Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Old Lover丨Song Battle丨Forum...
In the spring of 2005, Kwon Ji-yong met this overly young new vocal teacher who was said to be from the United States at the company. At that time, he was still secretly in love with Kim Jin-ah, but when the other party broke the appointment and it rained heavily, he encountered an umbrella that tilted towards him.
"Hey, it's you, brother. Why are you standing in the rain like an idiot?"
He still remembers Noona's face. Her eyes were like amber honey, always curved, like tropical sunshine. Her hands were warm, holding him firmly, tilting the umbrella fully. In that moment, Kwon Ji-yong fell deeply in love with this "teacher" who was only four years older than him.
Later, he realized she was a famous singer in the US, a superstar from the Nth generation. He began to secretly and uncontrollably fall in love with her, which lasted for four years. It wasn't until he finally achieved some success with his "Top Trilogy" that he dared to fly to the US to confess his love to Nuna. Only then did he dare to call her by her name, Sarah...
Memories flooded back to her mind, and the studio's speakers immersively played the song "Plastic Love" that her Sarah covered on her first album in 1999.
'The gorgeous dresses and shoes that cover my closed heart are my lonely friends'
A younger generation member also goes by the stage name Sarah and even has a smile as bright as Sarah's. But Kwon Ji-yong knows that no one in this world can replace Sarah. And he, too, has mixed feelings about this "Sarah" due to her repeated bold words.
I know clearly that she is a poor person like myself, swept up by public opinion and media, and was even rescued from the brink of collapse just a few months ago, but I always can't control my emotions because of those vague and indescribable similarities.
What emerged in Quan Zhilong's mind was the rainy night when he first confirmed that he really liked the other person. Nu Na pulled him into the car, which was a burgundy red vintage Beetle. The perfume was always a rose from Foumaer. The person was like her fragrance, a gorgeous rose and also warm milk tea. The heavy rain outside the window mixed with the sound of mechanical speakers played the beautiful song "Plastic Love".
Later he also fell in love with Plastic Love but chose musk which was stronger than rose. After they fell in love, whenever the scents blended, the wild musk would completely embrace the rose. But now Plastic Love is still there, but his rose has withered.
"I didn't know that a junior like you would suddenly start to like a deceased singer and even become an idol? You have good talent, and today's song arrangement is almost finished, right?" Kwon Ji-yong's mood suddenly became depressed again, and his tone became harsh and unkind.
Sarah was the woman in his heart who would forever remain young at 32. And who was Quan Xingai? How could she dare to tease, provoke, or even tease him so many times?
Teddy was sensitive enough to sense that this young junior had inadvertently touched upon Kwon Ji-yong's potential vulnerability, so he kindly smoothed things over. "Alright, alright, we've almost finalized today's song arrangement discussion. Go back and make bold changes, Star Loves You. I'm the composer, but the music has already been bought out by you guys, so you'll be the one to decide the final outcome."
Quan Zhilong adjusted his hat, paused, and then said, "I'm going out to smoke." Then he left the room.
Quan Xingai's eyes widened, still a little confused. "Why is he suddenly angry? Wasn't it wrong for me to say I like Sarah?"
Teddy sighed, "It's okay. It's just that Sarah was a very good friend of ours. Her sudden passing has left an indelible scar on everyone, including Zhilong. That's why he lost control of his emotions just now."
"He...is he still sad after three years?"
"Since you like Sarah, you must know that she used to be a vocal teacher at Waiji. She even taught GD before his debut." Teddy returned to the control console and deleted all the audio files on the computer that did not belong to Waiji.
"I know, I thought they...maybe were just friends or acquaintances." Quan Xingai touched her nose. In her previous life, she and Zhilong started dating in 2009. They were both very busy people. It happened that she returned to Japan to develop her career at that time, and the baseball team was also exploring the Japanese market in those years. In a corner unknown to the media and fans, the two of them lived a carefree love life in those years.
Teddy glanced at the girl's guilty expression and sighed, "They have a good relationship. Don't talk about this in front of GD senior anymore."
Quan Xing'ai was lost in thought. Now she understood why Quan Zhilong was always unhappy when he saw her. Anyone who met a junior and found that they always had the shadow of their deceased ex would be unhappy. She felt helpless in her heart. She had been impulsive and shouldn't have mentioned her to make him sad.
After saying goodbye to Teddy, she left the production room. Heavy snow was still falling outside the window. In the smoking room at the end of the corridor, she saw Quan Zhilong looking out the window with a sad face. The cigarette in his hand had burned to the end. He just stared blankly at the heavy snow outside the window, not knowing what he was thinking.
