The winter concert was announced on the day of the “Lesser Snow” solar term.
In the short announcement video, the four members of The Notes wore red plaid overcoats with matching scarves, giving off a strong winter vibe. Amidst a flurry of prop snowflakes, Yan Qi looked serious, Zhou Shichen was goofy, Xu Shuyan was cool and cute, and Lin Yi was adorable, each with her own distinct style.
The voiceover they recorded was also warm and romantic.
“Dear fans, The Notes’ annual winter concert is officially announced!” Yan Qi said, holding up one finger.
Beside her, Zhou Shichen held up two fingers, wiggling them like little tree branches. She looked at the camera and flashed a row of pearly white teeth, her smile radiant. “Do you want to spend a snowy night with us?”
“Do you want to spend the winter with us and welcome the spring?” Xu Shuyan stared into the camera, pressing her index finger to her cheek to create a small dimple, also making a “one” sign.
“Then come to our concert!” Lin Yi held out her palm, wiggling her five fingers playfully.
Finally, the four of them said in unison: “On December 15, 2022, come to the H City Olympic Center for a winter date with The Notes, and let’s have a winter love song together!”
Along with the announcement video, the setlist for the concert was also released.
Normally, a concert’s setlist wouldn’t be officially released in advance, but in all the years since the Gu Group was formed, the winter concert had always been different from the others. Aside from two hidden surprise tracks, all the other songs would be announced beforehand.
[Holy crap, every pair has a collaboration stage! I’m so excited!]
[Our Yan Zhi You Yi has one too? Did Sweet Melon Entertainment finally see the light? They’re not splitting them up?]
[Sweet Melon Entertainment, I swear! Why aren’t they splitting them up! Hurry up and break up Yan Zhi You Yi! I don’t want to see someone standing next to my daughter!]
[The songs are all winter-related. The Gu Group is so romantic. Is this a concert? This is them dating me! I’m down for anything! Sisters, upvote me!]
[The internet is not a lawless place! Please watch your words!]
[I checked the weather, and it’s definitely going to snow in H City on December 15th!]
[Damn, it’s our little romance with the Gu Group, every single year QAQ]
[I suspect that even if it doesn’t snow, Sweet Melon Entertainment will make it snow artificially for the sake of ritual…]
[Is “The Curtain Falls” an original song? I’ve never heard it. It sounds like it has a lot of feeling. I’m already imagining Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan sneaking out of the cinema before the movie ends and kissing in the snow under a streetlight!]
[The movie’s curtain falls, but our love doesn’t. I’m dying from the sweetness.]
…
The song “The Curtain Falls” was indeed an original.
It was a beat Lin Yi had chosen for her new album. The lyrics followed a romantic theme, perfect for singing in winter. She decided to use it for the collaboration stage first, then record a solo version for her album later.
“It would be great if we could release a duet version,” Xu Shuyan said, twirling a pen in her hand as she looked at the lyrics she’d scribbled on a draft notebook. “If we released a duet version, would your fans curse me to death?”
She pondered, “But CP fans buy albums too, and quite a lot of them.”
“Stop dreaming,” Lin Yi’s fingers danced across the black and white keys. She said, “In this group, I can release a collaboration with Shichen, or with the Captain, but not with you.”
Xu Shuyan hummed in agreement. “Looks like the fans know very well who the real couple is.”
Lin Yi burst out laughing, winking at her. “Your fans know very well too. Last time we went to record the movie’s theme song, you got a little too close to me downstairs from the recording studio, and I heard someone scream their lungs out: ‘Xu Shuyan! Don’t get close to other women!’ It scared me so much I quickly took several steps away.”
Xu Shuyan: “…No wonder you disappeared when I turned around. I was wearing headphones and didn’t hear anything.”
Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi had flown to HK in mid-November to meet with the music director for the movie Empathy and discuss some issues regarding the soundtrack. Last week, the two flew to HK again to record the full title track.
The first time they went, they were still in the process of being “decoupled,” so they deliberately took separate flights. Not only did they prevent CP fans from getting any material, but solo fans also started a trend of celebratory giveaways, congratulating Yan Zhi You Yi on their breakup. But not long after, Xu Shuyan flew to G City to visit Lin Yi on set and didn’t leave until the next morning, delivering one blow after another.
