This was Xia Yi's first official trip back to her home country since her debut. Even though she preferred to keep a low profile, the event unsurprisingly became the hottest topic of the year so far, with invitations pouring in from all directions. However, Xia Yi rarely attended commercial events, and was known as a mysterious person.
Bonnie felt that being Xia Yi's manager was, in a way, quite simple. Most of the time, all she had to do was regretfully decline countless offers.
"If it weren't for this seventh-anniversary celebration, your fans would be scolding me by now." Bonnie said to Xia Yi with a smile, holding a tablet.
Xia Yi, wearing a blue off-shoulder gauze dress, sat in front of the vanity mirror as the stylist curled her hair into beautiful curves, meticulously pinning it up. She looked up at Bonnie, rhinestones sparkling under her eyes.
"When does the live broadcast start?"
"In five minutes. The main perspective will still be from the venue, but a new live feed will follow you, from your styling session to waiting backstage, the interview, your stage performance, until the end of the show."
The stylist chuckled. "Oh, isn't this the popular 'boyfriend perspective' these days?"
"Hahaha, it should be the 'staff perspective'." The guy carrying the camera joked.
The dressing room buzzed with lively chatter. Bonnie patted Xia Yi's shoulder and leaned in to ask, "Are you feeling alright?"
Xia Yi nodded. After a moment's thought, she said, "Watching me on the live stream will probably be pretty boring, though."
"Who would find watching a stunning beauty boring?"
Bonnie glanced at her watch, reminding the staff in the dressing room to put on their masks, then whispered, "Three, two, one, start."
The live broadcast appeared on the phone screen, showcasing Xia Yi's beautiful profile as she sat having her hair styled. The comments section exploded instantly, everyone calling her their 'wife' and praising her look today. Xia Yi exchanged pleasantries as planned. Once her hair was done, she asked the staff for her guitar and sat on the sofa, casually strumming and humming.
This was Xia Yi's usual backstage routine. She didn't deliberately say anything, didn't maintain a forced smile, nor did she look at the camera. She appeared relaxed and natural. When the staff relayed fan questions to her, she answered politely, switching effortlessly between English and Chinese, just as she would chat with Bonnie.
Bonnie watched with folded arms, thinking that she had never seen Xia Yi nervous on stage or in front of a camera. Even during Xia Yi's first stage performance, first recording session, first concert, Xia Yi remained unfazed and completely at ease.
Back then, her former boss, Xia Yi's manager Vincent, was full of satisfaction saying that Xia Yi was an artist born for music and he was fortunate to witness a legend in the making.
She agreed wholeheartedly at the time. But later, she gradually realized that it wasn't an assessment of Xia Yi, but rather Vincent's own wish.
He wanted Xia Yi to live entirely for music, to be consumed by it, to die for it.
The thought sent a chill down Bonnie's spine. She composed herself and went to confirm the next steps with the staff. Besides ensuring everything ran flawlessly, Bonnie had also planned a surprise for Xia Yi.
She was certain Xia Yi would love this surprise.
Nie Qingzhou was still watching the live stream of Xia Yi's seventh-anniversary celebration on his phone on the way to the birthday party. The taxi driver kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror, asking sideways if he was a celebrity or an internet personality.
Nie Qingzhou couldn't fathom what had gotten into Xu Zihang, who actually spent a lot of money on a full styling session for him. He now looked as polished as a model about to shoot a magazine cover.
After Nie Qingzhou denied all the professions the taxi driver guessed, the driver shouted loudly with certainty, "Oh! I know! You're going to take wedding photos, aren't you?"
Since the driver's voice kept penetrating his earphones and interrupting his listening to Xia Yi's singing, Nie Qingzhou covered his earpiece and said with a smile, "Yes, you're right. Please don't talk for now, my wife wants to video chat with me."
Xia Yi's celebration was held at a private club, attended by industry insiders and media. Xia Yi answered questions in an interview, then performed her classic songs accompanied by a live band.
