The next day, the music festival began.
There were many bands on the scene, and fans were screaming like crazy. Colorful ribbons were flying and bursts of white mist and flames filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Li Chunfeng wore a cap, covering the bruise on his forehead. He was dressed in a trendy jacket, exuding a cool and hip-hop vibe.
Bai Yin and Li Chunfeng performed a duet called "Meeting You in the Summer Breeze." The heartfelt melody warmed up the entire winter day, and the screams of fans on the lawn almost reached the other side of the lake.
During the interactive segment, the host playfully teased Bai Yin and Li Chunfeng.
Li Chunfeng had an outgoing and witty personality. His clever remarks made the fans burst into laughter, confirming their belief that the two were a couple.
The passionate atmosphere on and off the stage made Bai Yin gradually realize... the fans were truly obsessed with their chemistry.
No wonder Chen Huaixiao was angry.
Even if he wasn't upset as a husband, as their manager, he wouldn't want to see his artists being involved in such a fan frenzy.
So when faced with the sensitive topic brought up by the host, Bai Yin skillfully avoided it, giving Li Chunfeng a warning glance to make him stop.
Li Chunfeng understood and obediently shifted the topic to their album, no longer joking around.
...
After the interview with Bai Yin and Li Chunfeng ended, there were no more arrangements. The organizers arranged a buffet for the bands and celebrities on Heart Island.
Heart Island was separated from the music festival fans, so it was quiet, and they could enjoy their meal without any disturbance.
Bai Yin and Li Chunfeng stepped off the small boat. They had been busy with makeup and rehearsals all day and hadn't had a proper meal yet. They were hungry now.
The sky had turned dark, and the star-shaped lights on Heart Island were shining brightly and beautifully. Members of the bands, dressed in trendy hip-hop fashion, mingled among them. Some bands were playing the guitar and singing, creating a lively and relaxed atmosphere.
Bai Yin stood in front of the long, white dining table, holding a plate and carefully selecting delicious yet non-fattening food.
However, these two things seemed contradictory. In this world, how could there be something that was both delicious and wouldn't make you gain weight?
She looked at the golden fried chicken, feeling a bit envious, but settled for picking up a cherry tomato instead.
A message from Sun Lili popped up on her phone: "I've passed the message to Su Anning. She rushed here overnight and should meet you at the music festival."
While eating, Bai Yin replied with one hand: "I haven't seen her yet."
Just as she finished sending the message, Bai Yin saw a familiar figure stepping off the small boat, holding her dress.
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.
Su Anning was wearing a black dress, her makeup particularly fierce. With bright red lips and dark eyeshadow, she looked like a vengeful antagonist.
As soon as she got off the boat, she spotted Bai Yin and walked straight towards her.
She was full of momentum and didn't seem friendly at all.
After a series of career failures, being kicked out of the Su family mansion, and being forced to apologize in front of Bai Yin's mother's grave, not to mention the fact that her album sales were overshadowed by Bai Yin's... Bai Yin knew that Su Anning harbored deep hatred towards her.
And the message Sun Lili gave to Su Anning was probably the reason why she had come to Heart Island against all odds.
"Bai Yin set down her plate and walked to the lakeside corridor, where she came face to face with Su Anning. 'Did my sister receive the message I asked my agent to deliver?'
Su Anning quickened her pace and charged towards Bai Yin, raising her hand for a slap. Her agent tried desperately to stop her, but to no avail.
Bai Yin was not one to be bullied. She grabbed Su Anning's raised hand and forcefully threw it aside, causing her body to stumble sideways. Her agent caught her and supported her.
'We're by the lake, sister. Be careful,' Bai Yin remarked.
Veins bulged on Su Anning's temple as she angrily exclaimed, 'Who gave you the right to announce my retirement? What qualifications do you have to do this?'
'Oh? Did my agent not explain clearly?' Bai Yin shrugged. 'Sister is tired of the battles in the entertainment industry and voluntarily announced her retirement. What does it have to do with me?'
'That's impossible! Bai Yin, don't even think about it!'
'Su Anning, I gave you a dignified way out. Don't take it for granted,' Bai Yin coldly observed. 'With zero tolerance for mistresses on the internet, how far do you think you'll go carrying the label of the daughter who pushed the lawful wife to her death?'
Su Anning trembled all over. She knew that Bai Yin's threat was real...
So that's how it is!