The next time they flew to HK, they were on the same flight.
On the day of the recording, the three fan factions were fighting fiercely, and the tension spilled over offline, their words laced with anger. Sister Fang reminded them it was best to wear headphones to avoid getting hurt. Xu Shuyan listened, but Lin Yi didn’t.
“Why didn’t you listen to Sister Fang?” Xu Shuyan said. “I’m going to tattle on you!”
“I refuse to run away, okay?” Lin Yi had her own reasons. She turned a page of the sheet music, and the melody of a new song rose from the keys. “You can’t just block out the love because you’re afraid of receiving malice.”
After saying that, she paused, not hearing a response from Xu Shuyan, and turned to look.
Xu Shuyan was looking at her.
She was resting her elbows on the piano, propping up her chin and watching her, very intently. Lin Yi froze for a moment, then leaned over and touched her forehead to Xu Shuyan’s before pulling back slightly. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking,” Xu Shuyan said, “I was thinking my wife is so insightful.”
“…Hey!” The notes under Lin Yi’s fingers fell into disarray, just like her heart, which had been thrown into chaos by Xu Shuyan’s teasing. She chided, “We agreed to only talk about work during work hours, no romance. If Sister Fang sees us, she’ll lecture us again!”
Xu Shuyan asked, “Can you control yourself?”
That question hit the mark. Lin Yi’s eyes darted around guiltily. Seeing that no one else was there, she beckoned to Xu Shuyan. Xu Shuyan was drawn over, and Lin Yi planted a loud kiss on her cheek, smiling sheepishly. “I can’t.”
Xu Shuyan tutted. Just as she was about to kiss back, the practice room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
In an instant, the two of them sat up straight, putting some distance between them, like two ordinary colleagues forced to do a group project together. The sense of alienation was palpable.
But it was just the cameraman who filmed their daily life.
The cameraman was holding an apple, which made a crisp sound as he bit into it. He asked while eating, “Why are you two so far apart? Broke up again?”
Lin Yi: “…”
“You’re the one who broke up again!” This cameraman had been filming them for a long time and was as familiar as could be. Xu Shuyan didn’t hold back, throwing her draft notebook at him. “Did Sister Fang send you?”
“Yeah.” The cameraman turned on his camera. “Sister Fang said we need to film some daily content of you two together. I thought you were back to doing fan service. If not, how am I supposed to film now? A solo fancam?”
Lin Yi quickly said, “We are back to doing fan service!”
The cameraman was puzzled. “Then what were you two doing just now, moving apart so quickly?”
We were secretly being romantic!
Lin Yi grumbled inwardly, but said aloud, “She was showing me something. We thought a teacher was coming, so we panicked because we were afraid of getting scolded for using our phones.”
The cameraman said “oh” and smiled broadly. “Well then, ladies, shall we begin?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Why didn’t I ever notice how punchable this cameraman’s smile is?
When the cameraman said “begin,” he meant entering fan service mode.
Before their debut, The Notes had taken classes on idol fan service: what kind of persona to have, how to interact on social media, at offline fan meetings, and on stage. Of course, the most important part was interacting with their teammates.
There were many CPs in a girl group, but only one or two would stand out. No matter how much people complained about it being an official push, a forced pairing, or forcing straight girls to act gay, the fact that many people shipped it meant there was something about the CP that resonated with them.
Like Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan. Just a brief interaction during a group stage at their debut showcase was enough for people to ship them based on their looks alone, making them the first CP in the group to have their own Super Topic.
As more content was released, fans learned that the two had known each other since joining the company, that one was a sweet-voiced vocal and the other a cool older-sister-type rapper, and that they went to the same school, had the same major, and were roommates. This made those who had invested in the ship early on ecstatic, pulling even more people into the CP fandom. The more people shipped them, the more the company pushed them, and they gradually became the hegemon CP.
In all the years of doing fan service with Xu Shuyan, Lin Yi had always been very professional. The moment the camera was on, she loved Xu Shuyan to death. The moment it was off, she could bicker with Xu Shuyan to death.
But now-
Lin Yi stared blankly at the camera pointed at them. Now that she and Xu Shuyan were dating, it didn’t matter if the camera was on or off; she loved Xu Shuyan to death either way. But being told to do fan service like this felt a little awkward.
