The press conference was held in a rented venue at a hotel. The area downstairs was packed with gossip reporters. When all the members of The Notes came out, they swarmed forward. Microphones pushed past the security guards’ blockade, and a series of questions fell upon their ears.
“Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan! Are you leaving the group just to get married? Can you reveal the wedding date?”
“Yan Qi, as the captain, is it a dereliction of your duty that you didn’t notice this about a member? What are The Notes’ plans after this incident? Will you start solo activities without disbanding?”
“With one member missing from The Notes’ group variety show, is it still The Notes? Is the group considering a name change?”
“Will the members attend your wedding? Can you talk about your non-celebrity boyfriend?”
“All questions have already been answered at the press conference.” The assistant blocked the microphones. “Please watch the replay on the XX livestream channel. We are not accepting interviews. No interviews here.”
The path cleared by security was wet. Their shoes splashed up tiny droplets of water as they walked on it. The five members of The Notes, led by Yan Qi, walked quietly and peacefully.
[Are these paparazzi sick? What does this have to do with my daughter? What kind of questions are those? My baby, hold your head high and walk with pride!]
[This is what good friends are, right? Even knowing you did something wrong, I still want to stand by your side.]
[Our The Notes is real]
[This is the best possible outcome.]
[I’m never chasing stars again, the damn entertainment industry has hurt me too deeply!]
[Yan Zhi You Yi are holding hands! Sob sob sob, my heart has gone soft. In the very beginning, it was just our two little babies in the company. To reassure the fans, not only did they commute to and from work as usual, they even did their normal fan service QAQ. My two little princesses, holding each other’s hands makes it less scary, right?]
As soon as they got into the nanny van, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan tacitly let go of each other’s hands.
The van door slowly slid shut, blocking out the questions and gazes. The paparazzi were still relentlessly pounding on the door. The group’s manager, sitting in the front passenger seat, said to the driver, “Drive.”
After a moment, she turned around, her gaze sweeping over the members, and sighed. “I know you’re all upset, so I fought for it with the company. I got you a week off to do your own thing, adjust your mindset, get some good rest, and… and say a proper goodbye.”
Say a proper goodbye.
Lin Yi clutched the water bottle an assistant handed her. The plastic crinkled faintly in her hand. Maybe, she thought, maybe after some time, I’ll be able to face this separation with a peaceful heart, but not right now.
The other members of The Notes clearly thought the same. After returning to the dorm, they looked at each other. Yan Qi hung her bag in the cloakroom and said, “I’m going to bed first.”
After speaking, she started to head upstairs, then paused. “Yuanyuan.”
“Ah?” Chen Yuan, like a startled rabbit, looked over blankly with red-rimmed eyes. “Captain…”
Yan Qi walked over, gently ruffled her hair, and said, “You haven’t slept well in a while, have you? It’s okay now. Go take a shower and get some proper rest.”
Chen Yuan said, “I still have to…”
“Don’t do anything.” Lin Yi also stepped forward and patted Chen Yuan’s back. “Listen to the Captain.”
“We all listen to the Captain.” Zhou Shichen waved a small fist. “Don’t worry about anything. Get a good night’s sleep first, and we’ll talk later!”
Xu Shuyan hummed in agreement.
Chen Yuan wiped her tears. “Everyone…”
Yan Qi took a step back. “Don’t say anything sentimental.” She glanced at her watch. “My economics class is about to start. I’m off. Good night.”
The four members of The Notes: “…”
Their captain really was an anti-sentimentality expert.
Since their debut, their group had rarely had any time off. An occasional day or two of rest was a luxury. Suddenly getting a week-long break felt a bit strange.
Lin Yi didn’t want to overthink things, so she simply buried her head under the covers and slept like the dead. She’d wake up to eat, see Xu Shuyan memorizing her lines, and ask with a yawn who Xu Shuyan was trying to out-compete. Was she mocking her by memorizing so few lines so diligently?
Xu Shuyan ignored her. She staggered back to her bed on unsteady feet and flopped down. “Wake me for dinner.”
The rain in S City seemed endless. The dryer hummed on the balcony. Through the misty window, she could see the plane trees in the residential complex stretching their branches to drink in the moisture. Occasionally, a resident would walk by holding an umbrella. A dog, unable to bear the loneliness, ran wildly in the rain, getting its fluffy fur soaked.
The news of Chen Yuan leaving the group to get married was still trending online, bringing an unprecedented amount of attention to the entire group. The PR team hired by Sweet Melon Entertainment was effective, controlling the narrative and slowly guiding public opinion. Although there were still plenty of rival anti-fans causing trouble, they no longer posed a significant threat.
