The performance at the show has blown up! It was shared by so many people and her song was now also in the top 50 charts!And this was all before the alb.u.m had even released officially!
FreshPotato: I feel for her, I hope she finds happiness in the future
Crazy Reader: we"re there to give you happiness, please don"t feel sad or we will be sad too :(
Chbcfhfc: girl MOVE ON, the bro is dead
KimYoung: omg why do bad things happen to good people?
fheytanz: A STRONG QUEEN
ErmahgerdNoms: I love you so much, you make my life better #WeAreHereForYou
Baelerie: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
ndsumslp: her voice is so sweet OMG
ForestShadow: he"s hearing it above don"t worry he"s always with you ❤️
ElevenFaces: she outsold her ded bf lmao
Qiu Yue would often read the comments on the performance video. Surprisingly, the tag #WeAreHereForYou had started to spread! People started to use it to support Qiu Yue as well as encourage others that had talked about their own experience and sadness.
This momentum has only been pushed even harder with the drop of the alb.u.m yesterday. Currently, so many of Qiu Yue"s songs were among the top 20!
Of course, Qiu Yue and Qiao Feng had worked hard for this result. They"d prepared everything to perfection and she continuously performed on stage, practicing other times. Qiao Feng would do his best getting more opportunities for Qiu Yue, he slightly manipulated things to make sure her image was always that of a pure and beautiful melancholic fairy. He would wake her up, make her breakfast and often times carry her back home after she fell asleep at the agency.
In the end, he had declined the offer to sing the first paragraph of her song, "Fact-Fiction" and Qiu Yue had finally relented, accepting the request of a professional and popular singer to collaborate with her instead. The singer"s name was Yu w.a.n.g, and he wanted to sing the song as he had always had to hide his loss. He had lost his girlfriend and yet being an idol he could never openly admit to having one, or express his love for her. Seeing Qiu Yue openly talk about it and the response she got from the audience, it made him feel unworthy. So he wanted to take this chance to redeem himself.
Qiu Yue still expressed her want for him to sing but Qiao Feng remained steady on his choice.
It wasn"t that Qiao Feng truly couldn"t, but he felt uncomfortable helping Qiu Yue sing a song for another man. That and he was trying not to appear in the media. He strictly wanted to only work as a manager.
With her concert coming up it was really hectic, and yet today was a day where both he and Qiu Yue had decided to take a break.
Of course, the moment Fan Yin heard that Qiao Feng had taken a break he knew that that guy would still be at his office, it was probably that he wanted Qiu Yue to take a break so he had said that they both needed breaks.
(E/N: Fan Yin is QF"s best friend. In case you all forgot :D)
So to "rescue" his best friend he immediately leaped up from his chair and ran there. Such a nice chance to play around, how could he give up? Plus if he stayed here chances were that that man would come... and even the thought of that sent shivers up his spine.
Qiu Yue knew that Fan Yin, Qiao Feng"s best friend and namely the third male lead and an upcoming popular actor was at the agency visiting Qiao Feng so she knew that she would probably be imposing on them but then for some reason she had an unexplainable urge to see him, to see Qiao Feng.
Only... when she opened the door, Qiu Yue was struck by a very explicit R-15 scene. Qiao Feng had the red-haired lithe male pinned to the wall with his own long legs. Qiu Yue a.s.sumed the red-haired male with a bullied look and yet mirth in his eyes to be Fan Yin. Both of them has ruffled clothes as though they had been in the middle of something.
This was... ah?!
"Mr Manager is bent?!"
Even though an incredulous smile spread onto her face, somewhere in her heart a streak of irritation flashed but she decided to crush it. Why would she be irritated? With such a beautiful BL development at that?!
Qiao Feng"s ears turned red even as his face remained impa.s.sive, he was also slightly concerned because he"d seen the sadness Qiu Yue had quickly hidden away in her eyes. He moved quickly, straightening his clothes in swift moves and kicked Fan Yin aside pulling Qiu Yue inside the room. He checked the corridor twice to see if anyone had heard anything and then decisively closed the door, thankful for his soundproof walls.
"He"s gay! Not me. Anyways he has someone else already, who"ll get in the way of those two idiot lovers?"
Qiu Yue could see he was fl.u.s.tered, even though his face remained cool, he"d never spoken so many words in such a flurry before.
"...you"re betraying me like this?! How could you, after all the nights we shared!"
Fan Yin shouted with an aggrieved voice. Instantly Qiao Feng"s gaze turned murderous as he glared at Fan Yin as if daring him to go on, and Fan Yin"s expression froze a bit. Maybe he"d gone too far...?
Looking at this charade Qiu Yue couldn"t go on anymore and burst out into loud clear laughter, surprising both the men. Qiao Feng who didn"t want to give Qiu Yue the wrong idea and Fan Yin who wanted to tease his friend both couldn"t stop small sheepish smiles come onto their faces as they looked at her and then exchanged looks.