Xu Shuyan felt the same way. After the camera started rolling, she took the draft notebook from the cameraman and stared at the characters on it, unable to think of a single thing to say to Lin Yi to start a conversation.
After a moment of silence, the cameraman couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you two playing Red Light, Green Light here?”
Lin Yi let out a small “ah.”
The cameraman waved his hand, disappointed. “Interact! Where’s your interaction! What were you doing before I came in? Just keep doing that!”
Lin Yi: “…”
Before you came in, Xu Shuyan and I were about to kiss. I’d love to keep doing that, but would you dare to film it?
“Oh, I get it.” The cameraman slapped his forehead. “Are you two going for the ‘atmospheric’ vibe now? It’s been a while since you’ve done fan service, so you’re afraid being too intimate right away will seem abrupt to the fans. So you just sit there quietly, not interacting, and the fans can still ship you to death.”
“…Ship what?” Xu Shuyan was genuinely curious.
Have CP fans evolved to the point where they can ship two people sitting together like strangers to death?
“Don’t knock it, it’s true.” The cameraman specialized in filming CP interactions and had done his own research. “You two just sitting together without talking is beautiful enough. It’s like what the poems say. Applied to CPs, it means an old married couple doesn’t need to interact; the atmosphere itself is full of pink bubbles.”
Lin Yi felt a dark line form on her forehead. “Are you conducting academic research here? If you’re so good at this CP stuff, why don’t you go direct a romance variety show?”
“Ladies, I’ve actually been asked.” The cameraman sighed. “Unfortunately, their romance shows are all scripted. I still prefer improvisation, and I like couples with a real emotional foundation.”
Xu Shuyan chimed in, “Like us.”
The cameraman nodded with a smile. “Adjust your states. Shall we continue?”
Lin Yi asked, “We continue being silent?”
“Whatever,” the cameraman said. “I have to film here for a long time anyway, so just interact normally. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just film some dorm life. Once you’re in bed, there’s got to be something shippable, right?”
Lin Yi: “…”
I’m more worried there won’t be anything that can be broadcast.
After that, the cameraman quietly settled into a corner and started filming. Lin Yi played the piano for a while, then turned to look at Xu Shuyan. As if by telepathy, Xu Shuyan happened to look over at the same time.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled.
Lin Yi gave Xu Shuyan a light push. “So, are we continuing or not?”
Xu Shuyan caught her hand, slowly sliding it down and swinging it gently in mid-air. The piano blocked their movements, leaving endless room for imagination for anyone who saw it. Lin Yi’s heart relaxed, and under Xu Shuyan’s silent reassurance, she gradually found her footing again.
It was no longer a state of fan service, but a state of loving Xu Shuyan.
No acting required. She was always in love.
Xu Shuyan tickled her palm, then placed her other hand on the piano keys. Notes danced at her fingertips. “Let’s continue,” she said.
For this duet stage, they had to learn a new original song, starting everything from scratch. After their teacher taught them, they had to practice on their own, singing section by section with the piano accompaniment. Only after they had learned the entire song and finished recording could they start learning the choreography.
“It’s like this,” the choreographer interrupted them after they finished the first part of the chorus. “The story for this song is that you, Xu Shuyan, and Lin Yi meet in a nightclub. You’re strangers, strangers who are interested in each other.”
Xu Shuyan argued, “I am very interested in her.”
“The way you look at each other isn’t right!” the choreographer said. “You two are too familiar. The look in your eyes should be seductive, seducing a stranger, not this tacit understanding where one look from you means I’m going to bed with you, like a seasoned pro.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Lin Yi: “…”
She blushed and whispered, “Teacher! Is that something you can just say out loud!”
The choreographer paused. “What’s wrong?”
The choreographer was just creating a dance based on the song’s style and lyrics. She had choreographed much bolder and more provocative routines before. Her comments were from a professional standpoint. Unfortunately, the two people in front of her had guilty consciences, their minds racing with dirty thoughts, and they were complaining that she was being too explicit.
“Oh.” The choreographer realized. “Haven’t you two danced many similar routines before? I’ve choreographed even bolder ones for you. You weren’t shy then, but you’re shy now?”
She teased, “Why do I feel like you two are acting weird?”
Lin Yi’s eyes widened. “Are we? We’re not! We’re perfectly normal!” She poked Xu Shuyan’s waist. “Xu Shuyan, isn’t that right?”
