Chapter 31 Chapter 31 From Drinking Buddies to Traveling Buddies
At the end of January, the Lunar New Year came and the company had a three-day holiday. The world was in chaos, with news reports of a new coronavirus wreaking havoc around the world. Quan Xingai had no idea this would change her schedule, and at that moment she was packing her luggage for a trip to Japan.
In fact, the decision to go to Japan was made not long ago. Before the New Year, we had many meetings with the production team. The successful adaptation of "Virgin Virus" made the company see the unlimited potential of adaptation and creation. After deciding to let Xing Ai be the main person in charge, we simply let the members give full play to their creativity and create songs by themselves, and then summarize the results.
Yeonjin and Jinwen are both very happy. Eunmi is not obsessed with creation, but she has started to think seriously every day. Only Jeonseongae, although she has said proudly that she will work harder for her fans, is still hesitating. It’s not that she doesn’t want to create, but she is afraid to return to her creative self.
The last time she won a Grammy, she told the world that she would take a break from the music industry because she was tired, she found herself exhausted, and she could no longer write songs.
She knew that she was a person who loved life and was curious about many things, but at that time, the company, her agent, and herself all put too much pressure on her.
At that time, she seemed to have lost interest in everything. She had lost the ability to love and explore. She was so disinterested in everything that she just wanted to retire and lie low. But fate played her the biggest joke: at midnight, the night after the awards ceremony, she was taken away by a devastating car accident that took her life unexpectedly...
In the past, Quan Xing Ai always had endless enthusiasm. In addition to creation and performance, she was interested in many things. But gradually, that enthusiasm faded. After being in the circle for too long, many emotions have become numb, and she has even gradually lost her passion for music.
However, when she was 29 and gradually lost her inspiration, she broke up with Quan Zhilong and unexpectedly discovered that the painful emotions brought by the breakup could perfectly nourish her gradually drying up inspiration. So she fell in love with this feeling and gradually became addicted. In the next three years, she fell in love, broke up, fell in love again, and broke up again, until she finally became numb...
This was the true curse, wasn't it? God had taken back his generosity. Quan Xing'ai had spent her last three years in a chaotic life, then passed away hastily. She then wandered in heaven for another three years, going from anger to acceptance, until she was reborn as a new self...
She still seems to be afraid of falling in love. She stubbornly doesn't want to fall in love, feels that she is incapable of love, and even deliberately avoids her own emotions.
But for music, it is the exact opposite of his repressed emotions. The musical inspirations running wild in his mind seem to pop up anytime and anywhere. The new life makes Quan Xingai fall in love with music again and find pure happiness again.
She is no longer the same person she used to be. She is not Sarah, not just Sarah, she is Quan Xing Ai. She has arranged a short journey for herself. She wants to say goodbye to the past. She also wants to make an appointment with Mari to meet in Kagoshima. She wants to lie down in the countryside of Japan for a few days.
Then I came back and started making music, started going to school, and decided to face life more positively.
At midnight, a phone call interrupted Quan Xingai's somewhat melancholy thoughts.
"Congratulations, this comeback has completely brought you back to the top of the second-tier group." As soon as I heard the voice on the other end, I knew it was the late-night activist Quan Zhilong.
After being kicked out by Jeon Seong-ae, he stayed quiet for a while, ignoring her and not randomly liking her posts or making misleading comments, as if he was just being kind and trying to create buzz for her to save marketing costs. Jeon Seong-ae felt a little sorry for her behavior last time, as she had slept with him the next day and then turned her back on him. In fact, Kwon Ji-yong had indeed helped her increase her popularity in the past six months.
"Oppa, do you want to go out for a drink together? I want to thank you." Quan Xingai spoke. She would be going to Japan in a few days. When she came back, she would probably have a lot to do reading scripts and writing songs. Maybe she would not have much contact with Kwon Ji-yong in the future. She felt a little melancholy and relieved.
"What are you drinking? Are you crazy? We're going out for a drink in the middle of the night - I told you you're a witch, do you want to go out with me and be photographed by paparazzi?" The other party was silent for a while, then raised his voice and said unhappily.
"Then forget it." Quan Xingai rolled her eyes. Apart from the first time she met the majesty of a senior, he now seemed to be returning more and more to the Zhilong she once knew.
"Hey, you woman! Just wait!" Quan Xingai heard the person on the other end of the phone take a deep breath, then said something harsh and hung up the phone.
