Fang Yi was already numb to Xu Shuyan’s crazy Weibo posts. She went to the forums to check the general sentiment and marveled in their three-person group chat, “The CP fans are shipping you to death, but after their initial meltdown, the solo fans have actually calmed down.”
Xu Shuyan was in the shower. Lin Yi replied to her, “…How have they calmed down?”
Fang Yi sent her a screenshot.
[This is totally normal. I take pictures like this with my bestie when we go out. What’s there to ship? You might as well ship me and my bestie. At least our feelings are real.]
[The Captain doesn’t like selfies, and Shichen was busy playing in the snow, so Yanyan could only take pictures with Lin Yi.]
[Sis, I advise you to delete this. Don’t go overboard with shipping CPs. They’re just good sisters. Why do you have to ship them romantically?]
She sent another one.
[Isn’t this all Fang Yi’s doing? Forcing my girl to be tied to her useless teammate. My girl is so unwilling but is still forced to do fanservice. Fang Yi, get out of Sweet Melon Entertainment!]
[Fang Yi is just promoting the one she likes and using my girl as a tool. Who doesn’t know that this CP does my girl a hundred harms and not a single good?]
[Fang Yi! Stop forcing her!]
Fang Yi: And then everyone focused on cursing out the company and me.
Lin Yi: …Figures.
After chatting with Fang Yi, Lin Yi was extremely sleepy. She fell asleep before Xu Shuyan finished her shower and didn’t even know when Xu Shuyan got into bed. Half-asleep, she hugged Xu Shuyan and snuggled against her. She heard Xu Shuyan say, “Go to sleep, baby,” and then completely lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, the entire city was draped in silver, a vast expanse of white, clear and clean.
Today, they had a full-makeup rehearsal to run through the show. They followed the concert’s pacing exactly, over and over again. But to conserve their energy, they also finished early. Afraid they’d catch a cold from the wind, their manager personally escorted them back to the hotel and repeatedly warned them, “Whoever gets caught going out to play in the snow gets their bonus docked.”
Thinking that some of them weren’t short on money, she added worriedly, “Yan Qi, you watch them.”
Yan Qi agreed, “Okay.”
The manager asked, “You’re not going to go out and play, are you?”
Yan Qi shook her head. “I already played yesterday. I won’t today.”
Only then did the manager leave, relieved. Xu Shuyan watched her back, wrapping an arm around Lin Yi’s waist and leaning into her embrace as if she had no bones. “Look at the suspicious way our manager was looking at me,” she said. “She’s really wronged me. I have to save money to buy a house now, don’t you think?”
Zhou Shichen’s eyes sparkled. “You’ve already progressed to saving up for a house? Are you buying in the complex we live in now?”
“Who can afford that?” Lin Yi pouted exaggeratedly. “It’s 260,000 per square meter, with a minimum of four hundred square meters. Even if you sold me, I couldn’t afford a house that expensive!”
Zhou Shichen: “So you really are buying it together!”
Yan Qi: “…”
Zhou Shichen really knew how to get to the point.
Since Yan Qi had promised the manager she’d watch them, she naturally had to follow through. She booked the hotel’s hot spring service and checked the time. “Go take a nap now. We’ll go to the hot spring at four o’clock sharp. Everyone has to be there.”
…And then Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi were late.
“It’s not my fault!” Lin Yi said, passing the blame as she got into the water. “It’s all Xu Shuyan’s fault! She insisted my lipstick wasn’t completely removed and said she’d help me. I thought she had some kind of makeup remover I’d never used before, but I didn’t expect her to kiss me!”
Zhou Shichen was leaning on the edge of the hot spring pool, her face flushed from the steam. Her big eyes sparkled. “Xiao Yi, you’re too kind. Giving us this ‘medicine’ right after you arrive. Who are you trying to kill with shipping feels?”
“…” Lin Yi choked for a moment, then glared at her.
Zhou Shichen immediately put on a serious face. “What a devious lesbian!”
Xu Shuyan, who had just changed into a T-shirt and shorts: “…”
Although she hadn’t heard what was said before, she felt like she’d taken an arrow to the knee.
Yan Qi sat cross-legged in the pool, a faint blush on her fair face. A fine layer of sweat had formed, but her expression remained unchanged. She cupped the trickling water in her palm and asked, “I have an economics lecture here. Does anyone want to listen with me?”
“No,” the three of them said in unison.
As if she had expected it, Yan Qi sighed softly. She put on her headphones and leaned next to Zhou Shichen, pressing her face against the cool stone to lower her body temperature. Zhou Shichen turned her head and laughed at her. “Feeling depressed?”
