The night air buzzed like electricity.
Everywhere I looked, there were people… a sea of them, waving light sticks that painted the air in shifting colors. The concert ground outside the Beijing Dome looked like a living heartbeat. Meilin was practically bouncing beside me, her ponytail whipping in every direction as she shouted over the noise.
"This is insane!" she screamed. "I told you we had to come early!"
"I can't even hear myself think!" I yelled back, pressing my hand against my ear.
"Good! You're not supposed to think at a concert!"
We had somehow fought our way to the front row, pressed against the barrier separating the crowd from the stage. Around us, hundreds of people were chanting the same name like it was sacred.
"Li Wei! Li Wei! Li Wei!"
It rolled like thunder, shaking the ground under our feet.
I didn't even know what Li Wei looked like until Meilin shoved her phone in my face earlier. Rising idol, she said. Twenty-three, perfect face, sings like heartbreak.
Great. Just another pretty boy with too much confidence and too many fans.
But even I had to admit — the atmosphere was wild. The lights, the vibration, the excitement. The kind that made your skin tingle and your stomach twist.
Meilin grabbed my hand and started jumping. "He's coming! Oh my God, Cesca, he's coming!"
"How do you know?"
"Because that's his car!" she shrieked, pointing.
A deep roar cut through the crowd as headlights sliced the night open. A sleek black Porsche… or maybe a Lexus, I couldn't tell… rolled slowly toward the backstage entrance. The car gleamed under the flashing lights, the kind that looked too rich to exist in real life.
The crowd lost it.
Screams filled the air like fireworks. People waved banners, some even cried. Meilin was yelling something I couldn't hear, her voice drowned in the chaos.
And then…
The car door opened.
A tall figure stepped out.
He was wearing a dark tailored jacket that looked custom-made, his hair slightly tousled under the blinding flashes. For a moment, I couldn't see his face clearly… not until he walked closer, heading down the aisle that cut through the fans.
And then his eyes found mine.
Everything stopped.
It wasn't like in movies… no slow motion, no magical background song. Just silence in the middle of screaming. A breathless, impossible stillness.
His eyes locked on me, sharp and burning.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
My heart twisted so suddenly it hurt. My stomach dropped. I didn't need a second guess… I knew that look. That cold, steady gaze I'd tried to erase from my mind since the day I spilled juice on his thousand-dollar shirt.
Qin Kai.
Of all people.
Of all nights.
He was Li Wei?
Or what… the sponsor? The star's manager? Whoever he was, he didn't belong in this noise. He looked too composed, too in control, like he was standing above everything… and yet, his eyes refused to leave mine.
Seconds passed.
Maybe minutes.
Maybe a lifetime.
The lights flashed between us… red, blue, white…but his gaze didn't move. It was intense, searching, almost cruel. I could feel it down my spine, like a slow current that made it impossible to breathe.
Then he turned away, walked past the barriers, and disappeared behind the stage.
Deep inside, I could feel another stare on me, another pair of eyes burning through me but I didn't look around to see who it was.
The noise returned like a crash of thunder.
"Holy…!" Meilin grabbed my shoulders, eyes wide. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" I asked too quickly, forcing a laugh that didn't sound right.
"He looked at you! He looked at you!" she shouted, shaking me.
"He wasn't looking at me," I said, shaking my head. "He was looking… at the crowd. Maybe someone behind me."
"Oh, please. Everyone saw it! Even that girl with the purple hair was recording it!" She turned to a stranger beside us. "Right? He was staring at her!"
The girl nodded eagerly. "Yes! The guy in black…he totally froze and stared! Girl, are you like… dating him?"
"What?!" I choked on air. "No! I've never… I don't even know him!"
They laughed, but Meilin wasn't buying my denial. She gave me this long, knowing look… the kind only best friends can give. "You're hiding something," she said.
"I'm not."
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not blushing!"
She smirked. "Sure, sure. Keep lying, Francesca Nuel."
The way she said my full name made me roll my eyes, but it couldn't hide the truth …my heart was still thudding painfully fast. That look… it wasn't normal. It was the kind of look that burns. The kind that says, I remember you.
Before I could say anything else, the lights dimmed. The crowd roared again as music exploded from the speakers.
Meilin screamed beside me, waving her light stick. "He's here! Li Wei!"
The stage burst alive… neon lights, smoke, fireworks. The real Li Wei appeared, grinning, handsome, his voice carrying across the field like honey and thunder. The fans screamed his name so loud I thought my ears would bleed.
I tried to focus on the stage. Really, I did.
But my eyes kept drifting… searching the edges of the crowd, the shadows behind the lights.
And then I saw him again.
Qin Kai.
Standing near the backstage railing, half-hidden, watching the crowd… watching me.
He wasn't smiling. He wasn't clapping. He wasn't even pretending to enjoy the show. His arms were crossed, and his gaze was locked on mine, unblinking.
Every time the spotlight passed over him, I caught a glimpse of that sharp jawline, that controlled expression. I looked away, pretending not to notice…but every nerve in my body was aware of him.
Why was he here?
How did he find me?
"Cesca!" Meilin's voice snapped me back. "You're zoning out again! Look, he's performing 'Heaven's Door!' It's my favorite!"
I nodded weakly, pretending to listen. My throat was dry. The music was too loud, the lights too bright. And yet, even in all that chaos, I felt trapped… like there were invisible eyes following my every move.
Minutes bled into hours. Or maybe it just felt that long.
When the final song ended, the crowd exploded in cheers. Fireworks burst above, raining color into the night. Meilin was jumping and laughing, hugging strangers. Everyone was high on the energy… everyone except me.
Because he was still there.
Still watching.
I turned for just a second… and he was gone.
The crowd started to move. People were shouting, pushing, waving phones, trying to get out. Meilin had disappeared into the wave, probably trying to get closer to the stage.
"Meilin?" I called, standing on tiptoe. "Meilin!"
No response. I tried to push through, but there were too many people, too much noise. My phone had no signal. My chest started to tighten.
"Meilin!" I called again.
A hand… large, strong… wrapping suddenly around my waist.
Another covered my mouth before I could scream.
The smell of leather.
The faint cologne I could never forget.
My e
yes widened… panic flaring… but the world spun before I could fight back.
Everything blurred.
The lights melted into darkness.
And then, nothing.