But every time the assistant came over with the cooking auntie, she would remind them: “Less internet, more reading, more water, more sleep. Got it?”
Lin Yi was groggy from sleep. She would pause for twenty seconds after each bite of food, moving as slowly as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button.
She heard Xu Shuyan say, “Lin Yi has slept herself stupid.”
Slept herself stupid…
Lin Yi chewed on the soup-soaked rice, her brain processing the sentence. Who slept herself stupid? Was Xu Shuyan talking about her? Xu Shuyan… Damn it! She even said my name!
Lin Yi put down her spoon. “You’re the one who slept herself stupid!”
When she was angry, she puffed up all over. Her bangs were tied up in a small tuft on top of her head, making her look like a ripe apple about to explode. “You guys didn’t sleep? I’m asking, did you not sleep?”
Yan Qi pushed up her non-prescription glasses. “A vacation is hard to come by.”
Lin Yi asked expectantly, “So you have to sleep your fill?”
Yan Qi said, “So I used this time to sign up for a psychology class. I’m already on the third lesson.”
Lin Yi: “…Stop being so competitive.”
She looked at Zhou Shichen and Chen Yuan, full of hope. “You two must have rested well, right?”
Zhou Shichen said, “Yuanyuan and I have been going down the movie list on Douban, starting from number one. We’re already on the tenth film. The big screen is different from TV dramas; there’s a lot to learn.”
Lin Yi admonished, “So none of you listened to Sister Li?”
The assistant couldn’t bear it. “Xiao Yi, stop talking. Yanyan is about to finish your portion of food.”
Lin Yi: “!!!”
She dug in with her spoon, taking a huge mouthful. “Xu Shuyan, you’re stealing my food again!”
Xu Shuyan said coolly, “Who told you to just talk and not eat?”
Lin Yi shot her a glare. Taking advantage of the fact that they didn’t have any concerts coming up, she fiercely devoured two bowls of rice. She also became the first member of The Notes to post on Weibo after the relationship controversy.
@TheNotes-LinYi: Ate well today too [emptyricebowl.jpg]
[Ahhhhh baby, long time no see!!!]
[I want a selfie! If you don’t give me a selfie, I’m going to throw a fit!]
[Daughter is so good! Eat up and grow big and strong!]
【@TheNotes-XuShuyan commented: You could probably eat more next time if you don’t get distracted while eating】
[Xu Shuyan! You’re paying attention to whether she’s distracted while eating? Are you eating or people-watching? Focus on your food!]
[Thanks, I’m full too]
[Even if the sky falls, Yan Zhi You Yi will still be in love, kswl]
After her shower, Lin Yi saw Xu Shuyan’s comment and froze for a second. She put on a face mask and asked, “Why did you comment on my post?”
Xu Shuyan was watching a video and didn’t look up. “Just normal fan service.”
After waiting a moment without a response from Lin Yi, she glanced up slightly. Her bangs had gotten a little long recently. She hadn’t trimmed them because she couldn’t find scissors for the longest time, so they blocked her view a bit when she looked up.
Lin Yi was sitting at the vanity with her back to her. In the mirror, Xu Shuyan could see her smoothing the face mask to make it fit snugly. Sensing she was being watched, Lin Yi’s gaze met hers in the reflection.
Xu Shuyan spoke first. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Like she had OCD, Lin Yi smoothed out the mask bit by bit. Unfortunately, her face was too small, and there was still a lot of excess material around her chin. She wiped the dripping essence onto her hand. “I just think it’s kind of pointless. The fan service.”
Xu Shuyan looked down again.
The dance video on her tablet had just stopped, and the dark screen reflected her face. She tapped to exit it before saying, “It’s just part of an idol’s job. It doesn’t need to be meaningful.”
Lin Yi thought about it and agreed. She praised her, “Our Rapper Xu is so professional.”
Xu Shuyan couldn’t be bothered to reply.
A moment later, she received a Weibo notification: @TheNotes-LinYi replied 【I’d eat even more if you didn’t steal my food[angry_face]】
…When it came to fan service, Lin Yi was a professional.
The day before the vacation ended, Zhou Shichen broke the long silence in their five-person group chat.
Group: 【Top-Tier Idols in Training】
System: Zhou Shichen changed the group name to “Temporary BBQ Association”
Zhou Shichen: Babes, you in?
Yan Qi: In
Zhou Shichen: @LinYi, @XuShuyan, @ChenYuan
Lin Yi: BBQ?
Lin Yi: Don’t tempt me to sin!