Yan Qi: “I miss Xiao Tang Bao.”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
With that look of unrecognized talent, it seemed like she was ready to go befriend Xiao Tang Bao despite their age gap at any moment.
“Were you just talking bad about me?” Xu Shuyan’s foot moved through the water to touch Lin Yi’s calf. She also leaned closer. “I sneezed while I was changing.”
Lin Yi’s eyes darted, and she sang, “If you suddenly sneeze, it must be that I am missing you~”
Xu Shuyan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Lin Yi wrapped her arms around her neck and snuggled closer, using the visual blind spot to tease her. Her lips neared Xu Shuyan’s ear, her sweet song like milk candy, cloying in the heart. “Oh bye, say a little less, I want to be with you for more than just one day, a little more, let me willingly love you.”
Xu Shuyan turned her head and kissed her by the ear. “I love you too.”
But just then, the air suddenly fell silent.
The two of them looked toward Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi, only to see them looking back with complicated expressions. After a long moment, Yan Qi finally said, “This is not the place for you to be romantic!”
Zhou Shichen also declared righteously, “If you’re going to be romantic, do it on stage!”
Yan Qi: “?”
Zhou Shichen lowered her eyes meekly. “I’m just trying to make sure my fellow shippers have some candy to eat…”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan: “…We will.”
Xu Shuyan wasn’t making an empty promise.
This winter concert was also being broadcast via a live online stream, allowing fans who couldn’t be there in person to attend remotely. So, all of Xu Shuyan’s interactions with Lin Yi during the game segment were broadcast in real time, making the CP fans, both at the venue and in front of their screens, go wild.
[Damn… Are Xu Shuyan’s eyes glued to Lin Yi? The host is talking, who the hell is she looking at?]
[Xu Shuyan! You’re terrifying! A woman in love is terrifying! Even though your wife is beautiful! And cute! And lots of people want to steal her away! But she can’t run away while she’s on stage! Do you have to stare so intensely?!]
[For the ‘Winter Messages for Teammates’ segment, Xu Shuyan’s double standard is way too obvious!]
[Xu Shuyan to Yan Qi: Captain, I hope you can have more breakthroughs this winter and be a little more interesting. When Shichen sends you silly videos, don’t just reply ‘What’s the punchline?’ Even if you’re just humoring her, at least reply with ‘hahahahaha’!]
[Xu Shuyan to Zhou Shichen: Shichen, thank you for the happiness you bring us. When the Captain is with you, she’s no longer so serious. I hope we can all be happy together this winter too!]
[Xu Shuyan is feeding the Qi Shi CP fans here…]
[Here it comes, here it comes, Xu Shuyan’s message to Lin Yi! This is way too long!]
[Xiao Yi, from 2017 to this year, this is the sixth winter we’ve spent together. When I first met you, you were so small, skinny like a little radish, with your hair in an apple-style topknot. You had big eyes and were especially cute and easy to trick. Since then, we’ve been together every winter. We’ve flown to different cities, from winter to spring, and from spring back to winter. We’ve watched the snow, gone skiing, and built snowmen. There are so, so many memories of winter. I hope we can spend next winter together too.]
[…Is she writing a love letter?]
[Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi: Getting this PDA shoved in our faces is really something else.]
This “Winter Messages for Teammates” segment was newly added this year, mainly because the group had lost a member and urgently needed to maintain their group spirit and reassure the group’s fans. Originally, everything they wrote was reviewed by their manager, but no one expected Xu Shuyan to improvise on the spot from just two short lines, forcibly turning it into a love letter.
After reading it, she looked at Lin Yi expectantly. “You hope so too, right?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan, if you want to come out on the spot, just say so!
Meeting Lin Yi’s slightly helpless gaze, Xu Shuyan suddenly came to her senses. She turned to Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen beside her as if patching a leak. “And you guys, I hope to spend next winter with you too, right?”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
Yan Qi: “…”
Fans: “…”
That save was so stiff and obvious!
Although it was awkward, Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi still played along and nodded. Yan Qi, with a strong sense of responsibility as a teammate, even came over and patted Xu Shuyan’s arm. “We will. We’ll be together next winter too.”
Danmaku: Lin Yi, say something, Lin Yi!
Lin Yi’s winter message, like the others before, had been reviewed. It was short but warm. She read them out in descending order of age, and when it was Xu Shuyan’s turn, she looked at the words on the script and suddenly had a change of heart.
