torpedoes and said: Captain, I beg you to marry me! If I don’t sleep with Song Yushi in this life, it’s a life lived in vain!】
Zhong Yi: “…” You’re the one who’s fucking slept with her, what are you showing off for!!
Zhong Yi couldn’t help but ask: “Isn’t your ID a bit too obvious?”
Qi Ke pondered: “Will people find out?”
Zhong Yi: “…Well, probably not.”
Qi Ke: “Then the Captain and I are still hard to ship.”
Zhong Yi: “…” You look so disappointed that no one found out.
Qi Ke seemed to have been hit hard and sadly spammed the screen with gifts again. If she wasn’t about to go on stage, Zhong Yi really wanted to hold down Qi Ke’s hand. If she kept spamming, damn it, Zhong Yi was really going to start hating the rich!
A moment later, Song Yushi came off stage, and Chengzhi began her performance.
Qi Ke casually typed a message of encouragement: Keep it up.
It was drowned in the flood of comments.
Zhong Yi: “…”
Speechless! The double standard is a bit too obvious!
The tour concluded successfully at nine-thirty. Afterwards, Sister Ming took them and the staff to a celebration banquet at a rented seaside villa. The summer evening breeze blew gently, light spilled out from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the sea lapped against the reefs in the dimness.
Qi Ke had had a little to drink. When she came out to look for Song Yushi, Song Yushi was sitting on a rock, spacing out.
“Captain!” she called out to her, the slightly drunk tail end of her voice sweet and cloying.
As if expecting her, Song Yushi didn’t turn around. Her faint voice drifted over: “Come here.”
Qi Ke didn’t move. She let out a drunken hiccup, patted her face with her relatively empty hand, and said, “Turn around and look at me.”
Song Yushi turned around.
Qi Ke stood not far away. The light from the villa stopped a dozen meters from her, and only the bright moonlight rested on her shoulders, illuminating her slightly flushed face. In her left hand, she held a bunch of sparklers, and in her right, she carried a bottle of wine.
A green glass bottle, very down-to-earth beer.
Song Yushi tilted her head: “You’re drunk.”
Qi Ke nodded and smiled: “Because you’re too beautiful.”
Song Yushi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qi Ke put the wine bottle aside, stood with her feet slightly apart, and placed one hand on her hip: “Beauty! You are the most, most, most beautiful person I have ever seen in this world, even more beautiful than the person I see when I look in the mirror!”
Song Yushi couldn’t help but laugh.
This person, she never forgot to praise herself while complimenting others.
“Don’t laugh at me!” Qi Ke was displeased. She took a lighter out of her pocket and announced imposingly: “I’m going to give you all the brilliance.”
Song Yushi was slightly taken aback: “What?”
Qi Ke didn’t answer. She pulled out a sparkler, the flame of the lighter rose, and amidst the brilliant fireworks, the brightness in her eyes was even more intense.
One, and then another.
The fireworks died out and were lit again, moving and gentle in the salty sea breeze.
This was all of Qi Ke’s brilliance, burning up all the romance in the summer evening wind.
The last one was still burning, its sparks crackling as they fell onto the wet rock. Qi Ke asked, “Is it beautiful?”
Song Yushi nodded: “It’s beautiful.”
But Qi Ke shook her head: “Not as beautiful as you.”
Song Yushi muttered under her breath: “Looks-obsessed.”
The sparkler burned out.
Qi Ke picked up the wine bottle, walked over, and said in a low voice, “Then I have to thank you.”
Song Yushi: “Thank me for what?”
Qi Ke sat down next to her. Her long hair was blown back by the wind, revealing her clean, beautiful face. She smiled at Song Yushi: “Thank you for growing up to be just the way I like.”
Song Yushi pressed her lips together: “I…”
“Shh.” Qi Ke raised her index finger to Song Yushi’s lips, moved a little closer, crossing the safe distance. Their breaths brushed against each other’s faces, and ambiguity flowed with the wind in the night. Qi Ke turned her head, kissed the corner of her eye, and her voice dropped, clear and gentle: “Captain, you deserve to be liked.”
The tip of her nose and her heart softened at the same time. Song Yushi couldn’t withstand her deep affection and hastily lowered her head.
Song Yushi knew what Qi Ke was talking about.
She had always hidden her family background well. She tried her best to fit into the group and be a proper idol. But that disguise could fool her teammates and fans, but not her lover.
The insulting text messages from the Ruan family, the harassing phone calls from ever-changing numbers, and even the gambling bills sent to her mailbox.
They slandered her reputation, insulted her character, and trampled on her self-esteem.
Song Yushi originally felt it was nothing. She had been through too much and had long since become numb. But with Qi Ke’s words, a sense of grievance inexplicably swept over her, and her eyes suddenly reddened.
Song Yushi leaned on Qi Ke’s shoulder. She heard herself ask, “Will you always like me?”
Qi Ke was silent for a long time.
On the silent coast, their breaths and heartbeats were clearly audible.
“I will.”
Under the star-filled sky, Qi Ke finally spoke, lowering her eyes to look at Song Yushi. Song Yushi looked at the sea, seemingly counting her heartbeats.
Thump, thump.
She looked up again, her long eyelashes seeming to stir the starry sky, the stars twinkling in her eyes.
She said in a low voice, “Captain, I promise you, I will only like you.”
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