Chapter 13 Chapter 13
After Bigbang's explosion in popularity, everyone's schedules were packed to the limit. From early morning radio appearances to late night variety show recordings, the members barely had time to breathe.
The agent rushed the five of them from one trip to the next like ducks. The only place they could rest was in the car. So, every time they got in the car, they all put on their eye masks and fell asleep.
Except for Kwon Ji-yong. He always sleeps restlessly. He's thinking about the concept for his next album, conceiving the stage in his mind, and sometimes inspiration strikes, and he'll pull out his notebook to write and draw.
After the last radio broadcast of the day, the atmosphere in the car relaxed for a rare moment. Dasheng was browsing his phone with his headphones on, while the others slumped over, their expressions exhausted.
Yongpei rubbed his face, yawned, and said groggily, "Finally... I can rest this Friday." "What are you going to do?" Dasheng took off his headphones and asked excitedly. Yongpei: "Sleep for a day." Cui Ta: "Sleep for a day."
Dasheng: "..." He looked at his brothers in disbelief: "Please, it's a rare day off, go out and play!" Yongpei covered his face with his hat and said vaguely: "No, I'm too tired..."
"Brother, what about you?" Dasheng turned unwillingly and looked at Quan Zhilong. "Sleep for a day..." A lifeless reply came from the back. "Pfft..." The agent in the passenger seat couldn't help but laugh.
Kwon Ji-yong finally looked up from his notebook and added slowly, "Go to the recording studio in the evening." Dasheng: "..." There's no hope for this workaholic.
"Ah..." He suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Quan Zhilong: "Where is your girlfriend? Don't you want to meet her on the weekend?" Quan Zhilong's fingers paused slightly, and the pen in his hand drew a mark on the notebook.
Yongpei and Cuita, who had been leaning against the car window with their eyes closed, now quietly opened their eyes, their ears perked up. They weren't gossiping, just genuinely concerned about their teammates' love lives.
There was a long silence, and no response came from the back seat. "Wow, you..." Yongpei shook his head. "You weren't like this before."
"Yeah, when we first got together, I was so distracted the whole time... I even called her my Muse," Cui Ta continued. Da Sheng immediately became interested. "Huh? Were you this serious before?"
Kwon Ji-yong's girlfriend started dating before his debut. Among the members, only Choita and Yongbae had met her. The other two had only heard of her but never seen her. By the time Dasheng heard the news, the relationship was already half-dead.
Seeing that Quan Zhilong remained silent and pretended to be dead, Yongpei added: "Of course, we all thought that Miss Shijing was the Terminator at that time." As he spoke, he made a gesture of wiping his neck and winked at a few people with gloating eyes.
"Ha..." Dasheng couldn't help but laugh, and then he said, "And then what?" "Then I debuted," Cui Ta replied. The car was silent for a few seconds. Everyone tacitly hummed.
Bigbang knows better than anyone how crazy their post-debut schedule has been. "No wonder hyung seems so hopeless lately," Dasheng lamented.
"You can't say that..." Yongpei paused, "If you really want to meet, there is still a way, right?" The agent in the passenger seat couldn't get a word in, and nodded in agreement.
Although it was a murderous mission, it wasn't completely impossible for them to meet. It was clearly the novelty that had worn off. Dasheng, eager to watch the fun, nudged Quan Zhilong again, "Brother, does Miss Shijing know that you're off tomorrow?" "..."
These guys… Quan Zhilong put away his notebook with a sullen face and raised an eyebrow at Dasheng, signaling him to stop. Then he propped his forehead with one hand and looked down at his phone. Dasheng retracted his neck and made a gesture to shut up and beg for mercy.
"Um..." Suddenly, the agent's voice came faintly from the front row, sounding a little guilty. "Yesterday, Miss Shijing asked me about my schedule, and I... told her that Zhilong was off on Friday..." Hiss...
A brief silence fell in the car. Before anyone could react, Quan Zhilong's phone vibrated. [Shi Jing is calling] ... The four of them looked in at once, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
Quan Zhilong couldn't help but hold his forehead: "...you guys, can you stop being so gossipy?" He made a quiet gesture to everyone, picked up the phone, and softened his tone: "Hello?" "Um..." "...Okay...I'll go."
... The other party seemed to be explaining something, but Quan Zhilong just responded obediently, his tone carrying the intimacy unique to lovers. Everyone listened attentively for a long time, but couldn't make out anything, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
After hanging up the phone, Quan Zhilong couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the four pairs of eyes staring at him eagerly. "I'll take her to the bowling alley on Friday." "Oh!!!——" The four of them were satisfied and retracted their heads while cheering.
Love is truly only interesting when you watch other people do it! With that worry at hand, the sleepiness I had just suppressed came back. Soon, the car fell silent again.
On Friday afternoon, Lia had just walked out of the classroom when Li Xiaqing grabbed her arm. "Let's go, let's go!" "Where to?" Lia looked at her in confusion.
"Didn't I tell you that it's Li Zhengheng's birthday, so let's all go to the bowling alley together today!" Lia paused, a hint of hesitation on her face: "Uh...but I didn't agree to go?"