Following his gaze, Quan Xingai also looked at the snow outside the window. It was a world of white, just like the winters they spent in Japan. When they were dating, they liked winter the most because they could wrap themselves up completely, then hold hands and go shopping without restraint, and kiss without restraint on the crowded streets.
Alas, Quan Xingai sighed. It must be difficult for him to accept the sudden death. He wanted to say something to him, but in the end, he could only sigh. He couldn't rush over and say to him, "You never thought that heaven would not accept me, so I'm back..."
What a nerve... Quan Xingai laughed out loud at his own imagination.
Shaking her head, the past is the past, and she is no longer the same person she used to be. Quan Xingai let out a long breath, walked into the elevator and left the Waiji Building.
The next second after she left, Quan Zhilong in the smoking room looked back as if he sensed something, but there was nothing. He continued to stare at the heavy snow in a daze. He hated winter because Sarah left this world in winter.
On February 2, 2016, he was still happy for Sarah winning the Grammy Award for the third time and was thinking about what gift to buy for her. But the next day, he heard the news that she had been in a car accident and could not be rescued. His mind went blank. It was the time when his concert was about to start, but he still squeezed out three days to fly to the United States.
What greeted him instead were three cold tombstones. Sarah's parents had also experienced a bizarre accident, as if everything truly lived up to the media's hype. He spent the entire year of 2016 in a daze, too distracted to communicate with his teammates, failing to notice anything was amiss. Then came the 2017 accident, enlistment in 2018, the storm in 2019, and then his discharge at the end of the year...
In the blink of an eye, four years had already passed. Four years had passed since his Sarah left him. In life, he had never met a junior or friend who mentioned Sarah's name in front of him, until he ran into Jeon Byul-ae at Taehyun's grandmother's house. She raised an eyebrow and said her name was Sarah.
Tsk, that's ridiculous, Sarah is the one and only Sarah.
*
After returning to her own company, Quan Xingai sorted out her slightly melancholy thoughts and locked herself in the production room for two nights to re-arrange the song. It was not until the time for the Nike commercial shooting arrived that Chi Mingzhen dragged her out of the production room and to the beauty salon for a complete beauty and skin care treatment.
Compared with previous Korean snack and beverage brands, the Nike advertising shooting scenes are suddenly of a much higher level, which made Quan Xingai recall some memories of shooting those big-name advertisements in her previous life. Nike's professionalism is naturally needless to say, and Quan Xingai's expressiveness is also unparalleled professionalism.
She will be shooting a commercial for Nike's new Air Force One shoes for the spring and summer of 2020. Due to her continuous dance practice and increased food intake in the past few months, her figure has improved significantly compared to when she just woke up and was eating stir-fried bean sprouts. At least her figure curves have become more obvious, and she has a vest line and faint abdominal muscles on her belly.
The combination of Nike's usual dynamic sports-style print ads and Quan Xingai's free and unrestrained dance moves makes her particularly eye-catching, and even the Air Force 1 on her feet seems to be shining.
The original plan was to shoot for a whole day, but the work was completed in half a day. Nike was very satisfied with Quan Xing Ai's super high work efficiency. They took the opportunity to invite Xing Ai to participate in the Nike party at the end of the year. Those present were all partners with whom Nike has deep cooperation.
Wu Xianhao was the happiest one to receive this invitation, which meant that Quan Xingai had a good chance of getting a business title from Nike.
However, before the year-end party, Jeon Seong-ae had to face the SBS Gayo Daejeon first. Their year-end stage was an open-mic performance. Jeon Seong-ae had done a week of strength training to increase her physical strength and lung capacity. The stage was arranged by the company, and she still had some small interactions with her rumored boyfriend Cha Eun-woo. On the Christmas Eve rehearsal, she saw Cha Eun-woo with a smile in his eyes and said,
"I didn't expect SBS to choose this form of cooperation."
"Actually, this is my idea. I didn't expect President Wen to actually communicate with SBS. I was also surprised that my idea could be realized." Quan Xingai spoke without concealment.
"Oh my, is this Xingai's idea?" Che Yinyou opened his mouth in surprise.
Jeon Seong-ae just winked playfully, "Are you afraid of the fans' protests? You want to be the first artist to collaborate with a female idol in all these years."
Cha Eun-woo laughed, "Compared to my idol status, my acting status seems to be more famous. I'm not even afraid of kissing scenes, so this little collaboration is nothing."
