Chapter 52: Tonight.

Morning.

Training room.

Sunlight from the window cuts that familiar bright patch on the floor—shifted half an inch west from yesterday.

Su Nian stood before the mirror.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Pause.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Pause.

Xiao Xi crouched in the corner—she was back to crouching today—phone in hand, but her eyes were on Su Nian.

Shen Wei stood.

No training today.

Arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the wall.

Also watching.

Chuxue wasn’t there.

No one asked.

But everyone knew—she was at rehearsal.

For tonight’s joint performance.

Break time.

I sat by the window, scrolling on my phone.

On the screen was a clip of a virtual performance—holographic projection, interplay of light and shadow, the idol disappearing and reappearing on stage.

Xiao Xi came over.

Her head poked over my shoulder, eyes fixed on the screen.

“What… is this?”

“Something new. A virtual performance.”

She blinked.

Didn’t speak.

But watched intently.

I didn’t call Su Nian over.

She’d said she didn’t like this—not in a joking way.

I turned to look at Su Nian.

She sat on the cushion, holding that curled-edge paper, but her eyes weren’t on the lyrics.

Her lips were moving.

Muttering something.

Not “The Brave,” not that unnamed new song.

Something else.

I listened closely—

“Before going on stage… the lights suddenly go out…”

It was the answer I’d taught her before.

She was memorizing those questions.

My hand moved half an inch toward her.

Then stopped.

She had changed.

Not for better, not for worse.

She had started choosing things on her own.

My questions and answers—they were something no one else had, a weapon unique to her.

She also realized her own shortcomings, knew what else she could use, but also began to lose some control.

My questions and answers were something only she had.

But they weren’t something to be applied directly.

In the end…

I still chose to give the choice back to her.

***

After the meal.

Training continued.

At three in the afternoon, the time came.

I stood up and walked out.

When I reached the door, a voice came from behind.

“President…”

Su Nian stood before the mirror, not turning around.

But she looked at me through the mirror.

“…Will you come watch tonight?”

Her voice was softer than usual.

So soft it didn’t sound like the person who would yell “Ow—!”

But I knew what she really wanted to ask—would I succeed tonight?

I stood at the door, not turning back.

“The probability of success and failure is… fifty-fifty.”

In other words, I didn’t know either.

Her shoulder moved.

Drooped a little.

“But I will definitely come watch, my ‘ten-million Su Nian.'”

She smiled.

A smile I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Her mouth couldn’t close, her eyes wide open, just like the day she got her phone.

—Then, on the way to rehearsal.

I recalled the events of last night.

***

Last night.

Office.

I was sprawled on the desk, exhausted like a salted fish.

The bank transfer notification had just sounded:

[Ding! Yesterday’s performance remuneration has been credited, including Final Show Subsidy…]

I looked up—

Chuxue stood at the door.

No red tea in her hand.

Her expression frozen.

As if someone had pressed the pause button.

All the clues she had noticed connected in that instant.

Why did this person have Alice’s money?

Why could he accept the joint performance on behalf of Alice?

Why was he never around whenever Alice performed?

Why, many whys, all biting together, then snapped into place in a single moment—

Silence.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

She didn’t question.

Didn’t get angry.

No “so you’re Alice.”

She just stood there, looking at me.

But I couldn’t wait.

Once I confirmed I was exposed, I wouldn’t hold onto any false hope.

“Miss Chuxue. What exactly is it that you want?”

—I started trying to seize the initiative instead.

My voice was steadier than I expected.

She still didn’t speak.

Silence.

A long silence.

So long that I started cursing in my head.

‘Tch.’

Silence was a tricky situation.

If she didn’t talk, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, couldn’t respond.

Originally, I had planned to reveal some information to confuse her, intending to decide how much she should know only after I was certain of her goal—but man proposes, heaven disposes.

And even now, I still hadn’t figured out her intentions.

So I had to keep asking.

But I changed my approach.

“Miss Chuxue. From my observation, you don’t seem hostile toward me. Nor do you seem to have any desire to expose anyone.”

Still silence.

But those light blue eyes kept watching me.

I couldn’t read what was in them.

Not anger, not disappointment, not disgust, not the excitement of “finally caught you” or anything.

It was something else.

What emotion was in those light blue eyes?

Those were eyes I had never seen before.

I didn’t understand.

Instinctively, I took half a step back.

My heel hit the desk leg, making a soft thump.

But she started walking forward.

The white figure began to approach.

One step.

Two steps.

And then—

She hugged me.

Warm.

Soft.

A little hotter than I imagined.

Her body was almost twice my size, wrapping around me entirely.

Her snow-white long hair fell, landing on my shoulders, a few strands brushing against my cheek—cool, ticklish.

I froze.

Motionless.

I didn’t know where to put my arms.

They just hung there.

‘…?’

After a long time—maybe three seconds, maybe ten—I realized what was happening.

She was hugging me.

Not questioning.

Not exposing.

A hug.

Heartbeats.

I didn’t know if they were hers or mine, thump thump thump, colliding in my chest.

Time passed slowly.

So slowly I started counting her breaths.

One.

Two.

Three.

Her body temperature was about the same as mine.

Her shoulder rested near the top of my head, pressing down slightly.

Her hand was on my back.

Very light.

As if afraid of breaking something.

I didn’t know what to say.

Or what to do.

I just stood there.

Held by her.

But I still didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand at all.

I had imagined all kinds of extreme scenarios—anger, disappointment, disgust, boredom, feeling worthless…

But not one of them.

Not a single one.

Just—hugging.

It made me uneasy.

Then, time passed.

Her movements gradually relaxed.

Until her arms loosened a little.

I spoke again.

My voice was weaker than before.

I repeated weakly.

“What… is it that you want?”

This time she answered.

“Who… knows?”

After saying that, she let go.

Her expression had a kind of trance-like, otherworldly air.

As if even she truly didn’t know—after chasing a question and getting a definite answer, she became even more lost.

A few more seconds passed.

I heard her voice.

Coming down from above my head.

Soft, gentle, different from her usual languid tone.

“Tomorrow… after the performance, I’ll know.”

It sounded like she was telling me, and also telling herself.

She stepped back.

Stood there, looking at me.

Her expression…

I didn’t know how to describe it.

Not relief, not satisfaction, not the smugness of “finally caught you.”

It was an emptiness.

Like she had finally caught something she had been chasing for a long time, only to realize she didn’t know what to do with it now that she had it.

She stood there, looking at me for a long time.

Finally, she left only one sentence.

“Get some good rest. Don’t forget tomorrow’s performance.”

A pause.

“…Alice.”

“Gemstone Princess and Snow Girl! Tonight at seven!—”

I was brought back to reality by the ubiquitous advertisement in the city.

The car’s autopilot was still beeping—

Beep, destination reached…

I got out and looked at the large billboard in the city center.

I thought again about what Chuxue had said last night.

‘Don’t forget… the performance.’

‘After the performance, I’ll know.’

…Thinking, I approached the huge venue—capacity thirty thousand.

‘Yes. After the performance, I’ll understand.’

Since she said so, then there was no change in what I had to do.

Above the massive venue, tonight’s poster—

[Gemstone] and [Snow] on the same stage.