Lin Yi: 【pinchesmylittle_tummy.gif】
Xu Shuyan: Okay
Chen Yuan: Okay~
Lin Yi: …So the youngest member’s opinion doesn’t matter, huh?
Xu Shuyan: You can gnaw on a cracker on the side.
Lin Yi: Xu Shuyan, you do remember we sleep together at night, right?
Zhou Shichen: How you sleep together, this is very important to me
Yan Qi: Since everyone agrees, let’s do it on the rooftop tonight. Beer or coke?
Zhou Shichen: We’re adults
Xu Shuyan: Both
Lin Yi: I want Want Want milk!
Xu Shuyan: @LinYi
Lin Yi: What
Xu Shuyan: You pat me
Xu Shuyan: …
Xu Shuyan: I told you to ‘pat’ my profile picture, why did you run over and pat my actual head?
Lin Yi: You weren’t clear!
System: Lin Yi ‘patted’ Xu Shuyan and said “Lin Yi is a big dummy”
Lin Yi: …………
Lin Yi: Xu Shuyan, you’re so dead!!!
Xu Shuyan didn’t give her a chance to retaliate, quickly following Zhou Shichen out to buy ingredients. After setting up the grill on the rooftop, Lin Yi looked at the skylight being pelted by the rain, then at the gloomy weather outside. She fiercely sent Xu Shuyan a voice message: “I’ll forgive you if you buy me Want Want milk!”
A moment later, Xu Shuyan sent her a photo of Want Want milk.
Lin Yi said in a deep voice: The Want Want milk saved your life.
Xu Shuyan: …
In the past, they would occasionally steal some leisure time from their busy schedules to have a BBQ on the rooftop and drink some beer. The yellow beer in the glass foamed white, and it was satisfying to drink down. Only Lin Yi, who couldn’t hold her liquor, was forbidden from drinking. She could only have coke, poking the fat on her stomach and saying, “Every day on the scale brings a new surprise.”
Chen Yuan was the best at starting fires. With a gentle blow, the flames shot up. She smiled in the firelight. “Done!”
Lin Yi squatted beside her, resting her chin in her hands and looking at her with adoration. “Yuanyuan, you’re so amazing. I can’t seem to learn how, no matter what. What am I going to do if I want BBQ in the future?”
Chen Yuan smiled at her gently. “If you want to eat, you can call me anytime. I’ll still be at the company.”
Lin Yi’s heart felt both sour and sweet.
She thought, Look at her. This person, she has such a beautiful smile, speaks so gently, and has a light in her eyes. Soon, she’s going to belong completely to someone else.
Oh, no, that’s wrong. She already belonged to someone else long ago.
“What does being in love feel like?” Lin Yi lowered her head, dipping a clean brush into the bowl of oil. “I’ve never been in love, so I’m a little curious.”
Chen Yuan took the oil bowl, thought for a moment, and said, “Being in love is when two people’s heartbeats resonate as one.”
It was too abstract a description, something that could only be understood intuitively, not explained in words. Lin Yi rested her chin in her hands and thought about it seriously. She decided it was better to ask shamelessly for clarification. Just as she was about to speak, the rooftop door was suddenly pushed open.
Before she could turn around, a weight suddenly landed on her. Xu Shuyan had jumped onto her back, dangling a bag in front of her eyes. “Your Want Want milk.”
Lin Yi’s eyes lit up. “Wow!”
“What are you talking about?” Xu Shuyan let go of Lin Yi and squatted down beside her to watch Chen Yuan grill the meat. “Let me tell you, Shichen and I got cornered by paparazzi just now when we were at the supermarket.”
Chen Yuan asked nervously, “They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”
Xu Shuyan shook her head. “They just blocked us and asked if we were going to have a BBQ at home. ‘The group is in this state, and you still have the heart to eat BBQ? Are you heartless?’”
Lin Yi frowned.
She asked Xu Shuyan, “You didn’t talk back to the paparazzi, did you?”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t talk back, but it was best to give people like that the cold shoulder. Otherwise, there was no telling how a single sentence could be twisted. At the moment, fans might think you’re tough, but later on, it could become a talking point about how rude you are.
“She didn’t,” Zhou Shichen said, placing the washed vegetables on a plate.
Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “Then-”
“I did,” Zhou Shichen said calmly. Meeting Lin Yi’s suddenly wide eyes, she shrugged. “I asked him back, if we don’t eat, should we just wait to starve to death? What’s the point of having a heart if you’re not alive?”
Xu Shuyan burst out laughing. “You should have seen the paparazzo’s face. He was so choked up he couldn’t say a word.”
Lin Yi lightly punched her. “You think our group hasn’t been trending enough these past two days?”
