The two returned to the private room one after the other. Nobody seemed to notice anything unusual. As soon as they walked in, everyone urged them to choose a song.
The group sang until the early hours of the morning before finally calling it a night. Since everyone had had a bit to drink and their celebrity status made calling rideshares inconvenient, they arranged for drivers to pick them up instead.
"Zoe, do you have a car coming? Should I drop you off?" Liu asked.
Before Zoe could answer, Song interjected, "No need, Liu. My car will be here soon. I'll give her a ride."
"Alright then," Liu nodded.
When Song's car arrived, Liu personally walked them to it. He waved them off and stepped back, watching as they got in and drove away.
Seated in the car, Zoe couldn't help but wonder if she should have been more mindful of appearances in a situation like this.
"Where do you live?" Song asked.
Zoe recited her address.
Song turned to the driver. "Take her there first."
The city lights flowed past the window like a river of gold, painting a quiet yet melancholic night. Even the streetlights seemed to carry a trace of solitude.
Neither of them spoke a word during the ride. When they arrived at Zoe's apartment building, she finally broke the silence.
"Thanks. I'll get out now."
"Zoe," Song called her name.
She paused, her hand on the door handle.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Zoe gave a small, relieved smile, opened the door, and stepped out. Before heading upstairs, she waved briefly at Song in the car.
The next morning, she had no work scheduled. In the afternoon, there was a photoshoot. Zoe sent a message to Xiaoju: "Come pick me up tomorrow at noon."
Unexpectedly, Xiaoju replied immediately: "Got it, Zoe."
Surprised, Zoe asked, "You're still up at this hour?"
"I was waiting for your message. I thought you might need someone to pick you up tonight," Xiaoju replied honestly.
Zoe couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you. But in the future, unless I specifically ask, you don't need to wait for me."
"It's no trouble, Zoe. I usually sleep late anyway. If you need anything, just call me," Xiaoju said.
Zoe thought of Lan's phone call from earlier that night. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to call Xiaoju.
"Zoe?" Xiaoju's voice sounded curious.
"Xiaoju, after the show today, did you tell Lan that I went out with Liu and the others?"
Without missing a beat, Xiaoju replied, "Yes. Lan told me to keep her updated on your schedule."
Zoe didn't respond immediately.
After a pause, Xiaoju seemed to realize something was wrong. Her voice became cautious. "Zoe, should I not have told her?"
"It's fine. Routine updates like that are okay," Zoe said, laughing lightly. "I was just curious how she knew I was at dinner after leaving the recording halfway through. If it's from your report, that explains it."
But Xiaoju sounded even more anxious. "Zoe, did I do something wrong?"
"Don't worry, you didn't. I'm not upset with you," Zoe reassured her gently. "It's late. Get some rest and pick me up tomorrow at noon."
"Alright, will do," Xiaoju said quickly, sounding relieved.
Meanwhile, Lin had just returned to her own apartment.
Her face lit up with excitement as she pushed aside the items cluttering her table. She took out a laptop from her bag, placed it on the desk, and plugged in a card reader.
Her eyes gleamed with a determined and almost predatory excitement. As the photos loaded from the card reader onto her laptop, Lin picked up her phone and made a call. She didn't care that it was the middle of the night.
"Lin, do you know what time it is?" The person on the other end was clearly annoyed.
Lin chuckled softly. "Boss, remember the bonus you promised me? Have it ready. I want it in my account tomorrow."
The other party was silent for half a second.
"You got the pictures?"
"Of course." Though the person couldn't see her, Lin nodded emphatically. The sheer excitement in her voice left no doubt about her mood. "I got them. Song and Zoe—they're definitely involved!"