This woman, from being an unknown amateur, had gradually risen to fame and gained fans, all for one purpose... to clear her mother's name of injustice!
Su Anning was genuinely afraid. She feared that once her fans discovered she was the daughter of the mistress, they would hate her. She feared losing the chance to stand on the dazzling stage of stardom. She feared losing everything she possessed!
But as long as Bai Yin was around, the threat would always exist.
There was only one solution... to make her disappear from this world completely.
As long as she was gone, no one would ever dig up the blood debt from the past.
Su Anning's gaze towards Bai Yin grew colder and the light in her eyes gradually faded, becoming as still as dead water.
'Bai Yin...'
Taking a step closer, she slowly said, 'I can retire, as long as you promise to keep my secret.'
'You have my word.'
'I don't believe in promises. Only the dead can keep secrets forever!'
After Su Anning finished speaking, she forcefully pushed Bai Yin. Bai Yin instinctively grabbed onto the railing, but her entire body had already fallen out.
Her hand... still tightly held onto the railing, refusing to let go.
Su Anning trembled all over, her eyes turning red. She tightly gripped Bai Yin's neck and said, 'Die! Just die already!'
Bai Yin looked at her with crimson eyes, radiating a menacing light akin to that of a primitive beast.
Suddenly, she released her tight grip on the railing and, like a bird with clipped wings, fell into the icy lake.
In that split second before she hit the water, Su Anning's mind went blank.
In the corner of Bai Yin's mouth, she saw a strange smile, as if it were an answer to her—
'Alright.'
At that moment, Su Anning belatedly realized that she had fallen into a trap.
Bai Yin had long understood Su Anning's impulsive nature and used it against her. Getting her to leave the entertainment industry was not Bai Yin's ultimate goal. Her true objective was to send her to prison!"
However, those sinful hands had already reached out, with no chance of redemption left in front of everyone's eyes!
...
The incident of Bai Yin falling into the water happened too suddenly, and the people around couldn't react in time.
It was the middle of winter, with temperatures outside nearing below zero. One can imagine how freezing cold the lake must be.
People rushed to the lakeside, frantically searching for a lifebuoy and calling for help, as they watched the woman in the lake struggling, seemingly unable to swim. But no one dared to jump into the lake to rescue her in such freezing temperatures.
Even if they could swim, who could guarantee that they wouldn't be frozen stiff and unable to save themselves in the ice-cold water?
Li Chunfeng rushed into the crowd and immediately took off his coat, preparing to jump into the lake to save the woman. However, on a nearby yacht, there was a muffled sound, and someone was faster than him.
Amidst the anxious crowd, only Chen Huaixiao jumped into the water without hesitation, swimming towards Bai Yin with all his might.
...
Soon, Chen Huaixiao carried the freezing Bai Yin onto the shore.
He was dripping wet, but he didn't care about himself. He held Bai Yin tightly and shouted at the people around, "Step aside!"
The onlookers quickly made some space, allowing him to lay Bai Yin down.
Chen Huaixiao's eyes were bloodshot, and he pressed her chest desperately, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Bai Yin remained motionless, her eyes tightly shut, looking like a dying quail in his arms.
"Bai Yin, hold on for me," Chen Huaixiao said hoarsely and lowly as he pressed her chest and gave her artificial respiration. "Are you willing to die like this?"
Li Chunfeng rushed into the crowd anxiously. Seeing Chen Huaixiao in such a miserable state, he suddenly understood why he had taken the blow on his head.
What kind of deep love could reveal such a desperate look?
After several compressions and rescue breaths, Bai Yin coughed up some water and took a labored, hurried breath.
Chen Huaixiao held onto her, using his entire body to warm her icy cold body.
Bai Yin gasped heavily and pushed him away.
"Brother, you... you're suffocating me."
-
Su Anning was taken away from the scene by the police.
When her hands were handcuffed, she hysterically argued, claiming that all of this was Bai Yin's plan, and she was being framed.
However, countless pairs of eyes witnessed Su Anning pushing Bai Yin into the lake, and no matter how cunningly Su Anning defended herself, she couldn't escape the punishment of the law.
Su Anning's pure and innocent image completely collapsed, and she might even face a lawsuit. It was impossible for her to continue her path in the entertainment industry.
The footage of Bai Yin falling into the water was spread online, and fans focused their attention on Chen Huaixiao.