"Mr. Manager! Awh your ears turned red~"
Qiu Yue smiled and poked at Qiao Feng, bending forward as she looked up at him teasingly. Fan Yin was shocked but then he realized it was true, that ice block narcissistic best friend of his... he was really embarra.s.sed!
"Awww~ Ah Yue, why don"t you call him Feng and see?"
Fan Yin said to Qiu Yue mischievously.
Qiu Yue t.i.tled her slightly, wondering what that was about.
"...Feng?"
Qiao Feng raised his hand covering his face with his hand as his face grew warmer, but with his eyes glaring at Fan Yin he looked positively scary and yet Qiu Yue and Fan Yin couldn"t stop laughing and poking at him.
"Let"s go have lunch..."
Qiao Feng grumbled at Qiu Yue. Those two really didn"t know fear, constantly provoking him like this... He took Qiu Yue by the hand decisively walked out of the office with a small bounding puppy running behind them.
"Oh oh! I know a good place!"
Fan Yin said from behind them.
"You aren"t coming."
He said harshly, shutting the door on Fan Yin"s face.
Leaving behind the sad cries of Fan Yin behind they rode in the elevator in silence. Qiao Feng glanced at Qiu Yue from the corner of his eye, sighing silently. Now that Fan Yin was gone and it was just the two of them she"d fallen silent, just looking into nowhere, deep in thoughts.
He opened the door for her and then closed it as she got into the car, still silent. Once he"d got the car outside the building he quietly broke the silence.
"What"s wrong?"
He didn"t turn to look at her or stop driving, instead he just simply asked her the question.
Qiu Yue turned to look at him, placing all her attention on him, as though searching for an answer to something.
"I don"t know what to do..."
Qiao Feng didn"t say anything, instead, he gave her a slight glance as if encouraging her to continue talking.
"I know everyone means well, and I"m so happy to have so many fans but... it"s like everyone thinks that it"d be for the best if I forget him."
"But how can I? It- It feels so wrong even thinking about that! I can"t and I don"t want to but... what if they"re right? I-"
Qiao Feng"s grip on the steering wheel tightened. It was funny, someone like him, he"d never shied away from anything, if he wanted something he"d always worked hard and got it in the end. And yet this girl... for the first time he felt something for someone. Yet the world had shown him that humans are so dynamic, they weren"t things. He wanted to tell her what he felt, even though he himself wasn"t sure, but he wanted to know, wanted to take it further. And yet each time, he"d realize to this person... perhaps he"d at most come second? It annoyed him so much and yet there was some other feeling he couldn"t quite pick out.
He hated the fact that he knew what to say... because it meant telling her something that he didn"t want to.
What did it mean to like someone? Binding them to oneself? Or let them be free and happy? Both options were painful.
But the moment he looked at her eyes, seeing them so distressed and sad, asking for his help? How could he bear to let her feel this way?
"Then don"t."
"You"ll never forget him, Qiu Yue. He"s... a part of you that isn"t meant to be forgotten. Just because someone is no longer part of our lives... doesn"t mean we can just forget them. The time spent together, the memories made, the way they change us as people... it"ll always be a part of us."
Qiu Yue"s filled with tears as she looked straight ahead, looking at the world that they were leaving behind every moment.
"But... I think what the others meant was that they want you to move on."
"You don"t get just one chance to be happy. You deserve it."
Appropriately the car stopped at a red light and Qiao Feng turned to look right at Qiu Yue while telling her those two lines. He really felt so.
How could this person, who wanted to make everyone else happy, always think that she couldn"t be happy?
Qiu Yue wanted to be angry, she really did. What right did he have to tell her all this? And yet she"s been the one to ask him, she"d come to him. He felt so familiar and yet different.
Few tears slipped out of her eyes after a long time. She was happy, she tried so hard to be happy... and still, now she was crying.
"I don"t know... I don"t know anything anymore."
But maybe being here, just here with him, maybe she could do it. Try once again, try to be happier... try to find a place of her own once again.
By the time they reached the restaurant, Qiu Yue felt a lot lighter and better. She smiled at Qiao Feng and he shook his head, taking his handkerchief and light brushing her cheeks and under eyes, gently rubbing away the tear tracks.
The manager came out personally to welcome them and directly took them to Qiao Feng"s usual table, one that was secluded from the others giving them a lot of privacy, away from prying eyes and hiding cameras.
The waiters handed them each the menu and then quietly receded to let them decide. It didn"t take much time to decide their orders, but Qiu Yue avoided saying anything and just pointed at the things she wanted on the menu and gave the waiter a cute smile, almost melting him on the spot.
Qiao Feng coughed, shooting the waiter a sharp look urging him to hurry away.
Qiu Yue looked at the food that arrived with wonder, it looked truly beautiful, so beautiful... similarly Qiao Feng looked at the Golden sparkling drink that arrived with surprise. He hadn"t realized that Qiu Yue drank alcohol, even though champagne did have a low alcohol content, seeing Qiu Yue take large sips seemingly enjoying herself he smiled but was surprised.