"Oppa, you're truly a seasoned actor. So, show your acting prowess on stage and perform well."
"Yes, my Lady Tomie."
The back-and-forth conversation between the two of them made their teammates gossip and whisper for a long time, and they were still asking all the stars about it until the end of the rehearsal.
"Xing Ai, are you really not dating Cha Eun Youxi?" Kim Eun Mi doesn't like ambiguity, she just likes falling in love, so she is also the member with the shortest period of being single.
"It's obvious that there's nothing going on, it's obviously an ambiguous relationship, hehe." Compared to Kim Eun-mi, Park Geum-moon is obviously an active advocate of ambiguity, so every time she is asked about love in a variety show or interview, she always says righteously that she is single. She is indeed single, but the ambiguity has never stopped.
"Oh, speaking of love, I've been dating a model recently." Yin Yanzhen is the type who is obsessed with looks. She doesn't like male idols and can't fall in love with male actors, so her love objects are often various models who are tall and have good figures.
"Wow, a new model? Let's take a look at the photo." Quan Xingai became interested and ran over to Yin Yanzhen and asked.
"Tsk tsk, you're so excited to listen to other people's gossip. What about you and Cha Eunwoo, or Song Kang? Or GD sunbaenim?"
"It's no one, not even ambiguous. We just made an appointment for dinner and drinks. As for GD, it's nonsense. He looked like he saw a ghost when he saw me." Quan Xingai shrugged.
"We are also betting on who will chase our Xingai." Park Jinwen said excitedly.
"Cha Eun-woo is pretty good, he's a pretty good actor and idol from the new generation."
"Okay, okay, mommies, the stage is the most important thing for us now. I'm going to transform into a big devil and wield a whip. Have you practiced the singing? Have you practiced the dancing?" Quan Xingai pushed her teammates to the stage, and then the girls continued to rehearse.
"Arasso, I know. It's Christmas Eve and I should be on a date, but I ended up working!"
On the night of the Christmas Song Contest live broadcast, every K-pop idol with a modicum of fame was in attendance. Not only was the performance live, but everyone was also on the mic. Everyone was nervous, except for Jeonseongai. She was completely excited. All those promotional and commercial performances were just small fry. Today, facing 25,000 people at the Gocheok Dome, this was the real stage. Jeonseongai felt her blood boiling. It had been years since she had stood on a stage like this.
She's been a ghost for three years! Who knows! Finally, she can stand on the stage again with her feet on the ground.
As the staff led them to the waiting room, she saw her eyes shining in the mirror beside her. Three years after leaving this world, she realized how much she loved it.
Standing center stage, her artistry reached its peak. As she sang the closing melody of ASTRO's song, the live camera cut to a close-up of All Star Love, and she effortlessly and joyfully commanded the stage with just her eyes. She's clearly not the most popular or the most impressive, but the energy she exudes makes it seem like she's meant to be this way, this confident, high-spirited, and capable of swearing at people with her eyes.
Especially the four members of RIOT DOLLS, each of them dressed like a bad girl and strode onto the stage with great vigor. After occupying the center of the stage, Jeon Seol-ae stepped forward and grabbed Cha Eun-woo's collar. The man, who was a head taller than her, lowered his head, and the two of them leaned in to look at each other, and the whole venue was filled with screams.
Then Jeon Seong-ae pushed Cha Eun-woo away along with the dance moves, and the boy band left the stage. The whole venue turned red, and Jeon Seong-ae changed the prelude of "VIXEN VIRUS" into a more magnificent symphony version that was more suitable for a concert. Then the sound effects of the electronic synthesizer were deafening, accompanied by the mechanical sound of the electronic female voice, and the whole venue suddenly fell into a prelude to a carnival.
'this VIXEN VIRUS '
All Star Love was on full blast, pouring all her energy into the stage. Unconsciously, she seemed to have returned to her concert days, microphone in hand, following the grand prelude, she loudly shouted to the entire venue:
“Let me hear you, make some noise!”
No one would refuse such a high atmosphere, and everyone started screaming. The female humming introduced by Kim Eun-mi seemed ghostly and attractive under the red ambient light. The addition of Park Jin-moon's harmony in the second half made it more ethereal. The melody turned into an electronic dance beat as the vocals became lower. Jeon Star Love sang rap in time with every step while looking at the stage camera that followed them, and their quick mouth made the audience scream.
The high-pitched quartet chorus in the second section brought the atmosphere of the venue to a climax. The song was changed into a dance version that was more suitable for a concert. Quan Xing Ai was sweating profusely, but everyone just felt that she was shining.
