Chapter 93: Light Beyond Light
Ruan Yu didn’t know if Teng Yi had prepared any surprises for her, but she had indeed gotten him a Valentine’s Day gift.
After receiving her scholarship, she had custom-ordered a pair of street dance shoes for Teng Yi from the official website of Brand X.
The shoes were designed in a classic high-top sneaker style—round-toed with a black body and white soles. The high-top featured a buckle with the engraved initials "TY," short for Teng Yi’s name in pinyin.
This was Ruan Yu’s first time preparing a gift for Teng Yi, and the most challenging part of the process had been figuring out his shoe size. She had racked her brains over it.
Asking him directly was out of the question, and secretly measuring his feet seemed nearly impossible.
In the end, she had no choice but to sneak a peek into Teng Yi’s shoe cabinet while tutoring Teng Hao at the Teng household. Unfortunately, Teng Hao happened to catch her in the act.
Teng Hao looked at her with disdain. "Top-scorer, you don’t have some weird, secret fetish, do you?"
Ruan Yu tried to brush it off, but Teng Hao wasn’t buying it. Left with no other option, she confessed about the gift and made him swear to secrecy.
Surprisingly, Teng Hao was quite cooperative—not only did he agree immediately, but he also volunteered Teng Yi’s shoe size: 43.
With the biggest hurdle cleared, Ruan Yu thought she could smoothly surprise Teng Yi on Valentine’s Day. But as fate would have it, he discovered the shoes the day before.
On the 13th, Ruan Yu received the package. She quietly slipped upstairs to her office to unbox it, only for Teng Yi to walk in the moment she pulled the shoes out—before she could even get a proper look at them herself.
She lunged to hide them, but the move was as good as an admission.
"What’s that?" Teng Yi pointed at the shoebox. "Men’s shoes?"
"Oh, these aren’t for you," she blurted, her denial painfully obvious.
"Not for me?" Teng Yi crouched down, pinching her chin with an amused smirk. "Little Fish, does this mean you’ve got another fish on the side?"
"..."
Speechless, Ruan Yu could only obediently take out the custom shoes and hand them to him.
"They’re for you."
"If they’re for me, why hide them?" he teased knowingly.
"Because I wanted to surprise you on Valentine’s Day," she answered dejectedly.
Ruan Yu hadn’t expected that preparing a surprise gift for someone would be so difficult. The slightest misstep could ruin the whole plan—this was way harder than solving advanced math problems.
Teng Yi felt both warmth and amusement in his heart.
"I’m surprised," he said calmly.
Ruan Yu glanced at him. "I don’t believe you. You look completely unfazed."
"Little Fish, you really don’t understand men," Teng Yi said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "The more excited a guy is inside, the calmer he tends to appear."
"Why?"
"Because wearing your emotions on your sleeve is childish. Composure is far more attractive." He kissed her temple. "Isn’t that why you like me—for my composure?"
Ruan Yu laughed, neither confirming nor denying it.
"Try them on quickly. See if they fit and if you like them."
"I like them."
"You haven’t even tried them yet."
"I’ll like anything you give me."
"Tch."
Teng Yi slipped them on. The shoes were comfortable, with none of the usual stiffness of new footwear.
He took a couple of steps and turned to Ruan Yu. "What do you think?"
"They look great."
The shoes had a casual yet hip-hop-inspired style that perfectly matched Teng Yi’s vibe. Black was a universally flattering color, but even if it weren’t, Teng Yi could pull off anything."I really like them, thank you, Xiaoyu."
--?--
That night, Teng Yi wore the shoes Ruan Yu had given him and strutted around every practice room, making sure everyone noticed his new kicks before smugly declaring, "These are a Valentine's Day gift from my girlfriend."
The guys in the practice rooms couldn’t help but envy him.
But he didn’t stop there—he even flaunted them to every member of the Xi You crew. That is, until one of the female trainees warned him that couples shouldn’t give each other shoes as gifts.
"Why not?"
"Because giving shoes symbolizes growing apart—it means you’ll eventually break up."
Pfft.
What kind of superstitious nonsense was that? Teng Yi refused to believe it.
Back then, he was certain he’d never leave Ruan Yu and would never let her leave him either.
He signaled the girl to drop the topic at the training center, knowing how easily women bought into these kinds of old wives’ tales. If Ruan Yu heard about it, she might get uneasy.
