Chapter 63

This rehearsal was nothing short of perfect.

When it wrapped up, the director’s applause rang out, joined by cheers from the crew backstage.

Lin Qimian swept her gaze over them. Men and women alike craned their necks, their faces a mix of shock, suspicion, and envy—as if only in that moment did they truly see Xu Yueliang, truly come to know her.

Lin Qimian pulled her eyes away. Director Zhou stepped onto the stage to fine-tune the shooting details, passionately conferring with Xu Yueliang.

Xu Yueliang held her hands clasped at her chest, listening intently. Under his direction, she repeated several key movements.

Only when the official full run-through was about to begin did Director Zhou let her step down, pointing at her for emphasis. “You still have to come for the combined rehearsal!”

“Absolutely!” Xu Yueliang gave a bow. “I’ll wait backstage.”

Lin Qimian slung an arm around her shoulders, turned her about, and led her out of the lights’ glare.

Behind them rose a clamor of activity and the blast of enormous music. Lin Qimian tilted her head toward Xu Yueliang. “Actually, you don’t need to hang around waiting.”

Xu Yueliang felt a profound stillness settle over her.

Lin Qimian’s hand rested on her shoulder, her arm curving around half her body—like she’d carved out a private realm of quiet amid the chaos.

In that realm, everything else blurred into the background. Only the woman beside her mattered: her breath, her heartbeat, every word she spoke, every nuanced shift in her tone standing out in sharp relief.

“Eh?” Xu Yueliang murmured softly in response.

Lin Qimian leaned in close, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. “If you’re tired, we can find somewhere to rest. You can come back when it’s almost your turn.”

Her breath brushed Xu Yueliang’s ear, sending an itchy tingle across her skin.

Xu Yueliang lifted a hand and rubbed her other ear, as if to fend it off.

“No, I can’t.” She shook her head. “The full run-through is important. Everyone has to be there.”

Lin Qimian smiled. “You won’t miss it. Someone will call me when it’s getting close to your part.”

Xu Yueliang fought the temptation, turning to meet Lin Qimian’s eyes. A flush crept across her cheeks. “Doctor Lin, you’ve already done so much for me. I… I can’t keep asking for special treatment.”

Lin Qimian arched a brow, and Xu Yueliang rushed to add, “I actually like waiting backstage. It lets me get familiar with the flow and pick up some experience.”

That gave Lin Qimian pause. She merely smiled and nodded along. “All right, then.”

Her hand still firm on Xu Yueliang’s shoulder, she pivoted them in a new direction. “In that case, I’ll walk you back.”

“Mm.” Xu Yueliang angled herself carefully to match Lin Qimian’s stride—staying within the circle of her arm without pressing too close.

Halfway there, realization dawned on her. Lin Qimian settling her in was, in effect, settling herself too.

After all, Lin Qimian had come to B City for her sake. Now that she’d sorted out the trouble, was she really going to stick around for this endless rehearsal?

“Doctor Lin!” Xu Yueliang’s voice pitched with sudden alarm. She tipped her head back to look up at her. “Um, aren’t you exhausted right now? This trip must have worn you out—you were working this morning, and now it’s dark… Why don’t you… take a break?”

Lin Qimian met her gaze, a soft, questioning hum rumbling in her throat. “Hm?”

Xu Yueliang’s hand fluttered vaguely in the air. “I mean, you don’t have to keep me company. It’ll be late when this wraps up. If you don’t mind, you could go to my… hotel room…”

Her words dwindled to a whisper, as though the perfectly sensible suggestion carried some illicit undertone.

Lin Qimian came to a halt.

She eased her arm from Xu Yueliang’s shoulders and regarded her with grave attention.

On the journey here, worry and urgency had consumed her—fixated solely on confirming Xu Yueliang’s safety, her success, her joy in this performance.

She hadn’t spared a thought for anything else.