In the video, she wore a blue off-shoulder gown. As she played the piano, she resembled Elsa from Frozen.
Just moments ago, while waiting backstage, she was holding the same guitar Nie Qingzhou had given her. He had often seen that guitar by her side over the years.
A smile began to spread across Nie Qingzhou's face, only to be interrupted by a barrage of WeChat notifications. Xu Zihang kept asking him where he was, practically blowing up his phone. Nie Qingzhou got out of the taxi, barely having a chance to take in the magnificent European-style building before Xu Zihang grabbed him and pushed him towards the carved door.
"Wait... this is way too extravagant, isn't it? How much did it cost to rent this place? Did you win the lottery, Xu Zihang?"
Nie Qingzhou looked around. Judging from the building specifications and interior decoration, it was obviously a high-end place.
His phone in his pocket was still streaming Xia Yi's celebration. They were cutting the cake and popping champagne. As celebratory confetti rained down, applause erupted. Xia Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and she raised her head to look up at the falling confetti.
Nie Qingzhou followed Xu Zihang through the winding corridors, finally stopping in front of a large door. Xu Zihang turned and gave him a look, then, with a mixture of exasperation took off his earphones, straightened his collar and tie, and then shoved a book of his into his hand.
Nie Qingzhou chuckled helplessly. "What on earth are you going to...?"
The sound of a speaker came from behind the door, followed by a bright female voice saying cheerfully, "We have also prepared a surprise segment, one that we kept completely secret from Xia Yi! Xia Yi has a favorite author, and today we've invited this author to the scene to congratulate Xia Yi!’
"Let's welcome, Teacher Qingzhou!" [lǎoshī, teacher is often used as a respectful title for professionals, and experts in their field]
The voice from behind the door overlapped with the sound from his phone. The large door in front of Nie Qingzhou slowly opened, and he stood there frozen.
The moment she heard the name 'Qingzhou', Xia Yi's ears seemed to fill with some unusual noises, the world suddenly began to buzz.
She turned her head, following the emcee's gesture.
The main lights in the banquet hall dimmed, and all the guests holding their glasses turned to look. A tall, slender man appeared in the doorway at the end of the red carpet.
Nie Qingzhou.
It was really him.
He looked much more mature than she remembered, extremely handsome. He wore thin, black-framed glasses and a black velvet suit. His wavy, medium-length hair was styled in a side part, fixed with hairspray and tied up at the back of his head.
He looked handsome and gentle, with an outstanding temperament, as if he could go on a poster shoot at any time.
But his eyes were filled with shock, as if he had been suddenly dropped onto an alien planet, surrounded by bizarre extraterrestrials – everyone except Xia Yi.
So, his eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking.
Someone nudged him forward, and he stumbled slightly onto the red carpet somewhat at a loss, then finally began to walk slowly towards her. The world collapsed at breakneck speed, shrinking to the red carpet where they stood opposite each other.
As he drew closer, the world grew smaller, and Xia Yi's eyes began to tremble slightly.
"It just so happens to be Teacher Qingzhou's birthday today, and we heard that he is also a fan of Xia Yi, so we've prepared a two-way surprise. Teacher Qingzhou didn't know he was going to see Xia Yi either, and he seems a bit overwhelmed right now."
The emcee teased with a smile.
Xia Yi watched him approach, step by step, until he stood before her. Amidst the rich fragrance of the banquet hall, she seemed to catch a whiff of a light, minty scent.
The man before her looked down at her, took a deep breath, handed the book in his hands to her with both hands, and smiled with his eyes curved, revealing dimples.
His smile was exactly the same as before. For a fleeting moment, it felt as though the chasm of time had been bridged. They had never been apart, and all the painful years vanished like smoke.
"Xia Yi... Happy 7th anniversary of your debut."