"Oh, isn't this arranged for you? I asked you the other day, and you said you didn't need to go back to the company for training today!" Xia Qing pushed her forward with a smile, not giving her any chance to refuse.
"I've already told Zhengheng that you would come. If you don't go, we'll lose face! And with so many people playing together, it won't be a big deal!" Lia was dragged towards the school gate and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Whose side is this guy on? Even thinking this, she didn't refuse. Even a teenage girl, no matter how mature, still has her moments of playfulness. She had never been to a bowling alley before.
......Inside the bowling alley - the lights are bright, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the speakers around the venue are playing popular K-pop songs.
Several classmates had already arrived early and were gathered around the alley, excitedly discussing and bragging to each other about their pitching skills. As soon as Lia entered the room, she keenly noticed something amiss.
Everyone's eyes seemed to flicker between her and Li Zhengheng. Li Zhengheng came over with a smile. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, his eyes bright, as if he had been waiting for her to appear.
"Lia, you're here!" He handed her a bottle of mineral water, his tone carrying a subtle hint of anticipation. Lia took the water and smiled politely, "Thank you." "Have you ever played bowling before?"
"No," Lia replied casually. She couldn't say she was busy practicing at the company every day and had no time to go out and play. Lia was helpless.
"That's perfect. I'll teach you." Li Zhengheng waved at her, speaking naturally and in a gentlemanly tone. Lia didn't refuse. Since she was already here, she might as well relax. If she hesitated, it would seem like there was something going on.
Xia Qing had been standing quietly by for a while, enjoying the show. Seeing how cooperative she was, she couldn't help but exchange an excited glance with her classmate. There's hope!
Lia chose a ball of the right weight and, under Li Zhengheng's guidance, stood in front of the lane, adjusted her posture, and prepared to pitch. The students nearby kept joking, and for a moment, they all gathered behind them, and no one went to pitch in other lanes.
Li Zhengheng didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He just followed her and carefully taught her how to adjust her grip. Lia was always a quick learner, and bowling was no exception.
At first, she was not used to the weight of the ball. She threw the ball either to the left or to the right, and hit the grooves on both sides of the lane several times. But soon, she mastered the key points and knocked down more and more pins. "Bang——"
The ball rolled straight out and hit the pins steadily - all nine pins fell. "Oh my god!!!" "What a rapid improvement!" "Don't you even notice who taught you~~" The students around him cheered, and some even whistled.
Li Zhengheng was a little surprised and couldn't help but joke, "Is this really your first time?" Lia couldn't help but feel happy and smiled at him with a sly glint in her eyes, "I'm a national athlete."
She spoke casually, her fingers unconsciously rubbing against her palms. The ball had been heavy, and the impact of the throw had left her palms slightly numb. She looked at the knocked-over pins at the end of the lane with some excitement.
It was really fun. "Let's play another round!" She turned around, her eyes bright and excited. "Okay!" Li Zhengheng smiled and handed her a ball.
Not far away, several classmates whispered, "Why does it feel like Li Zhengheng likes her more?" Xia Qing came over and said, "Nonsense, she's pretty, smart, and she's a trainee, don't you like her?"
She felt proud, watching the two people in front of her throw the ball with excitement. ... On the second floor of the bowling alley, in the independent VIP room, a warm yellow light fell lightly on the wall, and several glasses of wine and drinks were placed on the table in the center.
Quan Zhilong sat on the sofa, listening to Shijing chatting with his friends, turning his phone with one hand, his mind empty. "Zhilong, let's play a game!" his friend called him. "Forget it, I don't want to move." He waved his hand lazily.
Shi Jing turned his head, supported his chin with one hand, and looked at his expression: "Why don't you go out and play?" "I'm a little tired. I hardly slept recently."
Shi Jing glanced at him and said in a coquettish tone: "It's rare that you have time, why don't you play a game with me?" He sighed, seeming a little embarrassed, but still nodded with a smile: "Okay." As he said that, he prepared to get up.
Seeing that he looked tired, Shijing changed her tone: "Forget it, you should have a good rest. I'm not interested either." Quan Zhilong responded, gently rubbed her hair, and leaned back on the sofa lazily.
Shi Jing's eyes dimmed for a moment, but he said nothing more and turned back to chatting and laughing with his friends. "Wow!!!——" Another round of cheers came from downstairs, with the unique excitement of middle school students.
Quan Zhilong rubbed his brows, excused himself to answer a phone call, and stood up to walk out. He wanted to get some fresh air. He stood in the second-floor corridor, casually scanning the arena lobby, his fingers tapping lightly on the railing in front of him.
The noises that had been making since a while ago were probably from the students who had just finished school nearby. The boys and girls, dressed in blue and white school uniforms, gathered in small groups, and Quan Zhilong couldn't help but take a second look.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure. Lia? The girl stood on the lane, holding the bowling ball in both hands, her eyes focused. She flicked her wrist gently. The ball rolled out— "Wow!" someone behind him cheered. "Lia, good shot!"
Quan Zhilong paused for a moment, barely perceptible. "Friends from school?" He stared silently for a moment, then looked away, casually flipped through his phone contacts, and headed downstairs.
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