The taxi drove east along the elevated highway; the buildings outside the window grew brighter and more densely packed.

Lin Shiya sat on the left side of the back seat, her bucket hat pulled low and her face mask on, huddled in the corner, looking no different from the ordinary commuters heading home after work.

Lu Zhixian sat on the right, leaving a seat's distance between them.

The driver was a middle-aged man listening to the local traffic radio, which was broadcasting noisy, cluttered traffic updates.

No one spoke.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped on a small road near the Bund. Lu Zhixian paid the fare, and the two of them got out.

Walking along the sidewalk toward the river, the streetlights were all lit, and the iconic buildings across the water were illuminated, their reflections shimmering on the river.

It wasn't the weekend, and since it was around dinner time, there weren't many people by the river.

Lu Zhixian walked casually with his hands in his pockets.

Lin Shiya followed beside him, her hands tucked into her hoodie pockets. Her steps were smaller than his, but more frequent, just enough to keep up.

"Last time you came to Shanghai, you said you hadn't been anywhere?"

"I only went to your company's recording studio. After recording the song, I took the high-speed rail straight back."

"Then you missed out big time."

"How so?"

"The night view of the Bund is in the top three in the country. Coming to Shanghai and not seeing the Bund is like going to Beijing and not seeing the Forbidden City."

Lu Zhixian glanced at the skyline across the water, which was lit up like a Christmas tree, and nodded.

"It is indeed quite beautiful."

"Just 'quite beautiful'?"

"Very beautiful. Happy now?"

Lin Shiya hummed, not correcting his wording further.

The two walked slowly along the riverside path.

After walking for a while, Lu Zhixian stopped and took out his phone.

"Take a couple of pictures for me."

He handed the phone to Lin Shiya.

Lin Shiya took it and glanced down at the screen.

"What do you want to photograph?"

"Me, of course. It's rare to come here; I should have a souvenir."

Lu Zhixian took off his mask and pushed his baseball cap back, revealing his face. Then he took a few steps toward the railing, leaned back against the river, and struck a casual pose.

Lin Shiya raised the phone and gestured toward him.

"Stay right there."

Click.

Lu Zhixian walked over to take a look.

In the photo, he was standing awkwardly right in the center of the frame, half of the Oriental Pearl Tower behind him was cut off, and the lights across the river were a blurry mess.

"..."

Lu Zhixian was silent for two seconds.

"Lin Shiya, what on earth is this?"

"What's wrong?"

"You cut off half of the Oriental Pearl Tower. Are you sure this isn't your first time taking a photo with a phone?"

Lin Shiya leaned in to look at the screen, her expression unchanged.

"I think it's okay."

"Okay? If you were a photographer with this skill level, customers would be chasing you for a refund."

Lin Shiya shoved the phone back into his hand.

"Then take a selfie."

"No, you're a public figure after all. Who usually takes the photos you post on Weibo?"

"The studio has professional photographers."

Lu Zhixian realized.

"No wonder. You're useless without a photographer."

"You talk too much."

"I'm helping you face reality."

Lin Shiya crossed her arms and looked at him, not replying.

Lu Zhixian walked back to the railing and took a selfie. He checked it; it was okay, at least the Oriental Pearl Tower was complete.

The two continued walking forward.

The river breeze blew past, carrying a bit of moisture. It wasn't cold, but it was a bit damp.

Coming to an empty bench, Lin Shiya sat straight down.

"I can't walk anymore."

"Signed over three hundred names; don't your hands hurt?"

"My hands are fine, but my legs are a bit sore after standing all afternoon."

Lu Zhixian also sat down, leaving more than half a body's width between them.

"You were in great form on stage today," Lu Zhixian chatted casually.

"You too. The moment you appeared, the crowd went wild."

"Sister Chen said the video of today's live performance has been edited and will be posted tomorrow. She expects it'll trend on the hot search list again."

"Let it trend. We haven't been off the hot searches lately anyway."

Lin Shiya glanced at him.

"You seem like you never care about these things."

"Caring is useless; what comes will come. And to be honest, trending sometimes has its benefits."

"What benefits?"

"Your album sells more, for one."

Lin Shiya was stunned for a moment, then looked away.

"When did you enter the industry?"

"Are you asking about my debut?"

"Yeah."

Lu Zhixian thought for a bit.

"If this year counts as my official debut, it's only been a few months."

"A few months?" Lin Shiya's tone carried a hint of surprise, though not too much.

"What about before? Where were you? School? Or some label?"

