New Year's Eve
The phone suddenly rang. Lin Ting and Zhao Qinfeng separated, reached for the phone on the coffee table, pressed the answer button, and brought it to their ears.
"Hello, your takeout has arrived at the door. Please come out and pick it up."
"Okay, thank you." Lin Ting hung up the phone briskly, got up and walked to the door, opened the door, picked up the takeout from the ground, and then took it to the dining table.
Zhao Qinfeng walked over silently, tore off the sheet stuck to it, then untied the knot in the bag and took out the food items one by one.
Lin Ting went to the kitchen, took a set of bowls and chopsticks, and set them on the table.
The dinner table is a good place to chat. Compared to the moment when they were embracing, the current scene of sitting at a table and eating seems more suitable for conversation.
Lin Ting suddenly asked, "How exactly did you get back last night?"
Zhao Qinfeng paused, caught off guard, and replied truthfully, "I asked my assistant to change my flight back."
"How long have you been asleep since you spoke to me on the phone yesterday?" Lin Ting asked softly, but it was like a thunderclap to Zhao Qinfeng's ears.
Zhao Qinfeng sighed and honestly said, "I didn't sleep. I wanted to sleep for a while on the plane, but I really couldn't."
Aren't you sleepy right now?
"Not bad." After Zhao Qinfeng finished speaking, his expression twisted for a moment.
Lin Ting naturally saw it and said, "You don't have to hold back your yawns."
Zhao Qinfeng gave a fawning smile.
"Go home and rest after you finish eating. You just advised me not to stay up late, but you did it yourself," Lin Ting said, frowning.
"Can I come see you again this afternoon?" Zhao Qinfeng asked.
"Can."
"Can I come to see you again in the future?"
"Can."
Can I pursue you?
"..." Lin Ting looked up at Zhao Qinfeng, seemingly somewhat surprised.
"You're so busy, where would you find the time to chase after someone?" Lin Ting said indifferently.
Zhao Qinfeng's mood visibly somber; he looked pitifully at Lin Ting, appearing quite aggrieved.
"Give me some time, let me think about it, okay?" Lin Ting gave in to Zhao Qinfeng's gaze.
Zhao Qinfeng, now easily pleased, readily agreed, "Sure!"
Lin Ting suddenly felt that he was being very bad, as if he was keeping the other person hanging, but he really needed some time to think about it.
Before Lin Ting "invited" Zhao Qinfeng out of the house, he leaned against the door frame and asked, "Are you free on the evening of December 31st?"
Lin Ting immediately understood Zhao Qinfeng's implication. With all sorts of New Year's Eve galas popping up everywhere these days, some pre-recorded and some live, Zhao Qinfeng, as a popular singer, must have more than one invitation to a New Year's Eve gala. He's probably rushing to record a few pre-recorded shows and then participating in a live gala on the same day.
Lin Ting said, "Based on previous years, my company should have been open for the first half of the day that day, so there should be some free time. But overtime in our line of work is quite unpredictable, so I can't be completely sure right now..."
"There's a live-streamed New Year's Eve gala being held in Haicheng this year, and my performance will be scheduled around midnight. If you have time, would you like to come and watch?"
"I'm very willing, and I will do my best to get there," Lin Ting said solemnly.
Zhao Qinfeng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."
After seeing Zhao Qinfeng off, Lin Ting packed up the kitchen waste, tied it tightly, and left it in the kitchen for the time being. He remembered the video he hadn't finished editing that morning and the lyrics he hadn't had time to start writing, so he sat back down at his computer desk.
A while later, a message popped up. Lin Ting glanced at it and saw that Zhao Qinfeng had returned home and was letting him know he was safe.
Lin Ting replied that Zhao Qinfeng should get some rest.
Zhao Qinfeng replied with a "Received" emoji, and then sent a "Goodnight" emoji.
Lin Ting smiled and gave him a thumbs-up in encouragement.
Lin Ting was surprised that she wrote lyrics smoothly in the afternoon, perhaps because she had met Zhao Qinfeng and her mood was particularly turbulent.
Before they knew it, it was the day before New Year's Day. Lin Ting's cold had completely healed, and she was sitting in the company's conference room having a meeting.
Today, Lin Ting drove to work, something he hadn't done in a long time. He planned to go to the mall after work to buy some daily necessities and food, then pick out a simple New Year's gift for Zhao Qinfeng, go home, and then drive to the recording location for the New Year's Eve gala.
Everything went smoothly. After finishing the meeting and a few quick tasks, Lin Ting was ready to leave. He happily messaged Zhao Qinfeng, "I'm off work!"
Zhao Qinfeng was overjoyed in their chat, clearly very happy.
Being able to leave work on time and then have a day and a half off made everyone in the office look cheerful, and Lin Ting was no exception.
He drove to a nearby shopping mall according to his plan, had lunch at a random restaurant, and then bought what he needed and put it in his car.
The gift for Zhao Qinfeng was a pair of headphones, carefully wrapped and placed in a gift bag.
After returning home, Lin Ting was preparing to cook something for dinner when she received a call from her team leader.
"I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but the situation is really urgent..."