"If you're ready to party, scrrrrrream 'Yeah!'"
The screams that broke through the sky brought the song battle to its first climax. The ending tune of the first song changed from mechanical electronic sound to vaporwave atmosphere. The long skirt of the retro bad girl was torn open and turned into shorts. The second old song was changed from R&B to citypop style slow rock by Quan Xing Ai.
But who says slow rock can’t be high? Who is Quan Xing Ai? She was once hailed as the successor of the Beatles. In the year of her debut, she appeared on the music festival stage with the other four Beatles. No one understands rock better than her.
With the audience clapping along to the rhythm of the slow jam mixed with Japanese city pop style, the ratings of the Song Festival skyrocketed.
Tonight, everyone completely got to know RIOT DOLLS again.
*Forum Body*
Title: WTF All Star Love!!! WTF WTF
content:
First, I want to ask Cha Shenyan's fans if they're okay. How did their agency agree to the opening collaboration? They weren't ripped off? It's been years since a male and female idol collaboration on Gayo Daejeon. With things becoming increasingly conservative these days, even the slightest glance at each other can spark dating rumors. Yet, Blade 2 has been rumored to be dating several male artists in recent months, and now they're openly collaborating on stage... And it seems they've been photographed together before.
Isn't Blade 2 very fragile? Didn't it just give up after all these years because of the public opinion? Now it has become stronger after being tempered by the crusades in the past few years?
I won't talk about the song by the Cha Nephritis group, it's boring and mediocre. Anyway, it's just Nephritis and his dancers, and the song is mediocre with no merits or faults. However, Nephritis seems to be a little better at dancing, but his charm is still reduced by 50% compared to the Korean dramas.
The evidence that makes me doubt whether he and Dao 2 really have something going on is that their stage had not yet ended, and the Dao group suddenly appeared among the dancers. When he saw Dao 2 appear in front of him, Che Shenyan's eyes suddenly lit up, do you understand?
He suddenly had that kind of stage tension I'd always dreamed of. Who could understand? I was impressed, especially when Blade Team came on stage like a bad girl getting into a fight. Suddenly, the stage became more interesting, especially Blade 2. Did he really receive some secret training? She walked closer with a sly smile and looked at Cha Eun-woo, then looked up at him grabbing the other person's collar and switching dance moves. I was so awesome...
I didn't even notice when Nephritis and the others disappeared. I was completely absorbed by RD. Damn, Blade 2 is amazing! Holy crap, she's really made a comeback this time! I even thought it was a boring K-pop performance. Only RD's two songs were complete, with a beginning and an end, and they fully showcased their stage charm...
Oh my god, who knows? I'm not kidding, but RD's stage presence, his typhoon, especially the two shouts from Blade 2, instantly lifted the atmosphere of the entire venue. Holy shit... And it really gave me that feeling of déjà vu. You know who that is, right? It's the one from G to the D!
I'm obviously just a casual geek, but I still want to gossip a bit. Who is Blade 2's partner? He interacted openly with Nephritis in commercials and has a good relationship with Song Chang, but from stage to variety shows, I always see the shadow of "Langlong". "Langlong, since you've been discharged from the army, why don't you just stay home and train your girlfriend?"
Oh... you guys are playing so big, hehe, but I like it.
1L: Holy crap, seriously, the Ren and Du meridians in Blade 2 are open, this stage performance is awesome, and the Evil Girl Virus is even more amazing after being adapted into a stage version!
2L: Didn’t you pay attention to the stage introduction below? The producer only wrote one name, Sarah All-Star Love... Holy shit... Is she really going to be the female version of a cage now?
3L: Actually, I wanted to say that I took a photo of Knife 2 appearing on Waiji. [Photo]
4L: Holy crap, with long straight black hair and this sportswear, she looks just like Blade 2.
5L: Besides the ink bomb, the most played song on YouTube is the knife... Awesome
6L: This is so confusing, oh my god… Who is Blade 2 actually having an affair with? If it’s the cage, then what’s the deal with the rumored junior sister?
7L: Never mind, Blade 2’s stage performance was really awesome. I was a fan of another group at the scene and wasn’t interested in them, but in the end I jumped to the rhythm!
8L: The second song is one of the most popular songs from the RD group back in the day. The new slow jam version that All Star Love adapted for the stage has a bit of a Japanese melody, but also a very British vibe. Oh my god, it feels like a band. Where has Dao2 been training these past few years? He wasn't even as complete as he is now in the first half of the year!
