The shrill ringing of a phone tore Lu Zihao out of a shallow, restless sleep. He groaned, rolled onto his side, and smashed a pillow over his ear as if it were an enemy combatant. The thick duvet swallowed him whole. If he ignored it hard enough, surely the world would take the hint and leave him alone.
The phone disagreed.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
His jaw tightened. He was running on barely a few hours of sleep after spending the entire night drowning himself in videos of Elena Zhang. Interviews. Performances. That head tilt. His brain was still buzzing, refusing to power down properly.
At last, the ringing stopped.
The call dropped into voicemail.
"Hello? Hello! Are you there, my boy?" an aged but thunderous voice exploded from the phone speaker. "Are you awake yet? Wake up! It's already morning in Toronto! Why aren't you answering the d\*mn phone? Your beloved Grandpa is calling, and you dare ignore me? You unfilial grandson!"
Lu Zihao didn't move.