Qiu Yue was wondering why Qiao Feng looked so surprised, and then she realized, it was the drink in her hand?
She couldn"t stop the laughter bubbling up and laughter before speaking to him.
"This, it"s not champagne ah! It"s Apple soda!"
"Ah." He nodded to himself. He"d never seen her drink so this made more sense.
This time it was Qiao Feng"s turn to go silent. Qiu Yue blinked and kept staring at him as he looked at nowhere.
"I wanted to tell her how I felt..."
Qiao Feng"s thoughts echoed in his mind.
"His eyes are so pretty... they look kind of cold though? Ah but it"s cute because the look in his eyes is very soft!"
Qiu Yue a.n.a.lyzed his features one by one.
"But I know she hasn"t forgotten him, whoever he is, and she even said she doesn"t want to."
"I never notice how someone"s nose looks and yet I feel like his suits his face completely. Even his ears, they turn red so easily it"s super cute~"
"So...what do I do? Look after her? Without ever telling her? But..."
He truly couldn"t imagine being able to do that. It"s hard, when you like someone, to watch them love another.
"Even his lips are pretty... is this even fair?! Haahh~ other than him perhaps only Qiao Feng has this level of looks!"
"I should tell her. Didn"t she say that you should try being straightforward? That telling the other person how you feel was important, that why you"d at least be left with no regrets."
"That jawline... especially when you go below his face, the way his clothes fit him is simply amazing. The pants especially..."
Qiu Yue bit her lips lightly.
"You really have amazing looks and body."
"Huh...?"
Qiao Feng turned his eyes to Qiu Yue, looking like a deer caught in headlights. His ears turned slightly red as he struggled to keep his face straight. But then something flickered in his eyes.
"This is a good time. I should tell her."
"Qiu Yue-"
"Call me Ah Yue! Qiu Yue seems too formal right?"
"Oh... Ah Yue... I-"
He looked right at her and continued slightly put off by the change in address.
"But what she feels uncomfortable? She mostly will feel uncomfortable and I"m her manager... she can"t avoid me. If I make this weird for her then maybe her career will take the blow."
Thinking about the consequences his words would have on her, her career, her feelings... somehow he couldn"t bring himself to continue.
Looking at her, he swallowed his words back, smiling a bit sadly instead. But he probably hadn"t realized, Qiu Yue didn"t need to hear his words to understand what he wanted to say. She could see it in his eyes and feel it in his gaze. Actually, she wasn"t that oblivious anymore. She knew, she knew and yet she wanted to pretend she didn"t.
But now seeing him... take a step back? He"d never done that before. She knew him, spent time with him, she"d read a lot about him. He couldn"t... no, he didn"t say anything because he didn"t want to make her uncomfortable, disregarding how he felt just to help her.
She knew.
She understood.
She just didn"t know what to do with that understanding.
They spent the next month just like that. Preparing for the concert, working side by side. Qiao Feng would look at her sometimes, wistfully, and while he wasn"t looking, Qiu Yue would look at him curiously. He hadn"t said anything, but perhaps that was why Qiu Yue noticed him more, paid more attention.
Before long it was the morning of the concert. Everything was ready.
Tickets were sold out, but that was so surprising. They had purposely gone for a smaller venue to create a more intimate environment. Either way, they didn"t have commitments to a big fan base so this was a good idea.
Qiu Yue finished her first rehearsal and was resting, waiting for Yu w.a.n.g to arrive. Since he was filming a drama, he was currently in K country. Just for this concert he was making time and flying to C country.
Qiu Yue sipped water from her bottle and then laid her head on the table in front of her, resting her head on her arms as she looked around at the flurry of activity around her.
Especially Qiao Feng. He was no longer wearing his formal suit, having taken off the coat. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and he was constantly being called by people asking for instructions.
Sometimes she couldn"t understand how he did so much. The amount of work he did, the way he did things. No matter how much work he did, at what time, the quality remained top notch. Sometimes she got really worried about him, but that"s why she insisted he drop her home and make dinner sometimes. Those days he"d stay over and she knew he would fall asleep.
Suddenly it seemed like the energy level had spiked as for the first time Qiao Feng looked worried.
Qiu Yue decided to stop acting like a pa.s.serby and asked them what was wrong.
The staff member hesitated slightly at first.
"Miss... Miss Xiang, Mr. Yu w.a.n.g"s flight has been delayed due to the storm on their route. All the flights coming from K country to C country have been delayed for the time being..."
"Eh? But then..."
Didn"t that mean she"d have to sing the t.i.tle track alone? But the song was already released with Yu w.a.n.g... singing it alone wasn"t an option. And if they replaced Yu w.a.n.g with someone else chances were that the media would twist the story or that the fans would be upset?
Yu w.a.n.g was very popular, so his female fans could be very scary.
But Qiu Yue also saw a sliver of an opportunity in this situation...