"I love you."
Like a bolt of lightning, Mingyan was struck dumb as soon as those three words entered her ears.
'H—He's here? Wait, what did he just say?'
"Wh—What?" Mingyan's voice trembled.
Shen Yan chuckled, seeing her cute face looking like a confused puppy. "I love you," he said once more, expressing more emotion in his voice.
"I love you, Gu Mingyan." And again.
It seemed the more he said it, the deeper his feelings went.
Mingyan stood up in shock. But then she remembered that she was on stage, so with a blushing face, she bowed and ran away. She pushed the guitar to her obviously excited manager and bolted to her room.
In her panic, she did not notice the familiar silhouette beside Xiao Xi. She ran, leaving every single person behind the stage and the audience stunned. Their tears finally stopped, and in their eyes, there was laughter instead. What's going on?! Why did she look cute?!
Someone ran after her.
Mingyan leaned her back on the door after she banged it closed. Her heart hadn't stopped beating even after she tried to soothe it.
Then, a hurried knock made her jerk in surprise. She used every bit of her acting skills to make herself look calm despite her rapidly beating heart, and only then did she open the door. But her acting was incredibly useless as the person who barged in pulled her into his arms and accurately landed his lips on hers.
Mingyan's eyes widened as the growing face of Shen Yan filled her vision. She was kissed.
She was kissed?!
Mingyan: 'Lily, close your eyes!!'
Lily: *lets go of the confetti bomb and uses her paws to cover her eyes*
Mingyan appeared to struggle for a bit, seemingly looking uncomfortable at the soft sensation on her lips. But after a while, she let him do as he pleased. He licked and bit, and though his actions were done in a hurry, they were very gentle. Mingyan felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to open her mouth, but Mingyan was too innocent for that!! This girl doesn't know about anything, ah!!
After a few minutes, Shen Yan parted for a bit. Then, with a hoarse voice, he said: "Open your mouth."
Mingyan: 'Finally!!'
Lily: *eyes still covered but hears everything* ...
"Mm—mph!" Shen Yan pushed forth and gave Mingyan a deep French kiss.
Although Mingyan finally got what she wanted, she was greedy. She wanted to attack as well. Unfortunately, she really couldn't. Why must the original be so innocent when she finally found her love?! She couldn't possibly act out of character right now since she had already done it once.
She regretted terribly that she used her one chance just to scare Chen Rui! The freaking sensitive world would definitely kick her out once she went out of character. She had just gotten a taste of love. She wasn't going to let go of it so soon.
Shen Yan dove deep, capturing her tongue. Then he began licking it and sucking it as if her juices would keep him alive. He was very lively.
Mingyan, on the other hand, had to act innocently, so she was used thoroughly. However, despite not being on the attack, her soul felt satisfied.
They kissed for a very long time—taking breaks here and there—until a knock disturbed them. Shen Yan reluctantly pulled back, and both of them panted, trying to catch their breath.
Mingyan's face had matched her red, moist lips. Her glazed eyes were looking straight into Shen Yan's hungry ones. Shen Yan thought he saw a seductive glance for a split second, but honestly, anything about Mingyan at this moment was seductive in his eyes anyway, so he merely narrowed his eyes dangerously.
There was a series of knocks on the door again. "Mingyan? Are you okay? Do you need anything? The show will last for another 10 or 20 minutes, so take your time for now, but be sure to tell me if anything is wrong, okay?"
Xiao Xi stood behind the door, anxiously inquiring about Mingyan's condition. She hadn't had the chance to say anything to Mingyan because Shen Yan had stolen the headphones that connected to Mingyan's earphones, and Mingyan had fled after her song.
Xiao Xi didn't have the courage to reclaim the headphones, making her feel utterly helpless. Her artist actually had such a big shot as a fan!
Mingyan nodded, but then she realized that Xiao Xi wouldn't be able to see her, so she spoke. "Y- Yes, Sis Xi~"
Xiao Xi finally sighed in relief when she got a reply. Then she left, feeling assured.
Mingyan looked up at Shen Yan with her pressed lips. "S—say it again~"
She really liked hearing it. She even felt like she was obsessed with it.
Shen Yan inhaled a sharp breath. He really wanted to ravage her right then and there, but he knew this was not the place.
"I love you." Then he kissed her forehead, then her eyes, her cheeks, and back to her lips again.
This time, Mingyan took the initiative to open her mouth, and they were stuck with each other once again, for a long time.
When Shen Yan parted, he asked in a deep voice, "Aren't you going to tell me anything?" He also wanted to hear it. It wasn't even an exaggeration anymore to say that he was dying to hear it.
Mingyan's blushing face erupted, and her face, down to her neck, was red. She looked down to avoid his gaze, but he pinched her chin and raised it up. This time, it was his turn to not let her escape.
Mingyan bit her lips and pouted, seemingly annoyed at his overbearing act. That look almost made Shen Yan's determination waver, but he badly wanted to hear it. So he just stared. Until Mingyan, for the first time, gave in.
"I—I love you."
She said it in a slightly angry, slightly embarrassed, and slightly helpless tone, which made Shen Yan's heart weak.
"Mn, I love you, too."
Then he gave his final kiss for the moment to her nose. "Go and get your trophy."
Mingyan blinked her eyes in surprise. He's this confident?
Shen Yan really was confident. Putting aside his belief that anything Mingyan did was amazing, her performance this time definitely blew away the judges for this contest.
Mingyan didn't really hold much desire for the trophy, but since Shen Yan said so, she decided to finish what she started. She nodded and turned to the door, but paused and looked back, her eyes clearly asking him if he was going to wait for her in this room.