Lin Ting answered the team leader while holding her phone in one hand, and turned off the range hood and induction cooker with the other. The food in the pot was still sizzling and wafting out a delicious aroma, but Lin Ting couldn't care less for the moment. She quickly put the lid on the pot and left the kitchen.
Lin Ting went out again. In the elevator, he quickly wrote a message to Zhao Qinfeng explaining the situation, expressing his apologies, and asking if he could still get into the venue if he arrived at 11 p.m.
Several colleagues from my team were called back for an emergency overtime shift. Everyone looked rather grumpy, but they quickly got to their positions and started working efficiently, hoping to finish the job as soon as possible so they wouldn't have to spend New Year's Eve at the company.
Lin Ting sighed silently and buried himself in cleaning up the mess that had suddenly appeared. In between, he saw a message from Zhao Qinfeng, saying that he should contact his assistant when he was almost there so that he could be taken in, and that it was okay if he missed it.
Everyone worked together until 10:30 PM and finally finished. Lin Ting got into his car, entered the destination into the navigation, and drove off. He was extremely anxious and didn't even turn on the car music. On the way, he realized that he had forgotten to bring the New Year's gift he bought for Zhao Qinfeng, but it was too late to turn back and get it now.
When Lin Ting arrived, he met with Zhao Qinfeng's assistant, who led him into the venue, had him sit in an empty seat, and handed him a sign, telling him that he could use the sign to go backstage and that Zhao Qinfeng would be waiting for him in the dressing room after the show.
Lin Ting thanked the other party, feeling relieved: at least he made it in time.
Lin Ting had a great spot with a clear view and wasn't far from the stage. The show currently in progress was a singing and dancing performance, and the guest performer was a very famous and powerful singer. Even though the dance moves were large, his breath control remained stable. After listening for a couple of lines, Lin Ting could tell that the performer was singing live and in excellent condition.
The audience was caught up in the atmosphere on stage, cheering and shouting, their nerves tingled with excitement by the high notes. Lin Ting, however, finally calmed down from her earlier anxiety and began to enjoy the show.
Lin Ting wasn't particularly interested in watching the performance live; she had a "what's done is done" attitude and was also there to keep her appointment with Zhao Qinfeng.
Since their last parting, the two hadn't had time to meet. Compared to Zhao Qinfeng, Lin Ting's situation was slightly better. Although he frequently worked overtime, his schedule was generally normal. While writing lyrics and manuscripts took a lot of effort, he could mostly do it at home. Zhao Qinfeng, on the other hand, was constantly on the go, recording programs for different New Year's Eve galas, and even squeezing in several variety show episodes and several songs in between. His packed schedule and insane work schedule terrified Lin Ting. He finally understood why Zhao Qinfeng could be so composed after rushing back overnight last time—that was his usual work routine.
However, Lin Ting didn't want to become someone Zhao Qinfeng needed to treat with the same hard work and dedication he expected; he hoped Zhao Qinfeng could get along with him easily. If it happened again, he would still send Zhao Qinfeng home to sleep.
Although the two couldn't meet in person, they had exchanged many voice calls. Although Zhao Qinfeng didn't say it explicitly, Lin Ting sensed that Zhao Qinfeng seemed to really want to hear his voice, so in addition to voice calls, he would also send voice messages to him from time to time.
The chat history between the two also contained many more of Zhao Qinfeng's a cappella recordings, which were recorded directly on his phone. The background noise varied, as if Zhao Qinfeng was always thinking of humming a few lines to make his presence known in Linting, no matter where he was.
Lin Ting was very happy to hear it, because Zhao Qinfeng's a cappella singing was really beautiful.
The hosts chatted wittyly with the performers who had just finished their show, making it a very entertaining conversation. After the performers left, the hosts would announce their names and then hand the stage over to the next performer.
And so, one after another, elaborately dressed figures twirled across the stage, bathed in dazzling light. The screen displayed magnified images, every smile and gesture breathtaking, eliciting wave after wave of applause. The audience roared until they were hoarse, their eyes and hearts fixed on the performers on stage.
Lin Ting felt enveloped by the sounds and light from all directions. He felt as if he had been split in two, one half in a vacuum, coldly observing everything, and the other half already vaporized, eager to merge into the enthusiastic atmosphere.
After enduring several shows like this, he finally got his turn on Zhao Qinfeng's stage.
The first thing he heard was still his voice, clear and bright, which silenced the entire scene for a moment, followed by even more frantic shouts.
Lin Ting heard many people calling Zhao Qinfeng's name, one after another, endlessly, until they became indistinguishable after being mixed together, but there were always a few voices that were particularly loud and clear.
Zhao Qinfeng sang two lines a cappella, and the band on site immediately followed suit and began to play. Then he himself appeared on the stage, was captured by the camera, and then displayed on the big screen.
Lin Ting's seat was close enough that he could see the people on stage clearly even without relying on the big screen. Zhao Qinfeng's performance costume was adorned with many small decorations, which swayed erratically as he moved and waved.
Lin Ting felt that Zhao Qinfeng on stage was like a well-polished gemstone, already of excellent quality, and with the addition of various packaging, he was so captivating under the lights that one couldn't look away.
Zhao Qinfeng sang line by line, and Lin Ting listened intently to every word, as if trying to memorize every syllable and store it in her mind.
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