Xu Shuyan had conveyed her feelings to her in front of this huge audience. Why couldn’t she be willful for once and join her in expressing this hidden love to the fullest? Perhaps the more flamboyant they were, the less people would believe it, and the more they’d think it was just fanservice.
In that case, she might as well, in the name of fanservice and under the watchful eyes of thousands, frankly give Xu Shuyan all her favoritism.
“Yanyan-”
The hand Lin Yi was holding the microphone with trembled slightly, and for a moment, her voice distorted. It was then drowned out by the screams filling the venue. She gave a helpless smile and made a hushing gesture to the audience. The commotion gradually subsided, but then a loud shout came from some corner: “Don’t love her too much, daughter!!!!”
The heart-wrenching cry dissipated in the huge venue, yet it was precisely captured by the microphones.
[??? Who shouted that?]
[Some heartbroken mama fan, probably, hahahahaha]
[Lin Yi! Can you love her somewhere I can’t see! Mama can’t take it! It’s okay! We CP fans are mamas too! Mama can take it! Love her a little more!]
[I’m dying laughing, Xu Shuyan must have heard it, she even glanced in that direction hahahahahahaha]
[Xu Shuyan’s face says: Listen to the nonsense you’re spouting. Who else would my wife love? Don’t try to stir up trouble between my wife and me. Can’t you be an open-minded parent?]
[Heh, they say they’re solo fans, but when they watch the performance, don’t they still scream ‘Wife, top me!’?]
“Actually, I rarely call you that,” Lin Yi began, pulling everyone’s attention back to her. She turned sideways to the audience, looking at Xu Shuyan. “I’m always shouting, ‘Xu Shuyan! Xu Shuyan! Xu Shuyan!’ and I always like to say, ‘Xu Shuyan is so annoying!’”
Xu Shuyan smiled.
“But I know, Xu Shuyan isn’t annoying at all.”
Lin Yi held back the tears that threatened to spill, but she couldn’t hide the love that was even more overwhelming. “Xu Shuyan is actually very gentle. She’ll go out to eat with me in the middle of a winter night. She’ll always keep her promises to me. She’ll lend me her copied notes when I miss class. She’ll practice in the studio late into the night to be more in sync with me. And she wants…”
“She wants to spend next winter together too.”
“Okay,” she said. “I hope we’ll be by each other’s side next winter. And for every winter after that, I hope we can spend them together.”
[jesuscrazy…]
[How is this any different from saying ‘let’s spend our whole lives together’!!!]
[I’m stunned, fam! What is happening? Is this the final letter-reading confession segment of a dating show? Yan Qi! Zhou Shichen! Don’t you feel like you’re shining a little too brightly?]
[I say everyone here is a guest at the Yan Zhi You Yi wedding, who agrees?]
[I’m attending virtually.]
[Giving 200 yuan as a gift.jpg]
[They’re hugging! They’re hugging! They’re hugging!]
[I now pronounce that the two newlyweds may kiss each other. Why are you hugging! Kiss!]
Both the live audience and the danmaku comments were shipping them like crazy. Even Zhou Shichen couldn’t control her knowing, aunt-like smile. Luckily, the ever-calm Yan Qi was there to control the situation and help the host move things along.
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan had to prepare for their duet stage, so they left first to go backstage and change. During this time, Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen chatted with the fans to buy time. Yan Qi was more serious, so Zhou Shichen teased her, “Captain, have you seen Yanyan and Xiao Yi’s practice room video for their stage?”
“For this stage?” Yan Qi asked. “I’ve seen it. I watch over every stage.”
“What did you think?”
“Hmm…” Yan Qi pondered. “It’s a C-pop style, popular music genre, the dance break has a fast rhythm, strong interaction, their coordination on the killing part is perfect, and the overall execution is excellent. It’s a very outstanding performance.”
Zhou Shichen: “…You’re being so formal!”
You’re not giving the CP fans anything to ship!
Yan Qi let out a slow “Ah” and asked seriously, “What’s wrong?”
Zhou Shichen helplessly ruffled her bangs and said, “Nothing. I mean your critique was very professional. I’ll give you a thumbs-up for that.” She didn’t forget to interact with the audience. “Don’t you all agree?”
Audience: YES!!! I’M DYING FROM THE SHIPPING FEELS!
Although they didn’t get any Yan Zhi You Yi content, the Qi Shi CP fans ate their fill.
Zhou Shichen was very perceptive; hearing the cheers, she knew the shipping machines in the audience weren’t picky at all. They’d ship whoever was in front of them. She shot a playfully reproachful look at the audience and heard the stage director’s voice in her earpiece: “You’re good to go.”
