Lu Zhixian booked a high-speed train for Friday morning.

Before departure, Old Zhao sent a bunch of messages again, asking things like "Do you want me to come along?", "Do you want me to arrange an assistant?", and "Should we coordinate the venue in Magic City in advance?"

Lu Zhixian replied to all of them with two letters: "No."

Old Zhao sent a wronged emoji and fell silent.

In a window seat in business class, Lu Zhixian was fully armed with a hat and mask.

This time, Lu Zhixian didn't listen to music. He took out his phone and flipped through the list of venue audio equipment Lin Shiya had sent over.

At the Magic City International Expo Center, the main stage was configured with a certain brand's line array speakers, the monitoring system was from another company, and he memorized the mixing console model with just a glance.

The equipment wasn't bad, but there was definitely a gap compared to a recording studio.

He listed a few points to be changed in his phone's memo, planning to go over them with Lin Shiya in person once he arrived.

The high-speed train emerged from a tunnel at 12:40. Outside the window, the sky was a hazy gray, and the clusters of buildings in the distance were becoming denser.

A message popped up on his phone.

Lin Shiya: "Where are you?"

Lu Zhixian: "Almost there. Entering the station in about ten minutes."

Lin Shiya: "Turn left at the exit. Underground parking B2, black minivan."

Lu Zhixian's hand typing paused for a moment.

"You're coming to pick me up?"

"It's on the way."

Lu Zhixian stared at the words "on the way" for three seconds. No matter how he calculated it, Magic City Station was not on the way to Shengyue Culture in the direction of Lujiazui.

But he didn't expose her and replied with an "Okay."

The high-speed train entered the station, and he followed the crowd out with his backpack. His baseball cap was pulled very low, and his mask covered most of his face. He was completely inconspicuous, blended in with a crowd of travelers dragging suitcases.

Following the route Lin Shiya mentioned, he turned left, took the elevator down, and reached the B2 parking lot.

A black minivan was parked in a corner. The windows were tinted dark, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

He walked to the side of the car, and the rear door was pushed open from the inside.

Lin Shiya was sitting inside, wearing a bucket hat with the brim pulled even lower than his. Her long brown hair hung down from both sides of the hat. She wore a cream-colored oversized sweatshirt and was curled up in the seat, looking like a college student who didn't want to be recognized.

"Get in."

Lu Zhixian bent down and ducked inside, tossed his bag at his feet, and closed the door behind him.

Sitting in the driver's seat was Sister Chen, who was adjusting the navigation.

"Teacher Lu."

"Sister Chen, just call me by my name. Every time you call me 'Teacher', I feel like I've aged ten years."

Sister Chen glanced at him through the rearview mirror, couldn't help but chuckle, and started the car.

The car was quiet for a few seconds.

Lu Zhixian turned his head to look at Lin Shiya.

"Where did you buy this hat? It's pretty ugly."

Lin Shiya didn't look up; she was looking down, scrolling through her phone.

"Limited edition."

"Limited ones can be ugly too."

"...Are you here to record a song or to critique my outfit?"

"Either works. My scope of business is quite broad."

Lin Shiya finally raised her head slightly, glanced at him through the brim of her hat, ignored him, and continued scrolling through her phone.

In the front, Sister Chen's shoulders were shaking from suppressed laughter.

As the car drove onto the elevated highway, Lu Zhixian leaned against the back of the seat and asked casually, "Have you eaten?"

Lin Shiya: "No."

"Then let's eat first."

Sister Chen chimed in, "There are a few good places nearby. What do you two want to eat?"

Lu Zhixian looked at Lin Shiya.

Lin Shiya thought for a moment. "There's a small restaurant on the street next to the company that serves Benbang Cuisine. The taste is okay. The key is that the private rooms are small, so it's not easy to be recognized."

Lu Zhixian: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Sister Chen adjusted the direction, and the car drove toward Lujiazui.

Over twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of an inconspicuous alley.

The storefront of the small restaurant wasn't large. The sign said 'Grandma's Private Kitchen'. It looked like it had been around for years, and the light box at the door was a bit faded.

Upon entering, the proprietress was a woman in her fifties. Seeing Lin Shiya enter, she greeted her warmly, "Xiao Lin is here!" and familiarly led the three of them to the small private room at the very back.

The private room was indeed small, with a round table that could barely seat four people. On the wall hung a piece of crooked calligraphy that read "Delicious and Affordable."

Lu Zhixian looked at the calligraphy, held back, and didn't comment.

Lin Shiya sat down, took off her bucket hat, casually tidied her hair, took the menu handed over by the proprietress, flipped through two pages, and closed it.

"Braised pork, Yanduxian, oil-exploded shrimp, any vegetable dish, and an egg drop soup."

The proprietress didn't even write it down; she nodded and left.

Lu Zhixian also took off his baseball cap and threw it on the chair next to him.

"Have you eaten here many times?"

"When the company is rushing work, we often order takeout from here. Later, I just started coming here to eat myself." Lin Shiya leaned against the back of the seat and stretched. "The braised pork the auntie makes is a specialty. Just you wait."

Sister Chen poured three cups of tea nearby and pushed one over.

"I sent you the flow of the fan meeting. Did you look at it?" Sister Chen looked at Lu Zhixian.

"I did. It starts at 2:00 PM. The front part is the signing session and fan interaction, interspersed with live performances of four songs. The last one is a duet, right?"

Sister Chen nodded. "Yes. Your part is only the last song. You don't need to go on stage for the front part; just wait backstage. We plan to have Shiya give a brief introduction on stage after the second-to-last song, and then you'll come out."