Whatever Xu Yueliang needed today, she’d provided. Whatever she didn’t, she’d withheld. If companionship for a few hours was required, she’d given it. The slightest hint otherwise, and Lin Qimian would have caught the next flight out of B City.

Moments ago, she’d been electrified by Xu Yueliang on stage.

That electric thrill had transcended base human selfishness, igniting in her a noble conviction: to give to Xu Yueliang selflessly, to devote herself without expectation of reward.

She was utterly enchanted by Xu Yueliang—like a devoted fan, ready to worship from afar and blaze trails through any obstacle.

In her mind, she’d mapped out Xu Yueliang’s path ahead, anticipated her every need, cast herself in the roles of manager and assistant. But then, in the midst of those fevered imaginings, one simple sentence from Xu Yueliang yanked her back to earth.

Back to the reality of their relationship.

Going to Xu Yueliang’s hotel room—did that mean she was inviting her into an even more private space?

Or… was it just a polite, courteous question?

Lin Qimian thought it over for a few seconds and decided she wanted a clear answer.

Everyone knew she could simply book another room herself. She wouldn’t bother asking something so foolish. If she was going to ask, she might as well push the boundaries a little—safely, of course.

“I’m not tired,” Lin Qimian said. “I can stick around until rehearsals wrap up. We can grab some late-night snacks together, head back to the hotel together, and after the show tomorrow, return to S City together… if that’s what you want.”

Lin Qimian paused, giving Xu Yueliang plenty of time to respond. Then she leaned in slightly, meeting her eyes, and in a slow, coaxing tone asked, “Do you?”

Xu Yueliang froze, her body going rigid like a startled animal, her gaze rippling like autumn waters in the wind.

She parted her lips once, twice, before managing a few faint syllables. “What about… your work…”

“I’ve already taken today off,” Lin Qimian replied with a smile. “One more day tomorrow won’t hurt.”

Xu Yueliang’s face turned scarlet all the way to the tips of her ears. “Really…?”

“Mm, we get a full week of annual leave. I barely got to enjoy National Day anyway.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes lit up with sudden excitement. “Then tomorrow I’ll take Doctor Lin somewhere even better to eat!”

Lin Qimian wouldn’t let it go. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes went wide.

“Do you want me to keep you company or not?” Lin Qimian pressed.

Xu Yueliang pressed her lips together tightly, her nose wrinkling. It was only after a long moment, as the stage director bellowed the schedule through a megaphone, that she slapped Lin Qimian’s arm and said, “Yes! Yes! I want you with me! Just stay by my side—you can’t go anywhere.”

With that, she spun on her heel and dashed off.

Lin Qimian hurried after her, laughing the whole way.

From then on, waiting backstage felt entirely different for Xu Yueliang.

Doctor Lin stayed right by her side—but calling her Doctor Lin now felt oddly distant.

What she was doing had nothing to do with being a doctor.

She fetched hot water for Xu Yueliang and thoughtfully slipped a straw into the cup so her lipstick wouldn’t smudge.

She carried things for her, liaised with the staff on procedures. When the costume team delivered the outfits, she escorted Xu Yueliang to the changing room, and once she emerged, fussed over every detail until it was perfect.

She was like a personal assistant, or a savvy manager orchestrating everything from the shadows. Yet when her gaze turned to Xu Yueliang, it felt utterly detached from the work. She was a friend—an intimate one, perhaps even more—in a bond built on profound trust, though it wavered at times.

Xu Yueliang couldn’t quite make sense of it, but she savored every greedy moment.

It was like a dish wafting an intoxicating aroma; she didn’t know what it was, yet she’d already taken it into her mouth.

Sweet and soft, it left her body humming with contentment.

When it was finally Xu Yueliang’s turn onstage, Lin Qimian gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and whispered encouragement.

Xu Yueliang brimmed with buoyant energy. As the music swelled, she felt her dance lifting her straight to the heavens.

The full rehearsal went off without a hitch.

The director had no notes—he even flashed her a thumbs-up.

