“Have you been drinking?”

His breath brushed against her ear, tickling her slightly.

Lu Manman’s mind instantly cleared. She pushed him away with force and instinctively moved back, maintaining a one-meter safety distance from him.

“You’re here too.”

“Come over and hang out.”

Yuan Xiu asked again, “With friends, or alone?”

“With my roommates.”

“And you’ve been drinking,” he murmured. “Winning the competition makes you this happy?”

“Wow, you’re so nosy.”

Lu Manman thought about the scene just now and felt uncomfortable, her tone a bit sharp. “Why do you care whether I’m happy or not?”

Seeing the usually polite and gentle Lu Manman suddenly turn into a little hedgehog, Yuan Xiu chuckled and reached out to pat the back of her head.

The action, slightly intimate, instantly closed the distance between them.

“Where are your friends?”

“Watching a handsome guy’s concert.”

“Go find them then,” he said, turning and taking small steps away.

Lu Manman muttered something under her breath. Yuan Xiu turned back from a distance to remind her, “Don’t drink too much.”

Hmph, so meddlesome.

Lu Manman returned to the bar. The concert had ended, and Zhou Yan was signing autographs for enthusiastic fans. From his social media, it seemed that his rock band was somewhat famous in their circle. Though it was niche, they had quite a few fans.

Lu Manman walked over and nudged Xia Tian’s shoulder. “Go ask him for an autograph.”

Xia Tian held a single album of Zhou Yan’s band in her hand, looking conflicted. “I’m actually not that familiar with him.”

“I’m not even close to my idols! I know him, but he doesn’t know me,” Lu Manman said. “It’s fine, just go over there, get a bit familiar with him, and after you get the autograph, post it on your Moments saying ‘You’re amazing, brother,’ and keep up the familiarity.”

“Ah, no way. I added my mom on Moments, and I can’t let her know I’m at places like this, or I’m done for.”

“How dumb,” Lu Manman said. “You can set your Moments to be visible only to specific people. Just let him see it.”

“That trick…” Xia Tian was at a loss for words. “It’s ruthless.”

“It’s a strategy,” Lu Manman said with a smile. “In the future, for all those show-off Moments, only let him see them. You can craft any persona you want—sweet, wild, sexy—whatever he likes, you can be.”

Xia Tian looked at Lu Manman in disbelief. “You have so much experience. Be honest, have you done this before?”

Lu Manman pushed her gently. “Hurry up, or he’ll be leaving soon.”

Encouraged by Lu Manman, Xia Tian finally squeezed into the crowd of fans, also taking out a carefully prepared small gift for Zhou Yan.

Things seemed to be going well. Zhou Yan took the single album from Xia Tian, signed it quickly with a marker, and handed it back to her with a smile, saying, “So you came too.”

Xia Tian’s face turned red, and she said in a dazed voice, “Huh? You… recognize me?”

Zhou Yan replied, “We’re friends on WeChat, right? Xia Tian, that’s you, isn’t it?”

Xia Tian’s eyes widened, and she was nearly overwhelmed. “Ah!”

He really remembers!

Zhou Yan glanced at his watch. “Are you in a hurry to leave?”

Xia Tian shook her head. “No, I’m not in a hurry.”

“Then could you wait for me for a moment? After I finish signing, I’d like to buy you a drink.”

Xia Tian’s heart skipped a beat. She stumbled back to Lu Manman, dazed. “He… he said he wants to buy me a drink.”

“Wow, looks like there’s potential here.”

Xia Tian felt as if she was floating. “I feel like I’m not even grounded right now. It all feels so unreal.”

“Don’t put him on a pedestal,” Lu Manman advised. “Boys like him who are pursued by fans probably want their girlfriends to see them as just ordinary people.”

“Yeah, I understand now. Thanks, Manman!”

Ten minutes later, Zhou Yan and Xia Tian went to a quieter corner to chat. Lu Manman, feeling bored, wandered to the entrance. Cheng Yu was busy promoting foreign liquors to clients, her face lit up with a bright smile, completely absorbed in her work.