“Yeah,” Xu Shuyan agreed distractedly, then said to the choreographer, “We’re just too familiar. Teacher, could you be more specific?”
The choreographer nodded and gestured for them to sit on the floor. “You’ve seen the full choreography. It’s about two girls who meet in a nightclub, engage in some ambiguous push-and-pull, and then, at the end of the duet, they glance back at each other as they brush past.”
“The look in your eyes should be all seduction. But it’s not serious. It’s ‘if you’re willing to come with me, then come with me. If not, I’ll find someone else.’”
“How could she find someone else!” Lin Yi expressed her dissatisfaction with the plot. “Who would look at Xu Shuyan and still want to find someone else?”
“It’s the script!” the choreographer slapped the floor.
“…Oh.” Lin Yi said sullenly, pressing her palms together. “I won’t interrupt again!”
“You’d better not.” The choreographer didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She continued, “This seduction is about seeing a beautiful stranger. The way you two look at each other is too familiar. Go home and figure out how to be strangers!”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Asking two people who’ve slept together eight hundred times to look at each other with the eyes of strangers is a bit of an acting challenge!
After the choreographer left, the two of them sat on the wooden floor, speechless, sharing only wry smiles and confusion. After a while, Lin Yi collapsed into Xu Shuyan’s arms, her silent laughter turning into a full-blown one.
Xu Shuyan tickled her waist lightly. “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?”
Lin Yi struggled, begging for mercy. “I’ll stop, I’ll stop.”
But she didn’t get up, instead lying on Xu Shuyan’s lap and looking up at her. “What do we do, Xu Shuyan?”
Xu Shuyan lowered her head and brushed Lin Yi’s bangs aside, revealing her clear eyes. Lin Yi’s upward gaze was fixed on her, making Xu Shuyan’s heart itch. She kissed the corner of Lin Yi’s eye before asking, “What do you mean, what do we do?”
“Haven’t we been through too much in just two days?” Lin Yi counted on her fingers. “Yesterday, the cameraman wanted us to do fan service and look at each other with love. Today, we have to act like strangers seducing each other. Why make things so hard for music students! Is it my fault my acting sucks?!”
Xu Shuyan stared at Lin Yi’s lips, which seemed to be tempting her to kiss them. While trying to find the right angle, she placated Lin Yi, “This is probably the consequence of skipping acting class.”
Lin Yi suddenly remembered something else and sat up. “The drama we acted in has a release date, right?”
Xu Shuyan clicked her tongue in her mind.
Didn’t get to kiss her.
She licked her lips, wallowing in regret for a moment before slowly processing what Lin Yi had said. “Sweet Orange? It’s set for November 26th. The production team asked us to film a VCR to congratulate the broadcast.”
“When are we filming it?” Lin Yi asked.
“In a couple of days,” Xu Shuyan recalled. “Sister Fang said the four of us will be filming some daily content together in a couple of days, with full makeup, so we’ll film the promotional voiceover then.”
Lin Yi looked embarrassed. “Sister Fang must have been rambling so much during the meeting that I fell asleep.”
Xu Shuyan hummed. “I can prove it.”
Lin Yi’s eyes widened, and her voice rose. “How can you prove it?”
“I was sitting right across from you that day. You were sleeping soundly with your chin in your hand, snoring. I had to gently kick you with my foot to wake you up. And you,” Xu Shuyan pinched her cheek, “you sent me a message saying not to seduce you during work hours, that an office romance needs to be kept secret, and that no matter how much you wanted to play with fire, you couldn’t do it under Sister Fang’s nose, and to be nicer to her. You sent that message, right?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Her expression fell, and she tugged on the sleeve of Xu Shuyan’s sweatshirt. “How was I supposed to know you were telling me not to sleep? Sister Fang didn’t even say anything to me.”
“All the artists she manages were there that day. She had to give you some face, right?” Xu Shuyan said, then kissed her cheek again, reflecting deeply. “But it’s all our fault for not being able to control ourselves. We were up too late the night before. If I didn’t have a little self-control, I would have fallen asleep too.”
“Why don’t we sleep in separate rooms!” Lin Yi suggested. “It could also help us find that ‘stranger’ feeling.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Well, do you have a better idea?” Lin Yi crossed her arms and interrogated her. “Excuse me, Miss Xu, the great rapper with ‘a little self-control,’ can you control yourself from cuddling with me when we sleep together?”