Xu Yueliang floated offstage, light as air, with Lin Qimian waiting just below.

One step from the bottom of the stairs, the lights shifted, granting Xu Yueliang a rare downward view. She caught Lin Qimian’s lashes fluttering up in haste.

Dark and lush, they cast a delicate shadow over her eyes, making them gleam like stars in a midnight pool.

Heat bloomed in Xu Yueliang’s chest, igniting a reckless urge.

She flung her arms wide and, under Lin Qimian’s mildly surprised gaze, leaped right into her embrace.

Just like their first hug.

She collided with her chest, and no matter how sudden the moment or unexpected the setting, there was no falling, no missing, no crashing down.

Only sinking into a fragrant, yielding hold.

Lin Qimian caught her securely, cradling her body, her arms wrapping around Xu Yueliang’s back. They pressed together, close and solid—a flawless instant beyond even her dreams.

“Lin Qimian, thank you~” Seizing the cover of shadow, Xu Yueliang murmured boldly.

Lin Qimian laughed without a sound, the faint tremor of her muscles carrying the warmth to Xu Yueliang.

“No need to thank me, superstar,” she replied.

After a beat of two or three seconds, she added, “Lots of people watching you.”

Xu Yueliang let go in a hurry, pulling away from her body.

Indeed, plenty of people were watching her—the performers who had just stepped off the stage, the crew members, and even the genuine A-lister standing right in front of her, Pan Xi.

Pan Xi lurked in the shadows, but the scorn in his eyes was plain as day. It skimmed over her before landing squarely on Lin Qimian.

Xu Yueliang pressed her lips together and seized Lin Qimian’s wrist, marching forward.

As they brushed past Pan Xi, she threw her shoulders back and strode ahead with swaggering confidence. She offered him no deferential greeting—not so much as a glance.

They had gone quite a distance when Pan Xi’s piercing stare still bored into their backs.

Xu Yueliang muttered under her breath, “What an asshole, always looking down his nose at people.”

Lin Qimian smiled. “Teacher Xu is too gracious to bother with the likes of him. He used to brand himself as the trailblazing original voice of modern Chinese music. Then, six months back, he got exposed for ripping off some obscure foreign indie tracks. The original artist was too distant to press charges, but the internet blew up. His industry cred tanked overnight. That whole haughty, untouchable prodigy image he cultivated turned into a punchline, and his bookings slid from prime slots to farming channel filler. No wonder he glares at everyone these days.”

Xu Yueliang nodded. “Oh~~~~~ Got it. That’s why he hates my guts. To him, I’m just some piddling internet celeb, and now he’s slumming it on the same stage as me—with performance slots of almost equal length, no less.”

Lin Qimian went on, “Director Zhou was just ripping into him a moment ago.”

Xu Yueliang’s eyes widened. “!!!”

Lin Qimian tilted her head and dropped her voice. “Said that if he can’t deliver, he shouldn’t force it—chop the tail end of his song and hand the time to the next act.”

Xu Yueliang gaped. “!!!!!”

“The next act… that’s me, isn’t it?”

“Mm.” Lin Qimian grinned. “So you won. Doesn’t matter if they tweak the lineup or not—you’ve already won. Pan Xi’s gonna torture himself into tears tonight and cry himself to sleep.”

“Yay!!!” Xu Yueliang leaped into the air. “Little Moon pulls off the ultimate comeback! Total domination!!! Smiling all the way to dreamland tonight!!!!”

Lin Qimian heaved a long sigh, staring out at the inky night beyond the window. Her words tumbled out effortlessly. “I have no idea how Lin Mianmian will manage to sleep tonight. She rushed over in such a hurry… didn’t bring a thing…”

Xu Yueliang cut her off before she could finish. “Sleep with me.”

Lin Qimian froze. Xu Yueliang met her gaze, exuding confidence and bravado. “It’s not safe for a girl to crash alone in a hotel. Come sleep with me—I’ll keep you safe.”