Not wanting to disturb Cheng Yu, Lu Manman left the bar alone and stood under a streetlight.

The neon lights of the city shone brightly, and the occasional passing cars stirred the bangs on her forehead.

Autumn’s chill was in the air as she leaned against the streetlight, standing silently for a while before pulling out her phone to call her dad.

At this time, both of her dads were probably still at work.

Lu Manman decided to leave them a voice message.

“Daddy Alex, did I tell you that I came in first place in the solo category at the campus competition? But there’s this guy from the school’s competitive club named Zhou Jialiang who was so mean, he actually cheated to make me lose.”

“Hmph, how could I possibly lose? I’m W, and W never loses.”

“I still have to compete in the doubles and team events. In short, I want them to know that messing with Lu Manman means trouble!”

“I know, I know. Even if you win at this level of competition, there’s not much to be proud of. If Qiao Xingye and the others find out, they might even laugh. W participating in an amateur competition like this?”

“W is a legend, an idol to so many people, carrying their hopes. W can never lose…”

Her voice choked up, tears welling up in her eyes and swirling around. “What’s scarier than failure is not seeing hope, not knowing the direction to strive for.”

She bit her lower lip tightly as tears streamed down her face. “Manman feels so tired! Manman misses home so much. The moon in China is so big and so far away, but without Daddy Alex and Daddy Louis, it doesn’t feel like home here.”

After sending several voice messages, her hand trembled as she tapped on the messages to withdraw them one by one.

Tears fell on the phone screen, and no matter how much she tried to wipe them away with her sleeve, they wouldn’t come off.

After retracting all the messages, Lu Manman put on her cap, squatted under the streetlight, and closed her eyes tightly. She let her tears flow freely, sobbing deeply, one wave after another.

Not far away, Yuan Xiu stood by the roadside, watching her from a distance with a faint hint of pain in his breath.

“What’s scarier than failure is not seeing hope, not knowing the direction to strive for.”

He extinguished the cigarette in his hand with a soft “sizzle” and walked briskly towards her.

A lollipop suddenly appeared in front of her misty eyes.

She looked up, slightly dazed, and saw Yuan Xiu’s deep, sparkling eyes.

Yuan Xiu unwrapped the lollipop and held it out to her.

Lu Manman took it dazedly and popped it into her mouth, the sweet, tangy orange flavor spreading on her tongue.

As she couldn’t help but sob again, she felt his warm hand gently patting her back.

Once, then again.

“Missing home?” His voice was deep and rich, like bitter coffee.

Lu Manman lowered her head and nodded lightly.

“And what else?”

“Unhappy,” she replied honestly.

“Mm?”

With her red lips wrapped around the lollipop, she said, “I’m unhappy because someone schemed against me.”

Yuan Xiu’s hand, which had been soothing her back, paused for a moment.

“The only way to relieve this unhappiness,” Yuan Xiu said, “is to smash their heads in.”

Lu Manman wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, stood up determinedly, and said, “That’s for sure!”

A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Aren’t you out tonight to relax?”

“Huh?” Lu Manman looked confused.

“Let me take you out to unwind.” Yuan Xiu grabbed Lu Manman’s wrist and led her into the bar.

Before Lu Manman could react, she was guided to the bar counter by Yuan Xiu. “Book a KTV room.”

The waiter led them to a private room, turning on the colorful ceiling lights and the TV on the wall to play music.

Yuan Xiu told the waiter, “Three bottles of beer.”

Lu Manman waved her hands repeatedly. “I don’t drink.”

“Who said it’s for you?”

Alright.

With the drinks on the table and all opened, Yuan Xiu picked up a bottle and started drinking.

“Sing,” he said, handing her the microphone.

“Sing what?”

He raised an eyebrow and asked while drinking, “Do you want me to choose?”

“Never mind.”

She probably wouldn’t know the songs he picked anyway.

Lu Manman walked over to the song selection console, chose a few soothing English songs, and began to sing.