The trainee immediately nodded in agreement, promising not to spread any more superstitions.
The next day was Valentine’s Day.
From midnight onward, the entire campus buzzed with restless romantic energy. Outside the girls’ dorm, sporadic howls of confession echoed through the night.
Ever since Teng Yi and the Xi You crew had danced in front of the dorm, public confessions had become rare. Most guys weren’t stupid—they knew Teng Yi had set the bar impossibly high. If they couldn’t top it, they’d rather avoid comparison altogether.
But Valentine’s Day was different. Some still dared to break the rules, hoping the day’s mystical aura would help them bare their hearts.
Ruan Yu barely slept a wink from all the noise, and neither did Chen Manbai or Xia Qiaofeng.
Jian Xiangxiang took it to another level—she clung to her phone all night, muttering curses by dawn, as if sheer willpower could wake Zhou Xihe from his deep slumber in the boys’ dorm.
"That bastard Zhou Xihe! That piece of trash! Just drop dead already!"
"What’s wrong, Xiangxiang?" Xia Qiaofeng asked.
"He ignored my texts all night again. Looks like we’re skipping Valentine’s—I’m sending him straight to Singles’ Day!"
No one took it seriously. Jian Xiangxiang and Zhou Xihe fought every three days, with blowouts every five. Their constant bickering was the norm—those who knew them understood they were a couple, while outsiders would’ve sworn they were sworn enemies. If they ever acted lovey-dovey like other couples, that would’ve been weird.
As soon as Ruan Yu got up, the dorm supervisor called her downstairs to collect a bouquet.
Teng Yi had sent her 99 roses, nestled between which were two concert tickets for Hou Ming.
Hou Ming was the hottest rising star in music—a heartthrob with idol looks, powerhouse vocals, and songwriting genius. His self-penned hits like [song titles] had taken the streets by storm the moment they dropped.
The media hailed him as the most promising young talent in Chinese pop, while fans shamelessly crowned him the next king of Mandopop. With his stellar reputation and sky-high demand, his concerts sold out instantly.
Ruan Yu was a fan too. His songs weren’t just catchy fluff—his lyrics swung between raw simplicity and poetic grandeur, weaving life’s truths with cosmic perspective, standing the test of time.The other three roommates were beyond envious when they found out Teng Yi was taking Ruan Yu to Hou Ming’s concert.
“Hou Ming! Hou Ming! It’s Hou Ming! Oh my god, attending his concert is literally one of my bucket-list dreams. Ruan Ruan, you’re so lucky!” Xia Qiaofeng clutched the concert tickets, her eyes sparkling.
“Compared to Teng Yi, that bastard Zhou Xihe just makes me even angrier!” Jian Xiangxiang stomped her feet in frustration. “Making him spend Singles’ Day alone isn’t enough to vent my hatred—I think I’ll have to let him celebrate Tomb-Sweeping Day early this year!”
Everyone: “……”
Hou Ming’s concert was held at Blue Sky Stadium in the neighboring J City.
That afternoon, Teng Yi drove Ruan Yu to J City.
Outside Blue Sky Stadium, Hou Ming’s fans had already gathered early. Many of them had come in groups, all wearing hoodies printed with cartoon monkey designs—Hou Ming’s mascot—and holding up fan signs. Excitedly, they took photos with the life-sized cutout of Hou Ming at the entrance, treating it as if it were the real man himself.
Teng Yi’s appearance made some of the solo fans momentarily distracted, nearly forgetting the purpose of their trip.
“So handsome…”
“Right? I never expected Hou Ming to have such a good-looking fan. Guess handsome guys really do attract each other.”
“You think he’s gay? Forgive my fujoshi brain.”
“No way, look—he’s clearly here with his girlfriend.”
“Ugh, all the hot guys are taken. Either they have a gorgeous girlfriend or a gorgeous boyfriend—no chance left for us mere mortals.”
Ruan Yu overheard these hushed whispers and glanced at Teng Yi. He seemed oblivious, seriously studying the stadium’s exterior structure.
Noticing her gaze, he lowered his head to look at her.
“What’s wrong?” His tone suggested he was completely unaware of the attention.
“Nothing.”
“Want some water?” He pointed to his backpack. “There’s water and snacks inside. Just tell me what you want.”
Ruan Yu nodded.
Soon, it was time to enter.
Teng Yi had bought VIP tickets, with seats very close to the stage.