Lu Zhixian thought about it. "Don't do an introduction. It's too forced."

Sister Chen was stunned for a moment.

Lin Shiya, however, became interested and looked at him while holding her teacup.

Lu Zhixian picked up a chopstick and gestured on the table.

"Just play the intro of the last song directly. Shiya will sing the first part of the female vocals first. Before the chorus, I'll walk out from the side stage and join in. No need for buildup, no need for an introduction. The fans will react on their own. This kind of surprise is stronger than any buildup."

Sister Chen thought for a moment and turned to look at Lin Shiya.

Lin Shiya set down her teacup.

"That works."

Just two words. But Sister Chen, having been her partner for so long, could hear the approval in those two words.

The food arrived.

The braised pork was indeed the signature dish. Its sauce was glossy and oily, and one could feel its tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture just by picking it up with chopsticks.

Lu Zhixian took a bite.

Delicious.

But to be honest, he felt that his own cooking wasn't bad either. The sweet and sour pork ribs he made last time using the Master Chef skill were at least on the same level.

He didn't say this out loud, fearing he would sound too punchable.

Lin Shiya didn't eat fast, taking bite after bite, but she was efficient with no wasted movements.

Sister Chen, on the other hand, ate the fastest. She finished a bowl of rice in three bites, set down her chopsticks, and started replying to messages.

"The tickets for the fan meeting are sold out," Sister Chen reported without looking up.

Lin Shiya gave an "Mhm" with no reaction.

Sister Chen added, "After the official announcement this morning that you would be attending, ticket prices on resale platforms tripled."

This sentence was directed at Lu Zhixian.

Lu Zhixian chewed on a piece of shrimp meat and gave a muffled response.

"Don't look at me. I'm not the one selling overpriced tickets."

"My point is, your appeal is even more exaggerated than we estimated." Sister Chen finally looked up.

"Just today, we've received applications for media interviews from over a dozen outlets, all coming for you."

"Reject them all," Lin Shiya replied for him.

Sister Chen sighed. "I know. I've already rejected them."

After finishing the meal and settling the bill, the three went directly to Shengyue Culture.

The recording studio was the same one as last time. Recording Engineer Fang had arrived early, the mixing console was on, and all the equipment was in place.

The two began to coordinate their positions and transitions for the live version.

The space in the recording studio was limited, making it impossible to fully simulate the stage, but the basic rhythm of cooperation could be polished first.

Lu Zhixian stood about two steps away to Lin Shiya's right.

"During the chorus, lean half a step toward me. For the closing line, we'll face each other. This way, the audience's visual focus will concentrate between us, and it'll be easier to pull up the emotions."

Lin Shiya tried out the position and nodded.

"What about the last line?"

"After finishing the last line, you cut off first, and I'll finish half a beat later than you."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

Lin Shiya looked at him for a few seconds but didn't press further.

The accompaniment began to play, and the two went through the full process once.

After the first run-through, Recording Engineer Fang gave a thumbs-up from outside.

But Lu Zhixian shook his head and did it again.

The second time, he adjusted a few details. The two spent more time polishing the transition at the chorus until the rhythm was perfectly synchronized.

The third time, it was seamless.

Recording Engineer Fang clapped twice from outside but was glared at by Sister Chen and sheepishly withdrew his hands.

Altogether, it took just over an hour.

Lu Zhixian came out of the recording room and gulped down most of a bottle of water.

"That's about it."

Lin Shiya took off her in-ear monitors, walked out, and sat on the sofa.

"Your control over the live performance is more detailed than I imagined."

"In this line of work, if the details aren't in place, it'll be too late once you mess up on stage."

"Have you ever messed up?"

"Not yet." Lu Zhixian thought for a moment. "Hopefully, I won't tomorrow either."

Lin Shiya didn't respond. She picked up her phone to check the time; it was already after 4:00 PM.

"I've booked a hotel for you. It's in the building right next to the company, a three-minute walk."

Lu Zhixian turned back to look at her.

"You booked it?"

"Sister Chen booked it. I had her book it. It saves you the trouble of looking around yourself and wasting time."

"Okay, thanks."

Sister Chen took out a room card from her bag and handed it over.

"Sixteenth floor, executive suite. Your guest pass and flow chart for tomorrow's fan meeting are in the room; I left them on the table."

Lu Zhixian took the room card and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Then I'll head over first to settle in. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."

"Tomorrow at noon, I'll come pick you up to go to the venue," Sister Chen added.

Lu Zhixian slung on his bag and waved his phone at Lin Shiya.

"See you tomorrow."

Lin Shiya leaned back on the sofa and raised a hand.

"Don't be late."

"When have I ever been late?"

"Just taking precautions."

Lu Zhixian chuckled, turned, and walked out the recording studio door.

The elevator went down to the first floor, and he exited the office building's main entrance. The building next door was indeed close, just around the corner.

The hotel lobby wasn't large but was quite clean. After the front desk verified his identity with the room card, he went upstairs.

Sixteenth floor, executive suite.

Pushing the door open, the room was moderately sized, with a window facing a quiet street.

As expected, two items were placed on the table: a guest pass for the fan meeting and a printed flow chart.

Lu Zhixian scanned the flow chart. It was basically consistent with what Sister Chen had said before, with no changes.

He hung the pass on his bag, threw his phone on the bedside to charge, and lay down on the bed.

He stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while.

His phone rang again.

It wasn't Lin Shiya; it was Old Zhao.

"Arrived yet?"

"Arrived."

"Where are you staying?"

"A hotel arranged by Shengyue Culture."

Old Zhao sent an "OK" emoji.