"Before... I just worked a normal job."

"A job? What kind of job?"

"Just a corporate slave, you know... a worker bee."

Lin Shiya turned her head and looked at him seriously.

"How old are you this year?"

The question came a bit suddenly.

Lu Zhixian paused.

"Twenty-eight."

Lin Shiya didn't say anything.

Silence lasted for about three or four seconds.

"Twenty-eight?"

"Yeah."

"You only debuted at twenty-eight?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

Lin Shiya's expression shifted from calm to obvious shock. Although her mask covered most of her face, she leaned back slightly—a reaction she couldn't hide.

"...You're almost thirty."

Lu Zhixian's heart skipped a beat.

"Can you not use the 'almost thirty' phrasing? It's only twenty-eight."

"I debuted at nineteen."

"I know."

"You're four years older than me."

"...Thank you for doing the math for me."

Lin Shiya leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, looking at him sideways.

Debuting at twenty-eight was indeed late for this industry.

Lin Shiya debuted at nineteen and was already a Little Diva by twenty-four.

The golden starting period for many top singers is between eighteen and twenty-three. At his age, just starting out, he looked like a classic late bloomer.

Even though he didn't care what others thought, being reminded by a girl four years younger in that "you're actually almost thirty" tone was still a bit awkward.

"Twenty-eight years old," she repeated the number.

"Can you stop saying it? I'm starting to get age anxiety."

"No, I didn't mean it that way." Lin Shiya sat up straight.

"I think you're incredible."

"Huh?"

"Starting from zero at twenty-eight, and in just a few months, having the whole industry talking about you. Do you know how ridiculous that is?"

Lu Zhixian was momentarily speechless.

"Most of my colleagues started studying music in their teens. You can find conservatory graduates by the handful."

"Out of those who practice for over a decade, only a few make it. You've never studied anything, yet you're at this level from the start."

"It's not that I've never studied anything. I've... figured things out on my own for a long time."

"For how long?"

"Don't ask for details."

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

"Anyway, your starting age is indeed rare in this circle. But the results are right there; anything else is redundant."

Lu Zhixian leaned back against the bench and let out a long breath.

"Fine, just say the words 'late bloomer' and get it over with."

"I didn't say that."

"You wanted to."

"I did not."

"It's written all over your face. I can guess, even with the mask."

Lin Shiya tugged at her mask, revealing the lower half of her face.

"Look, what expression do I have?"

Lu Zhixian glanced.

"The expression of someone who wants to laugh but is holding it in."

"Your eyes are playing tricks on you."

"My vision is perfectly fine."

Lin Shiya pulled her mask back up and stopped arguing with him.

They sat for a while longer.

A cruise ship passed in the distance, and the river surface became calm again.

Lu Zhixian checked the time on his phone. It was 8:30.

"It's about time. You should go back and rest. You've been busy all day."

Lin Shiya stood up and stretched her waist.

"What about you? Back to the hotel?"

"That hotel is too far. I'll just find another room nearby. I'm not in a hurry to leave tomorrow; I plan to look around Shanghai some more."

"You're not familiar with this area. Want me to recommend a few places?"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

Lin Shiya thought for a moment.

"The Fan Signing Event is over, so I have no plans tomorrow."

"Then let's go out and explore tomorrow. Today was too short; we didn't even finish walking the Bund."

Lin Shiya looked down and adjusted the brim of her hat.

"What time?"

"You decide."

"Then ten in the morning. I'll send you the location."

"Sure."

Lu Zhixian took out his phone to call a car for her and then one for himself.

Both cars arrived at the roadside almost simultaneously.

"Driver, are there any hotels nearby? Doesn't need to be expensive, just clean."

The driver gave two names, and Lu Zhixian picked the closer one.

Five minutes later, he arrived.

After checking in at the front desk, he entered the room with his bag.

The room wasn't big, but it was tidy. He tossed his bag onto the bed, and his phone chimed.

Lin Shiya: "Are you there?"

Lu Zhixian: "Just got into the room."

Lin Shiya: "Ten tomorrow, I'll send you the location. Sleep early."

Lu Zhixian: "Okay, Student Lin."

Lin Shiya sent an eye-rolling emoji and didn't reply again.

Lu Zhixian tossed his phone by the pillow and lay down on his back.

The ceiling was white, and the air conditioner hummed.

He pulled up the photo album on his phone and found the picture Lin Shiya had taken for him.

Half of the Oriental Pearl Tower was cut off, and his face was crooked.

It was indeed ugly.

But he didn't delete it.