Zhou Shichen said, “Well, one more won’t make a difference anyway.”
Sure enough, while The Notes were preparing for their BBQ, the video was uploaded online. A rival even bought a negative trending topic for it: #ZhouShichenXuShuyanConfrontPeopleOnTheStreet#, making netizens scratch their heads: “How many more surprises does this group have that I don’t know about?”
They clicked in to see.
[Holy shit… that retort was so satisfying!!!]
[My daughter is so fierce! I love it! LMAO, I really want to see the paparazzo’s face!]
[So teammates can’t even go shopping together in private without being questioned? What? Do they owe you something? What did my daughter do wrong? She can’t even have a BBQ???]
[The paparazzi follow them around to get clicks and think they’re so great, huh?]
[Let them eat BBQ! Let them eat BBQ! Mind your own business when it comes to pretty girls!]
“Cheers!”
The glasses clinked above the steaming skewers. Lin Yi downed her milky drink in one go, turned the glass upside down, and declared heroically, “Who else? I ask you, who else?”
Xu Shuyan: “…You’re so proud of yourself for drinking milk.”
Yan Qi took a sip of beer and shook her head. “No one else.”
Zhou Shichen also doted on her unconditionally. “You’re the best drinker in our group.”
Chen Yuan tapped her empty glass. “A toast to our Xiao Yi’s huge capacity.”
Seeing Lin Yi getting so smug her tail was about to stick up, Xu Shuyan couldn’t stand it. “You guys have to stop spoiling her! The last time you indulged her and let her drink when she wanted to, who was the one who suffered?”
Lin Yi grinned. “Don’t be too jealous, Xu Shuyan. I’m claiming this title of ‘group favorite’!”
Xu Shuyan huffed, “Like I’d want it!”
“Really?” Lin Yi couldn’t resist teasing her again, bumping her shoulder. “For Yuanyuan’s variety show plan, if I draw you, I’ll definitely grant your every wish that day and let you be the group favorite.”
Xu Shuyan scoffed. “Just you doting on me, and you call that ‘group favorite’?”
Zhou Shichen interjected, “Doesn’t count, doesn’t count.”
Lin Yi blinked. “Then what does it count as?”
Zhou Shichen took a bite of meat and said with certainty, “That’s called dating!”
Yan Qi subconsciously glanced to the side, only then remembering no one was filming. She placed a grilled chicken wing on Zhou Shichen’s plate. “Eat your food and talk less.”
Zhou Shichen’s alcohol tolerance was actually just average, and she was getting tipsy. “What’s wrong with talking? Why can’t I talk? Yan Qi, can you stop being so serious all the time? Can’t you act more lively, like someone our age? You have no idea, when we first joined the group, I saw you holding meetings for us with such a cold face, I thought, ‘Ah, this person really doesn’t like us!’”
Yan Qi actually admitted, “That was true at the time.”
“So what changed your mind later?” Zhou Shichen propped up her chin. “Were you conquered by our beauty?”
Yan Qi looked troubled.
Lin Yi slammed the table. “Tell the truth!”
Xu Shuyan also slammed the table. “No need to say it! She was definitely conquered by our beauty!”
Seeing Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan playing off each other and steering the topic astray, Yan Qi poured herself another glass of beer and said, “I guess so. Back then, it was mainly because the group at my previous company didn’t work out. I was resentful, and my initial dislike for you all was partly me taking it out on you.”
“Later, I realized you guys were actually pretty good.”
“Even Yuanyuan,” she looked at Chen Yuan, who was eating and grilling at the side, and passed her the chili powder. “She was uncoordinated, sang off-key, and knew nothing about being in a girl group. But after everyone else finished class, she would secretly go back to the practice room to train. And Xiao Yi, who only seemed to know how to giggle foolishly and bicker with Xu Shuyan all day, would stay behind to teach Yuanyuan how to sing.”
“So small, yet so much explosive power. Her high notes soared so high I wanted to turn my chair for her.”
“Captain, stop praising me.” Lin Yi covered her face, feigning modesty after getting a compliment. “I can’t take it!”
Xu Shuyan was unconvinced. “What about me?”
“You?” Yan Qi recalled. “As soon as you turned eighteen, you got pink highlights in your hair, acting all cocky like you were the only one who mattered. But in reality, when you couldn’t win an argument with Xiao Yi, you’d get so angry you’d cry. You’d rap while crying, vowing to diss her back hard.”
Xu Shuyan: “…I didn’t ask you to talk about that.”
Lin Yi didn’t even know about this incident. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Xu Shuyan, you had a moment like that?”
