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Join the ServerIt was another morning, and Lin Ziyao awoke from a deep slumber in her villa bed. A glance at the wall clock revealed it was already half past eight.
“Are you awake?”
Qin Yu had slept in the same bed with her again last night. Since it was their last day, Qin Yu had insisted on sharing the bed to enjoy a comfortable night’s rest. Even the slightest movement would betray whether Lin Ziyao was awake or not.
Lin Ziyao softly hummed in response. The lingering softness throughout her body after waking made her reluctant to utter a single sound.
After a moment, Qin Yu was the first to speak.
“Do you have any plans for today?”
It was a rare day with no filming, so there was no need to rise early. The two of them luxuriated in the long-missed pleasure of lying in bed.
“I plan to visit Grandma at the hospital today,” Lin Ziyao replied. “After all, the show has exploded in popularity, and there’s news about me everywhere. Grandma even called last night to ask about it.”
Recalling her grandmother’s concerned tone from the previous night, Lin Ziyao’s heart felt warm.
With Dr. Jiang overseeing things at the hospital, no news about her grandmother had leaked to the outside world. Otherwise, the hospital would have been swarmed and besieged by reporters.
“Why are you only asking about my plans? What about yours?” Lin Ziyao protested with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“I have an event scheduled for tomorrow, so I need to catch a flight to Modu today.” Qin Yu propped herself up, leaning against the soft pillow cushioning her back.
Lin Ziyao simply uttered an ‘oh,’ indicating her understanding.
Qin Yu had mentioned inviting her to develop her career in Modu yesterday. Ultimately, the opportunities in Jiang City could not compare to those in Modu. However, Lin Ziyao still had some unfinished business in Jiang City. She estimated she would only depart for Modu once all these matters were concluded.
“Oh, right, did Director Chen mention when the MV shoot is scheduled?”
Qin Yu suddenly remembered the MV shoot Director Chen had promised, for which the staff had yet to arrange a specific time.
“Director Chen told me it would likely be about a week,” she answered. “He needs to supervise all the post-production work here first before he can bring his team to shoot my MV.”
Responding to Qin Yu’s question, Lin Ziyao recalled Director Chen mentioning this to her after the guests disbanded last night.
“Give me your phone!” She reached out, asking Lin Ziyao for her mobile.
After their disbandment last night, Director Chen had returned the phones kept by the production team to each of the guests.
Obediently, she took out her phone and handed it to Qin Yu.
Qin Yu swiftly typed in a string of numbers, then added a note before returning the phone to Lin Ziyao.
“This is Manager Nan’s number,” she explained, identifying the owner of the phone number. “You can discuss anything with her; she’s your exclusive manager.”
Lin Ziyao saw ‘Li Xinan’ written in the phone’s notes section, which was Manager Nan’s full name, as Qin Yu had referred to her.
“She’ll help you handle daily affairs and plan all your routine matters.”
The contract Lin Ziyao signed explicitly stated her right to refuse any arrangements she didn’t want, making it essentially the most flexible contract available. Aside from the studio’s commission, there were virtually no other restrictions on her.
This was precisely why Lin Ziyao had joked that Qin Yu’s contract was practically giving her money away for free.
Under Lin Ziyao’s gaze, Qin Yu took her phone again and dialed the number. “Hello? Manager Nan, please arrange a car to pick us up at the resort. Also, this is Ziyao’s number; please make a note of it.”
Hanging up, Qin Yu returned the phone to her and explained, “I was worried Manager Nan wouldn’t recognize your voice, so I called first.”
Immediately, she threw off the covers, her full, rounded toes instantly touching the floor. Then, she stretched.
She looked at Lin Ziyao, who was still nestled in the blankets, and declared, “Time to get up!”
Leaving only a graceful silhouette, she walked into the bathroom on her own accord.
After a quick wash-up, Lin Ziyao and Qin Yu soon appeared in the dining room.
“Congratulations on your new songs; they’ve both topped the new song charts!”
Upon seeing the two sit down, Dai Wen quickly offered her congratulations. Only after getting her phone back yesterday did she realize that the two songs released by Lin Ziyao and Qin Yu had been alternately topping the charts.
“Thank you!”
Sitting beside her, Qin Yu graciously accepted Dai Wen’s congratulations.
“Actually, I’m very curious, when exactly did Ziyao write ‘The Initial Dream’?”
Feng Qiqi, standing nearby, also joined the discussion. This question clearly indicated she had already watched the interviews.
“That’s a secret between the two of us!”
Putting her index finger to her lips in a playful shushing gesture, Qin Yu declared.
The slightly ambiguous words made Lin Ziyao inexplicably blush, reminding her of that night when they first shared a bed.
However, Feng Qiqi looked at her, then at Qin Yu, seemingly not grasping anything.
“Ziyao, remember to give me the piano score!” Not understanding anything, Feng Qiqi could only remind her again not to forget the promised piano score.
Although she could transcribe the music herself once she got back, Feng Qiqi adhered to a principle: if someone else could do the work, she wouldn’t bother to rack her own brains. After all, freebies were always the best!
“No problem, I’ll send it to you on Penguin later.”
Seeing Feng Qiqi remind her again, Lin Ziyao gave her an ‘okay’ gesture, indicating she would remember to send it.
“That’s a relief.”
With that, Feng Qiqi wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. She walked over from the living room, pulling a suitcase.
“I have another performance tomorrow, so I’ll be leaving now!”
Dragging her suitcase, Feng Qiqi bid farewell to the three still in the dining room. She left quickly and without lingering, as if she were merely stepping out for a moment.
Lin Ziyao was caught off guard. By the time she reached the door and regained her composure, Feng Qiqi was already in the car, ready to depart.
As the car started, she even rolled down the window and waved to the three standing at the doorway until she was no longer visible.
“Qiqi, she was just saying last night that she didn’t want to leave, wasn’t she?”
Dai Wen recounted her conversation with Feng Qiqi in their room the previous night.
“By the way, aren’t Teacher Xu and the others coming down for breakfast?” Just having shaken off the emotions of Feng Qiqi’s departure, Lin Ziyao looked around.
Normally, they should have been downstairs by this time.
“Teacher Xu has an event to host in the neighboring city at noon today, so he left very early. Yang Tian and Tang Wenjie were also picked up by their respective companies. You two are the latest to wake up today.”
As Dai Wen spoke of the others’ departures, Lin Ziyao felt a sense of déjà vu. It was much like her college dorm in her previous life, where people who had lived together for a time scattered after graduation. The first to leave always did so with a carefree spirit.
Only the last one remaining in the dorm bore the boundless solitude.
She clutched Qin Yu’s hand and whispered in her ear, “Qin Yu, if we’re the last to leave, will you stay with me?”
“Mm!”
Qin Yu nodded in agreement, remaining silent.
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