The host stepped forward at the right time and took over the conversation. “Well, I’m really full of anticipation for this stage. Are you all excited?”
Audience: Excited!
Host: “To our fan friends in front of the livestream, are you excited?”
Danmaku: Hurry up! I’m all ready! If you don’t come out soon, I’m turning off the stream and demanding a refund!
“Alright!” the host said. “Then let’s welcome Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi, who will bring us their performance of ‘The Curtain Falls’. One day, all stories will come to an end, except for our encounter tonight. Please welcome them!”
All the lights in the venue went out.
As the intro began, a single beam of light lit up a part of the stage. In an instant, it turned into several multi-colored lights hitting a bar counter. An overturned wine glass shimmered faintly, and the sound of pouring liquid was clear. Two glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.
“The prelude to this grand stage / is the beckoning of my hand / luring you into this lonely play…” Lin Yi’s face appeared from behind the bar, her long fingers gliding across the counter like a cat’s paw. Sequins adorned the corners of her eyes, and every move she made was full of temptation.
[!!!]
[Aaaaaah a little kitty! It’s a little kitty!]
[This song is so fucking good! Little wildcat, come home with me, okay!]
After Lin Yi finished the first short verse, Xu Shuyan came on stage. She had a suit jacket draped over her shoulders, looking like someone who had rushed over for some fun after work. Whistles and teasing laughter mixed with the music, but her eyes landed on Lin Yi at first glance.
Lin Yi raised her glass to her, took a sip, and left a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
She pushed the glass across the counter.
Just as it was about to fall, Xu Shuyan caught it.
The subsequent partner dance was the dance break Yan Qi had mentioned. It was fast-paced, full of sexual tension, and had strong interaction. The screams from the audience came one after another, occasionally punctuated by curses to show their excitement.
After this dance segment, the story reached its conclusion. Both saw the other as prey, wanting the prey to take the bait on their own. Neither was willing to make the first obvious move. As they brushed past each other, they suddenly turned back.
The final section was a series of climaxes.
Lin Yi hooked Xu Shuyan’s waist and pulled her into an embrace. The ambiguous push-and-pull between them reached its peak at this moment. Finally, after three more turns, Xu Shuyan took the lead. The lights gradually dimmed.
Only their overlapping silhouettes and the lingering final notes of the song remained.
“The story reaches its climax and the curtain falls
You raise an index finger, shake your head, and say no
Don’t stop, don’t let go, don’t let this kiss end
To a place where no one is
This distant, beautiful legend
The rose and the nightingale rush toward the story’s end…”
[Fuuuuck!!!]
[Why did the lights dim! Is there something I’m not allowed to see! Can’t I just pay for it! Sweet Melon Entertainment! Give me an account number! I’m gonna transfer money!]
[Release the official audio ASAP! Aaaah it’s so good!]
[They both see the other as prey, but they’re also disguised as prey themselves, luring the other in while uncontrollably taking the bait. I’m telling you, you’ve both fallen hard!!!]
[Who has fallen into the trap of love?]
[I don’t know if Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi have fallen, but I’ve definitely fallen into the Yan Zhi You Yi love trap wuwuwuwu! Mama, I really love watching people be in love!]
[‘The Curtain Falls’ is the best performance of the night. I agree, who objects?]
[So good that even the other members’ fans are shipping it…]
[Hahahahahahaha the Yan Qi fan next to me was screaming louder than I was, grabbing my wrist and asking ‘Is Yan Zhi You Yi real? Is it really real? You’ve shipped a real couple!’]
[I just saw a post on the forum titled ‘OMG! Xu Shuyan stripped Lin Yi’s clothes off on stage!’]
[I saw it too, I saw it too, hahahaha! Comment section: Before clicking: ‘What kind of nonsensical CP-brained talk is this?’, After clicking: ‘Holy shit, they’re playing this wild? Aren’t they worried about flooding?’]
[…I don’t know, but I’ve flooded the floor.]
[What are Yan Zhi You Yi doing now? How could they control themselves and not do it? They have to go back to the hotel and do it until the sky turns dark, right?]
[After all that teasing, are they going to do math problems instead of getting in bed? Do it!!!]
Just as all the shippers wished, the performance was too seductive. After throwing themselves into it completely, the fire they’d suppressed lingered for a long time. They didn’t even stay for the whole celebration party, sneaking back to the hotel. Shoes and clothes were thrown all over the floor, the soft duvet wrinkling as they tangled together, becoming soaked with sweat, the moisture seeping deep inside.