Xu Shuyan gritted her teeth. “What? Do you feel guilty? It’s useless even if you do! You’ve already left an indelible scar on my fragile heart. I want you to regret it for the rest of your life!”
Lin Yi wagged a finger. “I mainly want to know how I made you cry. I was that formidable?”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She slammed her glass down. “Lin Yi! I’m gonna kill you!”
Lin Yi took off running, shouting as she went, “So when was it?! Captain! Captain, do you remember?! This is very important to me! I can use this to brag later!”
Yan Qi said slowly, “She-”
“Captain, if you say it, I’ll jump off this rooftop right now!” Xu Shuyan also yelled. “Leave Xu Shuyan some dignity!”
Yan Qi: “…Alright.”
They were used to Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi’s roughhousing, treating it like background music as they continued to eat, drink, and chat normally. When the sound of footsteps stopped, they knew Xu Shuyan had caught Lin Yi. Without turning her head, Zhou Shichen reminded them, “Hurry up and fight. The BBQ is about to get cold.”
“Did you hear that?” Lin Yi was pinned to a mat by Xu Shuyan. She gave up struggling. “Hurry up and torture me. I still have to go eat BBQ.”
Now that she said that, Xu Shuyan stopped moving and asked her, “Do you really want to know how you made me cry?”
Lin Yi asked, “You’re willing to tell me?”
Xu Shuyan hummed a long “Mmm.” “For this episode of the group variety show that Yuanyuan planned, let’s rig it so I draw the ‘Grant a Wish’ card. Then I’ll tell you.”
Lin Yi’s big eyes darted around as if she were weighing the pros and cons.
Xu Shuyan made a show of letting her go. “If not, then forget it.”
“No, no, no,” Lin Yi quickly pulled her back. “I didn’t say no. Fine, fine, fine. You want to be the group favorite that badly? I’ll go along with it, okay?”
After saying that, the thought of a little Xu Shuyan being made to cry by her made her laugh out loud. “So how did I make you cry?”
Seeing her laugh, Xu Shuyan knew she was full of mischief. She pinched her waist resentfully. “That day, you said I rushed the beat when I sang, that even Yuanyuan sang better than me. I wanted to refute you, but I didn’t want to say anything bad about Yuanyuan, so I could only…”
“You could only go hide somewhere and cry by yourself, right?” Lin Yi asked her.
“Who said that?” Xu Shuyan retorted. “I even wrote a bunch of rap verses dissing you. But you came to apologize to me later, so I threw all those lyrics away.”
Lin Yi didn’t believe her. “How is that possible? Me, apologize to you?”
Xu Shuyan chuckled dryly. “Well, you don’t remember anyway, so I can make up whatever I want!”
With that, she straightened up to leave, but Lin Yi grabbed her hand. Lin Yi used her strength to pull herself up and wrapped her arms around her neck. “Alright, fine. I was blinded by love back then.”
Xu Shuyan shot her a sidelong glance. “So?”
Lin Yi smiled at her. “So, your singing is better.”
Xu Shuyan said, “Oh,” and shook off her hand, walking toward the table.
She lowered her head and tried to hold it in.
But she couldn’t, and the corners of her lips curved up slightly.
Although she had promised Xu Shuyan she’d let her be the group favorite, after the vacation ended and filming for the variety show began, Lin Yi regretted giving up the initiative for a moment of satisfaction.
She tried to struggle. “How about we leave it all to fate? If I draw the ‘Grant a Wish’ card, that means the blessing is meant for me!”
Xu Shuyan couldn’t be bothered with her. “It’s fine if you want to create some drama for the show, but the final result has to be mine.”
Lin Yi whined, “Can’t we just listen to heaven for once?”
Xu Shuyan wasn’t falling for it. “We’re filming, right? Lin Yi is backing out of her promise! Everyone, come look! Someone’s going back on their word!”
Lin Yi quickly covered the camera lens. “Don’t film this part, don’t film this part!”
After a pause, she deflated. “Okay, okay, we’ll do it as we agreed!” She crossed her arms and scrutinized Xu Shuyan. “What are you really planning? Just spit it out!”
Xu Shuyan said to the cameraman, “You can go out first.”
The cameraman hesitated for a moment but obediently left.
Lin Yi urged her, “So mysterious. What are you up to?”
Xu Shuyan said, “My first wish is to go to a bridal shop and try on wedding dresses.”
Lin Yi: “…Are you crazy?”
Xu Shuyan completely ignored her surprise. “That’s right. I’m going to wear a wedding dress before Yuanyuan and become the first person in The Notes to wear one!”
Lin Yi: “…”
It’s over. It seems like Xu Shuyan’s brain has short-circuited after her heartbreak!
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