Yuan Xiu sat on the edge of the sofa, watching her from a distance. Her small face, still flushed from crying, had not yet lost its red hue, and her breath was uneven. But her voice was pleasant, soft and gentle, like a warm breeze sweeping over a hill.

He reached over and turned off the lights, dimming the room. Only the bright screen of the TV cast a glow, illuminating her face.

After a few songs, Lu Manman’s mood clearly improved. She turned around and saw that Yuan Xiu’s beer bottle was already half-empty. “You should sing too.”

Yuan Xiu asked, “Do you want to hear me sing?”

Lu Manman smiled. “It’s no fun if I’m the only one singing.”

Yuan Xiu nodded and decisively took the microphone.

“Pick some songs. What do you want to hear?”

Lu Manman thought of a Chinese song that Cheng Yu had been singing recently and said, “Do you know ‘Actor’?”

“Help me pick it,” Yuan Xiu replied.

Lu Manman ran over to the song selection console and chose Xue Zhiqian’s “Actor” for Yuan Xiu.

The soft music began to play, and Yuan Xiu held the microphone in one hand while the other rested on his knee, his fingers still holding a half-burned cigarette.

“Keep it simple, speak simply… Skip the escalating emotions, you’re not an actor, don’t stage those scenes.”

Throughout the song, Lu Manman didn’t watch the TV screen; she was watching him.

His singing posture was even more appealing than in the MV.

The emotion he conveyed while singing was deeper than that of the male actor in the MV.

Lu Manman moved closer to him, picking up the half-empty bottle of beer he had been drinking.

The cold liquid poured into her mouth, tinged with a slight bitterness.

As Yuan Xiu sang, he glanced at her. She closed her eyes tightly, took several gulps of beer, and then furrowed her brows with a “ha” sound.

The drinking was exuberant and satisfying to the utmost.

A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

After finishing the song, he clinked his beer bottle with hers.

“Cheers.”

Lu Manman grabbed her bottle and clinked it back. “Cheers!”

“To you, the first drink. You beat me in the finals this summer,” Yuan Xiu said, clinking his beer bottle with hers. “But from now on, I won’t give you any more chances to smash my head.”

Lu Manman took a sip and gave him a slight smile. “How about smashing your—”

Yuan Xiu: …

It was clear that she was quite drunk.

“To the second drink, cheers to W,” he said, clinking his bottle with hers again.

“Cheers to W!” Lu Manman held up her bottle to drink, but he snatched it away. “I’ll drink this one for you.”

Lu Manman didn’t refuse. Yuan Xiu took a swig from her bottle, gulping down a good portion. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and the orange-yellow liquid flowed down his neck.

Sexy.

“To the third drink, cheers to M4,” Yuan Xiu said with a hint of drunkenness in his eyes. “Sooner or later, the name M4 will resound throughout the world!”

Lu Manman’s smile faded, and she stared at him with wide eyes.

Yuan Xiu drank from his glass, and Lu Manman snatched it from him and took a sip as well.

“It definitely will!” she said, forcing back her tears and with a resolute gaze. “M4 will definitely be more popular than W. M4 will definitely outshine you guys!”

Yuan Xiu smiled and ruffled her hair. “Come on, then. Outshine me.”

Like a ready-to-explode firecracker, Lu Manman suddenly lunged at Yuan Xiu, pushing him onto the sofa. She gripped his collar tightly, looking like a fierce little beast.

Caught off guard, Yuan Xiu looked at her, her flushed face close enough to touch, her hazel eyes shimmering, and lower, her glistening lips.

Their breaths mingled, so close.

“Yuan Xiu, can I kiss you…” she asked, her gaze lingering on his lips, tinged with a hint of longing.

His breath was unsteady. “If I say no, will you let me go?”

“No.”

“Then why ask?”

In the next moment, he pressed the back of her head and took the initiative to kiss her soft lips.

Their lips and teeth tangled together, the intoxication of alcohol mingling with the kiss, growing deeper and deeper, blending with the night.