9L: That’s really awesome. I’m looking forward to their new album!
10L: I'm still more concerned about the couple. {Eye contact.gif} Does anyone understand the eye contact between Dao Er and Shen Yan at the beginning? Ahhhhhhh, Shen Yan is bent over with his head down, and Dao Er holds his chin up. It feels like the complete "what's wrong with the young lady today" kind of atmosphere, that tone, even with a sense of doting! Damn, I'm a big fan!
11L: After watching Dao’s performance, I missed Bang! Ahhhh, if there’s no Bang at the end of the year, is it still the end of the year? ...
12L: Wuu ...
…
366L: Blade 2 has even starred in a Nike commercial...it's an Air Force One commercial, does anyone understand?
367L: The first activity after the cage is discharged from the army is to collaborate with Nike on Air Force One. I understand your subtle feeling, wow.
368L: What the hell? Are they really having an affair? I honestly didn't believe it before. The 2017 picture was clearly misplaced, with a few big companies buying Blackwater and bullying the new kid on the block. I even thought Waiji was the most aggressive buyer of Blackwater. And now they're really having an affair? No way? I don't believe it!!!
369L: Why wouldn't you believe this? At Nike's New Year's Eve party today, Cage and Blade 2 were both there. Someone snapped them chatting at the party. The composition is actually very similar to the 2017 scandal, but the public opinion is completely different now. Han is still flattering the powerful and bullying the weak. Blade's comeback single is doing so well, and he's also a top student at Seoul National University. He immediately has a filtered halo, and his wording has become neutral. {Picture}{Picture}
370L: There were a lot of people at the party, but that doesn’t mean anything…
371L: But looking at the Reuters and Instagram photos from the entire night, we can piece together their movements throughout the event. They chatted with the president of Nike Asia - then took a photo - a passerby photographed the two of them chatting in a corner - the short video showed that they were in a good mood - text reports revealed that the party was very enjoyable and GD was seen drunk - GD and Knife 2 disappeared together...
372L: Help, what next! What next!
373L: What the hell... forget about the groundless matchmaking for now, D agency announced on New Year's Day who will be the first couple of 2020!
374L: What the hell???
375L: The weird melon-telling people on Weibo have started to speak vaguely and act like riddlers again!
376L: What? Where? Show me!
377L: Screenshot [@Seoul Melon Sister: The superstar is still trying to drag other girls into the water as always to excuse his real lover. Looking forward to the new year's revelations. Friendly reminder, he is a real superstar.]
378L: Damn, superstar... this is so obvious... is it really a cage?
379L: Distributed Media exposed him, so who was the target? Who was the shield dragged into the water? Holy crap, I'm looking forward to it!
380L: Imprison you...
381L: Ahhhh why isn’t it dawn yet?!!!!
382L: Here she comes, damn, it’s her?
…
*
After the Gayo Daejeon, RIOT DOLLS's YouTube video data suddenly increased by several percentage points, and their new song also returned to the top of the charts. Apart from the groups with huge fan bases, RD's upward trend was unstoppable, especially the GIF of the all-star group pulling Cha Eun-woo's collar that night, which received over 10,000 retweets.
The second remake of an old song also successfully pushed the original song into the Top 100, reaching the third ring, achieving even better results a year after its release than when it was first released. Neon capitalized on the hype by announcing the upcoming production of a new album, stating that All Star Love will continue to be involved in the production.
The current popularity of RD group is infinitely close to the year when they debuted and became a hit. Invitations for variety shows, advertisements, and magazines are pouring in. The forums are full of posts discussing Quan Xingai, her scandals, her melons, and her achievements.
"I'm going to Nike's party with you tonight. I heard that the heads of the Korean and Asian regions will be there. Let's make a good impression and try to get a branch spokesperson." Wu Xianhao has been busy with his teammates' schedules recently. Today is a business New Year's Eve party, and he has to keep an eye on Xingai and be with her. If she gets a Nike advertisement, her voice and status will be further improved.
"Yes, you have said it several times."
Nike's party was held in a newly opened concept hotel in Seoul. Jeon Seol-ae wore a low-key yet figure-highlighting high street sports style. Even with just light makeup, she was still beautiful and clear.
At the party, Star Love seemed to be filled with the most beautiful women and men in Seoul, along with countless high-ranking figures and artists from other agencies. Oh Hyun-ho had assumed his Star Love had struck gold by Nike, but it turned out Nike had cast a wide net, attracting everyone from influencers to girl groups and boy bands.
