The final chord of Lu Zeyan's concert rang through the stadium, the crowd erupting into cheers that rattled the stage. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stepped off, the adrenaline still buzzing through his veins. Backstage, the usual chaos awaited—crew rushing, assistants coordinating—but Zeyan barely registered it.
"Boss… you gotta see this," a voice said.
He turned to see his assistant, Jin Hao, holding his phone awkwardly, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. Jin Hao was young, eager, and always slightly nervous around Zeyan, especially during post-show chaos.
"What is it now?" Zeyan asked, already irritated at the interruption.
Jin Hao hesitated. "Uh… everyone's talking about this video online. Thought you might want to… see it."
Zeyan snatched the phone, expecting another fan clip from the concert. Instead, the screen showed a different scene entirely: an airport, cameras flashing, fans screaming, chaos everywhere. He caught glimpses of a tall, familiar-looking young man trying to navigate the crowd—someone who clearly belonged to the entertainment world—and the girl next to him.
"What the—" Zeyan muttered, almost dropping the phone. The girl was striking, confident, completely composed amid the madness, and yet… there was something about the way she moved, something that caught his attention like a spark he didn't understand.
"Who is she?" Zeyan asked sharply, his eyes narrowing at the screen. Jin Hao shrugged.
"I… I don't know, boss. Everyone's saying she's with Ling Yichen now. Fans are going crazy. Think they're… dating or something."
Zeyan frowned, his jaw tightening. Ling Yichen. His main competitor, the rising star everyone kept talking about. The world seemed to have a habit of making everything about appearances, about rumors.
But Zeyan couldn't shake the unease creeping into his chest. That girl… something about her seemed familiar. He couldn't place it—yet his instincts screamed that this wasn't just some random fan incident.
Jin Hao shifted nervously. "Boss… should I… you know, check the other posts?"
Zeyan shook his head, still staring at the paused clip. "Not yet," he said, voice low, thoughtful. "Just… keep it ready."
As Jin Hao scurried off to monitor the chaos online, Zeyan's gaze lingered on the screen, the blurred crowd, and the girl standing next to Yichen. It was a fleeting moment, almost accidental—but it planted a seed of curiosity, confusion, and something he couldn't quite name.
Back in his penthouse, Lu Zeyan paced restlessly. The city lights spilled across the floor-to-ceiling windows, but he barely noticed them. The video Jin Hao had shown him kept replaying in his mind, looping like a persistent, maddening echo.
He hadn't stopped thinking about the girl—the way she moved, the calm in the chaos around Yichen, the faint spark in her eyes that felt… familiar. Too familiar.
Anger bubbled up, sharp and unrelenting. Why is she standing there… with him? His jaw clenched as frustration mingled with something he couldn't quite name. He wanted to shake off the feeling, dismiss it as a random coincidence—but he couldn't.
He flopped onto the sofa, pulling out his phone. Social media comments scrolled endlessly:
"OMG, Yichen with that girl! Is she his new girlfriend?"
"Yichen never looked this close to a girl before! Who is she?"
"Could this be his secret love? Fans are freaking out!"
Zeyan's hands tightened around the phone. Every comment, every rumor, only made the frustration grow. Why now? After four years… why now?
His phone buzzed again—another missed call. He glanced at the screen: Mom. Three missed calls, all in quick succession.
"Mom can wait," he muttered through gritted teeth. He wasn't ready to explain anything—he didn't even know what he was feeling. All he knew was that tonight, he needed answers. He needed to see her.
He scrolled back to the video, watching her face one more time. She's back… and I didn't know. A tight knot formed in his chest, a mix of longing, confusion, and impatience. Four years had passed since he last saw her, and now she was suddenly in the world, in someone else's orbit, and he hadn't been there to protect, to warn, to… be there.
The city hummed outside, but Zeyan didn't sleep. He stared at the screen, his mind racing, replaying every detail he could remember. Every instinct in him screamed the same thing: It's time. It's time to see her. To fix this. To…
He leaned back, the frustration simmering into resolve. No more waiting. No more guessing. After four long years, it was time to find her.