Quan Xingai raised his eyebrows. This guy...
"Isn't he going to come over again in the middle of the night?"
Half an hour later, there was a rapid knock on the door, like a startle in the middle of the night. Quan Xingai threw down his clothes and went to open the door with a frown, "I knew it!"
"Know what? You guessed I would come again, right? You just know how to control me. It's okay to go out for drinks, but I brought the wine." Quan Zhilong stood at the door, still wearing a baseball cap in the middle of the night, wearing a long coat from Balenciaga, and holding a large bag of eco-friendly bags whose contents were unknown.
He reached out and tapped the tip of Quan Xingai's nose, then walked into the small room, which was only about 50 square meters. It was smaller than his bedroom, but why did it feel so homey? He went straight into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and expertly took out the ice cubes, then took two glasses from the cabinet.
"I originally wanted to invite you to a high-end place to thank you, but you ended up coming here yourself," Quan Xingai smiled and closed the door. When she entered the house, she saw the glittering superstar dressing up like a host in her small house.
"A high-end place? Forget it. You should work hard to save money and buy a bigger house." Quan Zhilong arranged the wines he brought one by one. Quan Xingai couldn't recognize the categories, but at least every bottle looked very beautiful, with beautiful packaging, beautiful colors, and beautiful weird shapes.
"How do you know I like beautiful wine?" Quan Xingai came over and picked up the bottles one by one to check.
Quan Zhilong was stunned, "How would I know you like beautiful wine? I just brought all the ones I thought were good." He brought these bottles subconsciously, thinking that the other party would like such beautiful-looking wine with low alcohol content.
"Thank you, but drinking alone is a bit boring. How about we order some snacks?"
"It's not enough that you're drinking, you even want to have a midnight snack. Quan Xingai, it's okay for me to gain weight and become swollen during my comeback period, what about you? Don't you want to be in shape?" Kwon Ji-yong reached out and knocked on the girl's head.
"I'm going to take a long vacation, so you don't have to worry about whether your face will swell during this period. As for my figure... to be honest, I wish I could gain some weight." Quan Xingai looked at her slightly undulating figure and pouted with dissatisfaction.
"I really don't understand you. You seem to be independent of the world of idols. You must have been very depressed in the past few years. That's why such a big change happened." Kwon Ji-yong took a sparkling wine that was dazzling and emitted purple fluorescence from Quan Xing's favorite pick, opened the cork handsomely, and the mixed fruity aroma of the wine hit his face.
The two clinked their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp. After they finished, Quan Xingai spoke, "Yeah, I'm always on the verge of collapse. My mind is a mess. I don't even know what I'm thinking every day. I'm obsessed with grasping those fleeting flashes of inspiration, as if I'm drowning in a drunken dream..."
She looked out the window, not knowing whether she was talking about Xing Ai or Sarah.
At this moment, Quan Zhilong separated the girl from the image of Sarah deep in his memory. He thought that maybe he shouldn't be such a bastard, shouldn't be so selfish as to only regard the other party as Nuna's shadow, he should try to understand the true Quanxing love.
"Actually, we're quite connected. You debuted in 2016, and in 2017, I was unlucky enough to meet you. I was involved in a scandal and was criticized by the media. It's the same for me. The difference is that I've always been scrutinized by the media and netizens. The slightest problem would be immediately blown up. Those two years for you were like hell. What a coincidence! Those two years for me were also hell."
Quan Zhilong smiled. On a clear winter night, the starry sky was deep, just like the deep and dark hearts of the two people.
Before they knew it, they finished a whole bottle and talked a lot. Quan Xingai patted Quan Zhilong's chest and said to him,
"You, ever since you were discharged from the army, look as if you have jumped out of the five elements, superstar, where is your arrogance? What about me, I have been an orphan since childhood, you know? In fact, I entered the circle just to make money. You guy, oh no, the hateful Wai Ji, not only did you not refute the rumors but also issued random press releases, which made me lose so much money." She was a little tipsy after drinking half a bottle of champagne, and she angrily accused Wai Ji of doing all kinds of bad things. In her mind, one moment she was in the orphanage as a child, and then she was the Nth generation star who appeared on the screen at a young age, and then she was the center of attention, and then she was the poor little girl crying silently in the dormitory.
"You know what? I was teetering on the edge of a cliff, feeling like I was going to fall at any moment. I just wanted to be free, and then, oh, it's ridiculous, I was free."
