Listening to the gentle whispers from Song Meng in her ear, Jiang Ling was already stunned.
She stared intently at the dazzling fireworks blooming endlessly before her, her voice tinged with hesitation, “Did you… prepare all these?”
Song Meng held up her phone, watching the fireworks rising right in front of her, and let out a soft laugh. “Are they pretty?”
“They’re beautiful.”
Jiang Ling nodded honestly, but soon fell silent again.
She could still hear the lingering chimes of midnight, drifting far away, and the bustling sounds from the room behind her—probably the others preparing a late-night snack. The pitch-black night was lit up by each burst of rising firelight.
And just like that, the new year arrived.
Jiang Ling still didn’t really feel anything definite, but she pulled herself out of her wandering thoughts and spoke to Song Meng on the other end of the phone, solemn and sincere.
“Thank you.”
She paused for a long moment, then said, “Really, truly, thank you.”
Song Meng heard the mix of surprise and joy in Jiang Ling’s voice, and her own heart filled with happiness as well. For once, she didn’t tease her, just gave a gentle “mm.”
Then came a long silence.
But it wasn’t an awkward or anxious silence—rather, it was filled with a peacefulness, like two old friends chatting over drinks after knowing each other for years.
Jiang Ling felt the cool night breeze, her knuckles tightening slightly around the phone. She wanted to say something, but no words would come.
Strange emotions spread through her chest, bringing Jiang Ling a feeling she’d never had before.
“All right, it’s time to head back, isn’t it?”
It seemed Song Meng sensed Jiang Ling’s hesitation and gave her a way out.
This made that odd feeling in Jiang Ling’s heart swell, but she really wasn’t good at handling these situations, so she just went along with Song Meng’s words, “Then I’ll head back first… I’ll find you to hang out sometime if I can.”
She added in a small voice, then quickly hung up the phone.
On her way back to the room, Jiang Ling could faintly feel her heart beating fast—so fast it felt like it might leap out of her throat.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and saw Mo Ran surrounded by the others, smiling with crescent eyes as she spoke.
As soon as Jiang Ling walked closer, Mo Ran waved her over, “Come here, there are fresh dishes just made.”
After every performance, Jiang Ling had the habit of eating a late-night snack, so she didn’t refuse and obediently sat down next to Mo Ran.
Looking at the wide variety of dishes on the table, she was silent for a moment, then slowly hooked her finger around Mo Ran’s.
“You’re… not going to talk about quitting the group again, are you?”
Jiang Ling asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, her fingers slowly shifting around Mo Ran’s, not picking up her chopsticks right away.
Mo Ran quickly sensed the tension and nervousness coming from Jiang Ling.
She released Jiang Ling’s tangled fingers and placed chopsticks in her palm. “I won’t.”
“…Really?” Jiang Ling, unconvinced, asked again.
“Fake.”
Mo Ran smiled, picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork rib, and stuffed it into Jiang Ling’s mouth. “Unless you eat everything.”
At that, Jiang Ling almost immediately gobbled up the meat, then cautiously observed Mo Ran’s expression. Seeing nothing unusual, she finally relaxed a bit and started eating.
A dozen or so minutes later.
Bai Xue put down her chopsticks and raised a full glass of wine.
“Though I already said this on stage, I still want to thank everyone for your companionship and hard work these past days. Without you, there wouldn’t be NOVA as we are now… That’s all I’ll say, cheers!”
Everyone, Jiang Ling included, stood up and clinked their glasses together.
“Clink—”
The crisp sound of glasses colliding echoed in the room, and the scent of alcohol slowly spread.
Jiang Ling just took two sips before stopping—she remembered she’d promised Mo Ran they’d have a detailed chat in her room later, and drinking too much would spoil things.
Everyone sensibly avoided mentioning Mo Ran quitting the group, as if nothing had ever happened, but Jiang Ling’s heart was still anxious.
As she hesitated, she suddenly felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder. Then Mo Ran stood up and, smiling at everyone, pointed at her own room, “I’m feeling a bit dizzy, going back to rest.”
Jiang Ling watched her walk off with steady steps—hardly someone who’d had too much to drink—so the words “Did you really drink too much?” never left her lips. She steeled herself and also stood up slowly. “I… I’m going to rest, too…”
Luckily, everyone was a bit tipsy and didn’t notice the odd look on Jiang Ling’s face, so she snuck quietly to Mo Ran’s room and pushed open the half-closed door.
“You’re here?”
Mo Ran sat on the edge of the bed, patted the spot beside her as Jiang Ling entered.
This time was different from before.
Jiang Ling silently recalled the sharp exchange they’d had last time, and to her own surprise, she felt a bit relieved and immediately sat down close beside Mo Ran.
“Looks like you’re really curious.”
Mo Ran couldn’t help but curl her lips at Jiang Ling’s eager look.
“You promised you’d tell me.”
Once Jiang Ling settled on a path, she never gave up easily—no matter what, she wouldn’t let Mo Ran just leave NOVA.
Facing Jiang Ling’s determined gaze, Mo Ran didn’t avoid her. She softened her voice and began to explain, “Actually, it’s nothing that special. Everything I said before was true, but… I did hide a few things I thought weren’t important.”
With that, she took her phone from her pocket and placed it in Jiang Ling’s palm.
Following her gaze, Jiang Ling’s pupils shrank sharply.
The call log showed dozens of missed calls, all within short intervals.
“This is…”
Jiang Ling had a vague guess, but still asked cautiously.
“My dad.”
Mo Ran, seemingly with nothing left to hide from Jiang Ling, confessed honestly, “I left home a long time ago, but every few days he still calls to harass me. Even if I change my number, it’s the same. He’s like a stubborn plaster, impossible to shake off.”
She spoke with natural ease, as if it was nothing major.
“If it were just me, it’d be fine. But if I really debut formally with NOVA, he’ll find out eventually. When that happens, the ones he bothers might not just be me, but all of you.”
Mo Ran let out a barely audible sigh and turned off her phone. The black screen reflected a trace of helplessness on her face.
“I don’t want you all to be dragged down by me, and besides…”
She suddenly paused, looking at the slightly puzzled Jiang Ling and lowering her gaze.
“It may sound pretentious coming from me, but I have to admit—I’m someone who longs for love but is afraid of loss.”
As she spoke, Mo Ran leaned a little closer to Jiang Ling, her delicate fragrance drifting over her shoulder.
Mo Ran’s sudden closeness made Jiang Ling freeze in place, but she didn’t move away—or perhaps she simply couldn’t—just watched as the distance between them shrank.
In the end, Mo Ran stopped with her lips just barely brushing Jiang Ling’s, not kissing, but hovering in the air, letting their breaths mingle and entwine.
“Jiang Ling.”
Mo Ran slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a steady voice, “You said, no matter what, you’d help me, right?” “…Mm.”
Jiang Ling’s breathing grew heavier, but she still agreed without flinching.
With the affirmation, Mo Ran smiled softly and closed her eyes completely, her trembling eyelashes thick and dark as a cicada’s wing.
“Then now—”
“Kiss me.”