A thick layer of frost covered the glass door leading to the balcony. Amidst the howling wind, snow drifted in through an open window. Flurrying down, the blizzard looked like willow catkins, swept up and then dropped by the wind under the streetlights.
The heavy curtains blocked out all the cold, not affecting the scorching atmosphere inside the room in the slightest.
It was as if ten thousand ants were crawling through her heart, flowing with her blood to every corner of her body. As if they were truly lovers picked up at a nightclub, this encounter with Xu Shuyan was stimulating to the extreme, passionate to the extreme, and joyful to the extreme.
It’s okay to cry.
Xu Shuyan whispered in her ear, then kissed the glistening tears at the corner of her eye, taking them into her mouth, stirring the most primitive desires. They devoured each other bit by bit, melting into water and becoming one.
At the peak of pleasure, they embraced and kissed, drenched in sweat, enveloping each other in the most ardent and gentle love.
Lin Yi slept deeply and had a very strange dream.
She dreamed that she and Xu Shuyan were childhood playmates who grew up together at the end of the same alley.
At five, they had neat, ear-length bobs and wore red clothes, as pretty as dolls from a New Year’s painting. They squatted together, heads tilted back, laughing with innocent abandon.
At fifteen, they were in their third year of middle school, and Xu Shuyan had hit her rebellious phase. She didn’t wear her school uniform properly, tying her jacket around her waist. With a flick of her ponytail, her sharp gaze warned off all of Lin Yi’s admirers. And when she encountered her own pursuers, she would coolly wrap an arm around Lin Yi’s waist and say pitifully, “You’ll have to ask my girlfriend’s opinion.”
Only after the person left would Lin Yi stomp her foot. “Who’s your girlfriend, Xu Shuyan! Have some shame! I don’t want to be in a puppy love relationship. If I get caught, I’ll be nagged to death!”
Xu Shuyan would trail after her eagerly and declare, “Then I’ll just be in a one-sided puppy love relationship with you!”
The clock struck twenty-five.
They were ordinary people, living nine-to-five lives. Her job was a bit busy, and she occasionally worked overtime. Xu Shuyan would come to her company to wait for her, leaning on the adjacent workstation to watch her work.
Lin Yi grew embarrassed under her gaze and pushed her without looking away from her screen. “What are you looking at?”
Xu Shuyan took the chance to grab her hand, lightly scratching her palm. She pressed Lin Yi’s palm to her cheek and whispered sweet nothings, “My girlfriend is so beautiful when she’s working!”
…The dream was so real that when Lin Yi was woken by her phone ringing, she couldn’t snap out of it. She stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling both a pang of sorrow and a sense of relief.
The sorrow was from the regret of not having met Xu Shuyan sooner.
The relief was from knowing that in every parallel universe, she and Xu Shuyan could be together. That was wonderful.
A variety of complex emotions played out in turn. Only when the ringing stopped and started again did she realize it was her phone. Before she could reach it, the bathroom door opened, and Xu Shuyan walked out. “You’re awake? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“Just woke up.” Lin Yi rubbed her eyes, her voice lazy. When she saw who was calling, she was slightly puzzled. “Hm?”
“Who is it?” Xu Shuyan asked.
“My dad,” Lin Yi muttered, wondering why her dad was thinking of her when it wasn’t a holiday or special occasion. Then, just as she was about to swipe to answer, she suddenly realized, “He’s not going to pressure me to find a partner again, is he?”
She glanced guiltily at Xu Shuyan.
Last time, because she’d been vague, she and Xu Shuyan had a small tiff about it. Xu Shuyan clearly remembered it too. Just as she was about to say something, the call connected.
“Dad?” Lin Yi yawned. “What’s up?”
Her dad always got straight to the point. “Your mom came to me in a dream last night. She said you did great at your concert. I just listened to it, and it was indeed pretty good.”
“…” Lin Yi’s yawn stopped. She sat up and said seriously, “Dad, it’s not embarrassing to watch my concert. For the next tour, I’ll talk to the organizers about setting a date in Mountain City. I’ll pull some strings and get you VIP tickets. Two of them-one for you, and one for Mom.”
“Have you found a partner yet?” After two seconds of silence, her dad awkwardly changed the subject. “When are you going to let my wife see them?”
Lin Yi looked up.
Xu Shuyan wasn’t eavesdropping on the call, but she wasn’t far away. Right now, she was bent over, rummaging through a suitcase for something. The hem of her shirt rode up, revealing a small sliver of her fair, slender waist, as bright as moonlight.
She licked her lips and said, “In the next couple of days. I’ll bring her to see you.”
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