Quan Zhilong stared at the girl who looked a little drunk seriously. Although he was also in a lot of trouble, he still wanted to hold an umbrella for her.
"Then I realized that heaven is not a relief, I still miss the world, so, Oppa, you should learn to let go, try to cast off all the burdens, Big Bang is a glorious past in your wall of honor, not a burden."
Quan Zhilong, who was very easily moved, felt his nose starting to feel sour and his eyes starting to mist. He blinked quickly, raised his head and lowered his baseball cap. After a moment, he regained his composure and took off the hat again to tidy his hair.
"You're the one who still has to comfort me, even though you're a child. Don't be so depressed in the future. The world is so beautiful. Don't be like that hateful woman and leave so suddenly."
He smiled, his eyes brighter than the stars.
Quan Xingai said lazily while drinking, "The important thing is not to recover, but to survive with the disease."
"Silly child." Quan Zhilong smiled and ruffled the girl's long hair. It was really bad. He wanted to kiss her again. He turned his eyes away from those delicate lips and opened another bottle of beautiful red wine to divert his attention. He asked, "What are your plans for the long vacation? Are you just going to sleep at home?"
"I already have an appointment. I'm going to Japan." Quan Xingai said excitedly.
The hand pouring the wine paused, "A date? Who is Xing'ai going to Japan with? Could it be Cha Eun-woo? Or Song Kang?"
"I'll go by myself. We've made an appointment to meet in Japan." Quan Xingai is already looking forward to this trip.
"Oh, when are you leaving? Where are you going?" The man asked questions without any reservation while drinking.
But even with such obvious clichés, the girl blurted out calmly, "My flight leaves early the day after tomorrow. I'll first go to Kansai International Airport in Osaka. I'll probably go eat Ichiran Ramen. I haven't had it in a while, and I'm a little craving it. Then I'll take a bus to Kyoto, and then... Oh, why are you asking so many details..."
Quan Xingai realized it later and turned to look at Quan Zhilong, who was smiling and had a face that said "Yes, I am just teasing."
"I just retired from the army and don't have any work schedule for the time being. I am also very familiar with Japan. I used to stay in Japan with the team for several years. I am the most suitable person to be a tour guide." Kwon Ji-yong poured wine for Xing Ai and knelt down to perform a knight's salute.
When she found out that the other party really wanted to go together, Jeon Xingai was stunned and said, "Are you serious? I'm really going to meet a friend - but, to be honest, this friend may be more familiar with you." She touched her chin and suddenly remembered that many years ago when they were still in love, they often had dinner with a bunch of Kwon Ji-yong's friends, and it seemed that Park Jin-ri and He Ra were among them.
"The more you talk, the more curious I am." Quan Zhilong raised an eyebrow. Is he more familiar with me? How could Xing Ai have a good friend in Japan who is more familiar with me? The more he talked about it, the more he wanted to be together.
"Oh, but it's really troublesome to be with you. Yes, it's better not to." Quan Xingai shook her head and thought about it. She also wanted to go and take a look at her villa at the foot of Arashiyama. How could she go there with Quan Zhilong? Wouldn't she be exposed in an instant?
Quan Zhilong smiled brightly, and his expression seemed to say: If you don’t let me go, I have ten thousand ways to make you take me there.
Quan Xingai turned her head away, not wanting to meet the man's eyes. She pouting and regretting that she had drunk too much and should have known not to tell this guy that she was going to Japan...
Two days later, Kansai International Airport.
"Hey, have you arrived yet? I've been waiting at the baggage exit for a long time." As the epidemic spread, men and women wearing hats and masks were everywhere when they went out. In early spring, Quan Xingai wore a thin down jacket, a hat and a mask, and carried a backpack that was obviously for outdoor hiking. He was easily drowned in the crowd. He typed on his mobile phone with both hands to ask Quan Zhilong, who came on the same flight as him but was unusually slow to get off the plane.
"You ran too fast, you disappeared like an antelope, and you still blame me!" Quan Zhilong, who was rarely low-key in black down jacket, fisherman's hat and mask, grabbed Quan Xingai's bag strap from behind and pulled her over.
"Who told you to follow the main group? I'm very familiar with this place and can take you a shortcut." Quan Xingai muttered.
The two chattered and bickered non-stop along the way, obviously unaware that two weeks later they would find themselves unable to return home...
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