Once seated, Ruan Yu turned around and was instantly stunned by the vast sea of orange lights filling the stadium—orange was Hou Ming’s official fan color.
The couples around them were busy taking selfies, so Ruan Yu pulled out her phone and leaned against Teng Yi. He had been looking down at his phone but, sensing her intention, lifted his head and smiled gently at the camera.
“Which Hou Ming song is your favorite?” Ruan Yu asked.
“Which one’s yours?”
“Let’s answer together—see if we have the same taste.”
“Okay.”
“One, two, three—go.”
“……”
They answered in unison, then burst into laughter.
It was one of Hou Ming’s more controversial songs, dividing listeners into two camps—those who loved it and those who hated it.
What a coincidence—they were both in the love-it camp, and it was even their top favorite. Once again, it proved they were the same kind of people at heart.
The concert host soon appeared, and the moment Ruan Yu saw them, she was completely shocked.
She never expected the host to be her idol, Lin Hong.
“It’s Lin Hong…” Ruan Yu covered her mouth. She had never even dreamed of seeing Lin Hong this close in person.She was no longer just a photograph tucked between the pages of a book—she was Lin Hong in the flesh, breathing and greeting everyone.
"Your reward." Teng Yi reached out and ruffled Ruan Yu's hair. "The concert is your Valentine's Day gift, and meeting Lin Hong is an extra bonus."
He had always remembered the promise he made to reward her after she helped him strategize during the New Year's Eve performance. He should have fulfilled it long ago, but he could never find the right opportunity.
Teng Yi knew Ruan Yu adored Lin Hong and wanted to help her meet her idol. However, Lin Hong was usually busy working at the television station and rarely made public appearances. This time, she had stepped in as a favor for Hou Ming after the original host of his concert couldn't make it. As a senior colleague from the same company, Lin Hong came to the rescue.
"You knew Lin Hong was hosting today?" Ruan Yu asked.
Teng Yi nodded.
Of course. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her to Hou Ming’s concert. After all, he couldn’t stand her glancing at other guys, let alone staring at a handsome one for two whole hours.
"You're the best!" Ruan Yu leaned in and kissed Teng Yi’s cheek.
Indeed, when it came to creating surprises, Teng Yi was in a league of his own. Compared to him, she felt like an amateur, light-years behind.
"Let’s enjoy the concert first. After it’s over, I’ll take you to get her autograph."
"Okay."
Ruan Yu watched Lin Hong on stage. Dressed in a black suit, she exuded her usual elegance and poise—though it seemed slightly out of place in the high-energy concert atmosphere. Yet, the moment she spoke, she commanded the stage. Unlike her usual composed hosting style, tonight she was witty and humorous, effortlessly weaving in popular internet jokes that sent waves of laughter through the stadium.
A truly skilled host could adapt to any occasion, engaging audiences of all ages without a hint of hesitation.
After Lin Hong’s opening introduction, the concert officially began.
...One familiar song after another echoed in their ears. Hou Ming sang quietly, rarely interacting with the fans. Yet, whenever he reached the chorus, the entire stadium would erupt into a massive singalong.
Ruan Yu, swept up in the atmosphere, sang along to every song.
Then came the finale.
Before singing, Hou Ming said this was his favorite song—one he wanted to dedicate to the most important person in his life who was present tonight.
The crowd erupted in speculation. Who could this person be? Was he about to announce a relationship on Valentine’s Day? But Hou Ming offered no further explanation.
"Stumbling through the crowd, wounds upon wounds. Lost on the road, yet your words told me light exists beyond light..."
Hou Ming sat on a high stool, cradling his guitar as he sang each word with deep emotion, tinged with a hint of sorrow.
Ruan Yu thought, if this was a confession, the outcome must have been heartbreaking.
No one knew who this song was for—except Hou Ming. Or perhaps, the person he was singing to knew as well.
As the concert ended, Hou Ming bowed deeply on stage. Fans chanted his name, unwilling to leave, creating a deeply moving scene.Teng Yi held Ruan Yu's hand and was the first to leave. At the same time, a woman sitting in the front row also stood up.
Dressed in a white down coat with her long hair elegantly pinned up, she looked like a graceful white swan.
The three of them walked to the entrance together.
The woman recognized Teng Yi and came over to greet them.
"Hi, Teng Yi!"
Ruan Yu looked at her smiling face and recognized her as well.
It was Wang Yuling.
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