"Puchi, brother, don't be depressed. At least we are here. Since we are here, we have a chance." Quan Xingai was overjoyed to see Wu Xianhao's expression of having eaten shit.
"You're actually more optimistic now." Wu Xianhao gave her a speechless look, then sighed, "Never mind, you can't force things like this. I'll talk to my friends later and see if I have any connections that can connect me with the person in charge of the Asia region. Anyway, everything else is easy to deal with. Seeing you're optimistic and having a good attitude is what's most important."
"Don't worry, I'll go to the bar and see what drinks they have." Quan Xingai went to the bar in the corner to order some drinks. Wu Xianhao shook his head. Drinking some wine was nothing. Let her do what she wants. After asking his assistant to follow Xingai, he went to socialize and expand his network.
The party environment was dim and the music was deafening. It was not a formal social venue at all. It was purely a New Year's Eve business carnival party. She saw a few beautiful men and women gathered together not far away, talking in low voices and laughing loudly. In the dance floor not far away, there were also beautiful men and women dancing.
The bartender was a cute short-haired girl. Quan Xingai propped up his chin and chatted with her. There were men and women all around releasing hormones.
"Sarah, you're such a hotshot lately, why are you sitting here drinking alone?"
"You have one night left, so take it easy and get a little tipsy first. Being groggy is the best state for socializing."
"Really? Very few artists are like this. Every one of them is trying their best to get to know new people. Look at those groups from small companies like yours over there, gathered around the regional manager."
"When I get drunk, I'll go to the middle and sing, and then the whole audience will be attracted by me. That way, no matter who the CEO or COO is, they will know me." Quan Xing likes to joke with the bartender.
A surprised expression appeared on the bartender's pretty face. "Oh my, so..."
"Hahaha, I was just kidding." Quan Xingai winked at the young lady, and a tall handsome guy on the other side of the bar chuckled.
"I didn't expect Xing Aixi to have such a personality." A deep and magnetic voice sounded, and he was obviously a handsome guy.
Quan Xingai looked over and saw a slender man leaning against the bar, holding a glass of whiskey, wearing a pair of thin-framed plain glasses on his nose. He looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was...
Quan Xingai looked puzzled. She had no memory of him. Who was this guy? She simply took a few steps closer and saw the smile on the man's face before she suddenly called out, "Li Zhuhe, oh no, senior, you're here too."
I was able to recognize her after not seeing her for more than ten years. It must be because I have a good memory.
"Xing Aixi, do you know me?" Li Zhuhe listened to Quan Xingai and the bartender talking nonsense, which scared the bartender so much that he finally couldn't help laughing.
He only knew this recently popular idol from the news and Zhilong's words, but he didn't expect to see that he had such a personality in person. He was surprisingly interesting and bright.
"Yes, how could I not recognize you, senior." The last time I saw Su He, he was just a small model and was with an actress sister. However, these were also told to her by Quan Zhilong. Since they were in an older sister-brother relationship, the four of them had even had dinner together.
"Xing Aixi is really interesting. You seem to be very familiar with me, except for the first time when you blurted out my name. Later, you used completely unfamiliar honorifics. However, your body language was completely relaxed. You couldn't tell that you were talking to a senior at all." Actors are always more sensitive to the atmosphere of people and the environment. Quan Xingai is obviously one of those who "does not practice what he says."
"Senior, do you want me to speak to you in a more familiar manner? Senior and GD are good friends, right? My image in front of GD is already very bad, so I should just be a good person in front of his friends." Quan Xingai shrugged. She couldn't meet Quan Zhilong, and actually she wanted to say sorry to him. She had mentioned her past self as a prank, which reminded him of the past and made him feel sad for no reason.
"Actually, I'm very curious about what happened between you and Zhilong?" Li Zhuhe asked curiously. The other party gave him a familiar yet unfamiliar temperament. He felt that Quan Xingai was actually not bad, and was not the kind of person who would be unhappy when Zhilong mentioned her.
How to say it, overly strong love or hate only proves that this person is special to you. Li Zhuhe is very curious about the specialness of Quan Xing's love.
"Why do so many people think that GD sunbaenim and I really have something going on? The truth is, there's nothing, nothing at all. We're not even friends. We've only bumped into each other a few times, and I probably just don't know how to talk, which made him unhappy."
Quan Xingai slung his hands over her shoulders, and when he spoke excitedly, he showed the American habit of gesticulating. Then he slammed his fingers on the table, causing her to scream in pain.