Shen Yan chuckled. "Go, I'll wait for you here."
Mingyan beamed and skipped her way back toward the backstage. The contest was nearing its end.
She had just turned a sharp corner when she saw Chen Rui just a few steps away, her face dark with anger. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Chen Rui turned and locked eyes with Mingyan. Suddenly, fear washed over her gloomy expression. She remembered. Those eyes had looked at her so coldly, it almost seemed like she was being stabbed a hundred times.
Did Mingyan possibly know? Or was she perhaps like her? Acting innocent and gullible just to make her target lower their defenses?
Mingyan tilted her head, wearing an expression that seemed to question what Chen Rui was looking at. Chen Rui's heart was shaken. If her suspicions were correct, then Mingyan was a terrifying adversary. Chen Rui turned around and ran, leaving Mingyan wide-eyed in surprise.
Mingyan: 'Did I go too far??'
Lily: 'Hmm? I don't know what's happening.' *still had her eyes covered*
Mingyan: *sweats* 'You can open them now.'
Lily: *peeks* 'Oh! Okay then! So, am I getting a daddy~?'
Mingyan: *speechlessly happy* 'Yes, I think you're getting a daddy~'
Lily: *throws confetti bombs*
While Lily was celebrating in Mingyan's head, Mingyan decided to forget about Chen Rui. As long as she doesn't see her one more time, she won't do anything to destroy her. Although she promised she wouldn't do anything, that didn't mean those guys were going to stand by, though. She'd just throw this problem to them~
The last contestant had just finished her song when she arrived, and they were all called back to the stage for the finale.
Chen Rui was actually missing.
The audience didn't know what happened and were confused. Some smart ones thought that she ran away because she didn't win and scoffed at her cowardice. At least the others were respectful and stayed until the end.
This time, Chen Rui's reputation had really taken a huge hit. On Weibo that night, countless posts had already denounced her work ethic.
Shen Yan's confidence was on point. It was a unanimous decision between the judges and the audience. Mingyan brought home the trophy that night. It was a transparent glass disc engraved onto a stand.
Mingyan quickly presented it to Shen Yan with twinkling eyes and eagerly waited for praise.
Shen Yan's heart was filled with sweetness as he looked down at Mingyan. She had actually come to look for him first to show her trophy. 'So cute!' He decided to take her out tomorrow for a date.
"Congratulations," he patted her head while a smile bloomed on his face.
Xiao Xi, who had come with Mingyan to the waiting room, stood rooted near the door. She dared not come in and disturb such a beautiful scene. It was so beautiful—she was scared that if she disrupted them, she'd be killed on the spot.
Mingyan's popularity heightened even more than before. She soon reached about 5 million followers on Weibo, and for a singer who had just started two weeks ago, her increasing exposure was staggering. But Mingyan's raid hadn't ended.
Xiao Xi had finally noticed Mingyan's empty Weibo and begged her goddess to post. The poor fans could only listen to her first post again and again because it was their only fix.
Mingyan felt guilty, so she decided to post at least one picture a day and a casual recording of her singing to all kinds of songs once a week. The first picture she posted was in a plaza. The fountain was in the background, and Mingyan stood on its stone while making a heart sign with her arms. Her fans suddenly went crazy.
Ming_follower323: "OMG, why do I see that our goddess' eyes have hearts in them??? Is it just me?"
no2sleep: "That person above, you are not alone! My heart can't handle such a sweet gaze!! Who was the photographer?! Is our goddess already taken?? T_T"
Ming'sHusband: "NO! I will not believe it! Who's going to sing me to sleep after I get home from work if not Mingyan! My love!!"
no2sleep: "But—but—look at her eyes! Just look at that loving gaze!!"
The photo had already reached the 4th rank in the popular posts section. And before the hype could cool down for even a moment, Mingyan posted a cover of "Say Something" in KZ's version. The background she used this time was a picture of when she had just woken up. She was in bed, holding her teddy bear, with a tear clinging to her lashes. She wasn't crying—it was because she had just woken up, so she had tears in her eyes. But the netizens couldn't care less.
They were already on edge after analyzing that fountain photo, and now they were slapped with a photo in bed?! They demanded to know who was the photographer!!
Ming'sHusband: "I'm a flower wilting after my sun was stolen. Help T_T"
Ming_follower: "No one can help you, bud. Everyone here is heartbroken like you sighs"
The recording immediately went viral and claimed the top seat as the most popular post. It also introduced Mingyan to people who were previously unfamiliar with her, exposing them to the new artist.
It was also at this moment of frenzy that Brilliant Stars posted an important announcement.
Brilliant Stars: "Aria" by Mingyan // picture"
It was the official cover of Mingyan's album. And as always, the post was as simple as it could be. However, it rode on the hype and reached the trending posts as well. Now, there were three posts all about Mingyan that were on the top ten trending list.
Xiao Xi wasn't worried about the "Mingyan's secret lover" rumors. It wasn't as big of a deal for singers to engage in relationships as long as their publicity was appropriate. If not, then their sales would inevitably be affected.
It couldn't be helped that with high interest came high expectations. This was what Xiao Xi had been worried about at first when the hype started to rise. But Mingyan had told her to listen to her songs first before using public relations to suppress the excitement.
After only listening to one song, Xiao Xi decided to let the hype continue. Then, she worked on Mingyan's promotions instead.
Along with the album, Mingyan was going to shoot her first music video as well. It was the song she sang in the competition, which she titled, "Can You Hear Me Sing?"