The driver maneuvered the sleek black car through the packed road and pulled up a few meters from the massive event center.

“Woah. Is this a concert or a crusade?” Lin Meilin muttered, wide-eyed from the back seat.

“I told you, Meilin!” Li Nian groaned as she adjusted her blue top and clutched her bag. “This is why I begged us to leave early! The entire province is probably here!”

They stepped out of the car, and Meilin instinctively tightened her jacket around herself. The air buzzed with electricity. Fans crowded every corner—some screaming, others chanting, and some simply crying out of excitement.

And then there was the fashion.

Meilin blinked at the wild sea of customized t-shirts, hairbands, and rings—all plastered with Lu Ruiyan’s face or name.

“Why are girls this obsessed?” she muttered, half amused, half uncomfortable.

Li Nian dragged her toward a vendor selling glow-in-the-dark merch. She immediately bought a bracelet and two LED stickers with LU RUIYAN written in glittery bold letters.

She snapped one around her wrist and handed the other to Meilin.

“Huh? What’s this for?” Meilin asked dryly.

“Just take it. You’re my plus one tonight, so wear the vibe!”

They handed their tickets over at the entrance and were finally let into the massive, circular performance hall.

Meilin sucked in a breath. “I think half of Hua City's population is here.”

Li Nian scoffed.”Half?”

Li Nian gripped her hand again and tried to pull them toward the front stage, but the thick wave of bodies was impossible to get through. They barely made it to the center.

“This is your fault,” Li Nian huffed, crossing her arms.

“Relax. It’s not like you’d get to hug him even if we were in front,” Meilin replied, brushing hair from her eyes.

A woman near them was shouting at full volume, a bold LU RUIYAN tattoo stretched across her neck. Another had a banner reading: KING OF HEARTS, and one girl waved a sign that read: PRINCE OF DREAMS.

This is insane, Meilin thought, folding her arms.

Then, suddenly, an explosion of screams shattered the air. Meilin jumped in fright and instinctively covered her ears.

“Wh-What happened??”

“RUIYAN!!!”

“YES!!!”

“I LOVE YOUUUU!”

It hit her like a wave—Lu Ruiyan had stepped onto the stage.

Li Nian squealed beside her and practically shook Meilin’s arm off. “He’s here!”

“Lu Ruiyan!”

“My angel!”

“Look this way!”

The stage lights dimmed and the crowd quieted just slightly. Ruiyan took his place at the glossy white grand piano, a single cool blue spotlight washing over him.

He glanced down at the keys. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then came the music.

He began to play, the notes slow and liquid, like pouring silver.

And when he sang, his voice slid across the hall like velvet:

You pulled me from the quiet

Taught my heart to beat.

Now every song I write

Is just your name on repeat.

I don’t need the spotlight

If I’m lost in your eyes

You're my melody—

With you every song is complete…..

The room fell completely silent except for him. Even Meilin, who wasn’t a music fanatic, felt her chest tighten.

He was majestic.

“Can you feel that?” Li Nian whispered, barely able to contain herself.

Meilin didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She just watched.

When the song ended, the room erupted. The screams returned like a tidal wave, rolling through the stadium.

Two girls near the front collapsed and had to be carried away by staff.

Insane, Meilin thought again. Truly insane.

Next, Ruiyan transitioned into a well-known love song, and the crowd sang with him-screaming, howling, even crying.

Even the tone-deaf ones gave it their all.

Li Nian danced, jumped, and begged Meilin to join in, but she simply swayed slightly, her eyes fixed on the stage.

He was real. And he was here.

Two more songs passed, then he stood and removed the mic from its stand.He danced across the stage with perfect rhythm, switching into one of his fast-paced pop hits. The crowd went wild.

Some girls reached toward him as though touching his sleeve might cure heartbreak. But Ruiyan never touched fans. That was one of his known rules.

He gave them a dazzling smile, waved gently, and turned back toward the exit.

Coordinators quickly closed in, shielding him as he walked off. One of them—probably the one known as Lady J joined him as he disappeared backstage.

“Noooo, don’t tell me it’s over,” Li Nian pouted, holding both her cheeks.

A recording of Ruiyan’s previous hit began playing in the background.

Meilin arched a brow. “You done now?”

Li Nian chuckled and grabbed her hand. “Never. But yes. Let’s go.”

They began walking toward the exit, still part of the humming crowd, still wrapped in Ruiyan’s magic.