Chapter 17: I Really Want to Go to the Concert

After sending Lin Xiang off, Tang Xiaohe continued enjoying the air conditioning at home.

With nothing to do, she logged into her fan account on Weibo, which she hadn’t checked in a long time, and quietly lurked in the fan group chats to see what the girls were chatting about.

“I’ll finally get to see our babies tomorrow—I’m so excited!!”

“Ughhh… human joy and sorrow really aren’t connected. It was supposed to be in Guangcheng, but because of venue issues, it suddenly got moved to Nancheng. I live way too far from Nancheng, so I can only watch them on TV. Ughhh…”

“I heard the theme this time is: ‘Two stars will drift apart but also cross paths again. In the vast galaxy, there may be no next time.’ Our boys are so romantic!”

Tang Xiaohe had been lurking quietly but finally typed a weak message:

“Wait… where did you say the concert is being held?”

“Are you using village Wi-Fi or something? Nancheng!”

Tang Xiaohe wanted to cry. She clutched her chest and buried her face into a pillow.

Ahhhhh! She wanted so badly to go to chairs’ concert! It was originally supposed to be held in Guangcheng, and because of work, she couldn’t go. She had even uninstalled Weibo in tears; afraid she’d get too jealous and emotionally spiral.

As a result… she completely missed the venue change announcement.

She missed the ticket sales.

Tickets for chairs were near impossible to get. Still holding onto a sliver of hope, Tang Xiaohe asked in the group:

“Maybe… is anyone selling their ticket?”

“Forget it, sis. I’ve been refreshing for half a month and haven’t seen a single resale ticket.”

Tang Xiaohe was full of regret. How could she have stayed off Weibo for so long and not kept up with chairs’ news? She started to feel like a fake fan.

But if she missed this concert, who knew how long she’d have to wait for another chance to see them live?

After thinking for a moment, she posted a message to her Moments (social feed):

“Dear magical ticket friends—anyone have tickets for chairs’ Nancheng concert? Please save this poor soul.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures—maybe someone out there had a spare ticket.

Meanwhile

Ji Yanli stared at Tang Xiaohe’s profile picture for a long time.

Just admit it, Ji Yanli—from the very first time he saw her, she had felt different from everyone else.

He found himself feeling distressed when she cried. He was willing to invite her into his home. The more he got to know her, the more he realized how incredibly cute she was. As long as she was around, his eyes couldn’t look away…

Ji Yanli clicked into her Moments feed—and happened to see what she had just posted.

Chairs…
His gaze darkened slightly. He picked up the phone and dialed Xu Yang.

“I don’t care how you do it. Before 6 PM today, get me two tickets to the chairs concert.”

Xu Yang nearly dropped his jaw. “Since when do you care about concerts?”

“So much talk.”

Xu Yang exaggerated his tone: “Can’t even ask? Bro, do you have any idea how popular this band is? Their tickets were sold out the moment they were released. The concert is tomorrow! Where am I supposed to find tickets now?!”

Though he was exaggerating, he wasn’t wrong.

Ji Yanli paused slightly, then said in a low voice:

“Whether or not I can get a wife depends on these two tickets. You figure it out.”

“What the—WHAAAT?!”

Xu Yang’s voice turned into loud background noise. Ji Yanli moved the phone a little away from his ear.

Xu Yang was in total disbelief. Did he just say what I think he said?! This thousand-year-old ice block was finally showing signs of emotion?!

His gossip soul burned with excitement.

Ji Yanli awkwardly cleared his throat. “The point is, this is important.” Then, remembering Xu Yang’s usual unreliability, he added with suspicion:

“You can get it done, right?”

Since Ji Yanli had spoken so seriously, what else could Xu Yang do?

“Of course I can! I definitely can! I will get them, no problem.”

True to his word, Xu Yang moved fast. Just two hours later, he called back:

“I got the tickets. They’re in my hands right now. Are you home? I’ll bring them over.”

Ji Yanli replied crisply, “Come over.”

At Ji Yanli’s place, the two sat across from each other.

Ji Yanli took the tickets from Xu Yang and let out a subtle sigh of relief. He gave them a little wave, then nodded at Xu Yang. “Thanks.”

Xu Yang crossed his arms, giving Ji Yanli a scrutinizing look. “Come clean for leniency, resist and you’ll suffer. Name? Occupation? When did you start sneaking around? What does her family—”

Ji Yanli cut him off coldly. “Are you interrogating a criminal?”

Xu Yang laughed. “I’m just curious! Back then, your aunt was practically lighting a fire under you to date, and you always acted like some enlightened monk ready to renounce the world. Who would’ve guessed you’d secretly go out and buy concert tickets for a girl? You really had us fooled!”

Ji Yanli didn’t respond, neither admitting nor denying.

Xu Yang grinned wider. “So, when are you bringing our future sister-in-law home for a visit?”

Hearing the word sister-in-law, Ji Yanli couldn’t help picturing Tang Xiaohe trailing behind him—small and sweet—as they visited his family’s old house together. His lips curved slightly. “When the time is right.”

After posting her Moment, Tang Xiaohe received tons of likes and supportive “squatting for tickets” comments—but not a single offer for an actual ticket.

She knew deep down she probably wasn’t going to the concert. In a gloomy mood, she opened two cans of cat food for Laifu and Zhaocai.

Worried the sharp edges of the can might hurt their tiny tongues, she carefully scooped the food into their little bowls.

Both cats closed their eyes and blissfully enjoyed their gourmet meal.

Tang Xiaohe patted Laifu’s head and gave Zhaocai’s neck a good scratch, sighing.

Ah, cats have such simple joys. As long as they have something tasty, they’re happy.

Humans and cats aren’t that different—when desires are fulfilled, happiness follows naturally. But what she wanted… was to go to that concert.

Forget it. Maybe next time.

Ding dong. A message popped up on her phone.

It was from her pinned contact: Ji Yanli.

“A friend just happened to have two extra tickets. Want to go to the concert tomorrow?”

Tang Xiaohe slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming with excitement. She couldn’t believe it. She read it again and again—word by word, over and over.

“For chairs?!”

“What else would it be?” Ji Yanli’s replies came quickly.

Tang Xiaohe immediately scooped up the still-eating Zhaocai and spun in place. Zhaocai was extremely annoyed. What did I ever do to deserve this?!

She quickly set the cat down and typed:

“Yes yes YES!”

She also sent a starry-eyed emoji, afraid Ji Yanli wouldn’t understand just how thrilled and excited she was.

Ji Yanli gently ran a finger across his phone screen. The corners of his eyes softened as he typed:

“See you tomorrow.”

Tang Xiaohe wished time could fast-forward straight to tomorrow. How could she possibly concentrate on anything else now?

She was going to the concert.
To see her favorite band.
With her favorite person.

Her heart thumped wildly, and she had a strong, unshakable feeling…