"Oh my..." Li Zhuhe was startled by the 'bang' sound. He instinctively widened his eyes and reached out to help the other person. "Are you okay?"
"Hiss - my nails, I just got a manicure, they must be broken, it hurts so much..." Quan Xingai covered her fingers, wanting to cry but having no tears.
"Hahahaha, I used to think you were a poor little idol, but now that I know you, you're actually a daredevil." Li Zhuhe couldn't help laughing.
"Senior, look at my finger - it hurts so much -" Quan Xingai stretched out her slender index finger and shook it in front of Li Zhuhe.
Li Zhuhe took a closer look. There was a cute little fox painted on the nail, and it extended to the tip and was even covered with diamonds. Now it looked like it was cracked and there was some blood. It hurt him so much that he grabbed a tissue from the bar but didn't dare touch the cracked nail.
When Quan Zhilong walked over, he saw his good friend Zhu He and a girl standing very close to each other, with their heads lowered and whispering, and he was holding the girl's hand. When he walked closer, he saw - oh, it was Quan Xingai again.
Wasn't she dating another actor last time? Besides her own ridiculous scandal, she was also spotted with Cha Eun-woo, and now she's targeting Joo-hyuk? The media was right, she's a witch, right? He'd completely changed his opinion of her abilities after watching the Gayo Daejeon these past few days, and now he saw her attacking his friend.
Who does she like?
"Hey, you two." Quan Zhilong couldn't help but step forward and interrupt their conversation. He looked unhappy with his sunglasses on.
"Oh Zhilong, here you are." Li Zhuhe greeted.
Quan Xingai endured the pain, with a tear hanging from the corner of her eye, "Zhilong, I'm in so much pain..."
“…”
“…”
Li Zhuhe looked at Quan Zhilong with a playful look, and Quan Zhilong was speechless.
"Ah, what are you talking about? You don't even call me senior, you woman..."
"Oppa, it's okay, you two are simply disasters... I'm going to find Brother Hyun-ho, hiss - it really hurts -" Quan Xingai hardened her heart and broke off the cracked nail on the front of her index finger. Only half of the beautiful little fox was left, and it was bumpy, with some residual blood on the fingertip.
Seeing the girl's inexplicable familiarity and then inexplicable departure, Quan Zhilong finally felt that he might have wronged the two people, but they had already left. He touched his nose and looked at Li Zhuhe, "I thought she was hitting on you..."
"Prejudice in people's hearts is as huge as a mountain. Zhilong, why do you always dislike her? I was the one who first spoke to her and introduced her to her. She's a very interesting girl, and I even feel a little familiar with her."
Quan Zhilong's expression couldn't be seen clearly behind his sunglasses. He spoke softly for a long time, "Perhaps this is the biggest problem, Zhu He. I see the shadow of Sarah in her. I can't help but think of Sarah when I see her. I feel like I can't help but focus my attention on her."
Li Zhuhe also fell silent. He certainly knew that Sarah was Zhilong's most unforgettable girlfriend. Her accidental death in 2016 caused Zhilong great harm, which has not been fully healed until today. He also knew what his friend's words meant.
"Look forward. Xing Aixi... I see some of Sarah's side in her too, always joking and making jokes, with a very outgoing personality. Maybe... Zhilong, you're just interested in her, or maybe you're simply attracted to her. You don't need to resist it. The sadness of the past is in the past. You need to move on. You can start a new relationship."
Amidst the earth-shaking sound, Quan Zhilong saw the girl under the spotlight reaching out to her agent, her expression aggrieved. The agent, with a look of both blame and heartache, then hurriedly took her to the president of Nike Asia. A moment later, he saw Quan Xingai, seemingly chatting happily, completely oblivious to the tears that had been streaming from the corners of her eyes as she had complained to him in pain.
What an interesting woman! Is he really just attracted to her?
"Do I really have to start over again? To be honest, if I don't find a girlfriend myself, the company will force one on me..." Quan Zhilong was a little tired, his eyes still looking at Quan Xingai who was talking incessantly in social occasions not far away.
"Has the company not given up on promoting you and your juniors?"
Quan Zhilong sneered a few times, took the liquor from the bar, and drank it in one gulp. "I haven't given up. The company has been in turmoil this year. There are too many things going on. My contract has never been finalized. The president has his own thoughts. The funds from the younger girl group's tour have kept the company afloat, so he wants to make the girl group more popular and attract more attention."