Xia Yi slowly raised her hand, lightly grasping the book. The tremor in Nie Qingzhou's fingers transmitted through the book.
"I'm so happy you like my books... I hope you'll have more and even better works in the future, and live a peaceful, healthy and happy life."
He appeared composed and poised, yet even after Xia Yi had taken the book, he held it up stiffly for a long time before he remembered to let go.
Xia Yi looked at him silently. The world shrank to fit within his gentle, brown eyes. The people on and off stage were still watching them, the flash lights flickering non-stop. The banquet hall seemed submerged by the torrent of eight years of time, and everything was floating.
She clutched his book tightly to her chest, feeling a tingling in her limbs and lips, her fingers aching from the force of her grip.
The emcee invited him over and enthusiastically bombarded him with questions: what he thought of Xia Yi, his favorite song of hers, his favorite album. He answered absentmindedly, his gaze constantly drifting back to her over the two guests between them.
"I think..."
His voice sounded vaguely, sometimes far away and sometimes near. Xia Yi began to feel a headache, her breathing became increasingly difficult. She had to gasp for breath rapidly, as if something was strangling her throat.
"...the first time I heard Xia Yi's song, it was like Borges said, a fortunate fate presented me with... a flower called a rose... Xia Yi! Xia Yi!!"
The instant Xia Yi collapsed, someone hugged her back. She fell into his arms that smelled of mint, and she instinctively gripped his arm. The crystal chandelier's light swayed dizzyingly. The world was distorted and chaotic. She felt like she was stuck deep in a quagmire, as had happened countless times in the past eight years, unable to control herself, sinking continuously.
A warm hand covered her mouth and nose, a familiar voice rang in her ear, "Xia Yi, calm down, relax, slow your breathing..."
Then the owner of the hand looked up and shouted at the blurry figures around them, "She's hyperventilating! Does anyone have a clean plastic bag?"
The world was in chaos, figures swarming like a scene from hell. Xia Yi clung desperately to the person's arm. Her mind couldn't process anything. She couldn't remember who this person was. The panic overwhelmed all other fears. Why couldn't she remember him? He was so familiar. She had seen him in countless nightmares, countless beautiful dreams.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from her wide eyes, flowing down her cheeks and over the fingers covering her mouth and nose, leaving them damp.
She stared at him intently, trembling as if she were on the verge of death.
"I have a plastic bag, here, here!" Someone shouted.
He tried to release his hand, but Xia Yi wouldn't let go.
"It's okay, Xia Yi. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay..." He soothed, stroking her back and whispering in her ear.
Xia Yi finally loosened her grip. He placed the plastic bag over her mouth and nose and softly said, "Breathe, Xia Yi, breathe slowly."
Xia Yi obediently held the edges of the plastic bag, breathing slowly. Her eyes were half-open, and the rise and fall of her chest gradually calmed down.
She remembered who he was.
"Nie Qingzhou..." She whispered, barely audible.
Nie Qingzhou finally let out a breath, realizing he was drenched in sweat. He looked up at the crowd pressing around them. "Quickly take her to a hospital!"
There was another round of chaos and the celebration was abruptly cut short. An ambulance arrived with sirens wailing, taking Xia Yi away. Because Xia Yi held Nie Qingzhou tightly and refused to let go, Nie Qingzhou also got in the ambulance.
Nie Qingzhou explained to Bonnie that he had studied psychology and, during his university volunteer work, had encountered hyperventilation syndrome so he immediately realized that this condition usually occurs when people are too nervous and anxious.
Bonnie stroked Xia Yi's forehead in distress. "Why would she suddenly become so tense and anxious?"
After her lament, Bonnie immediately began making calls, dealing with the aftermath of Xia Yi's collapse at the celebration.
Nie Qingzhou lowered his head silently, elbows resting on his knees, his hand hovering in the air, still wet with tears, swaying with the movement of the ambulance.
Why did she suddenly become so tense and anxious?
…Is it because of me?