When I woke up, the light felt strange.
It wasn't too bright, not too dim either…just soft enough to make me squint. My head throbbed faintly, and the air smelled expensive…like polished wood, and a faint trace of perfume that didn't belong to me.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes.
White sheets. A huge bed. A wall-sized window draped with silk curtains. The room wasn't scary at all. It looked… normal. Too normal. Like a hotel suite I'd never be able to afford in my entire life.
Then it hit me.
The concert.
The screaming crowd.
The lights.Someone's hands on my face
And then…darkness.
My chest tightened.
"Oh my God…" I whispered, standing up so fast the blanket slid to the floor. "No, no, no…"
My phone wasn't on the table. My bag was sitting neatly on a chair, but it looked untouched. I rushed to it and started rummaging through it anyway…my wallet, my lip gloss, my college ID, everything was still there. Except my phone.
Before I could think of what to do next, the door opened.
And he walked in.
The same face from the concert.
Perfect skin. Sharp jawline. Jet-black hair styled like every girl's dream. And those eyes…the kind that made it impossible to tell if he was angry, curious, or just tired.
I froze.
This is Li wei… wait, Li wei? What is he doing here?
He looked even more unreal in daylight.
"你醒了 (You're awake)," he said first, then added quickly in English, "Sorry…I didn't mean to scare you."
I took a step back. "Where the hell am I?"
He raised both hands in a slow, almost playful gesture. "It's okay, it's okay. Please don't panic. You're safe here."
"Safe?" I snapped. "I wake up in a strange room, and you tell me not to panic? You kidnapped me!"
He blinked like he didn't expect that tone. "I didn't kidnap you. You fainted at the concert. My security thought it was best to bring you here—"
"Oh, please," I cut in. "You could've taken me to a hospital, not a hotel suite."
He sighed softly and came closer, his voice lowering. "Hospitals mean cameras, people, questions. I didn't want you all over the news."
"Why would I be all over the news?"
He looked at me…and for a moment, it felt like the air in the room got heavier. "Because people saw it." he said.
My stomach flipped. "Saw what?"
"That moment," he said quietly. "When I looked at you."
I just stared at him. For a full second, I couldn't even breathe.
What was he talking about?
He wasn't the one I'd locked eyes with. That had been someone else… cold, sharp, intimidating…Qin Kai. Not Li Wei.
But I didn't say that out loud.
"I don't even know you," I said, crossing my arms. "You can't just bring someone to a hotel because you felt something."
He gave a small, crooked smile. "You talk like that's not how every love story starts."
"Love story?" I almost laughed. "You're insane."
"I'm Li Wei," he said simply, like that name was supposed to explain everything.
And maybe it did. He was the Li Wei…the rising superstar everyone in China and half of Asia screamed about. But that didn't make this less insane.
"I know who you are," I said. "And I don't care. I want to leave."
He stepped aside, like a gentleman showing the way. "You can. But can I say something first?"
I hesitated.
His tone wasn't pushy. Just calm. Curious.
"One minute," I said tightly.
He nodded. "Fine. I don't know what happened to me yesterday. When I looked at you in that crowd, something shifted. I forgot lyrics. I missed my cue. My manager was furious. It's never happened before."
I stared at him, confused. "You're saying you messed up your concert because of me?"
He nodded slowly. "I didn't even know your name, but I knew I couldn't just let you disappear. Beijing is a big city."
"So what…your brilliant plan was to… kidnap me?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "You fainted. I told my driver to bring you somewhere safe. I'm sorry if it felt wrong. I should've handled it differently."
For a second, I didn't know what to say.
His voice was soft now, regretful even. But part of me still couldn't trust it.
"What do you want from me?" I asked quietly.
He looked straight at me. "A chance."
I blinked. "A chance at what?"
"To get to know you," he said. "To date you, maybe. I just want to see you, over and over again."
My heart stumbled, and I instantly hated that reaction.
"Date you?" I repeated. "You barely know me!"
He chuckled. "Then let me know you."
I looked away, shaking my head. "I'm not interested. I came here to study, not to play games."
His lips curved. "You're really saying no to Li Wei?"
"Watch me, No." I said.
He laughed, deep and genuine, like he wasn't used to rejection. "You're different. I like that."
"Good for you," I said flatly, reaching for my bag. "I'm leaving."
He followed as I moved toward the door. "Wait…at least let me get you a car."
I didn't answer. My fingers were trembling slightly as I grabbed my things, pretending to be calm.
"I mean it," he said softly. "I won't force you. But can I see you again?"
I turned back, hesitating just for a heartbeat. His eyes looked so sure, so open…but I couldn't read what was behind them.
"I don't know," I said finally. "I really don't."
He smiled faintly. "Then I'll make sure you do."
Before I could ask what that meant, he was already calling someone on his phone in Chinese.
"送她去大学 (Send her to the university)," he told whoever was on the line.
Minutes later, I was in a sleek black car, staring out the tinted window, my heart still racing.
By the time I got back to campus, everything felt unreal. The streets looked the same, the chatter of students filled the air, but my mind was somewhere else… still back in that hotel room, with the superstar who looked at me like he already knew me.
I didn't tell anyone what happened.
Not Meilin, not Mom. No one.
But one thought refused to leave my head:
Why did it feel like that moment wasn't the first time someone had looked at me that way?
Why did it feel like I'd been seen before… by someone colder, sha
rper… darker?
Qin Kai.
No matter how hard I tried to push it away, I knew deep down…
This was only the beginning of something much more…