Chen Huaixiao didn't hesitate to jump into the water to save a life. After coming ashore, while performing chest compressions on Bai Yin, he also gave her rescue breaths, his concern and anxiety clearly evident.
"Help! This video makes it impossible for me not to have wild thoughts!"
"Chen Huaixiao's expression is so intense. If you didn't know, you would think he had a deep affection for Bai Yin."
"Isn't this like a kiss!"
"Wuwuwu, I also want to fall into the water and be given artificial respiration by Huai General."
"Wait, isn't Chen Huaixiao already married? What are you guys fantasizing about?"
"Seriously, this is just about saving a person. Artificial respiration and kissing are fundamentally different. Stop daydreaming!"
"Even if it were someone else, they would hesitate to save a person without a doubt. Don't overthink it just because he's Chen Huaixiao."
...
Bai Yin, wrapped in a thick robe and holding a steaming cup of ginger tea for warmth, saw Li Chunfeng walk in and asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
"How could I be okay!" Bai Yin shuddered at the memory of the icy lake water. The suffocating feeling after falling into the water was even worse.
Even someone who could swim would likely have their hands and feet frozen stiff after falling into a below-freezing lake, let alone her with terrible swimming skills.
"I'm starting to develop aquaphobia now." Bai Yin tightened the fluffy blanket around her. "I won't eat ice cream ever again."
Seeing that she could still make jokes, Li Chunfeng felt relieved that she was probably fine. "I didn't expect Chen Huaixiao to jump into the water without hesitation to save you. His yacht was quite far from you at the time, and I..."
Before Li Chunfeng could finish speaking, Bai Yin suddenly said, "Chen Huaixiao is my husband."
"!!"
Li Chunfeng was stunned and couldn't find the words to respond.
Bai Yin had already guessed to some extent what Li Chunfeng thought of her and spoke frankly, "Because we are currently in a secret marriage, it's a secret in the industry, and I don't want too many people to know, so I haven't told you until now."
Li Chunfeng looked deeply into Bai Yin's eyes. "Then why are you telling me now?"
"Because I consider you a friend now." Bai Yin smiled lightly, easing the awkward atmosphere. "Friends shouldn't have secrets like this, so I'm telling you, but you have to keep it a secret for me."
Li Chunfeng felt a pain in his breath and a self-deprecating smile crept onto his lips. "I see."
Between intelligent people, there's no need to spell everything out.
"Bai Yin, I've been pursuing the most beautiful voice in the world all my life, until I met you."
Before Bai Yin could interrupt, Li Chunfeng stubbornly continued, "Until I met you, I realized that there's no such thing as the most beautiful voice in the world. There's only... the voice I most want to hear. When I heard you sing for the first time in the tennis court, I realized it, I found it."
"Li Chunfeng, thank you for appreciating me. But you need to know that when I was young, I couldn't even match five notes. I had to listen to a song hundreds or thousands of times and practice tirelessly to master each pitch..."
Li Chunfeng looked at her earnestly, not understanding her implication.
"So, the pure heavenly voice you're pursuing, I don't have it." Bai Yin shook her head. "For me, art is not a talent; it's built upon countless nights and days of hard work. Only through immense effort can it appear effortless."
Li Chunfeng looked at the girl's serious expression and suddenly understood the meaning behind her words.
Love at first sight, or perhaps "love at first 'sound'," is probably just an illusion.
Li Chunfeng didn't really know her, didn't know her past and present. All he saw was her effortless demeanor, and he mistakenly believed that was the beauty he had been pursuing all his life.
He smiled faintly.
This time, the smile carried a sense of relief. "And what about your husband? Did he start liking you only after knowing everything about you?"
Li Chunfeng's sudden question left Bai Yin a little puzzled. "We've known each other for a long time, and he does understand me. Maybe it's because of that understanding that he doesn't like me as much."
She said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't affect our marriage."
A marriage of convenience doesn't require love, but it does require loyalty. That's what Bai Yin wanted to make clear to Li Chunfeng. "Between him and me, we will always maintain loyalty to each other, if there's such a thing as forever."
Li Chunfeng touched the faint bruise on his forehead and said meaningfully, "Are you sure... he doesn't like you that much?"
"What do you mean?"
Li Chunfeng replied calmly, "At least, from the perspective of a rival like me, Chen Huaixiao doesn't just like you, he's... absolutely in love with you."
