Yunque had never imagined that Lu Rangchen would bring up the bus stop.
She had assumed he’d long since forgotten it.
Or at the very least, that he hadn’t known the person asleep at the bus stop was her.
But reality ran counter to everything she had believed. Not only did he know it was her — after all this time, he still remembered.
Which meant that from the very moment he’d asked for her help, Lu Rangchen had already recognized her.
The realization detonated in her heart like a firework suddenly bursting into the sky, catching her entirely off guard. Her expression crumbled into helpless surprise, and even Deng Zhe and Xu Linda went quiet — both asking at the same time:
“What bus?”
“What’s going on with you two?!”
Lu Rangchen glanced at her with his usual casual air, his tone carrying a trace of amusement. “Ask her.”
“…”
Yunque’s cheeks burned hotter. She had no choice but to forge ahead with an explanation. “A while back I fell asleep at the bus stop. He woke me up.”
As she spoke, she looked at Lu Rangchen.
She didn’t know where the nerve came from, but after a moment’s pause, she met his gaze steadily and lied without blinking. “I didn’t know it was you. By the time I opened my eyes, you’d already gotten on the bus.”
Hearing that, Lu Rangchen raised his brow, his expression unreadable.
Xu Linda joined in enthusiastically. “Wow, you two are really fated.”
Yunque looked away in discomfort.
At just that moment, someone outside called for Lu Rangchen. He casually picked up his guitar, tilted his chin at Deng Zhe, and said, “I’ll head up first. You all continue — whatever you want to drink, it’s on me.”
Deng Zhe called out cheerfully, “Don’t even need you for that, I’ve got it covered.”
Lu Rangchen gave a brief nod and turned to leave, sliding past Xu Linda. His tall frame nearly matched the low, narrow doorway.
Yunque’s eyes followed him without thinking.
But just as the young man reached the door, he stopped.
He glanced at Xu Linda first, and then his gaze settled on Yunque. His voice, when he spoke, was low and a little rough. “Any songs you’d like to hear?”
Xu Linda’s eyes lit up, and she spoke up quickly. “I love Eason Chan!”
Then it was Yunque’s turn.
She parted her lips softly, her voice very quiet. “You Don’t Know.”
Lu Rangchen paused for a moment. “Wang Leehom?”
Yunque nodded, as gentle and obedient as anything.
Lu Rangchen held her gaze a second longer than necessary. “Got it.”
—
That night, Lu Rangchen was as good as his word.
The very first song after he took the stage was Eason Chan’s “Red Rose.”
His cool, low magnetic voice rose and fell with the live accompaniment, liquid and unhurried.
The stage was washed in dim light.
The young man’s profile was sharp and striking, every feature finely drawn. He held the microphone loosely, effortlessly, with that intoxicating ease that was both arresting and a little reckless — warmth seeping right into your bones.
There were already plenty of girls in the audience, but now even more cheered, waving glowsticks enthusiastically, their adoration impossible to miss.
Xu Linda was the most animated of all — filming a video while repeatedly shouting Lu Rangchen’s name, every bit the devoted little fan.
Compared to her, Yunque was almost unnervingly still.
She didn’t have a phone as capable as Xu Linda’s, so she snapped two photos and put her phone away. Then she quietly sipped the “children’s milk beer” Deng Zhe had ordered for her, her eyes fixed on Lu Rangchen glowing onstage with quiet, reverent devotion.
The first song ended quickly.
Deng Zhe came back from the kitchen carrying a fresh fruit platter and sat down beside them.
Onstage, the singer switched to a short, stocky young man. Lu Rangchen moved to the side, settling in to play guitar accompaniment.
His long neck bent slightly. A few strands of hair fell across his narrow, deep-set eyes. His elegant, long fingers swept lightly across the guitar strings. Yunque had to make a genuine effort not to keep her gaze on him every single moment.
Unlike her, Deng Zhe’s arrival immediately pulled Xu Linda’s attention away.
Listening to the two of them talk, Yunque learned that the bar belonged to Deng Zhe’s family, and Deng Zhe helped out whenever he had time. Lu Rangchen had been recruited by him — Deng Zhe said he’d been playing in a band back in Beijing at his international school since middle school, both as a singer and an accompanist.
Originally Lu Rangchen had treated it as a casual hobby, but his residency ended up drawing a bigger and bigger crowd.
Deng Zhe shook his head. “Now the result is, I have to drag him here every week. It’s like begging an ancestor.”
Xu Linda burst out laughing, her eyes bright and shining as she watched him.
Yunque suddenly understood why she had insisted on bringing her here tonight.
The secret feelings of young girls always have a way of resonating.
Yunque felt the echo of her joy, and the corner of her mouth curved up without her realizing.