Chapter Six: Listening to Him Sing

In the days leading up to the New Year, Bai Chenxi hadn't taken on any lead roles, only making cameo appearances in a few dramas. Even so, she poured her heart into every character she played, no matter how small the part. This time, she had accepted the role of a femme fatale who would bring ruin to the kingdom.

She was usually cast as the elegant lady from a noble family, graceful and dignified; her agent, Sister Wang, had worried that audiences wouldn’t accept such a drastic change. It was only after Bai Chenxi insisted that she needed to challenge herself that Sister Wang reluctantly agreed. Bai Chenxi was focused on pushing her own limits and hadn’t expected that this femme fatale role would require her to perform her own dramatic scene of falling into water. She now knew all too well what it felt like to plunge into a pool in the dead of winter.

Especially when her teeth were chattering with cold, she still had to maintain a delicate, pitiable expression on her face—it was a feeling like no other, and Bai Chenxi swore she never wanted to experience it again in her life. After enduring until the director finally called “Cut!”, Bai Chenxi barely had a moment to rest before she was whisked away to walk the red carpet.

Bai Chenxi was still relatively new to the industry. Although her debut drama, “Rivers and Beauties,” had achieved impressive results and won her a fair amount of popularity, she was still a newcomer and needed more exposure. In the entertainment world, new faces appeared all the time, and if you weren’t careful, you could be replaced in the blink of an eye. For someone like Bai Chenxi, who had only just started to gain a little fame, it was even more important to work hard.

She understood this well, so she never objected to the busy schedule Sister Wang set for her. Sister Wang managed many newcomers and couldn’t always accompany each one everywhere. Bai Chenxi was just there for the red carpet—once she’d finished, there was nothing left for her to do, so Sister Wang left early.

Having only just entered the entertainment industry, Bai Chenxi didn’t know many people, so she sat alone, fiddling with her phone.

“Congratulations to Chu Muyun, winner of this year’s Best Pop Singer Award. This is his third consecutive time winning this honor. Congratulations!”

“How unlucky to run into him here!” Bai Chenxi felt a surge of irritation at the mere thought of him.

“Thank you to the organizers for this award, thank you…” Chu Muyun had received such honors so often that his acceptance speech sounded entirely formulaic.

Bai Chenxi curled her lip. “As expected, a dull person—his words are just as boring.”

“Congratulations to Chu Muyun. Next, let’s welcome him to the stage to perform ‘After You Were Gone.’”

This was the first time Bai Chenxi had ever heard Chu Muyun sing. There were no flashy dance moves, no dazzling backup dancers—just him, sitting quietly on stage, singing. Yet it felt as if the entire stage belonged to him alone; everything else was superfluous.

For a moment, Bai Chenxi felt she was accompanying him in waiting for someone who would never return, sharing his journey from heartbreak to calm acceptance, and finally, to sealing away the past. Listening to the cheers of his fans all around, she began to understand why so many people loved him.

The ceremony was already halfway through when Bai Chenxi, feeling dizzy and groggy, decided to go to the restroom to clear her head. She never expected to run into Chu Muyun there.

“Chu Muyun, I can’t believe you’re this kind of person!”

Chu Muyun calmly finished washing his hands and glanced at her. “I think I should be the one saying that to you.”

Bai Chenxi stared at him in confusion. “You went into the women’s restroom—how can you act like you’re in the right?”

“Are you sure?” Chu Muyun looked at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. He suddenly stepped closer, startling Bai Chenxi, who backed herself into the corner. “Don’t… Don’t come any closer. At most, I won’t tell anyone, just don’t come any closer.”

Chu Muyun ignored her words. As his hand reached out, Bai Chenxi, frightened, squeezed her eyes shut—only to feel a warm hand gently press against her forehead.

“You have a fever. No wonder you ended up in the wrong restroom. You weren’t that bright to begin with, and now with a fever, you’re even more muddleheaded.” Chu Muyun’s voice sounded from above her head.

“A fever?” Bai Chenxi touched her own forehead—sure enough, it felt hot. “Maybe I caught a chill filming that water scene.”

“You—” Chu Muyun was about to say more when voices sounded from outside. With no time to think, he quickly pulled Bai Chenxi into a stall to hide.

Listening to the conversation outside, Bai Chenxi sobered up despite her fever, not daring to make a sound. Unconsciously, she turned to look at Chu Muyun, who happened to be looking down at her. Their lips brushed together unexpectedly. Startled, Bai Chenxi instinctively tried to push him away, but Chu Muyun’s arm circled her waist, holding her firmly in place.

Once the coast was clear, Chu Muyun finally released her. Bai Chenxi, not caring if anyone was watching, flung open the door and dashed out. Worried about her running a fever and getting into trouble, Chu Muyun followed after her.

All Bai Chenxi wanted to do now was find a quiet place to have a good cry. That had been her first kiss! She’d always used camera angles to fake kissing scenes, determined to save her first kiss for someone she truly loved. And now…

“Bai Chenxi, you should know I had no choice back there. It was just to avoid being discovered, nothing more. Don’t get the wrong idea. Just pretend you were filming a scene—you actors have to do kissing scenes anyway, don’t you?” Chu Muyun caught up to her, hastily explaining.

His explanation only made Bai Chenxi angrier. “Filming a scene? I always fake my kissing scenes! That was my first kiss!”

“As a public figure, you really shouldn’t go around calling yourself ‘this lady’ all the time. It’s so uncouth. And do you think you’re the only one who lost their first kiss? I’m not even mad, and yet you…”

“I just lost my first kiss, who cares…” Bai Chenxi, still heartbroken, suddenly realized something. “Wait, what did you just say? That was your—”

“No, you didn’t hear anything just now. You must be feverish and imagining things,” Chu Muyun interrupted her before she could finish, cursing himself inwardly for letting such words slip.

As the two of them stood there at an impasse, a voice suddenly called out, “Senior Chu, why are you here alone?”

As the newcomer approached, he noticed there was a girl beside Chu Muyun, tears still glistening on her face. Glancing at his senior, he realized he might have stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have seen.

“Uh, I didn’t see anything. Please, carry on.”

“Lan Tian.” The would-be escapee reluctantly turned back, praying he wouldn’t be silenced for what he’d seen.

“Senior, I really won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“You two know each other?” After watching this exchange, Bai Chenxi finally spoke.

“We work at the same company. He’s my junior,” Chu Muyun explained, though Lan Tian felt a chill run down his spine for some reason.

“I’ll leave you two to talk, then. I’ll be going now.” With that, Bai Chenxi dashed off as if something were chasing her.

In the blink of an eye, only Lan Tian and Chu Muyun remained. Lan Tian was filled with regret—why had he thought to come over and say hello?

“When did you get here? What did you hear?”

“Senior, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Be honest.”

“Really, I just saw you from a distance and wanted to say hi. I called out to you as soon as I got here—I didn’t hear a thing.”

Chu Muyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If his own junior had found out that was his first kiss, he’d never hear the end of it. On the surface, though, he maintained his usual impassive expression. “Well, you’ve said hello now. Off you go.”

Lan Tian let out a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Senior, I won’t say a word.” With that, he hurried away.

Chu Muyun was left standing there alone, unable to stop himself from recalling that kiss. His first kiss was gone, just like that; he was rather vexed. But somehow, it didn’t seem all that bad. Unconsciously, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.