Chapter 52: My VIP Tickets, Gone Just Like That

Hai City.

Jun Nanye reminded Tao An for the third time, “Tao An, make sure to keep an eye on the two center seats in the front row. Take pictures, get their names—don’t let them slip away.”

“Nanye, you gave them those tickets yourself. Don’t you know who they are?” Tao An asked, his face full of confusion.

Xia Wanwan’s Hai City concert had been arranged in a rush, all thanks to Jun Nanye’s behind-the-scenes efforts. He had personally secured the two best VIP seats, saying he wanted to gift them to someone.

And now he was ordering Tao An to stake out those seats, snap photos, and track down the ticket holders.

Nanye, weren’t you the one who gave those away?

Jun Nanye shot him a cold glare. Tao An quickly corrected himself. “Got it. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

“Whoa, there are so many people!”

Bei Xiaolin was attending her first concert. After getting off the train, she hopped into a taxi straight to the venue. Even before arriving, she could see a sea of people flooding the entrance.

“Look at those glow sticks! I’ve seen those on TV. Let’s buy one!”

She eagerly pulled Cheng Yuan over and bought not only glow sticks, but a stack of posters too. “If we’re lucky, we might even get Xia Wanwan’s autograph!” she said, eyes sparkling.

“Everyone wants that. Maybe we’ll get our chance someday,” Cheng Yuan replied. She had only brought basic essentials in her backpack, with money tucked away in a hidden pocket. Navigating the crowd, she led Bei Xiaolin toward a quieter plaza nearby to wait for entry.

“Xiaolin, I need to tell you something,” Cheng Yuan said seriously.

“The ticket’s fake, isn’t it? You don’t even have a ticket?” Bei Xiaolin asked nervously. “It’s fine! I brought over five hundred yuan. We can buy one if we have to.”

“The tickets are real,” Cheng Yuan said, “but we can’t sit in those seats.”

“Why not?” Bei Xiaolin blinked. “Isn’t this from your pen pal?”

“Yeah, but I’ve never met him in person. If I sit there, we might run into each other, and… it’d be complicated.”

“But Yuanyuan, he’s just your pen pal, right? What’s there to be afraid of?” Bei Xiaolin looked genuinely puzzled. In her eyes, someone who fixed her Walkman and sent test papers couldn’t be bad.

Cheng Yuan hesitated. “It’s not that I don’t like him. But if it makes things awkward… I’d rather avoid it.”

Bei Xiaolin offered, “Then let’s just repay him for everything—the papers, the Walkman, and the tickets. We can afford it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve helped him too,” Cheng Yuan said. “He’s had trouble sleeping. Our arrangement helped both of us.”

But deep down, she knew it wasn’t that simple. Tao An’s dark circles hadn’t just appeared overnight. Lately, they’d been disappearing.

She could pay him back later—for the test papers, at least.

“Okay… but how are we going to exchange these tickets?” Bei Xiaolin looked at the two VIP tickets in her hand, her heart aching a little. Front row seats… if we trade them, will we even be able to see the stage clearly?

“Easy.” Cheng Yuan scanned the crowd. Her eyes landed on a girl decked out in designer clothes, clearly someone with money to burn. The girl was mid-argument with a scalper over ticket prices, willing to pay hundreds more for better seats—but they couldn’t agree.

Cheng Yuan quickly bought a face mask and baseball cap, pulled them on, and instructed Bei Xiaolin to do the same. Then she approached the girl. “I have a pair of VIP tickets. Interested?”

“Seriously?” The girl eyed her suspiciously. Despite the mask and cap, Cheng Yuan’s eyes were striking. She looked too plain to be holding such prime seats.

Cheng Yuan flashed the tickets.

The girl’s expression lit up like she’d struck gold. She lunged forward, but Cheng Yuan casually stepped back.

“I’m Song Yu. I’d like to buy your ticket,” she said eagerly. “How about a thousand yuan?”

She had learned about the concert too late. All the good tickets were sold out. The only one she could get was in the middle section—way too far back. She had tried to exchange it for a closer one, but the scalper had demanded two thousand yuan—for a seat only five rows ahead!

“Do you already have a ticket?” Cheng Yuan asked instead.

“Yeah,” Song Yu said, showing it. “I just wanted to upgrade.”

“Then let’s trade. I have two.”

“So do we,” Song Yu replied, pulling her friend forward. “How much do you want for the difference?”

“Nothing,” Cheng Yuan said. “Just one condition—if anyone asks where you got the tickets, say you don’t remember.”

Song Yu stared at her, unsure. Her friend whispered, “What if they’re fake?”

VIP seats for free? Is she serious?

“They’re real,” Cheng Yuan said flatly. “But if you’re worried about getting them for free, I’ll even give you three hundred yuan.”

She had already looked up the resale value. The difference between the tickets was roughly that much.

Her straightforwardness finally convinced them.

“Okay, I trust you,” Song Yu said, and they exchanged tickets. She even handed Cheng Yuan the three hundred yuan. Her friend looked nervous, but Song Yu felt certain.

“We just made three hundred yuan?” Bei Xiaolin whispered in awe.

“Someone else offered two thousand,” Cheng Yuan said. “Three hundred isn’t that much in comparison.”

“Only a fool would pay that much for a concert ticket,” Bei Xiaolin huffed. Her dad was generous, and she got plenty of pocket money. Aside from snacks and internet cafés, she saved most of it.

They repeated the swap with a few others and eventually entered the venue.

“Sigh… we’re so far back,” Bei Xiaolin lamented, gazing at the distant stage and missing the VIP seats already.

“Next time, we’ll buy our own,” Cheng Yuan said reassuringly.

Bei Xiaolin threw an arm around her. “Honestly, I’m riding your coattails this time. Without you, I wouldn’t even be here. I’m just happy to be inside.”

Cheng Yuan smiled as her friend whipped out the glow sticks and began waving them like crazy—still giddy like a child, even before Xia Wanwan had taken the stage.