Xu Shuyan shook her head honestly.
Lin Yi asked again, “Can you control yourself from touching me?”
Xu Shuyan shook her head again.
Lin Yi asked one last time, “Can you control yourself from kissing me?”
Xu Shuyan still shook her head.
“See?” Lin Yi threw up her hands, then put them on Xu Shuyan’s shoulders, whining softly, “Even you can’t control yourself, so someone with poor self-control like me has even less of a chance.”
Xu Shuyan pulled her into her arms, resting her chin on Lin Yi’s shoulder and nuzzling her. “So tonight we… sleep separately?”
Lin Yi: “Okay.”
Xu Shuyan: “And leave work separately?”
Lin Yi: “…Okay.”
After a moment, seeing that Xu Shuyan hadn’t let go, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Shuyan’s voice was muffled. “Just a little longer.”
Lin Yi suddenly remembered a time before she and Xu Shuyan were together. They were also practicing dancing in the dorm’s media room. She had accidentally tripped and fallen on top of Xu Shuyan, and Xu Shuyan had said the same thing.
Just a little longer.
It’ll be okay in just a little longer.
Her heart melted completely. She hugged Xu Shuyan back a little tighter, turned her head to kiss Xu Shuyan’s ear, and whispered, “Xu Shuyan.”
“Hm?”
“I love you so much,” Lin Yi said.
Lin Yi didn’t think she was the type to lose her head over love.
After all, even after she started dating Xu Shuyan, they weren’t stuck together every day and night. Without Xu Shuyan to play some “finger games” with, it just took her a little longer to fall asleep, but she could still sleep soundly.
…But tonight seemed to be an exception.
Lin Yi lay on the princess bed she and Xu Shuyan had picked out, staring through the light purple canopy at the ceiling, which seemed to drift closer and then farther away. Her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. She rolled over and looked at the pillow beside her.
Just yesterday, Xu Shuyan was sleeping here, kissing her.
Her kissing skills had improved, and their coordination had become more and more in sync. They could find each other’s pleasure points without even thinking, whisper sweet nothings, take a shower together, and finally, hold each other-
Wait!
Can’t think about it anymore.
Lin Yi shook her head. If she kept thinking, she was afraid she’d really rush downstairs. Strangers, strangers, she and Xu Shuyan are strangers. If Xu Shuyan doesn’t want to go with her, she’ll find someone else.
Bullshit! Lin Yi scoffed internally. Xu Shuyan likes her so much, she’d definitely come with just a crook of her finger.
That’s right, Xu Shuyan likes her so much.
Lin Yi sat up. Xu Shuyan likes her so much, she definitely can’t sleep well without her. As for that stage, worst case, they could just take a couple more acting classes and get a teacher to coach them specifically. There had to be a solution. Making a couple in the throes of passion sleep under the same roof but not in the same bed- who was this really torturing?
Lin Yi glanced at the door, made up her mind, and threw off the covers to head out.
Xu Shuyan must be tossing and turning in her room downstairs. She can’t function without me. Xu Shuyan- Lin Yi slammed on the brakes, running right into Xu Shuyan on the stairs.
“Xu Shuyan!” Lin Yi cried out. “You-”
The wind blew the white curtains on the balcony, and the dim light from outside filtered in, disappearing at the landing. The faint yellow wall sconces in the stairwell took over, illuminating the two people kissing there.
Xu Shuyan was cupping Lin Yi’s face, kissing her deeply, when she suddenly heard a door open.
Both of their bodies stiffened.
The footsteps coming from the room also stopped abruptly.
Lin Yi followed Xu Shuyan’s gaze upstairs and saw Zhou Shichen. She had probably felt stuffy and came out for a drink of water and some air. She locked eyes with Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi for two seconds, the water she hadn’t swallowed yet trickling down from the corner of her lips. She blinked, then calmly turned around and went back into her room.
Lin Yi: “?”
Xu Shuyan: “?”
A moment later, a loud shout came from the room: “MY CP IS SO REAL AHHHHH! I’M DYING FROM THE SWEETNESS AHHHH!!!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Lin Yi: “…”
A moment of silence for the Captain.
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