Chapter 26 – Christmas

With Christmas came Zhou Yi’s final competition.

The vast stage was divided into two halves, one of which was enclosed by a large transparent plastic dome. Artificial snowflakes drifted down, complementing the white tiles and lighting to highlight the theme of the event. Zhou Yi had drawn the last number to perform, so he and Xiang Ning waited quietly in the dressing room.

Xiang Ning watched Zhou Yi pacing back and forth, then patted the seat beside him, gesturing, “Come sit down.”

“Ah, I’m still a bit nervous,” Zhou Yi said with a worried frown as he sat down next to Xiang Ning. The door creaked open, and he quickly straightened up, seeing He Rong walk in and nod at him politely.

Zhou Yi instinctively stood up to leave but was stopped by He Rong, who said, “Don’t rush. I just want to say a few words.”

He Rong sat down next to Xiang Ning, holding his hand and asked, “Are you nervous?”

Xiang Ning shook his head, smiling slightly as he wrote, “It’s not my performance; Zhou Yi is the one who’s nervous.”

“That’s good,” He Rong smiled, rubbing his fingers. “I’ll be watching you from the audience,” he said, smoothing Xiang Ning’s hair. “Good luck.”

Xiang Ning nodded, watching He Rong leave. He relaxed his clenched hands and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Time ticked by, and the two of them encouraged each other as they walked backstage. The stage lights dimmed, and only a few snowflakes drifted down slowly. The audience seemed to be affected by the atmosphere, lowering their voices. For a moment, Xiang Ning could only hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

Xiang Ning walked to the piano, took a deep breath, and sat down. He nodded, and a spotlight shone on his hands on the keys. He pressed the first key.

At the same time, a red spotlight fell on the central lift platform. As the piano music grew more intense, Zhou Yi slowly rose, accompanied by the audience’s cheers. Xiang Ning raised his hand and struck a powerful note.

The music abruptly stopped, and the spotlights went dark. The band immediately took over, the drumbeats growing increasingly frantic. Zhou Yi raised the microphone and began a series of ascending high notes. The stage lights suddenly brightened, and special effects created sparks that rose with the snowflakes, colliding, entwining, and merging. Xiang Ning’s expression tensed, and his eyes met a familiar pair.

He Rong was sitting in the audience, holding a light stick he had borrowed from somewhere, looking a bit silly as he waved it to the rhythm. Seeing Xiang Ning’s gaze, he cupped his hand to his mouth and shouted, “Good luck!”

The fans around him were inspired and stood up to cheer and encourage. Only Xiang Ning knew that in the stadium of thousands, there was only one person who had come specifically for him.

The night sky was a vast, dark blue, the moon hidden behind a thin veil of clouds, with only one bright star visible.

No matter how many stars might appear in the vast night sky, forming a silver ribbon or a galaxy, the moon would always have its one brightest star.

Xiang Ning lowered his eyes, looking at the black and white keys before him. He opened his mouth silently, humming along to the rhythm. He looked at He Rong in the audience and smiled with ease.

The performance ended, and Xiang Ning stood next to Zhou Yi, bowing and waving to the cheering audience. The host came on stage, and the two of them exited to thunderous applause.

The competition had been exhilarating, so the ranking seemed less important. After a while, they returned to the stage and placed second, just one point behind the first-place singer, a star who had been out of the limelight for a long time, rightfully earning the top spot.

Zhou Yi was kept for the final interview. Xiang Ning, still smiling, walked forward in his windbreaker. He was unexpectedly embraced by someone.

“Looks like I’m a bit late,” He Rong said, pinching Xiang Ning’s slightly red ears and handing him a cup of hot milk tea. “Drink up to warm yourself. Xiao Ye just bought it for me.”

“Leaving work to attend a concert and forcing your assistant to buy you milk tea,” Xiang Ning typed on his phone, teasing him, “I should expose you to the press.”

“Then you’d be the president’s little lover,” He Rong poked his nose and asked, “What resources do you want?”

He leaned in, whispering by his ear, “As long as you satisfy me tonight, you can have any resources you want.”

Xiang Ning was speechless, clutching the milk tea and quickening his steps to leave He Rong behind, his ears turning red with embarrassment.

———

The two returned to Linwan. As soon as they opened the door, Xiang Ning and Lao San¹, who was causing trouble in the living room, collided, scaring Lao San into running away. Xiang Ning chuckled, and Lao San, realizing who it was, quickly ran from the room to the foyer, rubbing against Xiang Ning’s ankles and whining.

Xiang Ning picked him up, weighing him in his hands, and turned to He Rong in surprise.

“Heavier?” He Rong took the whining Lao San from Xiang Ning’s arms, weighed him, and confirmed, “Definitely heavier.”

“It seems Yuan Qing hasn’t been slacking off these past few days,” He Rong said. He had asked Assistant Yuan, who had just returned from maternity leave, to take care of the three kittens while he was away. He hadn’t expected Lao San to visibly gain weight in such a short time.

The two sat on the sofa, and soon three kittens were nestled in their laps. Even the rarely affectionate ²Lao Da was rubbing against Xiang Ning’s arm, swatting Lao San back with his tail when he tried to climb up.

“Don’t spoil them,” He Rong said, shooing the kittens away and pulling the exhausted young man into his arms. He closed his eyes contentedly, “Finally home.”

Xiang Ning twirled a strand of his hair, feeling a gentle warmth in his heart. Somewhere along the way, this place had ceased to be just a contractual obligation and had become a true home.

The rare sunlight filtered through the windows, and the five of them settled comfortably together. The soft fur of the kittens under his palm, Xiang Ning stroked them gently, gradually drifting off to sleep.

He Rong quietly got up, carrying the kitten that was biting his pant leg into the study and locking the door. His phone vibrated twice, and he glanced at the sleeping Xiang Ning before stepping onto the balcony to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“President He, Mr. He has come to the company and specifically asked to see you,” the assistant’s voice came through the phone, with the background noise of He Mingde’s rough voice. A wave of irritation surged within He Rong. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said coldly,

“What are the security guards eating? They let someone up without an appointment? Are they just for show?”

The assistant’s expression stiffened, realizing his mistake. He lowered his eyes and said, “I apologize, President He. I’ll make sure ‘Mr. He’ leaves as soon as possible.”

He Rong hung up, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of his phone. He frowned, narrowing his eyes, and let out a cold laugh. He wondered what new scheme his father had cooked up.