Chapter 31
After falling asleep that night in Feng Ling's arms, An Hesu's panic didn't completely dissipate, instead condensing into a deeper worry. He knew that escape and simple possessiveness wouldn't solve the problem. A few days later, when Sister Liangliang again brought up the possibility of collaborating with Qiqi, he was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes, his usual calm and decisive expression: "Sister, please help me ask him out."
He needed this conversation, and not just for work.
Sister Liangliang was incredibly efficient. The day after Anhesu agreed, the intention to collaborate and preliminary contact had already been communicated through the company. Unexpectedly, or perhaps as expected, Qiqi responded quickly and expressed a desire to meet directly with Anhesu.
The meeting place was set at a private teahouse in a private club, offering exceptional privacy. When An Hesu arrived, Qiqi was already there. He sat by the window, the afternoon sun filtering through the bamboo curtains, casting dappled shadows on him. He wore a simple white linen shirt, his sleeves casually rolled up, revealing a maturity tempered by time, his edge hidden within.
"Teacher Qiqi." An Hesu walked over and used the respectful title used in the dance club in the old days, with a calm tone.
Qiqi looked up at the sound and saw him. A faint but complex smile appeared on her face. She pointed to the seat opposite and said, "Hesu, sit down. Long time no see. Now it's my turn to call you 'Teacher An'."
A simple greeting, with the tacit sense of boundaries among adults, instantly brought time back to several years ago and clearly defined the current status and circumstances.
Without further ado, the two got straight to the point. They discussed the musical core of their upcoming single, how to use body language to interpret complex emotions, and the harmony between the music video's visuals and dance rhythms.
"The chorus of this song is full of explosive emotions, but the core is sad," Ankhsu explained. "I don't want the dance to just be an outward display of power. It needs to be something inward and tearing."
Qiqi nodded, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table. "I understand. We can use some seemingly uncontrolled but actually precisely controlled movements, such as a rapid spin followed by a moment of stagnation. The eye contact is very important. We can design a few keyframes and express it with our bodies..."
They were both at the pinnacle of their fields, sharing a similar sensitivity and pursuit of art. The collision of ideas sparked many sparks, and the professional exchanges were smooth and efficient, even bringing with them a long-lost joy of mutual appreciation. The framework and core concepts for the collaboration quickly took shape during their calm and focused discussions.
The waiter refilled the tea and quietly withdrew. The air in the tea room became somewhat stagnant as the topic came to an end.
Qiqi picked up the white porcelain teacup, feeling the warm wall of the cup with his fingertips, his eyes fixed on the clear tea. After a moment, he raised his eyes and cast his gaze accurately at An Hesu, his eyes deep and direct:
"Now, we should talk about her."
An Hesu met his gaze without any avoidance, and nodded calmly: "Of course."
"Do you know why we broke up in the first place?" Qiqi asked. There was no resentment in her tone, but it was more like the beginning of a statement.
An Hesu remained silent, not interrupting, waiting for him to continue. He only knew that they had separated, but he didn't know the specific reason. Feng Ling never explained it in detail, and he never asked.
"On the surface, it seemed her family was against it. They felt my career was unstable and my future was uncertain." Qiqi's voice was steady, as if she were dissecting a personal past that she had come to view with a certain calmness. "But fundamentally, they objected to the insurmountable gap between her and me. Our education, upbringing, knowledge structure, social circles... these differences have shaped us into different people. They can be ignored during the heat of love, but when the passion fades and we face the long and tedious realities of life, these differences become hidden dangers. Her parents saw this, and I, too, later came to realize it."
He paused, his eyes frank with an almost cruel honesty: "Back then, apart from dance and a self-righteous love, I couldn't offer her true spiritual resonance, nor could I integrate into the stable, orderly life she deserved. Our worlds were fundamentally different. So, I chose to leave. It's not that I no longer loved her, but I knew that the 'love' we had back then wasn't enough to support us across that gap. I needed to fill the gap on my side first."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp and focused, as he posed the core question: "If I, who was so disconnected from hers back then, couldn't resolve this fundamental problem, then you, Ankhsu, do you think you can solve it now? The distance between you and her is even greater than it was between us back then—you're a top idol living in the spotlight, scrutinized by millions, while she's a girl from the outside world longing for ordinary peace. How can you bridge this gap?"
Ankhsu straightened his back, met his scrutinizing gaze, and said in a low and firm voice: "It's just a matter of time." His confidence came from all the efforts and planning he had made for this.
"Time?" Qiqi repeated softly, a complex, indistinguishable smile playing across her lips. That smile carried insight into the rules of the industry. "Yes, you're still young, you have plenty of time. In this industry, love is an absolute luxury. It's a sin for idols to publicly reveal their relationships, but for a successful artist in their thirties, forties, or even later, to have a stable relationship becomes a legend. You can wait, ten, twenty years, until you've successfully transitioned and established your position, until your fans no longer hold you to the same stringent standards they hold idols to. By then, everything will be much easier."
His words suddenly changed, with a force that penetrated the surface: "But what about Feng Ling? What about her time? Should she waste her best years in a long, dark wait? I know you chose not to make it public now, not because you're afraid of affecting your career. You're afraid of the impact on her life. You're afraid that because of your top-tier status, she'll lose the freedom and peace of ordinary people. You're afraid that she'll be kidnapped by your fans and public opinion, and live under the microscope. This protection itself requires her to pay the price of waiting and hiding."
Ankhsu's Adam's apple rolled, unable to refute. Qiqi's words, like the most precise scalpel, dissected the true motives and costs behind all his actions.
Seeing his reaction, Qiqi knew she had touched upon the core of the matter. He leaned back in his chair, his tone calm, yet with an undeniable declaration: "When I left, it wasn't because we no longer loved each other. It was precisely because I saw the problem clearly and chose to solve it. And now, I'm back." His gaze was calm and powerful. "I've overcome all the practical obstacles that once stood between us—her parents' approval, the stable future I could offer, and the confidence and strength to engage in an equal dialogue with her spiritual world."
He stood up and looked down at Ankhsu, his eyes showing determination to win, but also retaining a last bit of respect for their old friendship: "So, I will bring her back to me. Please understand."
After saying this, he nodded slightly, did not linger, turned around and left the tea room.
The door was gently closed, isolating the inside and the outside.
An Hesu sat alone, motionless for a long time. The sun shone brightly outside, yet he felt a chill creeping down his spine. Qiqi's words were still ringing in his ears, every word hammering at his nerves. He was right, every word. He knew the price of waiting better than anyone else.
An unprecedented anxiety gripped his throat. Qiqi's return was like a mirror, revealing all the unbearable aspects of his world—the ever-present cameras, the endless rumors, and the frustration of having to hide the person he loved most in the shadows. Qiqi could give her everything under the sun, but all he could offer was the hidden treasure hidden in his basement.
He pulled out his phone and subconsciously clicked on Feng Ling's chat box. Her profile picture sat quietly at the top of the screen, but he felt a surge of panic. For the first time, he felt she was so far away, as if she would be sucked away into a world filled with sunshine and applause in the next second.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. Deep in his eyes, there was no longer hesitation or fear, but a desperate determination.
"He must resolve this as soon as possible." A clear and resolute thought grew wildly in his mind. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to find a way, a way to protect her while keeping her by his side openly. Time was no longer a capital to be squandered, but a sword hanging over his head.
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