"..." Li Zhuhe paused, "Actually, you've been in the company for so long, from a small company in Mapo to one of the top three companies. Zhilong, you can think about yourself. You can even find a small company to rest quietly. There's no need to stay here and get involved in this mess."
"I know. I've been hesitating for the past few months. The president probably saw my hesitation and that's why he pushed me so hard, releasing so much specious news and even borrowing my car..." He licked the back of his teeth and felt like smoking.
Li Zhuhe sighed and watched Quan Zhilong ask the bartender to mix him two glasses of liquor. He drank them all without blinking. His mood finally began to improve as the alcohol took effect. Today was also a business party, and he needed to devote his energy to socializing and could not be in a low mood all the time.
"It's time to meet the Nike managers." Tiger Brother, the bodyguard who had been guarding Quan Zhilong, lowered his head and said to him.
"Yes, let's go, Brother Tiger."
"Zhilong, remember that your own happiness is the most important thing, don't care about anything else." Li Zhuhe said.
"Arasso..." Quan Zhilong smiled with brackets, lowered his head and put his hands in his pockets, followed Brother Tiger through the center of the party where the crowd gathered, and came to the backstage area. Seeing that the familiar people were still there, he smiled.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Hey, GD! I'm so happy that you can come. Have you met our new friend? Sarah is a very good artist. She recently started to cooperate with us on air force 1. It just so happens that you launched a joint model a while ago." The president of the Asia region hugged Kwon Ji-yong warmly and mentioned Quan Xingai beside him.
"I'm just a small artist, but GD is a senior."
Kwon Ji-yong noticed that Jeon Seong-ae's English was very fluent, with an American accent that liked to stick together, which was the same as his Sarah.
They chatted for a long time until the president discussed matters with others, and then Quan Zhilong and Quan Xingai left tactfully.
"Do you want to have a cigarette?" Quan Xingai noticed that Quan Zhilong had been following her silently without saying a word. She thought for a moment and then spoke.
"You, forget it, just have one." Quan Zhilong frowned and wanted to say something but after thinking about it, he agreed.
The two of them went to the rooftop of the hotel. The cold wave from Siberia made this winter seem particularly cold. Although it hadn't snowed, the accumulated snow had not melted, and everything was covered in white. Tiger Brother thoughtfully left his boss some private space, and the gossipy Oh Hyun-ho was also sent away by Jeon Seong-ae. It was just the two of them on the rooftop.
Quan Zhilong leaned against the railing at the edge and lit a cigarette. The mint-flavored smoke dissipated into the air along with the white breath he exhaled.
"I'm sorry about the nail incident just now... I misunderstood..." He spoke apologetically.
"It's okay, my finger doesn't hurt anymore. As long as you don't pay attention to it, the wound will scab over soon and heal soon." Quan Xingai smiled, then took out a cigarette of the same brand, took out one, and put it in his mouth in a chic and beautiful posture.
Quan Zhilong watched the girl's movements without blinking, as if it was an illusion, or perhaps a throbbing sensation, he seemed to smell the fragrance of the rose again.
"Oh my god, the wind is too strong to light a fire. Oppa, can you lend me a light?" Quan Xingai looked helplessly at the senior who had a dazed expression.
"Hey, lighter..." Quan Zhilong hadn't finished speaking when he took out his lighter when he saw the girl approaching him. She put the unlit cigarette in her mouth and the menthol cigarette in her mouth together, and the distance between them was infinitely close...
It was not an illusion, but a familiar rose. He closed his eyes and opened them again. This time, he could look at the girl by lowering his head slightly. But when he kissed Sarah for the first time ten years ago, he was wearing a pair of thick high-heeled shoes.
This time, he only needed to reach out and embrace the rose, and he could hold the girl completely in his arms.
The spark of the cigarette butt spread very quickly. While Quan Zhilong was still sorting out his throbbing emotions and chaotic memories, the girl left. She leaned back with her head tilted back and looked up at the sky.
"What are you thinking about?"
Quan Zhilong withdrew his gaze and all his throbbing emotions. She was just Quan Xingai, not that Sarah. He couldn't just treat the girl as a substitute.
"I want to apologize for my previous attitude and the long-standing misunderstanding between us."
"Okay, let's go drink. Let's get drunk before we leave and forget our grudges."
All the stars love to smile.
Her little golden retriever, brother Zhilong, who used to have a cheerful and cute smile, now always looks so melancholy and sad. She doesn't like to see him unhappy, so she lets him get drunk. When he is drunk, he can forget all his worries.
"Okay." Quan Zhilong agreed.
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